Hello my beloved friends in Christ! The new year is upon us. Let us pause to offer to our great and majestic Father in heaven and His Son Jesus Christ all praise, thanksgiving and adoration for the time we have had in fellowship with Him and with one another as fellow Christians. Blessings from our Heavenly Father enrich our lives and strengthen us for service to Him and to our fellow man. There is much work to be done; so many people deprived and hungry, so much sickness and sorry, so many people who have yet to hear the gospel for the first time. May God give us an even greater vision and even more abundant resources to respond in His Name to those people in such great need.

We concluded the last issue with a few assignments. I hope you were able to study them and do the research necessary. Carl Jung is a major figure in psychology and his theories have and do influence many. I want to urge you to do the assignments and more. Take some time between issues to read more deeply into Jung’s theories and compare and contrast them with the word of God. We are not studying any of the secular psychologists for the sake of gaining knowledge and use of secular psychotherapy. No, we are studying these people to see what in the areas of psychology and psychotherapy is acceptable and unacceptable for use in Christian counseling. That is why each of us must do independent study and reading apart from what is in each issue. Each of us as Christian counselors must develop a Christian approach to the needs of our clients and that is a personal educational journey that culminates in each of us determining what we can and can not apply from the reservoir of learning in psychotherapy and psychology.

In this issue we want dig deeper into Jung’s thoughts, place and use of religion in his psychological theories.

In this issue of Women in Religious History we will complete our brief look at women in religion in ancient Greece by taking a look at the Oracle of Delphi and the Oracle of Dodona.

An oracle in ancient Greek religion was a priest or priestess who was an intermediary between God and man.  The uniqueness of this religious office in ancient Greek religion will become clear as we discuss the Oracle of Delphi and the Oracle of Dodona.

First, we should identify who or what and where are Delphi and Dodona in Greece.

Delphi is a city in the Peloponnesus of Greece north of the Gulf of Corinth in the valley south of Mt. Parnassus. Dodona is also a city in Epirus a region of Greece which fronts in the west the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, to the north Albania, to the east Thessaly and Macedonia, and to the south other Greek regions.

An oracle is a person who is thought to have special relations with God (small “g” for Greek gods) enabling him or her to convey various kinds of messages from God to suppliants seeking divine guidance.

The Oracle of Dodona is thought to be the oldest of Greek oracles, having begun in the 2^nd millennium BC, thriving over the centuries until AD 391 when Christians in the area brought it to a close. The origin of the Oracle of Dodona is disputed as is much of ancient pre-history.

Heroditus, the ancient Greek historian, recorded this mythical account of the origin of the Oracle of Dodona as told to him by priestesses of Dodona in the 5^th century BC:

“two black doves had come flying from Thebes in Egypt, one to Libya and one to Dodona; the latter settled on an oak tree, and there uttered human speech, declaring that a place of divination from Zeus must be made there; the people of Dodona understood that the message was divine, and therefore established the oracular shrine.”

A somewhat less allegorical account was told to Heroditus in Egypt by an Egyptian priest. Phoenician merchants kidnapped two Egyptian priestesses, one was taken to Dodona where she founded an oracle that came to be the internationally known Oracle of Dodona.

Over time, the Oracle of Dodona was associated with a number of gods and goddesses, among them were Mother Goddess, Rhaia, Gaia, Dione, Zeus.

The distinctive features of the Oracle of Dodona were the oak trees of the sacred grove and the rustling of their leaves, the sounds of doves and other birds, and the clinking of bronze cauldrons which were placed among the branches of the oak trees and were moved by the wind. In these events the messages from the Mother Goddess, Dione, or Zeus were to be understood and, then, transmitted to the suppliant by priestesses called Selli or priests called Selloi.

The grandeur of the Oracle of Dodona developed from its original natural setting through a number of vicissitudes: King Pyrrhus of Epirus and Macedonia built a temple to Zeus which was later destroyed; King Philip V of Macedonia in the third century rebuilt and expanded the temple which was later destroyed; and finally the Emperor Augustus rebuilt the temple in 31 BC. With the coming of Christianity in the region, the influence of the Oracle of Dodona steadily declined until its demise.

The Oracle of Delphi was the most famous of the oracles of ancient Greece. A priestess, called the Pythia, was the oracle who received and interpreted the messages of the god, the last being, and one of the most revered, Apollo.

The distinctive features of the Oracle were the priestess who was originally, according to legend, a young virgin girl, one of whom later left with a Thessalian young man, and thereafter, an older woman above fifty years of age whose reputation in the area was without reproach, an opening in the ground from which rose fumes to inspire the priestess, and a tripod over the opening on which the priestess sat to inhale the fumes.

The message from the god was spoken by the Pythia in riddles which gave the suppliant a wide latitude in which to understand and apply the “divine word.” The subject matter of the divine messages ranged from personal interests to international affairs. People of both humble and notable status consulted the Pythia, among whom we may mention Sophocles, Alexander the Great, and Croesus of Lydia.

Because the Pythia spoke in riddles, the suppliant was left, as I mention above, to understand and apply the “divine word” as best as possible. One classic case of misunderstanding is that of Croesus, King of Lydia (595-547) who consulted the Pythia at Delphi for “divine” guidance in his relations with the Persians, whether or not he should invade the Persian Empire. The Pythia told King Croesus “If you go to war you will cause the destruction of a great empire.” That, of course, was true. The problem for Croesus was that the empire to be destroyed was his own, not the Persian. Such was the ambiguity of Delphic “divine” utterances for the suppliants, who incidentally, often contributed great sums of money and kind for relevant revelations.

Here we conclude our brief and selective look at women in the history of Greek religion. Hopefully, you will take time to read in depth on the fascinating and regrettably so misguided human effort to understand God in the ancient world.

Next issue we begin with women in the history of Roman and Egyptian religion. When we complete that brief study, we will turn back to the scripture and the history of Israel to see the function of women in revealed religion and compare and contrast that information with what we have learned from the pagan religions.

May God bless each of you and your loved ones in the new year with every blessing in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                          Return to Vol II Issue 1

Greek                                                                                 Return to Vol II Issue 1

Greetings my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! How great are our God and His Son Jesus Christ! Our hope! Our life! Our all! Are we on our knees as we think these thoughts? There is hardly a more appropriate place to be in thanksgiving and humility for Him who died for all of us who absolutely have no hope, no life, no anything without Him.

Let’s start this issue in Greek with a little different approach. Nothing earth shaking, mind you, but maybe a little fun, a little interesting, and a little eye opening! Can you beat that? Here is what we will do: I will type out a number of sentences in English taken from the New Testament, the version doesn’t matter since I am quite certain you will recognize them and know where to find them. For example, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.”  Heard that before? I can’t believe that you haven’t – many, many times! So what are you to do with it? Go to your Greek new testament (that’s the one written in Greek, interlinear is ok.), locate it in chapter and verse, take each Greek word, go to your lexicon and figure out what the root word is and define it. Keep in mind that many of the words you will come across are in forms that we have not studied yet, so it will be a challenge, but it is doable using your lexicon and textbook. You will definitely have a leg up on the assignment if you have an analytical Greek lexicon as it will have every form of Greek in the New Testament listed in alphabetical order with a reference to the root word from which it was derived. Then, you look up the root word and “behold!” – the definition of the word.

Now, I am telling you ahead of time – so no complaining about a sneaky, treacherous teacher – it will be challenging, but I know you can do it! So, go do it!! Here are a few sentences to wrestle with:

Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins;

He who believes and is baptized shall be saved;

Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord.

Before we go to the grammar part of this issue in Greek, let’s have a “vocabulary fest”

I will give you a number of Greek words, some you have had and already know (that’s ok. A review is good.) and some you may not know. I am not sure how many I will give you here. I will just start typing Greek words until I wear out and, then, we will go to something else, grammar, for instance. Oh, by the way, you are to provide the markings on the words, breathing, accents. (Am I supposed to do everything for you?)

agaqo~    amartanw    ballw    blepw    gnwsi~    grafw  

dia    didwmi    eqno~    eirhnh    zaw    zwh   

qalassa    qliyi~    idio~    iscuro~    kalo~    khrussw

lao~    leipw    maqhth~    misqo~    neania~     nomo~

omoiow    opou    paidion    pa~    rhma    sarx   

tacew~    telo~    uper    upokrith~    fanero~    fobo~

cairw    creia    yeusth~    wra    w~    wste

Now, I am beginning to feel soft hearted, tender hearted; my heart is melting with pity and compassion. How could I so ruthlessly expect you to know the accents and breathings since we have hardly noticed they exist. Oh, a passing word or two about them, but nothing you can sink your teeth into in order to do them up right. Look! None of us wants a tacky Greek word around and, believe me, nothing is more tacky than a Greek word with the accent in the wrong place or the breathing backwards. Oh the humanity of it all.

 So, I think we should go right now into accents and breathing. That way, along with your own review and prior knowledge, you can spruce up those Greek words in their Sunday best!

Well, let’s start with the way they look – the accents, I mean. We will also give them a name. I mean it is a bit embarrassing not to have a name. Don’t you just get so tired of being called “hey, bud” or “hey, you” or “Mister, Mister” or “Mam, Mam”. We should wear signs bearing our names.

So, look at these funny creatures:

 

V    ;    `

Believe it or not, these are accent signs for Greek. And their names?

 

V acute

 

  ;grave

 

  `circumflex

Is the print too small? I am told that we remember a shocking episode almost perfectly, so I think we will remember acute, grave, and circumflex from now on.

Ok, what do they do and how do we know when to let them do their duty? Good questions and we’ll talk about that right here and now!

To begin, we will analyze the Greek word.

The last syllable is called the “ultima”

The next to last syllable is called the “penult”

The syllable before the “penult” is called the “antepenult”

So, let’s see how that works. Here is a word with three syllables:

anqrwpo~  (it means “man”)

The syllables in this word are:

an - antepenult

qrw - penult

po~ - ultima

That was a noun. The verbs now want to be heard and seen! Let’s take this one:

legw

What are its syllables and what do you call them:

le - penult   

gw - ultima

You notice that is a two syllable verb. Here is a three syllable verb:

lambanw

What are its syllables and what do you call them:

lam - antepenult

ba – penult

nw – ultima

Let’s do one more verb:

ecw  

Do you notice a difference between this verb and either of the other two verbs or the noun? In the previous 2 verbs and the noun each vowel is accompanied by at least one consonant. In this verb – ecw  - there are two vowels and only one consonant. In this case, the “e” is considered a syllable. The “cw” is a second syllable in the verb. The “e” is the penult ; the “cw” is the ultima.

So, now we know the names of the accents and we know the names of the locations of the syllables. How do we know where to place the accents in a word?  It depends on the long and the short of it.

In Greek, there are seven vowels: a, e, h, i, o. u, w. h is the long form of e; w is the long form o; e and o are always short; w and h are always long. a, i, u are sometimes short and sometimes long.

We will do a little more work with these fancy accent signs and, then, we will take on the diphthongs. (No! diphthong is not a name of a team. Just some letters that stick together.)

Here are some basic thoughts for accents. We will start with the acute accent:

The acute accent is recessive, that is, it goes back from the last syllable as far as possible according to the rules governing the movement of the accents.  The last syllable is the commander in chief of the location of the acute accent on a word:

The orders are: 

if the last syllable is long, then the acute accent is placed on the last syllable is short, then the acute accent is placed on the antepenult.

So, when is a syllable “long”? If the syllable holds a long vowel or a diphthong, it is long. If syllable does not hold a long vowel or a diphthong, the syllable is short.

Let’s take a look at words that show off the rules. Kind of know it all words.

Legw  - here we have two syllables. According to the information about syllables above, which syllable has a long vowel and a short vowel? Ok!  w is always long; e is always short.  Look at the word and decide which syllable has the long vowel and which has the short vowel.

According to the rules of the acute accent, the last syllable tells us where the acute accent is placed in the word. What are the rules? If the last syllable is long, the acute accent is placed on the penult; if the last accent is short, the acute accent is placed on the antepenult.

In our word legw we have only two syllables – an ultima and a penult. The ultima (last syllable) is long, so the accent goes to the penult. Of course, in this word, where else can it go – there are only two syllables, an ultima and a penult. So, let’s get us a three syllable word and see how the rules work with that one.

anqrwpo~ - here we have a final syllable with an o. Among the syllables, what do we know about an o? It is always short. And what do we know about an acute accent when the final syllable has a short vowel? The acute accent goes back to the antepenult. So, look at our word anqrwpo~ What is the last syllable? Where does the acute accent go?

Now that you have the rule about the acute accent down pat, I must tell you that there are other rules in different situations involving acute accents that run contrary to what you just learned. We want to keep the surprises to a minimum in our Greek study, so as we go along, there will be rule changes according to the situation. I mean, after all, who calls the same play every down in a football game. (Only the coach of the team I like, it seems.)

So, we will play around with this acute accent right along with the others, learning rules that exist only to be changed from time to time. So, stay on your tippy toes for this.

And what about the other accents, the circumflex and the grave. In a sense the grave is not really an accent; rather, it tells us not to accent the syllable and, instead, let the word flow right into the following word and observing the next word’s accent. There are rules governing the grave accent that we will get a grip on later. So, hang tough! We’ll get them pretty soon.

Now, the circumflex is unique in appearance. I like its flair, a semi loop over the vowel. Have you ever thought or dreamed about these Greek circumflex accents? Why they are so “different”. Well, it is a difference between ancient Greek and, say, English.  When we use an accent in English, we hammer the vowel. Everybody will know when we have used an accent. It is kind of like a sledgehammer to concrete effect. No aesthetics at all. But, now the Greeks, their words were melodic compared to ours. No one knows for sure the changes in pitch and quality of sound these Greek accents conveyed, but they did convey pitch change when applied to vowels. So, it seem the  ` started its sound at one pitch rose some degree to a higher pitch and descended to a lower pitch, possibly the original pitch. Kind of a rock and roll effect.

Just like the rules for the acute accent, the rules for the circumflex accent change according to situation. We can say here that the circumflex accent can be found on the penult and the ultima. It is the Prima Dona among the accents and would never allow itself to be seen with the antepenult.

The basic rules controlling the accents as well as the deviations from the rules will have to be learned by heart. (Have you ever thought how funny that phrase sounds? Learn by heart? I don’t think I have ever learned anything by my heart.) We will consider the basic rules and the deviations as we come to them in the study of the conjugations and declensions. Some are inexplicable! For instance, why is agaqo~ accented on the ultima while anqrwpo~ is accented on the antepenult? Both have three syllables and both end in o~  If you love a good mystery, you will love sniffing out the mysterious paths of the Greek accent as we prosecute our case.

We will turn now to one more bit of syntax – the third declension again. Remember that we took an introductory look at the third declension with a neuter noun. Now is a good time to review everything we said and illustrated about the third declension in the last issue.

Our focus of the third declension in this issue is on the lingual mute stems. Whoa!!! What is a lingual mute stem? It is a lot simpler than it sounds. Lingual has to do with your tongue; mute has to do with the stopping of the breath; stem has to do with that part of the word to which the ending is added. (Stem is not necessarily the same as the root of the word.) To get a sense of a lingual mute in Greek, say the word “delta”. Where is your tongue when you begin to pronounce the “d” ? Behind your teeth. What is your breath doing as you begin to pronounce the “d”? It stops! Try saying a “d” without your breath stopping at least momentarily? Can’t happen; no way! Ok! how about “t” and “th”. Same thing. Tongue and breath. Same effect. So, the name – lingual mute stem.

One of the Greek words commonly used to illustrate the lingual mute stem in the third declension is elpi~. If you don’t know this word, check you textbook vocabulary or your lexicon.

To begin, you must learn the genitive of this declension to know the stem word for the nominative ending. The genitive for elpi~ is elpido~. As we see, since we are using it, the nominative form of the word is elpi~. Remember from issue 8 that we drop the genitive ending to get the stem of the word. Now, the nominative ending – s - is added to the stem elpid to form the nominative case form of the noun. But what happens when you add s to d? d takes it on the lamb. It’s out of there. It drops from the stem and is replaced by the s so the nominative case noun looks like this: elpi~

You go through the same process for genitive stems ending in t and q.

There is this useful chart:

T, d, q plus s changes to s

Ok! Now we want to add to the stem elpid the endings that designate the cases of the third declension. The word we used in issue 8 is a neuter noun. elpi~ is a feminine noun. Is there a difference in the endings for neuter and feminine nouns in the third declension? Let’s see. First, review the endings of the neuter noun of the third declension presented in issue 8 and compare them with the following feminine endings:

Singular

elpi~ Nominative

elpido~ Genitive

elpido~ Ablative

elpidi Locative

elpidi Instrumental

elpidi Dative

elpida Accusative

Plural

elpide~ Nominative

elpidwn Genitive

elpidwn Ablative

elpisi Locative

elpisi Instrumental

elpisi Dative

elpida~ Accusative

We will deal with the accents of the third declension later. At this point, just make a note of the third declension case endings and how the feminine and neuter compare. Next issue we will do some more third declension study.

I think we should stop here. There are plenty of assignments to do before next issue. Keep up your good Greek work throughout 2009!

May God bless you and keep you and sustain you in all you do in His name in 2009.

                                                                                   Return to Vol II Issue 1 

 Hebrew                                                                      Return to Vol II Issue 1

Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ! The new year is here. God has brought us this far and I pray that we have done all we can to bring honor to Him and His blessed Son and our Savior. We can’t make up for lost opportunities to serve and glorify His name but we can beseech Him that we never neglect or overlook an opportunity in the future. God be blessed now and forever in our hearts, minds, and souls.

Jingle “piel” Jingle “piel” Jingle all the way! Well, we just completed that season of cheer and good will but you may be thinking I stopped off at the wrong place for the source of cheer and good will. No! No! No! That little Jingle Bell revision is my new year’s way of introducing you to the Piel form of the Qal verb. Kinda corny, huh? I am pretty sure you know I didn’t lift it out of a Hebrew grammar textbook.

Let’s get on with the Piel form of the Qal verb.

Just a bit of encouragement – please go back to the previous lessons and review the Qal and Nifal forms of the perfect and the imperfect.  Review and repetition are vital to getting a command of Hebrew (or any other language, for that matter).

I am going to lay out the piel form of the perfect and the imperfect and then we’ll talk about them, sorta like neighbors over the backyard fence.

Piel Perfect of lf¾q;

lFeqi   3^rd person singular masculine

hl;F]qi  3^rd person singular feminine

T;iil]F¾qi  i2nd person singular masculine

T]l]F¾qi  2^nd person singular feminine

yTil]F¾qi 1^st person singular combined

WlF]qi    3^rd person plural combined

µT,l]F¾qi  2nd person plural masculine

÷T,l]F¾qi  2^nd person plural feminine

Wnl]F¾qi   1^st person plural combined

Piel Imperfect of lf¾q;

lFeq¾y]   3^rd person singular masculine

lFeq¾T]  3^rd person singular feminine

lFeq¾T]  2^nd person singular masculine

yliF]q¾T] 2^nd person singular feminine

lFeq¾a}  1^st person singular combined

WlF]q¾y]]     3^rd person plural masculine

hn:l]Feq¾T]   3^rd person plural feminine

WlF]q¾T]     2^nd person plural masculine

hn:l]Feq¾T]   2^nd person plural feminine

lFeq¾n]      1^st person plural combined

Let’s do some detective work. We don’t have a crime on our hands, but we do have a suspicious regularity among the piels that needs to be exposed for what its worth. Look carefully at the perfect and imperfect of piel. What do you see that is regular for each person, gender, and number? I think I won’t tell you. You probably already know, but in the event that you don’t, this will be a simple little investigative assignment for you. Determine what is regularly present in each conjugated form of piel throughout. We will tell you next issue in case you don’t find out by then. A textbook is a good place to start.

More detective work: compare all three forms we have so far: qal, nifal, piel. See what is identical or nearly identical and what is different among their conjugated forms.

On a different matter, what does the piel form of Qal express? Intensity! We have used lf¾q; (kill) for our example of the conjugations because the Hebrew word shows the conjugations without any particular complications that we would have with some verbs.

So, you might think how can you kill someone intensely. Good question. When we are dead, we are dead 100%. You can’t kill anyone “deader” so far as I know. Here, you would refer to the intense manner of killing or the unusual extent of killing, etc. There are verbs that express the piel more vividly. Take the English word “break”. In the piel, the idea would be “shatter”.

We will have a lot to say about the piel form of the qal. Here we have just the beginning of our consideration of the piel as with the other two forms. Next issue we will point out a few more things about the piel and we will also go into the pual and hiphhil forms of qal.

I want to mention the pronunciation of piel. Just to look at it you might think it is pronounced like peal (an orange peal) or like pile (like a pile of rocks) but it is not. I have not included in the English spelling of the word a critical marking – a rough breathing mark that should go just before the e in piel and create a sound like this: pihel.

The Hebrew is l˜ePi

In case some one is thinking about the little additions to the Hebrew words and screeming “What’s THAT!!!” Let’s begin the study in more detail of vowels and related matters. I will list some common vowel markings and some related markings. We will continue to build our list over time until we have enough of them to do our studies with ease. Please keep in mind that all the symbols I am listing below go under the letter with which it is associated with one exception which is at the bottom of the list. I will give the vowel symbol and an example (you will see them in action in the conjugations and declensions already given in the various issues), its name, and one pronunciation. Some vowels depend on the “opened and closed” situation of the syllable for its sound. We will discuss that a bit later. For now, the simple sound designations will work for the verb conjugations we have illustrated in the qal, nifal, and pihel

Vowel  Example  Name    Sound

;  q; name: qames    sound: a as in calf

Õ  qÕ name: hateph qames    sound: ah as in are

¾  q¾ name: pathach    sound: a as in fat

}  q} name: hateph pathach

]  q] name: simple shwa    sound:

²  q² name: seghol    sound:

Ô  qÔ name: hateph seghol    sound:

I  qi name: hireq    sound: i as in sing

E  qe name: sere    sound: a as in fate

U  qu name: qibbus    sound: o as in cone

 

The next vowel goes above the letter.

O  qo name: holem    sound: o as in home

There is much more to say about vowels and their representations in Hebrew. It is important – indispensible – that we learn these vowels, their representations, and their applications in all verb forms and declensions, otherwise we will be lost in the Hebrew soup and I do mean lost. So, take the time to digest each little bite that we put on our plates in these issues. 

Well, dear brothers and sisters, there is enough in this issue to keep us busy for a month (and much longer). We’ll put on the brakes here, throw the gear into park, and spend some time at our desks pouring over this issue and, hopefully, a review of all the previous issues. Keep up the great work.

God bless you all.                                                                            Return to Vol II Issue 1

Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren              Return to Vol II Issue 1 

BOOKS

Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194

Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111
                          "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c

Dr. Daniel H. King Sr:

Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom

We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm

At the Feet of the Master Teacher

Commentary on the Gospel of John

Commentary on the Epistles of John

Commentary on the Book of Hebrews

The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness?

Ezekiel

all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books

Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:  
                                                                                  www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens"

Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                               Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                                       God's Way to Right Living
In the Beginning (Genesis)
Letters To Young Preachers
Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord
Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians
That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude)
The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles
The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges)
Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/

Teresa Hampton
The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/

Leading Ladies                                                                                                                    Come to the Garden

The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Illuminating Shadows
Jesus and His Relationship with Women
Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author)

Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2   

BLOGS
James Chaisson Blog Learn New Testament Greek - http://www.learnntgreek.org/index.php
An excellent blog for discussion, study, and research. Brother Chaisson is  doing a fine work.

RESOURCES
Lewis A. Armstrong Christian Resources - http://www.christianresources.i8.com 
Christian resources for all your church of Christ related resources for online research. This site supports the needs of the brotherhood for easily finding internet resources.
Brother Armstrong is for former librarian for the Libraries and Archives for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

Return to Vol II Issue 1

                                                                                Return to Vol II Issue 1

                                        Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information

 Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.

                                             Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                              Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring.

Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.   

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Volume II - Issue 2 - February - 2009          Return to Free Religious Study Journal Directory     

Church History

Colossians    

Christian Counseling   

Women in Religious History   

Greek  

Hebrew

Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren

Introducing Newsletter Evangelism by Glenn Davis






Church History                                                                      Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

In the last issue, we mentioned the characterization of certain cities as Apostolic Sees and discussed briefly and generally the Apostolic See of Alexandria, the development of the title of Metropolitan and the provinces under the supervision of the Metropolitan of Alexandria.

Also in the last issue, an assignment was given for you to continue your study of Alexandria and the remaining Apostolic Sees.

Besides the Apostolic Sees, we will note other cities important to the continuing development of Christianity in the Roman Empire and other regions.

In these cities began the early and gradual digression by church leaders from the revealed form of organization, worship, and doctrine.

Organization

In the earliest extra-Biblical Christian literature there is evidence of change and alteration, innovation and creation of extra Biblical offices in the Church of Christ. When we consider the accumulation of extra-Biblical church offices we must keep in mind a rather long view of church history, continuing even to this day. From the first there is evidence of individuals and congregations elaborating and imposing new levels of authority and control over not only local and separate congregations, but also the entire Church of Christ throughout the extent of it geographical reach.

Here is an assignment for early organizational development of the Church. The assignment will cover the first 500 years of the church’s existence. The “500 years“ is approximate; go beyond that if you wish, but for now 500 years are far enough ahead at this time.

In completing this assignment, please keep in mind that a number of regional church polities developed that stress not only different offices of the church but also different functions for the same offices of the church held through all Christendom of the time. For example, among the largest will be the development of the hierarchy of the church of Rome in the West and the Byzantine church in the East. We have not really dealt with the various polities but your research will bring them to light as you research the development of the hierarchy and church offices and function.

Next issue, I will highlight some of the more significant developments during this period, but it will necessary for you to do serious research on the topic of church organizational development in the first 500 years to gain a complete understanding of the enormous divergence from the simplicity of the New Testament church organization.

It is important to note, also, in your research the effects that the development of the hierarchy had on all phases of church life and Christian living.

Included in this assignment is the request that you take particular note of important and leading figures in the development of church organization and leadership and their contributions to the church.

I would like to mention that my personal view is that most of what we will read in what is called ‘church history” would be better called “human church history” or “history of church digression”.  But, for the sake of convention, I will refer to “church history” with an implied qualification of digression. Almost at every point in the life of the church as we know it in the New Testament, over the centuries men through the development of extra-Biblical offices and authorities have corrupted the simplicity of doctrine, worship, and Christian living. Concomitant to that, of course, is a parallel awareness of the need for reform that continually was brought to the foreground of history by individuals who in some way sought to return the corrupted church to its New Testament foundation.

Worship

New Testament worship is a simple, uncomplicated experience of praise, devotion, and renewal in the lives of Christians celebrating and remembering what God has done through Jesus Christ on their behalf.

Your assignment is to research the development of worship in the first 500 years of church history. Please keep in mind that what was originally a straightforward expression of faith and commitment became a blend of mysterious, convoluted exercises of Roman legalism and Byzantine mysticism most often rooted in Greek philosophy and its derivations.

In your research, it will not be enough to discover the various acts of worship; it will be necessary to determine why the acts of worship developed as they did and what was their theological and philosophical origin and their significance in the religious thought of their time.

Doctrine

Doctrine cannot be separated from faith, worship, service, and Christian life.  For example, how you consider the relationship of God to Jesus of Nazareth will determine every other consideration you have about Christianity and its meaning and purpose. How you consider the nature of the elements of the Lord Supper will indicate your assumptions of sacramentalism.  How you consider the organization of the church will determine your understanding of sacerdotalism. Throughout all Christianity doctrine holds a fundamental key to its understanding.

The assignment is to research the doctrinal developments, debates, and resolutions of the first 500 years of the church. In this, you should take notice not only of the doctrines themselves, but also the leading figures of the doctrinal positions, what is at stake for them beyond religious conviction, and how the resolution of important doctrinal issues had both religious and political implications for church, government, and society.

In the next issue we will begin to discuss these developments in organization, worship, and doctrine among others within the setting of their times. Since it will not be possible in this journal to go into the greatest of detail in the categories of our interests, it is very necessary that you take the month between this issue and the next to read broadly and in as much depth as possible on the subjects I have raised for the first 500 years of the church. In the next issue we will begin to discuss each of those subjects. To gain the most benefit from our study of those topics in this journal your independent is absolutely necessary.

So, please use this next month to commit yourself to this study and these assignments.

God bless you all.                                            Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Colossians                                                      Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Hello beloved brethren! Welcome to our study of Colossians.

In this issue we begin our direct discourse analysis of Colossians. As we closed last issue we were to study a fictional letter by responding to a list of questions pertaining to the elements of the letter, their meanings, and the overall meaning of the letter in its entirety. Additionally, each of us was to write a fictional letter and apply the same list of questions to that letter with the intention of analyzing its various meanings at the various levels of literary composition.

By the time we arrived at this issue we have read Colossians a number of times with specific purposes for each reading. If you should be a new participant in this study of Colossians, please go to Volume 1 and begin reading through the previous issues leading up to this issue. That background material will assist you in proceeding more successfully in this and later issues of our study of Colossians.

We have mentioned that discourse analysis is concerned with individual words, individual sentences, combination of sentences, paragraphs, groups of paragraphs, and the letter of Colossians as a unity. In this issue we will begin with the each paragraph of Colossians.

The first assignment is to read Colossians and analyze the text whether in Greek or English into paragraphs that meet your requirements as you understand them for a paragraph. This assignment assumes that you have researched what a paragraph is, the possible methods of constructing a paragraph, the possible purposes of a paragraph, the internal relationship of the sentences and the words in the paragraph, and the relational connections if there are any between the paragraph preceding and following the paragraph under consideration.

This assignment is best worked on the level of the original language. For those who have some command of Greek will acknowledge that paragraphing the Greek text of Colossians is quite different from the paragraphing seen in the English translation. That should be no surprise since no language makes sense when translated literally word for word. The same is true of paragraphing. The challenge for any student who has or does not have command of Greek is to know where Paul would have drawn his paragraphs if he had written in paragraphs. What can we find in the Greek text that acts as clues that  justify the paragraphs we arrange in our translation?

If you do not know Greek or have little facility in Greek, perhaps you should purchase an interlinear Greek-English text and compare the Greek text and the interlinear English to one or two translations for every sentence and paragraph that you consider and analyze. In that way you may gain a sense of the need to analyze the Greek text for proper paragraphing. Please keep this in mind: for every English translation some one or some group of persons had to make a judgment about the paragraphing of the translation. At best, it is a result of a subjective skill; at worst, it is the result of a theological agenda. It is your responsibility to bring your best scholarship and judgment to the task.

The second assignment is to isolate pivotal paragraphs around which the preceding and following paragraphs adhere. For example, when you have paragraphed the entire book of Colossians, identify the pivotal paragraphs and the preceding and following adhering paragraphs. For each pivotal paragraph and its adhering paragraphs, state in one sentence if possible, but certainly briefly what the central idea is of the pivotal paragraph and why it attracts the adhering paragraphs. When that is completed determine the secondary idea  (secondary to the central idea of the pivotal paragraph, but the central idea of the adhering paragraph) of the adhering paragraphs and to what extent the adhering paragraph relates to the central idea of the pivotal paragraph and to what extent the adhering paragraph is independent of the pivotal paragraph.

 he third assignment is to determine how the pivotal paragraphs relate to one another in forming a more comprehensive but sectional meaning of the combined relationship. If any or all of your pivotal paragraphs do not relate to either adhering paragraphs or other pivotal paragraphs, determine their independent meaning in the Epistle of Colossians.

The assignments are rather detailed and will require your best analytical skills whether in Greek or English or both and will require as much understanding of Paul’s prior experiences with the church and as much understanding of the people of Colossae, their culture, society, prior religions, history as possible. Much research time in the text and in secondary literature is required for a successful completion of these assignments. So, we will conclude this issue here. Give these assignments as much time as you can and make your best effort in every step.

God bless you and, God willing, we will all be back together next issue.  Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Christian Counseling                                                  Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus and God His Father! It is a great blessing to gather with you again around this issue of the study of Christian Counseling.

In this final take on Carl Jung, we will talk about his methods of therapy with specific emphasis on dream therapy.

Before we enter into that discussion, I have an assignment for you. What is “synchronicity” in the scheme of things for Carl Jung and what is its importance to his  psychotherapy? Since this is Jung’s term, you might also consider into what theologies and philosophies it has had an effect by way of assimilation into new contexts.

We have spent the past two or three issues elaborating to some extent the content of Jung’s psychological program. We have discussed such points as archetypes, etc. This would be an excellent time to review the recent issues of this journal that deal with those subjects since it will be important to have them in mind as we discuss in this issue his practice of therapy with clients or patients.

In a way, you might say we are doing the “nuts and bolts” of the Jungian therapy in this issue. But, being people who are discriminating as to fantasy, myth, and fairy tales, you might have difficulty seeing anything concrete and verifiable in empirical terms in Jung’s therapy. Indeed, that is not Jung’s problem only but endemic to all systems of psychotherapy – no way at all to determine the factualness of the delineation of their systems. For instance, with Jung alone, how is an “archetype” as a reality verifiable under any circumstances? It is a working hypothesis something akin to the Tooth Fairy. One is as provable as the other. Now, this is not the time to critique the weaknesses of Jung and secular psychology, but it is convenient to raise the issue of truth and fact and assumption and premise. Do you really want to trust your mental health and the consequences of it to theories delineated completely from the imagination?

The ultimate goal of Jungian therapy is “individuation” We have mentioned, defined, and discussed this term in a previous issue, so, rather than present it again, please review the earlier issues on Jung. I will just mention here that “individuation” is the end product of successful Jungian therapy that unites the conscious and the unconscious for the best of all possible worlds for the individual client. In the process of “individuation” a client will encounter unconscious archetypical complexes among which are two of the primary oppositional psychic forces: the shadow complex and the animus/anima complex.  We have discussed these complexes in previous issues. Please take a look at them. Dream therapy brings these archetypes to the level of consciousness and, therefore, to the reconciling processes of therapy.

As we enter into discussion of Jung’s dream therapy, we should be aware of these additional Jungian methods of therapy, among them are:

Symbol Analysis

Free Associations

Active Imagination

Here is another assignment for you:

Research each of those methods and evaluate them within the Jungian system. Describe how he uses them.

As we begin our brief look at Jung’s practice of therapy, it is appropriate to describe in outline the relation between client (patient, if you prefer) and therapist.

Jungian therapy casts the client and therapist as equals in the process toward individuation.  The exchange in conversation and discussion is best termed dialogue as the client and therapist journey together in a process that is also an exploration. The conversation and discussion take a form of dialectic as new realities are brought forward and synthesized (reconciled).  Jung considers each dialectic synthesis a new transcendental reality, combining both positions of the dialectic into a new reality different from each separate dialectical position alone.

The client has a “story” according to Jung and it is this “story” that is the subject of the dialogue. Jung wrote:

“The patient who comes to us has a story that is not told, and which as a rule no one knows of. To my mind, therapy only really begins after the investigation of that wholly personal story. It is the patient's secret, the rock against which he is shattered. If I know his secret story, I have a key to treatment.”

Dream therapy is a primary Jungian method of composing the “story” and connecting the conscious with the unconscious. The activity of the unconscious mind is out of the direct reach of the grasp of the conscious mind but the unconscious mind holds the secrets of the resolution of many of the problems a client experiences for which he/she seeks therapeutic help. It is the role of dream therapy or dream interpretation to elucidate, however abstrusely, the meaning of the unconscious activity as it relates to the resolution of the problems confronting the conscious mind. The details of the dream, however bizarre, cast light on the conscious concerns and puts in images the present tense activity of the unconscious. In a sense a dream is a pictorial language cast up by the unconscious to be deciphered and understood for its beneficial effects on the client. Needless to say, there is great difficulty in gaining a true translation of something so phantasmic as a dream.

The dreams that are beneficial have no presumptive setting or restraint as to theme, characters, or appearance of reality. They literally can be anything, but, according to Jung they have a healing message from the unconscious to the conscious for the therapist and the client alike to explore, discover, translate, and apply. Dreaming something as simple as living in a different community can be a message of some import to our psychic needs that we must understand as unconscious language communicating some therapeutic truth to our situation.  A word of caution in our comprehension of this language from the unconscious and our subsequent translation is to not literalize its meaning. If we dream of life and death, we should not take the dream of life and death to refer literally to our life and our death, but symbolically to change we are experiencing by leaving behind former life contexts for new, fresh, unexplored regions of  new life contexts

The relation of a dream to the finalization of individuation is the relation of the part to the whole. Each dream bears a bit of the Self and, in the sum of the dreams, combined with the conscious forms a psychic whole, the foundational reality of Individuation. While there is much more to be said concerning Jung’s dream therapy and I suggest that you take some time to read further on the topic, we can summarize in a few sentences the method of securing individuation through dream interpretation:

1. the client dreams at random, it appears;
2. there is no inherent meaning to the dream that prohibits multiple interpretations within varying contexts;
3. the dream is a relative mental phantasm;
4. the number of dreams combined into a composite psychic complex becomes the
5. subject of interpretation;
6. neither the therapist nor the client is aware of its meaning initially;
7. the therapist and client proceed to an interpretation and conclusion through a number of methods each of which should reveal aspects of dreams that tend to adhere and form meaning relative to the cause of the psychic condition for which the client seeks help;
8. although the therapist assists, participates, guides, etc., only the client can have the ultimate epiphany of the meaning of his/her dreams that points to the resolution of his/her disturbance and to the ultimate goal of individuation;

In bringing this brief study of Carl Jung to a conclusion, it is important to notice that ultimate truth as absolute is not an element in the therapeutic process since both the negative and positive psychic states are the product of the personal unconscious reconciled to the conscious; therefore, no appeal to God in the Judaic-Christian understanding is considered; the entire therapeutic process is a humanistic endeavor.

Next issue we will begin a brief study of another mainstream therapeutic approach with emphasis on leading exponents of the approach. In the meantime, please continue to read on Carl Jung’s therapeutic system and note where the Bible and Jung part ways and where they may coincide. Is there anything in Jung’s system that you believe will assist you in being a better Christian counselor?

God bless you until next time.                                                     Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Women in Religious History                                                       Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

The history of ancient Rome arises in legend and myth and declines in ineptitude and fatigue. The beginning of Rome is assigned the date of 753BC and its end is assigned the date of 476AD with the dethronement of Emperor Romulus Augustus. This period of history spans more than 1,000 years of human experience associated with the city of Rome. All western history subsequent to the decline of the Roman Empire bears varying shades of the lasting influence of the city of the Casears.

Our study is not so broad as to cover all aspects of Roman civilization. Rather, we will include enough of the political and social formations as they evolved over the centuries to provide a background for understanding the role of women in the Roman experience with specific emphasis on the experience of women in religion. At that, we will cover several centuries only in an abbreviated digest while focusing our more elaborate detail on women and the variety of their social, political, and religious affiliations and activities.

We will trace our journey into Rome on dual trails – myth and fact (fact as best we can know from the 8^th century BC)

Our mythological trail begins in the legendary past of the Trojan War.  Although there are different accounts of our trail and differences among the accounts, the general outlines of our trail are similar throughout. The importance of the mythological trail lies in its connection with the mythological foundations of Rome and the subsequent history of Rome that drew on the myth of its origin. The myth itself is Greek in origin but adapted by the Romans to support the views they held of themselves. So, let’s briefly survey this myth.The myth centers around a Trojan character named Aeneas who fled Troy after its defeat at the hands of the Greeks. A favorite of the gods – his father, Prince Anchises, a human, his mother, Venus, a goddess – Aeneas was commanded by the gods to leave Troy. After traveling about the Mediterranean, Aeneas arrived in Italy with companions who are known as the Aeneads.

In Italy, Aeneas married and became the progenitor of a virulent family tree. A later descendent, Rhea Silva conceived twin sons – Romulus and Remus – whose father was the god Mars. Due to the fact that Rhea Silva had earlier become a Vestal Virgin, a significant element in Roman religion we will discuss later and had vowed to remain a virgin in service of the gods, Romulus and Remus were condemned to death, but rescued by the king’s servant who set them afloat in the Tiber River which, upon overflowing its banks, left the baby boys on the shore. At that point, a she-wolf finds them and takes them to nourish. Later, Tiberinus and his wife Laurentia took the boys and raised them. It is Romulus who as an adult founded Rome in 753 BC, having killed Remus over the location for the city, so says one version of the myth.

I should mention there is much more to every aspect of the myth of Aeneas than I have here condensed. It will be interesting reading and informative as to belief and superstition of those times.

Fact is often less flamboyant than fiction and a condensed version of the facts is a bit more earthy than the fictional version. As we all know, there are seven hills in the region of Rome and from these hills in the 8^th century BC various settlements and peoples came together for self defense. As separate settlements, the people were subject to invasion and military action from those outside the region. There is much history involved in the coalescing of the people of the 7 hills, but we must skip all of it since it will have no bearing on our main theme – women in Roman religion. But, I do urge you to read extensively in this period concerning Rome and its neighbors.

Monarchy prevailed in Rome until 510BC when a republic was formed. The Republic continued until Augustus Caesar in 27BC when the empire began. It is not necessary to recite the history of these periods but it is important to be aware of them because certain social, political, and religious aspects of ancient Roman life begun in one period often continued into and through the next period, many aspects having both direct and indirect affect on women of Rome and women in the religion of Rome.

I am going to give an assignment at this point. I am going to list some words for you to research. The words fall roughly into Roman political and social categories and familiarity with their meanings and importance in Roman history will assist us in gaining a background to our thoughts on the role of women in Roman society and Roman religion. I am pretty certain that you know them from previous study so consider this assignment just a refresher for the sake of creating a selective context for our main issue: women in Roman religion. Some of these words we will include specifically in our discussion together; others we will leave hovering in the background of our thoughts so as to give a continuity of context to our discussion. As you see, I am listing them alphabetically, not categorically. Hopefully, alphabetizing them will assist you in finding them in reference materials.

Aedile

Auctoritas

capitis deminutio

Censors

Clementia

Collegium Pontificum

Consul

Cultus

Dignitas

Equestrians

gens

Gravitas

Humanitas

Ingenui

Ius gentium

Lares

Latin Rights

Cum suffragio

Sine suffragio

Libertini

Marriage in manu

Marriage sine manu

Mos Maiorum

Nobilis

Novus homo

Optimates

Pater Familias

Patria Potestas

Patricians

Penates

Peregrini

Peregrinus

Pietas

Plebeians

Pontifex Maximus

Populares

Praetor

Principate

Proconsul

Proletarii

Quaestor

Religio

Senate

Slaves

Tribune

Twelve Tables

Veritas

Virtus

This list of important Roman political and social terms will enable you to construct a framework for your thinking as we pursue women in Roman religion. Do your best to gain some sense of their meaning and involvement in Roman political and social life both in the Republic and Empire.

Now, I am giving another assignment with two parts.. The first part of the assignment asks you to research the role of women in the Republic and the role of women in the Empire. The second part of the assignment asks you to research the role of women in Roman religion for both the Republic and Empire.

The time, context, and content of all of the assignments are vast in their scope. Since I will not be able to cover in great detail the progression of events in Roman political and social life significant to the role of women for 1,000 year in issues dedicated to the role of women in Roman religion the assignments will give you an opportunity to gain a background for the information that we will be able to cover in an issue or two.

I think you should be able to research all of the terms and the role of women in both Roman society and Roman religion over the next month until the next issue is published. As we go along in the next issue or two, we may introduce a few terms not listed but the terms listed should give you a perspective on what we will discuss.

God bless you in your dedication to learning and service. See you next month.

                                                                                     Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Greek                                                                            Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Welcome to our study of Greek. This study is primarily for those who have had some Greek, perhaps at least the equivalent to a semester of Greek at the college level. However, I know many very bright brethren who have undertaken the study of Greek as an independent study and have become very skilled in the syntax and semantics of Greek. So, if you have not had Greek in any formal sense and have not before undertaken an independent study of Greek, you can do very well with our study provided you are willing to go the extra mile in the sense that you will dig out basic information that we are assuming our learners have in their command currently.

The study of Greek is the source of much personal satisfaction. After all, our New Testament is written in Greek and we should rejoice at the opportunity to renew our skills in reading the original languages. We ourselves are not only blessed but we also are  enabled by our study of Greek to provide insights into and understanding of our Lord’s revelation to congregations and  individuals that we might not always find in the English translation.

Last issue we left off with the third declension. Think of the third declension as a “blind date” in high school. Ever have one? If so, you may have thought “wouldn’t it be nice to go out with that person again.” Well, I am sure you are feeling that way about the third declension and you are about to get your wish – only this time it is a double date: you and I are both going out with the third declension nouns in this issue. I am going to show you my third declension date; but you are going to have to show yours between now and the next issue because the assignment will be for you to practice declining some third declension nouns. Should be great fun!

We renewed an old acquaintance last issue (at least those of us who have had Greek before; for those of you who haven’t, I hope you hit it off well with your new acquaintance.) – the lingual mute stem. In this issue we will take a look at another noun in the lingual mute class that is a bit different from the third declension noun we reviewed last time.  Here it is

Lingual mute

Singular

nux

nukto~

nukto~

nukti

nukti

nukti

nukta

Plural

nukte~

nuktwn

nuktwn

nuxi

nuxi

nuxi

nukta~

f course, we do not practice snobbery here so we expand our circle of acquaintances to include the friendly third declension form with the palatal mute. Do you recall the palatal mutes? Check out our previous studies or check out palatal mutes in a textbook you may have. I am sure you will determine what a palatal mute is. Let me introduce you to

two very useful palatal mutes:

mastix

sarx

Palatal Mute – g

singular

mastix

mastigo~

mastigo~

mastigi

mastigi

mastigi

mastiga

plural

mastige~

mastigwn

mastigwn

mastixi

mastixi

mastixi

mastiga~

Palatal Mute – k

singular

sarx

sarko~

sarko~

sarki

sarki

sarki

sarka

plural

sarke~

sarkwn

sarkwn

sarxi

sarxi

sarxi

sarka~

Let me introduce you to this unusually nice family of third declension nouns with liquid stems in er  We will take a little time to get better acquainted with one of them – anhr We’ll get better acquainted with this family as we go along, more nouns with the liquid stems in er I’m pretty sure you know some of them now, for instance, pathr

mhthr, qugathr. Kinda sounds like a family. But, for now, let’s tackle the declension below.

Liquid stems in er

singular

anhr

andro~

andro~

andri

andri

andri

andra

plural

andre~

andrwn

andrwn

andrasi

andrasi

andrasi

andra~

The variety of third declension nouns is not infinite; it only seems that they are. We will take up yet more third declension nouns in the next issue. Before long, maybe in another issue or two, we will review all noun declensions, so now is the time to be looking back over the issues of this journal or your textbooks for the first, second, and third declensions for nouns.

At this point we are turning to a new topic – participles. They, too, are a lot of fun and make reading and translating Greek very exciting and interesting. As we go along, we will discover just how boring and dull and simplistic any language would be without participles. Language would read like a phone book.  Ugh!

So, we return to an old verb friend to begin our introduction to participles. We will pretend we are on a see-saw (surely you have had the thrill of your playmate abruptly getting off his end of the see-saw while you were high in the air on your end of the see-saw. Some what like a meteor hitting earth when you come down.) As I say we will pretend we are on a see-saw. I will be high in the air in this issue by presenting a declension of a participle; you will be high in the air during the month leading to the next issue by studying all you can find out about participles. I am only going to present in this issue the declension with no comment. You must do the grunt work for next issue.

The verb we will use for the participial declension is our old friend luw

I am going to give you a heads up on the participles – they are declined in masculine, feminine, and neuter forms. I am giving only the masculine form here. Part of your study for the next issue is to dig around to see what the feminine and neuter forms are like. Oh, yes, I should also point out that the participle is declined in more than one tense (we will have more to say about tense and participles as we go along). I am declining luw as a present active participle in the masculine gender, singular and plural. You may recognize that description as “parsing” and you are right. It will be very important to be able to parse the participles and we will get to that in time. But, for now, let’s see-saw on the masculine participle.

 singular

luwn

luonto~

luonto~

luonti

luonti

luonti

luonta

plural

luonte~

luontown

luontown

luousi

luousi

luousi

luonta~

In the various declensions of nouns and participle we have looked at in this issue, you have noticed that a few things are missing such as no indication as to case, translation, and accents. There are reasons for those “gaps”. The primary reason as students, we should take the challenge to determine from our research how to fill the gaps and that is part of the assignment for next issue. We will cover all of those aspects of the declensions later, but it is important for us as students to dig around on our own to see what we can come up with. 

This should be enough for an enjoyable month in the study of Greek. New stuff to learn; new opportunities to apply what you have already learned and mastered! And practice, practice, practice – everything that we have covered with especial emphasis on the Greek noun declensions and the participle presented in this issue. Why not go to your Greek text, select a chapter and see forms that you recognize from our study these past months and parse each word and translate it?

God bless you until next time.                         Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Hebrew                                                         Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Hello my dear friends and brethren. How great is our God! His mercies abound to us with forgiveness and renewal through our Lord Jesus Christ with the blessed hope of living forever with Him and the redeemed of all ages. Can there be a greater vision, a greater motivation, a greater reward than the assurance of the His promises! May God bless each and all as we humbly serve Him through His gospel of grace.

This issue we add to our verb repertoire by adding Pual and Hiphil verb conjugations for the perfect singular and plural and the imperfect singular and plural for each verb form.

We will play a little cat and mouse with these conjugations. I don’t care who is the cat and who is the mouse. But, the game is this: recalling what you know about verb endings from the Qal verb form, parse the spelling of these examples of Pual and Hiphil below.  You should be able to tell what verb form, for example, is 2^nd person singular feminine Pual or Hiphil just by looking at the verb conjugations. There is nothing new about identifying the gender and number and person. We haven’t gone into any detail yet on the meaning of Pual and Hiphil so a correct translation is not necessary here, but I do think  you actually could provide a translation from the material we have covered in earlier issues, only not in detail. Give it a go and see what you come up with. Parse Away!!!  Oh! Don’t worry about the changes in spelling that you see from form to form. We will get into all of that soon. Just concentrate on identifying person, number, and gender of the verb forms.

PUAL CONJUGATION

Perfect

Singular

lF'qu

hl;F]qu

T;l]F'qu

T]L]F'qu

yTil]F'qu

Perfect

Plural

WlF]qu

µT,L]F'qu

nT,l]F'qu

Wnl]F'qu

Imperfect

Singular

lF'quy]

lF'quT]

lF'quT]

yliF]quT]

lF'qua}

Imperfect

Plural

WlF]quy]

hN;l]F'quT]

WlF]quT]

hN;l]F'quT]

lF'qun]

HIPHIL CONJUGATION

Perfect

Singular

lyfiq]hi

hl;yfiq]hi

T;l]f'q]hi

T]l]f'q]hi

yTiL]f'q]hi

Perfect

Plural

Wlyfiq]hi

µT,l]f'q]hi

÷T,l]f'q]hi

Wnl]fq]hi

Imperfect

Singular

lyfiq]y'

lyfiq]T'

lyfiq]T'

yliyfiq]T'

lyfiq]a'

Imperfect

Plural

Wlyfiq]y'

hn;l]feQ]T'

Wlyfiq]T'

hn;l]feQ]T'

lyfiq]n'

Ok, you have completed the little game. Well done. I would say that the effort for this game is worth 4 “attaboys” or “attagirls”. Congratulations.

Next, let’s get in reverse gear and do some big time travel back – say, a few issues back. The purpose: compare all the verb forms you know with each other. It’s kind of like a beauty pageant or a fashion show. (You might want to ask your wife to join with you in looking at all the various designs and patterns!) You will want to notice the spelling of each conjugation and conjugated form. You will want to know why a perfect third person masculine singular in Qal looks different from the same person in Pual. And the beat goes on! Do that comparison with all the conjugations you know up to now. Don’t be in a hurry. Look at the detail. Ponder why? How could it happen? Why did it happen? (Beginning to sound like a soap!) As you know or soon will know there is a reason for all the little changes of detail and spelling in the various conjugations.

So, let’s take a little extra time to get well acquainted with the verbs. They are always going to be around in Hebrew and some of them get down right persnickety in a sentence and grammatical structures. The more time you take to learn the basics now, the smoother the ride will be later.

If you do the comparisons properly you will have enough material on your plate to take up your spare study time for Hebrew. So, we will not go into new syntax or semantics this issue. But, we will add a few Hebrew words. Some in this list will be repeats and that’s fine. It is one way of getting a review of words you have studied before. Now, don’t be discouraged if you do not recall every word and its meaning. The best way, as you well know, to learn words in any language is to use them in a context. We will begin to do that before very much longer. Although we will start with simple “made up” contexts and simple selections from the Hebrew text itself, our goal, of course, is to become proficient in reading the text of the Old Testament with a minimum of lexical use. It should be really exciting arriving at that point.

So here are a few words:

hb;h}a'    love      

hm;yae    fear, dread, terror

rw—B      pit, cistern   

Jw—tB]    in the midst

rw—BGi     warrior  

dw—D      beloved

nhe         behold, if   

rk;z;      male, man

hn;j;      to encamp

rw—hf;    clean, pure

That pretty much takes care of this issue in Hebrew. Keep studying diligently and reviewing frequently – important keys to learning this language.

God bless you all.                                               Please click here to return to Volume II Directory

Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren

Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194

Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111
                          "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c

Dr. Daniel H. King Sr:

Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom

We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm

At the Feet of the Master Teacher

Commentary on the Gospel of John

Commentary on the Epistles of John

Commentary on the Book of Hebrews

The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness?

Ezekiel

all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books

Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:  
                                                                    www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens"

Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                               Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                                       God's Way to Right Living
In the Beginning (Genesis)
Letters To Young Preachers
Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord
Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians
That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude)
The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles
The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges)

Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/

Teresa Hampton
The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.co 

Leading Ladies 

Come to the Garden

The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Illuminating Shadows
Jesus and His Relationship with Women
Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author)

Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2   

BLOGS
James Chaisson Blog Learn New Testament Greek - http://www.learnntgreek.org/index.php
An excellent blog for discussion, study, and research. Brother Chaisson is  doing a fine work.

RESOURCES
Lewis A. Armstrong Christian Resources - http://www.christianresources.i8.com 
Christian resources for all your church of Christ related resources for online research. This site supports the needs of the brotherhood for easily finding internet resources.
Brother Armstrong is for former librarian for the Libraries and Archives for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

                                            Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information

Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.

                                          Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                              Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring.

Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.   

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INTRODUCING  NEWSLETTER EVANGELISM BY GLENN DAVIS 

Introduction To Newsletter Evangelism     
 

          How many of us remember the 1950's and 60's and all the evangelism and growth going on then?  Today most congregations are declining and going out of existence!  The Christian Chronicle recently did a series of articles under the title of “Are We Growing?”   A summary of the series concluded that for the most part, we are not growing!  That means precious souls are being lost on a daily basis and congregations are being lost on a yearly basis. 

          It doesn’t have to be this way.  I personally use an extremely effective form of evangelism that will work for any person or congregation that uses it.  If every congregation in the brotherhood used it, we would become the fastest growing church on the planet.

          What is this method?  I call it newsletter evangelism.  It involves passing out a series of about 25 different newsletters to homes in your area by church members who volunteer to have “paper-routes” of the size of their choosing, for about a 3 month period.  After passing out the series of newsletters, members then go into the community and meet these fine people, which becomes an enjoyable, warm, welcoming experience.

          By first distributing these newsletters over a short period of time, people get to know of the congregation through these newsletters and form a very favorable impression of the church through the newsletters.  When someone finally shows up to their home, they will find that these neighbors have already welcomed your congregation into their homes many times over and have enjoyed your company while not yet having met one of your members.

          The church is transformed from a group in the community that didn’t have much of a favorable rating to a group that now has about a 90% favorable rating, thanks to the newsletters.  When follow-up work is then done, it is done in a very enjoyable environment, rather than a more hostile, unpleasant one.  This makes personal evangelism a successful and fun experience.

          No one enjoys doing things that they are not successful at and is not fun to do.  After using this approach prior to starting any evangelism effort, success and fun can once again be a part of personal evangelism in each and every congregation!

 Contact Glenn Davis and he can give you more details on how you can get started doing newsletter evangelism.  It is now being taught at major preaching schools and bible colleges and universities.  You, too, can benefit from this wonderful approach to personal evangelism.                                                           Telephone:  (714) 523-2435
Email:  newsletterevangelism@yahoo.com

IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision and the state of your residence (or country if not in US) by using the following e-mail address: admin@theologicaluofa.com

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Volume 2 - Issue 3 - March 2009                     Return to Free Religious Study Journal Volume Directory
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Church History                                               

Colossians

Christian Counseling

Women In Religious History

Greek

Hebrew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issue 3 - March - 2009 - Church History                   Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009   

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Welcome to our continuing study in the history of the church. We are taking  up topics in this issue that were presented in outline form in our last issue. Please review last issue to gain a context for this issue./O:P>

Worship

Simplicity to complexity; faith to philosophy; meaning to mysticism. These succinct contrasts summarize the development of Christian worship from the beginning to the close of the period of the ancient church and beyond. The evolution of these contrasts is slow, steady, and summary. No activity of worship is left in its original definition in the multitude of theological formulations and depictions produced by the various centers of leadership in the church.

The evolution of Christian worship is subtle in its sequences of development and innocent of willful intent in its distortion, erosion, and corruption of Christian expression. The entire evolution of worship away from the word is cumulative and contiguous. The changes are not abrupt disturbances or oppressive impositions; rather, the changes are rational extensions of the evolutionary “DNA” of humanistic concepts of worship. That is the crux of the matter: humanistic concepts supplanting revealed concepts of worship.

The difference between humanistic concepts and revealed concepts of worship has many tributaries broadening and deepening the evolutionary flood that swept away the primitive, revealed worship of the early church. A nuance here, a new word there; an accommodation to the situation here; a lapse of concern there; and much more.

A rather straightforward recollection by an early witness to the church as early as the second century described what was then considered to be an acceptable and scriptural occasion of Christian worship. But was it?

Justin Martyr shares his views in his First Apology written in the second century AD. This is a treasured work that has informed friend and foe alike of the simplicity and benevolent nature of Christian worship. I am quoting a rather lengthy passage which, no doubt, many of you, if not all have read. As you read, identify any suggestion of change in the form and usage and insertion of words and actions Justin uses to portray worship and related activities.

 “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.”

What did you find? Anything? Sounds very innocent and direct. So, is there anything Justin writes that catches your attention regarding subtle movement from the word?

What is the office of president in Justin’s comment and what are his duties and why?

Did you notice anything unusual about the Lord’s Supper?

Is there something missing in the collections of contributions?

And what about the reasons for the common meeting of Christians on Sunday? Is Justin entirely correct?

Once again, we turn to Justin for further consideration of movement from the word as regards the Lord’s Supper. He writes,

“For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”

Notice anything here about the Lord’s Supper? Is there a possible suggestion of an idea that gained overwhelming acceptance and became divisive not only in the ancient world between east and west but also between Catholic and Protestant during and after the Reformation? To this day, the development and extrapolation of that notion continue to set asunder any hope for unity of Christianity.

I do not think Justin was a deliberate purveyor of digression. When I read words from his pen such as the following I can only conclude that the man was a sincere and devoted Christian as he understood it:

". . . in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss.”

And here is the insidiousness of the nature of digression: many men and women truly committed to Christ haven’t the faintest idea that they are bearing forward false and unscriptural worship.

Where did digression begin? Obviously, in the New Testament. You know the references in the New Testament to brethren who were bending and breaking the scriptural order. There was no abatement of that trend by individuals and congregations not mentioned in the Bible. The earliest records outside of the Bible are records of drift and distance from the safe shores of what we now know as the Scriptures. Then, especially early on, the brethren did not have the sure guide bound in a book for easy reference and dissemination. No doubt, many brethren in the ancient world never saw a single word of inspired writing; most of the brethren who did have the opportunity may have seen no more than an excerpt or a singe epistle or Gospel at most. There were many problems associated with availability of the word. One was certainly the inability on the part of many to read. So, when we add up all the forces that mitigated against solid, scriptural, orthodox worship, it is no wonder honest, committed Christians were led away. What are our excuses?

By the time John the Apostle died, the Lord’s Supper had already undergone liturgical transformations which more elaborate and mystical detail would embellish. Perhaps our earliest source for this is the Didache, an ancient pastoral work dated by scholars any where in the neighborhood of 50 to 150 AD. I will quote a section and point to some subtleties of form and faith.

“Concerning the thanksgiving (tēs eucharistias) give thanks thus: First, concerning the cup: "We give thanks to you, our Father, for the holy vine of David your servant which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever." And concerning the fragment: "We give thanks to you, our Father, for the life and knowledge, which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant." But let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, unless they have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, "Give not that which is holy to the dogs." After you have had your fill, give thanks thus: We give thanks to you holy Father for your holy Name which you have made to dwell in our hearts and for the knowledge, faith and immortality which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. You Lord almighty have created everything for the sake of your Name; you have given human beings food and drink to partake with enjoyment so that they might give thanks; but to us you have given the grace of spiritual food and drink and of eternal life through Jesus your servant.  Above all we give you thanks because you are mighty. To you be glory for ever.  Remember Lord your Church, to preserve it from all evil and to make it perfect in your love. And, sanctified, gather it from the four winds into your kingdom which you have prepared for it. Because yours is the power and the glory for ever”. ...

The incipient traces of liturgical form are the formalized prayers that are to be uttered with the Lord’s Supper (soon to be known as the Eucharist). The suggestion is that the prayers as presented in the text of the Didache are to be recited everywhere everytime, thus formalizing and universalizing a structure of liturgy, the essence of liturgical form.

The proper participation in the Lord’s Supper had begun also to require a hierarchical sanction. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostle John, wrote letters to the faithful in which he reflected a divergent practice as early as the closing of the first century AD.

“The Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for our sins, and which in His loving-kindness the Father raised up. ... Let that Eucharist alone be considered valid which is under the bishop or him to whom he commits it. ... It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize, or to hold a love-feast. But whatsoever he approves, that also is well-pleasing to God, that everything which you do may be secure and valid."

"Give heed to keep one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup unto union with His blood. There is one altar, as there is one bishop, together with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants; that whatsoever you do, you may do according unto God."

Look very closely at these two passages. What do you see as a root of hierarchical development and control of liturgy? How does it contrast with the New Testament?

What do you make of these statements:

“The Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for our sins, and which in His loving-kindness the Father raised up. ...

"Let that Eucharist alone be considered valid which is under the bishop or him to whom he commits it

“whatsoever he (the bishop) approves, that also is well-pleasing to God, that everything which you do may be secure and valid.

“There is one altar, as there is one bishop, together with the presbytery and deacons

Clearly, there are the seeds if not the actuality of transubstantiation (The word “transubstantiation” was assigned to the Lord Supper much later, but is a culminating expression of what appears to be developing early in the history of the church.). Further, the supervening authority of an incipient hierarchy is evident – there is one bishop without whom the scriptural activities of worship cannot occur and without whose condoning pronouncements a Christian’s religious activities are invalid, if not heretical. But, we will discuss the growth of hierarchical authority in a later issue; here we mention the growing authority of the bishop as it relates to Christian worship in general and the Lord Supper in particular.

The theological slide of the Lord’s Supper from meaning to mystery and from supper to sacrifice is borne out ever more profoundly in the writings of early theologians. In the next issue we will continue to observe the theological development of the Lord’s Supper.

As an assignment for next issue, please research the Church Fathers through the 5^th century AD with respect to worship and hierarchical development. Note the similarities and differences in the development of eastern and western worship and hierarchy. Identify significant individuals contributing to the development of worship and hierarchy, east and west. As best you can determine from your research, describe the worship of the church, east and west, existing in the 5^th century AD and the prevailing hierarchical offices of the church, east and west.

God bless you. And, God willing, we will meet back here next month.      Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

Issue 3 -- March - 2009 - Colossians                                                Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009    
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We will continue in some respects the assignment from last issue. Assuming that you had the opportunity and time to complete the assignment, we will take up with a brief discussion of paragraphing and, then, set out some examples from the Epistles to the Colossians both in Greek and in English, giving each of us the choice of languages in which we choose to work. /p>

 Keep in mind “discourse analysis” – that’s the point of these current studies in Colossians. In a few issues we will combine our former issues on Rhetorical Analysis with Discourse Analysis along with a substantial exegesis of the text in order to gain as complete a sense of Colossians as we can. At that point, each of us will determine the proper understanding of the Epistle of Colossians.

 Today we will start with a little exercise. The purpose of this exercise is to sharpen our sense of paragraphing and complete thoughts expressed in paragraphing. You recall in the last issue we emphasized the relationships of paragraphs to one another and the relationship of the internal structure of individual paragraphs. Then, we discussed the broader meanings of paragraphs taken in larger contexts even to the point of all paragraphs in Colossians. There are many valuable insights to gain through that detailed paragraph study, not the least of all it will help us to avoid isolating scripture as proof texts.

 Here I will place a couple of passages involving two parallel English version texts with the Greek text to the side. These passages in both languages will have no verse and no chapter numbers, they will begin at same point in verse and continue for a few or more verses perhaps ending in the middle of a verse or its beginning or ending.  The assignment is to analyze the selections and determine what needs to be done to make them a unity and coherent. What is missing? Even if you find statements within the selections that you feel are a resource for a sermon topic or lesson or a point to be made, you have not done the assignment. You have to determine why the entire selection is not meaningful and what is missing and what you have to do to make it meaningful. Be very specific in your answers to these questions. Also,  the assignment includes looking at the difference in the English translations, such as the translation itself, its phrasing, tenses, grammar, punctuation marks, etc. – in a word – everything. Why are the English translations different? What difference does it make that they are different? What do you make of the italicized words found in one text but not the other? What do you make of the differences in tense forms for some of the same verbs in the two English versions?  If you can work in Greek, compare the Greek to the two English translations to determine where the translations are on focus and where they are not. Do you have clues from the Greek why the two translations are different? Are both translations equally faithful to the Greek text? Last of all, how does all of this contribute to understanding the meaning of the message of the Epistle of Colossians?

 Ok! Here are the incomplete passages:

 1.

 

you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it/span> doth also in you, since	you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since	ὑ.μῖν ἐν τοῖς οὐ.ρα.νοῖς, ἣν προ.η.κού.σα.τε ἐν τῷ λό.γῳ τῆς ἀ.λη.θεί.ας τοῦ εὐ.αγ.γε.λί.ου τοῦ πα.ρόν.τος εἰς ὑ.μᾶς, κα.θὼς καὶ ἐν παν.τὶ τῷ κόσ.μῳ ἐ.στὶν καρ.πο.φο.ρού.με.νον καὶ αὐξ.α.νό.με.νον κα.θὼς καὶ ἐν ὑ.μῖν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡ.μέ.ρας

 2.

 

your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.	your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.	εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῇ σαρ.κὶ ἄ.πει.μι, ἀλ.λὰ τῷ πνεύ.μα.τι σὺν ὑ.μῖν εἰ.μι, χαί.ρων_ καὶ βλέ.πων_ ὑ.μῶν τὴν τάξ.ιν καὶ τὸ στε.ρέ.ω.μα τῆς εἰς Χρι.στὸν πί.στε.ως ὑ.μῶν.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:	Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,	Ὡς οὖν πα.ρε.λά.βε.τε τὸν Χρι.στὸν Ἰ.η.σοῦν τὸν κύ.ρι.ον, ἐν αὐ.τῷ πε.ρι.πα.τεῖ.τε,
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.	having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.	ἐρ.ρι.ζω.μέ.νοι καὶ ἐ.ποι.κο.δο.μού.με.νοι ἐν αὐ.τῷ καὶ βε.βαι.ού.με.νοι τῇ πί.στει κα.θὼς ἐ.δι.δάχ.θη.τε, πε.ρισ.σεύ.ον.τες ἐν εὐ.χα.ρι.στί.ᾳ.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.	See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.	βλέ.πε.τε μή τις ὑ.μᾶς ἔ.σται ὁ συ.λα.γω.γῶν_ δι.ὰ τῆς φι.λο.σο.φί.ας καὶ κε.νῆς ἀ.πά.της κα.τὰ τὴν πα.ρά.δο.σιν τῶν ἀν.θρώ.πων, κα.τὰ τὰ στοι.χεῖ.α τοῦ κόσ.μου καὶ οὐ κα.τὰ Χρι.στόν,
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.	For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,	ὅ.τι ἐν αὐ.τῷ κα.τοι.κεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλή.ρω.μα τῆς θε.ό.τη.τος σω.μα.τι.κῶς,
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:	and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;	καὶ ἐ.στὲ ἐν αὐ.τῷ πεπ.λη.ρω.μέ.νοι, ὅς ἐ.στιν ἡ κε.φα.λὴ πά.σης ἀρ.χῆς καὶ ἐξ.ου.σί.ας,
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:	and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;	ἐν ᾧ καὶ πε.ρι.ετ.μή.θη.τε πε.ρι.το.μῇ ἀ.χει.ρο.ποι.ή.τῳ ἐν τῇ ἀ.πεκ.δύ.σει τοῦ σώ.μα.τος τῆς σαρ.κός, ἐν τῇ πε.ρι.το.μῇ τοῦ Χρι.στοῦ,
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye	having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also	συν.τα.φέν.τες αὐ.τῷ ἐν τῷ βαπ.τίσ.μα.τι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συ

 I think these two selections will be enough for this assignment because they will require quite a bit of time for analysis and reconstruction.

 Now, let’s turn to some thoughts about paragraphing, keeping in mind that an epistle is made of a combination of many elements leading to meaning and application. In discussing paragraphing we will also be developing the background to smaller and larger segments of meaning that point toward the overall meaning of, in our case, the Epistle to the Colossians.

 What is a paragraph? We write them all the time and probably never pause to ask ourselves, “What is a paragraph?” So, what is a paragraph? Take a few moments to write down what you think a paragraph is? What do you attempt to accomplish when you write a paragraph? What sentence elements do you include? How do you know when you have written a paragraph? How do you know when you have completed a paragraph?

 A paragraph is one of those human inventions of communication that is simple, but we study in English classes every year for 12 years in public school some aspect of writing  paragraphs. even from the first grade where we learn the alphabet and how to spell simple words. If it is so simple, why do so many of us still not know how to write a paragraph by the time we finish high school? If it is so simple, why are there so many bad paragraphs (I include myself in that group of bad paragraph writers, as you, no doubt, are willing to testify.) Apparently, we never completely learn how to write a paragraph with machine like consistency, simple though it be.

 Let’s see just how simple it is, by definition.

A paragraph is a collection of sentences the first of which is the topical sentence the inner sentences of which are supporting sentences to the topical sentence followed by a closing sentence that presents a conclusion to the paragraph. I hope that definition makes sense. I think I will put it in outline form:

 1.Topical sentence

1. first supporting sentence
2. second supporting sentence
3. third supporting sentence

2.Sentence concluding the paragraph

 I illustrated the paragraph process with 3 supporting sentences; you can have as many as you need to illustrate the topic.

 Now, we come to an interesting dilemma for translators and for us who are seeking understanding through discourse analysis. The paragraph that we learn in school and look for in English translations may well be a superficial imposition on a Greek text that was written with no concept of a paragraph as we have it in contemporary English literary composition.  The paragraphs you see in the Greek text are later manipulations of the text by scholars seeking unity, coherence, and, we might say, discourse analysis.

 So, how do you handle that situation? You come to a text. You think “I better divide this into paragraphs”. Then, you think, “How do I know I divided the text into the proper paragraphs with the proper structure?” Well, you may never know for sure. The only alternative is for all of us to learn Greek, locate copies of the original manuscripts or copies of the original manuscripts and read them exactly as we find them – a very tough process that most of us would never have time to do. So, we do the best we can and, then, debate the differences.

BBut, there are hints and helps. We aren’t merely afloat on the sea of obsfucation; nor are we merely deer in the head lights. We have some stuff to bring to the party. In the next issue, we will take them up and go more into the paragraph and larger and smaller contexts for our paragraph. We will also have more text to analyze as we did earlier in this issue. But, for right now, do the assignment above and we will work the rest in subsequent issues.

 God bless you and, God willing, let’s get together again next month.     Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

Issue 3 - March - 2009 - Christian Counseling                           Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

                                                                                 Theological University of America                           
                                                                                  info@theologicaluofa.com

Welcome back, dear brothers and sisters!

 I want to keep reminding us that we are studying Christian counseling. It is necessary to keep reminding us of that fact since we do spend a considerable amount of time in this period of this study discussing secular psychology, psychotherapy, and psychologists/psychotherapists. It is in no wise unanimous or even majorative that Christian counseling should follow any of the dictums, systems, or techniques of secular psychology/psychotherapy. As a matter of fact, many Christian scholars have made cogent arguments against using anything of secular psychology/psychotherapy, but rather  rely on the teachings of the Bible in all matters with which psychology/psychotherapy are concerned and on counseling patterns found exclusively in the Bible. As we proceed with this study we will give ample space and time to share the views of those Christian scholars. Our purpose in giving the secular psychology/psychotherapy systems and applications in counseling is to provide a reasonable background to the alternative to strictly Bible based counseling. After having presented those two sides in this study, we will go back to our early case studies and apply, compare, contrast, and assess what should be in the tool box of a Christian counselor and what should not. Of course, no one can make the definitive answer for anyone else. You as a counselor in prayer and study of God’s word will make your own determination as to the relationship of secular counseling and Bible based counseling.

