great learning opportunity

If you follow college basketball, love playing pick-up, or just want a great opportunity to get some floor burn, then you should definitely check this out.

When you read something boring

It's brilliantly gray and foggy outside. You can see your breath with every step you take, and the old gothic buildings never looked any cooler. Top it of with some hot coffee at the on-campus Bucks, and you're good to go! Oh, and then........................................................read the dullest material you'll ever come across.

This leads me to a survey that only fellow biblical studies nerds can appreciate. Right now I'm reading an article on Galen & ancient medical practices. Misery loves company. With that in mind, what's the dullest material you've ever read when studying the ancient world? I'm thinking the qualifier here is that it should date between 200 BCE -400 CE. There's lots to choose from, so have it.

My first vote (calling it a choice would be far too generous!) is the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, specifically the Corn Dole records. I wanted to chew a spoon.

Oh, and you can't vote for anything TC related because I think TC is pretty cool even if most people find it ridiculously boring and/or trivial.

Making Progress with Matthew

So I'm going to try and get a few posts rolling here over the next few days. I've been knee deep trying to nail down paper topics & reading an INSANE amount of material for Dale Martin. This week we've got about 1,000 pages on the docket dealing with medicine in the ancient world (primarily using Galen as an entry point). Dr. Martin makes the case that the medical material in the ancient world consistently uses terminology that emphasizes seeking balance. If someone was sick or ill, they were "out of balance." Something was too hot, so you made it cold. Something was too cold, so you made it hot. Naturally, you can see how this leads to draining blood. Removing the "bad" blood restored a good an healthy condition. What's fascinating is that these terms and this concept shows up extensively in the political literature of the period.

Regarding Matthew, I'm looking at the function of gift-giving in Matthew's gospel & this means I get to spend way too much time trying to work through Seneca's De Beneficiis. The question, which has some functional value for contemporary discussion, is whether or not one can have pure interests in giving a gift. Can a gift be given without an eye toward some sort of return?  I think you can investigate this in Matthew and I think the cool thing is that Matthew uses the concept to navigate the Gentile mission. Paul uses Seneca's conception of gift-giving in Romans 1-8. 

In terms of 4 Maccabees, I'm trying to look at how the ancient world viewed old age. I'm hoping it's as interesting as I think it can be. There's some pretty good material on youth that Beverly Gaventa of Princeton has recently edited. 

Anyway...sorry for just kind of throwing up a little bit on this post! 

Apocalyptic & Matthew 24

Here's something I'm considering on the apocalyptic in Matthew 23-25:

Scholars (ahem, N.T Wright) often level out the vertical eschatology of Matthew by placing a heavy emphasis on the destruction of the temple during the Roman invasion in 70. But, I'm wondering if this doesn't do justice to the narrative flow of chapters 23-24. In 23.38, Jesus declares "your house is left desolate." Many take this as an oblique reference to his spirit leaving the Jewish Temple permanently based on Jewish rejection of the gospel (23.37). What if the symbolic nature of 23.38 is physically represented in 24.1, when Jesus leaves the temple? The syntax could bring this out with a bit more force, but I'm at Starbucks and don't have a grammar near-by.

I'm wondering if Jesus' words in 24.2, obviously in reference to the temple, are also word-pictures of a physical reality to be flushed out in response to the disciples' questions in 24.3. What merits attention is the temporal/thematic distance of 24.3 from 24.1. Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives when disciples approach him and ask the question. They've digested the meaning of the word-picture in 24.1-2 and the complexity of the rich symbolism. They know that the prophecy of the temple destruction must take on symbolic significance parallel to the physical representation of Jesus actually/physically leaving the temple. So, instead of asking what will happen, they ask when it will happen.

I think this may show that Matthew was sharpening the apocalyptic nature of Mark's gospel. Mark brackets the temple incident with the fig tree account. He curses the fig tree, and upon returning later the tree has withered. The connotation obviously, in my opinion, links the withering of the tree with the temple's imminent destruction. Hence, clearing the temple indicates a picture of the temple's soon-to-come destruction (at least in Mark's gospel!).

