Three books and a close reading from the fourth gospel...

The Open Door Class at Southwest Central Church of Christ continues its study of John’s gospel based on a book:

 

Ellis, Peter F.: The Genius of John. A composition-critical commentary on the fourth gospel.  

Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1984.

 

 

Sunday was the third time I have taught this term. I was privileged to do the Prologue and had a short notice substitution for the healing of the nobleman's son. (John 4:45-54) This preparation is my first time to have had access to Ellis’s book and some accused me of agreeing to teach just so I could have the book for a week. There is a smidgen of truth in that accusation.

When a librarian gets her mitts on a book, she approaches it a bit differently than the average bear. She reads all the publication info, and the cataloging in process info, and reads (or at least glances at) all the para-textual materials in the front and back of the book. She reads the entire table of contents and the introduction and may even scan the index and bibliography before turning to the section that she’s referencing and using in her lesson preparation. During this process, I learned something interesting:

 

Dr. Ellis dedicates his book to John Gerhard, S.J. and in the preface notes:

“It is based on Gerhard’s discovery, and in all that pertains to the architectonic structure of the Gospel it is totally indebted to him.”

 

            Gerhard,John J.: The Miraculous Parallelisms of John.   Orlando Truth Inc. 2006 (probably a reprint edition)

This link offers more information about the author and the publication of his book and notes 

a 1993 publication date. Obviously, Dr. Ellis had read Gerhard's work as early as 1984. The study of parallelism in the gospel of John and the publication of  this book is the culmination of his life’s work. Gerhard’s work was undertaken in support of the objections of Pope Benedict XVI (while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger) to historical-critical exegesis and his rejection of Rudolf’s Bultmann’s The Gospel of John: A Commentary, written in 1941 translated into English in 1971 as the standard reference for Johannine scholarship.

 

In January when the Open Door class began this study, copies of Ellis’s book were rare and expensive but this week I found and ordered reasonably priced ($25-$35) copies of both books. Anyone who is teaching or has a more than devotional interest in reading the gospel of John should have access to either Ellis's or Gerhard's books. The above titles link to Amazon.

 

Following are my study notes for a section of the Farewell Discourse of Jesus as told by John, the beloved apostle:

The Farewell Discourse (John 13:1 – 17:26) is section 18 of Gerhard/Ellis’s outline and corresponds to section 4:  Jesus’ "discourse at night" to Nicodemus upon eternal life, discipleship, water, and Spirit.   Ellis  p. 14

Ellis asserts that The Farewell Discourse offers “instructions on the nature of discipleship and the use of authority in the church."  p. 209

 

{Once again, I ask this questions: Why have the churches of Christ chosen to use Acts and the Pauline epistles (almost exclusively) as our ecclesial model(s) rather than the writings of John?}

The synoptic gospels also address these topics of discipleship and authority:

                                    Mark 8:31 – 10:52

                                    Matthew 5-7; 10; 18:23-25

                                    Luke 9:51 – 19:44

 Ellis offers three ways to read this section of Johannine text:

1. as an example of the genre of farewell discourse by a dying rabbi. “Little children” v. 13:33 is the form of address for such a discourse as is the questions and answer structure,
2. as a treatise on the gap created by Jesus’ departure and the unexpected delay of his return and its effect on John’s original readers in the late first century community undergoing persecution, i.e. Bultmann's historical-critical exegesis,  and
3. as a text that is structured by the rules of parallelism.

Our primary approach to the gospel in this study has been the third with a bit of historical-critical since our regular teacher is Caleb McDaniel, a historian.

The structure of the Farewell Discourse

(John 13:1 – 17:26)

A         13:1-32                      

                    hour, love, mission of disciples, glorification

B         13:33 – 14:31

                     Jesus going away, Paraclete, ask in my name, peace

C          15:1-25    

                     the true vine

B’         15:26 – 16:33     

                      Jesus going away, Paraclete, ask in my name, peace

A’         17:1-26          

                      hour, glorification, mission of the disciples, love

                                                                                                                        Ellis p. 210 ff.

We looked at section A with some A’ last week.

Today we examine section B, John 13:33 – 14:31 with a nod to B’ which are also structured using the typical parallelism of this gospel with the key ideas of 

Jesus going away, Paraclete, ask in my name, peace and the parallel structure:

           

a          13:33 – 14:4  

                  Jesus going away, love command, dwelling

b         14:5-14                     life, I AM in the father,

                                              ask in my name

c          14:15-17                                Jesus will ask,

                                                             Paraclete

b’        14:18-20                  life, I AM in my father,

                                               ask in my name

a’         14:21 – 3:1  

                   love command, dwelling, Jesus going away

Jesus as “Replacement” for Jewish Law and life

 A number of our Open Door class members, including Bobbie, Andrea, and I are a bit unhappy with that word “replacement” and prefer to use "amplification, clarification, fulfillment" of the Hebrew scripture. Ellis comments that he does not see a continuation of the replacement theme in the Final Discourse. However, I note the continuation of this theme (by whatever name) in at least three instances:

1.  a new commandment,
2. a new covenant based a new understanding of Torah, and
3. a new sort of prayer.

The new commandment in this final discourse is love to the end or love one another as I have loved and is found in the following scriptures:  13:1-2, 13:15, 13:34, 15:12, 15:13, and 17:23

 This section concludes with Jesus' going out to meet "the Prince of this world," (14:31)out into the night, to a cross and later a new life of resurrection. Discipleship requires love to the end. How easy to talk of love; how hard to live it!

