Mark 16:9-20 -- STILL in Double Square Brackets

The other day someone asked me if the ECM of Mark still places Mark 16:9-20 in double square brackets. Well, I checked, and sadly the answer is yes. Whereas 1,643 Greek manuscripts support the inclusion of these verses, only 3 lack them. Not to mention all the versional and patristic testimony in favor of the longer ending. Until this changes, I see no end to the continuing interlude in the field of New Testament textual criticism. The guild seemingly remains content with the predominantly Alexandrian-based reasoned eclectic method and its resultant UBS/NA/ECM texts. True, an occasional Byzantine reading is preferred, but not to the degree that would significantly change the Alexandrian-ness of the critical text. 

Three Cheers for Armenian!

Dwayne Green's latest livestream on the text of Acts 8:37 is a MUST SEE! 

There are many things I could say about this fascinating discussion, but one of the first things you'll notice is how important and relevant in the discussion are the ancient versions (including the Armenian) and the ancient church fathers. So I decided to write this post to remind everyone who produces an edition of the Greek New Testament to PLEASE include in your apparatus the leading versions and fathers. If you do, I will thaw into a gratitude puddle. 

Now, I will give credit to the ECM that many versions are listed. But hey, why not include the Armenian as well? I like the Armenian version because it is a very literal translation. It's also early. It dates back to the 5th century and was made from both Syriac and Greek texts. According to Bruce Metzger, Armenia was the first kingdom to accept Christianity as its official religion in the late 3rd century. 

That's earlier than Constantine did! You may not also realize that Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, predates the founding of Rome. Amazing.

I hope one day to return to Armenia. It has an awesome Museum of Ancient Manuscripts, which I've had the privilege of visiting on three different trips to that country. 

I obviously had to peruse their New Testament manuscripts. Whenever I see a textual variant in my Greek New Testament, I always like to see what the Armenian version reads. Interestingly enough, it frequently agrees with the Byzantine text. Below are major textual variants I've written about in such journals as New Testament Studies and Novum Testamentum. 

The readings I argued for in those essays are given in black. Notice that only in one case does the Armenian go with the Critical Text. Oh sure, the Armenian version isn't as ancient as Coptic or the Old Latin ("Itala"), but it's still a very old translation. I hope one day its readings will be included in the ECM, but what I think probably doesn't matter very much. 

By the way, I LOVED teaching in Armenia. No words can describe the rejoicing in my heart when students get excited about the study of God's word! 

My class in Yerevan. Half of these students were from neighboring Iran. 

On My Soapbox

Church peeps, let's try and stay away from the corporate mentality in the way we do church, okay? The church is not a corporation. So stop calling it an elder board. A corporation has a board of directors. But a church will have a body of elders. Stop distinguishing your "senior pastor" from your other elders. That's a distinction the New Testament never makes. A pastor is an elder and an elder is a pastor. Besides, the title "senior pastor" is reserved for Christ (1 Pet. 5:4). And how I wish we could get rid of the term "church." I love how Tyndale rendered ekklesia as "congregation." He was simply following the lead he found in Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German, in which Luther avoided the term "Kirche," preferring instead "Gemeinde." The equivalent in English would be "community." You see, an ekklesia is a group of people that have come together and have something in common, as opposed to a group of people that have come together and have little to nothing in common (that's an ochlos, or "crowd"). In Germany, you can drive into, say, "Gemeinde Lörrach" (the municipality of Lörrach) and then attend "die Baptistengemeinde Lörrach" (the Baptist church of Lörrach) on Sunday. Beautiful! 

And when we will ever stop referring to the pastorate as "the" ministry. Remember, those who served tables and those who taught the word in Acts 6 were both engaged in "ministry" (diakonia)! 

*Stepping off my soapbox.*

My Workout Today (Great Fun!)

Yes, I'm posting another gym report, but this is one of the ways I document my health journey, so feel free to skip! 

Today's Training Run

I am 72 years old. I should be in my warm bed on a cold day like today, not shivering while running on a trail it took me over an hour to drive to. But, see, that's the point! We do these things because they get us out of our warm beds and into the crazy world all around us. That's exactly why I've signed up for another 32-mile ultra in December and why I got in a training run today. It forces me to be active and thus it prevents complacency and boredom. 

I got in a 10-mile run today. I ran from downtown Farmville to the High Bridge, crossed it, then turned around. 

Guess what? It's beginning to look like fall. This place will be knock-dead gorgeous in a few weeks once all the leaves have changed their colors. 

One thing I love about training on a trail is that you can leave behind the gym rats, the car exhaust, and other distractions and clear your head. Race day is always a big crap shoot. You can train endlessly and on race day wake up to a torrential downpour or even a snowstorm. You have to have the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual fortitude to go that far. The will to run 67,000 steps. The guts to cover 164,000 feet. The stamina to be out on the course for up to 9 or 10 hours. Even with good weather, there aren't any guarantees. So you train and hope for the best. 

The great thing about running is that there are always risks. Lots of unknowns. In other words: ADVENTURE. And that's exactly why we do it. 

Have a lovely evening! 

Enjoying the Toughness

I'm thinking about doing another 50K ultramarathon trail race in December. It would be my fourth race at that distance (32 miles). I recall that before my first ultra someone told me, "Every time I always think I can't do this. But then I just start." That's kinda stuck with me. It is hard! And it hasn't gotten any easier. But by focusing on what you will have accomplished at the end, I've learned to enjoy the toughness more. Having a mantra can help. I sometimes use these:

"Remember, you paid to do this."

"This isn't something I have to do. It's something I get to do."

"The body can achieve what the mind believes."

"Don't think about it. Just do it."

"Don't worry about getting to the last mile. Think about getting to the next one."

Here's a final (weird) piece of advice. Pay attention to what your face is doing. Are you always grimacing? Try to relax it or even go for a slight smile during the hardest parts. You face doesn't just show your emotion. It creates it too. 

I guess the point I'm rambling about is that consistency and patience are the biggest factors to seeing positive growth in your life. Find a style of exercise that you enjoy. Then just stay consistent with being active. One quote I like is, "It never gets easier. You just get better."

Have a lovely evening! 

Knocked Down But Not Out

Today I wanted to bring a brief word of encouragement to those of you who might have experienced a significant loss in your life, be it a spouse, a child, a job, and the like. This is not an academic subject. One day things will happen to you that will cut your legs out from under you. As Paul writes in 2 Cor. 4:7, "We are like fragile clay jars" (NLT). That's all we are. I'm just as fragile today as when I lost Becky 11 years ago. I'm just as human as when we first got her diagnosis. I'm just as given to discouragement now as I was then. By the grace of God I've stayed on my feet, but there've been times when I wondered if I could stay the course. Why? Because I'm a clay jar. Clay jars make it clear to all that their power "is from God, not from ourselves." Thus Paul adds, "We are hard pressed on every side but not completely cornered or without room for movement, embattled but never driven to surrender, bewildered but not at our wit's end, at a loss but never totally at a loss, hounded by the foe but not left to his mercy, knocked to the ground but not permanently grounded." That's life. That will happen. And in the midst of it all, God will still use us in all our brokenness. 

So let people see the cracks in your life. Let them see the pain. In the midst of your loss and grief, just keep your equilibrium. Don't give in to despair. You say, "I've come to the end of my strength." That's a good thing. God's sovereignty allows us to believe that he's bigger than our loss and will make our lives better because of it. 

Out Gymming Today

Yes, "gym" is now a verb. 

Ah. The Farm Life

After a long day of work in Wake Forest I come home to this? Nothing could be better. 

They work SO HARD. Farming is such difficult work. But it's good work. It puts you to bed with a good tired, if you know what I mean. It brings me indescribable joy.  

Thank you, Lord! 

Living YOUR Life

Guess what I'm going to do some day? Grow old. Wait a minute. To my grandkids I'm not just old. I'm VERY old. Yes, I'm almost three-quarters of a century old. But my heart feels about 30. 

Getting older has its downsides for sure. But here's one thing I've really enjoyed about aging. And that is that I care much less about what others think about me. I am comfortable in my own skin. It wasn't always like this. I used to have really thin skin. What you thought about me MATTERED. No longer. I don't say this disrespectfully. But it just doesn't. I am less and less concerned about what people think and more and more concerned about living the life that I think pleases the Lord. Friend, it's about living YOUR life (within reason, of course). 

Have a wonderful day! 

What Are You Doing with Your Life?

"Would you be happy for the rest of your life doing anything but teaching?" 

I ask that question often to students who are seeking my counsel about going on for their doctorate to become a full-time professor of New Testament and Greek. 

I've loved all 48 years that I've served the Lord as a teacher. It's like I was made for this. The 3 years I studied in Basel were the best years of my life. My profs believed in me. They set an example of what a great teacher looked like. I've never lived up to it. But it's been a great ride. 

What has God created you to do and to be? When you find out what that is, pursue it with all your might. 

Finding My Way Back to the Father

Today's sermon at church from Daniel 4 on the danger of pride really hit home. And it was delivered with such great power. When I listen to a piece of music, if I'm not pleasantly surprised within the first 8 bars, I've stopped listening. I've switched off. Likewise, a great sermon will always speak into your heart in the first 5 minutes. This one did. It left me with so much to think about.

This afternoon I plan on continuing my work outdoors since the weather is so lovely. In so many ways I consider myself to be most blessed among men. I thought deeply about that this past week. Not only about the things that God has blessed me with, but about the things in my life he has withheld or taken away from me. I rehearsed in my mind all the sincere prayer requests I offered him to which he answered no. Looking back, I realize that he had a good purpose for me in all of these experiences. I'm a better man because of them.

With Thanksgiving only a month away, I've decided to do something I've never done before. Beginning today, I will take some time during my morning Bible study to list ways God has blessed me in 2024. I am going to give thanks not only for what he provided but also for what he withheld. Beginning today, I plan to hit the pause button each morning and allow myself to remember the blessings of the past 10 months. He's forgiven me every sin I committed as I confessed it -- EVERY one. He granted me many occasions of fun and laughter with family and friends. He gave me the joy of wave riding and weight lifting and classroom teaching. He saw me through challenges with my eye and gave me such wonderful doctors and nurses. He was always there when I experienced loneliness, dark days, and sleepless nights. He reminded me over and over again that the God I love has experienced pain and therefore understands my suffering. In Jesus I've seen God's tears and witnessed the power of his suffering. I have found comfort knowing that no matter where I go or what I do I will find him there. 

In the end, I don't think I'll ever be able to thank him enough. His goodness transcends the mind's capacity to fathom it. Still, I want to say thank you to him, in small ways at least. I want to spend the rest of the year finding my way back to the Father's arms, where I can listen to his Spirit tell the story of Christ. 

Never Gets Old

Healing for Broken People

Each of us who shares the loss of a spouse has a similar wound. Each of us is left to figure out what our healing and moving forward look like. On Nov. 2, I'll be 11 years out. If your loss is more recent, I assure you you'll be okay. Most of us hit that "okay" crossroads at a year. That's the "normal" time frame for picking up the major pieces and making something new for yourself, whatever that may look like. Some manage to do it sooner, others later. You can have a life, but it's not going to be the life you planned before. It's going to be something completely different. 

