Monday 31 March 2014

Welcome to the Biblical Studies Carnival XCIX March 2014


Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò questions if Philistines can be identified from
their table scraps. 
Regardless, even philistines are welcome to the carnival. 
Phillip Le Donne asks if Jesus was religious
Even the religious are welcome to the carnival.
Enter, all, and enjoy
without money and without price
this Lenten tonic for the fearful and relief to the diligent.

[Carnival number is XCVII per current lists 2018-06 - the numbering issue is also noted in the Nov 2012 carnival]
Torah

While we are beginning, Nick Knisely annotates the science of gravitational perturbations, a theory of the aftermath of beginning, concerning polarization and indeed inflation, dominated by the intrinsic energy of empty space, indeed the only place in the carnival where empty space, inflation, and polarization will be encountered together in a flat multiverse.

From Genesis: Abram K-J has a short note on God's first words in Greek.
Bosco Peters contemplates John Walton's The Lost world of Genesis 1, and his thesis that we are looking at the functions of the cosmic Temple.
Lamech's Bigamy gets a headline from Claude Mariottini.
Joel Watts ponders St Ambrose on the mind of Abraham.
via James Mcgrath
Deborah Haarsma of Biologos responds to the situation at Bryan College.
Dr. Jim is concerned over finding the Biblical Flintstones.
Avraham failed the test.
For Sodom and Gomorrah he argued
but when it came to his son
no protest crossed his lips.
...
The angel had to call him twice.
Avraham's eyes were red, his voice hoarse
he wept like a man pardoned
but God never spoke to him again.*
Ken Schenck is delighted to have put this chapter of Grudem behind him.
From Simon Holloway: "the book of Genesis requests of us that we read it in a diegetic fashion".
Jonathan Robinson ponders hidden children in Exodus and the Gospels.

Following the lectionary Stephen Cook reflects on Exodus 17.
Suzanne McCarthy notes the Biblical art of Gustave Doré.
Susan Pigott brings a word on Leviticus
and Ian Paul deliberates on Numbers - on gathering wood - a dismal story that calls for the help of music.
For a mention of Deuteronomy, note this new book on the authority of dead kings, Deuteronomy-Kings as Emerging Authoritative Books. 

Prophets

Meir ben Mymon takes on serious identity issues in this paper on La prostitue universelle beginning with "l’histoire de Momo, un jeune garçon qui ne connaît pas son âge et qui a été élevé par Madame Rosa, une prostituée Juive ayant survécu à la Shoah." We file this identity-issue under Joshua, for Mme Rosa is, Meir writes, comme Rahab qui habite dans le mur de Jéricho, qui a pris soins d’espions, a sauvé leurs vies et leur a promis la terre. All are welcome, even the children of Rahab (Psalm 87:4).
Joshua 1:6
Jeremy Myers writes about the ties between warfare and worship in the Old Testament and wonders if he has the courage to follow the implications.
Here's the part
God apparently didn't say
at least not aloud
where anyone could hear:

dispossessing anyone
not as easy as it sounds
and tends to have
side effects *
Peter Enns asks if David was really a king.

Claude Mariottini begins a series on The rape of Tamar continuing with an introduction to David's large family.
Steven Cook posts some images of Baal.
Timothy gives us a word on 1 Kings 18:27.
Anthony Swindell reviews a collection of essays on The Figure of Solomon in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Tradition: King, Sage and Architect.

Jim Davila draws our attention to Isaiah and the LXX by Lawrence Schiffman.
Edward Cook on Ralph the Sacred River comments on Isaiah 36:12 and its rude language. The music adds nothing to the word colouring.
Ferrell Jenkins gives us Alexander and Tyre and a note on tambourines from Isaiah 24.
Maria McDowell writes on Lent and Isaiah 58:6.
Jim West shares a note on Zwingli and Jeremiah.

Don't miss the 5 minutes of faithful science fiction from Tim Bulkeley on Ezekiel, and for a touch of merkavah mysticism, try Tavi, (from טָבַע?) the slave who sleeps under a bed in the sukkah, from Jim Davila.
Antony Perrot points to a recent paper on the structure of Hosea chapter 4.

Even Obadiah gets a mention this month - (via Nijay Gupta) as the first volume in a new commentary series "Hearing the Message of Scripture." Daniel Block, the general editor, is also the first author. Music: (note bar 5 - 18 beats on one reciting note).
Obadiah 1, bar 5
Another new commentary series, the International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament, begins with Zechariah 9-14.
JP vd Giessen posts a few reflective notes, overpeinzingen over Jona.
Tim Bulkeley has 5-minute-Bible episodes on Jonah and Obadiah also, a nice contrast.
Gert Prinsloo reviews Jeanette Mathews, Performing Habakkuk: Faithful Re-enactment in the Midst of Crisis. (One of many SBL reviews, but this one caught the carnival host's eye - or ear. No mention of music.)

Writings
David Koyzis asks if the whole Psalter is to be sung, and answers from Chrysostom.
James Pate finishes his 3 year long series of posts on the Psalms.
a little of Job's speech in music here
Rafael Sanz Carrera posts on Psalm 16 (15).
Your carnival host explores performance of the Psalms according to the inductive analysis of the te'amim by Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura.
Mark Whiting notes Sue Gillingham's new book on Psalms 1 and 2.
Steve Bricker claims he is bored by repetitive songs and quotes the fathers on Psalm 55.
David Koyzis cites Bonhoeffer on the imprecatory psalms.
Paul Davidson sums up ancient beliefs about creation from the reflections of mythology in the Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and Isaiah.

Theophrastus at BLT puts up a couple of examples from a site with a minimum Bible in images. James McGrath notes the image on Job.
And here's a sociological touch on the interpretation of a thing from Ingie Hovland such as we might read in Qohelet.

The grammar of Esther continues from Robert Holmstedt, מיום ליום ומחדשׁ לחדשׁ.
Music sung here
Seamus Macdonald would probably say that RH has put in the 1100 hours needed for serious language study.

It is Esther's month with the feast of Purim as Arne Berge notes in this Norwegian newsletter from Israel.
Joel Hoffman asks if Haman was hanged or impaled.
Rachel Barenblatt draws out a lesson from the feast.
Michael Leo Samuel posts reflections on the Megillah reaching back to 1943.

Daniel and the fourth beast get a word via Julio Cesar Chaves.
Manuel Rojas suggests that Daniel's rationale for not eating meat is an issue of resisting assimilation, una de las pocas áreas en las que aún pueden ejercer su decisión, como una oportunidad de conservar su identidad propia.
James Pate begins a new weekly series with the genealogies of 1 Chronicles. And he has daily discipline for the Song.

The | book of the gene|rations of | Jesus | Christ // Son of David, | son of | Abraham
NT βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ
Beside music, epochs and genealogies emerge as a theme this month. Peter Enns gives us Denis Lamoureux's conclusion to his series on Biblical Genealogies. Does anyone have any guesses as to where that music snippet above is from in the TNK? A virtual carnival teddy bear and kudos as a prize.

Gospels
Darnel seed head
Judy Redman comments on Growing Wheat and the parable of the sower based on agricultural theory and practice.
She also has good advice on caring for the yeast.
Johnson Thomaskutty introduces Dr. Ramesh Khatry a NT scholar from the Himalayas whose doctoral work was on the parable of the wheat and the tares.
In contrast to hard purity and stone hearts, Rachel Held Evans ponders a fleshly heart. (Suitable for carnival.)

Mark Goodacre, gifted with another snow day, continued his series of podcasts with Jesus' brothers.
Michael Kok posts on Matthew and Luke departing from Mark's order and Luke's arrangement of the double tradition and some thoughts on technical feasibility in ancient writing, noting John Poirier on The Roll, the Codex, the Wax Tablet and the Synoptic Problem.
Greg Jenks has posted a pdf (or epub) of a substantial study guide, Jesus then and Jesus now.

Here's a little idle musing on Mark and a few things to click from Brice Jones including the online copy of The Living Text of the Gospels, by D. C. Parker, CUP 1997.
Christopher Skinner draws from John Riches' Conflicting Mythologies: Identity formation in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
Minas Monier writes on Markus Vinzent’s Marcion and the Dating of the Synoptic Gospels.
Johnson Thomaskutty posts on Lukan usage of ptōchos from the ‘Q Source’ (6:20).
The feast of the Annunciation ties dates together as noted by Bosco Peters.
Abram K-J writes on Craig S. Keener’s Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary.

