interesting bible/talmud/quran/etc passages to memorize?

January 22, 2019 1:56 PM

This may come off as weird, but for certain reasons, I'd like to memorize interesting passages from sacred texts. Interesting in the sense as a) core locus for a less well known theological debate / thesis or b) an interesting discrepancy between different parts of the text or c) interesting passage in light of later developments.

For a) I don't yet have in mind any good example. For b) I'd say there's an interesting tension between Matthew 12:30 and Mark 9:40 so it's good to know about. (this one I've actually memorized already) For c) I think I recall a comment on the blue mentioning, that in the Old Testament (somewhere in Numbers perhaps?) punishment for killing a pregnant woman was death, while assaulting her so that she'll have a miscarriage wasn't a capital offense. Needless to say, this doesn't support current mainstream stance on abortion.

Actually this last example gave me the idea to learn these passages - at least their coordinates (and preferably the text, near verbatim) so I can have them always handy. I'm experimenting with spaced repetition (Anki) and this would be a nice test, as these pieces of knowledge are not like, say, command-line switches I use every second day.

So if you have an interesting, mildly obscure passage from any of the sacred texts known to you, please post it here with the location to learn and a reason for why it is interesting. The examples were from the Bible, since that's the text I'm most familiar with. But if you have a really wacky example from the Mishnah or the Diamond Sutra then I'm happy to learn about it! For that matter, I'd even go for interesting/embarrassing loci from the Western canon, though here it should be really interesting considering the fact how easy is to find very silly quotes.

posted by kmt to Religion & Philosophy (8 answers total)

This letter to Dr. Laura mentions some Bible passages of possible interest:

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

posted by exogenous at 4:16 PM on January 22, 2019 [3 favorites]

is your goal here to spark interesting theological discussions or to checkmate religious fundamentalists?

Assuming the former, I'd start by checking out The Book of J. I don't know how well the scholarship has held up but I found it pretty fascinating when I read it and it completely changed the way I read the old testament. In an interesting way.
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:29 PM on January 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I believe the tag hypocrisy applies. High and luxurious beds : Buddhism, there is a precept or whatnot against sleeping on high lovely bed. Go figure.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:06 PM on January 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Here's the "Faith and Scripture" section of an older revision of the Wikipedia page on Sola fide, the doctrine that people are saved by faith alone, accepted by most Protestants and generally rejected by Catholics. It has a very long list of Bible passages that have been cited in support of Sola fide, followed by a very long list of passages that have been cited against it.

(Link to the older version because the current version has eliminated this list in favor of fewer Bible quotes, and incorporating those that remain into the text of the article rather than providing naked lists.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:02 AM on January 23, 2019

Best answer: Jeremiah 20:7 is an interesting passage. Jeremiah accuses God of seduction and rape. Most translations are watered down enough that the sexual non-consent is easy to miss.

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.

The word deceived in the translation above is also sometimes translated as enticed. In a culture where people did not have free choice in their sexual partners seducing someone was a criminal act, not merely a nice tryst or love affair. To seduce someone was a serious wrong. The next part "thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed" is sometimes translated as "You have overpowered me and I have been overcome." The original words used were used in other contexts when describing rape, not when describing arm wrestling but again the translation does not make that clear.
posted by Jane the Brown at 10:02 PM on January 23, 2019

Response by poster: re: checkmate. No, it's really not the reason I'm looking for these. I mean, with fundamentalists I'm not going of for "checmating" them, as I'm not playing that game. If a quote stops them for a while and they leave me alone, so much the better. No, the reason is: find interesting places for myself and for others, to initiate discussions with religious pepople, who are not fundies, whom with it's possible to have a constructive discussion.

In such a situation, I usually assume they are arguing in good faith (heh) and these intereting points could serve as entry points, to explain how they interpret these passages, how they square it with their life. So, while hypocrisy does apply, it's rather about gently prodding people to consider that hypocrisy without hurting their feelings. After all, this is straight from their scripture, but it's not that well known to have a canned answer already. Hope this clears what I meant by interesting.
posted by kmt at 1:22 AM on January 24, 2019

This may not be relevant to your question but I remember being horrified (in church) when I picked up a bible and accidentally chanced upon something in Deuteronomy. The item was about if you (man) are fighting another male enemy, and your wife has the chance to help you by grasping your enemy's balls, you must cut off her hand! I don't go to church anymore.
posted by Enid Lareg at 6:39 PM on January 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

"In the world to come we will be held to account for all the foods we could have eaten but did not." -Talmud
posted by unstrungharp at 10:58 AM on January 25, 2019