Two New Poems of Sappho

Two new poems of Sappho have been found and a preliminary translation released here. The poems are in a fragment dating to 2nd and 3rdCentury CE which may have come from Oxyrhynchus. An article in Daily Beast on the find gives an indication of scholarly reaction:

“The new Sappho is absolutely breath-taking,” said Albert Henrichs, a Harvard classics professor who examined the papyrus with Dr. Obbink. “It is the best preserved Sappho papyrus in existence, with just a few letters that had to be restored in the first poem, and not a single word that is in doubt. Its content is equally exciting.” One of the two recovered poems, Prof. Henrichs notes, speaks of a “Charaxos” and a “Larichos,” the names assigned by ancient sources to two of Sappho’s brothers but never before found in Sappho’s own writings. It has as a result been labeled the Brothers poem by Prof. Obbink.

Prof Catherine Keller --Union Theological Seminary Feb 3rd 7pm "Eco-Theological Uncertainty and Planetary Entanglement"

Forrest Church Memorial Lecture Featuring Feminist Theologian:  DR. CATHERINE KELLER

WOE, WOE—WHOA! ECO-THEOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTY AND PLANETARY ENTANGLEMENT Dr. Catherine Keller Introduced by Dr. James Cone Monday, February 3, 2014Reception: 6:00 p.m.Lecture: 7:00 p.m. Dr. Catherine Keller is Professor of Constructive Theology at the Theological School of Drew University. In her teaching, lecturing and writing, she develops the relational potential of a theology of becoming. Her books reconfigure ancient symbols of divinity for the sake of a planetary conviviality—a life together, across vast webs of difference. Thriving in the interplay of ecological and gender politics, of process cosmology, poststructuralist philosophy and religious pluralism, her work is both deconstructive and constructive in strategy. She is currently finishing Cloud of the Impossible: Theological Entanglements, which explores the relation of mystical unknowing, material indeterminacy and ontological interdependence. Union Theological Seminary is proud to host the Fourth Annual Forrest Church Memorial Lecture. This annual series honors The Rev. Dr. Forrest Church and his extraordinary legacy of leadership as a Unitarian Universalist theologian and as a leading voice for liberal religion in public life in the United States and abroad. Registration is required. RSVP online!

Feb 4th 7.00pm Colm Toibin, Testament of Mary, 192 Books: 10th and 21st, NYC

Tuesday, February 4

7:00pm

 

 

An Evening with

 

COLM TOIBIN

 

 

The Testament of Mary

 

(Scribner, 2012)

Available in Paperback on February 4, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Upon the paperback release of The Testament of Mary, 192 Books is honored to host one of our favorite and perennially best-selling authors for an evening of reading and conversation. Feel free to bring a full range of questions and comments for our renowned guest.

Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney lectures on Women Prophets and Royal Women in Israel, March 10-11, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

Susan Draper White Lectures in Women’s Studies
Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, M.Div., Ph.D..

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014, 7:30 PM 
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014, 11:00 AM
Bigelow Chapel

Wil Gafney Associate Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia March 10 - "Women of the Word: Women Prophets and Scribes in and around Biblical Israel" March 11 - "She Reigns: The Royal Women of Israel and Judah and the Israelite Queendom"

The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney is an associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Her course offerings include: Heroines, Harlots and Handmaids: the Women of the Hebrew Scriptures and Prophetic Constructions, which explores prophets who do not have canonical books attributed to them, including better-known prophets such as Miriam and Elijah, along with lesser-known prophets such as the woman with whom Isaiah fathered a child.

Her approach to teaching the Hebrew Scriptures includes emphasizing archaeology, comparative ancient Near Eastern literature and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Her interest in the ancient Near Eastern and biblical portrayals of Lilith and other night-stalking creatures led to her participation in two HBO documentaries on the origin and evolution of vampire mythologies, True Bloodlines: Vampire Legends and True Bloodlines: A New Type in 2008, airing before the series premiere of True Blood.

Dr. Gafney is an ordained Episcopal priest and a member of the historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia. Founded in 1792, it is the first Episcopal church in the U.S. founded by and for African Americans. More...

Fee: The lectures are free and open to the public.

Registration: Register online or contact Renee Flesner, 651.255.6138.

More Information: Call 651.255.6137 for more information about the lecture series or the speaker.

This endowed lectureship was established by Priscilla Braun ’83 in memory of her grandmother, Susan Draper White, for the presentation of two annual lectures in the area of women in religion, theology, and ministry. It is the major public event offered through the seminary’s Women’s Studies program.

Lecturers have included Eunjoo Mary Kim, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Mary Farrell Bednarowski, Jane Dempsey Douglass, Nancy L. Eiesland, Marie M. Fortune, Rita Gross, Beverly Harrison, Mary Hunt, Ada Isasi-Diaz, Karen Lebacqz, Barbara K. Lundblad, Joretta L. Marshall, Joyce Mercer, Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore, Damayanthi Niles, Judith Plaskow, Marjorie Procter-Smith, Letty M. Russell, Marjorie H. Suchocki, Emilie M. Townes, and Renita J. Weems.

