Senior Cycle Religion-The Inner Circle

For any teachers getting ready to return to work next week, make sure to get a copy of the workbook for the Senior Cycle religion book The Inner Place which has just been published by Veritas. I'm going back to school (literally) next week, to teach Senior Cycle Religious Education (i.e. there's no exam in the subject but it's taught as part of the commitment of the school to its ethos) and to train to be a fully qualified second level teacher. There may be a bit of slant to my posts in the next year!

The workbook contains worksheets to encourage students to explore further the ideas and concepts which are presented in the textbook and as any teacher of a non exam subject will attest, we need all the resources we can get!

According to the website blurb "there are also many suggestions for project work which will enrich the students’ involvement in the religion class and encourage further reflection on what is being presented." A mere €4.99 (plus €1.50 handling fee) it's well worth the investment. I'll let you know how it works out!

Using Word (Tag) Clouds in Teaching

I've been playing about word (or tag) clouds and teaching for a while now. My problem is that when I'm brainstorming with my students, I never know quite what to do with the results in terms of saving them for future lessons or for something that students can refer back to in their own time, for example when I use them with creative writing and ideas for an essay or story. My writing is the pits and words in a list like a word document don't ever seem to cut the creative mustard, so I've been hunting for an alternative.

While Word Clouds are not the answer to all the problems in life, they are a good start and something I'm going to try and use a bit more in class as an experiment. I use Wordle as a tool to create them but try to use others such as Taxedo, Tagcrowd, and Worditut. A word or tag cloud is simply a weighted list a visual representation for text data, typically used to depict tags on websites, or to visualise free form text. It's good to use to put together group work-for example if students are reviewing the Genesis creation accounts, you can see from the size of the word on your word cloud, the frequency it occurs in feedback.

Word Cloud for this website created on Wordle. Not sure why it looks like a hairdryer though...

Word Cloud of Exodus 15:1-18 created on Wordle.

And the Book of Jonah-I used this with some of my postgraduate students last semester when we were looking at the distribution of the divine names in the text.



Do remember that you have to set up Java to get the site to work properly and that you need to take a screen shot of the Word Cloud and crop it in a programme like Paint to save it as a png file you can work with. Most sites have a "help" section that guides you through the dumb questions :)

For more information on word clouds in education, have a look at research from Bath University (they have an excellent comparison of some of the top sites to save you the finger work), Box of Tricks (with great practical examples of use in a classroom) and more on Wordle in teaching with lots of samples. 

Teaching Resources-The Seder Plate

As part of my teaching on Exodus I talk about the Passover and have blogged on the resources I have used here.

One thing I always wanted was a Seder plate to bring into class (and here I include second and third level teaching) so that I can show my students. Now Seder plates are not the easiest thing to pick up in Ireland and any ones I found were very beautiful but prohibitively expensive for my salary (or lack of). The same with online as postage on a large ceramic plate from the US to Ireland always made it difficult-that was until I found ChocolateGelt and their Plastic Seder Plates for a mere €2.25 each. (Glet is slang for money)

They offer very reasonable shipping-here’s the copy from my invoice for shipping to Ireland

Products
------------------------------------------------------

2 x Plastic Seder Plate Jerusalem (EACH) (Item #1237) = $5.50

------------------------------------------------------

Sub-Total: $5.50

United States Postal Service (1 x 0.78lbs) (First-Class Mail International Package): $9.04

Total: $14.54

They arrived super fast too-though it gave my Dad something to puzzle over and he was very disappointed that there was no chocolate in the massive box that arrived for me!

I only wish I’d ordered some Chocolate Seder Plates at the same time :)

Some more resources since I last blogged:
 
The Virtual Seder Plate
How to Prepare the Seder Plate
Guide for Jewish Children: Contains Hebrew but also lots of bright and colourful illustrations that can be used in an Irish classroom
Colouring Page
BBC activities for the Passover (with info on the Seder Plate) Note the videos are only available in the UK.
Make your own Seder Plate (young children)

FaithConenct Website Review-for Second Level Teachers

Review of FaithConnect website for second level RE teachers in Ireland as published in the ever brilliant Intercom :)

The FaithConnect website is an interactive website for second level Senior Cycle non-exam Religious Education which was developed by a team from Mater Dei and Veritas, lead by Enda Donlon and Orla Walsh. The website centres on the ‘Search for Meaning’ segment of the curriculum framework for the subject, and the topic is presented in three separate sections that can be used with Transition Year, Fifth Year and/or Sixth Year students. These sections are A) Searching, B) Symbol and C) Religious Faith – a response to life’s search for meaning. One section is ample to make up an entire Senior Cycle Module or a full TY RE programme.

