The Psalms As Hymns in the Temple of Jerusalem Gary A
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Dr. Brian Simmons Lesson 4 / Psalm 4: An Evening Prayer for Help For
The Passion Translation | Psalms Study | Dr. Brian Simmons Lesson 4 / Psalm 4: An Evening Prayer for Help For the Pure and Shining One. For the end. A melody by King David. “No matter what happens, I will live unafraid.” (v.8) This precious declaration of Psalm 4 is the inheritance of all God’s devoted ones. And, oh, what a treasure it is! Far beyond any earthly wealth or material source of security is the blessed confidence of knowing that God sees us, hears us, and will answer our cries for help. We are not orphans! This is the first of fifty-five Psalms addressed in the inscription: to The Chief Choir Director, or Choirmaster. For believers today, we know that the Chief (Head) musician is Jesus Christ! He is the Director of music who sings in the midst of His people (Heb.2:12). He is also the Chief Cornerstone as well as the Chief Shepherd who spent the night watch praying to the Father and was heard out of His distress. This psalm is known as the Hymn of the Evening. The Septuagint reads, “For the end”, however in Hebrew it is rendered “smitings” or “plucking strings.” During the days of Absalom’s rebellion, David ran from Jerusalem and slept out in the fields. Perhaps it was written the evening after writing Psalm 3. This is a prayer for help as evening closes in. David, in whatever situation he was in, found himself desperately needing God’s help. It is a melody of David composed in a difficult situation. -
4Q521 and What It Might Mean for Q 3–7
Chapter 20 4Q521 and What It Might Mean for Q 3–7 Gaye Strathearn am personally grateful for S. Kent Brown. He was a commit- I tee member for my master’s thesis, in which I examined 4Q521. Since that time he has been a wonderful colleague who has always encouraged me in my academic pursuits. The relationship between the Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian- ity has fueled the imagination of both scholar and layperson since their discovery in 1947. Were the early Christians aware of the com- munity at Qumran and their texts? Did these groups interact in any way? Was the Qumran community the source for nascent Chris- tianity, as some popular and scholarly sources have intimated,¹ or was it simply a parallel community? One Qumran fragment that 1. For an example from the popular press, see Richard N. Ostling, “Is Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls?” Time Magazine, 21 September 1992, 56–57. See also the claim that the scrolls are “the earliest Christian records” in the popular novel by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (New York: Doubleday, 2003), 245. For examples from the academic arena, see André Dupont-Sommer, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Preliminary Survey (New York: Mac- millan, 1952), 98–100; Robert Eisenman, James the Just in the Habakkuk Pesher (Leiden: Brill, 1986), 1–20; Barbara E. Thiering, The Gospels and Qumran: A New Hypothesis (Syd- ney: Theological Explorations, 1981), 3–11; Carsten P. Thiede, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish Origins of Christianity (New York: Palgrave, 2001), 152–81; José O’Callaghan, “Papiros neotestamentarios en la cueva 7 de Qumrān?,” Biblica 53/1 (1972): 91–100. -
Women As Shelihot Tzibur for Hallel on Rosh Hodesh
MilinHavivinEng1 7/5/05 11:48 AM Page 84 William Friedman is a first-year student at YCT Rabbinical School. WOMEN AS SHELIHOT TZIBBUR FOR HALLEL ON ROSH HODESH* William Friedman I. INTRODUCTION Contemporary sifrei halakhah which address the issue of women’s obligation to recite hallel on Rosh Hodesh are unanimous—they are entirely exempt (peturot).1 The basis given by most2 of them is that hallel is a positive time-bound com- mandment (mitzvat aseh shehazman gramah), based on Sukkah 3:10 and Tosafot.3 That Mishnah states: “One for whom a slave, a woman, or a child read it (hallel)—he must answer after them what they said, and a curse will come to him.”4 Tosafot comment: “The inference (mashma) here is that a woman is exempt from the hallel of Sukkot, and likewise that of Shavuot, and the reason is that it is a positive time-bound commandment.” Rosh Hodesh, however, is not mentioned in the list of exemptions. * The scope of this article is limited to the technical halakhic issues involved in the spe- cific area of women’s obligation to recite hallel on Rosh Hodesh as it compares to that of men. Issues such as changing minhag, kol isha, areivut, and the proper role of women in Jewish life are beyond that scope. 1 R. Imanu’el ben Hayim Bashari, Bat Melekh (Bnei Brak, 1999), 28:1 (82); Eliyakim Getsel Ellinson, haIsha vehaMitzvot Sefer Rishon—Bein haIsha leYotzrah (Jerusalem, 1977), 113, 10:2 (116-117); R. David ben Avraham Dov Auerbakh, Halikhot Beitah (Jerusalem, 1982), 8:6-7 (58-59); R. -
