23 Feb 10

Need a Good Title for a SBL Session

As a member of the Student Advisory Group, I am currently putting together a panel discussion for this fall’s annual meeting for the Society of Biblical Literature. The panel is aimed at both master’s and doctoral students who are a bit desperate and frustrated to find their own niche in biblical studies. The panel will include a star-studded cast of established scholars, which isn’t completely in its final form yet. The panelists will share in an autobiographical way about their own struggles to find that initial starting point in scholarship.

The idea is that many graduate students, myself included, often start off loving biblical studies or some related field in general. At some point, however, we hit a wall where we have to settle into one little area of research — at least for the first chunk of our scholarly careers. Frustration ensues. Given that we’re doing biblical studies and it’s really hard to say something that nobody’s said before, we may have more headaches than other fields. And then, add the fact that our field is fraught with passionate religious perspectives from all sorts of directions. What’s a budding scholar to do?

I’d like to ask what you think an appropriate title for this session might be. I’m tentatively calling it, “Finding Your Niche in Biblical Studies.” It’s descriptive enough, I think, but there could easily be a better title. Here are some random ideas:

  • Finding Your Niche in Biblical Studies
  • Frustrations in Becoming a Biblical Scholar
  • How to Begin in Biblical Studies
  • Finding the Starting Gate for Your Scholarship [sounds like an infomercial]
  • Starting the Scholarly Path
  • So, I Like Biblical Studies. Now What?

If you were flipping through the SBL program, what title would most grab your attention and interest? Not necessarily among these possibilities, which I just threw together, but anything you can think of. Thanks!

10 Comments Posted in SBL, biblical studies, career by Patrick George McCullough
17 Feb 10

Need Help: NT Manuscript Preservation as Reception History

So, you’ve probably seen these charts that compare the number of manuscripts we have of the New Testament to the number of manuscripts we have of other ancient authors. The New Testament, of course, comes out on top in the number of manuscripts: something like 6000 manuscripts in contrast to the next closest, Homer’s Iliad, which is in the 600-something range.

These charts are often related to conservative evangelical arguments about how reliable the New Testament documents are. All kinds of crazy arguments are made based on this information, including the divine hand in the preservation of early Christian documents and that their sheer numbers of manuscripts somehow means that they are more accurate as historical witnesses to Jesus.

That said, I’m intrigued by a less apologetic and more historically relevant purpose for this information: namely, reception history. Simply stated, reception history, or Wirkungsgeschichte, is the study of how texts have been received. We might think of later authors drawing upon the stories and ideas of earlier authors, or perhaps artistic representations in paintings, sculptures, or even films. In this sense, then, we are not only concerned with the “original” historical context of the sources themselves and those events they claim to depict. We also trace the story of what happened to the texts after they came into existence. Of course, this tells us more about the interpreters than it does the texts themselves.

New Testament documents are preserved more than any other collection of ancient documents because of their importance to the subsequent trends and traditions western civilization. So, teaching about the New Testament documents in the context of a course on western civilization requires some recognition of how those texts have been received — which is something I did in my guest lecture this morning in western civ.

My problem is that I haven’t been able to find a reliable chart describing the preservation of manuscripts of ancient documents. I want to find (or develop) such a chart that considers not only simple numbers (”6000 manuscripts! Hallelujah!”), but also some nuance regarding the nature of preservation. Within the chart, it would be helpful to note the time from the events depicted to the estimated first writing of the “original manuscript,” then the amount of time from the purported original document to the oldest manuscript we have. Perhaps a secondary chart that shows the distribution of manuscripts in each century. There needs to be some recognition of the process of preservation, in which sense we are talking about apples and oranges when we discuss manuscripts for Homer and the New Testament.

My question for you is: Where do I find credible information on these things that is beyond reproach of being accused of an “evangelical” sort of bias? Perhaps even multiple locations. There must be classicists and ancient historians who have published basic and reliable information about the data for classical works. I want something that I could use without being accused of some sort of apologetic intentions myself!

5 Comments Posted in antiquity, classics, manuscripts, new testament, reception history, textual criticism by Patrick George McCullough
13 Jan 10

Fox’s Fringe Quotes Isaiah, Or Was That Augustine?

Dr. Bishop quoting Augustine quoting Isaiah on Fox's FringeIn the recent episode of Fox’s Fringe, an apocalyptic fringe-science supernatural sort of show, Dr. Bishop recites a Latin quotation to a devout Christian woman. Here’s the exchange:

Woman: How can we be sure?

Dr. Bishop: Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis.

Woman: I don’t understand.

