I think I read someplace in the Bible (translation, disciples, church)

[Caligula1]

The Meek Shall inherit The Earth..

So as far as Religion goes, no matter what one you choose..

How does that work out for you?

[TheoGeek]

Originally Posted by Caligula1

The Meek Shall inherit The Earth..

So as far as Religion goes, no matter what one you choose..

How does that work out for you?

The 3 rules of Biblical interpretation are Context, context, and......context.

In the passage (Matthew 5), Jesus was talking about dependence on God, and proclaiming his name. We are not to be afraid, but we are to depend on God.

[Walter Greenspan]

Would that be the Christian Bible?

[whoppers]

Originally Posted by Caligula1

The Meek Shall inherit The Earth..

So as far as Religion goes, no matter what one you choose..

How does that work out for you?

Johannes Weiss (in Die Predigt vom Reichen Gottes) suggested that the teachings of Jesus concerning entry into the Kingdom of Heaven as an "Interim-Ethik". Albert Schweitzer, in his Quest For the Historical Jesus popularized this view in his Apolcalyptic view of Jesus' message. "Interim Ethics" is the view that any ethical teachings put forth by Jesus (especially the notoriously difficult ones concerning the leaving of one's family, the giving away of one's wealth, etc.) in the Gospels (especially the early ones, before it was clear that Jesus was not coming back during his listener's "generation") were only applicable during the anticipation of the impending Kingdom of Heaven, which was to be very soon:

For The Man is to come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay every man for his conduct. I solemnly tell you there are men standing here who will not taste death until they see The Man enter upon his reign. (Matthew 16:28, AB)

[ For those who are shocked at the translation, notice the substitution of "The Man" for "The Son of Man" - I like that choice. ]

So, in other words - all the advice given by Jesus that seems counter-productive to continuing a normal life in the world (which has yet to see the Kingdom of Heaven arrive) makes perfect sense when seen in the light of impending disaster: Jesus was making sure those who deserved the Kingdom would be ready for it. The "interim ethics" were not meant as a Universal Ethical Code to be followed for thousands of years. Even the Church had to soften and modify his teachings on these issues, especially in the area of wealth.

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

Would that be the Christian Bible?

Of course, he is probably referring to the only "Bible" he knows - "The Christian Bible", which contains "The Hebrew Bible" and "The New Testament" - or as you would call the former: "The Bible", or the Tanakh. You know exactly what he means - there's no need to point this out every single time a Christian uses the term "The Bible".

Now, there is the very slim possibility that he WAS referring to the Hebrew Bible and the Psalms, where it states

But the lowly shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant well-being.
(Psalms 37:11, NJPS)

and a translation of that Psalm could easily read "but the [meek] shall inherit the [earth]", but he is probably referring to the Gospel of Matthew - who in turn was probably quoting from the Psalms. So essentially, you can forgive the OP for not being as specific about the term "The Bible" as you tend to be, for it turns out that both Bibles (Christian and Jewish) could be used to quote the verse.

Originally Posted by TheoGeek

The 3 rules of Biblical interpretation are Context, context, and......context.

In the passage (Matthew 5), Jesus was talking about dependence on God, and proclaiming his name. We are not to be afraid, but we are to depend on God.

Since context is being invoked, let's get some more. Jesus was speaking to the Disciples - not to the crowds of people:

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he had sat down his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, in these words:
(Matthew 5:1-2, AB)

But is Jesus preaching dependence on God? Was there proclaiming of God's name? Are we to be fearless and depend on God? Let's see what Jesus says, according to the Gospel:

"Fortunate are the humble in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled.
Fortunate are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall have mercy shown to them.
Fortunate are the pure-minded, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are the peace-makers, for they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You are blessed whenever men vilify you, persecute you, and falsely charge you with evil for my sake;
rejoice and be glad, because your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
(Matthew 5:3-12, AB)

Theogeek, as a self-proclaimed Greek student you should well appreciate this fantastic attempt at translating this section, and how the choice of "fortunate" removes the more loaded ideas that accompany "blessed".

Moving on from that, how do you read your interpretation from the quoted post from this?