 Jesus’ new commandment “replaces” the old commandment found in Leviticus 19:18: and elsewhere in Hebrew scripture:

You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

The 19^th chapter of Leviticus is to some degree a restatement of the Law in that these verses recall the second half of the Ten Commandments. The key ideas in this Leviticus passage include peace offerings, harvest and vineyards, care of the poor, fruit, truth telling. These key ideas are also key ideas of the Final Discourse, especially the section which we will study next week:  C          I Am the Vine

When Jesus offers his new commandment of love, he also announces the fulfillment of  Jeremiah 31:31 ff.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant… I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts… they will know me…”

Bobbie pointed out that at its very heart the new covenant is one of peace.

Ellis agrees:

            Peace “embraces light, truth, joy, and eternal life”  Ellis p. 224

The Covenant of Peace is described in Ezekiel 37:26 in these words:  

 

"I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them forever and then the nations will know I am with them. I will be their God and they will become my people."

 

The new covenant offers a realized eschatology. Ellis notes: The  “Christian who possess this gift [peace] already possesses eternal life even during this life.”

Finally when Jesus asserts in 14:6: “I AM the way, I AM the truth, and I AM the life,” his use of these three Torah words calls out the fulfillment of all Torah in the person of Jesus. (add Hebrew)

Ellis offers an alternate translation: “I AM the true way of life...”  which echoes 14:6b No one comes but by me and 10:9 the door of the sheepfold.  His translation will also support my claim that Jesus’ I AM fulfills and stands in the place of Torah, e.g. Psalm 1 & 2.

A New Kind of Prayer: “Ask in my name”  John 14:13-14

 Jesus makes similar statements about prayer in the synoptic gospels and elsewhere in the gospel of John:

            Matthew 7:7-8; 18:19; 21:22

            Mark 11:24

            Luke 11:9

           John 15:7, 16 and John 16:23-24

 Traditional Hebrew prayer begins:  ‘Baruch atai Adonai…”  Blessed be our God. It is offered to the Creator/Ruler of the Universe.

Jesus’ prayers, which he instructs his disciples to emulate, begin: “Our Father…”  “My Father…”  “Father…” It is a far more intimate relationship.

Such prayer is made possible by the unity of Jesus and the Father and by the unity of Jesus and his disciples. In his commentary on v. 14:10b, Ellis says “the unity of Jesus and the Father is a unity in words and in works.”  See also 10:37-38

The unity of Jesus and the Father as having the same nature is not emphasized in this text but is implied. Other verses from John address this unity:  1:1; 5:16-18; 8:58, 10:30-38; 20:28-30

 14:19 LIFE  “because I live”   John 3:14-15;  6:39-50, 51-58; 11:23-26

14:20  “In that day you will know I AM in my father..." which is repeated in

14:10 – 11 but adds "you in me"

Ellis asserts that 17:21-24  affirms that resurrection life is union with the father.

 

{An aside: 14:11 “Believe me… for the sake of the works themselves.” is a troubling point since earlier in John's gospel Jesus criticized the Jews who wanted “signs.” Ellis maintains that these works reveal (as do the signs that Jews demanded but did not understand) the unity of the Father and Jesus which the disciples “know” and “believe.” The “signs” in the earlier chapters pointed in the same direction but the response of the Jews was rejection and persecution of Jesus. Again, Ellis asserts that these signs and works (and particularly the washing feet in the opening section of the Final Discourse and the “love to the end” which is the cross) are the mutual work of both God and Jesus.}

Jesus teaches that, in unity with him, the disciples will have a part in the continued working of God and Jesus and that they will in fact do even greater works. These greater works will bear much fruit. This section resonates with that new covenant of peace which allows the nations to know God.

14:12 Greater Works   17:6-8, 18-23

15:5 Much fruit

The class noted that in this section of Jesus offers a commissioning as powerful as The Great Commission of the synoptic gospels.

Paraclete

the central point of the Chiastic structure of this section of the Final Discourse.

 

c          14:15-17 the sending of the Paraclete

Jesus’ sending of the Paraclete seals the new covenant, enables the disciples to obey the new commandment, and creates unity which fulfills the commission. Some words should never be translated. My favorite example is of course from the Psalms:  "checed" often translated  "the steadfast love of the Lord."  "Paraclete" is another such word and it appears only in Johannine Literature, here in this passage and in I John.

It is not the same word used by other New Testament writers for the Holy Spirit which derives from "pneuma" meaning breath, wind, spirit.  John does not use the phrase “Holy Spirit” although he does use “Spirit of Truth.” "Pneuma" has to do with breath and life; it may be that it is a human thing that comes from God. "Paraclete" means “come along side” and in extra-biblical sources (the only ones available to us since this word is unique to John) is primarily used in legal courtroom settings. I heard a sermon once where “defense attorney” was offered as a translation of Paraclete.

 

{It might be interesting to compare "Paraclete" with "helpmeet" from Genesis. That Hebrew word, used to describe "the woman," is used most commonly for God who is "the helpmeet" of Israel. At its root the word has the idea of "standing beside" as in twin towers that support a structure and as in two warriers who stand back to back in battle.}

Here is a link offering more detail about the use of Spirit and Paraclete in Johannine Literature.

Ellis and I agree that the best means of teasing out the meaning of the word is looking at what these verses say about the Paraclete.

The meaning of  Paraclete/advocate/comforter/consoler/counselor as defined by what the Paraclete does in John  14:1-17, 26;  5:26-27; and 16:11-14:

• Comes only when Jesus goes away
• Remains with and teaches the disciples
• Advocates/speaks for the disciples in times of trial
• Witnesses to Jesus and continues His
• Is “another” like Jesus which makes Jesus a "Paraclete"
• Comes as Jesus will come
• Is known by the disciples
• Opposes the world as Jesus opposes the world

The Paraclete “is everything Jesus is and by his coming will fill the gap caused by Jesus’ departure…”  Ellis p. 222                                 

 

 

John: 7 Signs and 7 I AM statements

I was interrupted in writing this post and never got back to it. I don't think it includes all my study notes. If I find them, I may revise.
I post it now only because it's part of a series.

It's a holiday weekend and with so many people out of town, I will once again be teaching the Open Door Class at Southwest Central Church of Christ. We've been studying the gospel of John making use of a book by Peter Ellis, The Genius of John, A Compositional-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel, 1984.

We'll be discussing John 4:46-54, the second sign: Jesus heals the nobleman's son.
In Dr. Ellis' chiasmic scheme, the corresponding text is John 9:1 - 10:21: Jesus heals the man born blind.

As we have been learning the fourth gospel is a highly structured, non-chronological book. It may be divided into two major sections: The Book of Signs (1:19 - 12:50) and The Book of Glory. The gospel presents 7 Signs, 7 "I AM" statements, 7 discourses, and 7 misunderstood symbols.
There are 7 Signs (each corresponding to an "I AM" Statement. A sign is a bit different from a miracle in that it's purpose is to reveal, to make manifest Jesus' glory/deity and it results in belief. All commentaries agree on 6 signs but there is debate about the 7th:

1. turns water into wine at Cana                 I AM the true vine
2. heals the nobleman's son  in Cana          I AM the way, the truth, the life
3. heals paralytic at pool of  Bethesda        I AM the door to the sheepfold
4. feeds the 5,000                                           I AM the bread of life
5. heals the man, blind since birth              I AM the light of the world
6. raises Lazarus in Bethany                       I AM the Resurrection and the Life

Some commentaries name walking on the water as the 7th sign; others say that the 7th sign is Jesus' own Resurrection which would  correspond with I AM the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

Ignoring these textual debates, it is safe to say that chapters 2-4 are marked as a unit by the Inclusio of "signs" and the location in Cana of Galilee. The section marks the responses to Jesus in Cana of Galilee, in Jerusalem, in Samaria, and again in Cana and Capernaum in Galilee.  Key concepts are signs, seeing, and believing.
Review:

• John 1 The Baptist's testimony, trans-Jordan, water, purification, Spirit, Pharisees
• John 1:35 "come and see" "follow me"
• John 2 the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee, water, purification, wine, "the last is better than the first," the first sign to "manifest his glory," disciples believe
• John 2:13 Jerusalem, Temple, What sign? authority, believed, testimony not needed
• John 3 Discourse with Nicodemus, water, Spirit, Jesus testifies to himself, came from God, 3:19 echoes prologue.
• John 3:22 Judea, baptizing, water, purification, the Baptist testified, "comes from heaven"
• John 4 leaves Judea (because the Pharisees see baptizing more than the Baptist), to Samaria, discourse with woman at the well, living water, spirit & truth, woman says "come and see," believed and asked to stay
• John 4:46 back in Cana, a Royal Officer asks Jesus to "come and heal," Jesus will not go with him but he speaks life for the child.  Jesus physical presence is not required for the miracle; his spoken word is sufficient. That identifies him as the creating Logos. The officer and his household believe. 

As Nicodemus represents the Pharisees, the teachers of Israel in Jerusalem and as the Samaritan woman represents all those erring worshippers scorned by the Jews, the Royal Officer or nobleman from Capernaum represents "the house of Herod," secular Israel. All these people "come" to Jesus. The Samaritan woman and her city believe. The nobleman and his household believe. At this point in the story Nicodemus does not and beginning in Chapter 5, the Pharisees and leaders of Israel in Jerusalem will begin an attack the culminates in the Crucifixion.

Adventures in Housewifery: "Righty Tighty - Lefty Loosey"

"Righty tighty - lefty loosey" is not a political statement but the mnemonic that Mother taught me for screws, bolts, and lids.
 I am most blessed to have been raised by a mother who did things. She was a superb carpenter. She had her own toolbox and often undertook minor--and sometimes major--household repairs. She had little choice. Daddy worked from dawn till dusk on the farm and often was up in the middle of the night to check irrigation water. He came home tired and dirty and ready for a bath, supper, and a few hours to read. She was protective of what little time he had to rest and be with us kids.
Another issue was the lack of professional help. Money was hard to come by, of course, but the real problem was rural isolation. We lived at least 26 miles over some pretty poor dirt roads from the nearest town where a repairman might be found. We were fifty miles from Lubbock, the nearest access to someone other than a handyman. I remember the Sears repair truck serviced our end of the county only one day a week at most. The schedule for the next trip might be full and it wasn't unusual to be told it would be two weeks. When they finally came, if they didn't have the part on the truck, it might be another week before they came back. Of necessity, Mother undertook her own repairs.
I wish I had followed her example last summer when shortly after the move, I got some error codes and a locked door on my washing machine. (Whirlpool, Duet, HE, front-loader.) I was exhausted from the move; the door was locked and wouldn't open; one of my collectible tablecloths was trapped inside. I called a repairman. A minimum of $85 but, by the time he was done, we were out several hundred dollars--enough that I considered just buying a new washer. I now wonder if the service technician didn't take advantage of this little lady. Something few men tried and none succeeded when dealing with my mother.
Today, when error code "5d" popped up and I noticed that the load of dog-washing towels was not properly rinsed, I googled: "Whirlpool duet error code 5d."
That code means that the machine is draining more slowly than expected. The problem may be caused by too many suds or by a clogged drain filter. I suspect a little bit of both in this case. The repair looked simple and I decided to troubleshoot it before calling a repairman.  Since my laundry is now inside an air conditioned utility room instead of a hot, steamy garage... I never cease being grateful for the ease of living in our new home!