 For now, we will continue our brief and selective overview of secular psychology/psychotherapy and psychologists/psychotherpists.

 You will recall in one of the earlier issues we began our study of secular psychologists with Sigmund Freud. Then, we turned to one of his protégés and former colleagues, Carl Jung, both Freud and Jung having some fundamental principles of psychology and psychotherapy in common and some not in common and it was the fundamentals not in common that lead to the estrangement between Freud and Jung. But, there were other notable Freudian protégés who also departed from the patriarch’s ways, for example, Alfred Adler and Karen Horney, both seminal figures in the history of systems of psychology and psychotherapy generally based upon and derived either from the agreements or disagreements they had with Freud. I mention them not to continue a study of Freudianism and his protégés but to suggest that you read in Adler and Horney to extend your conception of psychodynamic variable systems.

 In this issue we take another psychologist/psychotherapist and his system which represents a turn to a different direction for our study.

 It is apparent that not everyone in psychology could accept the Freudian system. Some rejected it because it failed the “scientific” character test; some thought it was completely unverifiable in any objective or empirical way; some thought that psychodynamics was more a humanities enterprise than a scientific biological one; and on it goes. One scholar in particular, Paul Ricoeur, determined that psychodynamics was a type of hermeneutics because of the language interpretation involved in the process of psychodynamic therapy. His term for the hermeneutics is the “hermeneutics of suspicion”. He found in psychodynamics a concern for the multiple meaning of the words used by patients and the effort to find meaning which, in Ricoeur’s view, had the effect of destabilizing language and creating deception and ambiguity in what otherwise is straightforward expression of content.

 So, to introduce a bit of a change in systems of psychotherapy we turn to Carl Rogers.

 Carl Rogers was a contemporary for many of us, maybe all of us at some age, who are reading this issue. He was born in 1902 and deceased in 1987, Unlike Freud, Jung, Horney, and Adler, Rogers/st1:City> was born in the state of Illinois in Oak Park just outside of Chicago. His mother was a Christian according to her understanding of the word and Rogers was influence heavily by her convictions and Christian demeanor.

 Rogers at this stage of his life was not unlike a lot of us seeking to find our “calling” for a career. His first interest in college (the University of Wisconson-Madison) was agriculture. From that he migrated to history and then to religion for which he entered seminary only, once again, to change his career interest. His next and final matriculation was at Columbia University where he completed the Master of Arts and Doctor or Philosophy. He worked for a while in child protection and, then, as a professor, taught in several universities. During the professional time of his life, he wrote books that were significant in the contributions to secular counseling and psychology.

 In his book entitled “Client Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory” Rogers formulated his basic beliefs to his system of psychotherapy which is essentially a humanistic approach to psychology. I am presenting the 19 basic beliefs below.  First, assignments for next issue.

 As an assignment for next issue, study these 19 basic beliefs well to not only assimilate them but to confirm or challenge them as you see whether or not they each one is compatible with and derivable from the Word of God. Record the results of your analysis of the 19 basic beliefs

 As a continuation of the assignment, go back in the issue and review Freud and Jung to do a comparative study of the three psychotherapists. What in the psychotherapies of the three have a definite, positive association with the Word of God, what has a reflective relation with the Word of God, what has no relation with the Word of God other than one of denial, contravention, or misrepresentation.

 Carl Rogers Basic Beliefs underlying his humanistic psychology:

1. All individuals (organisms) exist in a continually changing world of experience (phenomenal field) of which they are the centre.
2. The organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and perceived. This perceptual field is "reality" for the individual.
3. The organism reacts as an organized whole to this phenomenal field.
4. A portion of the total perceptual field gradually becomes differentiated as the self.
5. As a result of interaction with the environment, and particularly as a result of evaluational interaction with others, the structure of the self is formed - an organised, fluid but consistent conceptual pattern of perceptions of characteristics and relationships of the "I" or the "me", together with values attached to these concepts.
6. The organism has one basic tendency and striving - to actualize, maintain and enhance the experiencing organism.
7. The best vantage point for understanding behavior is from the internal frame of reference of the individual.
8. Behavior is basically the goal directed attempt of the organism to satisfy its needs as experienced, in the field as perceived.
9. Emotion accompanies, and in general facilitates, such goal directed behavior, the kind of emotion being related to the perceived significance of the behavior for the maintenance and enhancement of the organism.
10. Values experienced directly by the organism are, in some instances, values introjected or taken over from others, but perceived in distorted fashion.
11. As experiences occur in the life of the individual, they are either, a) symbolized, perceived and organized into some relation to the self, b) ignored because there is no perceived relationship to the self structure, c) denied symbolization or given distorted symbolization because the experience is inconsistent with the structure of the self.
12. Most of the ways of behaving that are adopted by the organism are those that are consistent with the concept of self.
13. In some instances, behavior may be brought about by organic experiences and needs which have not been symbolized. Such behavior may be inconsistent with the structure of the self but in such instances the behavior is not "owned" by the individual.
14. Psychological adjustment exists when the concept of the self is such that all the sensory and visceral experiences of the organism are, or may be, assimilated on a symbolic level into a consistent relationship with the concept of self.
15. Psychological maladjustment exists when the organism denies awareness of significant sensory and visceral experiences, which consequently are not symbolized and organized into the gestalt of the self structure. When this situation exists, there is a basic or potential psychological tension.
16. Any experience which is inconsistent with the organization of the structure of the self may be perceived as a threat, and the more of these perceptions there are, the more rigidly the self structure is organized to maintain itself.
17. Under certain conditions, involving primarily complete absence of threat to the self structure, experiences which are inconsistent with it may be perceived and examined, and the structure of self revised to assimilate and include such experiences.
18. When the individual perceives and accepts into one consistent and integrated system all his sensory and visceral experiences, then he is necessarily more understanding of others and is more accepting of others as separate individuals.
19. AAs the individual perceives and accepts into his self structure more of his organic experiences, he finds that he is replacing his present value system - based extensively on introjections which have been distortedly symbolized - with a continuing organismic valuing process.

We close this issue here. Research Carl Rogers. Please do the comparative study of Freud, Jung, and Rogers. Study through st1:City w:st="on"> Rogers’ 19 basic beliefs and evaluate them in the light of the scriptures. Next time, we will continue with Rogers.

God bless you.                                                                Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

Issue 3 - March - 2009 - Women In Religious History     Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

                                                                                 Theological University of America                           
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, thank you for sharing with us in this issue your fellowship of participation in this important study.

In the last issue, we discussed the origin of the city of Rome in 753BC. Please go back and take a look at that information. From even a scant knowledge of the history of the city of Rome, we know that over time Rome not only came to dominate all of the Italian peninsula, but also all of the Mediterranean basin and parts of what came to known as Europe. Our intent is not to discuss the history of Rome. I did leave a list of important terms in the last issue that will provide a significant background to our study of women in the religion of Rome. And it is with one of those terms that I will begin this issue of study.

 Much of the history of earliest Rome is shrouded in mist and myth; however, as time rolled forward records began to emerge that delineated some aspects of an organized society and culture. Many of the terms in the list from last issue had their origin in the misty, mythical past of Rome and continued as features of Roman life until its very demise in 476AD. Among those terms that had a reality driving the political and social history of Rome were Patricians and Plebeians. Others, of course, were in vogue and continued forward, but we will only touch on those that have some relevance to our topic of women in Roman religion. In simplistic terms it was the segregation, exploitation, and subjugation of the Plebeians class by the Patrician class. The whole story between the Plebeians and Patricians rocked Roman conservatism all the way to Julius and Augustus Caesar; a fascinating history, but not for this course. However, we will pick and chose facts and suppositions from that time to begin our discussion in detail of women in Roman religion. One term of significant importance is the Ten Tables of 455BC, revised in 450BC to the Twelve Tables.

What are the Twelve Tables and why are they important not only to the history of Rome, but to our study of women in religion?

 First, we should put in outline the major contents of the Twelve Tables.

 Table 1 – Procedure for courts and trails

Table 2 – Trials, continued from Table 1

Table 3 – Debt

Table 4 – Rights of fathers (paterfamilias) over the family

Table 5 – Legal guardianship and inheritance laws

Table 6 – Acquisition and possession

Table 7 – Land rights

Table 8 – Laws of injury

Table 9 – Public law

Table 10 – Sacred law

Table 11 – Supplement I

Table 12 – Supplement II

 The Twelve Tables of 450BC cast a very long shadow over all of Rome and its people. Many Roman statesmen, jurists, and scholars wrote prolifically about the Twelve Tables attempting to convey not only its meaning and application, but also the provenance of the laws that are contained in them, whether formerly customary laws or legislative laws. The arguments are extensive, but we have no need to enter that discussion here, except to say that all the ink poured out about the Twelve Tables indicates the gravity and reverence the Twelve Tables drew from the Roman people. Indeed, Cicero (106BC – 43BC), a notable Roman statesman, philosopher, educator, and author, in his work De Oratore, wrote of the Twelve Tables, “Though all the world exclaim against me, I will say what I think: that single little book of the Twelve Tables, if anyone look to the fountains and sources of laws, seems to me, assuredly, to surpass the libraries of all the philosophers, both in weight of authority and in plenitude of utility.” So, by beginning our discussion of women in religion with a consideration of the content and place of the Twelve Tables of 450BC we are beginning with fundamentals that continued to permeate and shape Roman social, cultural, religious, and political behavior.

 We will not, of course, read nor take note of every point made in the Twelve Tables, but we will notice here a few of the points from the Twelve Tables that directly set up our understanding of women in Roman society and in Roman religion and, as we go along and it seems proper, we will refer to other points in the Twelve Tables for understanding and interpretation.

 Table IV

 1. A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed.

2. If a father sell his son three times, the son shall be free from his father. 

3. As a man has provided in his will in regard to his money and the care of his property, so let it be binding. If he has no heir and dies intestate, let the nearest agnate have the inheritance. If there is no agnate, let the members of his gens have the inheritance. 

4. If one is mad but has no guardian, the power over him and his money shall belong to his agnates and the members of his gens. 

5. A child born after ten months since the father's death will not be admitted into a legal inheritance.

 Table V

1. Females should remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority

 Table VI

5. Usucapio of movable things requires one year's possession for its completion; but usucapio of an estate and buildings two years.

6. Any woman who does not wish to be subjected in this manner (that is to the law of Usucapio} to the hand of her  husband should be absent three nights in succession every year, and so interrupt the usucapio of each year. 

Table X

 3. The women   

1. Marriages should not take place between plebeians and patricians

 As background to our study of women in Roman religion the Twelve Tables set women at a disability to their fathers beginning at birth. (Table V). This paternal control is only one element of the larger concept of Paterfamilias which itself is only a contributing component of the pervasive patriarchy in the ancient Roman Republic. While we will not go into specific detail describing the status, importance, and influence of patriarchy in the ancient Roman Republic, we will find it writ large in all activities of Roman life.

 Ancient Roman society was a class society. We have mentioned the Patricians and Plebeians; the fundamental although not inclusive difference is that the Patricians traced their ancestry to the first Roman Senate and the Plebeians did not. This distinction led to many inequities that reformers of subsequent decades strived to varying degrees of success to rectify. Slavery was also an integral to the Roman society and there are many complexities of the evolution of this class from the early Roman Republic to and through the Roman Empire; Of course, we will see there were women slaves as well as men slaves. Among other social class stratifications that I will not mention is the one that I will mention – women. Among the women there were distinctions: free-born, slave, and freedwoman, each with debilities, legal and customary.

 Let’s us narrow our discussion for a moment to these three distinction of the class of women in ancient Rome.

 Freeborn Women:

 A freeborn woman had one specific duty in Roman society – to give birth to and rear children. This did provide for some equity of gender among the children since the mother would “home school” both their female and male children. But, beyond that equity, different roles would soon emerge for the boys and girls as they grew toward adulthood, roles that, again, would emphasize inequity and patriarchy.

 There has been some debate among scholars whether or not a freeborn woman was also a citizen of Rome, but largely the scholarly view is that they were made citizens at some time in the early history of Rome, nevertheless, women were not allowed to vote or engage and/or participate directly in political affairs of the state. This, however, did not eliminate the possibility of women exerting political influence. One only needs to read of Cornelia the notable Roman mother who influenced the political and social views of her sons, Tiberius and Gaius, in the 2^nd century BC.

 Moreover, under certain extreme circumstances the fortunes and stations of freeborn women would take a temporary turn toward equality and freeborn women would have opportunities to express their solidarity and sentiment in behalf of their own interests as a class. One such occasion grew out of the wars with Hannibal the Carthaginian general who had invaded Italy by crossing the Alps and engaged Rome in a life and death struggle on the peninsula for Italy (3^rd century BC). As in most wars at the time, the married men would march to war leaving most responsibilities for personal financial and domestic concerns in the hands of their wives. Furthermore, as men were killed in battle, the wives would become the inheritors of the property and wealth left by the deceased husbands. Many of these women amassed great sums of money and extensive property holding. As the expense of the war with Hannibal increased, the government of Rome began to cast greedy eyes on the wealth and property of these women. So, the legislative body of Rome decided to make legal the requisitioning of the money and property of these women to the end that the Oppian Laws were passed.

 The Oppian Laws had rather repressive measures for an already repressed freeborn women class of society. The Oppian Laws limited the amount of money and property a freeborn women could have, confiscated funds held by freeborn women for their children or widows, and, to instill a proper sense of mourning in the freeborn women, they could no longer wear clothes with purple design (a gesture of respect for the fallen soldiers that the government determined was is inufficiently manifested by the women)

 The freeborn women, as you might expect, given the centuries of few if any rights, went along with this law for a number of years until 195BC, six years after the Carthaginians were defeated in 201BC. The women around the peninsula, excluding Rome, began to wear purple again following the victorious conclusion of the war; the freeborn women of Rome continued their obsequious acceptance of the personal degradation. Discontent though they were, the freeborn women made no concerted effort to change the law until members of the government itself thought better of matters and sought to repeal the Oppian Laws. When it seemed to the freeborn women that the repeal of the Oppian Laws was about to go the way of the morning mist, they robustly asserted themselves in demonstration in the Forum (keep mind, women were not officially allowed to come to the Forum). This demonstration had no real precedence among freeborn women.

 It is well worth reading what occurred on that day when women had had enough of denial and denigration, if only for that day. Plutarch wrote:

"The matrons whom neither counsel nor shame nor their husbands' orders could keep at home, blockaded every street in the city and every entrance to the Forum. As the men came down to the Forum, the matrons besought them to let them, too, have back the luxuries they had enjoyed before, giving as their reason that the republic was thriving and that everyone's private wealth was increasing with every day. This crowd of women was growing daily, for now they were even gathering from the towns and villages. Before long they dared go up and solicit consuls, praetors, and other magistrates.”

“When the speeches for and against the law had been made, a considerably larger crowd of women poured forth in public the next day; as a single body they besieged the doors of the tribunes, who were vetoing their colleagues' motion, and they did not stop until the tribunes took back their veto. After that there was no doubt that all the tribes would repeal the law."

And it is probably more telling and to the point of patriarchy and even possibly misogyny to read the speech of Cato, a leading political and moral figure of the Roman Republic at the time, that reveals the traditional attitude toward women:

"If each man of us, fellow citizens, had established that the rights and authority of the husband should be held over the mother of his own family, we should have less difficulty with women in general; now, at home our freedom is conquered by female fury, here in the Forum it is bruised and trampled upon, and because we have not contained the individuals, we fear the lot...Could you not have asked your own husbands the same thing at home?”

“And yet, it is not fitting even at home for you to concern yourselves with what laws are passed or repealed here.”

“Our ancestors did not want women to conduct any - not even private - business without a guardian; they wanted them to be under the authority of parents, brothers, or husbands; we (the gods help us!) even now let them snatch at the government and meddle in the Forum and our assemblies.”

“They want freedom, nay license, in all things.”

 Thus far, this issue has set the background and realities of women in the ancient Roman state. I want to give you this assignment to complete before next issue:

1.      Begin a serious research of the role and place of women in the ancient Roman state, Republic and Empire, and extend your information beyond what I have presented here;

2.      Research slavery and women in slavery, particularly, in the ancient Roman state, Republic and Empire;

3.      Research Freedwomen in the ancient Roman state, Republic and Empire;

4.      Follow any line of positive development and recognition of women’s rights in the ancient Roman state, Republic and Empire, and, when possible, note exemplary women either or both initiating movement to additional rights and utilizing the newly enjoyed rights;

5.      Begin general research on women in Roman religion. Amass whatever data you can before next issue.

God be with you all                                                             Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

Issue 3 -- March - 2009 - Greek                                        Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

                                                                                 Theological University of America                           
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Hello dear brothers and sisters. It is very good to visit with you in this issue to continue our study of New Testament Greek.

I don’t know if the approach in this issue is the ‘dog wagging the tail or the tail wagging the dog”. I think the answer to that probably lies in the field of metaphysics, so we will not try to figure that out, but, instead, begin where we left off last issue (I guess you could say that is the tail wagging the dog. Any suggestions?). We will saddle up and round up some more participles and participle information

If you look back to the last issue, you will see a rather unadorned participial declension of our verb luw. Today, we will begin to regale our verb in all its participial splendor. You will see just how glorious that really is as we proceed.

 We agree, I think, that participles are declined, not conjugated. Now, why is that?

To answer that question, you need to know what a participle is. As one well known person from my home town once said, “You have to define what is is!”

 My first answer is the first one I ever got: my first year Greek teacher told me that was the way it was with participles and if I wanted to even make a passing grade I had better decline participles and not try to conjugate participles. Hey! I wanted to pass; no questions asked.

 But, there was another answer that I got later that I would like to share with you. (How nice!) It is simple and painless, but, apologies, not sugar coated. Are you ready for this:

A participle is a verbal adjective. Self evident, right? Yes, if there is a directions pamphlet accompanying each participle.

 Let’s sneak up on this Greek participle by showing our stuff first with a participle (verbal adjective) in an English sentence.

 Look at the award winning sentence: “I saw a running horse on main street.” 

 What word in the sentence would be the participle (I know the sentence is corny, but I didn’t promise you Shakespeare.)? If you said, “horse”, you would be really bad off. If you said main street, you would be hopeless. If you said, “:running” you would win the big prize – a big (and virtually worthless, these days) green back if you will travel to Cedar Rapids to get it at mid night on the next leap year beginning with a full moon on the third Friday of February. (Hey! It could be a family outing!).

 Now why is “running” a participle?

 Ok. Think about this one. “The car is running.” Is this a participle? Why?

 Now, let me get down and dirty with you – suppose I gave you this sentence:

 “Running is good exercise, so they tell me.” What is “running” in this sentence?   Alright, we will talk about that kind of “running” later. But,

 Let’s get back to the business of a present active participle in English – back to that “running horse”.

 A present active participle is a verb plus ing. Fine. Run is a verb and ing is, well, ing. Good! Remember what we said above: a participle is a verbal adjective. Oh yeah! So, how do we take the verb “run” and make it a participle? We add “ing” to it and, with a spelling adjustment, behold, in our discussion, a present active participle. The verb part shows the action of the verb part of the participle and the “ing” converts it into an adjective. And what does an adjective do? It does this: it modifies a noun or pronoun. Modify? Yeah, I don’t like that word either. Think of it as telling you something about the word to which it is assigned.

 In our award winning sentence above, what does “running” tell you about the horse? Careful now! This is tough. It tells you that the horse is running, a running horse, in other words, a verbal adjective (participle) telling us something about the horse.

 Pretty simple, right? Now, you make up a sentence in English using “running water”. What kind of water is it? “running” water. Break it down. Parse the two words and what do you have?

 Please keep in mind that there are other ways to use a participle than the way I have mentioned here. These things we will come to, but for now, we only want to make sure we know what a present active participle looks like, how we form it, and what it does in English.

 One thing for certain, if we can’t translate Greek into the common coin of our language, we can’t translate Greek.

 We will go back now to the declension we gave in the last issue showing the verb luw in its present active participial declension. We will now add a frill or two to flesh out the meaning of the declenision. Here goes:

 Present Active Participle               

Singular

Nominative Case luwn

Genitive Case luonto~

Ablative Case luonto~

Locative Case luonti

Instrumental Case luonti

Dative Case  luonti

Accusative Case luonta

 plural

Nominative Case luonte~

Genitive Case luontwn

Ablative Case luontwn

Locative Case luousi

Instrumental Case luousi

Dative Case luousi

Accusative Case luonta~

 You notice that we added the cases to their respective present active participial form. The question then is “What does it do to the meaning of the participle?” The answer begins with the meaning of the cases. For example, the genitive singular form of luw is

luonto~  What do we remember about the genitive case? In part, it can translate as “of”.

 Let’s put this together with the analogy of our English example.

 In English, the verb “loose" is converted to a present active participle by adding “ing”. So, when we add “ing” to “loose” we convert the simple verb to a present active participle “loosing”. To put the English verb become participle in the genitive case we have this reading: of loosing

 Go through the same process in Greek. The verb  luw is converted to a present active participle by adding wn to the stem (the Greek equivalent to the English “ing”) which makes a present active participle in the nominative case. To put the Greek participle luwn in the genitive case you add the genitive case ending to the verb stem which produces this form luonto~ The reading in Greek is : of loosing  The same as in English.

 Here is an assignment for next issue. Work your way through all the cases of the present active participle and determine their translation meaning. To do this assignment, you may have to refresh yourself on the translation meaning of the cases in Greek.

 Also, although we have not touched on it yet, what do you do with a participle that is preceded by an “article”? For example,   Jo luwn It is a very frequent construction in the New Testament.

 Take a stab at translating this one:

 Jo legwn est oJ Cristo~

Qelousi ton Qanaton tou legonto~

Auto~ proskunei tw/ ercomenw/

God bless you! Keep up your good work!                         Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

Issue 3 – 2009 – March - Hebrew                                  Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

                                                       Theological University of America   info@theologicaluofa.com                                Dear beloved brothers and sisters, welcome this issue of the study of Hebrew!

I am excited about this issue. It is a milestone in our review study. You probably have been wondering where is that verb conjugation called Hithpael?  Well, you need not fret further. We have arrived there in this issue. But, first…

Just a brief review of the names of the conjugations we have already had as honored guests in our study:

 But, I don’t want to willy nilly write them out for us. Why not have some fun with these conjugations? As we know, this is the season of March Madness (my team is in the Sweet 16! How about yours? Oh! How arrogant I am becoming!) and its game time! So….

 Here’s the game –

 I will write – in English – a beginning letter or two – just a little hint – of the name of each conjugation and you provide the remaining letters. Now, I can tell you right now that the conjugations don’t like this game at all, not in the least. Why? Well, the word on the street is that we mangle the spelling of their names so often that their friendly nouns don’t recognize them and don’t know how react. Your task is to be very careful and spell them correctly the first time! Have a little heart for these conjugations. They have feelings just like the rest of us. So, do your best! Ok, here goes:

Q

N

Pi

Pu

Hi

Ho

 Great! The word on the street is that you got it right the first time! I knew you could do it.

 Now, the HITHPAEL!!!

 As before, I will put the conjugated form for both the Perfect and Imperfect. Let’s see how it goes!

Hithpael Perfect

Singular

lFeq't]hi

hl;F]q't]h

T;l]F'q't]hi

Tl]F'q't]hi

yTil]F'Q't]hi

Plural

WlF]q't]hi

µT,l]F'q't]hi

nT,l]F'q't]hi

Wnl]F'q't]hi

Hithpael Imperfect

Singular

lFeq't]yi

lFeq't]iTi

lFeq't]iTi

yliF]q't]Ti

lFeq't]a,

 Plural

WlF]q't]yi

hn;l]Feq't]Ti

WlF]q't]Ti

hn;l]Feq't]Ti

lFeq't]ni

 So, there it is! In all its mysterious glory – the hithpael conjugations. Now that’s great! But, what does it mean? I have a hunch that you already know so, for now, just a little, working definition: the hithpael is an intensive, reflexive verb conjugation. Wow! That was simple and painless and to the point.

 Earlier in this issue, we were in Hebrew “March Madness” trying to complete the spelling of the various Hebrew conjugations we had befriended. Now, add hithpael to your growing circle of friends of the verb type.

 Here is a little “hands across the sea” game we can play now. Since you have already spelled the different conjugations and know what they are, what would an English sentence be if you wrote it according to the meanings of the Hebrew conjugations. Example: If you were going to write a Hebrew sentence using the Qal but wrote it in English instead, how would your English sentence read?

 Alright, do that for each of the remaining conjugations including our new friend the hithpael. Hey! It is ok to make a mistake, be confused, not interested, but just go ahead and do it anyhow. Give it your best shot. See what it reads and sounds like. Keep your English sentences on hand because as we go farther into the conjugations and began to put them in Hebrew and English sentences you will be able to check your early understanding of them and be able to measure your progress. What could be neater than that?

 We want to be sure to include our new friend hithpael in the parties we throw for all the other verb conjugations, so we will include the hithpael in some activities that we have already done for our other friendly conjugations. We will compare all the conjugations with one another to determine gender, number, and tense (not really a good term for the conjugations, but it will do for now.) You’ve played this game before and I hear you had loads of fun, so go for it; we like for you to be happy in Hebrew.

 Did you ever go out into the winter night and wish you had a hat on your head? Cold, blustery wind reminds many of us that our natural head covering is wearing a bit thin to keep us warm on top. And the others of you might think it would be nice to have a hat in a wintry gale to keep your full, thick, well coiffured hair (Is there such a thing as a righteous envy? If so, I think I have it!) with every precious strand in place.

 The Hebrew article is something of a hat, I suppose. Occasionally, you want to use it; and occasionally you don’t. That sounds a bit too democratic for Hebrew grammar, but, of course, you can’t go on appearances alone, especially when dealing with Hebrew articles.  There is tyranny in that nice smile! So, we are going to see if we can safely nudge closely to the articles and join with them in keeping those rowdy nouns under control. Let’s start at the starting place – the simple place and that is the alphabetical letter of the article. Here it is:  h

Well, that’s not bad. Simple enough. But, there is a bit more to the Hebrew article. You have heard of two faced people; well, the Hebrew articles are multiple faced and each one shows from time to time and under different conditions. And another important bit of gossip about the Hebrew article is that it usually has a companion and the companions always expect certain behavior from the article. See if you notice something about the way the Hebrew article behaves in real life:

 I will give you a noun without a hat. Oh! I mean without an article. And then I will give you a noun with the article. Then, to make it a little more tantalizing, I will give you more nouns without their articles (no hats this time) and the same nouns with their articles.

 Ok. Do you have your “Forensic Files” hat on? I hope so because you are going to have to look at all the clues and figure out what is different about the nouns and what is different about the articles when applied to different types of nouns. Listen! People tell me that sleuthing around these nouns and articles is more fun than a Saturday evening back yard fish fry and down home hush puppies. So, you are in for a hilarious time with these articles.

 Nouns without an article:

sWs

vya

varo

lk;yhe

µk;j;

 By the way, if you don’t recall the meaning of these nouns, please take a few moments to find their meanings in your textbook or lexicon.

 Nouns with an article

sWSh'

vyaih;

varoh;

lk;yheh'

µk;j;h,

 Now, what do you see, Sherlock? You may need a big magnifying glass for this mystery. Look carefully at the nouns without the article. Observe the spelling and the appearance of each letter in the word. Notice any differences from word to word. Make notes and describe the “crime scene”. After you have methodically and analytically assimilated the “noun scene”, go to the nouns with the article.

 Do you see any difference or differences? What are they, if there are any? Check the spelling of each noun with the article. Note any changes of pointing (that’s those funny looking dots and lines and strange configurations added to the simple alphabetical letters. We discovered them several issues ago. What do we call them and what do they add to the alphabetical letters?)

 It is ok – actually recommended – that you consult your textbooks and lexicons to help you with this assignment. No use going alone. Lone Rangers need help with Hebrew too.

 So, have a great time until the next issue. Dig around in Hebrew. Enjoy the challenge. Master the moment.

 God bless you all.                                                                                Return to Vol.2 Issue 3 March 2009

 

Volume 2 - Issue 4 - April 2009  Return to Free Religious Study Journal Volume Directory

                                           Theological University of America  http://www.theologicaluofa.com

Church History

Colossians

Christian Counseling

Women in Religious History

Greek

Hebrew

Book, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issue 4 April 2009      CHURCH HISTORY  Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                   

                                    Theological University of America  http://www.theologicaluofa.com

 We continue in this issue with the development of Christian worship from Apostolic times. Already we have noticed changes and directions away from the simple New Testament descriptions and activities. We will continue to follow the paths in the development of ancient worship.

To begin this period of the study of ancient worship we will introduce the word “Liturgy”, not a word common to our vocabulary in the church of Christ, but one expressive of deep and pervasive significance in the lives of many who follow creeds and confessions. We will begin by placing the word in its ancient and Biblical settings and, then, in its ceremonial and ritual settings.

The word “litrurgy” in the original Greek is a hybrid word composed of two words meaning people (lao~) and work, duty, service (ergon) transliterated into English as “liturgy”. In secular matters, the Greek word for liturgy has an ancient history, notably its reference to various public services performed in Greek cities. But the Greek word for liturgy also found its way into the Septuagint and books of the New Testament.

Liturgy as it weaved its way through church history developed two general meanings:

One meaning is Lords Supper or Eucharist; the other is formal regulations the church requires in worship and religious service. Both of these meanings grow in complication from their simple expressions in the New Testament and will be studied to some degree as we proceed.

Originally, the New Testament describes congregational services in which simplicity and order characterize the proceedings. Here and there throughout the ancient world and for a variety of reasons, simplicity was supplanted by complexity and order by formality. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where change from simplicity and order began. Probably, given the inclination of human beings to complicate everything, the change began in many places throughout the ancient world simultaneously without any knowledge of or connection with each other. We do know that some of the more prominent liturgies (using this term in both senses mentioned above) began to appear in the Apostolic Sees we discussed earlier.

The liturgies developed in Apostolic churches were the results of growth from simplicity and order to a set rite of complexity and formality, blending, combining, and assimilating elements from liturgies that no longer have a separate identity. While it is difficult to impossible to identify the various strands of liturgy that were absorbed into the dominant liturgies, we do have better sources going forward for locating “family trees” for the more established liturgies.

The  Liturgy of St. Mark was the original settled liturgy in Alexandria and Egypt.

From this liturgy came the Coptic Liturgy used by Coptic schismatics and Ethiopic Liturgy used by the Church of Abyssinia

The Antiochene Liturgy derives from the Apostolic Constitutions which we will have reason to consult later. From that development came the Liturgy of St. James of Jerusalem, the Greek Liturgy of St. James, the Liturgy of the Syriac St. James (the liturgy of the Jacobites, and the Uniats), and the Liturgy of the Maronites.

Also of the family of liturgies derived from the Apostolic Constitutions are the Chaldean Liturgy used by the Nestorians and Chaldean Uniats, the Liturgy of Malabar used by Uniats and schismatics in India, the Byzantine Liturgy used by Orthodox and Byzantine Uniats, and the Armenian Liturgy used by Gregorians and Armenian Uniats.

Scholars of the Gallican Liturgy allege various sources and contributions from other liturgies in achieving its dominant status in ancient Gaul, Spain, and other locations in Western Europe. A reciprocal development occurs in time between the Roman Liturgy and the Gallican Liturgy until finally in the 8^th century the Roman Liturgy supplanted the Gallican Liturgy generally throughout the region. The origin and development of the Gallican Liturgy is hotly debated as is its relationship to the Ambrosian Liturgy which is often alleged to be of the Gallican family of liturgies. The Mozarabic Liturgy (so termed for Christians living under the control of Islam in Spain) also has its provenance from the Gallican Liturgy.

The origin and early development of the Liturgy of Rome is a fact still in process of being firmly established. The liturgy used in Rome in the second century is in Greek. Our sources for this liturgy are Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, Hippolytus, and Novatian. As mentioned above, there was some cross seeding between the Liturgy of Rome and the Gallican Liturgy.  But a detailed history of the Roman Liturgy is under debate and verification. The Latin language became the language of the Liturgy in the third century.

Clearly, the understanding of congregational worship from the late first century forward was unsettled and regional. The number of liturgies we have mentioned here are only a few of the more notable ones in the early period of church history. As you penetrate the historical record, often very skimpy and contested, numerous other liturgies emerge from their historical hybernation, long forgotten and long obsolete, often combined with other liturgies, often condemned as unorthodox. But, the salient fact of it all is that despite their good intentions Christian devotees in the ancient world were splintering a simple form of New Testament worship into various and often contradictory regimens of religious rites and services.

But that realization of splintering what should be one was not lost on particular leaders in the ancient world. Irenaeus wrote, "For, although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same….Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches, however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different from these (for no one is greater than the Master)”. Unity statements from the Church Fathers can be multiplied, all with the general sentiment of Irenaeus: the tradition (faith) is one and indivisible and should remain so.

This concern for unity prevailed for many leaders, often for many different reasons; nonetheless the concept of unity continued present and profound. Following the flow of development of liturgies in the early centuries of the church we see a narrowing of the stream of expressions, forms, and rites. The history of the attraction of unity in the proliferation of liturgies is fascinating and intriguing for much of it has significant ramifications for basic Christian doctrines.

We will soon discover the prevailing liturgies of the church of that time that are essentially the same as those used by Catholic and Orthodox churches today. But, before we come to the point of liturgical unification, let us select one or two liturgies of the earlier centuries to gain an insight into the character of the ancient liturgies. The liturgies we present here are ancient, it is believed, but the record of them may be of much later centuries due to original documents having been lost with late copies only surviving. But, it is the best we have; so we make do.

The following presents a form more ancient (before the 6^th century) and a form from the 6^th century. You will notice continued elaboration; however, certain eastern influences in the former are not found in the latter.

The Earlier Gallican Liturgy

Introit

The Ajus (agios) sung in Greek and Latin. Following this, three boys sing Kyrie Eleison three times. This is followed by the Benedictus.

Collect

Old Testament reading

Epistle reading or Life of the Saint of the Day

The Benedicite and Ajus (agios) in Latin

Gospel reading

Sermon

Dismissal of catechumens

Intercessions

Great Entrance and the Offertory chant

Kiss of Peace

Sursum Corda, Preface, Sanctus, and Post-Sanctus Prayer

Roman (Gregorian) Eucharistic Prayer (not in the Gallican and Spanish liturgies,      which had variable elements in the anaphora)

The Fraction (the host is divided into nine pieces, seven of which are then   arranged into the shape of a cross)

Our Father

Blessing of the People

Communion of the People

Post-Communion Prayer

The later Gallican Liturgy

Preparation of the Offerings

Praelegendum (entrance psalm)

Call for silence and greeting

Trisagion (in Greek and Latin)

Kyrie

Benedictus

Reading from the Old Testament

Collect after the Old Testament reading

Responsory

Apostole

Canticle from Daniel

Thrice-Holy before the Gospel

Gospel

Sanctus after the Gospel

Homily

Preces

Collect after the Preces

Dismissal of the catechumens

Offertory

Preface to the faithful and collect

Diptychs and collect

Exchange of the Peace and collect

Anaphora: variable Contestatio/Immolatio, variable Vere Sanctus, institution narrative,

variable post mysterium

Breaking of the Bread

Lord's Prayer

Episcopal blessing

Communion

Trecanum (post-communion hymn of thanksgiving to the Trinity)

Postcommunion collect

Dismissal

The Liturgy of the Apostolic Constitutions

Lessons 

Sermon by the bishop

Prayers for all people 

Kiss of peace.

Offertory of  bread and wine and water brought up by the deacons

Thanksgiving-prayer by the bishop

Consecration by the words of institution 

Intercession for the people

The people end this prayer with Amen

Communion

The significance of the Liturgy of the Apostolic Constitutions is that it either is or reflects closely a prevailing liturgical rite used in the first three centuries of the church, although the earliest surviving written record of it is from the 5^th century AD.

Yet, the most significant facts pertaining to the development in the liturgies in these earliest centuries and surviving to this day we have yet to discuss: sacerdotalism, sacramentalism and the Holy Eucharist.

As an assignment review the three liturgies above and, as they are presented, do you see any act or element that you would consider unscriptural. If so, why?

As we journey through the early centuries and consider the various liturgies, we notice an apparent sense of necessity for the same form of liturgy to be maintained Sunday after Sunday, year after year. What benefits do you believe those who considered themselves Christians in the early centuries gained from such regularity? What impedances did such regularity bring to them in worship?

In the next issue, we will take up sacerdotalism, sacramentalism, the Holy Eucharist, and the incipient beginnings of the hierarchy. In so doing, we will also begin to deal with the schism between the Roman and Byzantine churches.

Thanks for you being with us. Please return. God bless you all.

                                                                  Return to Vol. Issue 4 April 2009

Issue 4 April 2009       COLOSSIANS     Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                           Theological University of America   http://www.theologicaluofa.com

Welcome to our continuing study of the Epistle of Colossians.

Currently, we are looking into aspects of discourse analysis. In the last issue we brought up the importance of paragraphing and gave a few assignments on paragraphing. If you have not read Issue 3, please do that now. If you need to refresh your recollection of Issue 3, please re-read it now.

We noted in the last issue that we have the necessity of translating ancient Greek written almost 2000 years ago into contemporary English. We also noted that we compose our literary pieces in paragraphs and other constructions. There were no paragraphs as we know them in the original Greek New Testament epistles and Gospels. The question, then, is how do we take literary works that have no paragraphs after the contemporary model and translate them into English the literary standards of which require modern paragraphing. The immediate answer is “we work very hard in trying to ascertain how to find a paragraph in a language that never used paragraphs as we know them.” The next answer is we look to the Greek text to see clues that might suggest a paragraph break when translated into English and that might suggest (again a contemporary usage) transitional statements leading from one paragraph to the next.

To understand what we are looking for in the Greek, let us define it first in English, our ultimate destination.

In English we have some literary clues that often indicate the internal relationships of sentences within the paragraph. These clues have other uses besides indicating the internal relationships of sentences in a paragraph, but they are useful for identifying several elements found in a paragraph, such as cohesion, logical progression, cause, effect, etc. You are familiar with all of these words and probably use them without actually thinking of them analytically. I will provide a few of these clue words here:

Therefore

Moreover

For example

For instance

Consequently

As a result

In addition to

Nevertheless

Obviously

Furthermore

First

Next

Finally

In conclusion

Yet

At length

However

Clearly

That is

That is to say

Of course

Naturally

At any rate

No doubt

On the whole

At this point in this discussion, go to two or three English translations of Colossians. Read each translation one paragraph at a time to identify the clues we have mentioned that are found in each of the paragraphs, compare the paragraphs to determine which of these clues (or other clues – there are many that we all use, perhaps, more colloquially than the ones I have listed but may have been used by the translators in your two or three texts) are used in the paragraphs and why. Also, when the paragraphs differ either by not using a clue or using different clues, explain why the difference exists and what difference does it make in understanding the paragraph.

If you read Greek, then, this additional assignment – translate the Greek text and compare your translation with the two English texts you are using. What are the differences, why, and what effect do the differences have on the understanding of the paragraph? Also, if you read Greek, translate the list of clues in English above into Greek. Then, identify the presence of any of these Greek words in the Greek text. And one last assignment for the Greek readers, identify all Greek language clues that do not have an English counterpart that you will have to translate into English and the function of the Greek language clue in the Greek text of Colossians.

We will have more to say about sentences and paragraphs in another issue, maybe the next issue. Right now we want to discuss going from one paragraph to another or more paragraphs in a section of meaning in an epistle (or other literary forms). One of the methods of movement from one to other paragraphs is transition statements.

Transitions in English literary form indicate new paragraphs, although not all transitions indicate only new paragraphs. Again, we must be aware of the possibilities of transitions and learn when they lead to paragraphs.

Simply put, transitions serve the purpose of maintaining a logical sequence of thought between paragraphs with the effect that changes of focus in the following paragraphs are accomplished between the paragraphs without the loss of cohesion. Transitions usually are brief and provide a smooth literary movement. However, transitions may be a series of paragraphs when successive paragraphs deal with topics that otherwise would seem remote and unconnected.

We must now do this assignment. Go back to the two or three English translations, read each paragraph of each translation and identify transitional paragraphs. Note whether or not the translations use the same transition statements in English. If not, why and what effect does the difference have on the meaning of the paragraph? After identifying the transition paragraphs, indicate the focus of the preceding and subsequent paragraphs tied together by the transition statements. This last request is part of the process in determining the larger sections of the literary work which ultimately when combined render the overall meaning of the epistle.

For you Greek readers, do the same assignment in the Greek text with this additional concern: do you agree with the English translations of the transition paragraphs and why? Is that part of the Greek text that is translated into English as transition paragraphs actually transition paragraphs in the Greek text? If the transition paragraphs in the Greek text are not there as your English translation gives them, what do you see in the Greek text that serves as transition in the sequence of the paragraphs?

We need to remind ourselves that while we are working with paragraphs in this issue, soon, possibly the next issue, we will begin to work with paragraphs that taken as a unit form a section of the Epistle because they bear the thread of cohesion of a single focus.

But, for now, I want to introduce us to a literary device, called a prominence, used by Greek writers to draw attention, emphasize, and focus their readers on the more significant parts of a sentence, paragraph, section, and, in effect, the entire epistle: the use of grammatical and syntactical structures bearing elements that distinguish them from the ordinary grammatical and syntactical structures otherwise used throughout the writing. We will see that these grammatical and syntactical structures serve to create the sense of our modern paragraphing and larger sections.

These prominences – grammatical and syntactical structures - can be single words, clusters of words, clauses and phrases, brief, pointed sentences, and other literary creations. Each prominence will have a field of influence, often referred to as a “domain”, which includes words and sentences of the ordinary type that co-function with the prominence to define the extent of the focus.

The placement by the author of prominence-domains throughout his literary work enables the Greek readers/translators to identify the development of the overall meaning of paragraphs and sections. For those who do not read Greek, there is little choice but to depend on the translator to get it right. Comparing English translations may help in determining the prominence-domains for yourselves.  The best thing to do is take Greek and learn to do it yourself.

While prominences can be carefully selected words placed at decisive positions in the sentence, paragraph, and section, special concern should be given to the use of verbal forms in understanding the meaning of the prominence and its relation to its literary setting. This concern will be immediately evident to Greek readers who are familiar with verbal aspect, mode, tense, and voice in Greek verb conjugations and participial declensions. It will not be so evident, if evident at all, to non Greek readers. While context can help relieve the non Greek reader from his disability to some extent, it will not be conclusive without reference to the exact Greek verbal constructions. One concern in point would be the difference between the aorist and the imperfect in a sentence. This would be particularly pivotal to the focus of the paragraph if prominence of the paragraph is a verbal form involving either the aorist and the imperfect.

Below, I have placed an English translation of Colossian 1:19 through Colossians 2:23. For the Greek readers, open your Greek text of Colossians to those chapters and verses and translate them and compare your translation with the translation below. Then, for both non Greek readers and Greek readers do the following:

1. Identify all literary clues that are listed above;
2. Analyze the verses to determine the paragraphs and identify their focus clues;
3. Identify all transition paragraphs leading to a paragraph with a new focus;
4. List each new focus that is introduced by transitional paragraphs or words or clauses/phrases and the verse in which each new focus is begun.
5. For Greek readers, compare the verbal forms in Greek with the English translations to determine whether or not the aspect, mode, tense, and voice of the verbal forms are accurately translated in English.

 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;

  20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

  21 And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

  22 In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

  23 If ye in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

  24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

  25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

  26 Even the ministry which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

  27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

  28 Whom we preaching warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

  29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Chapter 2

 1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

  2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

  3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

  4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

  5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

  6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

  7. Rooter and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

  8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

  9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

  10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

  11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

  12 Buried with him in  baptism, wherein also ye risen are with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

  13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

  14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

  15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

  16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

  17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

  18 Let no man begile you of your reward in a voluntary humilty and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

  19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

  20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

  21 (touch not; taste not; handle not;

  22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

  23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.                                   Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

 

Issue 4 April 2009  CHRISTIAN COUNSELING Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                                  Theological University of America  http://www.theologicaluofa.com

In this issue, we continue our study of Carl Rogers’ system of psychotherapy. To begin this issue we will take up the 19 basic beliefs underlying his system that we listed in the last issue. Please re-read the 19 basic beliefs now for they will be the first focus of our discussion in this issue.

Having read the 19 Rogerian basic beliefs, what foundation notion do you find throughout? I will select words and phrases from each basic belief as listed to suggest the foundation notion underlying Rogerian psychotherapy:

1. a continually changing world of experience;
2. the field as it is experienced and perceived. This perceptual field is "reality" for the individual;
3. The organism reacts.………… to this phenomenal field;
4. the total perceptual field;
5. interaction with the environment………….. interaction with others;
6. ……..actualize, maintain and enhance the experiencing organism.;
7. understanding behavior;
8. attempt of the organism to satisfy its needs as experienced, in the field as perceived;
9. goal directed behavior……… the behavior for the maintenance and enhancement of the organism;
10. Values experienced directly by the organism;
11. experiences occur in the life of the individual;
12. ways of behaving;
13. behavior may be brought about by organic experiences;
14. the sensory and visceral experiences of the organism;
15. awareness of significant sensory and visceral experiences;
16. experience which is inconsistent with the organization of the structure of the self;
17. to the self structure, experiences which are inconsistent…..assimilate and include such experiences;
18. one consistent and integrated system all his sensory and visceral experiences,
19. individual perceives and accepts into his self structure more of his organic experiences.

Throughout the list of basic beliefs, what foundation notion do you see?

Experience!

We all know that human experience is a great teacher both for secular and divine purposes. For instance, Paul says that we should be able to recognize the Creator by our experience of the universe. And that is perpetually born out by every succeeding discovery of science. Who 70 years ago would have thought the atom could be split? The indivisibility of the atom as the basic component of nature’s architecture was not questioned until the atom was split and a whole new science of nuclear knowledge developed. We learn more about the complexity of nature and the unimaginable greatness of the Creator every time science turns up a new discovery either debunking what we thought we knew or confirming what, in fact, we do know.

But the effects of experience are not, of course, as we all know, limited to science. We began learning early in life that experience leads to knowledge, valuation, and consequences, even among the lower forms of life. My three Boston Terriers learned in a blink of the eye that a treat would immediately follow certain of their behaviors. And all you pet lovers know your dog never forgets the cause and effect relationship to any experience that leads to a treat.

So, we can agree with everyone – theist and atheist, believer and agnostic – that sentient living beings learn from experience and form behavior by experience, interacting with experience. Having said that, we have to ask if experience is the only or foundational component of the proper development of a human being?

The emphasis on experience is as old as Greek philosophy carried through the ages by various scholars of science, philosophy, and psychology to this very day. One of the most eloquent exponents of experience was William James who cast the virtues of experience into his philosophical doctrine of Pragmatism.

William James defined experience in the context of outcomes and based his philosophy of pragmatism on that doctrine. He stated,

“The pragmatic method is primarily a method of settling metaphysical disputes that otherwise might be interminable……..The pragmatic method in such cases is to try to interpret each notion by tracing its respective practical consequences. What difference would it practically make to any one if this notion rather than that notion were true? If no practical difference whatever can be traced, then the alternatives mean practically the same thing, and all dispute is idle. Whenever a dispute is serious, we ought to be able to show some practical difference that must follow from one side or the other’s being right.”

This statement of experience has serious ramifications for Christian theism. The discussion of God and His existence is a metaphysical question. Does He exist or not? No matter! What are the consequences of the belief or disbelief? Whether God actually exist in reality and only in a proposition, is irrelevant, according to James, to the outcome of the concept of the existence or non-existence of God. As James said, “What, in short, is the truth’s cash-value in experiential terms”.

James states his ultimate test of truth thusly,

“To agree in the widest sense with a reality can only mean to be guided either straight up to it or into its surroundings, or to be put into such working touch with it as to handle either it or something connected with it better than if we disagreed. Better either intellectually or practically .... Any idea that helps us to deal, whether practically or intellectually, with either the reality or its belongings, that doesn’t entangle our progress in frustrations, that fits, in fact, and adapts our life to the reality’s whole setting, will agree sufficiently to meet the requirement. It will be true of that reality.”

Experience as a measure of truth has not been just for the philosophers and psychologists. Many people measure truth for their lives in terms of the outcomes of their experience. If life has gone well for them, if their experiences have wrought happiness, prosperity, and contentment, if their status among their friends and community is one of recognition and privilege, many people see these consequences of their experience as confirmation that their lives must be in tune with the Will and Ways of God. But, is that necessarily so? William James would say “Yes, if you want to believe in God and he would say “no, if you do not want to believe in God.” When experience becomes the measure of your metaphysical concerns, you have abandoned all hope for absolute truth and reduced the foundations of your faith or the lack of it to relative consistency adapting to the unrelenting flow of life’s changing circumstances.

Here, then, is an assignment that is necessary before we continue to develop “experience” as the foundation belief for Carl Rogers’ psychotherapy. But, first, let me stress that like Williams James’ philosophical commitment to experience as the measure of truth, Carl Rogers’ is no less so in his psychological commitment. Rogers stated in his book ‘On Becoming a Person”,

“Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience”.

 So, the assignment: research in the Old Testament and New Testament direct statements of God and God’s representatives indicating the place of experience in the development of the individual and Biblically recorded experiences of individuals that illustrate the place of experience in the development of the individual.

To properly place in context the teaching of others, particularly Carl Rogers, concerning the efficacy of experience, we must be certain that we know what is revealed either by direct statement or by examples of experience in the lives of individuals mentioned in the Bible. With that information in mind we will be better prepared to understand and sift the foundation notion underlying Carl Rogers’ system of psychotherapy.

Knowing that you will complete the assignment fully, we will proceed with additional information pertaining to beliefs and practice of Carl Rogers.

In returning to the place of experience in the thought of Carl Rogers, we will quote again from his work, ‘On Becoming a Person”,

“No other person's ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience.”

This statement clearly cuts the connection of intellectual activities of the mind from experience. Accept experience; do not question its implications, do not analyze it. With this view and appreciation of experience we eliminate from the picture every thing that is distinctively and uniquely human, our intellect. Whatever may be thought, the dictates of experience supervenes all other considerations for Carl Rogers.

Furthermore, although (and perhaps because) the intellectual powers of the mind are cut from the meaning of experience, Rogers, nevertheless, finds it necessary to keep returning to experience to gain further insight into himself and his development. He continues in his book, “On Becoming a Person”,

“It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me.”

And he is certain that only experience is a worthy influence and guide to becoming the person he can be. He wrote,

“Neither the Bible nor the prophets -- neither Freud nor research --neither the revelations of God nor man -- can take precedence over my own direct experience.”

Rogers makes a statement concerning the authority of experience that will raise the eyebrows of any person who is seeking stability, consistency, and certainty for his/her life. He wrote,

“My experience is not authoritative because it is infallible. It is the basis of authority because it can always be checked in new primary ways. In this way its frequent error or fallibility is always open to correction."

Translating that statement into a basis for life and for psychological counseling, an individual whether a counselee or not can only correct his/her life by experiences  – separated from the individual’s own intellect and from any other authority, divine or secular – that are, in fact, the root of the individuals or counselee’s problems in the first place. The turbulence that is inevitable when the cure (experience) is proffered by the cause (experience) of the distress and disease dooms the individual to a downward spiral of hopelessness.

In the next issue, we will continue with Carl Rogers into his principles of therapy and client-counselor relationship.

For an additional assignment to the assignment above pertaining to your research of the Old Testament and New Testament for the place of experience in God’s provisions for mankind, as a counselor, either a full time counselor or minister who counsels, consider how you have handled the question of experience as a source of remedies and solutions to any individual’s concerns whom you have counseled. Question your basis of dealing with experience as a factor of or, as the case may be, the totality of your approach to the root of the counselee’s concern.        Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

Issue 4 April 2009 WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY

                                                                              Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009 

                                     Theological University of America http://www.theologicaluofa.com

In this issue, I want to begin with a few comments on female slaves and freedwomen, two of the three classes assigned to women in the Roman society.

The sources for women slaves in ancient Rome were the same sources for women slaves throughout the ancient world:

Women and children captured in warfare or on the high seas by pirates and retained or sold as slaves;

Female children sold into slavery by their parents;

Female children and adults taken into slavery because of unpaid debts of their families;

Female children born to slaves;

Female babies rescued from exposure and reared as slaves;

The duties of a female slave could be whatever her master required, from household chores to economic services to public participation to personal submissions. The female slave in Rome had no rights, no privileges, only what her master allowed her. She could not marry and when she did conceive and bear children they were slaves and were often separated from her. Her life was at the pleasure of her master who could terminate her life at any time without legal recrimination.

When the Roman Republic passed into the Roman Empire, no immediate change in the status for female slaves was inaugurated, although, later, subsequent Emperors attempted to ameliorate the lives of all slaves, male and female.

The best hope for freedom by any slave was to be emancipated by his/her owner. When this did happen the slave entered the legally recognized class as “freedman” or “freedwoman” and since women entered that class, we should make some note of it.

The word used to refer to the freeing of the Roman slaves is manumission. There are some characteristics of manumission that applied to both female and male slaves and some characteristics that applied only to one or the other of the genders.

Applying to both slave genders is the type of manumission under which freedom was granted- formal or informal manumission.

Formal manumission followed a process that involved the courts and when completed granted the slave freedom and Roman citizenship without the privilege of holding public office, although any children born to the slave manumitted by formal manumission had full Roman citizenship including the right to hold office.

Informal manumission did not grant Roman citizenship. Although the slave freed through informal manumission could accrue wealth and property, at the death of the freed slave, the wealth and property reverted to his/her former master.

Minimum conditions were set for manumission, among them was the necessity of the freed slaves to maintain themselves economically. Some slaves were given a portion of land to till, others were given jobs or ownership of small shops and services. In Roman society, a freedwoman would need a man to meet these conditions of freedom. Undoubtedly, the relation between the man and woman would at the least be an accommodation to satisfy the condition of freedom, personal feelings aside.

There is so much more to be said about the classes of persons in ancient Roman society and I can only touch on the subject for the purposes of this study. So, knowing that we are leaving much behind, but perhaps having introduced the subject sufficiently to gain an idea of the circumstances of women in their respective classes, we should now move onto women in the service of Roman religion.

At the outset of our study of women in Roman religion, we should take a few moments to discuss ancient Roman religion. As with many ancient religions, the impetus to the development of religious activities is the confrontation by the human race with the forces of nature about them and what to do about them. Without revelation or scientific verification, the human race is left to its own devices to make sense out of the world in which it lives. While there is regularity in nature, there is also capriciousness in nature; while there is dependability in nature, there is also unpredictability in nature. In a pre-scientific age with no special revelation from God, among the first questions that would arise would be “How does a person deal with the lack of consistency that nature demonstrates? How does a person order his/her life in a natural environment where order of life is challenged by randomness?” Given limited knowledge, resources, and no specific revelation from God, a person makes a deal with the forces of nature. But, first a person must personalize these forces so as to be able to communicate with them. The personalization of these forces comes to be the paganization of these forces. In other words, these natural forces are given personality as living entities commensurate with the powers and behaviors of their nature. Now, in the mind of the ancient and primitive people, a rapport of sorts can be established between them and the forces of nature denominated by names and personality. And this is the situation when we begin our study of ancient Roman religion.

Roman religion is a study of human adaptation to natural forces of the known and the unknown, the expected and the unexpected, the benevolent and the malevolent, an adaptation that ranged from the least manifestation of the forces of nature to the greatest. There is no exact time line as to the religious adaptation the Romans began to devise to accommodate the variety of natural forces which they faced. Some of their adaptations were inherited from the Etruscans and other sources in the peninsula of Italy, some imported from around the Mediterranean, some with sources rooted in a mythological past. So, rather than try to delineate an accurate time of the various accommodations the Romans devised for understanding and dealing with the natural forces, we will present the generally accepted categories of Roman religion.

At the least level of accommodation, the Romans came to realize that practically everything, animate or inanimate, possessed a spiritual reality. In order to navigate through life in a world replete with seen and unseen spirits abiding in every known element of the seen and unseen world, the Roman had to find ways of placating and satisfying those spirits. In view of the fact that life was essentially rural in the misty beginnings of Roman history and Roman religion, it is not a surprise that the Romans came to terms with spirits living in the plenitude of nature involved in rural life. Thus, the Romans had to accommodate the spirits of the home and the field.

In the home, a plethora of spirits required the solemn attention of the family. At this point, to avoid turning this issue into a history and characterization of Roman religion, I will mention the types of spirits that clustered in the home and with which the Roman family had to make an accommodation. The assignment is that you research each of the types of the spirits mentioned here and include your information with the information in this issue. Here are a few and more important of the types of spirits of the Roman home:

Manes

Lares

Penates

Genius

Larvae

Lemurs

Outside the home into the agricultural fields of the family, the Roman farmer encountered many spirits and gods. As certain rites developed in the home to placate and satisfy the various spirits of the home, so many festivals developed to placate and satisfy the gods of the field, vine, and agriculture generally. Again, it would not serve our purpose to detail these spirits and gods nor to elaborate on the festivals. Here, again, is an assignment for your research. I will mention a few important festivals without elaboration and a few gods associated with the festivals. The assignment is for you to do a thorough research of the spirits and gods of the fields and the festivals associated with placating and satisfying them.

Major Agricultural Festivals:

Liberalia

Fordicia

Parilia

Cerealia

Vinalia rustica

Floralia

Ambarvalia

Meditrinalia

Saturnalia

Gods placated and satisfied by the festivals:

Liber

Tellus

Ceres

Flora

Meditrina

Saturn

As some rural areas became more densely populated, the need for social and political organization arose and with that came the need for governmental functions and laws regulating society and civic life. Among the most important functions of these new governments was that of maintaining the proper relationship with the gods. Although the names of the state gods were different and their powers more extensive, by nature they were only elaborated, sophisticated forms of the primitive spirits honored in the primitive homes and fields of the primitive Romans, meaning their dispositions were whimsical, self-centered, and self-serving.

The official religion of the state was a highly ritualized set of formulas and acts necessary to implore the beneficent blessings of the state gods. Worship in any sense of devotion and adoration as in Christianity was not an impediment to a proper relationship with the gods of the state, but it was in no sense a prerequisite to the proper relationship with the gods of the state.

The formulas and acts were carefully constructed to address every anticipated expectation of the god being addressed as well as possible expectations that the god may want at the  time but never before indicated was necessary for his/pleasure and satisfaction. Every thing was spelled out with no deletion for any reason during the performance of the rite. Because of the strict requirement of detail the Romans knew they must have a specialized priesthood whose responsibility was to know, supervise, and perform the ordinances of the state religion. Thus, the Romans elaborated a hierarchy of priesthoods each dedicated to a god and his/her expectations. It is important to our discussion to mention a few of them, not in anyway exhaustive, but illustrative of the extreme care the priesthoods demonstrated in their duties.

State priests and priesthoods were organized into “colleges” of priests. Each “college” had various qualifications for membership and various duties to perform. In the case of the College of Pontiffs there were both priests and members who were not priests who performed sacred and essential religious function for the state. The list is rather long and the detail is extensive. It will not contribute to the fabric of this issue and series of issues on women in Roman religion to include a discussion of them all. I will, instead, make an assignment regarding the “colleges of priests” and ask you to do the research. As we discuss women in Roman religion in this issue and the next, I will refer to various ones of these colleges with the confidence that you have carefully researched each of them, having become very conversant with each.

College of Pontiffs (In this college please give particular attention to the Pontifex Maximus and Rex Sacrorum and Flamines Maiores and Flamines Minores

Vestal Virgins (of great importance to Rome and to our study)

College of Augurs

College of Fetiales

The Haruspices

The Triumviri Epulones

The Sodales

Fratres Arvales

Duoviri sacris faciunis and the Sybylline Books

Cult of the Emperor

In the course of Roman history attitudes toward religion were expansive, allowing almost any foreign god admittance to the Roman pantheon. Early in Roman history, for example, the influence of the presence of Greek gods is evident. As Roman circled in conquest around the Mediterranean, other gods were elevated to the Roman pantheon. But, a time came toward the end of the Roman republic when gods of mystery religions were not so welcomed because the secrecy of their rites countered the Roman instinct for openness and control. Another assignment in this issue is to trace the development of the Roman pantheon from early republic times until the demise of the republic.

And, last for this issue, is one more assignment. Considering that Roman society was from its foundation a patriarchy, why are there so many important goddesses? And why were the Vestal Virgins so important and completely indispensible?

You have much to do in assignments from this issue. If time could be taken to discuss all of these matters pertaining to Roman religion, we would do it. Albeit each of the research topics is very important, they are well within your grasp and by your doing the research, you will have the background you need for the concluding issue next month on women in Roman religion. Then, we may spend a couple of issues on Egyptian women in religion. After that, we will go back to the Bible and history to compare women in the religion of the Jews with the women in the other religions we have discussed in the past few issues.

I would suggest that you begin to review the earlier issues in which we discussed women in the non-biblical religions we discussed.                                         Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

Issue 4 April 2009       GREEK        Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                         Theological University of America  http://www.theologicaluofa.com

Last issue we were working our way into participles. The last thing on the lesson of last issue was a little Greek to translate with a number of participles. How did you do with them? Don’t worry. If you didn’t get it right yet, keep working on it. We will soon review in our study of participles everything you will need to know to translate it.

In this issue, we plunge right along into participles. We raised the question of the article with the participle but did not answer it. The bit of Greek to translate at the end of the last issue included three participles with articles. Take a look at the end of the last issue.

Let’s take a look at an English example or two before going to the Greek participle with an article.

First, just this simple phrase: running horse

Next, just this simple phrase: a running horse

Last, just this simple phrase: the running horse

No big deal, is it? You talk this way all the time.

Ok, in English again: the believing man.

Simple, simple, simple. Preachers, teachers, and ordinary Christians say that phrase with no trouble.

Ok, in Greek:  Jo pisteuwn  [anqrwpo~    The believing man

That Greek construction means the same thing as our English construction. Really very simple, isn’t it.

Let’s change up the English a bit. Suppose we are talking about a man who is talking with other men and we want to point out that particular man. If we know he is a believer among non-believers, we might say, “the one believing” or “the man who believes”. Without splitting hairs, we can say that those two statements in English mean the same thing.

Ok, go to Greek. Jo pisteuwn  [anqrwpo~

It means the same thing as “the one believing” or “the one who believes”

Let’s practice a few participial forms in English and translate them into Greek present active participle in nominative masculine singular:

The one preaching

The one knowing

The one buying

As you have translated these English examples they are all in the nominative case. Here is a mini assignment for right now before you go any farther. Take each of those Greek phrases and translate them into each of the cases, singular and plural with the proper articles. I will give you an example to get started:

Genitive Singular – English (obviously) of the one preaching

Genitive Singular – Greek (hopefully obviously) tou khrussonto~

Now that you have completed this mini assignment, we want to introduce a couple of old friends to the family of participles. You remember our old friends “middle” and “passive” voices, don’t you? If not, please take time now – second mini assignment – to refresh your memory on those old friends, either by looking at earlier issues here or referring to a textbook. If all that fails, we will be showing participial declensions in the middle and passive that will stir your memory, I am sure.

Let’s get some mechanics down for the present middle participle: what does a present middle participle look like? Well, we are about to find out in all its declensional glory. To the surprise of no one we will start with the nominative case and work our way down to the accusative case, both singular and plural. Keep in mind, that the endings for the middle and passive participles are also old chums. So, no worry.

We’ll continue to use luw for our example. So, here goes – the present middle/passive forms:

Singular

Nominative luomeno~

Genitive luomenou

Ablative luomenou

Locative luomenw/

Instrumental luomenw/

Dative luomenw/

Accusative luomenon

Plural

Nominative luomenoi

Genitive luomenwn

Ablative luomenwn

Locative luomenoi~

Instrumental luomenoi~

Dative luomenoi~

Accusative luomenou~

Are we dealing with identical twins? The present middle participle and the present passive participle look exactly alike. But, boy, do they do different things. And that means we have to know the context to know if we are dealing with middle or passive. It is not difficult, because a normal sentence will sound pretty weird if you mix up the two participial voices. We will have some sentences to work on coming up.

Right now, we’ll mess around with some simple verbs which you will convert to present active and middle/ passive forms and decline them, singular and plural, in the masculine gender with the article proper to each case. Then, a moment for you to shine – translate them. After you translate them we will combine Greek participles as part of a sentence with English as the rest of the sentence. Why? To get a good sense of how the Greek participial phrases fit into an English sentence. After all, that is our ultimate goal – translate Greek into English.

So, first – 5 Greek verbs that you will convert to present active and middle, passive form which you will decline throughout all cases, singular and plural, with the proper article for each case. Oh! Just do the masculine gender in all these exercises for right now.

Pempw

lambanw

didaskw

speirw

egeirw

Now the participle in Greek and the other parts of the sentence in English. We start with the singular of the participle. After you have done these participles in the masculine singular; rewrite these sentences and put them in the masculine plural. Do all sentences in the active and middle/passive forms with the article proper to each case.

Jo pisteuwn  is baptized.

I listened tw/ didaskonti/.

The labor tou speirontou requires much endurance.

The Lord withdrew tou legontou.

Jesus saves ton the one obeying.

Good! Very good! With that little exercise behind you, I am giving you an assignment in the Greek text itself.  Break out your New Testament Greek text. Pick out some chapters of Paul’s letters and search them for present participial active, middle, and passive forms. Make note of their cases and how they function in the sentence and, of course, translate them. I think if you can find 25 participials that will be ok. If you really want to take after it, go for 40. That should keep you in the Word for a while.

Next issue, we will continue with participials. Please study each issue on participials thoroughly and do all the assignments.                                                                                     Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

 

Issue 4 April 2009               HEBREW                                  Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                     Theological University of America http://www.theologicaluofa.com

Welcome back to Hebrew!

If you take a look at the close of the last issue of Hebrew you will see that we  closed with a peek at the Hebrew article. Why not take a moment to re-read the information in the previous issue on the Hebrew article because we are going a little farther into the Hebrew article in this lesson.

One of our “games” last issue was to observe the Hebrew article when it was used with various Hebrew nouns. You probably noticed that the vowel under the Hebrew article changed to accommodate different noun spellings.  Hopefully, you also noticed the dagash in some of the consonants following the h article.

What follows are the many faces of the Hebrew article. It is ok to have a favorite; but we need to make friends with all of them. Here’s what we will do. First, I will list the Hebrew article in its many faces, then, the initial noun consonant that determines the way the Hebrew article looks. And don’t forget the dagash. Now you see it; now you don’t, depending on the kind of consonant that follows the article and begins the noun.

The “faces” of the Hebrew article.

h¾

h,

h;

The “face” of the Hebrew article in various circumstances:

h¾

When a Hebrew noun begins with an ordinary consonant a dagash follows the h and is placed in the first letter of the noun. For example, sWSh'

Now, you will see the h' without the following dagash in the first letter of the consonant. That happens when the h' precedes either h or j

 

But wait! There are other ways the h¾ relates to a noun beginning with h or j

 

h;

 

When h is the first letter of a noun with the qamas vowel and has an accent, the article form is h;, for example, rh&;h;

When a r [ are the first letters of nouns the article form is h;

h,

Now we come to the article form h, This form precedes nouns which begin with

h; j; j} [; with these conditions:

When the article precedes an unaccented h; [; the article form is h,

When the article precedes an unaccented or accented j; the article form is h,

When the article precedes jÕ the article form is h,

It is clear that this information about the Hebrew article can become confusing. The best way to learn this is by observing the various article formations with actual Hebrew nouns associated with each of the various Hebrew article forms. So, I will list a few words here that will give you an opportunity to practice the various Hebrew article forms with the pertinent consonant of the nouns.

÷b²a²

Vyai

vaOr

lg<r<

rd,[¾

÷yi['i

ds,j,

br,j,

rh;

dwOh;

rd;h;

rp;[;

sm;j;

ylij}

We will stop the study of this issue at this point. However, it is important that you study carefully the article, its forms, and the effect of various nouns on the article.

I have listed 14 nouns that you can use right away to practice articles and nouns together. In addition to those nouns, you should select at least 14 more Hebrew nouns to combine with the correct form of the article. Please combine this issue with the previous issue in your study of articles and nouns.            Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

 

Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren

                                                                Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

                                     Theological University of America  http://www.theologicaluofa.com

Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                                “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194

Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111
                          "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c

Dr. Daniel H. King Sr:

Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom

We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm

At the Feet of the Master Teacher

Commentary on the Gospel of John

Commentary on the Epistles of John

Commentary on the Book of Hebrews

The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness?

Ezekiel

all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books

Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:  
                                                                    www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens"

Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                                                                 Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                                                                      God's Way to Right Living
In the Beginning (Genesis)
Letters To Young Preachers
Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord
Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians
That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude)
The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles
The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges)

Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/

Teresa Hampton
The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.co 

Leading Ladies 

Come to the Garden

The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/

Illuminating Shadows
Jesus and His Relationship with Women
Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author)

Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2   

BLOGS
James Chaisson Blog Learn New Testament Greek - http://www.learnntgreek.org/index.php
An excellent blog for discussion, study, and research. Brother Chaisson is  doing a fine work.

RESOURCES
Lewis A. Armstrong Christian Resources - http://www.christianresources.i8.com 
Christian resources for all your church of Christ related resources for online research. This site supports the needs of the brotherhood for easily finding internet resources.
Brother Armstrong is for former librarian for the Libraries and Archives for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.

                                            Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information

Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.

                                          Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                              Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring.

Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.

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INTRODUCING  NEWSLETTER EVANGELISM BY GLENN DAVIS 

Introduction to Newsletter Evangelism

 

         How many of us remember the 1950's and 60's and all the evangelism and growth going on then?  Today most congregations are declining and going out of existence!  The Christian Chronicle recently did a series of articles under the title of “Are We Growing?”   A summary of the series concluded that for the most part, we are not growing!  That means precious souls are being lost on a daily basis and congregations are being lost on a yearly basis. 

         It doesn’t have to be this way.  I personally use an extremely effective form of evangelism that will work for any person or congregation that uses it.  If every congregation in the brotherhood used it, we would become the fastest growing church on the planet.

         What is this method?  I call it newsletter evangelism.  It involves passing out a series of about 25 different newsletters to homes in your area by church members who volunteer to have “paper-routes” of the size of their choosing, for about a 3 month period.  After passing out the series of newsletters, members then go into the community and meet these fine people, which becomes an enjoyable, warm, welcoming experience.

         By first distributing these newsletters over a short period of time, people get to know of the congregation through these newsletters and form a very favorable impression of the church through the newsletters.  When someone finally shows up to their home, they will find that these neighbors have already welcomed your congregation into their homes many times over and have enjoyed your company while not yet having met one of your members.

         The church is transformed from a group in the community that didn’t have much of a favorable rating to a group that now has about a 90% favorable rating, thanks to the newsletters.  When follow-up work is then done, it is done in a very enjoyable environment, rather than a more hostile, unpleasant one.  This makes personal evangelism a successful and fun experience.

         No one enjoys doing things that they are not successful at and is not fun to do.  After using this approach prior to starting any evangelism effort, success and fun can once again be a part of personal evangelism in each and every congregation!

