Ugh, look at all those days that passed! Man! Well, merry Christmas to you all/happy Kwanzaa! I had a good Christmas, hope you did too, and... I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. But I hope those of you that are are enjoying it too! Oh, also, there was a crazy blizzard last night/this morning so I HAVE BEEN PLAYING IN SO MUCH SNOW! It's good times, even if my snow fort will never be as awesome as that kid's in Snow Day.
Let's see, is that it? Pretty much, yeah. I got addicted to a game I got for Christmas (Book Worm Adventures), which is no surprise because it's so radical! You fight enemies with words. The bigger the word, or depending on what letters are used, you do more damage. I love it. It's turned me into a sorry laptop junky. I NEED ME SOME BOOK WORM!
I guess if I'm going to mention Book Worm, I'm going to mention the two books I got, A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood and Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman. It's hard to stick to the Bible with those two at the foot of my bed, I can promise you that right now. Especially Steal This Book--I've been idly flipping through it and I love the sarcastic bastardness of it. (That's right, it gets its own adjective set up and word synthesis.) I was debating on taking a break from this to sate myself, but I feel like that would be too weird of a transition... Kind of like when I read some of Lord of the Rings and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test... Didn't really work that well.... So, let's get a move on then, before I remove my eyes with a writing utensil out of sheer desire to read Hoffman's book.
I have no notes on Ezra, but to be fair, it's about five pages altogether. Ezra restores adherence to rules set down in the Torah. (Do I italicize Torah?) Next is Nehemiah, in which Nehemiah, the King's servant, goes to rebuild the walls of Judah and attempts to repopulate Judah and again, make sure those repopulating the city are adhering to laws set down in the Torah.
First of all, this is the first time (at least in this edition) that Jewish people are referred to as 'Jews', and not Israelites or anything like that. I just thought that that was worth noting...
So, there's a chronicle of the wall's rebuilding, and who rebuilt which wall. Now, this edition of the Bible has whatever translation they deem right, but occasionally there are alternate translations for sections as well, or sections whose wording has been changed or what have you. In the actual paragraph, a sentence reads as follows: "Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord" Nehemiah 3:5. The alternate text from the footnote would make this read as "Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their lords". There's a whole lot of difference between those two statements, I must say!
A little later on, there's the "Festival of Booths" to celebrate the success of the rebuilding and repopulation and the reinstitution of the laws. People who have returned to the city and are at the celebration have made "booths" or tabernacles. The Hebrew however (every so often the book will include the Hebrew for a word or phrase) for these things is "Succoth". I can't help but find this interesting, considering--if you remember--Succoth-beneth is one of the false gods who were worshiped. I just find that curious I've been led to believe that tabernacles are holy, and Succoth-beneth clearly is not, yet the word... Of course, beneth would then be some modifier that made the word villainous (most likely), but I don't know.
I'd also like to mention that in the 'National Confession' (9) chapter of Nehemiah, pretty much every book preceding it is summarized. Helpful, but at the same time it makes me pull at my hair in frustration.
A man named Malluch signed the Covenant. Now, he can't help his name, but it certainly sounds familiar. Not to judge, but I'm just saying, if his ears start resembling tombs and begin to smoke, well, let's just say I won't be too surprised.
Nehemiah is pretty short too... My next notes are in the next book, the book of Esther. Esther's story teaches us of the origins of the celebration of Purim, and... Well, I guess Jewish Treats covers the basics, there. The reason why Jewish people had to defend themselves is because Mordecai maddened and thus is targeted for murder by Haman, the prime minister. Haman figures out that Mordecai is Jewish and decides to cook up a plot to murder not just Mordecai but all the Jews of the city. Haman is eventually killed thanks to Esther (though it is sort of inadvertently that she seals his fate), though tension and hate has already been aroused, hence the need for defense.
There is an interesting difference between the translation this publication has chosen to use and the Hebrew that it includes for a particular passage: "In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King AhasuerusJesus's healing powers are referred to as. I don't know, like everything else I've been writing about, I include it because I find it kind of interesting and odd. (Of course, if Jesus's healing powers are referred to as that, that means the meaning came later, but still, if it grew from a root like that...)
I also marked a tad bit about the festival itself, but I guess that got covered with the two links I've given you. Okay, so that's not a complete in-depth description of Purim, but it's probably better to rely on people who actually celebrate it for information rather than someone who only knows it exists thanks to Jewish Tweets (I'm doing a lot of plugging tonight, aren't I? This is unintentional, but really, you must see that I have a valid point)! It's on Wikipedia too, like everything else, so....
Ah, and next is the book of Job! Job was an upstanding, righteous fellow. Satan, making his first real appearance in the Bible (as himself at least--though the serpent is traditionally rendered as Satan I must make note that he is never actually referred to as such) challenges God. God points Job out as being such a great fellow who fears God and so on, and Satan is like, well, what's the point of his fear of you if he's got nothing to fear? If you gave him something to fear he would curse you. And God says all right, will do, let's see what happens. Go mess with him. Job is upset because he is plagued, his children are killed, his livestock is killed, he is struck with boils and sores--and he has not sinned or done anything wrong. In fact, he even sacrifices for his children*. His friends berate him because they're convinced that he must have sinned and to not confess of course doubles his punishment (most of this book is dialog, might I mention). Job, suffering, regrets his birth and his life, but remarkably never once curses God**--he just wants an answer as to why he is being punished. God Himself eventually joins in the dialog and speaks to Job and his cohorts as well.
