tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10064790035342984552024-02-07T04:34:11.590-05:00AntiquitopiaMy musings on the New Testament, Early Christianity, Religion, Literature, and Other Phenomena and Ephemera.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.comBlogger1033125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-64507180541423429542016-01-08T09:36:00.000-05:002016-01-08T17:51:42.649-05:00Quirky Christology: The Son's Non-Anthropomorphic Preincarnate Christophanies<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to continue to think about some of the stranger aspects of ancient Christian Christology, especially as it pertains to the Son's preincarnate existence in Ancient Israel. The story begins really with Justin Martyr who in his 1st Apology and especially in the Dialogue with Trypho seeks to establish that every time anyone ever claimed to see God in Israel's scriptures, they saw the Son, the Logos. While on the one hand, this helps to relieve some of the more embarrassing anthropomorphisms of the Bible by attributing them to God's manifest aspect - the Son (the image of the invisible God in Colossians 1) - on the other hand, Justin's blanket identification of the Son with all theophanies has further consequences since not all of the theophanies of the Bible are anthropomorphic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">First Apology</i> 62-63, Justin uses Moses
as the prototypical prophet, often called the “first prophet” throughout, both chronologically and in importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He argues that one cannot maintain that Moses saw God the Father, but
only God the Son, playing Exodus 3:6 – where God appears to Moses in the bush –
and Matthew 11:27 – where none can know the Father but the Son – off one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Son is called Word
(λόγος), Angel (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ἄγγελος</span>) which he uses interchangeably with “in the
image of the bodiless” “in bodiless image” (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ἐν εἰκόνι ἀσωμάτῳ; 63.10, 16</span>),
and Apostle (άπόστολος) (62.9-10; cf. Hebrews 3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The preincarnate Christ does not just appear in the fire,
however, but as the fire, or literally “in the image of fire” (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ἐν
ἰδέᾳ πυρὸς ἐκ βάτου; 62.3; 63.10</span>) or “the form of fire” (δ<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ιὰ
</span>τ<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ῆς
τοῦ πυρὸς μορφῆς</span>); he is polymorphic, appearing here as fire, elsewhere as an angel, and finally
through the incarnation as human (<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ἄνθρωπος</span>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Justin summarizes:</span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
</div>
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<blockquote style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Κα</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">ὶ
πρότερον <δὴ> διὰ τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς μορφῆς καὶ είκόνος άσωμάτου τῷ Μωσεῖ καὶ
τοῖς ἑτέροις προφήταις ἐφάνη. νῦν δ’ ἐν χρόνοις τῆς ὑμετέρας άρχῆς, ὡς
προείπομεν, διὰ παρθένου ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς βουλὴν ὑπὲρ
σωτερίας τῶν πιστευόντςν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐξουθενηθῆναι καὶ παθεῖν ὑμέμεινεν, ἵνα ἀποθανὼν
καὶ ἀναστὰς νικήσῃ τὸν θάνατον. (63.16)</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And he formerly appeared through the form of fire and a bodiless image
to Moses and the other prophets; but now in the times of your reign, as, we
have said, having become a human by a virgin according to the counsel of the
father on behalf of the salvation of those who believe in him and he endured to
be made nothing and to suffer so that, dying and rising, he would defeat death.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order to tighten the connection between old and new
covenants by making Christ the proclaimer of both, it at first seems that
Justin is diluting the singularity of the incarnation, yet the frequent usage
of “bodiless image” when these appearances are at their most anthropomorphic
(e.g., in the appearance as an “angel”) emphasizes the contrast of previous bodiless
theophanies, which have a strangely docetic feel to them, to Moses and the prophets and the decidedly bodily emphasis on the
incarnation, which leads to salvation through death and resurrection. But perhaps that is why he also emphasizes the Son's pyromorphism - he appears in the past as fire and later as human.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Justin is more programmatic in the <i>Dialogue with Trypho</i> 127. </span></div>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ο</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">ὔτε οὖν Ἀβραὰμ
οὔτε Ἰσαὰκ οὔτε Ἰακὼβ οὔτε ἄλλος ἀνθρώπων εἶδε τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἄρρητον κύριον τῶν
πάντων ἁπλῶς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν κατὰ βουλὴν τὴν ἐκείνου καὶ <i>θεόν</i>, υἱὸν ὄντα αὐτου, καὶ ἄγγελον ἐκ τοῦ
ὑπερτεῖν τῇ γνώμῃ αὐτοῦ· ὃν καὶ ἄνθρωπον γεννηθῆναι διὰ τῆς παρθένου
βεβούληται, ὃς καὶ <i>πῦρ</i> ποτε γ´γεονε τῇ
πρὸς μωσέα ὁμιλία τῇ ἀπὸ <i>τῆς βάτου</i></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Therefore neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, <i>nor any other man</i>, saw the Father and ineffable Lord of all, and
also of Christ, but saw Him who was according to his will his son, being God,
and the Angel because he ministered to his will; whom also it pleased him to be
born man by the virgin; and also was fire when he conversed with Moses from the
bush.</span></blockquote>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Not just individual theophanies, therefore, were the preincarnate Son,
but all were. He appears as angel,
human, fire, and cloud. He is more straightforward here - it is no longer the "image of fire" or the "form of fire"; but the Son was fire. If no one
can see the Father except the Son (Matt 11:27; John 1:17-18), if the Son is the
image of the invisible God (Col 1:15), then the Lord, the angel of the Lord,
God’s visible – yet intense – Glory, etc., in the Old Testament was none other
than Christ. With this simple
maneuver, Justin transformed the Jewish scriptures into a Christian revelation,
in which Christ reveals to Moses and the prophets coded messages about Christ.</span><!--EndFragment--></span><br />
