Process and Content

by Doug Mason 3 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Doug Mason

  In a previous life, when we were teaching quality management business practices, we emphasised the need to differentiate "process" from "content". This required looking at HOW things were being done rather than any analysis of the internal data being processed.

  It is possible to look at the processes involved with the creation, editing, and delivery of any sacred scriptures without having any need to accept or agree with the content of what the people were writing.

  The Judaeo/Christian Scriptures open to us the minds of peoples living long ago in cultures that are very different to ours. I actually hesitated when I wrote "Judaeo/Christian" because in reality we have the Hebrew literature followed by Jewish literature.

  Treating their writings as "literature" opens the field of enquiry, freshening the mind from having any need to become personally involved in its contents.

  I am currently investigating Second Temple Judaism, since that period created the foundations for Judaism and for Christianity. Recently, I have been scouring books that discuss the way that the scribes altered their "sacred" texts. (The WTS are rank amateurs in comparison.)

  von Weissenberg, Hanne; Pakkala, Juha; Martilla, Marko. Changes in Scripture: Rewriting and Interpreting Authoritative Traditions in the Second Temple Period (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Book 419). De Gruyter; 1 edition (29 March 2011)

  Zahn, Molly. Genres of Rewriting in Second Temple Judaism. Cambridge University Press (August 2020)

  Edelman, Diana V.; Davies, Philip; and Nihan, Christopher. Opening the Books of Moses. Acumen Publishing (2012)

  Müller, Reinhard; Pakkala, Juha; Romeny, Bas ter Haar. Evidence of Editing: Growth and Change of Texts in the Hebrew Bible (2014). Society of Biblical Literature.

  The Bibliographies of each of these books, in turn, point to many more sources.

  Doug
  
  
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  truth_b_known

  This topic is fascinating. It really turns modern Christianity on its head. Especially Protestant denominations as they believe everything in the Bible is literal and happened as written as a matter of historical fact.
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  Half banana

  I often want to say that the biggest mistake in reading 'sacred' writings is to imagine that they are sacred!

  Nothing is of itself is sacred.....it is never more than a cultural consensus.

  How the sacred element became to be applied is never a part of religious history. Religious leaders instead point to an interpretation of texts knowing the herd will respond with reverence and fear-- just as they have been taught to.

  As you point out Doug, process and content both need to be understood to take a dispassionate view.

  Especially "late second temple" is an important period in textual evidence to understand the origin of Christianity since it is firmly rooted in Jewish developments of the time. Would you say 175 BCE up to the cut off point in 70 CE? It is something which engages my thinking so I look forward to hearing more of your research on the matter.

  One hopeful development is to be found in your bibliography, the fact that the academics with Jewish origins, like modern Israeli archeologists are exposing the flaws in Biblical sanctity and not kowtowing.
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  Doug Mason

  Thank you for your thoughts and support.

  It is my intention to develop a very simple description of the times. I hope there is power in simplicity. I do not know how long it will be but I will be delighted if I can cap it at say 50 to 60 pages.

  My idea is to provide the major talking points and to list resources.

  I have modified my Model which forms the backbone of the Study I am working on. Please please tell me where it needs correcting and improving. Note that this is a PowerPoint Show file where each screen is timed to step on after 6 seconds.

  https://jwstudies.com/Impacts_of_the_Second_Temple_Period.ppsx
  

  I think that the early dates would be defined by literature such as the earliest version of 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and such. The situation that developed needs to be seen in the context of the community leading up to that period.

  The events at 70 CE saw the demise of the Sadducees and gave rise to the emerging influence of Rabbinic Judaism and of the growing Jesus-followers. Rather than ending at 70 CE, the influence of the Second Temple Period has continued. Consider, as just one example, the present-day ideas of a personal Satan, which was a creation of that time.

  Doug