Antiquitopia

St. Augustine has an interesting reflection on his "wicked" acts in his youth: I had no motive for my wickedness except for wickedness itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved the self-destruction, I loved my fall, not the objecto for which I had fallen but my fall itself. My depraved soul leaped down from your firmament to ruin. I was seeking not to gain anything by shameful means, but shame for its own sake. (Augustine, Confessions 2.4(9); trans. Henry Chadwick). What was Augustine's great depravity in his soul? What great sin had he committed for the sake of wickedness and shame itself? A fall that he enjoyed not for the end, but for the fall itself? He stole a pear. Can you think of a more wicked and evil act? (An extra note: sadly, the translator of these lines, Henry Chadwick, died last year. He will be sorely missed.)

"They can dress me up as they please," said Sancho. "Whatever clothes they put me in I'll still be Sancho Panza." (Cervantes, Don Quixote II, XLII; trans. John Rutherford) I like Sancho. He says some ridiculous things, mixes his proverbs up, and, at times, comes out as extraordinarily profound without realizing it. He reminds me of another sidekick character of Samwise or Sam in the Lord of the Rings : loyal, naive, folksy, and occasionally profound. Sancho, here, says that not matter how he is dressed up, as a peasant or as a governor, he will still be himself. The dress, in fact, reflects such stations or classes in life. One's station is like clothing: it can come and go and change, but the self endures and remains. It is almost Platonic, but clothed in everyday situations.

Picture a space at the heart of the world, between the earth, the sea and teh sky, on the frontiers of all three parts of the universe. Here there are eyes for whatever goes on, no matter how distant; and here there are ears whose hollows no voice can fail to penetrate. This is the kingdom of Rumour, who chose to live on a mountain, with numberless entrances into her house and a thousand additional holes, though none of her thresholds are barred with a gate or a door. Open by night and by day, constructed entirely of sounding brass, the whole place hums and echoes, repeating whatever it hears. Not one of the rooms is silent or quiet, but none is disturbed by shouting. The noise is merely a murmuring babble, low like the waves of the sea which you hear from afar, or the last faint rumble of thunder, when storm-black clouds have clashed in the sky. The hall is filled by a crowd which is constantly coming and going, a flimsy throng of a thousand rumours, true and fictitious, wandering f...

Huh? Penguins? In China? From Weird News at About.com: Who says China isn't a bastion for Civil Liberties? At least their gay penguins can marry. Two besotted male birds at China's Polarland wildlife park have just waddled down the isle to icy nuptial bliss. And, of course, both partners wore tuxedoes. But like any marriage, behind the live music, revelry and sumptuous servings of herring, there lurked adversity. I'm not just talking about cold feet. Both grooms are, after all, South Pole natives. As Britain's Sun reported, zookeepers once tried to isolate the gay lovebirds because they were stealing heterosexual couples' eggs for their own nest. Finally, officials let them to care for eggs rejected by other mothers. The gays are now considered the zoo's best penguin parents. As a newlywed myself, I say to them, "L'Chaim!" I call on gay zoo animals of the world to take the plunge. You don't need an opposable thumb to tie this kind of knot! .....

If you are a vegetarian or kosher, this is not for you. This is about bacon, and more bacon, lots and lots of bacon...and some sausage. I am speaking of a recipe posted on a blog that is getting so many hits on the web, that the NYTimes took notice . It is the Bacon Explosion . Please take a look, write down the recipe, and then, if I am coming over, try the recipe out. ;) All I can say is it looks absolutely beautiful, and it is making me hungry. Mmmmmmmm.....baaaaacooooon.

I have to say, I have never even thought of that question before Rebecca Lesses brought attention to this political ad by the Israeli Green Leaf Party whose primary platform is the legalization of marijuana. They are trying to garner support for this platform through Holocaust survivors: Weird!

I just stumbled onto a University of Texas site, Dante's World . It is very cool. You can enter either the Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso. Every few cantos have options to view famous artistic renderings of those scenes, such as those by Blake. It also gives key images, explains some lines, gives an audio line or two in Italian, and offers study questions. All in all, a worthwhile site, even for the artistic renderings alone!

