Reflection Essay : Sacred Humor

Other than considering the matter of genres, the differences of culture and language should also be part of the element we should think of when we discover the truth of the Bible. Different cultures will cause different understanding of the Bible. Placher uses the example of Thucydides that “keeping as closely as possible to the general sense of the words that were actually used” was “called for by each situation (Placher 12).” in this example, situation can be realized as someone’s own view imposed to the text, according to the culture or experience he goes through. Placher argues that if a biblical author writes in a attitude of culture which is different from the readers’ attitude, then he or she writes as the products of such a culture. Like what the author says, “to treat them as having an attitude to history different from what they do is not to interpret them with maximum accuracy, but to get them wrong (Placher 16). ” Moreover, the confusion of reading the Bible, which is originated in a culture different from ours, happens when there are different social conditions that give different meanings. The author gives an example of the slavery in ancient Israel and the slavery in the American South. He says that the slaves in ancient Israel are supposed to be free at the end of seven days, and their identity of slave is not based on race. However, the slavery in American, on the contrary, differs from the one in the Bible. In addition, the author talks about homosexuality. He claims that in ancient Israel, two men cannot love each other, for that is an abomination, and they will be condemned. However, in modern society, even if people do not follow the Bible, that is they love each other, they seldom be condemned. In brief, the author claims that understanding the genres, recognizing the attitudes toward the reporting of historical details, and considering the social context in

Chapter 25, "Mr. Ara," begins with the gathering of neighborhood boys in front of Ara's market. August Gottlieb, Ulysses, Lionel, and other youths of Ithaca have just taken part in the theft of an apricot from Old Henderson's tree. Standing in front of the store, the boys revere the apricot as an item of sacrament. August, the boy who physically plucks it, is held in high regard for his bravery and efficiency. Although the apricot is hard and green and far from ripe, it has a deeper meaning to the young boys of the small town. The fruit is an item obtained in spite of the possible danger of getting caught by Henderson; it is considered an extremely well earned keepsake. The boys

As Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays state in Grasping God’s Word, every copy of the Bible today is a translation, “unless everyone wants to learn Hebrew and Greek (the Bible’s original languages)… (Duvall and Hays 23). This being the case, people may debate which translation is more accurate; however, the best way to understand the Bible is by reading several different translations and comparing them to one another. The main reason several translations helps people grasp the full meaning of Scripture is because some translations are word for word, which is the formal approach in translation and gives a reader the closest possible words from when the text was written. On the other hand, the more functional approach in translation is thought for

During the Age of Enlightenment, people began believing in and relying upon rational thought instead of religious dogma to explain the world. This newfound emphasis on rationality promoted a breadth of freedom in speech that was previously unknown, a fact which was utilized by philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Sir Isaac Newton. In addition, the Age of Enlightenment produced famous writers who didn’t agree with the irrational politics and old traditions of their respective countries, and instead relied upon wit and satire to expose the corruption and poor human condition existing around them. These Enlightenment writers use irony in their satires to get their interpretations regarding the human condition across.

Through colloquialisms, interpretations are often lost. Another anomaly is that words change definition over time, and depending on the culture, the same words may have a completely different meaning. For instance, prior to 1950, the word gay simply meant happy. Today, it refers to homosexuality. Sometimes words can even have different meaning among subcultures of the same society. In the American Caucasian culture, the word “punk” generally refers to someone who likes rock music and may have a colorful Mohawk. In African American culture, the word punk has shifted over time to mean a feminine male. Understanding the culture of the original authors of the Bible will give believers a deeper understanding of the Word.

As I read and comprehend how our scriptures were penned within the culture and period of their history, the more my eyes are opened to the similarities between words, phrases, thoughts and ways of thinking. Much of what we have in the Apostolic Scriptures (AS) is understood in similar and oftentimes divergent ways among diverse people groups as illustrated by our readings of 2nd Temple literature. As “churched” people we oftentimes assume and may have been taught all concepts contained within the “New Testament” are completely new; ideas, words and phrases in the text were birthed as its words were recorded by the authors. Yet, one comes to understand with proper study these words and ideas are not completely new, rather they are given the

The Bible is known as ‘authoritative written source’ (Bowley, 1999) and is a library of 66 books and is made of two parts: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books). The Bible was only officially put together around the third century. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic while the New Testament was written in Greek. During the Reformation, scholars wanted to allow everyone to read the Bible in their own languages (Beck et al, 2000). Now, the Bible is written in over 1600 languages. However, Jewish people only read the Torah in Hebrew. The Old Testament is similar to the Torah where the books are exactly the same.

