What gives

The bible being what it is ,one would assume that the writers of the bible would be the strong majority, influential individuals,who prevailed during that time. However one would be surprised to know that it has always been the minority report. What exactly was the function of the Hebrew bible? 1.To remember and retell the story about how God rescues his covenant people.(Exodus 17 vs 8,9,14). 2.The scripture becomes the terms of the partnership between God and Israel, much like marriage vows.(Exodus 24:3–4 ). 3.It functions as a story of the people’s failure and God’s plan to raise up a prophet to come.(Deutronomy 31:19-26). The pattern of the Hebrew bible is salvation, covenant, human failings and divine faithfulness. This pattern continues and completes itself in the new Testament and is every believer’s story. The prophets throughout the old Testament were the afflicted ones, they were the rejected minority, people who existed in the periphery,sometimes looked upon as a laughing sto...

The old Testament is often a source of confusion for most people. It seems like a conglomeration of individuals with partial victories and great losses ,disobedient and rebellous sinners,messy ,not the ideal examples,and bipolar often. How does one approach the Old Testament? I stumbled upon bible project in the net and I have been doing the study ever since. The Hebrew bible from which the Old Testament originates is divided into three parts Torah,Neviim, and Kethuvim. Torah is the Pentateuch ,Genesis ,Exodus,Numbers,Leviticus and Deutronomy. Neviim is the prophets Isaiah,Jeremiah,Amos,etc. Kethuvim are the writings like psalms,proverbs,etc. The difference between the old Testament and the TANAK(As the Hebrew bible is called ),Is the way the different books in the bible have been put into different categories and unlike the Hebrew bible the prophets are placed at the the end of the old Testament whereas the writings are placed last    in the Hebrew bible. In the 1940s, The de...

  (Acts of the apostles chapter 3 verse 1 to 8.) One of my favourites sunday school songs was based on this event from Acts. As is narratedI–  NowPeter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter    and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed on to them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; But such as I have give I thee;in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And they took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up ,stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, a...

  Obadiah Is a minor prophet in Jerusalem during the time when the Babylonians invaded the southern part of Jerusalem..He is prophesying against Edomites. His complaint against the Edomites is that while the plunderers and invaders have invaded Israel, the Edomites have proudly stood aside ,watching it all and to add fuel to fire ,has taken advantage of the situation, plundering and killing Israelites whenever they could see their weak position. Who are the Edomites that God has expectations from them? Israelites and the Edomites share a common ancestry. Abraham’s son Isaac had two sons. The older one was Esau and younger one was Jacob.The Israelites were the descendants of Jacob and the Edomites were the descendants of Esau.They were neighbours. From the verse 15 onwards he warns the nations at large who go against the nation of Israel. Vs17 But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness;and the house of Jacob shall possess their possesions. Vs21 And saviors...

Augustin of Hippo or Saint Augustin was born in 354 A.D. in a small town in North Africa.He was born to a pagan father ,who got baptised in his death bed ,but his mother Monica was a zealous christian. Augustin ,from his childhood,was familiar with the attack on Christian church from within and without.However, he was more interested in living a wayward    life of over-indulgence. He remembers instances where he used to join with friends to steal pears from his neighbour’s vineyard ,not to eat themselves ,but simply to throw them to the pigs.Later, writing about the pear stealing of his youth he reflected, “”A real pleasure consisted in doing something that is forbidden. The evil in me was foul, but I loved it.” At 17 years of age Augustine was sent off to a school in Carthage where he immersed himself in the writings of different philosophers and forgot about his mother’s religion.  After his studies were completed he returned to his home town.,where he taught ‘rhetoric ...