One of America's most gifted writers, one who made the ordinary shine, died today. I just saw an interview he gave to Charlie Rose not too long ago. Here is NYTime's Obituary . January 28, 2009 John Updike, a Lyrical Writer of the Ordinary, Is Dead at 76 By CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit Angstrom novels highlighted so vast and protean a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism as to place him in the first rank of among American men of letters, died on Tuesday. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Farms, Mass. .... Of Mr. Updike’s 61 books, perhaps none captured the imagination of the book-reading public as those about ordinary citizens in small-town and urban settings. His best-known protagonist, Harry (Rabbit) Angstrom, first appears as a former high-school basketball star trapped in a loveless marriage and a sales job he hates. Through the four novels whose titles bear his nickname — “Rabbit, Run,” “Rabbit Re...

Most people probably realize by now that President Obama gave his first televised interview as President to a major Arabic television network, Al Arabiya. Here is an article from NYTimes : January 28, 2009 Obama Signals New Tone in Relations With Islamic World By ALAN COWELL PARIS — In an interview with one of the Middle East’s major broadcasters, President Barack Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward the Islamic world, saying he wanted to persuade Muslims that “the Americans are not your enemy.” He also said “the moment is ripe” for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The interview with Al Arabiya, an Arabic-language news channel based in Dubai, signaled a shift — in style and manner at least — from the Bush administration, offering what he depicted as a new readiness to listen rather than dictate. It was Mr. Obama’s first televised interview from the White House and the first with any foreign news outlet. In a transcript published on Al Arabiya’s English language Web si...

I recently discussed or really just brought attention to the Smith-Scholem correspondence discussed in the Nation, in which Guy Stroumsa thinks there is proof that Morton Smith could not have forged Secret Mark. Peter Jeffrey, I believe from the department of music at Princeton (correct me if I'm wrong), wrote a book on Secret Mark called The Secret Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery . He obviously thinks Smith did forge it. He has posted a whole slew of reactions to his book here .

I recently commented on the reinstatement of a Holocaust- (and 9/11-) denying bishop by the Vatican. Now the Vatican has issued a statement that says that the reinstatement does not mean that it agrees with the bishop's views. For text and commentary, see Rebecca Lesses at Mystical Politics .

A depressing article from the NYTimes : January 27, 2009 Data Show College Endowments Loss is Worst Drop Since ’70s By KATIE ZEZIMA The value of university endowments fell about 23 percent on average in the five months ended Nov. 30, according to two newly released reports. The steep declines are forcing colleges and universities across the country to contemplate wage freezes, layoffs and a halt to construction projects. The drop found by the reports is the biggest in the value of college and university endowments since the mid-1970s, said John S. Griswold Jr., executive director of the Commonfund Institute, which manages money for educational institutions and other nonprofits. “It’s been very sudden in some ways,” Mr. Griswold said. “There were people predicting the decline a year ago or more, but I don’t think anyone could claim to see the extent of this. These are unprecedented numbers.” The reports, prepared by the Commonfund Institute and the National Association of College and Un...

Sententiae et Clamores draws attention that last week was Poe's 200th birthday. I am sorry I missed it. He posts a nice clip that I will repeat here of Christopher Walken reading the Raven: Although I am a big fan of this version by the Simpsons, as read by James Earl Jones: Unfortunately, the picture and sound aren't seeming to sync up on the Simpsons version.

I have been reading Amy-Jill Levine's, The Misunderstood Jew , and toward the end where she gives some ideas of Jewish-Christian dialogue, she talks about public prayer. I thought it would be appropriate given the recent discussions of prayer, especially Rick Warren's prayer , at Obama's inauguration : A similar situation prevails with public prayer. Some Christian ministers resort to a watered-down, generic invocation that satisfies few. Some insist on praying in the "name of Jesus," which prevents Jews and other non-Christians from saying "Amen." Atheists are ignored in any case. More cynical biblical readers, finding dissatisfactory public prayer from high-school students gathered around flagpoles to senators representing the American people in Washington, might cite the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus states: "Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners [and arou...

