Portraits of Ukraine

Despite our schedule I managed to snap a few photo’s in Ukraine last year. Here are my favorites…

Old Testament Times…

This afternoon I succeeded in reading R.K. Harrison’s comprehensive Old Testament Times ‘A Social, Political, and Cultural Context’. Essentially Harrison’s book attempts at reconstructing the cultures of civilizations surrounding and interacting with the nation of Israel throughout the Biblical narrative. Because of this, his material is heavily reliant on Archeological evidence fundamental to understanding the surrounding nations and by their similarity, Israel. His primary objective is not necessarily to confirm the historicity of the Old Testament (though the evidence he provides continually does along the way) but rather to provide relevant information that may add more depth of understanding to the modern reader who is unfamiliar to the history and cultures of antiquity. As far as structure is concerned he begins some time before the Patriarchal period exploring the ancient civilizations that resided in Mesopotamia followed by a thorough look at ancient Egypt. From this point he loosely follows the Biblical narrative and its characters stopping to divert at appropriate occasions for a look at the contemporary civilizations and cultures. The book ends by preparing the reader for the opening scene of the New Testament. So now my verdict…

I enjoyed Harrison’s book, particularly the insights he provided into the Genesis to Deuteronomy period. Some of the information there was extremely helpful and relevant to gaining a greater understanding of subjects such as the background of Abraham in Ur, Jacob’s conscription to work for Laban, the household god drama, the birthright transfer, Joseph’s ascent to power, the background of Moses, dating the Exodus, and the matriarchal succession of Israel’s kings to name a few. The second half of the book was less revolutionary and served more as a review than instruction, probably due to the excellent Job my teachers in England did while teaching the latter period of Israel’s history. In conclusion, though not as exciting or immediately applicable as F.F. Bruce’s work, Harrison’s book contained some valuable nuggets of information and was a clear, well rounded explanation of Old Testament history. I am however reluctant to recommend this particular book to the casual/average reader with the exception that they are highly motivated and committed to the subject because I suspect they will not survive the opening section on Sumerian culture…

Death by Boredom?

Many have voiced the opinion that the journey on which I have recently embarked will inevitably lead to my demise and ensuing insanity. “Death by boredom” they warn “Is a terrible fate to succumb to.” However, despite the incredulous expressions of distaste and amazement I commonly face when breaching the subject, I have begun my reading course.  It would seem that being an avid reader who thoroughly enjoys reading non-fictional works written by dead men, I am in the new minority.  In any case my mission as I’ve chosen to accept it is to read through roughly thirty books as a full-time occupation over the next three months. A broad sketch would place the books into these four categories; Bible Background, Church History, Worldview, and Apologetics. Though I suspect an audience for such things will be very small, I have resolved to trace my thoughts over the next few months by producing a short summary and critique of the books I’ve been reading. Perhaps in the process you’ll be inspired to pick up a copy or two.

This afternoon I finished reading F.F. Bruce’s New Testament History. In his book Bruce undertakes the mammoth task of expounding the relevant historical background information surrounding the events and characters of the New Testament. He begins roughly three centuries before the birth of Christ explaining the activities of the Inter-Testimental Period (the gap of history between the Old and New Testaments) commonly known as ‘the silent years’. He sheds light on the rise of both the Greek and Roman Empires, and very importantly, the effects that their influence had on the inhabitants of Palestine and their corresponding expectations of the coming Messiah. This is followed by a thorough explanation of the Jewish and Roman governments of the first century and the varying branches of Judaism that were common around the time of Jesus. Bruce takes a long look at the ministries of both Jesus and John while disclosing how they would have been received based upon the political and spiritual climate of the day. He concludes his book by covering the apostolic age of the early church and the expansion of the Gospel while giving some excellent insights into the events Acts, particularly Paul’s ministry. Between the covers you can also expect to meet proconsuls, high priests, zealots, governor’s and emperor’s to mention a few.

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with Bruce’s book, He brought clarity to many confusing passages and also further life and vibrancy to familiar ones. In fact, I was very tempted to linger longer on a number of occasions. In particular the chapters on Jesus’ ministry, passion-week, trial and execution when coupled with the information provided earlier about the political and religious climate of the nation were very helpful and in many ways have changed perspectives and brought many gospel passages greater depth and relevance. The chapters on the early church, the council of Jerusalem, the background of Paul and his missionary journeys were also among my personal favorites. I would however remind the potential reader that this is a history book. If you cannot stomach dates, unpronounceable names, and entire chapters devoted to seemingly insignificant details this may not be for you. It is most certainly not in any way, shape, or form a casual read. One potential downside of the book is that Bruce assumes you know some of the basics of New Testament History, and without them you might find some of the concepts or ideas disorientating. Despite that, this book is an excellent resource for anyone with a basic understanding of biblical history pursuing a greater understanding of the New Testament.