Tag Archive for: Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 18:20-32
Genesis, like much of the Torah, is an amalgam of oral and written religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Today’s reading is part of an early tradition. Two clues to the date of today’s reading are (1) that God’s name is printed in the NRSV as “LORD” in all capital letters (LORD is the translation of YHWH) and (2) God is presented anthropomorphically – a God who walked in Eden and spoke directly with humans. In the verses just before today’s reading, YHWH is described as having an internal debate about whether to disclose God’s own plans to Abraham. In today’s story, Abraham conducts a back-and-forth negotiation with a very human-like YHWH regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. By appealing to YHWH’s sense of fairness and justice, Abraham gets YHWH to reduce dramatically the number of “righteous” people needed to save the cities. Nevertheless, the two cities are destroyed by YHWH in the next chapter.

Colossians 2:6-19
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 the author’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. Today’s reading is the theological core of the letter. The author notes that the Colossians have orally received Christ, and warns against “philosophy” (other ethical teachings) and practices associated with some forms of 1st Century Judaism: “elemental spirits” (v.8), physical circumcision (v.13), matters of food and drink (v. 16), and observing festivals, new moons and Sabbaths (v. 16).