Opus 2023-075: Shock Treatments

Every once in awhile I come across something in the Bible that I swear was added since the last time I read it.  This is one of the benefits of reading straight through repeatedly with no minimum or maximum to be read each day.  I am learning to just take my time and see what stands out to me.

I don’t know if you would call it Biblical minutia or fodder for a Trivial Pursuit card but one of the questions about the Bible is “Who wrote the book of Hebrews?”  If you have an old edition of the King James Bible you might wonder why the question because, if my memory serves me correctly, it used to say “The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews”.  That is actually not in the text so it has been changed to just say “Hebrews”.  

The authorship is one that I have discussed in the last two years.  My opinion was that I had no idea.  Scholars have many suggestions but, again, no one knows because it doesn’t say.

Which brings me to my current eye opening moment.

I was in the last chapter and reading along when I came upon this,

(Heb 13:19 KJV)  But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Who in the Bible would write this way?  The apostle Paul.  He spent a good deal of time in prison, ending up under house arrest in Rome.  

A few verses later I came across this,

(Heb 13:23 KJV)  Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

This again points to Paul.  He mentions Timothy other places and wrote two letters to him that we have in the Bible.

And the next verse,

(Heb 13:24 KJV)  Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

This fits in very well with Paul being in a Roman prison.  Does this prove anything?  No.  It still does not say that Paul was the author.  Paul’s pattern was to identify himself at the beginning of the letter and we don’t have that here.  Adam Clarke shares an observation,

“I have sometimes thought that a part of the beginning might have been lost, as it not only begins without a name, but begins very abruptly.”

I swear I have never noticed this before.  Since the Bible I am reading was copyrighted in 1977 and I have had it for years, I can’t take refuge in my opening shock.  It was not added since I read last time.  I just didn’t pay attention.

I wonder what will shock me next.  I look forward to the revelation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-206: Angels from the Realms of Glory

I believe that guardian angels exist.

(Psa 91:11 NAS77) For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.

That seems simple and direct.  Of course it leaves a lot of questions.  I sometimes wonder if there is one angel assigned to each person or whether they have neighborhoods assigned.  Or the other extreme, maybe there are several keeping an eye on me.  I have no idea but I like the idea that they exist.  I sometimes remember to thank them

I think there is a lot of confusion over what angels would look like if we could see them.  I like the bit of artistic slight of hand used in the comic strip Rose Is Rose.  Pasquale has a guardian angel who usually appears as Pasquale with wings and a halo.  Every once in awhile the cute cherub gets a bit vexed and appears in his real form with is a macho warrior from the middle ages.  I like that.  I have noticed that when an angel appears to someone in the Bible they usually start off with, “Don’t be afraid.”  

At the same time there seems to be the ability to blend in.  Notice this verse,

(Heb 13:2 KJV)  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  

It would seem that we don’t always know.

I look forward to meeting my guardian or guardians at a time when we can sit down over a cup of coffee and share my stupidest moments.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-214: Middle Class Morality: Two Parent Families

Another title for this might be “The Father in the Home”.

One of the disturbing trends we see in modern culture is the growing number of single parent families.  This usually involves a single woman raising multiple children, although there are a few men who are taking on this role.  The reason this is a problem is not because single parents are evil people but because our social spokesmen are glorifying this condition to the point of making it normal.  Remember the hoopla over Murphy Brown.  It is not normal and it is not healthy.

American Middle Class Morality (MCM) says that children are best raised in a home that has a father and a mother.  Obviously there are single parents who are doing a good job.  There are also people running in marathons who have artificial legs.  More power to them, but it is not the best way to do the job.  The problem is not being a single parent but how you become a single parent.  MCM is based on Christian morality that calls certain types of behavior sin and praises other behavior.

There are two major causes of children being raised by single parents.  Both are against the standards God has given us.  The first is the modern mantra pushing sex outside or marriage.  Whether it is sex education beginning in kindergarten, advertising that stimulates lust, movies and TV that glorify momentary physical gratification or just pure selfishness, if you believe that sex is to be reserved for marriage you are labeled as a fool and a bigot.  The Biblical standard is clear.

(Hebrews 13:4 NAS77)  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

When a society embraces this standard they have the foundation they need.  When it is ignored, things start to fall apart.

The second major cause is divorce.  Easy divorce is rampant.  The percentages are scary no matter how you interpret them.  The ones who suffer the most are the children.  Again, God condemns divorce. 

(Malachi 2:16 NAS77)  "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

When we encourage easy divorce and mock God’s standard we are digging our cultural graves in addition to destroying our own lives.  When we allow our feelings or convenience to establish how we live we lose the long range considerations that give a chance at success.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri