Apocalyptic Visions of Daniel (extra credit)

Read through the visions in the second half of the book of Daniel (Daniel 7-12). Is there anything here that seems key to the survival of the Jewish people? How would having the book of Daniel have helped the Jewish people go through difficult times, e.g., the time of Antiochus Epiphanes?

Malachi (extra credit)

Read all of Malachi. What is the condition of the Jewish people as he writes? What are the particular problems he addresses? How is the situation different from that addressed by earlier prophets, e.g., Isaiah and Jeremiah? What keys to Jewish survival do you see here?

Haggai and Zechariah

Skim through Haggai and/or Zechariah. Note the problems in the Jewish community that these two prophets address. How would their prophetic message have helped in rebuilding Jerusalem and in helping reforms among the Jewish people? What aspects of their teachings might have helped the Jewish people survive even after the temple was destroyed and the Jews were removed from their land again?

You may turn this into two "extra credit" blogs if you like: one entry on each book.

Nehemiah (extra credit)

Skim through Nehemiah. Note that much of this book is Nehemiah’s account of his own role in helping the rebuilding of Jerusalem and in restoring the Jewish people. Note the problems he faces. What does Nehemiah seem proud of in terms of his own record/conduct? What obstacles does he face? What seems to be his motivation?

Ezra (extra credit)

Read Ezra Ch. 1 and Ch. 3-7. What difficulties do the Jews face as they try to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple? What helps them overcome these difficulties? Note especially the role of leaders like Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra himself. Also note the contrasting attitudes of Persian leaders, e.g., Cyrus and Artaxerxes.

Daniel and Job (Assignment for Thursday, April 19)

On Tuesday, April 17, we will be finishing up Jeremiah and talking about Ezekiel.  Please remember to bring with you the "choral reading" sheets from Jeremiah and Lamentations.

For Thursday, April 19, please read through my study questions on the problem of evil and then Chapters 1-5, 19 and 37-42 of the Book of Job and Chapters 1-7 and 12 of the Daniel.  Add your response to the prompt below:

Both Daniel and Job deal with the problem of evil.  If the world is the creation of an all-powerful and loving God, why is there so much evil in the world?  The two books approach the problem from different perspectives.  Pick here one verse from each book that seems to you to be particularly important either in helping explain the problem of evil or in showing how a good man should live in a world full of evil.

Proverbs (extra credit)

For extra credit, please read the first three chapters of Proverbs and skim the rest of the book. Choose a proverb or two that you think is a particularly good example of Hebrew contributions to human wisdom. Explain why you chose this proverb/these proverbs.

Ecclesiastes--Extra Credit

Because I was called for jury duty last week, we're going to have to skip some material--material I think most of you would have really liked.  One of the things we'll skip is Ecclesiastes.  If you would like, you can read that book for extra credit. Please respond to the following prompt:

For some people, Ecclesiastes is their favorite book in the entire Bible. Others wonder why it is in the Bible at all. What's your reaction? Did you find this book more or less enjoyable/valuable than the other books you've read for this class?

Synagogue visit this Thursday!

I have arranged for the class to tour Aberdeen's synagogue (B'Nai Isaac) this Thursday. Please meet me at the synagogue (202 N Kline Street, Aberdeen SD)at 9:30. If you have an 8:00 class and will arrive a bit late, please look for us in the basement of the synagogue. Walk right in.

To get to the synagogue from NSU, just go north on Kline Street. Go past Alexander Mitchell library and across the railroad tracks. You'll see the synagogue on the right hand side of the road. It's a small building on the corner of Kline and 2nd Ave. NE. It's right next to St. Mary's church: you won't miss that!

If you need a ride to the synagogue, please meet me at the north door of Dakota Hall at 9:25. I have room for seven passengers in my mini-van, and I live right be NSU anyway, so it won't be hard for me to take you to the synagogue and back to NSU.

The tour will last about an hour, so you won't have any trouble getting back to NSU in time for an 11:00 class.


Please confirm that you got the message about the synagogue visit either by adding a comment here or sending me an e-mail.  I'll try to call those who didn't confirm tomorrow morning.

Ezekiel

I am hoping to clear up enough class time so we can visit Temple B'nai Israel, so let's plan on doing *all* of Ezekiel for next time. Please read my study questions on Ezekiel. Then read Chapters 1-12, 33, and 37 of Ezekiel itself.

What do you find here that suggests that Ezekiel's message was a burden? Are there any passages that particularly well reflect hope, beauty, faith in the triumph of justice, or anything else that makes that burden worth bearing?

Jeremiah--Discussion II

Please skim through Chapters 31-44 of Jeremiah, then go back an read more closely three or four chapters that seem to you particularly interesting.  What do you see in these chapters that shows Jeremiah's message to be a burden. Is there anything here to suggest why that burden is worth bearing?