Theology

DAILY SCHEDULE FOR UNIT 5. EXILE, RETURN, AND BEYOND THL 217-UCB Fall 2019

Gordon Brubacher

INTRODUCTION

Is this the end? The homeland is destroyed, and the survivors have been marched across the map to exile in Babylonia. After first emotional reactions to finding themselves in this situation, the exiles start asking the big questions. God sends voices of hope to shepherd them through this period. We can think of the Babylonian exile in several phases or periods: very early with reaction literature; early with response literature; main period with general life and developing thought; and late period with the voice of Isaiah of the Exile.

Beyond hope or belief, some descendants of those survivors actually get the opportunity to return

to the homeland for a second chance. How will they use it? It will be a struggle, and then new struggles will emerge with the challenge of Hellenism, the magnificent culture which Alexander the Great will bring to the known world.

There’s more. The story will continue beyond what we call the OT period, and it will produce an

astonishing person who will bring something new and something old. The story and the course will end with a bang, not a whimper.

HISTORICAL DATES At this point in the story it becomes important to know when things are happening. We need a

sense of proportion--a sense of how long things are taking or how fast they are happening--in order to understand the story especially when it starts to speed up. Not many dates are important for this course, but some are. For the Unit 5 exam, the main dates are need-to-know.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this unit, the successful student will be able to do all of the following.

1. Describe the nature of the Babylonian exile and its prophetic voices. 2. Describe the stages of return from exile and their prophetic voices. 3. Articulate the major themes of justice and injustice in the Psalms. 4. Describe and critically assess the outcome of the OT meta-narrative in terms of the gathered

prophetic witness which can be articulated as “the new community in prophetic thought.” 5. Describe the aftermath period and the influence of Hellenism on Jewish thought. 6. Describe the continuity of thought from the OT and in particular from the prophetic witness

to the teaching of Jesus in the NT.

DAILY SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

Wed Nov 27 Day 1 ..................................................................................................................

In Exile! Primal Screams in Anger, Questioning, and Despair With life in ruins, everyone is wondering what in the world the Lord might be thinking and

doing--if anything. Some powerful feelings of the time are recorded along with their interpretation based in faith. This comes from the first few years of the exile and we will call it “reaction literature” because it expresses emotional reactions, not thoughtful response. There’s a big difference, as we shall see today.

Psalm 137 One moving and challenging example of reaction literature is found in Psalm 137. The exiles are

in despair. The homeland is destroyed, the survivors shipped across the map to Babylon. Read Psalm 137 and picture it composed by Judean temple singers now in exile. What might it tell us about their experience? On their hopelessness and despair, see Birch 83d-84 (starting with “needless to say” and ending with “many thought the Lord has abandoned them”).

But how should we understand verses 7-9? Does the Bible teach that we should smash babies on

the rocks?  For an explanation of this challenging and widely misused psalm, see the online document

“Psalm 137--Notes and Explanations”  For a thoughtful take on the wider subject of violence in the psalms, see Donahue, 113-

115, “Violence: The Shadow Side of Praise.” What are the main points here, and what do you think about this difficult but important subject?

Ezekiel the Prophet: Pastor and Theologian After initial emotional reactions, but still early the exile, we encounter calmer voices of thoughtful

response to the fact of exile, and we can call the written records of this “response literature.” The outstanding voice in this time and situation came from the great Ezekiel, prophet and leader on location in the exile.

 Read the online document “Ezekiel, Introduction, in The Oxford Study Bible,” to meet the man and his mission as important prep. for the rest of Unit 5.

 For selected readings in Ezekiel, see the online document “Ezekiel--Notes on Selected Passages.”

 What are the main issues addressed by Ezekiel, and what does he say about each?

Life in Exile and the Big Issues  For an overview of this complex and important period, and what the prophets said, first read

the Meta, "Part Seven: In the Babylonian Exile."  Then read Birch, 84c-86c, for a good take on the meaning of the Babylonian Exile and how it

might relate to us today.

Thur Nov 28 Day 2 ..........................................................................................................................

Isaiah of the Exile: “Prepare to Return!” After a couple generations in the Exile, likely in the late 540’s, an unnamed prophet begins to

proclaim: "You will soon return! Get ready!" Incredibly, this will actually happen. We call him Isaiah of the Exile, and his messages are found in Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55),

 For basic knowledge about Second Isaiah, see the online document “Second Isaiah--Two Introductions.”

