Bible Topics

John is writing (REV) primarily of the bitter persecution of the first Christians by the Romans. He does not want the Romans to know what he is saying so he chooses the mysterious words and ideas of Ezechiel in a similar situation.

He talks about the "telos" of the world. This is translated into Latin as "Finis." The two words mean "end." However, the Greek word means a sense of "completion" or "fulfillment." This is the word that Christ uses on the cross. "Tetelestai." It is complete. I have carried out all the details. Now we can proceed. The Latin "finis" means "end" in the sense of over and done with. "Nothing remains."

There are a lot of positive ideas in Revelation. It's too bad they are ignored for the weird notions.

I have just completed lining up the 3 sets of 7 Beatitudes or ways to be "happy." The oldest is in the letter to the Ephesians about 60 AD. It is a Pauline letter with all the finesse and development of Luke. The second set is from Apocalypse. It outlines how the followers of Christ are to earn true happiness in the bitter sufferings imposed by the Romans. The 3rd set is in Matthew's Gospel and serves as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount of the New Moses.

Matthew is the source of the Beatitudes of the Catechism. The catechism had 8 listed because one of the original 7 was an explanatory note in the margin. It gradually slipped into the text.

Ephesians lists the steps to full participation in the Holy Spirit or the sharing and community that was the sign of the true follower. John stresses the readiness needed in time of persecution. Matthew emphasizes the intrinsic value of sharing and its power in society.

I was wide awake and had my Greek NT open by 6:00 a.m. This first beatitude in Matthew made new sense. Matthew has an opening general statement and then the 7 beatitudes as in Ephesians and Apocalypse. Matthew's opening statement in Greek is "The Poor in the spirit." Even the Jerusalem Bible leaves out the definite article "the spirit." Then they say the second beatitude is a gloss.

Matthew is describing the "holy spirit" in its many meanings. He tells how the followers of Christ are to establish this "sharing" with everyone around them. Then in his final "judgment" scene, Matthew says "Come, beloved of my father, into the kingship prepared for you. I needed help and you shared with me." That's the whole secret of the Christian way of life. Everybody shares with everybody and establishes total harmony until the "telos" of the world — "Until the world is complete" as planned by God from the beginning. It's not "pie in the sky" but a "life of sharing" for universal "Shalom."

Matthew's whole point is to describe who are the "poor in the Spirit." This is the same notion as "holy spirit" developed in Luke and John. This is the basic goal of sharing and harmony in the midst of the world in which the followers of Christ live. In Matthew, this is the "kingship" that is the "church" or "group" called together.

There are 7 aspects of this sharing in Matthew:

"Meekness" — to inherit the earth.

"Mourners" will receive true comfort.

"Eagerness for justice" will be satisfied.

"Mercy" will receive mercy.

"Single-goaled" — they shall see God.

"Peacemakers" — real sons of God.

"Persecuted" — receive the kingship.

This makes a follower of Christ the salt of the earth, light of the world, a lamp on the lamp stand. The followers of Christ are to perform their good works to lead others by good example. It's an ideal program if it would be followed.

Jesus and John Baptist both saw the crudity of the Roman world and the hypocrisy and emptiness of the Jewish world.

J.B. bristled with anger. As soon as he was 30, he set out to do something to change people's ways. He tackled everyone openly and clearly. He had a big following because the people expected him to lead a revolution in which they would get material greatness.

Six months later, Jesus showed up. He could be as forceful as J.B. if the occasion called for it. But in general, his was more the quiet teacher's approach. He clearly did not want to be taken for one of the many "messiahs" who had risen and disappeared. He knew his approach would bring suffering and death. He had to choose.

As I mulled over the statements of the two televangelists from yesterday, I thought of how important it is to know the language of the writer before you can talk of a literal sense. American English is a prime example. We talk of "shades, screens, bored, chair" and many definitions and usages come to mind.

