Blue Cord

As an Episcopalian and a scholar, I was saddened to learn of the decisions that have been made by the executive committee of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. While I understand some of the issues that have led to this point, it is still sad to see any school having to make such decisions.

The Very Rev. Dr. Gary Hall released a memo yesterday that summarizes the decisions made by the executive committee at the recommendation of a planning committee. Among the decisions are the following:

The Executive Committee affirms that Seabury will no longer offer the M.Div. as a freestanding 3-year residential program. This does not preclude offering the M.Div. in other formats.

The Executive Committee accepts the 3 following recommendations of the Planning Committee:

1. That Seabury will immediately suspend recruitment and admissions to all degree and certificate programs in this time of discernment.
2. That Seabury will enable all current D.Min. students to complete their programs.
3. That Seabury will assist all current M.Div., MTS, MA, and certificate students to find alternative arrangements for the completion of their programs as may be required.

In the midst of all the issues facing the Episcopal church and the Anglican Communion right now, it is unfortunately that Seabury has to take these measures. The church needs theologically trained leaders who can shepherd the church through these times, and the loss of the M.Div. at Seabury will mean fewer seminaries that are able to provide such training.

May God grant the faculty, staff, and students at Seabury-Western guidance through this period of discernment, so that they may find their role in the future of theological education in the Episcopal church.

The connection between the story of the golden calf episode in Exodus 32 and the setting up of the golden calves by Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:25-33 is well-known. One of the stories is dependent on the other, although the direction of dependence is still debated. The problem has been discussed in a number of places, but I wanted to draw out some implications of these stories for the history of the priesthood in ancient Israel.

There are three elements of the Exodus 32 story that bear on the priesthood. One is the anti-Aaron story that forms a main element of the story. It is unclear whether there was an original form of this story that did not include Aaron,¹ but in the story as it is currently found he is an inseparable part of the narrative. The second element of the story that bears on the priesthood is the pro-Levite story in Exodus 32:25-29. This story is an etiology for the service of the Levites as priests.² Noth judged this story to be a secondary addition to the original J narrative.³

It seems likely that these two elements came together at a time when there were two priestly factions vying for control. Obviously, that does not narrow the time frame that much. Opposition between the Aaronides and the Levites seems to have begun at least as early in the monarchy, Eli may also have been an Aaronide. The Aaronides, who were probably a sub-set of the Levites, rose to a position of prominence in Jerusalem and soon became the only priests who were allowed to serve in the Jerusalem temple.⁴ The rest of the Levites were left serving in other cities. This would mean that all the priests in the northern kingdom of Israel were Levities, at least originally.

We are told in 1 Kings 12:31 that Jeroboam appointed non-Levitical priests to serve at his shrines in Dan and Bethel. This pulls in the third element of the Exodus 32 story that bears on the history of the priesthood: the critique of the golden calf.  If we are looking for pro-Levite / anti-Aaronide authors who would have reason to critique golden calves, then the Levites in the north are the obvious choice. From their point of view, the story scores points against multiple adversaries: it critiques the religious practices of Jeroboam while painting the Aaronides in a negative light.

This means this story in its present form must have originated between 930-722 BCE. Some of the traditions are probably older, and this phase of the development of Exodus 32 may have been oral instead of textual. But to me these three elements indicate that the story in Exodus 32 is of northern origin and is based at least in part on the reforms of Jeroboam. It provides a brief but tantalizing glimpse into the development of the priesthood in the 9th-8th centuries BCE.

1. Aaron is barely mentioned in the parallel account in Deuteronomy 9:8-21. He shows up only in v.20 and his sin is unclear. [back]
2. Why Durham says that this story does not justify the Levites ordination as priests is unclear. John I. Durham, Exodus, Word Biblical Commentary 3 (Dallas: Word, 2002), 432. [back]
3. Martin Noth, Exodus, trans. J.S. Bowden, Westminster Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962), 245. [back]
4. Zadok and Abiathar were both Aaronides, although Abiathar and his descendants were banished from Jerusalem for supporting Adonijah against Solomon in 1 Kings 2:26-27. [back]

Calvin Park at Random Bloggings has a review of my book, The Campaign of Pharaoh Shoshenq I into Palestine. I met Calvin and his wife last December when I found out they lived close to me in Massachusetts. Calvin provides a very positive review of my book, which I am sure has nothing to do with the fact that I gave him a copy when we met for lunch.

As an aside, when I first met my new roommate Jin Yang, he said he thought my name sounded familiar. We chatted for a bit, and he happened to ask what my dissertation topic was. When I said it was Shoshenq, he said he knew why my name was familiar. Apparently Ralph Klein assigned my book for a seminar in Israelite history at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Jin had read my book for that class. It’s a small world, or at least a small academic field.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues here at Wartburg College got interested in academic blogging. So, I told him about WordPress and helped him set some things up. He has been writing for two weeks now, so I thought I would help him gain some readers by posting a link here.

The new blog is OT Story, written by Jin Yang Kim. Jin Yang is a Ph.D. candidate at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He is one of Ralph Klein’s students. Like me, Jin Yang is here at Wartburg for one semester teaching nothing but Bible 101. Jin Yang’s dissertation is focused on the book of Daniel.

Jin and I are sharing an apartment this semester. It is nice having a roommate who will occasionally stay up late discussing matters of interest only to biblical scholars. Last week we had a late night session where we debated the nature and extent of the priestly source until 1:00 am while snacking on dried octopus dipped in Korean hot sauce. Having spent the last year working at The Home Depot where no one cared about the Pentateuch, it is nice to have a conversation partner.

I encourage you to check out Jin Yang’s blog. Although he is just getting started, I am sure he will have great things to say.