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{"id":6907,"date":"2014-06-03T10:16:12","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T14:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/euangelion\/?p=6907"},"modified":"2014-06-02T10:18:12","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T14:18:12","slug":"guest-post-jason-hood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/euangelion\/2014\/06\/guest-post-jason-hood\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: Jason Hood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a>It was an awkward an email to get: my primary supervisor was leaving the school where I had only recently registered as a young doctoral student in New Testament. There are several possible steps; muddle through with a departed supervisor; change schools; or stay at the school and try a new supervisor.<\/p>\n

The college authorities reported that they were acquiring a new Australian who \u201clooks quite promising.\u201d So with legendary Prof I Howard Marshall remaining on as my second supervisor, I decided to give the Australian a try, not least because this was Howard\u2019s recommendation.<\/p>\n

Little did I know how God would use this Aussie to bless me.<\/p>\n

I thought I\u2019d share a bit with Michael\u2019s audience what it was like to have Michael as a doctoral supervisor, by describing something of the general approach (as opposed to specific techniques or skills) I learned from him.<\/p>\n

I cannot claim that I learned these things well, or that I am an ideal student to have in one\u2019s academic lineage. PhD stands for \u201cdoctor of philosophy\u201d but frankly \u201cdentist of philosophy\u201d might be more accurate in my case. But in any event I was blessed to learn these things that were explicitly or implicitly taught by Michael.<\/p>\n

*DON\u2019T separate academic and personal commitment to Jesus. Michael is a terrific dad who teaches his kids the Scriptures and doesn\u2019t ignore the local church. He once tried to get several publishers to bite on some devotional material he produced. I also saw Michael keep short accounts and protect reputations by not sharing every dirty sordid detail of various events. Michael also shares with Howard a unique blend of openness to new ideas without thereby being easily moved off of older positions, particularly when Christian faithfulness might be at stake.<\/p>\n

* MASTER your content; being a GENERALIST, a category I learned about from Michael and something to which I still aspire, does not mean slagging off, nor does it mean ignoring one\u2019s responsibility to become a specialist (a requirement for entering the guild). Michael, like Howard Marshall, put stress on \u201cmaking the primary sources your mistress\u201d (IHM\u2019s phrase).<\/p>\n

One day while we were walking together up a Scottish hill to the Birdhouse from school, I asked Michael a question on a topic that was off the beaten scholarly path and he rattled off a fairly polished, organized, concise Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/em>-quality answer.<\/p>\n

* MARRY A GREAT WOMAN AND HAVE FOUR CHILDREN. This has worked out quite well for both of us. I also learned the beauty of generosity and hospitality as Mike and Naomi kindly hosted me on a number of trips to Scotland.<\/p>\n

* STAY CURIOUS. Michael writes a great deal on \u201ccurrent\u201d issues, because they strike his interest and there is always a need for a lively scholarly voice. His curiosity has led him to a new field and keeps sucking him back into conversations on topics or entire fields such as the historical Jesus or Pauline studies that one might otherwise suspect would be tired and worn. I\u2019ve learned from Michael that curious people always have a knack for finding (almost) everything interesting and worth pondering. As my mother-in-law used to say, if you\u2019re bored you\u2019re probably being boring\u2014and no one could ever convict Michael of being boring.<\/p>\n

* KNOW YOUR PERSONALITY, primarily so that you can be comfortable in your own skin with your own limits and tendencies. Not everyone will take a fancy to you, but you\u2019ll probably enjoy life and work more.<\/p>\n

* PUBLISH:\u00a0 Or to rephrase that: publish, lecture, publish, give papers, and then publish some more. Not because you\u2019ll perish if you don\u2019t, but because you learn more about yourself, the topics you tackle, and the field by indulging that curiosity . . . \u00a0More emphasis is placed on publishing in the British (and Australian) doctoral systems than in the American system, so (like Michael himself) I wound up with a number of publications on a variety of topics before finishing my doctorate. I was prepared pretty well for my doctoral viva<\/em> but having an article published in, say, JBL <\/em>gives one that much more confidence when facing the bar of judgment. In some vocations it seems to be true that one\u2019s background determines how far one can go, but usually academia and its satellite spheres like publishing are eventually a meritocracy. Even an Australian Rambo can make it.<\/a><\/p>\n

* ENGAGE:\u00a0 There\u2019s not a lot of time to be self-conscious. You are going to make mistakes and miss important points<\/em>. If necessary you can change your mind or apologize later\u2014and there is no shame in doing so, and anyway mistakes help to kill pride\u2014but you\u2019ll learn more if you go wrestle and push and prod and figure out what\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

* Finally, perhaps most importantly, I learned I AM NOT MICHAEL F. BIRD<\/em>. And I don\u2019t have to be, thank God. I don\u2019t have to die my hair red, master automatic weapons<\/a>, master the field of New Testament studies only to move on to systematic theology, or write a book (or four) annually because I am a genius who can write without revision. But I can follow Mike\u2019s example\u2014making main things the main thing, focusing on the gospel and on a gospel-shaped life, and practicing scholarship in the service of God and his church.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"