Of Laughing Clowns and Smiling Saints

I have been captivated of late by the very notion that the Most High God is interested in every aspect of my life. I think that at times I have seen God as a serious problem solver kind of person because I only go to him because of my troubles. Over Christmas I was able to spend time with Barb's family. We all get along really well together. Bev, her sister, and Kurt, Bev's husband, are really easy to talk to and I really feel that they are a huge support to our lives here in California. Bev and Kurt's two children, Lillian and Conrad, are so much fun to be around. Making up games with the kids and laughing into the late night with Bev and Kurt, while thinking about God being interested in every aspect of my life, really made me see that God is not just interested in my stepping through the church doors or cracking open my maroon covered Bible. He delights in me. He has this outrageous fascination with me. And when I put all of this in the first person it has much more of an effect than saying, "God loves the world. God loves all of us." No, I must say to myself, "Jason, God loves you. And when I say 'love' I mean with the same fun and dangerous love that you share for your family."

My pastor and friend, G. Prince Altom, gave me a few books to look at as we are planning a mid-week night of ministry of the Word and Prayer. One of those books is "Prayers for the Domestic Church," which exalts the place of the home as a major influence of the life of the church-goer. After reading in Scripture I took up the book and browsed again the table of contents. I came upon one that captivated me. It is in poetry style but I'll include it here in prose.

"Father and God of Fools, Lord of Clowns and Smiling Saints, we rejoice that You are a God of laughter and tears. Blessed are You, for You have rooted within us the gifts of humor, lightheartedness and mirth. With jokes and comedy, You cause our hearts to sing as laughter rolls out from us.

"We are grateful that Your Son, Jesus, the master of wit, daily invites us to be fools for Your sake, to embrace the madness of Your prophets, holy people and saints. We delight in that holy madness which becomes medicine to heal the chaos of the cosmos since it calls each of us from the humdrumness of daily life into joy, adventure and, most of all, into freedom.

"We, who so easily barter our freedom for illusions of honor and power, are filled with gratitude that Your Son, by His life, has reminded us to seek only love, the communion with each other and with You, and to balance honor with humor..."

So, I say this as I type, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, who invites us to become holy fools."

The Lord be with you.

Good novels and good stories start in the middle. Every story, like every person, has it's own history. Mine is not unlike anyone else's as I've tried to get a clearer understanding of who I am, how God created Jason to be and how I am to live that out. I live it out not so that I can show the triumphal spirit of man, but to show that God is beautiful and just and is madly interested in me. Those early days can sometimes be romanticised or even idolized, but I must not kid myself--those days were hard and those were the days of my slavery. God has come to me and his has delivered me. He has delivered me from more than hell and he is giving me more than heaven.
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Sordid Romantic Literature

Ah, yes, romantic literature. It has never quite caught on in my mind. I always pass them up at Wal-Mart and Target and every other book spot I go. I just don't get a thrill out of seeing a cartoonish half-shirted male holding a gumby like damsel as if they are in the dip part of a Salsa dance. However, today I decided to read Song of Solomon in the Bible. Wow! Now that's inspired Scripture! I've been asking myself lately, "Do I believe that God is in love with me?" I must say that most of the time I am quite disinterested in my life, so why should God be any different, but I think that the fact that he is God makes him different. Anyway, there is much to say about this but my computer screen is fogging up. Read it and see.

365 more days to go

Happy New Year's to you and yours.

I know that right about now we are all learning more and more about the tsunami in south east Asia. We are all caught by the destruction, which I will not mention here for I know that we have seen it on video tape over and over. NASA provided some interesting photos from space, which makes we wonder why NASA was watching Indonesia anyway and who else are they watching. I'm not a conspiracy guy, but I just wonder.

It's confusing at times watching television. I can do from seeing the tsunami to a football bowl game to a cartoon to a cooking show to a shop-at-home program in just 5 seconds. That's a wide range of emotion to cover, yet we do it again. With everyday life we don't get that flux of emotion. If someone pisses us off in our family or at work we have to deal with it and wouldn't necessarily go play a board game, yet we do that with television. I wonder if that makes us less likely to believe that what we see is actually real. I don't know.

Jesus Cupcakes

Lilly is my niece. She is beautiful. She is smart. She, of course, is my new best friend. I'm going to miss her as Barb and I leave Missouri and head back to California. Barb, Lilly and I went to the play park and played hide-n-seek for about an hour. She's quite sly for a three year old. I'm sure she will get a scholarship to an Ivy League school. She might even have scouts now.

Family has become more and more important to me as I have been spending most of my twenties away from family in Mississippi and now my extra family in Missouri and Texas. I'm looking forward to starting a family of my own and laughing at my kids.

My other niece, Amy, who is now twenty gave birth to her son, Max about nine months ago. Michael, my other brother, and his wife, Amber, will be having a child in about three months. The Elder clan is expanding. I think that I've excelled at uncle and am getting the hang at being a great-uncle and now I think I might, just might be ready for a shot a being in the majors--fatherhood. I think that working at a hotel and Starbucks has prepared me a lot for that--yes, that was just a grande cup of sarcasm.

