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2016, July 31st ~ Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 & Colossians 3:1-11

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Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

Ecclesiastes was written by a person known in Hebrew as Qohelet (which means the “Gatherer” or “Teacher” or “Preacher”). Because the book contains Persian and Aramaic “loan-words,” the book is dated to the time of Persian rule of Judea (539 to 333 BCE). (Loan-words are words borrowed from one language to another; for example, “rendezvous” is a loan-word in English from French.) In verse 12, Qohelet assumes the persona of Solomon, the traditionally wise king who reigned from 968 to 928 BCE, but the book was written much later.

The Persian Period was one of great prosperity, but one in which the individual was an insignificant part of a large Empire. The over-arching themes in Ecclesiastes are that everything is “vanity” (the Hebrew word, hebel, is also translated as “vapor” or “breath”) and our lives are transient and insignificant. “Vanity” is used to describe all that is ephemeral, insubstantial, enigmatic, or absurd. Qohelet asserts that the fruit of one’s toil and one’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be taken with us when we die.

Colossians 3:1-11

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short and expresses concern about practices that are inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower. Scholars debate whether it was written by Paul or his disciples in the decade after Paul’s death in 62 CE. In today’s reading, the author expresses his eschatological vision – not an end of the world, but an end of the world as the Colossians knew it. He urges the Colossians to put on a “new self” so that earthly distinctions such as Jew and Greek (i.e. Gentile) will no longer exist.

2016, July 10th ~ Deuteronomy 30:9-14 & Colossians 1:1-14

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Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as if it were Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they enter the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and the book is a “restatement’ of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. There were later revisions to the book of Deuteronomy after the Exile ended in 539 BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of Josiah from 640 to 609 BCE. The first part of today’s reading expresses a theme found in all the Deuteronomic books (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings): “if you do good, you will get good, but if you do bad, you will get bad.” Reference to the “book of the law” in verse 10 may be a later addition because most scholars agree that the Torah was finalized and codified in the 5th Century BCE. Verses 11 to 14 challenge assumptions that divine wisdom is not knowable, and the reference to the “word” being “in your mouth” (v. 14) reflects the reality that oral transmission was prevalent in non-literate societies.

Colossians 1:1-14
Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (four chapters) and expresses concern about practices that are inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower. Scholars debate whether it was written by Paul or his disciples in the decade after Paul’s death in 62 CE. In today’s reading, the author emphasizes faith, love and hope as key Christian virtues (vv. 4-5) and adopts an apocalyptic theme in contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). He expresses the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in Christ (v. 14). “Redemption” conveys the sense of being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop.