10. Who Was Cyrus of Persia, and Why Was He So Important to the Israelites?

                The “Cyrus of Persia” mentioned in Ezra is none other than the famous Persian king, Cyrus the Great. Born in around 600 BC, Cyrus inherited his father’s kingdom in 559. Soon after, he began knitting the loose tribes of his father into something more unified and tangible. After establishing a base of power in the city of Pasargadae, he began laying claim to more surrounding territories (1). He would go on to build the first world empire (2).

                But why exactly is  a Persian emperor so important to the Israelites?

                He was important because he conquered Babylon, where the tribes of Israel had been held captive for seventy years. After discovering the two remaining displaced tribes living in the city, he allowed them to return to their homeland. According to Biblical text, he also gave them money to rebuild their Temple (3). According to Ezra, he did so at the command of Yahweh, who “[gave him] all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed [him] to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah” (Ezra 1). Whether or not Cyrus followed the teachings of Yahweh is unconfirmed. It is likely that he was a Zoroastrian—the religion common to Persia at the time—and that the Hebrew people simply attributed his generous actions to a faith in their god (2).

There is no historical doubt of the events that transpired in Ezra, however. We know for a fact that Cyrus freed the Hebrews, as there are extra-Biblical sources to confirm it. During excavations of Babylon in 1887, a small barrel with an inscription from Cyrus was discovered, detailing his decree that all captive peoples be returned to their homelands (4). 

Whether or not he was truly divinely inspired by Yahweh, there can be no doubt of Cyrus’ integral role to the continuation of Judaism. He freed the people from a captivity that ten tribes had been lost to and restored their land to them. Under his long reign, the various peoples in his empire were allowed to flourish in peace, free to carry out their own traditions and keep their own religions. Later, Cyrus’ wise doctrine of religious and cultural tolerance would be adopted by the Roman Empire and become greatly important to the flourishing of early Christianity as well.

(1)    http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrus_I/cyrus.html

(2)    http://www.cyrusthegreat.net/

(3)    http://www.gotquestions.org/Cyrus-Bible.html

(4)    http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=288

9. Technology in the Classroom

There are certainly many different uses for our grant money, but the one I would like to focus on has to do with technology. The grant may not allow us to spend money on technology, but I hope that we can use it to better integrate our current technology into the classroom.

                In today’s world, technology has become a vital part of our lives, both outside the classroom and in it. Students frequently utilize it in the classroom. In 2010, a survey of UM students showed that 50% of them bring laptops to their classes (1). I conducted a similar survey in the TMB, asking random students whether or not they frequently take notes on their computers or other mobile devices in the classroom. Nearly a third of students said that they carry their mobile devices to class in order to use them for note-taking.

                In addition to allowing students to take better notes, laptops—when used correctly in the classroom—can help students be more engaged in the lecture and promotes collaborative activity between students. One study even showed that students who use laptops in class get better grades (2).

When conducting my survey, I also asked students who answered “no” why they decide not to use their laptops in class. Here, the answers were varied—ranging from “they are too heavy to carry” to “I prefer writing by hand”—but many students also said that there weren’t enough power outlets. As a student who uses a laptop for note-taking in almost every class, this is an important issue for me.

It was also an important issue for Dr. Reed during my interview with her. Most of her suggestions involved ways to better integrate technology into the classroom and encourage group collaboration.

I would like to see a portion of our grant money go towards making it easier for students with laptops to becomes more integrated into  the classroom. In order to get them off of the fringes of the class, I would love to see the addition of furniture with built-in power outlets. Something like this table would be a great addition to classroom seating.

(1)    http://www.crlt.umich.edu/sites/default/files/resource_files/CRLT_no30.pdf

(2)    http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ983985.pdf

(3)    http://myturnstone.com/products/campfire-big-table/?kwid=productads-plaid^83820197889-sku^CAMPFIRE+BIG+TABLE-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^53932719878

8. Biblical Allusions in BioShock Infinite

                If you frequent the gaming world at all, you’ve most likely played or at least heard of BioShock Infinite. This game is, in my humble opinion at least, one of the deepest and most artful videogames to be released in recent history. It also happens that Christianity happens to be rather integral to the plot, giving me an excuse to gush about it here. 

                As a player embarks in the world of Infinite, he will probably notice this religious imagery pretty quickly. As the game begins, the player ascends into a city built in the clouds—a city called Columbia and referred to as a “new Eden.”

 There’s really nothing subtle about the references. As soon as you pick up the game and start playing, they scream at you, and they don’t let up. As you approach the city, you are informed that you can only be allowed inside if you are baptized (another attempt to draw a parallel between Columbia and Heaven).  Crucifixion seems to be a common form of punishment for criminals; the city is led by "Prophet" father Comstock, whose "miracle baby" you set out to retrieve, and the rest of the world is referred to as the "Sodom below." Seriously. These things just keep coming.

The references are easy to pick up on, but discerning their meaning is a bit more difficult. Some people have argued that this game is blatantly anti-Christian, which is understandable, since the people of Columbia are caught up in a pretty scary religious cult that is frowned upon pretty strongly. Others argue that the game actually defends Christianity.

Personally, I don’t believe that a defense or criticism of the Christian religion was ever on the minds of those who created BioShock Infinite.  I think this game tries to teach a very weighty lesson about not taking things at face value and the danger of looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses. I believe that it sets out to criticize our nostalgic love for early America, to force us to question whether or not our positive views on our past are correct or not.

The zeal of patriotism in this game is just as glaringly obvious as its religious references. The residents of Columbia literally worship the founding fathers, and you would be hard-pressed on find a street corner that isn’t flying star-spangled banners. In fact, when I saw Colombia the first time, I thought that it looked an awful lot like something out of Lady and the Tramp just…you know...floating. 

The Town in Lady and the Tramp

                                                                          Columbia

At first, Columbia does indeed seem like a “New Eden,” as its residents claim. Mirroring one of the most favorably-viewed time periods in American history, it seems to hearken back to simpler times in our past. All of the people are united as one under a love of country and a love of God. Children play in the streets without fear, and there’s no doubt a Bible at every bedside.

But there’s a dark side to this gilded past that we so often choose to ignore, a dark side the player soon uncovers—this “perfect world” is built on slavery.

 Racism, blind religious devotion, terrible working conditions, and unwavering patriotism to a country that gained much of its territory through the murder of innocents tear Columbia apart. For me, this game offered a stark reminder that everything is not always at it seems, and highlighted the danger of viewing our past through rose-tinted glasses. 

In the end, there is no “New Eden.” We can never go back to where we came from.

7. Explication of Psalm 63

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

In these four lines, David sets up his purpose and gives us a hint about the setting in which this poem is written. Like many of the poems in Psalms, Psalm 63 sets out to worship the protagonist. David wrote this psalm during one of his wanderings in the Desert of Judah, the “dry and weary land’ he speaks of here. During his lifetime, David spent three periods wandering the Judean wilderness: once during his youth when he was a shepherd there, once when he was fleeing from Saul, and finally when his son Absalom’s rebellion drove him from his kingdom. 

Context gives the readers strong evidence to suggest that this poem was written during his last roving of the desert, which occurs in 2 Samuel, 15-19. (1)

In these opening lines, David speaks simultaneously about the physical toil the desert takes on his body and the yearning he feels for his god. His physical needs are downplayed, however, and he chooses to focus more on the state of his soul. Though his flesh certainly faints and his body must thirst, he prefers to explain how his soul feels, letting readers know that his spiritual needs and longings are more important to him than his physical ones. 

² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;
    in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, ⁶ when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night; ⁷ for you have been my help,
    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. ⁸ My soul clings to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

Here, David continues his praise of the protagonist despite of the strife he is enduring. No doubt, at this point in his life, David is very unsure of his future. His traitorous son has driven him from his city and cast him into the wilderness, where he wanders alone and without provisions. In these lines, David seems unsure whether he will survive the ordeal or not. The survival of his physical body is, again, less pressing than the state of his soul, and his faith is not shaken by his strife. “Your steadfast love is better than life,” David tells the protagonist. Though his body may hunger, his soul “will be satisfied as with fat and rich food.” 

⁹ But those who seek to destroy my life
    shall go down into the depths of the earth; ¹⁰ they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
    they shall be a portion for jackals. ¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God;
    all who swear by him shall exult,
    for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

These final lines tell readers the fate that await those who have gone against David and his god, and they are also the lines most integral to establishing the concrete setting of this piece. Here, readers become sure that David is not talking about one of his earlier wanderings but is in fact writing during the rebellion of his son. 

The line “those who seek to destroy my life” makes it very clear that his poem is not written during his pastoral days as a shepherd, and though he could still be speaking of Saul’s desire to kill him, the fact that he refers to himself as “the king” excludes this period as well. David didn’t become king until after Saul’s death. 

The tone of this psalm changes drastically during its closing lines. What has until now been a poem written to strengthen a downtrodden David and sing praises to Yahweh turns into a bloody fantasy about vengeance against those who have betrayed him. During this ruthless trial of the guilty, David and those who follow Yahweh will give praises and rejoice in their god. 

True to his prediction, Absalom and his fellow conspirators do indeed die, though Absalom goes down a bit less spectacularly than David seems to hope. Instead of being a feast for jackals, he rides his horse under a low-hanging branch, hits his head, and dies. 

(1) http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2011/06/10/Psalm-63-Longing-to-Worship-the-LORD-While-in-the-Wilderness.aspx#Article