It seems the Vatican is making a lot of news waves lately. The Pope's baffling and absurd statements about homosexuality about a month ago, and then the Pope establishing his own channel on YouTube to control his image yesterday. Then there are two recent stories relating to Judaism and the Vatican. One relating to antiquity and medieval issues and the other much more modern; the first regarding the many Hebrew manuscripts the Vatican houses and preserves, and the other, the Holocaust or the Shoah. Let's take the MSS first: Vatican catalogs its Hebrew manuscripts January 21, 2009 ROME (JTA) -- With the help of Israeli scholars, the Vatican has published a catalog of the Hebrew manuscripts kept in its library. Publication of the work, a Vatican communique said, "represents a significant example of co-operation between the cultural institutions of the Holy See and of Israel." The book, edited by the technical staff of the National Library of Israel, will be formally ...

According to Newsweek , the Pope is following in Barack Obama's footsteps and is launching his own channel on YouTube. B16 is entering the digital world...a world without boundaries. It has actually proven effective for a great deal of people: politicians and religious leaders. Evangelicals love YouTube--decentralized information networks as a means to disseminate their religious views, a tool of proselytization. But, ironically, it is also a tool of control: The Vatican said it was launching the channel to broaden Benedict's audience while also giving the Holy See better control over the papal image online. Why do they need to control his image? You might think they need to do spin control on the Papal or Vatican positions and how they are taken by the rest of the world: on birth control, homosexuality, etc. But they mean this quite literally: the actual visual image of the pope: "It's undeniable that certain images are already circulating," Celli said. Wh...

Yay! Madlibs for Ph.D.s!

From Newsweek : Erasing Bush With a call for 'relentless' diplomacy, Hillary further obliterates W's legacy. Michael Hirsh Newsweek Web Exclusive After Inauguration Day, departed presidents usually become footnotes pretty quickly. What we are witnessing now is far more dramatic. It's closer to a liquidation, or a cauterization. George W. Bush is being turned into an unperson, like a character out of Orwell. It's been only two days, and there is scarcely a trace of not only his personal presence, but of his policies. Or at least that is the impression Barack Obama would like to convey. The process of erasing the last eight years from American history began with President Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday. Between condemning torture and expressing a willingness to talk with enemies, the new president began eliminating Bush even as the former president sat listening behind him. Then, on his first work day, Obama signed executive orders reversing the Bush adminis...

Jim Davila has posted on a new novel with an Aramaic inscription on a bracelet as its scarlet thread. The inscription, when finally translated, says, "Good works do. Kind and loving be. Joy in pleasure seek. ... These are the threads of life full filled." But Jim Davila directs our attention to two much better, conjoined mottos spoken by those great philosopher poets, Bill & Ted: Be excellent to each other. And... Party on, dudes! Amen

My friend Liam at Sententiae et Clamores has some good pictures of Obama action figures. One action figure is more of a karate-style figure with two swords. The other is a Luke Skywalker type, fighting it out with Vader. As he says, "Why not?"

At SBL, some noted that they would never recognize me by my picture on my blog--at the time I had a picture looking practically up my nose into the oculus in Rome's Pantheon. In response, I put up a picture that had absolutely nothing to do with my visage. But now, I have given in and put up a picture of me from November, partly because I have had a shave and a haircut since then and so no longer completely look the same. So, look right on the sidebar and see me with a great look of confidence.

One of the things I have emphasized as one of the major common threads in ancient literature is the power of speech. Words are strange things, and their power is highly ambivalent. They can build up or tear down. They can deceive or enlighten. They can find great resource in ambiguity and double-speak. People can manipulate speech and manipulate by speech for a multitude of ends, whether positive or negative (or even determine what is positive or negative). One type of speech among these is the speech-act. The speech-act emphasizes that speech DOES something. In particular, speech can be tranformative. Often, or in fact usually, this speech-act is highly formulaic, the formulae based upon particular social developments or contexts. The transformative speech-act based upon formulae is recognized in so-called "magic." In this case, for the speech--the spell--to have effect, to have efficacy, it must be said just right. Again, its power is ambivalent--such a speech-a...