I am my mother's daughter. I like to do things.
 I found instructions here and gathered my tools:



dishpan, towel, mirror, nut driver, WD-40, flashlight

http://www.fixya.com/support/t1178108-whirlpool_duet_washer_indicates_5d



 Unplug the washer. SAFETY Note: always unplug anything electrical before doing anything at all to it.

Open the bottom panel by removing the three screws along the bottom. My washer is on a pedestal  so access was easy. A mirror and flashlight helped locate the screws.
Frustration: they were  not standard/Phillips screws but rather sheet metal nuts. Out to the garage tool bench, where I found the nut drivers. I needed the 1/4 inch. "Lefty loosey."
It came out OK but I noted that one of nuts was rusted. So I made sure to clean it with WD-40.
If it had been too tight for me to undo, I would have needed a penetrating oil spray like WD-40 or Liquid Wrench. That would have meant spraying and waiting for the spray to dissolve and loosen the rust but all I needed for this particular job was "lefty loosey."

Well, look what I found! A secret set of instructions "for the service technician; do not remove."

The drain plug was on the right hand side. Positioning a dishpan and making sure there was a big towel at hand,  I removed the plug.

Water, lint, a dead bug, and a dime gushed out. (Sometimes I understand that people find those missing socks!)

Inside the drain are 2 holes. The one in the back goes to the drain hose and I checked that it was open. There was also one to the pump on the side. I stuck a finger into that opening, felt for debris (there was none) and manually turned the pump propellers. All clear.
Wiped everything down. Put the drain plug back on.  "Righty tighty."

Plugged the washer back in and tested the repair by rewashing the towels. Oh, yes, still a lot of suds so that was probably most of the problem this time but it's good housewifery to clean that drain filter regularly, probably a couple of times a year or anytime you see a 5d.
All seems well, so I wiped all the surfaces and reattached the bottom panel.  "Righty tighty."

Instructions said it was easy and would take about 10 minutes. It was pretty easy but I think 45 minutes - 1 hour is a more realistic estimate, counting the time to find and read instructions, locate tools, discover I needed a different tool. Do the job. Clean up the mess and put everything back where it belongs. Still, $85/hour ain't bad.

Now I wish I'd tried these instructions for last year's locked door episode before calling the repairman:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5155941_fix-whirlpool-duet-washer-repairman.html

Most jobs are easier with the proper tools and not every housewife has access to a set of nut drivers or crescent wrenches or specialized screw drivers but good tools can be reused and are worth the investment.  For example, a single hollow shaft nut drive will cost less than $10. A complete set of 7 or so is less than $50. I could have bought nut drivers at Home Depot or Sears (Craftsman tools are the best!) and still have come out ahead. Fortunately, we have a bunch because my dear husband loves tools but really doesn't ever use them.
My "honey" doesn't "do." He'd rather read. (Like my Daddy and I.) And his honey can do it herself. (Like her mother.)

ChLA 2013 Building a Career in Children's Literature

Just back from a wonderful conference in Biloxi, Mississippi hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi. I offer the first of several blogs I'm planning on the panels I attended and the books I read pre-conference. My blogging has been spotty of late, and I'm hoping to get back in the literary groove. I select this first topic because a friend asked me to take a few notes to share because she could not attend the Friday morning panel chaired by Amanda Allen, Eastern Michigan University. There were four panelists and these notes should be viewed as my impressions rather than their remarks unless I indicate otherwise by the use of quotation marks:

