Sunday, May 3, 2009

Around my Blog Roll

Sunday. My flatmate and I are looking forward to a visit from an old friend from uni days later today. So instead of starting a post that might be broken/paused, I'll do one which conceivably could continue and continue. I'll move around some of the interesting items on my blog roll today. I've also added a new blog and I'll introduce that as well.

One of the things I find so enjoyable and stimulating about blogs, about the blogosphere, is that we can interact with each other and that we can be conduits for each other too, and for all our readers. And of course I must start with Slacktivist where Fred Clark has got his latest instalment reading the execrable Left Behind series. Fred has gained quite a following for this series and often the discussion on his pieces is as much worth reading as his own analysis. On The Immanent Frame, there's an intersting piece by James Wellman, Cheerleading for war?, reflecting on the 'frequent close correspondence between American Christianity and war making'. I'm interested in matters canonical so I have to mention that, over at The Naked Bible, Michael Heiser has a brief piece tossing around some questions on Constantine and the biblical canon. Spirit and Flesh writes on Lectio Divina and interpreting Scripture over at I'm Christian. I'm Gay Deal with It.

Meanwhile, April de Conick has a fascinating series of posts, on how Christianity, Christology, the worship of Jesus, kicks off amongst Jesus' followers (before and) after his execution. You'll find them all at her Forbidden Gospels blog. I haven't managed to read them all yet myself but certainly intend to. And don't forget Velveteen Rabbi; she's always got good stuff to read.

Blogs as conduits I have to point out Dr Platypus where Darrell Pursiful links us to a fascinating piece at Theological Scribbles on the use of the feminine form of the pronoun 'you' in Hebrew to refer to YHWH in Numbers 11: 10-15. My friend, Mad Hatter, leads us to a very beautiful and insightful post on healing, Zen meditation, therapy, suicide and mental health over at the Egregores blog.

Blogs as conduits must include Exploring our Matrix, where Jim McGrath is hosting this month's Biblical Studies carnival 41 complete with a supplement. I'm not mentioned in either this month which means I might have to dust off my pride and dare to nominate myself for next month's offering.

I think I'm leaving some of the best until last because I have to do a Molly Meldrum and say do yourselves a favor and spend a bit of time exploring J K Gayle's Aristotle's Feminist Subject. Just to whet your appetite check out her, umm his* Aristotle's Dreams or But Esau I Hated. and those are just this month. Not just a conduit but a platform Louis Proyect's Unrepentant Marxist has published in full one of the seminal essays of gay liberation Robert Duncan's The Homosexual In Society. This piece was originally published in 1944 in the left wing, apparently Trotskyite (aligned) journal, Politics, and is further noted: "Originally appeared in Politics, I, 7 (August 1944). The revisions were made in 1959. The expanded version was first published in Jimmy & Lucy’s House of “K,” 3 (January 1985)."

Finally, I discovered that J K Gayle has another blog, The WOMBman's Bible: An Outsider's Perspective on the Hebrew Males' Hellene Book. Her, umm his* focus is on the old Greek Bible, the Old Testament of ancient and Eastern Christianities. She, umm he* even engages in some mind blowing translations. Check out this sample here, a translation of the Greek version of Numbers 5.

Wonderful stuff!

UPDATE and it turns out our friend is not going to be able to make it this afternoon after all; I was looking forward to seeing her after all this time, too.

*A FURTHER UPDATE: J K Gayle is a boy not a girl. What a delightful misconception on my part.

2 comments:

  1. Dear Michael, oh dear, you are so kind! This makes me blush, your wonderful attention to what I write (and please know also - it's happened again - I have to say - I am a boy not a girl - though my translation, my writings, my name don't - always I suppose - figure my own body - and its socially constructed gender - first).

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  2. A boy not a girl! Well, I have to applaud you because I've read few males that have that sensitivity to gender nuances I've found in both your blogs. You'll probably blush again (which I find quite charming in boys anyway) but I just want to express my mega-envy for that sensitivity of yours.

    And once again I want to commend your translations of the Greek scriptures. Breathtaking!

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