Antiquitopia

After all this posting about the Bible and Socialism and the election, etc., I almost forgot to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! This is, of course, the most important religious holiday of the year. ;)

Again, I'm all about the Gospel of Luke lately. And not for the reason I am using it on the blog to discuss Jesus' or Luke's economic radicalism. My reasons lie elsewhere. But, it should be little surprise that my quote of the day also derives from Luke: Being asked asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God is coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." That last bit can also be understood "in the midst of you," but I tend toward "within you." It fits, I think, the undermining of expectations. First Jesus undermines the expectation of when. It is not a when. It is not imminent. It is not in the future (or the past). Although we might say it is in the present. But neither is it a where. It is not here nor is it there. That is why I don't like "midst." I like it ...

This is still the same chapter as "part 3," but that post was getting long, so I thought I would be nice and break things up a bit. The second half of Luke 16, in fact, deals with economic issues. One might begin to think that Jesus (or Luke) is obsessed with relations between rich and poor, wealth, and, well, giving it all away. So, here is a famous story by Jesus about the rich man and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom: "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. At at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and...

Today's readings of Luke are a bit less clear. It may contravene the earlier statements by Jesus to sell everything and give to the poor, or, perhaps, the ambiguity in the passage itself may be illuminated or clarified by these earlier principles. First we begin with the story of the bad steward in Luke 16:1-13. "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that htis man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.' So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How mcuh do you owe my master?' He...

From the NYTimes : October 31, 2008 Phoenicians Left Deep Genetic Mark, Study Shows By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD The Phoenicians, enigmatic people from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, stamped their mark on maritime history, and now research has revealed that they also left a lasting genetic imprint. Scientists reported Thursday that as many as 1 in 17 men living today on the coasts of North Africa and southern Europe may have a Phoenician direct male-line ancestor. These men were found to retain identifiable genetic signatures from the nearly 1,000 years the Phoenicians were a dominant seafaring commercial power in the Mediterranean basin, until their conquest by Rome in the 2nd century B.C. The Phoenicians who founded Carthage, a great city that rivaled Rome. They introduced the alphabet to writing systems, exported cedars of Lebanon for shipbuilding and marketed the regal purple dye made from the murex shell. The name Phoenica, for their base in what is present-day Lebanon and sout...

As Exploring Our Matrix has recently noted, Hubble is back online! And has produced this image: They also have some other very amazing images. See this for example: I think the Carina Nebula is stunning. But so is this: If that is not enough for you, check out the official Hubble site here .

As I mentioned in my previous post, I administered a midterm exam today. Part of that exam was to identify a passage, who wrote it, who's speaking, and why it is significant within the work as a whole. They had to do about six of these before writing their essays. Here is one of those passages. Can you identify it? Ever do we build our households, ever do we make our nests, ever do brothers divide their inheritance, ever do feuds arise in the land. Ever the river has risen and brought us the flood, the mayfly floating on the water. On the face of the sun its countenance gazes, Then all of a sudden nothing is there! Hmm...I guess I can't put any labels on this post until someone correctly identifies the passage!

I should clarify that I think there is no single position in the Bible on economics...or anything else for that matter that I can think of off-hand. Unless ambivalence is a consistent position. Nonetheless, I was giving a midterm today and continued reading Luke while my students wrote their essays. And, again working through Luke, we this gospel's portrayal of Jesus' economic positions. Anticipating the communal living situation in Acts that I noted in my earlier post, which was made possible by everyone selling their property and giving it to the group so that everyone's needs would be met, we find this statement from Jesus: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also....

There have been a lot of misuses of the term socialist by the McCain campaign with regard to Obama. I think true socialists are appalled that people are giving the ultimately capitalist underpinnings of Obama's economic package such a lofty and advanced title! Let's take the bail-out of Wall-Street as an example. True free-market capitalists are perhaps uneasy about the GOVERNMENT intervention into the capitalist system that Wall Street represents. Socialists are uneasy about the government intervention into the CAPITALIST system that Wall Street represents. The Bail-out, in the socialist view, ultimately reaffirms the capitalist system rather than truly developing a socialist system. It is one thing to distinctly disagree with your opponent's economic policies--that is part and parcel of Presidential debate and politics--but it does not excuse fear-mongering by mislabeling (this particular label, I don't particularly see as a negative one, but a great deal of Americ...

