In between cleaning times I read the Chapter of Joshua. That was needed to do the lecture entitled "The Untold Story of the Conquest" which marks the end of the Introduction (first six lectures). I must say as a young child the early chapters of the Old Testament were hard for me to understand or perhaps I didn't want to understand them. But with this lecture now in my mind I have a better understanding of the times than I had previously. Perhaps I needed to look at it through the microscope of science which I have never really done although I do think in terms of God and Science but more general and philosophical until I started working on DNA from a genetic genealogist point of view. This is the only recorded story of a people (the family from which Israel (the nation created by the twelve sons of Jacob) descended had, over time, gradually fallen away from a stern adherence to the laws of God (the left or the right as Joshua and Moses both described a pattern of not obeying God's laws)). But archaeologically speaking, and the lecture does say this, the actual fact was that these lands (these promised lands) were actually vacant - were these the lands that belonged to Jacob and his twelve sons before they went to Egypt? It was the sons of Jacob who were in Egypt and later slaves there and they had gone there at the time of a famine 400 years earlier where their brother Joseph protected and cared for them. Was the Promised Land the land that God promised to bring his people back to actually the land they had occupied 400 years earlier and for time immemorial? Since the Canaanites were descendant also of Noah, I am curious about that. It is fascinating and I look forward to the next lecture which will be the body of the lecture series having completed the Introduction. Adherence to the Deuteronomic Laws was compulsory to be part of Israel; we see that in the chapters of Deutoronomy and Joshua as mentioned in the lecture. However, living along side of people who were not members of this Community was permitted and did actually happen (they were not all eliminated). Ruth was, after all a Moabite. Plus they were bringing the bones of Jacob back and it would make sense that they return the patriarch of the family to his own land to be interred.
Putting on my DNA hat now; it was perhaps even encouraged to maintain the gene pool so that people marrying into the not closely related community would be an asset (think of Ruth a Moabite) in order to minimize the effect of a smaller and smaller gene pool from just one family line (cousins marrying cousins) albeit there were twelve sons and this was 400 years later. Interesting really. So weighing both the scientific knowledge and the archaeological knowledge with the Bible which was written in the time and place of the events or much closer to them, one can perhaps better understand what the Bible is telling us. Items were much more black and white in these early times and one couldn't move from the Deutoronomic Laws and remain part of the community. The necessity of protecting and increasing the gene pool is also very important for all generations and the continuation of God's creation. Fascinating really. But the most important part of these lectures tells us the story of a family in ancient times; their squabbles, their support for each other but mostly their love for God which sustained them through the generations to the present. There is also that hint that you are only closely related to your first cousin which I found to be the thoughts of my second cousins in England although we both enjoyed meeting each other. My grandfather's (and my father) thoughts that the peoples of the British Isles were descended from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel continues to pop up in my thoughts on occasion. Perhaps it was the ancient Churches of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales that makes me think about that and the ancient ceremonies that they celebrated which gradually gave way to Christianity and then union with the Church of Rome.
Looking forward to the next lecture for sure but I think I might read a couple of chapters in the Bible to prepare myself for the lecture. We will be looking at Jerusalem. I feel as if there needs to be a slide in there telling you what to do to prepare for each lecture. Although watching them twice works very well also since I am not an Old Testament Biblical scholar by any means.
I also watched part of the new Neanderthal film on Netflix. Excellent work and will watch again and re-watch for sure. But I also want to watch the B1 lecture in the Untold Story of the Kingdom of Judah. Plus I need to read Judges and perhaps 1st and 2nd Kings Chapters in the Bible. Plus I do need to do some work on my books. Life is very busy. The human brain is always meant to be in learning mode and it is incumbent on each and every one of us to be learning and working. My Latin is progressing well and I find it easier to read the old records these days.
Teatime and Latin and then the whole day of cleaning and my cleaning week will be complete.
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