- a LOT of reading this week my friends!
- retell the narrative of the Exodus and how Canaan was settled
- to which place did Moses flee?
- Moses went to Midian ? (land of Laban) when he fled from Egypt
- what does YHWH mean
- I am that I am
- I will be that I will be
- What were the circumstances surrounding the covenant?
- Moses received the law on Mount Horeb/Mount Sinai
- Balaak and Balaam, who were they?
- Balaak, Moabite king, asks Balaam, a magician to prophesy against the Israelites, but ironically Balaam says blessings on Israel.
- site of Moses' passing. died on Nebo and was gathered to his people.
- symbolically, the mountain was not in Canaan
- Moses' successor was Joshua
- which Pharaoh ruled Egypt during the Joseph's tenure?
- Akh-en-Aton perhaps. A religious reformer, worshipped Aton, the sun-god.
- which Pharaoh ruled Egypt during the oppression of the Hebrews?
- Rameses II
- which Pharaoh ruled Egypt during the Exodus?
- Rameses II's son Merneptah
- what are the Hyksos?
- a group of Northern invaders/conquerors to the Nile Delta (Joseph may be one of these semites)
- plot out Moses' movement during the Exodus and significant places
- relate the movement with milestones in the emancipatory movements today
- relate the Exodus to my life
- 4-step cycle of salvation-history (i haven't read our lesson yet)
- sin
- judgment
- repentance
- restoration
- how does this theme play out in the Book of Judges (? was that in our reading assignment? no?)
- relate these steps to my life
Notes on Reading
- Ex 4:10 "oh my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of tongue."
- Ex 4:24-26: A bridegroom of blood by circumcision... Zipporah
Notes on last class session
- Rebecca, Christine, Bob, Scott, Steve, Cecil, Laura, Shannon, Jay
- Third year students
- Western vs. Eastern philosophy/spirituality
- Constantinople vs Rome
- Western appoach is open and outward-moving while Eastern is introspective and closed
- one notion of John Chrysodom is that there is an in-borne demon that causes sin
- Easter spirituality uses the Jesus Prayer: "Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me"
- in the 3-4th century, it was easier to be a Christian, no persecution, and no requirement for one year of preparation.
- this level of comfort allowed the Desert Fathers to develop theology without restriction
- "the patriarchs listened to their inner voices and became leaders" ?
- discussion of what is an external God vs what is experienced as an inner voice
- the external God was often involved in negotiation throughout the Pentateuch
- our inward meditation in prayer - is it a conversation with God or with ourself?
- we sometimes seek immediate answers to specific requests and we don't get them
- in centering prayer, the WORD is uttered not as a way of self-hypnosis like the continually repeated mantra, but as a way to escape distraction from prayer, a recentering word.
- other formulas for prayer:
- Anglican: ACT: adoration, confession, thanksgiving
- deep thoughts abt these scriptures
- why is there conflict?
- why was the firstborn slain?
- Theological reflection
- T.R. extrapolates from our conversations in class and experiences in life
- what is the definition of theology?
- how does this relate to me and my ministry?
- how does this connect with my understanding of faith, God, and religion?
- the issue method
- the issue identified must be universal -- to the group
- should not be written in the negative
- should not be emotionally charged, but still personal
- must meet certain shared criteria
- the importance of metaphors is not relevant to the issue method
- results
- changed or different thinking
- no opinion at all (but conscious of not making a choice)
- but always leads to thinking
- it is counter-productive to step through T.R. as an intellectual exercise
- the issue method has these steps:
- Identify
- Explore (in the culture or tradition)
- Connect
- Apply
- or as Vicky Weiss put it, Analyze then Synthesize
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