Matthew Montonini quotes Leon Morris (born on the Ides of March 1913) on Matthew 5:3 and on John 14. Clay Knick reflects on a letter by Morris from typewriter days.
Archbishop Cranmer blogs on the parable of the Good Samaritan (via Doug Chaplin).
J R Daniel Kirk reflects from Mark on the actions of the disciples in the carnival's tent of shame.

Paula Gooder speaks as part of the St Johns Nottingham Timeline Project, on John's Gospel, including the mystery of the identity of the beloved disciple, textual sequence issues, a brief on community, and dating.
Subhasis Chattopadhyay reads John, and searches out the material of beginning in Christian and Hindu thought.

Marg Mowczko comments on the many women who followed Jesus present at the crucifixion.
John Byron asks about criteria for inspiration re the pericope adulterae.
Anticipating April 1, James McGrath notes an odd news article on Judas.

It's hard to miss the big red sign from Chris Keith.
Bill Heroman while reading "Bauckham's chapter, John for Readers of Mark, in the so far excellent The Gospel for all Christians", considers Jesus and John's dungeon days.
Anthony Le Donne continues to ponder Jesus and memory.

Tug of war evident in recent interpretations of love in the Gospel of John. (via Johnson Thomaskutty).

Suzanne McCarthy notes the rhetoric of Women of Courage.
Bosco Peters digs the Samaritan Woman, but stopping short of the tradition of St Photina.

Larry Hurtado outlines the earliest corrections in Sinaiticus.
James McGrath suggests a thesis on Truth, mystics, and history.
Jeff Carter stands on the mount of the precipice (maybe).

Acts
James McGrath responds repeatedly to Richard Carrier on Acts as historical fiction.

Paul
Fortress Press features videos with Michael Gorman, NT Wright, and Richard Hayes.
Ben Witherington writes extensively on Wright - gazing on the vision of the God enthroned on his chariot - or Paul lugging about a hug case of scrolls. Headed as part 16, this long series on NTW's new book continues with part 17 and several more through the month.
Larry Hurtado is likewise beginning a series on Wright's 1600 pages on Paul.
Re Paul's hermeneutic and Israel’s scriptures and re Paul's words on women, Scot McKnight also cites Wright among others.
Scot McKnight looks at another book, this one by Sarah Ruden, Paul among the People.
Wayne Coppins cites Gerd Thiesen on the now not so new perspective.

Tim Gombis reading Wright writes on Paul as Pastor.
Marg Mowczko instructs on wifely submission and holy kisses.
Hurtado takes on Crossan on a hypothetical question re circumcision.
Nijay Gupta insists that all the lights be on when teaching from 1 Corinthians 11.
Liturgy's Bosco Peters posts on rethinking the clobber passages.
James McGrath ponders on God's will from Romans 12:1.

Elna Mouton writes on Ascended far above all the heavens’, Rhetorical functioning of Psalm 68:18 (19h) in Ephesians 4:8–10.
Ken Schenck with many is working through a #40daybible.
Rafael Sanz of Oviedo calls us to reflect on call in the Pauline vocabulary.
Nijay Gupta draws attention to a Cowper poem on 1 Thessalonians 1:3.
In Spanish, another in the series of posts from Rafael on power in Pauline Language.

Hebrews
Amy Peeler reviews The Greening of Hebrews (via Brian Small who also notes the Hebrews highlights for the month).

The Catholic Epistles
Phillip Long takes us into the Holy in 1 Peter 1:15 and looks at what tastes good. And he comments on 2 Peter as Pseudepigraphy.
Randy Hardman posts on Peter Enns' blog on The Exodus of Inerrancy and Entrance Into Authenticity.
Randy's third act in this circus tent features a staged fall from the high wire: "Indeed, after reading some of the creative reconciliations designed by inerrantists, who wouldn’t want to just get high and think about nothing?!"
Forgery? 

Phillip Long asks about the rationale for 1 John citing advice from Irenaeus and Ignatius "Turn a deaf ear therefore when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who was of the family of David the child of Mary, who was truly born, who ate and drank, who was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died….". Here polarity is evidenced. A note on 2 John follows and also on hospitality in 3 John. Jude the obscure whether late or early has his sources explored.

