Posted on Friday, December 22nd, 2006 at 3:22 pm
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I’m in St. Augustine (the city) which is always pronounced differently from the name of the person. The city claims to be the oldest city on the continent, founded in 1565. As to what actually constitutes a city, and what does not, I will leave that to someone else, but I will say that this is an old city.
I am here with my family, Cindy, my wife; Josiah, my son; and Charity, my daughter. Since my children are a little strange (I think that they get that from their mother), and since I am thinking of the ghosts in “ A Christmas Carol,” last night we enjoyed one of St. Augustine’s tourist attractions, a “Ghost Walk.â€? It was a walk around the old city in which a guide dressed in period costume told stories about strange things that had happened in and around the city.
I know that there are some who are reading this and saying “I cannot believe that a minister would go on something so obviously evil as a “ghost walk.� I thought that I would spend a few minutes writing on what is and what is not, as I see it anyway, condemned by the Scripture in the area of “ghosts, spirits, etc.�
First, an obvious question: do ghosts exist? St. Thomas Aquinas seems to think so. I read (and now for the life of me I cannot track it down so if anyone reading this knows the citation please send it along) St. Thomas’s theory that there are times when events are so strong that they may imprint themselves onto the “atmosphere.� This would account for those tales that we here of soldiers who walk along as if they see no one, soldiers still dressed in civil war uniforms walking the battlefield of Gettysburg or Bull Run.
A second type of spirit that St. Thomas seemed to think existed was an evil one, sent by “The Evil One� to cause havoc and trick the unwary. This would be the equivalent of an evil spirit sent by the god of this world to cause much trouble. I happen to believe that these evil gods exist and desire worship. I believe that the ancient gods of Greece such as Zeus or Athena may well have been real entities, passing themselves off as gods (false gods of course) and hungry for worship. More about that another time.
This leads us to the question of the day: “Should a Christian go on a Ghost Walk?� Let me say that I find St. Thomas’s first category very doubtful, that is I do not think that those kind of ghosts exist. I must say, however, that I do believe that the second category exists. I am faced then with the question of whether or not this particular activity has anything to do with the second category. That is, does this ghost walk have anything to do with evil spirits, the evil god of this world, communicating with the dead, or any other such activity that is directly condemned by Scripture.
Upon examination, I believe that it has nothing to do with any of those things. It could just as easily be called “story walk� or “history walk� and the title would be just as, and perhaps more accurate. It would not sell as well, but it would be more accurate. There is no sense in which the tour is sold with the expectation that anyone would receive word from a dead relative; an answer to a question that God has chosen not to answer; or any other such thing. The tour is no more evil than the stories that were told around the campfire when we were children.
Therein lies a problem, at least as I see it, for evangelicalism. Many are so busy screaming at the top of their lungs every perceived “evil� that pops up in society, be it a novel with a witch in it (like the Wizard of Oz) or a movie where a person sees his future (like “A Christmas Carol�) that when real evil comes along, they find that they have lost their voice.
Save your voice; think before you scream; some things are just harmless fun and some things are evil. It would do us all (and yes I include myself here) a world of good if we could learn to stop, think, and analyze before we started the next “stop the Screwtape Letters campaign.�
Next up will be a sermon called “Mary Christmas.� If you have not purchased this book on Mary, you should, it is on my top ten list for best books of the year. I will post that list next week sometime.
Walk On,
DrSamLam
Posted on Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
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Background to the New Testament
This post will point you in the right direction for finding good books about background sources for NT studies. Keep in mind that this field is exploding and that there is a lot of great stuff being written, so what I will point out is only a drop in the River Jordan (barely enough to baptize a Presbyterian) compared to the very large amount of material that is out there. My list is strange and I make no claims about it being anything more than “mine.”
Primary Sources
We will start with primary materials. The difference between primary and secondary materials is that with primary materials you are reading the source itself (for example the Gospel of Matthew) and with secondary material you are reading about the source (a book about the Gospel).
First, of course, the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament is critically important to the New Testament. Throw in the Apocrypha (books which the Roman Catholic church hold as canonical) and you will have a good start on understanding the background to the NT.
Second, Josephus is the king of history of Jewish background. Any serious student of Jewish history before 70 a.d. must read him.