What does politics have to do with football? Rachel Maddow of MSNBC News explains:

College tuition, of course, is still on the rise even in the midst of economic crisis. The Chronicle has a database by state or by institution type here . Note: it only gives tuition and fees and not room and board rates...which will push the price even higher. My alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, is up to $32,434. Columbia is $39,326. April DeConick's Rice is at $30,486. Ken Schenck's Indiana Wesleyan is $19,376. Harvard is at $36,173. U Penn stands at $37,526. Not far from U Penn is a small liberal arts university, Ursinus College, which happens to have a position open in NT and Early Christianity this year, is very close to these top prices: $36,910. Wash U in St. Louis is $37,248. If you can't access the site and would like to know how much a certain institution costs, just ask and I'll look it up.

As mentioned sometime before, I paint. And here is my most recent painting done for my niece, Rebekah, for the occasion of her birth a couple weeks ago--yes, I am a newly minted uncle. Unfortunately, there is a glare on this photograph, losing some of the depth of color, particularly at the bottom of the painting at the bottom of the leaves and losing some of the contrast between the blues and purples in the swirls of the night sky. The contrast, to the naked eye, is as strong as it is at the top of the painting. Moreover, the contrast of the swirling stars is also stronger to the naked eye, again being obscured by a glare unavoidable due to the lighting in my apartment. As is now appearing to become my style, the painting emphasizes secondary colors--oranges, greens, and purples--more than primary colors. In contrast to the paintings I posted earlier in the year with almost dizzyingly detailed leaves, I went with larger patterns and shapes on this one. I like how it looks on my wa...

Here's a nice quote for today from a statement attributed to John the Baptist: "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:11; RSV). John the Baptist must be a socialist, at least by John McCain's loose definition, since he wants to redistribute the wealth! In fact, Luke-Acts (the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostle were written by the same author) shows a lot of instances of communal living. See, for example, Acts 4:32-5:5: Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought hte proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' f...

Buried deep within new legislation before Congress is a provision for Bush and his cronies to exculpate themselves of any possible wrongdoing regarding detainees. In short, Bush is trying to pardon himself for war crimes (i.e., violating the Geneva Convention's prohibition of torture, which has now juridically--and correctly I think--been interpreted to apply to alleged terrorist detainees). If charges of war crimes are brought to Bush and his administration, it carries a felony charge with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death.

I just read a nice, succinct op-ed article in the NYTimes discussing the recent India shuttle launch to the moon, noting that this is the first mission to the moon by people who have regarded the moon as a god! A great moment for science; a great moment for religion. The article notes, in fact, that modern Hindus do not see much contradiction between religion and science and, moreover, are often aghast at, say, Christians in the U.S. who do. See full article as follows: October 29, 2008 Op-Ed Contributor Fly Me to the Deity By TUNKU VARADARAJAN AN unmanned spacecraft from India — that most worldly and yet otherworldly of nations — is on its way to the moon. For the first time since man and his rockets began trespassing on outer space, a vessel has gone up from a country whose people actually regard the moon as a god. The Chandrayaan (or “moon craft”) is the closest India has got to the moon since the epic Hindu sage, Narada, tried to reach it on a ladder of considerable (but insuffi...

As I mentioned yesterday (or a few days ago...I'm losing track of time!!!), I really am fascinated by the shifting electoral maps that various news outlets have been releasing, but, by far, this Op-Art one contributed to the NYTimes has to be the best one I've seen so far!

This is so sad...yet so funny! Looks like Biden has competition for being the worst gaffer!

Ok...so I appropriated this from James McGrath's blog, Exploring Our Matrix, but I thought it was funny enough to duplicate. Here's Friedrich Nietsche's attack ad on Kant: Here's Kierkegaard's attack ad on Kant and Nietsche...if only we had a three-party system! And if you are unsure about which to choose, just see how well they play soccer:

This comes from last night's Colbert Report: So, I guess the lesson is...the McCain campaign is not elitist; it is merely condescending.

