Archive for the ‘General’ Category
The past two months there have not been any postings to the United Israel Blog. Although we have postings from a variety of our authors associated with UIWU for the most part the Blog has been my personal responsibility. So why the hiatus?
Oldest Portrait of Paul in Catacombs
I “went underground” from about June 17 through August 17 writing almost nonstop to complete my new book on Paul, with trips to Rome and Jerusalem included. As some of you know, Paul has been in the news of late, with stories about his tomb in Rome being validated, as well as the newly uncovered portrait of Paul in the catacomb of St. Tekla. I have been working on the Paul book since late 2008 when I signed a contract with Simon & Schuster. There was a time when I expected it might be out by Spring, 2010 but as I got deeper into my work I began to develop my ideas in directions I had not originally anticipated, so I have ended up taking most of 2010 to complete the manuscript. The book has been listed on Amazon now for over a year with the fetching title: Paul Untitled and still no cover image. I know many of my readers have pre-ordered it, and I appreciate your patience. The pre-orders do count, and when the book is released they can give it a great send-off, so if any of you are willing to “stand in that Amazon line,” I thank you for it. My editors and I are still talking about a final decision on a title, as well as the cover art, and I hope it will appear soon. I will let everyone know.
What I think I can safely say is that the book will be worth the wait! I don’t know of another book on Paul by a scholar in the field that is like this one, either in ideas, approach, or style. I did my Ph.D. dissertation on Paul at the University of Chicago (1982), directed by the incomparable Jonathan Z. Smith. It was published as a monograph in the Brown University Judaic Studies series in 1985 titled Things Unutterable. It has long ago gone out of print though an unbound facsimile edition is available on Amazon. For the past 30 years, teaching at three universities (Notre Dame, William & Mary, UNC Charlotte) I have continued to think deeply about Paul, covering him in my courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
So far as books on Paul go, I think they must outnumber the books on Jesus, but almost without exception the academic study of Paul is pretty much an “in-house” enterprise with most of the scholars who specialize and write about Paul producing endless books primarily intended for their colleagues. Most of the writings on Paul are highly technical, very theological in orientation, and full of jargon particular to the field. “Pauline Studies,” is such a vast field right now it is impossible for all but the most devoted, who rarely work on anything else, to keep up. I am not one of those people and though I have published and written about Paul along the way. My concentration has been much broader–namely trying to analyze the many ways of understanding “salvation” in ancient Mediterranean religions, particularly in late 2nd Temple Judaism and earliest Christianity–with apocalypticism as my main focus. Such a general description certainly pulls in Paul, but in a broader way that most Pauline scholars deal with him.
What I hope I have produced is a readable and accessible book on Paul, but one that offers an analysis of his mission and message that I have not seen anywhere else. Mine is neither a Paul-bashing nor a Paul-applauding book. I guess you might call it “Paul in His Own Words,” in that I try as best I can to let Paul speak for himself, based on the seven “authentic” letters we have from his hand. And speak he does! I think I have succeeded, at least on an introductory level, to offer readers a clear, refreshing, and provocative look at the Apostle.
I thought I would paste the Table of Contents in here, just to whet a few appetites, and I plan to begin a series of blog posts over the next few weeks that will explore various aspects of Paul and his thinking at my TaborBlog, if any of you are interested. You can find it at http://jamestabor/blog and subscribe there to a mailing list as well.
Some of that material I want to also post here at the United Israel blog as well, because when all things are factored in, no one in human history, including Jesus of Nazareth, has had such an influence on the history of Israel–and for that matter the world–as the apostle Paul. The consequences have been dire and incalculable. Understanding his contribution, however one evaluates it, is critical to charting our course for the future.
Here is the Table of Contents for my book:
Preface: Discovering Paul
Introduction: Paul and Jesus
The Quest for the Historical Paul
Chapter 1: After the Cross
Chapter 2: Reading the New Testament Backwards
Chapter 3: A Forgotten Brother, A Lost Christianity
Chapter 4: A Cosmic Family and a Heavenly Kingdom
Chapter 5: A Mystical Union with Christ
Chapter 6: Already but Not Yet
Chapter 7: The Torah of Christ
Chapter 8: The Battle of the Apostles
Conclusion: Does God Care for Oxen?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03oren.html
June 2, 2010
An Assault, Cloaked in Peace By MICHAEL B. OREN
Washington
PEACE activists are people who demonstrate nonviolently for peaceful co-existence and human rights. The mob that assaulted Israeli special forces on the deck of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara on Monday was not motivated by peace. On the contrary, the religious extremists embedded among those on board were paid and equipped to attack Israelis — both by their own hands as well as by aiding Hamas — and to destroy any hope of peace.
