The Bible: An Eternal Canon

The Bible: An Eternal Canon When one thinks of the word Bible, it evokes images of revelation at Sinai, full of lightning and thunder, where an awestruck nation received the ten commandments. It conjures images of Isaiahs soaring prophecies, the anguish of Esther, and the courage of Daniel. However, despite the history within it, the Bible is not a history book. One who turns the pages and reads the ancient words will find promises of the rewards that await those who do good and the punishments that come in the wake of evil. The Bible is a roadmap to living life wisely; it gives advice and guidance, comforts the aggrieved and inspires the crestfallen. It illuminates events and helps place them in perspective. It is not an old storybook and not just a book of law but rather a compilation of the periods and people whose actions hold relevant lessons to be learned, even thousands of years later. When they compiled and finalized which books would be included in the biblical canon, it was understood by the ancient Jewish authorities that it was to be a guide for generations on how to live life. A central part of Judaism is the study of Torah in order to learn and adhere to the laws and way of life that is expected by God, as it says in the book of Joshua this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success[1], meaning that one who studied the Bible would glean from it what the correct thing to do in their own life was and therefore, would find success. As such, while there were likely other books written, and certainly there were many other prophets and prophecies experienced, before the redaction of the biblical canon began, not everything was worthy of eternal inclusion. A crite rion for inclusion was that each book chosen by the ancient Jewish authorities was a selection which provided teachings, be they ethical or moral, that would be applicable and relevant for all future generations, regardless of time and place. If the Jewish authorities did not feel that it would still be relevant to be studied by future generations, regardless of how interesting it may have been, they did not include it. The biblical canon is meant to shape people. It is logical to believe that the Creator of the Universe provided man with a code of conduct, as it says God insist[s] that His worshippers live up to strict standards of ethics and morality[2]. God, through His actions, displayed the moral and ethical path that one should strive to emulate. When the ancient Jewish authorities compiled the biblical canon, it was clear that they were including the books that presented examples of upright and holy behaviour that future generations should strive to emulate. The biblical canon also endeavours to bring people who read its ancient pages closer to God. The books included in the biblical canon were selected with the intention that these timeless words would have an impact on all future generations and would still create a framework for a relationship with God, even thousands of years later. Another of the criteria for being included in the bible was that the works be composed during the era of prophetic revelation; that is, no later than the time of the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the returned exiles from Babylonia[3]. Books and prophecies that emerged after this cut-off date were not included in the biblical canon. It is for this reason that the Books of the Maccabees were not considered for biblical inclusion, since they were written after the period of prophetic revelation had ended. An opinion as to why this was the cut-off date for inclusions is that it was believed that no addition would be on the holy level of the books originally included in the bible. This is because the era of divine prophecy had concluded. There was also a feeling of being post-biblical Jews, meaning they felt that no matter how good a proposed new book for the Bible was, it did not matter since the Bible was closed for new additions. However, there is evidence that as late as the second century CE there was an ongoing debate occurring regarding certain books that had originally been included in the biblical canon that some rabbis believed should be removed. This debate is displayed in a Mishnah where the books Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs are discussed with the concept of ones hands becoming impure following contact with these holy books.[4] A difficult concept to understand, the essence of the idea is that if holy books make ones hands impure, they would be handled more delicately, and the very few hand-written copies in circulation at the time would be protected from too much use. An additional explanation for this idea, is that there was holy bread that people would place next to the holy books, thinking that since both were considered holy it was an appropriate thing to do. However, it was found that rodents nibbling on the food would also gnaw on the scrolls, thereby damaging them. Therefore, the rule was put in place to prevent damage to the books. The debate regarding this rule with respect to Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs in this Mishnah is whether the two books mentioned render ones hands impure, meaning are they considered holy like the other books that compile the biblical canon. The Mishnah brings several differing opinions on the subject, and it is clear that while both books remain in the Biblical Canon and are considered holy like all the others, there was, at some point, a debate about whether they should have continued to be included. It is evident that the ancient Jewish authorities recognized the centrality of the biblical canon to Judaism and took the task of compiling which books were appropriate for inclusion very seriously. Working with an understanding that the collection of books they were putting together would be studied intimately and thoroughly for thousands of years, they made the decision that only those books whose stories had applicable lessons for future generations would be included. Potential volumes that told of times where no lasting life instruction could be gleaned were dismissed. Materials that did not help to further ones relationship with God were also dismissed, since a key component of the biblical canon is to bring individuals closer to God as well as to teach individuals what God expects from them, ethically and morally, through Gods actions in the bible. A final criterion for inclusion in the biblical canon was the time in which an event happened. If the book was written after the er a of revelation had stopped, it was automatically disregarded since the biblical canon was closed to new additions that were not divinely inspired. The ancient Jewish authorities and their rabbinic heirs did not subscribe to the New Testament or the Koran because they did not agree with the belief that those books were of divine inspiration. Thus, their criteria for inclusion was intended as a protection against future man-made and human-inspired works that potentially negated or contradicted the precepts of the Torah. In sum, the ancient Jewish authorities were aware of the tremendous responsibility of compiling a canon of books that would be relevant for future generations and would hold strong the ideal of emulating Gods ways with fealty and steadfast allegiance. With that in mind, they established detailed criteria to follow to ensure that even thousands of years later, an individual could open these books to look in the creased pages of time to reveal eternal knowledge and wisdom of how one can transform their experience of life today. References Segal, Eliezer. Introducing Judaism. Vol. 4. Routledge, 2009 [1] Joshua 1:8 Bible RSV [2]Segal, Eliezer. Introducing Judaism. Vol. 4. Routledge, 2009, 147. [3] Ibid. 15 [4] Mishnah Yadayim 3:5