1. Richard Flynn, Georgia Southern University, "Stepping on Cracks: Applying, Teaching, and Publishing Across the Children's Lit/Adult Lit Divide"  emphasized that it is essential to be proactive in establishing a scholarly record. Publish! ...In today's job market, it is "misguided to focus exclusively" on children's, Y.A., or Adult literature. "Be diverse. Try to place your children's literature critiques in other venues." These practices help you establish networks of support and enhance your reputation and increase your likelihood of success.
2. Martin Woodside, Rutgers University, "All Work and No Play?: Balancing the Personal and the Professional." Calypso Editor, the youngest person on the panel, parent of young child/children, reminded us "you're responsible for putting all these balls in the air...." Don't create too much distance between work and play.  It's easy to complain but "this was my choice...." "Spending time with a real child" (yours!) "can be an important asset" in children's literature.... Balance is both "respect and perspective" and "it's OK to be frustrated." Do one thing at a time, focus on what you need to do, be fully present wherever you are. "Spending time with my family" makes "me a better worker" ...it's OK to leave some things undone...." His examples applied to both personal and professional life. "The opposite of play is not work; it's depression."
3. Erica Hately, Queensland University of Technology, "Risky Business: International Job Hunting" emphasized that there are both "international" and "institutional" cultures and that the job hunt involves translating not just into another language but into another culture. "You must also translate yourself." Understand the culture you are going to, be excited by it. Things that help you find and keep a job are your ability to "attract funding"...and publish, noting that the type of publications matters a great deal. "Book chapters..." Seek a "niche" that gets you noticed.
4. Roberta Seelinger Trites, Illinois State University, "Playing at Professionalism: Facing Down Impostor Syndrome" delivered a talk that was quite entertaining as well as helpful. She began "whenever I feel afraid, I whistle a happy tune..." "Impostor Syndrome is normal..." As one acquires knowledge, and realizes how much one does not yet know, one begins to "feel inadequate" and to feel like "an impostor." Remember, each of us is always learning; you are "a student your entire life." Don't pad the c.v. or puff up yourself because "it's a sin to lie" but it is always OK to admit that you don't know and to assert what you do know.  "Not knowing everything does not mean you're incompetent." Assess your strengths and weaknesses. "Focus on your comfort zone" because that is where you can work most happily and achieve most quickly. Assess your weaknesses and work to develop those areas more slowly. Nobody is good at everything. Celebrate your successes, "even your small ones...." "Tell 5 people about your success... most people like hearing your good news." Give yourself permission to seek validation. Be proud of your accomplishments. Diversify your career. Set goals and meet them. Reward yourself. Celebrate with your true friends. {As an aside, she spoke of "toxic competitiveness..." among individuals and within an academic department and  "a concern for status" as leading to Impostor Syndrome. Humility is an antidote to Impostor Syndrome. She pointed out that even a successful academic may need therapy or counseling to deal with life issues. Get help from a mental health professional if you need it.} Focus on your own achievements. Do not compare yourself to others. "...find the playful in everything you do..." As Martin said, "you chose this." At play you don't feel an impostor. Compartmentalize! If you're grading, go into a room and grade. If you're having Thanksgiving dinner with your family and sitting around visiting over pumpkin pie and coffee, enjoy being with your family; grade some other time. "Multi-tasking is a delusion."

In Q&A  I did not identify either the questioner or the responder. Hitting the highlights:

• c.v. is a genre, master it. Ask to see a friend's application packet
• in publishing a recommendation is a help in the submission process... note your readers' reports... REWRITE!!! Do not send out anything that someone senior to you has not read... Have at least two readers, one senior to you and one just a little bit senior to you, read your material before submission.
• write out of a place of passion.
• If an editor sends you a "revise and resubmit" that does not mean "oh, they don't like it." Rather it means that they want to work with you. Everything goes through multiple revisions. Trust the journal editor who wants to help you, to work with you to get you published.
• Where to go for help? The panel agreed that "Ph.D. advisor is a life time relationship." Talk to those you meet at conferences and talk to you after your presentation. Contact a recent scholar working in a related area. Ask, ask, ask... "people know how to say No... or they should."
• create a narrative for yourself. Charting your goals and your progress is helpful but telling your story and revising it every few years may also be helpful (This from the audience.)
• There is always something that is "the hardest" to do. If at all possible I make it a rule to "give it priority"  "when the mood is right..." For example when I can write poetry, I try to write poetry rather than giving other things priority. Sometimes one must stop juggling and focus. (This from Martin.)
• The time between revision and publishing? "How long is a piece of string?" (That from Roberta) 14 months, 2 years, up to 3 years Be productive. Be prolific. Be patient.
• If you are going to work in children's literature, you must be able to articulate why children's literature matters. Write a paragraph about why your genre matters. Practice saying it with authority. Look for common ground with others... play the diversity card... "everyone was once a child" yet children are often oppressed, ignored, devalued...
• How does tenure change your experience? Now I have "freedom to speak..." now I am expected to be and am "a leader..." now I am "an administrator..." and "now I'm stuck here..." "now what?" There is always something problematic about every institution...
• Next year we need a panel on mid-career issues.
• Roberta: Remember, "It's a job.  A job!" ..."40 hours of work/week" which all the panelists agreed may not be possible which is one reason that at least some aspects of your work must be play--something that brings pleasure, something that brings energy, something that  brings laughter and joy. "But it is a job... It's not your identity." Commit to the personal relationships that give your life meaning. 

Although I don't really have a career in children's literature, this was one of my favorite panels. Much of this advice is applicable to anyone in any career or stage of life. My gratitude to the speakers.

ChLA Children's Literature Association

Stumbling Block... Foolishess

I was privileged to teach the Open Door Class at  Southwest Central Church of Christ last Sunday. This blog summarizes some of my preparation and most of what we discussed in class.

Beginning just after Thanksgiving and continuing through Easter, the class explored some of the writings of the early church fathers.  http://readthefathers.org/  Our current study of the the Gospel of John was selected because class members noted the frequency with which these writers cited the gospel of John.

The Prologue of John 1:1-18.

 

Background

    

The Gospel was written near the end of John's life which tradition dates at 97 or 98 A.D. Fragments of John's gospel are the oldest extant New Testament text and date from 120 - 150 A.D. 

           

     John     circa   6 - 100 A.D.