Third, you should be familiar with the pseudopigrapha that are contained in Charlesworth’s two volume collection.
Fourth, for Greek background you should read Plato’s Republic. This is one of the great books of all time and all educated people should at least be familiar with it. While you are reading about Plato’s quest for “the just” think about Paul’s great work on justification, the book of Romans.
Fifth, also for Greek background, you should read Aristotle’s Poetics, which will help you with understanding the genre of NT books, and his Rhetoric, which will help you to understand the speeches in the NT and much about the argumentation method of Paul.
Secondary Sources
First, check out a book called The Face of New Testament Studies. This book is new (2005) and has articles pointing out new areas of scholarship and important new works in most big areas of the NT.
Second, pick up the entire dictionary series from IVP which starts with Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds, goes on to Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, and covers the rest of the NT in two other volumes.
Third, read Ferguson’s work on the Greek and Jewish background to the New Testament which is very helpful
Fourth, F. F. Bruce’s book, though now dated is still a fine introduction to the history of the NT times. It is inexpensive, easy to read, and still a wonderful book.
Fifth, when you can afford it, buy the new edition of Schurer. Do not be fooled into buying the old edition which was pre-Qumran and pre-many other manuscript discoveries. This set is expensive but well worth is for background information on the actions, books, and people which form a backdrop to the writing of the NT books. What you see in the ad is volume one of a four volume set. Try to buy the entire set used, but just make sure that you are getting all four volumes (I,II,IIIa,IIIb) and make sure that you are not getting a reprint of the old edition. I warn you because it is very easy to get a reprint without realizing it until you get it. Be careful. I paid about $225.00 for my set about ten years ago and have kept it in very good shape, though I have used it a lot. This should not be your first, second or third purchase, but it is something to look for.
On a different level, a little more technical, and not evangelical is a work that can be very helpful in setting the NT background into some of the work being done today.
There are lots of other books that I could recommend but I don’t want to overload you. Find one book, read it and then go from there. Learn what a tremendous difference it can make to understand the background to the debates that Jesus engages in, the sort of postures that people were crucified in, the ways that the Roman guards taunted the Jewish people while they were worshiping at temple, and this will inform all of your understanding of the NT. Happy reading.
DrSamLam
Next: Books on public speaking and preaching.
Posted on Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
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Background to the New Testament
This post will point you in the right direction for finding good books about background sources for NT studies. Keep in mind that this field is exploding and that there is a lot of great stuff being written, so what I will point out is only a drop in the River Jordan (barely enough to baptize a Presbyterian) compared to the very large amount of material that is out there.
Primary Sources
We will start with primary materials. The difference between primary and secondary materials is that with primary materials you are reading the source itself (for example the Gospel of Matthew) and with secondary material you are reading about the source (a book about the Gospel).
First, of course, the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament is critically important to the New Testament. Throw in the Apocrapha (books which the Roman Catholic church hold as canonical) and you will have a good start on understanding the background to the NT.
Second, Josephus is the king of history of Jewish background. Any serious student of Jewish history before 70 a.d. must read him.
Third, you should be familiar with the psedopigrapha that are contained in Charlesworth’s two volume collection.
Fourth, for Greek background you should read Plato’s Republic. This is one of the great books of all time and all educated people should at least be familiar with it.
Fifth, also for Greek background, you should read Aristotle’s Poetics, which will help you with understanding the genre of NT books, and his Rhetoric, which will help you to understand the speeches in the NT and much about the argumentation method of Paul.
Secondary Sources
First, check out a book called The Face of New Testament Studies. This book is new (2005) and has articles pointing out new areas of scholarship and important new works in most big areas of the NT.
Second, pick up the entire dictionary series from IVP which starts with Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds, goes on to Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, and covers the rest of the NT in two other volumes.
Third, read Ferguson’s work on the Greek and Jewish background to the New Testament which is very helpful
Fourth,
Fifth, when you can afford it, buy the new edition of Schurer. Do not be fooled into buying the old edition which was pre-Qumran and pre-many other manuscript discoveries. This set is expensive but well worth is for background information on the actions, books, and people which form a backdrop to the writing of the NT books.
