Cultural Background of the Bible:
Last
semester, I took a class called, "Physical Settings of the Bible."
This class focused primarily on the geography of the Old Testament and
along with learning about the Bible in the classroom, we also spent a lot of
time on the weekends hiking the land and visiting sites. My class this
semester, "Cultural Background of the Bible" is a class that builds
on what I learned 1st semester. In this class, I have been learning about
various aspects of life in ancient times in order to try to better understand
Biblical life and customs during the Old and New Testaments. Different
subjects that we have focused on in class have been gender roles during the
time of the Old Testament, family dwellings - what types of dwellings did
families live in and how did they survive in these dwellings, hospitality - why
was it so important and what did it mean, and law - did the Israelites view the
Torah as law or as something else? Although this class has not had as
many field studies, the class ends with a week long trip to Jordan where we
will spend a week living with a Bedouin family as we try to understand what
life may have been like for the Biblical Patriarchs such as Abraham.
History of the Second Temple Period:
This
class is a continuation of a 1st semester class that I had which was called,
"History of Ancient Israel." "History of the Second Temple
Period" has focused primarily on the historical, cultural, and religious
development of the Jewish people in the land of the Bible during the Persian,
Hellenistic, and early Roman periods. We have spent a lot of time
learning about the historical framework of these periods, the development of
religious ideas and institutions, and the influences that shaped early Judaism
and Christianity. This class has had a variety of field studies, which
includes a two-day trip to the Sea of Galilee (this weekend!). I have
really enjoyed this class because I have learned a lot about the history that
took place between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New
Testament. This has helped me to better understand the context of the
Gospels and the life of Jesus.
The Parables of Jesus and Rabbinic Meshalim:
This
is probably one of my most unique classes this semester. This class is
taught by Rabbi Moshe (my Jewish professor from last semester) and
each class period we pick a different parable of Jesus and spend time wrestling
with the text and the meaning of the parable. This class has allowed me a
unique opportunity to see how a Jewish Rabbi interprets the life of Jesus and
His parables. It has been helpful to see how a person from a different
cultural and religious background than me interprets the parables of Jesus.
It has allowed me to read the Gospels in a new light and with new
understanding and has helped me to see Jesus in his original Jewish context.
Often times, I think we tend to forget that Jesus was a Jew who was
raised in a Jewish setting. Jesus ate like a Jew, he worshiped like a
Jew, and he lived like a Jew. In understanding the Jewish context of the
New Testament, we are able to better understand Jesus and his parables.
Historical and Social Settings of Modern Israel:
Although
many of my classes at JUC have focused on the geography and the history of the
Bible, the university does offer a lot of classes that deal with the modern
Middle East. I decided to take one of these classes in order to try to
better understand modern Israel and the challenges that it faces as a state.
Throughout this past semester, this class has focused primarily on the
history and society of modern Israel with emphasis on social and political
movements, institutions, settlements and neighborhoods. Although I don't
get too excited to learn about politics and government, this class has helped
me to better understand the history of the state of Israel and the challenges
that it faces today. This class has also helped me to take more of an
interest in the politics and government of the United States and to recognize
the impact, whether positive or negative, that our country can have on the rest
of the world.
As I
look back on these past 8 months, I am so grateful for the opportunity that
Jeannette and I have had to live and study in Jerusalem. This has been a
once in a lifetime opportunity and adventure and one that I will never regret.
Although it was a little scary to leave our home, our jobs, our families,
and our friends last August and move overseas, we are so glad that we choose to
have faith and follow God where we knew He was leading us. It has helped us
to learn that following God often means not knowing what is next, but it is
definitely worth it! Although we have had to trust God a lot these past
few months, we have learned that even though it can be stressful, it is a
wonderful blessing to have to truly trust and completely rely on God!