Elaine Pagels at Trinity Wall Street Sunday Jan 12th at 10.00am

Revelation: Prophecies that Provoke

The Epiphany series of Discovery classes begins this Sunday with leading theologian Elaine Pagels talking about the Book of Revelation. Don't miss this chance to see Pagels speak about a subject she wrote about at length in her 2012 bookRevelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation. Throughout this Discovery series, a diverse group of leading scholars and teachers guide the exploration of this most challenging and influential biblical book. From Handel’s classic "Hallelujah Chorus" to the best-selling Left Behind novels, The Revelation to John has fired imaginations for centuries while keeping its secrets in enigmatic images and evocative poetry. Written in turbulent times, it continues to exert its fascination in periods of upheaval and change, like our own. Time and Location Sundays | 10am | 74 Trinity Place (the office building behind Trinity Church)

January Schedule JANUARY 12 Elaine Pagels: The Book of Revelation and Its Time JANUARY 19 Mary Callaway: Of Dragons, Whores, and Saints: The Story Behind the Images in The Book of Revelation JANUARY 26 Sergey Trostyanskiy: Prophecy and Heresy: The Eastern Orthodox View on Revelation

The Star Hymn of Ignatius: Advent of Christ destroys death

Whilst we might be more familiar with gospel stories in Matthew and Luke, in his Epistle to the Ephesians 19, Ignatius of Antioch writes an imaginative and cosmic version of the seasonal message:-

And hidden from the Prince of this world were the virginity of Mary, her giving birth, and the death of the Lord--three loudly shouting mysteries accomplished in the stillness of God. How were they revealed to the aeons? 

A star shone forth in heaven, 
brighter than all stars, 
and its light was ineffable 
and its newness caused astonishment. 
All the other stars with the sun and moon 
gathered in chorus around the star, 
but its light was greater than all. 
And the result was the dissolution of all magic 
and the abolition of every bond of evil.
Ignorance was removed
and the old kingdom was destroyed
for God was revealed as human
for the newness of eternal life.

Hence what had been prepared for by God received its beginning
All things were disturbed because the abolition of death was being planned.

We see in the so-called star hymn three phases: the advent of the star and its effect followed by reactions to the star from other cosmic beings and finally the beneficial result of the star's presence. The ineffable brightness of the star provokes a chorus of all other celestial bodies which, when combined with the star, effects the destruction of all magic and evil. 

There is no single way to interpret the meaning of the birth of Jesus. We already have three versions in the gospels: John's focus on the incarnate Logos, Matthew's focus on the joy of foreign visitors to the house where Jesus was born, and Luke's on divine attention to the mothers of John and Jesus: Elizabeth and Mary. Whereas the focus of Matthew and Luke stories of Jesus' birth are more mundane, Ignatius' star hymn interprets cosmic implications of the incarnation: accomplished in the silence of God, the appearance and birth of Christ is both the beginning of the plan of salvation for humanity and a shake-up of the heavenly realms which results in the final end of death. 

While Ignatius might not see it this way, it's possible to see that since the birth of this child causes cosmic disturbances, Ignatius' focus on the silence of God serves to secure the safety of recently born vulnerable children and their mothers. 

Commentaries on Matthew's Gospel

For those who would like suggestions for the upcoming lectionary gospel Matthew, here are some recommendations.

The commentary on Matthew by R.T. France (Eerdmans 2007) is superb. The Kindle edition is here. The RBL review by Leslie Robert Keylock is here and it concludes with this paragraph:


This commentary is a tour de force that culminates one man’s career. Only a person who has spent his life on Jesus research could produce such a magisterial commentary in four years. Not everyone will agree with all his interpretations, of course, but that is true of any commentary—or book, for that matter. I will not at this point detail my evaluations of those interpretations; I have throughout this lengthy review drawn attention to most of  France’s provocative interpretations so the reader will know how France handles matters 

that are most likely to arouse disagreement. But this commentary on Matthew’s Gospel 

will certainly take its place with the best commentaries on this  Gospel that have been 

written in our time, and every  Gospel scholar will want to have a copy in his or her library.

Ulrich Luz has worked on Matthew's Gospel for years. Here is a link to some of his Matthew publications especially the three-volume commentary in the Hermeneia series. The great contribution of Luz to Matthean scholarship is his interest in the history of the effects and interpretation of the text (German: Wirkungsgeschichte). No one does it better. 

In the Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries series, O.Wesley Allen has written the one on Matthew. The link has samples from this text including the Introduction and Chapter 1. 

Amy-Jill Levine analyzes Matthew in the Women's Bible Commentary  third edition and she edits A Feminist Companion to Matthew (Pilgrim Press 2001) wherein lie excellent essays by a variety of scholars. 

