Personal Note on Posting Timeline
With this post I conclude our Sunday Scripture Study for the 2nd year on Genesis. During the summer months some of our group and others will meet to discuss Evangelization at my place. The first gathering will take place on Thursday, June 13th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Review:
Because of the Bible’s enormous richness, and the limit of our capacity to understand its meaning, achieving a balanced understanding of the Bible’s meaning is a life time of reflection, action, reflection, etc. I offered a couple of pointers to assist in that balanced understanding.
The first point requires us to distinguish between the history that happens and the history that is written about. The bible is history in the first sense but not in the second sense. It is literally impossible for any human constructions not to be historical in the first sense. And the Bible is a human construction, not only human but human none the less. One major consequence of this fact is that not everything written in the bible actually occurred although every act of writing its content actually occurred in history. At the same time it is equally not true to conclude that nothing written in the bible actually occurred. It is simply a mistake to assume either an all or nothing mind set. Both are mistaken. If this paragraph is confusing, your questions, observations, etc. would be more than welcomed.
A second point requires us to make the following distinction. Imagine drawing a circle that represents the entire world, universe, or universes; whatever actually exists. Then draw a line dividing the circle in half and naming the top half “Objective” and the bottom half “Subjective.”
Now let’s make a few observations.
- The actual existing world, universe [s] is prior to the distinction between Objective and Subjective.
- Only human beings make this distinction and they make the distinction by asking questions and answering them.
- If their answers are true, then that answer is part of the objective world.
As I write this, I become aware of the complexity that I am attempting to write about and that I have not given it the time that the reader deserves. That having been said, I will stop at this point to allow any questions, etc.
The underlying point of this distinction, however, is to make clear that for the Christian, Jesus is the Savior of the world. Since the Christian thinks his beliefs are true, it is simply a fact that Jesus is the Savior of the world. On the other hand, for that to be a reality for an individual, it can be so only if that individual comes to believe. This is the fundamental requirement of evangelization. The very meaning of human life, its origin, and goal are different for the believer.
Mark was to ask a question about all of this. If intelligent life is found on other planets, how would we understand the role of Jesus then; a question by the way that could only have been asked in our modern era. I don’t know of anyone who has written on this question but it certainly is one of a multitude of questions that would pour out of humanity and presumably the other examples of intelligent life. I simply can’t imagine intelligent life that is not capable of asking questions.
Background: Gen. 29: 11 – 30:24: The Birth of Jacob’s Children.
Walter Brueggemann, in Genesis Interpretation, offers an outline of this literary unit running from 29:01 – 31:55, p. 249
29: 01 – 04: – preliminary meeting – a kiss of meeting
29: 14 – 20: – meeting with Laban and the contact
29: 21 – 30: – deception of Jacob by Laban
29: 31 – 30: 24: – The Offspring
30: 25 – 43: – trick of Laban by Jacob
[31: 01 – 16: – a theological reflection]
31: 17 – 42: – meeting with Laban and dispute
31: 43 – 55: – covenant and departure – a kiss of departure
As I wrote last week, from Brueggemann’s outline, it is fairly obvious that “The Offspring” is the central focus of the entire unit as a whole. It probably represents an independent unit that may well have been an amalgam of authors expressing interests and perspective from the North and the South.
The Reading: Gen. 29: 31 – 30:24. http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/29 and http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/30
A continuing story of the how God works with us as we are to fulfill his promise. A story filled with characters marred by envy, deception; family life that we would term dysfunctional. A story that ends with the birth of Joseph through whom the promise will continue. A story that can be the source of hope. If God can work with the likes of these to achieve his goal, why not with us.
Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed. See “comment” link below