I really liked this chapter way more than the others so far. I was never really taught how to study and interpret the Biblical Stories. I also haven’t really read a lot of the Bible I mean I know a lot of the Bible Stories, but I haven’t really interpreted them. When he was analyzing Jonah there were many things that I would not have picked up one or known, and it really teaches you how all the little things all come together to teach a lesson. I think that it is so important to really try to understand the biblical stories to get the most out of reading the Bible and to get closer to God, and to grow in your relationship to him. I had no idea how much Sheol was mentioned in the Bible and how important it was to get points across. I feel like things that are repeated multiple times are very significant and that is how God is using specific words to teach us. I also liked how the chapter talked about how important the ending of a story but how sometimes they can also have unresolved conflicts that can cause you to have questions and read more and analyze even more. Overall I thought this chapter had a lot of great content and I really believe that everyone should know how to study the Bible and actually do it.

I thought this chapter was very informative and had many cool facts that I never knew. I didn’t know how hard it was to originally produce bibles because they had to be hand copied which took so much time. Also in biblical times, the materials were very expensive compared to now where we just have paper everywhere. It is not as hard now to produce bible its actually very easy because of the printing press. I also enjoyed reading about the different kinds of writings there were like clay tablets, scrolls, broken pottery, papyrus, and parchment. I loved learning about how Papyrus was made and how they used it. Also how they would make scrolls out of it. I liked reading about the different Families of New Testament Manuscript and what writings all of them did and how they did it. When I was reading about the different ways that the manuscripts and writings could have mistakes in the manuscript transmission it made me think about how many of the words could have been messed up and created a different meaning for the readers. Although we have to give some credit to these scribes for copying all of these writings down. But I think that if they were so tried that they would mix up words and mess things up they should take a break and come back to it because then that just causes problems for the readers. Overall I liked this reading and I feel like this all kind of relates to what we have been talking about with trust and how can we trust that what they scribes are writing is correct or not.

Today’s reading was kind of boring but informative. It was nice to learn about all the different translations of the bible. I found it interesting how different The Catholic Bible, the Protestant Bible, and The Hebrew Bible are from each other. Especially with the Hebrew Bible, the books aren’t even in the same order as the other two. I never knew the catholic bible had more books added to the bible. I also thought it was important to understand the differences between the many translations of the bible both literal and paraphrased. I didn’t even know there were literal and paraphrased versions of the bible I thought they were all the same, I mean I knew they were different translations but I thought they were mostly written the same way. I think it is really good to know and figure out what kind of translation of the bible is a good fit for you to read and get the most out of to grow in your relationship with God. When he was talking about how the man who wrote the notes in his bible had no actual training it made me think that maybe my version of the bible is like that or how do I actually know what is written by people trained in biblical studies. Overall it really was not as interesting as the other chapters so far but it was informative and something we should all know.

I enjoyed this chapter but I felt that it wasn’t as thought-provoking for me. Although I learned a lot from this chapter. It did make me rethink a little about how far all these places actually are from each other. And how long it actually would have taken them to travel to these places unlike now. It would take us only a few hours or a day while it would have taken them multiple days or weeks during that time because they didn’t have cars back then. It was also nice to read about all the people who have traveled to these places and read their stories and thoughts about these places.  I liked seeing the biblical timeline laid out for me. There were some events that I wasn’t exactly sure when they happened in comparison to everything else. It was also interesting to see the map and see who ruled what parts and where everything was in relation to all the other places on the map. I had no idea how really far Nazareth was from Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I really liked that they showed you the three Missionary Journeys of Paul. It was cool to learn about all the different terrains as well and read about the archeological digs. It was also really interesting to read about how scarce the water was and how some peoples mortgage cost was less then what they were paying for water. And I feel like here today we really take it for granted because we don’t have any issues getting water, in fact, we waste a lot of water and use more than we should.

