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The Bible in 5 minutes: The Story

March 26, 2012 1 comment

Photo by Kai Laborenz

Like all good stories, and the Bible is before and after everything else a story, Scripture begins at the beginning. The beginning of everything, and a garden planted by God. Everything falls apart, for humans fall apart, and many of the stories in Scripture are horrible, grotesque or inspiring, for such a mixture describes the world we inhabit.

In the middle of the Bible story, at the start of the second part of the library of Scripture, we hear the story of Jesus and his teaching, his death and resurrection. This is prolonged into the beginning of the story of the new humanity and illustrated by various letters before the big story ends in terror and destruction leading to a new heaven and earth.

 

 

The Bible in 5 minutes: The Story [ 5:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The Bible in 5 minutes: The Story [ 5:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Bible in 5 mins, Jesus, NT, OT none

The Bible in 5 minutes: Users’ Manual

March 19, 2012 No comments

Contents list from a typical Bible, showing "Books" with their abbreviations and page numbers.

The Christian Bible is a big sprawling collection of documents from widely different time periods (roughly the end of the Bronze Age to the Roman empire) in many different genres (as different as history and love poems, or proverbs and lengthy letters) composed in three languages and two different writing systems.

To make matters worse most Bibles do not “work” the same as other books. Page numbers do not help in identifying sections because they differ in most of the myriad different translations and editions.

So, how does one find one’s way around and use such a weird book? This podcast explains “chapters” and “verses”, how to find “books”, and gives the chief key to making some sort of sense of the widely and wildly different contents of The Holy Bible.

Future podcasts in this Bible in 5 minutes series will include (I may well add others to this list, so please suggest any you think could be useful :) :

  • The Bible in 5 minutes: Where do I begin?
  • The Bible in 5 minutes: The Story

 

 

The Bible in 5 minutes: Users' Manual [ 5:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The Bible in 5 minutes: Users' Manual (video format) [ 5:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Bible in 5 mins, NT, OT none

Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 2)

December 14, 2011 4 comments

Contradiction: Photo by topastrodfogna

 

 

In part one I drew attention to the problem that this verse seems to contradict what Paul himself approves and to some funny things going on in and around the verse. Here I’ll focus on my reason for mentioning this, how we should respond when a Bible passage seems to contradict what the same author says or does elsewhere…

 

Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 2) [ 4:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 2) [ 4:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
1&2 Corinthians, Context, Gender, Textual criticism none

Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 1)

December 13, 2011 3 comments

Photo by Chicago Man

Perhaps no Bible text illustrates the dangers of a simplistic reading of Scripture than 1 Cor 14:34.

If we tear this verse from its cotext,1 and then read it as if the Bible were “God’s instruction manual for life” and even worse read it also literally then we are in trouble! The verse (in the fairly literal NET)2 reads:

the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. Rather, let them be in submission, as in fact the law says.

The verse is full of oddities.3 Not the least of which is that in 1 Cor 11:4-6 Paul assumes that both women and men will pray and prophesy, and in this same chapter 1 Cor 14:4-5 suggests the same thing, and that this is indeed in the public meeting (cf. v.4). Paul seems to be contradicting himself!

What is going on, and how should we interpret such passages?

 

Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 1) [ 4:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Understanding contradictions: 1 Cor 14:34 (Part 1) [ 4:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
  1. Or for a podcast. [↩]
  2. Even the NRSV is less literal here omiting the “the” before women, one of the oddities of this verse is that Paul seems to be talking about some particular women. [↩]
  3. Another is the way most English translations make the first sentence a run-on from the verse before, though many MSS mark vv.34-5 off from the surrounding texts. [↩]
1&2 Corinthians, Context, Gender, Textual criticism none

Decoding Revelation: the KIIC principle

October 26, 2011 3 comments

Yeah, right! (Photo by swanksalot)

Well,the end of the world has passed, again :) That’s the second time this year! It is the Bible that causes all the problems. or ratheit is bad reading of the Bible that causes all the problems. No book is more commonly misread than Revelation. Christians keep wanting it to predict tomorrow. And boy, do they get tied in knots!

