Vexed

Preachers and teachers of Bible are eager to tell us how the Bible "speaks to us today." But does it? How can it speak to us when we are not its addressees? It was written thousands of years ago in a particular place and time for its audience who lived at that time. This kind of talk reveals the way we use and abuse the biblical text to serve ourselves. We do not bring the Bible – an ancient text - to today. Instead, the student of the Bible must go back – must go back to the time, setting and culture in which the Bible was forged.Andrea shares how city of London guide David Charnick captures this perspective in his study of Dickens’ famous 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.https://charnowalks.co.uk/https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/charles-dickens-christmashttps://www.fulltextarchive.com/book/A-Christmas-Carol/https://a.co/d/jkl2hdUhttps://www.thegreatcourses.com/Illustration, Marley's Ghost by John Leech, first edition, 1843.

Tammy Faye Bakker was an evangelical Christian preacher and teacher who co-hosted television programs with her husband Jim on their PTL network from 1974 to 1987. Her story is told in the 2021 HBO movie “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” There is a scene in the movie which depicts a fundamental biblical theme. Andrea explains shame unto correction. 

“Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos” is a new HBO documentary. In it, show creator David Chase and his creative team reflect on “The Sopranos” and how they came up with and developed certain themes. There are striking parallels between the crafting of the show & the themes explored and those we find in the Bible. Andrea discusses man’s impermanence and the Bible’s self-referentiality. 

Breaking Bad, the TV series which aired from 2008 to 2013, is a work of creative genius; a tapestry of interweaving characters and storylines. It is modern storytelling at its finest. I recently re-watched the series and I wondered how it could be that I was enjoying my 3rd re-watch even more than when I’d first seen it. Why am I still enjoying a story that I already know? It is because it was my 3rd time through. With each watching, more and more of the story revealed itself to me. As with Breaking Bad, so it is with the Bible. It's the repetition. Hearing the Bible's repetitive story repeatedly is how come to know it & hear its lessons. 

We are obsessed with Jesus. He is our hero, our superstar – our divine ideal. We try to follow his example; to imitate him. We not only want to be like him, we want to be him!In today’s episode, Andrea argues that this obsession is misplaced. It’s a projection of our own desires which we impose on the gospel narratives.The Jesus that we meet in the New Testament is not to be imitated but to be heard.

If you’re a church-going Christian, you’ve probably attended a Bible study. Bible studies, the way they are conducted today, don’t work.We’re comfortable with the common approaches but what do we really learn? We either select a few verses of text & then discuss them or we select a popular topic & then use the Bible as a lens. What does the Bible say about money or faith or forgiveness?These approaches are not Bible “study,” but rather, Bible manipulation. They turn the Bible into a mirror which we use to understand ourselves.In today’s episode, Andrea proposes a better way. 

Translators make errors in their translation choices because they impose themselves onto the biblical text.In today’s episode, the last in this 4-part series on translations of the Bible, Andrea gives specific examples of translation errors. She distinguishes 3 kinds of errors: (1) euphemisms (2) word choices that force the text to make sense to the translator (3) word choices that impose the translator’s assumptions on the text. 

The nativity scene is perhaps the best known visual depiction of the birth of Jesus. It is the emblem of the Christmas season. But it is not in the seeing of this scene that we understand its meaning, but rather, in the hearing of the biblical story. It is from the gospel books Luke and Matthew that we know about the birth of Jesus. In today's episode, Andrea takes a close look at Luke's text - chapter 2 verses 1-20. And she shares the work of 15th century Seinese Renaissance man, Francesco di Giorgio Martini. His Adoration by the Shepherds is a unique portrait of the nativity that conveys Luke's subversive message. In this piece, Rome is laid low.

