This is an open-comment theology blog where I will post various theological musings, mostly in sermon or essay form, for others to read and comment on. If what I say here interests you, you may want to check out some of my books. Feel free to criticize, to critique, to comment, but keep comments to the point and respectful. Many of these posts have been published elsewhere, but I wanted them collected and made available to a wider audience.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
North vs South
That Israel split into two nations is unknown to most readers of the Bible. Yet much of the Bible is influenced by this split and by religious differences between the two sub-nations. Reading the Bible in light of the conflicts is illuminating. I am right now wondering if the story of Joseph does not speak to the idea that only some of the Jewish tribes were taken into exile (which I have long believed). This on turn probably caused the cleave between some of the tribes that helped lead to the break up of the nation. Perhaps some of the tribes literally sold their brothers to the Egyptians, and the Joseph story allegorizes this. I'm still inclined to take the story at face value, but the thought is interesting. That is the freedom of not being a literalist: you can explore Biblical ideas in ways that are fun and fruitful.
No comments:
Post a Comment