Was there a Palistrophe on the ark?

One of the 5 keys to help us interpret the Bible is to be aware of the different literary styles in the many writings there. Some parts of the Bible are narratives (stories), some are poetry, some are historical accounts, some letters, etc. Knowing what we are reading can be a big aid to our understanding.

Additionally, being able to recognize various writing techniques can also help us gain understanding. Yesterday I discussed idioms. Today’s topic is the chiasmus or palistrophe.

A chiasmus (ki- az’ mus) is a writing or speaking technique wherein a topic is arranged so that two elements are discussed first in one order, then in the exact opposite order. For example:

“I entered the room and turned on the light. Then I turned off the light and left the room.”

This is a chiasmus.  There are only two pairs, told forwards and then again backwards.  This can be recognized in a code: ABBA.

When there are more than two on each side, then the name of the technique is different. Palistrophe (sounds similar to “apostrophe”). There is no limit to how many individual components can be included, as long as they re repeated in reverse order on the other side.

An example of a palistrophe is in the story of the flood: There are up to 15 different elements on both sides leading up to and away from the central line “God remembered Noah.” Read Genesis 6:10 through 9:19. See if you can recognize them all. (They are included at the end here, in case you don’t have your Bible handy.)

The reason the Bible makes use of these types of techniques is two-fold. First, it draws attention to a central passage. One can easily see the importance of the middle verse “God Remembered Noah” in this palistrophe.

Secondly, we must recall that the Bible stories weren’t written down at first. Instead, they were passed down orally, from generation to generation. The palistrophe technique served as a memory aid, a nmemonic.  (Imagine learning the alphabet forward and then backwards. Same kind of aid.)

Here, then is the palistrophe in the flood story:

A  Noah (6:10a) [P]

B    Shem, Ham, and Japeth (6:10b) [P]

C      ark to be built (6:14-16) [P]

D        flood announced (6:17) [P]

E          covenant with Noah (6:18-20) [P]

F            food in the ark (6:21) [P]

G              command to enter ark (7:1-3) [J]

H                7 days waiting for flood (7:4-5) [J]

I                  7 days waiting for flood (7:7-10) [J]

J                    entry into ark (7:11-15) [P/J]

K                      Yahweh shut Noah in (7:16) [J]

L                        40 days flood (7:17a) [P]

M                          waters increase (7:17b-18) [J/P]

N                            mountains covered (7:19-20) [P]

O                              150 days water prevailed (7:21-24) [P/J/P]

P                                GOD REMEMBERED NOAH (8:1) [P]

o                              150 days water abated (8:3) [P]

n                            mountain tops visible (8:4-5) [P]

m                          waters abate (8:5) [P]

l                        40 days (end of) (8:6a) [J]

k                      Noah opens windows of ark (8:6b) [J]

j                    raven and dove leave ark (8:7-9) [J]

i                  7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:10-11) [J]

h                7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:12-13) [J/P/J]

g              command to leave the ark (8:15-17, or 22) [P, or P/J]

f            food outside ark (9:1-4) [P]

e          covenant with all flesh (9:8-10) [P]

d        no flood in future (9:11-17) [P]

c      ark (9:18a) [J]

b    Shem, Ham and Japeth (9:19b) [J]

a  Noah (9:19) [J]


So now you know a little more about the Holy Bible!

More on the idiom.

I got word from a friend who did some research on this passage on Noah and his nakedness. She sent word to me which that confirms that Biblical scholars disagree on the meaning of this passage. But I shared with her something that I failed to post earlier. No matter what happened between Ham and Noah, Ham had over-stepped his bounds in his efforts to pridefully advance himself beyond his rightful place. This was his sin and for this he was punished.

Sometimes I feel like an idiom

Among the many things I am learning in my class at the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan is that to understand the Bible, one must study a lot of background material. This includes the customs and cultures of the people of those times. Which brings me to the following point about idioms. In class this week we were studying the book of Genesis. In Chapter 9, we read about Noah and his family. By this chapter the great flood has subsided and Noah & family have left the ark and returned to the land. Noah’s three grown sons (Shem, Ham, and Ja’pheth) and their wives, as well as Noah’s wife, are all living in the same community. Then a puzzling passage is presented.  “Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Ja’pheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.” – Genesis 9:20-23 (RSV). The next verses go on to say how terribly upset Noah was when he awoke and learned what had happened. He was so upset with Ham that he cursed him and cursed his descendants.

