Although a completely comprehensive and accurate analysis is impossible given the limitations of summarizing from outside of the cultures, languages, evolution of faith, geographic locations and original timelines from Creation to the first century, some scholarly generalizations serve as an appropriate framework at this time. The NIV Archaeological Study Bible provides a simple timeline with Creation, The Flood and the Tower of Babel occurring sometime before 2166 B.C. In addition, the timeline lists the years of the significant forefathers of faith as: Abraham (c. 2166-1991 B.C), Isaac (c. 2066-1886 B.C.), Jacob (c. 2006-1859 B.C.), and Joseph (c. 1915-1805 B.C.). Furthermore, this study Bible notes that Moses, the probable author of Genesis …show more content…
Although aspects of tradition were again changed dramatically, Passover continues to be observed to this day. Klawans goes into great detail in his article reviewing the works of many known scholars and showing how they may be reliable in documenting culture at the time, they do not give an account of how Passover was observed by Jesus. He concludes, “Thus, the Passover Seder as we know it developed after 70 C.E. I wish we could know more about how the Passover meal was celebrated before the Temple was destroyed. But unfortunately, our sources do not answer this question with any certainty.” Considering the thorough review by Klawans, it appears there is not a lot more that can be researched at this time to confirm or deny his conclusions. Stein, on the other hand, appears quite confident that Jesus observed several of the traditions, including the number of people present, specific elements at the table, and the tradition of explaining the symbolism. However, Stein does not clarify if his descriptions of Passover are modern, during Jesus’ time, or dating back to before participants made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Also, to Klawans’ point, there is no proof of how closely Jesus and his disciples observed the Passover traditions. Therefore, in understanding the Lord’s Supper passage in context, one needs to be careful not to heavily compare to existing traditions beyond what is described in
Coogan, Michael David., Marc Zvi. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins. "Genesis." The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
Johnston summarizes A. H. Sayce and A. S. Yahuda’s work into three distinct claims. Johnston’s initial claim was that trained Egyptologists identified equivalent meanings between Genesis 1 and Egyptian creation myths reference to the beginning (Johnston, 183). He concluded that both writings refer to this reference as the absolute beginning of any activity in the entire cosmos (Johnston,
Scholars have shifted from the notion that the Bible differs from other ancient Near Eastern literature, cultures, and religions. If this were so, the Bible would be considered a myth. In this chapter Oswalt gives descriptions to what a myth is and gives insight into whether it is acceptable to label the Bible as a myth. Since the 1960s, scholars have been stating that the attributes of the Bible and its contemporary belief system have more in common to a myth even though the data used to make these claims have remained the same.
The influence of religion on humankind can be traced back to the first records of
Chamberlain Charles. “Mesopotamian Background of The Hebrew Bible--Creation”. Making of The Modern World Program. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla. January 7, 2011. Lecture.
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the
The teaching of the Bible should shape the church’s views on humanity. However, the teaching of the church should not be oblivious of the naturalist explanations of the important issues concerning Anthropology, because Christianity makes bold truth claims about the origin of humanity. It has to face the counter-claims with a fair consideration of their merits. For example the antiquity of humanity has been taken for granted for many years until only recently with the challenges coming from natural sciences. This forces Christians to re-evaluate their claims in order to reconcile what they have always believed with the new findings in science. In response, Christians have either rejected all anthropological data, or argued for the non-historical nature of the text of the Bible, or tried to reconcile biblical information with the scientific data.
Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).
The Jewish tradition of the Passover has been very important for the welfare and freedom of the Jews since the Old Testament. Each part of the Passover brings forth the knowledge of what God promises to his people. “The name “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues.” The Christian belief is that the Last Supper fulfills the promise made to the Jews through Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Last Supper are important in understanding the relationship between the Jewish belief and Christian belief. They are also important to help grasp what it means to be free with a God.
The Old Testament of the Bible, which includes the Book of Genesis, was also passed down through oral tradition before the Hebrews wrote it down from 1000-300 B.C. Both of these documents express the religious attitudes of these people as their story of the creation of the world and of humankind unfolds.
The Hebrew Bible, better known as the Old Testament, is a collection of tomes that form part of the Biblical canon. Many scholars around the world do not think that a single author wrote the books contained in the Hebrew Bible, but rather that it represents centuries of stories frequently compiled after the events they describe . The stories were created with visions for the future, in order to allow audiences insight into communities and beliefs that were common thought during their era. The stories responded to the issues and problems of their time, but also addressed contemporary climates. While the stories themselves may not be true, they convey truth without needing literal readings. For example, the creation stories in Genesis, portray God as creating the universe, and while this is considered as not ‘literally true’; the stories communicate theological truths about mankind’s relationship with God through the eyes of Hebrew writers .
Kohn, Risa Levitt, and Rebecca Moore. A Portable God: The Origin of Judaism and Christianity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Print.
While the Hebrews and Egyptians creation theories bear resemblances and differences, the study and comparison of both the Egyptian myths and the biblical account allow us to comprehend the religious views of ancient civilizations in a better light. One may come to the conclusion that the Hebrews were influenced by the cultures of Egyptians by creating similarities in their own beliefs, or by drawing a line of defense of what is in their terms true, by separating from the mass ideals of the Egyptians and establishing distinct
Christianity and Judaism are the few examples of religions that are originated from Western Traditions. These religions take different approaches to representational art and iconography which is found in their religious festivals. The Christian celebration of Easter and the Jewish Passover differentiate in their approaches to these icons in the history, the celebration and the symbols used during the commemoration of these holidays.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans