Friday, July 09, 2004
Roman Wives, Roman Widows Review
Today's Church Times features the following book review:
Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The appearance of new women and the Pauline communities
by Bruce W. Winter
Review by John Court
Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The appearance of new women and the Pauline communities
by Bruce W. Winter
Review by John Court
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Passion of the Christ Book Announced
This press release just in:
-----------------
BIBLICAL SCHOLARS ASSESS GIBSON'S PASSION IN BOOK TIMED FOR DVD'S RELEASE
Contact: Claire England
Continuum
212 953 5858
Claire@continuum-books.com
July 8 2004 (New York) - Viewers of "The Passion of the Christ" know that the movie is an overwhelming assault on the senses but is it also an assault on the Gospels? Is it accurate? Or is that question relevant since Mel Gibson set out to make not a history of Jesus but a film that compels us to experience Christ's sacrifice?
When the DVD of "The Passion" comes out on August 31, a new book will also be available to help readers answer these and other questions about the most controversial movie of the year.
"Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: The Movie, the Gospels and the Claims of History" from Continuum is the first analysis of the movie by an international team of leading Biblical historians and critics.
Readers are guided by historical Jesus scholars who help distinguish between the contents of the film and the contents of the Gospels, and between the contents of the film and what might be historically reconstructed about Jesus. The book also places the movie in context as a work of art, assessing it alongside other portrayals of Jesus in different media.
The contributors give thoughtful, factual assessments of the historical and scriptural accuracy of the movie, including the contribution made by non-gospel sources, particularly the nineteenth century Catholic nun and visionary Anne Catherine Emmerich. In his essay "Hymn to A Savage God" John Dominic Crossan comments:
"In this film, about 5% comes from the Gospels, that is, the general outline and sequence of events; about 80% comes from Emmerich, that is, the details and characters that carry the best and the worst of the non-Gospel additions and expansions; and about 15% from Gibson, that is, everything that escalates the violence above that already prevalent in Emmerich.
"If Mel Gibson were to receive a Best Director Oscar for this film, it could well be argued that Emmerich should get a Best Adapted (or should it be Original?) Screenplay. If accuracy or even courtesy were followed, the opening credit should read: A Mel Gibson Film, followed by Based on the Book by Anne Catherine Emmerich.
"It is surely fascinating to consider that a magnificent publicity campaign has persuaded thousands of conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist Christians to support enthusiastically an early twenty-first century film based only indirectly on the Gospels but directly on an historical novel from the visionary meditations of an early nineteenth-century Roman Catholic nun."
"Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ" is edited by Kathleen E. Corley, Oshkosh Northwestern Distinguished Professor and Professor of New Testament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Robert L. Webb, an independent scholar living near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The other contributors are:
* Dr. Helen K. Bond, Lecturer in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh, UK;
* Dr. Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia, Canada;
* Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the Department of Theology, University of Birmingham, UK;
* Dr. Glenna S. Jackson, Associate Professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio;
* Dr. Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University, Chicago, Illinois;
* Dr. Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio;
* Alan F. Segal, Professor of Religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York;
* Dr. W. Barnes Tatum, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Greensboro College, North Carolina;
* David J. Goa, Curator Emeritus at the Provincial Museum of Alberta and a Fellow of the M.V. Dimic Institute for the Study of Culture at the University of Alberta.
The 208 page book is a paperback original (ISBN 0-8264-7781-X) priced at $17.95. For further information, review copies or interview requests, contact: Claire England, 212 953 5858 claire@continuum-books.com.
------------------
Looks interesting, doesn't it? Can't wait to read it myself. The only thing I'd say about the press release is that the prominence given to John Dominic Crossan's essay gives the impression that the book is going to be unambiguously negative about the film. Well, I have not read the book yet myself, but I can say that there is at least one essay in there that sees the film in less negative terms than Crossan's.
-----------------
BIBLICAL SCHOLARS ASSESS GIBSON'S PASSION IN BOOK TIMED FOR DVD'S RELEASE
Contact: Claire England
Continuum
212 953 5858
Claire@continuum-books.com
July 8 2004 (New York) - Viewers of "The Passion of the Christ" know that the movie is an overwhelming assault on the senses but is it also an assault on the Gospels? Is it accurate? Or is that question relevant since Mel Gibson set out to make not a history of Jesus but a film that compels us to experience Christ's sacrifice?