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In Justin's wake, the second and third century apologists can just assume his argument that all theophany is really Christophany, and so the Son, whose greatest significance is God made human will be occasionally non-anthropomorphic - that is, pyromorphic and nebulomorphic (?) - in Irenaeus, <i>Against Heresies</i> 4.7.4; 4.10.1; cf. 4.33.11; see further Clement of Alexandria, <i>Prot.</i> 1.</span>Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-57274459763006921492016-01-07T16:43:00.001-05:002016-01-07T16:45:22.435-05:00Quirky Christology: Theophilus of Antioch and the Logos' Preincarnate Peformance<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my current project, which focuses on how early Christians understood Moses' visions, I have been delving much into Second and Third Century Christian sources. During the past week, I have been playing a lot with Theophilus of Antioch with his treatise/letter/apology to Autolycus. Theophilus, let's say, has a fairly unique Christology in many ways. Much of this was explicitly rejected by his rough contemporary Irenaeus and has been discussed at length by modern scholars. But there is one aspect of his Christology that has been largely ignored and is, well, quirky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ὁ μὲν θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τῶν ὅλων ἀχώρητὸς ἐστιν καὶ ἐν τόπῳ οὐχ
εὑρίσκεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐστιν τόπος καταπαύσεως αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Λόγος αὐτοῦ, δι᾽οὗ τὰ
πάντα πεποίκηκεν, δύναμισ ὤν καὶ σοφία αὐτοῦ, ἀναλαμβάνων τὀ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς
καὶ κυρίου τῶν ὅλων, οὗτος παρεγίνετο εἰς τὸν παράδεισον ἐν προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ
ὁμίλει τῷ Ἀδάμ. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὴ ἡ θεία γραφὴ διδάσκει ἡμᾶς τὸν Ἀδὰμ λέγοντα τῆς
φωνῆς ἀκηκοέναι.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Φωνὴ δὲ τί ἄλλο ἐστὶν
ἀλλ᾽ἢ ὁ Λόγος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν και υἱὸς αὐτοῦ;</span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The God
and Father, indeed, of all cannot be contained, and is not found in a place,
for there is no place of His rest; but his Word, through whom he made all
things, being his power and his wisdom, assuming the person of the Father and
Lord of all, went to the garden in the person of God, and conversed with Adam.
For the divine writing itself teaches us that Adam said that he had heard the
voice. But what else is this voice but the Word of God, who is also his Son?
(2.22.2-3)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Theophilus is clearly trying to explain away those embarrassing anthropomorphisms in the Bible. Like <i>nearly</i> everyone else in the Greco-Roman world, he assumes the primal God, the first principle of the universe is completely invisible. So, all those places in the Bible where God walks, comes down, or even speaks are awkward for a second-century apologist of Christianity (and Judaism). While
nearly every second and third century apologist in the wake of Justin Martyr (especially <i>Dialogue with Trypho</i>) will assume that
all of the anthropomorphisms in the Bible refer to the pre-incarnate Logos in order to resolve this problem, Theophilus
is rather unique in his language surrounding this exegetical solution. “Person” in “the person of the Father” (τὀ
πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς) appears in its more ancient sense, as a "mask," (and here I am following standard translations which mask the mask); its meaning is much like we
think of putting on a “persona.” We could translate the phrase "taking up the persona of the Father." It is an acting term. While in the fourth century, such language of "person" will become standard thinking of the relationship between the divine essence and the three persons of the Trinity, here it operates differently. The
Son does not appear to Adam as Son; the Son pretends to be the Father. It is all on the level of performance. For figures like Justin or Irenaeus, all theophany in the scriptures is also Christophany - the appearance of the preincarnate Logos to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses (and anyone else who claims to see God and live). But for other early Christian thinkers, the Logos appears as himself; he appears as Son and not Father. For Theophilus, one is left to presume that any other
anthropomorphism in scripture, including any place where God is seen, moves, or
speaks, must also be the Word’s masquerade.</span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-81155974855547890522016-01-06T21:14:00.002-05:002016-01-06T21:14:22.534-05:00So...I guess I should post more oftenI just noticed that I had a total of 12 blog posts for all of 2015 - the number that James McGrath posts per hour. I hereby resolve to at least have 13 posts for 2016.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-23958353687482128722016-01-06T12:23:00.000-05:002016-01-06T12:23:18.312-05:00My Spring 2016 Courses at Illinois CollegeIf anyone in the Jacksonville, IL, area stumbles upon this and is interested, here are my courses for the Spring 2016 semester:<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>RE 112: Introduction to the New Testament:</b></div>
<div>
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<!--StartFragment--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Course Description:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> The Bible has been one of the most influential collections
of literature on religion, other literature, politics, society, and
culture. Jesus and Paul are
immediately recognizable figures, popularly invoked in daily life and even public
policy. From the Gospels to
Revelation, the books of the New Testament saturate our culture from popular
films and novels to shaping people’s behavior and national politics. Despite the New Testament’s seeming
familiarity in religious institutions and public life, however, it can be very
strange and disorienting. In this
class we will recover the strangeness of the New Testament in order to read it
anew in their ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern contexts. To do this we will critically examine
their transmission, development, historical contexts, and literary aspects. </span><!--EndFragment--></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>RE 189: Abrahamic Faiths:</b></span></div>
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<div class="Default">