Be sure to make both short-term and long-term goals for yourself. Then check in on yourself from time to time. You will be amazed at how much positive change you've made. But you have to keep at it. Be gentle with yourself. It seems like an impossible task. There's a massive hole in your existence. In some ways I'm still trying to find my equilibrium. Everything is different. Everything is quiet. You don't ever have to forget about your spouse, but I hope that you can at some point forget about the pain. Let him or her be a part of your thoughts and memories. Keep your family close no matter how much you feel alone. On Nov. 3 I'll be celebrating Becky's life by going to the North Carolina symphony. They will be performing a piece that Becky and I loved -- Horst's The Planets. My daughter will fly in from Alabama to join me. Nothing soothes the soul like music. It will be a wonderful time. We'll also go out for Ethiopian food. We will triumph because we are numbered among millions of people who in suffering nevertheless believed that God is God. 

Brokenness and love will be joined at the hip. We will find healing in community and in the God who sustains community for broken people like me.

The Editio Critica Maior on Mark: A Splendid Work!

Hello everyone!

This morning the weather continues to be ideal. I plan on working outdoors all afternoon. Earlier I had a great workout at the gym. As you can see, it went by fast. 

Prior to that I began to pour over my copy of the Editio Critica Maior of the Gospel According to Mark. I spent 2 hours in it today and 2 hours yesterday morning. 

And I can tell you: I am VERY impressed. I chose Mark because I've taught this book about 15 times in my career. I absolutely love this Gospel, not least because it poses many interesting questions about its text. 

The way the field of textual criticism is evolving is interesting. The ECM of Mark represents the best in modern academic scholarship in that it employs the latest method of textual criticism (CBGM). If you're a Sturzian like me (or, for that matter, a Byzantine prioritist), your approach to textual criticism will differ from the one used here, but there is still much to be grateful for. Already I have about 3 pages of notes I want to share with you based on my preliminary reading of ECM/Mark. For example, the editors are to be congratulated for removing the square brackets around the words "son of God" in Mark 1:1. It's about time! Let me assure you, there are many other improvements over the NA28 as well. 

ECM/Mark comes in three volumes. The second contains various supplementary materials. The third volume, which I found to be most interesting, presents a number of helpful studies that shed light on the methodology used in ECM/Mark. The first of these essays, by Klaus Wachtel (one of the editors), is by the far the most important. It's called "Notes on the Text of Mark." I highly recommend that you read it if you're at all curious as to how the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method has been used in the production of the ECM. Wachtel, of course, wants to dispense with the idea of "text types" altogether -- even the use of the expression "Byzantine text." It's obvious that this point of view represents a major departure from more traditional approaches to New Testament textual criticism (as espoused, say, by Bruce Metzger). 

Let's get practical. How you approach the text of the New Testament will color everything you do when you try to resolve a variant. Pastors especially need to be aware of the current debate over text types because it's their job to prepare God's people for works of service by their devotion to "prayer and the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). May I again point out something obvious? Prayer is to be the first priority. Never begin to do any kind of scriptural study without pausing and asking God to help and guide your studies. But in addition to prayer, the word of God alone remains our guide for life and godliness. This includes how we approach places of textual variation in our New Testament. Our dedication to the word of God is not just rooted in the reading of it. Addressing error is also part of the pursuit of unity in the church. Reasoned Eclecticism and Byzantine Priority both can't be right. But they can both be wrong. Ditto for Sturz's view. So we need to stay on our knees. Prayer is the means by which God grants power and insight to those who rely on him. Reading ECM/Mark is giving me something I greatly lacked: a deeper insight into how the modern guild approaches the text. Rather than ignore it, I need to become conversant in it. In the body of Christ, we need each other's encouragement, wisdom, example, and accountability. I seldom open my Greek New Testament without trying to picture myself as a believer in the first two centuries of the church as he encountered the New Testament in the copy available to him. He read the New Testament because it was Scripture. And so should we today. However, let me quickly add that the canon isn't closed on textual criticism. The discipline continues to change and grow even though the truth of God's word never changes. 

Hope this helps!

Surfing Etiquette at Waikiki

If you surf and want to visit Oahu in the summer, you'll definitely want to catch a few waves at Waikiki. You may have heard that some of the locals there can be a bit "territorial." It's true. So here's some advice from somehow who grew up surfing in Waikiki.

The whole southwest side of the island is VERY local, and the locals often feel they deserve the waves all to themselves. However, if you're respectful, no one is going to hassle you. You will definitely have to give up a few waves and wait your turn before moving up in the lineup. As long as you give some extra face to the locals you'll be alright. If you do make a mistake and drop in on someone, a sincere apology is usually all that's needed to make amends. I surf there every time I go to Hawaii (yearly). Even though I'm a kamaaina, I still have to give up some waves. No problem. Just keep spreading the aloha and take it as it comes. Last June a local pushed me in the lineup. I didn't take it personally. The guy was probably just unloading his personal problems on others. This happened at Queens. If you don't mind really shallow water, you can just paddle over to Publics. People there are much more chill. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind no matter what spot you go to is to mind your Ps and Qs and respect your fellow surfers. 

Waikiki is a fabulous place to surf, even if you're a beginner. Don't be afraid to give it a try the next time you're vacationing in Paradise. 

Unless the waves are over 5 feet, you'll definitely need a longboard!