But a simple direct dose of the KIIC principle would cure them… Keep It In Context, that’s all you have to do. Ask how the message would sound to the writer and intended receivers of the message.

Here is the audio: Decoding Revelation: the KIIS principle

Context, Revelation none

E100-69: John 20:1 – 21:25: The Resurrection

April 24, 2011 No comments

Fish and bread (no, the bread is nothing at all like Jesus' bread, which was fresh and wholemeal ;)

In this podcast I’ll introduce the idea of the ending of John as a sphragis, and very briefly mention what that might mean for reading John’s gospel, but most of the time will be spent on the much less technical question of why I am convinced that Jesus rose from death and met with the disciples – because after all this passage is about the resurrection, and not about the technical details (however fascinating to biblical scholars ;)

So, here’s the link to the audio: E100-69: John 20:1 – 21:25: The Resurrection

E100, Jesus, John , ,

E100-68: John 19:1 – 19:42: The Crucifixion

April 22, 2011 No comments

Photo by firstbaptistnashville

This chapter gives what it tells us is an eyewitness account of a Roman execution. Jesus, who has done no real wrong, except offend the religious leaders, and worry the politicians is subjested to the casual brutality of an imperial production-line death. Such a death, of an innocent man, is shocking. But Jesus was not merely a man, this was also the death of God, so as Jesus points out to the Roman govenor, Pilate, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you” John 19:11 such a death overturns all expectations, gods are powerful, vengeful, gods are kindly and helpful… gods do not die so that humans may live!

So, here’s the link to the audio:
E100-68: John 19:1 – 19:42: The Crucifixion

CHRIST – DEATH
The fourth vertical window on the north side depicts the death of Christ. It is a dramatic, powerful, eerie and gruesome composition recording the most momentous event in history. Dark grays in the upper portion represent the actual darkness that invaded the cross where Christ died. The streams of red tell of the great suffering and sacrifice of our Savior. The gold around the cross and throughout the window symbolizes the presence of God in the death of Christ.

E100, Jesus, John , , ,

E100-67: John 18:1 – 40: Jesus secret and three betrayals

April 21, 2011 No comments

Judas betrays Jesus by vaticanus

In this chapter, we get the climax of John’s series of sayings where Jesus echoes the divine “I am” cf. Exodus 3 (E100-17: Exodus 3-4: Getting the holy between your toes!), and we also notice how amid powerful people who seem muddled and out of control, Jesus (the one who seems to be the victim) is the only person in control of himself! And we’ll discover his secret.

We’ll also notice the three betrayals, and ask how we can avoid joining they betrayers.

So, here’s the link to the audio:

E100-67: John 18:1 – 40: Jesus secret and three betrayals

E100, Jesus, John , , ,

E100-66: Luke 22:1 – 46: The Last Supper

April 18, 2011 No comments

Photo by khrawlings

Passover was the greatest pilgrimage festival for 1st century Jews, Jerusalem was packed with people (like for a world cup – only more crowded ;) celebrating the great liberation from foreign oppression that God worked for Moses and the ancestors in Exodus. No wonder the Romans were jumpy, no wonder the Sadducees on the Sanhedrin (Jewish council) shared their concern, and it was an ideal opportunity for the Pharisees to do something about a dangerously radical Rabbi who failed to respect proper authority. And no wonder among the religious and national fervour and the political fears Satan was also at work.

So, here’s the link to the audio: E100-66: Luke 22:1 – 46: The Last Supper

E100, Jesus, Luke , ,

E100: Week 14: Death and resurrection

April 17, 2011 1 comment

Photo by Glen's Pics

Gospels are not biographies, nor are they just collections of sayings, they focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Without either event can’t understand Jesus or the gospel. But we also to see and understand that Jesus is God incarnate and that Jesus is risen else his dearth and the disciples turnaround between end of gospels and Acts  makes no sense.

This week’s readings bring to fruition the message we heard time and again in the Old Tedstament, that the only true God is Yahweh, the one who will be with and for us, this God is Yeshua (in English – Jesus) “he saves”.

So, here’s the link to the audio:
E100: Week 14: Death and resurrection

Acts, E100, Jesus, John, Luke , , , , , ,
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