From this reading, I have noticed a series of close “interpersonal” relationships between key figures in Israel and God (“interpersonal” because God in this sense isn’t literally a person, but rather is anthropomorphic in a lot of this reading). Some key moments I have identified include the opening one of 1 Samuel Chapter 1 about Hannah, and the relationships in 2 Kings 17.

Hannah’s strong prayer life and sense of faith brings her into God’s favor. She prays, in response to her inability to produce a child: “Yahweh judges the ends of the earth, he endows hus king with power, jhe raises up the strength of his Anointed.” (1 Samuel 10-11). I think the example of Hannah shows an intimately connected relationship with God centered around faith but especially about creation (in this case, procreation). There is a key understanding of reproduction and the bearing of children as a gift, and I think it ties into God’s promise to Abraham for a great multiplicity of descendants. It is humbling and impressive to witness faith like Hannah’s matched by God’s affection. It shows to me not only that God is good and wants to guide us toward Him, but also that He listens and is responsive to Israel (humans). This example also reveals human nature as a powerful force that ultimately pales compared to God’s will. I really appreciate that about this story, and also how it connects to Mary and Jesus, the quintessential mother and child.

A different type of narrative of the God/Israel relation is the breakdown in 2 Kings 17, in which a shift of leadership in Israel leads to evil practices. I think this is a really powerful example of the human tendency for corruption. In this example, the people of Israel abandon God, completely forgetting what He has done for them in Exodus. They break the law from the 10 Commandments, and I think this connects really closely to our last reading of the law and the specifics of high expectations for Israel. With the analogy of God as a parent of Israel, this is fitting. His high expectations were not fulfilled, and that is not good for the sake of His people. As an eldest child myself, I can attest to this. God is looking out for Israel’s best interest, and as a stern but benevolent parent, He shows his nature through this example.

The reading we had in Exodus was really illuminating to me on the history of the Israelites and how important and crucial they are in God’s plan, history of the faith (both Judaism and the lead up to Early Christianity), and to the Scripture as a whole. In the Laws section, I found it particularly interesting how “to a tee” the laws were “written” and practiced, as well as upheld by traditional Jewish society and culture.

Some of the laws/concepts I found interesting were the following:

Exodus 21:24’s rendition of “eye for an eye” revenge

The treatment of “orphans” and “widows” specifically

The discussion of the consequences for not obeying the laws.

I think much of the discussion so far about the Old Testament, especially as we’ve seen in class as proclaimed from a chair is that it is not supposed to all be taken literally or that its utility can be derived from different sorts of readings of it. So, given that as background, as well as the idea that Genesis and the Old Testament are not “testaments” to good moral characters of high ethical standings, it is interesting to me the juxtaposition that has with the very extremely specific code of conduct given to the Israelites/Jews from our most recent reading.

Diving into the backstory of the central figure, Moses, we come to learn that is not only the son of Pharaoh’s daughter by adoption, but that this happenstance is from being sent away after the command to kill all the baby boys, an order given by Pharaoh himself. This first irony in the etiology of Moses sets a tone for his being special and different.

Moses’ intense faith and the close relationship he has as he is chosen by God, I think, is a really powerful message. Moses was by no means a perfect nor sin-free man, yet God chooses him. It can be a bit nebulous as to why exactly, but in my opinion, Moses and God’s relationship shows God’s love for his ultimately good (but often succumbing to sin) creation, humans. Moses too is not “eloquent” in his speech. Eventually his brother helps him in his role as a messenger. That too speaks volumes about how even the “best” of us humans still requires help from those around us.

In Exodus, Moses even goes so far as to question/challenge his God-given role. Moses’ struggles, his journey of hardship and ultimately the miracles of God in his side, serve as illustrious and beautiful examples of the human – God connection, or at least of what it could be, as a goal for which to strive.

Section 1: Titles, divisions, contents

The first sections details the outline of the Pentateuch, or in Hebrew, the torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis, a history of the ancestors; Exodus, the “deliverance from Egypt”; Leviticus, a legislative (as opposed to narrative) account; Numbers, the early desert stories; and Deuteronomy, Moses and religious laws, each come together in this part of the Bible to constitute “The Five Fifths of the Law” to Jewish people.

Section 2: How the Pentateuch came to be Written

Section two of the introduction explains the sourcing of the Pentateuch: Yahwistic (J), eventually combines with Elohistic (E), to make (JE); a Deuteronomic source, then (JED); and the Priestly source, resulting in (JEDP). The section then breaks down each component into its specifics, and finally ends with an explanation of the “uncertainty” of this history and how the Pentateuch became known as the “Law of Moses” for its titular man’s key role in Jewish history and tradition.

Section 3: Relation of the narratives to history

This section discusses the particular balance we must strike when reading and seeking to understand the Pentateuch: it is fact with a specific nature, mythological yet historical. It, too, underscores the significance of the historical perspective to the Jewish people, Israel and the Israelites.

Section 4: The Laws

Called “The Law,” the Pentateuch contains several codes of conduct outlining the acceptable and the unacceptable in all aspects of life as an observant/practicing person. From the Decalogues’ moral rules, to the Code of the Covenant’s social concerns, the Deuteronomic Code’s literary history, to the dietary laws of Leviticus, there are an array of values and regulations, some of which are heavily culturally influenced, in the Pentateuch.

