Connecting to history

Sometimes good literature has great symmetry in it. The first three chapters of Revelation certainly fit in here. Each of the 7 letters opens with an identifier that takes one back to the last several verses of the first chapter which is identifying Jesus as a person worthy of remembering. In the opening of this letter, the identifier "eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze" connect directly to one of the main businesses in town, the metal workers. They not only made coins but other objects as well, such as armor and weapon parts. So, if Jesus was introducing himself to Christians in the town as one who knew them intimately, he had to name himself with an identifier that showed he had knowledge of the main guild in town in which some of them may have worked, but at least most of them respected or were beholden to. Jesus was perhaps saying that he was at least as powerful as the main guild was also, so he was not beholden to them nor would the Christians be if they were to follow him more closely.

Jesus also referred to a prophetess in Thyatira. That would be the priestess of Sembethe. She had been delivering oracles that "beguiled" or "seduced" the Christians into eating meat offered to idols and sexual intercourse. This doesn't take a wild imagination to understand what her oracles must have contained. Meat can be eaten without it having to represent the idol it was offered to. And, of course, if that is true, then sex can be separated from love so that it doesn't have to represent one's sharing of souls or one's giving of love. Of course, that also gets into the temple worship that seems to have existed in association with Artemis as well, that is, the association of sex with offerings to the great goddess Artemis.

A quotation was also given that Thyatirans could appreciate. "To the one who conquers (his temptations), I will give him power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron." On some of the coins minted at Thyatira is the figure of Thyrimnos, the local legendary military hero. He always carried a double edged ax over his shoulder and was wearing a general's cloak. On one coin he is joined by a Roman general and both were referred to as the "sons of Zeus." So, militarily ruling with power might have an appeal or at least an immediate point of understanding by a Thyatiran.

One can derive all of this without any trouble if he just takes the time to do a little study of the history of Thyatira. Already the original listener to ths letter is attentive because he just might be thinking that Jesus knew the kind of person a Thyatiran was. Jesus would know the environment he lived in and understand him that much better. So, he would give an ear to hear "what the spirit is saying to the churches."

First a history lesson

I have to test this out. I thought after my railing in the last blog that I should quit stewing and do something about what I was upset about. So, I am going to blog the few things I come up with and see if there is a match next Sunday morning. I will also log my time to see if I come up with as much information in the same or less time than the teacher. So, over the next few blogs I am going to recount what I have found. The last several verses of Revelation 2 deal with the church at Thyatira.

First, I thought I should know something about ancient Thyatira. I have spent about 4 hours over the last 2 days looking at internet sites on ancient Thyatira. I would do this if I were teaching a class. 7 matters of interest pop up right away. Between 80 AD and 270 AD Thyatira was in the business of minting coins for the area. The town seemed to have been established as a garrison of soldiers for reinforcement purposes since it took the name Thyatira after about 330 BC. Over time it had become a center for guilds such as cloth dyeing, leather making, copper making, and about 7 others. An oracle (or temple containing a priestess [or prophetess in Jewish terms]) representing Sambethe was there. A temple to Artemis was also there although it was not to the same magnitude as the temple to Artemis in Ephesus. The local hero with demigod status was depicted on some of the coins. His name was Thyrimnos and he is also coupled with a Roman general and they were known as the sons of Zeus. In addition, bronze burnishing was a major guild and they had a demigod or legendary status at least for the founder of the trade. He also was put on the coins minted at Thyatira.

All of the above information is important because the letter delivered to the messenger to Thyatira adresses every aspect of their daily life and belief system. The next blog will deal with the connection between the history and the verses of the letter.

TOTALLY uninspiring

Occasionally times change and one aspect of society or another is behind the curve. Usually it doesn't take long for that aspect of society to catch up with the rest of it. If it doesn't, of course, it risks passing out of existence. So, this morning I got up and went to a class at a church within a denomination I have attended all my life. But, after leaving the class, I came home with such a sigh of disappointment in the inmost part of my psyche that I couldn't let the feeling go. So, I pondered it.