And so it went through all of Latium; and when the Trojan hero has seen this, he wavers on a giant tide of troubles; his racing mind is split; it shifts here, there, and rushes on to many different plans, turning to everything; even as when the quivering light of water in bronze basins reflected from the sun or from the moon's glittering image glides across all things and now darts skyward, strikes the roof's high ceiling. (Virgil, Aeneid 8.22-32; trans. Mandelbaum) This is one of my favorite similes in the Aeneid .

The NYTimes reports largely positive responses from around the world, as people throughout the globe hope that this change in power will mean a major shift in U.S.-Foreign Relations, particularly toward a more diplomatic (rather than shoot 'em down) approach. Other responses have been a bit more subtle, such as China censoring the parts of Obama's speech in which he referred to Fascism and Communism as ideologies defeated not just by missiles and tanks, but by enduring convictions. They did not just object to being considered a defeated ideology, but lumping Communism with the much-reviled Fascism. At the same time, there is skepticism about the Obama policy toward the middle east--basically with the historical situation that no matter who is in office the U.S. policy never really changes much--these were sentiments expressed in Lebanon and Egypt. Even in such skepticism, however, hope mixes with doubt . Europeans seem more optimistic, excepting Putin, who sees positive sig...

NYTimes has a transcription of Obama's inaugural address along with crowd responses (chants, applause). I did not envy Elizabeth Alexander who had to speak after Obama--he's a difficult act to follow. Here was my favorite part: At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it." America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upo...

Since I blogged about the controversy that had surrounded the choice of Rick Warren giving the inaugural invocation, I guess I should comment on the actual prayer. First, the controversy surrounded having someone who gave some rather ridiculous comparisons to gay marriage (like comparing it to pedophilia). Then the issue was whether or not he would mention Jesus or not. Would he represent his particular brand of religiosity, or in an event for all Americans represent all Americans. On that issue, I came down on the side that the most "American" thing to do is just be yourself and not try to water things down to vague generalities. If it were a Hindu giving the invocation, I would expect an invocation of Vishnu, Siva, or whatever god or goddess to which that particular person was devoted. If an imam, I would expect something on Allah. And so on... One objection was what would happen if Warren completed the prayer by "in Jesus' name we pray," in which the ...

I thought this might be appropriate for inauguration day: Though this equality is only implicit in teh earthly city it permits us to understand interdependence, which essentially defines social life in the worldly community. This interdependence shows in the mutual give and take in which people live together. The attitude of individuals toward each other is characterized here by belief ( credere ), as distinguished from all real or potential knowledge. We comprehend all history, that is, all human and temporal acts, by believing--which means by trusting, but never by understanding ( intelligere ). This belief in the other is the belief that he will prove himself in our common future. Every earthly city depends upon this proof. Yet this belief that arises from our mutual interdependence precedes any possible proof. The continued existence of humankind does not rest on the proof. Rather, it rests on necessary belief, without which social life would become impossible. (Hannah Are...

I grew up playing Super Mario Bros., and so found this particular rendition very intriguing. Mario with Communist edge: Based upon the moustache, I'm guessing Mario is Stalin. Perhaps they could do a Lenin Luigi.

It has been snowing in Manhattan for the past couple of days. Today had the nicest looking fall with fat snowflakes. Liam at Sententiae et Clamores has some nice pictures . And, for fun, you can make your own snowflakes and then rotate them here .

Back in August , I discussed the book, The Last Professors, by Frank Donoghue. Now Stanley Fish discusses it in the NYTimes . He ultimately shares Donoghue's basic pessimistic outlook for the humanities and the future of the liberal arts and the university as a whole. Donoghue, by the way, is a former student of Fish's.