Section 5: Religious significance

God’s decision to make the descendants of Abraham not only a nation, but his nation (p.15) lies at the core of the strong relationship between Israel and the Pentateuch. Yet then the New Testament brings Christ, who perfects the Law, who acts out the central events prefigured in the Old Testament. It is the stories and lessons from the Pentateuch that prepare and inform study into all the events that come after it.

Reading the two accounts of God’s creation (Genesis 1 and Genesis 2-4) gives us a comprehensive understanding of rise and fall, good forces and bad or evil, light and darkness. The chapters give us insight into the complexity of human nature, namely our affinity for sin but struggle to live in God’s word. 

In the first story, God creates the universe, a beautiful, complex creation “alive with a swarm of living creatures” until the resulting thought, “God saw it was good.”  In this story He also created man and woman in His own image. Being created in His image tells a powerful story about how interconnected humans are with God from the very beginning. This distinguishes us from the rest of creation, namely plants and other animals, and it is in part what grants us special human dignity, as recognized by God. It is however, also this special nature that grants us free will and the problems that can arise with it. 

In Genesis 2-3, Adam and Eve are tested with their free will in Paradise, and they fail, commiting Original Sin. Genesis 2 focuses more on the introduction of free will, and in doing so it establishes its uniqueness and importance as inherent to the human experience. Genesis 3, The Fall, is the eating the Forbidden Fruit and God’s response. This chapter established God as juxtaposed with sin, as hating it, but loving humanity enough to allow us free will despite this hatred for sin. God communicates some of the consequences of sin, and we as readers come to know humanity as it is today, flaws and all.

Genesis 4 shows the human inclination of sin and flaws to an extreme with the story of Cain and Abel. From this chapter we gather the message, “Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him,” reaffirming God’s position that is staunchly against sin but not interfering as far as free will goes. 

The goodness of God’s creation and the evil of human sin are the opposing forces as introduced in these first 4 chapters of Genesis, and their introduction speaks volumes to God’s ultimate love and the complex nature he has bestowed upon humanity.

Some key elements of the Biblical Story as deemed by Lesslie Newbigin are the importance of “Sacrifice”, the idea of being “Chosen by God,” and the concept of “Future revelation.”

Firstly, with the idea of Sacrifice, a foundational aspect of Catholicism and Christianity more broadly, lies the core sacrifice of Jesus’s life for the forgiveness of sins. The recognition of Eucharist as the literal embodiment of this ongoing sacrifice, as well as its role as culminating segment of the Mass both serve to underscore this key element. Newbigin writes, “[Jesus] is doing it not in order that they may be left behind, but in order that they may follow, that they may be with him, that they may be actual partakers in his act of final sacrifice,” (62,63). In this “final sacrifice” can Christians become aware of God’s everlasting love, and we can come to see the faith as being one for others. Newbigin’s choice of Sacrifice as a key element undoubtedly serves as wholehearted recognition of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, an irrefutably powerful force in the faith.

Just as the faith calls its followers to recognize the importance of sacrifice, it, and more specifically, God calls us to follow in the footsteps of many a chosen people before us. Newbigin follows the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the People (Israel, God’s first son) as laying the foundation of the Old Testament and the core of biblical foundations. This is a key element because it recognizes God’s revelation to people in history and the precedent it sets for human-God connection. 

Finally, to build off of Newbigin’s discussion of ongoing revelation in early times, the faith’s promise of Future revelation reveals Christianity’s concept of a final “day of judgement,” a day in which Jesus says, “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed,” (81). God’s promise to us that one day the curiosity and truth-seeking tendencies he instilled in us will be finally fulfilled. Newbigin possibly chose to highlight this because it shows a promise of greater understanding of meaning that is achieved through God and relationship with God alone. It shows a future to us Christians as not only promised, but mysterious and faith-based.

This is my first time reading the Catechism, and I have really enjoyed the insight is offers regarding the specifically Catholic tenets and perspective from a closely Scripture-based reading. I feel that its format of doctrine and summary makes the information highly accessible and understandable, like various citations from St. Paul, St. Augustine, etc. that communicate the “substance” behind what can be confusing readings on belief. 

Some new terms I have learned are “Revelation” and “Divine Revelation” in the context of Theology, “ecclesial,” and “Magisterium.” Revelations are obviously a key term to the course, and having a foundational understanding of God’s communication and reaching out/down to us as humans is a profound and important part of the Catholic faith. Now approaching this study with the term “Divine Revelation” (versus my previously secular view of the word “revelation”) equips me with basic terminology as a send-off point. Similarly, another basic term referring to a sect/denomination of faith, but also related to a book in Scripture itself would be the term “ecclesial.” Finally, “Magisterium” as used in sections 85-87 “The Magisterium of the Church” refers to the sacred authority to teach by the Roman Catholic Church. These terms all relate to concepts with which I am familiar, but now having a greater understanding of the words, I can more precisely discuss topics in the text and class.

There could be a little more clarity for me in my understanding of Noah’s covenant with God, specifically the part of the passages 56-57 in which it says, “The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the ‘nations,’ in other words, toward men grouped ‘in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations.’” The passage then discusses a “perverse ambition to forge its own unity.” My questions are one, why is it a “perverse ambition” to form unity? And two, why does it seem God is advocating for division? I think digging into the story of Babel can help me understand this better, and I intend to do that digging.

I found most everything in the reading to be persuasive, in part because I approached the reading from an already believing perspective, but to have the background information was a compelling way for me to intellectual connect with the text more profoundly. 

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

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