Matthew, writing to a community disillusioned by the delay of the parousia, condenses the fig tree account into a single event. Jesus curses the tree and immediately it withers (22.18-22). Notice two important details. First of all, Matthew does not bracket the temple incident with the fig tree account. I think he does this because he doesn't want to make the connection between the event - he wants to lessen the rhetorical force of Mark's gospel. He does not want the fig tree to directly correspond to the temple incident (perhaps only obliquely!). Notice also that Matthew changes Jesus' words to the poor fig tree. In Mark, no one will ever eat from the tree. In Matthew, the tree will never bear fruit again (21.19). I think there's significance here. IN both cases, I think Jesus was fully aware of the fact that it was not the season for the tree to bear fruit. What's operative here is an object lesson.

Matthew wants to explain to his audience why there has been a delay in the second coming. So, instead of stressing the immediate coming of the messiah, in the sense that he will come in this generation, he stresses the immediacy of the events when they actually do happen. It's the difference between when and how. That's why he does not stress the correspondence between the fig tree and the Temple. That's also why he emphasizes the immediate results of Jesus' curse. This helps explain the reference to the fig tree when it reappears in 24.32-34. When the season is right, then the tree will bear leave. Similarly, when the disciples see the signs, they will know that "it is near, right at the door" (24.32-33).

Granted, the major hole is 24.34, where Matthew has Jesus say that all these things will happen within this generation. However, I still think the author expects the second coming. He's trying to explain why it hasn't happened yet. This is the rhetorical significance of 21.21-22. In contrast to Mark, Jesus curses the tree to never bear fruit. In 24. 32-33, the second coming will occur when the fig tree bears leaves! Why the discrepancy? I think this is a brilliant use of literary technique. The Matthean Jesus has issued a curse on the tree, much like the author's generation labors under the curse of persecution (24.4-29). When Jesus returns, the curse will be reversed. In the interim, the author's generation must respond in faith. They must pray for the return to come speedily. This is the explicit point of 24.21-22. They can and should pray for the eschatological reversal of their present circumstances, just as the curse on the fig tree will be lifted, signaling, as it were, the second coming.

Shifting Gears

A while back I promised that this blog would become more "academic" and less about trivial ramblings. On the heels of last night, I too promise change!

The rub of it all is that this semester has been an incredible adjustment. I've been challenged spiritually and academically in ways that, frankly, I haven't been before and probably desperately need! Things will undoubtedly remain hectic, and at times confusing, but blogging has proven therapeutic and a great way to engage in critical interaction with the blogging community. 

A couple of academic projects in the works:

1) Communal boundaries & "benefaction" language in the Matthean community.

2) Socio-rhetorical function of the "young & old" in 4 Maccabees.

3) Gift-giving in Greek novels.

4) Morality in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This one is for fun, but I'm aiming to present a comparison between the novel & the historical reception of the Sermon on the Mount.

I'm aiming to get a couple of book reviews up soon from my seminar under Dale Martin. I'd love to start with Rupke's work on Roman religion.

Election Reflections

1) The joy and hope I see in the faces of African-Americans today is nothing short of beautiful and has been utterly delightful to witness. There's no way I can understand the enormity and significance of last night in comparison to those who have suffered the injustices of slavery and discrimination. However, I am incredibly grateful that we have taken a major step in healing the racial divide that has tragically characterized this nation for the greater part of it's short history. I rejoice with those who now have new-found hope in the power of American democracy!

2) Apparently I have a LOT of rich friends! I never knew that so many people under the age of 30 were making more than 200k a year. And to think you can make that kind of money and still find time to update your Facebook status! No wonder Obama's tax policy is so maligned!!!

3) McCain's acceptance speech was well-done and brilliantly composed. It's a shame that his campaign took a decidedly negative path when Palin went rogue. 

4) There are far more ways to limit abortion than moral legislation. When we give up the Constantinian notion that our civil forefathers embodied the faith of our spiritual fathers, than we can make some headway. 

Rosson's review of Bird & Crossley

Loren Rosson recently posted a review of How Christianity Began. Here's a quote I found particularly interesting:

Bird's take is transparently confessional, going so far as to defend the virgin birth, that Jesus thought he was divine, and that he wasn't wrong about the kingdom's timetable. Crossley's rejoinder on all these points is right on the money, and as he notes, Bird's evangelical view makes him more or less obligated to argue this stuff. I was getting a very bad feeling for Bird in this chapter, but thankfully he gets better as the book goes on.

