So, here it is- the first post! Here are the general directions:
1. Go to the “Visualizing the Bible” link.
2. Come back here and post a comment on how this idea helps us in our lives: could be on understanding the Scriptures, understanding God, etc.
3. Respond to one other comment. When responding to someone else, be sure to begin the post with an @ followed by their name. So if you are responding to a comment of mine, your response would begin like this: “@Mr. Willson:
That will hopefully remove some confusion. Have fun! Due by Tuesday, August 26.
46 comments
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August 22, 2008 at 1:57 am
Art Sloan
First of all, FIRST!!! But on the subject of the Intertextuality I think that it could be used as a powerful evangelism tool, to show someone who has always just thought of the bible as just stories that its not, its an incredibly complex work showing the hand of God throughout it. Plus, it also can help us in our lives by remembering that same fact when ever we feel like god has abandoned us.
August 22, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Matthew Richardson
SECOND! I think that intertextuality can help us by showing us what is most important in the Bible. The more times something is referenced, the more important it probably is. While all of the Bible is very important, intertextuality can tell us what we should focus on in order to understand the most important things that God wants us to know. After we know those things, it will be easier to understand the rest of the Bible.
August 22, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Matthew Richardson
@Art Sloan
I agree with Art. Christians often use the prophecies made about Jesus as an argument for the validity of the Bible. Intertextuality makes it easier to see the connections and makes it easier for evangelists to show non-Christians examples of the prophecies, instead of just saying that there are 300 of them. If I were an atheist, I wouldn’t trust that kind of statement, mainly because of the vague prophecies of other religions, a major example of which is horoscopes. (Not exactly a religion, but it does make prophecies)
August 25, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Bryan Alderman
I thought all of these diagrams were really cool. I thought they really just showed how much easier it is to believe that the bible is true (not that I ever doubted it). When you see all of the cross references in the first diagram, you can see how many things relate to each other. The OT was written way before the new testament and yet we can still see references from the OT to the NT. It just shows how amazing God is.
August 25, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Bryan Alderman
@Matthew Richardson
I think Matthew is correct in what he said. It does show us a lot of the importance in each of these words. However, I do believe Jesus is more important than Israel. : ) Anyways, seeing all of these examples does make it easier to evangelize, because it is hard to disprove something that has so many references to back it up.
August 25, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Alisha O'Daniel
Third!!! (well third person to post) In my opinion intertextuality shows the true glory and perfection of our Lord! If the Bible came from the mouth of a person it would have loads of contradictions. This shows how true the Bible really is! This could also be a great tool for visual learners, because it helps them get an idea of how important each testament is, and that it is true. (great for telling others about Christ)
August 25, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Kat Falvey
Intertextuality is to me a great bundle of words put out in the open in a beautiful way. It shows us what words are used most in the Bible. All I can think about when I see it is, why does He use ___ word so much? Why did He say it that much? Is it really that important? Also, think about all the words that are larger; do they somehow connect with each other? It really makes you want to read the Bible, and try to connect these words together.
August 25, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Kat Falvey
@ Matthew Richardson
I agree with Matthew. It does really show you the big words that are used and how important they must be if they are used so many times. It makes it easier to see the connections when you are reading the Bible and understanding why.
August 25, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Rachael Smith
FIFTH!! I think that intertextuality show us how complex God is and how much he cares for the little details. If he cares so much to make connections for us, how much more does he care for our lives!?!?!? Its an amazing thought. I think he is also trying to get us to study it more colsely so we can be closer to him.
August 25, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Rachael Smith
@ Matt
I agree. although I do believe that even the smallest of details are important, i think that we should use the MAJOR connections he made as a little “study hint”. God wants us to study certain things so he makes many connections and references to those things.
August 25, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Elizabeth Laughridge
First, I just want to say that I absolutely loved the picture about Intertextuality. It gives such a better picture about how many times it really does cross-reference. I also liked the picture of all the words. Considering there are like thousands of peoples names mentioned in the bible, I love how certain people stick out. I think we need to pay more attention to the leaders in the Old Testament, like Moses, Solomon, David, and many more. The fact that they stand out so much, I think, shows that we have so much to learn from them that we over look.
August 25, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Elizabeth Laughridge
@ Mathew Richardson, and Bryan Alderman
I agree with Matthew. God obviously wants us to see the important stuff, especially if he has mentioned them so many times. But you also have to take into consideration that Jesus, and other people and places, had different names. There are probably hundreds of more references about Jesus, but not under that specific name. If you were to take all the references and put them under one word, they would probably way out number Israel.