FaithConnect is an interactive website so each student needs to have their own personal account and an individual computer in front of them to use this resource successfully. A student licence provides access to the FaithConnect body of content, a personal profile page, online workbook, journal and blog (an option that the teacher must turn on). This licence is valid for the school year and the website can be accessed as many times as a student wishes from any computer. Student work can be downloaded and saved at the end of the year. For every 25 student licences purchased a school is entitled to receive a complimentary teacher licence (minimum purchase of 10 is required). This features all the management tools and support they will need to use this resource with your class. It is easy to set up and use. The teacher site also includes access to the virtual staffroom where teacher can ‘connect’ with other teachers to discuss and share ideas. The price for the school year is €10.00 per student per section.

Each theme is presented in three sections that are divided into three stages, for example Section A is “Searching” and is split into “The Search for Meaning in Today’s World”, “Sources for Meaningless” and “Questioning as part of the Search for Meaning”. Each section has three set Outcomes for the students to complete and it is here that the pedagogical benefits can shine.

Outcome One is presented in a creative web format that will enable the students to complete an online workbook, journal and blog. For students who are so familiar with these forms of communication and self expression in a more secular setting, it is fantastic to see these media being used to aid their religious and spiritual growth. This outcome also contains a variety of interactive content, which includes online texts, images, streamed videos and “just for fun” exercises. There are also lots of links to external websites for more information and additional material for debate.

Outcome Two empowers the students to take responsibility for the content explored in the first outcome of each section. This is achieved by students creating digital resources that may be shared with their own school community and uploaded to the FaithConnect website for use with the FaithConnect online community. The students develop their filming, editing, and production skills within this section, as well as expanding their own individual understanding of the importance of the search for meaning in their lives.

Outcome Three is parish based and proves that a good online resource does not mean that you are stuck in front of a glowing computer screen all day. This section requires the students to choose a specific topic from the sections studied and then to connect with people in their local area in order to explore how such an issue has affected, impacted upon, or transformed these people’s lives in various ways. The interview is recorded and uploaded to FaithConnect as a podcast.

In addition to these sections, there are also a number of features and resources which enhance the interactive learning experience for students and teachers. Each student can create their own “Profile”, working in much the same way as a social networking site such as Facebook. “Moments of Prayer” invite students to take time out of their day, either alone, or within their own class group, to establish an online prayer routine. There is a huge library of prayers that both teachers and pupils can use. The Words of Wisdom section contains inspirational and motivational quotations which can serve as a link between different sections, or allowing the student to engage at a more thoughtful level with the material discussed. There is also a workbook and a blog, where students can answer specific questions relating to the outcomes above. The student Journal is an online resource whereby they can record their thoughts and answers in relation to the different outcomes. Very usefully, teachers can view these journal entries and leave comments for the students.

For further information please contact Ailís Travers.

Just War Theory for Teenagers #2 Film Studies

In a previous post I introduced my lesson plans for my fifth year class on Just War theory and I thought it was about time I gave you a progress report. It took a little more time than I envisaged getting through the Principles of Just War that I listed in the previous post with the class-they just don't have a very high reading ability or attention span for anything that they don't understand so I reverted to the more simple Rules of War that are located on page six of the booklet. I printed out the text and we (eventually) read through them all. I had also collected a mish-mash of newspaper articles from the previous week to show them examples of the various rules in action (either being followed or disobeyed). If you have a data projector in class (lucky, lucky you) it's a good idea to use Google news and you can project them for all to read. If any of you have access to this weekend's Sunday Times Magazine, this has fantastic photographs of situations of conflict.

We also spent some time discussing civil war. Dundalk where I teach is a border town and my students would in general have more of an idea of civil unrest than the average Irish student. We talked about what "peace" meant and how it was a fragile term-how can you have a peace process and still have conflict? What does conflict mean to them? How has the "situation" (oh I've been well-trained in my PC terms and I can say that in a lovely Nordie accent too) in the North affected them? I did get a lot of "bovvered?" answers but at least I got them thinking about the fact that they might be oblivious and apathetic to the longest running civil conflict in the world right on their door steps.

I then looked at different approaches to war-more on Just War here and focused on the example of pacifism. One student was very emphatic that "all war is stupid and never works" and reckoned he was a pacifist. After some careful probing about his attitude towards Hitler, Saddam Hussein and various other clichés designed to get the blood of a teenager who likes Call of Duty boiling. And as it so happens, with an attitude like "kill the feckers" he might not be a pacifist! We worked on material from their textbooks (oh who writes these things, and have they never come across my fifth years!) and reached the dizzying heights of writing answers to questions in a copybook-this is achievement indeed for 5P and I made sure to boast in the staffroom.