The Apocalypse
Manuel Rojas gives us a comment on Revelation 1:4, el que es y que era y que está viniendo.
Phillip Long asks if Revelation is early or late.



Language
Michael Law tells us what's up with the language of the LXX.
Doug Chaplin questions the LXX as prophecy and inspiration in error?
William Ross announces his intention to do LXX Resource Reviews.
Abram K-J points out Koine Greek Reader and Septuagint Vocabulary Lists.
Kurk Gayle notes God's first Greek puns.
Shawn Wilhite begins a series on Runge ... and the Greek verb.

Via Jim Davila, the Very Hungry Caterpillar is available in Aramaic.
James McGrath requests input on translating names.
Wayne Coppins introduces junior and senior German speaking scholars. He is working on a project "to facilitate increased dialogue between German and Anglophone scholarship by making recent German research available in English translation." See the interviews with him here and here.

Jim Gordon gives some insight into the language of modern English translations of the Bible.
Paul Davidson offers a list of misleading translations in the NIV.
Grant Adamson translates an ancient Roman letter on a soldier's troubles (via April Deconick).
Kim, Dong-Hoon has a series on the secrets of Hebrew in the section 'under the fig tree', 무화과나무 아래.
Robert Holmstedt and Andrew Jones publish an article on The Pronoun in tri-partite verbless clauses in Biblical Hebrew.
And here's a call for papers for a blog carnival on ancient languages.


Archaeology, History
Jim Davila has information on female scribes.
Todd Bolen points out research on the Moza Temple in the Iron II and recent excavations in Jericho.
Lawrence Mykytiuk lists 50 figures from the Hebrew Bible that have been confirmed archaeologically.
Israel Finklestein's website on Bible and Archaeology is pointed out by Deane Galbraith at Biblical Studies online.

Deane Galbraith also brings us "From Rabbi to Nazi: The Vicissitudes of Jesus in Modern Theology," The Krister Stendahl Memorial Lecture, Nov 7, 2011, Ersta Konferens, Bringsalen, Susannah Heschel in Biblical Studies online: the opening quote on Paul between minutes 6 and 7 is worth waiting for.
A late question (65 minutes) recalls the name of Deane's blog Remnants of Giants.
There is another bone box. And the age of the first may have been confirmed.
Lawrence Schiffman wirites on body and soul in Qumran and Philo.
And something less weighty whose fragility is preserved: a whole egg in a votive found at Sardis.
Via Jim West, an article on the Chalcolithic temple of Ein Gedi and the Facebook group on satisfying archaeology.
April Holloway writes about new manuscripts from Qumran. This news is seconded from Claude Mariottini with more from Jim Davila.
Kate Cooper writes on Thecla's Roman Catacomb.


Books
Kerry Lee reviews Eyrl Davies, Biblical Criticism, a Guide for the Perplexed.
Phillip Long reviews Secret Scriptures Revealed by Tony Burke.
Radio station Teachings of Enoch interviews the author.
Nijay Gupta reviews The Church Fathers on the Nature of Scripture by Michael Graves.
Ben Witherington comments on Finny Kuruvilla’s the case for non-resistance.
Airton José da Silva gives us a brief on a new book by Thomas Römer, La Bible, quelles histoires!: Entretien avec Estelle Villeneuve.
Non seulement les textes bibliques restent d’une importance cruciale dans notre présent politique, mais ils font en outre partie de notre patrimoine historique, au-delà donc d’un patrimoine culturel et religieux.
Amanda Davis Bledsoe reviews The Concept of Canonical Intertextuality and the Book of Daniel.
Jim Davila has a brief on Noll's Caanan and Israel in Antiquity.
Nijay Gupta draws out attention to Ross Wagner's Reading the Sealed Book, the Old Greek Septuagint.
Jordan Scheetz reviews Hans Ausloos and Bénédicte Lemmelijn's The Book of Life: Biblical Answers to Existential Questions.
Peter Bekins critiques Magnar Kartveit's Rejoice, Dear Zion! Hebrew Construct Phrases with "Daughter" and "Virgin" as Nomen Regens.
James Pate reviews Moberly on Old Testament Theology and Matthews' The Hebrew Prophets in their Social World.
On behalf of Virginia, Idle musing ponders holiness by John Oswalt.