         ContactGlenn Davis and he can give you more details on how you can get started doing newsletter evangelism.  It is now being taught at major preaching schools and bible colleges and universities.  You, too, can benefit from this wonderful approach to personal evangelism.                                                           Telephone:  (714) 523-2435
Email:  newsletterevangelism@yahoo.com

                                                                    Return to Vol. 2 Issue 4 April 2009

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Volume I - 2008

I 1 - 2008

Issue 2 - 2008

Issue 3 - 2008

Issue 4 - 2008

Issue 5 - 2008

Issue 6 - 2008

Issue 7 - 2008

Issue 8 - 2008

NNEW TO YOUR JOURNAL: A BLOG!!! Its formal title is TUAfrsj. That stands for Theological University of America    Free Religious Study Journal.  You will find a link to your Blog after each study topic of each issue. While your thoughts are on the subject you may want to share some comments and ideas or you may want to return to the Blog later after you have had an opportunity consider your views. In any event, please participate in the blogging related to the studies of each issue. We will all benefit from your contributions. Thanks, Jim         BLOG:/span>  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.co

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                                              The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 2     *Copyright 2008                     Theological University of America     425 Second Street S.E.     Suite 610     Cedar Rapids, IA 52501

THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL   Church History                                                                                                      Colossians Counseling (Christian) Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew Please scroll down to see all the topics’ materials Welcome To Your Free Religious Study Journal I am very happy to visit you again this month. Before we proceed, I want to mention to you who may be receiving the Free Religious Study Journal for the first time today that you are receiving the second issue of the Journal. If you would like to have the first issue of the Journal, please let me know at admin@theologicaluofa.com. There are a number of possible reasons you are receiving issue 2 first, but the most likely one is that there was not a proper connection with your computer at the time we sent issue 1 of the Journal. I apologize for your inconvenience. We continue in our studies begun last month and add the beginnings of our Greek and Hebrew studies. Your Free Religious Study Journal has many possibilities for use. Of course, there is the personal use that each of us can make in our private study time. But, your Free Religious Study Journal fits well with small study groups. Many of you may meet weekly with your friends for study of the Bible or of an important related topic. Your Free Religious Study Journal could be the resource that provides a systematic guide and stimulus for your study group. We will be most pleased to send the Journal to anyone in your group or to anyone whose e-mail address you provide us. They will receive the Journal each month, providing fresh and interesting material for study and meditation. A new feature will be included in your Free Religious Study Journal beginning next month. We will ask a brother or sister in Christ to share some things about his/her Christian life and service. It will be inspiring and informative to learn what others in Christ are doing to magnify and glorify His Holy Name. Please let us hear from you. Your comments about the Journal will be greatly appreciated. If you believe the Journal would help others in their study, please either forward to them a copy of your Journal each month or send us their e-mail addresses and we will send them a copy each month. Please use the following e-mail address for your comments and information:   admin@theologicaluofa.com God bless you, Jim Benton CHURCH HISTORY OK! We are ready for our second round of church history. I hope you had an opportunity to dig into the suggestions of last month’s church history section. If so, why not take a few moments right now to review that information. This month, we want to go a little farther in setting the stage for the beginning and expansion of church in history.  We will also anticipate some important political and theological figures as well as a few really early important issues that confronted the church in the early centuries. But, first, I want to put this question before you: what is the Jewish Diaspora and what importance did it have both for the Jews and the young church? The idea and reality of the Diaspora covers a very large period, but, for our purposes, let’s think of its meaning and impact during the intertestamental period and the early centuries of the church. History in the intertestamental period was always seething, very often boiling over into mortal conflict with various players involved. You might ask yourself questions as follows: What is the Diaspora? When did it begin and why? Who were the main parties to the conditions prompting the Diaspora? What effects did the Diaspora have on the Jews and the Christians, particularly Christian evangelists? To what extent geographically did the Diaspora take root? For Christians, was the Diaspora a positive or negative reality or was it a mixed blessing? On the very day of the beginning of the church in Acts 2, there is a passage of scripture that was historically true probably because of the Diaspora. Can you identify that scripture? What about that scripture that has the earmarks of the Diaspora? By the way, can you locate in your mind’s eye the various nations, regions, and peoples mentioned in that passage of scripture? If not, why not clear that up this month and have a really good idea of their geographical locations. Let’s take a turn here and mention some important Roman Emperors. I don’t want to turn this into a study of the History of the Roman Empire (that would be a worthy study and if enough of you indicated by e-mail that you would like to plow that field for a while, we will begin a study in the History of the Roman Empire as soon as we complete one of the studies we are doing now.) but we must have some inkling of the movement of the Roman Empire in history as it effects the church. You spent some time with Augustus in the first church history issue. He expired in 14AD and Tiberius became emperor. After a few emperors well known to you, future emperors Vespasian and Titus came upon the scene and for Christians and Jews Vespasian and Titus have an important role in religious history. Gather up all the information you can about Vespasian and Titus as relates to the Jews and Christians. A third emperor I want to mention lived quite a ways down the stream of time – Emperor Diocletian. I will give you this about him – there was persecution afoot for the Christians. But, he did something else with the empire that would have a lasting effect not only on the history of the empire, but most certainly on the history of the church. Exactly what was that? What was the long term fall out from his action regarding the empire? A fourth emperor that is worthy of attention is Constantine the Great. You just have to know that with the title “the Great” that he did something the Christians of the time really, really appreciated. What other reason would he come down in church history as Great? So, what did he do and what was the fall out of it all. Very interesting study with very large ramifications for centuries to come after him. We’ll stop right there with the emperors. More to come, but with your already busy ministry schedule, the others can wait. Now, for some issues. Just a few now. Like the emperors, we’ll add a few more over time. Gnosticism Marcionism Arianism  Finally, a few geographical spots to locate with some attention to their history prior to the coming of the church and afterwards. Many more spots to come as we progress. But for now, here we go: Arabia Syria Parthia Armenia Pontus Bithynia Cappadocia Galatia Thrace Macedonia  Keep in mind this is not geography for geography sake, although that probably is a good enough reason to ponder these locations. Primarily, we want to see how they fit in the unfolding of church history. That is it for this time. Farewell and God’s speed until next time. God bless! BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com   \ COLOSSIANS Do you remember your years in grade school? I have a rather hazy blur of those years with a few highlights that remain clear, even vivid in one or two instances. How to write a letter was one of the early lessons I have found useful down through the years. Remember that lesson? Among the basics of a letter, we learned to include a salutation, the body of the letter, and a complimentary close. But, it got more complicated with each new year in grade school. Somewhere along the way, we learned that a paragraph is a complete thought with a topic embedded in it as the central reason for the paragraph. Then, the high tech elements began to demand attention. For example, if I had more than one paragraph, I should indent each paragraph and that each paragraph should logically relate to the previous paragraph and the subsequent paragraph (now the teacher didn’t use that kind of language then – gratefully). And on it went. I thought at the time that a letter must be an endless procession of interconnections leading to a conclusion supporting a purpose or two. And that is about right! What we have in Colossians is a letter. It too has form and a purpose or purposes and it is written according to accepted procedures of the time. The first research project for this issue on Colossians is to study the form of letters in the first century. There is an abundance of research materials on the topic and you should be able to find useful information in your personal library and the internet. If you don’t have these resources available to you, take a look at Amazon.com and consider buying a book or two on the topic.  Now, having spent some time on researching the word “letter” (you may need to use the word “epistle” in your search machines or when looking in the index of books you have available.  No surprise here – epistle is from the Greek word we translate as letter. The word “epistle” is a transliteration, not a translation.), take the information you have turned up and apply it to the letter of Paul to the Colossians. What do you see there? Any salutation? How about a body? Any concluding remarks and complimentary close?  Any surprises that don’t fit with what you learned about letters written in the first century?  What do you make of the surprises? How do they fit?  You’re doing great! With that little project behind you, go back to the beginning of the epistle. Assuming you have identified a salutation, body, and complimentary close (if they are there. Are they?), this is the time to look for the broad topics that Paul has weaved into his epistle.  What are they? State them clearly to your self. Actually, you might write them down and use them for central thoughts from which to clarify and relate all the elements of the body of his letter. Right here, I want to suggest a method of gaining understanding of the structure, message, and purpose of an epistle which also applies to our study on Colossians. It is “discourse analysis”. Again, back to the research mode. What does “discourse analysis” mean? What does it do and how does that help us get a grip on Colossians? A good little exercise for us is to learn what we can over the next month and apply this method to Colossians before we meet again in the next issue of the Journal. If you haven’t run across this method before, it could be eye-popping or, on the other hand, it may leave you non-plussed. In any event, it is highly acclaimed by some and worth our time to study it. Yes, we will look at other approaches to gaining an understanding of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. We are not quite through yet. A little theological question – what is meant by “Christ” as it applies to Jesus? What light is shed on your answer by a study of relevant passages in the OT and in Jewish thought of the time? Take a long look at the New Testament uses of Christ, compare them with the related information you found in the OT and in Jewish contemporary thought. Think about the “Christ”-“Messiah” connection in the scripture. Just how important is having a scriptural understanding of “Christ” and ”Messiah”?  Why would anyone (Jews, Muslims, etc.) oppose the use of the words “Christ” and “Messiah” when referring to Jesus? Now that is really important in our current world situation!  OK. We have come to the conclusion of issue 2 on Colossians. But, just this last concern – did you read Colossian three times since last month? Bravo to you who did!   See you next time. CHRISTIAN COUNSELING  Here we are again! Back on Christian counseling. Welcome! Happy to see you!  Just how weighty is the responsibility of the Christian counselor? Think about that for awhile and write down your thoughts as they become clear to you.  Part of the answer to that is that some person has come to you as a resource and guide to help him/her through a serious problem as he/she perceives it.  First, we want to think about the person; second, we want to think about the counselor; third, we want to think about the transaction between the person and the counselor.  First, the person – Beverly comes to your office at the appointed time. You know nothing about her in any personal sense. You have never seen her before and, as far as you know, you know no one who knows her.  At this point, you have no idea why she is coming to see you except for your counseling service. All you know is that she made an appointment to see you on a given day and time and she has arrived.  But are you really that ignorant of the person who has come to see you?  Let’s set up two hypothetical situations to indicate an answer to that question.  The first hypothetical situation – from your state university you completed your Master’s degree in psychotherapy with a distinct Rogerian flavor (if you are not aware of Carl Rogers, now is the time to take a break and do a little research. Try the internet. You probably can get enough information to give you the basic premises. Or try an encyclopedia. But, get some info on Rogers! Ok?)  Now, that you have a smattering of Rogerian psychotherapy, what basic assumptions will you make about a person from a Rogerian point of view whom you have never met who comes to you for counseling? Take a little time to think through this. Write down your thoughts as you brainstorm this question.  The thoughts you write down become the projections of fact by which you characterize this person who has come to see you.  What you know about that person is the projections you make from the premises of your Rogerian stipulations about human nature. You say to yourself, “I know this much about this woman” and you are referring to those projections based on the Rogerian point of view.  The second hypothetical situation - you completed your Master’s degree in Christian counseling from a Christian school known for strict respect for the Word of God as pre-eminent for good in all the affairs of mankind. Along with your major in Christian counseling, you completed a number of courses in Biblical Studies through which you learned of the creation of mankind in the image of God and of the eternal destiny of mankind.  You learned of man’s inherent dependency upon God and God’s love for mankind.  Now, with your understanding of the origin of mankind and God’s love for mankind, what basic assumptions will you make about a person whom you have never met who comes to you for counseling? Take a little time to think through this. Write down your thoughts as you brainstorm this question.  The thoughts you write down become the projections of fact by which you characterize this person who has come to see you.  What you know about that person is the projections you make from the premises of your religious understanding about human nature. You say to yourself, “I know this much about this woman” and you are referring to those projections drawn from the Word of God.  Now, compare the results of your Rogerian exercise with the use of the Word of God. Are they diametrically opposed? Do they support one another? Are there elements of each that function well with elements of the other?   Does it make any difference how you understand the human nature of Beverly? Does it make any difference whether you think of Beverly as the outcome of a long succession of evolutionary chemical reactions or a person whose original ancestors were especially created by God and for God? Detail your answers to each option and compare them. Draw conclusions as to the implications for your responsibility as a counselor from each option. Right here, it will be most beneficial to track down in the OT and NT statements and situations which light up the scriptural insights a Christian counselor should have in approaching and resolving counseling responsibilities. Record the citations. Read them several times. Meditate on their meaning that particularly relate to you as a counselor. Try to imagine their application in real life situations which you have already encountered or will encounter. Clearly, to gain the most from today’s discussion of Beverly and the two hypothetical situations of this issue reflection on the material presented is essential. Take time to think through every aspect of the material presented. If you have a study partner or partners, share your insights and thoughts with one another. It will help get to the deeper meanings if you have a study partner(s) in these sections on Christian counseling. Keep reading in books on Christian counseling and psychotherapy as well as secular psychotherapies and psychotherapists. We will cover the material as the months pass. Gaining a good background in these matters will make the studies in Christian Counseling in the Free Religious Study Journal more beneficial. Next month, we will take a little time to discuss the counselor in the area of responsibility as a counselor. Following that discussion, we will discuss the transaction. For a “kicker” at the end of this study, let’s begin a study of leading persons in psychotherapy and counseling psychology.  Unquestionably, you will disagree with much that you read. But, there is much, also, to be gained and used in a proper Christian counseling context. I mentioned Carl Rogers. Now, we will add Sigmund Freud. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of him?  Dig around and see what you come with in Freud’s career and influence. Look at it critically! What’s good? What’s bad? Apply your knowledge of scripture to your critique and evaluation of the information you are gaining? Sift it and determine if there is anything there that you as a Christian counselor can use. Until next time, God bless you! WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY Hello my dear friends, sisters, and brothers in Christ! Nice to visit with you again this month. Is there any subject concerning humans more ennobling and inspiring than studying the wonderful women of religious history? Even when you take into consideration the failures (we all make them folks; it is not gender driven.) the overwhelming positive and uplifting testimony of the lives of the women in religious history gives insights into what we all should be and can be. Clearly, from the scripture, the world was not complete without a woman. Recall the episodes in Genesis where Adam was naming all the animals and looking them over? Every thing was perfect; everything good, as God Himself had said. But, God wanted to make a very big, important point to Adam and all the rest of us – as perfect and good as His creation was, it was not complete! Something, someone was missing! Just imagine how Adam was feeling. Who did he talk to? Well, I have two pets (Boston Terriers) and you can only talk to animals for so long and not be considered a bit strange. Who did he spend time with? The animals had their own lives to live and there is no indication that any of them wanted to spend time with Adam. What was around among creation with which he could share his feelings and innermost thoughts? Narcissus in Greek mythology spent a lot of time looking at himself in water’s reflection and maybe Adam saw himself occasionally in the water that was around. And, if he did, he no doubt thought “am I the only one like me?” “Is there no one who thinks and feels and loves the way I do?” No there was not; not until God decided Adam had realized both his need and the importance of the solution God was about to prepare. Today, read and reflect upon the creation story in Genesis. I emphasize “creation” not the “fall” story. Much too often, the “fall” is the magnet that draws our thoughts to Eve. Sure, she sinned. So did Adam. In the big picture, sin has caught us all, male and female? Would the results would have been the same if Adam had sinned first and then Eve? I would rather us think about Eve as the first woman, the first wife, the first mother, the first person who probably took care of everyone when they were sick, hungry, or in some other kind of need. I often think of Abraham Lincoln’s statement, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother!” If you see a good mother as a good gift from God, then Abe’s statement is probably true. I feel quite confident that each of you located and studied in the Old Testament 20 women (that was the suggestion last month). Since I am confident of that, we will move on to this point: determine which of these women were mothers and which were not. When you have done that, study carefully their personal lives as women, then as wives or not, then as mothers or not, and then in every other capacity in which you find them busy and productive. Along with that study of the 20 women, include a few definite facts. Determine where they born and find the locations on a map. Who were their parents and what were their ethic origins and nationalities? Did they live in cities or in the countryside? What was their economic status in their society? What were the marriage customs in the regions or ethnic practices where the women were born and/or lived? What opportunities did religion and society allow for both married and unmarried women?  What specifically did these women do that would be the reason God included them in the Old Testament? When you read the Old Testament with an eye focused on women, do you notice whether or not the men in the Old Testament understood the importance of a woman’s enrichment of and contribution to life? The writer of Proverbs certainly got it right on the points he was making. But do you see other men in the Old Testament “getting it right” regarding the importance and contributions of women? One of the low points has to be the way Abraham treated his wife in Egypt. Anyone disagree? So, before next month, check out the attitudes and behaviors of men towards women in the Old Testament and compare them to the attitudes and behaviors God wanted men to have toward women. See any differences? If so, clearly spell them out and, using scripture (only Old Testament for right now; we want to stay in the time zone of the OT) make note of them. That may be just enough to do over the next month. You might consider taking notes from your study and organizing your notes so as to be usable in teaching others. By the end of our study on this subject, you will have covered an enormous amount of useful material. Take this opportunity to build up your “storehouse” of information on women in the history of religion. I want to part with this question. Do you have a copy of the apocrypha? If so, great. If not, please get a copy. Largely, it was written during the intertestamental period and often gives great insights into women and their lives of courage and sacrifice and service. See what you can come up with. Probably next month I will take a little space to make a few suggestions how we may benefit from studying the women in the time of the apocrypha. We will go from the OT times through the intertestamental times, to New Testament times and then on through history until our present time. Lots of good stuff ahead! God bless you and your family! GREEK Back to the trenches! To the basics! Where else but the fundamentals for a starting place! Accelerate – we will, but just in case the Greek in our brains is on a hiatus we will start at the “top left corner” as we say in music and, again in music, move “poco e poco” so as to” leave no Greek student behind! “ What is more basic than the alphabet? Not much, so we will start with it. The following is a diagram familiar to most of you. While it lacks a great deal in decor, its austere functionality is absolutely essential to even your first word in Greek. So, Behold! The Alphabet! NEW TESTAMENT GREEK ALPHABET (Please note that unless you have the Greek Symbol Font on your computer enabled, you may not be able to view the Greek letters. Go to your computer language preferences and select Greek.) A a alpha   I i iota   R r rho   B b veta   K k kappa   S s sigma   G g g-/yi-amma   L l lambda   T t tau   D d delta   M m mu   U u upsilon   E e epsilon   N n nu   F f phi   S V stigma   X x xi/ksi   C c khi   Z z zeta   O o omicron   Y y psi   H h eta/ita   P p pi   W w omega   Q q theta                                                    In case you can not get your computer to cooperate with you, just dig out your old beginning New Testament Greek book and look up the alphabet. You don’t know where your old grammar is? Well, try the internet. It has a plethora of sites offering New Testament Greek at every level of competence. Just pick the one that suits you.  No, we are not stopping with the alphabet in this issue. Remember, we are going after the basics. We are doing “two-a-days”. We are on a 20 mile march with our 60 pound packs on our backs (for my fellow veterans. Remember the fun?)  Enter mysterious big word – dipthong! (has nothing to do with the beach!) What is a dipthong and what is it in Greek? Well, that’s for you to know or find out! First assignment – do a little research, some review and identify the Greek dipthongs.  Acid test time: do you have a new testament text in Greek? You will need one, so, if you do not have one, pony up and buy one. You can get some good bargains at Amazon.com. I will assume that we all of us have a copy of the Greek New Testament.  Let’s pick a book in the New Testament. Gospel of John. Ever read it? It’s the fourth gospel in the NT. Ok, Ok, Ok! I am just kidding you.  Now here is the assignment for this month.  Begin with verse 1 Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John. From there we will work at the level of our current  Greek competence. Here goes:  If you have never had Greek, identify and pronounce every letter and dipthong that you find in the first 10 or so verses. (You will have to have done your research above in order to make this work. No short cuts!)  If you have had one year of Greek but are a bit uncertain about your present tenses, past tenses and aorist tenses especially when awash in the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative moods, don’t remember why one noun is first declension and another is second, why one is feminine and another masculine and another neuter, this tasty little exercise with stir your emotions and energize your resolve. Identify every part of speech for each word in each verse of thee first 10 or so verses. Identify the tenses and moods. Identify the nouns, their gender, number, case, and declension.  For one and all: time for nitty gritty:  Time to learn (review or re-learn) some Greek words. Since we have a whole month before we gather again, I don’t see why we should tremble before a vocabulary list of 30 words (like vitamins – one a day). Split your vocabulary list into teams – the verb team and the noun team. I don’t care which one you root for; you may even want to name them – verbs “the wildcats” – nouns “the razorbacks” (my favorite team) but put 15 words on each team.  Not that we should be accused of slacking off right at the beginning of our Greek venture, let’s add to the fun the identification of those neat endings that go on a verb stem that make it present tense, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, singular and plural persons. (We’re putting some “beef” on our verb team!) Now, the noun – do up the nouns in the first declension with the ending for each of their cases, singular and plural. You know that two systems are generally afloat in assigning cases and endings to nouns. One system has the following:  Nominative Genitive Dative Locative Instrumental Accusative Vocative  The other system is not so “wordy”; kinda “tight lipped”.  Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Vocative  We can live with either, but each has syntactical ramifications that we will get a handle on later on.  For now, if you have a favorite system, use it.  Let’s hang up the pads for this month. Keep at it every day. Greek today; Greek tomorrow; Greek forever!  God bless you!  HEBREW  Hello everyone! Welcome to this Hebrew study. This study is designed primarily for persons who have had at least one semester of Hebrew and who want to have a systematic review of the language. Now, if you have not had any Hebrew you can still learn quite a lot of Hebrew. You may have to dig a little deeper with a little more energy. But- you can do it. I suggest that you find some good internet sites for additional information on the basics and/or purchase a Hebrew textbook and possibly a CD. Along with what we present here, you should do very well.  The first bit of Hebrew you will see is the alphabet below. Doesn’t look much like English and it reads in the “wrong” direction – from right to left. With that in mind, start with the first letter and pronounce each letter all the way to the bottom left hand corner.  Practice in Hebrew is absolutely necessary not just for perfection but for any progress at all.   After you have pronounced your way through the alphabet a few times, take a pencil or pen in hand and practice writing the individual alphabetical letters. Don’t get discouraged. It’s not a beauty contest. It is ok to look a bit messy for awhile. Just keep practicing and you will soon become rather proud of your work. Those of you who have an artist “gene” should turn out some terrific lettering before you know it. You will notice under each letter a pronunciation aid. Do the best you can with getting the sound right. This is where a CD with the vocalization of the alphabet will be especially useful. Get one if possible and listen to it and practice pronouncing the letters as the CD does. Until then, do your best. You can always correct your vocalizations later. Also, the alphabet list below repeats some of the letters before going on to the next one. Kaf – Khaf; Mem-Mem; Nun-Nun; Pe-Fe (Phe); Tzade-Tzade. The difference occurs when the letter is at the beginning of the word and the end of the word.  For example, Kaf is used when it is the first letter in a word; Khaf is used when it is the last letter of a word. We will come back to this alphabetical usage later. For now, just practice writing the two forms of each letter.  Before passing on to another basic topic, I want to mention that all of the letters below are consonants.     All consonants? That’s right! Where are the vowels? That’s what we will discuss now. Let’s not complicate this discussion right now with an explanation about the development of vowels in Hebrew and the vowel system that is used in the early stages of learning the language. As you go along, you will be able to read Hebrew with only the consonants representing the words of the text. But, for now, we will stick with the vowel systems in common use. The vowels are indicated by signs below and above the letter.  We will illustrate the signs and the letters later.  Now, we just want to mention the names of the vowel signs. Do not worry about what they mean or do or where they fit on the letter. We will cover all that, too. But for right now, just acquaint yourself with the English spelling and pronunciation of them. I list them below without any indication of the nature and use of the vowels. Just the words for the sake of getting used to them. Pathah Hireq Qibbus Seghol Qames Sere Holem I want to throw into the mix for the sake of familiarization only the following vowel elements. Simple shewa Composite shewa (called a hateph in connection with certain vowel signs) You should be able to recall the meaning and usage of each. If not, go to the woodshed and refresh your memory. At this point I want to drop a few Hebrew words taken directly from various sections of Genesis 1.  You should have no trouble with these words if you have had at least one semester of Hebrew. And those of you who have not had any Hebrew will be able to figure them out by referring to the chart above. Now, you may not hit them right on the target, but just by trying, you will have made a start in your Hebrew. Congratulations! That will be great. Give it a go! אמֶר אֱלֹהִים בֹקֶר יוֹם קָרָא Enough for now on Hebrew words. Just a few to whet your interest and spark your linguistic curiosity and skill. Much more later, of course. Please keep in mind that this is a review for those who have had at least one semester in Hebrew and probably more. With that in mind, I want to jump ahead into the verb systems that we will also study as we proceed through this study. Again, the purpose is to refresh our minds with the names of the verb systems in Hebrew. You, no doubt, remember the following words in connection with verbs. Qal Niphal Piel Pual Hithpael Hiphil Hophal If you don’t recall the importance and meaning of each, dig up your old textbook or some other source and refresh your memory. Let’s take a break here. If you haven’t worked in Hebrew recently, you may want to have more time to review and practice the information above. If you can, study ahead in your Hebrew textbook.  Next time, we will work with vowels again and introduce ourselves to nouns and go further into the verbs. All of this should come back to you rather quickly. But, we are in no hurry. Best to get it right than to get it over with. I have enjoyed being with you today. God bless you in your ministry. Looking forward to seeing you next time.   IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address: admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others.   Thank you and God bless you!

 

 

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL          Please click HERE to return to Journal Issue Directory                                    The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 3     *Copyright 2008   All rights reserved                  Theological University of America     425 Second Street S.E.     Suite 610     Cedar Rapids, IA 52501

THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL    Please click HERE to go to exit at top of page  Welcome to your Free Religious Study Journal    Church History                                                                                                      Colossians Counseling (Christian) Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew   Please scroll down to see all the topics’ materials Welcome To Your Free Religious Study Journal                                                                                                 Return to Current Topics Greetings to each and all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father. May Their Names be praised now and forever among the saints in all we do and say! I have thought that access to your Free Religious Study Journal might be simpler for us and take up less space on our computers if I offered two approaches to accessing the Journal. 1. Provide in the e-mail that I send you a link to your Journal Directory which will show past and current issues of your Journal. You can click on the current issue and also review past issues listed in the directory. 2. Provide an attachment of the current issue of your Free Religious Study Journal. No doubt, you used one of those methods of accessing your Journal or you wouldn't be reading this. If you have any trouble with it, please let me know. Another aspect of this new approach is that it will be easier to send a copy of your Journal to others if you so choose. Now you can easily forward your new Journal issue each month without having to transfer a lot of printed matter in an open e-mail. A new and exciting feature I am adding to your Journal is an introductory page which gives us an opportunity to meet some of the outstanding brothers and sisters serving the Lord's church. We will have another brother or sister to introduce each month. The brother or sister who will be featured will send us information that he or she has assembled and that properly represents himself or herself and his or her service.  I am truly delighted to present to you in this issue Brother William Denton D.Min. Now, his last name and my last name spell similarly but not exactly as you will notice. I mention that so as to assure you that there is no nepotism at play here. We are completely unrelated in the physical realm but, I am most pleased to say, brothers in Christ. He is an outstanding servant of the Lord. I know you will be pleased to have this opportunity to meet him. CHURCH HISTORY                              Return to top       Return to Current Topics  Augustus Caesar said, “Make haste slowly!” That may be one reason he had a very long life as Princeps (look it up; what does it mean?) and Emperor. And that is good advice for us as we study church history. Over time, we will become acquainted with many new names and places, doctrines and practices, many of which have names and titles derived from Greek and Latin. As a matter of course, we will see that the two major divisions of the Roman Empire were designated the Latin Roman Empire and the Greek Roman Empire (i.e. the Byzantine Empire) and the Church in two major divisions as the Latin Church and the Greek Church (Byzantine Church). Clearly, there must be significance for church history for those distinctions both for the Empire and the Church. The temptation will no doubt be to visit these names, places, persons, practices, doctrines, etc. briefly and go on. But like all new words and nomenclatures, a little practice with them helps a lot. So, get in the habit of not only reading about each of these Greek and Latin word derivations, but practice saying them repeatedly and, further, rehearsing aloud the historical information you locate about them. Make them your own. At this point I want to stress the importance of women to both the Roman Republic and Empire and the Church. Our inclusion will not be as extensive as the presentation in the Women in Religious History section of the Journal. But, it is a serious mistake and one so often made not to include women who contributed to church history and secular history.  So, throughout this study, we will level the playing field as much as possible to include significant contributions by women who helped turn the pages of history in their times. Like men, some will inspire and like men, some will appall. But, their stories must be  told. To touch on this very point, I want to lift the veil of ancient history to a time in the 4th century BC to a woman named Olympias. Did she affect history as pertains to the church and Roman history as well as to the history of all the Mediterranean basin in ancient times? How could one women have such influence? I will give you a hint by quoting a well know aphorism “Who rocks the cradle rules the world”.  Ok, that is all you get for free. The rest of the story you have to dig out for yourselves. We’ll see how you dig  later. Lest we dash away from the women too soon, in a time a little closer to the major concerns of ancient church history, the second and first centuries BC of the Roman Republic were hotbeds of political intrigue and collusion. Amidst it all and with perhaps unquestioned influence was Cornelia whose sons were Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus.  Ok, that much is a freebee. You are on your own. Who was this woman and who were her sons and how does our aphorism above apply here? Very fascinating history and without the vision and “radicalism” of the Gracchi there might never have been a Roman Empire as the church knew it. See if you agree with that statement as you do your study. In Issue 2 I mentioned some terms that I hope you studied at considerable length – diaspora and intertestamental period.  In light of what you have learned in your study, what is meant by Second Temple Judaism? Take that phrase – Second Temple Judaism – and research it thoroughly. Why would anyone want to know anything about Second Temple Judaism during the time of Christ, the apostles, and the early church? And thinking of the importance of dates in church history, what would 70AD have to do with Second Temple Judaism and the life and progress of the Church? Coming through the intertestamental period some significant religious, social and political developments occurred for the Jews. I don’t want to list them for you; I want you to look around in that period to see what you find the Jews doing and why. Get the big events and the little supporting events throughout the region that define the complex religious, social and political scenes of the Jews that prevailed at the time of Christ, the apostles and the church.  Did you ever drink an ice cream soda? Before I learned to count calories I loved them. Early in life while in New York City, I stopped in a drug store with a fountain (am I the only one who remembers those things?). Being from a small town and with very little savvy about big city life, I was a bit skeptical and subdued.  I walked up to the fountain counter in this drug store and the guy popping sodas asked me “what d’ya want, kid?” “May I have a coke float, please” He snorted back “with or without?” Well, I didn’t want to appear (who was I kidding) unsophisticated and inexperienced, so I tilted back and smugly blustered out “make it without” thinking all along “what would this guy put in my drink if I had said “with””? He wheeled to his left, shook up a mixture in a flask, spewed some coke in it and I got my coke float “without” –  ice cream! Nothing is flatter than a coke float without ice cream unless it is the study of history without some of the cultural and technological trimmings of ordinary life lived by the folks we study.  There is always the temptation to study names, places, dates, events, etc. outside of the context in which they occurred.  For instance, when Paul decided to tour around in Asia Minor he no doubt drove in his new Lexis out to the Ephesian International Airport and caught a flight to his next destination. Oh? He didn’t, you say! Well, surely when he crossed the Aegean into Greece he had already planned his itinerary over the Troas Palatial Hotel internet connection to Philippi. What’s that? He didn’t have an internet connection? Then, he surely must have used a phone to call to the Aegean Resort Hotel on the beach near Philippi?  Uh huh! Ok, if he didn’t do anything like that, what did he do? How did he communicate? How did he travel? What were his means of transportation? Our thoughts about coke floats without ice cream and Paul’s travel accommodations are just a trigger to stimulate us to ask “what in the world was that world like in the ancient world?” Now here is what we should do – consider every facet of our contemporary life and compare each to the results of our research (yet to be done) into the comparable facets of ancient life. Rummage around every where in the ancient world to reconstruct in your mind how the folks lived and attended to personal and public business. What kind of clothes did they wear? What kind of houses did they live in? What kind of sanitary technology and habits did they have? How clean were their homes, clothes, and communities? How about schools, what we would call primary, secondary and post secondary? Medical care – did they have any that we would ever consider using? What about hospitals? Were they veritable charnal houses or did people actually get well in them? What did kids do in their spare time? What kind of games did they play and how did they choose their friends? Was their much sense of humor in the ancient world? How about artistic activities and productions? Sports and recreation?  Were teenagers like our own and like we were? Did the boys and girls date and spend time together? How did the boys “pop the question” and proceed to marriage? Was culture and technology “uniform” throughout the Mediterranean basin and inland from the sea? Or were there noticeable differences from one city to another, from one country to another, from one region to another? To whom did the people give their allegiances and why? And speaking of people, what ethnic demographics populated the entire ancient world around the Mediterranean and inland parts? Where did they come from and how did they get where they are? For example, the Galatians! So we need to put ice cream in coke floats and we need to put culture and technology into our understanding of the lives of the folk in the ancient world, many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ ahead awaiting us to join them for an eternal life with our Lord. Let’s scoop up big portions of ancient culture and technology. It will enliven everything we learn and provide a foundation for every thing that is to come as we take the uneven paths of history leading to our moment in time. Largely. you will do this research and assimilation of culture and technology on your own. But, it is high priority to understanding. Make a point of consistently researching what it was like to live then. Now to close the study this issue, I want to direct our thoughts to the full spectrum of relationships Jews had with the Roman Empire by the time Jesus was crucified and resurrected and the church began. Why would that be important? What kind of agreements, protocols, policies, and laws accommodated both the Romans and the Jews (and I am including the Jews of the diaspora) in their relationships and how did that effect Christians and the evangelism of the ancient world?  In connection with that assignment, how did the Romans understand Christians and how and when did Christianity as a distinct religious presence crystallize in the private and public mind? Issues, emperors, religious leaders and geographical locations – keep studying them – the ones mentioned in Issue 2 and others that you come across. Next time, we will pick up the thread of church history as the church encounters favorable and unfavorable times and places. But take advantage of the time we have now to pull together as many of the details I have suggested as you possibly can. Keep up your good work. Until next time, God bless you all and your loved ones.                                                                        Return to top        Return to Current Topics COLOSSIANS                                            Return to top        Return to Current Topics       Hello my blessed brothers and sisters in Christ! I am so very happy to talk with you again this month. Here is our line up of activities in this month’s issue: First, we’ll see what we did with some of the assignments from last month.  Second, we create a little story of a nice pagan family living just outside of Ephesus who will take a trip to Colossae. Third, we will begin to introduce Discourse Analysis. You probably know quite a lot about it already, so we may just think of this as a refreshment with a possible new idea or two. First, one of our assignments from last month. Did you have an opportunity to read up on the history of Colossae?  If not, do it now as we will be rolling forward to other concerns about Colossians. Knowing as much as you can about the history, culture, politics, commerce, religion, and ethnicity of Colossae and its people will make your study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians a more spiritually tasty and nutritional feast. So, go after it! Second, the story of our little pagan family. Let’s pretend that our young family lives just outside of Ephesus on a small grazing farm. The family has a mom, dad, 4 siblings under fourteen and one on the way due in about 7 months. As for the number of sheep, we can make up the number of sheep that our litte family has for commercial uses. The dad and mom work very hard every day of the year feeding the mouths of their sheep and their kids (how many sheep did you decide they have?) and the kids pitch in with whatever they can do. The parents are raising the kids well. A vacation away from the hardship of their lives is probably not even a passing thought, but a relative who has done very well in commercial fishing in the Black Sea off the coast of Bythinia knows the rigors of life that their family endures just to eek out a living and he and his wife and 20 year old son have offered to tend to their home and the flock while our family takes a few days off for a breather and a trip out of town. Dumbfounded at the generous offer, it took the mom and dad one and one-half seconds to say “yes”! (By the way, how did their relative contact them? The Internet? The Telephone? The Telegraph? No? None of these? Then, how did the relative contact them from such a distance?) Now what? Well, our little family pow-wows (a bit of an anachronism). A trip to Rome or Athens – breathtaking but impossible. So, how about something closer to home – some thing inland to view the cities and terrain they have heard so much about. Why not Colossae!  Why not? It’s located in a lovely geographical setting with famous cities close by. And, anyway, the dad has done business with some entrepreneurs from those cities and this would be a terrific opportunity (and maybe their only opportunity) to meet them. It would be a fine educational opportunity for the kids, also, since their teachers keep testing them on the history of the area.  The mom and dad have been worshippers of Artemis for their entire lives and have carefully brought their children up in the Artemisian faith. But, they have always felt that they needed to know how other people worship and what other people believe and this trip to Colossae might be just the opportunity to broaden their religious horizons. Not to change their faith, of course, but to enrich it by seeing the temples, practices, and lives of communicants of the different gods. Oh, the mom and dad will be certain to keep their children in the one true faith of Artemis and explain why Artemis is the only way. Let’s start preparing! Colossae  - here we come! Ok! The story isn’t over yet, but let’s try to situate this little family in its time and place in the history of the Roman Empire and of the Church before we go farther. Let’s start with the mundane stuff about this little family. What we learn about this family will tell us loads about the people and their society at the time the Gospel began to be preached in the area. This family bought and owned a grazing farm (Was it actually possible to buy property then?) This family had a number of sheep. They owned a home on their farm. They were married. They had relatives. They had children. The kids had to go to school and even study. (We need to talk about it.) They had to pay taxes. They had to provide for the health of the kids and sheep and themselves. They were expecting another child. They were planning to take the first trip away from their business into the hinterland of their province for a few days. They had to make plans. They had to have a way to travel. They had to have clothes to carry as well as to wear. They had to have a place to stay. They had to have money to spend. They had to have food to eat. The kids had to take a few toys and play a few games along the way. Go through that list beginning with the buying and owning a grazing farm and describe how their activities would differ from yours today in each of the points of the list.  For instance, if today you wanted to buy a piece of commercial property, what would you have to do? What would the little family have done then? If you and your spouse were going to have children, what medical care would you find available today? What medical care would the little family have found then? If you have to pay taxes (and I suppose that you do), you fork it over to the Internal Revenue Service. How did this little family pay its taxes, at what rate, and to whom? (By the way, what was the money they used? Not dollars! What?) What was the school system for kids then or was there any formal education? What kind of food did the family have to eat? Did they have anything comparable to a hamburger and fries combo and a soft drink? What kind of clothes did they wear? (Were they like ours? Pants, shirts, skirts, blouses?) How did they stay warm in winter and cool in summer? What was a house like then? Today, do you think your family would be willing to live in a house like theirs (minus the sheep, of course)? Why? What were their means of transportation? If they didn’t walk the whole way to Colossae (about 120 miles) then they had to ride something alive. How did they care for their beasts (had to have more than one unless they took turns riding) on their trip? Where did the beasts sleep? Where did they get their food? What complications would you face today if you had to ride a mule to work every day the rest of your life? (Just imagine the problems when the kids become teen agers – “Folks, can I borrow the mule tonight?)  Think through each point in that list and do a little research if necessary to find out what this family had to do for each point. How does it differ from what you would do? What does it tell us about the times of the earliest church and the people who were members? Do your best to frame a picture of what life was like for our earliest brethren, their circumstances, their (most likely) previous pagan faith, their quality of life, their advantages and disadvantages. In other words, every aspect of life in which they participated. Now, I want to add just a bit more to this aspect of study: learn everything you can about what this family might expect on its journey. What route would they likely take? What cities would they most likely visit that were in the area of Colossae? Why would they want to go to Colossae in the first place? How would such a trip enrich their lives? This thought: The life concerns of the first century AD are not much different from the life concerns of 21st century AD - just the solutions are different and the way the solutions affected the lives of our earliest brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom lived in Colossae.  We will take a break from the socio-cultural-ethnic thoughts of the Colossian landscape, but we’ll be back. So, do your home work well!!!! Third, let’s take a go at Discourse Analysis.  In an issue or two later we will begin to apply it to Colossians in earnest. But, for now, let’s lay the ground work for Discourse Analysis. If I said, please look up Acts 2: 38, none of you would have a moment’s trouble. You could by now go to it instinctively. The same thing with Mark 16:16. But how about I Corinthians 17:3? Well, now that would present a real problem since there isn’t a I Corinthians 17. I Corinthians stops off with I Corinthians 16:24.  But why? Why does I Corinthians stop at I Corinthians 16:24?  I think this question is so foolish to ask that I think I will ask it anyway? Why are there only 16 chapters in Corinthians? Why aren’t there 36 or 4 or 17 or whatever number you want there to be in Corinthians? Uhhhh, because I Corinthians is inspired?  I Corinthians is inspired but are the designation of chapters and verses? Uhhh(again)didn’t Paul write I Corinthians in chapters and verses so that’s why they are there? Paul wrote I Corinthians for sure but the chapters and verses? Now I am pretty sure everyone who is reading this knows the answer to this line of talk. But, take a little while to read on the chapterfication and versification of the Bible, who was responsible for it, why did he divide the way he did into chapters and verses, when it was done, how it was received, and, down through the years, has anyone disagreed with it?  One of the most important questions to ask is this: would we understand the Word of God any better or any less without the chapters and verses? Do we gain in specific meaning and sense of meaning more or less with or without the chapters and verses? If the Word of God was written without chapters and verses, should we risk missing continuity and cohesion of thought and intent by arbitrarily setting apart small separate sections within larger separate sections? Certainly all of you know that the words of the earliest Greek texts that we have were written in capital letters without spaces between the letters and words and no paragraph, verse, or chapter designations. In other words it would look like this: Godisnowhere. Look carefully at that sentence. What does it say? Say it out loud to your self. If you said, “God is now here”, fine. But, an old professor of mine in graduate Greek read it as “God is no where”! Oh!Oh!Oh! How frightful, but I took graduate Greek in a state university and came to expect that kind of stuff from this particular professor. (We had some talks about it, but I couldn’t budge him.) Now, in preparation for Discourse Analysis proper, do this: Either locate or create an English text of Colossians (better in Greek if you read Greek) without any chapters and verses and paragraphs. I haven’t looked on the internet to see if one is available there, but some of the recent (last 50 or 60 years) modern versions may have such a text. Also, as a bonus ordeal, see if you can manipulate the text so as to run all the letters together from beginning to end without any kind of break whatsoever. Now if you can do this, first, you will have an idea of what the folks in the first centuries of Christianity had to read when they read Paul’s epistle; second, you will have to really concentrate – I mean really – to get the text organized in your mind so as to gain both an overall impression and specific applications. I will wait until next issue to tell you how this assignment applies to Discourse Analysis. (You probably are ahead of me here and already know what is next.)  But I will say this: to do Discourse Analysis for yourself you will have to break the boundaries others have set for you and think outside the traditional structural organization of the text, i.e. outside the organizing influence of chapters, verses, paragraphs on your cognitive sensibilities. Carry on! See you next month!                                                                                                                                                                            Return to top        Return to Current Topics CHRISTIAN COUNSELING                              Return to top        Return to Current Topics Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ!  A busy time of the year indeed! Spring is here and summer is not far off. With the Spring and Summer months come both opportunities and obligations on our time. Somehow, someway we will try to maintain a good study schedule in Christian counseling. Not easy, but we are determined! The Christian counseling enterprise and the Christian counselor are not unlike a fire department and a fireman. You don’t get to pick your fires nor at a time when you prefer them. Christian counseling needs occur in the best of times and the worst of times, convenient times and inconvenient times, when we are feeling great and when we are feeling lousy. Christian counseling needs are as predictable as the outcome of next year’s season for your favorite football team. We hope 11- 0; we’ll have to settle for what we get! The point: BE PREPARED!!!!!!! The fire department and firemen cannot save every last item and keepsake and memorabilia in a home consumed by fire. The loss of those items are heartbreaking for anyone who has lost them in a fire. Why? They simply cannot be replaced and nothing will fill the void in the hearts of the victims of the fire. But the firemen train and try their best to be ready to save what they can at a moment’s notice. It is serious business. Very serious business. There is a parallel here to the counselor, except the stakes are eternal in the case of the counselor. That’s right! Never lose sight of the fact that you as a counselor are touching eternity when you reach out to touch the counselees with the hurts, pains, sorrows, and losses in their lives. The task: AWESOME!! In the past couple of issues there were suggested activities to launch into this series of studies. If you have thought through them and done the research and reading necessary, KOUDOS TO YOU. If you haven’t, uh, well, hmmmm! Crank up and catch up! Run with us in this. The stakes are – what? – eternal! Try to make time in your busy month before the next issue to unpack them and draw some preliminary conclusions. (Most conclusions in counseling will be preliminary. It is an on going enterprise as varied as human nature itself.) In the last issue we said we wanted to consider these three points for starters: First, we want to think about the person; second, we want to think about the counselor; third, we want to think about the transaction between the person and the counselor. Please re-read the section in Issue 2 that presented those points. This month, we will continue with the person and suggest three directions for your thoughts to pursue. The lady who came to see you is Beverly. You did not know her before and had never seen her before. You knew only that she was coming to see you for counseling. That’s it. Not a lot to go on. Here she now is, this person you don’t know, about to unveil her life and problems to you. Are you really prepared for that kind of responsibility? Better be! Too much is at stake – eternity – to not be.  Since Beverly in our example is a mythical character, we will put her in three different situations. If it helps, think of 3 Beverlys each with a different situation.  Beverly comes to your office, takes her chair before you, and, after preliminary conversation (the nature of which we will discuss in later issues), you ask her why she has come to see you.  Beverly in the first situation:  Simply put she has come because she is a single mother with 2 children, one by marriage and one out of wedlock. Her husband is deceased (killed in a construction accident) and her boyfriend fled from the relationship as soon as he learned she was pregnant. She has struggled on and is now completely exhausted, without emotional, financial, or relational resources. She had been a lukewarm member of a Pentecostal church at one time before her marriage and now she is hurt and bitter to the extent that she has disdain pretty much for any kind of organized religion. She is here to see you because your services are free and she did hear that you had helped a friend of hers in a financial matter.  Beverly in the second situation:  Beverly has been married to the same husband for 20 years. They have found happiness together in a middle class family structure and community relationship. Three kids have come along - 2 girls and 1 boy, the boy being the second born of the three. The boy is 16 with a birthday in about 2 months. The husband is a Christian who attends a congregation of about 600 membership with a staff of four full time ministers. (You are a minister on this staff and it is you to whom she is coming for counseling.) Beverly does not believe. She has been a life long agnostic. She is not positive God does not exist but she is not positive that He does. She fuels her unbelief by the books she reads and conversations with her other agnostic/atheistic friends. Beverly is coming to you because she and her husband desparately need help with a problem that is consuming them. They recently discovered that their 16 year old son is heavily addicted to methamphetamime and any other drug he can get his hands on. His steadily deteriorating demeanor led them to deeper investigation into their son’s behavior and that is what they found. She is not coming to because you are a Christian but because her husband convinced her that you would be a knowledgeable, reliable, empathetic counselor for them. Beverly in the third situation: Beverly is a devoted child of God, having been born again in her early teens. Her mom and dad and her grandparents before them were Christians. She has hardly been exposed to anything else. She is married to a fine Christian man who is a deacon in a church of about 150 members. You operate a Christian counseling service in your community which is not officially part of the church ministry in that community. You established your Christian counseling service about 7 years ago and the Lord has blessed you in that service. You have counseled many people both Christians and non – Christians. You are a member of the second congregation of the Lord’s church in that community and had just never had the opportunity to meet  Beverly or her family. Now this young mother and wife is faced with a tragedy that may literally consume her life. She has cancer and the physicians have given her a 50 – 50 chance of surviving. She is distraught with an endless stream of questions about every important aspect of her life. She has come to you. Now you come into focus. You have heard each situation of our three Beverlys.  Question: what are you going to do? How are you going to handle this? What preparations have you had that will enable you to serve this woman (that is, the 3 Beverlys) and provide insights to resolution for her? What is your approach? What experiences, skills, and knowledge do you have for this level of tragedy and hurt and desperation? What are your resources? What analytical techniques and tools do you know and use? The assignment at this point is:  1. with your imagination, fill-in, expand, elaborate the various unstated conditions and circumstances in each Beverly’s situation; 2. clarify for yourself the implications and ramifications of what is stated in each Beverly’s situation and in the results of the efforts of your imagination in point 1; 3. drawing on your current state of knowledge and experience and literature that you have read, set forth your strategies for resolving the situation for each Beverly with your anticipated difficulties and results; 4. after points 1 – 3, assess your process and procedure and the adequacy of your preparation. State your strong points and your weak points. Propose personal activities by which you may enhance what you are doing well and improve in the areas of insuffiency. We’ll zip up this issue’s session with a brief look at psychotherapy and psychology. Please keep in mind that for the time being in these Issues we are just getting a taste of psychotherapy and psychology along with leading exponents of the various schools of thought. We will keep on looking around in their theories and practices as we go along. But now, I want to mention a few thoughts about psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was the brain child of Sigmund Freud.  He was not the first to come up with the idea, but he did do the most to formalize the theory and its use. Take some time to read about Freud’s life and the development of psychoanalysis. Just to have a peg to hang onto as we travel through the landscape of psychotherapy, it will be useful in point of time to know that Freud’s psychoanalysis was the first formalized method of psychotherapy. Let me make this one caveat regarding Freud without a lengthy discussion: Freud was not religious in the sense we think of ourselves as religious.  His foundational religious thought is expressed in his book “Moses and Monotheism (1937). In this he contends that religion is an illusion, “the universal obsessional” neurosis of humanity. Religion is a wish-fulfillment which an enlightened person would replace with science. Now, these thoughts of his are challenged by some contemporary and later psychotherapists and psychologists who entertain a more favorable understanding of religion. But, nevertheless, there is Freud’s thought at the head of the stream of psychotherapeutic development. We are dealing at this point with the baby and the bath water. Although Freud is wrong about religion, he is like a lot of other people who are wrong about religion and that likeness is: he is not wrong about everything and we can pick up some useful insights and principles to integrate into our practice of Christian counseling all the while maintaining our firm belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ. So, I think it is assignment time again: do some reading on Freud, as much as you have time; list any Freudian principles of psychoanalysis that you run across in your reading; take each Freudian principle and determine, first, whether or not it is compatible with the Word of God; then, rephrase the principle in your own words; apply those principles to the situations of Beverly to see if they have a practical, Christian application. Not to worry if you don’t get all or even many of his principles in hand.  Right now all we want to do is munch on them and make them digestible as far as we consider them viable within Christian boundaries and apply them in practical situations. Should actually be an enjoyable mental joust. So, you ask “where is all this psychotherapy business leading”? Good question and here is the answer. Remember the parable where the net was thrown into the sea and a variety of fish were caught? We are throwing out our psychotherapeutic net and hauling in every professional view we can with the intent to pick out the best of the net (meaning compatible with the Christian faith) integrating them with established Christian principles and, then, disposing of the remainder. It is a process that will greatly enrich our counseling scope and deepen our counseling insights. Grab your nets and get in the boat! Time to fish! See you next issue. God bless you all!                                                                                                                                Return to top        Return to Current Topics WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY                         Return to top        Return to Current Topics Dearly beloved sisters and brothers,  Welcome back to our study of the notable and fascinating women in religious history! What a joy to have the opportunity to begin in the very distant past and follow the footprints of remarkable and inspiring women down to our present day as they have woven their hearts and minds into the tapestry of religious history and, thereby, into the lives of us all.  Over the past two issues we have been mining the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi for the names of women who add feminine power and grace to the story of the people of God. We suggested that we draw from the pages of the ancient record 20 women who were memorialized in the Old Testament scripture. Complimenting the names of these women was the suggestion that we identify several collateral facts when possible that illuminate the context of their lives. The information that we suggested that we assemble can be summarized by the following 12 points: 1. the time of their birth; 2. the name of the location of their birth; 3. the family, tribe, ethnic group or nationality of their orgin; 4 their husbands and their husbands’ relation to the story of the Old Testament; 5. their children and their children’s relation to the story of the Old Testament; 6. their close and distant relatives and their relation to the story of the Old Testament; 7. their life’s work and its relation to the story of the Old Testament; 8. the places they traveled; 9. the special features that identify the reasons they are recorded in the Old Testament; 10. the reasons why their lives have meaning for the history of religion and of the Church; 11. the time and place of their demise. 12. memorials, if any, of their lives noted anywhere in scripture, Old and New Testaments. In a word, I suppose we can summarize the intent of the 12 points this way: know everything you can find in the scripture about the 20 women and organize that information with clarity and order. One further indispensible factor in organizing an historical study of almost anything is a timeline. Now is the time to consider a timeline for all the information we are gathering. It is not always possible to have a timeline for events and people in the earlier parts of the Old Testament since a timeline is usually developed when the source or a complimentary source provides specific dates or a general time span within which certain people lived and certain events took place. One practical method for starting your timeline is to list the women according to the place they occurred in the Old Testament narrative. For example, as we read the Old Testament we come to Eve before we come to Sarah and we come to Sarah before we come to Miriam and we come to Miriam before we come to Bathsheba and so on. Clearly, we have the beginning of a framework: Eve Sarah Miriam Bathsheba Of course, there are many names of women that should be included in that brief list that we have left out, but that list does illustrate a workable method for the beginning of the framework of your time line. Let’s take it a bit further and apply the 12 points concerning Sarah. You will see Sarah’s name and the twelve points listed consecutively on separate lines. Our task is to provide the information for every point that applies in the life of Sarah as we find in it the Old Testament. In the case of Sarah every point listed below her name is available in the text except the exact date. So, regarding the date, you will have to go to sources outside of the Old Testament to determine the date of Sarah’s life and activities. Sarah 1. the time their birth; 2. the name of the location of their birth; 3. the family, tribe, ethnic group or nationality of their origin; 4 their husbands and their husbands’ relation to the story of the Old Testament; 5. their children and their children’s relation to the story of the Old Testament; 6. their close and distant relatives and their relation to the story of the Old Testament; 7. their life’s work and its relation to the story of the Old Testament; 8. the places where their travels took them; 9. the special features that identify the reason they are recorded in the Old Testament; 10. the reasons why their lives have meaning for the history of religion and of the Church; 11. the time and place of their demise. 12. memorials, if any, of their lives noted anywhere in scripture, Old and New Testaments. =So, here is the way the sequence of the timeline would appear:  Date BC             Name of woman                         List of 12 points with expected information provided following each point Date BC             Name of woman List of 12 points with expected information provided following each point  And so it will go throughout this study from the first woman you identify to the last woman you identify in the 21st century AD. The list is going to be long; there is going to be a great amount of information if you faithfully do the research of this study; the information will need to organized and made easy for you to access; you will need some method of organization. Use the list and method I have suggested or use one that you already use for this kind of study, but above all, have a method to date and retain the information you are assembling in this study with clarity and order. Reading the Old Testament, apart from the fact that it is God’s Word and reveals God’s mind and ways, unfolds to us the great drama of time and eternity. All dramas are unfolded on a stage, literally or figuratively or both. And there is this point, if we don’t know where the stage is we won’t see or understand the drama. The stage for the Old and New Testament is essentially the Mediterranean basin with the surrounding hinterland of the middle east and what would become Europe. Every part of the drama has a physical setting distinguishable by a number of factors: 1. Geographical boundaries; 2. Name of the geographical area; 3. Name of inhabitants of the area and their history in the area; 4. Features of the geographical area; 5. The political status of the area – an independent kingdom, a province, a city- state, an    unorganized principality, etc.; 6. Economic status of the geographical area. 7. Close neighboring geographical areas; 8. Religion of the geographical area. This geographical stage must also be organized on a timeline in order to make the drama coherent and its sequential parts relational. For example, Date The Israelites crossed the Red Sea into what geographical area? Who was there? And all the remaining points from above. Date In going from the Red Sea to the Jordan River what peoples and nations did the Israelites encounter? What do we know about them? And all the remaining points from above. Date In going across the Jordan River what peoples and nations did the Israelites encounter? What do we know about them? And all the remaining points from above. Date As the Israelites began early to live in the Promised Land what people and nations did the Israelites encounter? What do we know about them? And all the remaining points from above. Apply the 8 points of the stage to every geographical area, then within the timeline of the women you have selected either set the geographical timeline parallel to the timeline of the women or integrate the two timelines so as to give prominence to the women as the focus of the common timeline. So, have you completed your list of 20 women? Are you ready now to develop the 12 points for informational organization and the 8 points for geographical identification and organization? If you do this regularly throughout this study, you will assemble a very useful, well organized record of the information you have learned. This will become a rich source for teaching, preaching, and writing for you. The timelines and the information you develop for them are not all that we will draw from our study. We will look to the women themselves and try to understand their strengths, weaknesses, contributions and failures, the reasons why we are captivated and intrigued by their lives. Next time, we will go into the apocrypha. Have you been able to locate a copy? Be sure to check the internet for a copy. Until next session, God bless you all!                                                                                                                                               Return to top        Return to Current Topics GREEK                                                Return to top        Return to Current Topics  Hello fellow greeksters!!! We are back again together for another run at excellence in one of the foundations of New Testament exegesis – our study of the Greek language.  I have a little thorny research thought for you – not all Greek is alike. Why did Greek change after Alexander the Great from what it was in the days of, say, Plato and Aristotle? We are going to camp out on our assignments from last month before we move on to the new stuff. Everybody raise his/her hand who turned to John 1 and the first 10 or so verses and identified the vowels and dipthongs and parsed the selection!  Well, since all of you did and will have no trouble with them now, I have set a veritable feast of Greek before you so you can flaunt your mastery of John 1:1-12.  No doubt it all looks very familiar. So begin with verse one and show your stuff: right now (don’t put it off) identify every vowel, dipthong, verb, tense, and ending. Identify first declension nouns (first declension, that’s all I asked for last issue), their cases, and case ending. Yummy! Ok! I’m a softie! I think (if it works well after it has been sent through the internet) that you will see a little information box pop up when your cursor rest on any of the words (I’m making life too easy for you!). Click on it and you should go to a site that will give you a lot of good information about the word. I can’t guarantee that will happen just yet; hopefully it will.  We’ll just have to see how temperamental the internet is with tricky journal stuff. So, heeeerrrrrreeeeeeessss JOHN – 1  ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος 2   οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν 3   πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν 4   ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων 5   καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν 6   ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης 7   οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι' αὐτοῦ 8   οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς ἀλλ' ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός 9   ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον 10   ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω11 εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον 12   ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Breathless, simply breathless. The way you went right through that without a whimper or flaw! That’s what happens when you work those assignments like you did this past month. Ok. So, we have a few of the basics going in our favor. (Why not memorize in Greek those 12 verses of John? Go ahead. Get a leg up on your vocabulary!) We want to expand some of our thoughts from last month so as to keep a certain continuity in our progress. We’ll try to stay on the linguistic freeway and avoid those tempting little byways into the roadside parks or scenic attractions. Right now, in another metaphor, we’re “meat and potatoes”. Let’s bounce the nouns around for awhile. We’ll kick off with declensions by me asking you questions which you must answer or we’ll have to devise the appropriate punishment – no American Idol until the next issue of the Journal. (Oh the humanity of it all!) How many declensions are there in Greek (from now on, when I write  the word “Greek” I mean, of course, New Testament Greek). How many genders? How many cases? What are the singular and plural endings for all cases in all declensions? What do we mean by the following pieces of Greek grammar and how are they used: Nominative Genitive Ablative Dative Instrumental Locative Accusative Vocative Pick out some cute noun words that have caught your eye – say about twelve – run through their declensions. You may be thinking, “I don’t think any of them are cute and I don’t know enough about nouns yet” That’s ok! Just think back to high school days. You didn’t know much about driving very well either, but you didn’t hesitate to borrow dad’s car. Same here. Try it. Make a few mistakes. Check your work against your textbook. If your declensions come up with a few banged up fenders, we get them all straightened out in due time. Nothing to worry! Just have some fun kicking the tires. Here and now, I should point out with flowery rhetoric that when we translate Greek we put it into English. Whoa! That’s an awesome thought! Yes, but true. Now what does that mean? It means we have to know a little English grammar. So, you are getting two for one in this study – Greek and English. Please! Hold your applause! English is a dandy language with which I am sure you are familiar. For instance, if I ask you about the following cases in English grammar you will be recollecting old friends known since about the 4th grade: Cases: Subjective case Indirect Object case Direct Object case The gasser to this English + Greek is the Houdini act of grammar: fitting the Greek cases into the English cases without anything left over. A nice, tight, snug fit – real globalization! Here is the mystery box assignment: study up on the cases in Greek grammar and study up on the cases in English grammar and be prepared next month (remember the American Idol is in the balance!) to match them up with one another according to case and usage. Just for a little help, take these two simple sentences below, one in English and one in Greek, and identify all the grammar in each and determine what part in Greek has its counter part in English. Remember: you may have perfect knowledge of Greek but if you are not able to put it in to understandable, usable English, you will be much like I was in Mrs. Housley’s 9 grade Literature class.  Here are the 2 sentences taken directly from Shakespeare: The man hears the word. ‘o ἄνθρωπος  ἀκούei τoν λόγοv What part of speech is “Man”? What part of speech is “ἄνθρωπος”? What case is each in? What does that tell you? What part of speech is “hears”? What part of speech is “ἀκούei”? What tense, person and number is each verb in? What does that tell you? What part of speech is “word”? What part of speech is “λόγοv”? What case is each in? What does that tell you? See – already you have won match set! You (I think! I  hope!!) matched the separate language parts of speech together correctly as elements of one sentence translated into a sentence of a another language. Hey! Quit yawning! I know this isn’t going from 0 to 70 in 5 seconds. But, it is necessary. It is necessary. We’re just feeling out the simple simon stuff before we get into the adult pool, ok? You did notice with your keen perceptive powers that we said nothing about the “articles” in the sentence. Don’t get your feelings hurt. We will pretty soon. But first, Skipping merrily along we come to verbs. The two sentences had one verb each. Really very nice and comfy. Let me probe the deepest recesses of your mind: What is the tense of those verbs? Now watch out for this one: what is the infinitive form of the verbs? Now that’s something new. Nobody said anything about having to fool around with an infinitive. Yeah, that’s true. But life is no rose garden either. You can wash it off later. So confronted with verbs and infinitives what is the only way of escape? Conjugate the verbs and Memorize the infinitive forms! (Hint: you can find them in your textbook!) Conjugate the English verb “to hear”. Let me give you something for free: you will need a first, second and third person singular and plural. (You use them all the time; you just may not know that you are conjugating at the same time.) Now, having conjugated English, conjugate Greek with the Greek verb of our example sentence above - ἀκούei . You will have the same window dressing: first, second, third person singular and plural and tense Now, for the Greek conjugation, either you remember it from days afore or you will have to consult a grammar book. I would give it to you, but I have talked a lot on the phone today and I think one more conjugated verb will induce a fever. Take that Greek word and run with it. Make a masterpiece of its conjugation. Let it hang in the Louvre! Now, look. You’ve got plenty to do this month before the next issue arrives. Be sure to study John 1: 1-12 above bringing everything you know at this time to the party. If you fall into a hole somewhere between alpha and omega, get out your textbook and scramble through the index to find the location of what it is you’re seeking. If you want to be more of a nerd, go to the internet, type into the search machine what you want and let the vast majestic reaches of cyberspace import your answer. Hey, you! What are you doing? Get your cursor off the delete button. We’ve only just begun! Here is the rest of the story: More for next time - you will teach yourself another 30 Greek words to add to the 30 Greek words you added this past month. That’s a total of sixty. It won’t bruise you any (may get a headache) to take as many of those words as are nouns and decline them and as many as are verbs and conjugate them. Remember our teams? 15 to a team? Wow! We’re about to set up a whole league of verbs and nouns. I feel like I ought to give you something to go to sleep over and here it is: I am going to write out a sentence (not one of those rinky dinky sentences like the example above) but a weight lifting, muscle bound, strong man sentence and I want you to parse the English and then translate it into Greek and parse that also. This sentence will have stuff in it that we haven’t covered, but, remember, except for the neophytes to Greek (that is, those who haven’t had it before) you have had some Greek, so flex those brainy biceps. ok? The sentence: “I arose this morning with the idea that I could go to the city before eating in order to find some men who work for daily wages and who would come home with me ready to work in the corn field, having had a good night’s sleep.” Is that not a work of art? Maybe a little quirky, but its your job to make Greek sense of it. God bless you all! I hope I wasn’t too tough on you. Let’s have some fun, OK?        h                                                                        Return to top        Return to Current Topics HEBREW                                                    Return to top         Return to Current Topics Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Welcome! Are you ready to brew up some Hebrew? (Now that is really corny, isn’t it?) But bad jokes aside, let’s turn our cerebral juices toward the joy that lies before us. Another bad joke? I hope not. Maybe studying Hebrew has been called something else more often than “joy”, but we’ll be different! Let’s enjoy scratching around in this most important language of the ancient world, this key to the treasures of the Old Testament. Listen, it is ok to have fun studying Hebrew. We’ll just keep it among ourselves and no one will know how strange we really are. It will be an inside job! The best way to launch this issue of Hebrew is to refresh your memory on what you learned from last month’s issue because we are picking up where we left off. I am counting on you. You did do all the practicing and researching that we suggested last time? I hope so because every issue of this Hebrew study builds on the previous issue. Assuming that you did the practice and research, we will move forward. BeGHADHKePHATH Wow! What in the world is that! Does look a bit daunting, doesn’t it? But those of you who have had some Hebrew will recognize it as a series of consonants that take on a different character of pronunciation and function under certain circumstances in a Hebrew sentence. For those of you who have not had any Hebrew, we feel your pain. We have all been there. So, we all will gather around the basics now and unravel this mysterious word (Is that a word? Well, maybe an acronym.) Dagesh lene.  Oh, thanks. That clears up the matter and explains everything. Now we can move on to Egyptian or Assyrian. Ok, so we need to go a little deeper into Hebrew before we are declared masters of linguistics.  Just to get us started on Dagesh lene, what it means, what it does, and how it relates to BeGHADHKePHATH, we’ll whack off a slice of its meaning and function as used with the BeGHADHKePHATH letters.  Right to the point: when the daghesh lene is used with a BeGHADHKePHATH letter the result is that the letter is pronounced with a hard, breathy sound.  Well, great! How do you recognize a daghesh lene in a BeGHADHKePHATH letter? Simple! Very simple! You look for a dot in the central part of the letter. Here are some examples of the dagesh lene in BeGHADHKePHATH letters. No need having guess work where the dagesh lene appears, right? I am listing each of the letters separately in sequence down the left margin of the page so you can concentrate on the specific location of the each dagesh lene in each BeGHADHKePHATH letter. (These letters are a bit cursive, but you will need to familiarize yourself with cursive letters sometime, so now is as good as any.)  בּ beth גּ gimel דּ daleth נּ Kaf פּ Pe הּ Taw   The dot in its proper place and for the right reasons indicates that it is a dagesh lene and vocalization of the letter is hard and a bit breathy. Skip back to Issue 2 and scroll down to the display of the Hebrew alphabet. Compare the appearance of the letters of the BeGHADHKePHATH above with the corresponding letters in the Hebrew alphabet. What do you get? When you are sure you have identified the letters of the BeGHADKePHATH with the identical letters of the alphabet, then, pull out a sheet of paper and start writing first the unaltered alphabetical letter and then the BeGHADKePHATH letter. Do this three or four times. Keep that lovely word – BeGHADKePHATH - in the front of your mind while we head off to stir up the vowels and the vowel system and see how the vowels snuggle up to the consonant letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is quite a story! (You know, happy ever after!) I am trying to think of a written language that did not have vowels in its origin. Help me out. Aha! Hebrew! That’s right - no vowels in the language in its original coming out party. One superb scholar of former times points out that all the Semitic languages (that would include Hebrew) consisted originally of consonantal signs only. (Hey, try saying your name without a vowel. To get down right testy about it, write out a long sentence, delete the vowels and try saying it. Anyone been eating persimmons lately? Well, that is about what you would sound like in English without vowels.) Considering how tough Hebrew can be in the best of times, how in the world did any of those ancient folks understand anything they said to one another? At least, the guys who lived in caves (normally called cavemen) had one vowel. Try saying Uhhhh without a U (that’s a vowel.). I think the younger generation of ancient Hebrews probably caused the big change. Just  consider the vocabulary expansion nowadays that the younger generation has brought us. It’s cool, dude, when you think about it. Any way, the folks along the way (we’ll talk about who and when later) began to put signs on letters that expressed a sound that the letter itself did not indicate, but sounded. For example, say the English letter “D”. What do you get? You get a “duh” and an “eeee”. Now the letter “D” is pretty sneaky. It has the “eeee” sound in it but it doesn’t show you it does. But, apparently the Semitic folks got tired of the linguistic sham and cleared up the issue (you may not think it got too cleared up when you start seeing what they did) with the Hebrew system of vowels, a work of art that could compare easily with early surrealism. The Hebrew vowel system is a volative, reactive sort. So, with humble deference, we approach the vowels. (Don’t forget BeGHADKHePHATH. Like we said, the vowels have this thing with them and half the story has not been told.)  Now vowels in ancient Hebrew were not democratic. Not at all. It had this elaborate class system which breached no uppity vowel’s upward mobility. It seems innocent enough because it starts with only three classes with some vowels assigned to each. Simple! Can’t be too snooty. Just three classes. So, let’s take a look at them. (Watch out for the fancy names for these classes. Who could have conceived them?)  First Class Second Class Third Class  Do we need to repeat them? Naw. I think we got it. In the First Class we have the “a” sound. In the Second Class we have the “i” and “e” sounds. In the Third Class we have the “o” and “u” sounds. Piece of cake! Yeah, that’s why there are dissertations written on such things. In each of the three classes we find both short and long vowels. To avoid the linguistic apparitions of the unknown, let’s nail down the names of the vowels, short and long, and the classifications to which they belong. Ok, this is where I am jumping ship on you. Yeah, I’m a _________(you fill in the blank). But, you simply have to haul yourself to shore if the ship flounders, so do the following. Find out what the vowel names are for the short and long vowels in each class and the symbols of the short and long vowels in each class. (If you do find them, practice, practice, practice and practice some more writing them.) Now for a tickler, something we haven’t mentioned in any detail. Dig around in the linguistic sand pile and come up with the meaning and symbols of what is called “indistinct vowels” (A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose; but an “indistinct vowel” is called various names by as many scholars. So, beware!)   Lest you have time to watch any of the late shows on TV, let me take this opportunity to dash your hopes – not only do the BeGHADKePHATH thing I mentioned above, not only absorb what we have said about the vowel system, but do this which we haven’t said above. Learn as much as you can during the month on the use of the vowel system in Hebrew. Go to your textbooks, go to the internet, call your professor of 15 years ago, ask your mother-in-law to help you in the research – whatever it takes, learn as much as you can about the Hebrew vowel system during the month. When we convene our joyful little esoteric group next month, let it not be said that a single one of us failed to do his/her duty! In closing, I think we Hebrew students from far and wide, from many countries and continents on the globe, who do not know one another should have a nick name. Why not suggest one for us. A phrase that came to my mind is “Hebrew Hounds”.  Not bad. But, send in your suggestions and, if they are printable, I will include them next time. We will  develop some kind of democratic vote to decide, albeit Hebrew language is very autocratic. God love you and keep you and bless you every hour. See you next time, God willing!                                                                                                                                                       Return to top         Return to Current Topics  GET ACQUAINTED WITH OUR GREAT BROTHER                                                          h                                                                          Return to top        Return to Current Topics IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!                          Return to top        Return to Current Topics

 