When the DVD of "The Passion" comes out on August 31, a new book will also be available to help readers answer these and other questions about the most controversial movie of the year.
"Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: The Movie, the Gospels and the Claims of History" from Continuum is the first analysis of the movie by an international team of leading Biblical historians and critics.
Readers are guided by historical Jesus scholars who help distinguish between the contents of the film and the contents of the Gospels, and between the contents of the film and what might be historically reconstructed about Jesus. The book also places the movie in context as a work of art, assessing it alongside other portrayals of Jesus in different media.
The contributors give thoughtful, factual assessments of the historical and scriptural accuracy of the movie, including the contribution made by non-gospel sources, particularly the nineteenth century Catholic nun and visionary Anne Catherine Emmerich. In his essay "Hymn to A Savage God" John Dominic Crossan comments:
"In this film, about 5% comes from the Gospels, that is, the general outline and sequence of events; about 80% comes from Emmerich, that is, the details and characters that carry the best and the worst of the non-Gospel additions and expansions; and about 15% from Gibson, that is, everything that escalates the violence above that already prevalent in Emmerich.
"If Mel Gibson were to receive a Best Director Oscar for this film, it could well be argued that Emmerich should get a Best Adapted (or should it be Original?) Screenplay. If accuracy or even courtesy were followed, the opening credit should read: A Mel Gibson Film, followed by Based on the Book by Anne Catherine Emmerich.
"It is surely fascinating to consider that a magnificent publicity campaign has persuaded thousands of conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist Christians to support enthusiastically an early twenty-first century film based only indirectly on the Gospels but directly on an historical novel from the visionary meditations of an early nineteenth-century Roman Catholic nun."
"Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ" is edited by Kathleen E. Corley, Oshkosh Northwestern Distinguished Professor and Professor of New Testament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Robert L. Webb, an independent scholar living near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The other contributors are:
* Dr. Helen K. Bond, Lecturer in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh, UK;
* Dr. Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia, Canada;
* Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the Department of Theology, University of Birmingham, UK;
* Dr. Glenna S. Jackson, Associate Professor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio;
* Dr. Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University, Chicago, Illinois;
* Dr. Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio;
* Alan F. Segal, Professor of Religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York;
* Dr. W. Barnes Tatum, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Greensboro College, North Carolina;
* David J. Goa, Curator Emeritus at the Provincial Museum of Alberta and a Fellow of the M.V. Dimic Institute for the Study of Culture at the University of Alberta.
The 208 page book is a paperback original (ISBN 0-8264-7781-X) priced at $17.95. For further information, review copies or interview requests, contact: Claire England, 212 953 5858 claire@continuum-books.com.
------------------
Looks interesting, doesn't it? Can't wait to read it myself. The only thing I'd say about the press release is that the prominence given to John Dominic Crossan's essay gives the impression that the book is going to be unambiguously negative about the film. Well, I have not read the book yet myself, but I can say that there is at least one essay in there that sees the film in less negative terms than Crossan's.
Exploring New Testament Greek web site
I've had a look and notice that the companion web site for Exploring New Testament Greek (see previous blog entry) is now live:
The Queen's Foundation: Greek
This is essentially a site designed for users of the book, providing recommended books and web sites, tables, a specimen answer and material for further study. There are some useful materials here and I would like to commend Paula and Peter for an excellent way of helping new students of Greek to find "a way in". In particular, the encouragement to use internet resources has to be a real plus. As regular readers will know, I am a fan of providing helpful companion web sites for books in this way, so many congratulations on this.
I would like to make some suggestions for ways of improving this web site. In particular, some serious attention needs paying to the following:
(1) The standard of accuracy on the site is at present pretty low. There are many typos and it does not look like anyone has given it a basic read-through. The English has not gone through a spell-checker; the URLs have not been tested (e.g. the NT Gateway link, for which I am grateful, misses off the all important ".com" and so returns an error page); bibliographical conventions are unevenly applied throughout; words collide into one another and so on. Indeed, at present the page provides a good illustration of one element in David Clines's excellent article, Publishers: Who Needs Them?, that the accuracy of on-line materials tends to be way below the accuracy of their printed counterparts. But on this kind of page, it is especially important to try to ensure as high a level of accuracy as possible, not only because students need to be able to access the web sites that are being linked, but also because a relatively low level of accuracy among scholars can encourage sloppiness in students. However, the good news about on-line materials is that one can adjust them speedily and produce ever more accurate versions, so here's some encouragement for the site to go through some careful checking and correcting.
