Hope

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 29—The Early Church in Acts 197 ‹These final words of forgiveness are like a shaft of light in an otherwise dark scene. And they continue the positive side of the pattern set by Stephen’s speech. On the negative side, we’ve seen Stephen portray opposition to Joseph, Moses, and Jesus. Now Stephen’s own death continues that negative aspect. But on the positive side, Stephen said that at each juncture, God refused to let opposition close off the future. Expansion of the Community ‹As Stephen predicted, conflict didn’t bring an end to the Christina community but led to its expansion. Acts 8 says that after the death of Stephen, opposition to the followers of Jesus intensified, and many of them left Jerusalem and founded communities elsewhere. In the process of expansion, the community encountered new issues about how to relate to people of different backgrounds. ‹We see aspects of this issue in chapter 8, where Philip, who was one of the Hellenists, goes to Samaria. For centuries, there had been tension between Samaritans and Jews, but when Philip goes to Samaria, he brings the message of Jesus and provides healing to the sick. The narrative says that many Samaritans embrace the message and are baptized. Thus, it is clear that for the followers of Jesus, the older ethnic tensions are not to be a barrier to sharing a common faith. ‹The writer also shows that there were aspects of Samaritan culture that Jesus’s early followers resisted, including sorcery or magic. For example, Acts 8 describes a magician in Samaria who offers money in exchange for by the spiritual power of Philip and others in the Christian community. In the narrative, this idea is explicitly rejected. The community clarifies its identity by including people from different ethnic backgrounds, such as Samaritans, but rules out practices that seem incompatible with the faith. ‹The process continues as Philip travels to the south, where he encounters an Ethiopian court official who is also a eunuch. According to Jewish law, no eunuch could be part of the community of Israel, but Philip takes the bold step of baptizing the Ethiopian. Here, we find that such issues as ethnicity and physical condition are overcome through a common faith.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 25—The Dynamics of Forgiveness in Matthew 169 is also unconventional. It goes beyond familiar forms of moral instruction to transform the way people see themselves and their world. ‹The sermon opens with a series of statements called beatitudes, each beginning with the word “blessed”: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” There are nine of these statements in all. ●The beatitudes bring together situations that seem incompatible. The word blessed communicates a sense of well-being, yet those who are poor in spirit or are grieving or meek would not feel well-being. ●The beatitudes alter the way people see their current situations by combining realism with hope. They are realistic in that they name the emptiness, grief, and vulnerability. They recognize that such experiences are real and cannot be dismissed. Yet they insist that even as people face emptiness and loss, they can see themselves as recipients of God’s favor. Despite the vulnerability, they are people who are valued by God. ●The beatitudes add hope by insisting that the emptiness and loss of the present need not define the future. Jesus says that the hope of experiencing God’s kingdom remains. And as he continues, he extends the list to include a word of blessing for those who are merciful, are pure in heart, make peace, and do what is right in the face of opposition. For Jesus, those are the things of abiding value. ‹The Sermon on the Mount continues transforming the perspectives of readers by adopting a more confrontational tone in the middle of chapter 5. Here, Jesus contrasts traditional standards of behavior with his own more radical view. ●He begins by quoting from the Ten Commandments, starting with “You shall not kill.” The assumption is that someone who commits murder will face judgment. But Jesus radicalizes the idea by focusing on anger, which is the underlying cause of the killing. He says that even if you are only angry with someone else, you will face judgment. ●He does the same thing with the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” In an ordinary sense, this means that you are not to have an extramarital affair. But again, Jesus goes to the underlying cause. He says that if you even look at another person with lust, you are committing adultery in your heart.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 19—Ezekiel on Abandonment and Homecoming 131 ‹ This vision counters that sense of despair with the prospect that God will revitalize their lives and bring them back to their land. The prophet offers hope to a people who have lost hope, and that hope takes the form of national renewal. The prospect of the bones coming to life gave the exiles a way to imagine that they had a future, and that future included the promise of coming home. Homecoming ‹ In chapter 40, we are told that 14 years have now passed since the temple was destroyed. Its ruins are like the dry bones, lying on the ground. But Ezekiel has a vision that transforms that perspective. He sees a man whose appearance is like shining bronze. The man has a measuring rod in his hand, and he takes Ezekiel on a tour of a restored sanctuary. Ezekiel depicts a sanctuary that is characterized by perfection. Earlier, the temple was a corrupt place of idolatry; now, it is pure and holy. The change conveys hope for a transformed future. ‹ Another key element in this section concerns the presence of God, who returns on his chariot in chapter 43 and whose glory fills the temple. This is a vision of God’s homecoming, and it is crucial for Ezekiel. It enables him to say that the threat of judgment is real yet is not final. What has happened does not close off the future. Suggested Reading Clements, Ezekiel. Petersen, “Ezekiel.” Questions to Consider 1. Ezekiel communicates through surreal images, such as the movements of the throne-chariot and the dry bones being restored to life. Why might people of his time have found such imagery engaging? Why might they have found it difficult to understand? 2. In the first half of the book, Ezekiel portrays God as unrelenting in judgment. In the second half, he depicts God as a compassionate shepherd. What is the effect of including these contrasting images in the same book?