Jumping to the end, where Crossley and Bird give alternative accounts of Christianity's ultimate success, I think the former again shows more argumentative strength. Believers like to hold up what's theologically distinctive and appealing, but religions usually triumph for more mundane reasons, even accidentally. The west would have probably become Islamic if Charles Martel had lost the Battle of Tours in 732 (think how different the world would be today if a very minor battle had gone the other way). Sociological accounts of Christian origins may not be the most exciting things to read about, but Crossley is right that "Bird's near-complete reliance on ideas and individual influence is odd and outdated" (p 166)

I think, generally speaking, that Rosson's review is fair and well-done. And I think scholarly skepticism of the virgin birth is something evangelicals HAVE to learn to deal with. It's a leap of faith, and, in my humble opinion, that's exactly how it should be. Faith is faith precisely because it lacks scientific verification. I agree that religions do, to some extent and with many exceptions, rise to a degree of prominence based on historical factors such as economics, class warfare, colonialism. I think we can, and should, look at Marxist accounts when doing religious studies. That being said, I feel Rosson overstates the "gullibility," if you will, of the evangelical position. What is inherently wrong with the faith-based assumption that historical factors are so construed as to give Christianity the seedlings necessary to plant and grow? Obviously this is a Christianization of history. And, perhaps more obviously, such a statement draws ire from the academy at large. But, I personally don't find quite the dichotomy between theology & history as Rosson posits.

For the record...

It's Sally's!

Social Dissonance

Social dissonance is a term commonly used in anthropological studies to classify the phenomenon that occurs when cultural boundaries, either artificially imposed or embedded, are unnaturally transcended. For example, when a gladiator, otherwise considered a lower-class individual, gained fame in the classical world through his exploits in the arena, he could become more honored than a member of the upper-class. An equestrian of upper-class status may lack the fame, or notoriety, that one would naturally assume he would have in greater quantity than the aforementioned gladiator. In biblical studies we see this play out with the apostle Paul. If Paul was indeed a citizen of Rome, he downplays citizenship and embraces the metaphor of slavery in service of Christ. To that extent, his status as a Roman citizen is in dissonance with his lower, adopted status as a slave.

In our class discussion, we jokingly paralleled this ancient phenomenon with our current lives as poor graduate students! Think of it this way. As a graduate student you go to the local Starbucks. The average working class Joe may perceive you to be of higher status simply because you're seeking higher education. In truth, based on economic indicators, the average Joe is (probably) bringing in more money and, at least for the foreseeable future, has greater stability. Of course, fortunes can change, but the current socio-cultural comparison is askew. 

This phenomenon is something to think about when we do/discuss church composition and mission. I think we have to think about the ways we implicitly and, rather naturally, categorize people according to categories which, unfortunately, do not reveal the whole truth. As believers, we are commanded to regard all people as equals (Gal. 3.28). However, when we think about outreach and putting together small groups, it may help to think about how we are more alike in ways which we may not think about, and more different in ways we may assume. And, as Paul modeled, we should be willing to make less of ourselves than our economic successes may imply.

"The Big Sin"

Tim tagged me on this one, so here goes:

I've always harbored a dark, secret (some would say destructive) desire to engage in open-seas piracy. I know piracy has become a bit more en-vogue after Johnny Depp's performances in the Pirates movies, but for some of us, it's an "all-too real" allurement that can wreak havoc on the soul. To think of all the time I've wasted dreaming of salty air, bad rum, and cannons blasting. Sometimes when I'm alone I wear an eye-patch....

Actually, for a more serious answer, I would have to say that my greatest fear is to be overcome with greed. I think it's easy, particularly after years of graduate school, to want to divorce yourself from all the material sacrifices you've made. When others of your peer group are buying homes and decent cars, it's only natural to feel frustrated & embittered by what you lack; i.e. a small apartment and a beat up honda. And, ultimately, the pay-off is, well, not really a financial pay-off. So, it's easy to want more; financial security and independence, better stuff, and vacations! In themselves they aren't bad things, but when you inordinately desire them, the consequences can be severe.

On a side note, some guys started a Pirates club when my sister was at Carolina. I always thought it would be the coolest thing you could ever do. Imagine waking up at 6am, putting on a good pirate's garb, loading 10-deep on a small skiff, and then "attacking" the women's rowing team!