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                              Please click HERE to return to Journal Issue                           The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 4     *Copyright 2008   All rights reserved                Theological University of America     425 Second Street S.E.     Suite 610     Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL                                                                                              Church History                                                                                                      Colossians Counseling (Christian) Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew    Please scroll down to see all the topics’ materials Welcome To Your Free Religious Study Journal CHURCH HISTORY                              Return to top Hello my dear friends in Christ Jesus our Lord. I hope you have prospered in all good things by the grace of God since our last gathering around church history.  The church began on Pentecost day in Jerusalem.  Everything we study thereafter in church history follows from there. Here is a little task for you. Beginning with that great and glorious day, trace the expansion of the church across the broad earth until Constantine and the battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 AD) the fall out of which was a very significant event for Christians. That is a bit of an arbitrary place to drive in a peg for historical reference regarding the expansion of the church since many lands and many peoples had yet to hear the gospel (at least, what was called the gospel in that day.) but it gives us a place to take a breath and consolidate in our thinking the presence of the church in the Mediterranean world and neighboring countries and principalities. In doing this, it is not enough to say, “Well, there was a congregation in Antioch and one in Rome and, oh yes, one in Thessalonica.” It is good to know that but it is not enough. Try to savor the human endeavor that was required to make the church a living reality through the regions that I mentioned above. Try to get into the hearts and minds of the people with whom you are now familiar and the hearts and minds of those with whom you are not familiar at the outset of this task. And the individuals and the groups of individuals are important. No doctrine, no belief, no practice of worship spread the church. It was individuals who lived and sacrificed for their faith in the doctrines, beliefs, and practice of worship that carried the church forward - people whose responsibilities and problems were very similar to our own today. Our early brethren had to consider not only the same consequences of commitment that we do today but even more so to the point of giving up their lives. It is worthy of our time to follow the steps of these early Christians as we find them in the New Testament and extra-Biblical records of history. It is an amazing story of courage and boldness possible only because they believed in Jesus Christ and His Father. But, let’s nail this task down a little bit more in place and time. We will begin in the time of Octavius Caesar known best to us as Augustus Caesar. Some time in our study of church history we will investigate why Octavius is called Caesar and Augustus and why. Many titles for Octavius, and Caesar and Augustus are only two of them. Augustus Caesar established himself as “First Man”, i.e., Princeps, for the Roman government and people following his defeat of Mark Anthony in 27 BC in the Battle of Actium. (It is an interesting story and maybe we will cover it later.) Romans were highly suspicious of powers of a Dictator and a possible Emperor during the period of the Roman Republic.  An office of Dictator did develop in the Roman Republic but not as we think of a dictator today. And Julius Caesar lost his life in part because he may have sought the authority of Emperor in the Roman Republic. (We mentioned the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in an earlier issue and said we ought to take a look at what each meant and when each thrived. Important now to this point.) Augustus Caesar avoided calling himself Emperor in Rome even though there was no doubt among those concerned Roman citizens with discernment. It is in this period that the church began and made its initial movements into the Roman and pagan world of the day.  So, what is the world into which this fledgling band of committed Christians journey, near and far. We will start with the Roman Empire. However, there is a much larger world to consider. But, the extent and configuration of the Roman Empire at the time of Augustus Caesar will be enough on our plate for the moment. Second helpings later. Let’s keep it simple. Basically, the Empire was made up of Provinces. These Provinces increased and decreased in size and number as time and succeeding Emperors came and went. We list now the Provinces during the time of Augustus Caesar. Unless you have spent some time looking closely at the provinces of the Roman Empire many of the names may seem strange (certainly foreign) to you. But, keep in mind that these Provinces are the scenes of the early evangelization of the church. This is where the shedding of the blood and the suffering of the Saints took place. Exactly where you and I would have been had we lived and possibly died for the Lord Jesus at that time. In a sense it is ground hollowed by the generations of persecuted and suffering Christians. So, brace yourself – here are the names of the Provinces during Augustus’ reign:                    27 BC - Achaea separated from Macedonia, senatorial propraetorial province                    25 BC - Galatia, imperial propraetorial province                  22 BC - Gallia Comata divided into Gallia Aquitania, Gallia Belgica, Gallia Lugdunensis, imperial propraetorial provinces                   15 BC - Raetia, imperial procuratorial province                  ca. 13 BC - Hispania Ulterior divided into Baetica and Lusitania (senatorial propraetorial and imperial propraetorial respectively)                    12 BC - Germania Magna, lost after 9 AD                   6 AD - Iudaea, imperial procuratorial province (renamed Syria Palaestina by Hadrian, and upgraded to proconsular province).                 14 - Alpes Maritimae, imperial procuratorial province Find a map of the Ancient Roman Empire especially at the time of Augustus and locate each of these Provinces on the map. Note the major cities in each province; at one time or another they often become important to the record of church history. Also, you see that some Provinces are senatorial and others are imperial and associated with those terms are other terms – propraetorial, procuratorial, and proconsular. What do all these words mean and what specifically do they mean in combination with one another? How does knowing the organization and nomenclature of the governance of the Roman Empire bear on those meanings? Have you read these titles anywhere in the scripture of the New Testament? If so, when and under what circumstances? How do you think the organization and nomenclature of the governance of the Roman Empire will effect the development of the church and its early digression? Each of these provinces has a history, of course, but the history we want is what expansion of the church may have taken place into those areas by the time of Augustus’ death if any occurred at all. We want to know when, who, and how these areas were evangelized. There will be varying detail for each Province, maybe none for some, but get your spade out and start turning up church history ground. Ready for that second helping? I am going to add the Provinces from Augustus to about the time of Diocletian. Your mission – do with them what you did with the Provinces at the time of Augustus:                   18 - Cappadocia, imperial propraetorial (later proconsular) province                    ca. 20-50 - Illyricum divided into Illyricum Superior (Dalmatia) and Illyricum Inferior (Pannonia), imperial proconsular provinces                   40 - Mauretania Tingitana and Mauretania Caesariensis, imperial procuratorial provinces                    ca. 40 - Noricum, imperial procuratorial province                   43 - Britannia, imperial proconsular province                    43 - Lycia and Pamphylia, imperial propraetorial province                   46 - Thracia, imperial procuratorial province                   ca. 47 - Alpes Poeninae, imperial procuratorial province                    63 - Alpes Cottiae, imperial procuratorial province                    67 - Epirus, imperial procuratorial province                   72 - Commagene annexed to Syria                    ca. 84 - Germania Superior and Germania Inferior, imperial proconsular provinces                   85 - Moesia divided into Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior, imperial proconsular provinces                   105 - Arabia, imperial propraetorial province                   107 - Dacia, imperial proconsular province (split into Dacia Superior and Dacia Inferior between 118 – 158)                  107 - Pannonia divided into Pannonia Superior and Pannonia Inferior, imperial provinces (proconsular and propraetorial respectively)                 ca. 115 - Armenia, Assyria and Mesopotamia, formed by Trajan, abandoned by Hadrian in 118                    166 - Tres Daciae formed: Porolissensis, Apulensis and Malvensis, imperial procuratorial provinces                   193 - Syria divided into Syria Coele and Syria Phoenicia, imperial provinces (proconsular and propraetorial respectively)                    193 - Numidia separated from Africa proconsularis, imperial propraetorial province                    ca. 197 - Mesopotamia, imperial praefectorial province                 197 (formalized ca. 212) - Britannia divided into Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior, imperial provinces (proconsular and propraetorial respectively)                   214 AD - Osroene These strange sounding lands are the Provinces where Christians carried the Gospel and it is from these lands that nearly all of church history of the Roman Empire materialized. Beginning with Diocletian, matters become a little more involved regarding Provinces and the governance of the Roman Empire. The effects on the church last to our very day. We will wait a bit to discuss the changes Diocletian wrought. Take this opportunity to either learn for the first time or refresh your memory of the organization of the Roman Empire and our Christian brothers and sisters who valiantly and often fatally evangelized their world. Become acquainted with as many names of both great and small that you can during the time leading to up to the reign of Diocletian. These brethren and those who opposed them are the leading personages of the drama of church history at that time.  I will list here several influential believers of the first three centuries of the church. Why not do this: 1. locate all the Provinces on a map (try the internet if you don’t have access to a book with that information. It should be rather available.); 2. determine the Province in which each of these believers lived at the time they gained prominence because of their faith. First and Second Century                                                                                                                               Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Papias, Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian  Third Century    Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Hippolytus; Cyprian; Caius; Novatian, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dinoysius the Great; Julius Africanus; Anatolius, Methodius, Arnobius Third and Fourth Centuries Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius (We will include more 4th Century believers later after we deal with Diocletion, for example, Augustine. This is kind of an arbitrary stopping point but we have to break somewhere. Augustine, as you know, has had a powerful influence in certain theological traditions we will study before too long.) I realize this is a rather substantial assignment – the provinces and the individuals – lots of new names and places. Do your best to locate and identify the places and the persons. Every thing we say about church history in the ancient world will in some way involve many if not all of these locations and persons. Hang tough and get the job done. “Semper Fi!” God bless you. Enjoy your research. And may God give us all insights into the greatness of many who have gone before us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                                        Return to top COLOSSIANS                                            Return to top  Hello dear Christian friends. Here we are again gathered around the fascinating and perennial subject of one of the epistles of Paul. Books come and go; rise to fame and fade away into obscurity; but not the epistles of Paul. Always relevant; always instructive; always inspired for our admonition.  Colossae does not exist now and hasn’t since about 400AD. Possibly a mighty earthquake shook it into rubble. Oh, that would not be the first time Colossae had taken on the rumblings of nature and lost. In 17AD and 60AD the wrath of seismic forces rose in thunderous and deadly anger and laid waste people and property.  Right along with Colossae were two other famous cities, famous in their own right as cultural, economic, medicinal, and tourist centers and as cities mentioned in connection with the epistle to the Colossians – Heirapolis and Laodicea. In this month’s issue, we will look at four topics:  1. Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis: Destinations for our pagan family vacation; 2. Discourse Analysis; 3. Socio-Rhetorical Analysis; 4. assignment for the first chapter of Colossians. Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis  In our last issue we joined our little pagan family on its journey to Colossae. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read the last issue, please read it now to get up to speed with us in this issue. You recall that our pagan family lived just outside the city of Ephesis. Because of the generosity of the husband’s brother, our pagan family was able to take a few days off from work on their grazing farm for a well earned vacation. Not being able to afford a trip either to Rome or Athens or any other place across the Aegean Sea, the family decided to head inland to Colossae and it near neighbors, Laodicea and Hierapolis. Of course, our pagan family was not what we would call “country bumpkins”. After all, they lived just outside Ephesis, a city of the first order in the Roman world. The family could find in Ephesis about anything they could find elsewhere, Athens and Rome excepted. So, why didn’t they just stay home and enjoy the sites and sounds of Ephesis? Simple, they wanted to get away. Break the routine and regularity of daily life; smell the roses somewhere else. We know the feeling, right? Colossae’s best days were past, the history and the aura of what had been still rifled through the air for those seeking to come in contact with the glory days gone by. Besides, Laodicea and Heirapolis, remained bustling and dynamic cities just within a stone’s throw (well, maybe a little farther).  Nestled near the juncture of two famous rivers – the Lycus and Menander – Hierapolis and Laodicea sprawled across the land on opposite sides of the Lycus; Colossae just up from Laodicea on the same side. Do a little research on these three cities – Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Seek such information as what gods were worshipped in the region and how, what were the economic resources of the area, what was the standard of living, reach back into the history of Phrygia and before, make note of the political and military powers in the middle east that shared in the history of the Old Testament and in that of Phrygia and the surrounding area of  ancient Anatolia (Bible Asia Minor and essentially modern Turkey), trace the formidable and intrusive power of Rome in Anatolia and the form of government imposed by the Roman over the region. These research topics and more will bring to light much about our brethren in Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis and who Paul had in mind when he wrote his letters to Colossae and Laodicea.  In the pages of Colossians we meet many brethren and this is where they lived. Our research will help us understand them and the church more completely. Interestingly and worthy of research is the large Jewish population (possibly 10,000 and more) that was scattered throughout the three cities and the land roundabout. How and why did they get there? What did they do there? How did they get along with their neighbors and with local and imperial government in the time of Paul? What concerns did they raise for our Christian brothers and sisters there? Discourse Analysis  We make a turn here into Discourse Analysis, a topic we have brought to our attention the last issue or two. In preparation for the study of Discourse Analysis I suggested that we re-think the chapterfication and versification of the Bible. Why are they where they are and not somewhere else throughout the scripture? I suggested that we try to read the Epistle to the Colossians from a text similar in structure (if we can locate one) to the original that was read to the Colossians – all words in capitals, run together without spaces, no chapter and verse specifications. Most likely, no one located one in English. In the study of Issue 3 on Discourse Analysis, I asked the following questions, “would we understand the Word of God any better or any less without the chapters and verses? Do we gain in specific meaning and sense of meaning more or less with or without the chapters and verses?” If you read the Epistle of Colossians since Issue 3 as best as you could without reference or awareness of chapters and verses, how did it affect your comprehension and understanding of what Paul wrote? Did you sense different segments of meaning set off by either change of topic or introduction of subtopic or did you find that the chapter and verse specifications as they now are provide the proper segments of meaning for you? Suppose you concluded that the chapter and verse specifications as they now are in the Epistle of Colossians provided the proper meaning segments, but suppose your friend did not. Suppose your friend found meaning segments apart from and often in the middle of the chapter and verse specifications as they now are. Who is right? How do we explain the difference? Did Paul mean only one thing when he wrote the Epistle to the Colossians? Or did Paul write to embed multiple identifications of meaning segments within the one Epistle?  Who is right? Who is wrong? Neither? Both? Comprehending and understanding God’s word and, in our study, the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians in particular, come down to two choices: either we accept what someone else has thought out for us or we think out our conclusions for ourselves individually. Either way, the path can be precarious and requires the most serious attention to our analysis. Although Discourse Analysis ultimately is concerned with the overall meaning of the Epistle, it also correlates the various segments of meaning with in the overall meaning of the Epistle to form a compatibility that supports and confirms the purpose the Epistle.  As in many things, large undertakings rest upon small steps taken one at a time. And that is the case here. I want to suggest two words for us to consider as we move further into Discourse Analysis: Cohesion Coherence It may be helpful to take a look at the dictionary definition of those words to get a basic feel for their meaning. But, in addition to those definitions we want to think of Cohesian and Coherence as they will affect our analysis of the text for meaning segments. A basic characteristic of how we will use the word Cohesion is a syntactic characteristic. A basic characteristic of how we will use the word Coherence is a semantic characteristic.  We don’t want to push along too quickly at this point. I suggest that we also look up the meaning of syntax and semantics to see what the dictionary has to say about them. In addition to that, if you have studied any foreign language, I would suggest that you go back to your grammar(s) and see what the grammars say about syntax and semantics. If you haven’t studied a language, you can still go to grammars (including English grammar, by the way) and study the meaning and application of syntax and semantics. The funny thing is, every time we open our mouths and say something we are using exactly what we are talking about here:  cohesion and syntax; coherence and semantics. There is really no mystery. We just don’t normally think that we talk syntax and semantics. As a matter of fact, when is the last time you started to say something and your mind said, “Whoa! Have you got your syntax and semantics in good order?” How about never. But, I guarantee you that we recognize speech when syntax and semantics, cohesion and coherence are missing. Ever try to make sense out of what a drunk was saying? The reason we can’t make sense of speech like that is that there is no cohesion and syntax and no coherence and semantics. I have gone into this discussion to illustrate that these words are what we use all the time and sometimes wish others did a better job with them. We just are not routinely aware that that is what we are doing. So, it should ultimately be a simple analysis when we utilize Discourse Analysis.  The assignment, then, is to define the words – cohesion, coherence, syntax, and semantics. Study grammars that provide guidance on those words. In addition to that, apply to the English version of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians the meaning of these words. See what you come up with. We will go into all that information as we go along. Socio-Rhetorical Analysis  And I want to mention one other factor that we will relate to Discourse Analysis a bit later and that is the socio-rhetorical methods that were used in oral reading and declamation. We will want to see if rhetorical methods help us understand meaning segments in Paul’s epistle and help us understand the results of Discourse Analysis. After all, Paul urges the brethren to read the letters to Colossae and to Laodicea. Did he use a particular form for the letters that would help the hearers comprehend and understand what he wrote? We’ll see. Why not search the internet, your personal library, a school library, your public library for information on socio-rhetorical analysis. If you can’t find information on socio-rhetorical analysis, take a look at Amazon.com to see what it has to offer. You might see books on the topic that you would find useful.  Now, if you can’t locate anything on socio-rhetorical analysis anywhere, then, start looking for Classical Rhetoric and dig around in that during the month. To keep it simple, just look for information pertaining to Aristotle and Classical Rhetoric. As in everything else in the world, there are many opinions. Enough for now. Study hard. Dig beyond the assignment. Gather as much as you possibly can on these subjects. Assignment in Colossians  Oh! One last request – read chapter 1 of Colossians. Be prepared to tell what it means. Also, is the chapter break at the end of chapter 1 proper, disruptive, or meaningless?  God bless you all!                                                                               Return to top   CHRISTIAN COUNSELING                              Return to top Beloved friends of Christ and God the Father, I am so pleased to visit with you again this month and continue our consideration of the person who comes to us for Christian counseling. I hope you had time this past month to study at length the 3 Beverlys and their tragic situations. I also hope that you had an opportunity to complete the assignments suggested in last month’s issue.This a wonderful time to dig into the field of Christian counseling and the issues so important to those who visit you for help and resolution. Assuming that you thought carefully and methodically through the situations of the three Beverlys and completed the assignments related to each of them, we will continue our thoughts about the subject person of any counseling transaction. We will come back to our mythical Beverlys on occasions as we proceed, so stay in touch with them and continue to think on their situations as their counselor with all the responsibilities attendant to that relationship. Now, we will consider a person as a person without any descriptive statements about a person with a problem. Person in general may be the way to say it. Or representative person. We do need to keep in mind as we begin to abstract our person from real life situations that we may begin to think our conclusions about our representative person applies to all persons in real time. Let us realize that there is no such thing as an abstract person and that any conclusion that applies to an abstract person will shrink, stretch, turn, twist, tighten, loosen, undershoot, overshoot, brighten, darken in the presence of true individuals in real time. One size does not fit all! So, is everything relativistic in Christian counseling? No! But, a Christian has to distinguish between his/her conclusions and God’s specific, applicable revealed truth.  There is a difference many times and it is important to develop some discretion about our conclusions and revealed truth. The fault most often occurring among Christians who counsel but have no formal study in Christian counseling is the assimilation of the boundaries between conclusion and revealed truth. Hardly a thing can be more detrimental to a counselee than a counselor who is convinced that he has spoken God’s truth when, in fact, he has spoken only his mistaken conclusion about God’s truth and its specific application in the current situation. At this point, we cannot avoid the relevance of creedal statements underlying the purview of the Christian counselor. Let me frame it in terms of doctrine.  A very prevalent doctrine among many who seek to do Christian counseling is the doctrine of total hereditary depravity. I am quite certain that all of you who read this know what that ominous phrase means and know the source of its origin. I won’t go into the details, so if you need to refresh yourself on it there is much material from both the brotherhood and others. I also am quite certain that those of you who believe as I do recognize that that doctrine is a conclusion that is wholly unsupportable by God’s revelation. That doctrine will never affect our outlook in a counseling situation but it does affect the outlook of many who do believe that doctrine. Another doctrine that is very prevalent in creedal statements is the doctrine of election and predestination. That is the heart of many major denominational creeds and is accepted by many denominational clergypersons as God’s revealed truth. Again, I reject that doctrine as a conclusion unsupportable by God’s revelation as I am sure you do likewise. Yet another conclusion with unacceptable consequences for the Christian counselor is the doctrine of eternal security, a doctrine not to be found in God’s revealed truth.             There are many more conclusions not found in God’s revealed truth that have made their way into creedal foundations of faith. It will be a useful undertaking for all of us to complete the list of doctrines prevalent in denominational creeds that legitimize, however false, a basic life view unsupported by God’s revealed truth. I have mentioned large creedal doctrines about which we all - I hope all – agree are false conclusions regarding God’s revealed truth. The striking contradictions to God’s word inherent in these doctrines are obvious to all of us. But, how about our conclusions that are not so obvious to us that may be just as inherently contradictory to God’s reveled truth as the large doctrines above? Is it possible to prayerfully study God’s word and still come to an incorrect conclusion about His word? Is one false conclusion worse than another, excepting the scope of its influence? How concerned should a counselor be when he/she renders to the counselee a “truth” that is not self evident in the scripture? What are the consequences? Let’s take a look at total hereditary depravity. This phrase is not common coin in denominational circles these days; it rarely, if ever, is a sermonic topic or a lesson for discussion in a Bible class. But, it is in the creeds and the clergypersons espouse the doctrine and reflect its ramifications in their counseling. What hope at all can a counselor who believes total hereditary depravity offer a counselee who comes for help, resolution, and restoration? What could such a counselor offer any one of the Beverlys in our examples in the earlier lessons? I know what I think. What do you think and why? We as counselors make many conclusions as if expressive of God’s revealed truth that will never rise to the level of creedal imperatives. Either the word of God has not specifically addressed the substance of our conclusion or the conclusion is so specific to a real time situation that it may not have a wider application than the counselee for whom the conclusion is asserted. If there is not a specific “Thus saith the Lord” what assurance do we have that our conclusions are the essence of God’s revealed truth for a particular counselee? It is easy to know the dangers in espousing one of the large doctrines I mentioned above. Take a little time to explore the ramifications of those doctrines for the counselee whose counselor espouses them. It is not so easy to know the dangers of our conclusions where our faith more than sight (that is, God’s written word) is our assurance of the substance of truth extended to the counselee. Oh how many times have we counseled with an individual who received the conclusions of his/her Christian counselor only to be told later by another Christian counselor that he/she was misled by the conclusions of the former counselor. Can we avoid that situation? Not in any absolute sense. Unless God specifically has stated what is the truth for a given situation, our human capabilities to understand will yield uneven conclusions overtime. Absolute consistency is not possible because our intuitive and acquired knowledge is not co-extensive with God’s knowledge. Is, then, the whole enterprise of counseling ultimately futile? Yes and no! Yes, if a counselor and a counselee expect an infallible transaction between two persons – the counselor and the counselee. No, if there is triangulation with God in the transaction wherein God assures the outcome regardless of limited human resources. It is the triangulation with God that effects resolution and restoration in the counselee. And it is on this very point that we distinguish between secular psychotherapy and psychotherapy in the employ of true Christian counselors. Secular psychotherapy is a transaction between two persons basing their hopes for resolution and restoration on their conclusions about truth drawn by the canons of logic and experience. Psychotherapy in the employ of true Christian counselors is a transaction of conclusions between two persons triangulated with God for the ultimate disposition of resolution and restoration. So, where do we start in the development of our conclusions for the counselee? We start with the word of God and seek the meaning of words that describe the fundamental circumstances and supports of human consciousness. Three words in the scripture that are fundamental in conceiving of every person, our representative person, our abstract person, are body, soul, and spirit. Everyone possesses those realities. Beverly in our examples possesses them. They are central to understanding who we are and why we are. And concomitant to those words are scientific words indicative of human expression - sensation, reason, emotion. Each of these words – body, soul, spirit, sensation, reason, emotion – summarizes separately an aspect of our consciousness which is an analytical determinative of our response to life in real time and collectively the totality of self-awareness in a given situation.  Although these words are elaborated into detail by both theological and psychological analysis, they have both shared and separate meanings for the purpose of secular psychotherapy and psychotherapy in the employ of Christian counseling. Our first task for this next month is to study thoroughly the scriptural meanings of body, soul, and spirit as asserted in the Bible. Locate the various scriptures using these words. Identify their meanings in context. Draw from your comprehensive study an understanding of the relationship of body, soul, and spirit. Write down what you have concluded from your study of the scriptures with the words body, soul, and spirit. Think of the mythical Beverlys. Ask yourself what difference does it make for the efficacy of the counseling transaction between you and the Beverlys whether you and/or Beverly have any understanding of the scriptural information on body, soul, spirit. How can you determine what Beverly believes about body, soul, and spirit. Is it important for her to understand the scriptural meaning of the words? How can you inform her in a way that she believes and understands them? How will it affect your counseling efforts if she has no knowledge and/or understanding of the scriptural meaning of body, soul, spirit? Do you believe it makes any difference in your counseling transactions whether you or the counselee have knowledge and understanding of the scriptural meaning of body, soul, and spirit? Shortly, we then will study thoroughly the meanings of these words – body, soul, and spirit – in the teachings of the leading psychologists with the intent of comparing them with God’s revelation on the words and of gaining whatever useful insights may be brought from the comparison into an effectual Christian counseling transaction. But now, we want to go back to our study of individual secular psychologists and continue with Sigmund Freud. At the close of Issue 3, we had an assignment on Freud. We want to stay with Freud a bit longer, especially as he has something to say about body, soul, spirit, sensation, reason, and emotion. Your mission is to do research on Freud with the purpose to find specific information on those words. As best you can at this stage of our study, determine how his concepts of those words affect the counseling transaction between counselor and counselee. Compare and contrast his understanding of those words with your understanding of what you concluded the Bible teaches on those words with particular emphasis on their relevance to the counseling transaction. Until next time, God bless you all.                                                                                                                            Return to top   WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY                         Return to top Welcome dear sisters and brothers in Christ to this month’s study of Women in Religious History. It is great having this time to spend with you. Last issue, we suggested some organizational patterns for personal information related to each woman you selected for your twenty women from the Old Testament and for developing a time line for those women’s  lives and activities. If you were able to use those organizational patterns you, no doubt, found that you have at your fingertips a great resource for easy reference and use. You may have an organizational pattern of your own that you prefer and, of course, that is just fine. Whatever works! We are just looking for ways to keep all the information together in a meaningful and accessible way. Why not go back to last month’s issue and review the suggested organization patterns for personal information and timeline. Even if you are using a different organizational pattern for that information, reviewing what was presented in last month’s issue will perhaps suggest ideas for organization you would like to include in your own organizational pattern. Last time, we said we would begin to look into the Apocrypha for women who were prominent in the flow of the history of the period. First, however, we should clarify to ourselves exactly what we mean by the Apocrypha and why it is important. When was it written and for what period of time? Are there similarities between the Old Testament/New Testament and the Apocrypha? Is it essentially devotional? Historical? Political? Religious?  Is it a reliable guide for the claims it makes and the history it records? Who are the authors? Are they historical persons? If so, when did they live? Is it inspired? Did any religious bodies at the time it was written and any thereafter accept the Apocrypha as part of the Bible? If so, which religious bodies and why? Do you accept the Apocrypha as inspired scripture? Why or why not? Have you read the Apocrypha? Lots of questions! So little time to answer them! But, answering them will be well worth the effort to not only provide a stage for the women we will meet in the Apocrypha, but also to bridge some gaps in the history of God’s people between the testaments. While the period between the testaments is a mystery to many, it does not have to be. A good place to start in filling in the historical gap is with the Apocrypha. If you haven’t read the Apocrypha, you are in for some exciting and amazing literary experiences. Try to spend a bit of time daily on the Apocrypha until you complete it. I think it will be helpful to list the books traditionally included in the Apocrypha. These are in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Tobit Judith Esther (Greek version) Wisdom of Solomon Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus) Baruch Letter of Jeremiah Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews Susanna (Chapter 13 of the Greek Daniel) Bel & the Dragon (Chapter 14 of the Greek Daniel) 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 1 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees 2 Esdras 4 Maccabees I Enoch is not included in this list but would be worth reading as it is quoted in Jude 14/15 in the New Testament. If you do not have a Bible that includes the Apocrypha, you can find it in book stores, in your local library, and online. To locate it online, type Apocrypha into your search machine. Various versions of the Apocrypha should come up. Of course, the Apocrypha is a rather large assemblage of literature to read in a short time, so I want to narrow the scope of your reading for the immediate purposes of this study to the following books in which the role of women should be noted. The books are: Tobit Judith Esther (do not confuse this title with the title of the Book in the Old Testament.) Wisdom of Solomon – Wisdom is characterized as being a female Susanna Summarize what you learn about specific women in these books and what you learn generally about women. Describe the character and virtues of these women, what they contributed and achieved and why they are remembered and memorialized in literature. To keep them in the stream of our study of women in Religious History, please include them in your organizational method so as to identify them in the flow of history and their places in the times of their lives. I think you will enjoy reading about these women this month. Next month, we will move on beyond the Apocrypha into the time of the New Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls, the literature of Second Temple Judaism, and Rome, Greece, and beyond.                                                  May the Lord bless you and your families. Looking forward to our next get together!                                                               Return to top   GREEK                                               Return to top Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ!  εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν Great to be back with you and to make our way a little farther into the wonderful study of the Greek New Testament. During our last time together we ran the bases on a few basics. We depended a lot on the knowledge and information we could recall from our earlier, former study of Greek. A few bumps and potholes along the way, but that should be expected, especially for those of us who have not stayed current with our Greek or who have not studied Greek at all. We talked about the alphabet, verbs, nouns, conjugations, declensions, and the English/Greek grammar relationship. That is a whopping lot of stuff! Now that we probably got our bell rung struggling around with the last session, we go at it in a more methodical, systematic way, but, hopefully, not a boring and dull way. We weren’t in school long until we found out that we can’t use “ain’t” when we were suppose to be using “am not” , “is not” , and “are not”.  There were other mysteries that, frankly, still remain a mystery except for the fact that things are often the way they are just because they are that way. (Whew! What a weird sentence.) For example, why is “i before e” except after “c” correct but wrong after “c”? And why are “their” and “there” pronounced the same, but have wholly different meanings and functions? You won’t find the answer in your Cracker Jacks’ box!  On and on it goes – mystery after mystery – and no one fathoms the linguistic process that brought us to where we are in English. The only people offering a solution are certain linguists, but their solution makes too much sense for us English speakers. Now there are mysteries in Greek. Why does kappa turn to psi when confronted with a sigma? Why do an alpha and an omicron join forces to form omega? Mystery upon mystery! Every language has them and everybody has to come to terms with them. With this sense of mystery hovering around us, let us with trepidation humbly grovel before those hollowed and venerated ways that make sense of Greek and which allow us to unpack the great treasures of revelation hidden in the New Testament from those who do not read Greek. Think back to last month’s issue. We talked about declensions a bit. We decided we would find out how many declensions there are in Greek and how many genders. How many cases and their endings for singular and plural. We thought we ought to name the various cases  - you know, those words you use all the time  (the kids especially like them in their bed time stories) – nominative, genitive, dative, locative, instrumental, accusative and vocative (the kids get a real big kick out of those words when the big bad wolf uses them when talking little red riding hood). We even identified a few of them in our reading the Greek text of John 1:1-12. A Final Four experience at the least! Then, we realized that English has some of those very cases as Greek, of course, in a 21st century dress and style. You recall the fun we had in last month’s issue dissecting the sentence and comparing the Greek and English parts. (If you are a real thrill seeker, why not go to that section of last month’s study now and re-live the moment.) Today, with that scenic backdrop to this month’s Greek venture, we will now plunge more deeply into the mysteries of noun declensions. Declension is such a fancy, enticing word bequeathed to us from our ancient Roman friends. They called it “declinatio”.  You can see that the lineage is almost direct. The Romans fleshed out their word to mean things like “bending away, turning aside, declining”. Well now! What do we make of all that Latin heritage? Think of it as starting at the top and heading south, that is, downward. Declension is kind of like constructing a building in reverse gear. Instead of starting at the bottom and building upwards (if you have ever seen the construction of a building begin on the 40th  floor and work down to the 1st floor, please share it with us!) declension begins at the top and works down to the bottom. (Those Romans really figured it out!) So, let’s take a look at the Second Declension nouns (surely you didn’t think we were logical enough to start with the First Declension, did you?) We’ll clear why we start with the Second Declension later, but, for now, let’s get to work. The Second Declension keeps a pretty steady diet (somewhat like my dogs, Toby and Tyler) of masculine nouns and neuter nouns. To keep the Second Declension calm and happy while we talk about it we will provide a few masculine nouns and a couple of neuter nouns here and, in a bit, feed them to the Second Declension (kind of like a trip to Disney World and feeding the porposes) (If any of the following Greek words do not appear spelled in all Greek letters, please either click the Link below or consult your computer's language configuration and select Greek.) Masculine and Neuter Greek Nouns 4 Masculine Nouns ἀδελφός ἄνθρωπος δοῦλος θάνατος θεός κύριος λόγος νόμος οἶκος οὐρανός                                                                                                                                                                    υἱός Neuter Words  ἔργον  τέκνον Guess what? Textbook time! I could sense that you were yearning to rummage the pages for the forms of the masculine and neuter nouns of the Second Declension. Far be it from me to stand in your way. In all your rummaging, do the following with the Second Declension:  1.      identify and memorize the meaning of each of the nouns listed above; 2.      decline each noun through all the cases listed above (nominative all the way through vocative); 3.      SWEAT THE DETAILS! In other words, check every ending for each case – yes - singular and plural. (Oh, is there no mercy?) 4.      do this for both masculine and neuter nouns. Is it recess time yet? Are you kidding me? Most of you who have had any Greek should be able to do this wimpy little assignment in your sleep. Look at those first year first chapter nouns! I am feeling more demonic by the moment. I am driven to lash your backs with another declension (Oh! How the Romans would love me! Nero, are you running with me?)  So, keep your textbook open! Put away your crying towel! We are marching on to the First Declension with glee and expectation! (If any of the following Greek words do not appear spelled in all Greek letters, please either click the Link below or consult your computer's language configuration and select Greek.) Feminine Greek Nouns 4 Feminine Nouns ἀδελφή ἀλήθεια βασιλεία γῆ δόξα ἐκκλησία ζωή ἡμέρα θάλασσα καρδία φωνή                                                                                                                                                                  ὥρα I think I broke  the code of chivalry! Ladies first, they say. And that is really good policy, very good policy. But, here, I am considering the ladies second after masculine and neuter genders. What evil courses my demented mind! Nevertheless, let us rise up and go forward with the First Declension. The thing to do is to do exactly what I asked you to do with the Second Declension with the exception of #4 above. (I didn’t list any masculine or neuter nouns in the First Declension list. They are all feminine nouns.) In addition to that, compare the two declensions to determine the similarities and differences. You notice that we have said nothing about those important little appendages called “articles”. Do not despair; in due season we will! Now, finally, having detected a faint heart beat and a faltering breath in you, I think you can make it to the end of this next and final assignment for this month: I am cutting you loose to select your own passage from your preferred book in the New Testament to study for First and Second Declensions (I got it right this time, ladies! You first!) The only stipulation is that the passage must be 20 verses long. Identify, of course, every noun as to gender and as to declension. Note in what case you find the nouns. Translate each noun according to its case in its sentence.  Hey, why not go ahead and memorize the passage. It’s your favorite!                                                     Thanks for the opportunity to visit with you this month. God bless you all and God bless your ministries!                                                                      Return to top HEBREW                                                    Return to top Greetings in the blessed Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and God Our Father! How great it is to be a Christian servant. I pray that His mercies have showered down upon you and your loved ones since our last get together for a go at Hebrew. Now I don’t lie awake at night conniving how to poison your life with surprises or impossible tasks in Hebrew. No! I really don’t BUT I do want to spring something on you right here and now. Are you ready?  Take a look at the following. Can’t be anything but a selection of Hebrew from the OT with an English translation. א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, עַתָּה תִרְאֶה, אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה:  כִּי בְיָד חֲזָקָה, יְשַׁלְּחֵם, וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה, יְגָרְשֵׁם מֵאַרְצוֹ.  {ס} 1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.' {S} ב  וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אֲנִי יְהוָה. 2 And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am the LORD; ג  וָאֵרָא, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אֶל-יִצְחָק וְאֶל-יַעֲקֹב--בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי; וּשְׁמִי יְהוָה, לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם. 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. ד  וְגַם הֲקִמֹתִי אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶת-אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן--אֵת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֵיהֶם, אֲשֶׁר-גָּרוּ בָהּ. 4 And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned. ה  וְגַם אֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי, אֶת-נַאֲקַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר מִצְרַיִם, מַעֲבִדִים אֹתָם; וָאֶזְכֹּר, אֶת-בְּרִיתִי. 5 And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.  So, what are you supposed to do with it? Good question! 1.      if you can translate it from your prior study of Hebrew, you get to pat yourself on your back (Of course, I have included a translation, but do it in your words); 2.      if you can pronounce every letter in every word of the selection, you get to take your wife/husband out for dinner (of course, you have to pay for it!) 3.      if you can pronounce every word of the selection, you get to take your in-laws out to dinner (maybe they will pay for it!); 4.   if you can identify all the BeGHADKePHATH letters in the selection, you get to go to bed early Friday night (good snoozin’!); 5.   if you can identify in this selection all the vowels and name and pronounce them, you don’t have to cut the grass for a week this summer or your husband will wash the dishes for a month; 6.   if you can do all the above, you get to send me a gift certificate to the Ruth Criss restaurant (please make it big enough for a nice juicy ribeye. You surely don’t want to embarrass me in public with a a mere sirloin.)              Now, we boldly step on stage with those daring Hebrew vowels and their signs.        If a Hebrew vowel chart does not appear at this point         on your screen, please click the following link:        TUA - FRSJ 4 HEBREW PICTURE - 1.htm                  Nice looking chart, right? What do we make of it?  Right away you recognize one of your early alphabetical friends – the Alef - א Remember how riveted we were in looking at the parade of consonants in the chart in section 2? How stylish and flamboyant they were? Remember how we said they had this cozy relationship with those swashbuckling Hebrew vowels? Well, now, our anticipation is requited – here they are with a consonant. And not just any consonant! Oh, no! The FIRST consonant in the Hebrew alphabet. With what else would these vowels allow us to display them for the first time? But, vowels play the field. They hang out with all the consonants when they want to make themselves heard bigtime. We are just using Alef to get acquainted with these vowels, lest the vowels get so noisy we can’t hear ourselves think. Scan the chart a time or two. You see the Alefs. But what else do you see? Well, you see those cute little dots and lines and curly-cues around the various Alefs.  No, no, no! They are not Christmas decorations (with the Hebrew?) nor Hanukka decorations either! Those, ladies and gentlemen, are the vowels! (drum roll, please!) These vowels are vain! I mean really vain. They have hounded me to put them in a display separate from the consonants and especially in large print. (I tell you it is hard working with these self-centered vowels.) I wavered, but finally hung tough and printed both Alef and vowels in large print. (You just can’t let these vowels get the upper hand!) So here goes: The neat blue and purple color figures are the vowels. Your ol’ buddy the Alef is still in red. Now here is the inside story – you know, just among us Hebrew guys and ladies – these Hebrew vowels have names – yeah, they really have names – and we mentioned them in the last session. Yes we did; go see for yourself! At this point, I become Mr. Mean! I am giving you an important research and practice mission – and it is not impossible! A bit trying, maybe. But, not impossible. It is all based on this enlarged chart of Alef and its pals the vowels! Now, we have not discussed this mission I am giving you. You are going to have to go to the woodshed on this one; you are going to have to claw and scratch yourself to the finish line.      If a Hebrew vowel chart does not appear at this point on your screen, please click the following link:         TUA - FRSJ 4 HEBREW PICTURE 2                                       OK  what is the name of each of the vowels in the chart? which are long and which are short? Go back to the Hebrew/English translation at the beginning of this section. Read through it in Hebrew and identify, name, and pronounce every vowel that you see. practice writing the vowels to some of the consonants – over and over and over!  Ok, I said I was now Mr. Mean and you see that I meant it. But, I do have a drop or two of human kindness for you. I know I haven’t given you enough information so far in our sessions for you to complete this assignment – particularly #3 – with total confidence. Now that is the drop or two of my human kindness. But you have had some Hebrew and can go to your textbooks or go online and dig up the information you need to complete your mission. Later, we will sit down for a chat and go over it all.                                                                            In the meantime, God bless you all. See you next session!                                                                     Return to top                                                                            Return to top                                             IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!                                                                                                    Return to top

 

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                       Please click HERE to return to Journal Issue                        The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 5    *Copyright 2008   All rights reserved                 BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Theological University of America  425 Second Street S.E.  Suite 610  Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL Welcome To Your Free Religious Study Journal Church History                                                                                                      Colossians Counseling (Christian) Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew Get Acquainted With Our Great Brother – Dr. Earl F. Ash D.Min. Books By The Brethren               Please return to top for the directory of subjects or continue to scroll down to all topics in sequence. WELCOME TO YOUR FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL   Return to top Hello dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Thank you for joining us again for Issue 5 of your Free Religious Study Journal. We sincerely pray that your Journal is providing If you are finding the Free Religious Study Journal useful, please tell your brothers and sisters in Christ as well as friends who also may have an interest in regular, planned study in the Bible and religious topics. We have heard from some of you that you are using the Journal for group study. Some Elders, Deacons, and Ministers are also holding study sessions using the Journal for a resource.   In this issue, mentioned here and in the Greek study section of this Journal, I want to call your attention to a new forum on learning New Testament Greek. The forum was established and is maintained by our brother in Christ, James Chaisson.  The name of his forum is:  you an opportunity to pursue these vital subjects in a consistent and beneficial way. We welcome your suggestions and criticisms. Learn NT Greek A place to learn and help others learn New Testament Greek Here is the web address: http://learnntgreek.freeforums.org/index.php Also, please be sure to read the section “Get Acquainted With Our Great Brother” This issue presents our beloved and faithful brother in Christ, Dr. Earl F. Ash. God bless you in your studies and ministries. Jim Benton BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                                                              Return to top CHURCH HISTORY                              Return to top Hello, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that your lives have been richly blessed since our last time together and that the tender love of our Lord Jesus continues to sweeten every relationship of your lives. Over the past 4 Issues we have had tasks to research and study, generally in broad terms of the Roman Empire and its organization, culture, demographics, and technology for the years up to Constantine the Great. If we have done our study and research we should have a comprehensive and broad view of the stage of the drama of salvation. Now, in our study of church history we go back to the beginning in Jerusalem. We will develop greater detail in the progress of the church to the time of Constantine the Great. The first question we must ask is “Why Jerusalem?” Why not Bethlehem? Caesarea?Capernaum? Or some city in the broader Roman Empire? Athens? Corinth? Ephesis? Rome? Why Jerusalem? I am sure I am writing this question to you who have long known “why? So, then, this is a review, but an absolutely indispensible review. If you haven’t made that research journey recently, take the time now to thoroughly and completely delineate the “Why?” of Jerusalem. When you have completed that research, we have to ask this question: “What do we know about Jerusalem? Who were the people? What ethnic groups and nationalities made up the population? What effect did the demographics have on Jerusalem? Their leaders? What form of government existed in Jerusalem? Was there religious freedom in Jerusalem? If so, discuss. If not, what prohibitions existed against non-Jewish religions? What was the physical formation of the land of Jerusalem and construction at this time in Jerusalem? (This one question holds much meaning for history centuries later.) What was the most important business in Jerusalem? How important was Jerusalem throughout the world? Did Jerusalem have a history with the Greeks and Romans? What was it? Beginning with Alexander the Great, review thoroughly the history at the time of Alexander and afterwards.  We touched on this in an earlier issue, but now is the time for a full court press on the history of this period including the arrival of Pompey and the Romans. When Alexander the Great died how were his conquests divided among his generals? Who were the generals and what territories did each acquire? To focus more on Jerusalem and the history leading to the time of Christ, detail carefully the history between the Seleucids and Ptolemies and their histories with the Jews. Note the relationships that the Seleucids and the Ptolemies had with Jerusalem and the Jews. How did the Jews react to their contacts with the Seleucids and the Ptolemies? Who were the Hasmoneans? The Maccabees? What did they do and how did they effect Jerusalem and the Jews? What religious, cultural, and political parties developed during this period and why? What influence did they have by and during the time of Christ and afterwards in the life of the church? This is important history so don’t rush through it superficially; dig in and, as General Grant said, “I’ll fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.” Pompey arrived at Jerusalem. When? Why? What brought Rome to Jerusalem and how did it affect the history of Jerusalem and the region round about thereafter? What advantages and disadvantages did the coming of Rome bring to the Jews and Jerusalem? How did Rome view the Jews and how did the Jews view Rome? During the period just before and during the arrival of the Romans some very prominent persons arose in the region who began to have an important influence in Jewish history. Identify these people and account for their influence, positive and negative. Which of these people or their descendants have roles to fulfill in the New Testament and early church history? It is very likely that you already know the answers to all the above questions. But it will be helpful to look more deeply into the history of that period to open new insights and to confirm those that you already have. Whatever the reason for studying this information it will return invaluable dividends for your understanding of the time into which Jesus was born. We need to set out the “lay of the land” of Palestine and its political divisions at the time of Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was reared in Nazareth. Where were these places? In what political divisions were they located? How were they ruled and by whom? What were the remaining political divisions of Palestine at that time? What were the cultural differences between Nazareth and Jerusalem? Did cultural influences make any difference in the life and teaching of Jesus? Identify the locations of the cities of his disciples and the locations of the journeys of Jesus. To carry this cultural and geographical concern a bit further, drawing on all you can learn about Nazareth at the time of Jesus’ youth, describe the milieu about Him and, specifically, suggest a possible description of  His family life while a child and teen-ager, His religious, educational, and work activities in the same period. We have some information in the Scripture itself but the greater part of your description will be conclusions you draw from your research in the period. The religious life of Jerusalem during the intertestamental period is often called “Second Temple Judaism.” The idea of “Second Temple Judaism” actually begins chronologically before the intertestamental period and continues into the second century AD. We have touched on this topic earlier with the intent of doing some basic research on “Second Temple Judaism”. At this point, it will be enough for you to review what you have researched and carry your research more extensively into “Second Temple Judaism”. In the next issue we will formalize our study in “Second Temple Judaism” with specific references to dates, persons, religious practices, etc. It is a very fascinating study which reveals great understanding for the religious circumstances Jesus, His apostles, and the church faced. Lots of questions. No answers – those are up to you. Read and research these questions and produce great answers. God bless you in these tasks and all that lies before this next month. BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Return to top COLOSSIANS                                                                      Return to top Hello beloved brethren in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father. How thankful we should be that He has left us His Word through the pens of His great Apostles, guided by His Holy Spirit into the inerrant and inspired record of all that God has chosen to make known through our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ. It is with this conviction and belief deep in our hearts and minds that we ever approach the study of His magnificent revelation. Although we have read Colossians, for example, many times for study and inspiration, although we analyze Colossians into its details so as not to lose even a jot or tittle of its meaning, although we can never plumb the depths of its meaning and message, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are communing with our God and His Son Jesus Christ in every word, sentence, paragraph, and page – indeed, the entire book throughout, His Word. It is always a sacred time when we approach His Word. As we study Colossians we will bring many views, analytical tools, logical and stylistic, to our study, we must never lose sight of this most imminent fact that we are in the sacred presence of our God when we are in the presence of His sacred Word. In this issue on Colossians, we will continue some of the topics from the previous issue and add a new, fresh assignment or two to give us a direction in our study of Colossians over the next month. So, we will look at the following: Discourse Analysis Socio-rhetorical Analysis                                                                                        Discourse Analysis Last issue I suggested that we study the meanings of four words: cohesion, coherence, syntax, and semantics. Did you have an opportunity to research the meaning of those words? If not, let me urge you to take time to dig around and pick up some useful information. I suggested grammar books, Greek, if possible, English, will fill the gap. And don’t overlook the internet for a good resource of general and suggestive information. If you are not finding all the information you think you want, consider using the following word as a research topic: textlinguistics. Textlinguistics is broader in scope but includes the discourse analysis discussion. You should be able find considerable useful information as you try to get a grip on discourse analysis. To simplify the concepts of textlinguistics and discourse analysis, let me point out – and I think you will see this as you go along in your research – that you actually were learning textlinguistics and discourse analysis in about the 9th grade when your English teacher was trying to get you to write a theme paper. The theme paper, as you might expect, had an overall theme! Remember – the teacher said write out a theme statement. In the 9th grade that was probably something like “Why my dog didn’t like to get his rabies shots”. Well, that would seem to be a “no brainer” and self evident, but the teacher humored us and let us write on it. But, one thing she insisted on is that it make sense (9th grade sense, mind you). By that she meant that the paper should not go something like: Theme topic: Why my dog didn’t like to get his rabies shots. Lead paragraph first sentence: My dog bit the Vet’s thumb. First support paragraph: I went to see Spider Man at the Star movie. Second support paragraph: I don’t want to eat those turnip greens. Third support paragraph: Fido is my dog’s name and he hates it. He likes Sam better. Concluding remarks on Why my dog didn’t like to get his rabies shots: "Can I go swimming tomorrow, Mom?" Do I have to ask, “Get it?”. What is wrong with the way the 9th grader developed his theme? Clearly, a drunk could have written this theme – there was no cohesion and coherence. No overall meaning to the “document” that was developed in a logical, systematic way from the theme statement through out the subsequent literary parts of the theme arriving at a conclusion. At this point, I want to give you a couple of additional words to research and study in relation to textlinguistics and discourse analysis: Macrostructure Microstructure I also want to give you another assignment related to an article you have written at sometime for any reason on any topic. If you do not have an article that you have written, select an article someone else has written and do the following: read it; state the overall theme of the article (it is not always the title of the article. The theme may actually be unstated in the article, but evident from the content and development of the article); break the article down into its logical segments that support the stated or unstated theme; determine how the author (you, if it is you) developed his/her argument throughout the article leading to his conclusion; how did the author tie the microstructures to the macrostructures (here is where your research will kick in) into the content of the article; based on what you know about cohesion and coherence, how and how well did the author involve them in his theme; how did the conclusion of the article form a proper ending to the article?  What we’re doing here is getting the “sense” of what we are after in discourse analysis: overall meaning of the article, the larger structures within the article supporting the theme and the smaller structures as integral to the larger structures, all contributing to an understanding of the overall meaning. I also would like to suggest that you go to Amazon.com, type in the research terms “textlinguistics” and “discourse analysis” to find out what books on those topics are available in their religious studies books and purchase at least one to read in conjunction with this study of discourse analysis. Socio-Rhetorical Analysis The phrase Socio-Rhetorical Analysis combines three broad interests: Socio:  the cultural – social – political milieu of any selected people in any given time; Rhetorical: methods and purposes of communication; Analysis: systematic approach to truth, knowledge and understanding. Needless to say, these broad concepts have taken as many different shapes and formulations as there are people and groups of people. For example, Socio – different for European Greeks in the 6th century BC and Hellenistic Greeks in the 3rd century BC; different for 18th century English and 18th century colonists and Americans, etc. Rhetorical: different for 3rd century AD Romans and 20th century Nazis, etc: Analysis: different for Platonic theoreticians in antiquity and nominalists in the middle ages, etc. In a more direct sense for us, it means we have to understand the people of the letters of Paul in their place and time and experiences and mindset. We have to understand how Paul communicated the Lord’s message to the people in a way that would make sense to them and in a way they would accept. We have to understand how the people whom Paul addressed were able to perceive truth and principle and believe and live it. You no doubt have noticed that we have spent a portion of each issue with our “pagan family” and cultural and social aspects of their lives and the milieu about them. The reason we do this is to try to understand more about the lives of the people in their part of the world to which Paul’s letter to the Colossians was addressed. We can never know their experience as they did, but we can sense many aspects of their lives and circumstances which will not only give us a greater appreciation of brethren then but also a possibility of greater certainty in our understanding of exactly what Paul was saying in the epistle and what the issues really were from their point of view and not from ours. We are not going to discuss our pagan family and its vacation trip in this issue because we need to gather additional information from the broad canvas of life in ancient Asia Minor, Phrygia, and Colossae. Rather, we will go directly to our study of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and research each of those terms to gain a more complete understanding of the fabric of life among the Colossians and, therefore, of the Colossian Christians. We will research each of the terms. Socio First, we will want to learn the demographic make up of Asia Minor, Phrygia, and more specifically, Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Who were there and what were there places of origin? Already, I have mentioned that about 10,000 or so Jews were in the region of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. There were other ethnic and national groups in that region. Take a close look at the Epistle of Colossians. Do you see significant demographic information there? If so, how do you think it is a factor in the epistle? But look much wider than the letter to the Colossians. Dig around in relevant books and the internet. Delineate as much as possible the demographics of the region and Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis in particular. When Paul preached and wrote that we are all one in Christ, what challenges did he have among such a demographic as existed in the Asia Minor, Phrygia, and Colossae? What kind of reception would he have had in Colossae and round about when he preached his statement of oneness and its source as he wrote to the Ephesians? We will have additional topics to research under the topic “Socio” of our Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and we will cover them is subsequent issues. Rhetorical Rhetoric was/is basically a means to persuade through formal oral speech. The object of the persuasion could be anything – social, judicial, hedonistic, metaphysical, moral, immoral – anything. Examples of everything are found in the rhetorical annals of ancient history and today as well. There were characteristics of rhetoric that classified rhetoric as to it function. For example, Deliberative rhetoric Forensic rhetoric Epideictic rhetoric At this point, I want to make this assignment for you. What is the meaning of each of those rhetorical functions? As you find the meaning, try also to find examples of each in the New Testament and in extra-Biblical rhetoric. We will be discussing each of these to some degree and see how they apply to relevant scripture. But, we must point out that as the Roman Empire became an ever tightening vice upon the minds and souls of its citizens, the once turbulent world of Greco-Roman rhetoric mellowed into sycophancy, pandering, scholastism, and entertainment, depending on the ephemeral moment and occasion. Research the decline in rhetoric in the period leading from Classical Greek to the burgeoning of the Roman Empire. So we must ask, did Paul adapt the rhetorical devices to compose the Epistle to the Colossians and, if so, why? Did he write other of his letters in the genre of rhetoric? Which? Analysis When is truth truth? Strange question, but in the world of Paul and the early Christians of the Empire, it was a vital question. Think of the large cultural contributions of the Greeks, Romans, and Jews to the intellectual and faith milieu of the Mediterranean into which our early Christian brethren attempted to live their faith before others. Research these questions: What generally was truth for the Greeks? How did they attempt to validate it? What generally was truth for the Romans? How did they attempt to validate it? What generally was truth for the Jews? How did they attempt to validate it? Broad questions, of course. In any society, there is divergence, but in most societies there is some overweening concept or control that validates the meaning of truth for most of the people most of the time. When you have completed your research on the truth questions above, determine what compatibilities they would have; what incompatibilities they would have; how would truth be communicated among them or could it? How would Paul deal with the truth concepts and controls? Can you recall a specific instance where he preached to a group whose truth concepts and controls were certainly different in specifics than his own? Paul in his letter to the Colossians faced both a demographic concern and a truth concern. How could he persuade all to believe his message and that his message was from God? I am going to list a few rhetorical topics by which to analyze Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The task later will be to apply these and possibly others to Paul’s letter to determine its purpose and meaning and, then, relate the rhetorical analysis to the larger Discourse Analysis. A standard rhetorical sequence in a speech was the following Latin words: Exordium Narratio Argumentatio     Propositio     Refutatio Peroratio And in Paul’s letters add: Epistolary Prescript Epistolary Postscript Research the meaning of each of these terms. Take what you discover in your analysis and see how it might work out in Colossians. We will do this together later. Really a great personal pleasure for me to share time with you in this issue of Colossians. God bless you all. And if God is willing, we will meet here again next month. BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                                   Return to top   CHRISTIAN COUNSELING                              Return to top Hello my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. How comforting to know that God reigns throughout the universe and for all eternity, that His son gave His life that we may live for Him here and live with Him forever there. How great is our God! There is always a rush of anticipation and joy when a new life enters this world. The innocence, the purity, the unspoiled moment of life at birth is relished as a promise of new hope in a world that for many is hopeless. That new life will journey a road similar to our own. And when we think of this new life we are sometimes brought sharply to consider the journey we are making through life. Our sense of life’s journey is the accumulated effect on our minds of the experiences we have along the way – from that stinging swat at birth to the fanny by the obstetrician who thought we needed a little assistance to get a regular breath to this day’s most recent non-conforming, unexpected happening that caught our attention and caused us to reflect upon it to the myriad of subtle subconscious effects that the mind assesses, relates, and organizes below our conscious level of thought to the degeneration of natural functions of body and mind. All of this forms our understanding of our life’s journey and all exert in one manifestation or another control over us, even tyranny. The American Psychiatric Association suggests 16 different categories in mental illness and describes more than 200 different mental conditions. The categories are: Disorders First Evident in Childhood Organic Mental Disorders Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders Factitious Disorders Schizophrenia Delusional disorders Psychotic Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified Sleep Disorders Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Somatoform Disorders Dissociative Disorders Sexual Disorders Impulse Control disorders Not Elsewhere Classified Adjustment Disorders Personality Disorders One common thread running throughout the categories is the effect of human experience, life’s journey, upon us and its consequences. It is with this journey as a totality of whom we are and are not that counselors and psychologists grapple. In the past issues of the Free Religious Study Journal, we said that we would discuss certain seminal and leading psychologists and their theories and clinical practices. Currently we are looking at Sigmund Freud. Last time, we considered that as Christians we believe in the reality of body, soul, and spirit as taught in the Bible as foundational truths necessary to understanding our life’s journey and the effects of our experiences on our life’s journey. Your assignment was to study thoroughly what the Bible says about body, soul, and spirit. Only when we have a complete and comprehensive understanding of what God has provided for us through the body, soul, and spirit are we able as Christian counselors to provide true hope to those who seek our help. You might be thinking, “doesn’t everyone believe in ‘body”, atheists and agnostics as well? Yes, no doubt they do believe in body as a biologically functioning entity, but not as an entity specially created and endowed with powers and possibilities directly ordained by God. Rather, for them, the human body is considered to be the most advanced product of the long struggle of the human species through evolution to survive and adjust to its environment. The difference between the two views is vast and the consequences are eternal. We noted last time that Freud was an avowed atheist, even to the point, at times, of ridiculing the idea of God. His view of ‘body’ is the evolutionary view, more specifically in his view, Lamarckism. (If you are not familiar with that term, why not research it?) Freud was greatly concerned with the mind and the personality. The mind, as we have noted above, processes both conscious and subconscious experiences, seeking to make sense of them or repress them. At this point, I am going to mention three technical terms that Freud selected to express important aspects of his concept of mind and personality: Id, Ego, and Superego. Your assignment is to research what Freud meant by these terms, how they affected his clinical procedures and expectations. Also in the last issue we continued our discussion of the person who is the counselee. Every person who walks into our offices for counseling is traveling life’s journey. That person has a history, part known by some, part known by none, part not even known to the counselee herself/himself. We will continue in the Issue to discuss that person who has come for help and hope. We discussed in this connection last Issue that there are pitfalls to perceiving of our counselee as a “type” or an “abstraction” or a “representative” and thereby failing to locate this person in his or her own reality, his or her own “life’s journey.” In the earlier Issues we discussed three “Beverlys”. Clearly, from just the small amount of information we learned of “their situations”, we realize that they are no “type”, “abstraction”, or “representative” of some counseling or psychological textbook model. So, one of the first tasks the counselor has is to break through his/her first conceptions and first impressions of the counselee. To avoid thinking, “I know this type person.” Being human, the counselor operates on some fundamental assumptions about what he/she sees and hears when a counselee comes to the office and begins to talk. For example, the style and condition of the clothes the counselee wears will tend to raise fundamental assumptions about who the person is. It is no mystery. If a person enters your office for counseling in a police uniform, most likely your mind throws forward certain beliefs about the women and men in blue. And that goes deep into our life’s journey. Most of us can clearly recall our mothers telling us when we were barely school age that we can trust police officers and that if we feel lost or threatened away from home or in unfamiliar environments we can confidently and safely carry our fears and anxieties to a police officer for help and we will get understanding and help. That was a working premise without question for us for years. As a child we would see police officers as persons of character, strength, and safety. When a person comes to you for counseling dressed in cowboy boots, levis, plaid cotton shirt, and a broad leather belt with a large buckle emblazoned with a agitated steer, what are you going to think? You are going to think every thing you ever thought and learned to think about a cowboy. When a person comes to you for counseling dressed in a two piece suit, shirt, tie, black sox and black shoes, well groomed “sixties” hair style, and one large ring in his left ear, what are you going to think? When a person comes to you with her mom for counseling wearing tennis shoes, short pleated skirt, a tank top, with three arm bracelets, a thumb ring, and hugging her teddy bear, what are you going to think? How about aging and physical debilities? Have we not learned over the years from all kinds of sources that certain characteristics attend to aging and physical debilities and that they have implications for capacity to learn, adjust, and progress? What would you conclude about the 73 year person with a limp and somewhat impaired in hearing when he/she comes to you for counseling? And gender. Do you see a man and a woman equally in counselor-counselee transactions? And not to forget religious differences, differences between splinter groups within the church and differences between the church and denominations. What fills your mind when you know you are going to counsel a brother or sister who holds a radically different conviction than you do about some issue within the church? What fills your mind when you know you are going to counsel a member of a denomination? Is your first thought, I have got to convert this person to my understanding (which, of course, in this case you would consider to be revealed truth.) or am I going to approach this person in terms of who this person is (the accumulation of the experiences of his/her life’s journey) and try to interact on the basis of the problem or situation for which he/she has come to you? And on it goes. Each of those persons would stir images that are rooted in our minds from personal experiences with individuals like the ones I described or from learning experiences by which others taught us what to think about individuals like the ones I described. In other words we are “modeling” the counselee before we have actually learned one thing about this specific person. In law enforcement and political correctness it is called “profiling”. Whatever the merits or demerits of “profiling” or “modeling” may be in law enforcement and political correctness, it is a topic for another course. But, clearly “modeling” and “profiling” are a blinding and inhibiting mindset for entering into a counselor-counselee transaction. We have said nothing about the correctness of speech, the regional speech sounds of people from various sections of the US or the world. Nothing can strike apprehension in us faster than to hear language sounds we don’t understand and think we have reason to suspect as sinister. The challenge for the counselor is often to swim up stream to the experiences of  her/his own “life’s journey”; to step outside of who she/he is; to lay aside the first responses based on inveterate images formed early, often, and deeply in her/his mind. For Christian counselors this is subtle ground on which to stand. We are taught early in Sunday School that the principles of God are inviolable and unchangeable. They are once and for all settled by Divine revelation. We believe that. I am sure we have all heard the saying that “if God says it, that settles it” and that is unquestionably true. No Christian counselor wants to counsel contrary to the word of God; rather, he/she wants to be the channel to the counselee for the application of the word of God to the situation. But, in reading the New Testament, we clearly learn that Jesus applied truth to specific situations. Recall the woman caught in adultery? The religious leaders wanted to kill her because their law allowed it; Jesus wanted to save her to give her an opportunity to live for Him. What is the lesson there for us counselors? That no matter what the person appears to be, no matter what the person actually is, no matter where the person’s “life journey” has taken her/him, if we are Christ like as we approach this counselee, we will not have concluded our disposition toward the counselee as the religious leaders did toward the adulteress, but we will find the application of Christ’s principles not in an abstract sense, but in relation to the specific person who has come to us for help. The assignment for this Issue is to reflect on your personal responses to the various individuals you see. Do you feel you know who that person is, how he/she will think, how he/she will respond? Do you feel the person is trustworthy, untrustworthy? Do you feel the person is the kind of person you can help with your counseling? Do you feel you can communicate well with the person? Locate pictures of different men, women, and children from different walks in life, with different interests, economic status, cultural bearing, education, ethnic and national origin, and religious convictions. When you first see the picture of each individual, ask yourself what that picture prompts you to think about the person or persons in the picture. If you and other counselors are in a group studying the issue, have each member of the group tell what their initial response is to each of the pictures. Discuss why you have differences and what is the significance of the differences. Study and identify in the Old and New Testaments passages of scripture that assist you to enter the counseling session with the counselee without the limitations or biases of your first responses to any and all aspects of the counselee. How can you become Christ like in your acceptance of the person of your counselee? Discuss why it is important to the counseling transaction that your first responses not categorize the counselee in terms of “type”, “abstraction” or “representation” that your mind draws from the experiences of your own life’s journey. How can you avoid it? Be specific. Next Issue we will continue with our discussion of the counselee. Thanks for joining us this month. We look forward to meeting you again next month. God bless you all. BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                                         Return to top WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY                         Return to top Richly has the Lord God blessed our lives with His unfailing love and mercy. Nowhere is this realized more than in the courageous and sacrificial lives of women throughout history and the world who inspire and lift us up to envision what we ourselves might become in service to our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. We thank God for all the Godly women who have nurtured us in the faith by their exemplary lives. And it is for this reason that we shall always continue to study women of faith who rose from every station in life to define the meaning of commitment and selflessness in fulfilling their duties as women, wives, mothers, teachers, leaders, and missionaries. God has for every woman regardless of station, place, and time a mission for her life that when lived out in the fullness of His grace forms within us a lasting sense of God’s beauty and His tender loving kindness. It is these lovely lives of women lived out in Christ that ennoble and sustain within us the vision of Christ as One who gave His all for the true meaning of sacrifice for others. As we progress through time and place, circumstances bring changing challenges and continuous concerns that call forth women of faith to embrace their convictions and to stand firm in the demonstration of their commitments to God. To understand the contributions of women of faith as servants of God to the time and place of their lives we must first understand the opportunities and limitations in society, culture, religious practice, and law that circumscribe their active participation in the contemporary issues of their time and place. In the past two Issues we have suggested an organizational structure for correlating the women you selected from the Old Testament and from the Apocrypha with the challenges and opportunities of their times and places. But we must go farther than that and detail how their opportunities and limitations were defined and circumscribed in their respective society, culture, religious practice, and law. Make no mistake about it – throughout all history women have been generally suppressed and relegated to the shadows of historical recognition despite the significance of their contributions. This is not the result of Biblical teaching, but the result of secular societal discrimination on the basis of gender often clothed in religious garb and not merit. If anyone doubts that thought we only have to recall our own American history. Two points: the Civil War was fought to free slaves, but only all men gained the right to vote; no woman could vote. 55 years after the Civil War women finally in this democracy gained the right to vote after much struggle and a new amendment on August 18, 1920 to the US constitution guaranteeing women an equal vote with men. Throughout history women have had to travel unequal ground to fulfill the mission that God has given them. This grievous and tragic historical disability did not break the resolve of Godly women nor deter them from surmounting all barriers before them. Jesus Christ once and for all time established the equality of men and women before God. But, like so much of His teaching, the world is long, if ever, in coming to His wisdom and reward. Thus, we have to reach into history and bring to light the historical conditions under which women had to strive to serve. This assignment will intrigue you, sometimes shock you, often break your hearts, frequently draw forth from within you a Godly indignation, but always instruct you as to the strength of heart and mind, the courage of will and conviction, the endurance of faith and hope of women of faith in all ages, past and present. The assignment is to study, research, and digest from the large historical periods and their concomitant geopolitical regions the codified attitudes and tradition honored mores that dictated the place and function of women and girls in their various sanctioned roles. This assignment is wide ranging over time and place. I will suggest a beginning for you, but you must overlook no relevant time or place leading up to and including the time of our Savior. First, establish clearly in your mind what the Bible from Genesis to Revelation taught and demonstrated about women and girls and their value and role in God’s design and will; Second, turn to secular societies in a historical sequence. Include in this approach the major nations and cultures that rose and had preeminence in the sequence of history. This would include the major nations of the Old Testament and New Testament with especial emphasis on such nations and regions as Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Northern Kingdom of Israel, Egypt, Greece, Rome and others.  Clearly this is a comprehensive study and will take some time for research and study. It is very well worth the effort and with a month before the next issue we should have enough time to do it well. I offer some chronological help here, not exhaustive, but suggestive of the scope of your study and research on these topics: Middle East Region Begin your study with the Kingdom of Sumer Proceed through Old Babylonian Empire, Old, Middle and New Assyrian Empire, Neo Babylonian Empire, Persia, Egypt European Region Greece: Mycenaean Civilization – Minoan Civilization Archaic Period Classical Period Hellenistic Period Rome: The Monarch The Republic The Empire The gist of this assignment is to learn how women were viewed with reference to their social, cultural, religious, and legal status in each of these geopolitical areas in the chronological sequence of their historical viability. This information is indispensible for understanding the journey women must make through the centuries to achieve their God ordained place in life. This will be one of the most sobering and rewarding learning experiences you will most likely ever have. Many incongruities exist in the roles of women in the ancient world ranging from adored and highly esteemed goddesses to female slaves subjected to the most detestable and despicable abusive horror. Pour yourself into this study. Take the time to do the study and research. God bless you in your effort. Until next time, may the Lord keep you and bless you! BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                              Return to top GREEK                                               Return to top Hello dear brothers and sisters! We are back together in the rough and tumble world of Greek syntax and semantics! As I think of the challenge we have before us, I am reminded of those heartening words of Paul in Philippians 3:12  οὐχ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον ἢ ἤδη τετελείωμαι διώκω δὲ εἰ καὶ καταλάβω ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ κατελήμφθην ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ 13   ἀδελφοί ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι ἓν δέ τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος 14   κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ   With that spirit so movingly expressed, we rise to our duty and seize the opportunity.   Let’s saddle up and hit the happy trails.   The first trail is the noun and noun declension trail. We were on it in the last issue and we want to continue on that trail now.   But, that is not the only trail we will take in this issue. We pawed the ground of verbs in Issue 2; now we are going to gallup all the way through the present indicative active!   And, just for old times sake, partner, we mosey back to that old vocabulary trail and see what’s new there. Some things are just too good to let go.   Noun trail   We have taken a ride over the first and second declensions. We want to broaden our path along that trail by adding some new information on those two declensions.   Here we are presenting a chart that shows the cases and case endings for the nouns of the First and Second Declensions. You have seen these before in your previous courses, but it will be helpful to review this chart at this time.           Please notice that the Masculine and Neuter of the 2nd Declension have common case endings in the Genitive, Locative, Instrumental and Dative, singular and plural. In the singular of the Neuter of the 2nd Declension the endings are the same for the Nominative and Accusative and in the plural of the Neuter of the 2nd Declension the case endings are the same for Nominative and Accusative. In the Feminine 1st Declension Nominative case you notice three endings. We will discuss each of these three endings when we take up the form of the words to which each applies. We have not mentioned the Vocative case in this chart but we will discuss it a bit later.   First and Second Declensions Cases and Case Ending   Singular 1st Declension 2nd Declension   Feminine Masc Neuter Nominative -α -η -α -ος -ον Genitive -ας -ης -ου Locative Insrumental Dative -ᾳ -ῃ -ῳ             Accusative -αν -ην -αν -ον Plural Nominative -αι -οι -α Genitive -ῶν -ων Dative -αις -οις Accusative -ας -ους -α                                        It is helpful to identify some basic meanings for the various cases used in the declensions. Keep in mind that the whole idea is much more involved than I am presenting here. The meanings I am presenting here are just to get us a basic feel and to get us going in translation. Later, we will add new senses to the cases as we proceed.   Nominative – case of the subject of the sentence Genitive – case of possession – translate: of Locative – case of location – translate: in, at, on Instrumental – case of means or association – translate: with, by Dative – case of personal interest – translate: to, for Accusative – case of the direct object   Let’s try a few examples of the 2nd Declension masculine nouns. We will use masculine nouns with which you are familiar from Issue 4.   κύριος λόγος νόμος   The assignment is to identify the meaning of each word and to decline each of the words with the case endings for the masculine 2nd Declension nouns in the chart above with the basic definition for each case.   Now, do for the neuter nouns what you have just done for the masculine nouns of the 2nd Declension. Again, we will use two words from Issue 4. ἔργον τέκνον   Time now to discuss the 1st Declension nouns. Please refer to the chart above.   Nouns of the 1st Declension ending in – α or η – are feminine nouns.   For example, φωνή and καρδία and θάλασσα   And let’s begin with φωνή, καρδία, and θάλασσα    The assignment is to identify the meaning of each of these words and to decline them with the case endings for the feminine 1st Declension nouns in the chart above with the basic definition for each case.   The plural endings for the 1st Declension nouns are the same for all 1st Declension nouns. Please practice saying and writing the plural endings along with the singular feminine nouns.         Notice the iota before the alpha in the word καρδία.  The presence of the iota before the alpha changes the selection of endings for the cases of the 1st Declension in the singular. In addition to the iota, when either epsilon or rho is present before the alpha, the endings are the same as are used when the iota precedes the alpha. Consult the chart above.   Please observe that we have not discussed accents and articles. We will come to them before long.     Verb trail   Nouns are nice. But verbs are full of action. When nouns and verbs get together, things start happening. We talked of verbs in Issue 3, now we want to give them a form.   Verbs are singular and plural in three persons. We use pronouns to state the person and the number (singular and plural) of the person. Our pronouns are I, you (singular), he, she it, we, you (plural), and they.   While Greek has personal pronouns (we’ll discuss them later), the Greek verb also has endings that express person and number. You will see a chart below showing those endings.   We will begin with the present indicative active.   What do these three words mean? We’ll give a basic meaning now and more later.   Present – the current time Indicative – the statement of fact or real situations Active – the subject of the verb is acting   Here are the verb endings that indicate person and number. When you combine these endings to the stem of the verb, you have conjugated the verb. When these endings are added to the present stem of the verb, you have created the present indicative active.     singular plural   First Person     ω ομεν   Second Person εις ετε   Third Person  ει ουσι   And here is an example of a verb with the proper endings for the present indicative active with one possible translation of each form. The present stem of the verb is lu- it is to this stem that the endings are added.   luw - I am loosing luomen - We are loosing lueiV- You are loosing luete - Ye are loosing luei - He is loosing luousi - They are loosing The assignment here is to memorize or refresh your memory of the present indicative active and the verb forms involved. Then, select 10 verbs from your textbook and conjugate the verbs in the present indicative active. Also, before the next issue, consult your textbook and review the present indicative middle, the present indicative passive, and the imperfect indicative active. Let’s also go to the Greek text of the New Testament, select 20 verses, and identify all the 1st and 2nd Declension nouns and determine their cases and meanings. Then, identify all the present indicative active, present indicative middle, and present indicative passive verbs in those 20 verses. Determine the subject and object of all active and middle verbs and the subject of all present indicative passive verbs. A NEW IMPORTANT AND USEFUL FORUM DEDICATED TO LEARNING                                        NEW TESTAMENT GREEK: I am happy to recommend to you the following forum established and maintained by our brother in Christ, James Chaisson. The name of the forum is: Learn NT Greek A place to learn and help others learn New Testament Greek Here is the web address: http://learnntgreek.freeforums.org/index.php  Let’s all tell Brother Chaisson how much we appreciate his providing such a useful learning forum on the web, especially a forum established and maintained by a fellow Christian brother. BLOGGER REQUEST: One of our bloggers named James asked that I provide some information pertaining to useful books for the study of Greek. I am glad to do that and would be willing to respond to any questions any of you may have. I will begin in this issue a brief discussion of useful works for the student and scholar. In this issue, I begin with Lexicons. Lexicons: Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon – considered by many to be the most authoritative dictionary of ancient Greek for Biblical and classical studies. A primary work for scholars researching Greek writers and texts up to 1940, from the 11th century BC to the Byzantines, including pre-classical, classical, Greek Old and New Testaments. Frederick William Danker (ed.), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. Third edition (BDAG) (based on Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, sixth edit.   Chicago/London:  Chicago University Press, 2000.  Pp. lxxix, 1108.)  - the lexicon covers the vocabulary of the New Testament  and the apostolic fathers and selected apocrypha. This lexicon quotes all occurrences of all words, except the most common ones, that appear in the main text of the 27th edition of Nestle-Aland's Novum Testamentum Graece of 1993, including textual variants offered by important text witnesses. Professor Danker includes a great variety of sources: literary texts, papyri, inscriptions, from Homer down to Anna Comnena and Eustathius of Thessalonice. BDAG is an indispensable tool for students and scholars of the NT. Joseph Thayer, Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament – originally published over a century ago, at one time considered one of the best New Testament lexicons. The lexicon provides definitions and relates meaning to usage in the New Testament. Includes quotations from extra-biblical usages and the useful background sources. William D. Mounce, The Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament – highly recommended for beginning students of Greek, always useful for scholars and students. Every word as it is found in the New Testament is listed in alphabetical order with an explanation as to its function as verb, noun, adjective, adverb, participle, etc. and its lexical form to which you can refer for its primary and derivative meanings. Wesley J. Perschbacher, The New Analytical Greek Lexicon – similar to Mounce’s Analytical Lexicon just mentioned. Format and style differ, but the aim is the same:  locate the form of the word and its identification and use as it appears in the New Testament, trace it to its lexical form, provide the primary and derived meanings. Either Mounce or Pershbacher will provide basic definitions Enough for now. Have a great month. God bless you. Be well. BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                      Return to top HEBREW                                                    Return to top My dear brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Who blesses each of us with the richness of His grace and mercy. How great is our Savior. How great is His Father and ours! And how great is the brotherhood of those who call upon His name. We thank God that we have the opportunity to study His word and subjects that assist us in growing ever closer to His truth in the revealed word. With that thought in mind, let us begin our Hebrew study for this Issue. In this issue we will begin our in depth discussion of the Hebrew verb. Hebrew verbs have some grammatical forms that are similar in function to verbs in English and other languages. For example, Hebrew has infinitives; English has infinitives; Hebrew has conjugated verbs; English has conjugated verbs; Hebrew has verbs of singular and plural number; English has verbs of singular and plural number. And so it goes. Lots of grammatical similarity.  We are all familiar with an English dictionary. If you want to look up a word, you know exactly what to do. You don’t remember when you learned it (maybe the second grade?) but you never have to ask the librarian to show you how to look up a word. You just know how to do it. Of course, if you can’t spell the word you are trying to locate in a dictionary you may not be able to find it. But, I think we all could remember to spell and look up simple words like “cat”, “car” “dog”  “bat”(with and without wings; both kinds) We probably would have no trouble with the three letter words. And that is the way it is with Hebrew. Simple little three letter words. Get your Hebrew lexicon (dictionary), open it and what do you see: mostly three letter words. Sure, you’re going to see a quirky word every now and then that has more or less than three letters, but they are harmless and will do exactly what you want them to do.  So, is that all there is to a Hebrew verb? Just three letters? Well, not quite. Hebrew words have a rich history and they just can’t settle for the simple life. They are really conflicted – they want to be humble, but are driven by the desire to be flamboyant. And we just have to humor the verbs or they won’t cooperate. We said that there are similarities between Hebrew and English. One of the similarities is the form of the verb you use to locate it in the dictionary.  If you go to an English dictionary to look up a verb you look for the infinitive form of the verb. You don’t look for the perfect tense of the verb, for example. When you go to the Hebrew dictionary you always look for the same form of the verb, but in the case of Hebrew you do look for the form of the perfect tense of the verb but without the vowels, not the infinitive as in English. As a matter of fact, you have to be down right particular about what perfect tense form of the verb in Hebrew you use in locating the verb meaning. You have to look for 3rd person singular masculine perfect of the verb but without the vowels. Every Hebrew verb has a home base – to keep grammarians happy, better call it “root”. Every Hebrew verb has a root. And that “root” just happens to be – wouldn’t you just know it – the 3rd person masculine singular perfect form of the verb but without the vowels. If you want to find the Hebrew verb in the dictionary – that is where you go.  Now we will take a longer look at “root” a bit later. For now, just let it take root. I want to give you a few examples of verb “roots” (remember what they are? Check the paragraph above.) The quotation marks around each word are not part of Hebrew grammar. They merely designate each Hebrew word to aid in clarification and pronunciation. The letters are separated in cells to assist in practice of each letter sound. When the  verbs are conjugated you will see vowels and other grammatical signs associated with these letters. “ר ב ש” “נ ת נ”  “ר ב ד” “ב ר ק” The first step in dealing with these roots is to realize that they are backwards (that is, in English. For example, what is a “tac”? No, No, No, No. It isn’t something you drive into a wall – that was your dad’s car!) It is “cat” - that nice little furry creature spelled backwards in English. It is spelled in the correct direction if it were a Hebrew cat. So, you start from your right as you face this screen or the page in the dictionary and read to your left. Notice – no vowels. But, occasionally, particularly in school grammars, you will find vowels with the letters in the glossary and some other dictionaries. It will be better to learn them in both ways. With those three letter words I have above, name each letter in each word. Try to pronounce each letter. Then, if you have a Hebrew dictionary (lexicon) try to locate them. So, is that it with Hebrew verbs? We could only wish!!!! Hebrew verbs are a classy bunch. They like to dress up and they like to do it in different styles. And they like to be seen in public with their favorite vowels. Remember in “Issue 2” I gave you these thoughts about those classy Hebrew vowels: First Class Second Class Third Class In the First Class we have the “a” sound. In the Second Class we have the “i” and “e” sounds. In the Third Class we have the “o” and “u” sounds. In each of the three classes we find both short and long vowels. To avoid the linguistic apparitions of the unknown, let’s nail down the names of the vowels, short and long, and the classifications to which they belong. I also gave you the names of the vowels to help you out. Pathah Hireq Qibbus Seghol Qames Sere Holem You recall that was the point at which I jumped ship and left you on your own. The idea was you will dig into your Hebrew grammar and learn about Hebrew vowels and I am sure that you did. I didn’t leave you without hope, however, because I left you this chart below with the vowels illustrated: If a Hebrew vowel chart does not appear at this point on your screen, please click the following link:         TUA - FRSJ 4 HEBREW PICTURE 2                                   Go to your textbook and identify each of these vowels by name. I gave you the list above. Now see if you can match vowel name and vowel sign.  Just in case it is necessary, we will match them next time so we can proceed to spell Hebrew verbs with vowels and begin to conjugate a few verbs as well as do some translating. At this time we want to get better acquainted with verbs and their forms. Let’s start with English and work ourselves over to Hebrew. Maybe that way the Hebrew verb form will be a bit easier to grasp. The Hebrew verb-root is used in seven active and passive forms: Simple Active Simple Passive Intensive Active Intensive Passive Causative Active Causative Passive Reflexive Each of these has a Hebrew name and its own conjugation of verbs in its form. But, before we get to the Hebrew names and conjugations, let’s see what these forms mean in English. All explanations will be for the 3rd person singular masculine and the Hebrew “ר ב ש” meaning  in the infinitive to form “to break” Simple Active -  he has  broken Simple Passive – he was broken Intensive Active – he has shattered Intensive Passive – he was completely shattered Causative Active – he has made broken Causative Passive – he was made broken Reflexive – he has made himself broken The English is a bit stilted, but you can see the intent of each verb form. Now these verb forms have names and they are Simple Active – Qal Simple Passive - Nif'al Intensive Active - Pi'el Intensive Passive – Pu'al Causative Active – Hif'il Causative Passive – Huf'al Reflexive - Hithpa'el Next issue we will give the actual Hebrew names instead of the transliterated names. But, for the time being, get the feel of all of this in English with the transliterated words. In closing this Issue on Hebrew we want to introduce the Hebrew word that serves as the template of the verb forms 1 – 7.  That Hebrew word is “ל ע פ” which means “did, performed”. Specific vowels or specific vowels and preformatives are added to that word to create each of the verb templates for the list of verb forms above. You most likely know this well from your previous study of Hebrew and will have no concern about it. However, if you have been away from Hebrew for a while, please begin to brush up on all the verb forms and their conjugations. In the next issue, we will proceed further with Hebrew verbs. God bless each of you. If you are traveling this month, be safe. If you are not traveling, pray for the safety of those who are.  In all events, God be with you all. See you next issue. BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                     Return to top                                                                             Return to top                                                               BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Books by the brethren: Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c                                                                                      Return to top  IMPORTANT NOTE I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!     BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                                                Return to top