 For an excellent understanding the message of Second Isaiah, including the biblical concept of hope beyond judgment, read Birch, 86-94, the section titled “Singing the Lord’s Song.”

 For selected readings in Second Isaiah, see the online document “Second Isaiah--Notes on Selected Passages.”

The Early Return from Exile: Phases I and II  For a summary of events in the early return, see the Meta section titled “Ups And Downs: The

Struggles Of The Early Return.” (it’s in “Part Eight: Return To Jerusalem,” after the section on Second Isaiah).

 For a good take on the early period of the return from the exile (the first two phases), read Birch, 96c – 98a (from the heading “Return and Restoration” to the top of p. 98).

Ezra's Reforms and and “The Law of Moses.” Phase III. A few generations after the first two phases of the return, two new groups arrive, each with a

capable and energetic leader. Ezra the Priest is first.  For events in this brief but vivid and influential period, see the Meta, “Ezra The Priest

And The Prophet Malachi," along with the Bible passages mentioned there.  For the episode in Ezra about getting rid of foreign wives, see the online document “Ezra

and the Forced Divorce of Foreign Wives.”

Sat Nov 30 Day 3 .....................................................................................................................

The Prophet Malachi and the Family of God. What is the prophetic response to Ezra’s reforms by the prophet Malachi? A powerful critique and a message that endures.

 For selected readings in Malachi, see the online document “Malachi--Notes on Selected Passages.”

Nehemiah the Governor and His Covenant Soon after Ezra, another group arrives with an even more capable and energetic leader, a new

governor named Nehemiah.  For the far-reaching events in this equally vivid and influential period, see the Meta,

“Nehemiah the Governor and His Covenant.”  For a very good take on the larger meaning of these events, read Birch, 99c-100d

[beginning with “In this brief treatment” and ending with “much larger than that”].

Isaiah of The Return And The Open Community What is the prophetic response to Nehemiah’s actions by “Isaiah of the Return”?

 See the section in the Meta, “Isaiah Of The Return And The Open Community.”  For selected readings in Third Isaiah, which collects the messages of this anonymous

prophet, see the online document “Third Isaiah--Notes on Selected Passages.”

The New Community in Prophetic Thought Where does the faith journey of the Old Testament arrive? It’s a pretty interesting development.

In fact, it’s the message of the OT. See the Meta, “Part Nine: The New Community in Prophetic Thought.”

Sun Dec 1 Day 4 .......................................................................................................................

Meet "The Writings": A Diverse Collection Part Three of the Hebrew Bible is called in Jewish tradition "The Writings," which simply means a

miscellaneous collection of sacred writings that don't fit into Part One (The Torah) or Part Two (The Prophets). The Writings include some famous and well-beloved parts of the Old Testament, such as the Psalms and the Proverbs. Read about this collection in Birch, 95-96.

The Book of Psalms In the Bible we find a collection of hymns and prayers of extraordinary power and beauty, and this

is the Book of Psalms. Some of the oldest ones have been sung and prayed continuously for almost 3000 years. The final section of our course will sample the Book of Psalms, which is the most important book in the Writings for social justice and the use of force.

 Responding to God and Life. The Old Testament as a whole tells Israel's story in light of belief about what God says to them and how God works with them. Now in these prayers the people respond. They provide words and thoughts for responding in faith to the gifts and reversals of life, in joy or in sorrow, as individuals or as the united community of faith.

 A Collection of Prayers and Hymns. These prayers were collected over many centuries, much like a church prayer book or hymnal. The original circumstances for most of them have been lost. This is because the ones which were kept were general enough that many different people could identify with them in many different situations.

 Read and absorb the online document "Introducing the Psalms,” by Dennis Bratcher.

Justice and Violence in the Psalms  Read Donahue, 110-113, “Lamenting Injustice.” What are the main points here?  Again read Donahue, 113-115, “Violence: The Shadow Side of Praise,” now with more

understanding of injustice in the Psalms. What are the main points here, and what do you think about this difficult but important subject?

Step One of the Online Discussion: Pope Francis and Unit 5 In 2 or 3 paragraphs or more, post your knowledge and understanding (not just toss-off thoughts or

ideas), as follows.

Write an analytical and thoughtful response to your friends and folks in the following scenario.  You have joined a BBQ on a gorgeous late summer day, and naturally the conversation turns

to the state of the nation, politics, religion, what a good nation should be like, international perspectives, etc.