(2) In particular, the Greek needs work. The importance of accuracy here, in a companion site to an introductory book, hardly needs stressing. But having cast my eye around the site, there are multiple cases where Greek has been entered incorrectly, most clearly over the iota subscript, which is often represented in a mix of SPIonic and GraecaII fonts, thus: twæ. The site specifies SPIonic as the font of choice, so all the encoding needs to be in that font. Those who do not have GraecaII font installed on their machine (including me) will see "æ" here and not an iota subscript. The encoding in SPIonic is "|", thus "tw|" which will produce tw|. The specimen answer, which reverts to the symbol font, has many errors. It may be that that is because it is a student's work, but if so it is probably not a particularly useful specimen to use.
A couple of more minor points: in the section on web sites, Tony Fisher's Greek New Testament is not mentioned though I'd regard that as one of the best. On the Unbound Bible, the authors comment, "The main difficulty with this site is the strange way you have to transliterate Greek words into English letters." But there's an easy way around this, particularly useful for the newcomer: just click on "Non-English search" and then choose Greek and then you can mouse-click the relevant letters.
The Queen's Foundation: Greek
This is essentially a site designed for users of the book, providing recommended books and web sites, tables, a specimen answer and material for further study. There are some useful materials here and I would like to commend Paula and Peter for an excellent way of helping new students of Greek to find "a way in". In particular, the encouragement to use internet resources has to be a real plus. As regular readers will know, I am a fan of providing helpful companion web sites for books in this way, so many congratulations on this.
I would like to make some suggestions for ways of improving this web site. In particular, some serious attention needs paying to the following:
(1) The standard of accuracy on the site is at present pretty low. There are many typos and it does not look like anyone has given it a basic read-through. The English has not gone through a spell-checker; the URLs have not been tested (e.g. the NT Gateway link, for which I am grateful, misses off the all important ".com" and so returns an error page); bibliographical conventions are unevenly applied throughout; words collide into one another and so on. Indeed, at present the page provides a good illustration of one element in David Clines's excellent article, Publishers: Who Needs Them?, that the accuracy of on-line materials tends to be way below the accuracy of their printed counterparts. But on this kind of page, it is especially important to try to ensure as high a level of accuracy as possible, not only because students need to be able to access the web sites that are being linked, but also because a relatively low level of accuracy among scholars can encourage sloppiness in students. However, the good news about on-line materials is that one can adjust them speedily and produce ever more accurate versions, so here's some encouragement for the site to go through some careful checking and correcting.
(2) In particular, the Greek needs work. The importance of accuracy here, in a companion site to an introductory book, hardly needs stressing. But having cast my eye around the site, there are multiple cases where Greek has been entered incorrectly, most clearly over the iota subscript, which is often represented in a mix of SPIonic and GraecaII fonts, thus: twæ. The site specifies SPIonic as the font of choice, so all the encoding needs to be in that font. Those who do not have GraecaII font installed on their machine (including me) will see "æ" here and not an iota subscript. The encoding in SPIonic is "|", thus "tw|" which will produce tw|. The specimen answer, which reverts to the symbol font, has many errors. It may be that that is because it is a student's work, but if so it is probably not a particularly useful specimen to use.
A couple of more minor points: in the section on web sites, Tony Fisher's Greek New Testament is not mentioned though I'd regard that as one of the best. On the Unbound Bible, the authors comment, "The main difficulty with this site is the strange way you have to transliterate Greek words into English letters." But there's an easy way around this, particularly useful for the newcomer: just click on "Non-English search" and then choose Greek and then you can mouse-click the relevant letters.