 

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                       Please click HERE to return to Journal Issue                                The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 6     *Copyright 2008   All rights reserved                 Theological University of America     425 Second Street S.E.     Suite 610     Cedar Rapids, IA 52501

THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL Church History                                                                                                      Colossians Counseling (Christian) Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew Get Acquainted With Our Great Brother – Dr. Miles S. Cotham, D.Min. Special Old Testament Article by Dr. Daniel King Sr. PhD Books By The Brethren BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com  Please scroll down to see all the topics’ materials Welcome To Your Free Religious Study Journal CHURCH HISTORY                              Return to top  Brothers and sisters in Christ! Welcome to our continuing saga of the church in the world. Our study in the last issue asked that we research many questions and facets of Jerusalem, Palestine, and attendant interests. There was much to cover and all of it indispensible. If circumstances during the past month interrupted our concentration on the assignment in church history, let us double our efforts to thoroughly answer and understand the many questions that were posed in the last issue and proceed with the assignments of this current issue.  The very earliest church was baptized Jews and Jewish proselytes. Jesus was a Jew. His mother and his supposed father, Joseph, were Jews as were His brothers and sisters. Jesus grew up around Jews, participated in Jewish religion and observations, read and studied Jewish religious literature.  The Apostles and all of His retinue were Jews. From His birth until His death, He was not only a faithful Jew, He was the only Jew in all history Who kept the law perfectly. The presence and influence of Jews and Judaism on the church is undeniable. And that produced an ambivalent resolve for many in the church for years to come. Running in historical counterpoint in Palestine and the region was the Greek and Roman influence begun incipiently with Alexander the Great’s conquests of the region and in full bore with the Syrians, Egyptians, and Romans.  Much of the strategic history of the Jews in the intertestamental period fomented out of the pagan influences of Greek culture espoused by Syria, Egypt and Rome. Leading up to the time of Jesus, including the time of His life and ministry, and continuing beyond, the ever increasing crescendo of discord and hatred finally erupted at the time of the Roman Generals Vespatian and his son Titus into a violent first century conflagration and later into a second century destruction of Jerusalem itself. With this brief historical backdrop to the time of the beginning of the church, we want to comb the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles with strict reference to the following: evidence of specific encounters of the church with Judaism in all forms mentioned in the New Testament; evidence of specific encounters of the church with paganism in all forms mentioned in the New Testament; evidence of specific conflict within the church due to the presence of influences of Judaism and paganism among Christians; the exact issues stirring the encounters and conflicts; the points of difference creating the encounters and conflicts; the resolutions of the conflicts and the effects of the resolutions on this history of the church. As in our own day, authority and belief shaped the religious and political convictions and behaviors of the diverse parties in the national mix of Palestine. Always, everywhere, for peace and tranquility, there must be a controlled tension between authority and faith, a balance that compromises the extremes of both. But, here is the problem for Palestine – some parties could compromise; others could not. Some could reason themselves to an accommodation; other could not – it is one way and one way only. Between these extremes for peace and tranquility to prevail, there must be a disinterested resource for justice capable of enforcement of a middle ground satisfactory to an accommodation to the majority. When that fails, civil disobedience, even civil war result. What we want to determine are the following: what religious and political organizations in Jerusalem and beyond were capable of compromise; what religious and political organizations in Jerusalem and beyond were incapable of compromise; what part did Roman control of Jerusalem and Palestine fill in peace and tranquility and discord and conflict; what Jewish religious parties controlled and/or contributed to peace and tranquility and discord and conflict in Jerusalem and Palestine; what influence for peace and tranquility and discord and conflict did the presence and assertiveness of Greek cultural manifestations have in Jerusalem and Palestine; what participation did the church have in the political and religious events in Jerusalem and Palestine? This cauldron of fragile co-existence is the environment in which Jesus, His apostles, His followers, and all Jerusalem and Palestine pursued their religious and political convictions. Before we ship ourselves overseas (that is, to the provinces and nations outside of Palestine) in continuing our pursuit of church history, let begin the collateral study of the Jews contemporary to each phase of church history. This will not, of course, be the focus of church history, but the study of their history as collateral to church history will prepare us to better understand the later points of contact between forms of Judaism and the church and why the history of the church is tied so tightly today with the political and religious events of the middle east, a tie that threatens the very existence of our civilization. I think the best way for us to begin the collateral study of Jewish history is to begin research on important dates, leaders and religious figures, and literature (including Rabbinical literature). Use the 2nd century BC as the starting point and the close of the 5th AD as the ending point of this current research. As we push along the time line in our study of church history, we will adjust forward the AD dates of our collateral study of Jewish history. Our main concentration is church history and the history of the Jews is intermittently important to that historical development. We will consult our progress in that collateral study now and again. The main responsibility is for you to research the study and gain from it all that you can. Along the way there will be important tie-ins to church history that will only have its most profound meaning if we have done the research before hand. Have a great month of August. The fall is at hand. May God bless you richly in every good work. See you next month!                                                                      Return to top COLOSSIANS                                                                             Return to top  Welcome again to this issue of our study of the Epistle of Colossians. Can you imagine what our knowledge and understanding of Christ, His Church, His people and the everyday working out of their opportunities, problems, and challenges would be without these marvelous, inspired letters? While we might wish that more of the writings of the other apostles were preserved and placed in the Bible, just imagine how difficult it would be to have a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of their contents if all the letters and gospels that were written by the apostles were included in the Bible.  We rejoice that God has given us in His word all things that pertain to life and Godliness. With this issue we will begin study of the letter of Colossians itself. So far, we have brought forward information about the social, cultural, political, and religious environment of Colossae, about methods (Discourse Analysis and Rhetorical Analysis) of understanding the Epistle, and about the experiences of a hypothetical pagan family. We will continue with each of these topics until we have covered their relevance to our study of the Epistle of the Colossians. So, today, we will continue the following topics: A study of Colossians itself; Rhetorical Analysis We are not taking up Discourse Analysis and the experiences of our pagan family in this issue. We want to concentrate on the Epistle to the Colossians and part of Rhetorical Analysis. We will definitely return to Discourse Analysis and the pagan family, but for a time we want to be certain we understand Rhetorical Analysis and its application to the Epistle to the Colossians. 1.      The Epistle of Colossians We will go through and over the Epistle to the Colossians at least three times before we complete our study. (1)   We will do a careful and investigative study of the English text. (Since I am not certain what our competence in Greek is, we will stay with the English. However, we will take a look at times at the Greek text as it appears to add significant information to the English text. But, we will not overload and interrupt our study with frequent excursions into Greek.); (2)   We will continue to develop the meaning of Rhetorical Analysis and, at some point, apply it to the entire Epistle to the Colossians; (3)   We will continue to develop the meaning of Discourse Analysis and, at some point, apply it to the entire Epistle to the Colossians. Turn in your Bible to Colossians chapter 1 verse 1 – 2. Read it. Now, think about it. Pretty standard information for the beginning of an epistle by Paul. This part of the epistle even has a name “Epistolary Prescript”. (Sounds like you have just gone from your family physician to your pharmacist.) Cut and dried, isn’t it? Let’s take some more examples from Paul. How about I Corinthians 1:1-3 and II Corinthians 1:1-2.  Ho! Hum! Where’s the beef? Let’s get to the meat of the letters!!! Just to bore you a little more with these matter-of-fact, customary, routine openings of an ancient letter, go to Galatians 1:1-5. So, we’ve read them. Now can we go to the meat??? Not just yet. We haven’t quite cut and dried the “Epistolary Prescripts” enough for my taste. I always do better with things that have no importance.  The Epistolary Prescripts have parts. It is not enough to say, “Oh yeah! That’s an epistolary prescript.” Now, that does sound impressive. But there is more to it. The prescript may have a 3 part body with really great names from our ancient Roman brethren: 1. superscriptio or superscription, sender’s name in the nominative case; 2. adscriptio or adscription, addressee’s name in the dative case; 3. salutatio or salutation, greeting in the infinitive. Can you analyze Paul’s epistolary prescripts according to that 3 part scheme? Check it out. Go through it carefully. Match it up. And, finally, what do you have? You have a well organized, analyzed, sanitized, and paralyzed understanding of what Paul meant in his “epistolary prescripts”. You are well on your way to being a recognized scholar in ancient letter writing and rhetoric. Congratulations! There is only one thing – were those opening sentences in Corinthians, Colossians, and Galatians written by a cold, emotionless, beady-eyed old graying and balding professor (a perfect description of me) who is trying to convert the world to Christ sitting behind his desk by a cackling fireplace in ancient Rome ruminating on the precision of his rhetorical skills? Is that what you think? Really? If we look at those few verses from those 3 letters in a different way not concerned about rhetorical precision and definition, what do we see there? I am tempted to throw out some thoughts that would push you toward this new direction of thought and understanding. But, I am steadfastly going to refuse. You must look at every word in those verses, weigh them, relate them, relate to them, get inside them, feel them, shout them out load, meditate on them, cry over them, put them under your pillow, whatever – but try to see Paul’s heart, not his head; try to see Paul’s life’s purpose, not his professional duties as an apostle; try to see Paul’s gut wrenching love and concern, not his personal discipline in a period of tough and challenging times. I will give you this much: in those few verses, you have the full effect of the gospel of Jesus Christ, why He lived, why He died, why  He rose, and why He will come again and how those who love Him respond to Him. That is a whole bunch packed in to so short a space. And Paul bled for the meaning and story of those verses. Take some serious time to study not only these “epistolary prescripts” but others in the New Testament epistles. Get into them. Savor their true meaning; not just their academic meaning. Get into the lives of the great Christians mentioned in them. Enter into the congregation of people whose lives are in the cauldron of persecution, fear, discord, and need.   We will go over these “epistlary prescripts” a bit more in detail next time after you have had an opportunity to ponder them for awhile. 2.      Rhetorical Analysis Ok! Now is the time to throw your brain into reverse and move from the impact of personal feelings and meanings to the stealthy, impersonal calculations of a brain surgeon. If you are feeling somewhat like you are on a roller-coaster ride in this issue, that’s great. I used to love to ride roller-coasters in my youth and this issue of the Free Religious Study Journal is kind of a throw back to those days many years ago. Please don’t misunderstand me. Studying the Free Religious Study Journal will not make you any younger. It might make you wish you were younger. But, at best, we may only reminisce about the days gone by. With the intensity of a frenzied great tiger shark, we move on to Rhetorical Analysis. One huge question: did you study the assignments from last issue? What’s that? Was there an assignment? Oh, yes, indeedy! There was an assignment. We were going to research the meanings of the words “socio, rhetorical, and analysis” from our topical phrase Socio-Rhetorical Analysis. One question: if we don’t know what it is, how can we use it? And that is not all. We had other assignments for Socio-Rhetorical Analysis from last issue. To get obnoxious about all this, I want to restate part of the assignment from last issue that you can find under the research topic “Rhetorical”. Here it is: “Deliberative rhetoric Forensic rhetoric Epideictic rhetoric” I am really feeling a nasty mood coming on, so I am going to try to abate its full impact by stating just a little more of the assignment from last issue. It goes with the three research topics just above: “What is the meaning of each of those rhetorical functions? As you find the meaning, try also to find examples of each. We will be discussing each of these to some degree and see how they apply to relevant scripture.” Now, ‘fess up. Did you? I mean did you try to find examples of each? If not, give it another go during the coming month. We are going to march along toward our destiny in this field of study and pick up new terms and applications. It will require – oh forgive me for using this 5 letter word – study! If we come to the end of this study of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and have nothing but a lot of new terms that we can’t pronounce (most of them are in Latin), can’t spell, don’t know what they mean, don’t care what they mean, at a total loss to apply them, just as happy that we can’t apply them, how will we be able to explain it all to our mothers? They expect to be able to put on their bumpers a sticker proclaiming, “My son/daughter is an honor student.” Don’t let them down! I am not through carping yet! Oh. No. I haven’t asked you about this part of last issue’s assignment: “A standard rhetorical sequence in a speech was the following Latin words: Exordium Narratio Argumentatio     Propositio     Refutatio Peroratio Narratio And in Paul’s letters add:  Epistolary Prescript Epistolary Postscript Research the meaning of each of these terms. Take what you discover in your analysis and see how it might work out in Colossians.” Ok. I am not even going to ask. I am only going to say we need to know and understand the meaning and application of these words. ‘Nuff said! I refuse to hound you! But, I will give you just a little bit of a new assignment. I realize I have repeated the assignments from last week regarding Socio-Rhetorical Analysis, but they may have needed repeating. Right now, we are in the fundamental stage. No fundamentals, no success.  It is important for progress to do the assignments. So, on to the new assignment. This new assignment assumes we have done our research on these terms: Deliberative Rhetoric Forensic Rhetoric Epideitic Rhetoric With that assumption, let’s read the entire epistle once again with a view to determining which function of rhetoric characterizes the Epistle to the Colossians. The new assignment also includes the following: Assuming again that we have done our research on at least these three terms – epistolary prescript, exordium, and narration – go to the Epistle to the Colossians and determine where these terms apply and have relevance to the text and intent of the text. God bless each of you in your ministry to our Lord Jesus Christ. See you next issue!                                                                               Return to top CHRISTIAN COUNSELING                              Return to top Beloved friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to visit with you in this issue of the Free Religious Study Journal. It is my prayer that you are enjoying the full blessings of our God. Last issue, we took up a train of thought that we characterized as “life’s journey”. Each of us has one – a journey through the life that God has graciously given us. We pointed out that each of us in our life’s journey encounters a variety of experiences that shape our thoughts and behaviors. And, it seems, no two of us are traveling the exact life’s journey, partly because of our perception of the material effects of experience and party because of the mental response to our perception of the material effects of experience. As counselors we must understand that no two people will have identical perceptions of the material effects of experience and no two people will have identical mental responses to the perceptions of the material effects of experience. That means the counselor cannot rely on his/her personal perceptions or mental responses to the perceptions of his/her experiences as a model from which to extrapolate the perceptions and mental responses to the perceptions of experience of the counselee. The potential range of experiences in a person’s life’s journey is virtually limitless. There are many experiences had in common among all people, many experiences that are unique to the individual, but the perception and mental response to the perception of all experiences may vary widely to the point of irrationality from any given point of comprehension, but yet be “normal”, “rational”, and “expected” to the person who perceives and mentally responds to the experiences. Given a norm which is culturally, socially, and religiously accepted by society, slight irrationality may not be noticed because there is no general effect or deleterious manifestation or clear deviation from the norm, but obvious irrationality demands attention and resolution. People who come to our offices for counseling have noticed either in themselves or others some form of irrationality obvious enough to demand attention and resolution. The perceptions of experience and the mental response to the perceptions of experience may be conceived as intelligible within a concept of two concentric circles, a smaller circle within a larger circle. The larger circle we will call the belief circle; the smaller inner circle, the knowledge circle. Between belief and knowledge all experience is consciously understood. We believe something has affected us; we know something has affected us. This system of belief and knowledge is interactive and mutually supportive. Without belief, a body of knowledge will always be challenged; without knowledge, a system of belief will be theoretical. One without the other is an impossible dichotomy of reality. Both belief and knowledge, however, are relative to one another and to absolute reality. For example, belief in false gods is a primitive mental response to the perceptions of the experience of the universe; knowledge that once categorically maintained that the atom could not be split was for centuries the basic science for understanding matter and its composition. Both false gods and atomic solidity are now rejected because of the continuous interaction of belief and knowledge. Little intentional progress is achieved without a prior belief in its possibility; little intentional progress is productive and beneficial without the concomitant developing knowledge to enact it. The counselee who comes to our offices is a person with a consciousness of personal belief and pragmatic knowledge, however adequate or inadequate the counselee may think his/her belief and knowledge are. As long as the counselee’s belief reassures him/her that his/her knowledge is workable (pragmatic) for purposes of successful living, then his/her perceptions of experience and his/her mental responses to perceptions of experience are generally satisfying and self-affirming. Within the aggregate of individuals, the range for satisfaction and self-affirmation is both wide and varied. And it all begins with the perception of the experience of the universe and the mental responses to the perception of the experience of the universe for, whatever else the universe is, it is the place where we all live and die, where all the potential for what we are and can be is, where every aspect of our lives is played out. So, it is important to understand the counselee’s concept of the universe and his/her concept of his/her place in it. This is a theoretical concern that has ultimate consequences in the counselee’s encounter with the experiences of his/her life’s journey. As in almost every human activity, there are opposing constructs with virtually infinite gradations between. As a Christian counselor you will need to know how the counselee perceives and mentally responds to his/her perceptions of experiences of the universe. If there is any doubt of the importance of this inquiry, we need only to ask ourselves if belief in God as the Creator of the universe has any effect on both our belief and our knowledge system. The constructs of the universe that are diametrically opposed are theism and atheism. In the following quotations, David expresses the theistic construct of the universe; Bertrand Russell expresses the atheistic construct of universe. David wrote in Psalms 8 and 9, “…..when I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet, You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field. The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, Our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth. I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult inYou; I will sing praise toYour name, O Most High!” (New American Standard Version) Bertrand Russell wrote in 1903 concerning death, "That man is the product of causes that had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins- only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built." The distance from David to Bertrand Russell is infinite in its potential for caricatures of the universe. The civilizations of the world, past and present, vary to the degree that their caricatures of the universe find a belief-knowledge axis that validates their development. Communism is a view of the universe. It has a belief-knowledge axis which validates its methodologies and philosophies elaborated by Karl Marx. Democracy is a view of the universe. It has a belief-knowledge axis which validates its methodologies and philosophies conceived by Thomas Jefferson. We live in a system developed from a view of the universe validated by a faith-knowledge axis rooted in theism or atheism or somewhere in between. There is no escaping it. It is fundamental. The belief-knowledge axis of the universe permeates every association and every conscious mental concept we may have as individuals. As Christians, we profess Christianity which in philosophical terms would be a belief-knowledge axis that validates our lives. As Christians, the Christianity we profess is the belief-knowledge axis that validates our family life. As parents and/or offspring, the family is a belief-knowledge axis that validates our individuality. There is a reciprocal relation from the general to the particular, from the universe to the individual where the view of the universe gives a conceptual basis to life and from particular to the general, from the individual to the universe where the individual gives purpose to the view of the universe. Destroy a person’s view of the universe and all its ramifications and you destroy conscious individual self-affirmation. Destroy the conscious individual self-affirmation and you destroy the purpose of existence in his/her view of the universe. Do you recall your first profound disappointment in the behavior of a Christian you thought was beyond reproach simply because he/she was a Christian?  In your mind, you believed that Christians just don’t behave that way because your knowledge of the Bible told you so. (Belief-Knowledge axis) You learned differently. You were hurt. Your hurt became bitterness. Your bitterness became cynicism. And, ultimately, your cynicism became disbelief. (Breakdown of Belief-Knowledge axis). You no longer believe in a pristine Christianity. There is now a disconnect from what you believed the universe was to what you now think that it is (reciprocal relation from the general to the particular, from the particular to the general, from your view of the universe to you, from you to your revised view of the universe.) This is a fundamental relation of ideas to experience and experience to ideas that underlies conscious faith and behavioral choices. But not all perceptions of the universe nor all mental responses to the perceptions of the universe are conscious. There is a human mental experience beyond volitional recall and command. It is as if there were another untethered self with an independent will and reservoir of experiences which create a whole different world of life possibilities. Early in the development of psychoanalysis, Freud proposed an analysis of a reality that is not known as a structural element of the mind, but as a theory posited as if a reality of the mind.  He elaborated several categories of his theory into a workable construct amenable to psychological methodology.  He perceived three functions of mind that he names Ego, Id, and Superego, all forming below the conscious level of thought but having implications for the conscious level of thought. In this construct, there is a natural tension between the Id and the Superego which is moderated by the Ego which, in turn, moderated consciousness of reality. The Id for Freud is the basic instinctual inheritance at birth which provides us with drives, impulses, and needs which seek immediate satisfaction without reference to reality, regulation, or organization. Among those drives, impulses, and needs of the Id are food and sex. The quest by the Id for pleasure at all costs led Freud to term its operative principle the “pleasure principle”. Left unregulated, the Id drives for pleasure and immediate gratification with no sense of reality or the norms of reality. Here, the Ego begins it effect. At about 3 or 4 years old, the Ego of a child begins to assert it moderating influence between the perceived experiences of reality and the Id to curb the excesses of the Pleasure Principle of the Id.  The operative principle for the Ego is the “Reality Principle”. The Ego is in touch with conscious and unconscious entities and influences. The Ego seeks to channel the Id into self interest moderated by possibility in what is perceived by the Ego as rational action conditioned by experience of reality. At about 5 or 6 years old, the Super-ego of a child is, in general, formed from the  seeding of the moral, ethical, and behavioral patterns of parents, society, and culture. The Ego relates to the Super-ego as an arbitrator between the Super-ego and the Id. Under that arbitration, the child begins to form a sense of morals, ethics, and behavioral patterns that enable the child to function at the conscious level of reality. The Super-ego is that function of the mind that offers limiting choices to those of the Id. Here parental values are important and formative for the child. The child begins to sense moral certainty in terms of behavior and excellence in terms of goals. (Ego Ideal) The presence of Conscience at this stage of the Super-ego provides a judgmental capacity to evaluate personal behavior and choices most often with reference to parental values, rules, and expectations. It is the function of the Conscience that creates the sense of guilt, anxiety, and other negative valuations. As we proceed in following issues, we will look further not only into Freud’s theories of the mind but also into the theories of other leading psychologists. But, at this point, I want to bring back to our minds the three Beverlys that we introduced early in this study. I am pasting below a copy of material from Issue 2 that set the stage for your meeting with the 3 Beverlys. Read each of the cases again. Ponder the perception of the universe each may have and what difference it will make. Describe the belief-knowledge axis on which each Beverly is basing her life and its likely influence on her. Determine how her perception of her experiences of the universe and her mental response to the perceptions of her experience of the universe prepare her for her current situation. Using Freud’s model, how important will it be for you to provide successful assistance to know a full and thorough background of Beverly? What factors would be especially important? Which can be rehabilitated? Which cannot? How will you make your Christian belief-knowledge axis viable for the resolution of Beverly’s situation? What can specific Christian activities do to bring Beverly through her situation to a full rehabilitation? For example, prayer, Bible study, Christian support groups and fellowship, devotional activities, etc. How do such Christian activities effect Freud’s theory of the mind as presented in the brief discussion of the Ego, Id, and Super-ego? So, here is the selection from Issue 2 that presents you the 3 Beverlys: The lady who came to see you is Beverly. You did not know her before and had never seen her before. You knew only that she was coming to see you for counseling. That’s it. Not a lot to go on. Here she now is, this person you don’t know, about to unveil her life and problems to you. Are you really prepared for that kind of responsibility? Better be! Too much is at stake – eternity – to not be. Since Beverly in our example is a mythical character, we will put her in three different situations. If it helps, think of 3 Beverlys each with a different situation. Beverly comes to your office, takes her chair before you, and, after preliminary conversation (the nature of which we will discuss in later issues), you ask her why she has come to see you. Beverly in the first situation: Simply put she has come because she is a single mother with 2 children, one by marriage and one out of wedlock. Her husband is deceased (killed in a construction accident) and her boyfriend fled from the relationship as soon as he learned she was pregnant. She has struggled on and is now completely exhausted, without emotional, financial, or relational resources. She had been a lukewarm member of a Pentecostal church at one time before her marriage and now she is hurt and bitter to the extent that she has disdain pretty much for any kind of organized religion. She is here to see you because your services are free and she did hear that you had helped a friend of hers in a financial matter. Beverly in the second situation: Beverly has been married to the same husband for 20 years. They have found happiness together in a middle class family structure and community relationship. Three kids have come along - 2 girls and 1 boy, the boy being the second born of the three. The boy is 16 with a birthday in about 2 months. The husband is a Christian who attends a congregation of about 600 membership with a staff of four full time ministers. (You are a minister on this staff and it is you to whom she is coming for counseling.) Beverly does not believe. She has been a life long agnostic. She is not positive God does not exist but she is not positive that He does. She fuels her unbelief by the books she reads and conversations with her other agnostic/atheistic friends. Beverly is coming to you because she and her husband desparately need help with a problem that is consuming them. They recently discovered that their 16 year old son is heavily addicted to methamphetamime and any other drug he can get his hands on. His steadily deteriorating demeanor led them to deeper investigation into their son’s behavior and that is what they found. She is not coming to because you are a Christian but because her husband convinced her that you would be a knowledgeable, reliable, empathetic counselor for them. Beverly in the third situation: Beverly is a devoted child of God, having been born again in her early teens. Her mom and dad and her grandparents before them were Christians. She has hardly been exposed to anything else. She is married to a fine Christian man who is a deacon in a church of about 150 members. You operate a Christian counseling service in your community which is not officially part of the church ministry in that community. You established your Christian counseling service about 7 years ago and the Lord has blessed you in that service. You have counseled many people both Christians and non – Christians. You are a member of the second congregation of the Lord’s church in that community and had just never had the opportunity to meet  Beverly or her family. Now this young mother and wife is faced with a tragedy that may literally consume her life. She has cancer and the physicians have given her a 50 – 50 chance of surviving. She is distraught with an endless stream of questions about every important aspect of her life. She has come to you. Thank you for joining us this Issue. God bless you and your loved ones until next time.                                                                                        Return to top WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY                         Return to top Dear beloved friends in Christ, the blessings of our God rain abundantly upon us, His longsuffering encourages and strengthens us, and His word gives us light unto our path. In all things, we praise and adore Him Whose Son lived and died and rose again to deliver all of us who call upon His gracious Name. Since we last met in Issue 5, we were busy (I hope) learning the views concerning and roles of women in various cultures and societies including the children of Israel in the Old Testament and into the period of the Roman Empire.  I want to help prevent historical confusion as to when these various cultures and societies existed and what  their historical relationship with Israel, Judaism, and early Christianity was.  So, I am going to give a bit of a time line just to keep things both in proper sequence and in proper historical coordination. The time line I am presenting here is highly selective with many more dates left out than are included. But, that’s ok. We only want enough dates of historical matters to keep our focus in proper sequential order. The time line includes nations that existed before, during, and after the life of Israel as a nation in the land of Palestine and early Christianity. And all of these nations, either directly or indirectly, made contributions to early Christianity and to the history of the Jews as a people and as a nation down to the final destruction of Jerusalem in the second century AD.  Even after that event, as we will see later, nations continued and do continue to have their effect on Christianity and the life of Israel as a people and as a nation. And because of that, they continue down through the ages to help us understand the role of Jewish and Christian women in the larger world cultural and societal context and the role of women everywhere. This time line is for simple reference only.  As you think of different cultures and societies but don’t recall when they thrived and who were their neighbors, friends and foes, you can take a moment to glance at this timeline. Of course, you can memorize the timeline if you wish, but that is not necessary for our purposes now. Before we go into the time line, I want to mention that I have copied and pasted after this time line the chronological help from the last issue and assigned dates to each nation’s rise.  It is gives you another way to look at the historical time of the nations. TIMELINE OF ANCIENT PEOPLES AND NATIONS DOWN TO THE ROMAN EMPIRE About 5000 BC Human Culture in Mesopotamian region 3150 BC Menes unifies Upper and Lower Egypt, and a new capital is erected at Memphis; c3100-2686 BC Early Egyptian dynastic period, with a succession of kings that strengthened the unification of the two Egypts 2750 BC First Sumerian dynasty c2700 – 1450 BC Minoan civilization develops  c2686-2613 BC Third Egyptian Dynasty, first pyramid built; 2340-2125 BC Akkadian rule in Mesopotamia 2100 - 1800 BC Third Sumerian dynasty c2181-2040 BC First Intermediate Period of Egypt, period of political chaos, increase of cult of Osiris 2100 BC 11th Egyptian dynasty reunites Egypt 1800 – 1170 BC Old Babylonian Period 1700 – 1550 BC Second Intermediate Egyptian Period, 13th dynasty fails. 1600 – 1100 BC Mycenean Civilization 1600-1100 BC Intermittent Hittite rule in Mesopotamia 1550 – 1085 BC New Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt united under new dynasty 1520-1170 BC Intermittent Kassite rule in Mesopotamia 1200-612 BC Assyrian rule in Mesopotamia 753 BC Founding of Rome 712 BC Third Intermediate Period of Egypt, no strong central power. Invaded by    Assyrians 750 – 500 BC Archaic Period of Greece, city-states formed during this period ruled by a king and a council 612-539 BC New Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia 539 – 330 BC Persian Period in Mesopotamia 500 – 323 BC Classical Period of Greece, Greek culture develops, Athens is center of activity in Mediterranean Sea 509 BC Founding of Roman Republic 323 – 31 BC Hellenistic Period, begins with Alexander the Great’s conquests 27 BC Founding of the Roman Empire CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONS AND REGIONS Middle East Region 2750 BC Kingdom of Sumer 1800 – 1170 BC Old Babylonian Empire 1813 – 1800 BC Old Assyrian Empire 1364 -1248(1180) BC Middle Assyrian Empire 1200 – 609 BC New Assyrian Empire 1155 – 979 BC Middle Babylonian Period 979 – 627 BC Late Babylonian Period 612-539 BC Neo Babylonian Empire, 539 – 330 BC Persia African Region 3150 BC Egypt European Region Greece: 2700 – 1450 BC Minoan Civilization 1600 – 1100 BC Mycenaean Civilization 750 – 500 BC Archaic Period 500 – 323 BC Classical Period 323 – 31 BC Hellenistic Period Rome: 753 BC The Monarch 509 BC The Republic 27 BC   The Empire                                                                      Now is the time for you to recall what you learned in your study about the roles of women in each of the regions in a historical sequence since the last issue. As you think them over, compare and contrast them. Form some opinions why the roles of women in these regions developed as they did? Compare and contrast the roles of men with the roles of women in these regions? What influence did the religions of the regions have on the roles of women in their respective regions? How do you account for the disparity in the various positions held by women in those regions? And, perhaps, most important of all for our purposes, compare and contrast all that you are learning about the role of women in the middle east with the role of women in the Old Testament for the same period of time. You know that Abraham was called by God from the Ur of the Chaldees, a prominent place in the history of the ancient middle east, to begin his life as the father of the faithful. Abraham and his family before him were apparently raised and made their home in this ancient middle eastern society. Compare it with what you know from the Old Testament for the same period of time beginning with Sumer. In this issue I am going to present a few highlights of the ancient middle eastern role of women during this time. In following issues, we will dig into the Greek, then the Roman ancient societies and the role women in them.  In each issue the assignment is to determine the status and role of women in the same comparable time period in the Old Testament with the status and role of women in the secular societies of the same time period. Only by comparing the Biblical and non-Biblical roles of women can we truly grasp the  journey of women to freedom in Christ from Genesis to Revelation. So, we will begin with: The ancient middle east region: Some general thoughts here may stir your memory of your research this past month. Likely you noticed a great disparity in the status of women in the ancient middle east. The roles of women in the ancient middle east ranged from goddess to base slave. At the top of the hierarchy of roles of women was the goddess. An example of the status of the goddess in middle eastern theology is the goddess Bau of Lagash in Sumer. Here are a few lines from a hymn to Bau: “Let us ...... praise (?) you, the Beneficent Protective Goddess of Bau. Because you love mankind and rejoice at its gifts, let us forever praise (?) you, the Beneficent Protective Goddess of Bau. My Protective Goddess, lady ......, good woman encouraging celebration and listening to words of prayer, guiding intentions and tongues, lady who loves the truth,  with silver lips, directing ...... and ...... ears and cheeks! Good woman, my Protective Goddess, your appearance unmatchable, my ......, let us forever praise (?) you.” The hymn, as you see, was not preserved without lost words, but we are able to recognize the adoration her worshippers had for her because of her beneficence. The goddess Bau had a temple in Lagash and Queen Shagshag, probable wife of Entemena, superintended the goddess Bau’s rather busy temple. Besides being the goddess Bau’s chief priestess, Queen Shagshag also controlled the economic and legal aspects of the temple’s daily life and the temple’s 1200 employees. Further, documents from that time list the positions of Queen Shagshag’s domestic staff: 150 slave women: spinners, woolworkers, brewers, millers, and kitchen workers. One female singer, several musicians. 6 women who ground grain for feeding pigs. 15 cooks, and 27 other slaves doing menial work. Brewery: 40 men and 6 females. One wet nurse, one nursemaid. Personal servants for her children and herself. One hairdresser. From this list we can see the devolving hierarchy from the Goddess, to the Queen, to professional vocations, to menial tasks, to slavery in which women were involved during the 3rd millennium BC. Coming down into the periods of Assyria and Babylonia, we become acquainted with the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. The cult of Ishtar maintained sacred prostitution and she herself was considered the prostitute of the gods. In spite of Ishtar’s sexual predilections, her devotees were many and adoring, as the following prayer, written in the 2nd millennium BC, to Ishtar shows: "Gracious Ishtar, who rules over the universe, Heroic Ishtar, who creates humankind, who walks before the cattle, who loves the shepherd... Without you the river will not open the river which brings us life will not be closed, without you the canal will not open, the canal from which the scattered drink will not be closed.. Where you cast your glance, the dead awaken, the sick arise; The bewildered, beholding your face, find the right way..." In our study of the role of women in these ancient societies, we must not think of them all as either goddesses or queens or slaves. To the contrary, although there were goddesses and queens and slaves, there was also a class, in the broadest sense of our use of the term, we might for convenience call a middle class, not in the sense of capitalism, but in the sense of social and professional action. Women in this class were involved in many productive activities normally related to household activities. The more influence the husband had the more likely the woman would be able to engage in activities on the broader stage of business and government, owning property, buying and selling, engaging in limited entrepreneurial activities. For example, we have this quotation of an Assyrian business woman explaining in a letter to her merchant husband both a difficulty in being paid for her goods and the opportunity for profit in the selling of their wool products. "One heavy cloth to Ashur-Malik I gave previously for his caravan trip. But the silver from it he has not yet brought me. ....When you send the purse, include some wool. Wool in the city is costly." Outside of royal and aristocratic families, women usually did not have the opportunity to go to school to learn even the basics, reading and writing. And, clearly, this was an impediment to successful personal independence and to amelioration of their political status. The progress of history from Sumer onwards presents an inconsistent picture of the status of women. In some historical periods more or less freedom of action and self assertion was allowed. For example, the period of Assyria finds the requirement of the veil for a woman in public. The period of Hammurabi (Babylonia) the law permits the woman to divorce her husband under certain circumstances. The punishments for violating law and custom could be very severe for all alike. Throughout all periods, the society was patriarchal. Slavery was a miserable existence. Women as well as men were slaves. It is suggested that about half the population of Babylonia were slaves.  And they were without rights. They worked for no income. They usually lived in a crowded area with other slaves of the same slave master. A woman or man became a slave for many reasons: captives of warfare, criminal activity, violent behavior against a family member, failure to pay debts and, in that last consideration, a man could sell his wife and children into slavery for debt relief. Yet, in the inconsistency of law and custom through this period, certain slaves could go into business, own his/her own property, even purchase his/her own freedom, and, astonishingly, marry a free person. Slaves did what their masters required of them whether the masters were royalty, aristocratic, or ordinary Mesopotamian citizens who owned a slave. Normal activities of slaves were in the temple, in the home, in the owner’s business, in the government’s operations and development. The slave would fill the positions of a normally paid position and, in the case of the temple, even prostitution. We will pause here so we can continue our research in the role of women in the ancient middle eastern societies and begin our comparison and contrast with the role of women in the Old Testament for the same period of time. I am not assigning a date to the different periods of time in Jewish history until we get to King David. Some of the earlier dates are controversial and we don’t want to get our focus turned to whether an event occurred in one century or the next. You should determine when you believe these periods occurred and study on that basis. But, I will suggest that you follow the sequence of the periods of Jewish history in the Bible and relate them to the same periods in secular society that I have given above. The following are the periods of time: Abraham in Ur of Chaldees Abraham on the move into Palestine and Egypt Jews enslaved in Egypt Jews in the Sinai period Jews in pre-monarchical Palestine At the end of this period, we come to the monarchical period beginning with Saul followed by David. For the purposes of the study in this Issue there is no need to go further in your research. Keep up your good work! May God bless each and every one of you and your families with His richest gifts and bounties.                                                                Return to top   GREEK                                               Return to top Greetings dear brothers and sisters in Christ and fellow students of Greek. Lots to learn; so little time to learn it. But, we will carry on and expect the best. I think more of Paul’s thoughts to the Philippians would be applicable at this point” 4:6  μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν θεόν  4:7  καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ  4:8  τὸ λοιπόν ἀδελφοί ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ ὅσα σεμνά ὅσα δίκαια ὅσα ἁγνά ὅσα προσφιλῆ ὅσα εὔφημα εἴ τις ἀρετὴ καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος ταῦτα λογίζεσθε Just to keep the left and right brains in sync we need to have a little rote learning and a little theoretical learning (syntactical and semantical) faced off against each other just to keep a happy balance in our progress. In this issue we will do both. So, let’s get right onto learning some Greek nouns. (If those hyper active verbs think they are being ignored, they just don’t have any idea what is in store for them!) How about 30 nouns for today. That ought to be a heavy enough load for either side of our brains (certainly mine!). παραβολή     υἱός   οὐρανός    ἀδελφός     ἡμέρα    μαθητής     πατήρ    κύριος   χήρα    νύξ  πίστις    ἱερόν    τελώνης    ἁμαρτωλός    οἶκος    βρέφος   παιδίον     βασιλεία   ἄρχων διδάσκαλος      ζωή     ἐντολή    μοιχαλίς    μήτηρ     χρῆμα     κάμηλος     καιρός    προφήτης      ἔθνος    ῥῆμα Hey! Wouldn’t this be a really good time to “dress up” those nouns in their finery? Why not? Let’s do it! Let’s show the world what a Greek noun looks like with its article. A smashing idea! So, here we go:     ὁ υἱός You see right away that noun is one of the nouns we have just listed. In the top line it is the second Greek noun. Now, I know you know what it means (please don’t tell me if you don’t. Just sneak a peek in your lexicon and get the meaning in case you don’t know.) Well, we have a funny looking letter to the left of that noun. What does that mean? Or is it a mistake and shouldn’t be there? Oh, it is no mistake and it tells a lot about a noun. Before I go into that, I want to give you another noun:  ἡ   παραβολή Uh Huh! There is something strange going on here. That funny little letter in front of this noun doesn’t look like the funny little letter in front of the first noun. What’s going on? Now I don’t mean to rock your world, but here is another noun with yet another funny little letter (actually 2 letters) in front of it: τό  παιδίον Before we let the cat out of the bag – a euphemism for discovering what those funny little letters do – be sure you know the meaning of the 3 nouns. Now, that really isn’t too much to ask. Ok! Now you know them, right? The funny little letters have a sound and a name and a function. The first one is pronounced “ho” (Like the laugh of that jolly ol’ fellow in the red suit – “ho, ho, ho”). The second one is pronounced “hey or hay” (Like when you are shouting at your friend who hasn’t seen you yet or like what the cows eat.) And the third one is pronounced “toe” (Like when you stump your little toe before you get into bed at night. Doesn’t that just feel great!). Now, in all fairness and for the sake of full disclosure, there is a debate about how that the ό of the τό sounds. Some give more of an “ah” sound only not quite that bright of a sound. Maybe somewhere between “ah” and “oh”. It is one of those debates that will never end because no one knows for certain what it sounded like. So, the choice is yours. I am sticking with “toe”. Ok, we have the sound settled. How about the name? The funny little letter or two has a three word name. The first one - ὁ - is masculine nominative singular. Say it again:  Masculine nominative singular. And again! That sign (we give it more dignity now that we know its name; it is officially no longer that funny little letter but a sign or, better yet, an article.) Good for us. Now we are on personal terms with this masculine article. We know its name. Add it to your Christmas list! So let’s take a look at the declension of the nouns accompanied by their articles. The second declension first (will ever get the numerical order right?) with a masculine noun. Singular  ὁ υἱός – we have already named this one. Now, name the rest! What do we call the following second declension forms. Unless you remember them, go to your textbook. You will have no trouble finding them. After you name them, translate them. τοῦ  υἱοῦ τῷ    υἱῷ τόν  υἱόν Plural οἱ  υἱοί τῶν  υἱῶν τοῖς  υἱοῖς τοῦς   υἱοῦς Now that you have completed naming and translating this 2nd declension noun, go back to the list of thirty nouns above and do the same thing for each of the masculine 2nd declension nouns. Next issue we will go into the neuter of the second declension and will also take on the 3rd declension. The last noun assignment for next issue is this: what does the article in each case of the declension indicate about the noun and its place in a sentence. Research! Research! Research! Fun, indeed! Let’s cheer up the neglected verbs for a bit and bring things to a close for this issue. Last time, we took a bold step in taking on the present indicative active verb conjugation. Also, last time, the assignment was to take a look at present indicative middle, present indicative passive, and imperfect indicative active. Ok, now is the time to ‘fess up. Did you study those verb forms since the last issue? Great! I am really glad to know that you did. So what does the present indicative middle verb mean? How does it differ from the present indicative active verb? How do both differ from the present indicative passive? The keys to the answers to those questions are the meanings of active, middle, and passive.  In a nut shell: Active means the subject of the verb is doing the acting; Middle means the subject of the verb is acting in behalf of himself/herself or doing something for himself/herself.  There is a direct middle and an indirect middle (pretty creative nomenclature). What do they mean? Passive means the subject of the verb is receiving the action of the verb or the effect of the action of the verb. Here is the place where I ask you to use your vast command of the English language: write out a few sentences in English for the present indicative active, middle, and passive. Then, go to your textbook and locate the chapters discussing the present indicative active, middle, and passive, and study the examples there. Compare what you have written with the examples in the textbook. After that, write out a few sentences in Greek in the present indicative active, middle, and passive. Next issue, we will study a few examples of each. But, for now, the ball is in your court to get a grip on these verb forms. The verbs are complaining. They want more attention. Kinda like on the fashion runway. So, what do you say we humor them a little. Who knows, they may actually become friendly.  They tell me they want to be displayed for your enjoyment. Ok. That’s the least we can do. Here are thirty verbs (sorry, but they demanded equal time with the nouns). λύω    ἀκούω    ἁμαρτάνω   λαμβάνω     ἐκβάλλω    λέγω    σώζω    εὑρίσκω     κλέπτω ἔχω    φεύγω   ἁρπάζω   σκορπίζω    γινώσκω     αἴρω   ἀνοίγω      πιστεύω      λιθάζω γράφω    ἁγιάζω    ἀποστέλλω     πιάζω    βαπτίζω     μένω   ἀλείφω    μέλλω   ἐγείρω ὑπάγω     κραυγάζω    καθίζω   We must do no less for our verbs than we do for our nouns. Fair is fair, right? We have to dress them out in their finery also. To do that, they are not asking that we do more than we can, but they are demanding that we do what we can. They made perfectly clear what that is. Here goes: 1.      know the meaning and spelling of each Greek word; 2.      conjugate each Greek word in the present indicative active, present indicative middle, and present indicative passive. Yeah, I know. We really haven’t dug into the middle and passive, but do you think the verbs care? They demand that we conjugate them in active, middle, and passive. The best you can do now is get out                                                                              your textbook and do your best to make these cranky verbs happy. Conjugate in the present indicative active, middle, and passive before next issue. I hate to think what these verbs will do to us if we don’t.  That’s not quite all --- Also, study carefully the imperfect indicative active verb conjugation. What does imperfect mean in this verb conjugation. When you get an understanding of it, write out a few English sentences and, then, try it in Greek. We will go into this conjugation next issue. But, as with the present indicative active, middle, passive, go to your textbook and dig up as much as you can. I think in closing we should go to the scripture again for consolation and encouragement. 38 πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ οὔτε ἄγγε.λοι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλ.λοντα οὔτε δυνάμεις  39 οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. And if all that can’t, I am sure Greek verbs and nouns can’t either. So, rest in peace and God bless you all.  Until next time…..                                                                      Return to top HEBREW                                                    Return to top Hello good brothers and sisters in Christ. The 4th has come and gone. I hope each of us enjoyed with family, friends, and brethren the birth of our nation and in all of the good times of that celebration, we made some serious time to remember Him who rules in the affairs of mankind and for Whose glory and praise we exist. Now as we enter August, we are looking to milder days and gentler temperatures. We thank God for all His blessings! We are continuing our look at verbs. Really, they are not particularly attractive, but some things are just necessary regardless of their aesthetic appeal and a Hebrew verb is one of them. Even the names of their conjugations are strange looking: Qal Nif’al Pi’el Pu’al Hif’al Huf’al Hithpa’el Of course they have a meaning in English even if they don’t have appeal. I have a game for you. It’s called match the English meaning to the Hebrew conjugation. (I doubt it will ever become a prime time game show.) I say “Huf’al” and you say “what” (that is, the English meaning); I say “Nif’al” and you say “what” (that is, the English meaning); Get it – the Hebrew word first, then the English meaning. I know what you are thinking – “Get oughta here, Jim; I can play this game by myself” Great! I want to kick back anyhow. So, go ahead. Make my day. List the names of the remaining Hebrew conjugations and give the English meanings. I’ll wait. (We did this in the last issue. If you must peak, go ahead. It’s a new learning methodology I came up with. It’s called a “review”. Neat, huh?) You’re cruising. You have this review thing down. I mean down. So, let’s do another one. One, I said; don’t get greedy. This time you have to think (I apologize for that. I was hoping we could get through this Hebrew course without such an imposition. We’ll try to minimize it, ok?) Last time, for an assignment for this issue, we said we were going to take the Hebrew vowel names and match them with the Hebrew vowel signs themselves. You were to dust off your old Hebrew grammar and search around in the table of contents until you saw an entry for vowels and vowel signs. And you remember we said that some are long and some are short and if you don’t know the difference you are in deep trouble with Hebrew. (But, don’t worry too much right now about short and long. We will get plenty of rules and practice as we go along. I promise you: you will be seeing short sheep and long sheep jumping the fence in your sleep.) Crucial question: Did you get out your Hebrew grammar and do the research? Yea, if you did. Pox on you, if you didn’t. How can we get anywhere if we don’t study during the month? Do you want to stay stuck on Qal for the next several issues? I think I am going to play another game with you. This one won’t be as much fun. Here’s that word again – we are going to have to “think”. This game is called the Hebrew sentence “blow up”. I am going to paste a few sentences here in Hebrew and “blow them up” in size so you can see the vowel sign markings. You may not know what the words mean, but that has nothing to do with the game. The game is for you to name the vowels in each word (they won’t all be verbs and who cares anyhow; we’re chasing vowels and their signs now.) Ready? Here we go: א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, עַתָּה תִרְאֶה, אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה:  כִּי בְיָד חֲזָקָה, יְשַׁלְּחֵם, וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה, יְגָרְשֵׁם מֵאַרְצוֹ.  {ס} ב  וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אֲנִי יְהוָה. ג  וָאֵרָא, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אֶל-יִצְחָק וְאֶל-יַעֲקֹב--בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי; וּשְׁמִי יְהוָה, לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם. ד  וְגַם הֲקִמֹתִי אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶת-אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן--אֵת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֵיהֶם, אֲשֶׁר-גָּרוּ בָהּ. ה  וְגַם אֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי, אֶת-נַאֲקַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר מִצְרַיִם, מַעֲבִדִים אֹתָם; וָאֶזְכֹּר, אֶת-בְּרִיתִי. Hey! You are probably saying “I know that from somewhere. I am sure I have seen it before.” Very, very observant! You win a nickel, if you care to drive to Cedar Rapids to get it. It is the Hebrew text “blown up” from Issue 4. As you look at it, you will see some signs that we haven’t mentioned, so don’t “think” about them. Just ignore them as party-crashers and go ahead with locating the vowel signs and giving them vowel names. Take a little time to do this right. Be meticulous! Remember the vowel sign chart above? In the previous lesson? You may have to click a link to get it to come see you. Use that chart to practice pronunciation for each vowel with each word in the “blow up” game. Be sure you say its name, also. (It loves the recognition.). Now that we have played a couple of games and had a lot of good fun, let’s get serious. Let’s do the unimaginable! Well, not quite. Let’s put a conjugation together in all its persons. And how many persons are there? Three! And how many numbers? Two! I, You, He (she,it) - three persons – singular number We, You, They – three persons – plural number So, three persons, two numbers!   This little chart is the singular in number and 3 persons. Name of Conjugation Qal Third Person Singular Perfect Masculine שָׁמַר Third Person Singular Perfect Feminine ה   רָ   מְ   | ֽ שָ Second Person Singular Perfect Masculine שָׁמרְתָּ Second Person Singular Perfect Feminine שָׁמַרְתְּ First Person Singular Perfect Combined שָׁמַרְתִּי The Hebrew word Qal is the name for the conjugation. On the row above each Hebrew verb form you see the designation for each form. We will get to the plural persons (we, you, they) in a bit, but before we go there, let’s go into some exciting rote learning. What I am going to show you has far and wide application in the verb world. Its like TV in today’s world – nobody anywhere can live without it, it seems. Well, what I am about to tell you is something a verb cannot live without. Important stuff, huh? You see the little chart above? You have the name of the conjugation and then you have the names of singular forms of conjugation and the forms themselves. We won’t worry about the name of the conjugation right now. It is what it is although it is also called something else occasionally which I will tell you when so many people won’t be listening. שָׁמַר – The chart above tells us that this is a third person singular masculine Qal perfect verb. Since I don’t want to be nice at all, you will have to look up the meaning. But keep in mind that this verb form means “he” did something in the past. (Now we will have a bunch more to say about the meaning of this tense later, but for now, past time is ok.) So, he “did something” Well how do we go from he “did something” to she “did something”. Well it’s not a Houdini act done behind a curtain or twenty five feet below the surface of a pool of water in a box. No. Not at all. But as you go along you might think either of those options would be easier. I want to forewarn you and, yet, give you relief at the same time. Interior changes do take place in the verb as it moves from he to she to you to I to they to you to we and we will get to all those changes in time. But, now we just want to look at one change in each verb to go through the singular and plural pronouns. Now, we are going to play a new game. It is called “Cracker Jack” Hebrew. Remember Cracker Jacks when you were young? Or did they continue to exist when you were young? If you know what I am talking about and bought a box of Cracker Jacks you always wanted to know what the toy inside the box was. Some of them were real dandies, some boring duds. Regardless, there was that moment of discovery, of anticipation, and exhilaration. That’s what we are going to experience in this Cracker Jack Hebrew game. I am going to take a word out of the box above and you are going to tell me what looks different about the ending of each word I take out of the box above. I am giving you no hints, no pity, no second chances. Wow! What a challenge. It is the ending of the verb that tells you what person is doing the action (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they). Ready? Here we go:  Take a good look at this. Compare it to the 3rd person singular masculine Qal verb above.  Now, don’t pay any attention yet to the interior changes of the word. We are only looking at the ending of the word. What do you see? Ok. Here we go: ה   רָ   מְ   | ֽ שָ                                                                               שָׁמַרְתָּ -  Ok. Identify this form and look at the ending and compare it to the two previous verb forms. (Isn’t this more fun than a day at the park?) שָׁמַרְתְּ – Again, do the same thing. Identify and compare this verb form with the previous verb forms. שָׁמַרְתִּי – And, finally, do the same with this last one in the singular number. Identify and comp Thare this verb form with the previous form. Remember, we are paying attention to the endings of these verb forms. Don’t worry about the internal changes. We will get to those in due time. Now, for the plural and a little more fun. This game is called "Hebrew Hide and Seek!" In the Olympic style game I will give you two forms of the plural Qal perfect and you will seek out in your textbook the remaining forms of the plural Qal prefect that I have not given you. I think you are about to win your Hebrew Gold Medal with this game. Unless you already know this game, I will give you a hint: look in your textbook under verbs and Qal conjugation in particular. So, here are the two "gimmes": שְׁמַרְתֶּם  שָׁמַרְנוּ Aּssignment time. We have presented the singular and an assignment for the plural of the Qal perfect – the I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they pronouns. To enrich this issue we will add this additional assignment for your leisure time: locate 10 Hebrew verbs in your grammar book and put these Qal endings on them to create the impression of their conjugation in the singular and plural numbers. I say impression because we have more work to do on the interior of the words to affect a true conjugation. So, here is one time you can “butcher” the Hebrew language with impunity as long as you put the correct ending on a verb to determine the three singular persons and the three plural persons of the Qal perfect verb. Next time we will take up the perfect tenses of Nif’al, etc. singular and plural persons. We will also tamper with vowels again and how they play the game. That will help us to see what makes the interior of these verb forms change. It is going to be great fun. Not a dull moment. One parting word: keep your Hebrew grammar at hand or under your pillow or in your chandelier or somewhere close and study it with reference to the topics of these studies. God bless you all and may happiness and joy be in your hearts to the praise and glory of our Great and Holy God. See you next time.  SPECIAL OT ARTICLE by Dr. Daniel King Sr.*   Important Elements of the Hebrew Text: Kethibh and Qere Daniel H. King, Sr. Evangelical scholarship begins with the assumption that the original text of Holy Scripture was inspired of God and perfect in all of its particulars. However, it also recognizes that the autographs have disappeared in the mists of hoary time into oblivion, and the text in the Hebrew Bible as we have it today passed through the loving and careful hands of literally thousands of scribes (sopherim) who, meticulously copied it and passed it on to other and later generations. Scribal Assiduousness In their painstaking efforts they displayed a conscientiousness and watchful vigilance which would be nearly impossible to replicate today, given the identical technological limitations that haunted their efforts. It is difficult for us even to imagine spending our days copying manuscripts by hand, word by word with quill pens and ink black, and then after the long and tedious process was complete, having to count the words of the biblical book to the center mark in order to establish that not one single letter or word was either added or left out. In many instances where the numbers were wrong, if it could not be corrected with a simple and straightforward effort, then the entire manuscript would have to be destroyed lest it should be mistaken for one that was accurate in its entirety. Perhaps hundreds of man-hours of eye-searing concentration utterly squandered over a few minor errors in transmission! It is indeed difficult for us to put ourselves in the places of such men and imagine the level of their frustration and heartbreak. At the same time we may not be able to duplicate their intensity of faith and love for the very words of the text that they so tediously copied and recopied, counted and recounted, over untold individual lifetimes! Scribal Methods Study of the methods of the so-called Massoretes, the baale-hamasoreth, or “masters of the tradition” is at the same time exquisitely interesting and annoyingly complex. The deliberative student can only be humbled by the investigation, understanding the difficulty of their tireless work, and in the identical experience brought to a new level of appreciation for the application of the divine hand in the process. Clearly God was as work in the pious labors of these tireless servants of the consonantal Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Word of God. Before ever a mechanical printing press had been dreamed of, they became the human transmission pipeline that brought the words of Moses and the Prophets to the masses of Jewry through public readings in the synagogues, and eventually by means of translations into Greek, Syriac and Latin, to the masses of Christians who (like this author) still greatly honor their indefatigable diligence! Among the techniques employed by these early textual scholars (and we deem that an appropriate appellation for such trained and talented specialists as these) is a procedure known in the original language as ketibh and qere. Under this important rubric the scribes had inherited a form of the text (which they alluded to as “the tradition”), and it had to be guarded with the utmost care and sensitivity, so that the next generation would be able to enjoy the text in the identical form; this has come to be described as the Qere, “that which is read” (the passive participle is equivalent to the Latin legendum). It was to be read in spite of what the reader saw “written” in front of him. This means that they never altered the simple consonantal text which they had themselves received from their forefathers, having only a few rudimentary means for distinguishing vowels (called the matres lectiones, the aleph, he, waw, and yodh). Scribal Annotations As they annotated the text of Scripture with diacritical marks and symbols which they invented to signify pronunciation, they also noted when they had an objection to the “received text” – but they did not change the text itself. Some from a prior generation of scribal copyists had felt that the name of the son of Saul, Esh-baal or Ish-baal (“fire of baal” or “Baal’s man”), was an unacceptable name for one who was almost a king of Israel, so they probably changed it at a very early period to read Ish-bosheth (“man of Shame”) in the text (2 Sam. 2:8-10; 4:5-12; compare: 1 Chron. 8:33; 9:39). The rabbinic scholar Malbim later explained that this was done so that the reader would not have to look upon this shameful and despicable name in the text of Scripture. Generally speaking then, any proper name compounded together with the abhorrent title Baal in the parallel texts located in Samuel or Kings was changed from that original reading, but for some inexplicable reason was retained as originally written in Chronicles. This may be the result of different scribal hands working in various places in the manuscript tradition. Scribal Protection of the Received Text If the Massoretes, on the other hand, considered something in the text to be a transmission mistake from the pre-massoretic era, they did not feel that they were at liberty to alter the text in order to correct the error. Instead, they added a diacritical symbol at the juncture in the text where they felt a change was required, and placed a notation in the margin of the text. In the margin they placed what was considered to be the “preferred reading” or Qere. This was what was “to be read.” However, the way it appeared in the text had not been changed, it was the Ketibh, “that which is written.” A “perpetual Qere” (Qere perpetuum) differed from an ordinary Qere in that the former was an accepted dictum of the system; it did not require a marginal note or an explanation. They were so common on any given page that they needed no explanation. A good example of this sort of common Qere is the pointing of the sacred name (yhwh) with the vowels of the word “lord,” adonai. This unusual spelling of the divine name appears on almost every page of the Old Testament without any notice at all. At any rate, the consonantal text was not altered by the process, whether a perpetual Qere like the special pointing on the divine name or an extraordinary one which involved comments in the margin. The next generation would be left to puzzle over it also, because the text itself was left intact, in a sense sacrosanct and out of reach of those who would change it – even with the best of intentions! The Massoretes were highly sophisticated in their reading of the textual tradition as it stood before them on the page. They knew every idiosyncrasy of the text just as we come to know a familiar road that leads us home. Therefore, they tended also to be highly critical of what they saw and read. This did not reflect a spirit of negativity toward the consonantal text, but an earnest desire to know and read what the original author wrote when the document was first penned. Various grounds were considered worthy of consideration as to whether a passage ought to stand “as is” or not. For example, sometimes grammatical principles were considered in making an objection to the way a passage read. At other times a dogmatic or doctrinal concern was viewed as leading them to list a Qere along with a footnote or annotation. Sometimes the student thought an objection ought to be raised on a merely aesthetic basis. This may seem extremely subjective in its essence, and perhaps in some cases it was, but it provided the scholar with an outlet for his scholarly endeavors. The number of these variant readings has been given at about 1300 in the entirety of the Old Testament [cf. Ernst Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, trans. by P. R. Ackroyd (New York: Macmillan, 1957), 14]. Importance of Scribal Qeres R. Gordis in his book The Biblical Text in the Making: A Study of the Kethibh-Qere (New York: 1971) came to the conclusion that the Qere is superior to the Kethibh in only about 18% of the cases, while the Kethibh is to be preferred in 12% of the instances. In the remaining examples they are of equal value, neither deserving the preference over the other. In his view the Qere was originally not intended as a correction of the Kethibh. Besides the cases of the tetragrammaton (yhwh, the four-letter personal name of God), euphemistic readings, and the attempts to deal with the problem of reading the Hebrew text in the absence of vowels, the major part of Qere readings represent valuable variants which have been preserved in the margins of the archetypal manuscript. Only later on in this lengthy process were these variants merged with the real Qeres, i.e, the two groups just named, which were obligatory for the public reading in the synagogues [cf. also A. Schoors, “Kethibh-Qere in Ecclesiastes,” in Studia Paulo Naster oblate, by Paul Naster and others, Orientalia Antiqua II (Peeters Publishers, 1982), 215-222]. Conclusion The modern student of the Old Testament text must concern himself with such intricacies as are represented by the Qere as well as the Kethibh in making his way through to the actual reading and thus the true meaning of the biblical message. As complicated as these may sometimes appear to the introductory student in the field of textual criticism, the translator and expositor of the Old Testament in the original languages can ill afford to ignore the sophisticated methodologies of these later scribes or the thoughtful suggestions that appear in their ancient “footnotes” to the text. * Daniel H. King, Sr. was born August 1, 1948 in Union City, TN.  He and his wife Donna have two children: Dan Jr. and Jennifer.  Dan has preached for churches in Downers Grove, IL and Lakeland, FL, but most of his local work has been in Tennessee.  He lives in Nashville, TN and is associated with the church of Christ in Kingston Springs, TN, where he serves as local preacher and elder.  He has written extensively in many religious journals, both popular and professional. Dan attended Wayne State University (1966-68), David Lipscomb College (B.A., 1970), Harding Graduate School of Religion (M.A., 1972), and Vanderbilt University (Ph.D., 1982).  He served as an adjunct professor at Tennessee State University in 1976 and at Florida College during 1984-88.  He has authored several tracts and a number of books: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom, We Have a Right (with Mike Willis), Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm (with Leon Boyd), At the Feet of the Master Teacher, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Commentary on the Epistles of John, Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness?, and Ezekiel in the Bible Text Book series. Currently he is engaged in writing a commentary on the Old Testament book of Daniel.  Return To Beginning of Article by Dr. Daniel H. King Sr.                                                                     Return to top Books By The Brethren Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c Dr. Daniel H. King Sr: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom, We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm, At the Feet of the Master Teacher, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Commentary on the Epistles of John, Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness?, and Ezekiel all books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books                                                                               Return to top IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!                                                                                                    Return to top

FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                Please click HERE to return to Journal Issue  The Theological University of America  -                                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987                                                       Distance Learning                        http://www.theologicaluofa.com                        E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com                        Telephone: 1 800 347 8658 Volume I Issue 7    *Copyright 2008   All rights reserved                 BLOG:  http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Theological University of America  425 Second Street S.E.  Suite 610  Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL Church History Colossians Christian Counseling Women In Religious History Greek Hebrew   Books By The Brethren Church History                                                                    Return to top Beloved friends and brothers and sisters in Christ! Greetings in the precious Name of Jesus and God His Father. As we look back over history from the time of the cross, we surely realize that we are the beneficiaries of those who planted and watered and of God Who gave the increase to bring us to this day and to our lives in Christ. So great a cloud of witnesses! And it is those early Christians that we continue to follow as we move through the times of their lives and the lives of others to whom they handed the torch of responsibility for the preaching, teaching, and living the Gospel of Christ as His Word went forth throughout the world. All praise and glory to Him who has given this increase! And let us remember that those early Christians of whom we read were just as human as we are and, apart from technological differences and the differences technology has made in our culture and society, their lives were as crowded with temporal concerns as are our own. The moms and dads of the first century loved their children as much as we love ours. They wanted the best for their children as we do ours. The moms and dads were concerned about raising their kids in their family traditions, getting them educated and groomed for adulthood, preparing them for adult responsibilities not only in their faith commitments and convictions but also in their ability to function as good citizens in society. The moms and dad had their economic problems also. No doubt they wanted things they could not afford and either had to forego those wants or sacrifice to get them - perhaps work longer hours or take a second job. And how would they pay all the tolls and taxes that would be put upon them. And they got sick, too, just as we do. Those moments of a sick or dying child were no less painful for them than they are for us today. Grief and sorrow – thieves of joy for them and for us – no difference! The loss of a husband or a wife. What devastation that would bring to their family, just as to ours. And the kids, grown and gone, then as now. The empty nest syndrome, then as now. A male child raised in Hebron, when a young adult, envisions the world beyond Palestine and wants to make a life for himself in Asia Minor. So, off he goes to Chalcedon a city at the southeastern shore of the Bosporus Strait at the point where it enters the Propontis. Names strange to us; names strange to them. But, the son had heard and he wanted to go. Sound familiar? How many tears, how much anxiety, how long a separation, if ever to be seen or heard again? And on it goes – what happens to us, what jars our world, what breaks our hearts, what disappointments, losses and failures haunt us for a life time – these were their lives also. And why do I mention this? Because we must never lose sight of the great achievements of the ordinary person in the tumultuous tides of church history. It is easy enough to be astonished at an Apostle Paul, the physician Luke, the early leading scholars and theologians of the church – Clement, Tertullian, Augustine, Athenasius, Gregory Nazianzus, Ambrose, and many others - achievements whether  marvelous or malevolent and it is easy enough to forget that the church grew and matured in the homes and hearts of the ordinary person, the everyday person in his/her community, doing the daily routines of life, the tedium of making something out of life, resolving both the petty and serious issues that confront them, riding out the storms of life and still remaining true, faithful, and trusting in God’s mercies and provisions often against all common sense and experience, but never ultimately faltering in their humility and conviction – God rules! And we see these people – “the ordinary person” - on the day of Pentecost – the very first Christians! Every one of them a Jew or a Jewish proselyte. All together in Jerusalem, not for the sake of the Gospel of Christ nor that Man from Nazareth, but for the observances of the law and the Temple activities, gathered from far and wide, from Parthia to Pontus. And on that very special day of Pentecost, they heard the Gospel. Many believed; many obeyed; many were the first Christians. Some remained in Jerusalem; others made the arduous journey home, but this time, they had met the Lord in a way they had never known and believed what they had never imagined. And scattered around the Mediterranean basin in their homes and among their friends, they became tiny lights of the Light of Life and the glory of God. They were never the same again. Alone and with slight knowledge of what all of this meant to them, these ordinary persons – these “every person” – were the early seeds of the life of the church. Names we do not know; faces never to be seen; lives and deeds remembered by no one. But they were there, each with his/her family, his/her daily chores; his/her personal responsibilities; each taking life as it comes and doing the best he/she can do. Nothing to be memorialized; nothing to be commemorated; just ordinary people with ordinary lives aware of the great and magnificent Savior who saved them that Pentecost day in Jerusalem. Yet, these ordinary persons were to do great and magnificent deeds to the glory of their Savior. It is to ordinary persons from Ephesus that Paul spoke these sobering words, “Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood.” And to these ordinary persons of Ephesus Paul wrote “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” It is to ordinary persons that Peter wrote, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But  rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” It is to ordinary persons that John wrote “they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Wherever the gospel took root throughout the ancient world it first took root in the lives of ordinary persons. It was Paul who wrote “ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” Wherever the gospel went, from Jerusalem to Judaea and Samaria, to Antioch, to Cyprus, to Asia Minor, to the lands across the Aegean and on to Rome, the mistress of the world, the ordinary person heard, many believed and many remained faithful. And it is from the hearts and minds, belief and conviction, love and sacrifice, hope and labor of these ordinary persons that the origins of all the great edifices of church history – noble and ignoble – have their beginning.  And as the apostolic period was moving to its close, representatives of the first generation Christians and beyond began to express themselves in letters and doctrines, in leadership and sacrifice, in organizations and ministries – ordinary persons clarifying to themselves and for others what Christ, His life, His will meant and, gaining for themselves important moments and movements, were and are seen as leaders in the development of the Christian faith and church doctrine. Looking back over the centuries of the history of the church, we would rewrite much of what was considered clarification and explication for, while hearts may be sincere, reason is often falsely premised. And so it often was early in the church. Yet, while there is risk, there is reward in recognizing the importance and the seminal influence of the ordinary person in the church and God’s will. “Seek ye out from among you.” Go to your brothers and sisters among you. Give them responsibility. Give them leadership. It is partly the failure to maintain this local precedence that accounts for the development of the separation between clergy and laity in the ancient world and the consequent aggregation of power political and spiritual into the hands of an ordained, sacramental hierarchy. In an earlier Issue – Issue 4 – we studied notable persons in church history in the first three centuries, persons we read about when we read almost any comprehensive church history book, persons such as Polycarp, Ignatius, Clement of Alexander, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and others. For each of the persons we know from our church history books there were thousands upon thousands of faceless ordinary Christians whose daily Christian lives, foundational faith, resolute conviction, and willingness to suffer even unto death lived out Christ’s dictum to take up your cross and follow me.” And we see this in the closing chapter of the Epistle to the Romans where Paul makes brief note of otherwise anonymous Christians who lived and died within the fiery cauldron of an Emperor’s madness: Phoebe, Epaenetus, Mary, Andronicus, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stackys, Apelles, Aristobulus, Herodion, Narcissus, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, Philologus, Julia, Nereus, Olympas – our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote of Nero’s bloodlust and insanity and the accusation that he blamed our Roman Christian brethren for the burning of Rome which he himself may have ignited to rid the city of undesirable districts to be replaced by a building program of his own design. Tacitus wrote, “Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the fire. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations. The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again, not only through Judea, which was the origin of this evil, but also through the city of Rome, to which all that is horrible and shameful floods together and is celebrated. Therefore, first those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much for the crime of burning the city, but for hatred of the human race. And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aflame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps. Nero gave his own gardens for this spectacle and performed a Circus game, in the habit of a charioteer mixing with the plebs or driving about the race-course. Even though they were clearly guilty and merited being made the most recent example of the consequences of crime, people began to pity these sufferers, because they were consumed not for the public good but on account of the fierceness of one man.”  Who were torn by the wild dogs? Who were nailed to the crosses or burned? Who were suspended in the night and turned into human torches to provide light for the Neronian games and sports? Was it Andorinicus and Urbanus? Or was it Phoebe and Persis? Who were nailed to the crosses or burned? Hermas and Nereus? Aristobulus, Phlegon, Herodian, Mary, Olympas ? Perhaps all mentioned by Paul in his epistle? Or were these human sacrifices to the madness of cruelty and self-apotheosis the children and grand children of our Christian brethren mentioned by Paul? Did they die as families or did they die by selection? Did they die quietly or in protest against the abhorrent wickedness? How long did they suffer? How long till they escaped from the torture of this hideousness to the tender reach of their blessed Savior?  We may never know the answer to these questions but we do know that these heroic brethren had one common human trait – they were ordinary people just like us. Throughout church history we must look for the ordinary person, the person who, before he and she knew the Lord, perhaps wanted nothing more than to live a normal life with family and friends, achieving some of their goals in life in peace and tranquility and, but for their love of the Lord, they probably would have lived the lives they desired. But, they heard the call of faith and they responded even unto death – ordinary people doing extraordinary things by the grace and strength of their Savior. Beginning in the next issue we will begin developing church history as it expands into the second and subsequent centuries. It is breathtaking journey. But through it all, let us not forget the ordinary person about whom we may read nothing.  God bless you and, God willing, we will gather here again next issue.       Return to top                                                        BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com  Colossians                                                                                              Return to top Hello beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. How great are the blessings that we have in our free country to study the Word of God and to share our understanding with others.  Although our constitution guarantees freedom of religion to worship our God and to proclaim the gospel of His Son, there is the responsibility for us to be vigilant that no power degrades and erodes that freedom. No question, one of the most powerful defenses against that possibility is the Word of God itself and the level of knowledge and faith that we draw from it. It is not possible to study the life of Christians and the church in the ancient Roman Empire and not be appalled at the tragedy of religious persecution that prevailed for so long against the young church and the devoted Christians. Our brethren in ancient Colossae and every other city in the Empire were at all times under the cloud of persecution and loss of loved ones and life. As we study Colossians, let us never forget the times in which these brave and stalwart Christians determined to live their lives for Christ. Did not Paul write this to the Colossians:  “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father…” As I mentioned in the previous issue, we will continue to study the Epistle of Colossians itself and Rhetorical Analysis and, later, return to the saga of our pagan family and Discourse Analysis.   But first, I did say at the outset that I would throw a Greek sop to our Greek reading brothers and sisters every now and then. So, I am going to put below a few verses (1:1-6) from Paul in his letter to the Colossians and propose a few simple tasks. For those of you who do not read Greek, you will hardly notice the question is there. So, here goes:  eucaristoumen tw qew patri tou kuriou hmwn ihsou cristou pantote peri umwn proseucomenoi, akousanteV thn pistin umwn en cristw ihsou kai thn agaphn hn ecete eiV pantaV touV agiouV dia thn elpida thn apokeimenhn umin en toiV ouranoiV, hn prohkousate en tw logw thV alhqeiaV tou euaggeliou tou parontoV eiV umaV, kaqwV kai en panti tw kosmw estin karpoforoumenon kai auxanomenon kaqwV kai en umin, af hV hmeraV hkousate kai epegnwte thn carin tou qeou en alhqeia: kaqwV emaqete apo epafra tou agaphtou sundoulou hmwn, oV estin pistoV uper umwn diakonoV tou cristou, o kai dhlwsaV hmin thn umwn agaphn en pneumati. Tasks: Translate the passage without using an interlinear text. It is ok to use a lexicon. Parse every word in it (for this assignment include the proper markings of the words.You see, I left them out for you. I knew you would want to have this added pleasure.) I am going to single out only one little portion of the selection for your particular attention and this is it: estin karpoforoumenon kai auxanomenon If you have done step one and two above, then, you are ready for this question: what is the antecedent and why?  Every now and then we will slake the thirst of our Greek reading Brothers and Sisters but not excessively.  To Colossians: One of the last assignments from Issue 7 was to define each of the following, read Colossians again, and decide which of these generally applied to the text of Paul’s epistle:  Deliberative Rhetoric Forensic Rhetoric Epideitic Rhetoric  Then we were to research epistolary prescript, exordium, and narration and apply those terms to Colossians.  Now we want to combine our choice from Deliberative Rhetoric, Forensic Rhetoric, and Epideitic Rhetoric to Colossians beginning with terms we have researched since last issue – exordium and narration.  Be meticulous at this point. Under each heading - exordium and narration – write out what kinds of information you think you should find in those portions of Colossians to justify your decision of the type of rhetoric that Colossians represents. For clarity, it might be best to form an outline of your justification. This assignment so far does not include outlining the scripture itself; only the kinds of information you think you should find in those portions of Colossians that justify the type of rhetoric you have decided Colossians is – either deliberative, forensic, or epideitic. When you have done that, for practice, perspective, and application, choose one of the two remaining types of rhetoric for Colossians and do exactly for this new choice what the assignment above requires for the your first choice of type of rhetoric.  Having done that, take the remaining type of rhetoric and assume that Colossians represents that type of rhetoric and do the assignment for that remaining type as you have done for the other two types.  Compare what you have written (in outline if possible) to determine the strength of  your original choice of rhetoric type – deliberative, forensic, or epideictic – and go to the text of the Epistle of Colossians and compare what you have for each rhetoric type with what you read in the applicable portion of Colossians. Debate with yourself; challenge yourself on your first choice of rhetoric type and, then, the second choice and, finally, the third choice. Determine whether your outline of the kinds of information you expect under each type of rhetoric is, in fact, in the Epistle to the Colossians.  To round off this part of the assignment, make a list for each of the rhetoric types – deliberative, forensic, and epideictic – showing the strengths and weaknesses of each as each applies to the text that you just analyzed.  We are early in Colossians and you may find that your preliminary decision about type of rhetoric is mistaken and you need to choose another type. Fine! That is what we want. You analyzing everything involved in types of rhetoric thus far presented, debating with yourself, trying one type, then another, evaluating the substance of the text of Colossians with the type of rhetoric you have chosen. Think! Think! Think!  Let’s expand our grasp on rhetorical analysis and the Epistle of the Colossians by adding another assignment for next issue.  In the outline of possible rhetorical elements, we have suggested in a previous issue   elements which follow exordium and narration. They are:  Argumentatio     Propositio     Refutatio Peroratio  The first task here is to research each word to find its meaning and its requirements in the rhetorical scheme. The Latin words themselves give a hint of what you are seeking to find.  Again, for clarity, outline the meaning of each word and the kinds of requirements each word has to justify applying it to a certain section of the epistle.  When we come to applying this new information and rhetorical elements we will be dealing with the bulk of the Epistle of the Colossians. So, it is going to be important that you have read Colossians a sufficient number of times and can recall, if not remember exactly, what is written throughout the epistle.  We have a lot – a very lot – to do between now and next issue, provided we get busy and actually do the work.  We have yet to deal in depth with Discourse Analysis and a full and complete understanding of the Epistle of Colossians in context of its times and people. When we have accomplished that, we will, then, turn ourselves to applying all that we have learned to expository activities and applications. I am listing here questions you may apply to the text of any book but especially to a book subject to rhetorical analysis. You might want to read through this list before you begin the first assignment of this issue. This list is from an unknown author. What is the rhetorical situation? What occasion gives rise to the need or opportunity for the epistle? What is the historical occasion that would give rise to the composition of this text? What do you know about the author? How does he establish ethos (personal credibility)? Is he come across as knowledgeable?  Does the writer’s reputation convey a certain authority? What is his intention in writing? To attack or defend? To exhort or dissuade from certain action? To inform or convince? To explore or meditate? To praise or blame? To teach, to delight, or to persuade? Who makes up the audience? Who is the intended audience? Who have been or might be secondary audiences? What values does the audience hold that the author appeals to? What is the content of the message? Can you summarize the main idea? What are the principle lines of reasoning or kinds of arguments used? How does the author appeal to reason? to emotion? What is the form in which it is conveyed? What is the structure of the communication; how is it arranged? What oral or literary genre is it following? What figures of speech are used? Are there allusions the author makes? What kind of style and tone are used, and for what purpose? How do form and content correspond? Does the form complement the content? What effect could the form have, and does this aid or hinder the author's intention? Does the message/text succeed in fulfilling the author's or speaker's intentions? For whom? Does the author effectively fit his message to the circumstances, times, and audience? Can you identify the responses of historical or contemporary audiences? I want to call your attention to the blog on Colossians as well as other subjects in the issues of the Free Religious Study Journal. I think the blog would be a great place for all of us to exchange thoughts and understand of the rhetorical study and Colossians that we are doing now. As a matter of fact, you might want to post your assignment results on the blog and generate some healthy and beneficial discussions. Until next time, God bless each and every one of you.                                       Return to top  Christian Counseling                                                                                        Return to top Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I am very pleased to visit with you again this issue. In the last issue we discussed the belief-knowledge axis, perception of experience and the mental response to the perception of experience. Please re-read Issues 5 and 6. In the last issue I also listed the accounts of the 3 Beverlys first given in Issue 2 with these requests: Read each of the cases again. Ponder the perception of the universe each may have and what difference it will make. Describe the belief-knowledge axis on which each Beverly is basing her life and its likely influence on her. Determine how her perception of her experiences of the universe and her mental response to the perceptions of her experience of the universe prepare her for her current situation. Using Freud’s model, how important will it be for you to provide successful assistance to know a full and thorough background of Beverly? What factors would be especially important? Which can be rehabilitated? Which cannot? How will you make your Christian belief-knowledge axis viable for the resolution of Beverly’s situation? What can specific Christian activities do to bring Beverly through her situation to a full rehabilitation? For example, prayer, Bible study, Christian support groups and fellowship, devotional activities, etc. How do such Christian activities affect Freud’s theory of the mind as presented in the brief discussion of the Ego, Id, and Super-ego?  If you did not have time over the past month to work your way through these eleven questions regarding the 3 Beverlys, please begin now. To have lasting benefit from your work on these eleven questions, please write your thoughts down or type them into your computer for later reference and review. We will return to the Beverlys later, but at this point we want to turn our thoughts to ourselves as Christian counselors. I am asking that each of us turn his or her focus to his or her personal life for self analysis and self evaluation. Socrates said “know thyself” and in counseling it has pertinence for professional Christian counselors.  It is important to avoid a stereotypical analytical procedure such as we would find in an analytical questionnaire prepared for mass application. While such an analytical questionnaire would produce a statistical result showing how many of us have certain feelings in certain situations, hold certain beliefs in relation to certain possibilities, etc.,  the analytical questionnaire can never personalize its inquiry to the extent that we reveal to ourselves the fundamental structure of our belief-knowledge axis discussed in Issue 6 and psychological forces operative at the subconscious and unconscious levels.  So, let us begin our personal analytical procedure with the universe and our particular understanding of it. The universe seems to be a rather large place to start to understand ourselves. But, one’s view of it is more revealing than one might suppose. I remember many years ago discussing some philosophical topic with a Christian lady. I happened to mention that there was an inherent justice in the universe. Immediately, this Christian lady became incensed, face flushed, teeth clinched, her demeanor was one of inward rage; shrilly she said “It is not!” “No! No! It is not!”  Startled and stunned at the erupting outburst, stammering and halting, I mumbled something and quickly moved to another point.  From that moment on, I was engaged in a monologue for my Christian friend’s eyes were fixed as if in another world of sorrow and disbelief and heard not another word I uttered.  Later, I learned the reason for her violent objection to the idea of justice being inherent in the universe. A few years earlier she and her family lived in Rye, New York. She and her husband had a family of an older son and a younger daughter. One summer when the boy was turning 12, he went to camp in Connecticut. Among the many activities the boys enjoyed at camp was a daily baseball game. One clear and sunny day, with one tiny cloud in the sky, the third inning was just completed and her son with a teammate on each side was walking from outfield to the sideline when suddenly and without expectation a bolt of lightning cracked down through the sky from that single, tiny cloud and struck her son, killing him instantly. The other two boys were knocked down, but otherwise not injured. Her entire world fell in upon her, her husband, and their daughter. From that moment on, her universe was hostile, blindly not rational, and devoid of moral implications. To believe that the universe is hostile, blindly not rational, and devoid of moral implication is actually a theological affirmation. It is a statement about God and the universe He created and in which we live. We read excerpts from David and Bertrand Russell in Issue 6, both statements of theology – one of belief and one of disbelief – affecting their understanding of the universe in which they live and their explanation of life as it unfolds in their experience and belief. In times of loss, sorrow, and grief, a proper word of relief should be a foundation for the grieving to build hope and resolve for a future altered by circumstance.  How many times have we heard and, perhaps, cried out ourselves, “Why did God let this happen?” “How could a good God let such evil events occur?” The real implication is about the nature of the universe, a universe, we believe, was created in its entirety by God. It doesn’t often relieve the grief of the sufferer to point out, as some do, that Adam and Eve sinned and, therefore, what happened to you or your loved one is what sin inevitably does to people in a random, mindless way. Neither does it help, as some say, to suggest that God decided He wanted you or your loved one to come home to Him, regardless of the fact that the circumstance of your or your loved one’s departure is a horrific and mortifying episode of death. Nor does it help, as others say, that you and your loved one deserve the untimely, gruesome death toward which your last failing breaths are taking you. Each of these “consoling” statements is an expression of an understanding of the universe and the God who made it. While none of us may express “consolation” in such dire terms, each time we do express “consolation” for untimely situations, we are expressing our understanding of the universe and the God Who created it.  And too often we state what is expected for the situation which upon serious reflection does not express our understanding of the universe and the God Who created it. And here is an incongruity with which we will deal later – much that we do and say is culturally and socially conditioned and expressed by us willy nilly without a serious thought about what we really understand about the universe and it ways and it Creator. Our statements, although sincere, may not reflect our understanding of the universe and the God Who made. Understanding the universe and its implications for mankind has been a preoccupation in the west from the time of the ancient Greek writer Homer to the contemporary Hubbell telescope zooming in its orbit glimpsing tidbits of the mystery and awe in the universe – of the handiwork of God. But in every culture around the world from time immemorial the search for meaning of the universe has fascinated, even obsessed the religious, curious, and philosophical. Many views of the universe from determinism to solipsism have developed from the individual experience which seeks to find order and meaning in the universe or the lack of them. Now is the time for us to reflect on what we believe about the universe. It is not enough to say I believe it was created by God and will have an end someday. It is reasonable that we Christians should start on that point, but others of different faiths also believe that the universe was created by a god, if not the God of Christian belief and that it will have an end someday. Beyond that starting point for those diverse non-Christian religions that affirm God or a god as the creator, the extrapolation of that affirmation diverges frequently and substantially from the traditional affirmations of the Christian faith concerning the creation of the universe and its demise and God its creator.  The temporal world in which we live is a world shrunken by technology in communications and transportation. The remotest aboriginal culture before unknown to civilization often is the prime time fare on the National Geographic tv channel or on the History channel or AE or some other. Contact with anyone anywhere is possible in a matter of seconds through e-mail and other technological advances in our time. As the world is shrunken by communication so also our perceptions of the world are enlarged and enriched. I remember my young grandson had an interest on the game “Goh”. I knew nothing of the game Goh but was interested in it because he was interested in it. At the time, he was 9 years old. He was in his mom’s living room doing something with the computer. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was playing “Goh”. I asked, “can you play the game by yourself?” He said, “no”. And, anticipating my next question, he said , “I am playing with a friend of mine.” So, being a bit nosy, I asked. “someone I know?”. He said, “No, granddad. My friend lives in Tokyo.” I was astonished. He was playing Goh with his friend in Tokyo whom he had met only over the internet to play Goh. Through the marvels of communication technology and that game a friendship had formed between boys living approximately 20,000 miles apart, sight unseen and with no other connection than their interest in playing the game Goh.. When I was nine years old, I am not sure I knew there was a Tokyo much less anyone living in it. But, here was my grandson, communicating with this young Japanese boy in Tokyo as if it were something we have always done, even grandfathers. My grandson’s views of the universe and the God Who created it were being shaped by that experience and many others that the internet offers to even the casual “google” patron.  Exposure to the wider circles of human culture and accomplishment is both a blessing and a bane. The possibilities for good and evil over the internet, for example, are reflected not only in contemporary social concerns but also in political debates over the first amendment of the US constitution and regulation of what can and cannot be communicated over the internet as regards the common good. None of us is immune from subtle influences of unacceptable and even evil communications well designed to persuade. And none of the counselees who come to us for Christian counseling are either. The upshot of this point is that we as counselors must have the broadest possible purview of the palate of beliefs and knowledge giving meaning and understanding to the universe and God Who created it. I met a young Christian girl who was asked by her employer to show me around Bangkok. She took me to many of the lovely and beautifully stunning sights. We were about to conclude our tour of the city when she said we should make one last stop – the most palatial Buddhist temple and its campus in Southeast Asia. Of course, I was delighted to visit the site and on the way we talked a bit about our faith in Christ and Buddha’s place in Thai society and religion. We arrived before the entrance of the temple and there stood a statue of Buddha of enormous proportions with devotees in various acts of worship and adoration – some dropping flower petals about this huge, imposing Buddha, some standing in his shadow chanting formulas of praise, and others lying prostrate near the Buddha in submission and surrender. My Christian guide and I stood silent and motionless for a few moments. Then, she said, “pardon me please” and left my side to walk to the Buddha where she touch his feet and, then, lay prostrate at those feet to give him honor and a gift of prayer. What is going on, I thought. Is she mocking Buddhism? Is she just seeking to know what it is like to bow before an idol? I was at a lost to understand what was coming down. In a few minutes, she rose from her prostrated position and gave the sign of the cross and returned to me. I had to ask her what she was doing? How could a Christian bow before any idol and especially one in the  presence of so many of the idols communicants? And the Roman Catholic sign of the cross to Buddha by a young girl who is a Christian? I wasn’t angry with the girl, but certainly amazed at her behavior. Her answer for which she did not offer elaboration was that she was raised in Thailand and always had respect for Buddha and many of the principles of life that he taught. She saw no conflict in those principles and the Christian faith and certainly no incongruity in paying homage to a person (Buddha) whose legacy and religion had given so much to her people. And, as for the sign of the cross characteristic of a Roman Catholic prayer petition, she thought it would strengthen her prayer to have a public demonstration of it significance –  a pubic show of the cross of Christ. Who of us Christians is immune to cultural, social, and religious assimilation? None. All of us, in some senses, are children of our culture and society which in a democracy as our own exalts pluralism and assimilation. As counselors, we must first and foremost look within to explore our own understanding of the universe and its Creator to be certain as we can that our experiences have not altered the revealed Word concerning the universe and God. Next, we must prepare ourselves to recognize the understanding of the universe and God or gods that our counselees may have. Knowing the possible derivation of the counselee’s understanding of the universe and God or gods is essential to reaching the ultimate root of the counselee’s concerns and problems. Recognizing extraneous elements assimilated into the broad outlines of the Christian faith, for example, requires that we know the source of those extraneous elements, their meaning, and their effects for the counselee. For this reason, we will have an assignment which will enable us either to review or learn for the first time some major world religious influences that assimilate easily through one’s personal experience of life in his/her Christian faith. The assignment specifically asks that we learn the understanding of the universe and the God or god of each source that is listed below for study.  Here is an assignment:  1. Review the Old Testament teaching about the universe and God; 2. Review the New Testament teaching about the universe and God; 3. Research the Hindu concept of God and the universe; 4. Research the Buddhist concept of God and the universe; 5. Research the Judaistic (contemporary) concept of God and the universe; 6. Research the Islamic concept of God and the universe; 7. Research the Aristotle’s concept of God and the universe; 9. Research David Hume’s concept of God and the universe; 9. Research William James’ concept of God and the universe; 10. Research Richard Dawkins’ concept of God and the universe; 11. Research astrology and the concept of God and the universe. 12. Research free will and the concept of God and the universe.  This assignment is representative of the traditional religious, philosophical, and atheistic affirmations of the universe and God or a god and gods.  Outside of the direct inspiration of the Old and New testaments, each of these affirmations of the universe and God has derived from human experience. And it should be noted that many of the affirmations made by individuals concerning the revelation in the Bible about the universe and God have derived more from their personal experiences than they have from revelation. You will not counsel long with a number of individuals until those who believe themselves to be Christians will hold and affirm notions that reflect diverse sources of origin mitigated by their experiences. When you have completed your research assignment, you will recognize that many Christians who come for counseling, although they believe the Bible and profess to order their lives by it, will actually practice the implications of many of the views of the research list. You will need to notice the difference and have procedures to deal with that situation. For after all, as a Christian counselor your goal is to have the counselee understand, accept, and live life through a Christian understanding of the universe and the Creator God Who alone brings true and complete purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction to the counselee’s life..  And each of us as counselors must focus on our personal beliefs and understanding of experience with self analysis and self evaluation. We are a brotherhood, but a splintered one. Why? The answer is easy – the root of the differences is in our understanding of God and the universe.  So, it is a good place to start – the universe in which we live. And did not David also have concerns about his understanding of the universe and what it meant to him? “What is man that Thou art mindful of him.” David was trying to understand himself and his place in life and in the universe by trying find out why God who rules the universe would care about man. David’s answer is found throughout the psalms. Our answer is found hidden away in the recesses of our minds and hearts.  God bless each and everyone. See you next issue.                                        Return to top Women in Religious History                                                                               Return to top Hello beloved friends. Welcome back to our study of Women in Religious History. And to any who are new to our group, may I invite you to read all the previous issues to this point. The title of this study sets our primary objective – women in religious history. Regrettably, until recent decades little serious, scholarly attention has been given to the history of women in religion. For those of us who are vitally interested in the lives, contributions, and sacrifices of women in religious history, we have had little context in secular history with which to set in relief the extraordinary lives of women in the Old and New Testaments. Part of our mission in this course is to give an accounting of women in secular historical periods and societies that compare and contrast with the information we have in the divine record and other subsequent sources of religious history to our time so we may better understand their lives, contributions and sacrifices. In our last issue, we began our study by presenting a time line with the earliest suggested date of approximately 5000 BC. There can be no certainty about that date but it is a working suggestion that would allow for human activity in the 5th millennia BC, or the 4,000s BC., and succeeding millennia. The first historical date we mentioned was in the 4th millennium in reference to Egypt; the next historical date was in the 3rd millennium in reference to Sumer and the region of Abraham. The time line then carried us through a number of cultures, societies, and historical periods until we reached the period and society of the Roman Empire. As we closed last issue we said that we want to study the role of women in the Old Testament beginning with Abraham through the pre-monarchical period and, afterwards, pick up again the thread of the history of women in the Old Testament. We specifically divided this time span into the following study divisions: Abraham in Ur of Chaldees Abraham on the move into Palestine and Egypt Jews enslaved in Egypt Jews in the Sinai period Jews in pre-monarchical Palestine Before we come to that part of our study, however, it will help us to understand the uniqueness and significance of our study of women in the Old Testament if we have the social, religious, and moral standards surrounding the roles of women in secular societies and cultures and religions of peoples and nations from the 3rd millennium BC down to and including the Roman Empire. Our study of these secular societies, cultures, and religions as respects women will be brief but hopefully informative and comparative to the role of women in the Old Testament. You recall that we did present information concerning women in ancient Mesopotamian empires. Before and during this time there were great movements of people about which we do not read in the Old Testament but which had enormous influence on all history down to and including the 21st century worldwide. I am referring to the great Indo European migrations. Indo European refers to people who had an identifiable language type as did the people who had the identifiable Semitic language type. These people and their various Indo European language dialects are believed to have their origin in eastern Anatolia (Asia Minor). According to the best guesses these people began their migrations not earlier than 4000 BC and not later than the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, ultimately moving into China, India, Iran, northern Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, north of Black Sea into Europe and eventually in the 2nd millennium BC into Greece. We might keep in mind two thoughts as the Indo Europeans develop in importance for our study of women in religious history: the pervasiveness of the Indo European language dialect types for English and modern European languages and the social custom of patriarchy. The Indo Europeans who were Greek speakers invaded the land later known as Greece around 2000 BC wrecking great destruction on the existing civilization and culture. During this period of conquest (2000 – 1600), no remarkable cultural or social achievement arose beyond the co-existence of the conquering and the conquered. Contact, however, during this period with the superior Minoan civilization on the island of Crete influenced and awakened the inhabitants of the Greek mainland to cultural, social, and aesthetic possibilities. This contact along with native resources led to the Mycenaean period of Greek history (1600 – 1200 BC) in which there was a resurgence of social and cultural development. The dominant political and cultural forces in the Mycenaean period were kings who had their palaces at places such as Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Athens, and in areas as far as Thessaly.  These advancements in culture were largely limited to the kings and palaces as the great majority of the population remained in agricultural villages. But the Mycenaean civilization was not to last as another invasion (1200 BC) again from the north by marauders determined to be Dorians destroyed throughout Greece the palaces of the kings and the political, social, and cultural character of the period. As a result of this Dorian invasion Greece was isolated from the outside world and fell into a period in which the use of writing, social, cultural, and aesthetic skills was lost from society. A Dark Age descended on Greece for 500 years which was not totally dark, however, because a foment and froth of ideas continued to stir in the Greek mind leading ultimately to the periods in Greek history called the Archaic Period and the subsequent Classical Period, the period considered the zenith of Greek creativity and culture.   Here we need to discuss the debate concerning matriarchy as a form of dominance among Indo Europeans before and possibly during the time of their invasion of 2000 BC. The idea behind matriarchy is that women had the leadership positions in society and the mothers of women especially. A 19th century Swiss classical scholar named Johann Bachofen was among the first to see a pattern of matriarchal dominance in ancient society. It was his belief that women banded together for protection from the wanton behavior of the general society of the time. Among the elements of his proof were Greek goddesses such as Artemis and Athena who were warrior/hunter goddesses. Later, in the 20th century, the scholar Robert Graves buttressed Bachofen’s theory by pointing to the  virtually universal worship of the Earth Mother goddess. Further, it has been pointed out that in the period forming the background of Homer’s (9th or 8th century BC)  Iliad and Odyssey there is a strong matriarchal culture. With the invasion of 2000 BC the position of women in society devolved to virtual servitude in a social system of patriarchy. However, in other societies, such as Egypt, a matrilineal society continued to the Roman period ending with Cleopatra VII. Having now completed our brief overview of the broad aspects of Indo European and early Greek histories and of the possibility, but not fully substantiated by literary and archaeological evidence of the practice of matriarchy among Indo Europeans and Greeks, the focus of our attention will turn to the Archaic Period and Classical Period and the role of women. Our comments are generalized to apply in both of the periods excepting the role of women developed in the city state of Sparta to which we will give separate notice later.. Among women of ancient Greece there was a quasi class structure best denominated as upper, middle, and lower classes for easy reference. The upper class woman married possibly as early as 14 years of age through an arrangement made by her family or guardian without regard for the girl’s emotional preference. Such a young age for marriage from the ancient Greek’s point of view may seem more reasonable when one considers that the average length of life was 30 years. The young bride of the upper class lived a cloistered life within the home of her husband, having her own quarters, having little intimate contact with her husband since intimate contact of a wife with her husband was largely for the purpose of creating new Greek citizens, male citizens preferred. The daily life of the upper class woman could be an arduous one, fulfilling both domestic and economic duties, most often the care of her children, gardening for vegetables and fruit, supervising domestic slaves and household servants, spinning and sewing clothes for the family, preparing the daily meals, and entertaining guests on occasions, although, normally, the wife was not permitted to be in the presence of her husband and the male friends he entertained in the home. She was, instead, confined to her room. It is little wonder that the upper class married woman had little contact with the social and political world outside of the home. We should note here that Greek families practiced infant exposure of female babies and physically challenged babies of both genders. Families normally would keep one female baby and all of their healthy male babies for economic and blood line reasons. Those exposed female babies who were not prey for beasts were often rescued by persons who either kept them for personal slaves in their maturity or sold them as slaves for economic advantages. Strangely, middle and lower class married women enjoyed a bit more freedom than did the upper class married women. The desire for a higher standard of living moved the husband to allow his wife more freedom in the market place and in social networking for economic and political advantages. But, in another sense, the middle and lower class woman had even more demanding responsibilities than the upper class woman since they had the same domestic and economic domestic duties with the additional economic and social networking outside the home. Nevertheless, the essential freedom of the woman was still tightly bound to the husband’s purposes. Realizing, thus far, the limited status of women in any class, we are not amazed to learn that girls received little education. If they learned to read and write they learned it from their mothers or slaves in their home. In this society women could own certain personal items of property but cold not own real estate property. Generally, women themselves were considered the property of their own husbands. In view of that, the practice of assigning a guardian developed to provide guidance and restraint for the wife. This guardian could be her husband or a close male relative who had supervisory control over every aspect of the woman’s life. But matrimony was not the only social position held by women in ancient Greece. Prostitution was normal and legal with regulation and circumscription and prevalent and widespread. There was no moral concern with prostitution, but there was an economic concern, the price of services was regulated. A position in society similar to prostitution but held in higher social esteem was the hetera, a prostitute with talent, charm, and intelligence with conversational skills whose services were often offered in a more formal group setting such as the symposium, a form of male entertainment made famous in Plato’s dialogues. Men came together in the symposium for intelligent conversation, eating, and drinking often with a hetera as an additional stimulus. Intimacy with hetera was expected in the symposium but intellectual interaction and light hearted humor were also components of the occasion. The cost of a hetera for a social occasion varied but could be substantial. A financially successful hetera could own her own home and other commodities that a wife was forbidden. One last social position for women before we turn to female slavery is the concubine. A concubine could be for the man everything that the wife was prohibited or not expected to be and, therefore, the relationship with a concubine could be long lasting if not permanent. Although the man and concubine maintained a lasting intimate relation, she usually owned her own home and maintained a certain independence in the relationship. Greek female slavery was humanity at its most despicable. Female slaves, as all Greek slaves, were the personal property of their owners and were subject to the whims, moral or immoral, the punishments and deprivations, and intimate exploitation and abuse of their owners. Her duties were the duties that would otherwise be the duties of a wife. Owner and slave intimacies often resulted in the birth of a child. Since the female slave was not allowed to have and raise children, her baby born to an owner would be exposed or sold. And for the female slave there was no legal basis to have children since marriage was prohibited to slaves. The Greek exception to much of what we have discussed is the role of women in the city state of Sparta in the Peloponnesis. Women in Sparta enjoyed a freedom and self assertion not known elsewhere in the Greek ancient world. The Spartan female baby was treated equally with the male baby, receiving the same care and, later, at school age, receiving public education as did the males. The Spartan women were educated and  Plato remarked in his Protagoras, “There are not only men but also women who pride themselves on their intellectual culture”. Women also participated in sports producing the first female to win an Olympic victory – in chariot racing! Marriage occurred later to allow maturity to flower with a concomitant lesser age difference between husband and wife. Spartan women in their relationship with their husbands were so unique in contemporary Greek society that Aristotle was prompted to assert that Spartan women “rule their husbands” and Plutarch wrote that “the men of Sparta always obeyed their wives.” Because of the extended military obligation of Spartan men, their wives often managed the family estates and wealth. Aristotle asserted that women owned 2/5th of Spartan property. But there were some down sides to the relationship of husband and wife in Sparta. As elsewhere in Greece, marriage was not the result of love and passion, but the result of the need to produce the next generation of warriors. Overtime, the male population diminished relative to the female population of Sparta. As a result unusual arrangements for child birth, strange and repugnant to us, became somewhat commonplace and acceptable. A wife might engage in intimacy with several men for the sake of producing offspring, each father claiming his own child. A wife could be “borrowed” by an acquaintance of her husband to produce his own child by her. Given the strong position of women in Spartan society, these arrangements were most likely agreeable to them also. The Spartan wedding ceremony was unusual. The ritual was an abduction ritual in which the woman was abducted at night, her head shaved, and her body clothed in men’s clothing. At that point she would lie on a straw mattress in the dark with her husband and the marriage would be consummated. The upshot of the ceremony is that form became substance wherein men actually came to abduct women for their wives even if the wives were already married and force them to become their wives.  To round out the picture of women in ancient Greece we must turn to a consideration of  Greek religion. The magnitude of the feminine presence and importance in ancient Greek religion is suggested by the following Greek goddesses: Eurynome, Gaea, Hera, Aphrodite, The Furies, Hecate, Ariadne, Artemis, Athene, Britomartis, Demeter, Europa, Kore, Pasiphae, Python, Rhea, Antigone, Atalanta, Cassandra, Circe, Clytemnestra, Daphne, Hecuba, Helen of Troy, Lysistrata, Pandora, Paxagora, and Pythia, and others. It is quite an interesting study to read of the origin and development of ancient Greek religion. Clearly, the dominance and prominence of female deities suggest a period of development long before the Mycenaean Period, possibly as far back as before the migrations of the Indo Europeans. This dominance and prominence of female deities suggest a distant past matriarchy as has been proposed by scholars at times during the past two centuries. Greek art has preserved scenes of powerful and independent goddesses thought to represent social traditions that for centuries, perhaps millennia filtered through earlier changing political and social movements. But as we have seen, Greek women lived a different life subject not only to the passions of man, but also, according to mythology, those of the masculine gods. A mythological story of Zeus and Europa well illustrates liason between gods and women. Europa was a Phoenician woman, the daughter of King Agenor of Tyre, but, as much in ancient pre-history and mythology, this lineage is disputed. But the story is nevertheless told that Zeus kidnapped Europa and raped her, a sequence of events reflective of a man’s acquisition of his wife in Sparta. From that union were birthed Rhadamanthys, Minos, and Sarpedon all three of whom, according to myth, became kings. We will take a break here until next issue when we will continue with our look into the fascinating world of Greek religion. We will inquire as to the role of women in Greek religion and also as to the effects that Greek religion had on them. I do want to suggest some activity on your part outside of the presentation here. Please read as extensively as you can on ancient Greek culture beginning with the Mycenaean Period through all subsequent periods of Greek history to the first century AD.   Also, continue to read and research the role of women in Jewish history in the periods I have listed above and in Issue 6. However, we will cover two more important societies – Rome and Egypt – before we return to our study of the roles of women in Old Testament periods of Jewish history I have listed. Ultimately, with a proper breadth of background to the life and times of women in the ancient world, we will, then, concentrate on the women of the Old Testament in the periods listed. As a result of our study of women in secular societies of the time, we will see in better relief the uniqueness and sameness of the roles of women in the Old Testament when we are able to compare them with the roles of women in the societies flourishing during the same time period. Keep up your good work with Women in Religious History and God bless you in all you do for Him who gave his all for us. Let us gather here next issue, God willing.                                       Return to top                                                      BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Keep up Greek                                                                                                           Return to top Hello my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Welcome again to our little study in Greek. I think it will be very helpful to begin again with a word from the Bible. ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ εἰς πᾶσαν ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν μετὰ χαρᾶς  εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ πατρὶ τῷ ἱκανώσαντι ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί (Col. 1:11-12) Now that you have mastered the present indicative active. Let us take on the present indicative middle and passive. For a bit of a review, what do the following mean: Present Indicative Active Middle Passive Voice Tense Mood Did you have any trouble with the middle and passive voice? Here are the endings that indicate the present indicative middle and passive voices. Take the time to memorize them. See and understand what they do to a present tense verb stem. -μαι,  -σαι (or ῃ), -ται, -μεθα, -σθε, -νται Let’s take it kind of easy with the present active middle and passive verb endings.  We’ll start with our old friend from a previous lesson: the present indicative active of luw. You remember luw. I am loosing or I loose. Now here is the conjugation of luw in the present indicative active. Notice the endings and the meaning with each person, singular and plural. luw - I am loosing luomen - We are loosing lueiV- You are loosing luete - Ye are loosing luei - He is loosing luousi - They are loosing So, what are we going to do with our friend luw to go from present indicative active to present indicative middle and passive? We are going to fool around with the endings. We going to take off the ending of the present indicative active and attach the endings of the present indicative middle and passive. Every verb ought to have more than one outfit to wear (you know, the verbs HAVE to keep up with the adverbs) and what is more fashionable for a verb than present indicative middle and passive endings? Active form              Middle and Passive form luw becomes            luomai lueiV becomes          luσαι (or ῃ) (We’ll talk about the two endings later) luei  becomes          luetai luomen becomes luomeqa luete becomes luesqe luousi becomes luontai Now, let’s separate the   middle from the passive and review each separately. How does the middle voice of luw translate into English in all persons and numbers? Here is an example: Active                      Middle I am loosing             I am loosing myself You are loosing       You are loosing yourself She/he/it is loosing  She/he/it is loosing herself/himself/itself You are loosing       You are loosing yourselves (plural in number) They are loosing      They are loosing themselves Do you notice the difference in the present indicative active and the present indicative middle? Look at it. Think about it. Well, you have to ask yourself what is the person loosing? In the present indicative active it could be anything. Let’s take the second person singular lueiV - you are loosing. So what are you loosing? A cow? A balloon? See, it could be anything. Now with the middle it is most likely YOU that you are loosing. That is the nature of the middle. You are doing something to yourself or in behalf of yourself. Instead of loosing a cow, you are loosing yourself. (Hey! There is nothing wrong with a cow!) Play in this middle voice sandbox for a little while. Just to be sure you have a grasp of the ideas behind the present indicative middle voice. Make up ten sentences in English that could have been translated out of the Greek present indicate middle voice. When you have completed that exercise we will go to the present indicative passive voice. What do the present indicative middle voice and the present indicative passive voice have in common? The same endings. You can see them above. But beyond that, there is a huge difference. What is it? What are the differences among the present indicative active voice, present indicative middle voice, and the present indicative passive voice. Write out five sentences in English that you can put in the present indicative active, middle, and passive voices. Now write out the conjugation of luw in the present indicative passive voice and give the English translation. Imperfect Indicative Active We are going to turn our attention now to the imperfect indicative active. Go to your textbook and define the following: Imperfect Indicative Active Now put them together – imperfect indicative active – and what does it mean? I am presenting below a chart of the endings for the imperfect indicative active 1st Person Singular -ον 2nd Person Singular -ες 3rd Person Singular -ε[ν] 1st Person Plural -ομεν 2nd Person Plural -ετε 3rd Person Plural -ον As with the present indicative active, the endings of the imperfect indicative active conjugation are added to the present stem of the verb. For example, the verb άγω. The present indicative active would translate into English as I go or I am going. The first person singular imperfect indicative active form ending of άγω is άγον. You’ve heard the saying “All’s well that ends well.” Well, that is not true with the imperfect indicative active. What is missing in the example I gave for the ending of the imperfect indicative active form that keeps it from being an actual imperfect indicative active form? It would be a nice thing for me to do to tell you and give you an example. But, if you have had any Greek, you probably already know. If not, go to your Greek grammar and look up Imperfect Indicative Active to see what is missing.  Continue with the verb άγω and conjugate άγω in its various forms of the imperfect indicative active. (To do it right, you must find what is missing in the example above.)    After conjugating άγω select 10 additional Greek verbs from earlier issues and conjugate those verbs in the imperfect indicative active. Finally, write out 10 English sentences as if they were translated from the imperfect indicative active.       In closing, please review all forms of nouns and verbs that you have learned to date. To assist in developing your critical faculties, go to a chapter in your Greek new testament and read down the first 20 verses for the purpose of identifying the noun and verb forms you have studied thus far. In a section of scripture that long, undoubtedly there will be verbs, nouns, and other parts of speech that you have not yet met. But the purpose this exercise is to identify in the passage the forms that you have studied and skip the others. Next issue, we will study the imperfect indicative middle and the imperfect indicative passive and begin the study of Greek accents. Please go to your textbooks for each part of this assignment.  Also this is a good time for us to look a little more carefully to accentuation in Greek. So, again, go to your textbook and review accentuation. God bless you in all you do in His Name and for His sake through Jesus Christ our Lord.  I will be looking for you next issue. With the following Greek selection, let us draw our determination to study and preparation to serve.                                                                                                                                                                              Timothy 4      diamarturomai enwpion tou qeou kai cristou ihsou, tou mellontoV krinein zwntaV kai nekrouV, kai thn epifaneian autou kai thn basileian autou: khruxon ton logon, episthqi eukairwV akairwV, elegxon, epitimhson, parakaleson, en pash makroqumia kai didach. estai gar kairoV ote thV ugiainoushV didaskaliaV ouk anexontai, alla kata taV idiaV epiqumiaV eautoiV episwreusousin didaskalouV knhqomenoi thn akohn, kai apo men thV alhqeiaV thn akohn apostreyousin, epi de touV muqouV ektraphsontai. su de nhfe en pasin, kakopaqhson, ergon poihson euaggelistou, thn diakonian sou plhroforhson. Your task: translate and identify every form of verb and noun that we have covered in the Journal.  Add accentuation to this text. This will be a good warm up for our study of accentuation next issue. God bless you and study diligently. See you next issue, God willing.                       Return to top                                               BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com NEW TESTAMENT GREEK: I am happy to recommend to you the following forum established and maintained by our brother in Christ, James Chaisson. The name of the forum is: Learn NT Greek A place to learn and help others learn New Testament Greek Here is the web address: http://learnntgreek.freeforums.org/index.php  Let’s all tell Brother Chaisson how much we appreciate his providing such a useful learning forum on the web, especially a forum established and maintained by a fellow Christian Hebrew                                                                                                                Return to top  Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Better late than never! (Now isn’t that original!) We received the Hebrew fonts, up loaded them, and have been trying to learn to use them ever since. Pretty sure I don’t have it all down pat (another great original statement, right?) so bear with me in case you notice a goof along the way. When we closed last issue we were talking about taking up the Nifal construction of the Hebrew verb. While Hebrew verbs don’t have tense in the sense that English verbs do, for the time being, we will act as if they do. We will wade out into the adult pool before long and try out our flutter stroke. Right now, you will see, below, the conjugation of the Nifal perfect. You remember Qal perfect, don’t you? It’s our old friend from the last lesson.  Go over the construction of the Qal perfect in the previous issue. Then, go over the Nifal perfect in this issue. Now here is what we are going to do. Take a long look at Qal perfect above. Then, take a long look at the Nifal perfect conjugation in this issue. What similarities do you see? What differences do you see? Any differences in the endings for the person and number of the Qal perfect and Nifal perfect? Any differences in the beginning of each word for the person and number of the Qal perfect and Nifal perfect? lf'q]nI Third person singular masculine  hl;f]q]nI Third person singular feminine T;l]f'q]nI Second person singular masculine T]l]f'q]nI Second person singular feminine yTil]f'q]nI First person singular masculine and feminine Wlf]q]nI Third person plural masculine and feminine μT,l]f'q]nI Second person plural masculine ÷T,l]f'q]nI Second person plural feminine Wnl]f'q]nI First person plural masculine and feminine Now that you have reviewed Qal perfect and studied the Nifal perfect conjugated form, go back to the Qal perfect and to the Nifal perfect forms and take a look at the vowels. What vowels are similar and what new vowels do you see? Want to try your hand at pronouncing the Qal perfect and Nifal perfect forms in the previous issue and this issue? You might want to check out again the vowel chart in an earlier issue to assist you with recognition and sound.  Ok. You have the forms for Qal perfect and Nifal perfect down pretty well and you know at least one meaning of Qal perfect, so how does the Nifal perfect conjugation translate into English? Again, there are some subtleties to deal with later, but for now we will do the simple thing and say it simply means the simple passive. Simple, huh? Well, what is the simple passive? Well, let me ask you what is passive in verb meanings? It is the opposite of active in verb meanings. That helps a lot, doesn’t it. Think of it this way. If a sentence has an active verb, the subject of the sentence is doing the acting, like, I hit the ball. So, passive? Take a shot at it. What do you think it is? That’s right. The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb.  Using the same classy sentence again this time in the passive, it would read, The ball was hit by me. The word we have used for the Nifal  perfect is drawn straight from the forensic files television show on Tru TV (formerly Court TV). Well, not exactly!  lf¾q; iis the Qal perfect form 3rd person singular masculine and means He Killed. So, if the Qal perfect is active – the subject did the acting, what will be the translation of the Nifal perfect in which the subject receives the action? Work on it! I want to give you a few words to fiddle with and work out both the Qal perfect form and the Nifal perfect form and the proper definitions. I realize in dealing with the forms we have not gotten into those flamboyant vowels, but look closely at the forms in this and the previous issues and see what you can come up with. I think it will be great fun discovering how to do Hebrew rather than memorizing everything about Hebrew (and that is a load!). Ok. Keep your powder dry! (another original) Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes! (I am on a roll with these originals, don’t you agree?) So, load up for the following verbs. You will notice that I am giving you the Qal perfect third person singular masculine form of each verb (You must look up the meanings.) When you have done the Qal perfect form, go to the Nifal perfect form and do the same thing.  Here goes: Åb¾q; rk¾M; rbv bt¾k; rj¾B; We’ll call it a day (or whatever time it is where you are. We circle the globe. Great brethren everywhere!) I think if you put the time in on this issue that I hope you will, what we have presented will be enough to do until next time. And may God bless you and your loved ones and the brethren richly in faith and love and steadfastness. See you next time!                                                                                                     Return to top                                                      BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com                                                                                  Return to top .                                                   BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com Books By The Brethren                                                                     Return to top Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c Dr. Daniel H. King Sr: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm At the Feet of the Master Teacher Commentary on the Gospel of John Commentary on the Epistles of John Commentary on the Book of Hebrews The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness? Ezekiel all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:                                                                                     www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens" Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                      Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                           God's Way to Right Living In the Beginning (Genesis) Letters To Young Preachers Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude) The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges) Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/                                         Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information  Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. Teresa Hampton The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/ Leading Ladies                                                                                                             Come to the Garden The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Illuminating Shadows Jesus and His Relationship with Women Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author)                                              Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                         Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring. Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.                                                                                                                                                              Return to top                                         BLOG: http://tuafrsj.wordpress.com IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!                                                 Return to top     FREE RELIGIOUS STUDY JOURNAL                        Please click Here to return to Journal directory Volume I Issue 8     *Copyright 2008  All Rights Reserved                                                              Theological University of America  - Distance Learning                                                   Serving the Church of Christ Since 1987  http://www.theologicaluofa.com           E-mail: info@theologicaluofa.com           Telephone: 1 800 347 8658         Theological University of America     425 Second Street S.E.     Suite 610     Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 THE CURRENT TOPICS IN THE FREE STUDY JOURNAL Church History                                                                                                                        Colossians                                                                                                                                   Christian Counseling                                                                                                                    Women in Religious History                                                                                                            Greek                                                                                                                                         Hebrew                                                                                                                                       Books by the Brethren Church History                                                          Return to top Hello Brethren. Welcome to this issue of Church History. The church is breaking out of its Jerusalem perimeters and entering once and for all on its world mission of preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The challenge to the young church was enormous – “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel” the Lord Jesus had commanded. The world that was the church’s challenge was much larger and more varied than any apostle or disciple could ever have imagined. Unknown continents and unknown peoples, unknown cultures and unknown societies, unknown oceans and unknown land barriers lay in the dark unknown of the far reaches of the church’s mandate. The limited knowledge of the world outside the Roman Empire and its neighboring regions is driven home to us when we read the description of the world by a leading geographer of that era. Claudius Ptolemeus, an Alexandrian, gave the state of geographical knowledge of the world at the time of the apostles and the early church in his day, about 150 A.D: the boundaries of the world southward extended to the White Nile and the northern boundary of the Sudan; westwards they included the Canary Isles and the British Isles; to the north they reached as far as the German Seas and over the Low Countries of Russia and the Aral Sea to the sources of the Indus and the Ganges. In the Orient they took in Arabia and the coasts of India and Indo-China as far as the Archipelago. However, certain knowledge of boundaries did not extend beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire when it was at its height.  A world much reduced from reality but the best the apostles and missionaries had for conceptualizing their mission. As late as the discoveries of Vasco da Gamma and Christopher Columbus the understanding of the world was not dramatically different from the world of Claudius Ptolemaeus. As we go along in church history, we will see that the impetus to missions was often the leverage for greater and more accurate geographical knowledge of the world. The world is all the more formidable and challenging when we consider the very primitive means of communication and transportation that were at the disposal of the apostles and Christian missionaries. Consider just the distances between centers of Christian activity. Let me suggest this study activity: Locate the major cities of the Roman Empire where you know an apostle or Christian missionary traveled. Find the distances between these sites in land and sea miles, for instance, from Antioch to Ephesus, Troas to Rome, Corinth to Jerusalem, Tarsus to Jerusalem. Then, try to determine what personal travel needs one individual would have if he/she were making those trips. We want to gain a sense of just how difficult were the trips and how challenged our brethren in the Roman Empire were in their efforts to carry the gospel into all the world. You might as well include in your calculations Paul’s intended trip from Rome to Spain. The people of the day may not have realized they were living in a very primitive technological age (compared to our day) and may not have realized just how burdensome those trips were. But, there is no doubt we today who are accustomed to the pampering of technological conveniences would be able to give a vivid account of how burdensome the trips were if suddenly we were compelled to come to terms with the ancient life and challenges of those brethren. Try to get a feel for them.  The inconvenience of the distances is compounded by the realization that all land transportation was by foot or hoof, naval transportation was by sail or oar, and there was no transportation by air. The logistics of travel of any extended distance required forethought, planning, and adequate and manageable supplies and methods and means to organize, bundle, and transport them. The basics for life remained a daily necessity for extended travel in the ancient world as it did for daily life at home. Underlying and rarely acknowledged is the faceless brethren who provided the financial means for the Christian missionaries to go into all the world. When Paul and Silas left Antioch, what was the source of the money and all the things mentioned above necessary for extended travel? The church at Antioch and others along the way. And who was the church? People whose names we will never know. People whose names are never mentioned. But, people who had to work for a living, support their families with necessities and maybe a little more and who still found the will and desire to sacrifice  to send the Apostles and other missionaries to distance lands they themselves probably never saw. From the beginning to this day, it is the toil and sacrifice of the vast unrecognized number of Christians who make the mission of the church mobile and expansive. For every person in the days of the New Testament record and beyond who gained prominence through religious activity there are scores of brethren in the background without whose support and sacrifice our heroes of the faith would be far fewer in number and the magnitude of their achievements greatly diminished.  But the demands of the physical geography, a truly enormous and daunting consideration,  was not the only challenge of geography for the ancient missionary, whether apostle or disciple. Confronting the apostles and missionary disciples throughout their travels were the ethnic, cultural, religious, and philosophical divisions and influences that shaped both opportunity and opposition. The Roman Empire was not a monolithic society and culture. Rather it is best seen as tapestry of ethnic elements whose separate roots trace back deep into the early history of mankind bound together by the security of the Roman government, Roman military power, Roman imperial religion, and the prevalence of the Greek language. This diversity within the Roman Empire comes to have a profound affect on the course of Church History. But even before the time of the Roman Empire, when nations were really city-states within a limited land domain, the diversity, the cultural and social traditions, and the political varieties were evident in regions we now think of as unified in the Roman Empire. For example, look at the map of ancient Asia Minor. You see a number of regions with names with which you are familiar from your study of the Bible. Each of these little territories – city-states – has a history whose traditions continued to influence their culture and their social, religious, economic ways. Consider Galatia. We have an epistle of Paul written to them. These Galatians are Gauls (Celts) of Europe who in the 3rd century BC migrated from Europe through Macedonia and Thrace into Greece and, later, after a defeat by the Macdeonians, at the invitation of the Bithynian king, Nicomedes I, crossed into Asia Minor to assist Nicomedes I in a struggle for his throne. There were about 10,000 Gallic warriors along with their families. Later, after a reversal of military fortune at the hand of Antiochus I, king of Seleucia, the Galatians settled down in central Asia Minor and the eastern part of Phrygia, a region called Galatia. These Galatians remained in demand for their military disposition and served often in many places as mercenaries. The religion of these Galatians, many of whom were to become Christians, was distinctly different from Christianity that was later to influence and convert those who believed. The step from Galatian religion to Christianity must have been enormous for those believers and the task of preaching and teaching these Galatians to the point of belief and conversion seemingly insurmountable. But they believed and they were converted from a paganism of pluralism. Basic to the Galatian religion was animism and a plethora of gods and goddesses including household and tribal gods and goddesses. Although there was no systematic theology, three gods seem to have a higher profile among the Galatians. These gods, mentioned by the first century Roman poet Lucan, were named Teutatis, Esus, and Taranis. The Galatians also worshiped animals, the boar the most sacred. This glimpse of primitive Galatian religious beliefs and practices may provide an insight into the circumstances that were causing Paul such consternation over the Galatians. It certainly seems to fit well scriptures from Galatians as “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years.” The apostles and the missionary disciples did not set foot in any part of the Roman Empire and beyond where they did not face the same cultural, social, and religious type orientations as did the missionaries to Galatia. Monotheism was hardly a serious thought in local religious beliefs and expressions. Wherever the apostles and missionaries went the task was always from ground up. Even in the most sophisticated cites of the Roman Empire, the orientations were the same – Ephesus, Athens, Corinth, Rome, literally everywhere. The Bible mentions many geographical regions where the apostles and the missionary disciples proclaimed the Gospel. Outside the record of the Bible many traditions developed that place certain apostles and missionary disciples here and there but with little solid evidence in some instances, no evidence at all in others. As with many things religious or otherwise, tradition has the power of fact and the implications of prerogative. Nowhere is this truer of tradition than the rise of Apostolic Sees in the ancient world. An apostolic see is a city where the church was said to have been established by an apostle. Although there were surely many churches established in many communities by the apostles, five of those cities rose to influential theological and administrative dominance far beyond their geographical location. You know them all but you may not know that they are considered Apostolic Sees. They are Jerusalem whose church was begun by James, Antioch and Rome whose churches were begun by Peter, Byzantium (later renamed Constantinople) whose church was begun by Andrew and Alexandria whose church was begun by Mark who was not an apostle. Besides the traditions of apostolic origin that gives these particular cities eminence, it is worth noting that these cities were established political, economic, military, or religious  centers of the Roman Empire. Jerusalem we all know as the temple city of the Jews and a very troublesome one to the Romans; Byzantium (Constantinople) is at the crossroads of east and west as a major land route joining east and west and the Black (Euxine) Sea with the Mediterranean Sea facilitating commerce and travel throughout the Roman Empire and adjoining regions; Antioch is at the fulcrum of the middle east funneling north, south, east and west influences of every kind; Alexandria is the richest, most cultured city of the Roman Empire as well as a pre-eminent commercial center connecting the known and the unknown worlds; Rome is the capital of the Roman Empire, the locus of imperial power and governmental control. Later, we will trace the rise of these cities to eminence as apostolic sees. In the meantime, we will look at the beginning of the life of the church developed by persons who were not inspired. It is important to envision exactly what the first uninspired Christians faced as they began to step forward and offer themselves as leaders for the church after the apostles were gone. Leaders, as we know, come in all stripes. Some with the finest education; some with little or no education. Some with pre-eminence due to some relation apart from faith; some with no recognition on any basis. Just the types represented among the apostles chosen by Jesus Himself. The same types populated the positions of leadership in the early church. Consider Paul’s exhortation to Titus on the island of Crete. “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town.” A difficult task? Listen to what Paul continued to write to Titus about the Cretans, “Even one of their own prophets has said ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.’ “. The pool of potential Christian leaders with prerequisite character and self-control may have been very, very shallow to none existent. The task before Titus was not a matter of going into a town and saying “you, you, and you – step forward. You are now elders, deacons, teachers, and ministers of the Lord’s church. It doesn’t happen that way in our day and you can be certain that in a place where everyone was characterized (no doubt painted by too broad a brush) a liar, evil brute, and a lazy glutton it didn’t happen that way in the island of Crete. Well, what did happen? How did Titus get people into leadership positions as elders and other responsibilities. Well, how do you think he did it? Remember again what Paul continued to write to Titus about those whom he should appoint as elders, “An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless – not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who I self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it hs been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and rebuke those who oppose it.” In other words, according to the Cretan prophet, there was no one in Crete even remotely qualified to be an elder of the Church of Christ according to the qualifications spelled out by Paul. So, how did Titus prepare anyone to be a scriptural elder of the church in Crete? Exactly like we prepare men to be elders today – convert them to Jesus Christ and teach them the “trustworthy message’ and measure their character by the Christian lives they live. In the case of Crete and every other pagan country, we are looking at a  long time, perhaps years, to prepare a pagan become Christian, a Jew become Christian to take the solemn responsibility of eldership of the church. So there is a vacuum in leadership at every local level of the church wherever the church advanced in the Roman Empire and beyond. At this point of the discussion, I want to pose some questions – an assignment, if you will – for all of us to research before next issue: Trace the history of each of the Apostolic Sees and determine their influence in the first few centuries of church history? Review the locations mentioned in the Bible where the church was established to determine the existing pagan religions which shaped and educated the inhabitants in their religious devotions and practices. Without the Apostles and without a Bible (in connection with the lack of a Bible as we know it research the state of the development of a Bible during the first 4 centuries) what difficulties did congregations started in the early centuries after the apostles have in determining what was orthodox and carrying out a teaching and preaching program of the faith and Gospel. Begin a list of the very earliest teachers, preachers, authors, leaders outside of the Bible and who lived beyond the lives of the apostles that we can discover in the historical record and summarize their teaching and positions on issues of the time.  God bless each and every one. May God grant us the grace to humble ourselves before his Holiness and Glory so as to magnify His name in all we do and think. See you next issue, God willing.                                                                                                   Return to top Colossians                                                                                  Return to top   Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and God His Father! In Issue 7 we had a large assignment to complete particularly regarding Rhetorical Analysis. I hope that you had time over the past month to work through the assignment. If you did not complete the assignment from Issue 7, please consider Issue 7 part of the assignment of Issue 8. It is important that we do the “grunt work” in this study of Colossians. There is hardly any other way to refine our thinking regarding Rhetorical Analysis than get into the text and determine where we think it fits in our analysis. Painstaking for most of us; profitable for all of us. It will be helpful in gaining a grasp of Rhetorical Analysis to do a comparative study with another of Paul’s epistles. For that purpose we will use I Corinthians and compare it with Colossians. The way we will approach the comparison is this: I will give you a possible breakdown of the I Corinthian letter along the lines of the divisions of rhetorical analysis I mentioned in earlier lessons. With the divisions of rhetorical analysis I will suggest a possible assignment of verses from I Corinthians that fulfill the requirements of the type of rhetoric I am asserting reflects the content of I Corinthians. I will not give the verses per se, just the references. Your task is to read I Corinthians again even if you have read it many times before. This time read it with a sense of identifying the type of rhetoric it is and the rhetorical divisions detected in I Corinthians. Then, list the rhetorical divisions you have detected and write down the verse references (not the verses themselves). Of course, I am giving you one possible arrangement of I Corinthians in rhetorical analysis. It may be that you fully agree with me; that’s fine, but be careful that your decisions reflect your studied judgment in agreeing with me. After all, your decisions are your ways of interpreting I Corinthians and if you agree with me without doing the prerequisite reflection and analysis, you will deny yourself the opportunity of knowing and using the fruits of your labor – and it will be labor. Now whether or not you agree with me, you still must justify why you made the determinations that you did. So, with every division of rhetoric that you make in I Corinthians, write out your justification for your decisions and why it is superior to other possibilities. Ok. I am giving you here possible divisions for the rhetorical analysis of I Corinthians. Now is the time for you to do your full work according to the assignment above. I Corinthians Epistolary Prescript – 1:1-3 Epistolary Thanksgiving and Exordium – 1:4-9 Propositio – 1:10 Narratio – 1:11-17 Probatio – 1:18-16:12  (the following references refer to “argumentatio” of interest)     1:18-4:21     5-6     7       8-11:1     9 (egressio)     11:1-16     11:17-34     12-14 (ch. 13 egressio)     15     16:1-12 Peroratio - 16:13-18 Epistolary greetings and closing- 16:19-24 Now for the second half of this assignment. Having studied through I Corinthians, go now to Colossians and repeat the same exercise that you did for I Corinthians. When you have finished Colossians, compare your work on both epistles to determine whether “light” from one exercise helps you see more clearly the correctness of your rhetorical analysis on the other. Make adjustments as you perceive them.  I think that I shall not continue Issue 8 beyond this point. It is very important for the purpose of this study that we do the assignments in Issue 7 and Issue 8 as thoroughly as we can. We will not dwell on Rhetorical Analysis and this is the best time for us to carefully work through I Corinthians and Colossians and then compare the results of our work in both epistles. So, while this issue is few in pages, I believe it is packed with power.  Be sure to do the assignments. God bless you all. We’ll gather here next time, God willing!                                                                                                               Return to top  Christian Counseling                                                       Return to top   Welcome my dear brothers and sisters in Christ to Issue 8 of the Free Religious Study Journal. In the concluding assignments of the last issue we studied a variety of concepts of God and the universe, inspired and uninspired. As we move through the successive psychoanalysts that we will review in this study of Christian Counseling we now turn to Carl Gustov Jung, a psychoanalyst for whom concepts of God and the universe are particularly integral to his theories.  Carl Jung lived from 1875 to 1961, born the son of a church pastor in Switzerland. Jung completed a medical degree from the University of Basel and, thereafter, began study in psychiatry at the University of Zurich. In the progress of his studies he read and was impressed with Freud’s book ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’. Soon he met Freud and for a few years Freud and Jung shared common interests in psychology. Through this association, Jung made friendships with other important psychologists including Alfred Adler and Otto Rank.  In just a few years, Freud and Jung were moving in different directions in the development of their theories of psychology with two basic factors separating their views.  The first difference developed over the meaning of the libido. Freud saw it as sexual energy; Jung considered it as generalized life energy. The second difference was Freud’s deterministic view of the influences of childhood on the personality. Jung held, to the contrary, that personality can change in later life and is formed by future goals and aspirations. As the differences widened between Freud and Jung and as Jung became more determined to move in another direction, he developed his theory which he termed Analytical Psychology. Analytical Psychology had important roots in Jung’s study of myths, legends, religions, and fairy-tales as they relate to psychopathology. In the development of his theory, he selected a nomenclature for the organization of his thoughts. I will list selected important elements of the nomenclature here and later discuss them in the context of Jung’s Analytical Psychology. Individuation the process to enable a person to develop his/her distinctive personality and to reach his/her fullest potential ego the self conscious faculty with four inseparable functions and ways of perceiving and interpreting reality: feeling, thinking, intuition, sensation personal unconscious the experienced content of mind that has slipped beyond the active consciousness either by repression or forgetfulness but content that can be recalled either by will or stimulus complexes clusters of belief and feeling centered in relevant archetypes both in the unconscious and conscious, detectable through experiential stimuli  collective unconscious the thrust of the mind composed of inherited archetypes culminating experiences and biological accretions of universal character responding to demands of experience; the collective unconscious is shared by all people archetypes universal images and symbols of religion and mythology in the collective unconscious  four archetypes of which are of especial importance to Jung: persona, anima, animus, and shadow persona the public image, the self one allows others to see and know. It provides the individual a role and place in society. Anima the feminine opposite of persona representing a person’s inmost self. The anima is a man’s feminine side. Animus the masculine opposite of persona representing a person’s inmost self. The animus is a woman’s masculine side. Shadow animal instincts that defy control by the conscious personality. The shadow archetype is a source of spontaneity, creativity, and insight. Self organizes and unites the personality by controlling inner and external harmony introversion tendency to prefer inwardness manifested outwardly with shyness, social isolation, and personal privacy concerns extroversion tendency to prefer outwardness manifested in social contact, satisfaction in new experiences, interaction with others. Of course this list of terms is not exhaustive of the nomenclature of Jung’s Analytical Psychology, but, by reading through this list you will have advanced notice of some of the important words you will encounter as you read this issue and other material you may choose to study. And it will be necessary for you to read additional material concerning Jung’s Analytical Psychology as this issue is a general reference introduction to Jung’s work. Our purpose is to gain enough information and understanding of Analytical Psychology so we can evaluate its major contentions and their relevance to Christian Counseling. Dr. Edward R. Edinger, M.D, sums up the breadth and substance of Jung’s Analytical Psychology as “a fully-developed theory of the structure and dynamics of the psyche in both its conscious and unconscious aspects, a detailed theory of personality types and, most important, a full description of the universal, primordial images deriving from the deepest layers of the unconscious psyche. These primordial images are called archetypes of the collective unconscious. Fundamental to the uniqueness of Jung’s Analytical Psychology is the collective unconscious wherein are the archetypes, embedded universals as templates to ideas. With this concept Jung shifts the locust of psychopathology from strictly neurosis to normal persons for in the nature of the archetypes the entire history of the evolution (Jung’s term) of the human psyche is accumulated. Hence, Jung considered the archetypes as virtual psychological organs, analogous to physical ones, both deriving through the evolutionary process (Jung’s terms) Memories, experiences, interpretations associated with the archetypes are termed complexes most important of which are the Self, Shadow, Anima, Animus. Through these archetypes we share with all human beings universal ideas that are the inheritance of the evolution of the specie (Jung’s notion). The thrust of Jung’s analytical psychology is the relation of an individual with the universe of archetypes wherein the individual interacts with the unconscious. The unconscious interfaces with the individual through symbolic psychic states drawn from religion, art, dreams and the like. And it is at this point that we consider Jung’s portrayal of religion in general and Christianity in particular.  For Jung the collective unconscious is God, not God as we know Him, but as the accumulations of experiences through evolution (Jung’s notion) from the pre-human animal condition continued through the fully evolved human being. In the evolutionary process the pre-human and human species drew from experience and encapsulated into the unconscious various symbols derived from myths, art, and religion, methods developed in a pre-rational and pre-scientific epoch of evolution to understand life and circumstance. These various, universal symbols became the archetypes of collective unconscious and, therefore, the manifestations of God. The collective unconscious is compared to Plato’s forms and neo-Platonic mysticism all of which had an influence on many of the early theologians of Christianity. The structural aspects of these philosophical theologies that resonated with Jung are their presentation of the “universal realities” and the final “mystical union” of an individual with God. Jung was further attracted to these philosophical theologies because some essential aspects of them are found in religious and artistic expressions from around the world in different times of human development and culture, giving credence and support to his claim for the universal nature of the archetypes. There is this significant difference: whereas Platonic forms and neo-Platonic mysticism related the individual to a Being or a state of being of supra-natural existence, Jung’s analytical psychology related the individual to himself – from his ego to his collective unconscious which, in Jung’s theory, is God. God is to be found within each individual and the psychic task is to relate the ego to the collective unconscious. Looking at Plato’s theory of forms and neo-Platonic mysticism a method of ascending to the realm of the universals or God is either explicitly described or symbolically inferred, nothing of which is compatible with Jung’s theory. To place Jung’s thought in sacramental terms, salvation for the individual is the reconciliation of the ego with the collective unconscious, the realm of the archetypes. Since Platonic forms and neo-Platonic mysticism provided an analogy for the reconciliation of the ego to the archetypes, where did Jung turn to account for the means and methods of reconciliation? Jung tells us in his own words, “"Only by discovering alchemy have I clearly understood that the Unconscious is a process and that ego's rapports with the unconscious and its contents initiate an evolution, more precisely a real metamorphoses of the psyche". Why alchemy? For Jung, as we will see, it offers process rather than Freudian determinism, it offers possibility rather than permanence, it offers a rational explanation of reconciliation by analogy to the natural world, and it offers a psychic extension to the evolutionary process. First, perhaps, we should discuss alchemy so as to have a common understanding of what lay behind Jung’s thought. Alchemy is the ancient effort to turn base metals such as lead into gold. While that is the simple and direct meaning of alchemy, as much in the ancient world, the ancient mind combined speculation, metaphysics, and occultism as an extended meaning and purpose of alchemy. So in addition to the “scientific” efforts to turn base metal into gold, alchemy took on occult and psychic dimensions. Analogous to turning lead into gold, alchemy was also seen as a way to the amended life, to a life of psychological perfection, even eternal life. In this analogy, mankind is the “lead” who is turned into the complete, fulfilled, perhaps eternal person, “gold”. It is difficult to get one’s mind around the fact that so well an educated person as Jung could seize on to alchemy as his modus operandi of Analytical Psychology. So, what else is there to gather up for an explanation of his reliance on alchemy? Here, we go to an old heresy of which I am sure all of us have some knowledge – Gnosticism. Jung’s early attraction to Gnosticism was that the wisdom of the Gnostics, referenced as “Sophia”, Greek feminine gender, would fill a role in depth psychology. But he had this problem – a problem prompted by the critical faculty of his mind – he could not find an historical continuity, a trail, leading over the previous 1700 years of Gnostic existence and practice. He wrote, “First I had to find evidence for the historical prefiguration of my own inner experiences. That is to say, I had to ask myself, ‘Where have my particular premises already occurred in history?’ If I had not succeeded in finding such evidence, I would never have been able to substantiate my ideas. Therefore, my encounter with alchemy was decisive for me, as it provided me with the historical basis which I hitherto lacked.” And this connection with Gnosticism was possible for Jung due to his passionate study of the literature of the Gnostics. Jung saw his knowledge of Gnosticism and alchemy as pivotal to their connection in the development of his theories. He wrote, “Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed the bridge on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.” I think we should stop here for this issue. There are a number of study assignments related to the material presented in this issue that, when completed, will assist greatly in positioning Carl Jung in relation to the Christian counselor’s task. The first assignment is to dig into Jung’s life, particularly his journey through the development of his theories of psychology and his Analytical Psychology. The second assignment is to study the list of terms used by Jung and to extend that list as you read about Analytical Psychology. The third assignment is to study the history of archetypes in religious, art, and philosophical history. The fourth assignment is to study Gnosticism and alchemy to determine the relationship between the two which had significance for Jung.  The fifth assignment is to identify aspects of Analytical Psychology that has usefulness to the Christian counselor. Thanks for joining us this issue. Join us again next as we proceed with our study of Christian counseling. God bless you.                                                                                                      Return to top Women In Religious History                                                      Return to top   Welcome to our study of Women in Religious History. We are continuing in this issue our study of women in Greek society and religion. In the last issue we gained a brief understanding of the role of women in Greek society as it developed historically and in various locations in Europe and in Asia Minor. In this issue we will see some aspects of women in Greek religious activities and, in a broader sense of gender, the roles of goddesses in Greek religious activities.  Let us remind ourselves that our main focus of studying the various religions around the Mediterrannean basin and the roles filled by women in those religions is to gain by comparison insights into the roles of women in religious activities in Old and New Testaments. After this brief study of the roles of women in Greek religious activities, we will continue with the roles of women in Roman and Egyptian religious activities. Upon completing the Roman and Egyptian studies, we will return to the Old and New Testaments with a fresh understanding of the world outside the Testaments and see more clearly the unique differences in the inspired Word of God. I should mention, further, that we will survey other religions and societies in our study of the roles of women in religion as we continue through history. Among the more recognizable religions and societies we will briefly study are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. However, we will delve into a few more obscure religions and societies as we progress to our time. So, always keep in mind “How does this information broaden my understanding of the roles of women in religious activities in times contemporaneous to the times of the Old and New Testaments and subsequent historical development of Christianity. I want to urge you even now to keep reading the Old and New Testaments with particular regard to every situation and activity in which a woman is mentioned. And within the context of the Old and New Testaments be sure to note any changes, however slight, that you notice in the roles of women from Testament to Testament.  In our last study we mentioned two important terms – patriarchy and matriarchy – that provide a basis for our understanding of gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion and the roles of women in that religion. If you do not recall the words or their meanings, please review Issue 7 or do a bit of research on the two words particularly as it pertains to societies and religions. Ancient Greek religion in historical times is the final solution to the struggle for dominance between the concepts of patriarchy and matriarchy in the ancient Greek pagan world. Will the male or female gender dominate? Ultimately, the male gender (formalized as ‘gods”) gained ascendency, but the powerful and often determinative influence of the female gender (formalized as ‘goddesses’) prevailed so frequently so as to question the patriarchal power structure of ancient Greek religion. History’s first encounter with a formalized, patriarchal power structure of ancient Greek religion in which a tenuous but definite power structure has crystallized is in the works of Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey, the gods of which were enumerated and catalogued in Hesiod’s Theogony, both author’s reflecting a time during and subsequent to the Mycenean age which we mentioned in Issue 7. It is believed by some that Homer and Hesiod were cotemporaneous. The world of gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion is replete with many mythical personalities with varying origins, powers, relationships, and tasks. The classical Greek pantheon was an accommodation and synthesis of the gods from all cultures affected by the coming of the Indo-Europeans, for example, Zeus the sky father, Demeter the earth mother, and Hestia, the virgin goddess of the hearth, came along with the Indo-European invaders; Rhea, a Minoan goddess, was absorbed into the Greek pantheon as was her neighbor, Athena, a Mycenean goddess; Hera and Hermes were Aegean; Apollo was Ionian; Aphrodite came from Cyprus and Dionysus and Ares from Thrace. Generally, the totality of the mythical personalities can be subsumed to 8 categories listed here with examples: Protogonoi or first born gods: Earth, Sea, Sky, Night, Day Nature Daimones and Nymphai, e.g., fresh-water Naiades, forest Dryades, beast-loving Satyroi, marine Tritones Body and mind affecting Daimones, e.g. Hypnos, Eros, Euphrosyne, Eris, Phobos, Thanatos, Geras Theoi who controlled the forces of nature and bestowed civilized arts upon mankind, e.g. Sky Gods. i.e. Helios (Sun), Anemoi (Winds), Sea Gods, e.g. The Nereides, Triton, Glaukos, Underworld Gods, e.g. Persephone, Hekate Earth Gods, e.g. Ploutos astoral Earth Gods, e.g. Pan, Aristaios City Gods, e.g. Hestia, Eunomia Olympian Gods, e.g. The Mousai, Hebe Titan Gods, e.g. Themis, Kronos, Prometheus Deified Mortals (Apotheothenai), e.g. Heracles, Asclepios Olympian-gods, e.g. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Artemis, Apollon, Ares, Athene, Aphrodite, Hephaistos, Hermes, Dionysos, and Hestia. Astraioi one or more of whom possessed each constellation, including the twelve signs of the Zodiac, e.g. Saggitarius was the centaur Kheiron, Gemini the Dioskouroi Twins, etc. Bestiary semi-divine creatures, closely related to the gods, e.g. Giants, Dragons, Centaurs, Cerberus, Sphinx, Sirens, etc. Heroi Hemitheoi (Semi-Divine Heroes) who were worshipped after death as minor divinities, e.g. great heroes like Achilles, Theseus and Perseus; heroines such as Alcmene, Helene and Baubo, and founding kings like Erichthonios, Kadmos and Pelops. The early accounts of missionary activity in the Acts of the Apostles bring us face to face with the influence and control of various of these and other gods among the pagans. You recall the journey of Paul and Barnabas into Lystra during which Paul healed a man “who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth.” So astounded were the inhabitants and the pagan religious leaders of Lystra that their response was what only it could be - a response in terms of pagan religion and pagan gods. “They shouted in the Lycaonian language , “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice.” Acts 14:11-13. When in Athens, Paul surveyed the religious terrain of the city and commented to the Stoics, Epicureans, and others his assessment of their religious bearing, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way….. I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship….” And, of course, the objects of their worship were pagan gods and goddesses and the manifestations of service, worship, and homage relevant to their positions in the pagan Greek religious pantheon. At Ephesus, Paul’s preaching provoked some of the devotees of Artemis to such an extent that their remonstrations sparked a riot that could only be quelled by the threat of Roman intervention. Acts 19:23-41. But there is also a much more personal touch to the awareness of gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion that speaks not only to its pervasiveness, but also its intimacy of home and hearth – the naming of children. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that parents want names for their children that express something of their values and hopes for the child. Certainly in the Old and New Testaments, names given to children were often expressive of some hope, some expectation for the child and his or her relation to God. And it was not different in the pagan world of the Greeks. Reading through the New Testament we run across many personal names that are either names or name derivatives of Greek gods and goddesses, for example, many of the names in the 16th chapter of Romans. The goddesses we encounter in ancient Greek religion had priestesses as well as priests to administer their rites and services. Priestesses were in the service of Demeter at Eleusis, in the service of Poseidon at Corinth, in the service of Artemis at Orchomenus, in the service of Apollo at Sparta, in the service of Artemis at Patrae, in the service of Athena Polias at Athens, in the service of the oracle at Dodona, in the service of the oracle at Delphi and many others. In Athens alone priestesses were in charge of more than 40 major Athenian cults as well as many minor ones. Although not common, some gods did have priestesses in their service. At this point we should take a closer look at two different manifestations of goddesses, Artemis and the Delphic Oracle, and their priestesses. In this issue we will discuss Artemis and issue 9 we will discuss the Delphic Oracle Also in issue 9 we will discuss the person, office, function, and importance of priestess throughout Greek religion. To get on with Artemis, let’s read a portion of the Homeric Hymn to Artemis: “I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earthquakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed. Hail to you, children of Zeus and rich-haired Leto! And now I will remember you and another song also.” The mythology behind Artemis is rich and convoluted. The Homeric Hymn to Artemis gives us a pinch of the vitality of her legends, but only a pinch. And to keep from diverting totally into a subject not anticipated in the study of women in religious history, we will pull forward only a few nuggets that shape our picture of Artemis. In the Homeric Hymn to Artemis there are allusions to some of her legends. We will start with her birth, according to Homer. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus, not by his wife Hera, but by his consort, Leto, who herself was the offspring of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe (brother and sister born of Ge and Uranus). Hera, upon learning that Leto was to bear Zeus’s children, was infuriated and took steps to make it impossible for Leto to give birth to her children. Skipping over the conniving of Hera, we will simply point out that legend has it, according to Callimachus, that Leto gave birth on the Island of Delos, itself the focus of many interesting mythical circumstances. Both Apollo and Artemis are “star-quality” god and goddess. While we will dwell a bit on Artemis, we must limit our thoughts concerning her brother and twin Apollo to simple notices that help fill the picture for Artemis. It is important to note here that there is at least one other version of the origin of Artemis in which she is known as Artemis Ephesus, the Great Mother Goddess. In this account, Artemis is depicted in certain sculptural works as the mother of all life. She is also known in this account as the goddess of the Amazons who identified with Artemis in her more bellicose traits (take the time to read the stories of the demise of Actaeon and Orion). Quintus Smyrnaeus wrote of Amazons during the Trojan Wars: "In the pure rapture of triumph the Amazons charged, and with anguished groans and shrieks the Greeks perished, their manhood withered by the women from the fierce and untamed northlands. Like Goddesses amidst earth born heroes the Amazons pursued their reeling foes, dashed them down, cut them apart, and, scoffing, tossed them through the air - till the Greek formations dissolved in consternation." Now there is significance here in the description of the Amazons and the characterization of them as wild and ferocious women. You recall the struggle we discussed in the previous issue between patriarchy and matriarchy. This characterization of Amazons is the final and victorious depiction of the patriarchal social philosophy over the matriarchal social philosophy. This is perhaps nowhere more plausible and symbolic than the elimination of priestesses from the service of the Great Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Artemis has generally recognized propensities with modifications for regional ethnic requirements. In Greek mythology, generally, Artemis is often characterized as the goddess protectoress, the goddess of the hunt, of wild animals, even the goddess of virginity and fertility and, therefore, the goddess of childbirth. These and other of the qualities of Artemis resonated widely with people of the ancient world, testimony to this is the number of temples and sanctuaries built (at great cost and labor to her devotees) around the Mediterranean basin from Petra to Jerash to Sparta to Athens to Brauron to Epidaurus to Orchomenus and points in all directions of the compass, most notably and famous of all the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, well known to Christians through the ages from the account of Paul’s missionary journey there. It is important to realize that the men, women, and children of pagan times were sensitive to the reality and character of their gods and goddesses. Strange to us who believe in only one God, the true God, but feelings and devotion ran as deep into their thoughts and emotions as does our faith in God run in our own. The feelings and devotion they had were different in character than our own because the character of their gods and goddesses was different from the true God. Nevertheless, there was true religious passion and piety among pagan suppliants. Listen to one of the priestesses of Artemis, Livia, an Amazon, who spoke these words in 200BC, noting not only the loss of the Amazon place in the temple in Ephesus but also the personal and dependent affinity she felt for Artemis: “Amazons of future time, hear me. I send these words on winds of time, by fire of my spirit and urgings of my diamon who tells me my last moon is above me now. For my life's end, I feel no loss. Birthing, living, dying are all one in Her wisdom. But the truth of our ancestors and the sacred ways are now lost to those who follow. Soon, there will be no one left to mourn. Wood of birch...wood of fir... fuel this fire...in measures turning... Hear my words, Sisters! I am Livia, lover and follower of Artemis. I speak to you as the last Sacred priestess of Artemis. Artemis is She who taught us the sacred ways of women and life since before memory. I send you our story, silenced with my last breath...but for you who might hear me now. The grief of this telling now brings me alone to this sacred forest. Rage and sorrow brings me to my knees here in the dark beside the river...Let the power of my sendings now ring strong and true to your hearts beating on the far side of the Dark Times. This is the grievous sending, of how our history and our culture was stolen from us through greed, corruption and abuses of power, The Goddess moves me to call out to you for only through Her wisdom my words can reach you. She instructs me through this spell to send these words to reach you Amazons who are reborn at the end of the Dark Times. We, who have been keepers of the deep and ancient thresholds; thresholds of birth and death in Her name, call to you.  ...all things one...in this fire's burning ... all things through the One... in Her born anew. By the time you hear my words, the temple has long stood in Ephesus, huge of stone and grand columns, a mighty tribute to Artemis. As I speak these words the temple is now in the planning. However, by the time this wonder is completed we, the sacred priestesses of Artemis will be gone. Hear me! Witness in the temple stone itself the testimony of our violation and our loss! The outside temple carvings are not of Artemis and her beloved Amazons, but the male hero of the Ionians Androkles. The carvings were not made by Priestess artisans but indentured male stone workers brought in from Rome. nside the temple, entrance taboo to men on punishment of death by law of Artemis...will stand gilded statues of the Roman Emperor and other Romans who through wealth have purchased priesthoods from afar. Anger roars inside me but vengeance is not to be mine. She is the measure of judgment and sets the limits to all things including the span of my life. I ring the silver bell, in answer the deer appear from the dark forest I fashion ivy wreaths around their necks, nd mine that will be borne in the spirit world to guide you who hear this sending... I take my knife of sacrifice from its scabbard... The Amazons have long since left Ephesus and rode North, heeding our sybils' dire visions of the dark times coming. Deeply grieved were the warnings of our lost future. But who claims understanding of Her wisdom? Good and bad are but one thing to Her, it is only according to our limited understanding that we suffer so. Eager to be on our spirit journey the deer step forward Yes, Dear Ones, the hidden harmonies are stronger than those apparent. Soon we will enter the stream of time... Justice is Hers... Sisters in the future! Hear my words! Listen and envision with your hearts! In your time the Amazon Nation will be remembered. Seek Her ways in the forest. Look for us there. Remember!” We now close this issue. Beginning with next issue we will study the role of women as priestesses to some of the pagan gods and goddesses we have mentioned. We will begin with the Oracle of Delphi and the Pythia and continue into an introduction of the role of women in Roman society, republic and empire, and proceed to the role of women in Roman religion. In the meantime, enrich your understanding of the ancient world and the New Testament in particular by studying the ancient religions and the roles of women in pagan religion. God bless you all.                                                                                                           Return to top Greek                                                                                               Return to top   Beloved, how great is our God in His glory and His power to save and nurture those who have given their lives to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord in obedience to the faith once delivered to the saints. And how great is our debt to all the saints who have gone before us, on whose shoulders we stand, in whose sacrifices we see the life of Christ portrayed in service and ministry through the ages. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever. Yes, it is Greek time again. Seems like only yesterday we were dabbling with the indicatives – present active, middle, and passive and imperfects, too. What a time we are having with them! Whoever said learning Greek shouldn’t be fun and delightful?  We left off last issue with a mystery. Remember what it was? It had to do with the imperfects of the indicative active. Remember? We had the endings but we held off giving a vital and key part of the conjugation that helps make the verb imperfect. You were going to do some detective work and solve that mystery. So, believing in the best of everyone as I do, I am certain that you did solve the mystery by your investigations. It comes to you as no surprise, then, when I say that the mystery is solved by unearthing the function of the epsilon – e Now is that not a beauty.  And not only that, it is used more times in the New Testament than I care to count. Keeping up with the epsilons in certain Greek verb conjugations is like keeping up with your favorite celebrity. It keeps you real busy when you are translating from Greek to English. In a rather stilted, formal way, but not in any way hard hearted, we will run through the imperfect indicative active, middle and passive with our newly discovered function of the epsilon – e Before we go any further in this issue, epsilon – e is demanding center stage. It wants to tell you that it is a pretty versatile vowel. Not only is it what it is – an e, but it can make more changes than a kaleidoscope (did you ever see one of those things? Lots of fun.). This e , however, is a bit two faced. One face is the syllabic augment and the other is the temporal augment. I have seen them both and I have to confess that the syllabic augment is a bit routine and boring, but the temporal augment lights up the place. We’ll talk about the syllabic augment now and get ourselves into the temporal augment next issue. (You see, to use the e as a temporal augment you have to have a word with certain specifications. Not just any old verb will do. You’ll see all that next issue.). What does this augment – syllabic or temporal – mean and what is its function? Just basic stuff but you can’t beat basics! Very simply put, adding this e to front end of the present tense verb turns the linear (whoa! What’s that? It’s “on-going” action) action of the present tense verb into linear (“on-going”) action in past time. Really, no need to gasp for air over this. We use it all the time. Let’s see some English examples. Do you like to swim? If so, you probably have used the present indicative active first personal singular many times. For example, “I am swimming” . You would say that when you are swimming and someone (apparently not too bright) asks you “What are you doing?” Well, you come back with a snappy present indicative active first person singular “I am swimming.” Now, let’s pretend that this same person sees you the next day and says something like this to you, “I saw you yesterday, but I can’t remember what you told me you were doing.” (Man! This guy reminds me of me in 9th grade algebra.) So, with sympathy and understanding, you reply with an Imperfect indicative active first person singular, “I was swimming.” See, it is all very simple. If you know what it is in English, you will pretty much know (not in all cases) how to translate the Greek into English. If you don’t know what it is in English, you may never get Greek into English. I should mention that either face of the e produces the same translation results although the appearance of the imperfect verb is different. For the fun of it, let’s use the same word we used in the last issue when we had the coming out party for the imperfects – luw    Remember the meaning of the present indicative active first person singular of this verb? If not, either go back to Issue 7 or go to your textbook. While you are looking around, see if you can find the ending for the imperfects that we had last issue. I think they are feeling a little neglected.  If I should type this (and it looks like I will):  eluon eluomen eluete What have I typed? You would probably say you typed the imperfect indicative active voice first or third person singular or plural, first person plural, and second person plural of  luw  and you would be dead on. Suppose I typed eluovmhn eluvou eluveto eluovmeQa eluvesQe eluvonto What would you say they are? Take a little time with your textbook or some other source and see if you can decifer them. But, for now, your 4th and long on the 18 yard line with 33 seconds left? Are you going to go for the score and win or play it safe with a field goal and go into overtime? Always tension! Always decisions! Take a chance! Research them. Go for the win! Also, what are those strange left slanted marks above some of the vowels? This mark has some brothers and sisters and maybe a cousin or two. See if you can determine what this mark is and all its kin. We will be using them a lot soon.  Let’s reminisce together! Remember the good old days of Issue 5 where we enjoyed the company of our new friends the first and second declensions? Great times together. But even greater times are ahead! Indeed they are because we are going to add an outsider to our closely knit fellowship. Maybe you’ve heard of the third declension. Well, extend a warm greeting of fellowship, for now the third declension is a bona fide member with us. Let me tell you a few things about the third declension so it will feel a bit more welcome when we come to know it well.  To begin, here is a neuter noun declined in third declension. You notice right away that it is somewhat scimpily clothed – it forget to put on its article. (Just to show your stuff, you add the proper article to this neuter noun’s attire.) And don’t forget to check out its meaning in all cases, singular and plural.  o[noma ojnovmatoõ ojnovmatoõ ojnovmati ojnovmati ojnovmati o[noma ojnovmata ojnomavtwn ojnomavtwn ojnovmasi ojnovmasi ojnovmasi ojnovmata        As we all know, all declensions have endings and they all mean something important. I want you to review or research for the first time what the endings on the declensions mean for understanding and translating the declined noun. Below is a summary of the new neuter noun endings that you have learned in this issue ENDINGS NEUTER  Singular Nom  none Gen oõ Abl oõ Loc  i Ins   i Dat  i Acc  none Plural Nom  a Gen   wn Abl    wn Loc    si Ins     si Dat    si Acc   a Don’t take a deep breath yet; we’re not quite through. This is not exactly the clash of the Titans but it is a thrill – compare this neuter 3rd declension with the 1st and 2nd declensions. Pick a different neuter noun and decline it in the second and third declensions, pick a masculine noun and decline it in the second declension, and pick a feminine noun and decline it in the first declension and use the correct article for each case in all three declensions. That’s all for this issue. Get those declensions and verb forms down well. We have a lot of exciting things to do in our study of Greek. See you next issue. God bless you!                                                                                                            Return to top Hebrew                                                                                              Return to top   Greetings, my dear brethren, in the blessed and glorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Great are His mercies and bountiful is His goodness to all who call on His name. Let us rejoice together in the thought of His everlasting love and eternal sacrifice that we may live with Him forever. In this issue, we will snoop around those fickle Hebrew vowels and get a peek as to what they are up to. Now, we won’t go charging in like a raging rhinocerus. Oh No. That would never work with these delicate, ever changing vowels. Rather, we will tip toe around and give them a few side glances so as not to alarm them. As you will see, they change at the drop of a consonant.  Also in this issue we will look at the Nifal imperfect and compare it with the Qal imperfect that I will give also in this issue. We will mention another verb form derived from Qal, the Piel form but not present it in conjugation. Rather, I will ask you to research and see what you can find on Piel and next time we unpack it.  Oh we have a lot of fun yet ahead of us. Many other verbal side shows to look at. We’ll talk about them as we go along.  And tagging along at the end are a few Hebrew verbs to conjugate in Qal perfect and imperfect, Nifal perfect and imperfect, and, if you are familiar with Piel, try to conjugate them in Piel also.             Ok, let’s talk about vowels. We noticed in the last two lessons that we did not talk about how the vowels changed and why. We concentrated on the endings and beginnings of the Qal and Nifal verbs to get familiar with endings and beginnings. Now, we want to talk about vowels. In English, we have vowels. Remember those little grammatical creatures from the first grade – a e i o u. They are really dandy. They are like oil in your car engine. They make the consonants run smoothly. For instance, pronounce your name without vowels. Hey, that’s like having a mouth full of persimmons. Can you imagine proposing to your future wife with words without vowels? Not a good move. Now, there is a bit of information in earlier issues on vowels. Review that information as you dig into this issue. Look at English again. We have some fickle vowels also. For example, what is present tense indicative active of the English infinitive “to come”? What is the past tense indicative active? Spell them. How about those vowels? They changed: one for the present tense indicative active, another for the past tense indicative active. So, see? We have been using fickle vowels all our lives. We are familiar with them and we should have no trouble with those fickle Hebrew vowels. Remember our great leader in the depression (of the 30’s for you youngsters) who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself!” Take consolation in those words as you court the fancy of these Hebrew vowels. Since you have reviewed the information on vowels in earlier issues of this Journal as I suggested, we will take a slightly pushy stand here. We’ll barge right in and ask about vowels and their relationship with syllables. If we were Sherlock Holmes we would say it is an open and shut case because we will find the evidence for open and shut syllables. To be a little more genteel, we will call them open and closed syllables. Feel better now? What in the world of Hebrew is a syllable? Again, in English, we use them so often that we are unconscious of the fact that we use them. Yet, somewhere along the way we had to learn them. Let’s go back to pronouncing our full names. Say your full name out loud. Now write it down. Count the syllables. Ok, let say you had 7 syllables in all of your name. How did you know they were syllables? Because you know the rules of a syllable in English. That is exactly the way you know a Hebrew syllable – you know the rules. So, we are on solid ground here – rules that we can rely on, depend on, to get the Hebrew syllable just right in all circumstances and the fun of it all in Hebrew is that there are lots of circumstances! So, let’s put this in low gear (again, you youngsters may not remember a stick shift in a car. Yes, they did actually exist right along with manually shifting foot-pedals and no air conditioning. How did we survive!) and poco e poco (look it up somewhere if you are not familiar with it; you musicians can help out the others.) we will move to the glory land of syllabification!  (That doesn’t sound so glorious to me!) Keep this in mind: A Hebrew syllable must begin with a consonant and it must have one vowel. Nice cozy arrangement: one consonant, one vowel and you have one syllable. (It’s not nice to talk behind someone’s back, but I will tell you later of an exception to this, but, for right now, I better keep quiet.) But, we have another little surprise about a Hebrew syllable: it can begin and end with a consonant. Awesome! So, we have a consonant, a vowel, and another consonant. Let’s think of these syllables as if they were in English. One consonant, one vowel, one syllable – how about the English word “do”. Same rule here for English as for Hebrew. Neat! Let’s go to one consonant, one vowel, one consonant, one syllable (This is really thrilling!) – how about the English word “dad”. Same rule here for English as for Hebrew. Double Neat!! Can Hebrew be any easier than that? Why would anyone hyper-ventilate when thinking about feasting on the study of Hebrew?  If you have gotten this far in the Hebrew of this Journal you are virtually world class Hebrew scholars!! Well, almost. Now, look, there are a few more things to say about vowels and syllables in Hebrew and we will get to them, but let’s look at a couple or more Hebrew words and savor their beauty of appearance and cleverness of form and see how the consonants and vowels make syllables and words according to what we just said. Here is an example with our old “forensic science” word: lf'q: Remember, read from right to left. (How come they can’t get it? Everyone knows you should read left to right!) What is the first syllable? Show me the consonant (and name it) and show me the vowel (and name it too.) What is the second syllable? Show the consonants and show the vowel. (Hey, this “show and tell” is a lot of fun!) Now, why did you say what you said? Let’s have some evidence! You can’t convict on hearsay! A syllable can be one consonant and one vowel so q;  Qoph and Qamas A syllable can be one consonant, one vowel, and one consonant so lf¾ Teth pathach lameth As you look at these syllables you may be asking “why different vowels in the same word”. Very good! Very observant! We will get into that next issue. Right now, we want to learn to identify syllables.   In our word lf'q: you see two vowels, a qamas in the first syllable and a pathach in the second syllable. That is a very frequent pattern of vowel sequences, so now is a good time to get used to seeing it. We will look at another word or two to illustrate different syllables and different vowel sequences. For example, ds,j,& Remember our two rules above? Which of the two applies to this word? Why? (By the way, what does this word mean?) In this word there are two syllables. Following the rules, separate the syllables and pronounce them out loud carefully. What are the consonants? What are the vowels? Check the vowel chart in an earlier issue of the Journal or check you textbook. Before passing to another word, I want to mention a bit of insider information – a consonant followed by a vowel is called an “open” syllable. A consonant followed by a vowel and another consonant is called a “closed” syllable. Look at the two words we have used to illustrate syllables and do a bit more “show and tell”. Tell what syllable is open and what syllable is closed in each word. Show that you know it identifying the vowels and consonants. I love this show and tell stuff! Alrighty, on to a different look with syllables, vowels and consonants. Here is a very fashionable Hebrew word adorned with very interesting consonants and vowels. Some things about this word will remain a mystery until next issue, but who doesn’t like a “who done it”? hmÉk]jÉ Compare this word with the two words above? What differences do you see and what similarities do you see? How many open syllables do you have in the word? How many closed syllables do you have in the word? It looks like you have the qamas vowel in each syllable, but is that correct? And what is that funny looking thing below the Caph and why is it there? With the last three questions we are really getting a bit ahead of ourselves so far as the material presented thus far in the Journal, but I have unbounded confidence in you to do the research to find the correct answers. In the next issue we will take up more rules (More rules? Where’s the relaxation? There isn’t any. We’re in two-a-days!) that help us to  begin to unravel the mysteries. Oh, yeah, what does hmÉk]jÉ mean? Now to the Nifal imperfect, delight for sore eyes!  lfeQ;yi      Third person singular masculine lfeQ;iTi      Third person singular feminine lfeQ;iTi      Second person singular masculine ylifeq ;Ti Second person singular feminine lfeQ;a, First person singular masculine and feminine Wlf]Q” ;yithird person plural masculine hN;l]f&¾Q;Ti Third person plural feminine Wlf]Q””: Ti     Second person plural masculine hN;l]f&¾Q;Ti Second person plural feminine lfeQ;ni First person plural masculine and feminine    What a lovely sight! As you recall, the Nifal, for now, means simple past tense. So, what does the Nifal imperfect mean? For the time being and not exclusively, we will say that the Nifal imperfect means the simple future passive tense. Ok. What does that mean? In English Nifal perfect can mean past tense; Nifal imperfect can mean future passive tense. An English example for past tense is “he killed” An English example of the future passive is “he will be killed.” Here is the game plan: you will compare the Nifal perfect with the Nifal imperfect with the intention of noting the differences in the endings and beginnings of the two tenses. Also, so far as you have the information, determine what vowels are used in each person throughout each conjugation. We will have a bit more to do about these verbs later, Right now, let’s go back to the Qal. Just a walk down memory lane from Issue 7. In Issue 7 we spent some time coming to terms with the Qal perfect. Now, Qal perfect is a little unhappy since we took up the Nifal imperfect before we took up the Qal imperfect. Ok. So Qal is mad. We’ll just send her some roses and try to make amends now by taking up Qal imperfect. Since you are an old hand at imperfects, this should be a snap! lfoq]yi Third person singular masculine lfoq]Ti Third person singular feminine lfoq]Ti Second person singular masculine ylif]q]Ti Second person singular feminine lfoq]a, First person singular masculine and feminine Wlf]q]yi Third person plural masculine hn;l]foq]Ti Third person plural feminine Wlf]]q]Ti Second person plural masculine hn;l]foq]Ti Second person plural feminine lfoq]ni First person plural masculine and feminine Go back to Issue 7 and review the Qal perfect. Be sure you know what lf'q; means. Now compare Qal perfect and Qal imperfect and seek the same information that you sought for the Nifal perfect and Nifal imperfect. Having done that, compare both forms of Qal with both forms of Nifal as you did within Qal and Nifal separately. Please take your time; there is a lot of detail to digest. It might help to have a TUMS tablet close by. Now, another form that derives from the Qal perfect is the Piel. What is the Piel? It is the intensive form of Qal. If you are a sports buff, you might think of the difference between Qal and Piel as this: Qal – We beat that team. Piel – We beat the living daylights out of that team.  You kinda sense the difference, don’t you. I want you to do some research on Piel so I want go into it further. See what sources you have available to learn about Piel and next issue we will present the perfect and imperfect of the Piel. We come now to the final curtain of Issue 8. How sad! But, I will cheer you up with 3 verbs you should try to conjugate in Qal perfect and imperfect and Nifal perfect and imperfect. I know it will be tough because there are some things that are important to these perfects and imperfects that we haven’t discussed, but give it your best! Here are the verbs: bn¾G: rk'z: rp¾K; Find their meanings before you begin the conjugations. Enough is enough. This is enough for Issue 8 provided you really go after it. Lots to learn; lots to master and you can do it. God be with you and keep you until next time.                                                                                                               Return to top Books by the Brethren                                                                        Return to top   Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c Dr. Daniel H. King Sr: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm At the Feet of the Master Teacher Commentary on the Gospel of John Commentary on the Epistles of John Commentary on the Book of Hebrews The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness? Ezekiel all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:                                                                                     www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens" Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                      Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                           God's Way to Right Living In the Beginning (Genesis) Letters To Young Preachers Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude) The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges) Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/ Teresa Hampton The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/ Leading Ladies                                                                                                             Come to the Garden The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Illuminating Shadows Jesus and His Relationship with Women Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author) Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2                                                                                                            Return to top                                          Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information  Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.                                              Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                         Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring. Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.                                                                                         Return to top   IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision by telling us by using the following e-mail address:  admin@theologicaluofa.com Please include the name of your state as your e-mail address is listed by state. Without the name of your state we may not be able to locate your e-mail address. Thank you for your help! THE JOURNAL IS ON THE THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WEB SITE. To use the Journal from the web site, please go to http://www.theologicaluofa.com . In the middle of the home page you will see a link to the Free Religious Study Journal. Please use it as often as you like from the web site. If you find the Journal useful, please pass it along to others. Thank you and God bless you!                                                                                    Return to top

