Leviticus 13:40-41, Bald is Beautiful
When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean.
//In the middle of a long series of chapters about the impurity of—well, about everything—we find this short reprieve. In an era where any hint of disease marks divine displeasure, the Law assures us that losing our hair is okay. Male pattern baldness (at least in front) is okay. This is a welcome relief for all of us fifty-somethings.
I have the sneaking suspicion that these two verses stem from the shiny dome of a bored copyist working his way through a series of tedious rules. Why else would we have this odd interruption to the Leviticus list of bizarre epidemics? Baldness in the Bible is usually a self-inflicted state, meant as a public sign of mourning. Like wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes. Baldness, you would think, is a quality to be pitied.
My suggestion? Ignore that wayward copyist and hang on to the Rogaine.
Got an opinion? 0 commentsBook review: Jerusalem
by Karen Armstrong
★★★
One city. Three faiths. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all lay claim to the Holy City. Armstrong’s treatment is impartial as usual, more interested in promoting understanding than any one belief system. She leads us through 4,000 years of history, as this turbulent landmark in the middle of nowhere grew from a tribal village into a cultural and religious phenomenon.
The book of Revelation, about Jerusalem: “The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed.” Is this a prophetic inevitability, or is there hope for peace? I’m one of the many with a placard hanging on my wall, requesting that we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I read Armstrong’s book as research for my own book about Revelation, because Jerusalem, both the Old and the New, is the focal point of John’s Apocalypse.
Karen’s topic is extremely important for today’s world of religious unease, and it’s an absolutely fascinating topic. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be a bit more dry than usual for Armstrong. I think the book could have been condensed to about 2/3rd its size. But by the time you finish—if you’re able—you’ll have a better grasp of the bitterness and misunderstanding, and why all three religions claim Jerusalem as their own.
Daniel 5:2; Nebuchadnezzar or Nabonidus?
While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem.
//Much of the book of Daniel concerns King Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar. However, Daniel has confused the order of the kings of Babylon. Multiple contemporary records attest to the following succession: 1) Nebuchadnezzar, 2. Awel-Marduk, 3. Neriglissar, 4. Nabonidus (who contested the rule of Labashi-Marduk and wrestled the kingship away from him), and finally, 5. Belshazzar, son of Nabonidus, (who was actually never king, but only a crown prince). Thus, in a well-known Biblical error, Daniel confuses Nebuchadnezzar with Nabonidus.
These center chapters of the book of Daniel are written in Aramaic, rather than Hebrew, and thus Daniel is generally recognized as the last book of the Old Testament written. This jibes nicely with my post two days ago, when I suggested that Daniel was written in the year 165 B.C. So, if written four centuries after the period it describes, would an error like this be a surprise?
There is another possibility. Some continue to believe that the book of Daniel was first written earlier, in Hebrew, presumably in the 6yh century B.C., when Daniel supposedly lived in Babylon. These Bible scholars blame the error surrounding Nabonidus on the misunderstanding of a later translator, who incorrectly added to the text.
Got an opinion? 0 commentsBook review: Jesus, a Very Jewish Myth
by R. G. Price
★★★★★
Thorough. Daring. Scholarly. Intelligent. Original. This work may be an undiscovered gem. I reviewed another book by R. G. Price a few weeks ago, but found this one to be even better.
Price begins with a provocative claim: “That Jesus Christ is a pure myth is the only explanation that is consistent with him being both larger than life and absent from history.”
Let me lead into the topic with a bit of personal commentary. There are a number of ways of reading the Bible, and each completes a paradigm of its own. For example, considering just the New Testament, you can read it in the traditional way, as if it describes the historical life of Jesus and his followers, and promises a future return of Jesus as a conquering Messiah. The New Testament makes perfect sense in this light, and reading the Bible doesn’t break, but rather strengthens, the paradigm. But you can also read the New Testament through the eyes of first- and early second-century writers, the audience for which it was written, and sense within its chapters the excitement of the expected immediate arrival of the Messiah and the absolute, complete assurance that the new age has either just begun, or is just around the corner. When read in this light, every word seems to emphasize the urgency of believers, who knew the world was immediately coming to an end. Another way to read the New Testament, another paradigm, is to recognize many of the stories as myth, midrash, and the retelling of Hebrew scripture, told with the intention of honoring a great man (Jesus). Again, you’ll find internal consistency, and the words of the New Testament make perfect sense in this light.
Finally, you can go all in. You can decide, as does Price, that not only are the stories mythical, their human subject is just as fictional. Jesus existed only as an allegory, or a mystical god, or an ideal. If you have never read the Bible this way, I encourage you to do so! Actually sit down with the New Testament, start with the presumption that Jesus never existed, order the books chronologically as best you can, and see if you can read it through. You may at some point recognize a turning point, a point at which Jesus became “real.” Or you may never be able to leave the old paradigm behind, that Jesus existed and lived exactly as described. Each reader forms their own comfort level, and though opinions are extreme on the topic, I would never tell you that one paradigm is “wrong” while another is “right.” The Bible is living word, and feeds each of us differently.