Polycarp        65 - 155 A.D.  

 Irenaeus      125 -202 A.D .      

Since Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was said to be  a disciple of the Apostle John and since he was also the teacher of Irenaeus, it is not surprising that John's Gospel was frequently quoted by these early Christian writers.  At the end of the First Century, John in his gospel was already as concerned with refuting heresy as Irenaeus would be almost 100 years later.  John's gospel has more in common with the Pauline epistles and the Second Century writings of the church fathers than with the other three biblical (synoptic) gospels. How is John's gospel different?  The Gospel of John:

•  is not focused on "the kingdom of God" but on the person of Jesus Christ
• does not include parables but instead focuses on the "signs" of Jesus' creative power
• is not a chronological narrative of Jesus' life but a highly structured presentation of Jesus' assertions of "I am"
• is not a biography of Jesus but a theological/Christological argument supporting his divinity and eternal existence
• proclaims "Christ crucified" and addresses the objections of both Jew and Greek

1 Corinthians 1:23

  "...Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness..."

 

The book is written in very simple Greek, the common language of the First Century world. Although the language is simple, the structure of the book is complex. The structure of the Prologue which provides a key to understanding that of the book is a regular chiastic structure.

In fact, the entire book of John is organized as a chiasmus with the first half offering seven signs of the divinity of Christ and his work on earth (a New Creation) in chapters 2-12:6:15. The chiastic center is 6:16-21 which addresses Exodus themes, and the center of that section is Jesus' statement:

"do not be afraid, it is I AM" who brings the disciples to safety.

The second half of the book again offers seven points presenting events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the renewal of life, glory.
 

[At Southwest Central, a couple of decades ago,  Michael Tucker was teaching the book of John as chiasmus, based on a wonderful book:

Peter F. Ellis: The Genius of John. A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel. His notes for that study are an important resource for our current study.

 

At the same time, in my study of Hebrew poetics, I came across references to "ring" and "nesting" and "chiastic" structures in the Pauline letters just as David and I were preparing to teach Ephesians. We taught Ephesians exactly like Michael taught John. We started at the beginning and the end and worked toward the middle. The illustration we used to explain the structure was Russian nesting dolls. Minus the prologue, John and Ephesians share an almost identical structure. Coincidence? I think not. John has strong ties to Ephesus.]

Key words in John's Gospel:

 

word (logos), life, light,

believe [40 times!],

world, children of God, flesh,

truth, grace,

                                                     glory [35 times of the 185 times in the N.T.]

Logos   Logos   Logos   Logos

                            In the beginning

 was the Word                                                       [logos]

and the Word                                                        [logos]

                     was with God,                                               [theos]

and the Word                                                        [logos]

                           was fully God.                                         [theos]

The Word                                                              [logos]

                    was with God                                              [theos]

                       in the beginning.

Here in the first verses (John 1:1-2) the writer announces his theme with three key words: beginning, logos, and theos. John writes theos - logos e.g. theology. These verses also reflect a poetic structure: ABBCBCBCA. This structure emphasizes "the Word" "in the beginning" and proclaims the eternal, pre-Creation (addressed in the the third verse) existence of Logos. The phrase "with God" is literally "towards" "face-to-face" and speaks to personal relationship, intimacy, communication and "highlights the eternal unity" [Dizon] between God (theos) and Logos. This idea of intimate relationship is echoed in the last verse of the prologue:

No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son,

who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Logos  is found frequently in Hellenistic literature and was used by  Heraclitus,  who has been called "the philosopher of Ephesus," [Ephesus!] around 500 B.C.E. The Stoics used Heraclitian physics as the basis for their own.
[I first came across the name in the title of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, That Nature is a Heraclitian Fire and the Comfort of the Resurrection in which the poet follows John's example of rejecting death and darkness through the person of Jesus.]

The Stoic school of philosophy used logos as a technical term for immanent reason, the principle by which  all things came into existence, "the divine Fire which permeates reality"  and the "spark" which enabled human reason and enlightened human ethics. Note that this use of logos is predicated on a principle or philosophy. It is profoundly impersonal.

[Although Plato and Philo did not form part of our discussion, the class did note that the extension of this philosophy gave rise to many of the heresies against which Irenaeus argued. The class noted that these Greek philosophic arguments are foundational to Modern and Post-Modern atheists.]

When Hellenistic Jews translated Hebrew scripture into Greek, they sought a word for  the creative power of God's speech, "the word of God."  Not surprisingly, they chose  logos.
"In the beginning... God said, "Let there be..." and John's prologue opens in purposeful imitation of that "In the beginning...."
John asserts and Hebrew scripture agrees that The Word is not created; The Word creates. Through The Word all things come into existence. To the Jews, God speaks the "Ten Words" upon which the ethical foundation of Israel rests. God speaks Torah and enlightened Israel proclaims, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In Jewish thought, Torah is the Light of the World.  However, this speaking God, who may be heard in Torah and by the Prophets, cannot be seen. Logos in the writings of Hebrew Scripture is not a person.

[Jesus will claim that title: "I AM the Light of the World." The incarnational Jesus supercedes Torah.]