Missional Theology

Art links to David Congdon's series on missional theology. I've only skimmed the surface, but it seems well worth the time investment. 

Faith & Academy

One of the internal debates I've wrestled with over the last year is the interaction of historical-critical scholarship and practical theology. Naturally, there are about a million ways to discuss this topic. But, my question is simply this: If one is not a confessing believer, then what is his/her motivation for pursuing a doctorate & dedicating a lifetime to teaching and studying the biblical texts? I don't ask this question out of any particular frustration. In fact, as a believer, I love critical scholarship. I struggle to integrate it (thank you Kenton Sparks & Peter Enns), but I enjoy the challenges and, in the end, find them both fruitful and inspiring. I hope my motivations in pursuing doctoral work are entirely transparent both in the academy and in the church community at large. I wonder, however,  what drives an atheist or agnostic biblical scholar? It seems that, at best, each day would be an exercise in deconstruction. Honest questions.

VP debate

When you're expecting a Gomer Pyle and you end up meeting an Andy Griffith, has anything changed? 

Here's my problem with tonight's debate: The expectations were so low for Palin, she had absolutely no chance to make a bad impression. 

Golly gee!

Kind Words & an Explanation

Tim has some very kind words.  I do want to get into a blogging groove (if there is such a thing!). 

Things have been incredibly busy, but I'll make an election '08 style pledge to make some changes & get to writing!

If anyone has the time, I do suggest following Tim's links to the discussion on M. Patton's page. It's a great synopsis of the problems involved in "evangelical politics." Earlier today I had the opportunity to attend an open-forum meeting held between members of the on-campus "Politics & Faith" group & the Evangelical Fellowship. The discussion centered on this year's election. The misconceptions (by both sides) were incredible. There's a lot to think through & I urge VOTERS to embrace the tensions and work through the issues with an open mind.

Getting Worked over.

My class schedule has now been finalized (sort of!), and the end result is incredibly promising yet just a bit on the pyscho side of the scale. I've added Dale Martin's doctoral seminar on the Greco-Roman environment. For those of you that have never met Dale Martin, I highly suggest trying to at some point! The class meets once a week, and it's expected that you will not be able to be fully prepared. In his words, the premise of the course is to learn how to read everything when it's impossible to read everything! In terms of content, at some point will be reading Tacitus' writing on sperm in the ancient world. So, there you go! Dr. Martin brings an incredibly interesting and energetic approach to the table, so I think this will be a great class. For the record, he's the godfather of Bart Ehrman's kids and calls Ehrman a close friend. Should be a fantastic class!

Life Repeats Itself.

It's a beautiful semi-Fall afternoon up here in New Haven. This comes on the heels of last week's rain fest featuring my ill-conceived hour long trek to New Britain in the midst of a tropical storm! So as part of the beautiful afternoon, I decided to leave class and drive out to Starbucks for an afternoon of translation (seemingly all I do these days!). On the way over I have one of those "I've done this before moments." So, without further ado, I give you the shocking parallels:

September 1995 (I was 18 - let me emphasize that again, 18!)

1. I drove a small, red Honda CRX with a sunroof. Today I drive a small, red Honda Civic with a sunroof.
2. After class I'd throw my books in the car & rock out to Led Zeppelin before long jump practice. After class today I threw the books in the car, and the first song on the radio after I hit the highway: Over the Hills and Far Away.
3. I was a poor student applying to colleges. I'm a poor graduate student getting ready to apply for doctoral programs.
4. I spent most of my evenings working on French. I'm going nuts learning Hebrew.
5. Class consisted of my 18-yr old peers. Did I mention that my last class of the day was downtown at the main campus....with 1st year undergrads?

There you go!

Funniest line of the week.

We're sitting in a classical Greek prose class. The professor asks a few of us divinity school students to give three examples of how the optative is used independently:

Gideon (knowing I'm from DTS): Quick, get Wallace on the blackberry!

Judean(s) or Jew(s)?

One of the more controversial and popular discussions in biblical studies today is a debate about the Greek term Ioudaios. Traditionally, the term has been translated as "Jew," elastically indicating identity in terms of religious practice and belief. Thus, to call someone a "Jew" in antiquity was a means for outsiders to categorize those individuals who adhered to circumcision, abstained from pork, and (repulsively) observed the Sabbath. The important thing to note is that, when employed in this manner, the term was religiously loaded. To be a "Jew" or Ioudaios, was to be one in a religious sense, much the same way as calling someone a Baptist or Mormon would carry specific connotations today.