As I said, Price goes all in. But he approaches the topic of a mythical Christ from a different angle, and his is a welcome addition to scholarship. Rather than emphasizing Christianity as a copycat religion among pagan beliefs, he grants it its own unique Jewish flavor. He sees Christianity’s beginnings as a mystery religion built primarily upon Jewish scripture. He points often to apocalyptic literature, both canonical and non-canonical, comparing it to New Testament writings, including the letters of Paul. The testimony of Paul is, of course, critical to the thesis; did Paul believe in a recent, flesh-and-blood Jesus, or did he not? Price’s treatment is balanced and fair, as he covers the writings of Paul, both those that bolster his argument and those that traditionally have been used to support the opposing view.
Price discusses the writings of Philo of Alexandria (a Jewish philosopher contemporary with Jesus, but who never wrote a word about him), Josephus (including the famed Testimonium Flavianum which purports to name Jesus as the Messiah but is nearly universally recognized among scholars as a forged passage) and others to expose the scarcity of historical collaboration regarding Jesus. But more than that, Price explains why Christianity should most logically be recognized as mythical. His coverage is in depth and convincing, and concludes with what he sees as a logical progression for how Christianity evolved into the worship of a god in human form, living within first-century history.
I loved the book, and the great research, even as I remain a hard sell. I’ll review, shortly, another book arguing the other side of the coin.
Daniel 11:45, When was the book of Daniel written?
He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
//Daniel, the central character of the book named after him in the Bible, was brought to Babylon about 587 B.C., when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah. Daniel’s claim to fame comes from a series of visions and prophecies, many of which were fulfilled in the second century B.C., and many of which never did come true, so many Christians continue to look forward to their fulfillment today.
As Daniel’s dreams unfold, the story he prophesies becomes clear, and historians have traced an accurate line of political events up to the reign of Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes from these prophesies. Daniel promised four kingdoms, stemming from a vision of four colorful beasts, and the fourth beast appears to be the Greek empire inaugurated by Alexander the Great. This final beast sported an arrogant little horn, surely representative of Antiochus, who persecuted the Jews for three and a half years. When the author of Daniel writes in chapter 12, From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days (three and a half years), he refers to a pagan statue of Zeus erected beside the sacred altar of the Temple.
Scholars are nearly unanimous in dating the book of Daniel to around the year 165 B.C., rather than the 6th century B.C. in which its main character lived. Why? Partly because that’s when the “prophecies” begin to fail. Today’s verse promises that Antiochus will die in battle somewhere between the Mediterranean and Jerusalem. But Antiochus died in the year 164 B.C., far to the east, in Persia.
Got an opinion? 3 commentsBook review: The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
★★★★★
The Help is a powerful victory celebration for the human race. Once in a while, a story comes along that transcends entertainment and hits us between the eyes. Watch the movie. Read the book. Watch the movie again.
This touching story about bridging the difference between white Mississippi homeowners and black maids in the 60’s will leave you laughing through your tears. Conflict grows over separate bathrooms, separate eating places, distrust, and legal inequity. It is only because we, as a nation, as a human race, have taken great steps toward conquering racism that we can look back together on the 60’s and smile at its heroes.
“God don’t pay no mind to color,” claims Aibileen, one of the “help” who raises a string of seventeen white children belonging to mothers too busy or uninterested to bother. These black maids, and the one white woman with enough fire to bridge the gap, are the heroes of the story. Stockett’s runaway bestseller overcame more than 60 rejections from literary agents and numerous sneers from critics wondering how a white author dare try to get inside the heads of black people who had long been considered property.
Please forgive my religious commentary over the remainder of the review. Racism has not been an easy monster to eradicate, and we still have obstacles to overcome. But we’re working on them, and are right to celebrate our progress. Sexual inequality has been another hurdle. Religious intolerance still occasionally rears its ugly head. But there is one area where the struggle against prejudice remains most fierce, and in this arena, our favorite religion (Christianity) has been far more of a hindrance than a help. This disturbing Biblical passage highlights the obstacle we must somehow overcome:
Romans 1:26-27, Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
“Due penalty” for their “perversion?” Sigh. We’ve come so far in some areas. Can we achieve the same level of victory in the arena of Gay Rights? Can we overcome the teachings of our holy books and leave behind our prejudices over differences in sexual preference? This would mean either recognizing that the Bible is imperfect, or rejecting the obvious translation in favor of a more humanitarian understanding. Frankly, I don’t care which we choose as Christians … as long as we choose one or the other. Let’s not let our Bible make us any less Christian.
Acts 1:18-19, The Many Stories of Judas
With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.
//Bible writers often seem to take liberty with facts, relaying a story more for its meaning than for its historical accuracy. This often leads to what we consider contradictions in the Bible, because we have such a habit of reading the Bible literally. But this expectation of historical accuracy is unfair to the flavor of the Bible. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the tale of Judas, where we have two completely different stories, but with a similar portrayal and moral, ending in a possible factoid … a Field of Blood.
