Ancient literature week of Oct. 31 to November 4

Finish reading the Odyssey and write a chapter summary of each chapter. Remember this week we are going to discuss the concentric rings of Odysseus' journey. They were published on an earlier blog. If you have lost them, you should be able to find them again. Remember also that your quiz for this week is to be able to write the names of 15 mortals from the Iliad and/or the Odyssey and identify them. There will be 3 points posssible for each character--one for writing the name in a way that I can recognize who it is, one for spelling it correctly, and one for identifying him/her correctly.

Revelation week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 4

Here are the questions for tape 9--Please note you can spread them out and make as much space between questions as you like. There is no need to squish up your answers.

I would like you to try something extra this week (i.e. in addition to the questions on tape 9) and bring it to class THIS WEEK--WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 2. I'm sorry that I didn't get this assignment to you sooner but I was just working on it this weekend and realized it would make a great assignment. It involves reading 3 passages of scripture and thinking. PLEASE DO NOT USE A DICTIONARY OR ANY BIBLE HELPS WITH THIS--TRY TO FIND THE ANSWERS IN THE SCRIPTURE ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Read Isaiah 6:1-3--gives a brief description of God on His throne and of seraphim
2. Read Ezekiel 1--gives a long, complicated description of "living beings" which Ezekiel 10:1 identifies as cherubim (verses 1-26)
--also gives a description of God on His throne (verses 26-28)
3. Read Rev. 4--gives a description of God on His throne
4. Questions to think about: (1)Seraphim and Cherubim are two types of angels. Can you tell from these passages what the main difference between them is? I don't want you to discuss how they look different but something else more important (2)I think the "living creatures" in Rev. 4 are angels, either seraphim or cherubim. Do you agree that they are angels and if so which type--cherubim or seraphim? have formed my opinion but I want you to tell me what you think and why.
NOTE: The reason I was looking at this stuff was I was again trying to figure out whether the question I asked about 5 visions of God in scripture was a good one and why most of you were having so much trouble with this question.

Questions #9—Jesus Loves Me, This I Know!

1. What are the two introductions to Revelation, where are they found, and what do they introduce?
2. What 5 things does Rev. 1:5 tell us about Christ?
3. According to Rev. 6a what did Christ make us to be?
4. Whose glory does Christ share?
5. Anything else in this message that you would like to discuss?
6. What application did you make from this message?
7. What Psalm did they sing at the end? Why?

Rev. week of 10/24-10/28 and 10/31-11/4

For the first week listed above you are to finish your overview of Revelation if you haven't already. Then if you have time do the same thing with the book of Daniel. Next week you will do tape 9 of the Revelation series. Bruce should have given each of you your DVDs Sunday night. I have Kit Swartz's outlines to go with them that I will give you on Wednesday.

Ancient Literature Assignment week of 10/24-10/28 and 10/31-11/4

I thought you folks were mature enough to remember an assignment when I give it in class, but apparently I was wrong. Read Odyssey chapters 13-18. Next week I will want you to finish the book. Be sure and write a 2-3 sentence summary of each chapter and write down how much time you spend on this assignment. Since we are not discussing the Odyssey this week, you have another week to think about the concentric rings that were part of last week's assignment. I plan to discuss this on 11/2. If I have further discussion questions I'll post them, but these won't have to be turned in.

Concentric Rings and Chiasms

I. Genesis 6-9

A. Corruption of All Men and Noah’s Family (Gen. 6:1-12)
B. Covenant with Abraham (Gen. 6:12-18)
C. Commands & Obedience (Gen. 6:19-22)
D. Entered Ark (Gen. 7:1-5)
E. Water comes & Prevails (Gen. 7:6-24)
F. God remembered Noah & beasts & cattle on ark (Gen. 8:1a)
E’. Water recedes (Gen. 8:1b-12)
D’. Leave Ark (Gen. 8:13-19)
C’. Worship & Commands (Gen. 8:20-9:7)
B’. Covenant (Gen. 9:8-17)
A’. Family of Noah and Canaan’s Sin (Gen. 9:18-29)


II. Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the
waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many
waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the
LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD
breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 And He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion
like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The
LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve, And strips
the forests bare, And in His temple everything says,
"Glory!"
10 The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as
King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His
people with peace.

A. Ascribe strength and glory to God (Ps. 29:1-2)
B. Powerful and majestic voice of God upon waters (Ps. 29:3-4)
C. Voice of Lord over creation (breaks cedars) (Ps. 29:5)
D. Voice of Lord makes land move (Ps. 29:6)
E. Voice of Lord in Judgement (flames of fire) (29:7)
D’. Voice of Lord shakes land (Ps. 29:8)
C’. Voice of Lord over creation (Ps. 29:9)
B’. King at the flood (Ps. 29:10)
A’. Lord givers strength and peace to His people (Ps. 29:11)


III. Psalm 101:3-8
3-4 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work
of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I
endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that
they may dwell with me; He who walks in a blameless
way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position
before me.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, So as to cut off from
the city of the LORD all those who do iniquity.


A. No evil for Psalmist (Ps. 101:3-4)
B. Against sinner (slanderer, haughty) (Ps. 101:5)
C. Faithful will minister to Psalmist (Ps. 101:6)
B’. Against sinner (deceitful, liar) (Ps. 101:7)
A’. No evil for land (Ps. 101:8)

Chiasms

What's a Chiasm?
Suppose I employed several people and had to lay off one of them. I might organize my memo to him something like this:
1
A
Dear John:
2
B
You're fired.
3
A'
Sincerely, Herb
Even this crude first draft is a "chiasm," a form suggested by its conforming to the > shape of the left half of the Greek letter chi, which is drawn like the English X. The "outer" elements, designated AA', are the "frame," or (since this is a letter, or epistle) an "epistolary frame." The inner layer, designated B, has the all-important, bad news message.
Such a letter would greatly shock and irritate John, of course. So I would add another layer to the chiasm to make John (and myself) feel better--but without removing the message. The message is thus elevated to level C and the new BB' pair might be called the level of "explanation".
1
A
Dear John:
2
B
Things are tough. We can't afford you any more.
3
C
You're fired.
4
B'
I'm really sorry I have to do this. It's not my fault--it's circumstances.
5
A'
Sincerely, Herb
Obviously, I can continue to insert layers--such as an "affirmation" pair designed affirm John's worth--but you get the idea. Modern teachers of the art of writing business letters don't use the word "chiasm," but rather use "sandwich" because it is easier to remember. The message is the "meat," and the outer layers of bread and condiments are part of the "delivery system." Some managers are so distressed at having to write letters like the one outlined above that they over-compensate, making them so elaborate and complex that the employee receiving the letter is confused, not being sure whether he is to report for work the next day or not! I have known people who have received such letters--one of them who had sat next to his boss during a letter writing seminar told me that he regarded his former boss as having given him the "sandwich treatment." Perhaps it would be better to say that he was the victim of a poorly constructed chiasm.
So chiasm is not something that is necessarily done for poetic beauty, even though it is a poetic device often used in antiquity. It is not even something that people do deliberately or something that requires special training--you have probably used chiasmic form yourself without really realizing it! Chiasm is therefore a natural result of the social need to package a difficult message in a way that prepares one for its force and provides encouragement after the delivery.
Letter writing involves chiasms with an odd number of lines, while poetry often uses chiasms with an even number of lines. The odd number identifies the inner-most, unpaired element with the message. It becomes the "focus" of the letter. All other elements of the letter exist to help deliver that message. They may convey information (perhaps informing the ex-employee of his cobra plan options and the company's outplacement services), but they are subordinate to the main message. Such chiasms have "climactic centrality" because they focus on their center--the innermost layer that contains the "meat" of the sandwich.
A Biblical Example
Let me offer a favorite chiasm from a favorite Old Testament book--Qohelet (more commonly known as Ecclesiastes). This was discovered by Daniel C. Fredericks ("Life's Storms and Structural Unity in Qohelet 11:1-12:8," Journal for the study of the Old Testament 52 (1991), 95-114). Fredericks identifies the focus verse (that is, the main message) in Eccl. 11:9--"But know that for all these things God will bring you to judgement" This is a verse that many biblical scholars had scoffed at, saying that it appeared contrary to Qohelet's whole carpe diem ("seize the day!") philosophy and had probably been added by a pious scribe in order to get the book into the Old Testament canon. But Fredericks, in showing that the structure of the passage absolutely depended on its focus verse, demolished such arguments. Here is the chiasm discovered by Fredericks--examine it with Ecclesiastes open before you and marvel at the symmetry of the matching of the pairs AA', BB', CC', and so forth. What do you think? Do you agree that the chiasm was the intent of the book's ancient author? Or was it a mere coincidence?
Eccl. 11:3-12:2 as a Chiasm discovered by D. C. Fredericks
Eccl. 11:3
A
Clouds and Rain
Eccl. 11:7
B
Light and Sun
Eccl. 11:8a
C
Consider the days of darkness
Eccl. 11:8b
D
All that comes is breath
Eccl. 11:9a
E
Enjoy your Youth
Eccl. 11:9b
F
But know ... God will bring you to judgment
Eccl. 11:10a
E'
Enjoy your Youth
Eccl. 11:10b
D'
All of youth is breath
Eccl. 12:1
C'
Consider God before the days of darkness
Eccl. 12:2a
B'
Sun and Light
Eccl. 12:2b
A'
Clouds and Rain
Nota Bene
When one examines a biblical book structurally, whether the form might be chiasm or one of many other schemes, one is exercising a technique called "form criticism." That does not mean that one is criticizing the book for the purpose of making a judgment as to its quality or authority. Rather, it is simply an academic term for the manner that the exegete is using to approach the book. There are at least a half-dozen types of biblical "criticism," and there is no reason for the reader to take offense at the term.
House Church Central Home Page House Church Central Home Page