The class is studying the book of Revelation. It is in the beginning stages. The teacher took the class time this morning to comment on the letter that was written to Pergamum in chapter 2 of that book. Perhaps he didn't allow enough study time for his presentation, but he should know that Revelation is a rich literary work and has much to offer literarily, not counting spiritually. So, it's not the book to study if one only has limited time. He began by recounting what Pergamum was known for in the ancient world, moved to reading the verses dealing with the letter to Pergamum, and proceeded to divide his comments between how the church has allowed the material world to infiltrate it and how the church should discipline it members.

There aren't enough words for me to create the emptiness that lesson caused. Just so that the teacher could feel like he should critique the church as a whole on its acceptance of materialism or feel that he should suggest that we should act as God's agents of punishment on members who don't tow some kind of imaginary line, he held class this Sunday morning.

This is where going to church is about to become a relic of the past for me. I sat at home Saturday night and listened to a pastor of a huge church (Hillsong) that was more inpiring and who had spent more time discerning the New Testament than the class I chose to go to this morning. And I wasn't inconvenienced by having to go anywhere. Many times I can see a Biblical documentary on television and learn more than I did this morning because the program's producers have gone to various places or have interviewed knowledgeable people in the field. The lesson this morning had no use of media in it. I even receive power point presentations in email that help me understand someone's ideas such as translating Psalms or Proverbs. When I go to work, on a typical day I receive email with attachments from EXCEL or Adobe Acrobat or First Publisher, or I make them myself to send.

But maybe the most galling part of the presentation was the way in which the teacher only had one line of thinking about a very rich matter. There are probably 5 different points to the letter, each with at least 3 layers of meaning, some with 4, one with 5. Minimally educated people in America know that they can expect more than one line of thought on almost anything, but especially the Bible. Why did we get only one? Was it lack of preparation, lack of exposure (in which case the teacher needs to select a different book or topic on which he is more exposed), lack of class time (in which case he needs to prepare according to the time elements involved better), or just bigotry in presenting only one view? Even if he thought his view was right, he could have at least presented the "literary elements" in the passage—symbolic versus literal if nothing else. And what about all the historical connections that could have been brought to bear on the understanding of the passage? And what about all the Old Testament allusions that could have been brought to bear on the passage? And what about all the early church history that could have been brought to bear on the passage?

So, if I can pick up a book or flip to a history channel and not even leave home to learn about the book that I trust to help me get to my final destination, then what am I doing getting up earlier than I normally would on a weekend day to go antagonize myself? And for those who would say that Sunday's are not about learning but about being around other believers, then I say they have too narrow a view of Christianity because I am among believers all during the week. And what about "worship?" I am most inspired when I have a great conversation with one of those believers during the week or whenever I spend time driving to work listening to Third Day, Michael W. Smith, or Caedman's call or whenever I am translating my next work or whenever I am writing in my blog.

Society has changed. I hope that I can not be enslaved to my own powerful habits that waste my precious time on earth. And I hope that God uses a number of well placed people to change his church to reach people in the world that they really live in.

A seeker moment

I had a talk today with another who seeks out the hard questions. He was almost half my age. I am elated that someone his age will carry on the questioning in the next generation. I tried to give him examples of the path ahead if he continues to question things like inspiration of the Bible, origins of the Bible, historicity of certain events, timelines for the Bible, cultural ideas versus doctrinal ideas, etc. I felt for him because I know the rejection he feels and will feel. But I also know that won't throw him off track. It will certainly make him remain honest before God. And I know that it will not lead him to reject God. So, I ask the Maker of him who seeks to lead this young man beside calm waters and to some very green pastures knowing that he will not receive his spiritual food from the religious establishment, but from God and a handful of true friends. And I thank the Maker of satisfactory and encouraging moments for the journey He has made with me and for the handful of true friends given to me on my walk through life.