As a reward for all the hard work we looked at two films to get a comparison and to look at the way the idea of war has changed through the years. We firstly looked at “Everyman’s War” (1999) which is the true story of Don Smith's heroic experience at the Battle of the Bulge while with the 94th Infantry.

As the seasoned infantry and tank units of the German 11th Panzer "Ghost" division move silently into position on the snow covered hills around Nennig Germany ,a battle weary GI and his unit stand ready to defend the small town, a key position in the Allied advance to win the war. Outgunned and outnumbered, S/ Sgt Don Smith struggles to find hope and courage against overwhelming odds in one of the decisive confrontations in the "Battle of the Bulge" during WWII. His squad of GI's of the 94th Infantry Division lay dug in on the ridge-line outside of town. No one in high command believed that German forces would attack in the sub zero temperatures and near blizzard conditions. As the pre-dawn attack comes, with communications down Sgt. Smith is left with no choice but to make his way through enemy fire, unarmed and wounded, into town and warn of the coming attack. Based on actual accounts.

They "kinda" like this and had a few questions-mostly about why people bothered fighting wars and why would people see being a soldier as a job or career? I gave out a handout with questions to fill in as we went along which I'll post soon once I get my feedback on them.

Primary School Resources for Advent

With the snow today it looks as if I'll be using my advent candles to keep warm! Myself and my sister are preparing for our Children's Liturgy of the Word on Satuday night and she found this brilliant resource on the Kandle website (the website of the Kildare and Leighlin Diocese) and I have to agree it is fantastic. Last year we made advent weath using salt dough but there are loads of good ideas here, as well as the usual colouring-in pages and puzzles. There's plenty of resources in Irish too and there's something there for all levels. I'm not sure who compiles this resource, but thanks to Maeve Mahon the DA for primary schools for putting it up.

Bibledex in the Classroom

I've been singing the praises of Bibledex for a while now but have not got round to letting you know how successfully they can be used in a classroom. I've been teaching a Introduction to the Theology of Paul course for Mater Dei to a class that has students taking the course for credit as well as many who were auditing the course. This mean that there were different educational aims to the course and differing levels of ability which meant that students did not like speaking out or asking questions and I felt just jumping into a topic such as Letter to the Romans to be a bit "raw". To try and combat this and provide a "gentle" entry to the topic I played the Bibledex video for the students, for example this one on Romans



And then put some notes up on my PowerPoint to start discussion. This worked really well as students didn't feel under pressure to take notes and enjoyed the graphics that illustrated the main points in the video. I've all my notes from the course on Scribd so you can have a look:

Lecture 2 Romans

I got great feedback from students-many of whom went back to watch the video after the class on their own computers. They proved a great launchpad for the important topics in a particular epistle and the students were fascinated by the "real world" of Paul. The biggest talking point however, was just how many books does Richard Bell have? 

Just War Theory for Teenagers-Musings on my Lesson Plans!

As you might know, I've been teaching senior cycle Religious Education in my hometown, Dundalk since September and as such I've had to move away from my comfort zone of the Bible (no bad thing you might say) and have been dipping my toes in other topics. For the next few weeks, I am working on Just War Theory with my fifth years. The school I teach in is Catholic but does not offer RE as a Leaving Cert subject so my students do not have to sit an exam-just participate. This you may think would be a dream come true for an RE teacher-the freedom to explore and debate without the looming fear of exams. For those who have ever come across a teenager before, you will recognise that for most teenagers, a bit of a looming fear is the only thing to get them to do anything. This coupled with issue of ability and time constraints (I have two 35-minute classes a week) means I have had to juggle a bit. My lovely lesson plans go out the window when I have to spend an entire class either keeping order (if a teenager wants to talk, talk they will) or explaining something I thought would be easy to grasp.

I also went to some lengths to see what the students would like to study (within reason. Moreover, never ask what films they think would be suitable. You will never persuade them why you cannot in loco parentis show a group of 16 year olds an 18s Cert film) and they liked the idea of War and the morality of it so this is where we are going to explore. I spend the first class after the midterm "brainstorming" (oh the glamour of it all) to see where we might take the debate. I seem to have a great even divide of pacifists and war hungry Medal of Honour gamers and all in between in the class so I'm going to try the debate route (again being careful-one class cannot handle debates-the idea of one person talking without interruption is not yet a class rule but we're working on it.) They are also obsessed with the idea of "the Muslims" being at fault for everything and I have one student who readily admits to watching too many conspiracy theory videos on YouTube so this should be fun if nothing else.