Ezra and Nehemiah
Ezra and Nehemiah by Daniel J. Lewis ©Copyright 1998 by Diakonos Troy, Michigan USA 2 Ezra-Nehemiah...........................................................................................................3 One Book or Two ..................................................................................................3 Languages ..............................................................................................................4 The Ezra-Nehemiah Chronology...........................................................................5 Authorship .............................................................................................................6 The Exile and the Promise of Restoration.............................................................6 Purpose...................................................................................................................7 Structure.................................................................................................................7 The Book of Ezra...............................................................................................7 The Book of Nehemiah......................................................................................7 The Book of Ezra.......................................................................................................8 The Return of Exiles with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (1-2).............................9 The Restoration of Worship and the Building of the Second Temple (3-6)...... 12 Building the Great Altar and -
What If the Gospel According to the Hebrews Was Q?
What If the Gospel according to the Hebrews Was Q? Introduction The absence of references to Q in the Church Fathers has often been taken as evidence against the two- document hypothesis. Michael Goulder writes: “There is no reference to Q in any ancient source.”1 Eta Linnemann says: “The writings of the ancient church give not the slightest hint that such a source ever existed. Among the early church fathers there is not even a rumor of a lost canonical gospel.”2 And Nicholas Perrin writes: “We have no manuscript of Q, no attestation in the early Church Fathers or elsewhere that such a text ever existed. We have no hard evidence at all for Q.”3 Today I want to consider the evidence for and the implications of the idea that Q continued to be used by Christian Jews for centuries after it was taken up by Matthew and Luke and that several of the church fathers were aware of this gospel and have even provided us with a handful of quotations of it. Q specialists often hold that Q originated among a group of Christians who maintained their Jewish identity.4 Since the church fathers tell us that Christian Jews used a different gospel, known as the Gospel according to the Hebrews (GHeb),5 it is paramount to ask whether GHeb might have been Q. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Epiphanius, and Jerome quote twenty-six passages from GHeb.6 I do not have the time to defend the unpopular notion that these five authors are indeed working from the same gospel,7 but let me say that it would only help my case if I could bracket out, for example, the quotations by Jerome as not being from GHeb. -
NLT) Psalm 46 (NIV
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Psalm 4:8 (NLT) In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. Psalm 31:21-22 (NLT) Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Psalm 46 (NIV) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. -
Torah Vayikra: Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 – 44:26 B’Rit Chadasha: Hebrews 10:1-23
