Exodus Chapters 12-30

While reading chapter 21 of Exodus, God was giving Moses some of the basic rules he wanted humans to follow. In verses 22-25 he starts to say that an eye shall be paid with an eye, an arm with an arm, and so on. This left me confused because i always thought that the entire Catholic Religion was about learning to forgive others and repent on your mistakes, not take revenge. This also goes against Jesus's teachings, more specifically when he states that when somebody strikes you on your right cheek, you should offer your left cheek. It never says anything about striking the offensor back. Ghandi actually has a very famous quote which relates to this topic. He says that "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind", which makes perfect sense. If everyone started taking revenge on whoever offended them, no one would be spared because we all have hurt someone in some point of our lives. Referring also to the rules, I thought that the statements were very similar to those established by Hammurabi in Ancient Mesopotamia. Finally, in Chapter 24, verse 18, Moses was sent up to the mountain to talk with God. He spent a total of forty days and forty nights, which is the exact length of the flood that had Noah building an ark. Why is this number repeated? Does it have any special significance? It doesn't appear to have one, but it has to have some kind of significance to be mentioned twice, but more importantly it was phrased in the exact same way. It would be interesting to know its actual relevance.

Exodus 1-12

These are random thoughts I had while reading Exodus 1-12:

In Chaoter 1 Verse 22, the pharaoh states that all male-borns shall be thrown into the river and all females shall be saved. I found this interesting because at that time, almost every civilization was completely chauvenistic, caring only for the boys. I thought it was nice to see a change for once, where women were not considered unnecessary or not important and instead had more importance than men.

During Chapter 10 Verse 10, the pharaoh's sister names the boy she finds Moses, supposedly because she took him out of the water. What connection is there between the name Moses and being found in the river? Is it in the roots of Moses, or does Moses translate to water in some different language? It would be nice to known for sure why this name was chosen.

In Chapter 4 Verse 3 Moses's rod is turned into a snake. As I have mentioned before in several blogs, there seems to be some weird affection towards the snake, seeing that it is the most mentioned animal in the works we have studied so far. I still do not know where this originates or which story is the one that gave the snake such fame. Why do we relate snakes with evil? Where does this tendency towards vipers occur so often?

Chapter 12 Verse 16: God is talking about a congregation that shall take place during the seventh day. He then starts to talk on how bread has to be eaten and how it should be dipped in blood. I found this extremely interesting because I didn't know that this mass procedure was instructed so early, I always thought it started when Jesus had his last supper. By reading the Bible more and more and with our in-class discussions, I am having to change a lot of my previous ideals, because I have come to realize that well, most of them were wrong. In some way, it is really fun, but in others, it is really confusing because things that you took for granted that you already knew are different, which makes me have to re-think many other things. I just hope I continue to correct my mistakes.

Genesis 11-28

My comments on Genesis 11-28 are just random thoughts, no specific or deep meaning, just questions or connections that popped into my mind as I read.

During the first verse of Chapter 11 it says that "The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech". When were there more languages or speeches? Was the reproduction of men so quick that before the flood there were already different ethnicg groups and cultures?

In Chapter 12 God gives Abraham the promised land, Canaan. I wonder if He would´ve still given it if He had known all of the trouble it was going to cause in the distant future.

Chapter 16 Verse 11: Abram's first son was named Ishmael, which made me zoom back to our summer reading, "Ishmael". Because this book is related to religion, mythology and tales about our existance, I wonder if the author got the name from this chapter. It would be interesting to find out.

Chapter 17 Verse 5: God changed Abram's name to Abraham, telling him that he was now father of many lands. Why was this change necessary? Does the suffix -ham mean lord or owner or father or anything of this sort?

Chapter 18: I was unaware of the fact that God payed private visits, just like a common person. I thought he always sent angels to deliver messages for him, it just never occured to me that he had could walk like a normal person or anything of that kind. I always pictured him like a HUGE being, someone who floated around checking on you. Apparently, I was wrong.

Chapter 25 Verse 2: Why was Abraham shocked when God told him that he would have a son (Isaac) before but wasn't surprised when his second wife gave him a lot more children and at an older age?