Millions have already seen the Al Jazeera broadcast showing these “activists” chanting “Khaibar! Khaibar!”— a reference to a Muslim massacre of Jews in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century. YouTube viewers saw Israeli troops, armed with crowd-dispersing paintball guns and side arms for emergency protection, being beaten and hurled over the railings of the ship by attackers wielding iron bars.
What the videos don’t show, however, are several curious aspects Israeli authorities are now investigating. First, about 100 of those detained from the boats were carrying immense sums in their pockets — nearly a million euros in total. Second, Israel discovered spent bullet cartridges on the Mavi Marmara that are of a caliber not used by the Israeli commandos, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Also found on the boat were propaganda clips showing passengers “injured” by Israeli forces; these videos, however, were filmed during daylight, hours before the nighttime operation occurred.
The investigations of all this evidence will be transparent, in accordance with Israel’s security needs.
There is little doubt as to the real purpose of the Mavi Marmara’s voyage — not to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, but to create a provocation that would put international pressure on Israel to drop the Gaza embargo, and thus allow the flow of seaborne military supplies to Hamas. Just as Hamas gunmen hide behind civilians in Gaza, so, too, do their sponsors cower behind shipments of seemingly innocent aid.
This is why the organizers of the flotilla repeatedly rejected Israeli offers to transfer its cargo to Gaza once it was inspected for military contraband. They also rebuffed an Israeli request to earmark some aid packages for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas for four years.
In the recent past, Israeli forces have diverted nine such flotillas, all without incident, and peacefully boarded five of the ships in this week’s convoy. Their cargoes, after proper inspection, were delivered to non-Hamas institutions in Gaza. Only the Marmara, a vessel too large to be neutralized by technical means such as fouling the propeller, violently resisted. It is no coincidence that the ship was dispatched by Insani Yardim Vakfi (also called the I.H.H.), a supposed charity that Israeli and other intelligence services have linked to Islamic extremists.
The real intent of breaking the embargo is to allow rockets to be transported to Gaza from Hamas’s suppliers in Syria and Iran. Israel has already intercepted several such ships laden with munitions. Since Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has fired more than 10,000 rockets and mortars at our civilian population. This week, two Hamas rockets exploded near Ashkelon, one of Israel’s largest cities.
Israel has a right and a duty to defend itself from Hamas and its backers. Our struggle is not with the people of Gaza but only with the radical regime that overthrew the legitimate Palestinian Authority and has pledged to seek Israel’s destruction. Each day, Israel facilitates the passage into Gaza of more than 100 truckloads of food and medicine — there is no shortage of either. We, too, want a free Gaza — a Gaza liberated from brutal Hamas rule — as well as an Israel freed from terrorist threats.
Israel will scrupulously review the events surrounding the Marmara’s interception. But Israel will also persist in denying advanced weaponry to Hamas. At the same time, the Israeli government will vigorously pursue peace with the Palestinian Authority, which shares our need for defense against armed extremists. The real peace activists are those who support our vision of a two-state solution, not those supporting the terrorists bent on destroying it.
Michael B. Oren is Israel’s ambassador to the United States.
(c) 2010 New York Times
Restoring Abrahamic Faith, a “must read” for all Christians, see the latest review by United Israel Vice-President Ralph Buntyn:
http://genesis2000.org/endorsements-links/
Become a Fan of Restoring Abrahamic Faith on Facebook, join discussions, post comments and hear from other readers:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Restoring-Abrahamic-Faith/270825473323?ref=ts
Over the past 20 years I have made 40 trips to Israel, nearly always for purposes of archaeology and research. Many of my friends, family, and associates, including readers of my books that I have never met, have asked me if I would ever consider leading a tour. I have never seemed to find the time to work that in until now. I am now able to officially announce such a tour. The dates are October 25 through November 5, 2010. You can find details at my personal TaborBlog, and if you are not a subscriber to that one feel free to sign up:
http://jamestabor.com/2010/05/04/prof-tabor-to-lead-israel-tour-in-fall-2010/
There is a fascinating article on Lincoln and the Jews in Jewish World Review today:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/herb/geduld_lincoln.php3
This entire topic is most interesting in the light of Ross Nichol’s message yesterday at Temple Sinai, which I hope you will all download and listen to if you missed it:
http://rootsoffaith.org/2010/02/13/mishpatim-exodus-211-2418-2.htm
Also, our theme this year at the April 16-18 UIWU meeting here in Charlotte is the Torah/Hebrew Heritage of our American Founders and Culture. United Israel Senior VP Ralph Buntyn has lectured on George Washington in several of our past meetings but there is much more to come, from him and other speakers. Details will be posted at our main Web site here:
In the early 1990’s, Dr. James D. Tabor presented a lecture on the Five Fundamental Flaws of Evangelical Christianity. This lecture has been very popular and widely distributed for well over a decade.