Introduction to Parsha #24: Vayikra1 READINGS: Torah Vayikra: Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 – 44:26 B’rit Chadasha: Hebrews 10:1-23 . and He [the Holy One] called/cried out . [Leviticus 1:1(a)] ___________________________________________________ This Week’s Amidah prayer Focus is the G’vurot, the Prayer of His Powers, Part II Vayikra el-Moshe – i.e. And He [the Holy One] called/cried out for Moshe . vayedaber Adonai elav me'Ohel Mo'ed – and the Holy One spoke to him from within the Tent of Meeting . Leviticus 1:1a. It has begun, Beloved! The glorious era of Imanu-El – i.e. God with us, dwelling in our midst, communing with us, and ruling over us – is underway! Behold, the Tabernacle of God will be with men, and He will be our God, and we will be His People2 . Selah! What Is that Strange and Wonderful Tent-Like Structure that Now Stands at the Epicenter of the Camp of B’nei Yisrael? How Will It Change our Lives? What Does it Portend For the World? The Immaculate Construction project called for by the Holy One’s Great Sinaitic ‘Mish’kan Discourse’3 is now complete. The 'Tabernacle' - the structure that the Hebrew text of Torah calls not only the ‘Mish’kan’ (abode/dwelling place), but also the Mik’dash (receptacle/repository of flowing, pulsing holiness), and the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting/Communion/Appointment) - is in place. The moveable, shadow-box edifice the Holy One told Moshe He wanted us to build 1 All rights with respect to this publication are reserved to the author, William G. -
Context: Psalm 96 Is a Psalm of Praise, Attributed to David. Nearly All 13
Context: Psalm 96 is a Psalm of praise, attributed to David. Nearly all 13 verses of Psalm 96 are also found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, another Psalm of praise written by David. In 1 Chronicles 15 we see David victoriously bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Then in 1 Chronicles 16 we see David bring it into the tent that he set up for it, and there was a large worship service. Amidst much singing, dancing and praise, David instructs the people to sing a Psalm in verses 8- 36 of chapter 16. Our psalm today, 96, as well as psalms 105 and 106, all contain portions of this psalm in Chronicles. Not only does this confirm Davidic authorship for these psalms, it also shows us the occasion for the use of this particular song: celebration and praise. In Chronicles the people were celebrating the return of the Ark to Jerusalem. David had just defeated the Philistines and was bringing the Ark into Jerusalem for the first time. This was signifying God’s presence returning, and there was a huge party in celebration for all of these events. Understanding its origins, we can see better how this psalm praises God with an emphasis on God’s rule and reign, as well as his presence for Israel. With a look backwards to the Ark arriving in Jerusalem, this Psalm also is looking forward to when the Messiah brings God’s reign over all the earth. God is the true king over all the earth, and he is coming to be here among us. -
—Come and See What God Has Done“: the Psalms of Easter*
Word & World 7/2 (1987) Copyright © 1987 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. All rights reserved. page 207 Texts in Context “Come and See What God Has Done”: The Psalms of Easter* FREDERICK J. GAISER Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota “Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unsuspected power.”1 It is possible to agree with Bonhoeffer’s conviction without being naive about the prospect of this happening automatically by a liturgical decision to incorporate the psalms into Sunday morning worship. Not that this is not a good and needed corrective; it is. In many of those worship services the psalms had become nothing more than the source of traditional versicles—little snippets to provide the proper mood of piety in the moments of transition between things that mattered. Yet the Psalter never went away, despite its liturgical neglect. The church called forth psalms in occasional moments of human joy and tragedy, poets paraphrased them for the hymnals, and faithful Christians read and prayed them for guidance and support in their own lives. But now many Christian groups have deliberately re-established the psalms as a constitutive element in regular public worship. What will the effect of this be? Some congregations have found them merely boring-another thing to sit through—which suggests a profound need for creative thinking about how and where to use the psalms so people can hear and participate in the incredible richness and dramatic power of the life within them. -
Answers Disguised As Questions: Rhetoric and Reasoning in Psalm 24