 You mention that Pope Francis seems to be on the same page as the OT on these subjects, and an intelligent talking parrot replies, “What? I thought those popes, and also the OT as far as that goes, are pretty much irrelevant to the modern world.”

 So you decide to explain that Pope Francis gave a speech at the UN which had connections to some of the subject matter up to this point in Unit 5.

What would you say?

Required Sources:  The Unit 5 readings up to this point.  Pope Francis’ speech to the UN.

Again, follow the instructions and etiquette for an online discussion in this course.

 See “Instructions for Online Discussions,” “Example Discussion Step 1 Postings,” and “Netiquette” in the “Course Information” module.

 Recall that you need to post your own Step 1 before you can see any of the others.

To submit: click on "Unit 5 Discussion. . .” either in “Assignments” (left side) or in the Unit 5 module. You may post as often as you wish.

 Due Sun Dec 1  3% of final grade  Reminder: the late work deduction applies to Step 1 if is late, not just to Step 2

Tues Dec 3 Day 5 .......................................................................................................................

The Aftermath Period For a good intro. and summary of the period after most of the Old Testament books were written,

read Birch, 106-108. We need to know this period in order to understand social justice in the New Testament, and especially in the teaching of Jesus.

Keeping Torah in a Changing and Hostile World: The Hellenistic Period One empire after another! Changes, changes, changes! After the return from Exile, the Jewish

communities in the Jerusalem area and in various other lands all found themselves facing one issue after another for self-identity and self-preservation. For a broad summary of this complex and important period, in which the last few Old Testament books were written, read the online document: “Keeping Torah in a Changing and Hostile World.”

The Process of Formation: How the Old Testament Came to Us Ancient writings and collections don't just appear out of the blue. They result from a situation of

some kind, and address a target audience of people in their needs and circumstances. To learn how this worked in the case of the Old Testament, read the online document “Process of Formation.”

Step Two of the Graded Online Discussion Continue the online discussion with your fellow students. Respond analytically ("critically") and

thoughtfully to at least 2 or more postings in this discussion.

To submit: same place as Step 1. You may post as often as you wish.  Due Tues Dec 3  Worth 2% of final grade

This assignment will assess:  Unit 5 Learning Objectives 1 and 2 as listed above  Magis Biblical Tradition Learning Objectives 1, 4, and 5 as listed in the syllabus

Wed Dec 4 Day 6 .......................................................................................................................

The Story Continues The epic storyline of the Old Testament does not even pretend to reach closure, ending instead

with a feeling of “To be continued—we hope.” One idea which appears at some point, and starts to develop toward the end, is that some day God will send a great leader called “The Messiah.” Naturally, hope for his coming grew during the aftermath period in the changing circumstances and multiple issues for keeping the faith in a changing world.

Jesus of Nazareth Within a few generations a great teacher appeared in the homeland and his followers believed he

was indeed the longed-for Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth did not claim that title, but he did teach clearly that the biblical storyline had not come to an end. For how this unfolded, read the online document “Jesus Continues the Story.” For a good theological interpretation, read Birch, 108-111, “Jesus Christ is Our Peace.” For more on the teaching of Jesus and the meaning of Jesus in the NT, see the online documents:

 “Jesus Does Isaiah and the New Community”  “Jesus and Reconciliation”

Using the OT as Christian Scripture The 2000 year old question: How might people of the Christian faith read the Old Testament as

Scripture. For some ways to approach this subject, read the online document "Using the Old Testament as Christian Scripture." Might not sound like it, but we’ll end with a bang, not a whimper.

That’s it, gang. Finish well.

Voluntary Extra Credit Assignment ............................................................... Tues Dec 10 Yale Lecture for extra credit. 1%

For details see the “Yale Lecture” module. Not required, strictly voluntary. It’s open now and you may do it any time you wish.

UNIT 5 EXAM ..................................................................................................................

Choose one of the following:  An online exam; see “Exam Instructions for Unit 5” in the Unit 5 module  An optional paper; see “Optional Paper for Unit 5 Instead of the Online Exam” in the Unit 5

module  Or you may even do both, and receive the highest grade of the two.

This online exam is open for 2 days: Sat Dec 7 10.00am – Sun Dec 8 10.00pm.

The optional paper is due Sun Dec 8 midnight.

This assignment will assess:  all the learning objectives for Unit 5 as listed above  Course Learning Objectives 1, 2, and 3.