God-commissioned bear attacks, praise of infanticide and cannibalism? Yep, all in there.
Basically: "Murdering babies is a good time."
Historical context: The writer has been exiled from Babylon. The Hebrew here is mournful; this psalm is often set to music.
What more conservative readers might say: It's a metaphor where the babies are "the sadness of the Babylonian exile" which should be “dashed against the rock of faith," or "dashing your sins against the rock of reason."
What more liberal readers might say: Noted Hebrew Bible scholar Robert Alter writes, "No moral justification can be offered for this notorious concluding line. All one can do is to recall the background of outraged feeling that triggers the conclusion.”
NB: The terms "liberal" and "conservative" here are used very broadly and not exclusively, as the nuances of centuries of biblical interpretation are impossible to fully explicate here.
In general, "conservative" is used here to denote a more traditional approach that treats the biblical text with some measure of divine "inspiration," whereas a "liberal" perspective is more interested in a historical-critical approach that views the text as a document, or literarily.
Basically: "Thou shalt maketh me a sandwich."
Historical context: The vast majority of scholars believe that despite tradition, 1 Timothy wasn't actually written by the apostle Paul. But in the letter, "Paul" writes to Timothy, who's now pastoring a church at Ephesus, giving him instructions for running the place. The chapter also urges women to "dress modestly" and "learn in quietness and in full submission."
What more conservative readers might say: Many churches and religious institutions have used this verse to bar women from leadership positions, ranging from ordination to teaching Sunday school.
What more liberal readers might say: The verse was directed at a specific church context, perhaps "feminist" women congregants who were usurping authority -- radical at the time -- or women who were attempting to spread Gnostic doctrine. Some also note that that the Greek verb authenteo (to "have authority") has a long and weird history of meanings, including committing suicide, murdering one's parents, and being sexually aggressive, and thus shouldn't be interpreted as some sort of administrative injunction today.
Basically: "You were disobedient, so God will make you eat your own kids."
Historical background: In this chapter, God relays a prophesy through Jeremiah of a destroyed Israel, using a smashed potter's vessel as an analogy. Israel had reunited a century before Jeremiah was active. The cannibalism reference is an almost verbatim quotation of Deuteronomy 28:53, which threatened that Israel would one day come to this terrible point if it disobeyed the law.
What more conservative readers might say: These terrible acts really happened, as a result of Israel turning its back on God.
What more liberal readers might say: The author of Jeremiah was picking up on the Deuteronomistic themes of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, which put forth the twin ideas of a grand nation united by God and then subjected to destruction for disobeying him. (FWIW, the historian Flavius Josephus reports that Jews starving in Jerusalem during the Roman siege of 70 CE ate their own children.)
Source: itiswrittenoceania.tv
