I've heard it say that the Bible is one of the best insights to being human. I don't believe it's the Truth but I believe it's a compilation of thousands of truths mixed with mythology, psychology, philosophy, and political science.
With that out of the way, I enjoyed the analysis. It could be fun to do a similar look at current Chinese law vis a vis Confucianism. I think the connection there might be even stronger, but we'd need to look.
That would be fun. I'm curious because I know most religions have a health element like fasting and moderation to them and I'm curious how many have the cleanliness rituals that the Hebrew Bible does.
Hello Michael! No, you didn't forget. :) Such good timing for this essay. I have come to appreciate the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, as a "User's Manual". A guide as to the best way to live, with ourselves, and others, as we go through this life.
There is a quote I've come across, I think by Dennis Prager, that says, "The Torah is a masterpiece of Storytelling, History, Theology, Politics, Law, Ethics, and Morals." I think this is so.
Regardless of one's personal beliefs, there's no question that the Bible has had a tremendous influence on Western civilization and that its various perspectives deserve to be studied.
I had a suspicion that the number 613 itself held special significance, and Wikipedia backed me up. 613 is the sum of 365 (days/yr) and the 248 bones found in the human body ( don't get bogged down by the dissimilar units of measure 😉).
Great point Hal. The Jewish Sages are HUGE on gematria (the five dollar world for numerology). Almost all the numbers in the Bible have a mystic quality to them. They don't just mean, and often don't accuratly represent, counted items, but the Meta stories behind them. 7, 12, 613, 6, and many, many more are like little keys to entire other narratives.
So much so that many writings intentionally space and phrase words to line up both linguistically and gematrially.
Another fun angle on Hebrew teaching is a concept called a Midrash. This is where they connect things like we do with analogies but instead with other concepts in the Bible. That's why the book of Matthew is confusing where it references OT scripture that doesn't seem to follow. It wasn't intended to follow... it was intended to ryhm in meaning not perfect evidence.
I'd never really thought about this that much but it makes a ton of sense. I do remember back when I was raised in the church the pastor saying what you describe. "You can't ever hope to follow the law." It made it seem so onerous and I did wonder why the heck a God would put down silly laws like 'put a railing around your roof.' But you just pointed out, we have to if we have roofs like 99% of middle eastern houses where they use them as living spaces. It's international code that anything over 36" from the ground needs a railing so you don't fall off.
Now it just makes so much sense and I feel silly for not seeing that before.
Michael I am a fan of your ability to apply systems thinking accross multiple topics, and then expand with depth, a new insight that can be taken away by others with the analysis you provide - through your view.
As a "commercial banker, mom, and community volunteer" at this particular moment in humanity's (re)evolution I am often "the person in a room" where more questions become the answer... since it is good questions in complex business settings that will often unite two or more "polar opposing viewpoints" that individuals have learned as their truth, over their lifetime, that can become the "second tier discovery" that is "hid behind 'symptoms' trying to be solved'...where humanity would benefit if we could all combine our wisdom to flush out and cure a root cause."
Earlier this year, the post linked below crossed my feed - which caused me to joke with a few friends in business, that perhaps "I'm a none" [when speaking about the results of a Marquette Law School political poll], when it comes to religion, since what I believe in is a version of Faith - that can easily combine several of the interpretations you illustrate in this article - which helps to flush out where different truths probably align, but use different words to describe, in all of our archived documents being handed down through generations...which themselves then become (re)transcribed in an effort of new authors wishing to provide a new way of thinking... about the historical events that each group grew up with "being familiar."
Thank you for taking time to share your thought provoking articles!
I'm not am author, but I hope to inspire the next generation of authors in some way - they will each have a much more compelling tale to tell, which becomes humanity's next chapter, provided we all put aside our differences [at this critical moment in history making time] and find a way to unite on the details that really matter - putting stubborn differences aside.
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I too am often a none when the answer is a binary based on questionable interpretations or forced divisions.
The story of Adam and Eve is facinatingly complex and any simple read will always be wrong. I like Jordan Peterson's biblical lecture series that uncovers so much more depth to the simple narratives.
To your point, it's always facinating when asking more questions leads to an answer no-one even imagined could exist. That's where I try to get teams to look to find innovation. I call those places the 'seams and confluences' between domains, disciplines, topics, and dissagreements.
of course, you made a spreadsheet. this is a great read, and I can hear people say "Oh the Bible doesn't affect me" or "It's just a book of myths"
thanks for doing the research
I've heard it say that the Bible is one of the best insights to being human. I don't believe it's the Truth but I believe it's a compilation of thousands of truths mixed with mythology, psychology, philosophy, and political science.
