A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

di Pastor Gayle Evers

081 The Apocrypha - Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach - Who Is Wisdom?

The Apocryphal books of Baruch, the Book of Wisdom, and the Wisdom of Ben Sirach, all emphasize the importance of Wisdom. Her value is far beyond that of riches or any power. In all three books she is emphatically female. And yet, we get conflicting views of her. In some passages, she is omniscient and all-powerful, the very image and breath of God, while in other passages she is quite clearly a created being (albeit the very first created being). In this class we explore these passages and compare them to similar passages in the Proverbs of the Hebrew Bible as well as passages in the New Testament. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

082 The Apocrypha - Beginning Maccabees - How It Starts

The Hebrew Bible ends around 400 BCE. There are no more tribes of Israel--only scattered families which are gradually coalescing into geographic communities. Around 330 BCE, Alexander the Great conquers the world but dies suddenly, leaving the world in chaos. After 40 years of infighting, the world settles (more or less) into four major kingdoms: Macedonia, Thrace, Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire. Judea (named Palestine by the Romans who were themselves a rising world power) is fought over by Egypt and the Seleucids. The Seleucids eventually win. As the story of the Maccabees opens, the high priest has become a political appointee of the Seleucid king. It is a position of power that goes to the highest bidder. Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of politics and intrigue. 1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

083 The Apocrypha - Maccabees - The Persecution Begins - The Abomination That Causes Desolation

The Abomination That Causes Desolation Things are about to get bad. The High Priest Menelaus goes to Antioch and instigates murder and bribery. He gets caught, but he uses his ill-gotten riches to make the charges roll off his back. Antiochus IV Epiphanes attacks Egypt and is humiliated by the Romans. Enraged, he vents his anger on Jerusalem. After ransacking the Temple (with the help of the high priest!) and setting up “the abomination that causes desolation,” he returns to Antioch where he begins an aggressive campaign to Hellenize his empire. And that spells disaster for the Jews. Forced to worship the Greek pantheon and desecrate all that is holy to Israel, many Jews forsake their faith rather than face torture and death. But many others would rather be martyred than renounce YHWH. One family in particular, the Hasmoneans, fight back hard. The father, Mattathias, is a local priest. He has five sons, one of whom is Judas Maccabeus. Judas the Hammer. Here come the Maccabees! A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

084 The Apocrypha - Maccabees - Overwhelming Odds And A Miracle - The First Hanukkah

The First Hanukkah Mattathias dies, leaving his son Simon as head of the Hasmonean family and his son Judas Maccabeus as leader of the army--a euphemism for a force of about 6K. Judas and his men rely on God and shrewd tactics. They fight a classic guerrilla war, consistently outflanking, outmaneuvering, and outsmarting Seleucid forces ten times larger. More fighters join the resistance. Finally, after three years of fighting, they are able to beat back the Seleucids, leaving only a garrison ensconced in the heavily fortified citadel near theTemple. Judas and his men find the Temple in shambles and set about to repair it. Finding only one day’s worth of untainted oil, they begin an eight-day celebration, and the oil burns without ceasing. It’s a miracle, the very first Hanukkah! 1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

085 The Apocrypha - The End Of The Maccabees - The Hasmonean Dynasty

The Hasmonean Dynasty After the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Lysias gains control of the Seleucid Empire, at least while Antiochus V is a boy. But Lysias is an interloper with no real claim to the throne. He is challenged by both Demetrius I Soter of the Seleucid line and another pretender to the throne, Alexander Epiphanes (Balas). One thing leads to another, and even the reigning Egyptian Ptolemy gets in on the power struggle. And who’s caught in the middle? The Maccabees, of course. This class has plenty of intrigue and plot twists, but what it does not have is any theology, so we don't have any questions in the Study Guide. We’ll spend the entire class time getting from where we are in 163 BCE to Herod the Great and the time of Christ. It’s quite a ride. 1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

086 The Life of Jesus - The Early Years - Herod's Rise to Power

Ever since the Maccabees established the Hasmonean Dynasty, a Hasmonean has ruled Judea as High Priest and eventually King. The Pharisees and the Sadducees arise as significant political groups within Judaism. Palestine slides into civil war as various Hasmonean factions fight for power. Finally, both sides appeal to Rome. Big mistake. General Pompey marches on Jerusalem and in 63 BCE, Judea falls to Rome. Palestine loses its independence, and Herod (the Great) is made king by the Romans. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

087 The Life of Jesus - The Early Years - In The Beginning Was The Word

Herod has grandiose ideas about how to welcome God. And honestly, those ideas seem to revolve around his own ego. He takes pitiful little Zerubbabel's Temple and transforms it into a massive Temple complex, then promptly desecrates it. God has far more humble plans. God sends the Angel Gabriel with a surprise announcement for an elderly couple. God's idea of preparing the way of the Lord looks nothing like what Herod might imagine. Our discussion focuses on John 1 and the idea of Jesus as the Word (“Logos”-- a word heavily associated with reason in the Hellenistic culture). What is this saying about reason and faith and Jesus? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

088 The Life of Jesus - The Early Years - Prepare The Way Of The Lord

The angel Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she will bear God’s son. Mary immediately travels to see her relative Elizabeth who is also miraculously with child. Mary stays until Elizabeth’s baby, John (the Baptist), is born. Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, is told in a dream that Mary’s pregnancy is indeed an act of the Holy Spirit so despite his misgivings, he goes ahead and marries her. Both Matthew and Luke see these events as fulfilling ancient prophecies. We take a look at those prophecies and discover that things are not always as they seem! A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

089 The Life of Jesus - The Early Years - Good News For All People

Jesus is born during the reign of Caesar Augustus. His birth is announced by an angel to a group of startled shepherds. The angel tells them the baby is the long-anticipated Messiah. The shepherds will know the angel is telling the truth if they find a baby in a manger. When the time comes for Jesus, the firstborn, to be devoted to God and for Mary to be “purified” after childbirth, the little family troops into the Temple carrying the required birds for sacrifice. There they are met by a dying man with some astounding words of prophecy. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

090 The Life of Jesus - The Early Years - The Rest of the Christmas Story

The Christmas stories of Matthew and Luke are completely different. Both place Jesus in Bethlehem for his birth and both place Jesus in Nazareth growing up, but how and when and why Jesus is in either town is very different. Matthew gives us the story of the Magi and of the resulting Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod. He tells us how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus flee to Egypt to escape the killing frenzy. They only return when Herod dies. Luke gives us the tiniest glimpse into Jesus as a preteen--sassing his mom. And throughout it all Matthew roots the story firmly in subversive messianic prophecies. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

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