I haven’t receieved any comments on my week nine blog yet. But when I do, I will respond to them . But for advancement purposes, I would like to thank all who comments on my blog.

Textual criticism is sometimes called lower criticism. It is sometimes called that because it lower level of criticism from Literary criticism. Textual criticism looks at the actual text of the Bible. Textual criticism starts by looking at the different manuscripts such as the MT, Dead Sea Scrolls, and the LXX, just to name a few. Bible scholars using textual criticism would look at one the manuscripts and compare it other encounters written of the same event. After comparing the two, they would try to figure out what text is the original or close to the original account of the event. When bible scholars try and make that decision, they follow two rules : 1) Pick the shorter version & 2) Pick the more difficult version.

Sorce criticism is sometimes called the higher criticism. It is sometimes called that because looks at the actual source of the text. Source criticism is a way to determine who is the original source of the text. This method looks at the J, E, RJE, P, D, DTR, and the R. The J source (Yahwistic) writes about the God/Yahweh in his texts. The E source only calls God Elohim in its texts. The RJE source is the combination of both the J and E sources in its writings. The P source (Priestly) writes about priesthood in its writings. The D source (Deuteronomic) writings are different from the source writings in Genesis through Numbers. The DTR source is writings of the Deuteronomistic historian. The R source (Redactor) is the editor of the Torah who uses D, P, and combination of JE documents. Sources criticism can be used for all the books of the bible.

Tobit is about a man name Tobit who lived in Naphtali near the Sea of Galilee, until the Assyrians took over Israel and moved him and his family to Nineveh. Tobit kept follow the Jewish Dietary Laws once he moved to Nineveh. Since he kept doing so,God rewarded him greatly. During the reign of King Shalmaneser, Tobit rose up in ranks. He was appointed to be in charge of buying the provisions of the Assyrian Palace. One day after traveling to Media, he loaned a man 10 talents of silver. But soon King Shalmaneser, and the new king made it unsafe to travel the road to Media. Tobit never got his money back, so he had to stay in Nineveh. The new king like to kill people and throw their bodies up against the city walls. At night Tobit would go and bury the people. The king soon found about his activities and ordered for him to be captured. He and his family exscaped from the king, but left all their possessions in Nineveh. After the king died, Tobit and his family were able to return to Nineveh for Pentecostal meal. Tobit sent his son out to find someone to share the meal with. When his son returned he told his father that a man had been strangled to death in the market. Tobit then set out to go and bury the guy but was too tired and fell asleep next the city wall. He fell asleep with is eyes open and the bird poo fell in his eye. When he woke up, he was blind. Once he returned home, there were no physicians available to help him. Tobit wife had to do several jobs to make ends meet. Tobit cried out for God to end his life. On that same day, a girl name Sarah cried out for the same thing. Sarah was suffered by the hand of a demon named Asmodeus. Sarah had been married seven time and all her husbands died. God sent the angel Raphael to them. Just after praying to die, Tobit remembered the money the guy owed him. He sent his son out to get money from the guy. He wanted to money because he wanted his wife and son to have resources after he died. Tobit knew this would be a dangerous mission for his son. So God sent Raphael to protect him on the trip. On the way to Media, Tobias and Raphael reached the Tigris River. Tobias got in the river to bathe. A fish tried to eat Tobias. Raphael told Tobias to catch the fish. Once he caught the fish he was to cut the fish heart, liver, and gall bladder out to use in the future. They then ate the fish and continued their trip to Media. By the time they reached Media, the fish organs were stinking. Tobias asked what the organs were for, and it so happens that the heart and liver were going to be burned and the smoke from them was a ways to get rid of the demon on Sarah and the gall bladder was going to cure his dad’s blindness. When Tobias got home he smeared the gall bladder on his father eyes and cured his blindness. Because Tobias saved Sarah from the demon, She and Tobias got married. Everyone got to lived the life they wanted to live.

Some people consider the Maccabees to heroic because they were able to take back over the temple in Jerusalem. Their army were able to defeat Antiochus. That’s when they took back the temple. They re-purify the temple because there had been unclean scarifices taking place in the temple. Due to this event this is how the holiday, Hannukah, evolved. Hannukah is the Hebrew word for dedication. This was time when they dedicated the alter back to God.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 10:53 am and is filed under Week 11: Respond Again. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.