*Chapter Division a boon or a bane?*
Dear Ones' in the Lord,
While the exercise of Chapter Division by Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton in the 13th Century was ostensibly done with good intentions of enabling Bible readers to more conveniently navigate through the Scriptures, has it ever occured to us that
a) Chapter Division has been done inadvertently in some places of the Bible (eg...Isaiah 53 is a heart-touching Jewish Poetry actually starting from Isa 52:13 onwards but illogically a part of that paramount, prophetical Poetry has been placed in closing section of Isaiah 52 and the balance portion in Isaiah 53) whereby certain truths do not come across with a punch, as it were to us, as originally desired by the Inspired Writers.
b) While referencing the Scripture portions has become easy Post Chapter and Verse Division of The Bible, we Christians have stopped trying to memorise the Scriptures like the Psalmist who did and affirms the said fact in Psa 119:11.
It would surprise some of us, when we reflect on the fact that Apostle Paul references the OT Scripture portions in his Epistle to Romans not less than 58 times by mere prefixing of the words 'It is Written"!!! Why? Because, he knew that the Readers ( Early Christians) were quite well-versed with the Scriptures he was referring to and they in all probabability had memorised the same.
In this Message, Yours Truly aims to bring out some Scriptural truths hitherto hidden on account of inadvertent Chapter Division exercise (thankfully pertaining to some Chapters only) of Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Accomplishment...
This matter of Issac's actual age in Genesis 22 had been gleaned by Yours Truly after his interaction with the Jewish Rabbis' would make us further appreciate the comparison between Issac (symbolising Christ) and Jesus. Both their births were miracles... In both their lives, selection of brides (Rebecca for Issac and Church for Christ ) was Providential!!!
Going by the description of Issac as a “Lad” in Genesis 22:5, one (read all Christians’) would normally assume that Issac was perhaps a young boy or at best a teenager but never a 37 year old typifying Jesus who too in his thirties carried the wooden cross to same place where 137 year old Father Abraham (portending the Heavenly Father) had led “his beloved son” to, about 2000 years earlier to be “sacrificed”. Hey…Issac too figuratively “rose again” (Heb 11:19 TLB), so would the Son of God!!!
Oh yes coming to the right age of Issac…all of 37 years. The Hebrew word “Naar” used to describe Issac as a “Lad” (Gen 22:5) is a relative term used to address someone who is very much younger to you though the latter by himself/herself may be an adult then. Mind you, Issac was younger to his Father by a good hundred years (Gen 21:5)! In yet another melodramatic Scripture portion as Gen 22 (Note:The good Lord always places two witnesses to underscore His point- Deu 17:6) *we see a frantic elder brother Judah addressing his “held for ransom” younger brother Benjamin (born in Patriarch Jacob’s old age- Gen 44:20 -as such, much junior to Judah) as "Naar" not once but seven times (Gen 44:30-34) _at a time Benjamin himself was a father of ten sons (Gen 46:21)_!!!*
Thanks to Archbishop Stephen Langton dedicated efforts, The Bible was divided into Chapters in the 13th Century AD facilitating better navigation through the Scriptures and its subsequent teaching thereof but sometimes incomprehensible division style which Langton adopted would sometimes have us believe that there is a considerable time gap between two consecutive Chapters like the one between Chapters 22 and 23 of Genesis which was not the case, all the time. We see at the very beginning of Chapter 23, Sarah who had given birth to Issac at the age of 90 dying at the age of 127 in Hebron (presumably taking care of one of many cattle-breeding farms of the family therein) and Abraham *“coming over there”* to mourn for her, as evidently he had been at “a different place”. Incidentally from one of the Cattle-breeding farms at well-watered Beersheba Abraham had gone to Mount Moriah and had returned there (Gen 22:19) after passing his “fiery test of faith”. Thus the Jewish Sages teach that Issac was not a little kid but all of 37 years at that defining testing time in his life (fully aware of what was happening around him when Father Abraham put him on the Altar, just as Jesus fully aware of the consequences going to Jerusalem for the Last time- Matt 16:21) acceptance of which would make the Christians’ better appreciate the comparison between Issac and Jesus who too in his thirties carried the _“wood voluntarily on his shoulders”_ in full obedience to His Father’s instructions (Gen 22:6/ John 6:38/ John 19:17).