Recently, scholars have followed the lead of Steve Mason in his work “Jews, Judaeans, Judaizing, Judaism: Problems of Categorization in Ancient History,” Journal for the Study of Judaism 38 (2007) 457-512. Mason proposes a paradigm shift, arguing that Ioudaios should be translated as "Judean," in congruence with ethnic identity. As far as I can tell, the crux of Mason's argument is that the ancients did not understand religion as we today understand religion. The lines were not as sharp, as religious affiliation intermingled with participation in associations, cultic practice, adherence to philosophical systems (often many at a time), and the use of magic/superstition. In this sense, it was nearly impossible to identify someone(s) on the basis of religious practice alone, and it was more appropriate to identify one based on their ethnic identity as it emerged in particular geographical regions.

I'll write more on this later. Right now I'm just working out the kinks and surveying the landscape. Here's something to think about, when Paul used the term, what was he referring to?

A new semester & new beginnings

So, this is the first post from New Haven (well, technically I'm sitting in a cool town named Milford at a Bucks with a fire-place!). I'm in the new apartment - part of a small area called East Rock, which is affectionately named the grad student ghetto. Life is good, scary but good! I guess that's what you hope for when moving half way across the country. I miss good friends and familiar places, and I really miss a certain someone who decorated my everyday with her presence!

I'm particularly excited to have Adela Collins as my advisor! I want to work with a female, particularly one as accomplished in NT studies as she is. On a side note, there can not possibly be a female scholar both as sweet and intellectually fierce as Adela. She's challenged me to learn un-pointed Hebrew, Attic Greek, German, and Latin in three years. We'll see how that goes. In terms of this semester, my schedule will include:

1) Hellenistic Judaism with John Collins
2) Matthew with Adela
3) Elementary Hebrew
4) Either a doctoral seminar on the Greco-Roman World or Greek prose.

PS. New Yorkers drive like bats shot out of hell.

Blogging Hiatus, Updates, and More....

I'm not so presumptuous as to assume that anyone out there is saddened by my lack of posts over the last month! It only takes a cursory glance at the lack of comments to realize that this blog doesn't have a wide readership. But hey, it's all for fun. Or, in the words of the great M.C. Hammer, "It's all good!"

For those few and precious ones that do periodically glance in this direction, let me update you on what's going on. The lack of posts is primarily due to a lack of time. This summer has been crazy as I get things ready for the move to Connecticut in a few weeks. I've been searching for an apartment, doing the prerequisite paperwork, and picking up hours at work to make some dough before the move. Additionally, I've been grading for a summer Greek class, and more recently, beginning the packing process.

That being said, I'm really excited about the future, especially what can and should be going on at this blog. I hope to start making daily links to other blogs, particularly those with a bend toward biblical studies. Additionally, I'll be blogging heavily about the move and about my experiences at YDS (Yale Divinity School). The goal/mission of this blog is to disseminate information about my research interests. Once the fall semester gets underway, I'll be posting more of my thoughts and condensing papers and journal abstracts. Expect a heavy does of 2nd Temple Judaism, the Gospel of Matthew, and 1 Enoch. I'm trying to learn more about Greco-Roman historiography, so I'm trying to get into a class on Herodotus. It depends on how well I can catch up on Classical Greek.

I've been getting tons of questions about why I'm leaving DTS and moving toward a more ecumenical, "liberal," education. Eventually I'll start a series of posts about this, with a focus on explaining the reasons for the move and giving some insight, albeit limited, into how we as evangelicals (in the broad sense of the word) can expand our mission and think outside the box.

Hell, thy name is Texas!

So from July 14 to July 23, there is not a single drop of rain in the forecast. The lowest daily high temperature during that time will be 95! You have to go back to sometime in early May to find the last mostly cloudy day. MISERABLE!!!!

Random Observations

1)  The books I read most frequently all have coffee stains.

2) You can't beat a good dose of Spoon, Rogue Wave, and Voxtrot.

