God and Empire
Summer 2007 Bible Study
Chapter 5
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Greetings
The Bible Study group found itself "promoted" temporarily to the Church for
this meeting. One disadvantage is the distance from the kitchen at treat
time and the need to consume treats and coffee in the vestibule. A stern
sign at the door of the church warns "Absolutely no food or beverages to be
taken into the church". One wag suggested that if taken literally, that
was the end of the Eucharist.
On a more serious note, our facilitator for the evening neatly parsed out
for us the first part of Chapter 5 in Crossan's "God & Empire". The title
of this chapter is "Apocalypse and the Pornography of Violence". The
members of the group were not shy about contributing what impressions the
text made upon them, and they were not shy about questioning or challenging
the author's statements and conclusions.
APOCALYPSE AND THE PORNOGRAHPY OF VIOLENCE
God and Empire
By
John Dominic Crossan
"We had fed the heart on fantasies,
The heart's grown brutal from the fare." - William Butler
Keats
An Early Warning: January 13, 1948 - Gandhi's assassination, faith-based
violence against faith-based non-violence. "A small cloud that heralded a
coming storm when all of those aspects would be developed into a suicidal
religious terrorism as the ultimate hymn to a savage God."
The Ultimate Hymn to a Savage God
- Looking at religious violence in ideological theory rather than
lethal practice
- All religions produce violence so we have a choice:
- Reject religion as a lethal addiction (Richard Dawkins, "The God
Delusion"; or
- To view this violence as not really faith-based or grounded in
religion but perversions of religion, anti-religion, non-religion
- Example of documents found after 9/11 to demonstrate that any
religion can lead to acts of terrorism and savagery
- Focus of this chapter:
- Ideological rhetoric rather than on terrorist action
- American Christianity rather than religion in general
- Violence that is religious not secular, terrorist not just military,
and suicidal not just homicidal. "Suicidal, religious terrorism is the most
dangerous force in the world today". Read 196, first paragraph
- "I look here at Christian fundamentalism in America and its
ideological lust for imminent human slaughter and cosmic catastrophe...its
apocalyptic vision of a violent God and...the biblical roots"
- For this chapter's main question see last paragraph on pg 196
A Time for Disbelief, not Unconcern
Two choices
- The Once and Future Jesus - Age of Enlightenment has been replaced
by the Age of Entertainment, so the future clash will not be between science
and religion, but between science and religion vs. fantasy.
- Since that book in 1999, he never imagined the speed with which
faith-based thinking would morph into fantasy-based dreaming
In the Age of Entertainment, Crossan has two responses to certain
data, two separate trash bins:
- Bin of Unconcern - lots of contemporary culture
- Bin of Disbelief - needs to oppose and reject discrimination and
oppression, homophobia, injustice and violence, force and empire
- Into which bin should faith claims of rapture, global tribulation,
apocalyptic vision, divine violence, and the entire Left Behind scenario go?
- "I need Disbelief. I need...faith-based, Bible-based, and
Christianity-based rejection...Here's why"
The late great prophet Lindsey
- In late 40's... (see pg 198)
- The Late Great Planet Earth - Hal Lindsey, went through the
apocalyptic scriptures, and transcribed every phrase and image into the
vocabulary of Pentagon strategists.
- Quotes from religious and political figures, pp 199-200
- Jesus' "fear nots" have been replace by "fear lots"
Armageddon as Spectator Sport
- The Rapture Exposed by Barbara Rossing
- Indictment of American Christian fundamentalism's lust for divine
ethnic cleansing and transcendental homicide.