What was this all about? The father, Noah, was drunk and naked. Wouldn’t a son who stumbled upon this scene normally just pretend he never saw him? Or perhaps cover him up? And why would this seemingly minor problem cause such an extreme reaction on Noah’s part? He cursed Ham and his descendants!  Isn’t that extreme for seeing Noah naked? That was the question posed to our class. And here is what we learned.

The people of Biblical times often spoke in idioms. An idiom is a method of saying one thing while you really mean something else. And the audience for which it is intended understands the idiom, that is, what the speaker really means. An example in our time would be if I said, “Boy, my dogs are sure barking tonight!” Most people in our culture can interpret that I am not speaking about my pets nor the noise they are making. Instead, it is a phrase that means that my feet hurt. (You knew that, right?) Or if I were to say that my friend was “given a slap on the wrist,” you know that it does not convey an actual physical punishment, but instead a mild rebuke. And if you said “we are all in the same boat,” I know you don’t mean we were actually in a boat together. Those are idioms.

So, what does this have to do with Noah being naked?  This was an idiom, a phrase meaning something totally different. What actually happened was that Noah’s son, Ham, raped his mother. This is and was a terrible sin and was a severe insult to Noah. Warring armies in ancient times would often rape the women of the villages they conquered to show their power and might, and this rape was an action Ham used to grab power from his father, Noah. Since Shem was the older son, he would normally be the favored son, as was the custom of the time. Ham was jealous and wanted to gain a higher place in the family structure. So he raped his mother to gain power, to show his might and usurp his father.  Ham’s mother, (Noah’s wife), later gave birth to the child of the rape. He was Canaan. This child was cursed by Noah because he was the child of that rape.

How do we know this is what was meant when Genesis discusses Noah’s nakedness? In the same Revised Standard Version’s book of Leviticus (which contains so many of the laws) Chapter 18, verses 6 through 18, the laws state specifically how one must never uncover the nakedness of one’s father, mother, sister, granddaughter, aunt, daughter-in-law, etc. Again, the phrase is hard to grasp. But if we turn to another translation of the Bible, the New American Bible, the phase in Leviticus shows us a different picture. This version states “None of you shall approach a close relative to have sexual intercourse with her. I am the Lord. You shall not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother. Besides, since she is your own mother, you shall not have intercourse with her. You shall not have intercourse with your father’s wife, for that would be a disgrace to your father.” – Lev. 18: 6 – 8, (NAB). It continues to list all other family members one must refrain from having sexual intercourse with.

So we see here that the two phrases “nakedness” and “sexual intercourse” mean the same thing.  And that is the meaning behind the idiom. It was a great “AHA!” moment for our class. And it reminded me of how much we need to really study the Bible to understand its truth. 

Bring on the rain!

Today’s rain is welcome, as the dry grass has remained brown for so much of my lawn. And the rain reminded me of a Scriptural reference to rain I found applicable for today’s journal topic.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2 – NIV)  

In the Catholic faith, the Holy Spirit is recognized as the source of spiritual enlightenment and wisdom. This spirit has been referred to as coming down upon God’s people like the gentle rain. I think the analogy is fitting to my posting this week, as I think it may be raining, or even pouring down on me as of late, through the new opportunities presented to me for furthering my spiritual journey.

This has been a busy week, with work and other obligations, so my postings have been neglected. But my journey has not!  On Monday evening I attended my weekly class of the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan - Monroe group. Within the next few days I will be posting my thoughts of our current topic from Genesis in that class. But in the few minutes I have available today, I want to share something new I also will be starting. I am joining an 8-week program in Toledo: Learning How to Pray with the Bible (subtitled- A way to nourish your relationship with Jesus.) 

I expect this program will be much different from the Monroe class, as this is being promoted as a program that "teaches you how to meditate and contemplate the great themes and stories of the Bible by using methods of prayer taken from St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises." This should be much different because of the focus on prayer.  I think I can greatly improve my prayer experience and Biblically-based prayer sounds very interesting to me. Mind you, I know nothing about St. Ignatius, so this should be enlightening in more than one way. But I am most interested in enriching my prayer life. We were told to bring our Bibles and a notebook for journaling.  (Wish I had a tiny netbook computer to take along, as I do so much better writing on a keyboard than longhand! Too much joint paint, which comes from years of repetitive stress on my wrists.)