On Christmas day here we all made birthday cakes for Jesus--cupcakes with icing and sprinkles. And after that Barb, Liily and I gathered around the ole upright piano (or umpaphone as Lilly calls it--okay, she is meaning to call in a xylaphone, which in her mind is a piano) and sang songs. Lilly made up a few new songs: "Jesus loves the little man," set to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb." Let's see, ah, yes, the clincher, "Jesus Cupcakes." Sing along, now, "Jesus Cupcakes, Jesus Cupcakes, Jesus Cupcakes, Yeah!"

Well, I'm off to play with flying tractors.

J

strawberries and monkeys

One of the things I really enjoy is listening to someone yell a tale, or even a story from their own life. A particular person can take a run of the mill kind of thing and just make your day. Bil Smith, or One L Bill as his fellow dormies used to call him, was one of those kinds of people. He could take a trip to Taco Bell in Marin City be a limelight event. My uncle, Windel, can do the same thing. I never get tired of hearing him or my dad tell me of the time my Papaw Elder and his brothers got in a fight at a saw mill and about the time when I think one of Papaw's brothers got into the sauce and jumped on a mule and pulled its tail up to its ears. Hmm.

Well, the other night here on Birch Avenue Bill Dorsy, a long-time neighbor and acquaintance of Barb's family came over. His brother lives in the EastBay and so we were able to talk about the California scenery, the coast and bits of Oregon. He is a large man especially after being wrapped up for sub-freezing temperature. He was very precise and calm with his measure of speaking. Somehow we got on the topic of him working freight. Oh, we were talking about the fresh vegetables and fruit that comes from the valley of California. Apparently Bill had worked for an air freight company in the MidWest.

One day they received a freight from California. The first half was full of strawberries and the second half was filled with monkeys. It was 95 degrees where he was unloading the freight. Bill said, "MMM, when you opened that door all you could smell were those fresh California Valley strawberries. And then the wind whipped around and you caught the monkeys. The strawberries were headed to the MidWest for the market and the monkeys were headed to Chicago for the polio vaccine. It made you quite hesitant to eat another strawberry or to pet another monkey."

The cold, cold Midwest

Barb and I are "home" for Christmas. We are spending this Christmas with her family in the house and town that she grew up in, Plattsburg, Missouri. It is good to get away from work and such and get a better perspective on things, especially life and my living of it. I have much to mull over and have already found myself discovering my weakest points. I left California with several details undone and have had to spend some of this time patching things up and send an apology email to a friend whose reputation was compromised with a neighbor because of my lack of follow through on a donated vehicle. Details--my achilles, and by being my achilles it often becomes the achilles of others I work with from day to day. This flaw kept me awake for hours last night as I contemplated why I cannot seem to grasp that part of my life. It is beyond frustrating as reflect upon my inability to finish a job completely and thoroughly the first time through.

The worst question (I use that loosely) that anyone could ask me is, "So, you talked to John. What did you guys talk about? What is the book you're reading about?" I will talk to you about details, suprisingly enough, but I may not be able to tell you the overall jist. I have never really been good at that. In literature class I would be called on to summarize a poem or a scene in a play and I could not do it. I could not simply generalize the story. I could elucidate a specific part (one detail) but I could not make them fit together in cohesion. I don't know--a mystery of sorts. Like when I write I write very specifically and hit details, but I get lost in the details and can't get a metanarrative, a story that is above it all.

Anyway, I'm helping Bill, my father-in-law, finish a staircase. He has a toolbox full of patience. Oh, and 15 degrees should never be called "a high for today." I'm beginning to think Santa wears a red down coat.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,

Jason

I'm falling behind and I can't catch up!

So, I suck royally at keeping up pace with the blog thing. It's not heavy; it's my blog. Not that I have a huge readership anyway.

So, my last post I mentioned the petition to make The Passion of the Christ the Viewer's Choice Movie of the Year. I did email the American Family Association and asked them why they thought it was important and what did they think it would convey if the film won or lost. As of today (about 10 days later) I have yet to receive a reply. Que malo! Well, I tried to have integrity and give them a voice.

Last week I was totally drained physically and couldn't hit the side of a barn with anything. I think I am approaching exhaustion, but Barb and I will be taking a nine day vacation over the Christmas holiday. We will be visiting her family in Plattsburg, MO. I will definitely have to write about Lillian and Conrad.

Last Friday I was at a friend's birthday party in the city. Annelies is a creative, charming, energetic think ball who is tons-o-fun. Her blog is www.musingsfrommymeanderings.blogspot.com. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Peace unto you, Jason

I just voted for the presidency, now this?