August 25, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Alisha O'Daniel
@ Kat Falvey
I totally agree with Kat! This really does make me want to go read the Bible, and learn even more about our Lord. If the Lord does use a word tons of times then it’s probably really important!
August 25, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Erika
I think that all 3 sets of pictures are so neat! To me, they show “Chris Harrison” ’s love for Christ and dedication to the Bible. What a cool way to “open up” the Bible for us! My favorite is the first picture. It’s also cool to see how many things in the Bible are all related to eachother.
August 25, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Erika Giddens
@ Bryan Alderman
I totally agree with Bryan! It’s so cool to see all the ways that the OT and the NT are connected, even though they were written many years apart. How amazing is God!?
August 25, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Anna Gosnell :)
I thought that the diagram on cross references in the Bible was beautiful, but also portrayed God in an amazing way. I think it showed how complex and precise God really is. I always knew that there were many cross references in the Bible, but I geuss it never really occured to me there were THAT many.
August 25, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Madison Moore
I really liked these pictures. My favorite was the rainbow one at the top. I think it really showed how amazing the Bible is and how much you can learn from it. Some people just don’t understand how important the Bible is. I think that picture explains a lot. I also liked the other picture though, with all the words in the Bible. It shows how every word is of importance.
August 25, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Allison Templeton
I really liked all the diagrams that it shows. It helps us realize how the Bible all comes together. Seeing how all these words come together and all the cross references makes you want to learn more about God and go read his Word. When you are reading the Bible sometimes you don’t realize how much some words are repeated and how important they can be and these diagrams really help you see that.
August 25, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Allison Templeton
@ Alisha O’Daniel
I agree Alisha. It is so true that if the Bible came from people than it just be different and contradicting, but since it came from God it shows how true the Bible is. Also how it is a great tool for visual learners, this really helped me understand.
August 25, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Madison Moore
@ Bryan Alderman
I agree with Bryan says. He pretty much explained everything perfectly. It shows how much God had he Old Testament and New Testament perfectly made to reflect on each other.
August 25, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Carly Johnson
As I was looking at the different diagrams, I was in awe, of God. All to often I don’t look at God as the glorious, holy God He is. In my human mind I squeeze Him down and don’t take in account how He has it all together, and I definitely don’t. These diagrams make me take a second look at God, and at His glory and power. It makes me realize, all over again, how much I really do need Him.
August 25, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Kaitlyn O'Brien
I thought that the diagrams were really amazing. They could help you know a lot more about God and help you study the Bible in a really cool way. The cross-references are really helpful if you wanted to learn about just one person or place in the Bible. They would also make sharing the Bible with others more interesting so they might want to learn more about God and the Bible.
August 25, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Kaitlyn O'Brien
I thought that the diagrams were really amazing. They could help you learn a lot more about God and help you study the Bible in a really cool way. The cross-references are really helpful if you wanted to learn about just one person or place in the Bible. It would also make sharing the Bible with others more interesting so they will want to learn more about God and the Bible.
August 25, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Kaitlyn O'Brien
@Kat Falvey
I agree with Kat. It definitely makes you think about why He said that word so many times and whether it is really that important. They are really important questions and they are the questions that make you want to learn more about the Bible and help you grow in your relationship with God.
August 25, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Art Sloan
@Bryan Alderman
I agree with Bryan, the diagrams are not only cool, but they give us concrete proof the the bible isn’t made up, (more for non believers than us) and that God may wait hundreds of years before fulfilling his promises, but he always fulfills them.
August 25, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Susan Bowerman
When I think of Intertextuality, it makes my mind spin. Also it makes me feel like I am thriving to know more about God and then Bible. The pictures show me how the Bible refers to itself and how it is not wrong. Intertextuality also shows us how important certain words are.
August 25, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Susan Bowerman
@ Bryan Alderman
Bryan you are soo right is so cool how the OT was written before the NT and they still refer to eachother. I also really like the diagrams.
August 25, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Jonathan K
Test– trying to see if this works
August 25, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Jonathan K
After viewing the Intertextuality, I feel that it can be a great tool for the unbeliever. Highly intelligent people want to see proof –and this is a simple and yet profound example of Biblical truth.
August 25, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Jonathan K
@ Bryan I agree with what Bryan said because how can you doubt something so profound as to prophecy about things that were not even close to happening. I thought the diagrams were also very cool and I love how that shows that God is always in control.
August 25, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Michael Ryan
After looking at the picture that shows us all the connection in the Bible, I noticed that God always finshes what He starts. When God makes a promise, he follows through and will never fail. Knowing this, we can never feel like our life is useless or that we will never accomplish what we have set before us. If we ever do feel like we are meaningless, we can remember that God always follows through in the end, he has a plan for your life, and we have a job to do to further that plan.