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation170 ● These radical statements are designed to startle people out of their complacency. Jesus calls people beyond simple adherence to the traditional code of behavior. His goal is nothing less than heartfelt adherence to the will of God. ‹ This pattern culminates at the end of chapter 5, where Jesus observes that the traditional view was that people should love their neighbors and hate their enemies. But Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” He points out that anyone can show love for those who love them in return. But when you limit your love to insiders, nothing changes. For Jesus, love is transformative. Instead of reinforcing the boundaries, love overcomes them. Community ‹ Chapter 18 of Matthew focuses on community life. This section would have been especially important for the Christian communities that formed in the decades after the crucifixion of Jesus who faced ongoing questions about how to live together. ‹ Jesus begins with practical advice about conflict. He describes a situation of working out conflict privately, with two or three other people, or with the wider community. If in the end, the person with whom you are in conflict is utterly intractable, then the community should treat that person as an outsider. ‹ Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples, wants to know how often he needs to forgive someone who repeatedly sins against him. Setting himself what he thinks is a high bar, he asks whether forgiving someone up to 7 times is enough. But Jesus says that one should forgive not merely 7 times but 77 times (or, in some translations, 70 times 7). T o make sure people get the point, he reinforces it with a parable about a slave who owes a large sum of money to a king. ● This parable adds perspective to community life. People are not only to see themselves as those who are owed something by others, but they are to see themselves as those whose own debts have been forgiven. ● In community, they must see themselves first as the recipients of forgiveness, and in that light, they are to deal with others in the same way.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation218 of resurrection as a transformed existence, when those who were raised would shine like stars. ‹ In this mix of ideas, the Christians at Corinth debated what they could hope for. And in chapter 15, Paul responds. The lens through which he sees things is the story of Jesus. And for him, the heart of the story is that Jesus died and rose. For Paul, then, if Jesus died and was raised as a whole person, then others who die will also be raised to life as whole people. ‹ Paul pictures the present time as one of struggle, in which God’s power to give life is battling the forces of death. For Paul, death is not merely the moment at which a person takes a final breath. It’s the power that brings people to that final breath. Death is operative in diseases, violence, and hunger. The message of Jesus’s resurrection is about God’s commitment to continue the battle until death itself is overcome by the sheer power of life. ‹ Paul further argues that resurrection of the body means transformation of the body—bringing the person who died into a new mode of existence. His assumption is that God creates the whole person and that God has a future for the whole person. God’s goal is not to strip away a portion of a person’s existence by destroying the body and saving the soul. Rather, the goal is to transform the whole person, the embodied person, by clothing that person with life. Reconciliation ‹ After Paul sent this letter, he made another journey to Corinth to visit the congregation, but someone made some cutting remarks about him, and he ended up leaving with a profound sense of hurt. He was unsure about whether he should visit the congregation again in person. Thus, he wrote the letter called 2 Corinthians to deal with the situation. A major theme here is the renewal of relationship. ‹ Paul sets the tone in the opening chapter, where he refers to God giving people paráklēsis, that is, comfort, consolation, or encouragement. The idea is that the comfort or encouragement that God gives to Paul and the Corinthians, they can, in turn, give to each other. Those opening lines are a signal that Paul wants to rebuild the damaged relationship.