Ancient Literature & History (week of 10/17-10/21)

Read in Odyssey, chapters 7-12 for at least one hour/day (unless it takes less time to finish)
If you didn't get all 6 chapters read last week, start where you left off.
Keep a record of the days and time you read.
Write a brief summary (2-3 sentences) of every chapter. (Special note to Ellen: maximum of 12 clauses!!!!!!!!!!!!) This is all you have to turn in.

Leithart gives a set of concentric rings for part of this week's lesson. After you finish the first 12 chapters, take a look at this and see if you can determine what the matching letters have in common. (He adds a new point in this chapter--he says the matching letters are related by some similarity or contrast. I think these are all similarities.)
a. Cicones
b. Lotus Eaters
c. Cyclops
d. Aeolus
e. Laestrygonians
f. Circe
g. Journey to the Underworld
f. Sirens
e. Scylla
d. Cattle of sun
c. Charybdis
b. Calypso
a. Phaeacians
This doesn't have to be turned in. It wil be part of our discussion next week. If you use up all your time reading and with the summaries this doesn't have to be done. I find it interesting and challenging and I like a good challenge.

Revelation (10/17-10/21) Assignment

I want you to read the entire book of Revelation this week. I don't think this is as big an assignment as you think. This is only 404 verses. If you spend 2 and 1/2 hours (30 min./day or all at once) that's only 2 and 2/3 verses per minute. If it takes you longer than this you can finish next week.
The purpose of this is simply to get an overview of the Book of Revelations. If you could read it all in one day that would be great. Most of you probably will become "brain dead" if you attempt this. But if you could read a bunch, take a break when needed, read a bunch more, etc. until done this would be the best. However you do it, I want you to spend at least 2 and 1/2 hours on this assignment. Be sure and keep a record of when you read (days and time of day) and turn it in with your assignment.
I want you to keep notes on what you read. I don't want these to be detailed although there might be a few places you want details for your own benefit. (For example, when I went through the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets, and the 7 bowls, I wrote a few words describing each.)
Mainly I just want an overview by chapters or at least large chunks of chapters. Here are two examples from my notes:
chapters 2 & 3: 7 letters to the 7 churches
chapter 19: marriage feast of the lamb (verses 1-10)
white horse from heaven (verses 11-16)
great supper of Lord (verses 17-21)
As you read, you might think you know what a vision is about--if you do write it down. I think you will be surprised that there are chunks you can get the drift of on your own. But in these areas you probably won't know what all the details mean. There will also be chunks you don't have the slightest idea what is being referred to. Keep brief notes and we should have fun discussing this overview.
If you don't make it through all 22 chapters keep your notes and bring them to class. I'm not going to grade the content. I'll just mark whether or not you completed the assignment. To pass the course this assignment must be completed even if it is late.
Remember you only have to spend 2 and 1/2 hours. Consider it a puzzle. This first week we'll be filling in some of the big easy pieces. I think you will be surprised how many of these there are.
One more note. There is a lot of repetition in Revelations. Just as the creation story is told twice--in Genesis 1 and again in Gen.2 with a different emphasis, parts of Rev. are told and retold. See if you can find some of these retellings.

Revelation #8--Christ Will Judge the World (10/10-10/14)

Questions #8
1. What is Rev. 1:1-20 about?


2. What is Daniel 2:25-49 about?


3. What are the rough time frames of Rev.?


4. Contents suggest references to each time frame (past, present, and future); PS
suggests chapters 1 & 12 are past; chapters 1-3 are present; and chapters 21-22 are
future. Can you find words in each of these chapters that indicate the time period
Swartz suggests?