[The class did not explore these scriptures but citations of Hebrew Scripture relevant for the study of John's Prologue include:
Genesis 1; Genesis 2:7-9; Genesis 3:22; Exodus 32:18; Exodus 33; Exodus 40:34;Deuteronomy 14:1; II Samuel 5:2; I Kings 8:11; Psalm 13:3: Psalm 27:1; Psalm 56:13; Psalm 89:15; Psalm 33:9, 12; Psalm 82:6; Psalm 86: 15, Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8; Proverbs 8:22-31; Proverbs 29-30; Isaiah 1:3; Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 40:1-2; Isaiah 42:6;Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 37:37; Ezekiel 43:7;  Ezekiel 44:4; Hosea 1:10; Hosea 11:1; Joel 2:13; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 2:10]

In the glorious prologue to the gospel of John and in the unpacking and repacking of the chiastic structure of the book, the writer takes this word logos spoken by all the philosophers in the market places and by all the rabbis in the synagogues and makes Logos--the creating and revealing Word of both Greek and Jew--profoundly personal. Like the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians, John argues that in Jesus is "all the fullness of Deity" and that Jesus, "the One and Only," is the source of Life and Light, "the true light that enlightens everyone," both Jew and Greek.

[I dare to hope that my eyes, that our eyes, that all eyes be enlightened by "the true light" of John's gospel and come to know, as Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "the multifaceted wisdom of God."]

The Word not only creates and reveals but John demonstrates the The Word also saves. The center of chiastic of the prologue, the writer's main point is:
The Word became flesh (incarnation) bringing life and light and "to all who received him...  to all who believed in his name... he gave the right to become children of God. "


I love word clouds. The one at the top of this post was made using:
http://www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm

Here is a link to another word cloud that I made:

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6607697/Prologue_of_John

Resources not previously cited:

 An Exegetical Study of The Prologue of John (John 1:1-18)

by Richard Van Egmond

McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry 

 The Divine Logos: The Christology  of the Prologue of John  by J. Luis Dizon

Saeculum Undergraduate Academic Journal, Vol.7,  No. 1 (2011)

PSL: Prayer as a Second Language

On Thursday I was honored to teach the final class of the year for the Ladies Bible Class at my church. During this fall semester, my dear friend Andrea has been leading the class in a study entitled "Praying to God in God's Own Words." She explored The Lord's Prayer and several other New Testament prayers. Early last summer she asked me if I would be willing to teach the concluding lesson on praying the Psalms.

As it has every Thursday, the class began with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer followed by the old Sunday School standard "Whisper a prayer... to keep your heart in tune."

For the lesson I presented, I am deeply indebted to a wonderful book examining Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians:

Eugene H. Peterson: Practice Resurrection. A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

"Why are people so ready to appoint a representative to do their praying for them? Why is there so much more talk about prayer than actual praying? Why are so many more doubts expressed and questions raised about this form of language than any other?

…observe the way language is used when we are not on our knees…. Listen… the primary use of language is impersonal… to name things, describe actions, provide information, command specific behaviors, tell the truth, tell lies, curse, bless. Language is incredibly and endlessly versatile. But in our heavily technologized and consumerized world, most of the words said and heard in most ordinary days have little or no relational or personal depth to them. They deal with a world of things and activities, machines and ideas....

Language objectifies both the world before us and the people around us…. "

The poet William Wordsworth in his 1806 poem  laments:
"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
...
For this, for everything, we are out of tune..."

Wordsworth's use of the phrase "out of tune" as did the little song with which we began the class suggests that the reason one should "whisper a prayer" is to "keep your heart in tune." 
One of the illustrations I often use when teaching the Psalms is a pair of tuning forks, each tuned to the same note but an octave apart. When one fork is struck and begins to vibrate and the second is brought near to the first, the second will also begin to vibrate. They are "in tune" and they resonate together. So it is when one reads a Psalm and finds in the words an echo, a perfect expression, of one's own joy or pain.

Indeed, in the world around us, in our everyday encounters, most of our language is used... “getting and spending.” Too often, we bring this use of language into our prayers.

Quoting Peterson again:
"But language at its core and its best reveals. Using words, I can speak myself into relationship with another."
{I inserted examples of how our speaking had created relationships with people in the class.}

Prayer works in the same way. When we learn the language of prayer, it can speak us into a relationship with God.

"...prayer is personal language or it is nothing. God is personal, emphatically personal… When we use impersonal language in this most personal of all relations, the language doesn’t work… when we listen in Scripture and in silence to what the personal God has to say to us in our unique person hood, anticipating information or answers and not hearing anything remotely like that, we don’t know what to make of it. We may walk away saying or thinking, “God doesn’t speak to me… He never listens to me.”

The practice of prayer, if it is going to amount to anything more than wish lists and complaints, requires a recovery of personal, relational, revelational language in both our listening and our speaking."

We are blessed to have Caleb McDaniel teaching the Open Door Class and I greatly appreciate the historical perspective he brings to our class and to my study. Currently we are looking at the creeds of Christendom, beginning with some creeds or creed-like sections of the New Testament and then looking at other very early creeds, The Apostles' Creed, The Nicene Creed in its several revisions, and several others in coming weeks. Last Sunday, he noted that looking at changes from creed to creed gives us glimpses of what was happening in the culture of that time but that looking at those things which are “continuous and consistent” throughout the centuries can help us see what is really the core of  Christian belief.