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 17—Jeremiah on Anguish and Compassion 119 the form of life that they knew would change. And in one of the most striking passages in the book (Jer. 31:31–34), he offers hope for the establishment of a new covenant. ‹Jeremiah’s vision for the future is not a simple extension of the past. He’s keenly aware that unfaithfulness has been going on for generations, and if there is to be a future, the underlying pattern must change. The kind of change of heart that is needed will center on the act of forgiveness. ‹Here, forgiveness means declaring that the past does not determine the future. The prophet insisted that the destructive patterns of the past had culminated in the breakdown of the nation, and people had to own that. But he also recognized that if the actions of the past set the terms for the future, then there was no future. Thus, in this passage, forgiveness is what creates the possibility of something new. It means declaring that the past need not determine the future. And for Jeremiah, such renewal would express the pathos of God’s longing for reconciliation. Suggested Reading Brueggemann, To Pluck Up, To Tear Down and To Build, To Plant. Stuhlman, Jeremiah. Questions to Consider 1. The book of Jeremiah offers a complex portrayal of the prophet. At what points did Jeremiah seem most willing to speak for God? What were the main reasons he struggled against God? 2. What aspects of Jeremiah’s message did people of his own time find most objectionable? What aspects of his message might people have found most valuable in the years that followed the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem?

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation 110 ‹In these chapters, Isaiah offers a message of hope that is couched in brutal realism. He promises a future in which life continues, but it continues in the face of loss and suffering. Isaiah’s perspective on hope doesn’t negate the reality of the threat. Rather, he offers a way to live on in the face of the threat. In the years that followed, the Assyrian forces conquered Syria and Israel’s capital, but Judah remained. Hope and Passion ‹In chapter 9, Isaiah announces the coming of a day in which peace triumphs over war. He envisions a scene in which the boots and bloodstained clothes of battle are gathered up and destroyed. Then, he announces the birth of a child, a descendant of David, who will reign as king. His kingdom will be based on justice and righteousness, and in it, there will be endless peace. In the crisis years of 735 to 732 B.C., the armies of the Assyrians were advancing from the northeast, and people in the region had to decide whether to resist or surrender.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation 218 of resurrection as a transformed existence, when those who were raised would shine like stars. ‹In this mix of ideas, the Christians at Corinth debated what they could hope for. And in chapter 15, Paul responds. The lens through which he sees things is the story of Jesus. And for him, the heart of the story is that Jesus died and rose. For Paul, then, if Jesus died and was raised as a whole person, then others who die will also be raised to life as whole people. ‹Paul pictures the present time as one of struggle, in which God’s power to give life is battling the forces of death. For Paul, death is not merely the moment at which a person takes a final breath. It’s the power that brings people to that final breath. Death is operative in diseases, violence, and hunger. The message of Jesus’s resurrection is about God’s commitment to continue the battle until death itself is overcome by the sheer power of life. ‹Paul further argues that resurrection of the body means transformation of the body—bringing the person who died into a new mode of existence. His assumption is that God creates the whole person and that God has a future for the whole person. God’s goal is not to strip away a portion of a person’s existence by destroying the body and saving the soul. Rather, the goal is to transform the whole person, the embodied person, by clothing that person with life. Reconciliation ‹After Paul sent this letter, he made another journey to Corinth to visit the congregation, but someone made some cutting remarks about him, and he ended up leaving with a profound sense of hurt. He was unsure about whether he should visit the congregation again in person. Thus, he wrote the letter called 2 Corinthians to deal with the situation. A major theme here is the renewal of relationship. ‹Paul sets the tone in the opening chapter, where he refers to God giving people paráklēsis, that is, comfort, consolation, or encouragement. The idea is that the comfort or encouragement that God gives to Paul and the Corinthians, they can, in turn, give to each other. Those opening lines are a signal that Paul wants to rebuild the damaged relationship.