"Christina's World" "Daydream" I was saddened to hear of the death of Andrew Wyeth today . You can recognize his work most easily by his use of egg tempera in largely landscape paintings that show a great calmness in skill. By Jon Hurdle PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Renowned American artist Andrew Wyeth, famous for landscapes of his native Pennsylvania and Maine, died on Friday, according to a spokeswoman for the Brandywine River Museum near his home. Wyeth, who was 91, died in his sleep early in the morning, surrounded by his family and friends, after a brief illness, the museum said in a statement. He is best known for "Christina's World" (1948), in which a disabled woman appears to be striving to cross a largely empty landscape. It was painted, like many of his other works, in egg tempera, a technique that he said forced him to slow down the execution of a painting. Wyeth, one of the best-known American painters, drew international recognition duri...

SOCRATES: On the other hand, Polus, my opinion is that the wicked man and the doer of wicked acts is miserable in any case, but more miserable if he does not pay the penalty and suffer punishment for his crimes, and less miserable if he does pay the penalty and suffer punishment in this world and the next. (Plato, Gorgias 472; trans. Walter Hamilton) How did Plato know the premise to Dostoesvky's Crime and Punishment ?

During my insomnia last night, I picked up, as I usually do when I cannot sleep, some ancient philosophy--it works rather well as an antidote. Last night I picked up Plato's Gorgias , mainly because it is short. Socrates interrogates Gorgias and his colleague Polus about who they are and the nature of what they do--they are orators. In the process he begins to discuss the nature of justice (because he sees oratory as a "knack" or irrational component that opposes justice--justice being a great good because it heals the soul, since the soul is responsible for behavior. Its literary or even philosophical quality is not on par with Plato's other works in my humble opinion. The dialogue is often awkward and the arguments occasionally seem forced. But it has some redeeming qualities. One is an objection I have heard from my students concerning Socrates is that Socrates always gets to question in the elenchus process and never submits to similar questioning. But in ...

I just stumbled on a site that illustrates the Bible using "bricks" or really legos. My favorite part, though, is the content warning! - CONTENT NOTICE - The Bible contains material some may consider morally objectionable and/or inappropriate for children. These labels identify stories containing: N = nudity S = sexual content V = violence C = cursing There are many many illustrations for each story. It is quite detailed. I thought the Tower of Babel looked pretty cool. I do wonder about "nudity" with legos, though! Perhaps check out Gen. 6:1-6 for that one.

I got this from a fun site of useful Latin phrases: Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant! May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy! And I couldn't resist this one: Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me? Have a happy Latin day!

I just stumbled on this site for the Bible and leading translations. The site appears quite useful. You can read a text in parallel translations, although I didn't see the rather standard RSV or NRSV. You can read at least Hebrew Bible texts in parallel form in Hebrew, Paleo-Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. The Hebrew includes the BHS, the Leningrad Codex, the Aleppo Codex, and then Paleo texts (although you need to have the font to access those). You can also read in parallel Spanish, French, German, and Chinese translations--each, again, with multiple translations in each language. There are many many many more translations available. Just see this page for Gen. 1:1. The site also includes Strong's Concordance, commentaries that evince more of a Protestant, perhaps Evangelical, perspective. It contains cross-references (like the ones you find in the margins of many bibles), but with full verse quotatoins rather than just citations. There are also atlases, seemingly relevant pi...

The NYTimes Magazine has an extensive article on a figure I had never heard of before, but who seems to be making quite a bit of shock waves throughout the evangelical world: Mark Driscoll, who has been dubbed the "cussing pastor." Mixing a certain aspects of contemporary culture, including much of its crudeness, Driscoll espouses a very conservative, stringent Calvinist theology: January 11, 2009 Who Would Jesus Smack Down? By MOLLY WORTHEN Mark Driscoll’s sermons are mostly too racy to post on GodTube, the evangelical Christian “family friendly” video-posting Web site. With titles like “Biblical Oral Sex” and “Pleasuring Your Spouse,” his clips do not stand a chance against the site’s content filters. No matter: YouTube is where Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, would rather be. Unsuspecting sinners who type in popular keywords may suddenly find themselves face to face with a husky-voiced preacher in a black skateboarder’s jacket and skull T-shirt. An “...