I just got an email from a friend west of the Rockies and south of Oklahoma. It was an email asking me to make my click count and to "make The Passion of the Christ" the CBS Viewer's Choice Award's Best Movie of the Year" or something like that. It was a forwarded message that was sent to not only me but to many others by this same friend. Now, I must tell you something that you should expect if you send me a forward. If you send me a forward that is at the same time sent to others, then when I respond I respond to the others at the same time. I think that that is the beauty and the power and the built in accountability of the internet. During the sleeze campaign for the United States Presidency I received numerous emails trashing the other candidate and I responded to those emails in the manner I mentioned above. It pissed a few people off, but I think that if a fact is incorrect or is falsely stated or is misleading then it is my duty to bring it to the attention of the sender. And since I don't think most senders will forward my counter-response to the others who have already been sent the false information I just simply respond to everyone. I try to have integrity like that.

Anyway, I started thinking, "Why are Christians having a Get-Out-The-Vote over a trivial topic?" I didn't not say that the movie was trivial. My question is pointed at the fact that apparently some Christians think that it is extremely important that this movie wins the best movie of the year award? I wonder. Do we think that God is not going to be honored if Mel Gibson's movie doesn't win? Do we think that if Mel Gibson's movie doesn't win then another key hill has been taken in this supposed "cultural war"? Who won the award last year? Is it true and yet sad that only Christians or whoever will know who won the 2004 View Choice Award for Best Movie of the Year? I just don't think that winning an award is what it's about.

The group sponsoring this is the American Family Association. Here is a link for you to follow if you care. I checked it out to make sure it was legit and so I would have an idea of who these people are. Anyway, the site stands on it's own and don't imply that I agree with the message or their method until you hear it from me: http://www.afa.net/petitions/letter1320.asp

Today's new term: slacktivist. This is a person who is too lazy to actually do something positive in the world and by clicking their mouse their conscience is alleviated.

20 days to think of this

What is it inside of me that compels me to get out of bed every morning to face a day of daring and/or boring decisions? To get out and to feel the breeze on my face or to see the needles on the ground or to hear the noise of impatient drivers? What is it that sits down and even cares to blog this or any of my thoughts? What is it that made me reach out for help in conventional ways when I was contemplating suicide?

I don't know, or maybe, I do know but at this time it seems a bit too complex to type out a formulaic expression. Perhaps in the upcoming installments I will seek to peck it out on this keyboard.

A quick question or three: have you ever been listening to a song and the certain way the guitar clangs or strums or how the cymbals fade out in the midnight of the ear and you have this inexpressible emotion that makes you want to cry or to wail to scream or to write a magnum opus yourself? Have you ever been reading a book and the book is a bore up to a certain point but then you read a quote and the quote screws itself tightly into your head to where the quote itself constitutes the book and all of the sudden the book is no longer a bore? Have you ever been in a church "service" and during the sermon you drift off and you find yourself moved beyond the every day and start chasing those new thoughts that bring surprise and joy and although the thoughts did not come from the sermon or sermon-giver you know that they were from God? Me too.

The heart of/is the matter

Symptoms--my last post was about me recooping from an illness, from which I am still trying to run free of, but at this point I am still reduced to hacking like an old man. All I'm lacking is a nice and shiny spitoon and it'd be a little more bearable. I remember last year I was sick for about 2 months. And then a few months before that my allergies were terrorized by the fall pollen of NoCal. I learned a lesson, even though my counseling professor, Dr. Thom, used to say in class, "Drugs are rugs--they cover but don't cure." I really didn't care about that pithy little piece of wisdom literature. The symptoms of sniffing, blowing and sneezing were so bad that my nose was raw, my side ached and my throat was so sore. I decided to go to the grocer and get some kind of allergy medicine. Yes, the next day I was a new man, barring the cloudiness of my thinking and the sluggishness of my actions. I knew that sneezing was not the problem; it was a symptom. The problem was the layers (literally) of yellow pollen that draped the parking lot booth I was working at during that time.

Perhaps this doesn't translate as well as I hoped, but I'd like to write and hear what you think. A few days ago after "church" (or the service formally known as "church") a friend came up to me and spoke with my candidly about how their spouse was doing. Their spouse was hesitant to come to church because of certain feelings of rejection because of some current happenings within their particular area of ministry. Their spouse was feeling quite misunderstood and was also feeling like they were not welcomed. Their spouse had also met with the people involved and the persons who could right the situation.

My friend was very honest and that is what I really appreciate about this friend. At one point though my friend said, "I'm sure it's nothing and that it's over-reacting." I said, "Let's talk about this some more."

Basically I felt compelled to discuss with my friend that the problem was not the feelings of their spouse--that was merely a symptom. When people within our lives tell us certain things it actually tells us that something is wrong, that something needs to be corrected. In church I have witnessed differing responses to a person sharing their feelings. Usually it is silence or no reply and the desire to "just see it go away." I have also seen the issue ridiculed as "immature." However, I have also seen this issue be recognized, evaluated and appreciated. It could be a multi-pronged problem that is at hand: perhaps there is something with the system that needs to be fixed (not just tinkered with); perhaps the person who is coming forward has some issues of hurt. Either way it is okay, all we have to do is simply acknowledge and walk the road of correction together.

