Seminars take place on Sunday after the Live Liturgy on Zoom. You will need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link!
Continue reading to learn more about the seminar hosted by Dr. Bob Stallman.
Why language and why Hebrew?
Jesus grew up in the land we know today as Israel, living and teaching mostly in the northern region known as the Galilee, particularly on the northern and western sides of the large lake that dominates the landscape. As a literate Jew who knew his Bible and who conducted business in this Roman-controlled area, Jesus would have been able to speak in Greek and Aramaic in addition to Hebrew which was not only the language of his holy texts but also a living language during this period.
Without question, the broad outlines of his teachings and the stories about him are available through faithful translations so that anybody can understand and hopefully respond to the message of salvation for eternal life. One of his disciples, Peter, rightly said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Even though we may with authenticity “hear” and “do” what Jesus taught without hearing a recording of his voice, there is a haunting particularity in the way Jesus has put the matter. Going further, he said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
If you have ever wondered about the sound and shape of these words or had an inkling inside that just maybe, hearing these words would help you to know and love Jesus better, then you are moving closer to taking that first step into the Hebrew language.
As to its essence, language is a hearing and speaking phenomenon. Literacy is the acquired skill of reading and writing but it is secondary to the linguistic ability that enables us to live and communicate with one another.
The Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.” In like manner, we speak because we have been first spoken to. As infants and before we could imagine the existence of another person, somebody cared enough about us to fill our ears with words of love and belonging.
In the ancient world, people constructed visual images and physical likenesses through which they aspired to communicate with the gods. In the life of God’s people as we know through Scripture, however, it is not the eye but rather the ear that is primary. Moses said that at Mount Sinai the people saw no form on the day the Lord their God spoke to them out of the midst of the fire. Indeed, the essential command that supports even the command to love the Lord with all of one’s heart, soul, and strength is “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God — the Lord is one.”
Together, we will begin here, opening our ears so that we may hear and so that we may respond.
What may I expect?
You are joining a class in which you will experience the Hebrew language, both by listening to it and by physically responding. The limits imposed upon us through social distancing add a layer of complexity to our practice of community yet still allow for a sufficient measure of interaction that we anticipated in a live, face-to-face setting.
Following a time of being “in the language” we will then direct attention to the words and works of Jesus, hoping to be more attentive to how people heard him.
After 35–40 minutes, we will have about 10 minutes for questions.
Session One is about “Responding to Jesus.” Following Jesus starts with answering his invitation and then doing what he instructs. We will learn some Hebrew commands and then find some of them the Gospel stories.
Session Two is about “Relating to Jesus” by focusing on personal names as avenues of connection and signals of transformation. You will learn how in Hebrew to say what your name is and to ask the name of other people. After some practice, we will consider the name of God and our new identity in Jesus.
Session Three is about “Realizing What We Have in Jesus.” In Hebrew, there is a relatively easy and fairly distinctive way to say what you do (or don’t) have in your possession. After playing with this a bit, we will consider Jesus’ gifts to us.
What will I need?
In order to best approximate a live classroom, you will need a computer with a camera that can run Zoom. If you cannot participate visually then it would be best to watch the session later as an observer unless there is enough space in the class for a combined total of 24 participants and observers.
Ideally, you should point your camera at yourself, seated in a chair with some room around it so you can get up, move around, and sit down.
Please have these items nearby:
a book
an empty cup
a silver-looking coin
some food such as a piece of fruit, a bit of bread or a cracker, or even an egg. You won’t need to eat anything though!
Of course, the most valuable and essential of all is yourself, with a willingness to have a bit of fun and to learn more about life with Jesus.
Adult Seminar Series
It’s important to create space for parishioners to share their experience and knowledge with one another. We don’t often have the luxury (or the time) to wrestle with the “things of God” outside of Sunday worship. The Adult Seminars Series endeavor to create this space. It’s not the pulpit, and certainly not a soap box, but a forum where we can learn, ask questions, and experience kinship with one another.
Seminars take place on Sunday after the Live Liturgy on Zoom. You will need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link!
Contact our Pastor of Arts and Education, Dcn. Jeremiah with any questions.