3) Robert Jewett makes some interesting observations about the socio-cultural structure of the Christian community in Rome and the implications of honor-shame rhetoric in Paul's letter to the Romans. 

4) Joba Chamberlain is going to be a great starting pitcher.

5) Beware of fundamentalists floating in the blog world.

6) Related to #5, I'm losing count of how many times I've been warned about the supposed bogeymen at YDS who apparently will devour my first born, spit in my Corn flakes, tear out the pages of my Bible, and sacrifice goats during secretive nocturnal feasts honoring Dan Brown and the Green Party.

Wow!

Just when you thought airline travel could not get any worse, apparently you'll now have to pay for complementary water. This move is attributed to the now standard "bad economy" party line. I'm just not buying. It's easy to inflate prices and contribute the reactionary adjustments to rising gas prices, consumer spending habits, and the like. However, at the end of the day a lot of these price hikes are nothing more than good ol' fashion profit seeking. 

What? Never?

Looks like Tim Donaghy is making public what many people have suspected all along. This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who's ever watched a Lakers' playoff game, or for that matter a Patriots' game (had to get that jab in!). The Lakers-Blazers series from 2000 immediately comes to mind. Talk about a scam. I promise, the Finals will go 6 or 7 games! There is no doubt about it. In a related note, the Bulls miraculously nabbed the 1st pick in the upcoming draft.

Recent happenings.

I finished up Kenton Sparks' God's Word in Human Words. I'm going to read through some of the key chapters before doing any sort of review. It's incredibly thought provoking, and I especially recommend it for those who have grown up in the more conservative evangelical traditions and find themselves dealing with questions on inerrancy, biblical criticism at large, and the challenges of modern science and epistemology. I'm quite certain the book will be bashed by those with fundamentalist leanings. However, I think Sparks merits an audience and I find his "solutions" thought provoking, healthy, and timely. I definitely echo his call for a Christianity that is intellectually robust and inquisitive, and  agree that contemporary hermeneutics need to actively engage in dialogue with both the physical and social sciences.

On another note, we watched the newest installment of Indiana Jones. I'm close to boycotting anything George Lucas does these days! That man is running wild with CGI, and it's killing his product. It's like the proverbial movie star that gets way too much plastic surgery. And, I think the guy has no conception of "target audience." Jar Jar Binks? Young Anakin? And now, the monkey scene? Anyway, there's quite a few scenes filmed on the Yale campus, which makes things somewhat stimulating...at least until the movie's genre abruptly changes!

Tobit

Who knew ad fontes could possibly be so much fun? Better yet, and I think this would be a hysterical exercise, some brave soul should try to find conceptual/literary parallels between modern fantasy works (LOTR, Harry Potter) and Second Temple Jewish literature. If you want to get nuts (love that Costanza line!), broaden out your investigation to the Talmudic literature. If you want a great starting place, trace Jewish traditions regarding the demon Asmodeus.

PS. This all stems from some study I'm doing in the book of Tobit. Hopefully, more posts will follow! The author of Tobit (AT) presumably wrote during a time of increasing Hellenization and the romance novel combines ethical exhortation & wisdom instruction to stabilize Jewish identity as external pressures challenged group cohesion. I'm interested in how the AT's focus on burying the dead (and the purpose of highlighting such a practice) is echoed in early Christian literature.

Helio Sequence

In Dallas on Friday night. They'll be playing at the Loft - tickets are $12 at the door! Should be a great show.

Making the Move

I'm working on making the switch over to WordPress! It's just taking some time to get the dang thing down, particularly hosting/posting images. So, until then, I'll keep plugging away here (however lightly).

Blogging Hiatus

I think the correct term is blogging bankruptcy, but I'll stick to the lame ol' 'just too busy" excuse! Actually, I'm working through grading two sections of Greek 2 final exams and a slew of fourth semester Greek exegetical papers, so the free time has dwindled significantly since the end of the semester. However, I've managed to read about 1/2 of Sparks' "God's Word in Human Words," and I must say that it's a great read! I'm hoping to post a series on my thoughts about the book over the next few weeks - and get back to some posts about post-colonial interpretation. I'm revving up a project on Second Temple Jewish literature, so maybe I'll get around to a little bit of that as well (just so slightly coinciding with John Collins' class next semester on Hellenistic Judaism!!!).  I mean, what else is there to do when the Yanks stink so badly? 