Angela Roskop Erisman posts on The Birth of Academic Biblical Studies in her review of Magne Sæbø, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: The History of its Interpretation, Volume III/1: The Nineteenth Century — a Century of Modernism and Historicism.
Steve Wiggins entertains the tension between faith and scholarship - responding to C. John Sommerville’s The Decline of the Secular University.
There is a blog tour of a related subject book Can we still believe the Bible? All the chapter by chapter links are in one place.
Two reviews of Marc Zvi Brettler, Peter Enns, and Daniel J. Harrington The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously deal with similar questions.
Tom Ingebritzen of Emerging Scholars takes on some aspects of the tension between Science and Faith.
Historian James Tabor, responding to Darrel Bock's review of The Jesus Dynasty, comments that "good history is never the enemy of proper faith". He writes later on the history of the Talpiot Tomb and kids playing soccer with the bones.

try the door (via AKMA)
Peter Enns comments on his best laid book plans about a not-well-behaved Bible.
Michael Langlois announces Volume 3 of the bilingual Qumran Library.
A.K.M. Adam recalls Donald Pleasance as a model of ministry and an early performance of Alan Rickman (Septimus Snape) in Trollope's Barchester Chronicles, #wwshd. What would Septimus Harding do?

James Harrison reviews The Centrality of Αιµα (Blood) in the Theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book that discusses the ambiguity, ambivalence, and multivocality in the biblical understanding of blood.
Mudville's Casey
James McGrath reviews Casey on Jesus.
David Capes draws attention to a duet of books: How did Jesus become a God, and How God became Jesus. All this is in the big tent of SBL carnival in the Program Unit: "The Extent of Theological Diversity in Earliest Christianity." For anticipatory conversation on the big tent discussion, see McGrath's interview by Dustin Martyr in four parts and his summary of early links here.
Bible Gateway, another Harper Collins division, also highlights the authors responding to Bart Ehrman.
Christopher Skinner wonders why it takes five or six evangelicals to counter one non-evangelical scholar.
Daniel McClellan draws out Paul Fredriksen's comment on monotheism now and then.


Movies
via Ingrid Esther Lily
Mark Goodacre tells us how to prepare for a movie non-review. And leads us through the history of the Last Temptation among other things like the Coptic fragment on Jesus' wife.
OUP blog reviews the Son of God, as a gentle, pop-up book version of the New Testament, its text reenacted for maximum reassurance and intellectual ease.

When the floodgates open
build a boat with many spaces
here in these cubbyholes
stash your scales and feathers*
Claude Mariottini warns of some issues with the movie, Noah, that may not be completely accurate. See also the cataclysmic Noah site. One wonders if Noah deserves a No or an Ah. Or is it a baby showerDarrell Pursiful wonders if the film will be true to the story. More here and later linking to reviews from Jim Davila and a review by Ken Schenck.
At least one commentary by Steven Greydanus is positive, comparing the film to Tolkein, and naming it a blend of epic spectacle, startling character drama and creative reworking of Scripture and other ancient Jewish and rabbinic writings.
Robert Cargill collects some old articles on the flood.
Suzanne McCarthy posts a Rabbi's review. There are
several reviews. EnnsEndless. It is banned in several countries.

For relief, here is the Academy-award-winning documentary from 1957 on Doctor Albert Schweitzer (via Dănuț Mănăstireanu) complete with footage of him playing the organ at the church near his childhood home of Gunsbach in the Haut-Rhin, Alsace (around the 13 minute mark).


Journals
(via James McGrath) New journal on Science, Religion and Culture.
And another one on Hebrew Studies.
And another new one on Ancient Near Eastern History (via Jim Davila)
and also Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies.

Gathercole and Goodacre are featured in the Journal for the Study of the NT.
JP vd Giessen points to a Newsletter / march which among many other things happily notes een leuke schotenwisseling over het intellectuele niveau van de antieke gnostici. Deel een, deel twee, deel drie. This topic is also the subject of a post from Wayne Coppins.