5. What does PS say is the basic source for the writing of Revelation?

6. What does PS say Revelation is a fulfillment of?

7. What was there about John’s vision on the isle of Patmos that made him think of Daniel 2; that made him think that what Daniel saw as future, he was seeing as near at hand?








8. Describe the statue described in Daniel 2:31-33. What is significance of each description (Daniel 2:36-43)?




9. Describe the stone in Daniel 2:34-35. What is significance of each description (Dan. 2:44-45)




10. What are these things that must take place quickly?




11. What Psalm was sung after the message and why?

12. Anything else that you would like to discuss from this message?



13. What application did you make?

Ancient literature Week 8 (10/10-10/14)

Ancient Literature Week 8 (Oct. 10-14)

Your #1 assignment as we read Homer’s Odyssey is to ENJOY this book!!!!!!!!!!. If you aren’t enjoying it, you need to try to get a copy of the Robert Fagles translation. I don’t know anything about any other translations, but I am enjoying this one.
Your #2 assignment is to keep track of how much time you spend reading it. I want you to record what day you read and from what time to what time during the day. My guess is that you will have to spend about one hour/day reading. If most of you are spending more than that we will slow the pace down. If just a few are spending more time, we’ll try to make adjustments for you. If there is no time record, you won’t get credit for the week’s work.
Your #3 assignment is to read the first six chapters in The Odyssey. If you reach the 5 hour mark in reading and are not finished with the first 6 chapters call me. (This does not include the time you spent on Revelation & Greek.) I told your parents at the beginning of this course that my estimate was that it would take one and a half to two hours/day to do everything. I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I do want you to put some effort into this. Read slow enough to understand, and if there are parts you didn’t understand go back and read it again.
Your #4 assignment (note this is only the 2nd thing you have to write down) is to write down any questions you have as you go through.
Your #5 assignment (3rd thing to write down) is to think about what you have read at the end of every chapter and write a brief (2 or 3 sentence—if you “need” to make it longer you can but it is not required) summary.
Your #6 assignment is to look at questions I’ve written for some of the chapters before you read that chapter. Some are factual, and some are things to think about. If you want to jot things down for yourself about these, that’s fine. However you don’t have to turn these in. These questions will be discussed in class. Your week’s grade will be dependent on #2, #4, and #5. If you have no questions you don’t need to write anything down for #4.
If you don’t understand part of the assignment, call and ask me. NOTE: I WILL NOT BE IMPRESSED IF YOU CALL ME SATURDAY NIGHT BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT AROUND TO FINDING OUT WHAT THE ASSIGNMENT WAS ABOUT.
I’M EXPECTING YOU TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION (not for handing in): Please note all the line notations will be from Fagles translation. You’ll have to try and figure out where they are in other ones.
Chapter one
1. From the first 12 lines what do you think The Odyssey is about?
Did you notice any discrepancies in this from what The Theogony said?
2. Were the beliefs expressed in this book on man’s responsibility (1:37-40) and the sovereignty of the “gods” (1:307-309) any different from the reformed view other than they don’t believe in the one true God.
3. Who are the furies?
Chapter 2: Why doesn’t Telemachus throw out Penelope’s suitors? (2:272-283)
Chapter 3: Does anything about the sacrifice (3:480-520) remind you of anything
from The Theogony?
Chapter 4:
1. What heroic thing did this chapter tell us that Odysseus did in the
battle for Troy? (4:274-279)
2. What are the Elysian Fields? (4:635)
I may e-mail you some questions on chapters 5 & 6 in the next couple of days so check
your e-mails

