The rise of orthodoxy

The rise of orthodoxy

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An electronic journal for the 21st century

An electronic journal for the 21st century

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Former Seahawk MVP touring for Jesus

Former Seahawk MVP touring for Jesus

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The Woodland Park Zoo

I've lived up in the Seattle area for quite some time now, and I can only blame poor timing for not venturing to the zoo before this. Also something coming up, and always busy, am I right? Well this weekend me and the missus had enough. We made up our minds, packed the car, subsequently forgot the sun screen, and went on a day trip that was extremely enjoyable.

Our goal was to get to the zoo as soon as it opened, around 9:30. Of course we left the house at 10 that morning, and didn't make it into the zoo until around 11:45. Forget the obvious sleeping in, apparently we weren't the only ones who figured a bright, warm July 3rd also seemed like a great time to go to the zoo. But despite roaming around for parking for a good 30 minutes, once inside it did not feel crowded at all. Perhaps it was because we are just used to really large crowds (Disney Land anyone?), but it was a pleasant surprise to spend the day at a relatively slow pace (minus the occasional child of course).

Being so close to lunch time anyways, our first stop was a very nice sandwich shop called Sabino's Specialties. Mine came with perhaps a bit too much olive oil poured on top, but a few dabs of the napkin and it still ranks as the best sub sandwich in the Northwest. Madam got a pretty good tuna salad sandwich which didn't upset her food allergies too much. All in all, a great start considering we almost got fast food before parking.

Of course the point of any zoo is not the food, but the animals. Sometimes the animal's food. Woodland Park has a pretty good variety of animals on hand. A rather lot of Asian animals, but the predominance of Asian influence in Seattle can easily explain that. The African plains exhibit was really nice, as it featured a really large paddock housing ostriches, giraffes, antelopes, and a few others. Overall we did notice that many of the animals seemed really tired, staying out of the sun in favor of resting in the cool shade. I would not have imagined that the heat would have made so many want to take mid-day naps, but I guess I would have been wrong.

So my favorite part was catching the raptor presentation. No, not the raptors from Jurassic Park (which qualify as the scariest animal ever). We only got to see 3 birds of prey, and we got there late. I didn't catch the first bird, but I believe it was a Harris' Hawk. Then out came a great Barn Owl, who was beautiful! Unfortunately its performance was cut short because a Turkey Buzzard had to steal the show. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome to see the Buzzard. It just would have been nice to see more of the owl.

This was a great experience, and I hope that people can make time to go to the Woodland Park Zoo in North Seattle. Make a day of it, and you'll not regret it. I only wished I had taken more photos really. Our next adventure, next weekend, is to the Aquarium. Perhaps I'll see you there!

Seattle Pacific University

I'm taking a road trip to North Seattle today. I'm visiting the SPU library to gather some final resources for my Danielic Beastly Empires paper. I'm really excited to be able to visit a new university in the area. Being on the peninsula, I'm sure it will look extremely beautiful. It might become a great place just to hang out on campus, finding small crooks and crannies to enjoy nature and reflect upon God.

Start saving: you'll want this for your library

I finished The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (Fourth Edition, Oxford University Press: Oxford/New York), 2005, by Bruce M. Metzger* and Bart D. Ehrman* last night. From the beautiful cover, featuring "the frontpiece of the Gospel of John in the famous medieval Latin manuscript, in which the opening words ("In principio erat verbum...") are spelled out with intricate design" one is greeted with a true work of scholarship which introduces the student to text criticism and provides the seasoned scholar with a crucial resource for their library.

The book is divided into three intuitive parts. The first part is on the materials for textual criticism of the New Testament. Chapter one, labeled "The Making of Ancient Books" describes the background of paleography. The reader is presented with ancient writing practices with detail and clarity. Chapter two describes the important witnesses to the text of the New Testament. This is a crucial section for scholars, as it describes the history and content of the important witnesses. No doubt many know the infamous history of Sinaiticus, first re-discovered by Tischendorf. But where else does one find information on the sixth century Codex Sinopensis? As such this chapter is a vital addition for determining external evidence.