There are lots of other books that I could recommend but I don’t want to overload you. Find one book, read it and then go from there. Learn what a tremendous difference it can make to understand the background to the debates that Jesus engages in, the sort of postures that people were crucified in, the ways that the Roman guards taunted the Jewish people while they were worshiping at temple, and this will inform all of your understanding of the NT. Happy reading.
DrSamLam
Next: Books on public speaking and preaching.
Posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
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On Reading-New or Used
One of the things that I loved about going on vacation as a child was that my father would take my sister and me to used bookstores. Even before I could read I knew that there were other worlds waiting for me inside these places if I could only learn to decipher those lines on the page that my sister called “letters.� Well I finally learned to read (I think it was in the second year of college, but I’m not sure on that) and I have been a used bookstore fanatic ever since. Ask my wife or kids what is the first thing I look for in a new city and they will tell you, “used bookstores.�
You might wonder why I would frequent used bookstores now that the internet has made them almost archaic. There are several reasons. One is that I just love wandering around in old book stores because it reminds me of my childhood. My father was a wonderful man who taught me many things; among them to love books. Wandering around in sometimes the same bookstores that we had visited is a wonderful trip, especially when Cindy, Charity, and Josiah are with me.
A second, more practical reason for looking in used bookstores is that sometimes you find something that you were not looking for, but should have been. How many times have you been wandering through a bookstore and found a book that you really needed to read, but that you didn’t even know about? The value of searching obscure used bookstores is that you can find books that often will not even show up on any search engine.
A third, and fun reason for haunting used bookstores is the owners. If you have ever read the book Slightly Chipped, you will know what I mean. It seems that every owner of a used bookstore has a slightly quirky view of life. I remember one store in Chicago, near Hyde park, that my friends and I used to frequent. One day a customer dared to question the discount price the owner gave the potential buyer. The young man said something like “I can get it cheaper from . . .� Well the owner blew up, threw the guy out of the store and told him never to come back. It was kind of a “no soup for you� moment. That’s the kind of thing that you just don’t see in a Borders.
In the seminary co-op bookstore at the University of Chicago, those who are claustrophobic need not shop. You go downstairs to this very narrow hallway crowded with people and you begin to realize that the shelves are set up sort of like a giant rat’s maze. At any point you could find yourself staring into a brick wall with shelves on either side of you, wondering how you managed to get to the ancient lesbian Greek gods section when you were looking for a water fountain. This store wins the prize for the most books displayed on shelves in the least space. After being in here for an hour or so, you begin to know what submariners felt like.
Another used bookstore question that comes up, now that I am an author (I say that like I mean it, with one small book, really a booklet, in the 200,000 range on Amazon; Stephen King I am not) is how much harm it does to the author to buy a book used. I will just say that I love used books. Even if they have been marked in, as long as the marks have been put in by someone intelligent. I consider the marks “footprints� of someone who owned the book before I did. I leave “footprints� in the books that I read, and hope that someday someone will read them and think that I was, at least half-way, intelligent. Sure the author loses a little money when someone buys a used book. But no-one who is writing real theological literature is making a living by writing. Note I said “real� theological literature. So it is highly unlikely that you are really hurting anyone by purchasing a used copy. You should however, never buy an “advance� copy. These are clearly marked on the front with something like “advanced uncorrected proofs, not for resale.� If you ever receive one from an internet store, send it back and demand your money back.
Used bookstores are slowly dying out, but I hope that the next time you are on vacation, or away on business you will take some time to look around for that building that has stuff piled up in its window, doesn’t have a sign with hours of operation, has a cat walking around inside, and has an owner that leans a little stage left. Go in, wander around, there is an adventure waiting for you in there. I promise.
Next: Top ten books on New Testament Backgrounds
Tolle Lege,
DrSamLam
Posted on Saturday, December 9th, 2006 at 8:12 am
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This list is idiosyncratic and I make no claims about it other than that these are books that have been helpful to me in my own study of Jesus. Some of them are a little hard to find, but worth the search. I will start with five and perhaps put up another five later on. Of course the finest books on Jesus are the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You must read those before reading anything else. With this list I believe that you have studied the four gospels and want to know a little more about the background, religion, characters, etc. that they contain. Now for the list:
Reading this book was a life changing experience for me. I still remember sitting in the basement of the library in my study carrel at TEDS in Chicago and reading page after page with feelings of both wonder and despair. The wonder was that anyone could know this much about such a wide field, the despair was that it showed me just how short my own abilities really fell. This is the second of a projected six volume set (three are now available and all are outstanding).
