Amber Baker shared contrasting experiences of learning Hebrew. Brian Schultz posted about fluency and reading comprehension. Jim Davila did better on Daniel Streett’s quiz than most. Steve Caruso asked us to try the same quiz with Aramaic. Jim Davila shared information about a course on Zoharic Aramaic (with links to pdfs of the text). Read more
Via Sneer Review, this bit of subtle humor which I thought fit the case I am relating to even better than the original one. Read more
As a result of the confusing tendency of some to demand that the Biblical Studies Carnival be designated by the month in which it is posted rather than the month in which all of its content was written, Scott Bailey is offering a Douglas Adams style fourth episode in the September Biblical Studies Carnival trilogy. (At least, I hope it will be like Douglas Adams and not like other fourth installments in trilogies). Scott promises the theme will be that... Read more
Issues with students who have not made the necessary advances in reading, writing, mathematics, and other traditional academic areas prior to college have been in the news for years. But a consortium of American universities has recently taken steps to address another shortcoming that is persistently a problem on university campuses all around the country. A surprising number of male students have apparently not received adequate instruction during their formative years all the way through high school in the skills... Read more
On the serious side, the leaders of the Christian churches in the Holy Land have issued a communiqué (via Dănuţ Mănăstireanu): Looking ahead to the upcoming General Assembly of the United Nations this September 2011 and the bid for Palestinian statehood, the Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem feel the need to intensify our prayers and diplomatic efforts for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, to consider this as the most appropriate time for such an opportunity, and thus wish to... Read more
This is an actual photo of the sign outside my church… Read more
Darrell Pursiful shared excerpts from and a link to an article by Shai Held on the use of the Bible in Judaism. The same points could be made for any religious tradition with a sacred text of key importance. Here’s a sample: The world is not divided between those who read selectively and those who don’t. It is more accurate to say that the real division is between those who acknowledge that they read selectively, and those who do not... Read more
Daniel Streett has posted again on the teaching and learning of New Testament Greek on his blog, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. He shares the story of distributing a quiz on Greek words, most of which occur somewhere in the Greek Bible but not all of which are in the New Testament, at a conference. The quiz gave the English and asked for the person taking it to provide the Greek. The result was that no one got more than two of... Read more
Marc Cortez shared this brilliant PSA on driving at an appropriate speed, the ending of which sci-fi fans will appreciate more than anyone. Read more
Deirdre Good shared the following: Following the setting up of the Anglican Ordinariate, St Boniface Trust has been concerned that yet more divisions are being created within both the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The Trust feels that more attention needs to be paid to the understanding of Anglicanism as a distinctive witness in a time when its self understanding is at a low ebb. There is a degree of urgency and to further this understanding it is... Read more
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