Volume 2 - Issue 5 - May 2009                   Return to Free Religious Study Journal Volume Directory                                                                         Theological University of America   info@theologicaluofa.com                                    Church History Colossians Christian Counseling Women In Religious History Greek Hebrew Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren   Issue 5 May 2009 CHURCH HISTORY     Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                                                                                        info@theologicaluofa.com Dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ we continue this issue with our study of worship as it developed in the first 5 centuries of the church. This topic is one of three – organization and doctrine being the remaining two topics – which we will trace through the first 5 centuries of the church. Of course, our study in Church History will continue into the 21st century. But, for now, we are harvesting the early centuries of the church. It is difficult to overestimate the importance and influence that the development and formation of worship had on organization and doctrine in the early centuries of the church. Those of us who live approximately 2000 years since the beginning of the church cannot possibly understand the bewilderment the early Christians felt in the sudden presence of the incomprehensibility of the risen Christ. There was no proto type for what the Christian was to comprehend and assimilate into his/her emotions, intellect, and devotions. Repeatedly, the question arose, “Who is this Christ?” “How can we understand Him?” Even when Jesus was alive and carrying out His ministry, He was a figure so superior to anyone others had known or could have expected to have known that the responses to Him were virtually limitless, from hate to adoration, all born out of an inability to place Him anywhere in their previous human experiences. When the full realization of the overwhelming Person of Jesus struck an individual, the response was either in the sentiment of “My Lord! My God!” or “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”, extremes apart because the finite mind of man could not compute the infinite deity of Jesus, God in human form, so the simple but immediate response to Him was to adore Him or destroy Him, emotions still operative in those today who follow Christ and those who abhor Christ. When Christ was crucified, buried, raised, and ascended, we find in the scripture after the Gospels, a continuous effort on the part of the apostles and others to explain and clarify who Christ is, from the Areopagus of Athens to the prisons of Rome. Every Christian belief has for its center who Christ is. Every Christian motive has for its center who Christ is. Every Christian hope has for its center who Christ is. And to the early Christians and even to us the perennial question remains, “how could Jesus be both God and man?”  “Who is He?” A continuing mystery for many, a matter of faith for all.  In mystery, emotion precedes the intellect. We respond emotionally to the unknown far more quickly than we intellectually construct its essence. So, it is not unexpected that the response to the mystery of Christ would be adoration before it would be perception. And in no other memorial than the Lord’s Supper did the early church struggle to understand and in no other memorial was the influence on doctrine and organization so decisive in the development of the early church. The mystery was the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Lord’s Supper. To this day the understanding of that mystery is the single most cardinal distinction and difference among churches pertaining to the validity of their worship. Today, we see the resolution of that mystery in terms that characterize the doctrinal differences: representation, transubstantiation, consubstantiation. But early in the life of the church the sorting of views and defining of essences were yet an arduous and often bitter deliberation before it. The trail of subtle change from representation to transubstantiation, from bread and wine as bread and wine to bread and wine as flesh and blood rises slowly over time. We can gain glimpses of this trail in the comments of the Church Fathers as they address the proper spiritual expression for worship and for the Lord’s Supper in particular. Early in the writings of the Church Fathers the word “sacrifice” became determinative of the character of praise in worship and in the Lord Supper.  The writer of the Didache which we mentioned in an earlier issue uses “sacrifice” in a summary sense, drawing together not only observance of the Lord Supper in a proper manner but also proper Christian behavior. It reads: “But on the Lord's day, after that ye have assembled together, break bread and give thanks, having in addition confessed your sins, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let not any one who hath a quarrel with his companion join with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be polluted, for it is that which is spoken of by the Lord. In every place and time offer unto me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the Gentiles” (Didache, chapter 14). As we proceed with the comments of the Church Fathers we will see a narrowing of the use of the word “sacrifice” to it most notable reference, the Lord’s Supper. For instance, Justin Martyr whom we have quoted in an earlier issue continues to use “sacrifice” in reference to Lord’s Supper and to Christian praise but clearly the association of the word “sacrifice” with the Lord’s Supper is taking on a primary sense for him with “sacrifice” associated with Christian praise an after thought. Justin wrote: “Accordingly, God, anticipating all the sacrifices which we offer through this name, and which Jesus the Christ enjoined us to offer, i.e., in the Eucharist of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by Christians in all places throughout the world, bears witness that they are well-pleasing to Him….Now, that prayers and giving of thanks, when offered by worthy men, are the only perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God, I also admit.” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho) Justin, of course, was not the only early Church Father who related “sacrifice” to the Lord’s Supper.  Before him, in the Apostolic Period, Ignatius, a pupil of John the Apostle, according to early church tradition, expressed in his letter to the Philadelphians a Eucharistic theme that depicts the early drift from the Apostles teaching even by one who was taught by an Apostle:   "Make certain, therefore, that you all observe one common Eucharist; for there is but one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and but one cup of union with his Blood, and one single altar of sacrifice.  (Letter to the Philadelphians 4 [A.D. 110]). Ignatius is far more explicit about the body and blood in the Eucharist than is either the Didache or Justin and in being so is anticipatory of the later full doctrine of transubstantiation and the Real Presence in the Lord’s Supper. In the period of the second century with Ignatius and Justin is Irenaeus who makes reference to body, blood, and sacrifice and binds them into seamless experience in which bread is body and wine is blood and both an integral to the new sacrifice of the new covenant. He wrote: "He took from among creation that which is bread, and gave thanks, saying, ‘This is my body.’ The cup likewise, which is from among the creation to which we belong, he confessed to be his blood. He taught the new sacrifice of the new covenant.” We will do well in our tracing of the steps on the trail to transubstantiation by reading a bit more deeply into Irenaeus. Again, he wrote: [Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies." Source: St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, 180 A.D.: "So then, if the mixed cup and the manufactured bread receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, that is to say, the Blood and Body of Christ, which fortify and build up the substance of our flesh, how can these people claim that the flesh is incapable of receiving God's gift of eternal life, when it is nourished by Christ's Blood and Body…. ……..(The vine and the grain) then receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ." "Five Books on the Unmasking and Refutation of the Falsely Named Gnosis” Book 5:2, 2-3, circa 180 A.D There is demonstrated in Irenaeus’ words a development and belief that set the stage for and justifies sacerdotalism as instrumental to the change of the bread and wine into the very flesh and blood of Christ. Soon, we will come to the point where we will discuss the development of sacerdotalism in this issue or the next. Sacerdotalism as it developed in the early church is implied in Irenaeus’ statement “mixed cup and the manufactured bread receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist”. There is a process whereby the natural bread and wine become the sacred flesh and blood of the Savior. This process begins with the Word of God being received by the bread and wine. As the process developed in the church, a special class of men performing a special rite enables the Word of God to be received by the bread and wine, thus becoming Christ’s flesh and His blood. This is the essence of the sacerdotalism of the early church. The issue of the body into blood and the bread into flesh was so settled an issue with Clement of Alexandria that he included this teaching in his instructions, as wrote in his work The Instructor of Children: "’Eat my flesh,’ [Jesus] says, ‘and drink my blood.’ The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients, he delivers over his flesh and pours out his blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of his children" (The Instructor of Children 1:6:43:3 [A.D. 191]).   Tertullian, the first Christian writer of note who wrote in Latin, was a very controversial figure in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. He continues the assertion of the Real Presence in the Lords Supper. In this selection, Tertullian emphasizes the importance of place of flesh in major doctrines culminating in this selection with the Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ: "[T]here is not a soul that can at all procure salvation, except it believe whilst it is in the flesh, so true is it that the flesh is the very condition on which salvation hinges. And since the soul is, in consequence of its salvation, chosen to the service of God, it is the flesh which actually renders it capable of such service. The flesh, indeed, is washed [in baptism], in order that the soul may be cleansed . . . the flesh is shadowed with the imposition of hands [in confirmation], that the soul also may be illuminated by the Spirit; the flesh feeds [in the Eucharist] on the body and blood of Christ, that the soul likewise may be filled with God" (The Resurrection of the Dead 8 [A.D. 210]).   Among the disciples who laid claim to a spiritual lineage with an apostle is Hippolytus who claimed to have been instructed by Irenaeus who was instructed by Polycarp who was instructed by the Apostle John, according to church tradition. Hippolytus gained recognized status as a writer and scholar which was enhanced in the eyes of his contemporaries by his banishment to Sardinia and subsequent martyrdom. Later, Hippolytus became a Saint in Catholic hagiography. As a man of influence, his teaching on the Lords Supper was specific as to the body and blood and, as you will notice, as to the daily frequency of the Lords Supper. He wrote: "‘And she [Wisdom] has furnished her table’ [Prov. 9:2] . . . refers to his [Christ’s] honored and undefiled body and blood, which day by day are administered and offered sacrificially at the spiritual divine table, as a memorial of that first and ever-memorable table of the spiritual divine supper [i.e., the Last Supper]" (Fragment from Commentary on Proverbs [A.D. 217]).   Interpreting Old Testament types, Origin selects two important implications for two Christian doctrines, baptism and the Lords Supper. He sees the statement in John 6 as pointing to literal flesh and blood, supporting Real Presence in the Lords Supper. "Formerly there was baptism in an obscure way . . . now, however, in full view, there is regeneration in water and in the Holy Spirit. Formerly, in an obscure way, there was manna for food; now, however, in full view, there is the true food, the flesh of the Word of God, as he himself says: ‘My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink’ [John 6:55]" (Homilies on Numbers 7:2 [A.D. 248]).   The third century of the church was, at times, tumultuous with questions about those who lapsed because of persecutions, by Decius in 250 and Valerian in 256, experienced or threatened. One of the leaders of the church during these persecutions was Cyprian of Carthage, a Bishop whom some leaders believed left Carthage to avoid persecution under Decius, only later, under Valerian to die for his faith. In an essay on the lapsed, those who had forsaken the faith during the persecutions, besides addressing to some extent the lapsed, he mentions the Lords Supper in connection with practices and sentiments that reveal not only the settled belief in Real Presence, but also the importance of confession (not the “in your personal closet” kind of confession) and the priesthood, ideas developed far beyond the simple teachings of the New Testament. But, for our purposes here, please notice his comments about the flesh and blood of Jesus respecting the Lords Supper. He wrote in The Lapsed” "He [Paul] threatens, moreover, the stubborn and forward, and denounces them, saying, ‘Whosoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]. All these warnings being scorned and contemned—[lapsed Christians will often take Communion] before their sin is expiated, before confession has been made of their crime, before their conscience has been purged by sacrifice and by the hand of the priest, before the offense of an angry and threatening Lord has been appeased, [and so] violence is done to his body and blood; and they sin now against their Lord more with their hand and mouth than when they denied their Lord" (The Lapsed 15–16 [A.D. 251]). Athanasius, born in 295, later Bishop of Alexandria, points to the mature process of transforming common bread and wine into the sacred Presence of the body and blood of Christ when he instructed the newly baptized, saying: "'You shall see the Levites bringing loaves and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. So long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties have not been made, there is only bread and wine. But after the great and wonderful prayers have been completed, then the bread is become the Body, and the wine the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'And again:' Let us approach the celebration of the mysteries. This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine - and thus His Body is confected.", -"Sermon to the Newly Baptized" ante 373 A.D., By the fourth century, the theological foundation for transubstantiation is settled and the implications for sacerdotalism are complete. Before closing with this brief journey on the trail to transubstantiation we should read selected statements that give us insight into the mind set of the John Chrsystom (347 – 407 AD) and Augustine (354 – 430) as pertains to the Lord’s Supper: John Chrysostom "When you see the Lord immolated and lying upon the altar, and the priest bent over that sacrifice praying, and all the people empurpled by that precious blood, can you think that you are still among men and on earth? Or are you not lifted up to heaven?" (The Priesthood 3:4:177 [A.D. 387]). "Reverence, therefore, reverence this table, of which we are all communicants! Christ, slain for us, the sacrificial victim who is placed thereon!" (Homilies on Romans 8:8 [A.D. 391]). "‘The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not communion of the blood of Christ?’ Very trustworthy and awesomely does he [Paul] say it. For what he is saying is this: What is in the cup is that which flowed from his side, and we partake of it. He called it a cup of blessing because when we hold it in our hands that is how we praise him in song, wondering and astonished at his indescribable gift, blessing him because of his having poured out this very gift so that we might not remain in error; and not only for his having poured it out, but also for his sharing it with all of us. ‘If therefore you desire blood,’ he [the Lord] says, ‘do not redden the platform of idols with the slaughter of dumb beasts, but my altar of sacrifice with my blood.’ What is more awesome than this? What, pray tell, more tenderly loving?" (Homilies on First Corinthians 24:1(3) [A.D. 392]). "In ancient times, because men were very imperfect, God did not scorn to receive the blood which they were offering . . . to draw them away from those idols; and this very thing again was because of his indescribable, tender affection. But now he has transferred the priestly action to what is most awesome and magnificent. He has changed the sacrifice itself, and instead of the butchering of dumb beasts, he commands the offering up of himself" (ibid., 24:2). "What then? Do we not offer daily? Yes, we offer, but making remembrance of his death; and this remembrance is one and not many. How is it one and not many? Because this sacrifice is offered once, like that in the Holy of Holies. This sacrifice is a type of that, and this remembrance a type of that. We offer always the same, not one sheep now and another tomorrow, but the same thing always. Thus there is one sacrifice. By this reasoning, since the sacrifice is offered everywhere, are there, then, a multiplicity of Christs? By no means! Christ is one everywhere. He is complete here, complete there, one body. And just as he is one body and not many though offered everywhere, so too is there one sacrifice" (Homilies on Hebrews 17:3(6) [A.D. 403]).  Augustine "In the sacrament he is immolated for the people not only on every Easter Solemnity but on every day; and a man would not be lying if, when asked, he were to reply that Christ is being immolated. For if sacraments had not a likeness to those things of which they are sacraments, they would not be sacraments at all; and they generally take the names of those same things by reason of this likeness" (Letters 98:9 [A.D. 412]). "For when he says in another book, which is called Ecclesiastes, ‘There is no good for a man except that he should eat and drink’ [Eccles. 2:24], what can he be more credibly understood to say [prophetically] than what belongs to the participation of this table which the Mediator of the New Testament himself, the priest after the order of Melchizedek, furnishes with his own body and blood? For that sacrifice has succeeded all the sacrifices of the Old Testament, which were slain as a shadow of what was to come. . . . Because, instead of all these sacrifices and oblations, his body is offered and is served up to the partakers of it" (The City of God 17:20 [A.D. 419]). I believe we have presented enough material for reading and further research into the Lords Supper, Eucharist, and Real Presence. Besides additional reading in the Church Fathers and other relevant sources, consider how someone who had been taught by the Apostle John could begin to slip into digression. Further, since Jesus and Paul specifically refer to the body and blood in the Lords Supper, what points do you present to show that those words should not be taken literally? Is there any statement in the Bible that clearly says the words are not used literally? How do you teach your understanding of the body and blood of Christ in the Lords Supper? Until next issue, God bless you all. Issue 5 Volume 2 May 2009 COLOSSIANS            Return to Volume 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                              Greetings dear brethren to our continuing look at Colossians through the prism of discourse analysis.   We have spent considerable time on detail regarding words, sentences, and paragraphs. Now is the time to move to concept sections in discourse analysis of Colossians. “Concept sections” of an ancient text implies the mental apprehension of the organization of the text, the relationships of the parts of the texts, the logic of the text, peculiarities of the text relevant to the historical and linguistic milieu of the time during which the text was composed, the comparative understanding of ancient historical and linguistic milieu with the understanding of the contemporary historical and linguistic milieu. It is the combination of the concept sections properly defined that will provide the final step to the overall meaning and purpose of the text, in our case, Colossians.   Clearly, in a letter such as Colossians more than one subject is addressed. How do we determine the ultimate overall meaning and purpose of the epistle? By defining the concept sections and, then, bringing them together, we render a unity to the letter. The question always is: have we actually understood the limits of each concept section or have we imposed our understanding on it? Do we understand the various kinds of concept sections possible in an ancient letter? Do we understand both the logic of ancient formality and the logic of colloquialism?   Our task today is the “concept section” after which we express our understanding of the totality of the epistle.   Let’s begin with verse 1 chapter 1 of Colossians reading through to the end of the epistle.   Next let us list every main point you believe that Paul is presenting to his readers (and hearers, as the case may be, since it may have been read to an assembled group. Keep in mind that hearing a text read and reading a text for yourself may deliver rather different impressions if not different meanings as we will see below. but consider it even now as you work through these suggestions for the study of Colossians.)   As everyone knows, Greek is a highly inflected language and English is not. Greek readers know that the function of a word in a sentence is determined by its form, including suffixes to the word as well as prefixes and internal changes, depending on the tense and voice. For example, if I write in English “the red car hit the blue car” there is no way to determine what is the subject of the sentence and what is the object of the sentence except by the position of all the words. The subject comes first, then the verb, and finally the object. In this sentence the red car hit the blue car. But, suppose you were thinking in Greek and wrote “the blue car hit the red car”. Well, in English that is an entirely different set of circumstances. In one sentence the red car is the subject in the next sentence it is the object of the verb, all because of the change of position. In Greek, you can put the word in any order and because of the inflections of the words you will know at a glance which is the subject and which is the object.   This line of thought is important for a number of reasons when translating Greek into English. One question is, did Paul (in Colossians) intend to emphasize some meaning or understanding by placing the verb first or the object first or the subject first or a series of adverbs, adjectives, clauses, etc. first in the sentence? In Greek, he has the flexibility to do just that – create an emphasis that, to the contrary, written in English would deliver chaos to the sentence and confusion. When we take the logic of the Greek language in all its complexity and pack it into English where the logic of the sentence to meaning is much simpler how can we be sure we are delivering the message as Paul envisioned it? No doubt one reason for the plethora of modern translations is an attempt to say what is clear in Greek to the Greek reader in his/her day but dangerously in peril when translated into English for the English reader.   And that is your task as a translator, interpreter, and expositor of the Greek text of Colossians, a task challenging but exuberating when fully accomplished.   I want to mention again two ideas that we discussed early in our study of Discourse Analysis: coherence and cohesion. We stressed the importance of these two factors in Discourse Analysis and defined each term. Without an understanding and application of these two terms to Discourse Analysis meaning is going to be happenchance to the reader or listener, but consciously applying these terms enables the reader and the listener to consciously, analytically, and deliberately compose his/her understanding of the text. Take the time now to review the earlier comments on coherence and cohesion. It is a necessary review to carry you to the final meaning of Colossians.   And let me digress for a moment concerning the reader and listener. A completely marvelous phenomenon takes place in the mind of an individual who is both, at separate times, the reader and the listener. In other words, when you are reading a text, your mind is spilling forward responses that are prompted by the visual stimulus involved in reading (visual only; not oral) text.  When you are hearing a text, you mind is spilling forward responses that are prompted by the auditory stimulus involved in hearing text.  There are many reasons for those separate and often quite different responses and I shall mention only one at this time: the emotion, accentuation, and drama in the voice of the reader as heard by the listener. Think of it this way: reading to your self silently is often in shades of gray, monotone, rapid, and without modulation or meter. However, in listening to a reader, you hear in “true color”, variety of voice, variable speed, with modulation and meter and emphasis of purpose and meaning created for you. The sharp difference between the two experiences evokes from the mind distinct patterns of meaning. Which is the correct meaning? Same text, same “you”, different meanings, different motivations, etc. That must be taken into consideration when reaching your final conclusion as to the meaning of Colossians.   It is evident, then, that coherence and cohesion, though capable of clear definition, are concepts whose contents are unknown until heard or read and, then, may still be different in substance of meaning.   So, as we move toward our determination of meanings of sections and relations of sections to our ultimate goal of the over all meaning and understanding of Colossians, there are three tasks to be done now:   Read the text of Colossians out loud. Go through three or four practice readings or more until you feel like you have enough reading fluency with the words of Colossians so as not to have to struggle with the words. Then, read the text as if you were in Colossae for the purpose of reading Paul’s text to the people for the first time. Consider what the moment would be like; consider the weight and responsibility you have to clearly and accurately and with force and conviction, with pathos and empathy get across to the people what Paul wants them to gain from the epistle. Afterwards, make notes about the reading experience, what you sensed to be the meaning of the parts, sections, and whole of the epistle. Wait 5 days. Go to a room where you will not be disturbed. Get comfortable. Open your Bible to Colossians and read through the entire Epistle without interruption or stopping. Afterwards, make notes about the reading experience, what you sensed to be the meaning of the parts, sections, and whole of the epistle. After a full week’s delay, take your notes from both reading sessions, compare them, note any differences that you find. Explain why.   This assignment and those above are sufficient until next issue. Thanks for joining us and God bless you and keep you.   Issue 5 May 2009 CHRISTIAN COUNSELING  Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                            Dear Christian friends, in this issue we bring to a close our discussion of theories of Carl Rogers, emphasizing his most notable contribution to psychotherapy – client centered therapy. Rogers’ client centered therapy is premised in part on his concept of the nature of human beings. Two important premises underlie most of his theory. First, man is essentially good. Second, man is directed by a vital force to achieve, to always seek fulfillment and realization of his innate powers and potentials. Experience, as we emphasized in the last issue, is the means by which man becomes aware of his full powers and potential. Whether experiences are favorable or unfavorable, man uses them as motivation to overcome, develop, and achieve. Man tends from the simple to the complex. In his organization of his experiences in life he produced society and culture which provide context, regularity, and system for his life. However, society and culture the rationale for which is always in the past become restraints that must be overcome, altered, or revised as man seeks further fulfillment and realization of his powers and potential in the present. In the least effect of this societal-cultural axis man adjusts; in the maximum effect of this societal-cultural axis man revolts. In any event, the society-cultural axis is both a positive and negative factor for man. Since man is both an independent sentient being and a participant in societal and cultural norms and restraints, there lie before him the Real Self and the Ideal Self toward which the two contending forces – the independent sentient being and the societal and cultural norms and restraints – move. Around those characterizations of man, Rogers wove his theories. Here we begin with specific terms that Rogers developed to express and contrast the tensions between the Real Self and the Ideal Self. Each of the terms leading respectively to the Real Self and the Ideal Self has important content regarding the mental health of the individual. I will mention the terms in sequence and return to them to set their meaning. Those terms leading to the Real Self: Actualization Organismic Valuing Positive Regard Positive Self-Regard Real Self Those terms leading to the Ideal Self: Society Conditions of Worth Conditional Positive Regard Conditional Positive Self-Regard Ideal Self Now, we will add some definition to each of the terms leading to and including the Real Self and the Ideal Self. Real Self Actualization – results from the activity of the innate motivating power and drive within man which Rogers called the actualizing tendency. We referred to this above as one of the premises that underlie his concept of client centered therapy. Organismic Valuing – through his experiences the individual senses what is right for him and from that sense of rightness develops his system of values. Positive Regard – encompasses the interactive emotions and affectional needs such as love, attention, care. Positive Self-Regard – is the developed state of self-esteem and self-worth achieved through self actualizing tendency and organismic valuing and positive feed back from others. Real Self – is the essential “you” when your life has developed through the accumulated effects of changes experienced in the processes listed above: self actualizing tendency through positive self-regard. Ideal Self Society – is the self created means of social and cultural relations that become the restraints from a receding past which have long outlived their fully positive support for the self actualizing tendency in man. Conditions of Worth – are those parts of society and culture that are tantamount to a duty and reward social apparatus. We are rewarded when we conform to or achieve certain external and socially imposed goals and duties. Man sees himself as “worthy” when he is rewarded for his compliance. Conditional Positive Regard – is the result of the process of conditions of worth wherein our natural self actualizing tendency is diverted into channels of development set out by the societal and cultural norms and dictums. Conditional Positive Self-Regard – is the upshot of conditions of worth and conditional positive regard for in the influence of that process we come to think of our self-esteem and self-worth only in terms of society and cultural norms and dictums, effectively subverting the natural self actualizing tendency. Ideal Self – is the self an individual becomes as he strives toward and conforms to societal-cultural norms and dictums, never actualizing his real self, but always seeking instead the ideal self, the unreal self, urged upon him by the societal-cultural norms and dictums. Clearly, the Real Self and the Ideal Self are not the same outcome for the individual. Between the Real Self and the Ideal Self there is a variable notion of incongruity, dependent on the extent to which the self actualizing tendency was misdirected into societal-cultural norms and dictums. This incongruity is neurosis. From this incongruity (neurosis) there is a progression to psychotic disintegration. The steps in this process are the following: Threatening situations Anxiety Defenses Enlarged incongruity Psychosis (disintegration of personality) Now we will add a brief meaning to each of the steps: Threatening situations – are those situations when the Ideal Self and the Real Self cause psychological discrepancies through which an individual’s Ideal Self asserts one thing about the individual and the Real Self asserts another, such as in completing various challenges of behavior or ability. Anxiety – is the reaction the individual has when the Ideal Self and the Real Self present discrepant psychological images to the individual prompting the individual to muster defenses against the discrepant psychological images. Defenses – are the choices an individual makes to avoid resolving the anxiety of the threatening situations. Rogers proposed two defenses: denial and perceptual distortion.             Denial – is the choice to avoid confronting a threatening situation. Perceptual distortion – is the choice to recast the threat into terms which assign different meaning or origin for the threat, thus avoiding the threatening situation as first experienced. When all defenses are exhausted the individual slips into psychosis. But, if an individual follows fully the steps of the Real Self both incongruence and psychosis can be eliminated and, in his term, the “fully functional life” will evolve. Rogers wrote, “If an individual should experience only unconditional positive regard, then no conditions of worth would develop, self-regard would be unconditional, the needs for positive regard and self-regard would never be at variance with organismic evaluation, and the individual would continue to be psychologically adjusted, and would be fully functioning.” The life lived as Real Self, as the product of the sequences in the self actualizing tendency, is notable for certain definable characteristics: Openness to experience Existential living Organismic trusting Experiential freedom Creativity We will now briefly define those characteristics: Openness to experience – is the proper response to experience. Since experience is the means through which the self actualizing tendency advances toward the Real Self, a positive, not fearful attitude toward experience is to be maintained by the individual. Rogers proposes that the feelings that arise from experience are either a channel or a barrier for the self actualizing tendency. Feelings, then , must be free from defensiveness so as to be open to experience and a conveyor of drive of the self actualizing tendency. Existential living – offers the individual the opportunity to live in the present without the controls of the past or the uncertainties of the future. While the past and the future are vital for a balanced human experience, it is the present moment in which we live and which gives meaning and content to our totality as an individual. Organismic trusting – is an individual’s reliance on the value system he develops through the self actualizing tendency. Consequently, it is the individual’s value system that guides his behavior and choices. Societal and cultural norms and dictums are impediments to the individual to the extent that they do not comport with the value system that holds for him in the present and is the result of the self actualizing tendency. Experiential freedom – is a matter of freedom of choice in the experience of the present situation of the individual. The proper choice is always drawn from the current advance of the self actualizing tendency. Thus, there is always a social ambivalence because what is a proper choice for one individual in the present may not be the proper choice for another individual in the present. The proper choice must always be drawn from the self actualizing tendency and not the societal-cultural milieux. Creativity – is the connection that the fully functional person, the person who has achieved his Real Self through the self actualizing tendency, participates positively in his society, culture, family, etc. He shares what he is with others through his participation in and contributions to ameliorating society and culture. Thus far, we have seen a bit of Carl Rogers’ theory in the discussion above. That information is indispensible according to Rogers to a successful therapeutic outcome between client and counselor. You most likely noticed that every thing discussed so far would relate to everyone, whether a client or not or a counselor or not. The points discussed are pervasive to the human psyche and determinative to mental health. But there is more to Rogers’ theory that we must consider. First, we will discuss the role of the counselor in Rogers’ theory. Concerning this role and its description, Rogers characterized his description of the role of the counselor as “necessary and sufficient.” So, we are discussing a fundamental aspect of the counselor and his relationship to the client.  Let’s take a further look into this. First, we consider the counselor-client relationship. Rogers first named his therapy as “non-directive” therapy by which he meant that the counselor should have no direct influence on the client but allow the client to evolve in his thought and in his relationship with the counselor. However, Rogers soon became aware that the counselor’s very presence in the counselor-client encounter became a directive force by indirection, by not directing and leading at all, the client nevertheless supposed the indirection to convey a psychological meaning in the relationship which was not always wholesome and conducive to good counselor-client relations. Thus, the name change to client centered therapy, preserving the non-directed sense, but including a positive involvement of the counselor. The counselor should be one who is in touch with his Real Self. That would be the ideal and may rarely occur. However, the counselor must be open to his own experiences and feelings and be open for reciprocity with the client’s experiences and feelings. The counselor takes the client where he is and begins the relationship on that basis. The counselor does not judge the client or direct the client but is open to the clients’ present self. Openness on the part of the counselor does not indicate approval of the clients’ present self. Rather, the openness is necessary for any transaction in the counselor-client relationship to occur. The client must sense a freedom to be who he is in the present with an openness on the part of the counselor which enables the client to express himself without inhibitions and fear. Rogers summarized this approach to a client under three terms: Congruence Empathy Respect In closing this discussion on Rogers’ theory, we will discuss a Rogerian principle which is fundamental to his therapeutic sessions: reflection. Reflection is the major therapeutic technique for Carl Rogers. The word obviously has many connotations so we must narrow it to fit with Carl Rogers’ usage. First, it is indeed a technique of communication between counselor and client. It is rather simple in concept but alone, as we shall see, is as likely to harm as to help. The simple technique as Rogers envisioned and practiced it is to speak back to the client any significant statements (significant as the counselor perceives them; may not be as the client perceives. Here is one of the dangers.) most often in a different selection of words. Second, as mentioned above, more has to accompany the technique than the mere technique of repeating back in one form or another to the client the significant statement. Counseling would be simple and always successful if that were the extent of the technique of reflection. Actually, for reflection to be effective the total character and personality of the counselor is involved. Indeed, the character and personality of the counselor forms out of the status of the counselors’ self actualizing tendency of the moment. Temptation for the counselor to be something other than he or she is will inevitably undermine to that extent the efficacy of the session for the client. Third, concluding from the second thought, the counselor must be genuine with nothing feigned and without an agenda. Any given moment in the counseling session is one of complete openness and transparency for the counselor and that is necessary to elicit from the client the exact same temperament and composure. Fourth, following on to the first three thoughts is the counselor’s willingness, indeed, imperative, to show unconditional positive regard for the client. This allows the client to think and speak freely without fear of criticism or condemnation. The client gains assurance from the counselor that he or she can speak of anything and still be accepted as a welcome and viable partner in the therapeutic session, an equal partner in a sharing with an equal partner. Fifth, the counselor allows the client to reach his or her own conclusions in the sessions for it is not some pre-determined moral code or universal principle that applies to an individual, but his or her own value system accrued to the individual through the self actualizing tendency and the organismic valuing. A therapeutic session is to begin to lay the foundation for a number of developments in the client: The client in time develops a sense of personal responsibility; The client begins to look within and without himself/herself for clues to the path of the self actualizing tendency which leads to the Real Self; The client experiences change, although the exact character and outcome of change is a process of the self actualizing tendency and may be some time in crystallizing in the thought and feeling of the client. The client finally resolves the incongruities between the state of his/her Real Self and the state of his/her Ideal Self and becomes the fully functional person Rogers has set as the goal for all counseling. The resolution is unique to the individual and, while appearing set and permanent, will continue to evolve under the influence of experience and the self actualizing tendency. In closing there are these assignments. First, continue to read Rogers own works and works written by others. Second, compare and contrast any aspect of Rogers’ theory presented here or else where in your sources with the teachings of the Bible - OT and NT – that relate to counseling therapy as you see it. Third, determine what of Rogers’ theory is compatible with your understanding of the word of God. Fourth, formulate how you will incorporate any of Rogers that you feel has Biblical validity into your counseling responsibilities. God bless you until next time.  Issue 5 May 2009 WOMEN IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                              Welcome to anther issue in the study of Women in Religion. God has ennobled women throughout His word. The topic of Women in Religion is suitable for a proper recognition of the prominence and contribution of women to religious life of God’s people. Unfortunately, as we have seen thus far, godless societies and cultures have not always exalted women for their contributions and potentials in serving God and setting examples for all of us. We only need to read the history of women in the societies and religions of Greece and Rome to realize by contrast the great release and elevation that God through Jesus Christ mandates for all women for all time. We all are born of woman and subsequently blessed by their care, concern, and Christian character. We must daily thank God for His revelation. The Vestal Virgins were venerated by the Romans beyond the early record of Roman history. Who are the Vestal Virgins? Why did they develop? Why are they important to Romans? What were their duties? What were their qualifications? In a male dominated society, culture, and religion, why are select female virgins raised to such an exalted position of adoration and influence in Roman society and religion? The Vestal Virgins gain their name and significance from the Roman goddess Vesta. We have mentioned her in a previous issue in a list of gods and goddesses we suggested that you review. We will fill out her profile and, then, enter our study of the Vestal Virgins. Vesta is a very ancient Roman goddess whose origin is in the pre-history of Rome. Considering the primitive life of European societies in the 8th century BC and before, it is not surprising that this goddess is associated with functions of nature and simple necessities of life, perhaps more involved with basic subsistence and survival than any other goddess or god. For example, when you go to your table to eat as a good ancient Roman, you would be certain to perform clearly defined rites to honor Vesta for providing the substance of the meal. As the provider of sustenance for the family, Vesta is also associated with the bounty of the land, producing a variety of vegetables, grains, fruits, and nuts. It is probably a bit beyond us to know or even imagine how fragile life was for primitive families, always susceptible to the vagaries and vicissitudes of nature. Living in huts built around the family hearth where life gained sustenance, these early Romans were always mindful of the need to honor the powers of the gods and spirits, many of which we mentioned in the previous issue. This concern and the rites that developed to honor and placate these forces continued in the Roman life even through the period of the Roman Empire, taking on more elaborate expression as the primitive societies passed into the Roman Republic and into the Roman Empire. The symbol for Vesta was as common and simple as the hut hearths of the primitive Romans and as indispensible – “fire”. Without fire, no survival This symbol continues as did Vesta through all Roman history as not just “fire” but “sacred fire” and to the maintenance of this fire the Romans in every period dedicated their most solemn devotions and allegiances. Hence, the necessity for a priesthood to serve Vesta and to know the rituals and rites necessary to maintain the health and survival of the Roman people at any age, in any period. The priesthood serving Vesta was the only female priesthood in all Roman history. Soon, we will see how the priesthood developed. Before we come to the Vestal Virgins, we should discuss the “hut”, the temple, the ancient Romans provided Vesta. As we go along, we will notice that the symbolism of her temple is perhaps more evident than the temple for any other Roman god or goddess. With regard to the myths of the Roman Vesta – and she was a deity for the Sabines and Etruscans earlier – we start with the formal recognition of Vesta as a Roman deity with Numa Pompilius (715-673  BC) during the regal period of Rome. Her first temple, if one can call it that, was a round hut symbolic of her role in the Roman pantheon and as the spirit of the hearth of home and, later, country. It is not difficult to reconstruct the attachment of emotion to fact as a provenance of the importance of Vesta to the Romans. One easily imagines a small one room hut of the Roman family seeking safety and sustenance, unity and survival separated by their small enclosure from every form of nature predatory and uncontrolled. Here, Vesta presides over the hearth where the manifestation of her bounty and blessings are most noticeable and most essential. The impression of this image was never lost on the Romans. Vesta became the actual and symbolic guarantor of the Roman existence. Through the years, revisions of Vesta’s temple were constructed, tending generally to limited, measured elaboration. The sense of the “hut”, the “home”, was never sacrificed for style and awe. As the preserver of the Sacred Fire, the possibility of destruction by fire from within was present; however, the Sacred Fire was settled on the hearth of the temple and attended by the Vestal Virgins. The actual recorded occasions of destruction by fire were in the time of Nero when he burned the city of Rome, 64 AD, and, much later, in 191 AD, during the reign of Septimius Severus whose wife, Julia Domna, ordered the rebuilding of Vesta’s temple. The Temple of Vesta was set in the Forum of Rome, itself magnificent in Roman history. Here the earliest communal buildings were built, including temples and governmental buildings. A study of the history of the Roman Forum yields a most stimulating sense of the development and expansion of all Roman interests. The Roman Forum is situated between two notable hills of Rome, the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill. (In an aside reference to the Book of Revelation, these two hills are two of the seven upon which the woman sat.) Besides the Temple of Vesta in the area of the Roman Forum several temples were founded, honoring important real and mythological figures in Roman history and religion. (For example, temples celebrating Castor and Pollux, Saturn, Venus and Roma, Antonia and Faustina, Caesar, Vespasian and Titus, Concord, and Venus Cloacina.) The temple of Vesta was simple in concept and frugal in detail and function. There was no cult statue of Vesta in her temple, only the hearth for the Sacred Fire. However, the temple of Vesta was the repository for a number of important contemporary and historical items: various cult objects and official documents of the Senators of Rome. As all things pagan when Christians (as understood by the 4th century AD definitions) ruled the Roman Empire the Temple of Vesta received its final and complete destruction by the command of Emperor Theodosius in 394 AD. The Sacred Fire was no more. We will stop at this point in this issue and continue in next issue with the Vestal Virgins and other references to women in religion in Roman history. After that, we will take a brief look at women in Egyptian religion. Then, we will begin our overview of the cultures we have studied to date and the role of women in them (including Christian women) and move on from there into the early middle ages (called by some the dark ages) As an assignment, please go back to the second paragraph in this issue and research the questions that are raised about the Vestal Virgins. God bless you all. Volume 2 Issue 3 May 2009   GREEK      Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                              Hello my beloved brethren! Welcome again to our little study in Greek. Last issue, we ended with participals with the expectation that we would continue with participals in this issue. So, let us proceed without delay. In the last issue we dealt mainly with the masculine singular and plural present participle active, middle, and passive voices. We will continue with the masculine in those voices and add the feminine and neuter to them. But before we move further along in participals, we need to become acquainted or renew our acquaintance with the Aorist tense which comes to us in a First Aorist form and a Second Aorist form. We might as well start with the First Aorist and see what is so important about that. The best place to begin is a definition of Aorist. What does Aorist mean for Greek verbs? You recall that we studied the imperfect tense of the verb a few issues back. We said it could mean a few things, for example, continuous action in the past and repeated action in the past. There are some examples of those two meanings in the issues above dealing with imperfects, so go back a few issues and refresh your memory on those meanings. It is a bit of simplification and not exactly correct to say that the Aorist tense is always used as an expression of a past tense action, but it happens so frequently that we can use it that way with a good conscience.  But, if we say that the Aorist is action in the past, how does it differ from the action in the past of the Imperfect tense? Remember, one definition of the Imperfect is continuous action in past time. Aorist differs in this sense: while the action may be in the past time, the Aorist can express either the beginning of the action, the middle of the action, or the end of the action, but not the ongoing of the action. That is the job of the Imperfect. You might think of it this way – keeping in mind that any analogy has its limits as to absolute correctness – the Imperfect is a motion picture with the action ongoing; the Aorist is a snap shot with whatever action there is being caught as a still frame. Now, the snap shot could be at the beginning of an action, at the middle of an action, or at the end of an action, but it does not show the ongoing of the action. There are some pretty fancy sounding words connected with the description and understanding of the action of the Aorist tense and we will take a look at a few of them. We said that the Imperfect expressed ongoing action. Now, the fancy sounding word describing the action of the Aorist verb is “punctilear”, indicating that the aorist action is not ongoing but an expression of a moment of the action or the complete action as a whole. Above, we said that the aorist can express the beginning, middle, and end of an action and each one of these expressions has a fancy sounding word to help us out: the action as a whole or a moment of the action is called “constative”; the beginning of the action expressed by the aorist tense is called “ingressive”; the end of the action expressed by the aorist tense is called “effective”. These words are nice to know and they tell you something about what to expect when you run across an Aorist (and you will run across many) but your experience in dealing with Aorist verbs in context will actually tell you all you need to know about identifying them and that comes with experience in translating them. Let’s not continue to do the background work of the meaning of the Aorist. Instead, let us tear into the First Aorist and see what it has to say for itself. What does a First Aorist look like? It looks like a present indicative active root all dressed up. Suppose we take the stem lu and turn it into a First Aorist. Remember that lu is the stem for the word meaning to loose. So, let’s take a look at the entire conjugation of the First Aorist Indicative Active and Middle and, then, see what we have done to “to loose”. First Aorist Indicative Active of luw Singular elusa          I loosed elusa~ eluse Plural elusamen     We loosed elusate elusan First Aorist Indicative Middle of luw Singular elusamhn     I loosed for myself elusw elsato Plural elusameQa   We loosed for ourselves elusasQe elusanto What do you see new and what do you see old? Well, there is your old friend  the “epsilon”  e  hanging around the beginning of each word of the conjugation. And it is not just hanging out, it is an important partner with the First Aorist. Just like with the Imperfect epsilon, the First Aorist epsilon tells you we’re dealing in past time. So, how about the sa “sigma alpha”? Well, that is a tense sign/tense formative for the Aorist (not to be confused for the tense sign or tense formative for the future tense). And the rest of the stuff in the conjugations? Those are the personal endings for the verb, meaning I, you, or some third party, singular and plural. Now, we will re-state the conjugations above with a simple translation for each. First Aorist Indicative Active of luw Singular elusan   I loosed elusa~ You loosed eluse   He or she or it loosed Plural elusamen We loosed elusate   You (plural) loosed elusan     They loosed. First Aorist Indicative Middle of luw Singular elusamhn I loosed for myself elusw     You loosed for yourself elusato   He loosed for himself; she loosed for herself; it loosed for itself Plural elusameQa We loosed for ourselves elusasQe   You (plural) loosed for yourselves elusanto    They loosed for themselves We will be spending a lot of time on the Aorist tense, both first and second aorist, presenting the second aorist next issue. At that time, I will also present the aorist passive, you, no doubt, noticing that I have said nothing yet about the aorist passive. You also noticed that I did not include any accent markings. Right now, we just want to make sure we have the spelling and forms of the verbs down pretty well. We will come to the accents soon. They will be no trouble at all. Now, let’s look at the first aorist participle and use our old friend luw to illustrate the aorist participal. I will present the aorist active participial forms. Singular  Masculine                   Feminine                     Neuter Nom.    lusa~                   lusasa                 luson Gen.     lusanto~               lusash~               lusanto~ Abl.      lusanto~              lusash~                lusanto~ Loc.      lusanti                lusash/                  lusanti Ins.       lusanti                lusash/                  lusanti Dat.      lusanti                lusash/                  lusanti Acc.     lusanta                lusasan                luson Plural               Masculine                    Femine                        Neuter Nom.     lusante~                   lusasai                  lusanta Gen.       lusantwn               lusaswn                 lusantwn Abl.        lusantwn               lusaswn                 lusantwn Loc.        lusasi                  lusasai~                 lusasi Ins.         lusasi                  lusasai~                 lusasi                Dat.       lusasi                  lusasai~                 lusasi Acc.        lusanta~              lusasa~                  lusanta We have presented a number of verb forms in this issue so we need to take a break and absorb what we have in this issue. Next issue, we will take up with the middle and passive first aorist participals and the second aorist. We will discuss their meaning and use. God bless you.   Issue 5 May 2009    HEBREW    Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                                                                                        info@theologicaluofa.com Welcome to our study of Hebrew! In this issue we will continue with verbs. We have covered thus far all of the verb systems - Qal, Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hiphhil, Hithpael - through the perfect and imperfect forms. In this issue we will introduce the concept of weak and strong verbs in Hebrew and keep our study of these strong and weak verbs within the verb systems and tenses - perfect and imperfect - that we have already studied. There is much more to the Hebrew verb system than the perfect and imperfect such as the imperative, infinitive construct, infinitive absolute, active and passive participals, jussive, and cohortative. But these additional forms are much easier to learn when we know the perfect and imperfect in both weak and strong verbs through the verb system that we have studied thus far. We will get to the other forms soon enough. Most folks think "too soon". Generally speaking, a weak verb is a verb having a guttural and/or a r (r is a bit fickle since it is also in strong verbs.) as one or more of its consonants. Let’s take a look at a few Hebrew weak verbs to see why they are weak. dm[ rjb [mv axm anb hl[ IIn this list of weak verbs I have left out all pointing and marking so as to allow us to focus strictly on the consonants of each of the verbs. We will come to the pointing and marking before long.  The big question is: what do you see that is consistent through out the list of the verbs and that the verbs share in common? It is ok to make notes if you want. You can even check out your textbook. Now, to spice up the whole thing, I will list a few strong verbs and ask you to do the same thing for them that you did for the weak verbs. Afterall, fair is fair. But there is this one more request: compare the weak verbs with the strong verbs and make note of the differences. You probably will notice that I am giving the weak and the strong verbs in the 3rd person masculine singular Perfect of Qal. We will get around to the other forms down the road a bit. Now here are some strong verbs: bvy lpn btk qbd Åbq bng By the way, go to your lexicon and look up the words. That will be a pretty good exercise in using the lexicon which will come in very handy. Just to refresh yourself on the sufformatives of verbs, review the conjugations that you do know from our earlier study and/or from a textbook. Having done that, we will now list one weak verb conjugation in the Qal Perfect. The 3rd person masculine is translated. From that, complete the translation. Singular dm'[;    He stood hd;m][: T;d]m'[;' T]d]m'[; yTid]m'[; Plural Wdm][: µT,d]m'['} ÷T,d]m'['} Wnd]m'[; Ok. Here is what we now need to do. Pick out a strong verb and conjugate it in Qal perfect. When you have completed that, compare what you have done with the example of the conjugated week verb above. What similarities are there? What differences? Why? How? At this time we will take up the imperfect of the weak verb we used above  dm'[; Singular Imperfect  (We will use the future for the translation of the Imperfect for now) dmo[}y'     He will stand.   (Complete the singular translation) dmo[}T' dmo[}T' ydim]['T' dmo[Ôa, Plural Imperfect Wdm]['y'    They will stand. (Complete the plural translation) hn;d]mo[}T' Wdm]['T' hn;d]mo[}T' dmo[}n' It is important that we realize that the weak verbs have “names” such as Pe aleph Pe nun Pe yodh Pe waw Pe gutturals ‘Ayin yodh ‘Ayin waw ‘Ayin gutturals Double ‘ayin Lameth aleph Lameth he Lameth yodh Lameth waw Lameth gutturals We will bring this issue of Hebrew to a close with that list of “names” for the various weak verbs. We will, of course, go into much more detail in each one beginning with the next issue, but for now, just familiarize yourself with their pronunciation and, if you have your Hebrew textbook, their meanings. In addition to this assignment on the “names” of the weak verbs, be sure to look up the verbs listed in this issue to learn their meaning. Then, compare the strong verb conjugation with the weak verb conjugation that is given in this issue. Be sure to note the similarities and differences. God bless you until next issue.   Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren                                                                 Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                            Theological University of America                                                                                        info@theologicaluofa.com Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c Dr. Daniel H. King Sr: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm At the Feet of the Master Teacher Commentary on the Gospel of John Commentary on the Epistles of John Commentary on the Book of Hebrews The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness? Ezekiel all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:                                                                       www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens" Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                               Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                                       God's Way to Right Living In the Beginning (Genesis) Letters To Young Preachers Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude) The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges) Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/ Teresa Hampton The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.co  Leading Ladies  Come to the Garden The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Illuminating Shadows Jesus and His Relationship with Women Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author) Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2    BLOGS James Chaisson Blog Learn New Testament Greek - http://www.learnntgreek.org/index.php An excellent blog for discussion, study, and research. Brother Chaisson is  doing a fine work. RESOURCES Lewis A. Armstrong Christian Resources - http://www.christianresources.i8.com  Christian resources for all your church of Christ related resources for online research. This site supports the needs of the brotherhood for easily finding internet resources. Brother Armstrong is for former librarian for the Libraries and Archives for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.                                             Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.                                           Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                              Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring. Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.   Please click here to return to Volume II Directory INTRODUCING  NEWSLETTER EVANGELISM BY GLENN DAVIS                             Introduction To Newsletter Evangelism        How many of us remember the 1950's and 60's and all the evangelism and growth going on then?  Today most congregations are declining and going out of existence!  The Christian Chronicle recently did a series of articles under the title of “Are We Growing?”   A summary of the series concluded that for the most part, we are not growing!  That means precious souls are being lost on a daily basis and congregations are being lost on a yearly basis.           It doesn’t have to be this way.  I personally use an extremely effective form of evangelism that will work for any person or congregation that uses it.  If every congregation in the brotherhood used it, we would become the fastest growing church on the planet.          What is this method?  I call it newsletter evangelism.  It involves passing out a series of about 25 different newsletters to homes in your area by church members who volunteer to have “paper-routes” of the size of their choosing, for about a 3 month period.  After passing out the series of newsletters, members then go into the community and meet these fine people, which becomes an enjoyable, warm, welcoming experience.          By first distributing these newsletters over a short period of time, people get to know of the congregation through these newsletters and form a very favorable impression of the church through the newsletters.  When someone finally shows up to their home, they will find that these neighbors have already welcomed your congregation into their homes many times over and have enjoyed your company while not yet having met one of your members.          The church is transformed from a group in the community that didn’t have much of a favorable rating to a group that now has about a 90% favorable rating, thanks to the newsletters.  When follow-up work is then done, it is done in a very enjoyable environment, rather than a more hostile, unpleasant one.  This makes personal evangelism a successful and fun experience.          No one enjoys doing things that they are not successful at and is not fun to do.  After using this approach prior to starting any evangelism effort, success and fun can once again be a part of personal evangelism in each and every congregation!          ContactGlenn Davis and he can give you more details on how you can get started doing newsletter evangelism.  It is now being taught at major preaching schools and bible colleges and universities.  You, too, can benefit from this wonderful approach to personal evangelism.                                                           Telephone:  (714) 523-2435 Email:  newsletterevangelism@yahoo.com                                                                     Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009                                                         Theological University of America                                                          info@theologicaluofa.com IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision and the state of your residence (or country if not in US) by using the following e-mail address: admin@theologicaluofa.com                                                                     Return to Vol. 2 Issue 5 May 2009 Issue 6 - 2009 Church History Colossians Christian Counseling Women In Religious History Greek Hebrew Books, Media, Blogs, and Resources by the Brethren   Issue 6 – 2009 – CHURCH HISTORY Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Welcome to our continuing study of church history. In the last issue we discussed some aspects of the development of worship in the first 5 centuries of the history of the church, notably, the Lords Supper and the attendant views of it that developed in those centuries. We traced the gradual emergence of the belief in the Real Presence in the bread and wine of the Lords Supper and the concomitant need for a special order of Christians to be set aside to attend to the Lords Supper. This development is one and, perhaps, the most important cause of the inception and growth of the hierarchy of the priesthood that has continued in many churches until this very day. In later issues, when we discuss the extrapolation of church government, we will see other pressures and sources at work in the development of the hierarchy. But, for now, we will continue to discuss in the influence of worship and the Lords Supper in particular as generative and formative sources of the hierarchy of the priesthood. In the last issue I also mentioned the word “sacerdotalism” in connection with the growing belief and practice of the Real Presence in the Lords Supper. In this issue, we will purse this topic a bit further. Sacerdotalism is a compound of two Latin words - sacer and dare, sacer meaning “holy” and dare meaning “to give”. Taken together in Latin they form the word sacerdotalis meaning “of or pertaining to a priest”. The term “priest” is found throughout large parts of the Bible – Old Testament and New – with various connotations. In the Old Testament the priesthood originally was established to mediate between God and man. Remember Melchesidek? Then, there was the Jewish priesthood within the specifications of the Mosaic law. Although the Old Testament priesthood did not survive the ages, nevertheless, a priesthood in the tradition of the Old Testament prevailed during the time of Jesus. All of us are familiar with the encounters Jesus had with the priests and chief priests and the roles they played in the judgment and crucifixion of Jesus. In various other scenes from the New Testament the priests are present. Paganism also had its priesthoods. There is no need to go beyond their mention in the New Testament encounters with the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys except to say the pagan priesthoods added dimensions to the concept of priesthood that were not found in the priesthood of the Mosaic law. The development of the sacerdotal hierarchy of priests drew from both sources. To us today, we may wonder why a sacerdotal priesthood developed at all. After all, the New Testament is very clear about who the High Priest is in Christianity and who the priests are in Christianity. How did the believers of the early centuries miss that? I suppose there are about as many reasons then why believers complicated the simple teachings of the scripture as there are today with believers who complicate the simple teachings of the scripture except, perhaps, we have to try harder. And why is that? First and foremost, we have the Bible, the full and complete inspired writings as God has had them come down to us and we ought to know better than complicate the simple teachings about the Christian priesthood. The early Christians were not so blessed. Centuries passed before a “Bible” gained general acceptance among the hierarchy and the believers. By that time, the sacerdotal priesthood was full blown, well on its way to reaching its maximum influence and justification. The significance of the priesthood in the history of Christianity is determined by the concept of mediation. Man cannot directly approach God. Man must have some means to mediate his presence before God. The cause and barrier requiring mediation are man’s sins. That clearly was the case made for the priesthood under the Mosaic law. That was clearly the reason for Jesus as High Priest. Now, a priest offers sacrifices in behalf of sinful man. The priest does other religious functions but he does offer sacrifices in behalf of sinful man. Under the Mosaic law, many kinds of sacrifices for many reasons were expected and required of the Jews. In Christianity there is one sacrifice sufficient for all time – Jesus Christ. In the meeting of the Last Supper, Jesus characterized the bread and wine that he shared with his apostles as his body and his blood and told them to eat and drink this in remembrance of Him. Later, Paul reminded the disciples at Corinth that the bread and wine were the body and blood of Christ. He further pointed out the seriousness of careless and ignorant participation in the bread and wine, the body and blood of Jesus. It is not a large step to consider the consequences of careless and ignorant participation in the body and blood of Christ as absolute. It is not a large step for the careless and ignorant to believe they need help in participating in the body and blood of Christ. Who can help them? Who can do it right? We learn from the Apostles that the church had leaders, the most imminent of them were local bishops.  These men were required to meet high personal and spiritual standards to serve the congregation. They were given oversight of their congregation and were accountable for the spiritual well being of the individual members. In addition to the title Bishop there is the title Elder. Although these terms are synonymous in the New Testament, they soon began to separate into different offices, with different functions, and different privileges. The Bishop became superior to the Elder. The word Elder translates the Greek word for “presbyter” which, in the earlier decades of the church, came to signify “priest”. There is significance in the development of these distinctions. Not only are they unscriptural, but they also bear theological implications and hierarchical relationships. Again, although the New Testament is clear as to the relationship of the terms “Bishop” and “Elder”, the relationship, as it turned out, was not so clear in many of the first century churches. Historical evidence indicates several influences pressing against the proper, scriptural understanding of those terms in the first century that led to dissimilar arrangements growing out of dissimilar situations in which young, struggling congregations were developing. The situation of today’s church is virtually unrecognizable in the situations of the first century churches not mentioned in the New Testament. The church today is well established with a large membership distributed among congregations of varying sizes all blessed with access to the Bible in innumerable versions seeking clarity for the text. The church today is well established in leadership orthodoxy – we know the meaning of Bishop and Elder in the New Testament sense and set the organization of the church accordingly. The church today has a Bible educated membership trained and schooled from the cradle in Sunday Schools, through graduate work in Christian schools, to Bible programs extending to the very aged among us. The church today is free to believe and practice and proselyte the faith of Jesus Christ, free from the threat of persecution in most areas of the world. None of those stipulations were in existence or characterize the early church. The Apostles, preachers, teachers, and disciples were breaking new ground everywhere they went and, after the apostles were gone, without the single most important source for orthodoxy – a Bible, not one singe copy of a Bible.  Is it any wonder that multiple versions of leadership arose in those days? We will go no farther in this issue but will resume the discussion in the July issue. We will take up the Church Fathers to trace the development of the sacerdotal priesthood and the relation of the Bishop and Priest as pertains to worship and the Lords Supper. Until next time, God bless you all. Issue 6 - 2009 Colossians Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what great joy it is to humble our selves before the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and to know of His great love and mercy which abounds to us through His son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! And what joy it is to have the fellowship with Saints throughout the world who have called on the blessed name of our Savior and are shining forth the faith and obedience of the Gospel to those in darkness and hopelessness.  