<b>Course Description: </b>The category of
“Abrahamic Faiths/Religions/Traditions” has recently been on the rise to
describe and analyze the relationships between Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam. What does this designation
mean? Why can we categorize these
religions together? What do they
have in common that other religions do not also share, if anything? In this course, we will investigate the
commonalities and differences of these three religions on a wide variety of
beliefs, practices, and lived experiences with a strong emphasis on primary
sources and experiential learning.</div>
<div class="Default">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default">
<b>RE 216: Religion and Film:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Description: </span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Many people's ideas about religion are shaped by
how it is presented in film. This class will introduce the vocabulary of film
analysis to students and then use it to study a variety of films. We will see
that films often reflect the concerns of the time in which they were made, even
if they claim to represent the life of Jesus or other biblical figures. Films
to be studied include several Bible films (that is, films adapting stories from
Bible), films that represent Jewish and/or Christian ideas, and films
representing other religions.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Films
are one of the most complex art forms, but most people watch them
passively.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In this class we will
learn to “read” them carefully, analyze them, and reflect upon them.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">While the content of the films
will be biblical and religious, the skills learned in this class are applicable
to any film-based medium.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I am also offering two independent studies: on on Hebrew language and one on Life after Death. The latter will likely appear as a full-fledged course in the next two years.</span></div>
<div class="Default">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-4039532227623141112015-11-12T15:08:00.001-05:002015-11-15T12:19:31.291-05:00The Speaking AltarSo, another quirk in Revelation occurs in 16:7, when the seven angels are pouring out bowls of divine wrath upon the earth and sea. In the middle of it, the "angel of the waters" speaks of the Holy One as judge, who is righteous and offers proportional punishments: those who shed the blood of the saints get blood to drink (the waters turn to blood as in the Egyptian plague). <br />
<br />
In response, the heavenly altar itself speaks (NRSV): "yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just."<br />
<br />
Interestingly, it seems the throne also speaks: "And from the throne came a voice saying, 'Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great'" (Rev 19:5).<br />
<br />
This could just be a disembodied divine voice coming from the throne - or the throne is alive, animate. It is something that occurs intermittently throughout Revelation, too, usually before breaking out in a hymn.<br />
<br />
I know that in the <i>Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice </i>the heavenly sanctuary and its various elements are animate and the divine throne in the much later Hekhalot Rabbati also gets up and bows before God. But has anyone heard of the speaking altar before? Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-58556569224436632812015-11-12T14:38:00.000-05:002015-11-12T14:38:11.154-05:00Revelation 14:10 and Heavenly TortureI have been working on one of the SBL presentations on spatiotemporality in Hebrews, Revelation, and 4 Ezra. I ran into a passage, which probably won't make the talk, but which I found odd.<br />
<br />
Revelation 14:10 reads (NRSV): "and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." <br />
<br />
I found the torture of sinners in the Lamb's and angels' presence a bit strange, even disturbing. Of course, the Lamb dispenses divine justice in Revelation; nonetheless, punishment itself is usually "off-stage," in the Pit. My quick glances at commentaries (so far) discuss the motifs of fire and sulfur, but largely skirt the issue of presence. <br />
<br />
It did remind me of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke, however, where, while there is a gulf between a good and bad afterlife, they seem to be visible to one another.<br />
<br />
Is there a bit of Schadenfreude in these accounts: getting to watch your enemies suffer for eternity? (Something which, by the way, Tertullian indicates at the end of "On Spectacles.")Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-90665878539200018132015-09-24T14:05:00.000-04:002015-09-24T14:05:17.730-04:00Pope's Address to Congress<a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/9/24/9391549/pope-remarks-full-text">Here</a> is Pope Francis I's address to a joint session of Congress. It is not a transcript, but a pre-circulated copy. So, there might be some discrepancy with what was actually said. He structured the speech around four Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Take a look.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-30331849831510240052015-09-22T09:26:00.001-04:002015-09-22T09:26:28.309-04:00Gladiators, Funerals, and Roman SchadenfreudeYesterday I was teaching on Gladiators in my Religion and Sports class. I had two good questions that generated a lot of discussion in both sections of my class and I thought I would share them here. The first is in the context of the traditional origins of gladiatorial combat in funeral games:<br />
<br />
"Why honor the dead with more death?"<br />
<br />
The second question is more about the general Roman psyche:<br />
<br />
"Why did they <i>enjoy</i> this so much?"<br />
<br />
The discussion following both questions, by the way, at some point touched upon gladiatorial combat as a form of human sacrifice. <br />
<br />
So, how would you answer these questions?Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-17882457294262155042015-08-24T20:51:00.000-04:002015-08-24T20:51:18.495-04:00Place, Movement, and Community: A Critical Reading of Hebrews 11At the International Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Buenos Aires last month, I gave a paper entitled, "Place, Movement, and Community: A Critical Reading of Hebrews 11." It was received rather well - somewhat to my surprise. And I had a nice Q&A session with a lot of questions from Lawrence Schiffman of Dead Sea Scrolls fame, interestingly enough - especially interesting since, unlike my book, I did not once refer to the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice in particular or the Dead Sea Scrolls in general. By the way, Buenos Aires is a fantastic city for a conference.<br />
