Here's how I look at the OT, NT, and history in general- I think of the human race as collectively aging like a single child. Early OT, Genesis-Kings, for example, is kinda birth-4: the kid is ritualistic/routine-oriented, wants black-and-white rules, throught temper tantrums, and whines a lot "we don' wanna go to preschool! we wanna stay in the nursery! we wanna go back to egypt! We're hungry! manna again? Ick?" and parental discipline seems capricious and heavy handed (all right! I've had it! 40 years timeout in the desert!). Probably heretical of me but being a parent is a learning experience... By the time you get to the NT the kid is growing up, exploring understanding their world (the greeks were clearly the young experimenters- let's see what happens if we do this...oooh, cool...), and beginning to show some morals understanding- so Dad lays down some new rules that involve having to think about other's feeling and treat each other nice because it's the right thing to do. Paul even talks some about needing to grow up and learn grown-up teachings like kids need to eat solid grown up food. And kids are involved in explanations that are more why we should behave certain ways, not just "because I said so".
IMNSHO, humanity hit adolescence somewhere around the enlightement and is still there: simultaneously warlike and wanting peace, "I don't have to listen to you, you don't know anything, I can do just fine on my own", seeking information lots of places"...and very very interested in sex in all forms. };-)
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Date: 2003-04-30 04:12 pm (UTC)By the time you get to the NT the kid is growing up, exploring understanding their world (the greeks were clearly the young experimenters- let's see what happens if we do this...oooh, cool...), and beginning to show some morals understanding- so Dad lays down some new rules that involve having to think about other's feeling and treat each other nice because it's the right thing to do. Paul even talks some about needing to grow up and learn grown-up teachings like kids need to eat solid grown up food. And kids are involved in explanations that are more why we should behave certain ways, not just "because I said so".
IMNSHO, humanity hit adolescence somewhere around the enlightement and is still there: simultaneously warlike and wanting peace, "I don't have to listen to you, you don't know anything, I can do just fine on my own", seeking information lots of places"...and very very interested in sex in all forms. };-)