The program is offered by the Sisters of Notre Dame at their Provincial House Conference Center at Secor and Monroe Roads. The flyer promoting this says it is sponsored by the Manresa Retreat Center in Bloomfield Hills, MI.  They have one group from 1 to 3:30 pm, and an evening session at 7:00 to 9:30 pm.  I have registered for the daytime session, as I can go to work in the morning and then make the trip over there without too much trouble. The whole 8 weeks costs just $25 and they still have openings in both. (Interested people can call Sister Marcia Marie Destatte at 419-474-5485 or by emailing mdestatte@gmail.com.)

So, yes, I am going to participate in a Monday night class with the Catholic Biblical School (from Oct. to May) and then also participate in this brief 8-week “Pray with the Bible” class on Tuesday afternoons.  I know, I can hear you now . . . isn't that a bit much? Well, I think the results will well be worth the time I will invest. I am sure there will be homework from both, but I really feel led by the Spirit to do this. So, please wish me well. I will post that part of my journey to my online journal also.

Finally, a reminder that my church is once again offering the Jeff Cavin Bible study, "A QUICK Jouney Through the Bible" on Thursday mornings for 8 weeks. It teaches about the 12 time periods of the Bible and the 14 narrative books which advance the salvation story from Adam through Jesus to the Church today. The weekly program started today, though I think you can still join in. This is offered on a DVD video and then is followed by discussion questions. Of course, you read some of the Bible as part of this for homework. I took this study during Lent this past year and it was really a good program. If you are interested, call 734-847-2895 for more information. The videos are by well-known Jeff Cavin and are extremely enlightening.

So, as you can see, it is raining here. And that's my report of where I am on my journey. How is the weather in your part of the world? How is your journey going?

Here, have an apple.

9/11/2010 ~ Here, have an apple.

Most people around the world probably know the story of Adam and Eve and “The Fall.” God’s first people, the man and woman he created “in his own image,” start out in Paradise. The Garden of Eden, where God placed them, offers everything they will ever need. And God told them they could have anything in the entire garden, except for the fruit of one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they eat from that tree, they will die.

But as you recall, this warning did not stop Adam and Eve. The serpent came and tempted Eve, who later tempted Adam, to eat the forbidden fruit. And immediately they saw their sin and hid themselves from God. You know how the story ends. God cursed them to have to work hard for their entire lives, bear pain-filled childbirth, and banished them from the Garden of Eden.

So, what does this mean to us? The obvious answer is that the story is about obedience. We must follow God’s rules, doing what He tells us to do. But at Bible study last Monday I learned something new, in regards to the tree with the forbidden fruit. (You may have heard that Eve ate from an apple tree, but no translation of the Bible calls it that.)  What I learned new is that there is more to it than that.

Eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil means that we think that we, not God, get to decide what is right and what is wrong. When we take of this forbidden fruit, we rationalize away God’s laws, conforming them to our own liking. God gives us commandments but instead of following them, we interpret them as suggestions. I am joining Adam and Eve in this same sin when I understand what a commandment from God says, but then say it doesn’t apply to my circumstances. WOW! I had never thought of that before.

Here is the bottom line: We don’t get to decide what is right or wrong. Only God gets to decide that. Period. No rationalization, no excuses. Right is right and wrong is wrong, per God. If He said something is wrong, it is wrong. I need to stop justifying it. It is that simple— and that hard, too. That was the sin related to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That was the original sin, it was Adam and Eve’s sin, and is my sin, too.

So now you know. And it had nothing to do with an apple. As the old saying goes, the sin wasn’t in the apple in the tree. It was in the pair on the ground!

Stephen Hawking - "Stop doubting and believe."- John 20:27

By now you have probably heard: world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, co-author of a new book, The Grand Design (published this week), has stated that God does not exist and there is no need to include God in our story of how the universe was formed. He says that the science of physics answers all the creation questions and God had no roll in any of it. He states that God in unnecessary in understanding the world and how it was created.