While looking for some online resources I found some great starts for teaching the about Just War Theory. Trocaire has two Pdf resources on conflict Give Peace a Chance (This is an educational resource for post-primary educators on the conflict in Gaza. It contains information and activities to help you explore the issue with Junior and Senior Cycle students) and Bread and Bombs (An educational resource on war & Afghanistan for post primary teachers. Produced after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, this resource offers educational activities for the classroom as well as suggestions for CSPE action projects.)

Tomorrow I'm planning on working through these edited ideas of Just War principles:

Principles of a Just War


1. A just war can only be fought as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.

2. A war is just only if it is fought by a valid authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.

3. A just war can only be fought to put right a wrong suffered. For example, self-defence against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause. Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only allowed aim of a just war is to put right the injury.

4. A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

5. The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. The peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

6. The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. Countries are not allowed to use force excessive force.

7. The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

to work up to the United Nations documents on peacekeeping and the Geneva Conventions. I will let you know how it goes!

Some Films for use in class-Bruce Almighty & Evan Almighty

Horrific puns aside, these two comedy films are useful in a debate on the images of God (one suspects that God himself would be pleased with the choice of Morgan Freeman playing him in both films).

Interestingly, Freeman's God is far more the God we see revealed in Jesus than the God of the original flood story. When Evan questions his motives he replies "let's just say that whatever I do I do it because I love you". It seems to contrast with his prediction of a flood, but ultimately he's shown to be true to his word.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the God of the ‘Almighty’ franchise is that he's a God who prefers to work through his people. While he may laugh at their plans, and use their prayers as an opportunity for growth, he longs to make the world a better place primarily by relying on "one act of random kindness at a time". Bruce Almighty also deals with the themes of injustice in this world, our response to God, and the goodness of God’s authority over our lives.

Have a look at some theological investigations of the film. Lessons about prayer. The Bible Society get in on the act.

Book Review:

This was published by the great and mighty Intercom and is republished here with kind permission. Subscription to Intercom is as always heartily encouraged by this blog! I really like this book and intend to use it frequently this year.

All Together: Creative Prayer with Children makes it clear from the outset that it is not a “last minute” resource that should be dipped into to help facilitate last minute prayer groups or assemblies, rather it seeks to nurture and deepen the prayer life of the adults involved with children and facilitating their prayer. While it is primarily aimed at those working in an educational environment, it is extremely useful for anyone involved in a parish situation and appeals to a wide variety of age groups and abilities that may participate in the increasingly popular children’s Liturgy of the Word.

If we as adults consider how we worship, it is often a linear practice-we do the same things at the same time, following instructions such as “Let us pray together” or “now we shall stand and sing”. This is the outer symbolism of how we as a community come together to worship God. Anyone who has worked with children of a primary school age knows that children seldom operate in this way. They are used to fulfilling individual tasks, often several at a time, or working in small groups. It is always recognised that children present with different abilities and levels of participation and the often packed schedule of a children’s Liturgy of the Word can often struggle to accommodate their individual needs. This book, written by experienced catechists encourages you in a friendly and supportive way to engage with the children in your group so that the prayer is their prayer and in turn, it is their hearts and mind that are raised to God. The group exercises and methods of prayer detailed under various themes lend themselves well to the interactive classroom and curriculum or to the group format most commonly adopted during a children’s Liturgy of the Word. The authors strive to highlight that “prayer can never fully be taught” (93). Those who engage with younger children need to understand that it is much more than a technique, or a time when we ask God for favours but rather a conversation we have with God, not just using words, but engaging our hearts and minds. Children embrace change and can easily bore of the same format and this book promotes the need to make prayer accessible for all children. Formats of prayer discussed include dialogue, litany and eye-witness accounts, examples of which are all provided.

The book is clearly divided into sections and it is fruitful to read them in sequence, as the initial section on the Foundations of Creative Prayer with Children underlines the basis for the entire book, including an explanation of the keeping prayer with children “real”, namely that prayer must emanate from their concerns and express these concerns so that it truly is their prayer to God. The text allows for excellent guidelines and principles for the adult to begin the positive, creative and engaging liturgy, encouraging a rooting of the prayer in scripture and to provide a respect for Tradition.

Section two contains insights, explanations and creative resources for various liturgical seasons and occasions such as Advent and Lent as well as foundations, ideas and resources for celebrating Mary and the Saints. These three chapters focus on praying together in a group situation such as class or an assembly time. The fifth and final chapter focuses on creative ideas for individual prayer and is appropriate for group and individual use. All of the exercises are adaptable to a variety of situations, as well as ages and abilities. Each exercise is clearly laid out with foundations for the prayer subject, for example the exercise on Sorrow and renewal of life (105) explains how prayer is a movement from us to God and from God to us and how this explanation can be illustrated with the image of a bridge. The children write on one half of a piece of paper how things are now and on the other half how they would wish god to make things. They can then make a simple (depending on skill levels) Lego bridge and imagine in prayer the crossing from one side to another. Due to time constraints, a children’s Liturgy of the Word cannot always be completed in the church and therefore some of the prayer activities described can be adapted for home use, possibly involving parents and other family members.

