More on the Exiles' Language; Torah and Prophets in Services; Healing in Community

1. In my reading of Rolf Rendtorff's The Old Testament: An Introduction, Rendtorff refers to the view that Ezra 6:3-5 contains a decree for the royal administration and is thus in Aramaic, the language of the Persian Empire. Ezra 1:2-4, by contrast, was addressed to the Jewish exiles, so it's in Hebrew. That relates to an issue I discussed last week, in my post, The Language of the Returning Exiles; Following Jesus: in what language did the returning Jewish exiles speak?

2. I finished Charles Perrot's French article, "The Reading of the Septuagint in the Hellenistic Diaspora." I could be wrong, but what I got out of today's reading was that the Pharisees and the Essenes read the prophets along with the Torah in their services, as if the prophets were a commentary on the Torah. The Hellenistic Jews, by contrast, focused on the Torah, and used commentaries on that in their services. If I'm not mistaken, Perrot views Philo's books of questions on Genesis and Exodus as such commentaries.

3. I went to Latin mass this morning, and here's a quotation from my bulletin:

Who are these people of the harvest who are coming to our church in record numbers and what draws them to us? One thirty-three-year-old man explained: "My best friend growing up was Catholic. It wasn't anything he said to me. It was just who he was. Even when we were young he seemed as if he had the answer to life's puzzle."

A shy young woman added, "For me, it was the handshake of a priest. I was feeling particularly down so I went to Mass at the Catholic church in my neighborhood. On my way out, the priest excused himself from a conversation and sought me out. After he introduced himself, he invited me back again. That was an important part of my journey of faith."

Personally, I don't feel compelled to act as if I have the answer to life's puzzle, when I don't. I do hope, however, to gain wisdom that I can share with others.

As far as extending hospitality in church goes, I'm reluctant to do so, because I'm not sure if others will accept it. I'm more prone to do that in AA meetings, where strangers go up to each other and introduce themselves.

Finding healing in community has been a topic that I have encountered this week. In this article, Tim Keller describes his faith journey. In college, Keller was depressed, socially-awkward, and very introverted, and yet faith in Christ and the Christian community gave him an opportunity to find peace and reach out to others. In his May 19, 2010 sermon (see http://revthom.blogspot.com), Thomas Belote discusses how Unitarian-Universalism saved his life: at one point, he was angry at the social dynamics and exclusion within his high school, but his UU church allowed him to serve people, and that brought him healing.

Christian community can also be a place that wounds. That's why I like Adam McHugh's Introverts in the Church: it's about how the church can welcome introverts and acknowledge their value to the community, rather than putting them down for not being spiritual enough. Over the next week, I will continue to discuss this book.