Peter Head lists some interesting articles.
(via Jim Davila) New content in the ancient world online.
Here's a new blog for academic journals. (via Michael Barber) I expect some require an institutional licence or subscription to see the content. (Your host has otherwise attempted to keep the carnival free of advertisement or pay wall, i.e. without money, without price.)


Miscellany

James McGrath recommends AWOL (Ancient World Online) where a prototype New Testament Transcripts feature has been announced.
Via Chris Keith, note the treasure trove here from Christopher Rollston.
Here are five tips from Jonathan Z Smith per una lettura ben fatta.
Vox-Nova begins a Lenten exercise on the Scriptural basis for the Nicene Creed (via Gaudetetheology at BLT).
Rachel Held Evans considers the least of these.
Revenge is the theme of a medieval playMystère de la Vengeance, acquired by the British Library.

There are several posts on the sexuality topic this month. Does the Bible say anything about homosexuality? This conversation was terminated in the Facebook site, but your host notes that it won't rest. So he defers with this prod from Joel Watts and adds sex to the carnival, a Jewish perspective, and from Kevin Carnahan, a perspective on heterosexuality as forbidden.
.
Philip Tite creates a fable on the package called religion.
Rachel Barenblatt encounters an unexpected messenger.
Nick Knisely at Entangled States comments on the science of Ash Wednesday #ashtag. You can see Nick's whole series here. For more on Lent, #ashtag is functioning.
Sansblogue is no longer sans online thesis - remember 1981 - Tim Bulkeley has been involved with parental images of God for a long time.
Judy Redman notes the possibility of requesting a thesis scan.
John Wheeler writes how sheep contribute to music in the ancient world.

PaleoJudaica asks about colour perception in the ancient world and demonstrates the invention of pink.
Lawrence Schiffman blogs on The Halakhic Response of the Rabbis to the Rise of Christianity and Second Temple Period Rationales for the Torah’s Commandments, each a series of five posts.
Deane Galbraith adds several new posts during the month to what one could treat as a permanent carnival of learning at Biblical Studies online. E. g. during Lent, this series by Benjamin Sommer on God's Body may be of interest or these lectures on Law and Justice in the Old Testament.
But one might prefer to study the NSUV Bible or Religion as a Carnival Game.
Internet Ethics
James McGrath links to Internet Ethics. Larry Behrendt reveals more on the applicability of the oral law to the modern world, including a casino in Jericho waiting for walls to tumble down.
Joseph Kelly laments the state of encouragement for PhD's in Biblical Studies.
Suzanne McCarthy and Kristen Rosser of BLT bring up the CB of M-hood and W-hood.
Get your exercise with eschatological cycling on the hoods.

Larry Behrendt will, if you like, take you on a tour of the Malls of Jericho right to that Zacchaeus sycamore tree.
Google extends its mapping to a gallery of maps - including a 1967 throwback of the Lands of the Bible, such maps as we used to keep from National Geographic.
La Bibbia in TV da questa domenica (il 23 marzo) noted here.
The Vatican Library has a digitalization plan for its mss.

Is it death (includes poll), censorship, or life for Biblioblogs? Tim Bulkeley gets the best of both worlds: Biblioblogging and Social media. Peter Kirby has his list of active blogs here.

From Ethan Siegel on scienceblogs.
A number of bloggers have been rounded up by the Bible Gateway under the tag #bgbg2. Most of these fall outside the parameters of scholarly Biblical Study and more within the domain of devotional Bible Reading. Scholar and devoted alike are each welcome in the carnival.

A report on The Bible in American Life reading practice is posted here.
Beatrice Marovich interviews Catherine Keller on her new book Cloud of the Impossible: Theological Entanglements.
Climb the mountain, God said, Look out
over the hills and the desert
here dark spikes of cypress and cedar,
there scrub and sand pinked by sunset.
This is as close as you get.
Your years of service are over.
...
Does it hurt, being so near and so far?
Trust me: I know what I am doing.
If you could live to see what's coming
it would break your heart.*
* Poetry fragments from 70 Faces of Torah by Rachel Barenblatt, THE AKEDAH CYCLE / Va yerah 6. The angels say, DOWNSIDE / Mas'ei, INTEGRATION / Noah, ASYMPTOTE / Ha azinu, with permission from the author.