Main points for the religious educator to communicate with the children are clearly laid out at the beginning of each prayer theme. It is imperative that the educator fully comprehends the liturgical basis for the activities also allowing for their prayer. Children can adopt what they have heard in the children’s Liturgy and apply it to their own life, facilitating Christian practice into their everyday being. Activities such as Sin Bin and Sorry beads are eminently suitable for this purpose.

Update on Bibledex

The Bibledex Facebook Fan page announced yesterday that the Apocryphal Books are "coming soon" to the website.

My breath is bated :) I've had lots of great feedback after my review from people using the videos in class and referring students to them-we'll see how they work next semester on a longer time frame too. My thesis supervisor Brendan McConvery got permission to put them on his Moodle site and reported great feedback from the students. I do like a success story :)

And here's a gratuitous use of the video of the Holy Sepulchre-just because!

The Bible and Food

Now I'm not the world's greatest cook but I was working on a handout I distribute to my students on the Passover and the Sedar meal for my course on the Pentateuch. I don’t get a lot of time to dwell on the Sedar meal and it’s significance but I fund students are very interested in it so I try and have something that they can work with outside of the class. Here’s a rough version of it-I change it every year depending on the focus of the group so it’s a bit general:

Passover is the 8-day celebration that commemorates the setting free and escape (exodus) of the people of Israel from Egypt. It is a period of family get-togethers and lavish meals that are called Seders. The story of the Passover is retold through the reading of the Haggadah. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan and just like Easter the date changes every year.

Passover in 2011 will start on Wednesday, the 19th of April and will continue for until Thursday, the 26th of April. (Note that in the Jewish calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day). Chabad.org is a fantastic website that is packed with info and ltos of things for children. I have actually used this book in class too-some times you need to go back to basics-and it has lovely pictures!

According to the Book of Exodus - Moses, was ordered by God to go to the Pharaoh and insist on the independence of the Israelite slaves. Moses' appeal of let my people go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send brutal punishments to Egyptians if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom. In response God unleashed a series of ten terrible plagues on the people of Egypt

1. Blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice (vermin)
4. Wild Beasts (flies)
5. Blight (Cattle Disease)
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Killing of the First Born

I usually add in those who think the plagues are scientifically provable and those who think it's all a natural occurrence:

The holiday's name - Pesach, meaning "passing over”, or "protection" in Hebrew, is derived from the instructions given to Moses by God. In order to persuade the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, God intended to kill the first-born of both man and beast. To protect themselves, the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings on the door lintel with lamb’s blood so that God could identify and "pass over" their homes.

When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey. As they fled through the desert they would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover

Passover celebrates this event. The first two nights of the 8-day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. With its special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Special foods, plates, silverware are all a part of the Seder.

Traditional Passover Foods & Their Symbolism

Unleavened Bread -- In their haste to leave Egypt and escape slavery, the Israelites had no time to let dough rise for bread. Their only provision was matzoh, which is made of wheat but not allowed to ferment or rise. Matzoh is a perfect example of how the food we eat is intricately woven into history, traditions, and culture. It is the bread of both slavery and of freedom.

Roasted Lamb Bone -- The roasted lamb bone symbolizes the lamb that was sacrificed at the Holy Temple of Jerusalem on the eve of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The blood of that ancient sacrifice was used to mark the doors of the Israelites, so they might be "passed over.” Today, many families substitute a chicken or turkey neck for the lamb. Whichever meat you choose, roast it in the oven until done, and then scorch over a flame, like a gas burner or grill. Jewish vegetarians have been known to use a whole roasted beet instead of lamb.

Roasted Egg -- Eggs symbolize the perpetual cycle of life, from birth to death to re-birth. To roast eggs, first hard boil them, then, using tongs, hold over a gas burner or candle flame.

Bitter Herbs -- Fresh horseradish, without beets or vinegar, graces the Seder plate to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.

Greens -- Greens, usually fresh parsley or celery tops, represent re-birth and spring.

Salt Water -- The greens are traditionally dipped in salt water, which symbolizes the tears of the Hebrew slaves.

Charoset -- A traditional Passover dish, charoset consists of a mixture of chopped fruits, usually apples, nuts, raisins, spices, and wine. The mixture represents the mortar Hebrew slaves used to make bricks for the Pharaoh Ramses II.