Summer Plans

Here are a few things I'm looking at over the summer:

• Kenton Sparks' God's Word in Human Words
• getting up to par on the Dead Sea Scrolls
• getting the feet wet in narrative criticism & intertexuality
• working through 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• reading, re-reading, and reading again the Apocrypha

So no one is blaming Cuban?

 I was listening to Dallas sports radio this afternoon, and two interesting things happened. First of all, Michael Irvin referenced the greek word for "twin" in scripture. I'm still stunned over this - anyone that listens to his show on a regular basis can probably guess why.  Later in the afternoon the subject of the Mavericks' post-season collapse was brought up. Someone questioned Cuban's responsibility in the whole affair. Since Cuban took over ownership of the club, he's managed to mishandle a talented nucleus (Nash, Finley, Nowitzki), run off a great coach in D. Nelson, and run off his successor, Avery Johnson (a coach of the year). Additionally, he's traded his best young asset in D. Harris and over-invested in Dampier. Let's not forget that now the Mavs have lost two series in a row because they lack speed at the guard position. They'll head into next year with Stackhouse and Kidd on the perimeter. Terry needs more playing time, but I'm not sure where you put the guy, and regardless, he's too reticent to shoot when he's open. Something tells me the Hornets, Suns, and Lakers are licking their chops!

Faith & globalization

YDS recently announced that Miroslav Volf will be team teaching with Tony Blair this semester in a seminar entitled "Faith & Globalization."  I'm especially interested in what the former prime minister has to say in light of his conversion to Catholicism and his ties to the Bush administration. As for professor Volf, I've heard nothing but rave reviews and eagerly await the chance to sit in a class or two.

So what did you accomplish by 19?

This story got me thinking about my own successes (or lack thereof) at 19! 

I'm reminded of what Constanza once said, "If you take everything I've ever done & put it all into one day, it's quite impressive." 

By the way, I beat Zelda by 12! Take that!

Post-colonialism

I'm hoping to start up a short series on post-colonial interpretation and its application in NT studies. There are a few issues I want to cover, starting with the validity of the whole process in light of the over-saturation of "social-scientific" criticism in the academy today. I'm not for a minimalist approach (re. Barclay), but I do think we can say with some certainty that the pendulum has indeed swung too far. I think a great launching point is with Dale Allison's early work on the historical Jesus. Allison refutes any notion of diffusion in comparing "messiahs" from agrarian cults and peasant revolutions with the Jesus of 1st-century Palestine. All questions about his methodology aside, Allison's contends that all eschatological movements have commonalities rooted in their particular socio-cultural settings. These commonalities are similar enough to make cross-cultural & spatial comparisons, not only possible, but fundamental to the task of reconstructing the historical Jesus. Allison lists these commonalities, and I think the list is a great place to jump into the problems and  pitfalls of social-scientific criticism at large and then pin-point the issues surrounding post-colonial hermeneutics.

More Peter Enns fallout

Michael F. Bird sums up some of the more recent happenings involving Peter Enns' dismissal from Westminster. I think point #3 is most interesting, and I think Michael astutely touches on the key issue in play. For the record, I haven't read Enns' book yet, though I've surfed enough to catch up on the general framework of his position. If what I've read is correct, then he appears to be asking the right questions. The reply, "God wrote as though there were no human mediation - as if writing the very words himself," (paraphrase) is most troublesome. So, where do we put the Bible in relation to Christ? Slippery slope folks!

Ignorance is bliss

Well it looks like the Big-10 & the Pac-10 get their way once again. It's amazing that two conferences can jettison the whole idea of a "plus two" format. I'm not sure why the Big-12 is so disinterested. What's strange, however, is the SEC's involvement in the process. No doubt it's the best conference out there. But, how/why do you complain when annually the winner of your championship game miraculously vaults 4-5 spots over everyone else? And why, if you're the Pac-10 & Big-10, does this not bother you more?  Oh, wait, I forgot!  The Rose Bowl pay-out is more important the legitimating the national champion. That's the NCAA for you.

Need another reason to vote Obama?

Barack playing ball with the Heels?!? Follow the link and watch the video.

Check it off as one more reason to like the guy come election time, and check it off as the inaugural post!  How's that for intersecting politics & basketball?