Carry on blogging ... as we learn to tie our shoes
Here's hoping your carnival experience has been as cringe-free as this service from Ian Paul around the tale of Jonah.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
 Has run
 But to the evensong;
And, having pray'd together, we
Will go with you along.
[Robert Herrick, To Daffodils]
The next carnival is to be from the Zwinglian Jim West. Please contact Phillip Long (plong42), at his gmail account if you want to volunteer to be a host for a carnival. It is a good discipline.

Sunday 30 March 2014

Carnival due out tomorrow whenever that is

The March (not the Spring!) ratings for the BS blogs are out - and Dust is number 16 - thank you readers - (Spring is not approaching in Brazil nor in Australia or New Zealand.)

Tomorrow has of course already started in some places especially one who noted the northern um prophecy, where it will be spring in 6 months.  All you northerners - want to wait for spring for another 6 months?

The blogs listed in the BS (that's Biblical Studies by the way) list are mostly English - but you know these days it is perfectly possible to get an impression using Google translate of almost any place in the world - not the nuance - cause we hardly know how to read without imposing our conclusions, but at least an impression.

The prior BS Carnival hosted here 16 months ago was a big hit - almost my number 1 post of all times for volume. The next is due out tomorrow and will post here about 9 pm Pacific time and it will be equally stuffed - but I won't know if it is a hit till later. So stay up late in Eastern North America or very late in Brazil (if you want). Look for it in the early morning in Europe, midday in India, afternoon in Korea and Australia, and evening in New Zealand.

I have shown some discretion in selecting posts - but I wanted a post on every book of the Bible (I did not succeed) and from many languages other than English (partial success) and from parts of the world other than North America and Europe (some success).

Friday 28 March 2014

Alone and palely loitering

Oh what can ail thee, knight at arms?  Well, it's that feeling that one is alone in one's enthrallment. Is there anyone out there with the time to look at Psalm 17 and its music with me?  This is of course one of 150 such pieces (or 1500).

Think now, is there a voice in you that seeks your contribution to an intriguing music? Maybe you play an instrument? Maybe you are in a tradition that chants things with accompaniment from sitar or lute?

What accompaniment, what assignment of voices would you give to this psalm?

I have transcribed the music from the Hebrew (and we could pick some other psalm in a trice - just give me a day for the English underlay. I will eventually do them all.)

I am not a composer or arranger though I have dabbled with such things. The music is all at this shared resource with pictures.

Here is the text of this psalm showing its patterns of verbal recurrence. There are so many fears in the world today that fit this description! What will be our ultimate satisfaction in this world of such immense richness and variety?

17 - Satisfied with the ears and eyes of יְהוָה
תְּפִלָּה לְדָוִד
שִׁמְעָה יְהוָה צֶדֶק
הַקְשִׁיבָה רִנָּתִי
הַאֲזִינָה תְפִלָּתִי
בְּלֹא שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה
1A prayer of David
Hear יְהוָה righteousness
Attend to my shout
Give ear to my prayer
not from lips of deceit
מִלְּפָנֶיךָ מִשְׁפָּטִי יֵצֵא
עֵינֶיךָ תֶּחֱזֶינָה מֵישָׁרִים
2From your presence emerges my judgment
Your eyes gaze on uprightness
בָּחַנְתָּ לִבִּי
פָּקַדְתָּ לַּיְלָה
צְרַפְתַּנִי בַל תִּמְצָא
זַמֹּתִי בַּל יַעֲבָר פִּי
3You have tried my heart
You have visited in the night
You have refined me till nothing is found
I intend that my mouth will not go beyond...