<br />
The following is my abstract. For anyone who wants a copy of the paper as delivered in Buenos Aires, please email me at my Illinois College account (Jared.Calaway@mail.ic.edu):<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Borrowing insights from spatial theorists, such as Henri
Lefebvre and Edward Soja, and anthropologists of movement (whether pilgrimage,
emigration, or dislocated populations), this paper will explore the
relationship between the building of the heavenly city by God and the use of
movement among the past faithful in Hebrews 11, drawing attention to how this
combination of space and movement rhetorically creates an imagined community in
the face of adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This paper
will further investigate how these related elements of space/place and movement
extend throughout the fabric of the homily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></blockquote>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-71041710989036912702015-08-24T19:09:00.000-04:002015-08-24T19:09:07.515-04:00Camino, Hebrews, and MysticismIt has been a long while since I have posted anything, and now, as the semester is about to start, seems the worst time to start posting things. Nonetheless, I have a few things to create a series of posts about - and hopefully I'll have the time to bring them through to completion - due to my many busy activities this summer. <br />
<br />
This summer I led a group of students on the Camino de Santiago, walking a portion in France and the final portion in Spain. I also presented at the International Society of Biblical Literature's Hebrews Group in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I will also present on a similar theme (space, time, etc. in Hebrews) at the annual meeting this November. Finally, I am slated to turn in an Encyclopedia article on the general trends of methods of studying mysticism in the past century or so. <br />
<br />
I want to use the blog as a (hyper)space to recall issues from the Camino and round out some comments on methods of researching mysticism (since the article length is pretty short). So hopefully I'll get some regular posts going again and shake the dust-bytes off this old blog. Happy reading!Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-3556980176002352962015-04-02T14:55:00.000-04:002015-04-02T14:55:37.398-04:00Greece: Democracy and Identity from the Classical to the Modern EraI am pleased to announce that Paul Fuller, from the Sociology Department at Illinois College, and I will be leading a travel course (called "Breakaways" at Illinois College) to Greece in May/June 2016. We are both very excited to return to Greece. It has been way too long for me. <br />
<br />
If you are an Illinois College student (returning or incoming), and you have stumbled upon this website, you may want to consider this. <br />
<br />
While there is still much planning and editing of the itinerary, here is a preliminary peek at our (unedited) description:<br />
<br />
<b>Description:</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Greece: the birthplace of democracy, history, philosophy,
theater, and the Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the land of Socrates, Plato, and Pericles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Paul traveled here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its history is etched into the ruins and archaeological
sites that dot the landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is also the strongly tied to the modern developments, inspiring modern forms of
democratic governance, participating in rapid urbanization and nationalization,
and playing major role in the Euro Crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does its past relate to its present?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does ancient Athens have to do
with the modern nation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does
its ancient democracy compare to its modern politics?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In this BreakAway, we will
explore several important ancient and modern Greek locations for their impact
on religion and society, always keeping in mind how representations of the
(ancient) past relate to contemporary circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will explore the ancient ruins and ideas of Athens
including a daytrip to the ancient religious center of Delphi to consider how
its antiquity has been used to craft a modern nationalist Greek identity, and
how Greek nationalism relates to the EU and austerity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there, we will turn to the island
of Spetsis, a site of modern Greek feminist action centered around Laskarina
Bouboulina who fought for Greek independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next we turn to Corinth, Nafplio, Epidauros, and Mycenae,
exploring sites associated with St. Paul, the first modern Greek government,
ancient healing and theater, and the Iliad, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we will visit Greece’s second
major city, Thessaloniki, which has an unbroken history from Alexander the
Great to the present day as a thriving metropolis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a place brimming with ancient, medieval, and modern
significance, a place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived side-by-side
under Byzantine and Ottoman rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is an intersection between Greece, the Balkans, and Turkey with
