In the spring I told my readers about the New Testament course I was
taking on Open Yale and how much I enjoyed the learnings. Christine Hayes is another brilliant
professor and her knowledge of the Hebrew Bible (as she continually referred to
the Old Testament, correctly) is profound.
Once again I admit that I learned so much about the historical
development of this part of the bible.
Understanding the history of the Israelites and how their canon was
written is very rewarding. You may
recall how disgusted I was as I read the Old Testament through as part of my
year of reading the bible cover to cover.
I now have a very different perspective on the stories contained in the
bible and why there was so much admonition going on throughout most of it. Anyone wanting true knowledge of the history
of the bible would find both courses rewarding.
Would a study of the “history” of the bible cause a person to lose
faith in God or their religion? I think
it is possible if one has relied heavily on their bible for the source of their
faith. One is taught that “all scripture
is inspired by God” and clearly you will learn that this is doubtful since many
of the stories have strong parallels in other, older religions of (for example)
Canaanites and Assyrians. As well, you
will learn that there are many conflicting ideas in different books of the
bible. Doubt is thrown on the existence
of notable writers as well as characters of the bible. With respect to the character and teachings
of Jesus, in particular, there is a lot of doubt and conflict of what the
various books of the New Testament propound to be his teachings.
Nevertheless if one has faith in God regardless of the “holiness” of
the bible, have no fear, you will not be shaken. Instead, you will actually come away with a
greater regard for humanity and a better appreciation of people’s struggle to
understanding the meaning of life. Our
ancestors were as confused, doubtful and seeking as we few, we happy few, are
today.
More on that tomorrow.
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