Studying New Testament Greek: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

I can't wait to get back to Greek class on Monday after our Fall Break is over. The class has been translating from the Greek New Testament. Obviously a great number of interpretive decisions, including some pretty weighty theological ones, can be made on the basis of words, phrases, clauses, and single verses. If you're going to navigate the lexicographical issues on the table here, it's necessary to have a pretty good working knowledge of the language. You also need to situate various constructions in the context of larger syntactical tendencies. Knowing Greek is simply one less layer of mediation between you and the New Testament author. If you're also working on another language (say, German), you can get a New Testament with Greek on one side and German on the other and then use the Greek to work on the German and vice versa. Translations are inevitable, but it's regrettable when we have to rely too much on them. Of course, you have to have a realistic expectation of what you're going to get out of the course. In my opinion, a little goes a long way in helping you do your own research, but learning to read the New Testament in Greek fluently is going to take a lot more time and diligence. 

So is the juice worth the squeeze? Judge for yourself. Only you can decide what you wish to do with your intellectual faculties. You absolutely should embrace the Scriptures as often as you can and in as many ways as you can. Even if by the end of the class you're not able to read your Greek New Testament even with the use of helps, it will still have value in giving you the ability to ask the right questions of the text. And even a fairly rudimentary knowledge of Greek will help in reading the commentaries. 

Suffice it to say that time learning a foreign language (any language) is never time wasted! 

Today's Run

Here are few random pics and vids from today's run. 

I picked up running about 4 years after my wife died. For some reason I've stuck with it. It's two things for me: exploration and fitness. I can use my legs to transport myself to beautiful places that I would otherwise never see. Marathoning got me to St. George, UT and Mesa, AZ. I was able to visit the great city of Cincinnati. Then came Baltimore and Dallas and Fort Worth and Chicago. I also use this exercise to keep me healthy. It's wonderful having a better understanding of my own body, its needs, and how I should be respecting it. 

For something as simple as just moving your feet, running has really taught me a lot about life, perseverance, and health. And because of that it has greatly improved my life. It's the few minutes I have to myself uninterrupted by the distractions of my phone, work, and everything else going on around me. It's just my feet hitting the ground and realizing there's a whole world out there that I have to discover. 

Even though I may take the same route time after time, the way the air smells or the wind hits me is different every time. And it's an exercise in gratitude. I am grateful to God for every step I am able to take on my run. 

Running is so satisfying.  

We Love Music

My 15-year old grandson jamming. He made his own banjo from scratch. 

Oh my! Right in my heart! 

And here are two of my Alabama grandsons. 

Last Saturday their band had a competition in Talladega. They got "Best in Bands."

So proud of you two! 

Music adds so much to life, doesn't it?  It's always played a huge role in our family. Music is one of the things that makes me truly happy. I listen to it all day long. 

Pass it on from generation to generation. It's a great gift. 

Language Learning Is Fun!

Someone asked me recently why I'm studying Spanish. I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, who says that learning a language has to be useful? The fact that you enjoy doing it should be enough. I'm learning Hawaiian, and it's not even useful in Hawaii because so few speak it. Enjoyment has its own value. Of course, it's a nice bonus if the language you're learning happens to be useful to know. That's why I encourage people to study Spanish rather than German, even though I love the latter language and am fluent in it. The fact is, in the U.S. you'll get a lot more use out of learning Spanish than you would German. 

Even if you live in rural America you'll quickly see the utility of learning Spanish. I can now communicate with Spanish speakers in my area, not fluently of course, but adequately. The people I meet usually really appreciate my efforts because it's not the norm for a non-Latino to bother learning Spanish. Aside from that, I just like the way Spanish sounds. I also find it a useful language in terms of New Testament studies since there's a great revival of learning in Spain these days when it comes to the New Testament. I fell in love with Spain years ago when I was invited by the Greek Department at the University of Madrid to give a lecture on John's Gospel during a summer school session on the Costa del Sol. I had the audacity to give it in Spanish. (You can read it here in case you're interested.) The students loved it. At that time I was living in a very Latino-populated city (Los Angeles). I don't know where you live, but where I live (in Southern Virginia) there are tons of opportunities to interact with Spanish speakers. German is a great language, but the only chance I get to speak it nowadays is when I run into an Amish farmer at Bojangles. I never regret having mastered it. But for most of us, there just isn't any good reason to study it.

Unless you enjoy it! 

Yes, It's Okay to Watch Sports

For some, watching sports is seen as a huge waste of time. Sports is "a singular example of mental perversion, an absurd and immoral custom .... From every aspect it's bad," wrote George Howard, a 20th century sociologist.

I agree. Partly.

Sports are not an unmitigated good. The ugly side of sports rears its ugly head time and again. This includes NFL football. Yet millions of us are drawn to it every weekend at least partly because of the passion, skill, and bravery it takes to play the game. The apostle Paul constantly borrowed imagery from the games of his day. 

He expects his readers to run the race so as to receive the prize. He applies the illustrations to himself and says that he runs looking intently at the goal. And like every athlete, he disciplines himself so that he won't be disqualified.

It seems that Paul enjoyed Christian freedom when it came to sports. I suppose we can too.

The ECM on Mark Has Arrived!

UPS delivered this today. It's the ECM of the Gospel of Mark. 

I hope it's worth it because it cost me a year's wages. 

Settling In

Today was my Y day. It was the BEST workout I've ever had. (I know. I say this about EVERY workout.) 

Prior to my workout I did a deep dive into 2 Tim. 3 and saw a word in Greek I'd never seen before. Blog post soon! I've got other blog posts waiting in line. One is on Paul's description of elders as those who "work really, really hard" (1 Thess. 5:12) and one on the petitionary nature of Jesus' prayer life (and mine). So many good, God things happening. It's all the things I like about the fall season the most. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this time of "retirement" has already blown my expectations so far out of the water that I've given up trying to make sense of it. I'm just going to settle in and enjoy this season of life.

