Roberta Rants about a Pet Peeve

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. That is clearly stated in Genesis chapter 17.

God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. That is clearly stated in Genesis chapter 17.

God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. That is clearly stated in Genesis chapter 32.

God did not change Saul’s name to Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9.

The Conversion of St. Paul (1767), by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie (Wikimedia).
from www.thelonelypilgrim.com

Did you catch that? God DID NOT change Saul’s name to Paul in Acts 9. It is not clearly stated in Acts or anywhere else in Scripture.

I don’t care if you’ve heard it from a pulpit. I have.

I don’t care if you’ve seen it used as an example in a Christian school grammar book. I have. 

I don’t care if you’ve heard Luis Palau say it on the radio. I have.

I don’t care if you’ve read it on page 493 of the Beginner’s Bible, published by Zonderkidz. I have.

I don’t care that it preaches well and that Saul and Paul rhyme—in English, anyway. 

IT DID NOT HAPPEN.

Here’s what the Beginner’s Bible says:

"After this, God changed Saul’s name to Paul. He was a new man! Instead of hating Jesus’ followers, he loved them. And he became a follower, too."

 But here’s how Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, disagrees:  After Saul’s conversion, Luke refers to him as Saul five more times in chapter 9, three times in chapter 11, once in chapter 12, and four times in chapter 13.

If I have to choose between the accuracy of Luke and the accuracy of Zonderkidz, I’m going to choose Luke every time.

And then there’s this, Acts 13:2, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” If God changed Saul’s name to Paul in chapter 9, why does the Holy Spirit (also God) continue to call him Saul several chapters and a number of years later?

And then there’s this, Acts 13:9, “Then Saul, who was also called Paul…” (emphasis mine) It doesn’t say, “who was now called Paul,” or “who was exclusively called Paul.” It says “who was also called Paul.”

Ironically, it’s the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (the most useful set of books I own) that gives the necessary explanation. “It was common for Roman citizens to have three names:  the praenomen, nomen and cognomen…’Paul’ is the Apostle’s Roman cognomen.” (ZIBBC, vol 2, p 339) The praenomen is the individual’s name within the family, like our first names. The nomen is the family name, like our last names. The cognomen is another family name referring to a branch of the family, but also used as a personal name. Some people also had supernomen, which we might call a nickname, like the emperor whose nickname was Little Boots, Caligula. For the apostle, his Hebrew name, Saul, served as a type of supernomen.

My favorite set of nonfiction books.

The apostle’s cognomen was pronounced Paullus, and the Greek pronunciation of his Hebrew name was Saulos, which sounded like a somewhat nasty adjective in the Roman world. It meant “the loose, wanton gait of courtesans or Bacchantes.” Or as dictionary.com says, a “drunk female reveler.” That’s not exactly how you want to be introduced and taken seriously. We can only wonder, along with Clinton Arnold, if that influenced Saulos’s decision to be introduced as Paullus.

Also, Paul and his team were venturing beyond the borders of Israel into the mostly Gentile Roman Empire to share the Gospel. His Roman name and Roman citizenship, important elements of the total Paul, might serve him well.

Why am I making such a big deal out of this?

The Beginner’s Bible has altered many Bible narratives, I assume in the interest of removing violence and sexual content young children are not able to deal with. I’m okay with that. But, this time they added a fact which turns out to not be a fact. It serves no purpose other than to perpetuate a misconception.

It’s lazy, sloppy scholarship. Anyone who owns a Bible can read the book of Acts and track the use of Saul and Paul. Pick up a pencil and make hash marks. Or go to www.biblegateway.com and let them show you every place in the book of Acts the names appear. Someone publishing a book or speaking from the pulpit or on the radio, hoping to influence others, had better do so.

If you’re making a huge spiritual point based on an error, don’t. Find another scripture passage or another point. Rely on solid study rather than flashy catchphrases.

Many thanks go to my go-to scholars who wrote the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Clinton E. Arnold, general editor and author of the section on Acts.

Monday Musings: Bullies of the Bible

Sunday in children’s church, I once again found myself struggling with the sanitized version of a Bible story in the Beginner’s Bible. Today Hannah was sad (one teardrop sad, according to the illustrator) because she wanted a baby. (1 Samuel 1)

Before Sister Wives on TLC,
there were sister wives.

All the nasty backstory has been stripped away:  Hannah is in a polygamous marriage, or as TLC would say, she’s a sister wife with Peninnah, a bully. 

All the kids knew what a bully is. We listed ways a bully hurts you:  with fists, with words, by stealing your lunch money or toy. 

So Penny has lots of kids and Hannah has none, and Penny keeps rubbing it in; she’s a verbal bully.