There is a season

Ah, back at the controls. I've been under the weather for several days but seem to be fairing a bit better. With a cough like this who needs cigarettes?

About ten or so days ago I attended a conference on how to lead a group through change. I spent several days trying to pack it down to a brief summary. I realize that that is one of my weak points (summarizing), so here is my synopsis:

Leading a group through change is about making sure that everyone has the same understanding about the vocabulary being used. This is called "mental models." I say, "What we really need is leadership that is accountable." And you and I may have different opinions of what leadership is or constitutes and we may also have differing thoughts about the essence of accountability. We also run across this with music that we use for worship, even "worship" itself. Do we really need music to worship? Hmm.

Further, it is about being pliable and being considerate and thoughtful about the learning process of yourself and others. What? Others don't look at the world the same way I do? The Presidential elections proves that 32 million others (approximately) see things differently, no matter who we voted for.

Vulnerability: we need to provide an emotionally safe atmosphere for everyone.

Openness to change: in our debriefing time a co-attender said, "What I've come to realize is that I'm going to have to get used to change, rapid change for the rest of my life." 'Tis true.

That's that for now. I hope to get back into the swing of thangs soon with this.....

Peace be unto you, Jason

That Which Happened Once

She twists and turns away from me and her shadow shifts from my arm to the hallway floor. Down the staircase goes my love and down into my gut goes my heart. The heels on the floor and the hand on the brass nob are the rhythm of a world suffocating. Years together couldn't prepare me for the first night alone.

I step past the full and tilted coat rack and stand shivering on the front step listening to the pattering of the drops of rain. Around me the front light casts a weak and dirty yellow aura and she steps beyond the half-life of all that we've ever known. She disappears and reappears under every street light with silver ribbons of rain falling around her. And me; I stand.

Why am I still here? Is part of it surrender, of letting go of the heart of clay or the kite of childhood? Is it my pride? I find my heart and mind are ill-equipped for all of this and I step back closer to the portal. Am I so prideful to try to hold onto something spiraling away from me or am I too ignorant and deficient to break free beyond indecision and expereince and to run after her? To catch her by the hips and to face my love and my fear in the eys . . . .


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And when all the people saw it, they also praised God

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

That was the cry of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. His days were filled with wondering and begging. He sat on the road side hearing the gravel crunch under the feet of the passers-by and what is it in the distance? A group, a clan? He asked them, "What's going on? What's happening?"

Jesus is passing by.

He apparently knew of Jesus and his reputation for changing lives and life styles and so he starts screaming, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Within the entourage there were those who told him to keep his mouth shut, but he refused to go silently and to remain in the darkness.

Jesus was indeed passing by, but Jesus also stopped.

"What is it that you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see."

"Then receive your sight, your faith has healed you."

After having received his sight he followed Jesus and along the way praised him. When all those within the entourage saw it they also praised God too.

"Lord, I want to experience the antithesis of all my weaknesses and all my failings. I want to know steadfastness, boldness, consistent love and compassion. There are many who desire me to shut my mouth, but I have heard of you before and I know that you will not leave me the way that you have found me. I just want to see and by asking to see I am saying I believe, so I will follow and praise you, though sight unseen."

Luke 18:35-43

Jesus said that a person's life consists of more than what belongs to them. It's easy to get caught staring through the looking glass thinking, if I was found in there I would be among the living. Yet, I'm hidden within my own pile of "stuff."
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dark chocolate, red wine, and stairwell conversations

Before I moved out to California in August of 99 to study theology at a seminary just north of San Francisco a friend came up to me one day and said, "Jason, my prayer for you is that God will put you around revolutionary people." Funny, at that time I was also praying for the people I would meet, the friends I'd gel with and whatever else that was of concern to me. . . .

Last night my friend, Stacey, had a birthday party. She's 30 and is one of the most passionate, stirring, and genuine person I know. We had red wine and chocolate in this shared house on 23rd and Lake in the city, just off of Park Presidio. After an hour or so of mingling and so-whatcha-up-to-these-days we all (about 25 of us) gathered for worship. Pablo played guitar, Elijah keyboard and Brian djembe. I looked around the room at one point and here were over twenty of the greatest people in the world. People who had done service in work in Africa with people with AIDS. Some are involved with community development, mentoring, and changing the city in which they live. Most are artists who have a vivacious passion to excel in their personhood and how God created them. About ten to fifteen within that worship gathering had spent some time outside of the States doing some kind of work that was intented to bring relief, understanding, prayer, and good news to the visited people.

At the end of that last paragraph I was going to put, "Revolutionary indeed." However, after some thought I realize that that is what life is about--reaching out beyond ourselves, coming to terms with how God created us (strengths and all) and then excelling in letting that glory, that original glory be known to the world. So, I guess what I'm getting at is this: being revolutionary might really mean that we just need to be ourselves and by being ourselves we are subversive.