Unfortunately, I know exactly what they're talking about!

I am about to teach Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War , and the following excerpt caught my eye concerning general approaches to new, complex crises: And it is just as true in politics as it is in any art or craft: new methods must drivfe out old ones. When a city can live in peace and quiet, no doubt the old-established ways are best: but when one is constantly being faced by new problems, one has also to be capable of approaching them in an original way. (1.71; trans. Rex Warner)

Sometimes considered one of the greatest living historians, Eric Hobsbawm, whose perspective is decidedly Marxist, has weighed in on the current economic crisis with his perspicacious perspective in the following audioclip from the BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7677000/7677683.stm I stumbled upon this clip from a posting by Adam Becker, scholar of early Christianity from NYU. His comment on the audioclip was "schadenfreude."

For today, one text I'm toying with for the New Testament Mysticism Seminar: When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. (Luke 9:51-6; RSV) I don't know how many times I must have just read over this passage without stopping to realize that James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Sons of "Thunder"), say that they can bring down fire from heaven..."just as Elijah did" (as the most common ancient variant on this passage says). In the synoptic tradition, this passage has NO parallel. Later variants and commentators, such as Tertullian, sub...

I just saw this on Jim Davila's site, Paleojudaica , and had to see the fresco and the archaeological discussion for myself here . Evidently there is a fresco found in the House of the Physician at Pompeii of the famous scene from the Bible in which two women come to Solomon, each claiming that a particular baby is hers. Solomon decides the case by ordering the baby to be cut in half and for each woman to take a half. The false mother is ok with this. But the true mother cries out that she would rather let the other woman take the baby than for it to die. In the fresco in the lower left-hand corner are two figures. Theodore Feder, the author of the article, claims that these two figures are Socrates and Aristotle. Therefore, we would see a fusion of ancient wisdom, between Hebrew and Greek, the most famous Greek philosophers and the most famous wise king of Israel. The fresco is now at the Museo Nazionale in Napoli (Naples). Who commissioned this fresco? Probably not early Ch...

As I am faced with writing my papers for this year's SBL meeting in Boston, I wonder to myself: "Is the academic conference a completely outdated institution?" Indeed, what are its benefits in this day and age and its pitfalls? Academic conferences, at least the sessions, have to be one of the most boring things I sit through in the year. The parties in the evenings, however, seem to me to be where the true action is. That is where, one on one, you can meet people in your field, both senior and new scholars, explain your research to someone, get some immediate thoughts, and then grab a bite or a drink. But, here are a series of issues: 1. Learning: Is the academic conference really a place where we learn new things? How many new things do you really learn (and remember!) from listening to talk after talk after talk? Not much, I would guess. How much feedback to the presenter really receive? In a panel of three or four speakers, perhaps you will receive one or t...

If you have not read it, Tony Burke of York University has an excellent paper in the current SBL Forum comparing the techniques of ancient heresiologists and the modern ones. I highly recommend it for reading. The following about Ben Witherington III especially caught my attention: Confusing scholarly interest in a body of literature with religious belief, he is perplexed at why the "new school" scholars wish to study Gnostic texts at all. "None of them are actually ascetics like the original Gnostics," he writes, "nor have they withdrawn from the world and anathematized the goodness of things material. Frankly, the Old Gnostics would have repudiated the new ones."[28] And finally, Witherington may rival Epiphanius—the heresy hunter who "has no equal in the history of heresiology for the art of insulting"[29]—in his demonization of the new school when he writes, "these scholars, though bright and sincere, are not merely wrong; they are mi...

It isn't often that you find a newspaper article written in Latin, but Maureen Dowd, with the help of Gary Farney, associate professor at Rutgers, has written about the issues of the current state of the U.S., particularly the campaigning, in LATIN!!! I am going to quote in full for all to see, but here is the link anyway. October 12, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist Are We Rome? Tu Betchus! By MAUREEN DOWD With modernity crumbling, our thoughts turn to antiquity. The decline and fall of the American Empire echoes the experience of the Romans, who also tumbled into the trap of becoming overleveraged empire hussies. As our sand-castle economy washes away under the tide of bad gambles and debts, this most self-indulgent society lurches toward stoicism (even bankrupt Iceland gives us the cold shoulder and turns to a solvent superpower). It’s going to require more than giving up constant infusions of stocks, Starbucks and Botox. As Seneca, the Roman Stoic who advised treating the body “somewhat st...