An evening for the heart

I had a great spiritual experience. But, it wasn't church and it wasn't even Sunday. I went to a friend's wedding. It was held at an Episcopal church, so it was very different from the protestant church I go to. During the wedding, as a part of the ceremony, the wedding party and the rest of the attendees shared the eucharist. It was a very meaningful part of the service and always in a non-Sunday communion I am made to meditate on things near to my heart. The liturgy was outstanding, and they had two women read the scriptures for the wedding. And I always think it's good to include the Song of Songs at a wedding ceremony, and this one had a section from that book in it.

At the wedding reception afterwards, all went well, and I got to visit with a friend who had come from Mexico and another linguistic buddy. But, at the very end, one of the ladies who had read scripture came over to me and touched my arm. She told me that she could tell from touching my arm that I had more to me than people see, that there was more under the surface than people knew about. My friend said, "I think you just received a prophetic utterance." I said, "Yes I did."

I don't know what the significance of the lady's telling me that was. Perhaps for personal encouragement, perhaps for some other reason. No doubt it left me pondering. But, the whole evening fed my soul with all that happened.

Keeping eyes where they should be

Walking the park was interesting today. A higher than usual number of people were enjoying the heat and the park, many of them walking as well. That is many times a distraction for me. But not this evening. My eyes kept looking at the looming clouds in the distance. I knew that a storm would not drift my way because it was headed away from me. But the clouds held my attention. So, it enabled me to hold my usual conversation with the Maker of the storm clouds. It's a good thing. I needed the time with him. There is something about soaking in the nature around you that gives clarity to thought. So, he gave me that.

Yokes and burdens

A nice word play surfaced while I was studying this morning. It comes from Matthew 11.28-30. The old version of it goes like this: "Come to me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and burden is light." The word play is in verse 30–for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. As is the case with any pun, there is a more literal understanding and a figurative understanding. An added stroke of genius in this teaching is the paradoxical phrasing. Since Jesus grew up in a rural area, he would know about yoking oxen to plow fields. So, he uses something right out of countryside to express a profound truth to his followers.

The literal goes like this. My yoke is easy (to wear) because when I put it on you, it fits you exactly. It's not too loose to cause rubbing and sores. It's not too tight to keep you from working or cause you physical harm. It's the perfect fit. If you follow my teachings, they will be the perfect fit for you. The second part is about loads. That is what oxen are teamed together for. They share the load so that it goes faster with less strain on the animal. Team with Jesus and the load becomes nothing at all, which is paradoxical since loads by definition are heavier than someone would want to deal with. So, the language carries a pun and a paradox. The translation to express this literal idea would read, "For my yoke fits you exactly and my load weighs nothing at all."

Figuratively speaking, you get a second meaning and a second contrast. A yoke suggests that you are being controlled by someone behind you and to a lesser extent by someone beside you, yoked with you. One use of the word translated as light is reputable or benevolent. So, Jesus would be meaning that his yoke or type of control would be to make us reputable or benevolent people. On the second part of the statement, burden is light, the burden is usually oppressive or hampering in some way so that we don't achieve happiness or satisfaction. But the word for light can also mean nimble in handling or insignificant. The translation to express this figurative idea would read, "For my control causes you to have a good reputation and my heavy load is something you can nimbly handle."

The pun and the paradox are very comforting to those of us who have experienced some of life's most difficult circumstances. It makes his invitation to come to him attractive, and the ensuing walk with him makes us reputable and refreshed people. May it always be.

To those who would be word gurus

Sometimes people go through the exercise of answering what is necessary, what is important, and what is urgent. People taking managerial school often get asked this question because it is supposed to help them know how to priortize their days. To me, this is merely a semantics game. All three words, necessary, important, and urgent, have some commonalities in their semantic domains that keep them from being heirarchical. Managerial schools teach that necessary items get done on a regular basis, not every day. Important items get done first in day whether or not they are necessary or not. Urgent items get done immediately, and since they have deadlines for being accomplished, they are never routine. That order makes sense if a person gets to control the meanings of words in the English language.