Peace be unto you,
Jason

One of the greatest people to influence my life is Barb. I'm very blessed to have a partner who is on a genuine pursuit toward Christ. She is a personification of forgiveness and unconditional love and models Jesus to me.
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Emerging Me

After speaking with a close friend of mine, Robert, I decided that I needed to start a blog, to publish my thoughts and interact with others who are trying to live out what it means to be a person of good news. I am currently reading The Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. I hope to capture some of my thoughts as I read through this book and see if I can add some points of reference for my life. So this is the beginning....

Between the Testaments

This is an effort to give a little more understanding to the context of the New Testament, which will make the text more rich as we read and study it. I have tried to be careful with the complexity of names and events and have tried to eliminate the typos. Please forgive my fallibility if anything is misprinted or misunderstood. The text of Brisco, Ferguson and Metzger were of unbelievable help.
Note: Please do not post, edit or publish this elsewhere without prior written permission.If you quote or if you use this material please give reference to the source.

An Introduction to the Backgrounds of Early Christianity

Brisco, Thomas. The Holman Bible Atlas. Broadman and Holman: Nashville. 1998.
Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity, second edition. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids. 1993.
Metzger, Bruce. The New Testament: its background, growth and content. Abingdon: Nashville. 1965.

Introduction
In Galatians chapter 4 (verses 3-5) Paul writes: “So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental (rudimentary teachings or principles) things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that he might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Those words run deep and tell us that the appearance of Jesus on this earth, at that certain moment was something more that ordinary, that those happenings had a distinctive goal. Therefore, those words teach us that history itself is more than ordinary. Time is no longer just a social, political or ethnic history but that it is salvation history. Paul, the author of Galatians, along with the writers of the gospels and the other epistles agree that God is at work not to keep things broken and fragmented, but that He has come to redeem and reconcile, to fix what is broken. Paul assumes that knowledge of and participation in God’s work will mature us and break the bondage of the elemental teachings we have been duped (willingly or unwillingly) into believing.

It is our duty as believers to not give ourselves to the false superstitions of manmade teachings. We are all theologians because we are believers. We, therefore, must study not only the text but the context so that we might be able to avoid pretext (Brad Sargent). It is crucial for us to understand what Paul meant when he said, “when the fullness of the time came.” What is the historical background? What were the puzzle pieces that were used to create this picture? How can we better appreciate the Bible in light of its historical, political and philosophical background? That is our task.

Between the Testaments
The Old Testament ends its history books telling us that the Persian Empire has a firm grip on Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The New Testament begins and ends with Rome being the dominating force. However, if you read 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel you will see that there were other kingdoms involved in the shaping of the Jewish people.

Solomon died in 922 B.C. and with his death he ended an era in which one king exercised authority over all the tribes of Israel. Two kingdoms emerged. One kingdom was lead by Rehoboam II (Judah, the southern kingdom) and the other kingdom was lead by Jeroboam I (Israel, the northern kingdom). As we read the prophets we understand the kingdoms both declined. Amos attacked the social sins of oppression for fiscal gain. Hosea, through his marriage to an unfaithful woman, gave a living illustration of how Israel had so treated God, “the despicable rejection of Yahweh by Israel for Baal
(Holman Bible Atlas, pp 140). Micah was interested in inward religion and echoed Amos’ message of justice, kindness and humility. Isaiah stressed the social sins of his nation, the nature of true religion and the coming of a Davidic king (Holman Bible Atlas, pp 141). In 588-586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar army besieged Jerusalem for two years. The Babylonian forces destroyed the city, broke down the fortifications and burned the temple (2 Kings 25:8-21).

This was an unprecedented crisis for the Jews. The lost independence, significant segments of the population were deported, and the Davidic throne was left empty. Jewish life continued though. Some stayed in Judah. Some were forced into exile and others escaped Judah, these were called The Diaspora Jews. Those who remained in Judah had it tough. Those in Babylon were urged by Jeremiah to build houses, plant gardens and establish life in their new land. The community in Egypt took with them their heritage and set up a temple and a military colony in Egypt (however, their syncretism diluted their impact).

The Rise and Fall of the Persian Empire
Cyrus (538-529) was king of Anshan and vassal of Media from about 550 B.C. After a successful rebellion he gained control of the Median Empire and founded the Achamenid dynasty. In 539 he took Babylon and from 538 B.C. dated his years as “king of Babylon and the king of countries.” He reversed the policy of earlier conquerors in the near east. The explanation of this in 2 Chronicles 36: 19-23 and Ezra 1:1-4 is that God stirred in his heart to allow the conquered peoples to maintain not only their culture but also their own homelands. Accordingly, Cyrus allowed the Jews in Babylon to return to Judea to rebuild their city and the temple. Those who returned first from the Babylonian captivity under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the priest, were not themselves wealthy but they had the support of their countrymen and of the treasury. They were zealous for worship but were discouraged in their efforts to rebuild the temple. With the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah the temple was completed and dedicated in 515 B.C. Thus began what is called the period of the second temple.

