Ancient Hebrew Poetry

Standing up to Bloom and Bakhtin: The Virtues and Vices of Strong Readings

    Joseph Kelly is exploring the task of writing biblical theology. John Anderson, James Spinti, and I have joined the conversation. I agree with Kelly and Anderson that the discipline of biblical theology, variously construed, is livelier and more interesting than ever before. Like other subdisciplines of biblical studies (biblical archaeology; the history of the religion of Israel; source criticism), the discipline of biblical theology is no longer dominated by European and North American Protestants. It now benefits greatly from the contribution of scholars who inscribe their work in overlapping and sometimes opposing “projects of salvation.” To be sure, it is sometimes clear that a scholar’s opus is first and foremost an act of self-medication rather than the expression of a commitment to tikkun_olam.

Rowan Williams and the virtue of patience

    Rowan Williams, as everyone knows, is stepping down from the office of Archbishop of Canterbury and returning to academic life as master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University. Ben Myers of Faith & Theology links to an op-ed in which he discusses the transition. The op-ed is full of insight, as we have come to expect from Ben, but he does not overtly address the question on everyone’s mind.

Anti-Jewish Bias in Today’s University

    Two facets only of Jewish experience command the attention of the generality of media-literate individuals in the West: the Holocaust and the state of Israel. In the minds of a large number of people, a perverse equation is the end-result. Without remainder the identity of the Jewish people is associated with death and torture by the Nazis, and death and torture of the Palestinians by the state of Israel. Add to that a third facet, the wondering that dwells in the heart of many Christians and non-Christians, why did they crucify Jesus, what did he do to deserve that, and a situation is created in which a little knowledge is truly a dangerous thing.

What register is the Bible written in?

    When I asked my 8 year old daughter Anna what “register” means, she peevishly replied, “I don’t know; cash register?” But she does know what register is, because she asks for advice about register in her adventures as a budding writer. She knows how important register is. What would happen if Bible translators paid attention to the registers in which the Bible is written, and sought to be faithful to them in the task of translation?

a poem by Rachel; a song by Noa

    Of the making of beginner’s textbooks of ancient Hebrew there is no end, yet I am unsatisfied with all of them. None of them is oral enough in emphasis, except for that of Randall Buth (first lesson here); none of them takes full advantage of the ability of music to aid in the process of learning; only a couple, that of Randall Buth and that of John Cook and Rob Holmstedt, make use of visual learning.

    Poetry and music are gateways into the heart and soul of a language. In this post I introduce a poem by Rachel Bluwstein Sela, known to most as Rachel, and a song by Achinoam_Nini, known to most as Noa. The lyrics of the song are based on the poem.