If there is any ancient reflection on the dangers, or perhaps terrors, of knowledge, particularly self-knowledge, self-realization, it would have to be Sophocles' Oedipus the King . On my reading, the true tragedy of the play is not that Oedipus killed his father and married his mother (both unknowingly), but the tragedy is gaining knowledge of this, realizing he is who he is. Whereas, if he did not seek out this knowledge, presumably he could have lived out his life in ignorant bliss. Thus, Teiresias, although verbally abused by Oedipus, at first protects Oedipus from this self-knowledge with a reflection on the brutality and horror that can come from wisdom: Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise! This I knew well, but had forgotten it, else I would not have come here. (Oedipus the King 316-9; trans. David Grene) In fact, many people in Thebes already know who Oedipus is, know his true origins, but refuse to tell him. In addition to Te...

In case people are interested, I have recently added different online newspapers on the right-hand link lists, including German and French language newspapers--partly for me to keep my languages up, but also because it is always good to get multiple perspectives on world events.

Picking another passage from Aeschylus' triology, the Oresteia , today's quote comes from the second play, the Libation Bearers . For overall background, see my earlier post . This is just a line sung by the chorus that stopped me in my tracks: The gods' concerns are what concern only the gods. ( Libation Bearers 780; trans. Lattimore) What? Does this mean that the gods are only concerned with themselves? They do not genuinely care about human concerns? They're just looking out for themselves, and humans should do likewise; humans should sort things out themselves and gods should leave them alone. Or do the gods' concerns involve human issues, but humans are not overly concerned about them (but perhaps should be)?

This rather short article was forwarded to me by my mother. It discusses that, through satellite imaging, one can see the outlines of an ancient city about 7 miles north of Venice near Marco Polo Airport. Plans to excavate are underway by the Universities of Padua and Venice. Here is an excerpt: Using satellite imaging, the outlines of the ruins can be clearly seen about three feet below the earth in what is now open countryside. The discovery of the extensive town was found at Altino, known in Roman times as Altinum, more than seven miles north of Venice, and close to Marco Polo airport. The ruins include streets, palaces, temples, squares and theatres, as well as a large amphitheatre and canals, showing Altinum was once a wealthy and thriving city.

I am about to teach Aeschylus' trilogy, the Oresteia , which is actually the only tragic trilogy proper that has survived from antiquity. The basic story is that Agamemnon, on his way to Troy, sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, in order to assuage the anger of Artemis, who, along with her brother Apollo, favored the Trojans. In response, when he returned home ten years later, his wife Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, murdered him. Yet, in response to that, Orestes, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon avenged his father's death by killing his mother. In turn, the Furies, who punished those who killed a blood relative, sought to punish Orestes. In the end, Orestes lands in Athens as he runs from the Furies. There, Athena, in a new form of justice, decides the case by a judicial court. So, we move from archaic "eye for an eye" justice to new judicial systems represented by the emergent democratic city-state. The Chorus, in the "Agememnon," the first o...

I have a feeling I will be posting on Ph.D. Comics more often...perhaps a comic of the day along with the more studious quote of the day. Anyway, here is a comic that caught my eye: Umm...I know a few full professors like that...always into their new gadgets!

I sometimes wonder if candidates exaggerate, mischaracterize, etc., assuming that most people will not double-check their facts. So, let's double-check! There are some general fact-checking organizations out there to check out, but here is also the NYTimes checker. You can read it along with the transcript of last night's debate and alongside streaming video of the debate itself. All right here . It also refers to some of the other non-partisan fact-checking groups.

Repeatedly tonight in the second Presidential debate, John McCain said we need a "steady hand at the tiller." So, I guess that means Obama is the better candidate based upon McCain's own statement, since, as far as I can tell, McCain has been much more unstable in recent weeks. I got the distinct impression that this was a debate for the Presidency of fantasy land...since it didn't really match realities on the ground, but I did feel that Obama approached reality more often than McCain did. To be fair, though, all groups and especially national identities are somewhat imaginary...so the America they were talking about (the one that is the greatest nation in the world, and so on and so forth) exists in imagination. Imagination is important! The "idea" of what America is is a two-edged sword, however. The image of America is something that has suffered in the world, it makes it dangerous for US travelers to other places, and it makes it difficult in diplomatic...