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation 244 Plot and Conclusion of Revelation ‹For the writer of Revelation, the overall question is: Will people give in to the oppressive power of the beast, or will they resist and follow the redemptive path of the Lamb? To guide their response, the plot of the narrative moves toward scenes in which the Lamb prevails over the beast, and the Creator overcomes the destroyer. The forces of oppression are defeated, and death itself is overcome at the final resurrection. The writer moves through scenes of conflict toward a vivid sense of hope in the final chapters. And in those final scenes, he develops two motifs that we’ve seen throughout this course: Jerusalem and creation. ‹In chapter 21, John tells of a new heaven and a new earth. And he sees a new Jerusalem come out of heaven from God. Revelation’s vision of this new Jerusalem moves beyond the endless cycle of conflict and loss that we’ve read about, toward hope of another order. It pictures a city in which death is gone, and grief and pain no longer exist. The scale of the city beggars the imagination. It has the radiance of a jewel, its streets are paved with gold, and each gate is made of pearl. The city measures 1,500 miles on each side, and its walls are 1,500 miles high. ‹Of course, no city is like this, and for John, that’s the point. He refuses to let readers equate any earthly city with the kingdom of God. He knows that every human society is deeply flawed, and he is unwilling to let any political order claim to be the final one. For John, the purposes of God go beyond those of any human being. ‹The motif of Jerusalem is joined with that of creation in these climactic scenes. At the heart of the city is the river of life, which flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. And there is a tree that is rich with fruit; its leaves are for the healing of the nations. To some extent, the river and the fruit tree resemble what the prophet Ezekiel envisioned, but Revelation goes further. It identifies the tree as the tree of life, calling us back to the beginning of Genesis. Of course, Genesis depicted a primeval paradise that did not last, but Revelation offers the promise of life and healing once again. ‹It is clear that in Revelation, this vision of life is God’s gift. The writer has no illusions about the human capacity to bring about heaven on earth. But this

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 35—Letters for Sojourners 233 ‹ In response, the writer uses three sets of images to redefine the way these Christians see their situation. Each set of images helps move them through the discouraging situation of the present toward the future. ● The first set of images recalls the story of Moses leading the Hebrew people through the desert. The writer tells their story as one that had a beginning point (liberation from slavery) and a goal (the Promised Land). In between was the journey through the desert. The writer of Hebrews wants readers to see themselves in a similar situation. They are in a social wilderness and are in danger of giving up, but the promise of life remains. ● In the middle of the book, the writer shifts the imagery. He now portrays Jesus as a priest and the letter’s readers as people who feel excluded from worship. They seek access to the presence of God, but they feel that way is closed. Christians seem to have no place in the religious culture of the empire. The writer of Hebrews, however, says that readers have a high priest in Jesus, and that transforms the way they see their situation. Like Jewish priests, Jesus makes a sacrifice, but his is a self-sacrifice of the highest order, creating a new bond between God and humans. ● In the final part of Hebrews, the writer traces a journey from the dawn of creation, through the history of Israel, to the readers’ own situation. He highlights moments when people of the past had to keep the faith, even People in the 1st century were avid sports fans, and they placed a high value on athletes who faithfully endured the struggle of the race; the writer of Hebrews pictures early Christians in the position of those athletes (stadium at Delphi).