Chapter 26 Verse 7: Abraham says that his wife is his sister. This is the third time he has done it, and I still don't understand why. Hopefully I will be able to clarify this point, either by suggestions from readers or by asking in class.

speech

Thank you very much Professor Kombay for that generous introduction. And let me say, that I never expected to hear such kind words from Dr. Falwell. So in return, I have an invitation of my own. On January 20th, 1985, I hope Dr. Falwell will say a prayer at the inauguration of the next Democratic President of the United States. Now, Dr. Falwell, I’m not exactly sure how you feel about that. You might not appreciate the President, but the Democrats certainly would appreciate the prayer.

Actually, a number of people in Washington were surprised that I was invited to speak here -- and even more surprised when I accepted the invitation. They seem to think that it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a Kennedy to come to the campus of Liberty Baptist College. In honor of our meeting, I have asked Dr. Falwell, as your Chancellor, to permit all the students an extra hour next Saturday night before curfew. And in return, I have promised to watch the Old Time Gospel Hour next Sunday morning.

I realize that my visit may be a little controversial. But as many of you have heard, Dr. Falwell recently sent me a membership in the Moral Majority -- and I didn't even apply for it. And I wonder if that means that I'm a member in good standing.

[Falwell: Somewhat]

Somewhat, he says.

This is, of course, a nonpolitical speech which is probably best under the circumstances. Since I am not a candidate for President, it would certainly be inappropriate to ask for your support in this election and probably inaccurate to thank you for it in the last one.

I have come here to discuss my beliefs about faith and country, tolerance and truth in America. I know we begin with certain disagreements; I strongly suspect that at the end of the evening some of our disagreements will remain. But I also hope that tonight and in the months and years ahead, we will always respect the right of others to differ, that we will never lose sight of our own fallibility, that we will view ourselves with a sense of perspective and a sense of humor. After all, in the New Testament, even the Disciples had to be taught to look first to the beam in their own eyes, and only then to the mote in their neighbor’s eyes.

I am mindful of that counsel. I am an American and a Catholic; I love my country and treasure my faith. But I do not assume that my conception of patriotism or policy is invariably correct, or that my convictions about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith in this pluralistic society. I believe there surely is such a thing as truth, but who among us can claim a monopoly on it?

There are those who do, and their own words testify to their intolerance. For example, because the Moral Majority has worked with members of different denominations, one fundamentalist group has denounced Dr. Falwell for hastening the ecumenical church and for "yoking together with Roman Catholics, Mormons, and others." I am relieved that Dr. Falwell does not regard that as a sin, and on this issue, he himself has become the target of narrow prejudice. When people agree on public policy, they ought to be able to work together, even while they worship in diverse ways. For truly we are all yoked together as Americans, and the yoke is the happy one of individual freedom and mutual respect.

FALLACIES:
In the second paragraph he uses a fallacy that I´m not sure what the name is but he is buying the students into liking him by extending their curfew by an hour.

Also in the second paragraph, I found an IRRELEVANT CONCLUSION. What does anything from that paragraph have to do with the point of the speech? It is just to get a better name, a more respectable name.

Finally, in the third paragraph, second line, I found the use of ETHOS. He states that he is a "member of good standing", again, only to make himself look better.

Genesis 5-11

Today I read Genesis from chapters 5 to 11. While reading Chapter 8, I noticed that the dove was the animal that indicated that land was now dry. I wonder if this is why the dove is the symbol of hope. Probably it is, but then again it might date back to a myth from a civilization way earlier than when this section of the Bible was written. In Chapter 9 Verse 1 God tells Noah that it is up to him populate the Earth once again. This is the second time that it has been up to a very small group of people to create a huge group of people. No wonder it is said that we are all brothers and sisters. Finally, in Chapter 10 it starts talking on all of the descendants of Noah, which is what they did with Adam and Eve´s descendants. The Bible is becoming somehow repetitive.