Part two tracks the history of the New Testament textual criticism as reflected in printed editions of the Greek testament. Here the authors have divided history into two parts, set in chapters three and four respectively: the pre-critical period, spanning from the autographs to the dominance of the Textus Receptus, and the modern critical period, starting with the work of Griesbach and continuing to the present.

Part three deals with the application of textual criticism. Chapter six describes the methods of textual critics after setting out basic assumptions of the science. Chapter seven describes the possible causes of error in the transmission of the text of the New Testament. This chapter serves as an excellent introduction to both unintentional changes and intentional changes. Chapter eight describes the history of the transmission of the text, and seeks to describe the rise of the different text types and evaluate them. As well the authors look at places of intentional changes within different manuscripts to describe the social history of early Christianity. Issues such as doctrinal disputes, Jewish-Christian relations, oppression of women, asceticism and others are discussed. Overall, being aware of these cultural interests is crucial when looking at different textual variants. The final chapter describes the practice of the text critic. It describes the artistic side of the scholar, describing that the student should begin, but never remain, with an emphasis on the external criteria. As the student grows and becomes more comfortable with exegesis, then they are encouraged to consider internal evidence as well. The chapter concludes with an extensive list of exemplary passages, describing the textual analysis performed upon them.

I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who goes through a graduate program. The academic will benefit from years of reading, beginning with introduction to text criticism as a student of exegesis through their career as a scholar. The pastor will benefit from being able to give a reasoned argument to their flocks concerning the academic practices of their colleagues. After all, as we are all told in exegesis class, the first step of exegesis is to determine the text. This book is a valuable resource for that. The cost is well worth the investment.

I found this book much more helpful than Greenlee's, reviewed below. It was more expensive and higher level than the basic primer, but one feels like this is truly a handbook for graduate exegetes. I found myself recognizing the value as a resource that intends to be, and skimmed the longer descriptions of manuscripts and the final examples. These are definitely parts that I can return to when I need the information. As well the section on cultural influences on the transmission of the text, in particular the issue of introducing extra-orthodox material into the text, really interested me. No doubt such issues are not just academic issues. On the theological level we should consider them as well. Can we deny that there is elements of potential truth in them? But at the same time what do we do once we recognize a good manuscript such as Codex Bezae is riddled with seemingly anti-Jewish and anti-feminist readings? I can imagine any pastor struggling with these readings as they expound the passage to their congregations. As well I am looking into purchasing Erhman, Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. Although I disagree Ehrman theologically his work in this field cannot be questioned. My library will expand once again, and I encourage you as well to at least make room in yours and add this tome to your collection.

*Bruce M. Metzger was Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author or editor of more than thirty books, including The New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha, Compact Edition (OUP, 2003), The Oxford Guides to the Bible Set (OUP, 2002), The Canon of the New Testament (OUP, 1997), and The Early Versions of the New Testament (OUP, 1977). Dr. Metzger passed away 13 February, 2007, shortly after his 93rd birthday. He was survived by his wife Isobel and two sons. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live forever.

*Bart D. Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An authority on the early Church and the life of Jesus, he is the author of numerous books, including Lost Christianities (OUP, 2003), Lost Scriptures (OUP, 2003), and The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Third Edition (OUP, 2003).

Preventive Care

President Obama is pushing this myth that preventive care will lower health care costs. One must wonder exactly why this talking point is being pushed so hard by people on both sides of the aisle, both Republicans and Democrats. As with most things, its because its most likely being funded by doctors and medical people.

You go in for a preventive check-up. You get tests run. Every person gets paid along the way. And because each person gets paid very well, the costs are high. Just because more people get more preventive check-ups does not mean that all those nurses and assistants get paid less. Equipment still costs money, and people with special training deserve just compensation. Good to know that Big Brother will decide exactly what people in the health care industry is worth.

And yet he has the audacity to say that the quantity of care is worse than the quality of care. One might remind him that this preventive care option is nothing but quantity of tests. And each step has to be paid out.