New Introductory Greek Book
I have heard from Peter Kevern that his co-authored book is now available:
Paula Gooder and Peter Kevern, Exploring New Testament Greek: A Way In
Paula Gooder and Peter Kevern, Exploring New Testament Greek: A Way In
Key PointsUnfortunately the web site still has the false endorsement from me (I've omitted it from the information above; see previous blog entry on), in spite of my having pointed this out to SCM over two months ago. It's a shame that I feel obliged to mention this here a second time, not least in that I can add -- more happily -- that I have now seen the book in proof and although I have not had time to look at it in any detail, my overall impression was instantly favourable. In particular, I am interested to see in this book the first attempts in a beginning Greek book to introduce students to the internet resources available to help them with their Greek learning. I hope to publish a more detailed critical appreciation in due course, but in the mean time, congratulations to Paula and Peter on this publication.
· The first guide to New Testament Greek to assume no prior knowledge and prioritise quick and effective methods of learning
· Contains useful pedagogical features such as Q & A exercises, a glossary of English grammatical terms and a glossary of key Greek vocabulary
· This book also features a regularly updated companion web-site with exercises and revision notes - access is free for all who purchase the book
The Book
This practical textbook for undergraduate students and serving ministers is specifically designed to teach the reader about New Testament Greek, and to enrich the readers understanding of Scripture. Exploring New Testament Greek aims to cultivate a 'feel' for the Greek language and give insight into some central issues in New Testament study without a heavy investment of time and energy. Its priorities are accessibility and relevance for Bible study: it is set out in ten short chapters that encourage learning through a variety of practical exercises, and concentrates on those aspects of the language that lead directly to increased understanding of the text. Rather than overwhelming the student with tables of grammar and vocabulary, the book directs students in the use of free websites, interlinear translations and other readily-available language tools as a means of making a little knowledge go a long way.
Contents
Introduction 1. Letters and Words 2. Finding Your Way Around a Sentence 3. Understanding How Greek Words Work 4. Introduction to Nouns and their Endings 5. More Noun Endings and More Pronouns 6. Words that Describe 7. Simple Verbs 8. Tenses 9. Voice: Active, Passive and Middle 10. Participles and the Articular Infinitive Epilogue Checklist of Grammatical Words used in this Course Appendix: Useful tables Lexicon of Greek words
About the authors Dr Peter Kevern is a theologian and educationalist, currently Director of Studies at the Queen's Foundation, Birmingham. He has worked alongside SIL translators in Papua New Guinea, on a version of the New Testament in Siane-Lambau. Dr Paula Gooder is a lecturer at the Queens Foundation, Birmingham and is a freelance biblical lecturer and writer. She has extensive experience teaching both Greek and Hebrew at Higher education level.
Categories: Theology
Published: 30 June 2004 By SCM Press
Price: £10.99
ISBN: 0 33402942 2
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Review of Bibical Literature latest
A couple of weeks' worth of Review of Biblical Literature. There is a lot that is of interest here:
Bieringer, Reimund, Frederique Vandecasteele-Vanneuville and Didier Pollefeyt, eds.
Anti-Judaism and the Fourth Gospel
Reviewed by Jan G. Van Der Watt
Donaldson, Amy M. and Timothy B. Sailors, eds.
New Testament Greek and Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Gerald F. Hawthorne
Reviewed by Kenneth Litwak
Grelot, Pierre
Une lecture de l'épitre aux Hébreux
Reviewed by Richard W. Johnson
Konradt, Matthias
Gericht und Gemeinde: Eine Studie zur Bedeutung und Funktion von Gerichtsaussagen im Rahmen der Paulinischen Ekklesiologie und Ethik im 1 Thess und 1 Kor
Reviewed by Tobias Nicklas
Marguerat, Daniel
Translated by Ken McKinney, Gregory J. Laughery and Richard Bauckham
The First Christian Historian: Writing the 'Acts of the Apostles'
Reviewed by Patrick Spencer
Park, Eung Chun
Either Jew or Gentile: Paul's Unfolding Theology of Inclusivity
Reviewed by Alan Segal
Porter, Stanley E. and Anthony R. Cross, eds.
Dimensions of Baptism: Biblical and Theological Studies
Reviewed by Fred L. Horton
Baird, J. Arthur
Holy Word: The Paradigm of New Testament Formation
Reviewed by Walter F. Taylor
Bennema, Cornelis
The Power of Saving Wisdom: An Investigation of Spirit and Wisdom in Relation to the Soteriology of the Fourth Gospel
Reviewed by Jan Van Der Watt
Choi, J. D.