Personal Narrative- Cousins Death :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Cousin's Death It is amazing how many things we take for granted. We make plans for the day, and don't think twice about how those plans can be taken away in the blink of an eye. I never thought much about it myself, until I was faced with the shock, and undeniable truth of my cousin's death. I don't think anyone really thinks about tragedy until they are actually faced with shocking news. My mom had been going to school in Greeley and staying at my Aunt Margaret's house . She had been away for two weeks and wanted to come home for the Fourth of July weekend. My mom had suggested that I go back with her and visit colleges, shop, go to movies and just spend time together. I had been feeling pretty sorry for myself since she had been gone. I had been working alot as a maid and helping my dad run the house, I was getting very irritated with my siblings as I felt that I was the only family member doing my part to help my dad. I was really excited to have a week with my mom to myself. The whole ride over we were talking about what I wanted to do that week. Making plans and having "me time" seemed very important at the time. I woke up Tuesday morning excited for the day I was going to spend with my mom. I was sitting at the kitchen table drinking fresh coffee listening to my mom and aunt tease and joke around about how paranoid my mom was about doing well in her classes, my aunt was telling her that maybe now that I was there, she would relax a little bit and have some fun. Our plan was to go to one of mom's classes with her, and then on a tour of UNC and then we were going to go to dinner and a movie. We were interrupted by a phone call from my dad. My mom was still joking and in a silly mood when she started talking to my dad. Suddenly the conversation turned from joking to dead silence and my mom started crying. She tearfully asked, "Is she ok? Was she alone?" I was thinking my sister went riding and fell off her horse or that something had happened to my grandma.