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation184 ‹ For the author of John, the man who was initially blind regained his sight physically and developed insight about the identity of his healer. At the same time, the authorities, who could always see physically, became increasingly blind to the idea that God might be at work in the healing. Raising Lazarus ‹ In chapter 11, Jesus performs the sign that marks the climax of his public career: raising a man from the dead. Jesus receives word that his friend Lazarus is seriously ill from the man’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Initially, he does nothing but, after two days, decides to visit Lazarus, leaving the disciples to wonder why he put off the visit. Jesus compounds their confusion when he announces that Lazarus is dead. The disciples can’t fathom why Jesus would risk his safety to visit a corpse in a region where he faced mounting opposition to his teaching. In addition to the other ways in which Jesus has given life to humanity, in the story of Lazarus, he returns his friend to literal, mortal life; it’s hard to imagine a clearer miracle. Lecture 27—John on the Word Made Flesh 185 ‹ In the next scene, Jesus arrives in Bethany, where Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days, but Martha voices the hope that her brother will rise again at the last day, that is, at the end of the age. ‹ In a statement typical of John’s gospel, Jesus reframes the issue in relational terms. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. And those who live and believe in me will never die.” The idea is that death is real for everyone, but the gospel claims that faith brings people into relationship with God that is true life, and that relationship is not terminated by death. It has a future through the hope of resurrection. ‹ Ultimately, Jesus brings Lazarus back to life, but this miracle generates opposition in some quarters. In the eyes of Jesus’s detractors, the life-giver is becoming too popular. For Jesus’s opponents, a sign that involves the giving of life is not a gift but a threat. And to avoid the possibility of Roman military action, some begin planning to put the life-giver to death. Suggested Reading Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John. Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel. Questions to Consider 1. The theme of life has multiple dimensions in John’s gospel. What are its main dimensions, and how are they reflected in the episodes considered in the lecture? 2. John shows that people responded to Jesus’s miracles or signs in contradictory ways. Why did some see the healing miracles positively? Why did some see them negatively? Why does the writer show us these conflicting points of view?

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 25—The Dynamics of Forgiveness in Matthew 169 is also unconventional. It goes beyond familiar forms of moral instruction to transform the way people see themselves and their world. ‹ The sermon opens with a series of statements called beatitudes, each beginning with the word “blessed”: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” There are nine of these statements in all. ● The beatitudes bring together situations that seem incompatible. The word blessed communicates a sense of well-being, yet those who are poor in spirit or are grieving or meek would not feel well-being. ● The beatitudes alter the way people see their current situations by combining realism with hope. They are realistic in that they name the emptiness, grief, and vulnerability. They recognize that such experiences are real and cannot be dismissed. Yet they insist that even as people face emptiness and loss, they can see themselves as recipients of God’s favor. Despite the vulnerability, they are people who are valued by God. ● The beatitudes add hope by insisting that the emptiness and loss of the present need not define the future. Jesus says that the hope of experiencing God’s kingdom remains. And as he continues, he extends the list to include a word of blessing for those who are merciful, are pure in heart, make peace, and do what is right in the face of opposition. For Jesus, those are the things of abiding value. ‹ The Sermon on the Mount continues transforming the perspectives of readers by adopting a more confrontational tone in the middle of chapter 5. Here, Jesus contrasts traditional standards of behavior with his own more radical view. ● He begins by quoting from the T en Commandments, starting with “You shall not kill.” The assumption is that someone who commits murder will face judgment. But Jesus radicalizes the idea by focusing on anger, which is the underlying cause of the killing. He says that even if you are only angry with someone else, you will face judgment. ● He does the same thing with the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” In an ordinary sense, this means that you are not to have an extramarital affair. But again, Jesus goes to the underlying cause. He says that if you even look at another person with lust, you are committing adultery in your heart.