Artisanal Bible Study

So what is artisanal Bible Study? It’s something I read somewhere. Can’t remember where – but it got my attention. Sounded interesting.

And that’s what things in this category are about. It’s not “traditional” study, where we go through the grammar and other scholastic stuff like that.

Instead, it’s about the culture of the time – because we’re just not living in anything like what the world was like in Biblical times. We can’t really relate to what the Bible says unless we can walk in the shoes – or sandals – or bare feet – of the people we’re reading about.

And it’s about Hebrew and Greek word meanings. Their language was so much richer than ours today. We try to cram in the single best word scholars can come up with. The scholars and translators have to do that, otherwise the Bible will be way too long. No one would read it.
And yet, by making those choices, we lose so much of what transpired. We lose nuances. We lose idioms. We get such a watered down version that we don’t really understand the impact of what was said.
In one case, we read of Paul calling his pre-conversion life as anything from a waste of time to rubbish. But what he actually said was about something we’d sit on the toilet for today. Since we’re comparing his pre and post conversion life and beliefs – that’s a difference we should know about!

So that gives you the flavor of what’s going on here. Verses and passages that we probably know. But in a whole new light. A light that will, I pray, give us a better understanding of why Christianity, as we call it today, was so exciting to the early church! They risked their lives for “The way” as it was know then. But today we have a hard time even getting to church on Sundays. Obviously, something’s different. It’s not God. It’s us. And we’ve got to get “it” back!

Is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of the Father or the Spirit of the Son

Is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of the Father or the Spirit of the Son

Artisanal Bible Study

Who is the Holy Spirit? Is He the Spirit of the Father? Or maybe the Spirit of the Son? Does it matter? And is it “who” or “what”? So many questions! And it’s tempting to just ignore them. Or assume they don’t really matter. Just call it/him the Spirit of God and be done with it. And yet, the Holy Spirit is one of the three “persons” of God. And so, it is important to know what we can about Him.

Is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of the Father or the Spirit of the Son More

Was casting lots really used to determine God's will?

Was casting lots really used to determine God’s will?

Artisanal Bible Study

Was casting lots really used to determine God’s will? Yes, it was really done. Before we assume this is like playing the dice in Vegas, we need to put ourselves back in time. Back to Biblical times. When God interacted more directly with His people. And dare I say, when God’s people interacted more directly with Him. So before we cast dispersions on the practice of casting lots, let’s look back.

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On this rock Part 2 - Justice and Love to the Ancient Ones

On this rock Part 2 – Justice and Love to the Ancient Ones

On this rock

It’s time to look at Justice and Love to the Ancient Ones. Remember, the ancient ones created our species. We had a lot to learn. Justice was important to the ancient ones, so they wanted us to share the same feeling about it. But justice, by itself, can be just as brutal as a world with no justice. And so, the ancient ones also taught us about love. But, it was a slow process.

On this rock Part 2 – Justice and Love to the Ancient Ones More

Is COVID in the Bible?

Is COVID in the Bible?

Artisanal Bible Study, COVID and Lamentations

Is COVID in the Bible? Not directly. However, there are parallels from certain viewpoints. One way to look at it is through the book of Lamentations. What can we learn about COVID from Lamentations? I believe we can learn a lot. If we want to. Lamentations is an Old Testament book about how the Israelites reacted to being defeated, having their homes and cities totally destroyed, and then either being in captivity in their homeland or being exiled to the land of their conqueror. Sounds pretty bad, right? Lamentations was a look at how the people reacted to those events. Reactions like anger. Blame. Self-pity.

Is COVID in the Bible? More

How did Judas die

How did Judas die? Did he really hang himself?

Artisanal Bible Study, Circumstances around Judas' death

How did Judas die? Falling into a field or hanging himself? Huh? How can there possibly be any question about Judas’ manner of death if the choices are that he either fell into a field or hung himself? Besides, everyone knows Judas hung himself. Didn’t he? And yet, both are presented in the Bible! It seems we have another investigation into the life of this ignominious person. Judas. The betrayer of Jesus.

How did Judas die? Did he really hang himself? More

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