Botha: Rhetoric and Reasoning in Psalm 24 OTE 22/3 (2009), 535-553 535 Answers Disguised as Questions: Rhetoric and Reasoning in Psalm 24 PHIL J. BOTHA (U NIVERSITY OF PRETORIA ) ABSTRACT Psalm 24 seems to consist mainly of a hymnic introduction (vv. 1-2), a so-called “entrance torah” (vv. 3-5), and a liturgical piece once used at the temple gates (vv. 7-10), to which a post-exilic identifica- tion of the true Israel was added (v. 6). It contains four questions which are almost universally interpreted as dialectical or antipho- nal questions formulated for the purpose of regulating entrance to the temple within some or other liturgy. This paper consists of a po- etic and rhetorical analysis of the psalm in which it is argued that the questions rather serve a rhetorical function in the present form of Ps 24. The purpose of the questions is to highlight the profile of a true worshipper of YHWH on the one hand, and to highlight the military might and splendour of YHWH on the other. It probably sought to outline the religious profile of the worshipping community in the post-exilic period more clearly, and to reconfirm the consen- sus that they would be vindicated as the true Israel when YHWH would reveal his true power and glory. The psalm is also contextu- alised as part of the post-exilic composition Pss 15-24. A INTRODUCTION It is widely accepted that Ps 24 contains remnants of two liturgical pieces: A so-called “entrance torah” (vv. 3-5, with parallels in Ps 15 and Isa 33), 1 and a so-called “liturgy at the gates” (vv. -
“Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782
Jewish Day School “Cliff Notes” 2021-2022 5781-5782 A quick run-down with need-to-know info on: • Jewish holidays • Jewish language • Jewish terms related to prayer service SOURCES WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOOKLET WAS TAKEN FROM: • www.interfaithfamily.com • Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant with Howard Cooper FOR MORE LEARNING, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES: • www.reformjudaism.org • www.myjewishlearning.com • Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin • The Jewish Book of Why by Alfred J. Kolatch • The Jewish Home by Daniel B. Syme • Judaism for Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon and David Blatner Table of Contents ABOUT THE CALENDAR 5 JEWISH HOLIDAYS Rosh haShanah 6 Yom Kippur 7 Sukkot 8 Simchat Torah 9 Chanukah 10 Tu B’Shevat 11 Purim 12 Pesach (Passover) 13 Yom haShoah 14 Yom haAtzmaut 15 Shavuot 16 Tisha B’Av 17 Shabbat 18 TERMS TO KNOW A TO Z 20 About the calendar... JEWISH TIME- For over 2,000 years, Jews have juggled two calendars. According to the secular calendar, the date changes at midnight, the week begins on Sunday, and the year starts in the winter. According to the Hebrew calendar, the day begins at sunset, the week begins on Saturday night, and the new year is celebrated in the fall. The secular, or Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar, based on the fact that it takes 365.25 days for the earth to circle the sun. With only 365 days in a year, after four years an extra day is added to February and there is a leap year. -
David Worships God in Jerusalem
David Worships God In Jerusalem Bible Background • 1 CHRONICLES 15 | Printed Text • 1 CHRONICLES 15:1–3, 14–16, 25–29 Devotional Reading • 1 CHRONICLES 16:7–13, 28–33 Aim for Change By the end of the lesson we will EXAMINE the ceremony surrounding the Ark being brought to Jerusalem, APPRECIATE the diversity of responses that flow from authentic worship, and EMBRACE physical expressions as important aspects of worship. In Focus Allison and Mario Bishop have been for married 40 years. Three months before their anniversary they made dinner reservations at their favorite restaurant. Their four children planned a surprise anniversary celebration. They rented a ballroom, hired a caterer, and picked out flowers and decorations, all to make the celebration special. On the day of the celebration, it was Gary’s responsibility to get his parents to the site of the celebration. So he called the place his parents made reservations in advance and told them why he needed to cancel the RSVP. “Hello. My name is Mario Bishop. My wife and I have reservations for a dinner party of 23.” The manager pretended to check his list and not find their names. “This is ridiculous! We have a large group coming here for our anniversary dinner. What should we tell them? Sorry, go home?” Mrs. Bishop was very upset. But Gary stepped in and suggested a place a mile away that had good food. Gary’s wife, Gwen, told them she would call everyone about the change. When they all arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop were genuinely surprised by all the people who came to celebrate their anniversary with them.