multiple cross-cultural influences from religion to cuisine.</div>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-1196157580308993942015-04-02T14:50:00.000-04:002015-04-02T14:50:05.155-04:00Religion Classes at Illinois College (Fall 2015)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since one of our faculty members - Caryn Riswold - is on sabbatical next year, we will only have six courses per semester offered next year in our little department at Illinois College. If you are a current or future student and have stumbled upon this blog, keep these courses in mind! If you are an academic and have questions about a particular course, let me know.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those students who have been interested in RE 216 - Religion and Film - please note I will be offering it again next Spring (2016). </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Courses:</span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 104: Questions of Christianity</span></b></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who is God? How is Jesus the Christ? What is sin? Where did we come from? This course examines questions like these to introduce students to foundational concepts of Christian faith and their development in the life of the Church. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am inheriting this course from Caryn Riswold for the year, and will be developing this course in a different way than it has been previously taught, focusing on how these questions can be used to discuss the different forms of Christianity that have emerged around the world in Asia, Africa, N. and S. America, Europe, Pacific Islands, etc. - basically, Global Christianity! </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 111: Introduction to Hebrew Bible</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My personal description differs a little bit from the official description (in letter, but not necessarily in spirit): here's my take.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Bible has
been one of the most influential collections of literature on religion, other
literature, politics, society, and culture. The stories of Abraham and Moses and the words of Jeremiah
and Isaiah have had a profound impact on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cultures
from popular films to politics.
Despite this apparent familiarity, the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a., the Old
Testament) can often be very strange and disorienting for modern readers. In this class we will recover Hebrew
Bible’s strangeness by reading it anew in its ancient Near Eastern
context. To do this we will
critically examine the biblical books’ transmission, development, historical
contexts, and literary aspects. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 197: Religion and Sports</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a new course I am developing! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The relationship between athletic competition and religious
worship is as old as the Olympics in ancient Greece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do some religions encourage athletic competition, while
others see playing or even watching sports as incompatible with religious
life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do specific religious
commitments conflict with athletic competition?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How and why do some religions borrow athletic imagery to
describe the religious life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
do sports borrow religious imagery?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this class, we will look at the role of sports in several religions
from antiquity to the present, from ancient Greece to contemporary
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will look at Jews, Christians,
Muslims, among others, examining the relationship between their religious
commitments and athletics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, we will think of how athletics and religion often take on each
other’s qualities to the point that sports can be analyzed as a form of religion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Paul Spalding's Offerings:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 101: Introduction to Biblical Studies</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A study of the contents, historical contexts, themes, development, and transmission of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and New Testament. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 188: Religious Traditions of South and East Asia</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A survey of globally important religious traditions that have emerged from South and East Asia, including those commonly called Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RE 322 / HI 322: China: History and Religion</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A historical study of Chinese religions in their classical and modern forms. This course offers an introduction to Chinese history and culture. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So please come and join us in the Religion Department next fall! </span></span></div>
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Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-30560489132648785982015-03-16T16:20:00.002-04:002015-03-16T16:20:59.887-04:00Place, Movement, and Community (ISBL in Buenos Aires)I will be traveling to my first International SBL this summer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It will also be my first time in South America. It will be a nice cooling off period (it is winter down there in July) after I walk the Camino in Spain this summer. Here is my abstract:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Place, Movement, and Community: A Critical Reading of
Hebrews 11</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Borrowing insights from spatial theorists, such as Henri
Lefebvre and Edward Soja, and anthropologists of movement (whether pilgrimage,
emigration, or dislocated populations), this paper will explore the
relationship between the building of the heavenly city by God and the use of
movement among the past faithful in Hebrews 11, drawing attention to how this
combination of space and movement rhetorically creates an imagined community in
the face of adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This paper
will further investigate how these related elements of space/place and movement
