Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

Objective Questions:
• Is the author of the book of Ezra the same author as the author of Chronicles.
• How did Cyrus become a follower of YHWH?
• The author credits YHWH as the reason that Cyrus allowed the people to return to Judah. How does objective history record the returning of the exiles to Judah?
• Is Haggai the prophet (chapter 5) the same who wrote the book of Haggai?
• What would have made up the “land Beyond the River” mentioned in Ezra?
• Was the book really meant to be concluded this way or was the rest of it lost?

Was Jacob’s sons wrong for killing the Hivites after Sechem raped Dinah?

As I read through Genesis it is difficult not to be judgemental to a certain degree because of the way some of the characters act immediately following an encounter with God.  I especially look at Jacob and wonder sometimes what he was thinking when he was always trying to find the easy way out of situations.

To keep it short, I wonder if the Hebrews made up the style of poetry found in Psam 119 or if they borrowed it from another surrounding culture.

What are we suppose to do?  During the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You Shall Love You Neighbor and hater your enemy.’  But I say to you, love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” but toward the end of Psalm139 we have David who says, “Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?  And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?  I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies.”  Here, David and Jesus seem to be at ends with each other.  One says to love and pray, the other saying to hate.  I am a Christian so I am inclined to go with Christ on this, but I wonder, is it ever okay to hate someone as David hated those that hate God?

When I was in the library looking up the books, the people, and the sections I needed for the first Information Literary Project, I could not help but to put it off.  This project was one that I found some what insulting since I am in a M.Div. program.  This project was full of tools that are great for research papers or just plain studying in general, but it is also a skill that should be developed in middle school, or high school at the latest.  With that being my initial response to the projet, I did find out a few things about the subject that I did not know before, which in that I appreciate the project.  And I am sure that this project and the other three coming up have a purpose greater than I am seeing right now.  I am skeptical, but also anxious to do the rest of these projects to see how they all come together.

Reading through Ezra and Nehemiah along with most of the Bible, it seems that when something good happens credit is given to God.  Such as in Nehemiah 6:16 it says “When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”  This passage gives the sense that the enemies were not demoralized merely because the wall had been finished, but that because it was finished by the help of God.  I struggle with this because I have a hard time seeing God working in everything that I do.  Beleive me, I do beleive that God is continuously active in all of our lives, but theoritically believing something and actually putting that belief into practice is two seperate things. 

At times I think saying “God did it” when something goes well and that the “devil is working against me” when things are not peachy is almost a cop-out.  I guess my issue is when is it okay to say that we did something on our own.  Again, I do realize that God is continuously working in us, but it seems to me that there are also times that God leaves us be, allowing us to jump out of the bird’s nest trying to take flight on our own.  To be clear, I am not talking about salvation at all, I am merely talking about everyday, run of the mill, making the movements of this life that God has granted to us.

They were sought out for the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. Who were the Levites?

The month that the wall was completed. What was Elul?

The place that Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge. What was Gibeon?