{"id":384,"date":"2012-02-24T14:43:08","date_gmt":"2012-02-24T14:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=384"},"modified":"2012-02-24T14:43:08","modified_gmt":"2012-02-24T14:43:08","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjava-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=384","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">    var _gaq = _gaq || [];   _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']);   _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);    (function() {     var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true;     ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js';     var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);   })();  <\/script>  <\/heat> Session 18 Part II \u2013 Held on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Tower<\/strong><strong> of Babel<\/strong><strong> \u2013 Gen. 11:1 &#8211; 9<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This story is one of the most memorable; one which we might recall even from our childhood.\u00a0 My memory is reinforced by the heading \u201cTower of Babel.\u201d But the story is a building of a city which is named Babel.\u00a0 Reading the notes will allow you to hear the story afresh, hearing what you haven\u2019t heard before and discovering that your memory\u2019s account of the story might very well have added a point or two not in the original story or a different focus as mine did.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/11\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/11<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve read the notes you might be able to detect the literary devices in this passage. As Tim was to point out later in our discussion Ch. 10 Table of Nations and this passage really deal with the same thing, an account of the fact that people after the flood were everywhere.\u00a0 But the accounts are quite different and reflecting on the differences brings out the diversity, depth, and power of the Bible.\u00a0 What are some of the differences in these two accounts?<\/p>\n<p>There is a definite structure to this passage.\u00a0 In vs. 3 -4 the people talk in direct discourse saying what they are going to do, why, and their fear, what they want to avoid.\u00a0 Then in vs. 7 \u2013 God in direct discourse says what he is going to do with the result that the very thing the people don\u2019t want to happen, happens. The opening phrase &#8220;the whole world&#8221; is a reference to its generality, not a single individual is named. \u00a0The author is reporting what is common to his human experience. \u00a0And what is that commonness?<\/p>\n<p>What do you make of this?\u00a0 What is so wrong with what the people not wanting to be \u201cscattered?\u201d And why is God so insistent that he is going to scatter them?\u00a0 Tim helped us have a possible answer when he identify the time of the editor. The editor is writing after the people of Israel have returned from their exile in Babylon.\u00a0 Perhaps the author \/ editor is helping his contemporaries to come to grips with their exile and their God.\u00a0 Tim\u2019s suggestion certainly opens up this passage.\u00a0 How often don\u2019t we struggle with what life deals us and our relationship with God?\u00a0 We ask, why, especially when bad things happen.\u00a0 Being exiled, feeling alienated, suffering loss are all very powerful human experiences that cry out for explanation.\u00a0 And in this story what is the explanation?\u00a0 Is there an explanation?<\/p>\n<p>As the conversation continued Rebecca thought their act was an act of pride.\u00a0 She saw pride in their wanting to make a name for themselves.\u00a0 In my typical devil\u2019s advocate role, I asked, well what is so bad about wanting to make a name for yourself.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t Tim want to make a name as a geologist; Ken, as a programmer; Fr. Tom, as a priest? \u00a0It seems to me a good reputation is a good not a bad. \u00a0The very tension in possible ways to understand the Bible is itself both a challenge and a blessing.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, you might recognize the wealth that emerges in a faith group\u2019s discussion on matters of importance in our life.\u00a0 There is always more that goes on than is recorded on the website.\u00a0 If you add your own observations, thoughts, questions, then the pages of the website itself can become all the more rich.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tower of Babel \u2013 Gen. 11:1 &#8211; 9 This story is one of the most memorable; one which we might recall even from our childhood.\u00a0 My memory is reinforced by the heading \u201cTower of Babel.\u201d But the story is a &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=384\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[15,7],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scripture","tag-historical-method","tag-modern-scripture-scholarship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=384"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions\/386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}