Deuteronomy: Moses's sweet tune, patriarchs ruling and buddha

Auerbach’s Odysseus’ Scar

Homer’s concrete world. That which is, is. No set perspective, not of place or person. Not omnipotent, but no personal accounts either. Is it what it is.

“The personages speak in the Bible story too; but their speech does not serve, as does speech in Homer, to manifest, to externalize thoughts—on the contrary, it serves to indicate thoughts which remain unexpressed.” The people of Israel are an internally (eternally) suffering one. A few pages of history, or of The Slave can detail that.

“Doctrine and the search for enlightenment are inextricably connected with the physical side of the narrative—the latter being more than simple “reality”; indeed they are in constant danger of losing their own reality, as very soon happened when interpretation reached such proportions that the real vanished.” Nuff said.

Do-do-do do Deuteronomy

Its in first person. Now I hear Moses

6.5. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead…”

10.16 “Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer.”

This is possibly one of the strongest books in the bible I have read so far. Sure, very repetitive, but the formal use of the word ‘YOU’ and the firm first person Moses lend to the commencement-like tone and overall impact of the words. One can picture the audience, Israel, clinging to each word and marveling in it.

15.11 “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”

So many poetic lines, commandments. No narrative, except for the secondary setting in which this is taking place, which is far more relatable than the twisting plots in previous chapters. The reader can picture the Israelite audience, the sacred time.

Moses Song. Beautiful. And the end of an era? Or the beginning of a people.

Today, guest speaker in class. We talked about women in the bible. Side note: I now need to take a class from Mrs. Sexton. I have been pondering all day the patriarchal emphasis in the bible. If one wanted to, they could extrapolate all presently followed laws from the bible (chosen, it seems, at random) and relate them to ‘keeping women down.’ EX: Abortion, Birth Control, Procreation…. Some hot topics. This is something I might want to pursue. Pretty far-fetched, but I think there is a kernel of truth somewhere.

Rules rules rules….all of the Torah.

They are more of societal rules, of ways to make the new nation stand on its own two feet, without god always being present. Sabbatical coming up oh Lord? But, some of these laws we don’t follow. They are ‘obsolete.’ ….why? Some would argue with some sort of eugenics philosophy that we are cutting out the arbitrary and focusing on the better. But our perception of better is formed by such random coincidences that I don’t think it can be trusted.

…….Damn Buddhism. It ruins everything.