{"id":412,"date":"2012-03-15T16:17:43","date_gmt":"2012-03-15T16:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=412"},"modified":"2012-03-15T16:17:43","modified_gmt":"2012-03-15T16:17:43","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjava-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=412","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 21 \u2013 Held on Sunday, Mar 11, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Gen. 12:1 \u2013 9: Abram\u2019s Call and Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As should be obvious, putting things in context is both very important and makes all the difference.\u00a0 Context, however, is a layered reality.\u00a0 In our story of Abram\u2019s call and migration one layer is archeological.\u00a0 What do we know about this time in human history from sources other than the bible, this brief article on the website, \u201cFrom About.com. Ancient \/ Classical History\u201d present a summary that you might find of interest. <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/zNWDOe\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/zNWDOe<\/a>.\u00a0 A review of the article would show that Abram was not the only person to migrate during this period.\u00a0 In fact, he probably was one of thousands.\u00a0 However, only his story is told and told from a definite point of view.\u00a0 There are psychological, sociological, economic layers too.\u00a0 But, ultimately, there is a religious layer and that is what the Bible is about.\u00a0 The other layers can help but they cannot replace the religious significance for us in our life.\u00a0 To that end, it helps to read the notes and then the passage itself.\u00a0 It also helps to have a few leading questions to prime the pump, as it were.\u00a0 Who are the characters in this story?\u00a0 What is the \u201cwhen\u201d of this story?\u00a0 And, most important, what\u2019s the plot?\u00a0 Why is the story told? \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/12\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/12<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So who are the characters?\u00a0 We listed them.\u00a0 Annette was quick to say Lot.\u00a0 Dan mentioned persons and then read the note for us, \u201c\u2026 servants and others who formed the larger household under the leadership of Abraham.\u201d\u00a0 This note gives further context to the story.\u00a0 Abraham had a large household.\u00a0 What does this say about his economic status, does it tell us anything else about Abraham that you might not have thought of? Tim mentioned Sarai and also pointed out that mentioning the woman\u2019s name was a change in telling of these stories.<\/p>\n<p>Ken brought to our attention the Canaanites, v.6.\u00a0 Now in our versions of the Bible, verse 6 is in parenthesis.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 What does it tell us?\u00a0 Who did that?\u00a0 The questions are only possible if there are parentheses. Yet these ( \u2026) are evidence too of history, the original authors \/ editors didn\u2019t include them; two marks and so many questions pointing to a larger context. Heber wondered if Abraham had a problem with the Canaanites.\u00a0 Heber\u2019s question itself unknowingly makes assumptions that need to be clarified.\u00a0 Our author \/ editor write long after Abraham and often include information from their day that may or may not have even existed during the period of Abraham.\u00a0 Unfortunately there are a number of different accounts of the history of the Canaanites and the Israelites that would take us too far afield.<\/p>\n<p>We continued listing the characters when Annette mentioned Abram himself and the Lord.\u00a0 Ken concluded the list by pointing out that Abraham\u2019s kinfolk and his father\u2019s [Terah] house.<\/p>\n<p>We felt that the story doesn\u2019t really tell us when other than to say that Abram was 75 years old.\u00a0 Reading the article on the \u201cFrom About.com. Ancient \/ Classical History\u201d website will give a plausible answer to the question, though.<\/p>\n<p>By far the most important question, what is the plot of the story, its story line?\u00a0 Reading the first three verses might be sufficient for today.\u00a0 The Lord, without need of introduction, <strong>promises<\/strong>; one word that can hold so much of our life.\u00a0 Forgot for the moment what is promised but simply focus on who is doing the promising.\u00a0 What is the role of promise in our life?\u00a0 Pointing to a future \u2026 Filled with expectation \u2026 Hope \u2026 A statement in our distant past, addressing our unknown future.\u00a0 We are caught in the in-between [Metaxy \u2013 Greek for in between \u2013 and emblazoned on my license plate.]<\/p>\n<p>Land, descendants, name, blessings \u2013 not merely for Abraham or his land, or his descendants, or his name, but \u201cAll the families of the earth will find blessing in you.\u201d\u00a0 And today the three great monotheistic religions share in Abraham.<\/p>\n<p>Does this story resonate?\u00a0 Our group went on to talk about migration, the migration of our ancestors many of whom came from Italy, our own personal migrations.\u00a0 Beyond and in some sense within all the layered reasons for all of us to migrate, move on, there is the one supervening meaning, the promise of the one who is faithful.\u00a0 The story points to the center of our life and gives that movement meaning but to discover the meaning is to believe, to allow the fundamental question of <strong>why am I here<\/strong> to be answered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen. 12:1 \u2013 9: Abram\u2019s Call and Migration As should be obvious, putting things in context is both very important and makes all the difference.\u00a0 Context, however, is a layered reality.\u00a0 In our story of Abram\u2019s call and migration one &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=412\">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":[10,5],"tags":[15,7,18],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-scripture","tag-historical-method","tag-modern-scripture-scholarship","tag-religion-and-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412","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=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}