In today’s episode, Andrea distinguishes two more reasons why translators make errors: (3)Their point of view about the Biblical text (4) A translation changes the form of what’s written and the form communicates the meaning.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, Andrea reads entries from "Of Plymouth Plantation," the diary of its 2nd governor, William Bradford. His diary tells of the fragile beginnings of that small group of daring believers known to us as “the Pilgrims.” But there is something else in the diary. Governor Bradford see his story – the struggles & hardships that he and his community endured - through the lens of the biblical story. “Of Plymouth Plantation,” is an example of the way the Bible imprints on its hearers: they are formatted by the story.

In today’s episode, Andrea distinguishes two reasons why translators make errors: (1) English is conceptually different than Biblical Hebrew (2) We are not the writers’ intended audience. Today, we are disconnected from both the writers’ language and their culture.

Today’s episode is the first of a four-episode series on the matter of translations of the Bible. We read the Bible in translation; in our case, in English. But a translation is not the original text. By definition, a translation changes – transforms – the text.  And this is a problem. If you are not hearing the text in its languages, you are not hearing it.

In today’s episode, Andrea poses the question: is Jesus shepherd or sheep? From the biblical perspective, this is not only a strange question but also an invalid one. And yet, there is an answer. Jesus “is” neither and sometimes both. Follow along as she examines texts from Genesis, Deuteronomy and the book of John to explain the way Biblical languages work.

In today's episode, Andrea highlights the episode content that she is working on for 2022.

The nativity scene is perhaps the best known visual depiction of the birth of Jesus. It is the emblem of the Christmas season. But it is not in the seeing of this scene that we understand its meaning, but rather, in the hearing of the biblical story. It is from the gospel books Luke and Matthew that we know about the birth of Jesus. In today's episode, Andrea takes a close look at Luke's text - chapter 2 verses 1-20. And she shares the work of 15th century Seinese Renaissance man, Francesco di Giorgio Martini. His Adoration by the Shepherds is a unique portrait of the nativity that conveys Luke's subversive message. In this piece, Rome is laid low.

In traditional religious practice, the person who leads the community is addressed by a title. Why?Titles are special names; marks of distinction whose meaning comes from their source text. Today, Andrea explores two titles common in Christian traditions: pastor & father. She explains how these two words, employed as titles, express biblical wisdom. Titles, she argues, express function not ontology. They are about doing not being.

When we are in church, we hear selections from the Bible read to us. In today’s episode, Andrea explains the purpose of these readings.When a priest, pastor or rabbi reads selections from the Bible to their congregation, they function as ambassadors, speaking at the behest of their king. And it is neither they nor the gathered who matter, it is the king.  In the 1995 movie Braveheart, William Wallace is brought before King Edward’s magistrates and put in his place.  The scene is a powerful demonstration of the thesis of this week’s episode.  Braveheart, the movie

In celebration of Thanksgiving, Andrea tells the story of the perilous beginnings of Plymouth Plantation from the diary of its 2nd governor, William Bradford. Bradford was among the 102 passengers who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower. It is from Governor Bradford’s diary – Of Plymouth Plantation – that we know about that small group of daring believers who are known to us as “the pilgrims”. He sees his experience through the lens of the biblical story and the story serves as a kind of mental template on which he writes the story of Plymouth Plantation. Andrea argues that this is an example of the way the Bible imprints on its hearers.

Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of episode 3, “the 10 Points” prepared for the 2021 OCABS Symposium. The Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies (OCABS) was established in 1999 to develop, promote & publish research in biblical studies. They hold an annual symposium at which members present their work. At this year’s online gathering, papers were presented on topics such as covenant in the Bible & first century Christianity. The books of Galatians & Hosea were featured. Andrea shared her revised episode 3, “10 Points: What do we mean by “the Bible as Literature?”" A transcript of the episode is here included.

In today’s episode, Andrea addresses the question: "How do I read the Bible?" In this part two of a two-episode discussion, Andrea offers a list of suggestions for how to read the Bible.*How to read the Bible*List of do's1) Hear 2) Memorize 3) Repeat, repeat, repeat