Acknowledgement...
While the sixth epochal utterance on the Cross “It is finished” on the first Good Friday signified the completion of the atoning work from the Saviour’s side, the Resurrection of our Lord on the First Easter signified its acceptance by our Heavenly Father (Romans 4:23-24/ Rom 5:1). It is this complete acceptance and appropriation of both the atoning work and resurrection (of the Saviour) by a sinner in his/her life that justifies him/her before the Judge of the Universe (Rom 10:8-9).
In the manner the High Priest on the Day of atonement (Lev 16) carrying the sacrificial, atoning blood “disappears” into the Holy Place of the Temple from the eyes of the viewing, anxious public whilst going to sprinkle the same on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (in the Most Holy place) and then appears before the viewing public with the words “Shalom” so as to proclaim “God’s acceptance of the atoning sacrifice”, Jesus too who had “disappeared” into the grave on First Good Friday reappeared on First Easter to both practically (Matt 28:8-9 CJB) and virtually proclaim “Shalom (read God’s acceptance of His sacrifice)” to one and all (Heb 9:11-12 TLB/Luke 24:36-37).
Just hitting the loopline…if at all proof was required for the critics of Stephen Langton (archbishop of Canterbury who divided The Bible into Chapters in 1205) that he did an “imperfect” job (albeit credit needs to be given to him for his “labour of love”) in his “Chapters division” exercise they do not need to go beyond the end of Romans 4th Chapter and the beginning of its 5th Chapter. They reinforce the fact the text has been divided in an incoherent way, or at inappropriate rhetorical points. For Romans 5:1 beginning with the word “therefore” can be properly understood only when one brings Rom 4:25 (the last verse of the Chapter) into the picture. In other words Rom 4:25 tells us why Romans 5:1 is “there for”.
_He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was *raised to life to make us right with God.* - Rom 4:25_
_*Therefore* , since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.- Rom 5:1_
Oh no...what ought to be Rom 4:26 has now become Rom 5:1 (making many Christians think that this new Chapter is dealing with altogether new theme, when the fact is, it is a continuation of the thought process of an inspired Writer reinforcing an important doctrine).
I reiterate that whenever any verse begins with the word "Therefore", we need to look at the preceding verse to understand " _Why it is *THERE FOR* "_
Endowment...
_Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.- Heb 12:1-3_
The Epistle to Hebrew Christians was written by an Inspired Writer at a time some Christians' of Jewish background undergoing unjust persecution under Emperor Nero wanted to rivert back to Judaism to escape persecution even as they saw their other unconverted Jewish friends/relatives not being persecuted.
While warning is being given for those turning their backs to Christ towards end of Chapter 10:38-39, the inspired Writer of this Epistle with the same thought process catalogues great heroes of faith who never took a backward step even in most testing situations after deciding upon travelling upon a God-pleasing path. Then the inspired Writer reserves the best for last, as it were, after enlisting the heroes of faith by making a victorious declaration quoting the great endowment which came Christ's way for His endurance (referenced above) which Stephen Langton illogically puts as a first verse of a new Chapter 12.
While we as Christians of the 21st Century, can do nothing about inadvertent Chapter Division of Stephen Langton (thankfully pertaining to only some Scripture portions do we observe these bizzare break-ups of Chapters) which has been there for centuries now, what we ALL can do is pray the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 118:18
Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things in Your Word
before reading The Bible now, whereby we by His Divine leading would understand the Scriptural truths in the manner our Lord would have us understand the same.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Suresh Manoharan
Hyderabad -India