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  1 Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation Scope: The term Bible means different things to different people, but in all cases, it refers to a work that has had a profound influence on the world. Many are familiar with the Bible as a sacred text, which is read and studied because of its religious content. Others have impressions of the Bible through its cultural influence. Biblical scenes have been portrayed in art by Michelangelo and Rembrandt. The Bible’s language was set to music by Bach and Handel, and its themes are woven into the novels of Dostoevsky and Faulkner. The Bible is often regarded as a single book, but it is actually a collection of books, composed over more than 10 centuries. The Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures, known to some as the Jewish Bible, tells the stories of ancient Israel, conveys the message of the prophets, and includes poetic texts that express joy, despair, and hope. The New Testament expands the collection to include narratives of Jesus’s life, along with letters by leaders in the ancient church. The narratives in the Bible provide an outline for this course. The Old Testament begins with narratives that tell of migration and dislocation, slavery and deliverance. The plotlines trace the tensions that arise from anticipation and disappointment, conflict and reconciliation. There are episodes involving surprise and laughter, and others that explore the tragic consequences of arrogance and jealousy. Character portrayal is a central feature. Abraham and Sarah, Moses and David prove capable of both courage and evasiveness. Tension is heightened as their flaws and failings call the future into question. God can display both mercy and outrage. At points, he is vividly present, and elsewhere, he seems inscrutable. We will consider the Old Testament’s prophetic texts within the broader narrative framework. Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets make sharp indictments of social injustice and religious infidelity. Yet they also provide visions of hope for

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 31—Paul and the Roman Empire 209 who was crucified yet rose from the dead. That means that those who follow Jesus have the hope that they, too, will rise. The subversive element comes in Paul’s picture of the event in royal terms. ‹Also in chapter 5, Paul challenges the idea that the world’s “peace and security” are permanent. His language seems to allude to Roman claims to have established peace and security on earth that would continue indefinitely. But Paul warns that the current order will end. He even depicts the followers of Jesus as warriors preparing for battle. Yet the battle is not an armed revolt. Instead, Paul says that Jesus’s followers wear faith and love as their body armor. They have a helmet of hope. And they refuse to repay evil with evil but seek to do good to everyone. Paul’s Message and Other Religious Traditions ‹In the last half of Acts 17, Paul is in Athens, which was a center of Greek culture and philosophy. Among the philosophers who taught there were Stoics and Epicureans. ●Stoic philosophers used the term god for the energy that, in their view, pervaded the universe. The Stoics also referred to this divine energy as logos. According to the Stoics, people would follow the divine will by using reason or logos (logic) in all situations. ●In contrast, the Epicureans argued that the gods lived in a blissful state, far removed from the world. The gods did not interfere with human life, and it was up to humanity, through philosophy, to achieve the goal of living well. ‹Acts 17 depicts a scene in which the philosophers engage in debate with Paul, but bystanders are confused by Paul’s message. Thus, Paul makes a speech at a place called the Areopagus. ‹The first step is to establish common ground with the listeners. Paul says that he can see that the people of Athens are very religious. Paul takes this impulse to worship as his point of departure, but he directs it toward the God that he understands to be true.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 35—Letters for Sojourners 233 ‹In response, the writer uses three sets of images to redefine the way these Christians see their situation. Each set of images helps move them through the discouraging situation of the present toward the future. ●The first set of images recalls the story of Moses leading the Hebrew people through the desert. The writer tells their story as one that had a beginning point (liberation from slavery) and a goal (the Promised Land). In between was the journey through the desert. The writer of Hebrews wants readers to see themselves in a similar situation. They are in a social wilderness and are in danger of giving up, but the promise of life remains. ●In the middle of the book, the writer shifts the imagery. He now portrays Jesus as a priest and the letter’s readers as people who feel excluded from worship. They seek access to the presence of God, but they feel that way is closed. Christians seem to have no place in the religious culture of the empire. The writer of Hebrews, however, says that readers have a high priest in Jesus, and that transforms the way they see their situation. Like Jewish priests, Jesus makes a sacrifice, but his is a self-sacrifice of the highest order, creating a new bond between God and humans. ●In the final part of Hebrews, the writer traces a journey from the dawn of creation, through the history of Israel, to the readers’ own situation. He highlights moments when people of the past had to keep the faith, even People in the 1 st century were avid sports fan, and they placed a high value on athletes who faithfully endured the struggle of the race; the writer of Hebrews pictures early Christians in the position of those athletes (stadium at Delphi).

