JANUARY 2011

    After Alexander’s untimely death at the age of 32, there was a period of political struggle.  In 303 BCE, the Greek empire was split between four of Alexander's prominent officials,  Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus and Cassander. Israel was initially under the control of the Ptolemaic empire (301-198) and then under the conquering Selucid Empire (198-143). The most nefarious Selucid ruler was Antiochus IV (Antiochus Epiphanes, believed by many interpreters to be the "King of the South" of Daniel 11:5-32), who attempted to force Hellenism upon the Jews and extinguish their own religion and traditions. The resultant Maccabean revolt, led initially by Mattathias Maccabeus, and later by his son Judas, raged from 168 to 143 when the Jews finally cast off foreign oppression. 

    Simon Maccabeus, Judas’ brother, became the first Prince of Judea, instituting the Hasmonean Dynasty (143-63 BCE). The Hasmonean rulers continued to reign even after the growing Roman empire conquered Israel in 67 and until the death of the last Hasmonean king in 37. Then, Herod the Great was installed by the Romans as ruler over Judah and he reigned from 37-4 BCE. 

    The Maccabean revolt gave the Jews a reinvigorated sense of nationalism, which included renewed interest in the traditionalism of their law and a zeal for the temple system. This naturally created animosity toward anyone who threatened the temple or the priesthood. Much of what Jesus says in the Gospels is perceived, or mis-perceived, as a threat to Jewish nationalism, when, in reality, it is meant to be a re-balance of or corrective to these priorities relative to the more significant Kingdom of God.  The difficulties that the Jews faced during the Intertestamental time stoked a desire for the spectacular return of the great Messiah-ruler, who was promised by the prophets. This explains the interest that many Jews had in Jesus as a political ruler, but not as a spiritual Savior. 

    There was also a new apocalyptic fervor, which envisioned God’s dramatic intervention into the world’s affairs to punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous. Apocalyptic literature employed symbolism, animal imagery, tours of heaven, a developed system of angels, and a call for endurance and obedience. These ideas of nationalism, Messianic hope, and apocalypticism are reflected in the literature that was written during the Intertestamental period, which we will discuss in subsequent articles. 

    Next time, we’ll explore three different groups of people who originated during the Intertestamental period and who were very significant to the culture and spiritual climate of the events in the New Testament.

BROWNCOAT BAY: An Eclectic Show for an Eclectic Guy

    Spaceships and cows; elegant ballrooms and border planet bar rooms; Chinese slang and Crazy Ivans; Browncoats and blue hands. What do all these different elements have in common? 

    Here on the first edition of The Eclectic Kasper, it seems appropriate to talk about one of the best and most eclectic sci-fi franchises ever. It is a variegated show filled with diverse elements blended seamlessly together in a way that has made myself, and so many others, huge fans. 

    Sure, I've long been a Trekkie, or Trekker, and have always been a Star Wars fan. But I don't think that I ever connected with a franchise as much as with Firefly/ Serenity. And I think the eclectic nature of it is one of the facets that has powerfully won me over.

    So, here' the basics: The short-lived TV show Firefly was developed by Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Titan A.E., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) and aired on Fox for half of the 2002-2003 season. It was bandied around the prime-time schedule and often preempted by other events like the World Series. The network execs assumed that it didn't have the following that they hoped, so they canceled it.     They were wrong. The outcry over its cancellation was potent. The outpouring of support for this little cargo ship and her crew was so great that it was eventually picked up by Universal Studios and turned into a major motion picture, Serenity. The movie more or less picks up where the series ended, and completes some of the story lines that were left hanging by the cancellation. To those who have never seen Firefly before, my challenge is, watch the two hour pilot (also called "Serenity" and not to be confused with Serenity, the movie), and then "The Train Job" and "Shindig," and see if you don't find in this mix of eclectic elements something that you really connect with. 

    Like any other media franchise, however, what you see on the screen is only half of the story. At this point, the movement is driven less by Hollywood, and more by us Browncoats, the self-designation for Firefly/ Serenity fans. They are such a varied, fun and talented group.  In future editions of "Browncoat Bay" I will detail some of the fan movies, podcasts, artwork, and, probably my favorite, the "firefilk" (Firefly-inspired music) that has come from the Browncoat community. We will also highlight the charity work that the Browncoats are involved with. For instance, "Can't Stop The Serenity" is an annual charity screening of Serenity, and has been a huge unifying cause for Browncoats. The 2010 "Can't Stop The Serenity" charity screenings took place in 52 cities in 5 countries and raised $123,629 for charities. Since 2006, CSTS has raised over $500,000 for Equality Now and another $31,000 for other charities.

    Like our favorite show, Browncoats are a diverse, eclectic, and passionate group. The output of fan fic, podcasts, Firefly-related music, etc., is amazing. The real goal, of course, is to get more official Whedon-inspired Firefly content someday, maybe in the form of a spin-off, or more Serenity movies. 

    In the meantime, however, we're just glad to be doin' good works!

QUOTE FOR CONTEMPLATION: The Real World

    I was struck when I first encountered the testimony of someone like Tom Brokaw, who has seen so much of the world. His statements are simultaneously depressing and refreshing; he admits to wide-eyed college grads what life is really like, and implicitly warns them not to waste time expecting this to change anytime soon.

    I have witnessed Mr. Brokaw's sentiments lived out in a variety of situations.  It is especially disturbing to see this phenomenon in circumstances where you really expected a significantly higher level of maturity from those involved.  

    "You've been told during your high school years and your college years that you are now about to enter the real world, and you've been wondering what it's like.  Let me tell you that the real world is not college.  The real world is not high school.  The real world, it turns out, is much more like junior high.  You are going to encounter, for the rest of your life, the same petty jealousies, the same irrational juvenile behavior, the same uncertainty that you encountered during your adolescent years.  That is your burden.  We all share it with you.  We wish you well."

- Former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, during a graduation

speech to students at Skidmore College, May 19, 2007

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: Your Feedback!

    Wow, the first edition of my web journal!  Working on "The Eclectic Kasper" has been a blast, and I look forward many more editions.  I want to give a big "Thank You!" to my dear wife, Martha, who helped with proofing and editing, and to David Levins, whose help with many technical aspects was invaluable to this process.   

    In the February 2011 edition, we'll continue some of the series we began this month, but add a few more.  We'll have the first installment of "Tales of Trials, Failures and Entrails in the Bible," which will be a fun exploration on some of the gory, PG-13 stories in Scripture . . . you know . . . the ones that they didn't tell us about as kids in Sunday School!  Also in February, I'll highlight a fun and interesting music group that demonstrates an eclectic mix of sounds and styles.  

    I would also love to have your feedback.  You can submit input and thoughts by e-mailing us at feedback@eclectickasper.com.  I will try to respond to your feedback as quickly as I can.  Let me know what you like, what you didn't like, and what your thoughts are! 

    Thanks for your feedback and thanks for reading!