Dr. Bishop: It is the Latin translation of Isaiah 7:9.

Woman [nodding and remembering the verse, looking very profound]: “Unless you believe, you will not understand.”

Dr. Bishop: Even as a scientist, sometimes I have to rely on faith.

Now, if that quotation feels a bit off to you, here’s why. You will find no modern translation of Isaiah 7:9 that ends the verse with the word “understand.” Instead, they use phrases such as “you will not stand firm” or “remain secure,” etc. That’s because the Hebrew (אמן) means something like endurance or faithfulness. Actually, the Vulgate also has that meaning. Its Latin translation from the Vulgate goes like this: Si non credideritis, non permanebitis (from permaneo, to remain, endure, etc.). So there is basically only a one word difference with Dr. Bishop’s quotation. Is he making it up?

A friend of mine on Facebook actually noticed that the English quote sounded like something she read in Augustine, which is what got me going on this investigation. Indeed, if you google the English phrase “Unless you believe, you will not understand,” you will find a bunch of those cheesy famous quote websites, simply attributing the phrase to Augustine with no real citation. If you go digging in Augustine’s works, however, you find that he is actually quoting Isaiah 7:9. Apparently, this is a favorite biblical quotation for him (see here, here, here, here, here, here, etc.).

The English translations of Augustine seem to attribute this reading to the Septuagint. That doesn’t seem likely. The Septuagint enigmatically uses the Greek word σύνειμι (”to be with”). That may not relate quite so well with the same sort of concept of endurance, but it certainly doesn’t look like “understanding.” Augustine himself seems to offer an answer in chapter 12 of his On Christian Doctrine. He actually notes the Vulgate version of a Latin translation and offers the other Latin statement (used by Dr. Bishop) as an alternate translation (unattributed, perhaps pre-Vulgate). Augustine uses the opportunity to discuss the relationship between translation and interpretation:

Now which of these is the literal translation cannot be ascertained without reference to the text in the original tongue. And yet to those who read with knowledge, a great truth is to be found in each.

Ah, indeed. An intriguing distinction between “Unless you believe, you will not understand” and “If you do not believe, you will not endure”  (translating the two Latin translations). And, sure, both have some profound truth to them. But as far as the Fringe writers were concerned, I’m sure they just wanted to sound all mysterious and deep.

2 Comments Posted in Isaiah, augustine, fringe, popular culture, quotes by Patrick George McCullough
28 Dec 09

Harland on the Uniqueness of Early Christians

As I mentioned earlier, I am working through Philip Harland’s Dynamics of Identity (courtesy of T & T Clark), which looks into early Judean and Christian gatherings as related to other unofficial associations in the Greco-Roman world. One of the themes in the back cover endorsements, and rightly so, is Harland’s challenge to many scholarly assumptions about the uniqueness of early Christian identity. He doesn’t state that early Christian groups are not unique, but argues against the grain of those who emphasize distinction and separation.

This is from his conclusion:

This study has focused on what was common among many groups while also paying attention to certain distinctive features of ethnic groups and cultural minorities. The attention to shared modes of identity construction, negotiation, and communication is not meant to suggest that Christians were not unique. However, Christians were unique or distinctive insofar as every association, minority group, or ethnic group was unique or distinctive, each in its own way. Among the distinctive characteristics of Christians and Judeans that stood out to many insiders and outsiders was their attention to one, Judean God to the exclusion of other deities. This also entailed refraining from involvement in certain social settings where those other gods were honoured. This distinction was a potential source of tensions with many other groups and individuals within their contexts, and it could lead to social harassment and persecution on particular occasions.

When I read this, it hit me as extremely level-headed. This is the kind of balanced and nuanced scholarship that I aspire to in my own research. It also seems to be an excellent concise description of the identity formation of early Christian groups. I just had to pass it along!

2 Comments Posted in Philip Harland, book reviews, identity formation by Patrick George McCullough
27 Dec 09

Best iPod Touch (or iPhone) Apps for Academics?

I am thrilled that one of the items I’m receiving for this holiday season is an iPod Touch. Since I found out, I have been quite distracted imagining how my new toy can be a force for good in my research (productivity enhancing) rather than a pure time waster (productivity killing).

I already have a bunch of classes that I am working through in iTunes U, but the iPod Touch adds new possibilities for technologically-assisted learning: namely, apps. I would like to send out a request to iPod Touch/iPhone academics to send their favorite apps. I’m interested in anything related to biblical studies, Christian origins, classics, Roman history, etc., as well as language learning, especially German and/or French (though anything neat with Hebrew or or Latin or Greek to practice). And with German/French, not just the cheesy learn-how-to-order-pancakes conversational vocab flashcard apps, but something that will go through verb conjugations and more robust vocab building (perhaps even being able to add your own lists of, say, theological terms).