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 29—The Early Church in Acts 195 But at this gathering in Acts, that pattern is reversed. Here, a community is formed around a common message that’s conveyed in multiple languages. ● From this point onward, the community of Jesus’s followers will face the challenge of maintaining the integrity if its beliefs while adapting itself to the world’s many languages and cultures. ‹ In Acts 2, Peter gives a speech that interprets the experience of God’s Spirit as the fulfillment of scripture. He quotes from the Old T estament prophet Joel, who envisioned a time when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, not just a few inspired individuals. The Spirit would be given to men and women, to old and young, to slaves and free people, and the whole community would prophesy. Peter sees this taking place among the followers of Jesus. ● As people respond favorably to the message, they are baptized. They then form a community in which they share all their resources, giving each member of the group what they need from a common fund. ● It’s an attempt to create an ideal community, but as the story continues, we find that the ideal is not sustainable. The writer of Acts must now consider what it means for this community to deal with conflict. Internal and External Conflict ‹ In the second part of Acts, conflict—both within and outside the Christian community—is a major theme. In chapter 6, for example, a conflict emerges within the community. The writer says that the Christian community in Jerusalem includes two groups: the Hebrews and the Hellenists. Both groups are of Jewish background, and both have become followers of Jesus. But they speak different languages and reflect different cultures. ‹ The Hebrews are Jewish Christians who speak Hebrew or Aramaic as their primary language. Their outlook is formed by traditional patterns of life in Judea and areas nearby. The Hellenists are also Jewish Christians, but they speak Greek and are more open to Greco-Roman culture. ‹ The flashpoint here is not a lofty question about religious truth but a practical matter. The Hellenist speakers complain against the Hebrews, because the widows in their subgroup are missing out on the daily distribution of food.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 16—Isaiah on Defiant Hope 107 ‹Later in the chapter, the prophet gives us glimpses of the corruption that permeates society. He tells of those who pervert justice and of public officials who abuse their authority. Meanwhile, the weakest members of society suffer under their corrupt leadership. Those in authority have failed in their duty to care for orphans and widows. ‹Isaiah also confronts religious hypocrisy. He says that people might bring countless sacrifices to the temple, but God doesn’t want them. They celebrate all the religious holidays, but God detests the pageantry. They piously stretch out their hands in prayer, but God won’t listen. In the prophet’s eyes, offering incense to God can never be a substitute for fair treatment of other people. In this, Isaiah is much like Amos. ‹The people who first heard Isaiah could presumably have told him that he lacked perspective. After all, the nation was in crisis and people in authority were focused on larger issues. Foreign armies were devouring territory all around, and Jerusalem seemed to be the one place still standing. Thus, the defendants in this court case might ask him, “Why worry about orphans and widows when national survival is at stake?” ‹This is where Isaiah reframes the issue, insisting that the fact that Jerusalem has survived actually presents an opportunity. It’s not that all the chaos means that God has abandoned Israel but just the opposite: In the face of chaos, God has preserved the city. And by doing so, he gives people the opportunity to change. That’s why this opening lawsuit culminates when the prophet says that hope for the future calls for change in the present. For Isaiah, society must not only be preserved, but it must be worth preserving. And such a society must have justice at its heart. ‹It is striking to read the account of God’s indictment of his people in chapter 1 alongside the hope depicted in chapter 2. Here, Isaiah envisions a city that is no longer filled with corruption but is a center of learning. Nations no longer threaten to invade but come seeking knowledge. The vision climaxes when they “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation 144 Daniel’s Visions ‹Instead of stories of life in the imperial court, chapters 7 to 12 are accounts of visions that Daniel received. The visions include cryptic images that Daniel cannot understand, but angelic beings help him by disclosing the meaning. ‹Chapter 7 is a good example of this pattern. Daniel has a vision of four beasts rising out of the sea that signify four successive empires: those of the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks. ‹The point of the vision is this: History shows that empires rise, one after another, yet each one of them falls in due time. Readers are to resist persecution because it will not last forever. No human ruler is absolute. God’s purposes are just and will win out. ‹Daniel 7 pictures God coming for judgment, seated on his throne, surrounded by heavenly beings. It is a vision of accountability, giving assurance that the perpetrators of injustice cannot continue indefinitely. They, like all humans, are ultimately accountable to the higher authority of God. Suggested Reading Gowan, Daniel. Levenson, Esther: A Commentary. Questions to Consider 1. The Hebrew version of the book of Esther does not explicitly mention God, though it alludes to a higher purpose behind the coincidences that take place in the story. Why might the writer have been so circumspect about the role of God? What kind of readers might find this circumspect approach helpful? 