Did we have an opportunity to complete the assignments of the past issue? There was a definite body of work to do for that issue and essential work, moreover. As we come to discuss the overall meaning of Colossians it is most important that each of us has absorbed as much of Colossians as it is possible for us to do. The Concept Sections that each of us determined as present in the epistle of Colossians are fundamental to our achieving an overall meaning of the epistle to the Colossians. So, now is the place to ask if we have recorded the Concepts Sections we have identified through our silent reading and oral reading accompanied by all information and insights we can bring to bear on the epistle. It is a commanding task both essential and rewarding. So, we ask this question, “Are we fully prepared to make the final statement concerning the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians?” Now, if we are at the point of stating our understanding of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians, there yet remains one task to complete. It is a refining task; a task that sifts what we have concluded as preliminary to our final statement of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians. It requires even after this long time in study of discourse analysis of the epistle to the Colossians that we challenge ourselves for one more time as to the validity and certainty of our conclusion. The task is simply stated but it will require a comprehensive and comparative analysis of everything we have done leading to our conclusion. We must now go back to a variety of translations, study through them for their Concept Sections and conclude what is their assumed meaning of the epistle to the Colossians. After studying through each translation, let us write down with chapter and verse designations delimiting each of the Concept Sections we identified in each version. The question that follows is this: if our Concept Sections are different from the Concept Sections we located in the versions, why the difference? Clearly, the chapter breaks and the paragraphing and, in some versions, stated titles for certain chapters, sections, and paragraphs bias the reader to an agenda or intension supplied by the translator(s) of the versions. Having sifted your Concept Sections and your conclusion; having challenged them, now let us write down our understanding of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossian. Do this is two forms: first, write down your understanding of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians in one brief sentence; next, write down your understanding of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians in an extended paragraph. The purpose of this assignment is to assist us in clarifying not only the essence of the meaning of the epistle to the Colossians but assist us in unpacking the implications of that essence. Having done that assignment, we will now include our earlier thoughts on Socio -Rhetorical Analysis with our results from Discourse Analysis of the epistle to the Colossians. It is necessary at this point to go back to our discussion of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and re-read those issues before proceeding with the next step of this study of Colossians. We began our discussion of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis about half way through Issue 5 of Volume I 2008 and continued that discussion through Issue 8 of Volume I 2008. Thereafter, we began our discussion on Discourse Analysis. For the assignment for next issue, please re-read and study the Issues 5 – 8 of Volume I 2008. God bless you! Issue 6 – 2009 Christian Counseling Greetings my brothers and sisters in Christ! I pray that you are fully blessed in your love and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s us rejoice together as we share in the glorious mercies and gifts of our God and Father and His Son our Savior and pray as one together for those who do not know the precious Name of Jesus and His gospel of hope and salvation. Over the past few issues we have discussed several leading psychologists and their theories. In this issue we begin a brief study in the theory constructed around the concept of behaviorism. But, before we enter into that discussion, it might be helpful to set out a very brief time line of the psychologists and their theories that we have discussed thus far and the leading psychologists in behaviorism which we are about to discuss. It always is somewhat helpful to have these various stages of development in psychological theory related to one another with reference to when they developed. Sigmund Freud – May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939 Carl Jung - July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961 John F. Watson – January 9, 1978 – September 25, 1958 B. F. Skinner – March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990 Carl Rogers – January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987 As you scan this timeline, you will notice that the order in which we presented the leading psychologists and their theories is not in the order of the timeline of their birth and death. The reason for that incongruity is that we wanted to present together and in sequence psychological theories that represented a similar basic premise upon which they were built. For example, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung developed theoretical models of the mind from which they delineated their separate theories. This would be a good time to go back to the earlier issues of this study in Christian Counseling to review the comments on Freud and Jung. Carl Rogers moves away from the constructs of Freud and Jung but is not independent of theoretical constructs in his theory as is suggested by the Real Self and the Ideal Self and other elements of his theory. When we come to behaviorism we come to a different approach based on a different model. Perhaps the simplest way to begin our discussion of behaviorism is to state that there are no psychological constructs as we find in Freud, Jung, and Rogers. Rather, every psychological state and condition are dependent upon a measureable, observable behavior whether of physical action or mental action. It is a strict scientific approach to mental health. The research of Ivan Pavlov, whom we will not discuss in any detail, was a precursor to the more extensive developments of John Watson and B. F. Skinner. Pavlov’s efforts illustrate well the meaning of “serendipity” in that while he was researching one project he became aware of a more compelling project of interest. Since I am pretty sure we have all heard of “Pavlov’s Dog”, I won’t go into the story behind it except to point out that his interest in dog salivation lead to his interest in psychological conditioning. There are many sources for the story of “Pavlov’s Dog” if you care to do some reading on the topic. For our purposes we want to know what he discovered about his dog’s behavior that set the stage for further development in behaviorism. In a capsule, Pavlov showed through his experimentation with a dog that prior experiences develop conditioned responses. It is really not all that profound. I have three dogs and they all know when I am about to eat a snack because of the sounds associated with my getting together the snack itself and the sounds associated with getting a fork out of the utensil drawer. It doesn’t seem to matter where they are in the house. They will hear that sound no matter how quietly I attempt to get my snack together and they will beat me to the table where I usually eat a snack. Their senses are amazing! They discriminate sounds with exactness and each sound has come to signal an expected behavior. If you have a pet, you have applied Pavlov’s conditioned psychology. Behaviorism as a psychological theory feeds off of that cause and effect phenomenon. Various terms identify the results of Pavlov’s work such as classical conditioning and respondent conditioning. Here we must determine to reign in our discussion of Pavlov with just a few more statements since our main objective is the more recent theories and research in behaviorism. However, some terms and their meaning set the stage for the further development and research. Pavlov used basic concepts to convey his scientific results and theory among the more important are the following: Conditioned stimulus Unconditioned stimulus Conditioned response Unconditioned response Let’s see how these terms relate and terminate in behavior. If I may be so bold as to use Trooper my one year old Boston terrier as an example, he will be our prime subject for this illustration of classical conditioning. Trooper was 5 months old when he was recued from a kill shelter. I was able to get him just a few days later, so we have been hanging out together for about 7 months. When we met, I knew nothing about him and he knew nothing about me. When I brought him home he was not familiar with any of the sounds that frequently and, often, regularly, emanate around the house. But, let me tell you that did not last long. He did not learn every sound, but he sure learned the important sounds – to him. And, as you might expect, important sounds that came to signal the possibility of a bite of food anytime during the day or night. Now these sounds that were all new to him meant nothing at first. These sounds were “neutral” so far as any meaning to him. Originally, he did nothing when he heard the sounds. He didn’t budge. Soon, he began to realize that certain sounds always occurred before I called him to his meal (the guy eats three times a day, plus his daily plethora of snacks). I might add that if I tried to keep the sounds to an absolute minimum where they were barely audible to me, he came running nonetheless. He can hear silence, I am convinced! Get the sequence – an original meaningless sound becoming tightly associated with a stimulus that had essential meaning for him (food and eating) and, therefore, taking on the meaning of a signal to Trooper about “chow time.” This Pavlov called “conditioned stimulus”. Now what is an “unconditioned stimulus”? Well, in our example with Trooper it would be the food itself. Trooper doesn’t need any bells and whistles to know he prefers food to almost anything. Correction – anything! So, an “unconditioned stimulus” is the psychological answer to the question “Where’s the beef”? Trooper doesn’t need any conditioning to instinctively know he wants food! Period! Case Closed! End of book! Following onto “unconditioned stimulus” is the “unconditioned response” In other words, Trooper did not need to take “Eating 101” to know that he would eat anytime food was presented to him. No questions asked. He will eat! That is “unconditioned response”. All of this leads to “conditioned response”. That simply means Trooper, being the astute eater that he is, identifies the sounds of “conditioned stimulus” with the innate “unconditioned stimulus” and produces the “conditioned response.” That means when he hears the conditioned stimulus is ready to eat! (Actually, Trooper may not be the best illustration of classical conditioning since he is always ready to eat without any stimulus.) I tried to explain all of this to Trooper, but he said he would read it later in the Journal and that I should get on with supper. (His supper). This is classical conditioning in its simplest terms – altering behavior by association. Overtime, classical conditioning has taken many forms for many reasons and the study of them would make interesting reading. But, we do not have time for the varieties of classical conditioning here; however, I do encourage you to read further in this area. We turn now to the formalization of the direction of Pavlov’s scientific finding in classical conditioning by turning to John B. Watson. Watson was an American who became acquainted with the findings of Pavlov early in his academic pursuits but did not fully recognize Pavlov’s contribution to psychology until 1916. By then, Watson was already three years into his theory of psychology which he termed “Behaviorism.” From many points of view both from psychologists themselves and certainly theologians Watson’s vision was a radical departure from the traditional stream of research in psychological philosophy and theory. Just such a radical departure is suggested in the following statements from Watson himself: “Behaviorism ... holds that the subject matter of human psychology is the behavior of the human being. Behaviorism claims that consciousness is neither a definite nor a usable concept. The behaviorist ... holds, further, that belief in the existence of consciousness goes back to the ancient days of superstition and magic.... The great mass of people even today has not yet progressed very far away from savagery - it wants to believe in magic.... Almost every era has its new magic, black or white, and its new magician. Moses had his magic: he smote the rock and water gushed out. Christ had his magic: he turned water into wine and raised the dead to life (Emphasis mine) “….(that) most of us are shot through with a savage background is almost unbelievable.... One example of such a religious concept is that every individual has a soul which is separate and distinct from the body.... No one has ever touched a soul, or seen one in a test tube, or has in any way come into relationship with it as he has with the other objects of his daily experience ....” (Emphasis mine) Inevitably, the antagonism of his premise to his psychology of Behaviorism would eventually alienate many (Freudians, Jungians, etc.) in all positions of influence. Ultimately, a personal association with a female colleague that brought scandal to his place of employment, John Hopkins University, was seized as an opportunity to dismiss him from the faculty. There, of course, is controversy as to whether the demerits of the association itself were sufficient for dismissal or whether it was a convenient and timely opportunity to discharge Watson and be done with his radicalism. In any event, Watson left the field of professional research and psychology and became a very successful advertising executive. Watson set out the ground of his work in his article “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It”. He wrote, “Psychology as the behaviorist views it is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behavior. Introspection forms no essential part of its methods, nor is the scientific value of its data dependent on the readiness with which they lend themselves to interpretation in terms of consciousness." Let’s take a further look at his statement.  “Psychology as the behaviorist views it is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science.” This in effect reduces everything to cause and effect subject to the limitations and demands of observation, duplication, and verification. In other words, the essence of the scientific method! “Its theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behavior.” One of the assumptions of behaviorism is that the “mind” and the “soul” have no independent existence as real entities involved in human activity. Thus, behaviorism is not concerned as, for example, is Carl Rogers with potential of the human mind and soul only with controlling mindless and soulless human activity by principles on classical conditioning, reducing the human being to the status of a robot created in the image of the Behaviorist. “Introspection forms no essential part of its methods.” Indeed, if behaviorism is true, there should be no introspection since there is nothing in the head to “introspect”. Human beings are of the nature of the Scarcrow in the Wizard of Oz, always wishing he had a mind. He eventually got one, but clearly the author of the Wizard of Oz was not a behaviorist. Othewise, he would never have gotten one since there is no such thing as a mind in the Behaviorist vocabulary "nor is the scientific value of its (behaviorist) data dependent on the readiness with which they lend themselves to interpretation in terms of consciousness." By definition, Watson eliminates any value or validity of the results of introspection in terms of consciousness, since, of course, there is no consciousness and any sense of it is fictional and delusional. Results can be determined by introspection but since the hypotheses involved are necessarily false and unreal the results will be just as fallacious and meaningless. Surely it is evident that the behaviorist ramifications for human beings are enormous. For one, virtually every person on the planet will have to reorient herself/himself away from her/his personal understanding as to her/his essential being and reality to the one dimensional non-sentient human mechanism portrayed by the behaviorists. And while there are more ramifications to discuss, perhaps none is more threatening than the fact that any human being can be manipulated and metamorphosed into any character of person the behaviorist desires, at least, according to Watson. “The interest of the behaviorist in man's doings is more than the interest of the spectator - he wants to control man's reactions as physical scientists want to control and manipulate other natural phenomena. It is the business of behavioristic psychology to be able to predict and to control human activity ....” (Emphasis mine) In fact, that is exactly what Watson attempted to accomplish with his “Little Albert” experiment. Next issue we will take up the “Little Albert” and see what it holds for us. Also, we will continue with Watson and begin with B.F. Skinner. God bless you all and, God willing, see you next issue. Issue 6 – 2009 Women in Religious History Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ. How blessed we are in Christ Jesus to enjoy His great mercies and salvation from God His Father. All praise to His name through Jesus Christ our Lord. In this issue we continue with remarks concerning the Vestal Virgins of the ancient Roman religion. Last issue we discussed the Roman goddess Vesta and how the Romans both viewed her and provided for her. This issue we will complete our discussion of Roman religion with the Vestal Virgins. The Sacred Fire of the Romans! The preservation and continuance of the Sacred Fire was of the utmost importance to the Roman people, the Roman government, and the future of the Roman destiny.  In its root, the Sacred Fire is associated in Roman myth with Aeneas, a formative mythological figure in Rome’s emergence in myth and history. The Sacred Fire, as we noticed in the previous issue, began early to gain imminence and solemnity among the most ancient of Romans and the founders and leaders of their nation, first a monarchy, then a republic, and finally in the time of Christ and thereafter an empire. Throughout both its misty mythological history and all its recorded history, the Sacred Fire is reverentially guarded and preserved. The early wisdom of King Numa Pompilius is somewhat a mystery in origin of the Vestal Virgins. It was he so far back in the days when myth and fact were often blended and indistinguishable to the later historians who formally established a priesthood for Vesta, a priesthood that had no solid precedent in Roman myth or history, a priesthood of priestesses! A priesthood of women only! This innovative vision of King Pompilius was not to be duplicated again in Roman myth or history. There was only one priesthood of women, it was a priesthood for Vesta, and it was the only priesthood of women in all Roman religion. It is said that the earliest of Vestal Virgins were young daughters of the kings who actually were informally responsible for household chores. As this developed into a religious concept, King Numa Pompilius formalized the concept into a religious practice of selected priestesses to serve Vesta and maintain the Sacred Fire. It is interesting to note that the early Vestal Virgins were young girls selected from the Patrician families of Rome. These girls were between the ages of 6 and 10 years old. The original process of selection of the Vestal Virgins centered around Numa himself. As king he established the priests called pontifices with himself at the head assigning to himself the title Pontifex Maximus, the leader of the priests. Among the many duties of the Pontifex Maximus was the selection of the Vestal Virgins. These young priestesses were to serve Vesta for 30 years. It was only after completing their 30 year commitment could they marry. The original number of Vestal Virgins selected were 2, then 4, and finally 6. The life of a Vestal Virgin was mixed. There was great veneration for the Vestals, but great responsibility with dire consequences for failure; there were qualifications for consideration for the elevation to a Vestal Virgin with considerable perquisites for their service and fidelity. The girl who would be a Vestal Virgin must have living parents who were Patricians and she must be in good health without physical impairment. The 6 – 10 year old would take a vow of chastity and enter into a 30 year period of service which was divided into 10 year segments of personal training, service, and training others. As perquisites, the Vestal Virgin had privileges that the ordinary young girl and adult woman would not have. For example, the Vestal Virgin would not be encumbered with a guardian that both the Greek and Roman societies imposed on most females, young and adult alike. She lived very well during her tenure as Vestal Virgin. The seriousness with which the Romans viewed the behavior and function of the Vestal Virgins is measured by the severity of the punishments performed upon Vestals who broke their vow of chastity and/or who allowed the Sacred Fire to flame out. Violation of either the vow or the duty brought swift retribution in ways that today would be barbaric in the extreme. For example, if a Vestal allowed the Sacred Fire to flame out, she would be imprisoned and whipped to death. If a Vestal broke her vow of chastity, she would be place in a burial chamber with enough food to sustain her for only a few days after which she would starve to death. Plutarch remarked concerning this episode, “no other sight makes everyone in Rome shudder as this one does; nor can any other day make people so downcast as this day can.” Amazing it is that a civilization so advanced in many other ways could border on savagery with these kinds of punishments. By and large, the Vestals were devoted and performed their duties with an admirable consistency. Clearly, their main focus and responsibility was the maintenance of the Sacred Fire. But, they did have other duties.  There is the Ides of May (May 15) Sacraria lustral visitation. Here we have an observance for which the early details are confused and opaque. However, clarity comes into focus with the passing of time and this is in brief form what we may know of the Ides of May Sacraria lustral visitation and the participation of the Vestal Virgins. Sacraria is the plural form of the Latin word sacrarium which means sanctuary. Scattered about Rome 27 sacraria were built and, as it developed, the ceremony and procession of the Ides of May Sacraria lustral visitation was designated by the Pontifex Maximus. Upon the completion of the lustral visitation to the 27 sacraria, a curious and central moment in this observance was the throwing of the Argei into the Tiber River by the Vestal Virgins. Immediately, our minds inquire “what is an Argei” The Argei are straw puppets that were overtime substituted for actual human victims, it is believed, that were in former times thrown into the Tiber; again, our sources are not definitive. And then there was the Vestalia less than a month from the Ides of May and the Sacraria lustral visitation. The Vestalia continued from June 7 through June 15. This particular celebration was in honor of Vesta regarding her capacity as the goddess of virginity. Of significant notice is that during the Vestalia the temple of Vesta was opened to all women who chose to visit and worship. This visitation was possible only at this time each year. As you might expect, the Vestal Virgins  performed services during the Vestalia. In preparation for the Vestalia it was the lot of the Vestal Virgins to prepare sacred cakes made with sacred water drawn from a sacred spring borne in consecrated vessels to the temple. The sacred grain of the cakes was permeated with sacred salt and ritually blessed ingredients. These sacred cakes were sliced and presented to the goddess Vesta during the Vestalia. At the conclusion of the Vestalia the Vestal Virgins scoured the temple, removing all debris and waste and taking the debris and waste to the Tiber River. Throughout the year, the Vestal Virgins would be participants in various of the many Roman festivals and celebrations. Always persons of great prestige and honor, the Vestal Virgin commanded privileges and authority achieved by a woman in no other way. When the Vestal Virgin completed her 30 year service, she was free to marry, although many chose to remain single. But, for those who did choose to marry, marrying a former Vestal Virgin was much sought after by eligible Roman males. Throughout our study of women in Roman religion, one thing above all stands out – the entire Roman enterprise with the gods is a secular one. It was a bargain struck between the omnipotent gods and the vulnerable and needy human being. Love and trust in any spiritual sense were not part of the package as originally conceived in early Roman mythology and history. While elements of emotion and salvation did enter the Roman religious milieu they largely were imported from Greece and the Middle East and Egypt.  In the next issue and the last issue before we begin the study of women in the Christian religion we will see what contributions to women in religion came in the ancient world from Egypt and the more contemporary period of the Middle East. Until then God bless you! Issue 6 – 2009 Greek Hello dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We are continuing our study in this issue with the middle and passive aorist participles and the first comments on the second aorist form. So, lets get right on to the middle and passive forms of the first aorist. For this presentation we will continue to use luw for our model. First I will repeat from the last issue the forms of the aorist indicative middle for reference and comparison with the aorist indicative middle participles. Aorist Indicative Middle Singular elusamhn elusw elusato Plural elusameqa elusasqe elusanto First Aorist Indicative Middle Participle Singular Masculine            Feminine            Neuter lusameno~  lusamenh   lusamenon lusamenou  lusamenh~ lusamenou lusamenou  lusamenh~ lusamenou lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenon  lusamenhn lusamenon Plural Masculine              Feminine              Neuter lusamenoi    lusamenai   lusamena lusamenwn   lusamenwn   lusamenwn lusamenwn   lusamenwn   lusamenwn lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenou~  lusamena~  lusamena No doubt you recognize some of your old friends in the First Aorist Indicative Middle  that you met in the Present Active Indicative Middle. But, just as certainly, you also notice a newcomer, a stranger or two and if you did you are exactly correct.  Take a look at the Present Active Participle nominative singular of luw. Now take a look at the Aorist Middle Participle nominative singular of luw. Here they are for you to view: luomeno~ lusameno~ It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the difference. What’s old and what’s new? Everything is old except the two Greek letters  sa that take the place of the omicron in the Present Indicative Active Participle. Why are they in the Aorist Middle Participle and what do they tell us? I am pretty sure you have that wrapped up already, but I will just type it out anyhow. The sa give us two pieces of information. The s is the sign of the first aorist and the a is the connecting vowel between the aorist stem and the ending. Taken together as sa they are the tense formative (also known as the tense suffix), meaning they tell you that you are in the First Aorist. So, when you see sa as a tense formative (tense suffix) you can relax – your are in the First Aorist! A little syntax might be helpful here, but I think we should go ahead and get the form of the First Aorist Indicative Passive in our minds before we start tinkering with syntax. By this approach we will have all the parts of the puzzle before us and can, then, easily do our syntax rumble. First Aorist Indicative Passive Singular eluqhn eluqh~ eluqh Plural eluqhmen eluqhte eluqhsan Aorist Passive Participle Singular Masculine            Feminine          Neuter luqei~        luqeisa    luqen luqento~     luqeish~  luqento~ luqento~    luqeish~  luqento~ luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenta     luqeisan   luqen Plural Masculine         Feminine            Neuter luqente~   luqeisai    luqenta luqentwn   luqeiswn   luqentwn luqentwn   luqeiswn   luqentwn luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqenta~  luqeisa~   luqenta~ I am having a change of heart here. I think we better hammer out a little syntax for the First Aorist Participle before going into the Second Aorist. So, here is what we will do. First of all, look carefully at the first aorist indicative middle conjugation and then look at the first aorist middle participle declension.  We’ve already discovered the “sa” characteristic of the first aorist. Now, what is present and what is missing when you compare the first aorist middle participle with the first aorist indicative middle verb? If you said that the “e” is prefixed on the first aorist indicative middle verb but not on the first aorist middle participle you would be exactly correct. So, mark that difference; it is important. Of course, the endings of the verb and the participle are not the same. There is no need to repeat them here since you can just glance up the page to view them. Remembering all endings is essential, but not really difficult. You can spend some time memorizing them, but if you translate very often you will just absorb the endings appropriate to each part of speech. Skipping now to first aorist indicative passive verb and the first aorist passive participle we notice some thing unusual but not necessarily unexpected given the nature of the Greek language. What jumps right at you as you look at the verb and the participle?  Well, it’s not the endings, I am sure. They are old hat by now. How about the qh and qe? We’ve not seen them before in the aorist tense. To the point, they are the sign of the passive for both the first aorist tense and the future passive tense. We’ll get to the future passive tense later. For now, we will concentrate on the first aorist passive. Actually, the the tense sign for the first aorist passive is qe but it lengthens to qh under certain circumstances most of which you know and will recognize. Since we have set out thus far the present active, middle, and passive participles and the aorist active, middle, and passive participles, we ought to see how we use them. Not a bad idea since Greek texts would be decimated without them. A good place to begin is here: how do the participles relate to the rest of their sentence? You know that the participle has verbal and adjectival characteristics. We will begin with the verbal characteristic of the participle and work our way over to the adjectival characteristic. Then, we will see how all that works out in some sentences from the NT Greek text. First, the verbal aspect of the participle regarding time relationships. In English, we divide time into three categories: past, present, and future. In order to translate Greek into English, we need to know how the various participles expressing a time relationship translate into an English sentence that makes sense and conveys an accurate meaning of the Greek text.  So, we have some questions: what Greek participles translate into the English past tense? What Greek participles translate into the present tense? And what Greek participles translate into the future tense. To hone down our sense of these participles and time, we need to be aware of the influence of the Controlling Verb of the sentence. Now the Controlling Verb of the sentence is the main verb of the main clause. For example, While sleeping through class, the teacher discussed the one thing I didn’t know. (Now the participle is in a unique class here which we will talk about later but is no problem for the point concerning the Controlling Verb. By the way, the one sleeping is the student, not the teacher!) The Controlling Verb is “discussed”, the thing the teacher (the subject of the sentence did). The idea here is that I am sleeping while the teacher is discussing! What participle do you think best expresses that idea? What is the participle in our English example? Past, present, or future? Think of it this way – it may help! If the action of the participle occurs at the time of the main verb, even if the main verb is in the past (such as our English example), a present participle is used. If the action of the participle occurs before the time of the main verb, an aorist or perfect participle is used. If the action of the participle occurs after the time of the main verb, a future participle is used. This is a good spot to stop for this issue. You will notice in the conjugations and declensions that I did not specify person or case. There is madness in this method (I am quite sure you do not think there is method in this madness). But, go ahead anyway, and designate the pronouns throughout each conjugation and designate the name of each case throughout each declension and translate each of them into English. We will be with participles for awhile and should have a good time with them. God bless you and see you next time. Issue 6 – 2009 Hebrew Welcome to our study in Hebrew. Last time we took up weak verbs. In this issue we will continue to expand on the information we covered in the last issue. At this point in our study of Hebrew we will find the need to be meticulous and detailed in looking at the new material. That is not to say that the material will be difficult. It won’t. But, it will need to be carefully observed through out the conjugations. It will be very helpful to review in detail last issue. I do want to bring forward from the last issue the “names” of the weak verbs for easy reference. Here they are: Pe aleph Pe nun Pe yodh Pe waw Pe gutturals ‘Ayin yodh ‘Ayin waw ‘Ayin gutturals Double ‘ayin Lameth aleph Lameth he Lameth yodh Lameth waw Lameth gutturals Let’s see what the basic nomenclature of those “names” mean. For instance, pe aleph. In order to get these “names” properly understood we have to go to the three consonant system of the Hebrew verb. In the wisdom of the distant past among grammarians, it was determined that the three consonants in a Hebrew verb should be designated each by a Hebrew letter. Of course reading from left to right as Hebrew is wont to do, the first consonant was called by the letter p. The second consonant was called [. The third consonant was called l. Now, let’s do a little practice. Let’s take two or three weak verbs and apply the letters to the appropriate consonants and see why the “names” developed as they did. Ok. How about the pe aleph verbs. Based on the brief information I gave you about assigning Hebrew letters to each of the three consonants in a Hebrew verb, what would you expect the first letter to be in a pe aleph weak Hebrew verb? Make a run at it. Let me spell out a pe aleph verb. That should help a great deal in seeing why it is called pe aleph.  lk'a; In the sample word, what is the first Hebrew consonant? Ok. What is the Hebrew letter assigned by the grammarians to the first Hebrew consonant in the verb? Ok, if you said the first Hebrew consonant was aleph, you would be correct. Then, if you said the first Hebrew letter assigned to the first consonant was pe, you would be correct. You probably see where we are going with this. If you put the first consonant aleph with the Hebrew letter pe assigned to the first consonant in a Hebrew verb, you come up with what? Pe Aleph, of course. Pretty simple, isn’t it. I am pretty sure you had this in the crosshairs before I barely got started with the explanation. Go back to our sample Pe Aleph word lk'a; If the a is called pe in our word, what are k and l called? To unwind that riddle we go back to our grammarians of “yore”. Remember the letters l [ pì We have found and agreed that the a in our sample word is called pe.  So, following the order of the assigned letters to consonants in a Hebrew verb we have k called ‘ayin and l called lamed. Just so we get the idea of the Hebrew letters applied to their respective consonants in a Hebrew verb, let’s do another one. Let’s keep it simple, a virtual repeat of the first sample word. This time we will use a Pe Nun word. Now the Pe Nun verb is not exactly a weak verb by definition, but it does have a weakness with the Nun under certain circumstances, so I have included it here because of that reason.  We will use this Hebrew verb for our Pe Nun verb: vn'g; The first consonant is n The second consonant is g The third consonant is v What is the Hebrew letter assigned to each letter? What is the name of the verb? Since we are considering the n weak, the name is pe nun. Continue this sample a bit farther and label the g and the v with the proper Hebrew letter. We want to keep it simple for the time being. Look at the list of “names” above. We are going to skip from pe nun down to lamed aleph. It is important to remember at this point the letters and the order of the letters that the grammarians devised to label and name the verbs. The letters and order are: l[p The p is the Hebrew letter assigned to the first consonant. The [ is the Hebrew letter assigned to the second consonant The l is the Hebrew letter assigned to the third consonant The Hebrew verb as our sample for the lamed aleph verb is ax'm; Based on what we have discussed about the Hebrew letters assigned to the three consonants of the Hebrew verb, why do you suppose our word ax'm is called lamed aleph? What is the third consonant in our sample word? What Hebrew letter designates the third consonant of a Hebrew verb? I am going to anticipate the next two or three issues with an assignment at this point. The assignment is to identify in each of the following words the a [ h j r and determine what Hebrew letter should be assigned to each of  them. Keep in mind the three Hebrew letters l [ p and to what consonant each applies respectively in a Hebrew verb. Here are the Hebrew verbs to identify: µl'j; dm'[; µ['f; d['s; ht'v; hk;B; I think we have enough on our plate with this new material and assignment to close this issue. It is important to be able to identify each of the three consonants of the Hebrew verb with the Hebrew letters assigned to them and give them their proper name. God bless you and God willing we will be back together again for another go at Hebrew.   Issue 7 2009 July                                                        Return to top Christian Counseling Church History Colossians Women in Religious History Greek Hebrew Issue 7 2009 Christian Counseling     Hello beloved friends and fellow learners! Gracious indeed is our God, a graciousness so fully manifested in His love in Jesus Christ our Savior. Always and forever we are thankful for all His mercies of salvation through Jesus Christ. The last issue was focused largely on the behaviorism of John B. Watson. We will continue with his efforts to establish his theories by looking into the case of Little Albert. To begin with, let us notice some things about Little Albert. First of all, he had a name, but you will have a difficult to impossible time finding it. And this is the first point to make in behaviorism as a theory: dehumanizing of its subjects. Recall some of the quotations from Watson pertaining to mind, soul, control, and behavior. The entire process of the theory terminates in dehumanization of the individual. Little Albert is a perfect example of the ruthlessness of this theory taken to its extreme We don’t know a lot about Little Albert, known at the time as Albert B. and will at this point forward be his name reference for this issue. We do know that his mother was an employee at the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children but she apparently did not know that Watson was performing his experiments with her son. Albert B. was 8 months old when selected by Watson for his experimentation. Watson wanted to prove his theory about classical conditioning. He chose to pursue his effort based on individual fear which he held as an unconditioned response. (Please review the last issue to refresh your recollection as to the meaning and place of unconditioned response.) In order to proceed with his experiment, he had to prepare his subject, Albert B., for his role in the experiment. A number of items – animate and inanimate – were presented to Albert B. to solicit a response from him, particularly whether or not he exhibited innate fear of the items, among them were a white rat, a rabbit, a dog, a monkey, masks with and without hair, cotton, wool, and burning newspapers. He showed no fear at that time of their presentation.   About two months later, Watson began his experiment in earnest. Part of the paraphernalia and persons to execute the experiment were a room in which Albert B., resting on a mattress, would encounter again the various items mentioned above, an assistant who was stationed behind Albert B. ready on signal to strike with a hammer a suspended metal bar, and Watson and his assistant Rosalie Raynor. The experiment proceeded as follows: Initially, the assistant was to strike the metal bar three times on signal; the purpose each strike was to observe Albert B.’s response to the sudden and loud noise. Upon hearing the first loud noise, Albert B. flayed his arms slightly and showed surprise. With the second loud noise, Albert B.’s reaction was more intense, shaking and exhibiting nervous contractions. The third and final loud noise moved Albert  B. to cry and convulse somewhat. At this time the various items mentioned above were shown Albert B. who showed no fear at their appearance. When Albert B. was eleven months old, Watson resumed the experiment. This time he put Albert B. through a number of tests in which Albert B. was exposed to the loud noise and the white rat. Repeating this activity with the items mentioned above, Watson was satisfied that he had conditioned Albert B. to fear the various items on sight without the sound that previously he had not feared at all. In later years, Watson experimentation with Albert B. was determined to be unethical, if not immoral. No one knows where Albert B. has been over the years since those experiments nor whether or not he has suffered from fear and fear anxiety. His mother learned of the experiments and removed Albert B. from public notice. Exactly what Watson achieved and what is a continuing contribution in psychology is a matter of considerable debate. Some will hold that his experiments are a major contribution to psychology and behaviorism in particular. Others hold that the results of his experimentation are marginally useful and virtually irrelevant today. In the narrow sense he demonstrated that it was possible to condition a fear response into a child. In the larger sense his experiments contributed to and elaborated the principles of the theory of behavioristic psychology. Next issue we will continue with behaviorism and particularly with B.F. Skinner. As an assignment for research and contemplation, take the information presented here on the experiment with Albert B. and the information on Watson and behaviorism presented in the last issue and evaluate behaviorism both in its ethical values and its religious implications. Behaviorism is used extensively in many activities. As a continuation of the assignment, consider how you may be affected by the applied principles of behaviorism in the life choices you make and how you yourself, consciously or not, may be applying the principles of behaviorism in your responsibilities and associations. What concerns must a Christian have regarding the applied principles of behaviorism?   God bless you all. See you next issue, God willing.       Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory   Issue 7 2009 Church History Greetings dear brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and God His Father! Much we do not know and much we do not understand, but one thing we do know and have experienced in Jesus Christ is the eternal love of God our Father. In life, many things appear as mysteries in the course of time, but never is there mystery or doubt in His love for His saints, those who call upon His glorious name ! At the close of the first century the trail from the teaching of the Apostles is gradually and subtlely mixing with elements foreign to the Gospel of Jesus, almost on every point of truth. That is never more so than in the development of the hierarchy of the church toward the beginning of the second century and thereafter. The historical record is as if one record of development – the scriptural development – which is clear and well stated in the scriptures is suddenly fused with a record of organization and practice essentially unlike that of the scriptural record. Where did it come from? How did it rise to almost universal practice? In the past issues we have pointed out that influence of the Real Presence in the Lord’s Supper as a major, perhaps primary, impetus to the incipient development of the hierarchy of the early church. What seems so clear in the New Testament takes on connotation of authority and function not stated or inferred. But, as we look at the history of the church, we are nonetheless confronted with change in which cannot believe. We closed the last issue by indicating that we would study further the growth of the hierarchy of the church, recognizing, of course, by the time the hierarchy had begun to take form so also digression from the scriptural organization and function of leadership had begun to take form. What we discuss from this point on in the matter of church organization is essentially a record of digression. We must raise the issue of ordination if we are to understand the development of the hierarchy of the early church. The term “ordination” as used here is a bit of an anachronism but it does encapsulate the culmination of the historical basis of the hierarchy and, while anachronistic, not only characterizes in part the stages of the early development of the hierarchy but also points to it mature formation. It is a bit surprising to meet late first century Christians who are Bishops in a sense unlike those Bishops in the New Testament. Consider Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, who died in 107AD, who was the third Bishop in Antioch and, allegedly, a student of the Apostle John. The record of the 4th century church historian, Eusebius, is curious and somewhat astonishing as he reports that Ignatius was made Bishop and successor to Euvodius on the insistence of Peter and Paul. Once appointed as Bishop of the city, he served in that position for 40 years. Already, according the account of the historian Eusebius, even Peter and Paul are engaged in a practice contrary to scriptural teaching pertaining to Bishops in the church. Where is the congregational participation in the selection of a Bishop? And why a Bishop of the entire city? Also, there is no mention of a plurality of Bishops serving a single congregation in Antioch. Much is unstated in the account of the historian Eusebius which, in its silence, suggests to us that digression was so soon well underway even in a congregation served and sustained by so illustrious persons as Peter and Paul. Of course, I do not personally believe that Eusebius is correct in his assertion about the parts Peter and Paul had in the appointment of a single Bishop for an entire city. Clearly, these traditions attached to this practice that had so early gone awry so as to legitimate the digression to later generations. And here, we must be careful and fair in our judgments. It is entirely possible that these early Christians did not realize they were digressing or extrapolating the clear and simple teachings of the Apostles. Nonetheless, the damage was done. Here is a warning for all of us. Brethren at times move to the left or to the right of scripture and inaugurate practices that must seem to them useful and necessary, but nevertheless, hinder the truth and lead astray. Still, early on, we meet other prominent Christians who are Bishops in an unscriptural fashion. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, died a martyr’s death in 155AD, having been born, it is believed, in 69AD, well within the Apostolic age. Is it not difficult to imagine a single Bishop of Smyrna, a city so caught in the web of Apostolic history, so early in church history? We can ask the same questions of Polycarp that we can of Ignatius. How is there a single Bishop in Smyrna? Why no record of a plurality of Bishops in a single congregation? We are talking about cities – Antioch and Smyrna – that are prominent in the scriptural record of the Apostolic church. Like Ignatius, Polycarp is thought to have been a disciple of the apostles and one in particular, John the Apostle. And with Polycarp, we find his friend Papias who was the Bishop of Hierapolis. Now this city was in the shadow Colossae and Laodicea, prominent names in the scripture and, here, we have the record of a single Bishop over Hierapolis. Now I come to the last example of early Bishops of the late first and early second century church, Clement of Rome. And it is appropriate that we bring this particular selection of early Bishops to a conclusion with one who was not only the Bishop of a great ancient city but also the Pope of the entire church, according to its traditions, Clement of Rome. That tradition which leads us to Clement I is also the tradition that asserts that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome and a martyr there in AD 67 or 68. Following Peter in the Bishopric of Rome was Linus, a name, if not the same person, mentioned in a letter of Paul. The pedigree of Clement is solid, if true. Regardless of the correctness of a succession beginning with Peter, Clement is held in high esteem in the Catholic Church, having been canonized to Sainthood. Clement is probably best known in fact by his first epistle to the Corinthians toward the close of the first century, approximately 96AD. In part, the epistle throws light on the early separation and re-definition of the leadership positions in the church. In condemning the recent expulsion of the Presbyters (Elders) from the leadership of the Corinthian Church, he provides some insight into the continuing impetus from Apostolic teaching and the innovations of contemporary digression. Clearly, in the Corinthian Church, there were multiple Presbyters (Elders) along with Deacons. But, just as clearly, the leadership positions of Elder and Bishop had become separated in definition and function. So, you have a Bishop of Rome exhorting the brethren in Corinth about the sad disruptions of leadership by those expelling the recent plurality of Elders (Presbyters). And, as you will recall or notice on review of earlier issues, that Presbyter soon became Priest in the organizational nomenclature of the Catholic Church. Further, we readily see the extension of an incipient authority of the Bishop of Rome over the affairs and issues of another congregation in no way organically connected to Rome. This is the essence of the Papacy – control universally over the church. Although in began in good will and innocence, most likely, as we will see, vicissitudes both religiously and politically, enlarged the demands on the Bishop of Rome and the appetite of the Bishop of Rome for aggrandizement. Next issue we will continue with the organization of the hierarchy, the meaning of ordination and why, and the general affect of worship and praise upon the development of the hierarchy. Until next issue, God bless you all!                         Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory Issue 7 2009  Colossians Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father! Blessed indeed are we all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and Mediator and Advocate before God our Father. Let us continually join together in a great chorus of praise and thanksgiving for His mercies in Jesus Christ!   According to the expectations of the last issue we have concluded, sifted, and verified what we each believe is the meaning of the Epistle of Colossians. To arrive at a straightforward statement of the Epistle’s summary meaning is the result of a great deal of study, unitary analysis, comparative analysis, and assessment of all sources available to us.  But, our task is not yet complete.   As you recall from the issues dealing separately with Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and Discourse Analysis each Analysis had its nomenclature and definitions. The task now is to identify the compatibilities between the two Analyses that support the meaning of the Epistle to the Colossians and how the meaning of the Epistle is distributed through those compatibilities of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and Discourse Analysis.   To accomplish this task we will have to return to nomenclature and definitions important to each Analysis.   You will recall these terms- cohesion, coherence, syntax and semantics – and their meanings and applications.   And as structures in the analysis of the discourse concepts you will recall the terms macrostructure and microstructure. Take the opportunity of this issue to review these terms and how they apply in discourse analysis. The discussions that we had in earlier issues will be helpful here. Now we turn here to Socio-Rhetorical Analysis. You recall that the phrase Socio-Rhetorical Analysis combines three broad interests: Socio:  the cultural – social – political milieu of any selected people in any given time; Rhetorical: methods and purposes of communication; Analysis: systematic approach to truth, knowledge and understanding. Further, we have the purpose or goal of three rhetorical usages: Deliberative rhetoric Forensic rhetoric Epideictic rhetoric If you do not recall the discussion we had on those rhetorical usages, please take the time to return to early issues where the discussion is found. In a formal sense each of these rhetorical usages – deliberative, forensic, and epideictic – is elaborated into an epistle through a formal arrangement of topics that accommodate the meaning of the discourse of the epistle. There, of course, is always the danger that the  topics of the particular usage may be imposed on the discourse, thus, distorting or, perhaps, obliterating the meaning of the discourse of an epistle. A standard rhetorical sequence compatible with a discourse was the following Latin words: Exordium Narratio Argumentatio     Propositio     Refutatio Peroratio And in Paul’s letters add: Epistolary Prescript Epistolary Postscript Please review the issue that discusses these topics and their application. In the next issue we will raise the question of Attic and Asianic canons of rhetoric as they may or may not apply to our present understanding of the compatibilities of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and Discourse Analysis in our analysis of the Epistle of Colossians. Also, it will be useful for us to research the tendencies of the different mindsets of the Roman and Greek culture and society to determine if there is any essential difference in the organization and presentation of a discourse and the content and standards of truth derived from the Roman and Greek mindsets. In the meantime, please refresh your recollection of all the nomenclature and definitions of Socio-Rhetorical Analysis and Discourse Analysis. God bless you all.                                                   Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory Issue 7 July 2009 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! How great is the brotherhood of the saints in Christ Jesus! We who call upon the Name of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ are in return called upon to serve Him with all the gifts that He has graciously bestowed upon His Church. Where would our hope be without the blessed sacrifice of the Lord Jesus in our behalf? To re-word a famous past American president, “All that we are or hope to be, we owe to our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.” Egypt is far more an important country than most of us imagine. Even to this very day, Egypt is a key and indispensible player in the hopes for peace in the Near East. But, Egypt’s influence in the world did not start with President Jimmy Carter and the Camp David Accords between Sadat and Begin and the Israel and Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979. No, Egypt has been on the world scene before the time of recorded history. That is a long time ago! We cannot go into the history of Egypt, but it is a profound history from its beginning. Long before Israel became Israel and the Kingdom of Israel under Saul became the Kingdom of Israel, Egypt had traded, fought, and possessed territories up and down the Levant and the Fertile Crescent for centuries. Right up to the time of its conquest during the period of the Roman Republic, Egypt was always a power to be reckoned with. Even after the conquest of Egypt by the Roman Republic, there were times when Roman arms had to bring to bear its great military superiority. Finally, with the consolidation of the Mediterranean world under Augustus Caesar and his successors, Egypt entered into a period of acquiescence and useful interaction with Rome. There is no doubt that contemporary Egypt radiates great attraction to tourists wishing to glimpse the glory of its past. Undoubtedly, we think of the enduring majesty and awe of the Pyramids when we think of the greatness of Egypt. But, that is only one, albeit a most impressive feature of the Egyptian historical landscape, of the attractions not only to tourists but also to scholars of virtually every field of historical investigation. Ancient Egypt was a world power, a participant in the molding and making of history, culture, and society fully worthy of our study time and I hope that each of us will take a little time to dig into the glory and greatness of Ancient Egypt. But, for our purposes in this study, we must narrow our concerns and focus on Ancient Egypt and the histories of the relations of the Egyptians, Jews and the Christians and more specifically, the place and influence of women in the religions of Egypt. To create the proper setting for our study of the place and influence of women in the religions of Egypt, we should first discuss aspects of the place and influence of women in the history, culture, and society of Egypt generally. This will require a glance at the history of Egypt itself. It is probably difficult for American readers to get themselves around the historical time span of Egypt. Remember that just a few years ago we Americans celebrated our 200th birthday as a nation with great pageantry and theater. On the stage of the history of nations we are but a blink in time, a speck on the canvas of human activity. We seem especially so when we realize that Egypt was unified as a kingdom as far back as the fourth millenium BC. That is 3000 BC something! Most scholars of that period place the process of unification of Egypt as taking place between 3400 – 3100 BC. Cornwallis surrendered in 1781 AD to the American general George Washington and the French general de Rochambeau during the Siege of Yorktown. So, there is about 5000 years of Egyptian history compared to 200 plus years of American History. The important upshot of this is that the ancient Egyptians had a far longer time to work out their social, political, and economic issues than we. And it will be surprising how advanced ancient Egyptians were in the views prevailing toward women and their roles in Egyptian society compared to the roles of women in the history of American society. Think of it: American women were not allowed by the US Constitution to vote until 1920 AD! The US Constitution was amended to read, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."  Thousand of years before this amendment to the US constitution, women in ancient Egypt had ruled as Pharaohs over the Kingdom of Egypt, a most notable one and the last was Cleopatra, a subject of many books and moves, the most exceptional of which starred Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. Amazing contrast of roles and attitudes! So, what do we find concerning women in ancient Egypt? First, there is a great disparity favoring women in Egypt when compared to women in the western cultures, Greece and Rome, and even in other middle east states. Herodotus the Greek historian wrote, “...but the Egyptians themselves, in most of their manners and customs, exactly the reverse the common practices of mankind. For example, the women attend the markets and trade, while the men sit at home and weave at the loom...” Second, after the beginning of the unification Southern and Northern Kingdoms of Egypt in 3150BC, a woman, MeritNit, was Queen in the First Dynasty of United Egypt. Third, in the 4th dynasty, a woman, Khentykaues I, ruled as king. Fourth, following on, many women rose to ruling authority and, as we mentioned above, culminating in the final female Pharaoh, Cleopatra. Fifth, women appear to have the same rights in economic and legal matters. Sixth, women participated in a wide range of social, economic, and legal activities. Women could own property along with slaves, servants, and livestock. Women could enter into contracts, appear in court for adjudication of their claims, they could marry and divorce, and a multitude of other independent feminine actions not permitted to women generally around the Mediterranean basin. Seventh, of course, women could enter into marriage and rear children. Marriage in Egyptian society was unlike marriage in many other ancient societies. Women, again, had strong independent prerogatives in marriage. While the whole palette of marriage and family in ancient Egypt is both fascinating and instructive, we simply don’t have time to go further into that subject. I do urge you to read further in this area of ancient Egypt. There are some surprising practices that are either illegal today or repugnant to most social sensitivities, such as brothers and sisters marrying one another. With this side glance to the Egyptian society and the place of women in it, we must now turn to the main point of this issue, the role of women in ancient Egyptian religion. The roles of women in the religions of ancient Egypt begin to clarify from the haze of the time of the Protodynastic period (5000-3100BC) and the first two dynasties known as the Early Dynastic Period (down to 2686BC) into the period of the Old Kingdom (2686 BC – 2134 BC, dates somewhat disputed.) The Old Kingdom is one of three major periods of cultural and social achievements in Lower Egypt, the area in and around the Nile Delta where the Nile enters the Mediterranean Sea. The other two major periods of cultural and social achievements are the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. Much that is elaborated into complex religious forms in the New Kingdom had their beginning in the Protodynastic Period and developed and emerged into the historical record over time. We will meet names and places and practices that have a strange ring to our ears and minds, but, to keep it relative to our Biblical concerns, Joseph, Moses and the Israelites during the period of their sojourn and enslavement in Egypt must surely have been acquainted with much of what we will discuss and Joseph and Mary during their sojourn in Egypt must surely, also, known of the current Egyptian religious practices . We will conclude this issue’s discussion of the role of women in ancient Egyptian religion with those thoughts and begin the next issue with the details of those roles. God bless you all.                                                    Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory   Issue 7 July 2009   Dear Sister and Brothers, great is our God who reigns over time and universe and eternity. His love and mercy for us who are sinners are beyond our comprehension and, for that reason, we respond by faith and obedience, not by intellectual sophistication and logical insights. He speaks! We believe! He commands! We perform! He summons! We go! Glory to our God forever through Jesus Christ our Lord!   Some issues ago, we took up the question of accentuation in Greek sentences. Undoubtedly, you have noticed that I did not place any accent on any word in the last issue and some issues before. I think it is best not to have too many details, as important as they may be, to absorb at once. If we know why the verb forms we have discussed in the recent and distant past are spelled the way they are and if we know why declensions are both similar and different and why conjugations are both similar and different, and if we are beginning to sense the variety of uses of the verbs in various contexts, not knowing at any given moment where an accent goes is not the worse thing that can happen to a Greek student. But, now, we will take go at the accents a bit before we pick up with more progress in participles. It is simple and just a few rules to know.   We recognize the acute, grave, and circumflex accents, so no need to illustrate them here. We will see them as we apply them to the words.   I think we should mention that accents often carried a change of pitch in the voice of the ancient Greek. We don’t know what that change was so we can’t replicate it. Instead, we use accents for emphasis. With accents we are primarily concerned about the presence of three syllables in a Greek word – the last, the next to last, and the second from last. Now, you know this from earlier study and you also know that each of these last three syllables has a designation. The last syllable is the ultima, the next to last syllable is the penult, and the second from last syllable is the antepenult.   Now, we know that there are Greek words with two syllables and more so we have to know where the accents go – ultima, penult, or antepenult - and what kind of accent – acute, circumflex, or grave. Here are some beginning and simple rules to keep in mind: if the last syllable is long, the acute accent falls of the penult. if the last syllable is short, the acute accent falls on the antepenult Question: when is a syllable long? When it contains a long vowel or a diphthong. When is a syllable short? When it does not have a long vowel or a diphthong.   Next question: what is a short and long vowel and what is a diphthong? I realize we have covered this material several issues earlier but to expedite this issue, I will repeat the gist of it all here.   First, let's set out the Greek vowels, short and long. They are:   a e h i o u w   Just in case, I will give the Greek word for each letter. a alpha e epsilon h eta i iota o omicron u upsilon w omega   h and w are always long; e and o are always short; h is the long form of e w is the long form of o   Let’s go ahead and come to the diphthongs in Greek. After that, we will apply our accents according to the rules above and see where we wind up.   Keep in mind that a diphthong is two vowels combined so as to give one sound instead of two sounds. Take a look at the Greek diphthongs:   ai au ei ou eu hu ui oi   Each letter in each of these diphthongs has a separate sound and could be pronounced separately; however, in the diphthong each letter loses its individuality and blends with the other letter. Ok. What are the new sounds? ai same as ai in aisle au same as ou in house ei same as a as in late (also pronounced as i as in ice.) ou same as ou in group eu same as eu in feud hu same as eu in feud (for all practical purposes) ui same as the word we oi same as oi in oil   With these thoughts in mind, I am going to put you out on the end of a limb, but I will not saw it in two. That’s for you to do. So, here’s what we will do for the rest of this issue. We will take some of the forms that we mentioned in the last issue, reproduce them here, and for the rest of the issue, ask that you study each word and determine as best you can with the information that you have, where the proper accent is placed on the proper syllable. Hey, this can be great fun and good practice also. So, here are the words:   Aorist Indicative Middle   Singular elusamhn elusw elusato   Plural elusameqa elusasqe elusanto   First Aorist Indicative Middle Participle   Singular   Masculine            Feminine            Neuter lusameno~  lusamenh   lusamenon lusamenou  lusamenh~ lusamenou lusamenou  lusamenh~ lusamenou lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenw/   lusamenh/   lusamenw/ lusamenon  lusamenhn lusamenon   Plural   Masculine              Feminine              Neuter lusamenoi    lusamenai   lusamena lusamenwn   lusamenwn   lusamenwn lusamenwn   lusamenwn   lusamenwn lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenoi~  lusamenai~  lusamenoi~ lusamenou~  lusamena~  lusamena   First Aorist Indicative Passive   Singular   eluqhn eluqh~ eluqh   Plural   eluqhmen eluqhte eluqhsan     Aorist Passive Participle   Singular   Masculine            Feminine          Neuter luqei~        luqeisa    luqen luqento~     luqeish~  luqento~ luqento~    luqeish~  luqento~ luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenti      luqeish/    luqenti luqenta     luqeisan   luqen   Plural   Masculine         Feminine            Neuter luqente~   luqeisai    luqenta luqentwn   luqeiswn   luqentwn luqentwn   luqeiswn   luqentwn luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqeisi     luqeisai~  luqeisi luqenta~  luqeisa~   luqenta~   Ok! There they are! All those lovely conjugations and declensions without their Sunday bonnets (aka Greek accents!). As a special designer of Greek, your task and, I hope, pleasure is to put the final touches on those conjugations and declensions now by distributing the proper accent on the proper syllable of each word listed. I have a feeling you know exactly where the accents go for each word and will have little difficulty.   Next issue, we will review accents in more detail and, then, move on further into syntax and semantics.   God bless you all.                                    Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory   Issue 7 July 2009   Hello everyone! May God’s richest blessings rest upon you and your family. May God open doors for you in His service wherever you are. All praise and glory be to God the Father, Christ the son, and the Holy Spirit!   Let’s kick off this issue in Hebrew with a conjugation we met in last issue. Here it is:   Qal Perfect   Singular dm'[;    He stood hd;m][: T;d]m'[;' T]d]m'[; yTid]m'[;   Plural   Wdm][: µT,d]m'['} ÷T,d]m'['} Wnd]m'[;   Qal Imperfect   Singular Imperfect   dmo[}y' dmo[}T' dmo[}T' ydim]['T' dmo[Ôa,   Plural Imperfect Wdm]['y' hn;d]mo[}T' Wdm]['T' hn;d]mo[}T' dmo[}n'   The first question: what do we call this conjugation? Take a look at the list of weak verb designation from the past two issues.  What do you see? What should you call this conjugation?   If you said, “Pe Guttural” you would be correct. But, why? What is there about this verb that it should be called Pe Guttural?   Having determined that, take the time to speak aloud each conjugated form and its meaning. Do this about three times before proceeding to the next paragraph.   Now, compare this pe guttural verb with the conjugation of a strong verb. What is similar and different between the two conjugations? Do you know why? If not, review the previous issues and refer to a textbook that you may have available.   We are going to move along at this time to another weak verb. To start, I will not tell you what it is called so try to determine that for yourself from the information that we studied thus far pertaining to weak verbs. Also, to spice up the action, I am not indicating tense, number or person. So, you see that we have 4 sections in this conjugated verb. The first two sections are of the same tense; the second two sections are of another tense. Indicate the tense, number and person of each section. And, for kickers, translate each form in it proper tense, number, and person. You can do this! If in doubt, review some of the earlier material we have covered or check out your textbook. You should have no trouble with this.   Here we go:   fj'v; hf;j}v; T;f]j'v; Tf]j'v; yTif]j'v;   Wfj}v; µT,f]j'v] ÷T,f]j'v] Wnf]h'v;   fh'v]yi fj'v]Ti fj'v]Ti yfij}v]Ti fj'v]a,   Wfh}v]yi hn:f]h'v]Ti Wfj'}v]Ti hn:f]h'v]T fj'v]ni   Ok. Here is another assignment well within your reach. Compare the two weak verb conjugations presented in this issue. What do you see that is similar and different in the conjugations? Why are they similar in some places and different in others.   Ok. Again, why do we find this little character     }   uunder some Hebrew letters and not under others? Why do you see that character in different places in the two weak verb conjugations?  By the way, what is the name of that little character and why is it used instead of this character   ] Now, pick a strong verb of your choice in the Qal perfect and Qal imperfect, conjugate it and explain why you don’t use this character in the conjugation     }   These assignments will keep you involved in your Hebrew until next issue. But I will tag one more assignment here: select other pe guttural and ‘ayan guttural verbs from your textbooks or lexicon and conjugate them. Do at least three of those very types each. Should be enjoyable!   God bless you! See you next issue!                 Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory     Theological University of America                                                                                        info@theologicaluofa.com Dr. William Denton: “CrossTies Devotionals”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/18924                                                   “Real Bible Study 4 Kids”  at this link: http://www.lulu.com/content/267194 Dr. Phil Sanders: "Adrift: Postmodernism in the Church" at this link:            http://stores.homestead.com/GospelAdvocateCompany/Detail.bok?no=111                           "Let All The Earth Keep Silence" at this link: http://www.starbible.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=193&osCsid=0c5f71ff6aa8b3f45d57222728d52d1c Dr. Daniel H. King Sr: Hebrew and Hellenistic Thought in the Book of Wisdom We Have a Right,  Responsibility and Authority in the Spiritual Realm At the Feet of the Master Teacher Commentary on the Gospel of John Commentary on the Epistles of John Commentary on the Book of Hebrews The Days of Creation, Searching for Happiness? Ezekiel all of Dr. King's books at this link: https://www.akcart.com/truthcart/products.aspx  Enter author's last name in Search space at the lower left hand side of this site to view these books Dr. Donald Givens: Storms of Life: A Commentary on Ecclesiastes at this link:                                                                       www.amazon.com search keywords: "storms of life, don givens" Dr. Gary Hampton:  The following books at this website http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Christ is Superior: A Study of the Letter to the Hebrews                                               Developing Patient Determination (1-2 Peter)                                                                       God's Way to Right Living In the Beginning (Genesis) Letters To Young Preachers Practical Christianity: The Letter of James, Brother of our Lord Strengthening the Temple of God: A Study of I Corinthians That You May Know (Letters of John and Jude) The Earliest Christians: A Study of the Acts of the Apostles The Sufficiency of Christ When God Ruled Israel (Joshua and Judges) Unseen Hand This book available from http://www.publishingdesigns.com/ Teresa Hampton The following books available from http://www.publishingdesigns.co  Leading Ladies  Come to the Garden The following books available from  http://www.hesterpublications.com/ Illuminating Shadows Jesus and His Relationship with Women Let the Little Children Come (Co-Author) Stephen M. McQueen: You Can You Know You Can at this link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-I-Know/dp/1412054206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226464690&sr=1-2    BLOGS James Chaisson Blog Learn New Testament Greek - http://www.learnntgreek.org/index.php An excellent blog for discussion, study, and research. Brother Chaisson is  doing a fine work. RESOURCES Lewis A. Armstrong Christian Resources - http://www.christianresources.i8.com  Christian resources for all your church of Christ related resources for online research. This site supports the needs of the brotherhood for easily finding internet resources. Brother Armstrong is for former librarian for the Libraries and Archives for Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.                                             Dr. Gary Hampton Biographical Information Gary C. Hampton has been preaching since 1968 and has done work in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Mobile, Alabama; Valdosta, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee.  He is now serving as the director of the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with a B. A. in Bible in 1976, received his M. A. (1996) and PhD. from Theological University of America (2006).  Hampton has 18 books in print and has written for The World Evangelist, The Voice of Truth International and the Gospel Advocate.  He has preached in 25 states and done mission work in 5 foreign countries.  Gary and his wife Teresa have two children, Nathan and Tabitha.                                           Teresa Hampton Biographical Sketch                                                              Teresa Hampton has spoken to women across the U.S., Canada, and Scotland.  She has written four study books for women: Illuminating Shadows, Leading Ladies, Come to the Garden, and Jesus and His Relationship to Women.  She coauthored Let the Little Children Come, a three-year complete curriculum for Vacation Bible School, and is currently working on another book. She also writes and sends a devotional e-letter called Wellspring. Teresa is married to Gary C. Hampton. She and Gary have two children, Nathan and Tabitha. In the summer of 2006, Gary was named director of East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions, in Knoxville, TN. Gary and Teresa reside in Knoxville, TN, and work with ETSPM under the oversight of Karns Church of Christ.      Please click here to return to Volume II Directory INTRODUCING  NEWSLETTER EVANGELISM BY GLENN DAVIS                             Introduction To Newsletter Evangelism        How many of us remember the 1950's and 60's and all the evangelism and growth going on then?  Today most congregations are declining and going out of existence!  The Christian Chronicle recently did a series of articles under the title of “Are We Growing?”   A summary of the series concluded that for the most part, we are not growing!  That means precious souls are being lost on a daily basis and congregations are being lost on a yearly basis.            It doesn’t have to be this way.  I personally use an extremely effective form of evangelism that will work for any person or congregation that uses it.  If every congregation in the brotherhood used it, we would become the fastest growing church on the planet.           What is this method?  I call it newsletter evangelism.  It involves passing out a series of about 25 different newsletters to homes in your area by church members who volunteer to have “paper-routes” of the size of their choosing, for about a 3 month period.  After passing out the series of newsletters, members then go into the community and meet these fine people, which becomes an enjoyable, warm, welcoming experience.           By first distributing these newsletters over a short period of time, people get to know of the congregation through these newsletters and form a very favorable impression of the church through the newsletters.  When someone finally shows up to their home, they will find that these neighbors have already welcomed your congregation into their homes many times over and have enjoyed your company while not yet having met one of your members.           The church is transformed from a group in the community that didn’t have much of a favorable rating to a group that now has about a 90% favorable rating, thanks to the newsletters.  When follow-up work is then done, it is done in a very enjoyable environment, rather than a more hostile, unpleasant one.  This makes personal evangelism a successful and fun experience.           No one enjoys doing things that they are not successful at and is not fun to do.  After using this approach prior to starting any evangelism effort, success and fun can once again be a part of personal evangelism in each and every congregation!           ContactGlenn Davis and he can give you more details on how you can get started doing newsletter evangelism.  It is now being taught at major preaching schools and bible colleges and universities.  You, too, can benefit from this wonderful approach to personal evangelism.                                                           Telephone:  (714) 523-2435 Email:  newsletterevangelism@yahoo.com                                                                                                                             Theological University of America IMPORTANT NOTE  I hope you will join us in the use of this Free Religious Study Journal. However, if you do not want to receive this journal, please indicate your decision and the state of your residence (or country if not in US) by using the following e-mail address: admin@theologicaluofa.com                                                                                    Return to Vol. 2 July 2009 Directory