But, the language is bigger than one speaker, and only certain people during certain stages in a word's history get to control the meaning of words used. Just as easily as the above hierarchy, one could say that what is necessary for a moment in time gets done because it is the important item for that moment, thus requiring our urgent handling. In that way they all have the same meaning. Or what about this meaning? Nothing should ever get to crisis stage (urgent) if everything gets handled in its appropriate time (importance), so working a plan or schedule is always necessary. We could go on.

All that to say, people should not get too excited nor too bent out of shape over following someone else's model for word definitions. If one wants to willingly do so, fine. But, don't impose those definitions unless he knows it is specific to time and place. Or unless a person or group is destiny's choice for changing a word in its own historical cycle.

Gambling my life away

I wonder about so much. I control very little. That gives rise to all sorts of anxiety and situations that I have to live with that go against my value system. I suppose that's where trust comes in. Someone is controlling the big picture. Not controlling humans necessarily, but perhaps events to a certain degree. Of course, that is a guess and a wish on my part. But, I choose to call it a trust. I certainly would be depressed without the hope of that trust's existence. And I have to live my whole life to know for certain if I was right in gambling that the trust was true. But, I'm taking that risk. It's too bleak to think otherwise and a waste of a good investment of time and energy. So be it.

A rail against mindless youth

I'm finding out more all the time that aged people and youth have little in common. By the time I die I might be an island entire of itself even though John Dunn's famous poem says that no man is an island entire of itself. The logic of youth is nearly always egocentric and myopic. The ambitions of youth take on well established ideas even though they have not thoroughly explored what is in place or they have no replacement at all for an idea they rue. They're sickening, but they are what The Progenitor of the ages gave aged people to work with. I'll have to ask about that when I get to the other side.

The 50-year lens

Recently I had a 28 year old person try to correct me on the matter of God's predetermined will for people and His omiscience. I still resist the idea that I have tried to reconcile all my life. My 20s decade is the last decade of my life to really entertain the thought that God might have some predetermination in history. I just cannot believe that is how it is. God works with people no matter their condition. I have seen that over and over.

People in their 20s have not seen God work in people's lives very often, much less their own. So they may hypothesize, but I don't think they have the ability to see so clearly. Of course, their usual response to my rejection of their idea of predetermination is God's omniscience. I can't buy that either if they mean God is all-knowing by it. I think it is a little convenient to concoct the idea that God can see the whole time continuum of one's life so that people can think God is in control. Free will means that God has given up that aspect of control to his creation. I have seen God pull people from some pretty seedy places in life and give them hope. I have seen others slip slowly away into nothingness and never reach out to God. But I have not seen people who have walked with God who think it was because God willed it to be so before they were born.

We have a creator that is magnificent and certainly more powerful than humans. We have a creator that loves his human race so much that he gave his only son so that he could offer them a life that never ends. We have a creator that works with us to lead us home to him.

We do not have a creator that knows our every move before it happens because he predetermined it. No way. That would surely have impeded his great care for his human race. Which he wiped out once in anger—except for one person and his family. Which he abandoned after he tried to fashion a certain man's descendents into a nation that would acknowledge him. But which he agreed to work with in a nurturing way after letting his son seal a new agreement with them. But that's looking through a 50 year old lens. And I like it a whole lot better.

Two birds, one stone

Encouragement doesn't always come in the form of confirmation, but it is nice when it happens. Today, I received 2 confirmations, one in two different areas. It was so very heartwarming. When other people say something unexpectedly about the tons of work and a good span of years that it took to make something productive, it is like a fresh puff of wind against the face. When what they say is also complimentary or something they find useful, you know that all the energies you put into the aim and goal has just paid off. And it is not just an acknowledgement of human energies, it is a recognition of the opportunities and energies of the one who is using his human vessel to reflect something of Him. So, while confirmation is encouraging, I am not the end receiver of the compliment. The one using his human vessel is. But two birds are hit with one stone, and the two birds feel good about being hit.