I have noticed that some bibliobloggers have discussed the iPhone/iPod Touch and apps: Chris Brady, Michael Whitenton, Rick Mansfield (his old blog’s location, mostly on OliveTree), Karyn Traphagen. These are a few apps that I gather may be helpful (though I haven’t tested them yet):

If you have comments on how these apps have been for you or other apps that you’d suggest as well, please let us know in the comments! App recommendations that are productivity killing, but still fun, are welcome too. :)

1 Comment Posted in iPod Touch by Patrick George McCullough
22 Dec 09

Philip Harland on Social History and Social Science

I’m reading through Philip Harland’s Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians: Associations, Judeans, and Cultural Minorities, kindly sent along to me by T & T Clark for review, and I’d like to first highlight his excellent introduction, which provides a very helpful review of scholarship on social-scientific issues, identity theory, and associations in the ancient world.

I thought this paragraph, in particular, was a well-stated and well-balanced approach to the use of social-scientific methods in biblical studies:

Building on contributions from both of these scholarly areas [social history as (1) "from below" scholarship or (2) social scientific research], I approach the social sciences as heuristic devices, as things that help the social historian develop questions and find or notice things that might otherwise remain obscure. I tend to draw on social-scientific insights to develop a research framework for analysis, and I am less focused than some other scholars on testing models specifically. In this respect, I consider myself more a social historian than a social scientist. Throughout this interdisciplinary study, I explain and adapt social-scientific concepts and theories in order to further our understanding of specific historical cases in the ancient context. [5]

Though I am nowhere near as accomplished as Harland in the field social-scientific research, of course, I feel like he took the words right out of my mouth.

6 Comments Posted in Philip Harland, book reviews, identity formation by Patrick George McCullough
22 Dec 09

End of the Fall Quarter

Well, I survived another challenging quarter. This was my first one as a Teaching Assistant at UCLA and it took some getting used to balancing teaching responsibilities, my own research, and family life. Teaching took the bulk of my time this quarter. Though I know this is a life long struggle for academics, I will be trying some tricks as time goes by for better balancing.

Aside from the time management challenge, teaching Western Civ this quarter was a fulfilling experience. I had a great bunch of students who asked interesting questions and offered creative insights when reading ancient texts. And it was, of course, a great learning experience for me to think synthetically about a vast span of history. Puts things in perspective. I’m looking forward to doing the same class with a different professor next quarter, since it will have some continuity but also allow for filling in a few gaps that the other class didn’t cover.

I finished up a paper for the end of the quarter in Bartchy’s Paul of Tarsus seminar. I decided to do Paul and empire, then I narrowed down into First Thessalonians. I did some work with social identity in First Thessalonians, as well as imperialism and eschatology. That, too, was a learning experience. I feel like I’m an archaeologist on a long, tedious dig. Each paper reveals a little tiny bit more that I hadn’t noticed before. I really appreciate the way Douglas Campbell put it in his recent tome: “And as I began to try to write, a frustrating experience began to unfold — repeatedly. I would begin to articulate my concerns as best I could, painfully compose a chapter or two of prose, and then the argument would break down. It was as if a wave would run each time a little further up the beach before it would break — which it always did — and run back to sea” (xxv). Not that I presume to be writing something something of the magnitude of Campbell’s work, but the dissertation I have in mind has to deal with some very nebulous concepts and methods. It’s a very slow process trying to get a handle on them.

Next quarter, I’ll be doing a graduate seminar with Ronald Mellor on Roman Religion. That should be a fun class with all my colleagues in the ancient field at UCLA (many of us are TAing together) and a couple other Bartchy students. I’ve been getting interested in exploring voluntary associations, so I think I might do a paper in that area for Mellor’s seminar. I’m gearing up for it by reading Philip Harland’s new book, kindly sent along to me by T & T Clark for review (Thanks, Abby!!).

0 Comments Posted in Rome, academic life, social identity, teaching, ucla by Patrick George McCullough
12 Dec 09

“Seems” Like Scholarship, But It “Surely” Isn’t

How is it that I can find in a top flight journal of biblical studies an article that does not offer hardly any evidence, but rather uses rhetorical devices that would give my own students poor grades? The current article I am reading is very interesting and I appreciate the scholar’s perspective quite a bit. The problem is that this is the author’s perspective and little else. It would make for a good lecture, perhaps.

