Month 22 - Song of Songs

Just in time for Christmas we come to Song of Songs, arguably the best proof of the Bible's reliability that there is. After all, if you were going to make up a holy book you'd never put this collection of horny-but-odd poems in.

As with Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, Song of Songs (or Canticles as it's also known) features in a number of films, mainly those about Solomon. Indeed, whilst it's love poetry seems a little out of place in the Bible, it fits right into Hollywood's priorities.

Elsewhere, there are a number of online resources:Marcia Falk's commentary, Carl W. Ernst's introduction, Bible.org's introduction, ILovePhilosophy.com's new translation
And of course - Wikipedia. Plus you can read about all the rude bits here.

Month 21 - Ecclesiastes

Next session 24th November 7:30pm at 41 Linden Road. Hopefully I'll post some more on resources soon...

Month 20 - Proverbs

This month marks the big two zero and it's time for Proverbs. Those of us in Open Heaven looked at Proverbs in the summer of 2007, and so I guess the talks from that summer could form part of the resources for this month. I say could, because I'm not sure how much we really "did" Proverbs, and how much we simply taught wisdom for the 21st century by cherry picking the odd verse here and there. (When, for example, we considered how we should discipline children no-one suggested, for example, that we should beat them with sticks). And don't get me started on the whole "when Solomon said..." thing. That's not to say it wasn't a good sermon series - it was. I'd just like to come at it a different way.

On the plus side it means I have a range of commentaries to consult, and there's even a decent film clip.

Anyway, it all kicks off at 7:30pm at 41 Linden Road on Monday 27th October. See you then.

Month 19 - Psalms

September's "Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years" is looking at Psalms - the longest book in the Bible, at least in terms of chapters. It's also where we find the halfway point in the Bible - although where, exactly, you mark it depends on whether you mean halfway in terms of number of pages, chapters, words or something else entirely. That we reach this landmark only nineteen sixty-sixths of the way through the course is testament to the fact that from here on in the books get shorter.

The session will start, as usual, at 7:30pm but it will be at our new house - 41 Linden Road - and hopefully Digory will be feeling sleepy.

Resources wise I only have a fairly old commentary on Psalms, but I want to come at the book from a different angle than the one we used with the history books. Still working on what that will be, but then there's still a month to go.

Satan in Job

Following on from last night's discussion, here is the link to the article I mentioned. I had completely mis-remembered it's thrust. In fact, the article is even more interesting than I'd remembered. I should add that it's author, Tyler Williams, is an evangelical Old Testament scholar who's somehow also part of the Willow Creek Network. Anyway here it is:

The Mysterious Appearance of “Satan” in English Translations of the Book of Job

Month 18 - Job

Unabated by Digory Page's birth, Through the Bible in Five and a Half Years carries on this month with a look at Job. But there's a special guest in the chair - Stu Jesson.

Resources wise I'm going to leave it up to Stu - there's only a quarter of a film tha features Job anyway (De Oliveira's O Meu Caso), but I have it on good authority that there's going to be some Girard involved. The above image is one of the most challenging roles ever taken by famed Bible actor Gordon Bewes (he's out of the Good News).

And it's staying at our house - 41 Linden Road. Hopefully see you there.

Edit - Stu has found a Job clip from South Park.