Have a marvelous day!

Surfing Virginia Beach Today

How good are you at surfing two foot slop? That's pretty much all you get in Virginia Beach. A long continental shelf makes for weak surf. Basically terrible surf until you get a hurricane. Low tide is your best bet here. Usually, when the weather is warm (like today), it's pretty flat. Surfers call it Lake Atlantic. Surfing Virginia Beach is like eating at a cheap buffet. There are a lot of options but none of them are top notch. Honestly, this is pretty typical of Virginia in general. We don't have the tallest mountains or the best surf. The waves are short but they do exist. You just cross your fingers and keep a close eye on Surfline. 

If you live where I do, you have to drive 3 and a half hours one way to get to the beach. Thankfully, today the waves were pretty decent. 

The air and water temps both were perfect (water temp = 70 degrees; air temp = 70 degrees with NO humidity). 

The beach was deserted. Maybe I should have worn deodorant today. 

I waxed down my board and got right at it. 

Two hours later I was zonked. Here I am after returning to my car. You can stick the fork in. 

As you know, I grew up in a surfing town. Our high school football team was called the Kailua Surfriders. However, today I live literally a world away from the beach. Virginia Beach can be okay and the crowd can be mellow. Today I paddled out and it was fun. It's almost enough to make you want to move to VB. And then I got back on 64 and some nut job decided to cut in front of me. Still, I enjoy Virginia Beach. Today's session in perfect weather with the dolphins was really nice. Located roughly in the middle of the coast, Virginia Beach is a great spot for anyone wanting to surf a "wave pool." Get a longboard or a soft-top board. And go out on every small day to get the hang of paddling and catching waves. 

See ya tomorrow! 

When Students Struggle with Greek (Like I Did)

Research has shown that the ability to learn something new (like Greek grammar) depends on the ability to accommodate the new subject matter to what you already know. When my beginning Greek grammar in college told me that the Greek noun system works just the Latin noun system, that analogy might have been helpful for students who already knew Latin grammar, but not for students (like me) who didn't. 

I had come to Biola with no prior background in the study of foreign languages. That's mainly why I dropped out of my beginning Greek class after only three weeks. When a student "gets" what's being taught in a classroom, it's a lot like someone "getting" a joke. Something clicks in the brain. Students with the requisite background knowledge will get the joke, but students who lack that background will be puzzled until someone explains the background of the joke to them. 

Even really smart students don't always get the joke. (I'm not saying I'm smart!)

The dilemma that Greek teachers often find ourselves in is this: If we tap the breaks too often while the lagging students acquire the background information they should have gotten in earlier grades, the progress of the entire class is bound to be excruciatingly slow for the better-prepared students. If, on the other hand, the teacher plows ahead (like my teacher in college did) instead of slowing down for the laggards, the less-prepared students inevitability are left further and further behind. Either way, continued momentum for all is demonstrably false. The required skills and/or background knowledge for such readiness is very unequally provided in the student's background and environment. I myself attended a public high school in Hawaii that lacked a foreign language requirement. Additionally, I was a lazy student and preferred surfing to studying. 

Ideally, students enter a beginning Greek course should share enough common reference points to be able to learn steadily. It's arguable that this rarely if ever happens. Hence what I try to do in my classes is roll the ball down the middle and hit as many pins as I can. I accept the fact that some students are better prepared than others for the curriculum. This means taking the time to tutor students who are falling behind. As long as they keep up with their memory work, I am happy to do so. At the same time, I give extra credit (in the form of extra work on all quizzes and exams) to those students blessed enough to have gained the needed background knowledge at home or at school. My goal is that BOTH groups will gather momentum as the semester proceeds and that ALL of my students will progress steadily in their studies!

Second Cutting of Hay!!

Hey everyone. Take a look at the weather. 

Thank you, Lord! Time to get on the tractor and cut hay! 

Feeling all the happy hay makes me feel happy. 

A break from the rain means we can start getting up our second cutting of hay for the year. If the weather is right, we usually get two cuttings per year, and we typically get about the same amount each cutting. We're a little late for our second cutting but all that is up to the Lord. Hay cutting usually lasts only a few days (as opposed, say, to several weeks of harvest for corn farmers). But what it lacks in duration it makes up in pure insanity. We will cut a different field each day so that we can stagger the baling. During hay cutting, my son routinely sits on the tractor for hours on end with only an occasional break. But if you were to ask him, he'd tell you he loves it. 

You always follow a certain procedure. First you have to cut the hay in the field. Then you have to wait for the hay to dry. Third, you have to rake the hay (this helps with the drying-out process). Finally, the hay is baled and loaded on trailers before being put up in the barn. By the way, when I say "we" are getting up hay, that's a figure of speech. Nowadays the kids are doing all the work. I just stand around and "supervise" (haha). 

Our family loves hay season. It's a great excuse to be together! 

Putting in the Work

My Original Foray into Linguistics

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines "foray" as:

"a short period of time being involved in an activity that is different from and outside the range of a usual set of activities."