Religion as a Psychology explores how *nearly* everyone is religious, even atheists.
Ahhh, so much better!
Lol. I'll grant there are a few unique personalities out there. 😜
With that out of the way, I enjoyed the analysis. It could be fun to do a similar look at current Chinese law vis a vis Confucianism. I think the connection there might be even stronger, but we'd need to look.
That would be fun. I'm curious because I know most religions have a health element like fasting and moderation to them and I'm curious how many have the cleanliness rituals that the Hebrew Bible does.
Hello Michael! No, you didn't forget. :) Such good timing for this essay. I have come to appreciate the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, as a "User's Manual". A guide as to the best way to live, with ourselves, and others, as we go through this life.
There is a quote I've come across, I think by Dennis Prager, that says, "The Torah is a masterpiece of Storytelling, History, Theology, Politics, Law, Ethics, and Morals." I think this is so.
Thanks for this engaging series!
I really like that description and I agree too.
Regardless of one's personal beliefs, there's no question that the Bible has had a tremendous influence on Western civilization and that its various perspectives deserve to be studied.
You have a nice, fresh approach to the text.
Totally agree that it's had an impact, typically better than not. Typically better than the other religions as well. It's a fun thing to explore.
I had a suspicion that the number 613 itself held special significance, and Wikipedia backed me up. 613 is the sum of 365 (days/yr) and the 248 bones found in the human body ( don't get bogged down by the dissimilar units of measure 😉).
Great point Hal. The Jewish Sages are HUGE on gematria (the five dollar world for numerology). Almost all the numbers in the Bible have a mystic quality to them. They don't just mean, and often don't accuratly represent, counted items, but the Meta stories behind them. 7, 12, 613, 6, and many, many more are like little keys to entire other narratives.
So much so that many writings intentionally space and phrase words to line up both linguistically and gematrially.
Another fun angle on Hebrew teaching is a concept called a Midrash. This is where they connect things like we do with analogies but instead with other concepts in the Bible. That's why the book of Matthew is confusing where it references OT scripture that doesn't seem to follow. It wasn't intended to follow... it was intended to ryhm in meaning not perfect evidence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria
I'd never really thought about this that much but it makes a ton of sense. I do remember back when I was raised in the church the pastor saying what you describe. "You can't ever hope to follow the law." It made it seem so onerous and I did wonder why the heck a God would put down silly laws like 'put a railing around your roof.' But you just pointed out, we have to if we have roofs like 99% of middle eastern houses where they use them as living spaces. It's international code that anything over 36" from the ground needs a railing so you don't fall off.
Now it just makes so much sense and I feel silly for not seeing that before.
Great to hear!
Michael I am a fan of your ability to apply systems thinking accross multiple topics, and then expand with depth, a new insight that can be taken away by others with the analysis you provide - through your view.
As a "commercial banker, mom, and community volunteer" at this particular moment in humanity's (re)evolution I am often "the person in a room" where more questions become the answer... since it is good questions in complex business settings that will often unite two or more "polar opposing viewpoints" that individuals have learned as their truth, over their lifetime, that can become the "second tier discovery" that is "hid behind 'symptoms' trying to be solved'...where humanity would benefit if we could all combine our wisdom to flush out and cure a root cause."
Earlier this year, the post linked below crossed my feed - which caused me to joke with a few friends in business, that perhaps "I'm a none" [when speaking about the results of a Marquette Law School political poll], when it comes to religion, since what I believe in is a version of Faith - that can easily combine several of the interpretations you illustrate in this article - which helps to flush out where different truths probably align, but use different words to describe, in all of our archived documents being handed down through generations...which themselves then become (re)transcribed in an effort of new authors wishing to provide a new way of thinking... about the historical events that each group grew up with "being familiar."
Thank you for taking time to share your thought provoking articles!
I'm not am author, but I hope to inspire the next generation of authors in some way - they will each have a much more compelling tale to tell, which becomes humanity's next chapter, provided we all put aside our differences [at this critical moment in history making time] and find a way to unite on the details that really matter - putting stubborn differences aside.
https://divinity.yale.edu/news/eve-isn-t-evil-alum-scholar-challenges-assumptions-about-women-bible
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I too am often a none when the answer is a binary based on questionable interpretations or forced divisions.
The story of Adam and Eve is facinatingly complex and any simple read will always be wrong. I like Jordan Peterson's biblical lecture series that uncovers so much more depth to the simple narratives.
To your point, it's always facinating when asking more questions leads to an answer no-one even imagined could exist. That's where I try to get teams to look to find innovation. I call those places the 'seams and confluences' between domains, disciplines, topics, and dissagreements.
Glad to have you here!