When the church and its members begin to learn prayer as a second language what is "continuous and consistent" is the use of the Psalms. For example, lectionaries and the Daily Office include daily Psalms. Almost all published editions of the New Testament (such as those distributed by the Gideons) include the Psalms. Almost all books of daily devotions will reference the Psalms. Some Christians (not I!) may dismiss the stories and prophecies of the Old Testament as fulfilled and irrelevant to the practice of Christianity but, through the millennia, the "classic text book for recovering the personal language of prayer is the Psalms. A thorough immersion in the Psalms is the primary way that Christians acquire fluency in the personal, intimate, honest, earthy, language of prayer and take our place in the great company of our praying ancestors."
Those praying ancestors are part of  that “great cloud of witnesses" about which Caleb preached form the pulpit last Sunday and when we pray the same words of scripture which they prayed we are with them and they are with us.

Quoting Peterson:
"For while prayer is always personal, it is never individual. At prayer we are part of a great congregation whether we see them or not. Praying the Psalms gets us used to being in a praying congregation… We are never less alone than when we pray, even when there is no one else in the room. We are praying for others who don’t know we are praying for them. Others are praying for us although we don’t know it…. When we pray we are not self-enclosed. Praying the Psalms keeps us in a school of prayer that maintains wakefulness and an open ear, alertness and an articulate tongue, both to the word of God and to the voices of praise and pain of God’s people."
We see that in the New Testament prayers that Andrea has led us through this Fall. Today I want to recall the lesson she taught a couple of weeks ago on the Apostle Paul’s great prayer from his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:16 – 19; 3:14 – 21
I make mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power .

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[a] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen

Note that Paul’s prayer begins with God's great work of salvation, the riches of his glory, which leads to exultant act of worship. Peterson reminds us that "…prayers of intercession flow out of the plenitude of God. The plenitude of God, not the penury of the human condition…"

Too often in our prayers we bring the language of our need, of human poverty, into our prayers, failing to see the "riches of his glory" which are abundantly more that our need. The Psalms encourage lament, the full recognition of human need and pain but they also encourage thanksgiving and trust, the "steadfast love of the Lord" which never ceases.

In chapter four of Ephesians Paul quotes the 68th Psalm. Peterson argues that the 68th Psalm offers "a structure that gives literary and theological shape to what he writes: first a thorough meditative immersion in the action and word of God (chapters 1-3), which then takes form in a worship-generated life of believing obedience (chapters 4-6)."

The first 23 verses of the Psalm present a documentary of God in saving action. At midpoint the Psalm shifts to a comprehensive act of worship in the sanctuary. Peterson:

"All that God is and does—riding the clouds, transforming the wilderness, commanding the prophetic proclamation of good news, taking charge once and for all by ascending the “high mount”—is brought together in a worshiping procession of singers and musicians into the sanctuary, bringing gifts, acclaiming blessings.

Sanctuary is a set-apart places consecrated for worship, paying reverent attention to who God reveals himself to be and how he reveals himself in our history…. Psalm 68 worship is a listening attentiveness to God in word and action, which develops into glad participation in that word and action.”

Sanctuary is what we create for ourselves, as individuals and as a community, when we pray.

Look more closely at Paul's quotation in Ephesians 4 of the 68th Psalm:
Ephesians 4: 7-8 reads:
"7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

Psalm 68:18 reads:
"You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there."

Note that Paul changes the quote from the triumphant King who receives gifts to the Messiah who gives gifts. It is not because Saul, the rabbinic student of the great Gamaliel, does not know the scripture. Paul, the Apostle, changes it because Jesus does indeed change everything. Such a simple fact which I never noticed until I began to prepare this lessons: Jesus, the Messiah, the anointed of God gives us gifts from "the riches of God's glory" and that changes, or perhaps it is better to say fulfills, the scripture in a way that is surprising.

So here in the 68th Psalm, as in so many others, we find a model not only for the language of prayer but also for the day-to-day practice of Christian life.

The class then moved from my talking about prayer to the practice of prayer. When one learns a second  language, one must go to the language lab; one must begin to speak the language.

Deep breath and exhale to prepare for prayer.
The class then sang a few songs and read selections from the Psalm. We attempted to read it not as text to be studied but as prayer—personal, relational, communal prayer. We each read aloud but made no attempt to read in unison. We wanted to pray as individuals but to be aware of the "murmur" of the "cloud of witnesses" around us.
I suggested that we pray the 68th Psalm as intercession for the persecuted church.

Song #794 Unto Thee, O Lord

Song 55: I will bless Thee, O Lord

Psalm 68:1-10
68 Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,
By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10 Your congregation dwelt in it;
You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

Psalm 68:17-2
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18 You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the LORD God might dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
20 Our God is the God of salvation;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

Song 193: Crown Him with many Crowns

Psalm 68:24-26
24 They have seen Your procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.


Psalm 68:32-35
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!

Song 108: The Lord is in His Holy Temple

We kept a time of silence and concluded with a song:
"I love you, Lord,
And I lift up my voice,
To worship you… Oh, my soul, rejoice!
Take joy, my king, in what you hear:
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In your ear."

Serendipity: Although we were reading/praying individually, the phrasing of the psalm seemed to move us increasingly toward unity. We found that we were reading in unison; we could in fact not read in unison. I had not anticipated this lesson on one of the functions of prayer. We pray to create unity. Praying the Psalms is not only the great school of prayer but a source of our unity with God, with our best selves, with one another, and with Christians in all places and in all times.

The hymns were from Songs of Faith and Praise.
The scripture readings were from NKJV.