2. In contrast to Esther, Daniel explicitly refers to God working through events in history, including the rise and fall of empires. What kind of readers might find Daniel’s emphasis on God’s role to be helpful? 145 LECTURE 22 Resistance, Adaptation, and the Maccabees T he book of 1 Maccabees is another look at Israel’s life under foreign domination, this time, focusing on conflict under Greek rule in the 2 nd

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation 6 ●Here, the narrative shows the struggle to make sense of national tragedy. The writer wants to affirm that founding the kingdom was congruent with the will of God. But that makes it difficult to understand how God could let the kingdom be destroyed and the people deported. ●The plotline traces patterns of human disobedience that seem to bring about this devastating result, yet it also holds onto more hopeful elements. Other Old Testament books continue the story by recounting the return of some of the people to Jerusalem, where they rebuild. ‹Along with the narratives, the Old Testament includes prophetic writings. A common theme in theses texts is the call for a just society. Yet the prophets also have distinctive emphases, and they often convey their messages through poetic imagery. ‹The final collection of material in the Old Testament consists of psalms and wisdom writings. The psalms are songs and poems that probe the depths of despair and rise to exuberant joy. The wisdom writings ask what it means to live a good life. The New Testament ‹The New Testament also begins with narratives. Here, the variety is clear at the outset. Each of the four gospels tells the story of Jesus in a distinctive way, giving us four portraits of Jesus, not just one. ‹Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four; from the outset, it portrays Jesus engaged in conflict. The narrative begins when Jesus is baptized and tested by Satan in the desert. After that, Jesus announces God’s kingdom, then he goes to a synagogue, where he encounters a man possessed by a demonic spirit. Jesus’s first action is performing an exorcism; thus, our initial impression is that he is the agent of God confronting the forces of evil. ‹Luke’s gospel is rather different. It begins with angels promising a child to an elderly couple, then telling a young woman named Mary that she will give birth to Jesus. Luke speaks of Jesus being born in a barn, where he is visited Lecture 1—The Bible as Dialogue 7 In the New Testament, our impressions of Jesus are formed by the interplay among the four gospels.

• From Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation (2016)

  Lecture 23—Jesus as Messiah in Mark 155 The Kingdom of God ‹ According to Mark, Jesus’s public activity begins with the announcement: “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news.” At this point, what Jesus means by the kingdom is not defined, and when he refers to it, he raises more questions than he answers. ‹ As you’ll recall, the kingdom of Israel was united under Saul, David, and Solomon. But that unity was shattered with the formation of the northern and southern kingdoms. Both kingdoms were then devastated by waves of conquest. In time, the Maccabees revolted and established an independent kingdom; it lasted for some decades but then fell to the Romans. In political terms, the hope of a reestablished kingdom in the Promised Land had not been fully realized. ‹ Alongside these political realities was hope for something of another order, a time when God would establish a kingdom of peace and harmony. Isaiah’s vision was of a world in which nations would turn their swords into plowshares. Daniel looked for the time when oppressive empires would end. What did Jesus mean with his message about the kingdom of God? ‹ After Jesus announces the coming of the kingdom, he acts as a commander summoning his troops. As he walks beside the Sea of Galilee, he sees fishermen and commands them to follow him. Surprisingly, they do; thus, the initial impression is that God’s kingdom begins to come about as people respond favorably to Jesus’s word. ‹ The plot intensifies as Jesus launches an assault against what are depicted as the powers of evil. For example, he encounters a man possessed by an unclean spirit or demon. In the process of healing, this spirit cries out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” From Mark’s perspective, the answer is yes, that is what Jesus has come to do. We get the sense that Jesus is bringing about God’s kingdom by defeating the powers that diminish life. ‹ We can see a process of redefinition taking place in these scenes. The word kingdom typically referred to the political order, but in Mark’s gospel, the impression is that God reigns where life is made whole. A sign of the kingdom