extend throughout the fabric of the homily.</div>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-88857254571282134212015-02-12T11:34:00.000-05:002015-02-12T11:35:06.626-05:00DeConick ReturnsI don't know if anyone noticed - well, James McGrath notices everything - but April Deconick has been active on her blog again after a several month hiatus: <a href="http://aprildeconick.com/">http://aprildeconick.com/</a>. She has posted some book notes for people interested in Gnosticism and Mysticism as well as her role in a new documentary about the Gospel of Judas. Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-41767030564446910622015-02-08T09:32:00.000-05:002015-02-08T09:32:26.697-05:00Jesus as Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer in HebrewsI thought after last night's post that I would go ahead and post the abstract from my own paper at the Midwest SBL, which generated more discussion than I expected - always good. So, here it is:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Jesus as Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer in Hebrews</b>Creation imagery extends throughout Hebrews more than any other New Testament text, yet has received less attention than John 1, Colossians 1, or 1 Cor. 8:6. Those who have discussed creation in Hebrews have focused on how it relates to the work's cosmology. This paper, however, will analyze its relationship to Christology, arguing that Hebrews maintains a consistent division between what and how God and the Son create. God creates and is the source of all things, including the heavenly tent and city, while Jesus is the creative agent of the "ages," who inherits, sustains, and destroys heaven and earth.</blockquote>
<br />
A copy of the paper is available upon request - just send me an email to my Illinois College email account.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-45893095790612583932015-02-08T00:44:00.000-05:002015-02-08T00:44:11.569-05:00Midwest SBLI am currently attending and presenting at the Midwestern Region of the SBL. I have never attended a regional meeting before. It is nice, intimate. Mostly, it is a space to throw out new, creative ideas that one is toying with, and so I have heard some very interesting papers. Here are my personal highlights.<br />
<br />
This morning I heard a paper on the Testament of Job by a young scholar, Scott Cason of Jacksonville University (that's Jacksonville, FL). He analyzed the text using Bakhtin's Carnivalesque (from Rabelais and His World), Michael Serres's concept of parasitism with a dash of good ole fashioned Victor Turner / Arnold van Gennep liminality. There is also a lot of interesting gendered issues going on with Job becoming emasculated/feminized in the text and Job's wife become masculinized according to Cason. The audience was unfortunately very minimal for this paper, but I would like to reproduce the abstract for everyone's benefit:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Job as Parasitic Grotesque in the Testament of Job</b>While tradition credits Job's patience for having pulled him through his ordeal, a reading of the Testament of Job through the lenses of Mikhail Bakthin's grotesque and Michael Serres' work on parasitism suggests otherwise. Just as the grotesque consumes the material realm to achieve rebirth, so also does the Testament's Job symbolically cannibalize his wife. The implication here is that it is not Job's patience but his parasitism that leads to his triumph. </blockquote>
<br />
I hope he develops his idea for a paper next fall in Atlanta.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I attended a reception of the Bible / gender theory section that focused on the appropriations of the story of the rape of the women at Shiloh. The papers ranged on the many misidentifications of Shiloh throughout the centuries to a comparison of the story with U.S. Reconstruction era. The paper that caught my attention was that of an older scholar who works for ATLA (American Theological Library Association): Lowell Handy. He gave a presentation on how especially artists (among others) combined the story of the rape of the Shilonite virgins with the story of the rape of the Sabine women. I have long been thinking of a class comparing stories from the Hebrew Bible with those of Greek and Roman literature, and this is definitely on the list. Here is his abstract:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Classically Illustrated: Benjaminites and the Sabine Women</b><br />It has long been recognized that the episode concerning the Benjaminite men and the Jabesh women of Gilead in Judges 21 is a counterpoint to the Rape of the Sabine women in Roman tradition. This presentation takes a quick look at select biblical illustrations for the episode in Judges, demonstrating their reliance on a history of illustrations of the classical narrative. Classical literature was for a long time the major comparative material for biblical exegesis; classical art and its later representations also provided a visual "exegesis."</blockquote>
<br />
Perhaps what struck me most was when you look at artists depictions of these two episodes, one from the Bible and one from Roman legend, it is almost impossible to discern the difference without the artist's title.<br />
<br />
In the evening, everyone gathered to listen to David Aune, who is best known for his work on early Christian prophecy in the context of Greco-Roman (and Jewish) oracles and prophecy, give an autobiographical discussion of the directions of his career. It was, indeed, a highlight of the day likely not just for me (as the previous two were) but for most people there. Here is his abstract.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Confessions of a Parallelomaniac</b>This talk consists of a series of connected autobiographical reflections on how the author became increasingly convinced that the New Testament and early Christian literature are virtually incomprehensible apart from knowledge of the Greco-Roman linguistic social and cultural world in which they were almost seamlessly embedded. However, far from regarding ... this framework as simply a background to a foregrounded New Testament, the competent scholar should be equally acquainted with these two intersected worlds. On analogy with what Patrick Henry is now thought not to have said, "If this be parallelomania, make the most of it."</blockquote>
<br />
He noted some interesting influences, such as Hans Dieter Betz and Morton Smith, who challenged him to provide a systematic framework for offering parallels to biblical materials. As he noted in the talk and Q&A, he is an <i>unrepentant</i> parallelomaniac, though I should note that in the Q&A he did offer caution on how to be a <i>responsible</i> parallelomaniac.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-77339388963245061782014-12-30T13:29:00.002-05:002014-12-30T13:29:21.683-05:00Origen on the Ark's Animals' PoopI have been reading some Origen lately, currently his <i>Homilies on Genesis</i>. In his second homily, which is about Noah, he works through all of the details of the ark's construction in both the biblical account and in traditions handed down to fill in the gaps. One major gap that Origen notices is that there is nothing to account for all of the excrement the animals would surely expel during their tenure upon the boat. He explains this absence as follows,<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Certainly since Scripture related nothing about the places which we said were set apart for the excrement of the animals, but tradition preserves some things, it will appear opportune that silence has been maintained on this about which reason may sufficiently teach of its importance. And because it could less worthily be fitted to a spiritual meaning, rightly, therefore, Scripture, which rather fits its narratives to allegorical meanings, was silent about this. (<i>Genesis Homily</i> 2; trans. Ronald E. Heine, p. 75). </blockquote>