And then you have hubby Elkanah. Here’s how he comforted his wife:  “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Um, well, actually, NO. This is circa 1000 B.C., and if a woman doesn’t have a son, she’s got nothing. Elkanah is going to kick the bucket one of these years, and do you think Penny’s sons are going to take care of “Auntie” Hannah after Dad dies? Very doubtful. Even if they felt so inclined, Penny wouldn’t go along with it. Think of Sarah booting Hagar and Ishmael out the tent door in Genesis.

I wonder which wife Elkanah married first. I’m thinking Hannah, and when she couldn’t deliver the goods, he married Penny, who knew hubby loved Hannah more.

One of the kids Sunday morning actually mentioned that a bully is often someone who has been bullied by someone else! I may have to go softer on Penny. Elkanah emotionally bullied Penny. “I need you to be the baby maker, but it’s Hannah that I love.”

Now imagine if Hannah had said to Elkanah, “Why do you need another wife? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” Cue hysterical laughter. No, it never worked that way in ancient cultures and not today in many modern cultures.

"I got you this double burger
to take your mind off your infertility."

Hannah’s “sister-wife” bullied her and her husband didn’t defend her. Elkanah responded to Penny’s bullying of Hannah by saying, “There, there, sweetie. Have a double helping of meat.” Meanwhile, Hannah’s crying so hard, her throat is so tight that there’s no way can she swallow the beef.

I made sure the kids knew Hannah was way more than one teardrop sad. I demonstrated some wailing for them. I hope I didn’t scare anyone. Oh, and I didn't tell the kids Hannah and Penny shared a husband. I told them Penny was "Hannah's friend."

"What's that drunken floozy doing in my tabernacle?"
1897-W-A-Foster - Published in 1897.
Scanned photos from the book whose copyright has expired

Hannah realizes there’s not going to be any satisfaction from her husband, the great defender, so she goes over his head. She goes to God. But Eli’s in the way. Eli possibly didn’t have the skill set for pastoral ministry. (Ya think???) He sees and hears this distraught woman and immediately accuses her of being drunk. God job, priest. You’re a bully, too. 

I admire Hannah’s persistence in prayer and respect for the priest, even though he had shown her none. Eli never actually apologized for his insult, but he did tell Hannah her prayer would be answered. And it was. She got her baby boy and a bunch more kids, too, but that’s a story for another Sunday.

Hannah was a remarkable woman. God arranged her infertility so that he could make something extraordinary of Samuel’s birth. Samuel was going to be a very important prophet and judge in the nation. He needed a mama who was willing to literally, physically, give him back to God. But Hannah didn’t know that for all the years she struggled with barrenness and bullying. She finally became desperate enough to offer God the deal he had planned all along.

Hannah inspires me to remember that no matter which nitwit appears to be in charge of the situation (myself included), I can appeal to a higher authority. And even when I feel bullied or misunderstood, God knows and loves me and knows what’s best.

The Bible, Sanitized

Sunday in Children’s Church we each colored and cut out seven fat cows and seven skinny cows after reading about Joseph’s stint in prison and his release to interpret Pharaoh’s famine dreams. The previous Sunday we each gave Joseph a psychedelic tie-dyed coat, because I found a square of felt colored like that at Wal-Mart. The Beginner’s Bible, marketed for children six years old and younger, has three chapters about Joseph. I wonder what I’ll find to do next week when Joseph saves his family from famine.

Our church bought multiple copies of the book several months ago, and we’ve been pleased with how well the kids like it. Some of our kids are at the book’s exact reading level and they take turns reading out loud. They are much more attentive than they were when I was telling them a story. I’ve noticed over the months that it’s not just the reading level that’s age appropriate, but also the content, which is just what you’d want with preschool and K kids. 

But I do notice what’s missing from Genesis. I used to tell my Old Testament Tour teenage students, “If Genesis were a movie, your parents wouldn’t let you see it.” (I hoped that would inspire them to do their reading homework.)

There’s a lot of Genesis missing from the Beginner’s Bible, happily rated G.

Abraham and Sarah’s story skips right to Isaac’s birth without the Hagar and Ishmael incident. When twin brother rivals Jacob and Esau reconcile, five of Jacob’s sons are pictured (and a cute little lamb) but the four polygamist moms involved must be camera shy. Joseph goes right to prison when brought to Egypt without serving Potiphar. Because who wants to explain to a four-year-old about MRS. Potiphar? 

Genesis 38—Judah and Tamar?—forget about it!

So on Sunday mornings I protect little children from too much biblical knowledge, while on weekday mornings I attempt to protect much older kids from biblical ignorance. 

I hope I never get mixed up.