M'reishiyt Hebrew Basics
Changing our Way of Thinking
Throughout history, as cultures and languages developed, we've moved away from the mindset of the people who lived in the times of Scripture. Our worldview and cultural backgrounds influence the way we look at Scripture today, but to understand Scripture in it's proper context, we have to understand how things worked and were seen when they were written down.
These thinking patterns are called Hebrew thinking (the Middle Eastern way of looking at things) and Greek thinking (the westernised way of thinking). Hebrew or Hebraic thinking is action based. It's about what someone or something does. There is very little in Scripture about what people or things looked like, but a lot about what they did. Animals for instance, are defined by the way they moved or the sounds they made, rather than what they looked like. Greek thinking is philosophical and abstract. It's about words and thoughts and outward appearance. So, people talk about things, but talking doesn't necessarily follow into doing.
In Hebraic thinking "hearing" is not complete if "doing" doesn't follow. A commandment is obeyed even if it's not understood. It's more important to be obedient than to understand. In Greek thinking something needs to be analysed until understanding is reached and a decision is made about whether obeying or not. If it's not understood, there is no need to obey.
We will learn the difference between Greek and Hebrew thinking and how it affects our understanding of Scripture.
Students will be given an article written by Brad Scott showing the historical development of the change in the thinking process. Brad gives a very down to earth description of incidents and people that gradually over centuries changes thinking processes.
These thinking patterns are called Hebrew thinking (the Middle Eastern way of looking at things) and Greek thinking (the westernised way of thinking). Hebrew or Hebraic thinking is action based. It's about what someone or something does. There is very little in Scripture about what people or things looked like, but a lot about what they did. Animals for instance, are defined by the way they moved or the sounds they made, rather than what they looked like. Greek thinking is philosophical and abstract. It's about words and thoughts and outward appearance. So, people talk about things, but talking doesn't necessarily follow into doing.
In Hebraic thinking "hearing" is not complete if "doing" doesn't follow. A commandment is obeyed even if it's not understood. It's more important to be obedient than to understand. In Greek thinking something needs to be analysed until understanding is reached and a decision is made about whether obeying or not. If it's not understood, there is no need to obey.
We will learn the difference between Greek and Hebrew thinking and how it affects our understanding of Scripture.
Students will be given an article written by Brad Scott showing the historical development of the change in the thinking process. Brad gives a very down to earth description of incidents and people that gradually over centuries changes thinking processes.