New Christian Bible Study

The Bible

 

Genesis 11

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1 καὶ ἦν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ χεῖλος ἕν καὶ φωνὴ μία πᾶσιν

2 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κινῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν εὗρον πεδίον ἐν γῇ σεννααρ καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐκεῖ

3 καὶ εἶπεν ἄνθρωπος τῷ πλησίον δεῦτε πλινθεύσωμεν πλίνθους καὶ ὀπτήσωμεν αὐτὰς πυρί καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς ἡ πλίνθος εἰς λίθον καὶ ἄσφαλτος ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ πηλός

4 καὶ εἶπαν δεῦτε οἰκοδομήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς πόλιν καὶ πύργον οὗ ἡ κεφαλὴ ἔσται ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ποιήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς ὄνομα πρὸ τοῦ διασπαρῆναι ἐπὶ προσώπου πάσης τῆς γῆς

5 καὶ κατέβη κύριος ἰδεῖν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν πύργον ὃν ᾠκοδόμησαν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων

6 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ἰδοὺ γένος ἓν καὶ χεῖλος ἓν πάντων καὶ τοῦτο ἤρξαντο ποιῆσαι καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἐξ αὐτῶν πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐπιθῶνται ποιεῖν

7 δεῦτε καὶ καταβάντες συγχέωμεν ἐκεῖ αὐτῶν τὴν γλῶσσαν ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσωσιν ἕκαστος τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ πλησίον

8 καὶ διέσπειρεν αὐτοὺς κύριος ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπαύσαντο οἰκοδομοῦντες τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν πύργον

9 διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς σύγχυσις ὅτι ἐκεῖ συνέχεεν κύριος τὰ χείλη πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκεῖθεν διέσπειρεν αὐτοὺς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς

10 καὶ αὗται αἱ γενέσεις σημ σημ υἱὸς ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν ὅτε ἐγέννησεν τὸν αρφαξαδ δευτέρου ἔτους μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμόν

11 καὶ ἔζησεν σημ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν αρφαξαδ πεντακόσια ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

12 καὶ ἔζησεν αρφαξαδ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα πέντε ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν καιναν

13 καὶ ἔζησεν αρφαξαδ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν καιναν ἔτη τετρακόσια τριάκοντα καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν καιναν ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν σαλα καὶ ἔζησεν καιναν μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν σαλα ἔτη τριακόσια τριάκοντα καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

14 καὶ ἔζησεν σαλα ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν εβερ

15 καὶ ἔζησεν σαλα μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν εβερ τριακόσια τριάκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

16 καὶ ἔζησεν εβερ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα τέσσαρα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν φαλεκ

17 καὶ ἔζησεν εβερ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν φαλεκ ἔτη τριακόσια ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

18 καὶ ἔζησεν φαλεκ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν ραγαυ

19 καὶ ἔζησεν φαλεκ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν ραγαυ διακόσια ἐννέα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

20 καὶ ἔζησεν ραγαυ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα δύο ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν σερουχ

21 καὶ ἔζησεν ραγαυ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν σερουχ διακόσια ἑπτὰ ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

22 καὶ ἔζησεν σερουχ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν ναχωρ

23 καὶ ἔζησεν σερουχ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν ναχωρ ἔτη διακόσια καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

24 καὶ ἔζησεν ναχωρ ἔτη ἑβδομήκοντα ἐννέα καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν θαρα

25 καὶ ἔζησεν ναχωρ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν θαρα ἔτη ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἐννέα καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας καὶ ἀπέθανεν

26 καὶ ἔζησεν θαρα ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν αβραμ καὶ τὸν ναχωρ καὶ τὸν αρραν

27 αὗται δὲ αἱ γενέσεις θαρα θαρα ἐγέννησεν τὸν αβραμ καὶ τὸν ναχωρ καὶ τὸν αρραν καὶ αρραν ἐγέννησεν τὸν λωτ

28 καὶ ἀπέθανεν αρραν ἐνώπιον θαρα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ ᾗ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν χαλδαίων

29 καὶ ἔλαβον αβραμ καὶ ναχωρ ἑαυτοῖς γυναῖκας ὄνομα τῇ γυναικὶ αβραμ σαρα καὶ ὄνομα τῇ γυναικὶ ναχωρ μελχα θυγάτηρ αρραν πατὴρ μελχα καὶ πατὴρ ιεσχα

30 καὶ ἦν σαρα στεῖρα καὶ οὐκ ἐτεκνοποίει

31 καὶ ἔλαβεν θαρα τὸν αβραμ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν λωτ υἱὸν αρραν υἱὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σαραν τὴν νύμφην αὐτοῦ γυναῖκα αβραμ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς χώρας τῶν χαλδαίων πορευθῆναι εἰς τὴν γῆν χανααν καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως χαρραν καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐκεῖ

32 καὶ ἐγένοντο αἱ ἡμέραι θαρα ἐν χαρραν διακόσια πέντε ἔτη καὶ ἀπέθανεν θαρα ἐν χαρραν

   

Commentary

 

Doctrine

By Joe David
In this photo, entitled Reaching Out, two bean plants are climbing adjacent poles, and they have each reached out a tendril to bridge the gap.

Doctrine may be defined as organized truth that informs the way we act and think about the world.

In common usage, "doctrine" is not something that has to be grand or solemn. We all have doctrines about many little things like lawn care, car maintenance, or fixing chili; this kind of doctrine is just the way we do something because we think it is the right way. Often the reasoning behind these doctrines is that it is the way our parents did it, that we read it somewhere, or that it just seems right.

Everyone has a doctrine about how they live their lives in general as well, such as a charitable doctrine of looking out for others, or a selfish doctrine of "me first." Whether or not we have given it much thought, we live in accordance with our doctrine - our way of thinking.

Swedenborg used "doctrine" quite specifically to mean the organized arrangement of spiritual teachings about various aspects of reality. All religions have sacred beliefs, some of them written, like the Bible or the Quran, and some of them oral. From these beliefs they establish doctrine. In many cases organizations of the same religion will emphasize or reject different sets of truths and develop different forms of doctrine. Moreover, different religions will disagree about the validity of the original beliefs. But most would agree that the Truth, with a capital T, comes from some version of God.

The Writings for the New Church tell us that, in the Bible, cities represent doctrine. This was because cities were organized habitations, home ground to many people, places where there was much interchange of ideas and goods between people. They were places that could accommodate differing neighborhoods, and that could be fortified. On a spiritual plane all these things can be said about doctrine. It’s interesting to notice just how often cities are mentioned in the Word, either to be conquered, lived in, or built. Mention of a city comes as early as Genesis 4:17, just after the expulsion from the garden of Eden, where we are told that Cain built a city in the land of Nod and named it after his son, Enoch. Then in Genesis 11, men are not only building the well-known tower of Babel, but also a city of which the tower was a part. There are hundreds of other cities mentioned, and they signify different structures of doctrine.

Finally, in the next to last chapter of the Word (Revelation 20) we are told of the descent from God of the City New Jerusalem, coming down to earth. We in the New Church believe that this City represents a new doctrine, given by the Lord, written down and published by Emanuel Swedenborg in the 1700s, that resolves the false ideas that came into Christianity with the ideas of three persons in God, and with the later belief in salvation by faith alone.

New Christian doctrine holds that there is one God - one Divine Person who is the Lord God Jesus Christ, and that salvation requires a joining of faith and charity (a belief in true ideas, and a love for God and the neighbor).

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 320, 902; Arcana Coelestia 399, 402, 3364 [2]; Teachings about the Sacred Scripture 54; The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord 63; The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 7; True Christian Religion 508 [5])

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