Jesus' Teaching on Repentance
Reviewed by Dennis R. Lindsay
Donaldson, Amy M. and Timothy B. Sailors, eds.
New Testament Greek and Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Gerald F. Hawthorne
Reviewed by Daniel Gurtner
Robinson, James M., Paul Hoffman, and John S. Kloppenborg
The Critical Edition of Q: Synopsis including the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mark and Thomas with English, German, and French Translations of Q and Thomas
Reviewed by Daniel Gurtner
Schnackenburg, Rudolf
The Gospel of Matthew
Reviewed by James E. Miller
Stirewalt, M. Luther
Paul: The Letter Writer
Reviewed by Daniel E. Goodman
Witherington, Ben III
Revelation
Reviewed by Thomas Hieke
Bieringer, Reimund, Frederique Vandecasteele-Vanneuville and Didier Pollefeyt, eds.
Anti-Judaism and the Fourth Gospel
Reviewed by Jan G. Van Der Watt
Donaldson, Amy M. and Timothy B. Sailors, eds.
New Testament Greek and Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Gerald F. Hawthorne
Reviewed by Kenneth Litwak
Grelot, Pierre
Une lecture de l'épitre aux Hébreux
Reviewed by Richard W. Johnson
Konradt, Matthias
Gericht und Gemeinde: Eine Studie zur Bedeutung und Funktion von Gerichtsaussagen im Rahmen der Paulinischen Ekklesiologie und Ethik im 1 Thess und 1 Kor
Reviewed by Tobias Nicklas
Marguerat, Daniel
Translated by Ken McKinney, Gregory J. Laughery and Richard Bauckham
The First Christian Historian: Writing the 'Acts of the Apostles'
Reviewed by Patrick Spencer
Park, Eung Chun
Either Jew or Gentile: Paul's Unfolding Theology of Inclusivity
Reviewed by Alan Segal
Porter, Stanley E. and Anthony R. Cross, eds.
Dimensions of Baptism: Biblical and Theological Studies
Reviewed by Fred L. Horton
Baird, J. Arthur
Holy Word: The Paradigm of New Testament Formation
Reviewed by Walter F. Taylor
Bennema, Cornelis
The Power of Saving Wisdom: An Investigation of Spirit and Wisdom in Relation to the Soteriology of the Fourth Gospel
Reviewed by Jan Van Der Watt
Choi, J. D.
Jesus' Teaching on Repentance
Reviewed by Dennis R. Lindsay
Donaldson, Amy M. and Timothy B. Sailors, eds.
New Testament Greek and Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Gerald F. Hawthorne
Reviewed by Daniel Gurtner
Robinson, James M., Paul Hoffman, and John S. Kloppenborg
The Critical Edition of Q: Synopsis including the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mark and Thomas with English, German, and French Translations of Q and Thomas
Reviewed by Daniel Gurtner
Schnackenburg, Rudolf
The Gospel of Matthew
Reviewed by James E. Miller
Stirewalt, M. Luther
Paul: The Letter Writer
Reviewed by Daniel E. Goodman
Witherington, Ben III
Revelation
Reviewed by Thomas Hieke
Ancient Studies - New Technology
This call for papers appeared today on the Elenchus E-List from Ralph Mathisen:
UPDATED CALL FOR PAPERS:
ANCIENT STUDIES -- NEW TECHNOLOGY III
The third biennial conference on the topic of "Ancient Studies -- New Technology: The World Wide Web and Scholarly Research, Communication, and Publication in Ancient, Byzantine, and Medieval Studies" will be held December 3-5, 2004, at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Topics of particular interest include 1) the digital museum; 2) the digital classroom; 3) the digital scholar; and 4) theoretical issues such as "knowledge representation". 300-word electronic abstracts dealing with these issues and with other ways in which the WEB can help to promote classical, ancient, Byzantine, and medieval studies may be directed to Ralph Mathisen, Program Chair, at ralphwm@uiuc.edu and ruricius@msn.com (snail-mail: Department of History, 309 Gregory Hall, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801). Deadline for receipt of abstracts is August 31, 2004. Programs for previous conferences may be consulted at http://www.roman-emperors.org/program.htm (2000 Conference) and http://tabula.rutgers.edu/conferences/ancient_studies2002/conf_program.html (2002 Conference). The website for the upcoming conference is located at http://www.cisat.jmu.edu/asnt3.