Hebrew, Greek and Latin have all these same kinds of variants. A literal translation has to understand the original language and its idioms and translate the original language into the language and idioms of the translator's language. Daniel, one of the most important for the NT, is written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

Real hatred is the absence of all love. The two terms are exact opposites. In John's Gospel, the statement is simple: "All love is service." In the First Letter of John, he quotes Jesus as saying "By this shall everyone know that you are my disciples, in the love that you have for each other." Matthew says in so many words that love is seen in our willingness to share with others and to live in harmony.

Hatred is the total dislike of another person — wanting absolutely nothing to do with that person. Degrees of hatred are dislike, aversion, avoidance with the resultant wishing the person harm or actually causing harm. Many times people talk about strong aversion or dislike but they do not actually wish the other person harm.

You'll hear "I wish the S.O.B. would drop dead, or fall off a cliff, or down in the ocean!" For the moment you might feel that way but the desire is usually not that strong nor lasting.

The very first written editions of the OT probably came from the time of Solomon, about 850 B.C. He is credited in the Bible stories with the organization of scholarship as a worthwhile pursuit. Prior to Solomon's time, most of the lore was handed down orally.

Daniel is the most influential of the thinking of Christ and the first Christians and the NT writings. His work concerns the time of Antioches the Terrible c. 180 B.C. The writing of Daniel is preserved in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. This, too, is unusual. The key to the character of Jesus is "Son of Man" from Daniel.

I read through my work on the OT prophets yesterday. I see I have to make a clearer description or definition of a prophet. Some were primarily "moralists." Some were looking ahead to point out where the present conduct was going to lead.

The Servant Songs of Isaiah II and the works of Daniel were the most important for Christ himself and the early Christians.

The Servant Songs stressed the necessity and value of living according to the ideas and ideals of Yahweh even when this was not popular or easy. Daniel stressed the notion of "Son of Man" or what a human being is supposed to be. I have all the passages listed where this phrase is used in the NT. Now I have to develop the full picture or all the qualities that this phrase entails.

The result of all this writing for me personally is the reality of the person who is Jesus Christ. I'm sure this is what John Zeller tried to tell us in the Novitiate — to see the appeal and power of the person.

"Son of Man" is a phrase taken from Daniel who is teaching in the 2nd century B.C. Basically, the phrase would mean the "real man" or the "fullness of man." In this sense it would be a true contrast with the failure of the first man in the Bible story.

The picture of harmony and sharing which Christ taught and the 1st Christians lived would change the whole world. However, this harmony is not something dropped in our laps. It is a goal that must be worked for and earned by each person and each generation. It is not a matter of rituals and buildings and material things. This harmony and sharing are the result of generous effort.

You talked about married and women clergy in the Catholic church. We know for sure that Peter, the first Pope, was married and his mother-in-law fed the whole group on one visit. We know that the only people who stood on Calvary with Christ were his mother Mary, Mary Magdalen and a teenage boy. One man denied him 3 times. One man sold him for the price of a slave. The first people to the tomb on Sunday morning were the women. The first person Christ appeared to was a woman, Mary Magdalen. He sent her to tell the men who were hiding because of fear. It was the mother's job to prepare the son for the Bar Mitzvah. Then he was an adult and the father could teach him a trade. Really great heroes in the OT were Ruth, Judith and Esther.

As to my functioning in the church of today, I would last no more than a week or two. I am convinced that Jesus was only human man. I think the Holy Spirit is the harmony and sharing of all the members with each other. The notion of only one true church is ridiculous. The church is to be an integral part of the society in which it lives and works.

The more I think about the Jesus Christ I have come to know in the past couple of years, the more I am sure he would be like all the people I meet and greet in the post office, clinic, grocery store and such. He is ready with a pleasant greeting, glad to exchange ideas if you want, and full of comments on the world about him.

I'm quite sure he would root for the Packers rather than other pro teams. He would like the team spirit and loyalty of all of Green Bay. If Peter was along, he would clearly be spouting off for the Chiefs or Bears and knowing practically nothing about the game. The other Apostles would be looking for a free ticket in the wake of Christ. John, the teenager, would go right for the popcorn and soda pop, and then go to the top of the stands.

I often think of the remains of old Rome from the time of Christ. I realize I walked on the streets of Rome from his time.