- Rapture racket has existed only since 1830's
- The complete final scenario for the world in eight points, pp 200-01
Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, 1Thessalonians 4:15-17, is the
basis for the rapture but it is a mistake, a misunderstanding of what Paul
is saying (see p 203)
To understand what Paul really means Crossan uses an image, two
words, and three cities
The "one image" is the city of Hierapolis, before you enter the city
of the living, you meet the dead
The "two Greek words": parousia and eis apantesin (bottom of p 205)
- Parousia means the arrival at a city of a conquering general,
emperor, etc (visitation)
- Eis apantesin means to escort the arriving dignitary back inside
with them (reception)
The "three cities": Thessalonia, Athens, and Corinth, sets the
historical context
Some of the Thessalonians had died under persecution after Paul
escaped to Athens and then Corinth
He sends Timothy to "strengthen and encourage...so that no one would
be shaken by these persecutions"
Timothy returns with a question (see pg 207)
Paul's response has nothing to do with present day rapture believers
Paul's vision - Here Crossan ties the above together
- Like Jesus, Paul believed that God's Great Divine Cleanup had
already begun, and
- It would be consummated within his generation
- First the dead Christians, then the living ones will be taken up to
meet Christ and all return to a world totally transformed into nonviolence,
peace and justice, and holiness
- The Left Behind series has left behind Jesus' faith in the Kingdom
of God, Paul's hope for the Lordship of Christ, and God's love for the
future of the Earth
A Two-Step Return of Jesus
- Jewish tradition - a single coming of a single Messiah
- Dead Sea Scrolls- a single coming of a double Messiah
- Jewish Christians - a double coming of a single Messiah
- Christian fundamentalism in the last 200 yrs - a double stage for
the second advent - not grounded anywhere in the New Testament and based on
misunderstanding Paul's letter above
The Little Apocalypse of Mark
Background
- Mark is first of 4 gospels, major source for Luke and Matthew
- Written in early 70's during the great rebellion of 66-74 CE
- In the vicinity of the villages of Caesarae Philippi ruled by Herod
Philip
- A relatively safe refuge
- Many were wondering, where was Jesus in the horror they'd escaped
from?
- Why had he not returned, as he was suppose to, to save them from the
Romans revenge
- In Josephus's Jewish Wars, he tells of:
- Prophets suborned by the tyrants to trick the people into believing
God would save them; and of 6000 women and children massacred in the Temple
while they waited for Jesus to save them
- There was an imminent Messianic expectation even as the Temple was
being destroyed in 70 CE
- The fact that Jesus doesn't return is why Mark in his gospel has
Jesus die in agony and abandonment, in betrayal, denial, and mockery" and
why
- Mark's story ends not with apparitions of the risen Jesus but with
an empty tomb and promises about the future
- The purposes behind Mark 13. (see last paragraph of pg 211)
- The Little Apocalypse begins with a double question, Mark 13:1-4,
and Jesus answers each question:
- First concerns the destruction of the Temple, 13:5-23
- Second presumes that such a destruction will entail the consummation
of all things and then, only after the suffering, 13:24-27
The Destruction of the Temple
- Double warnings in Mark 13:5-6 and 13:21-23 against false claims
that Jerusalem's destruction and Jesus' return will be concomitant
- Mark 13:14 clearly refers to the desecration of the Temple. Two
reasons:
-
"the desolating sacrilege", Greek, literally means "the abomination
of desolation" and is exactly the same phrase used in Daniel for desecration
of Temple in the 160s BCE
- Luke was well able to understand the meaning and when he copies Mark
13 he adds additional information so that no one, until beginning about 200
yrs ago, can misunderstand
The Return of Christ
- Mark speaks about the return in 13:24-27 and the words reflect the
visions of Isaiah and Joel
- Striking absence of violence
The Question of When
- Mark believed Jesus' return would be very soon and within the
lifetime of his audience (Mark 9:1)
- Jerusalem's destruction is timed in 13:28-31 with parable of the fig
tree
- Jesus' return in 13:32-37 with the parable of the returning master
- TLA states that horrors of war come before the return of Jesus and
those who equate war and return are false and deceiving
Thank you, Clarence!
When treat time was called by the facilitator in a most timely manner, the
group migrated to the vestibule for wonderful fellowship fueled by
scrumptious homemade pumpkin bars topped with cream cheese frosting.
Thanks, Maura.
Nest week: page 217 to the end of Chapter 5, "The Great Apocalypse
of John".
- Facilitator: Each member should prepare questions and
points for discussion.
- Opening prayer: Rita
- Treats Jane
- Closing prayer: Bill
Peace,
Bob Beutel
Rik Murray
(612) 872-8694
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