When I was in seminary, little to nothing was said about the role that the "secular" science of linguistics could play in interpreting the Bible. There was, however, one exception. I will never forget him. His name was Colin McDougall. I remember taking a Greek elective with him and he kept talking about things like morphemes and phonemes and syntagmemes and Grassmann's Law and deaspiration and a dozen other words I had never heard before. Like most of my fellow students, I was intimidated by such an approach to Greek. Most expressed frustration with the whole thing. I was an exception to the rule. I loved everything Dr. McDougall said. I was becoming more and more passionate about linguistics by the day. I began to see that language has logical and even architectural PRECISION and that even "exceptions" to the rules of grammar still followed their own set of rules. I became so convinced that linguistics, as a science, could help people like me better understand Greek that the second book I ever wrote was one that attempted to integrate linguistics with Greek grammar. I remember how professors began using that book as a textbook in their classes, even though I did get a bit of pushback from professional linguistics. The upspoken message was, "What right does Dave Black have to write on the subject of linguistics?" And the answer, if they had asked me, would have been "Nothing whatsoever." I've never taken a single course in linguistics. But it was through my reading of books like Silva's Biblical Words and Their Meaning that I became convinced that linguistics was a very appropriate method for New Testament students to adopt. 

Since that time, we have become almost inundated with books that integrate linguistics with Hebrew and Greek. Not only the guild but the average student has become remarkably open to this area of inquiry. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. God's word is God's word. But human authors wrote it, and they used human language to do so. It only makes sense that the better we understand how language works, the more faithful we can be when reading and interpreting the Bible. 

Will I continue to write on linguistics? Probably not. Others are far more qualified than I to do that. And I have no doubt that they will. There is almost an inexhaustible supply of things to deal with. Let the research go on!

Blog-Aversary

Next month will mark the twenty-first anniversary of our blog. Happy anniversary to us! I began this little adventure way back on Thursday, November 13, 2003. 

Back then I averaged maybe 4-5 posts a day. Today I post less frequently but my posts are longer now than they were then. One of my big concerns when I began this blog was that it would so "eclectic" that people would quickly lose interest. So far that hasn't turned to be much of a problem. I am still trying to write as though this was my daily journal (which it is, in a way), which is why I deal with all sorts of things. Please remember: I try to write in such a way as to encourage and excite readers about their own personal study of the Scriptures. That has always been my ultimate goal. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the emails I get from complete strangers telling me that a post I wrote was something that motivated them to either begin or continue daily Bible reading. Without those letters of affirmation I would not be nearly as energized about this blog as I am. Let me extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who take the time to read what I write, and especially to my former personal assistant, Rodolfo Giantaglia, for designing my new blog here on Blogger. Here's hoping that in the coming days and months and maybe even years DBO will continue to deal with issues and themes that encourage and inspire hope.

Thank you and God bless,

Dave 

On Publishing

At the luncheon yesterday at Liberty I was asked about doctoral programs and I mentioned that my own program placed a pretty high premium on publishing. 

I thought that was very intimidating. I mean, getting a first book published is probably less likely than getting a hole in one. But at Basel you had no choice. The order of requirements was as follows:

1. Write your dissertation.

2. Have it accepted by the ENTIRE theological faculty.

3. Wait 6 months, then take your orals.

4. Find a publisher for your dissertation.

5. Deliver 120 copies of your PUBLISHED dissertation to the university library at your own expense.

Then and only then were you granted your doctorate.

I'm certainly not saying that this program is for everyone. What I am saying is that if the Lord allows you to publish your dissertation, then do it. Something that's worth writing is worth reading, don't you think? And never forget: your dissertation will probably be the least important book you ever write in your academic career.

German POWs in America (and an Ex-Pat Named Paul Mittmann)

This is such a great video.

It's all about the goodwill that existed between German POWs and Americans in 1944-1945. Many of these Germans were held in captivity nears farms in Kansas. They would be "hired" as day laborers on these farms and would enjoy the home-cooked meals of the lady of the house. 

In 1978 I went to Germany for 3 months to play the trumpet on a brass octet that traveled widely and performed evangelistic concerts from the Baltic to the Swiss border. So that I could share the Gospel with the Germans I encountered, I decided I would teach myself to speak their language. At that time I was a professor at Biola in Southern California. In nearby Anaheim ("Ana's home"), a large number of ex-Wehrmacht soldiers had settled after the war. One of them was Paul Mittmann from Ostpreußen (East Prussia). He pastored a small German-speaking Lutheran Brethren church in Anaheim. I began attending his services on Sunday mornings before my own English service began in La Mirada. He and I eventually began to meet weekly for practice in German conversation. Eventually I preached 4 times (in German) in his church before leaving for my mission trip to Germany in 1978. Thus when I arrived in Basel for my doctoral studies in 1980 I was already fluent in the language. 

Paul Mittmann had served in the German military from 1939 to 1945. He had fought in France, Russia, and Italy, and was eventually captured by the Americans in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany in 1945. After his release from a POW camp there he emigrated with his wife to Anaheim. He was a godly born-again Lutheran who loved the Lord with all his heart. I have to thank him for my proficiency in German prior to my arrival in German-speaking Basel. In all, 425,000 German POWS lived in the U.S. during WWII. They could work on farms only if they were paid as required by the Geneva Convention. Many local farmers valued their contribution. Most of the Germans who were repatriated to Germany after the war left with positive feelings toward the country where they had been held. 

I will never forget Paul Mittmann. I am forever indebted to him for tutoring me in German in his pristine Prussian accent.

Writing for Lay People

I always try to write for smart people who aren't trained in New Testament studies. And I absolutely LOVE it when those in other fields do that for me! Gary Adelman of the American Battlefield Trust is a great example. Check him out! 

Utterance and Knowledge: BOTH Are Gifts from God (1 Cor. 1:5)

Ya gotta love Paul's triplets -- faith, hope, love; weakness, fear, trembling; be joyful, be prayerful, be thankful, etc. But he's also got some great doublets, like this one I saw during my morning Bible study in 1 Corinthians 1 on a sunny morning at Bo's. 