UPDATED CALL FOR PAPERS:
ANCIENT STUDIES -- NEW TECHNOLOGY III
The third biennial conference on the topic of "Ancient Studies -- New Technology: The World Wide Web and Scholarly Research, Communication, and Publication in Ancient, Byzantine, and Medieval Studies" will be held December 3-5, 2004, at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Topics of particular interest include 1) the digital museum; 2) the digital classroom; 3) the digital scholar; and 4) theoretical issues such as "knowledge representation". 300-word electronic abstracts dealing with these issues and with other ways in which the WEB can help to promote classical, ancient, Byzantine, and medieval studies may be directed to Ralph Mathisen, Program Chair, at ralphwm@uiuc.edu and ruricius@msn.com (snail-mail: Department of History, 309 Gregory Hall, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801). Deadline for receipt of abstracts is August 31, 2004. Programs for previous conferences may be consulted at http://www.roman-emperors.org/program.htm (2000 Conference) and http://tabula.rutgers.edu/conferences/ancient_studies2002/conf_program.html (2002 Conference). The website for the upcoming conference is located at http://www.cisat.jmu.edu/asnt3.
Return of Felix Just, S. J.'s Webpages
Many thanks to Felix Just, S. J. and a score of others, for getting in touch about the new location for his web site. Apparently LMU closed Felix's web sites, electronic accounts and everything without even letting him know, and in spite of promises to the contrary. My sympathies! I will need to adjust my links on the main site, but for those of you who haven't seen the new URLs elsewhere, go to:
Homepage of Felix Just, S.J.
And you can navigate from there to his various resources, E.N.T.E.R., the Johannine Literature Web and so on.
Homepage of Felix Just, S.J.
And you can navigate from there to his various resources, E.N.T.E.R., the Johannine Literature Web and so on.
Review of NT Gateway
In comments, Mahlon Smith (great to hear from you!) posts this link:
3 Clix.Info: /New Testament / Gospels
It features an flattering Review of The New Testament Gateway and reviews and scores for a handful of other sites. The review of The New Testament Gateway has lots of nice things to say, but I am particularly grateful for its paragraph on the Weaknesses of the site:
I don't know much more about the 3Clix.Info project at the moment because I've not had any time to explore it, but it looks like it could be a useful development. It describes itself as "the web's only ratings library".
3 Clix.Info: /New Testament / Gospels
It features an flattering Review of The New Testament Gateway and reviews and scores for a handful of other sites. The review of The New Testament Gateway has lots of nice things to say, but I am particularly grateful for its paragraph on the Weaknesses of the site:
While there are no notable mechanical weaknesses to this website, the index page does presuppose a certain amount of literacy in modern biblical scholarship. So users who have not read an academic introduction to the field may be befuddled by some of the jargon. For instance the section on the Synoptic Problem does not explain that the linked resources concern scholarly debate regarding the relationship of the gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke. Similarly, there is no notice that the section of Textual Criticism provides access to scholarly debate on the relationship and reliability of ancient gospel manuscripts. From a pedagogical viewpoint, one curious feature in the arrangement of the index is that the section of "noncanonical" Texts is found near the beginning while the section on the New Testament "canon" is found near the end. Once one is has a basic familiarity with academic biblical study, however, the layout of the website makes perfectly good sense.On the whole, constructive criticism of the site is less forthcoming than is praise. That's a jolly nice situation in one way, of course, but it also means that the scope to improve the site is more limited than it might otherwise be. Frankly, I hadn't even thought about the issues mentioned here, and I think it is useful to have them flagged up. I do remember a correspondent some time ago telling me that I ought to explain to the newcomer what "textual criticism" is and that they might there find out informatiion about texts and manuscripts of the New Testament, but I've not taken any further action on that.
I don't know much more about the 3Clix.Info project at the moment because I've not had any time to explore it, but it looks like it could be a useful development. It describes itself as "the web's only ratings library".
Back from Smelling the Flowers
I am looking forward to catching up with some blogging again now that I am back from smelling the flowers or, more precisely, enjoying lots of French sun, swimming, wine, cheese and seafood. Many thanks for all the encouraging messages, as ever.
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