{"id":852,"date":"2014-01-27T17:27:48","date_gmt":"2014-01-27T21:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2014-01-27T17:27:48","modified_gmt":"2014-01-27T21:27:48","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjavascript-ga-48","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=852","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> Joseph  and his Brothers  &#8211; Held on Sunday, January 19, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Personal Note:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I have been delayed in posting this session; the previous delays were due to losing my computer and then next my car.\u00a0 This time, however, it was my furnace.\u00a0 New one is up and operating and I am warm enough to get this done.<\/p>\n<p>Scripture study was canceled this Sunday [01\/26\/14] so the next post will be two weeks from now \u2013 sometime in the first week of February.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 01\/19\/14<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Previous Week\u2019s [01\/12\/14] Review<\/li>\n<li>Background to today\u2019s Reading<\/li>\n<li>Reading Gen. 37: 01 &#8211; 36<\/li>\n<li>Discussion<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Previous Week\u2019s [01\/12\/14\/ Review<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Before covering my review I wanted to make clear that there are two commentaries that are guiding my discussions on <i>Genesis<\/i>.\u00a0 The first is Walter Brueggemann, <i>Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, <\/i>Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KT, 2010.\u00a0 I was prompted to bring up again the issue of history and the bible because of a comment that Brueggemann makes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is commonly agreed that the Joseph narrative is a work of art designed to make a statement to Israel.\u00a0 For such expression, questions of historicity are inappropriate.\u00a0 The most that can be asked concerns the historical setting of the artist and not the historical setting of the purported events themselves.\u00a0 The proper question is not \u201cWhen did this happen?\u201d Rather, we may ask, \u201cIn what cultural, intellectual context might this kind of literary statement have been achieved.\u201d P. 291.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps no one expressed the dominant world out which the individuals who make up our study group and, probably many others, better than Tim.\u00a0 Near the end of our conversation on this point Tim remarked, \u201cAs people of faith, we want to believe this story is historically accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ken\u2019s response also is worth reflecting on.\u00a0 He used as an analogy St. Nick who was a real historical character and Santa Claus.\u00a0 Santa Claus is St. Nick overlaid with thousands of years of cultural to become what he is today.\u00a0 North Pole, Reindeer, Visiting every home, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 The adults all know that Santa Claus is a cultural but not historical reality.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean that Santa Claus is not real but his reality is not historical.<\/p>\n<p>Ken\u2019s example works on a very fundamental fact.\u00a0 We have historical evidence that there was a historical person who now bears the name St. Nick.\u00a0 See <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Nicholas\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Nicholas<\/a>.\u00a0 Historical evidence means that there are contemporary written or archeological evidence for St. Nicholas.\u00a0 At the present time there is no evidence outside of the Bible of the existence of Joseph.\u00a0 Much more importantly, though, is the simple fact the bible is not a history book; it is not psychology book; it is not geography book, etc.\u00a0 Even though there is history, psychology, geography, etc. in the book.\u00a0 Basically the bible is a library of books written over more than a thousand years; the books were written by people of faith, to people of faith, for the sake of their faith.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Background to today\u2019s Reading: Gen. 37: 01 \u2013 36.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The second book that I depend on for our scripture study is Terence E. Fretheim, <i>The Book of Genesis, Vol. 1, The New Interpreter\u2019s Bible, <\/i>Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1994.<\/p>\n<p>Fretheim identifies 5 scenes in this opening chapter of the Joseph story.<\/p>\n<p>Scene 1: \u00a0 vv. 01 \u2013 04: Sets the stage for this chapter and the entire Joseph story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">In a few verses our author weaves a story that draws us in.\u00a0 Different than the tribal stories we have read up to now in Genesis, the Joseph story is much more of a whole and shaped, as I mentioned previously, by the twofold movement from Canaan to Egypt and from Israel the individual to Israel the people.<\/p>\n<p>Scene 2: \u00a0 vv. 05 \u2013 11: Joseph\u2019s Dreams and the role they play<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">In our times dreams are either psychologically or neurological introduced into our consciousness.\u00a0 For the people of the biblical times dreams were the product of external forces, divine in nature.\u00a0 The brothers view the dream, though, negatively;\u00a0 Joseph in a narrowly personal\u00a0 perspective; but Jacob [like Mary later] pondered what could this mean.\u00a0 Ironically, the dream will be fulfilled with regard to the brothers but not with regard to Jacob.<\/p>\n<p>Scene 3: \u00a0 vv. 12 \u2013 17: The scene changes from Hebron to Shechem and then Dothan.\u00a0 Joseph is sent by Jacob to find out the wellbeing [Shalom] of his brothers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A bit of geography might benefit.\u00a0 Shechem is about 50 miles north of Hebron and Dothan another 15 miles or so.\u00a0 If Joseph were to travel on foot, which is what the story might presume, then finding his brothers was a three day journey.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Another bit of irony in this story is Jacob\u2019s desire to know the wellbeing \u2018shalom\u2019 of his sons, only to learn of the apparent death of his most favorite son.<\/p>\n<p>Scene 4: \u00a0 vv. 18 \u2013 28: The brothers plot to kill Joseph<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">There is a bit of confusion in this scene.\u00a0 There are the two brothers, Reuben and Judah, who in different ways are portrayed as attempting to thwart the killing of Joseph.\u00a0 Then there are the Ishmaelites and Midianites and it is unclear who actually buys and sells Joseph.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Scene 5:\u00a0 vv. 29 \u2013 36: The\u00a0 effect of the plot<\/p>\n<p><b>Reading: Gen. 37: 01 &#8211; 36 <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/37\">http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/37<\/a>.\u00a0 <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I thought I might record some of the questions that prompted the discussion in scene 1:<\/p>\n<p>How old is Joseph?\u00a0 What does he do?\u00a0 What are the reasons given for Jacob love of Joseph? How does Jacob express his love for Joseph? \u00a0It seems like the same story all over, dysfunctional family life.\u00a0 Will it end that way? Is God present in this scene?\u00a0 When does our author bring God into the story?<\/p>\n<p>You are invited to respond to these or other questions that might arise within you as you read this passage.\u00a0 Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed.\u00a0 See \u201ccomment\u201d link below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Personal Note: I have been delayed in posting this session; the previous delays were due to losing my computer and then next my car.\u00a0 This time, however, it was my furnace.\u00a0 New one is up and operating and I am &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=852\">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":[15,7,18,19],"class_list":["post-852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scripture","tag-historical-method","tag-modern-scripture-scholarship","tag-religion-and-culture","tag-scripture-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852","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=852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":853,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852\/revisions\/853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}