A second group of exiled returned under the leadership of Ezra. Ezra is called “a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses” (7:6). With this we are introduced to a new class of religious leaders who were to assume great importance. Previously religious leaders were the priests, prophets and wise men, but prophecy was soon to cease, and while there were still priests, they were only concerned with the temple rituals and affairs. A different kind of wise man arose: scholars in the sacred writings. These were called scribes. They replaced priests as the interpreters of the law and in the absence of prophetic revelation, scribal interpretation became the authority.

The two great accomplishments of the returned exiles were the rebuilding of the Temple and the collecting and studying of the Law with a view to regulating the life of the people by it. Also, the exiles who returned from Babylonia felt a social superiority to the “people of the land” who remained around Jerusalem (Jer 24; 2 Kings 24:14; 25:12) and a religious and racial superiority to their neighbors to the north around the old capital of the northern kingdom, Samaria (2 Kings 17:24ff; Ezra 4:1).

The Rise and Fall of the Hellenistic Empire
Greek Period (332-167 B.C.). Alexander the Great of Macedon expanded the Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean by military conquest. He envisioned a single, unifying culture based on Greek ideals. We often hear the word Hellenization in this historical context. Hellas is the Greek word for Greece. One of the major consequences of Hellenization was the growth and usage of the language of the Greek common people: koine. This would become the trade language between the conquered territories. But to put it all into perspective let’s look at the political context of this period.

Alexander’s father, Philip II, died in 336 B.C. he assumed the title of “King of Macedon” at the age of twenty-two. He shared his father’s vision of leading a military conquest over the Persian Empire, a long-standing enemy of the Greek city-states. He finally met the ruler of the Persian Empire after three years of fighting and trying to liberate several former Greek city-states that had been taken by Persia. Alexander met Darius III at the Battle of Issus and won. Alexander subsequently took coastal regions of Syria, Tyre, Gaza, Jerusalem, Samaria and Egypt. In 322 B.C. he assumed the title of Pharaoh. He died nine years later unexpectedly.

Alexander’s sudden death left the Greek Empire without an heir to the throne. The Ptolemies came to power and ruled from 301-198 B.C. They ruled quite easily and comfortably. The Seleucids ruled after this from 198-167 B.C. In 198 B.C. Antiochus III, managed to wrest Palestine from Egyptian control and annexed it to Syria. Life changed drastically. The Seleucids felt themselves called to be apostle of Greek culture (Hellenism). So throughout their dominions they encouraged the use of the Greek language and the adoption of Greek customs. Of course, Judea was no exception and the process of hellenization started there too. There soon grew up a party in the nation, including many prominent and wealthy Jews, who abandoned the ancient practices in favor of the new sophistication. The priests at Jerusalem seem to have taken a leading part in the spread of Hellenism. The high priests became very powerful because Jerusalem had an absence of any native secular head over the Jewish community.

However, a considerable amount of Jews resisted hellenization. The Jewish nation contained a conservative element that passionately clung to their ancestral traditions. This group was called the Hasideans (the Pious). They resented Greek language, the clothing imported, the building of a race track and gymnasium in Jerusalem. The priest became regular attendants at the races which were opened with invocations to pagan deities. The young priests hastened to finish their rituals so that they could exercise in the gymnasium. Since the Greeks exalted the human body they exercised nude. The Jews who participated became ashamed of their circumcision and took measures to hide it. Of course, this scandalized the orthodox seeing their young seemingly forsake the faith.

Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler of Seleucid dynasty in 175 B.C. He called himself “Epiphanes” (the manifest of God), others punned him, “Epimanes” (Antiochus the insane.” In 169 B.C. he tried to conquer Egypt and on his way back he took his frustration out on Jerusalem. He sacked and burned it, plundered the temple and massacred many. He determined to either convert or exterminate those whose devotion to the laws of Moses seemed to imply disloyalty to Syria. The Hasideans were easy targets. The observance of the Sabbath, the rite of circumcision, and the possession of a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures were made capital offenses. Jewish worship was abolished and pagan altars were erected in many Judean cities. In 167 a pig was sacrifice on the great altar of burnt offering. This was dubbed by some to be the abomination of desecration, a kind of religious slang adopted from Daniel.

This is interesting in its historical context, for when the disciples heard Jesus speak of this in the Olivet Discourse their minds would’ve thought back to this. Some today hold all of the Olivet Discourse to be entirely and solely end times focused. If we take Jesus’ works to be strictly historical then this was accomplished (again) in September 70 A.D. when the veteran military commander Titus besieged Jerusalem. If we think that it is entirely eschatological in nature and solely apocalyptic then Jesus chose a slang word, or a phrase that was very coincidental to its historical context.