Recently, at a conference held in the historic Temple Sinai, Dr. Tabor presented a revised version of this lecture. Dr. Tabor seeks to show the 5 main points that he feels Christianity has veered from it’s original and thoroughly Hebraic path in this lecture. The lecture is sure to challenge those who claim to follow the teachings of Christianity.
Is standard, evangelical Christianity the same faith that emerged in the first century, or has it developed into something entirely different? You will not want to miss this exciting and challenging lecture by James D. Tabor.
The lecture is available on iTunes and for download now on the Roots of Faith web site.
Here is the link:
http://rootsoffaith.org/2009/10/24/the-five-fundamental-flaws-of-evangelical-christianity.htm
On Sunday July 26th, Keith Johnson and Nehemia Gordon, authors of A Prayer to our Father, will talk about their book at a special event sponsored by United Israel and hosted by Dr. James D. Tabor at the Doubletree Inn & Suites located in South Park (6300 Morrison Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211 Tel: 704-364-2400). This meeting will be from 4-6pm in the Barringer room. The public is invited and there is no admission charge. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Two billion Christians worldwide consider the Lord’s Prayer the ultimate expression of their faith—but few know the stunning story of its Hebrew origins. A Prayer to Our Father (175 pp., tpb, $19.95) is the true story of an exciting journey of faith of a Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor who join forces to uncover the truth about the most beloved prayer in the Christian world.
Their provocative new book reads like a detective novel. Written by two most unlikely collaborators, the charismatic personalities of the authors are as riveting as the story. Former chaplain to the Minnesota Vikings, Keith Johnson has ministered to some of the top names in the NFL and NBA. Jerusalem-based Jewish scholar and author, Nehemia Gordon, has spent his career translating the Dead Sea Scrolls and studying the deep mysteries of the Jewish religion.
Johnson and Gordon’s gripping adventure begins in the ancient city of Jerusalem and takes them to the very spot in Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray. Along the way they discover a Hebrew version of the Lord’s Prayer, preserved in secret by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years. Their riveting journey and extraordinary relationship are chronicled in A Prayer to Our Father.
See the Website: http://www.aprayertoourfather.com/ for further details on the book and the background of the authors.
Nehemia Gordon holds a Masters Degree in Biblical Studies and a Bachelors Degree in Archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Gordon has worked as a translator on the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher deciphering ancient Hebrew manuscripts. He has been invited to speak in synagogues and churches around the world and has led groups of pilgrims and visitors on tours of biblical sites. A native of Chicago, Nehemia has made his home in Jerusalem, Israel for the last fifteen years.
Keith Johnson earned his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has spent nearly two decades in Christian ministry. As an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, Johnson has served as pastor of Park Avenue Church in Minneapolis and as chaplain of the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson was also chosen as one of only 40 chaplains from around the world to serve the athletes of the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta. Keith lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and sons.
James Tabor’s second interview with Tovia Singer is now on-line and can be listened to or downloaded. Here is the description and the link:
Professor James Tabor, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina and author of “Restoring Abrahamic Faith” (available through http://genesis2000.org) explores Christianity’s foundational break with Judaism and Paul’s role in this monumental schism. Tabor emphasizes the apocalyptic and thus “temporary” nature of the original Jesus movement and how it quickly sought to replace Judaism.
For more information, you can find the schedule and location info on this page
http://universaltorah.com/programming/speaking-schedules/
James Tabor’s interview with Tovia Singer on May 7th over Israel National Radio is now archived on the Web site for one week. You can download or listen over the Internet.
Tabor discusses the Pope’s visit to Israel next week, the Vatican claim on the holy places on Mt Zion, as well as his work on the historical Jesus and his latest book, Restoring Abrahamic Faith.
Here is the Internet link: