Dragon Tales

We got that staff-to-serpent thing all wrong...

Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:

Hot Off The Press

A brand new episode of Holy Ghost Stories is waiting to usher you into the next chapter of the Exodus story. This one begins with Moses and Aaron’s reunion, brings us to Pharaoh’s throne room for the serpent showdown, and concludes with the spectacular first plague.

For me, one of the big takeaways is Yahweh’s insistence on doing things according to His own timing and methodology—His working is almost guaranteed to surprise, disappoint, and delight you. It certainly did all of those things to Moses.

Bits and Bobs

• Which Pharaoh? Which of Egypt’s Pharaohs is the king who features in the Exodus narrative? This question has been the subject of much discussion over the years, and while it’s important to note that the text (intentionally) does not specify his identity, the answer depends largely on whether you assign an earlier or later date to the Exodus. It’s a whole rabbit hole, so for our purposes here I’ll just skip to the end and say that for this season of HGS I’ve committed to Ramses II, who’s the most often-suggested Pharoah of the Exodus. (I’m not making a dogmatic argument, mind you, but simply an informed decision for the purpose of storytelling.)

• He was a redhead? Given that he lived about 3,500 years ago, surely all we have (at most) are second- or third-hand descriptions of Ramses II’s appearance, right? Wrong. On my visit to Cairo last summer, I was shocked when I visited the Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. I expected to see some random-but-fascinating collection of mummified remains. What I found instead was every Pharaoh (and several queens) from the New Kingdom era exhumed and displayed behind glass. I had no idea they were there. I had no idea this was actually a thing. It is. And as I walked from Amhenotep to Thutmose, from Hatshepsut to Seti, I could not lift my jaw off the ground. Their bodies are unbelievably well-preserved, down to the braids in their hair, the skin of their nose, their eyelashes…

  And so here, without further ado, is the face of Ramses II, the pharaoh Moses likely met with 3,500 years ago:

  

  

  In this episode, you’ll hear me describe his hook nose and the pattern of his baldness—seeing his actual face is what allowed me to do that. Amazing. You’ll hear me mention his hair color as well—don’t miss those wavy, strawberry blond locks in the photos. (Admittedly, it was probably white at the time of Ramses’ death—but it would have been dyed to match the color it was in his younger years.) Walking through the hall of mummies, it was fascinating to see the variety in the hair colors and textures of the various Egyptian kings and queens.

• Brick-Making 101 - Also at the National Museum in Cairo, I found this graphic depicting the Egyptians’ process of creating mud bricks, a centerpiece of their architecture. This allowed me to describe the process in detail during one of the scenes in this episode.

  

• Dissonance and screaming cellos - Listen closely to the score at the end of the brick-making scene (11:43-11:52); Kendall does a beautiful job creating a woeful, dissonant, screeching energy as the Hebrews’ oppression reaches a head.

• “Why does it matter what His name is?” —This question, given voice as I imagine Moses’ thoughts, is surely on his mind during some of these conversations with Yahweh. It certainly should be on ours.

• These were no garden snakes… - Though the terminology is admittedly slippery, Robert Alter points out in his translation and commentary on the Torah:

  “The noun used here, tanin, is not the ordinary nahash, snake, of the burning bush story. The tanin is usually a larger threatening reptile […] and is sometimes used for the Egyptian crocodile, or for a mythological dragon.”

• …But the Garden is in full view - As I’ve pointed out before, there’s plenty of Edenic imagery and allusion in the Exodus story. You’ll find a clear reference in a key moment of this story.

• Is anyone else amazed? - I continue to be dumbfounded at the magicians’ ability to replicate both the staff-to-serpent and water-to-blood feats. Was it smoke and mirrors? Or—as I ask in this episode—“In enthroning these gods of theirs, have they tapped into a very real dark power? Given name to soldiers in a swarming, unseen army of shadows?”

• Another level - I love Kendall’s score in Scenes 7 and 8 (the serpent battle). It is just masterful and I hope it transports you into that absolutely epic moment the way it does me.

• De-Creation - This word, which you’ll hear toward the end of the episode, encapsulates what Yahweh is up to with the 10 Plagues. (Or, truer to the language of the text, the 10 Blows/Strikes.) He’s not just punishing Pharaoh and Egypt, He’s dismantling their world view. Their concept of Pharaoh as Protector of the Created Order and Liaison to the Gods (who keep the earth and its natural processes running smoothly) crumbles as Yahweh plunges Egypt into chaos. In a way, He’s winding back the clock to when “the earth was formless and empty” and “darkness covered the surface of the watery depths,” demonstrating that it’s He, Yahweh, who ordered the world and holds back the chaos—not Amun Ra or anyone else.

  Here’s a great treatment of the plagues from Bible Project’s podcast.

Enjoy!

Okay—here’s “Target: Audience” for your listening pleasure. I hope it blesses you. Do be sure to share it with your people—every time you do, someone gets a chance to spend quality time with Yahweh.

Holy Ghost Stories Live at York University

Exciting news! I will be bringing Holy Ghost Stories Live to York University in Nebraska next month. All the enchanted goodness of Holy Ghost Stories, but with live storytelling from me and live accompaniment from some incredibly talented musicians. It will be an unforgettable night of story and song, and I would love for you to come.

It’s happening Monday March 13 at the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center on York University’s campus, and thanks to the university’s generosity, admission is just $5 at the door. Five bucks! York is about an hour outside of Omaha, so if you’re in the area or can get to the area, you should definitely join us—you can find out more at holyghoststories.org.

EQUIP Conference

While I’m at York, my wife and I will be presenting a couple of times at their Bible department’s EQUIP Conference. JL will share a presentation titled “The Whole Story: a Brave Approach to Teaching (And Living) Complex Truth,” and we’ll tag team some thoughts about the whys and hows of kingdom storytelling in a pair of sessions we’re calling “The Storied Church.” It’s open to the public and registration is $25, which gets you breakfast and lunch.

Conference Kids

My wife and I had a spate of speaking-related travel recently, and I had to snap this pic of our daughter making the most of JL’s book signing table. An introvert’s gotta do what an introvert’s gotta do…

When In TN…

Our life lately:

4 Cool Things

Surrender - We started the audio version of Bono’s new book, Surrender, on a recent road trip and…wow. Incredible writing and storytelling. I teared up in the first chapter.

Sing Street - Set during the Troubles, a group of Irish boys get together to make a band and maybe make it out of Ireland. My family loved this movie.

Ella Fitzgerald Is Amazing - Here’s a performance where she begins some scat improvisation and in the process samples song after song, all while playing her voice like an instrument and staying in the proper key. The video annotates her solo, which is fun—the craziness starts about 1:28

Pinnochio - I haven’t actually watched it yet, but this BTS from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is wild—amazing what went into it.

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That’s the latest! Hope you’re blessed by “Target: Audience.” Let me know if this episode has you seeing/thinking/feeling anything new as you enter the story—I love hearing that stuff.

Gratefully,
Justin

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