Great communicators balance utterance and knowledge -- from the "words on your lips to the understanding in your hearts" (Phillips). 

It's not enough to subjectively understand the word of God. The truth must be voiced. And guess what? God provides both the knowledge and the articulation! That's why in Rom. 15:14 Paul could say he's convinced the Romans are "filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another" (CSB). I love how the Living Bible renders this: "You know these things so well that you are able to teach others about them."

Being an effective communicator (think, for example, of a pastor like Chuck Swindoll) involves not only knowledge but the skills to exchange information with clarity. Find a great communicator, and you will always find clear, concise, and compassionate communication. This includes body language. Communication is 55 percent nonverbal, 38 percent vocal (intonation and inflection), and 7 percent words. Fellow teachers, let's never forget this!

Teaching is giving out.

Communication is getting through. 

Have a wonderful evening!

Welcoming Committee

Yes, we love our sheeps. 

Welcome to My Gym

Ain't nothin' like the Y. 

Love it! 

My Mind Is Blown (and a Trip to Lynchburg)

Over time I have discovered something very interesting about me. I like to visit as many Christian colleges and seminaries as I can, mostly because I love to see how other teachers handle their Greek classes. Today I took a day trip up to Lynchburg to speak at Liberty University. 

My thanks to my former students Ben Laird and Thomas Hudgins for the invitation. I lectured in three of their classes on the subjects of (1) why we study Greek and (2) the theme of Philippians (no, it's not "joy"). 

The hour and a half drive up there was totally worth it. I experienced all that Liberty has to offer -- a great student body, an excellence faculty, and a new administration committed to the Great Commission. Plus, we had a lunch symposium together. 

One again, I was reminded of why Liberty is one of the finest Christian universities in North America. I loved watching the students and the faculty interact. 

I was thrilled to find out that their Greek classes are full and overflowing. 

Did I say "in-person" classes? 

Sure, you can study Greek and Hebrew online, but nothing can match the opportunity to study the languages up close and in person with an expert in the field. This is exactly what a Christian university ought to be doing. In fact, I couldn't be more proud of the way my former students are making an impact on the student body. 

Thank you, Thomas and Ben, for the joy of addressing your classes today. I'm grateful and honored. 

Exercise Is FUN!

Just back from South Boston. Worked out.

Shot hoops (with a nearly flat ball).

As I exercised I realized why I do this. It makes me feel alive. I wish more than anything Becky could be here to enjoy these days with me. On the way home I stopped for lunch. In the state of Virginia it is illegal to pass through South Boston without stopping for a cheeseburger at the Dairy Dell. While waiting for my meal I acted like a prisoner of war who hadn't eaten in 5 days. I couldn't stuff that thing in my mouth fast enough. Fortunately, the level of fun I'm able to have isn't determined by how much I can lift or how how many buckets I make. So don't worry about how much weight there is in your bench press or whether or not can dunk. Exercise is so much more than, well, exercise. More than anything else, I focus on making exercise fun.

You (yes, YOU) are capable of so much more than you know. Think about what you could accomplish if you had no limits. Now go out there and DO IT. 

"In Too Deep" (1986)

In Too Deep is a song by Genesis. It was released in 1986. Becky and I had been married for 10 years. It was summer and I had agreed to teach a two week course at Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. While there I decided to drive to Campbell, Ohio over the weekend to visit the Romanian community where my mother had grown up. During that long drive on Hwy 30 between Fort Wayne and Canton this song was played constantly. I immediately fell in love with it. "You know I love you but I'm playing for keeps." To me it's always been the most moving pop song of the 80s. 

One month from today Becky will have been gone for 11 years. Here's to many more happy memories in the face of the looming darkness, to life lived with wild abandon, until He said to me, "I am nearer to you than your panicked fluttering in your chest. When all this is too much, I am your rock, your solid ground. There's nowhere to go than deeper into my love."

Thank you, precious Savior.

EXERT YOURSELF! (1 Thess. 1:3)

"We continually remember your work resulting from your faith, your exertion prompted by your love, and your endurance inspired by your hope" (1 Thess. 1:3).

Seminary student:

EXERT YOURSELF!

This can and should be the best time of your life!

To study.

To master the biblical languages.

To learn church history and theology.

To internalize the principles of hermeneutics and exegesis.

Get serious about it!

You have a wonderful faculty to guide you.

You have a great library to assist you.

Your whole world is opening up to a body of literature you didn't even know existed.

This is YOUR CHANCE!

Don't minimize it.

Don't cast it aside.

Don't neglect it.

Here you will learn things you will not learn anywhere else.

Determine that you will study God's word for the purpose of DOING it.

Take the things you are learning and make them a part of your life, your thinking, your habits.

Something is wrong if you leave this school without that transformation.

You're either not taking it seriously or not applying yourself to it like you should.

Don't quit because it's hard.

Seminary is SUPPOSED to be hard.

Life is hard.

Ministry is hard.

Marriage is hard.

Parenting is hard.

You don't quit because of difficulties or disappointments.

Stick with it, and God will use your lips, your mouth, your tongue to communicate truth that people will live by.

Is there anything better than that? 

