Items and their labels…

The healing-balm-provider (Jeremiah 8:22):

The bearer of milk and sweet things (Leviticus 20:24):

The keeper of the communal goods (Acts 2:44):

Today I listened to a bit of a talk that I gave a few months ago, and it sounded… normal.  Then I listened to a talk that I gave about two and a half years ago – just before I left Australia – and it sounded… really really Australian – Like Crocodile-hunter style Australian… did I really used to talk like that???  And have I really changed???

I spent today signing up new students for theology modules.  One of the most disconcertingly frequent comments of the day was, “Oh this one will do – I don’t really care – just sign me up for whatever fits my timetable”….

Theologians of tomorrow, I salute you!

Somehow, the University of Nottingham has been able to survive since 1881 without a “Friar Tuck Philosophers’ Society”.  Not so any more!  Together with Brother Christopherus, I have been planning for the emergence of just such a society.

The purpose of the society shall be to muse about philosophy and theology, over merry ale and pipe, once every couple of weeks or so.  Initiates shall be required to:

• Bring pipe and tobacco (the longer the stem of the pipe, the greater honour with which you will be received; Pipes for blowing bubbles are acceptable for those who find the smoking of tobacco to be an abomination)
• Be reckoned by Greek or Latin name
• Gather an hour before “theology seminars” at the University of Nottingham, and speak with much unction about matters too noble for common ears

The “warden” of the society shall be chosen by Urim and Thummin, and shall be honoured with great acclamation.

What could be better than spending a beautiful summer day (i.e. yesterday) in a rowing boat on the lake at the University of Nottingham…

ANSWER: Spending a beautiful summer day (i.e. yesterday) in a rowing boat on the lake at the University of Nottingham WHILE ENGAGING IN GREEK DIALOGUES!…

What does theology have to do with the events in Gaza?

The New York Times gives a useful insight into what has been happening in Gaza - if you are not really sure what the fuss is about, this article will give you some idea.

Over the weekend, a group of Nottingham students who were occupying a lecture theatre to express solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza was forcibly removed by the university.  According to the University of Nottingham, this was done to avoid disruption to the education of the student body, and the removal took place “sensibly, professionally, and expeditiously”.  I was not involved, but I spoke to one person who took part in the occupation, and he agreed to a brief anonymous interview.  This is worth reading, particularly for the reflection on the relationship between theology and the recent events in the Gaza strip.  I asked him three questions.

1) Tell us about the University’s response to the “Occupation Nottingham” protest.

The main problem was that they refused to negotiate with us.  They refused to speak to us in the room that we occupied.  Plenty of discussion was happening in the room, but the University wouldn’t take part.  They didn’t want to talk about what we were saying at all.  At least at the occupation in Cambridge, the group was given the dignity of having their demands specifically addressed, even though those demands weren’t granted.  Furthermore, the University of Oxford, the University of Bradford, the London School of Economics and Political Science, The University of Sussex, The University of Leeds, University of Warwick, Kings College London, School of African and Oriental Studies, London etc, all not only talked to the protesters and negotiated, but allowed many of their demands to be met, and dignified them with a response.  The University of Nottingham simply told us to leave the room.  They gave us the offer of a token future dialogue, without actually engaging directly with us or our specific concerns.  The threats and physical violence involved in our removal from the room just seem out of step with a supposedly educational environment.

2) How do the events of the last weekend relate to the conflict in Gaza?

Our suffering is not at all comparable to the suffering of those in Gaza – there is no direct parallel.  But it does show how the dynamic of power operates generally.  The protest is not about us facing off the University management – although we are opposed to the University continuing to accept funding from companies that have contributed to the manufacture of the F16 fighters used in the recent conflict…  We just want to make people aware of what’s going on.  For me, the main point of the occupation was this: The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza needs to be recognised – as does Britain’s arms trade to the state of Israel, which apparently increased during the ceasefire.  That’s our tax money.  We have some responsibility toward other people.

3) My own academic interest is theology – specifically, Biblical studies.  Why should these issues concern me?

It’s quite stark that, although this is not a purely religious conflict, it already involves theological assumptions and arguments.  So a critical theological voice – in terms of theological exegesis, reflection on what “peace” is, reflection on what “conflict” is – these things can make a contribution.  In Christianity there are also traditions of peace-making and discussion of forgiveness.  Right now I find it difficult to talk about forgiveness – but maybe, along with the pursuit of justice – this is where things need to end up.

