Funny Episodes from SBL San Diego, and a tip to SBL organizers

David Vanderhooft was giving an excellent paper on “The Contribution of the Hebrew Bible to the Historical Understanding of Nineveh, Asshur, and Babylon to a jam-packed room. For example, he showed in exquisite detail the ways in which the book of Nahum’s description of the fall of Nineveh tallies with the findings of archaeology. All of a sudden, the lights went out in the room, and someone made a wisecrack about this being an act of God. It turned out that Peter Machinist, a master interpreter of the Bible and things assyriological, had inadvertently leaned up against a light switch in the back of the room. When this was pointed out to David, he quipped, “If it was Peter Machinist who did that, that’s about the same as God having done it, in my book.” That is an example of the filial piety which often binds one generation of scholarship to the next.

My own paper on Menahem Mansoor’s method of teaching Hebrew drew a lot of laughter not least because I introduced the subject by quoting at length from Lingamish’s infamous “Greek sucks, Hebrew hurts” post. I’ve never had so much fun giving a paper at SBL. The fact that I structured the paper in part around online discussion of learning and teaching Hebrew gave permission, it seems, for fellow presenters and the audience to interact with my paper not only at the end, but during the presentation. So the paper became an interactive discussion, and for that reason, held everyone’s attention, even mine (I am famously ADD).

This brings me to an other point. It is miserable to give a paper to an audience of 30 scattered in the back of a long space with a seating capacity of a hundred or more. I wish SBL organizers insisted on procuring rooms with seating capacities in line with expected attendance. I gave one paper to an audience in a relatively small, jam-packed room of perhaps 20 people. That worked well. I gave another paper to perhaps 30 people in a cavernous space. That did not work well. I couldn’t tell whether people were following me, which meant, in the end, that I couldn’t even follow myself.

Comments

[Ros]

Am I the only one thinking Deus ex Machinist?

[Andrew Compton]

It was even worse this morning (Tuesday). I sat in a text critical seminar with about 5 people listening and a good 75 or so empty chairs!

[Duane]

What they need is the secular version of the "automated church." Not sure what that is? When the first worshipers enter the church on Sunday morning, there is only one row of pews and it is at the very front of the sanctuary. When it fills, another row of pews automatically comes up behind it. This process continues until everyone is seated. Oh, there is one other thing about the "automated church." Exactly twenty minutes into the sermon, the pulpit goes down.

Sorry for the old joke.

[Lingamish]

To be quoted at such a prestigious conference is something I will tell the grandkids about.

[JohnFH]

Thanks, guys, for your comments.

A pragmatic solution is for presiders to do what proactive ministers do on a thin day: cajole everyone to flock together up front.

What I liked most about beginning with a Lingamish quote during an academic presentation is that the belly laughs that followed put people in a relaxed, thoughtful, and "let's not take ourselves too seriously" mood.

[G.M. Grena]

It's such a bummer that I missed your portion of S19-26. According to the agenda, you should've begun at 10:10, & I was ready to stay for a good chunk of it before moving on to a Ramat Rahel session. I apologize for having to go, but maybe I'll get the opportunity to meet you again at some other venue. Nice to at least have seen you, though, & I'm glad your paper went well. Like life, those ASOR & SBL conferences were full of tough choices.

[JohnFH]

Maybe next time, G. M. I look forward to chatting you up some day.

[G.M. Grena]

Too bad you & I weren't in charge of scheduling all of these SBL conferences so none of the interesting ones would overlap! (Sorry it took so long to get to this day in my review series...)

[JohnFH]

G.M., it's nice to see you have a blog. I will check in now and then.