לִפְעֻלּוֹת אָדָם
בִּדְבַר שְׂפָתֶיךָ
אֲנִי שָׁמַרְתִּי אָרְחוֹת פָּרִיץ
4About the works of humanity,
in the word of your lips
I myself kept from the paths of one who breaks open
תָּמֹךְ אֲשֻׁרַי בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶיךָ
בַּל נָמוֹטּוּ פְעָמָי
5Maintain my steps in your tracks
my footfall does not slip
אֲנִי קְרָאתִיךָ
כִי תַעֲנֵנִי אֵל
הַט אָזְנְךָ לִי
שְׁמַע אִמְרָתִי
6I myself have called you
because you answer, O God
bend your ear to me
hear my promise
הַפְלֵה חֲסָדֶיךָ
מוֹשִׁיעַ חוֹסִים
מִמִּתְקוֹמְמִים
בִּימִינֶךָ
7Reserve your loving-kindness
you who save those who take refuge
from those who arise
by your right hand
שָׁמְרֵנִי
כְּאִישׁוֹן בַּת עָיִן
בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ
תַּסְתִּירֵנִי
8keep me
as the daughter imaged in an eye
in the shadow of your wings
hide me
מִפְּנֵי רְשָׁעִים
זוּ שַׁדּוּנִי
אֹיְבַי בְּנֶפֶשׁ יַקִּיפוּ עָלָי
9from the faces of the wicked
that devastate me
hostile in being encompassing me

חֶלְבָּמוֹ סָּגְרוּ
פִּימוֹ דִּבְּרוּ בְגֵאוּת
10their grossness, they imprison
their mouth, they speak with pride
אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ עַתָּה
סְבָבוּנוּ
עֵינֵיהֶם יָשִׁיתוּ
לִנְטוֹת בָּאָרֶץ
11our steps now
they surround us
they have their eyes set
bending over the earth
דִּמְיֹנוֹ כְּאַרְיֵה יִכְסוֹף לִטְרֹף
וְכִכְפִיר יֹשֵׁב בְּמִסְתָּרִים
12its likeness like a lion that salivates to tear
and like a cub sitting in hidden places
קוּמָה יְהוָה
קַדְּמָה פָנָיו
הַכְרִיעֵהוּ
פַּלְּטָה נַפְשִׁי
מֵרָשָׁע חַרְבֶּךָ
13Arise יְהוָה
confront to its face
make it bow down
Secure me
from the wicked, your sword
מִמְתִים יָדְךָ יְהוָה
מִמְתִים מֵחֶלֶד חֶלְקָם בַּחַיִּים
וּצְפוּנְךָ תְּמַלֵּא בִטְנָם
יִשְׂבְּעוּ בָנִים
וְהִנִּיחוּ יִתְרָם לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶם
14from men, your hand, יְהוָה
from men, from transience, their share in their lives
whose bellies you fill with your treasure
Let them be satisfied with children
and leave their surplus to their progeny
אֲנִי בְּצֶדֶק אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ
אֶשְׂבְּעָה בְהָקִיץ תְּמוּנָתֶךָ
15I in righteousness will gaze on your face
I will be satisfied to awaken in your similitude
Hebrew words: 124. Percentage of Hebrew words that recur in this psalm: 40%. Average keywords per verse: 3.3.

Selected recurring words
Word and gloss * first usage123456789101234567VsRoot
* תפלה a prayer
1פלל
שׁמעה hear
1שׁמע
צדק righteousness
1צדק
* האזינה Give ear to
1אזן
* תפלתי my prayer
1פלל
שׂפתי lips of
1שׂפה
תחזינה gaze on
2חזה
* פי my mouth
3פה
בדבר in the word of
4דבר
שׂפתיך your lips
4שׂפה
* שׁמרתי I kept
4שׁמר
אשׁרי my steps
5אשׁר
* הט bend
6נטה
* אזנך your ear
6אזן
שׁמע hear
6שׁמע
ממתקוממים from those who arise
7קום
* שׁמרני keep me
8שׁמר
תסתירני hide me
8סתר
רשׁעים the wicked
9רשׁע
בנפשׁ in being
9נפשׁ
* פימו their mouth
10פה
דברו they speak
10דבר
אשׁרינו our steps
11אשׁר
* לנטות bending
11נטה
במסתרים in hidden places
12סתר
קומה arise
13קום
נפשׁי me
13נפשׁ
מרשׁע from the wicked
13רשׁע
* ממתים from men
14מת
* ממתים from men
14מת
* ישׂבעו let them be satisfied with
14שׂבע
בצדק in righteousness
15צדק
אחזה will gaze on
15חזה
* אשׂבעה I will be satisfied
15שׂבע
PSALMS 17
Last printed on 2014.03.28-10:53