Theology wants to talk about everything as though it has cosmic significance – as part of a cosmic narrative.  And so the things that are done on earth are given wider significance.  My question is: How can academic theology evaluate, critique, and inform the way in which this happens?

UPDATE BELOW

Here is the type of thing that excites a boy from Perth, Western Australia (where it is currently about 40 degrees Celsius = 104 Farenheit):

UPDATE: And this is what gets me REALLY excited!!!!… (home and uni)

aka ”Again with the Sweat Pants???”

In one episode of Seinfeld, George decides to quit dressing to impress, and, upon seeing him, Jerry remarks, “Again with the sweat pants???” Well here at Cryptotheology it’s a case of “Again with the Psalms???” – Peter and I are co-presenting a paper on the way the New Testament draws upon the Psalms.  Peter’s looking at the structure of the Psalter, the place of David, and the flow of individual psalms.  I’m then seeing how the New Testament takes up these themes and patterns in order to interpret Jesus…

Department of Theology and Religious Studies

Monday 19th January 2009

4:30pm – 6:00pm

Arts Graduate Centre, Trent Building

Kirsten Gfroerer

‘At the Junction of Communion’: Poetry and the Church in the work of Charles Williams

and

Peter Watts & Matthew Malcolm

Jesus’ Praise in the Midst of Israel

Yesterday, Larry Hurtado came to the University of Nottingham (which, interestingly, was originally known as Snottingham – but I digress) to speak about a new “school of scholars” who regard religious devotion to Jesus as being extremely early, within the unlikely setting of monotheistic devotion.  This “school” is also known as the “early high christology club”… and any club that has official club mugs is highly commendable in my book.

Hurtado spoke clearly, drawing especially on his books Lord Jesus Christ (2003) and Earliest Christian Artifacts (2006), both of which I’ve found to be helpful and thought-provoking books.  I actually had a couple of questions this time – even though I have a policy of never asking questions in case I look stupid – and Hurtado answered them thoughtfully. 

My first question related to the early Christian introduction of nomina sacra in manuscripts – that is, the practice of abbreviating divine names as a form of written reverence – including names for Jesus.  My question was this: What about the fact that they also abbreviated the name of Moses in the same manner?  How does that fit?  His answer was that the practice was begun with names for God and Jesus – and only significantly later were other important names given the same treatment: Moses, Mary, Jerusalem, etc…  Thus, the earliest use of nomina sacra bears witness to Christian devotion to Jesus that was otherwise reserved for God – suggesting a very early ‘binitarianism’.

My second question was about this idea of ‘binitarianism‘: I asked: By the mid-50s (i.e. the time 1 Corinthians was written), we clearly have the Spirit delineated as a separate ‘person’ (see 1 Cor 2), and the church in Corinth clearly considered their worship to be “Spiritual”… and yet Christian consideration of the divinity of the Spirit has never taken exactly the same form as Christian devotion to Jesus.  So how can we appropriately include the Spirit in our understanding of early Christian devotion?  That is, can’t we consider it trinitarian rather than binitarian?  Hurtado’s response was that, unquestionably, early Christian consideration of God was ‘triadic’ – but in terms of observable cultic practices (such as the singing of hymns devoted to a figure or the celebration of a cultic meal), the evidence is largely about God (i.e. the Father) and Jesus.  Thus his term ‘binitarian’ should not be thought of as a creedal term, but rather as a description of observable cultic devotion.

I half expected Maurice Casey, who was present, to make a comment – but he kept quiet.  I asked him about this afterwards, and he said that he finds Hurtado to be easier to agree with every time he hears him.  Of course, the two of them would not share the exact same views about the development of early Christianity, but both would affirm that early on, devotion to Jesus developed as a ‘mutation’ within monotheistic devotion.

Department of Theology and

 Religious Studies

Dialog Postgraduate Research

 Seminar

‘Theology and Scripture’

 Monday, October 13^th, 2008

 4:30pm – 6:00pm

 Trent Graduate Centre Seminar Room

 Matthew Malcolm

‘Paul: Letter-writer and Theologian’

and

Jeffrey Olsen Biebighauser

‘Genesis, Ontology and the Platonic Tradition’

My talk above will be related to the exploration of 1 Thessalonians & 1 Corinthians that I had a post about recently.  I’m not sure what Jeff will be speaking about, but he has a quite ground-breaking inquiry into the Messianic aspirations of Gumby here…  I’m hoping for more on this topic next Monday.