My Childhood Memory: An Accident That I Can Never Forget Essay

When I was aged 3 in 2002 I had an accident at home that I would never forgot. I use to live in Helmsley, North Yorkshire and attended a nursery school called Montessori Nursery in a town/village called Wombleton. It was a Thursday I had been at nursery, I was very hyper and pumped up bristling with energy, my mum had come to collect me to take me home which I didn’t want to do although I had no choice, while my mum was making lunch I was watching my favourite programme on the TV which at the time was â€Å"Thomas the Tank Engine†. Once I had lunch mum started to clear up and afterwards started to disassemble me and Neil’s (my brother) bunk beds, I decided to be a bit more adventurous, I had seen a small old wooden step ladder (It was designed for the bunk beds), I decided to use it, I took the ladder down the stairs without my mum knowing, took it into the front room and proceeded to rest it against the TV unit and climb up it. I thought that this would be fun and exciting at the time, I climbed the ladder holding onto to the top of the television as I got to the top where I grabbed hold of the handles at the back, I lost my balance and I kind of knew what would happen but I didn’t have enough time to react as I was very small back then, I fell backwards still holding onto the television, I landed on the floor with a thud and a cracking noise came from the tv , the television landed on my right leg and the screen was smashed to pieces, I felt a throbbing pain in it. I screamed in pain and the whole neighbourhood could hear it, tears rushed down my face while I could hear my mum come rushing down the stairs, my mum came running into the room and was shaken to the core to find me on the floor crying with a tv on my leg, I was in agonising pain, she lifted the TV off me and then comforted me until I let her see my leg, I could not walk without being in a whole load of pain and falling over, so my mum had to carry me to the setae where should could examine my leg further before making a decision. Mum contacted the local doctor to make an emergency appointment as the hospital was over 30 miles away in Northallerton, the place that I was born in, same hospital, the doctor said they could not x-ray because they didn’t have the right equipment for the job at hand and therefore he suggested that mum take me to the hospital. My mum looks a little bit cross when the doctor said that as she didn’t want to drive that far, but she did anyway. We had to collect my brother from school as my Dad was away on business, (which was unfortunate at the time), and then drove to the hospital, we arrived at accident and emergency and were the only people there but had to wait for nearly two hours to be seen which is really stupid now that I think about it, there was no one there but we had to wait 2 hours, during those hours I fell asleep and that kind of helped ease the pain cause it made me forget about the fact a tv landed on my foot, I couldn’t walk on the leg as it would probably have made it worse and also because it would mean I would be in excruciating pain. Eventually I was taken to have an x-ray(at long last) and had to wait for the results, when they came back my mum was told that it was not broken but badly bruised my mum was relieved to hear it , they tried to put an elastic sock on my leg but I would not wear it. I didn’t feel comfortable with one being put me. It just wouldn’t feel right because I was very stubborn at the time and I had never worn one so I didn’t want to wear one, I would now if the same thing happened again to me but that’s not that likely. My poor mum had to carry me about for about a week or so until my leg recovered from the accident, the only down side of this was that the TV screen was smashed when it fell on my leg and had to be repaired so me and my brother Neil couldn’t watch our favourite shows for a few weeks which was a huge pain. No â€Å"Thomas the Tank Engine† for me.

Changing Policy on Medieval Heresy Essay - 1255 Words

Heresy, as defined by the medieval church, is an opinion chosen by human perception, found on the scriptures, contrary to the teachings of the church, publicly avowed and obstinately defended (Moore ix). The word Heresy originates from the Greek word, Hairesis, meaning choice (George xi). During the Medieval time period, which stretched from the 700s to the 1400s, heresies became sought out as religious alternatives to the constraining Catholic Church (George 342, Roach 11). The common people began to become increasingly more educated (Roach 52). With this came the ability, the need, to question authority (Moore 3, Roach 59). Because of the Churchs religious monopoly and the laitys demand for knowledge, heresy became a†¦show more content†¦As the Church forced more and more pressures on the populace, heresies began to emerge to bring answers to the laypeople?s religious questions (Lambert 39-40). At the beginning of the 1100?s, there were the first instances of the laity beg inning to become more outspoken in their religious choices (Roach 26). In 1076, Remihrdus of Douai started preaching against simony, which was the selling of church pardons so that the laity was no longer accountable for their personal sins (Roach 14, 27). The Church decided that his ideas were too heretical so the bishop of Cambrai had him burned at the stake. Even after Remihrdus was killed, sermons against the practice of simony continued, though many searched for pastoral approval before continuing with their teachings (Roach 27-28). In France in 1116, Henry of Le Mans, also known as Henry of Lausanne, spoke out against people marrying because of their dictated caste system and the corruption of the clergy (Roach 30). While the bishop of Le Mans, Hildebert, was visiting Rome, Henry persuaded the entire town to forsake the clergy (Roach 30, Lambert 49). His followers were convinced to come forth and marry prostitutes so that the women would have a proper home and clothing (Roach 31). When Hildebert returned, he found that the townspeople had been turned against him. In response to his blessing they shouted, ?It is of no value to us to accept your blessings?goShow MoreRelatedEssay The English Reformation3494 Words   |  14 PagesThe English Reformation During the reign of King Richard II England was experiencing her first serious outbreak of heresy for nearly a millennium. This widespread heresy, known as Lollardy, held the reformation of the Catholic Church as its main motivation, and was based upon the ideas of John Wyclif, an Oxford scholar. 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