Conference Papers (ARAM Conference on the Mandaeans, Morning Session, 8 July 2013)

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 8:38 am By James F. McGrath

The ARAM conference on the Mandaeans started this morning, and my paper was in the first session. It was well received and generated interesting discussion and questions. I will share the paper at some point, but the main point is easily summarized. Mandaean literature mentions the name of Jerusalem far more frequently than other literature – the Babylonian Talmud, for instance, or the Nag Hammadi texts. This focus seems to me less plausibly explained in terms of the Mandaeans having... Read more

Reflections on Teaching Online

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 7:59 am By James F. McGrath

As most readers are aware, this summer I taught my course on the Bible online for the first time. Now that it is complete, I want to offer some reflections on the experience, beginning from what I brought to the course, the preparations, and the actual delivery and implementation. Prior experience: I had some prior experience with “online teaching,” but it really was much more along the model of distance learning. It essentially involved students studying on their own according... Read more

Let There Be

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 7:40 am By James F. McGrath

As part of the ongoing attempt to contribute more amusing musical offerings related to religion, and because we seem to have a “Music Mondays” custom going, I’ve re-recorded the parody version of “Let It Be,” with lyrics inspired by Genesis 1, that I shared once before. I think it turned out much better this time. See what you think! Read more

Wadham College, Oxford

Last updated on: July 8, 2013 at 2:38 am By James F. McGrath

Today the ARAM conference on the Mandaeans will be starting at the Oriental Institute here in Oxford, England. Oxford is such a great city, and I am staying at bed & breakfast accommodations at Wadham College. The rooms are very nice ones in a modern building, but that building is situated within a very historic outer wall and college complex, making this the most historic premises I recall staying on. I was delighted to have a chance to meet up... Read more

On Religious Language and Transcendence

Last updated on: July 7, 2013 at 8:49 am By James F. McGrath

Here’s another Facebook comment, this one expressing something of my view of religious language: I don’t think any human language is adequate. But I think that language which points towards and is drawn from the deepest, most meaningful, and most self-transcending aspects of our own experience is more adequate than language which reflects human experience at its most shallow, most narrow, most clearly constrained by our worst imperfections and biases. Read more

Don’t Stop Believing

Last updated on: July 7, 2013 at 3:37 am By James F. McGrath

I made it to England safely. I was unable to sleep much on the flight, and so I watched a documentary movie about Arnel Pineda, Journey's current lead singer. He is from Manila, and in his life experienced serious hardship. Neal Schon was looking for someone to take over as lead singer, and found videos of Pineda singing Journey songs, and was blown away. The rest, as they say, is history, but one that I had somehow managed to miss,... Read more

Logan Airport

Last updated on: July 6, 2013 at 4:27 pm By James F. McGrath

I love it when airports genuinely seem to understand that people find themselves there for long periods of time, and that something like free wi-fi can turn the wait from a hassle into time that is actually productive. For instance, one can post an update like this on their blog. Of course, Indianapolis International Airport has free wi-fi too. So what else makes Logan Airport in Boston special? The beautiful view from one's plane, and for the lover of seafood,... Read more

Lee Harmon on the Two Witnesses

Last updated on: July 6, 2013 at 1:49 pm By James F. McGrath

James Bradford Pate has been blogging about a book by Lee Harmon on the Book of Revelation. One of the most interesting things I noticed is Harmon’s suggestion that the two witnesses in Revelation 11 could be the priests Jesus and Ananus, both of whom are killed, in close connection to which (according to Josephus) an earthquake occurs. It is always interesting to try to find historical references that an ancient apocalyptic author had in mind. And it is certainly... Read more

The Sequel to the Good Samaritan

Last updated on: July 6, 2013 at 12:21 pm By James F. McGrath

Rev. Brian Konkol recently wrote a guest post at Faith Forward about the parable of the Good Samaritan. Here is an excerpt: While the Parable of the Good Samaritan is brilliantly effective for what Jesus seemingly sought to promote, one can argue that out-of-context misinterpretations have since initiated numerous incomplete social movements, which in turn has led to the survival of unjust social structures. In other words, the narrative seems to promote short-term aid without addressing long-term justice, and the... Read more

En Route to Oxford

Last updated on: July 6, 2013 at 11:49 am By James F. McGrath

I’m leaving today for Oxford in England, to attend the ARAM conference on the Mandaeans at the Oriental Institute. I hope to be able to blog, and blog about the conference. But I have scheduled some posts to appear over the next few days, just to be safe. Depending on internet access, I may or may not be able to respond to comments with the frequency that I normally try to. Read more

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