Full disclosure here, Dr. McKnight was my dissertation mentor and I still consider him a great friend today. He allowed me to read over the book before it came out (I felt as if I had finally made it, reading a book by a world class scholar before it was published!) and I thought that it was a great book then and still think so today.
This is the first of a three volume set and you will want to read all three volumes, though maybe not this week.
While a bit dated, still a work that I found very helpful.
I suppose that what I liked about this was that it was a novel written by a person who really knows second-temple Judaism. It is no page turner like the latest Grisham, but it is a well done novelistic story of Jesus.
Again, this is my list so I don’t have to defend it to anyone. You can make up your own list. Read lots of books about Jesus and decide which ones are best. There are many, many more good ones out there, and I must say many stinkers out there as well. You can usually tell the bad ones by the titles (watch out for titles like “Jesus on Professional Bowling” or any other such anachronistic nonsense). At least you have a starting place.
Over the next couple of days we will take up the questions of buying books new or used, finding out of print books, and maybe another top ten (or five) list for books about studying the synoptic gospels.
Until then, as Augustine heard, walk outside and listen for a voice saying
Tolle Lege
SamLam
Posted on Thursday, December 7th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
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How to read: I assume that you all know how to read; here I speak of reading in the larger sense of study and reading. Let’s think about how to keep track of what you read and what you have in your library.
I read and underline (sometimes in fountain pen depending on how important I think the book is, good books need good pens) books as I am reading. I generally try to draw a line without any aid from a ruler. My line is not always straight, but I am getting better. When underlining remember that the novice’s tendency is to underline too much. You want to underline, or outline in the margin, only the important points, surely no more than a few lines on a page. I have books from undergraduate school, back in the day when highlighters were all the rage, that have no less than three-quarters of the page highlighted. Obviously going back to look for the important points that I have underlined is an exercise in futility (especially when I realized that I had been highlighting with a black magic marker).
I also usually keep a few notes in the back of the book on a blank page; sometimes some of the high points of the book, sometimes some of the low points. I want to be able to go back to those pages quickly if I need them for an article, a sermon, or a lecture that I am working on. I have friends who keep a card or small sheet of paper in the book as they are reading for the same purpose. Whatever is helpful to you, just use something to be able to go back and find those passages that are most important to you.
As to keeping up with your books that will depend on how many you have. As a truly addicted bibliophile, with well over four-thousand volumes, a list on a 4x6 card will not cut it. There are a variety of different pieces of software that can be used as databases to keep track of your books, but I have a recommendation.
I use a word-processing program called Note-Bene. It is a wonderful program for writers, researchers, scholars, and graduate students. The program is great because it comes with a couple of other programs built in. The two other enable you to do things that will cause you to rise up and call Nota-Bene blessed (if you take the time to learn the program before you need a paper finished in six hours).
First, there is a built in database called Ibidem that allows you to keep track of all of your books, journal articles, notes, etc. With the available program BookWhere? (which is available from Nota-Bene) you can download all of the information about the book from a library and have the complete and accurate information in your database along with the call number. This part of Nota-Bene also will put footnotes in a paper or book for you in a variety of formats and absolutely correct according to the format that you have choosen.
Second, there is a built in search engine called Orbis that will allow you to find all of those notes, lectures, or papers that you know you have somewhere but can’t remember where you saved them. This engine also allows lightening fast complex searches that may help the researcher to put together ideas and topics that had not been thought of earlier. This search engine has saved me many times when I was in great need of a file and could not remember where I had saved it.
Check out http://www.notabene.com for a free 30 day trial download of the software.
Tell them that SamLam from Knox Seminary sent you.
Next we can talk about my top ten lists. I have a few (best books on Jesus; best introductions to the New Testament; best books on the inter-testamental period) that I will share with you over the next few days. Until then, pick up a book and read.
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