<div>
The last sentence gives Origen's operating assumption about scripture: that it is made to be allegorized; anything that might fit a literal interpretation but not an allegorical one has been omitted - though he admits there are some traditions that try to close the gap. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ultimately, however, you just can't spiritualize crap. </div>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-42181729826090551772014-10-22T12:40:00.001-04:002014-10-22T12:40:39.475-04:00God is Not Male according to ArnobiusReading through Christian works from the 2nd to 4th century can often be mind-numbingly boring, but every so often, one comes across a gem. In a much earlier post, I noted Tertullian's surprising call for tolerance of other religions - especially from a person whose own religion (emergent Christianity) was not well tolerated.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Today, reading Arnobius's screed against pagan religion, he offers an interesting statement about God's gender: he claims Christians refer to God in the masculine manner out of custom or habit of speech - not as a reflection of God's nature:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And yet, that no thoughtless person may raise a false accusation against us, as though we believed God whom we worship to be male - for this reason, that is, that when we speak of Him we use a masculine word, - let him understand that it is not the sex which is expressed, but His name, and its meaning according to custom, and the way in which we are in the habit of using words [alt. with familiarity of speech]. For the deity is not male, but His name is of the masculine gender. (Arnobius, <i>adversus Gentes</i> 3.8)</blockquote>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-87831449043950415362014-09-24T20:17:00.001-04:002014-09-24T20:17:29.247-04:00Shana Tova!Here is my favorite Rosh HaShanah tradition:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6ZLq_JB8H44" width="420"></iframe>Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-41813694559509229532014-09-24T15:26:00.000-04:002014-09-24T17:43:46.808-04:00Journey to the End of the EarthI am pleased to announce that Illinois College has approved the proposal submitted by Emily Adams (in French) and myself to take students to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (the Way of St. James) in France in Spain next summer. <br />
<br />
The travel course - or in Illinois College's parlance, "Breakaway" - is called<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>"Journey to the End of the Earth: Hiking the Way of St. James in France and Spain"</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I am very excited to have this opportunity to lead this trip. Here is a description:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hiking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela – the Way of St.
James – has recently become the most recognizable and most traveled pilgrimage
in modern Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
recently touted as a symbol for European unity, the Camino has a long history
and provides extensive opportunities to see medieval churches, castles, palaces,
ancient ruins, as well as stunning views of the countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hiking the Camino offers a multifaceted
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trip would be
ideal for student-athletes looking for a physical challenge,
language students who want to test their French and/or Spanish, and those
interested in the history, religious landscape, and cultures of southern France
and northern Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
officially a Roman Catholic pilgrimage route, today one can also find
Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and atheists from around Europe and the
world walking the “Way.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
reasons why so many people take such a pilgrimage are varied, from seeking a
religious experience to losing weight; nonetheless, most seek some sort of
personal transformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
this BreakAway course, students will encounter their peers from multiple
religious and cultural backgrounds from around the world, who tend to walk the
Camino during the summer months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our trip will break into two roughly equal parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> we will
walk the “Le Puy,” a route in Southern France.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this part of the journey, students will see the
French countryside, local farms, old Gothic churches, and a Roman ruin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we will turn our attentions to
Galicia in Spain, walking the last portion of the French Way leading into
Compostela.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
most-walked part of the Camino, making it a prime opportunity for students to
mingle with people of all ages from other countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students will also see the extensive French influence along
this route in terms of the Gothic architecture of churches, which made it into
Spain with the medieval pilgrims themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both France and Spain, students will have the opportunity
to share in common meals with other pilgrims, as well as partake of the local
cuisine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since this is the time
when large numbers of students from around Europe, Latin America, and Asia walk
the Camino, our students will meet and interact with people their own age from
many different countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
will be a truly international experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reference to the "End of the Earth" refers to the final stop many pilgrims often make on the coast at Finisterre (literally, the end of the earth).<br />