Revelation #7 (10/3-10/7)--First Things First!

Questions #7--First Things First!
1. What is 2 Peter 1:1-2:3 about?



2. What is Ezekiel 13:1-9 about?



3. What is the first question we should ask as we analyze a Bible passage?


4. What are the four main approaches that men have taken in interpreting Revelation?





5. What does Pastor Swartz think about these 4 approaches?



6. What three things does Pastor Swartz say are necessary to understand the words of God?



7. What three things does Pastor Swartz say we need to understand the visions of God?



8. Where does Pastor Swartz say false prophecy comes from?



9. Where does Pastor Swartz say false interpretation comes from?



10. What does Neh. 9:20 tell us we should do as we continue this study of Revelation together?


11. What Psalm did Pastor Swartz close with? Why?



12. Is there anything else in this message that you would like to discuss or comment on?



13. What personal application did you make?

Ancient Literature Week 7 (10/3-10/7)

Questions on Books 1, 3, and 22 of the Iliad
1. If you haven’t done it yet write a paper on Homer. The minimum is 50 words. You can make it as long as you desire.
2. The Iliad is an epic. What are the characteristics of an epic? This is an extra credit question. It may be hard to find but give it a shot if you are interested.
3. What is an epithet? This is the word I was trying to pronounce in class. Learn how to pronounce it and write down its definition from the dictionary.
4. Read book 1 in the Iliad
5. As you read through Book 1 look for epithets and write them down after the character they refer to. This is important because Homer often refers to characters just by their epithets and without their names. If you haven’t paid attention to the epithet you won’t know whom he is referring to. The first two I found in my translation were Peleus’ son Achilles and Agamemnon lord of men. If you have trouble with this question please call me.
6. Summarize book 1. This should be in your own words. Try to do it in 50-100 words. If you need to make it longer do it, but try to be concise.
7. Does this chapter seem to be the antithesis of any Bible verses (should be many)or catechism questions (should be one in particular) you know? If so list some.
8. Read book 3
9. What did Hector think of his brother Paris?
10. On page 264 of the Mythology book it is said that Ares always took sides with Aphrodite and therefore favored Troy. Book 3 repeatedly refers to Menelaus loved by Ares. (e.g. line 164) This seems to be a discrepancy to me. Can you explain it?
11. *Who are the two main combatants in book 3?
*Does this remind you of any battle in scripture? If so, in what way?
12. Who won the battle?
13. Was the vow kept?
14. Who did Helen want to win the battle?
15. What does Helen call herself in this book?
16. Read book 22
17.Do you think Hector was courageous in this book? Why or why not?
18. According to Hamilton on page 26 (sentence actually starts on page 25) what is Fate? Also according to Hamilton on page 49 (sentence actually starts on page 48) who are the fates? (If you wanted to, you could look at your copy of the Theogony because Hamilton says she is quoting Hesiod.) Is there a difference between these and God’s sovereignty as discussed in scripture? Use scripture—some possibilities are Ps. 139:16; Lam. 3:37-38; Is. 45:7; Acts 17:26; Job 12:23, Job 2:10.