*"And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify [his sons and daughters], and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, 'It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts'. This is what Job always did" Job 1:5.
First of all, in the Hebrew, Satan is ha-satan--and the meaning of that is the Accuser. I am curious if he had any precedents in any other separate religious texts before this point... In those separate texts, if they exist, his origin might to be some extent be explained (Milton had to have gotten the backbone for Paradise Lost somewhere, right?), if not, this is a rather curious introduction for him. "One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it'" Job 1:6-7. Curious.
While reading the challenge Satan makes to God, that whole little section ('Attack on Job's Character'), a passage from Everything is Illuminated was evoked: "THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: WHY UNCONDITIONALLY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO UNCONDITIONALLY GOOD PEOPLE They never do" (Everything is Illuminated, 199). I couldn't stop thinking of it, picturing it in my head.
**After his property and children are destroyed: "Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord'" Job 1:20-21.
The argument between Satan and God actually seems to be a pessimistic versus optimistic view of human nature, which I guess makes sense. But it makes me question whether the events that occur are even slightly based on any real events at all--or just a struggle with how exactly a man would react to such a situation. You know?
Job's wife suggests he "Curse God, and die" Job 2:9. Or, in the Hebrew, "Bless God, and die". This is after all the events regarding his property and children and livestock have occurred and Satan has stricken Job with terrible boils and sores. I imagine that his wife suggests he do this just to end his suffering once and for all (the release of death). As for the "Bless God"... Perhaps because despite his blessing and veneration for his Lord, he is still being punished to incredible extents, so he might as well bless God and again, end his suffering, because all of his blessings have led him this far...
Actually, Job rather impresses me. he responds to this with, "'Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not the bad?'" Job 2:10. This impressive for anyone to say and truly feel, much less a man who is is being tormented endlessly, and in such ways! I rather respect Job. I like him.
This whole section is incredibly interesting in Job speaking of his vexations and his friends assertions (even if they are deemed incorrect or foolish by God at the end) and God's statement at the end... Oh, and I should mention that the first concept of the afterlife (in the Bible) appears in this book; it is known as Sheol. Sheol is (from what I understand) just a dark... Well, pit. Regardless of your actions in life you are sent there. I guess it would be most similar to purgatory, then, just kind of... waiting. (That is what purgatory is, right? Great, now I've gone completely to the other end of the "I don't really understand this religious concept" spectrum...)
"'My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come to their end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath'" Job 7:6-7.
"'I loathe my life; I would not live it forever'" Job 7:16.
"'What are human beings, that you make so much of them, that you set your mind on them, visit them every morning, test them every moment?'" Job 7:17-18. Possibly my favourite desperate statement from Job. I can honestly say that I spent a lot of time in Sunday school wondering exactly that (kids were given paper and crayons during the services, so I didn't really wonder about any theology while actually in church). I have to imagine that mostly everybody who has been brought up with a religious upbringing must wonder that (well, at least anyone with a Judeo-Christian upbringing), and even atheists and agnostics must wonder about it, at least the good ones must.
Job's friend Bildad explains to Job that those of the godless have hope and faith that dies very quickly because without God involved, it is like a spider's web. I just want to point out the irony here because although there's no way the writer of this book could have know, spider's silk is one of the strongest materials around.
"'Do you [God] have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see? Are your days like the days of mortals, or your years like human years'" Job 10:4-5. Well... Not yet.
"'For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they?'" Job 14:7-10. But is it the same tree? And question number two, are we tentatively poking at the question of rebirth? I'd say so...
So, to ruin any respect I may have garnered from a semi-intelligent and for once semi-coherent post, I just want to mention that "grind" is used as a euphemism. So sue me, I'm only human, it cracked me up.
Another friend of Job, Elihu, makes an interesting point... I apologize for overusing interesting, by the way. It's getting to the point where every time I write it I just hear Bugs Bunny saying it and I want to hide my face out of shame. But, anyways, he says: "'Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice, Who gave him charge over the earth and who laid on him the whole world?'" Job 34:12-13. That is, God can't act unjustly because he invented just and unjust.
"'Anyone who argues with God must respond'" Job 40:2.
Well, there we are... The next four books of the Bible. I guess as retrospect, it's pretty easy to tell which books I find the most interesting (cough cough Job). If you're going to blindly pick a book from the Bible to read, I'd certainly suggest Job over most of what else I've read. (If you're going to blindly pick more than one, how about Exodus and Leviticus too?) The books are slowly getting to be more story-like, not that they sound false or anything, but they read better, like a story. So that's good. Of course, next is Psalms, so that trend won't really continue... But hey, that could be the interlude for more! There's only one way to find out, now isn't there?
MLA citation information: Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Edition. American Bible Society: New York, 1989.
Hmm... That's about it for today, no more real updates on my life, other than that I got straight A's in my first semester of college! HOORAY! I haven't failed out! (At least not yet...)
Answer to last post's cryptic song lyrics: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
This post's cryptic song lyrics: First it giveth, then it taketh away
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