There is also a 2006 commentary on Matthew written by Stanley Hauerwas. Of the reviews, perhaps this one describes his approach best:

While most commentaries strive to connect contemporary readers to the first century, Hauerwas also gives heed to Matthew’s vast interpretive history, a noteworthy achievement. . . . Anyone wishing to become acquainted with theological exegesis should consider this volume. Hauerwas offers a fresh perspective on Matthew that is aberrantly insightful, colorful, compelling, and powerful. Well-written, fast-paced, and accessible to laity, Hauerwas delivers thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation between Matthew’s gospel and American culture that aims to do no more than ‘position the reader to be a follower of Jesus.’”—Thomas Seat, Princeton Theological Review 

Professor Kate Cooper, talk and book discussion of Band Of Angels, Monday November 18th at GTS

Kate Cooper, professor at the University of Manchester, is the author of a new book on women in early Christianity: Band of Angels http://atlantic-books.co.uk/content/band-angels

It's got great recent reviews from the left: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/04/band-angels-kate-cooper-review and from the right: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/historybookreviews/10259692/Band-of-Angels-the-Forgotten-World-of-Early-Christian-Women-by-Kate-Cooper-review.html

And by Lucy Winckett, Rector of St James, Piccadilly: http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/08/right-hand-maids-christ

Kate, the author, says:

One of my motivations in writing the book was to put something into the hands of pastoral colleagues/educators that gets the question about early women away from 'ordination' and into a 'lived religion' territory that is more directly useful to the majority of women who are of course in the laity! It was difficult (but really interesting) to try to frame it that way without losing the scholarly gravitas. So I would love to have a chance to talk to women who are involved in, or preparing for, pastoral work!

She's coming to GTS (440 West 21st Street) on Monday Nov 18th. The event is in Seabury in the Close and 21st street rooms with a reception at 6pm and talk/conversation at 6.30pm: booksigning to follow.

How To Do Things With Fictions by Joshua Landy (OUP 2012)

"Let the reader understand!" Landy argues that reading literature like Jesus' parables in Mark's Gospel is not so much about gaining insight and moral improvement but to train the reader or listener. To be trained to this level, one much look beyond propositional content. The right reaction to parables is not interpretation but the production of figurative content.    

The Guardian review of Joshua Landy's splendid book by Stephen Abell says that: 

Landy is at his best as a close reader when he is examining Mark's gospel, or discussing "the cosmic magnitude" of Mallarmé's "ses purs ongles" sonnet.

The reading of Mark focuses on the Parable of the Sower (in which the metaphor of sowing seeds is used to explain why religious messages do not always flourish: some fall on fertile ground, some on rocky etc). Landy seeks to explain why Jesus actually admits – in a famously disputed passage – that he does not want to convert everybody who listens to him: "for those outside, everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven".

This is gripping stuff, for believer and atheist alike. Why would Jesus, of all people, not want sinners to be forgiven? Landy's answer is that the understanding of metaphorical language is essential to faith itself: if one cannot move from the visible to the symbolic, then one can never comprehend God. Jesus uses non-inclusive language because he only wants those with the capacity for genuine belief to follow him. As Landy triumphantly concludes: "the Sower is a meta-parable, a parable about parables, a parable that only indirectly concerns the kingdom of God, being focused, rather, on the ability to handle figurative language".

When we read the parable, then, it is the very experience of reading that is crucial. That is why it is used to support Landy's theory about the self-consciousness of fiction. Elsewhere, we are readily convinced that Chaucer is parodying didacticism in "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and Plato is undermining Socrates by giving him weak arguments so that the reader will learn about the perils of flawed thinking. The quondam impenetrable poetry of Mallarmé is characterised wonderfully as "training in the two skills that make life bearable: generating fictions, and persuading ourselves that they are true".

Heavenly Rest: Scripture Studies-- Wednesday September 18th from 7-8pm

This coming Wednesday I will be beginning a course in Scripture Studies and the reception history of the Bible. Anyone in and around NYC is welcome. Come one, come all!

Amongst other things, we'll be reading NT texts, listening to music connected to biblical texts and discussing art connected to Christian themes and biblical texts. We'll be looking at the Anastasis panel from Chora Church in Istanbul (Kariye Müzesi, Kariye Camii, or Kariye Kilisesi — the Chora Museum, Mosque or Church) 

Sophia, the Logos of God fresco in S. Stefano, Soleto, Italy

Over twenty years ago, I went on my first sabbatical to Apulia (Italian: Puglia) in Italy to look at late Byzantine frescoes. True, it is not what you might expect from an NT scholar but I was in search of images of Jesus as Sophia in Byzantine tradition. Some exist in abandoned churches, others do not. I presented the results of my research on a specific fresco with the Greek inscription "Sophia, the Logos of God" to a Byzantine Studies conference once I was back in the NE, only to be told that what I had shown was "an anomaly in Byzantine thought." End of discussion? Until now.

Here's a wonderful new 360 degree view of the XIV Century frescoes of that church in Soleto. In the  Apse of the east end is the image of Sophia with the Greek inscription above. A specific study of that church has been published (2010). All being well, I will be able to publish a discussion of the frescoes and this particular image within a year or so. I am arguing that ignoring such frescoes or relegating them to a category of "late Byzantine" or even "non-Byzantine" creates unhelpful categories of what is normative (art and architecture in Constantinople?). Byzantine art in Salento is a transformation of Greco-Roman and Byzantine art with regional features.