This “news” reminded me of something I read on the web last weekend. The NY Times publishes a regular column called The Stone, written by contemporary philosophers. In this week’s column, an atheist questions why so many more people are willing to follow their non-scientific faith instead of enthusiastically supporting the world of science. This author is Tim Crane, also an atheist and a Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He writes “religion commands and absorbs the passions and intellects of hundreds of millions of people, many more people than science does.” He believes one of the reasons for this is that science demands proof of its hypotheses while religion does not. Basically, he states that religious people are willing to accept things that they don’t understand as a mystery.

OK, but why is that? Why are believers willing to accept that God created the world, that God rules the universe, when non-believers cannot? I believe this acceptance is a gift from God. He offers it—this ability to believe His truth without scientific proof–to us all, and we just have to accept it.

“There is, to be sure, a certain wisdom which we express among the spiritually mature. It is not a wisdom of this age . . . No, what we utter is God’s wisdom: a mysterious, hidden wisdom, God planned it before all ages for our glory.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:6, 7

The temptation to follow the latest opinions of well-known scientists and or scholars of the day doesn’t shake the faith of those who accept His gifts. Faith—it will help you see through the ‘false prophet’s’ proclamations.

Of course, these are my opinions, based on my understanding of the issue. So, readers, I ask you. What do you think makes one person a believer while another is skeptical of religion? And what do you believe?

Revelations!

As I began my journey, I learned some things that are very important to understand at the start of the Bible study.  At our initial session at the Seminary, we began by addressing topics from the summer reading assignment, The Bible Compass by Dr. Edward Sri. This author identifies five interpretive keys to studying the Bible:

• Discover the author’s intention
• Be attentive to the Unity of Scripture
• Read Scripture within the Living Tradition of the Church
• Read Scripture with the Symphony of God’s Revelation
• Use the Four Senses of Scripture: Literal, Allegorical, Moral, & Anagogical

These five keys were discussed in some detail at our Seminary day and then again back in Monroe when we attended our first weekly meeting.

Additionally, we discussed that while there are 73 books in the Bible (66 in the Protestant version), the narrative of the story of Salvation is found in just 14 books. (Seems a little less over-whelming when you think of it that way, doesn't it?)  Additionally, the entire Bible is broken into 12 separate periods of time. All other books supplement the narrative found in these 14 books. Listed below are the 12 timeline periods and which of the 14 corresponding books go with each period:

1. Early World ~ Genesis 1 - 11
2. Patriarchs ~ Genesis 12 – 50
3. Egypt & Exodus ~ Exodus
4. Desert Wanderings ~ Numbers
5. Conquest & Judges ~ Joshua, Judges
6. Royal Kingdom ~ 1-2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1 – 11
7. Divided Kingdom ! 1 Kings 12 – 22, 2 Kings
8. Exile ~ 2 Kings
9. Return ~ Ezra, Nehemiah
10. Maccabean Revolt ~ 1 Maccabees
11. Messianic Fulfillment ~ Luke
12. The Church ~ Acts of the Apostles

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, I attended a brief Bible study at my church last Spring. The program was called The Great Adventure: A QUICK Journey Through the Bible. That program also recognizes the 12 periods.  In their program, each of the 12 time periods was given a color to help people remember the events tied to that particular time period. To aid our memories further, a bookmark and a bracelet with colorful beads was given to each participant.

12 periods of the Bible bracelet*

The colors and what they represent are listed next to the numbers in the following list. (The numbers correspond to each of the 12 periods in the list above.)

1. Turquoise – color of earth seen from space
2. Burgundy – Reminder of the blood covenant
3. Red – crossing the Red Sea
4. Tan – Desert Sand where God’s people wandered
5. Green – Lush green hills of the promised land
6. Purple – King David, who was promised an eternal throne
7. Black – Represents a Divided kingdom
8. Baby Blue – recalls the Children of Judah “singing the blues” in Babylon
9. Yellow – Brighter days ahead as the exiles come home to make a fresh start
10. Orange – Reminder of the Oil Lamps in the purified temple
11. Gold – gold reminds us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, who would fulfill God’s promises
12. White – The spotless bride of Christ 

As you can see, everything covered so far is still BIG PICTURE, prlminary information. In the next posting, we get down to work in Genesis. Until then, Peace!

* The Great Adventure program is a wonderful introductory study. You can find a link to it on my blog page. Also, my church is offering the course in an 8 week program, starting in mid-September, 2010. It is well worth the low cost and you can learn how to enroll by calling 734-847-2805.

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