Curiosity Journal 4: What makes you laugh? Laughing is a very interesting wonderful thing, my sense of humor is not likely to be the same as everyone else, and it is unique to each person. Sometimes while looking through the internet I come across a video or a picture that I find to be very funny and I feel the need to share the laugh with someone else, but once I go to show a friend I become broken spirited because they think the complete opposite. I think that my sense of humor is very particular and strange; I find awkward jokes, irony and dark humor to be very funny. Caspar Lee is a YouTuber that has branded his online persona around making extremely awkward and cringy.

Bible can be approached not only historically or generically but also literarily and this article, The Tacit Agenda of a Literary Approach to the Bible, focuses on Leithwort which is repeated word that helps to see Bible literarily. Buber and Rosenzweig think that Bible is more than just a Biblical text, but it is more beautiful and well-crafted literature and they also view the bible philosophically and looked for deeper meaning. Rosenzwig claims that author’s meaning could be interpreted differently to the readers as one word has multiple meanings. Also, there is word called Leithwort. Leithwort is the one of the way that Bible uses as a literature method of expressing the idea. Leithwort means repeating same rooted word and by saying same rooted word over and over again it holds a powerful meaning. Therefore, Burber says that it is important to understand and interpret properly Leithwort for readers so that they could

One of the most significant sources known as the KJV helped shape the most common language known to man which is the English-speaking language. “The King James Bible was a landmark in the history of the English language. The influence of this work has been incalculable” (Mcgrath 1). “Literary scholars have heaped praise upon it” (Mcgrath 1). “Without the Bible, the culture of the English speaking world would have been immeasurably improvised” (Mcgrath 2). “Until the Bible was translated, many English speaking Christians had to rely on their clergy to tell them about such things” (Mcgrath 2). “Many learned biblical passages by heart, and found that their written and spoken English was shaped by the language and imagery of this Bible, without this Bible, there would have been no paradise lost, no pilgrim’s progress, no Handel’s Messiah, no Negro spirituals, and no Gettysburg address.” (Mcgrath 2). “The King James Bible became part of the everyday

Manbearpig: Half Man, Half Bear, Half Pig, but All Global Warming? South Park is a popular animated comedy series written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. While the episodes of South Park are always humorous on the surface, each show usually has a deeper, much more profound meaning and moral. One episode of South Park entitled Manbearpig, named after the monster in the episode, has a particularly potent deeper meaning. On the surface, the episode pokes fun at monster stories, politics, and specifically Al Gore. Deeper down, however, this monster story can be read as a national allegory alluding to the dangers of global warming, the problems with the politics behind global warming, and the eventual doom we will all face

When studying any piece of literature there are many different methods and techniques that can be used. The Bible, in specific, is often referred to as a source of moral code, hope, and answers to social, ethical, and political questions. However, this incredibly influential book can also be read as if it were any other novel. The events, settings, and characters can all be evaluated for what they are, forgetting the notion that they are from a religious text. This approach is called narrative criticism. When regarding to the Bible in this way, we do not need to know any historical information or focus on seeking a deeper theological meaning. Instead, the stories are evaluated in terms of how

It is important that we understand and preserve the many different languages the Bible is translated into because they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Through these translations we may find a deeper meaning and understanding. Jost Zetzsche stated it best when he said, “I believe that translations of Scripture are not secondary fill-ins but as integral part of the ongoing and primary expression of God’s message in written form.”

The Bible is the Word of God without a doubt. We believe this is the truth and we belive that there is no error when it come to God and his timing. There is no error or miscommunication when it comes to the Word of God and his teachings in the Bible. God has supreme authority over all things and the Bible was written for all of His people to follow His lead and to be blessed with the Holy Spirit. “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31). Now, we know the Bible was written in many versions, but the message is still very clear through the different versions. Some people find it hard to believe or hypocritical knowing that the Bible is in different languages. Greek was the most popular language at one point and that’s the language that the New Testament was written in.

Hargreaves, Cecil. A Translator’s Freedom: Modern English Bibles and Their Languages. Jsot Press, 1993.Glassman, Gugene H. The Translation Debate. Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 1981Park, No-chan. 현대 영어성경 번역본의 신학적 입장 및 번역위원에 관한 연구 -KJV, RV, ASV, RSV, NIV를 중심으로-. 석사학위논문. 침례신학대학 신학대학원. 1996. Translating has two meanings; translating from one language to another, and translating others’ work into one’s words. Like the famous quote “Translation is the art of failure” by Umberto Eco, there were countless controversies over the translation of written works over centuries, from personal writings to literature. Understandably, there are no exceptions for the case of bible translation. The history of bible translation began in the 5th century BCE in Palestine, from Hebrew to Aramaic. There are many factors that affect the content and structure of the bible when it is translated. One factor is emotional attachment to already familiar version. Since the group of people revising the bible are Christians themselves, they must have studied an already existing version for their whole life. This is impossible to ignore and it appears intactly on their work, like King James Version (KJV) and Revised Korean Version (RKV). Another factor is the difference in languages. This is important because the structure of language is different from culture to culture and the meaning it connotes is