Jots & Tittles

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Blake at the Met

William Blake (1757–1827), one of England’s greatest poets, was also one of the most striking artists of his day. An exhibit of 181 works at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, on view until June 24, concentrates on Blake the visual artist. The exhibit features Blake’s work in various media—drawings, paintings and prints—and includes selections from all of his illuminated books, including The Songs of Innocence and of Experience (which contains his celebrated poem, “The Tyger”). Biblical and religious themes permeated Blake’s work; the exhibit contains scores of examples, including a color print of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar and a watercolor of “The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins,” an illustration of Matthew 25:1–13.

Pop Goes the Bible

Ever since Ezra read aloud to the assembly of Israelites and Saint Paul wrote his epistles to scattered Christians, people have been searching for ways to make the Bible understandable to as wide an audience as possible. Four volumes in the Complete Idiot’s Guide series (to Biblical Mysteries, Understanding Judaism, the Life of Jesus and the Bible) are some of the latest attempts to achieve this goal.

The Complete Idiot’s guides, published by the Macmillan imprint Acorn Books, are well written and researched. Biblical Mysteries is written by archaeologist Donald P. Ryan of Pacific Lutheran University; Understanding Judaism is written by rabbi and author Benjamin Blech; The Life of Christ is by Presbyterian minister William Grimbol and The Bible by the director of Moody Press, Jim Bell, and author Stan Campbell.

The volumes delve into subjects ranging from the search for Noah’s Ark and the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin to Jewish mysticism and the role of women during the time of Christ. Understanding Judaism provides a history of the faith, analysis of biblical passages and the whys and hows of observing Jewish holidays. In The Life of Christ, Grimbol traces the story of 011Jesus from prophecies of the messiah in the Hebrew Bible through Jesus’ death and resurrection in the Gospels.

Two caveats for this otherwise excellent series: Some readers may find the authors interject their opinions too liberally throughout. Other sides are always presented, but we are rarely left wondering on which side the writer stands. In addition the text is frequently interspersed with boxes topped by drawings or cartoon figures whose role is to guide the reader and provide information that doesn’t fit directly into the narrative. Too often these cartoon helpers are a distraction. In Understanding Judaism, for example, the term schmoozing (Yiddish for “shooting the breeze”) is illustrated with a man on the telephone reciting, among other things, Mark Twain and Scottish proverbs. The series also includes Understanding Catholicism, Angels and Awakening Your Spirituality.

Court Rescues Motto

“With God All Things Are Possible” is still the Ohio state motto. In March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a decision made last fall by a panel of three judges from the same court who had declared the motto unconstitutional for violating the First Amendment’s separation of church and state (see Jots & Tittles, BR 16:05).

The appeals court ruled that the saying is no different from “In God We Trust,” the official motto of the United States since 1956. “The motto involves no coercion,” wrote Judge David A. Nelson for the majority. He added that it “does not assert a preference for one religious denomination or sect over another.”

Other states mention God in their mottoes, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio and Cleveland Heights Presbyterian minister Matthew Peterson, who filed the original court case, note that Ohio’s is the sole motto derived from a biblical quotation (Matthew 19:25–26 and Mark 10:27). Arizona has “God Enriches,” South Dakota has “Under God, the People Rule,” and Florida has “In God We Trust.” The plaintiffs are considering an appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

The Ohio statehouse isn’t the only one where the battle over the separation of church and state is being played out. Governor Ronnie Musgrove of Mississippi signed a law in late March mandating the display of the words “In God We Trust” in public school classrooms, cafeterias and auditoriums; the ACLU is expected to file a lawsuit against the state law. Proposed laws similar to Mississippi’s were recently rejected in Maryland and Virginia. Last year 11 states, including Indiana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida and Kentucky, considered legislation requiring schools and other public buildings to display the Ten Commandments. In response several lawsuits have been filed by free speech advocates, who cite a 1980 Supreme Court decision forbidding placement of the commandments in public schools.

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No Laughing Matter

Cartoonist Johnny Hart, creator of the comic strip “B.C.,” was the focus of controversy over his Easter Sunday installment. The strip showed a menorah, a candelabrum symbolic of Judaism, being extinguished candle by candle and replaced in the last frame by a cross and an empty tomb. Hart says his intent was to honor Jews and Christians, who both celebrated important holidays at the same time in April.

Some Jews and Jewish organizations, most notably the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL), were offended. ADL director Abraham Foxman found the strip a painful reminder of an earlier era when Jews were blamed and persecuted for Jesus’ death. Foxman said the strip implies that “Christianity now supersedes Judaism as the ‘true’ faith.”

“The God of Judaism and the God of Christianity is the same,” said Hart in response to the criticism. He added that he chose the menorah for his strip because its seven candles coincided with Jesus’ seven utterances on the cross. “I regret if some people misunderstood the strip, and it hurt their feelings. I abhor the so-called ‘Replacement Theology,’” Hart said.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, did not find Hart’s explanation adequate. “That is 011not the way you pay tribute to two great religions on Easter Sunday,” he told the Associated Press. “You don’t pay tribute by extinguishing one of them.”

“B.C.” is carried in 1,300 papers and The Guinness Book of World Records lists Hart as the most widely syndicated American comic-strip artist. Richard S. Newcombe, head of Creators Syndicate, the organization that distributes “B.C.,” told BR that very few newspapers, the Bergen County (New Jersey) Record and the Bangor (Maine) Daily News among them, declined to run the controversial strip.

Hart, who describes himself as a believing Christian, has been criticized in the past for including theological topics in his strip, but Newcombe noted that this was the first time technology played a role in the debate: The comic was posted on the Internet and a campaign was mounted against it days before the strip was to appear.

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The Bible in the News

Selling Bibles is big business, but a survey of recent newspaper reports shows that the Bible is also pretty good for business.

Looking for economic inspiration? Turn to the Bible. That’s what an international group of corporate venture capitalists did. They took their name, AntFactory, from Proverbs 6:6: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard” (Jerusalem Post, January 28, 2001), paying heed to the little insect’s proverbial industry. The Bible can be useful in other business-related ways as well: “Parents keen to breed entrepreneurs should look to the Bible when deciding on a name,” advises The Times of London (March 10, 2001). An analysis of nominees for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2001 award “shows that John, David, and Peter are the most popular names. For women, Ann is the most common contender—St. Ann was the mother of the Virgin Mary.”

Concerned about Jesus’ statement that a camel can go through the eye of a needle with less difficulty than a rich person can get into heaven (Matthew 19:24)? “It seems to have become easier for a camel to slip through the eye of a needle,” writes the New York Times in a report about socially conscious investing (January 24, 1998). And a Pittsburgh businessman reminds us that it is the love of money, and not money per se, that is identified in 1 Timothy 6:10 as the root of all evil: “We are to love our brother,” the businessman says, “and use money” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 1, 2000).

Widespread consumerism led an Israeli entrepreneur to employ broad humor in an intentional scriptural misquotation: “It is part of our culture: They shall beat their swords into Sony Playstations. It is right there in the Bible” (New York Times, April 16, 2000). Similarly, an estate planner deliberately misquoted Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:7): “Give and it will be given to you” (Minneapolis Star Tribune, December 24, 2000).

Blake at the Met