I have just added to my sidebar a link to Ph.D. Comics . It is an online comic strip based upon the wacky world of doctoral graduate students! Here is a recent one on being a TA:

In my class we are reading the kaleidoscopic multicultural literary monument of Herodotus' Histories . I personally really like Herodotus. While he often exoticizes the people he discusses, he breaks down any Helleno-centrism, undercuts difference at the same time he constructs it. He gives a message that not only should one respect one's own customs, religious or otherwise, but one must always respect others' as well. If not, then bad things will happen to you! So, in Book 3, Cambyses, the Persian King, takes over Egypt and does things that are sacrilegious to the EGYPTIANS, but would be perfectly normal in Greece, namely, burning the dead ( Histories 3.16). He forces Greeks to think about basing what is acceptable and unacceptable upon local norms rather than their own (a lesson Odysseus learns the hard way). In fact, he notes that while the Greeks may think their customs are the best, so does everyone else! So, in that respect, Herodotus undercuts any sense of cu...

The Times reports that some Dead Sea Scroll fragments are at the Jewish Museum until January 4. See article here . Moreover, Jim Davila has some notes of caution against some of the language used in the article against Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship here . Anyone who lives in NYC (like myself) or will be visiting between now and then should pop in a take a peek. Go see these six encased bits of ancient text at the Jewish Museum ’s new exhibition, “The Dead Sea Scrolls: Mysteries of the Ancient World,” before it closes on Jan. 4. Go, but not because these scraps are themselves new to our understanding. Though these six “scrolls” have never been seen in New York before, and though three have never before been exhibited anywhere, the literature about these findings has become as voluminous and familiar as the texts are gnomic and condensed. NOTE: In an earlier version of this post, I mistakenly said the Jewish Museum was in Brooklyn. It is in Manhattan at Fifth Avenue and 92nd St. I apol...

According to the New York Times, interest in the study of Latin among Middle and High School students is on the rise all across the U.S. The reason? It seems that the use of Latin in the spells of Harry Potter books has planted a seed of interest! See the entire article here . Knowing Latin might also help you if you're ever caught in the following situation:

Ken Schenck, professor of New Testament and Philosophy at Indiana Wesleyan University and a scholar also fascinated with the Epistle to the Hebrews, posted this video on YouTube and on his own blog, Quadrilateral Thoughts , and I thought I would help disseminate it. Indiana Wesleyan is a much more conservative counterpart to my alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan, which definitely leans left (and that's an understatement). As he notes on his site, he liked McCain a lot in the past (and perhaps still), but he does not like McCain's more recent choices and actions and does not think he will make a good President, something the following video makes very clear. He also notes that his position is not necessarily representative of his institution. Theater, in many ways, captures issues better than dry analysis. I'm not sure if this is comedy or tragedy, however. Perhaps ultimately comedy and tragedy collapse into one another. (I'm thinking about this because I am about to tea...

Churches and religious organizations from all points of view often endorse one candidate or party over another. My earlier post on Catholics and Dems versus Reps makes illustrates this point within a particular tradition. But what does this say about the variegated philosophies of what separation between church and state actually means? Are they completely separate spheres, one caring for the soul and the other for the body, as the Lockean perspective suggests? Or, are things more complicated than that? Indeed, the Lockean perspective applies only if one thinks of religion as a completely private thing, but anyone who studies religion realizes this ultimately derives from a particular perspective of Christian Protestant belief, whereas other Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Daoists, Taoists, etc., may disagree, saying that their "religion" encompasses an entire way of life, both private and public. Whether we find evangelical groups supp...