Let's Not Blame the Developers

On Facebook recently I saw that a farmer was bemoaning the fact that the United States loses 4.3 acres of farmland every minute of every day. I can appreciate that sentiment. But there's another side to that coin. We've become much more efficient at growing food. Farmers have significantly increased their yield per acre over the decades. For example, the amount of corn per acre has increased 5 times since 1950. In addition, the U.S. wastes about 30 percent of the food we grow. We're already growing enough food to basically feed most of the planet. As much as I hate (for sentimental reasons) seeing farmland sold to developers, we small-acreage farmers are doing just fine and still provide plenty of food both for ourselves and for others. If you want to get upset about something, get upset about our gluttony problem here in the U.S. and about how much food we waste. As for your choice of housing, people today prefer track homes that are all the same with no space between them and where you're afraid to burp because the neighbors 5 homes down can hear you. It's called the law of supply and demand. 

I'm so thankful that the former owners of my farm refused to subdivide their property and insisted that the farm be sold intact. 

Nothing can beat an old Massey Ferguson 135!

I'm sure they took a financial hit but they wanted their land to continue to be farmed. Many of my colleagues at the seminary have in recent years bought a few acres out in the county. They're leaving the city for nature. They look around and see nothing but farms. All that fresh grass, peace, and quiet will do wonders for their blood pressure.

But no, I do NOT blame developers for buying up farmland. 

5 Miles

Thank you, Lord! 

Should Hebrews Come after 2 Thessalonians?

The Tyndale House Greek New Testament has many wonderful qualities to it, not least its order of books. The order you will find is: Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles, Pauline Epistles, and Revelation. I love it! This reflects a pattern found in the ancient uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. This pattern, as you can see, was also followed in the text of Westcott-Hort as well as in Tregelles. 

The latter name is especially relevant, since the THGNT is based on Tregelles' nineteenth century Greek New Testament. I do wish, though, it had also followed Tregelles in placing Hebrews after 2 Thessalonians. 

Maybe in a later edition?

It's just a fun thing to think about! 

(Note: I forgot to include in my chart the Robinson-Pierpont Greek New Testament. It too places Hebrews after the book of 2 Thessalonians.) 

The Call of God

When God calls us to serve him, that calling is unique. 

Calls aren't like classified ads that anyone can answer. Each biblical call is unique. The circumstances of your call are different from mine. The nature of the calls are different. The expectations of the call are all customized. My own call has been that of a teacher. Looking back, that call seems to have emerged in a conspiracy at Biola. They needed someone to step into a new position as a Greek instructor. That person was apparently me. How or why God did this is a mystery to me. Even if the position had been advertised (which it wasn't), I wouldn't have applied. That anyone at Biola should have taken an interest in me still boggles my mind. But once I entered the classroom, nothing else in life was quite so interesting or fulfilling. And now, after all these years, there has never been a time when I have not enjoyed life from an educational perspective. Even though I'm no longer teaching full-time, I still function as a teacher in my work, and it remains just as satisfying. 

You too are called. I hope you're thriving in your calling. Calls often bring out in us what we never knew was there. May that be your glad experience today, my friend!

Interview Prep

I'm doing a couple of interviews on the subject of text types later this month. Do stay tuned!

Are Text Types Dead?

The guild has apparently declared, "Text types are dead." However, the announcement may be a bit premature.

The CBGM simply dispenses with them. Assigning manuscripts to text types "has become obsolete." Geography, moreover, has become virtually irrelevant. It's no longer a criterion for textual criticism, we are told.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love it when scholars push back against "consensus" views. That's great! I've done that a few times myself. For example, I've rejected Markan priority, and I think I have some pretty good reasons for doing so, even though the guild as a whole still espouses it and I myself taught it for many years. 

So are text types dead? Maybe, maybe not. Seems the guild will be publishing a book on the subject shortly. Until then, I'm still comfortable identifying variants (when possible) by region and giving weight to readings that enjoy what seems to be wider geographical attestation. But to do this one has to take into account not only the Greek manuscripts but the ancient versions and the citations of the Fathers as well. And this may well be the elephant in the room no one is talking about. For instance, I love the Tyndale House Greek New Testament. I recommend it to my students. But its usefulness is, in my opinion, hampered by its failure to include the testimony of the versions and Fathers in its apparatus. 

On the other hand, if the provenance of a reading doesn't matter, why bother? 

When it comes to challenging the consensus opinion (on any subject), there are a lot of philosophies and mindsets that might work, but I usually give two points to my students:

1) Draw boundaries, both hard and soft. To do this it helps if you can say "no." Some people, however, may not want or need to do that. It's up to you.

2) Manage your expectations of what you get for "giving in" to the majority view in any area of research. Meaning you can't just "go with the flow" without thinking through the issues for yourself. Remember that you don't have to follow the majority. Or you might want to if you feel like it. (You are, for example, absolutely free to disregard my views on the historical origins of the Gospels. I just ask that you consider my arguments before you do that.)

I really should say that I'm not an expert in textual criticism. Just a TC enjoyer. I know people love to discuss/debate the subject, so feel free to check out the books, journal articles, and blog posts I've published on textual criticism. But you don't HAVE to become conversant in the subject. Plenty of believers go their entire lives without worrying too much about textual variants. After all, we haven't lost a single word of the Greek New Testament. (The original reading is found either in the text or in the apparatus.)

Have a wonderful day!

Fall Break

Fall Break is next week, which means I have a two week hiatus from teaching. I'm watching the beach closely. I can't wait to get my board out again! I'm hoping Virginia Beach will have some waves this weekend. Meanwhile I'm really enjoying working out. Today's session at the gym was unbelievably fun.

Doing the hard work is the answer to feeling happy in yourself. Huge props to the gym staff for providing us with such excellent equipment. It's all about accountability, tracking your progress, and drawing on the strength the Lord gives you each and every day to "live and move and have our being." Push yourself to a level you can't even dream of. Your goals don't care how you feel. Just do it!