<br />
If you are an Illinois College student, and are interested in joining us next summer, please contact either Emily Adams or myself. <br />
<br />
If you would like to learn more about the BreakAway program, learn how to apply to a BreakAway, and see what BreakAways have been offered in the past, please visit <a href="http://www.ic.edu/BreakAways">here</a>.</div>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-36493771761194441042014-07-07T22:50:00.000-04:002014-07-07T22:50:10.291-04:00A Review of Seth Schwartz's latestI just saw this positive <a href="http://kristadalton.com/who-exactly-were-the-ancient-jews-at-least-according-to-seth-schwartz/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=who-exactly-were-the-ancient-jews-at-least-according-to-seth-schwartz">review</a> of Seth Schwartz's latest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Alexander-Muhammad-Themes-History/dp/1107669294/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404787602&sr=1-1&keywords=seth+schwartz">The Ancient Jews from Alexander to Muhammad</a>, a condensation of his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Imperialism-Jewish-Society-Christians-Muslims/dp/0691117810/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404787688&sr=1-3&keywords=seth+schwartz">Imperialism and Jewish Society</a>. Imperialism and Jewish Society should be required reading of any scholar of ancient Judaism, ancient Christianity, and Roman history.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-38124958099139007382014-07-03T14:58:00.002-04:002014-07-03T14:58:17.528-04:00Dangerous LiteratureThough not directly discussing the Bible or ancient texts more generally, there was a review article in the Chronicler of Higher education discussing "<a href="http://chronicle.com/article/When-Literature-Was-Dangerous/147039/">When Literature was Dangerous</a>." The example used there is James Joyce's Ulysses, which used to be banned in the U.S. and England until the 1930s. In the U.S. today, however, when very little is actually censured, there appears to be very little dangers in reading and writing. At the same time, when anything goes, does anything matter? Individual institutions may issue a ban, but there is no force behind it like there used to be. Whereas writers in other, more totalitarian states, often risk imprisonment and execution for their work. Where nothing goes, does everything matter? <br />
<br />
This, ultimately, raises a different issue than usually addressed in our dusty discussions of what something meant in antiquity or even how it has been received later. It is not even limited to questions of <i>cui bono</i>? That is, who benefits from something being written. The question is what's at stake?! And what has the writer risked?Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-84916794178689095112014-06-24T20:25:00.001-04:002014-06-24T20:25:34.358-04:00"Vanishing Jews of Antiquity" by Adele Reinhartz<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the Marginalia, Adele Reinhartz has a short <a href="http://marginalia.lareviewofbooks.org/vanishing-jews-antiquity-adele-reinhartz/?utm_content=buffer9631f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer">article</a> critiquing the recent growing tendency to translate Ioudaioi as "Judeans" rather than "Jews," the end of which she cites the most authoritative of sources to indicate when "Judean" (or "Judaean" for you Brits) should be retained:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 26px;">Let us restore Judean to its primary geographical meaning, as pertaining to the region of Judea and its residents. Political designations such as the Judean People’s Front, the People’s Front of Judea, the Judean Popular People’s Front, or the Popular Front of Judea would also be appropriate, as per one authoritative source (see Monty Python’s Life of Brian). Let us not make the mistake of defining Jews only in religious terms. Let us rather understand the term Jew as a complex identity marker that encompasses ethnic, political, cultural, genealogical, religious and other elements in proportions that vary among eras, regions of the world, and individuals. Let us not rupture the vital connection — the persistence of identity — between ancient and modern Jews. And let those who nevertheless elect to (mis)use Judean to translate all occurrences of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 26px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 26px;"><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">ioudaios</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 26px;">justify their usage beyond merely footnoting others who have done so.</span></span></blockquote>
Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-63706008161746010292014-06-20T20:42:00.002-04:002014-06-22T23:16:44.354-04:00He's Not the Messiah; He's a Very Naughty BoyMark Goodacre has <a href="http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/jesus-and-brian-conference-day-1.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">posted</a> about his attendance of the conference on Monty Python's Life of Brian currently being held at King's College, London. "J<a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/trs/events/jandb/index.aspx">esus and Brian: Or, What Have the Pythons Ever Done for Us?</a>" is investigating the intersection of the film and scholarship on the historical Jesus, New Testament, Christian origins, and the history of Judaism. The first day finished with a Q&A with Terry Jones (who directed the film) and John Cleese. I'm jealous of everyone there.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/jesus-and-brian-conference-day-2.html">Here</a> is an update from day 2 of the conference.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1006479003534298455.post-9078661896345716342014-06-09T14:57:00.000-04:002014-06-09T14:57:07.204-04:00Linguistic Pluralism in First-Century PalestineIn the wake of "what language did Jesus speak?" (Aramaic, Hebrew, with a dash of Greek?) debate, Seth Sanders offers a more complex picture of the linguistic landscape of first-century Palestine (and how searches of monolinguistic purity is a red herring and largely ideologically charged religiously and politically). <br />
<br />
Check out his Religion Dispatches <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/culture/7914/why_the_argument_over_jesus__language_is_more_complicated_and_more_interesting_than_media_experts_have_claimed/">here</a>.Jared Calawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380681998833566514noreply@blogger.com0