But the article is pure speculation, even when the author contradicts other scholars. The author uses phrases such as “I would expect that” or “I imagine” or “I am inclined to see” or notes that something “seems to me to be unlikely.” Rather than citing evidence, the author merely states that something “certainly” or “surely” was the way he imagines. At every turn, I think I am finally going to find a single piece of solid evidence (even though the entire basis of the argument to this point is built upon a big “perhaps” cloud). But it never arrives. I might forgive one or two cases of “let us assume,” but not 20-plus pages of it.

Otherwise, the article is well written and the author’s insights are helpful and interesting. For those facts alone, I would probably give one of my undergraduate students at least a B+. But I’m afraid this scholar wouldn’t find a much higher grade without the use of evidence.

14 Comments Posted in scholarship, writing by Patrick George McCullough
9 Dec 09

You Have 50 Minutes to Teach about Hebrew Civilization and the Origins of Judaism. Go.

Coming this January, at a UCLA campus near you (or not so near, as the case may be), I will be presenting a lecture on Hebrew Civilization and Second Temple Judaism within the context of the course “Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations, Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843.” I will be TAing for two sections of twenty each for this course, but this lecture will be for the entire 300-something student class.

So, what would you like the bright and impressionable young minds of UCLA to know about the rise of Hebrew civilization, the history of Israel, the exile, the origins of Judaism, and the Hebrew Bible based upon a 50 minute presentation?

Remember that this is in the context of the broad sweep of ancient history, serving as the foundations for something nebulous called “Western civilization.” The course is unofficially known as “From Caveman to Charlemagne.” The lecture in the class meeting prior to mine is on “Egypt in the New Kingdom; The Mesopotamian Kingdoms,” while the one after is “Minoans, Phoenicians; The End of International Bronze Age (Troy).” We will have already read Hammurabi, Gilgamesh, and The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant. They will be responsible for reading the Book of Exodus the week of my lecture. The only other biblical document they will be reading is the Gospel of Matthew several weeks later.

I have some of my own ideas, of course, but I’d like to hear what others would choose to highlight with such a brief opportunity to cover such an important topic.

5 Comments Posted in Western Civilization, hebrew bible, history of Israel, judaism, lectures, pedagogy, teaching by Patrick George McCullough
8 Dec 09

Picking up the Tab for Your Boss, and Jesus’ Dying Prayer

I was told a story recently of a group of coworkers that went out to lunch as a work function, a training. At the end of the meal, this one very sweet and well-meaning employee (someone quite low on the totem pole in this office) turned to the department manager and told her that she would cover the boss’s meal. The group of workers had already pitched in about ten bucks each for the boss, but this coworker just felt like getting a little something extra for her. But . . . the boss got irate at this gesture. She thought it was totally inappropriate and the well-meaning employee was left crushed by the experience.

There are two primary reasons for the inappropriateness of this gift. First, this is a work function and one employee (out of about a dozen others who were there) should not be paying for the boss (looks like brown-nosing). Second, and at a deeper level of social code, there is perhaps an embedded power expectation. This employee is several ranks below her boss. I’m willing to guess that the boss had such a strong reaction to the gift because the employee had no business offering such a gift (bruising her pride). It’s as if one of a lower social and economic status must never take the initiative of picking up the tab for one of higher social status (I know there are many exceptions, but go with me here . . .).

When I heard this story recounted, it reminded me of a provocative article I read over the summer for the book I indexed (Amazon link). The article is called, “Clemency as Cruelty: Forgiveness and Force in the Dying Prayers of Jesus and Stephen,” by Shelly Matthews. Matthews’ basic point is that the dying forgiveness prayers of Jesus and Stephen in Luke-Acts (Lk 23:34; Acts 7:60) should be understood as demonstrating the “heroic clemency” of the speaker. She relates it to the Roman discourse on clemency, “in which imperial domination is figured as beneficence toward the conquered.” She offers this point of reflection upon the comparison:

First, the power dynamics of clemency make clear that the prayers for mercy need not signal passivity, humility, submission or deference on the part of the one who so prays. Instead, the prayers for forgiveness can be understood as an assertion of power over those inscribed as persecutors. (143)

It strikes me that forgiveness as such an assertion of power by the persecuted is a bit like a low level employee picking up the tab for the department manager. Not that this particular employee was intentionally asserting her power or even trying to brown-nose, but it highlights the social code nonetheless. I suppose that raises the intentionality of Luke in his use of forgiveness prayers (an intentional assertion of power?). A topic for another post, perhaps.

5 Comments Posted in Luke-Acts, Power Dynamics, clemency, forgiveness, imperialism by Patrick George McCullough

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