1 Chronicles 1-9

 As mentioned in last week's post, "Broken Covenants," I had a difficult time composing this infographic. My instinct was to use FreeMind, a wonderful "mind mapping" tool that I use to sort data and to brainstorm. However, after completing one version of this graphic with FreeMind, I realized that it did not have the functions I required. Then I tried Vue, an open-source application from Tufts. This software seemed more robust and offered more options that would help me with my genealogical task. The result is the following:

Also check out the high-resolution version!

In creating this genealogy, I favored aesthetics over chronology. Arrows point from parent to offspring, with Adam beginning in the upper left-hand corner. The spoke toward the middle is Israel, whose 12 sons comprise, well, Israel. The genealogy extends from Adam to the generation of the Exile.

I hope the wait was worth it.

Broken Covenants

Sometimes covenants are broken, as mine was with you, dear reader. I apologize. A number of factors including work, illness, software issues, and a computer that has lived past its planned obsolescence all contributed to the absence of a post last week, and the absence of a topic-specific one this week.

The book I am reading now is Chronicles, which follows Kings and is comprised of mostly edited material already covered in Samuel and Kings. If the material seems familiar, that is because it has been featured already in previous books (and posts). In fact, many portions reappear in Chronicles verbatim. However, there is a significant amount of editing by an editor who clearly lived during or after the composition of Judges and Kings. The editor (also called a "chronicler") tells mostly the same stories as these books, but adds or subtracts information so suit his purpose. One purpose he has (and it is almost certainly a he writing) is to portray David as a truly great king, and completely free of sin. In the chronicler's account, for instance, David does not steal Bathsheba from Uriah the Hittite and sleep with her. Likewise, before his death, David prepares his son Solomon for the building of the Lord's house. David thereby participates in the building of the temple, a fact that contributes to his overall greatness.

But we are not there yet. Right now (or as soon as I finish the post I intend) we are at the nine-chapter genealogy that extends from Adam to the generation of the Exile. The post I have been working on is a family tree of sorts, a graphical representation of the genealogies presented in the first nine chapters of the biblical book Chronicles.

 I should say that my idea for such a presentation is not original.

Last week was an important week for me in that I submitted my final application for graduate school in religious studies. It was a hectic process, but one that allowed for some reflection - which perhaps I will dig into deeper on this blog some day. Perhaps one of the reasons I chose to create this biblical infographic was the reflection and rereading of my undergraduate thesis, titled "Our Environmental Apocalypse." The paper treated the word "apocalypse" as a meme with shifting meaning (observable in words and phrases such as "snowpocalypse," "environmental apocalypse," and "apocalypse now"). I did a good amount of research on interpretations of the book of Revelation. One interpreter that continually drew me back was Joachim of Fiore.

Joachim of Fiore created figurae, ornate illustrations that attempt to explain his conception of the apocalypse.

Through illustrations of seven-headed dragons and ring diagrams representing dispensations of biblical time, Joachim sought to discover meaning in ordered historical events.

A beautiful arrangement of ideas: that is what I strive for in the upcoming post. I hope you enjoy it (when it is ready).

2 Kings: Two Prophets and a Digression

Elijah's Ascent to Heaven [and a long digression into Enoch]
Though the following passage only briefly touches on Elijah, I could not pass up the exploration of noncanonical biblical literature.

Elijah
The prophet Elijah does not die in the bible. Rather, he ascends into heaven in a whirlwind and chariot of fire. The reason for this, and what happens to Elijah after his ascent, is unclear. Indeed, it seems strange that the bible would relate a story about a person and not elaborate on such an astounding event. These ambiguities sparked a great deal of speculation in later literature, some of which even anticipates Elijah's return to earth. In canonical biblical literature, Malachi 4.5-6 mentions that the prophet will be sent "before the great and terrible day of the Lord." In this tale Elijah will reunite families before the day of the Lord. This restoration of the family would have been important as per Mosaic law, in which the sins of parents could ostracize later generations.

Enoch
One other man in the bible ascends to heaven: Enoch, an ancestor of Noah. There is much extrabiblical literature about Enoch, including the pseudepigraphic Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees. All we know from the Genesis account is related in a mere seven verses in Genesis 5, only four of which relate to Enoch in particular. The verses in question appear in a passage that recounts the ten generations from Adam to Noah. With the exception of Enoch and Noah (about whom the narrative is primarily concerned), each section follows the same formula:

When A had lived X years, he became the father of B . A lived after the birth of B Y years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of A were Z years [=X+Y]; and he died."

Enoch's passage is unique in a number of ways. Of the ten generations spanning Adam to Noah, Enoch occupies the seventh. The number seven is symbolic in the Hebrew bible as suggesting completeness or perfection. Furthermore, the length of Enoch's life is 365 years. This number also suggests completeness - a complete year, to be exact. In addition, it is mentioned twice in the text that Enoch "walked with God." This by itself should not be taken literally; the phrase simply means that Enoch was a righteous man. His great grandson Noah was another man who "walked with God." However, the second appearance of this phrase is linked with very special descriptor that demonstrates Enoch's special status:

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.
(Gen. 5.24).

Unlike the other men listed, Enoch is not specifically said to die. Where and why God took him is a matter of speculation, as it is for Elijah later on.
In later non-canonical literature, Enoch's story is developed and the symbols of completeness associated with him are expanded upon. Enoch becomes a secretary of God, and the first ever writer. In Jubilees he pens a book that records all events of the history and future as it travels through cycles of Jubilees, which measure time in 49-year cycles: 7 "weeks" of years.
Click the above links to read the source texts, or check out the Wikipedia pages on Jubilees and 1 Enoch to learn more about the texts themselves.

Elisha's Miracles

Elisha is Elijah's protege, and seems to serve as a reference for later tales about Jesus. Those who have read Christian scripture might notice some parallels. In fact, these charismatic powers are common to many biblical characters, including Moses. All references are to 2 Kings:

• Parts water (2.14)
• Purifies undrinkable water that is even unsuitable for crops [by putting salt in it, no less!] (2.19)
• Curses 42 boys so they are mauled by bears (2.23)
• Magically multiplies oil for a widow so she can pay her debts (4.1)
• Revives a Shunammite woman's son from death (4.8)
• Purifies a pot of stew made with poisonous wild vines and gourds (4.38)
• Feeds 100 men with 20 loaves of barley and some grain, and even has some left over (4.42)
• Cures Naaman, mighty warrior and commander of the Aramean army, of his leprosy (5.1)
• Afflicts his servant Gehazi with Naaman's leprosy (5.19)
• Pulls an ax head from the Jordan with a floating stick that has apparent magnetic powers (6.1)