In the NY Times today there is an article of the internal divisions among Catholics regarding political parties. Which party, Democrat or Republican, best represents the full panoply of teachings of the Catholic Church? The debate comes down to respect for human life. Conservative Catholics, most prominently Catholic bishops, have focused on the issue of abortion, equating abortion with homicide, saying that "liberals" who say they are for social justice are ironically endorsing homicide. In Scranton, Pa., every Catholic attending Mass this weekend will hear a special homily about next month’s election: Bishop Joseph Martino has ordered every priest in the diocese to read a letter warning that voting for a supporter of abortion rights amounts to endorsing “homicide.” This, of course, leaves only Republican candidates eligible for voting according to these conservative bishops. I am largely annoyed by politicking from the pulpit. But all sides actually do it. The other si...

I have recently heard that there is actually an election / debate drinking game. I can't remember all of the rules, but I do remember one of the rules was that people had to take a drink every time the word "maverick" was said during a debate. I bet these people were sauced last night! I just googled it, and evidently this was quite widespread, with many different groups developing drinking games for the Vice Presidential Debate in particular. See this page from ABC News .

I just watched this clip posted by James McGrath at Exploring Our Matrix , but I thought it raised some really important issues, and, therefore, should be reposted by any readers I may have that he does not (although he attracts far more readers than I do). I might take issue with the unexamined overuse of the term "fundamentalist," although I was happy for the note that you can find Pentecostals throughout the spectrum of social and political issues--they are not just "fundamentalists" and the religious right. What clip failed to note, however, is that the Assemblies of God, which as a whole is quite conservative (although you will find more left-leaning folk at least among the laity here and there) is (or at least it used to be) the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. It is a somewhat decentralized denomination (technically it is called a "cooperative fellowship"), but its decentralization creates a degree of flexibility that, in fact, works t...

One of the things I have been teaching my students this semester is to pay very close attention to the details of the text, how the details of a text can question, invert, and toy with broader themes. I especially force them to pay attention to repetitions and what is added and taken out, for example when Achilleus tells his mother Thetis about his interactions with Agamemnon? It appears highly repetitive, but when you look closely, he alters certain words to give different nuances, and he adds a little and omits a lot. We did the same with Persephone's personal account of her abduction by Hades and the narrative point of view of the same event. Both cases are children recounting events to their mothers, and manipulating their speech for different ends. In some ways, they may be playing a part, a role, in order to tell the other person what they want to hear or in order to get what one wants. Both Achilleus and Persephone did this. What's this have to do with politics? (...

I am watching the Vice Presidential Debate right now. Just so Sarah Palin (and, by the way, George W. Bush) knows, you do not pronounce the word "nuclear" as "nucular." First say "nu." Then "cle." And finally "ar." "Nuclear." I just heard Joe Biden say it correctly. Do it the way he does.

Ok...so I doubt it was used for coffee, but that is how I use cups that look like this. So, some people appear to be interested in this new find off the coast of Alexandria in an area that had fallen into the Mediterranean Sea. Underwater archaeological search has found many interesting finds in the area of Alexandria that has slid into the sea. This find is a fairly well-preserved cup that dates sometime between the second century BCE and the first century CE. April Deconick has recently posted on it at Forbidden Gospels here . She has further links to others' posts there. The cup says "diachrestou ogoistais." The "e" in the "diachrestou" is an "eta." One issue is how to divide the words. The first side is pretty easy: "dia chrestou." The second side is not so sure. But I tend to think it is "o goistais." Other word divisions are definitely possible, but I am not sure at the moment what they would be. The reason, now, t...

Here is a little morsel that we discussed in my class, Literature Humanities: I would disapprove of another hospitable man who was excessive in friendship, as of one excessive in hate. In all things balance is better. (Odyssey 15.69-71; Trans. Lattimore) This statement is made by Menelaos to Telemachos. My students know why I think this statement concerning hospitality or guest-friendship or xenia is significant. Xenia, or guest-friendship, was an extraordinarily important custom and ancient Greece and in the ancient Mediterranean and ancient Near East as a whole. It would have been especially important for itinerant bards who would rely very heavily on the institution. It follows certain procedures. Usually, when a stranger comes, the host will give them food and drink, perhaps a bath, perhaps a bed to sleep on, and then and only then will they ask who they are, where they come from, etc. In the end, if they are social equals, or both people of high rank, they will exchange gif...