A little shin-kicking
On an AA list I noticed a little Bible discussion about Bar Abbas (the fellow who was chosen over Jesus to get a pardon) Since other experts had already weighed in, I added my two cents....
"Bar Abbas" is an odd name. It means "son of the father" or something along those lines. The crowd called for Bar Abbas. Draw your own conclusions.
One should use care when drawing lessons from ancient texts. They had their own purposes and lessons to teach. They are not modern lessons so one must take off his new glasses and put on the old ones to catch a glimpse of their meaning. Or... not. You can simply read the texts and glean your own lessons from them. The lessons you take away don't have to be the official lessons.
Now to speak in favor of the experts.
There have been experts pouring over every single word of these texts for centuries. They have something to say and I am grateful to them. I remember once picking up the Bible and trying seriously to read it. I had scoffed for so long, but realized that I had never put the effort into reading the text. I found it ridiculously simple and trite. I threw it down, thinking I had learned all I needed to know about it.
Years later I returned to the texts. I was compelled to it by my AA program of recovery. It was a feeling... that sort of feeling an alcoholic learns not to ignore for too long. This time I read the text with commentary. There were small footnotes, actually, a sentence or two from famous commentators. That was all. The sentences were a breathe of a thought but they pointed out that there was a question to be answered here. Looking back, I don't recall even thinking of a question, much less trying to answer it. I had blown right past it, not realizing. I found that I didn't have to agree with the commentator. Often the commentators themselves did not agree with each other, but I did have to answer the question for myself.
I am grateful to those experts, even the ones I disagree with. They stand like sentinels holding fiery swords at the gate. They look fierce and formidable but they also serve as islands of light marking the way to the entrance,
Not to get too poetic, but I have no objection to kicking them in the shins and running right in. :-)
Alex H.
"Bar Abbas" is an odd name. It means "son of the father" or something along those lines. The crowd called for Bar Abbas. Draw your own conclusions.
One should use care when drawing lessons from ancient texts. They had their own purposes and lessons to teach. They are not modern lessons so one must take off his new glasses and put on the old ones to catch a glimpse of their meaning. Or... not. You can simply read the texts and glean your own lessons from them. The lessons you take away don't have to be the official lessons.
Now to speak in favor of the experts.
There have been experts pouring over every single word of these texts for centuries. They have something to say and I am grateful to them. I remember once picking up the Bible and trying seriously to read it. I had scoffed for so long, but realized that I had never put the effort into reading the text. I found it ridiculously simple and trite. I threw it down, thinking I had learned all I needed to know about it.
Years later I returned to the texts. I was compelled to it by my AA program of recovery. It was a feeling... that sort of feeling an alcoholic learns not to ignore for too long. This time I read the text with commentary. There were small footnotes, actually, a sentence or two from famous commentators. That was all. The sentences were a breathe of a thought but they pointed out that there was a question to be answered here. Looking back, I don't recall even thinking of a question, much less trying to answer it. I had blown right past it, not realizing. I found that I didn't have to agree with the commentator. Often the commentators themselves did not agree with each other, but I did have to answer the question for myself.
I am grateful to those experts, even the ones I disagree with. They stand like sentinels holding fiery swords at the gate. They look fierce and formidable but they also serve as islands of light marking the way to the entrance,
Not to get too poetic, but I have no objection to kicking them in the shins and running right in. :-)
Alex H.