Punctuation
April 13th, 2008I Rest
This week I was very affected by some DVD lectures on the Jewish sabbath. Before watching them, and even with my considerable acquaintance with Jews and Judaism, I didn’t grasp the importance of the Sabbath. That the Jews believe it somehow preserves them. You might think of it as tillage and fertilizer and pesticide for the soul.
A long time ago, I was taught that Christians are not subject to the Jewish law, including the Sabbath commandment. I believe that’s true. I eat all the pork I want, and I don’t keep the Jewish holidays, and so on. The New Testament makes it very clear that I’m not a Jew, and that I don’t have to do all the things Jews do. Nonetheless, I think that one of the weaknesses of the more faith-filled and vibrant churches–the ones with which I have the most in common–is a tendency to mindlessly discard rules and ritual, simply because it’s permitted. The fact that you are not commanded to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. There is no commandment to brush your teeth. I still do it every few weeks.
Joke.
Anyway, I’m making an effort to clean up my Sundays. No work. Just rest and study and prayer and so on. I still have a Nowlive show scheduled for Sundays, but even though I like the free exposure, when you boil it down, it’s just a hobby. Not worth messing up the day. I’m going to ask about moving it, and if I can’t move it and stay on list of shows that are fed listeners, I’ll move anyway and talk to three people. Or quit altogether.
I don’t plan to be a fanatic who won’t take out the trash or run an errand or two. I’m no Walter Sobchak. But I think I can cut back a lot without noticeable strain.
Today I’m reading up on a few things that interest me. For one thing, I’m trying to get a handle on the Book of Enoch. It’s an apocryphal book, bits of which were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Jews don’t consider it part of the Bible. One of their problems with it is that it contains references to angels reproducing with human women. They believe angels can’t reproduce. I think most Christians believe that, too, but I’m not totally sure. The Bible says angels can appear as human beings, and if that’s true…
I read the Book of Enoch the other day, online, and while some parts were impossible to swallow, other parts were remarkably consistent with New Testament thought. Some people believe the New Testament book Jude quotes the Book of Enoch, which lends it legitimacy. You never know. It may be that something real has been contaminated by attachment to a work of forgery, and that they are worth separating.
In case you don’t know who Enoch was, he was a figure in Genesis. So righteous that God removed him from the earth at the tender age of 365. Aaron says the Jews believe Enoch never sinned, and that God took him because there was a possibility of sin in his future.
Enoch tells a story of rebellious angels who came down from Mt. Hermon and mated with women and taught men things like metallurgy and witchcraft. I came across it while reading about Mt. Hermon, a place which I find interesting for reasons I may go into some day.
I’ll be reading about other stuff, too.
I don’t plan to do any blogging until right before the Nowlive show. I am hoping that in the future, I’ll have enough character to keep Sunday blogging to a bare minimum. So whether or not you believe in what I’m doing, at least I have spared you that.
If you are a Christian or Jew and feel like leaving a comment regarding your beliefs on observation of the Sabbath, please do.
Say another prayer for Leah Friedman. She is out of the ICU and managed to say the word “home.”