The Rise and Fall of the Maccabean Period (167-63 B.C.)
Hellenism had been slower in reaching the rural districts as opposed to the cultural melting pot effect of urban areas like Jerusalem. The Hasidim had fled Jerusalem into the rural communities in order to preserve their culture and their faith. The Apocryphal books 1 and 2 Maccabees gives an account of this period.

Representatives of the Greek government came to the Judean village of Modin and sought to persuade the priest Mattathias (the leading citizen) to set an example by sacrificing to the pagan gods. Mattathias not only refused but also killed a Jew who stepped forward t comply with the royal request. He also killed an officer accompanying the official. He and his followers headed to the hills and gathered around them people interested in the preservation of the Jewish heritage. Mattathias died around 166 B.C. and have leadership to his third son (out of five). His son, now in control of the rebellion, was named Judas. His nickname was “Maccabee” which means “the hammer.”

Their family name was “Hashmon,” thus, this period may also be referred to as the Hasmonean Period. These Hasidim raided villages overthrew pagan altars, killed any Jews who were Hellenistic sympathizers, and circumcised children by force. They eventually won Jerusalem, regained control of the city and took control of the temple. A new altar was built according to the directions in the law. On the 25th day of Kislev (Dec. 14) 164 B.C. the third anniversary of the profanation of the altar by Antiochus, the daily burnt offering was resumed. In commemoration of the event a new festival was added to the Jewish religious calendar, Hanukkah, or “Dedication” as in John 10:22. This is commonly called the Feast of Lights.
Judas, the Hammer, wasn’t satisfied with what they had achieved. He led them to complete independence. In 160 B.C. Judas died in battle and his younger brother Jonathan, who was already a high priest, assumed command of the army. Syria was in internal turmoil with intrigue and civil war. Not only was Judea left in peace but they were now considered valuable allies, making treaties with Rome and even Sparta.

Jonathan was treacherously slain by Trypho, a Syrian general, in 142 B.C. The leadership of the Maccabeans fell to Simon, the last son of Mattathias. In the same year, 142 B.C. Syria, through Demetrius II, granted Judea complete independence. This lasted for almost eighty years (until Rome came in 63 B.C.) and would be the only period of political independence the Jews would know from 586 B.C. until the mid-20th century.

Simon and two of his sons were killed in 134 B.C. by Simon’s son-in-law. The only son who escaped was John Hyrcanus. He was skilled and led conquest of territory east of the Jordan and compelled the conquered to accept Judaism as their religion. They overran Samaria to the north, captured the city of Shechem and destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim. He ruled 134-104 B.C. He died a natural death and was succeeded by his son Aristobulus, a cruel and unprincipled man who killed his brother and mother. He changed the theocracy into a kingdom, calling himself king, yet retained the high priesthood for himself. He reigned one year and conquered Galilee to the north and the Galileans, mostly Gentiles, were forcibly converted to Judaism. Because of his stupidity and lack of leadership dissensions broke out and then civil war. Judea became an easy prey.

The Rise of the Roman Empire (63 B.C. -- )
At the same time Rome was planning to spread its tent pegs. For several years the Romans under the able leadership of Pompey and been closing in upon Syria and neighboring kingdoms. In 63 B.C., after attempting to negotiate with both Jewish factions, Pompey, armed with unprecedented forces, took possession of Jerusalem. The Jewish kingship was abolished, and Judea became a formal subject to Rome. It was required to pay tribute. Thus almost exactly one hundred years after the triumphs of Judas Maccabeus, Judea once more, and finally, fell into the control of a foreign power until the mid 21st century.

The Roman Period and the Herodian Dynasty were the new stage where the drama of Jewish history began. Antony and Octavius placed the Jews under the rule of a powerful Idumean chieftain named Herod. It took Herod three year to subjugate the unwilling inhabitants of Judea (40-37). According to a letter written by Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and others to King Artaxerxes the people of Judah were a very rebellious and obstinate people (Ezra 4: 6-24). The Idumeans were conquered by John Hyrcanus during the previous century and had been compelled to adopt a semblance of Judaism. Thus Herod’s ancestors lived having to adopt Judaism. Thus, Herod probably had a bone to pick and was cruel. In his life he killed two of his ten wives, at least three sons, a brother-in-law, and a wife’s grandfather. When he was about to die he realized that the people would not mourn for him but cheer, so in order to have mourning on his day of death he arranged to have a host of Jews put to death in the arena. When he died (4 B.C.) these prisoners were actually set free. Herod was jealous when he heard of a child being called, “The King of the Jews,” and thus showed his cruelty by having all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and under be killed (Mt 2:16).

Herod’s kingdom wad divided among three of his sons after his death: Archelaus, Philip, and Herod Antipas. Herod was not the top man on the totem pole. He was a king under another man, the Emperor Augustus. Archelaus inherited the southern portion of Palestine (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea). After his father’s death a rebellion broke out in Jerusalem and he had to quell the rioters. With his armed forces he killed around 3,000, some who were pilgrims visiting the holy land for Passover. He gained a quick reputation. So Joseph, Mary’s husband was hearing this at this time, “When he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee”(Mt 2:22). In the ninth year of his reign the people complained long enough to the Emperor at Rome and he was deposed and stripped of his wealth. Rome decided that Judea, Samaria and Idumea should be under the jurisdiction of Roman governors, and this set up Pontius Pilate to rule.