Today many people have posted on the new list of the top 100 Theology blogs for online Christian colleges and universities--which, alas, I did not make. I am very happy with being in the top 50 ancient history blogs , though. Listed as number one on this list is a blog by Michael Heiser, investigating the two powers in heaven controversy in ancient Judaism. Heiser's research is on the divine council in second temple Jewish literature (both canonical and non-canonical, he notes), and his dissertation is available on his website. As a student of Alan Segal, whose own dissertation over thirty years ago was on this very issue and remains an authoritative source for its investigation, I was attracted to the issues discussed on this blog.

The NYTimes reports that one of the largest Catholic diocese in the U.S., the one in Brooklyn, is slated to close 14 schools this coming term: January 13, 2009 Brooklyn Diocese Moves to Shut 14 Schools By PAUL VITELLO and WINNIE HU The Diocese of Brooklyn has proposed closing 14 elementary schools at the end of the current academic year, a plan that would mean that one of the nation’s largest Catholic dioceses would have shuttered nearly 40 percent of its grade schools in the past seven years. The proposed closings and mergers, announced on Monday, are the latest retrenchment for a school system that was once a bedrock of neighborhood stability, and a magnet for families of many creeds and homelands seeking safe, reliable education at a relatively modest cost. The news, passed along at midday to principals of schools from Flushing, Queens, to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, shook students, parents and teachers, many of whom had joined in desperate fund-raising efforts in recent months to avoid th...

According to NYTimes , the current economic crisis is having its effect on tourism in Rome and in Italy more broadly. There is a traditional stereotype, which is not really entirely wrong, that Germans travel more than any other national group but are stingy, whereas Americans rarely travel internationally (per capita, that is), but when they do, they spend big. This, however, is no longer proving true. In the current economic environment, those Americans who do make it to Rome spent all the money on the plane and hotel, and, therefore, are not spending on frills. Romans are saying that the only big spenders left are the Russians, Arabs, and Japanese. Overall, while numbers of tourists are down a bit, how much those tourists are spending is decreasing far more rapidly. They are coming, but they aren't spending! The article blames the strength of the Euro for non-Europeans traveling (or failure to do so): The strong euro and worsening economic crisis have taken their toll on t...

I just stumbled onto this site: Encyclopedia Mythica . It looks like a quick and easy reference to various gods or figures of various myths and legends throughout world literature, ranging from Celtic, Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Persian, Indian, etc. Most of the "articles" are only a few lines long--enough to give you some bearings--while others are longer (the entry on Metatron is lengthier!). If anything, it might be useful if you are reading along in a text and do not know who or what a particular character is. Here is the entry on Metatron for a test-case: Metatron by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D. The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated, and at least two separate versions exist. The first version states he came into being when God created the world, and immediately assumed his many responsibilities. The second claims that he was first a human named Enoch, a pious, good man who had ascended to Heaven a few times, and eventually was transformed into a fiery angel. Some la...

NYTimes reports the possible opening of a new language charter school that focuses on Hebrew language. This comes after the controversy surrounding the Arabic language charter school, Khalil Gilbran International Academy. Nearly two years after a wave of protests over New York City’s first public school dedicated to the Arabic language and culture, state education officials are expected to consider greenlighting a Hebrew-language charter school in Brooklyn this week. The school would open in the fall if it is approved, first by a committee of the State Board of Regents on Monday and then by the full board on Tuesday. It would begin with 150 kindergartners and first graders and be in District 22, which includes the Sheepshead Bay, Midwood and Mill Basin neighborhoods. The district is 45 percent black, 13 percent Hispanic and 15 percent Asian. It also has a substantial population of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Israel. The State Department of Education staff has recommended that th...