Some websites that have recipes for Passover meals and foods

Buy your paper Sedar plates
Kosher Cooking
Jewish Recipes

This all got me to thinking about the Bible and Food (and lunch if I'm honest) and I found this amazing website Biblical Cooking.

Are you looking for bible inspired dishes for your restaurant or home kitchen? If so you came to the right place, welcome to the Biblical Cooking website. We invite you to browse through our user friendly website and find out how easy biblical cooking can be. 

I wasn't but I sure as hell am now....
 Try King David's Lamb Chops:

So there must be more right?

Oh yeah...

Nutritional Information from a Biblical Perspective

A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land.

Diet with God

The Hallelujah Diet





Food mentioned in the Bible

 

Cooking with the Bible 

Cooking with the Ancients

Food at the Time of the Bible. From Adam's Apple to the Last Supper. Which is surely the winner of Best Book Title EVER. I have to share the blurb:

Was the "forbidden fruit" of the garden of Eden really an apple? What is St. Peter's Fish? What was in the bowl that Jesus dipped into at the Last Supper? Within the pages of this book you will find a uniquely in-depth and easy-to-read survey of every aspect of food in the Bible, accompanied by fascinating illustrations and photographs. You will learn not only what people ate and drank in Bible days, but how they raised their food, stored it, traded in it, and prepared it. You will take a fresh look at food through the eyes of Scripture, seeing new and deeper symbolic meanings behind many a menu.
Best of all, you will find an exciting collection of biblically-inspired, easy-to-prepare recipes for a cornucopia of delicious dishes to share with friends and family.
As you enjoy learning about what our biblical ancestors ate, you will find yet another way of coming closer to Bible days and Bible ways. Through this book you will discover that Scripture, the most important inspiration in our spiritual lives, can be an inspiration in the kitchen as well!

I could go on but my tummy is rumbling :) I'll let you know when I try some recipes!

Resources for Biblical Translations

Apologies for the delay in posting but I've been meaning to post about this blog entry over on the brilliant Faith Central blog from the London Times entitled the Yummy Mummy Bible and as you can see it turned into a rather long post!

Bess writes: How much would you pay for a Bible? A proper one, bound in leather, with thin gilt-edged leaves and a ribbon for a marker? How much value would you place on the Holy Word of God? £20? £50? How about £165? That's how much a basic version of the Good Book (Authorised King James Version) is sold for at Smythson, the Queen's stationers, which has undergone a dramatic revamp since in 1996 Samantha Cameron became creative director.
So what do you get for £165? A Bible bound in leather (Mara Brown, Ivory or Bubblegum pink - sorry Cerise Aruba Calfskin) with pages edged with gilt or silver, and ribbon bookmarks. Want to 'personalise' your edition with your name, initials, or the date? A mere £5.95 per extra letter. Who was the cash to buy this? Perhaps the Camerons' fellow parishioners at St Mary Abbot's Kensington, which boasts, according to its website, an illustrious line of past worshippers: Isaac Newton, William Wilberforce and... yes Beatrix Potter. Good to know some aren't feeling the Credit pinch...

NB: Smythson trivia: the company provided black condolence books at the funeral of JFK.

Now horrified at the though of someone having to pay that much for a Bible (no matter how good the pink leather smells), much less an King James Version, I have to admit that I was a little bit jealous, for I, as the self-confessed Bible Nerd, saw this baby in a Barnes & Noble in Philadephia (while attending the SBL Annual meeting, to make it even nerdier).

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, that is a pink, rubber covered edition of the ESV Bible. From Crossway. And I ♥ it. Despite the fact that I don't really like the ESV translation, or the fact the print is so small I have to use a magnifier reader, I take it to every conference and talk that I need to bring a Bible with me for reference. Except certain SBL groups as I have hard enough a time being taken seriously! (Mental note, must buy "pocket version" of the JPS to wave around next year)

I suppose the moral of the story is that it doesn't take much for a bible scholar to be "whacky" (Even by our own definitions) but it's quite hard to be cool. We try it with acronyms but we're fairly limited in those, apart from the DSS and the MSS that are associated with it :-)

I've often found with students who are not used to studying biblical texts that they often are not sure about what biblical translation that they're reading from, let alone what the acronym stands for, or that they think that there's not much difference in any of them and finally, that their crazy lecturer needs to get a life and stop obsessing about the NRSV, the version I use in all classes and for reading texts. Students are free to use whatever translation they're comfortable with in essays and exams, but we all read off the same "hymn sheet" in class.