August 25, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Michael Ryan
@ Bryan Alderman
I also agree with Bryan. When we see these connections it just greaters my faith in the Bible and God. The OT and NT were written in different times and the lines can be drawn between them. It is astonishing how God works his plan through out time.
August 25, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Adam Tindel
I think that the diagrams are a really cool way to help people study and understand the Bible with a greater knowledge. I also think that the cross-references are a big help because it shows you exactly where to go in the Bible if you are trying to study a certain subject.
August 25, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Adam Tindel
@ Jonathan
I agree with jonothan. Intertextuality can be used as a great tool to help lead people to God, and give them an exciting way to do so, while proving that the Bible is true and not just a bunch of fake stories.
August 25, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Jason Mills
I think that it shows us how God has everything under control and how we can not possible comprehend all aspects of Him. It also makes you want read the entire Bible to try and see the connections it has to other parts of it. The first is my favorite.
August 25, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Ben Rumsey
THIRTY-FIFTH!!!
I think that intertextuality shows that the Bible isn’t really one compilation of smaller books, but one big book with a lot of chapters. I also agree that it is a great missionary tool, to show that this isn’t a jumble of stories but one coordinated one.
August 25, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Katrina Faith Nolette
When I see that picture that describes intertextuality *did I spell that wrong?* I see Gods Faithfulness and his consistency to be who he says he is NO exceptions. I think that it is just awesome to see the repetition of his word and law and know that I can look to more then one place for an answer. In my flesh I know that I will try to make my way around Gods word so I can justify myself by saying “well it only says it once, it must not be that important.” Because I’m only human. Honestly l know that Gods word is Gods word no matter how many times its written, but seeing it written different ways and applied to different situations just does it for me
.
August 25, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Jason Mills
@ Michael Ryan
Michael made a great point. God will never leave you nor forsake you, and these diagrams totally show that God has been true to his word, even though it may take Him time (at least you will feel like it was a long time) He will never forget coming though at the best possible time for your growth.
August 25, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Ben Rumsey
@Matt: I may just be being argumentative, but I don’t think the graphs were that useful at showing something’s importance. Example: ‘Israel’ ‘Egypt’ ‘David ‘Moses’ and dozens of other words were larger-printed words than ‘Jesus’ or ‘Christ’.
August 25, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Katrina Faith Nolette
@Anna Gosnell
I have to second that. That picture was gorgeous, and it really made me think about how amazing our God is. It also makes me wonder, that if hes so great and so beautiful and majestic, why in the world does he want me? Someone who is messed up and dirty.
One last thing it makes me think…is that if we marvel at that picture and we think its so great, it just makes me think how much more beautiful God must be. Because that picture is man made and he made man..he must be un-imaginably awesome
.
August 25, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Abby Black
These pictures are REALLY cool. When I look at the first one, I can’t help but think about how perfect God’s timing is. It blows my mind thinking about how it all fits together.
I can’t believe that he was so dedicated to complete the second picture. It must have taken a ton of time to count out all those words. I love the Bible, but this encourages me to study it even more.
August 25, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Jonathan Solwick
I think that because the pictures show how much the Bible interconnects, it proves that the Bible couldn’t have been a made up story like some people believe. I think that the pictures could be used to show people that the Bible isn’t fake and lead them to Christ. I think it aslo helps me see that the in order to fully understand the New Testament we have to read the Old T. The picture with the most used words helped me see that I should study those things more because God thought those were the most important things in the Bible.
August 25, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Jonathan Solwick
@Matt
I agree with Matt that intertextuality is a great way to see what God wants us to learn the most about. Although the whole Bible is important Christians should really try to study those words that are most used.
August 25, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Abby Black
@Jonathan K.
When I think about why we study the Bible, I know it’s because I want to learn about God. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t care about God, and don’t want to learn more about Him. This is a great way to minister to other people. I totally agree with Jonathan. A lot of people want poof or a good reason. This is a really intelligent way to teach others about Christ.
August 26, 2008 at 3:29 am
Anna Gosnell :)
@ Art Sloan
I agree with Art. Alot of really strong Christians end up fizzling out because they think the Bible is too good to be true, or that it’s just a bunch of bedtime stories. I think when evangelizing to non-believers, intertextuality could really help prove our point. It also really shows how consistent God is. He always keeps His promises.
September 11, 2008 at 1:56 am
alec lantagne
1st, andi just am amazed by the complete detail in wich God describes everything and all the versus he has created to help guid us on our great journey really just lets u know he cares. i also think its amazing how there are thousends and thousends of ways ot and nt are connected