"Get out your textbooks, everyone." Without much pause, she continued, "Turn to page 198. Tell me about the Minoans."
Everyone frantically located page 198 and began reading underneath the heading, "Minoan Civilization."
"Hurry, hurry," she urged, "we've got a lot to cover and not a lot of time. What about the Minoans?"
"They lived on the island of Crete," someone mumbled.
"Crete! Good, good," she said, whirling around and scribbling 'Crete' on the board. "What else?"
"They were peaceful people," someone said.
"Peaceful! Great. What else?"
"They spoke a form of Greek," I said.
"Spoke Greek! Fantastic. What else?"
We went on like this for a good minute or two. We would read the text and call out facts and she would write them on the board. Finally, she stopped and turned to face us once again. Pointing to the board, she asked us, "what's this?"
We were silent, confused.
"These are facts, yes. But this is not history. The history you read in books is boring... it's safe. When historians can't find answers to their questions, it's dangerous. So they often state a hypothesis to make things safe and convenient. We don't know if the Minoans were a peaceful people, we just know that none of their cities had walls. We don't know what language the Minoans spoke because their writing hasn't been deciphered yet. History is dangerous, history is confusing, and history is messy. In this class, we'll be exploring the true history... the history that deals with human thoughts and emotions and dreams and hatreds."
Needless to say, World Civilizations has fast become my favorite class. And because of this way of viewing history, my mind has been wandering a lot. As seventh-grade-teacher-like as it sounds, history is a lot more fun when it comes to life.
* * *
In New Testament class, we've been reading through the book of Acts. In chapter 9 of said book, what I consider to be one of the most amazing occurrences in the Bible takes place. On his way to Damascus, a city north of Jerusalem, the Pharisee Saul is walking along with some companions when a brilliant light surrounds him. Now Saul is a bitter, greatly outspoken hater of the Gospel and of Jesus. He believes Jesus was a phony so much that he helped stone Stephen, a disciple, to death, and frequently hauled Christians off to jail. On the way to Damascus, Jesus speaks to him, blinds him, and sends him on his way. Long story short, he dedicates his life to spreading the word of God to the Gentiles, or non-Jewish people (and he even gets his sight back! Yay!)
A few years later, while co-pastoring in Antioch, Saul was called by the Holy Spirit to go on a mission with Barnabas. And so the two set off:
"So after they [the church elders in Antioch] had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them [Saul and Barnabas] and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper." (Acts 13:3-5)
I read passages of Scripture like Acts 13 and pretty much just glaze over them to get the main idea - they travelled, arrived, and preached. But recently I took to looking at this history as it was - messy, dangerous.... alive. And my view of Saul (Later named Paul) and his companions becomes so much more incredible... so much more real.
I think about journeys I've taken, and realize that the journey is sometimes the best part.
* * *
I bet Paul was a really serious guy. I mean, he trained under Gamaliel, which would be like the present-day equivalent of a law degree from Harvard or Yale.* He grew up in a world of regulations, high demands, and strict rituals as a Pharisee (that is, a Jewish bigwig who upheld ceremonial rites and memorized word for word all the books of the Old Testament.) I imagine Paul didn't care about how dirty or gross he looked after months of travelling, but always talked very clean... very precisely. Like, he wouldn't say "don't," but rather "do not."**
Then I think of Barnabas, whose name means "Son of encouragement." He was probably the clown of the bunch... Smiling a lot, always with a joke in the hip pocket. I bet he was a really good speaker, though, and could totally relate to his audience. I can imagine him playing pranks on Paul and John as they travelled, sneaking up late at night with a bush on his head and yelling really loudly, writhing around the campfire. Despite this, I bet Paul and John and any other companions would have loved to have Barnabas around, the way he was always looking on the positive side and being really uplifting.
What would their nights have looked like? I picture John and Paul and Barnabas and others gathered around a small campfire behind a knoll just off a road built by Roman workers. I'm guessing, based on Jesus' teachings, that they didn't take a lot with them - "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." (Matthew 10:9-10) So I can see Paul laying on his back on a shabby blanket, his cloak spread over him, and Barnabas sitting up prodding the fire with a stick, while John lay on his stomach, writing a letter back home.
"What do you suppose his voice sounded like?" Paul asked, staring up into the enormous glittering sky unblinkingly. His words met silence for a good while.
"Hard to explain, isn't it?" John replied, pausing from his writing, "how do I go about describing a voice? It wasn't deep but it wasn't high pitch. Somewhere in between, I guess. And it was steady... Rarely did he stutter or falter when speaking. But the most memorable quality," John continued quietly, eyes moistening with tears, "was the passion with which he spoke. He wasn't afraid to show emotion, whether anger or sorrow or excitement."
Again, silence settled on the group of men. The fire crackled and sputtered occasionally, and from all around them came the ceaseless chirping of crickets, almost as if the earth were crying out from want to add to the description of its Creator. Barnabas tossed the stick lightly into the flames and leaned back onto the ground, joining Paul in searching the heavens with wide eyes.
"We'll get to hear him speak again," Barnabas said, smiling uncontrollably at the thought, "before long, we'll be with him again and it'll be great
The contagious grin spread to John and finally to Paul. "I cannot wait to meet him," Paul whispered, still smiling. And for a good long while, the men remained still upon the earth, each smiling and imagining such a reward as meeting Jesus again.
Barnabas broke the silence this time with a sharp outburst of laughter. John looked up from his letter, silently heaving from suppressed joy as well. Barnabas let go of his inhibitions and laughed raucously, closing his eyes to the brilliant display the sky offered. Even Paul began to chuckle, and, sitting up, began to lead the others in a hymn.
I bet Paul's singing voice was deep and strong, able to hold the melody well. It would have been a long while before they all got to sleep that night, praising and laughing together, caught up in the pure joy of their faith.
* * *
History is a lot more fun when it comes to life.
-Daniel
*Do Harvard or Yale offer law degrees? I hope so....
**Yes, I realize Paul spoke many different languages, none of which are English, but you get the idea.... no slang.
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