I receivd an email a while back from HarperCollins, the publishers of the NRSV, via SBL, which provoked me into writing this entry. The email requested that I fill out a survery about the need (or otherswise) for an updated NRSV. What'll they call it if they bring about a new one? The New New Revised Standard Version, The Newer Revised Standard Version? The New Revised Standard Version 2.0? The Post-Neo Revised Standard Version? The New Revised (again) Standard Version? The possibilities are seemingly endless, though lots of fun to think of.  I would be of the opinion that although there's pros and cons to every edition and translation, the NRSV does the best job for what I need it for and it can't hurt to have another look at it and try to update it. For one thing, it will give some bible scholars a job and we do need those!

In class I use the excellent book, Which Bible? A Guide to English Translations, by David Dewey which gives a solid introduction to the art of translation and the "need" for so many translations. He then surveys steps through various translations and editions, from Old English Versions through to Bibles on the Internet. I find that students like this text as it addresses they're main concerns about finding the "right" translation, and opens them up to the idea that there are far more translations out there than they thought.

For some Internet resources try the following:

PLEASE NOTE that some of the texts below are copyrighted and you should follow the instructions for seeking permission to reproduce them.

This is in no way an exhaustive list but I've been working away at it for ages and thought I should post and add to it! Let me know if you have any more suggestions.

BibleGateway has lots of translations (with 20 English translations alone)

The best online NRSV edition is the Oremus website with its Bible Browser. Bible Study Tools has a good site that allows you to share the text you want, rather than the copy and paste method.

List of English Bible Versions, Translations, and Paraphrases

The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary

English Standard Version (2001)

Holman Christian Standard (2003) Note the stringent copyright information

Today's New International Version (2005)

New International Anglicised Version 

The Message Bible (1993-2005)

The New Living Translation (1996)

Contemporary English Version (1995) (Not searchable)

American Standard Version of the Bible (1901)

World English Bible (2000)

God's Word (1995)

The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version (1995)

The Revised English Bible (1989) (Not online)

The Christian Community Bible (1988)

The New Century Version (1991)

The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

The New King James Version (1982)

The New International Version (1978)

The Good News Bible (1976)

The New American Standard Bible (1971)

The New American Bible (1970)

The Jerusalem Bible (1966) (Copyright Owned by Doubleday so not available online)

Knox's Bible (1945-1955) ("You" version)

The Living Bible (1962-1971) (Not online)

J.B. Phillips' New Testament (1958, revised 1972)

The New World Translation (1961)

The New English Bible (1970)

The Amplified Bible (1955)

The Revised Standard Version (1952)

Weymouth New Testament (1903)

The American Standard Version (1901)

Darby Bible (1890)

The Revised Version (English Revised Version) (1885)

Webster's Bible (1833)

The Douai-Rheims Bible (1752)

The King James Bible (1611)

The Bishops' Bible (1568)

The Geneva Bible (1560)

and finally check out Next Bible for a list of those pesky abbreviations!

Bible and Film-Films that Retell Biblical Stories

I've been meaning to post a bit more on the wide subject of Bible and Film for a while now-it's such a large, and in my mind, underdeveloped side of teaching the Bible that it really needs some serious consideration. One thing that I’ve learned from giving second level in-services and teaching in a teacher training college for primary school teachers is that teachers are much more able to use multimedia in the classroom (times have moved on from no one being able to work the video machine in my day) but they’re not being given enough resources to use them.
In part of my workshop with the School Chaplains’ Association of Ireland in November 2009, I talked about the three ways you can use films in discussing biblical themes in the classroom. Have a look them in the selection of the PowerPoint slides I used during the workshop.

Selected Slides on Bible and Film

View more presentations from guest051221.

I’ll start with the easiest which is Films that Retell Biblical Stories:

Some of most ♥ loved ♥ and some you might not have thought of using-for example only one of the participants in the workshop had used Life of Brian (and he got a gold star for being brave!

Exodus (2007, 15 Cert)

Exodus transposes the events of the biblical tale to Margate of a dystopian future in which a Pharaoh dictatorial leader has declared war upon society's 'undesirables'. Drug abusers, refugees, criminals and the homeless are all considered equally worthless and entered into a restricted ghetto where they cannot leave. When Moses learns he was adopted by Pharaoh and is actually the son of an asylum seeker, he shuns his life of privilege to lead the ghetto's inhabitants in a revolt against his father.

An excellent film that was first shown on Channel 4. It shows how the biblical text is not only relevant today but in the future (the treatment of the Israelites in Egypt, compared to the treatment of asylum seekers today and in the future). The “parting of waters” scene is useful to start debate-where is God featured (if at all) in the scene? Does the water actually have redemptive, cleansing qualities rather than just being used for harm?

Buy the DVD

The Prince of Egypt (1999, U Cert)
The film was nominated for 2 Oscars in 1999 and won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song. The lyrics for the song ("When You Believe" sung by the formidable duo of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey (which is sung at the end of the film in full) contains a section sung by a child in Hebrew-these are verses 1, 11 and 13 from Chapter 15 of the Book of Exodus.