I enjoyed this reading but somethings upset me as a modern-day woman who grew up where I did. Some of the things were the fact that the daughters were like property that could be bought. I understand this on a very very minuscule level because my dad has a rule where if I date any boy he has to meet my dad and when I get married he has to ask my dad for permission. Although my dad does this he doesn’t get to chose the man for me or sell me off to any guy he wants. When they talked about a bride price it reminded me of Fiddler on the Roof when Lazar Wolf is bargaining with Tevye to marry Tzeitel. I did not agree with women getting married so young, well young in our society and culture. If we were following the same culture of that time I would be married with kids and not getting an important education. It’s hard to imagine that this continued long after Jesus’ time and is still happening today in the middle east and other places as well. I kind of want to see what it would be like to be a woman living in that time and culture, I feel terrible because they didn’t have the same privileges we do as women today. The culture in that time reminds me of the play I read Lysistrata which was about a woman who brings a bunch of other women together to protest against their boyfriends and husbands and withhold sex from them to stop the war they were having. One thing I was interesting was how it was nice to see where the tradition of a man carrying his wife across the threshold of the house. Overall I enjoyed learning more about this culture but wish it was different and it makes me appreciate the culture and time I live in.

I never really thought of the fact that it wasn’t an actual inn because that’s how I was always taught growing up. At frist, I was confused as to why there wasn’t room for them in the guest room if Joseph was going home to family for the census. I would think that if your family knew you were coming home they would make sure there was a place for you to stay. Although as I kept reading a bit I learned that in that time period they really respected their elders and so the elders would have more comfortable lodging than the younger generations. That is kind of how it is with my heritage and family. I am Puerto Rican and if we have guests over the older ones would have the more comfortable rooms to themselves and all the kids would share a room. Also because we liked to catch up and have sleepovers. As I continued reading I noticed again how I have been taught so differently what the bible says that what it actually means, I always thought that they were in a stable far away from the other houses and were completely separated but in fact, they were still right there with everyone else. I guess no one really thinks about that fact that Joseph was going home to family and that he would have probably stayed with them. From reading this I am really starting to understand that you have to compare everything to the time period. You also have to take some things with a grain of salt and really go into depth with what the bible is really trying to say and what it actually means.

To Me, The New Testament is the fulfillment of Gods Promise to send his son to die on the cross and save us from our sins. I feel as though the New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament but is also so much more. It a way to see through Jesus, how to live a holy Christian life. Jesus’ life and the way he treated others teaches us how we should treat and love everyone around us. I think that the Old Testament felt harsher than the New Testament because it Portrays God to be mostly a wrathful God, unlike the New Testament that shows the loving side of God more. In the Old Testament, it was impossible to live a life good enough to go to Heaven, you would have had to sacrifice many animals and try to live as much of a sin-free life as you could. Although in the New Testament Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for us. Yet that doesn’t mean we can sin and it won’t matter, it just means that if we believe Jesus to be the son of God, give our life to him, ask to forgive for our sins and live a Christian life we will live eternally with God in Heaven. Throughout the New Testament Jesus teaches us the art of forgiveness, non-judgment, and Love. In the New Testament, you also see how the belief and faith in God spread to the Gentiles. In the New Testament, it also predicted how the world was going to come to an end in Revelations.

Hello, my name is Scarlett Rivera-Montes. I am a sophomore and I am a double major in Theatre and Film and Media Arts. After college, the plan is to act in movies and television either on screen or as a voice actor. I am Puerto Rican but don’t speak a lot of Spanish. I love Disney and Sushi, and I am very family oriented. I am very close with my family I live with my mom, dad, older brother, younger sister, abuela, and dog. I also just got accepted for the Disney College Program which means I get to work at Disney World for a semester. I grew up in a Christian household and was baptized when I was 10. I watch many movies and shows. Some of my favorites are Supernatural, Heartland, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Disney and Pixar movies, Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls. For high school I went to a performing arts school and studied, musical theatre, acting for the camera, voice, jazz, tap and modern. Here at Messiah I still dance and sing. I am a part of Acclimation Dance Ministry and I take voice lessons. My favorite food is sushi, my favorite holiday is either Christmas or Halloween. I love hanging out with friends and family. I enjoy going to the beach and love swimming. I also played soccer and lacrosse for 8 years. I am very excited for Encountering the New Testament, everything I can learn and strengthening my relationship with God. I hope you enjoyed learning more about me and can get to know me more throughout this course.

“My friends, I address you all tonight as you truly are; wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, magicians… Come and dream with me” – Georges Méliès