Let’s begin with Luke’s tale, as it seems just a bit more plausible. As in Mark and John, here Judas receives an untold amount of money for betraying Jesus. Afterward, Judas purchases a field with the money, but divine justice catches up with him. He falls in the field, spilling his guts (quite literally), so they name it the Field of Blood.
Matthew tells an entirely different story. In Matthew’s version, Judas receives exactly thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus, which is clearly meant to bring to mind the story of the rejected shepherd in Zechariah. (Matthew mistakenly attributes the “prophecy” of thirty pieces of silver to Jeremiah, but it was Zechariah.) Lets look at that story now, to see where Matthew is going with this line of thought.
Zechariah 11:12-13, I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”–the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter.
Zechariah’s shepherd takes the money and throws it into the temple, the “house of the LORD.” So, Matthew revises his story of Judas. Please don’t ask why Judas is playing the “shepherd” role instead of the bad guy; I don’t know. But Judas no longer purchases a field with his money. Filled with regret, he brings the money back to chief priests—exactly thirty pieces of silver, of course—and throws it down in the temple.
In Mark’s Gospel, the story of Judas provides a literary reference to 2 Samuel, where Ahithophel is the betrayer of David … just as Judas betrayed Jesus. In that story, Ahithophel hanged himself, and so Matthew reports the same end for Judas.
But that presents a problem for Matthew. How, then, to account for the field of blood? Matthew finds another solution; in his version, the returned money is used by the chief priests to buy the “Potters Field” because it is “blood money.” Thus the field comes to be known as the Field of Blood.
Book review: The Feasts of the Lord
by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal
★★★★★
Excellent! Whether you are a Jesus scholar or a Christian, this book is for you. And if you’re both, this book can’t be missed. You’ll learn about:
Purim – the Feast of Lots
Also there’s a great discussion of the Jubilee year. Inspirational and informative, complete with pictures, photos and charts, Howard and Rosenthal first explain the Jewish calendar and discuss the flavor and atmosphere of the Spring and Fall seasons. Then they go through each of the feasts in more detail, presenting their Biblical observance, modern-day observance among Jews, and most fascinating of all, their fulfillment by Jesus. Preterists and historical-critical scholars will easily relate the fulfillment of each feast to the first century, while believers in a futuristic return of Christ will be just as satisfied. (Howard and Rosenthal subscribe to the traditional futuristic interpretation.)
I can’t overemphasize how much more meaning you’ll find when you read Paul and the Gospels if you start with a basic understanding of the Jewish Feasts. The New Testament just reads so much more rich and inspirational from a Jewish perspective! Particularly the Johannine literature, John’s Gospel and Revelation, in which an underlying theme is the fulfillment of the Jewish Feasts. Both these Biblical books recognize the destruction of the Temple as the end of an age, presenting Jesus as the replacement for all the Jewish rituals.
Revelation 8:11, Wormwood
[T]he name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
//In Revelation, seven trumpets blare in turn, initiating multiple horrors upon the earth. This verse stems from the third trumpet, which foretells a great star, burning like a torch, falling from the sky. John of Patmos names this star “Wormwood.”
Wormwood is a bitter plant. John gave this blazing star (or perhaps just a particularly large fireball–many have related the imagery of this chapter to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.) the name “Bitterness.” It may be a reference to the polluted waters from the falling ash. Deuteronomy uses the term “Wormwood” to warn Israel of their destruction if they become disobedient. If this chapter in Revelation truly refers to the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, then John connects the pestilence caused by its spreading ash to the covenantal punishment described in the books of Moses.
The next trumpet to sound marks a third of the sun being struck, and a third of the day going dark, an eerily precise description of the ashen haze when Vesuvius erupted, as reported by Pliny the Younger: “The sun was blocked out by the eruption and the daylight hours were left in darkness.” Ash from the eruption reached Africa, Syria, and Egypt, causing pestilence. John’s name for the fireball he describes, Wormwood, is perfect.
Book review: The Message Bible
by Eugene H. Peterson
★★★★
I love this contemporary Bible! It’s not the most accurate translation—it’s really not fair to even call it a translation, but rather a paraphrase betraying Peterson’s religious convictions—but I just find it enjoyable to read. It’s poetic and beautiful. Do not use it as a study Bible, but as an inspiring read.
I chose the book of John to highlight some of the translations, so you can get a feel for the wording. These aren’t my favorite passages, but they do highlight what I mean by a “paraphrasing.”
KJV: John 1:12-13, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Message: But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.
KJV: John 1:31, And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
Message: I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.
KJV: John 3:29-30, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.
Message: The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom’s friend, his ‘best man’—that’s me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start? That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.
KJV: John 6:43-44, Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except he Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Message: Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.
Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)
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The God Show
Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
Contact me here.
About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
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