And if you think the song sounds familiar, it was sung by the winner of the “X Factor” on ITV1, Leon Jackson. And no, the Hebrew wasn’t included on that release!

The film is a good overview of the Exodus event in general but also can be used as an exercise on comparing the biblical text and the film’s interpretation of it. Chapter 25 of the DVD on the parting of the Red Sea is especially useful. Firstly to get a sense of the magnitude of the event but also to see how it compares to Exodus 15 (The Song at the Sea). The Director’s commentary on the scene is useful here.

Joseph, King of Dreams (2000, G Cert)

Yes, Ben Affleck is the voice of Joseph (don’t let that put you off!). This “sequel” to The Prince of Egypt tells the story of the Joseph from the book of Exodus. There’s not a lot to debate here but for weaker groups who have difficulty in grasping the context of the biblical stories it is an excellent tool. Also helpful if you want to avoid anything about Technicolor dreamcoats. (if you cannot resist the sing-along!)




The Nativity Story (2007, PG Cert)

This in an excellently produced and directed film released in 2006 that retells the Nativity to the point of the flight to Egypt. In general it is a good all round film which helps students understand that the stable wasn’t Ye Olden Times Holiday Inn and a more realistic portrait of the characters. I’ve successfully used it to debate the Catholic view of Mary (The actress playing her, Keisha Castle-Hughes, is never seen without full make-up and a serene smile) and I use it with the class discussion included in my presentation on Advent. One word of warning-make sure you use this DVD in a room you can darken easily-most key scenes take place in darkness and it’s sometimes hard to make sure everyone can see what’s going on!
There are very good high-res stills from the movie for download

The Life of Brian (1979, 15 Cert)

A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world. And severely annoy the other third.

But it’s funny. And that has to be a good thing! The excellent depiction of the Sermon on the Mount (DVD Chapter 3) is a good starting point for the great discussion of “Is everything in the Bible true then?” Maybe Jesus really did say “blessed are the cheesemakers”! It is an excellent example of how oral traditions have passed on the “words” of Jesus and how the biblical text may have a shifted idea of what Jesus said. Check out the clip below but be warned about rather un-biblical language.

Bibledex-Videos from the University of Nottingham

Video journalist Brady Haran has a great quote about the Internet:

"For everyone out there who wants to watch a cat fall down a staircase there is someone else who is trawling the internet for a bit more depth"

Hopefully this blog caters for both ends of the spectrum! Haran is connected with an excellent website from the University of Nottingham, Bibledex that I came across via Mark Goodacre’s excellent blog. Bibledex is now a complete collection of videos on every book of the (Protestant) Bible. The site notes that

The videos are by no means comprehensive - rather they're a curious assortment of academic insights into what is probably the most famous collection of books in history

And there’s nothing more I like than a “curious assortment” of insights. I’ll definitely be using these videos in my classes-either as something I can play at the start of a topic, for example on the Book of Numbers in my course on the Pentateuch next year or as a supplementary piece for students to consult outside of the class. One piece of feedback I got from my students this year was that they started off some of the topics feeling a bit lost and I suspect this is because I cannot give enough time to introduce a topic or a book that we’re going to look at because of time constraints. In an ideal world I’d have my classes read the entire book and some background material but this is a lot to expect of the majority of my students so I’m trying to find more visual ways of doing this. Bibledex gives a great general introduction that is rooted in visual displays and solid informed information from academics who know what they’re talking about but aren’t doing their “I’m on the History Channel and need to be taken seriously so I’d better wear my tweed jacket with the patches” routine. Though some do succumb to the “I’m a learned person, look at all my books behind me”.
Have a look at the Genesis video (all videos are on the website and also on YouTube so you can embed them easily).



The only criticism I have (shared with Mark Goodacre) is that the theologians and Biblical Scholars aren’t identified by name, you have to be a certain type of Bible Nerd to know most of them (*cough*) You need to go to the Theologian Profile’s page to match up the pictures, but do take note of the Irish accents, Tom O'Loughlin and Alan Ford are featured.

The site also has an excellent section which I know my students in Milltown will love on Israel, documenting the visit there in January 2010. The video on the Sermon of the Mount is excellent-students love the “what does it look like now” element (there’s grass! And cars!) and a great account of how Jesus addressed the crowd. Well worth a look.





Have a look too at the fan site on Facebook and the BBC report on the project with excellent pictures. There's also the Bibledex's photostream on Flickr. And do let me know of any feedback you receive if you use them!

And as Jim West points out we'll just have to set to with getting the video of the Deuterocanonicals together!