King James Version of the Bible

Today we started the King James Version of the Bible. We had to read several of the first chapters of Genesis, which tells the stories that most of us already know, no matter how deeply. I have several comments. For example, on Chapter 2 the creation of the woman is being told. On Section 24 the following passage is written: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife..." I found this interesting because I do not understand how the concepts of father and mother already existed, based on the idea that Adam and Eve were the first human couple on Earth, making them the first parents. Also, in Chapter 3 Versicle 1 the snake says to the woman that the forbidden fruit will give her the ability to recognize good from evil, finally tempting her into tasting it. In a way, what the snake said was true. When they ate the fruit, Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden, and this somehow made them realize the difference between good and evil. Well, not exactly evil, but the difference between good and bad, because they realized that the place in which they had been living in was a paradise and they now had to face difficulties. Finally, in Chapter 4 Versicle 17 we are told about Cain´s wife, which made me wonder where she came from. Adam and Eve were supposed to be the only humans, and the Bible never mentions that they had any daughter that could become his wife. I hope that someone might be able to give me an anser, because I honestly find it very confusing.

Final Myths

Today I read the myth titled Amphion. I found a similarity between Amphion and his twin Zethus with Apollo and Diane. Both couples were twins, and both Apollo and Amphion were good at the arts while Zethus and Diane were skillful with at hunting. I also read the story on Marsyas, and I found it was similar to the myth on Minerva and Arachne. In both stories the mortals were skillful at something and decide to defy the gods, only to end up in terrible situations. Finally, I read on Orion, which made me wonder why Neptune did not punish Oenopian after trating his son in the way he did. Usually, Gods punish offenses, but there is no explanation to why Neptune did not react violently. It would be interesting to find out.

´´´Myths´´´

I read the myth on Admetus and Alcestis and came up with one question. Did Alcestis prefer death to marriage? It seems as if though she did, offering herself for the sacrifice. It makes me feel pity for her, not because she was killed but because she ended up being saved by Hercules, giving her exactly the fate she did not want. Looks like Hercules´s acts were not so heroic after all. I also read the myth titled Antigone, which also made me wonder several things. Why did Adrastus, king of Argos, give Polynices his daughter in marriage AND support with his army when there was no apparent benefit for Adrastus for all this? Maybe there was, only that is was not mentioned. I also thought that this story was simiar to that of the Troyan War in several aspects. For example, both of the struggles started because of a woman, Helen in the Troyan War and the daughter of Adrastus in Antigone. The sacrifices also relate. In this story, Menoeceus had to offer himself in sacrifice so that victory could be a sure thing, and in the Troyan War Agammenon was asked to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, so that the winds would start blowing, giving the Greeks transportation towards Troy. Finally, I read Penelope, but I did not have any comments on it, except for the fact that it was somehow comforting to know that not everyone was unfaithful to their spouse.

...Myths...

The myth of Dedalus is somehow similar to the myth of the young man (I forget his name) who wishes to drive the Sun Chariot and ends up burning the Earth because he came too near to the sun. I also point out that if Dedalus and Icarus were, in fact, able to fly by flapping some feather wings, at what speed where they moving their arms? It had to be really fast for their weight to be supported. I also wonder if a less-smart Greek ever took this myth to heart and decided to try it out himself. Strange things happen, and maybe this in fact occured. Poor person. In the myth Castor and Pollux, they are granted one day in the Underworld and one day on Earth. This is similar to Persephone´s story, who has to remain six months underneath us and six myths up here. I think that personally I would prefer the second option, but I guess that when you are facing Jupiter your opinion really doesn´t matter. I then read the myth about Bacchus, which is coincidential considering that this is the play that we are working on during class.

---Myths---

One of the myths I read today was that of Theseus. I was surprised at how brief the story of the fight with the minotaur was, because it was barely described in one sentence. I had always thought that more importance was given to it, as it has always been the part we were told about. I also found it interesting how Theseus and Medea´s stories are alike when they a close relationship. She was his stepmother, and she had been abandoned by Jason. Theseus later abandoned Ariadne, the woman who was in love with him and had also helped him survive the perils he had to face. It later says that Theseus married Phaedra, the daughter of Minos, the Cretan King. Isn´t she Ariadne´s sister then? I think this is an interesting point to consider, but there is no mention of this in the actual myth translation.