I really appreciate Matthew and his work more each time I see him as a young man 22–23 years old. He took the job as tax collector for the Romans even though he knew it meant he was an outcast from his people and only a tool in the eyes of the Romans. At least he made money and could irk the Scribes and Pharisees.

Then Jesus came and Matthew found a person he could respect and follow. Matthew spells out the part of the message he liked best. Life was a matter of sharing with each other according to the abilities and needs of all the people around you. He put the formula in explicit words three different times. His fullest picture is the judgment scene at the end. A person is identified and rewarded according to his sharing in this life. Such sharing, sincerely practiced, would remove all societal ills.

Mark is the shortest gospel and almost all is contained in the other gospels. However, it is Peter's approach and that is important.

The question about the attitude of the Christians toward the Jews is on the front burner. A few months ago, an article appeared saying that the term "Jews" is spoken with dislike and even hatred in the New Testament. Then the author quoted John and applied the same notion to Luke, Matthew and Paul.

There is no doubt that "Jews" in John's Gospel are strongly disliked. However, the author makes it very clear the term "Jews" refers to the leaders only — the Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes.

All the other first Christians were themselves Jews. Paul clearly was a Jew but he had a strong dislike for the ones he met after his conversion during his missionary career. As a rabbi, he was invited to speak. When he began to speak of Jesus as the Messiah, he was literally thrown out of the synagogues and stoned a few times.

Matthew's Gospel is an attempt to show how the kingdom of God is the fulfillment of the Jewish picture. Luke stresses the universality of the goal of Christ.

Luke is a fascinating person as a M.D. and non-Jew, a companion of Paul, and a person who goes to the sources. He talked at length with Mary, Jesus's mother, because he tells us how she reacted internally to events.

Matthew is the most used in Sunday liturgy because it is orderly. However, many major mistakes were made in explaining Matthew.

First of all, Matthew was always depicted as an old man. He was a tax collector hired by the Romans. They didn't hire old men. They wanted men in their upper teens or low twenties so that they could "form" them. Matthew models his Gospel on the Pentateuch with an intro to a conclusion. His biggest concern was the true notion of "Kingship" as an active ongoing notion in the heart of a pagan world.

Nothing is said about the heat of Palestine in the Gospels. It can be very hot in the whole area. However, on the banks of the Lake of Galilee it was quite comfortable. Then as you go south toward the Dead Sea, the heat can be almost impossible. Jerusalem is on a high hill so, if there is a breeze, it can be cool. The desert is to the east and south and the heat is almost unbearable. Yet Palestine looked like a real Promised Land when the Israelites arrived.

I listened to all the to-do on public radio about the homosexuals and adultery. The priest from Rome, the priest from Marquette and the one Bishop were tossing around some Bible texts. The Israelites had learned lots of forbidden ways in Egypt and brought them with them. Homosexuality was mentioned and forbidden in a couple of places.

The big concern in the New Testament was "porneia" in marriage. This Greek word meant any kind of "selfishness" that threatened the marriage. This was sufficient grounds for divorce and re-marriage.

I looked up the topic of "Homosexuality" in the Jerome Commentary. In the letter to the Romans, Paul is talking of fertility cults as they were practiced at that time, 57 A.D. He condemned the practice and told the Christians to stay out of it. His primary concern was participation in fertility worship of the pagan gods.

The Roman leaders had control of these men and women who were people from nations conquered in wars. Anyone could come to the temple and "rent" a man or woman. The money went to the Roman leaders. Actually, Rome was running brothels in the name of their gods and religions.

The Old Testament story begins with the people of Sodom and Gomorra. Lot and his family had settled there by choice to be in on the "city life." Abraham had gone north. The people of Sodom wanted the men for their cultic practices. Abraham heard of the problem, delivered Lot, and Sodom and Gomorra were destroyed. Again the practice was part of a religion.

Nothing is said explicitly of the immorality or morality of homosexuality or lesbianism apart from worship of false gods.

The one thing that has come out of all my writing is how "real" Christ and the apostles are to me. I feel as if I am walking with them and can call them by first names. I have removed the sham and fakery imposed by theologians over the centuries.