Jesus clearly says (in a Proverbs formula) that "Fortunate" are the 1) humble, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure-minded, 7) the peace-makers, and 8) those who are persecuted on account of righteousness. The down-trodden, the marginalized, the powerless, the poor, those who society walks past - who the prophets tried to help when they condemned wealthy Samaria for it's ivory beds while widows, orphans and the poor suffered. Much of Torah teaches a care for the powerless, one of God's primary concerns. Compare Jesus' anger at his encounter with the Leper who wished to be cleansed.

Further, those who are persecuted for the sake of Jesus should rejoice and be glad, for their reward is in heaven, and after all - the same thing happened to the prophets. Martrydom isn't that big of a deal in a theology that teaches reward and punishment AFTER death, right?

I don't really see your personal interpretation about proclaiming God's name, though. From what I gather, you seem to be focusing on verses 10-12, and ignoring the previous verses. Why is that? How could you possibly twist the plain meaning of "blessed/fortunate are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" into something else? Since you are saying context, context, context - why are you not taking the surrounding "fortunates" into consideration? This entire dialogue towards the Disciples seems geared towards a better understanding of the types of people who will be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

[hljc]

Who are the meek of the world that are capable of inheriting this world ?....See meek means yielding in temper and strong but no pride, strong as a lion but yielding in offences....In the bible on Numbers 12: 3 says ``Moses was very meek, above all men on the face of the earth``.....In Matthew 11: 29..Jesus said ``I am meek and lowly in heart``....... See both Moses and Jesus were meek and deliverer of men on the earth..... Moses delivered Israelite out of Egypt and Jesus Christ delivers People of the earth out of the curses of the earth and sets them free ......So people who are adopted by Jesus Christ , and adopt His meekness , will take the power of Christ of the inheritance of Jesus and inherit the earth with prayer with Jesus ....

[looking4answers12]

Originally Posted by Caligula1

The Meek Shall inherit The Earth..

So as far as Religion goes, no matter what one you choose..

How does that work out for you?

My interpretation it that "the meek" (those who don't try to impose their views or needs on others) will inherit the earth (will be blessed/taken care of).

So far, it works out pretty well for me. Life certainly has it's challenges, but when push comes to shove, I still have a roof over my head and food to eat, a family who loves me and who I love.

What else is there?

[hiker45]

Originally Posted by looking4answers12

My interpretation it that "the meek" (those who don't try to impose their views or needs on others) will inherit the earth (will be blessed/taken care of).

So far, it works out pretty well for me. Life certainly has it's challenges, but when push comes to shove, I still have a roof over my head and food to eat, a family who loves me and who I love.

What else is there?

That's a very, very good answer, Looking.

You're getting pretty smart in your old age!

[AREQUIPA]

My view is that this expression is misunderstood. The reference to the meek does not refer to the generality of downtrodden underdogs, but to a specific body of the Ebionites, the 'poor', the 'elect' and the 'Saints'. These are the poor that Paul was enjoined to 'remember' (that is, go round with the collecting - tin). He didn't collect famine relief for all the poor of Jerusalem, but for the 'saints'.

These are the followers of Jesus under James, to which party Saul became affiliated. They were Jewish believers in the imminent last days. They were generally within the Nazarene sphere (which is why Jesus was called 'The Nazarene, not because he came from Nazareth, which was no more than a few farms at the time) and thus within the ambit of Pharisees and their synagogues. And of course, he was not in opposition to them in the way depicted in the gospels and acts. That is also a misunderstanding.

So 'The meek shall inherit the earth' reads as 'The Jewish Elect shall inherit the earth.'

[ancient warrior]

Originally Posted by TheoGeek

The 3 rules of Biblical interpretation are Context, context, and......context.

In the passage (Matthew 5), Jesus was talking about dependence on God, and proclaiming his name. We are not to be afraid, but we are to depend on God.

RESPONSE:

Doesn't interpreting the Bible "in context" really mean that one creates an interpretation that supports one's preconceived belief system?

[tgnostic]

Originally Posted by ancient warrior

RESPONSE:

Doesn't interpreting the Bible "in context" really mean that one creates an interpretation that supports one's preconceived belief system?

Yes, amongst other ways this is not common sense.