Philip inherited the northern and northeastern parts of Palestine. He rebuilt the ancient city of Panias and named it Caesarea in honor of Caesar Augustus. In order to differentiate this city from others of the same name it was usually called Caesarea Philippi (Caesar of Philip). The Gospels narrate that on one occasion Jesus went north from Galilee into the district of Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13).

Herod Antipas, simply called Herod in the New Testament, was ruler of Galilee and Perea. Since most of the life of Jesus was spent within the area ruled by Herod Antipas, this member of the Herodian dynasty figures most prominently in the Gospels. This Herod Antipas married a daughter of Aretas, king of the Nabatean Arabs, but afterward, while visiting with a half-brother, Philip (not the ruler); he became enamored of his host’s wife, Herodias, a daughter of Aristobulus. Antipas divorced the daughter of Aretas and Aretas declared war against Antipas and eventually defeated his army in 36. John the Baptist had been fearless in rebuking Herod for his unlawful and immoral marriage (Mark 6:17-29). On one occasion Jesus warned his disciples against the leaven of Herod (Mk 8:15); on another the Pharisees, manifesting an unexpected interest in Jesus’ safety, brought him word that Herod was planning his death (Luke 13:31). Jesus’ comment on the latter occasion (Go tell that fox) shows that he saw through the cunning of Herod to rid him, for Herod’s uneasy conscience made him fear that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead (Mt. 14:1-2). Antipas happened to be present at Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Because Jesus was from Galilee, and under Herod’s jurisdiction, Pilate sent him to Herod for adjudication. Herod was glad, for he thought that now he would have an opportunity of seeing Jesus perform a miracle, but he wad disappointed, and with his men of war treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him (Luke 23: 6-12).

Herod was banished to Lyons in Gaul in A.D. 39 for asking to be advanced to king. This was done by the Emperor Caligula. Antipas’s dominion was given to Herod Agrippa I. Agrippa was son of Aristobulus, who had been executed in B.C. 7 by Herod the Great (so he was returning the favor by getting Herod removed, for he sent letters to Rome accusing Antipas of being in league with the Parthians). Agrippa gained control of all of Palestine. He laid violent hands upon leaders of the early church. It was by his hands that James the brother of John was killed and he arrested Peter also (Acts 12:1-3). His death was in A.D. 44 and was seen as punishment for his pride (Acts 12:21-23). After his death Agrippa’s son, Agrippa II, was seventeen years old. He did not gain all of Palestine, but only the northeastern part of Palestine. Nero, the Emperor at that time, added Galilee and Perea to his kingdom. It was before Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice, while they were visiting the governor Festus at Caesarea, that the apostle Paul pled his cause 9Acts 25: 13 – 26:32).

The History of the Jews during the remaining years until the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 can be told relatively quickly. The Jewish people were tired of being ruled by barbarians, Gentiles. They were frayed by the many and varied indignities which the Roman overlords committed against them. In A.D. 66 the governor Gessius Florus demanded seventeen talents from the temple treasury. As governor he was probably within his rights, however small the sum was. The Jews assessed this as sacrilegious robbery that had to be resisted. After being refused, Florus came to Jerusalem with a military contingent to enforce payment. Herod Agrippa II, seeing the danger of revolt, attempted mediation but it was to no avail. The people were too passionate and Glorus’s troops were insufficient to quell the Jewish mob; this earned him early retirement in Caesarea.

In other parts of Palestine fighting broke out between Jews and Gentiles. In A.D. 66 the Jews put to flight a considerable force, a circumstance which convinced the more fanatical that the Almighty was fighting for them. Rome had had enough and in 67 Galilee was subdued by Vespasian. Nero died so Vespasian had to take care of those matters and left the job undone. Three years later in 70 A.D, in the spring, the time when kings go to war, Titus arrived outside of Jerusalem and set siege to the city for five months. It finally fell and the Romans looted the temple and took it to the ground (September 70).

The country was now made an imperial province, governed by a legate who renamed it Caesarea and had at his command a legion that was stationed at Jerusalem. The name of the land was changed from Judea to Palaestinia (land of the Philistines), to symbolize the utter extinction of the Jewish nation. A rethinking of Judaism (and to some extent Christianity) was necessitated by the cessation of the temple worship. Greater importance came to belong to the Jews of the Dispersion, and predominantly Gentile character of the Christian church became increasingly more pronounced. After another attempted rebellion in 117-138, and the complete decimation of Jerusalem, and after the rebuilding of the city according to the Roman plan, Jews were forbidden under pain of death to set foot within Jerusalem.

Barb and I in Vicksburg, MS.
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