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!
Did Judas return the thirty pieces of silver to Jewish leaders? Well, yes. Sort of. But it’s more a question of did the Jewish leaders accept the thirty pieces of silver? More so, what did they do with the silver Judas tried to return? And of course, why do these seemingly minor detailed questions even matter?
Did Judas return the thirty pieces of silver to Jewish leaders? More
Was Judas present for the Last Supper? This isn’t meant to be a trick question, but it might turn into one. So, I’ll give you a hint. The Last Supper was an event that tied together the Passover ceremony of the Old Testament with Communion in the New Testament. One was the Old Covenant. The other was the New Covenant. So, the question is really about whether Judas was present for that event. The Passover celebration. And, as it turns out, what we could call the first Communion.
Was Judas present for the Last Supper? More
Even a lot of non-Christians know about Judas. He’s the guy who betrayed Jesus. An act that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Something that had to happen. The crucifixion, that is. Without it, there’s no payment for our sins, no salvation, no resurrection, and no eternity in Heaven. So it’s all a really big deal.
But how much do we Christians really know about the events surrounding Judas’ death? And why does it even matter if we know or not?
The problem of the circumstances surrounding Judas’ death More
Lots of people know the story of the Prodigal Son. Even many non-Christians. But what of his brother? In Luke’s Gospel, the parable of the Prodigal (lost) Son is 22 verses. Only five of them are about the “other” brother. I can’t help but wonder though …
