The Sentence
I start a new class on Monday…Hebrew Prophets. I am really looking forward to be challenged in this area of Scripture and broadening my understanding of God’s redemptive work in ancient Israel. Sometimes, however, in my humble, non-scholarly opinion, the “extra-curricular” reading gets a bit too ridiculous in its “Bible scholarliness”. Here is an example of a reading I was doing in a Bible Dictionary (as preparation for the class) under the heading “Deuteronomistic History”:
“In the mind of the present author, the current state of confusion in Deuteronomistic studies ultimately is the result of an overly optimistic opinion of how much redactional activity might be isolated within a finished piece, augmented by the atomistic tendencies that seem to be inherent to the critical methodologies of OT exegesis”.
Whew, that was exhausting just writing that! Now, I know that most of you might think this sentence would be easier to understand if you had read it in its context. But let me assure you that reading it in its context made no difference in my comprehension. In other words, I still have no idea what this sentence is really trying to say. I have decided, in situations like this, that there are certain ways in which I will not respond, such as: a). Believing I missed that particularly vocab lesson in grade school and therefore am a bit “behind”
b). Thinking that I should really look up all the words I don’t know and try to figure out the meaning so that I can feel smarter c). Scoff at this scholarly language by jeering, “Yeah, well I bet this guy has never climbed a mountain
Instead, I believe a happy compromise is to say, “Well, I don’t really think this particular sentence is going to help me study the Bible any better, so I will just leave it and move on”.
P.S. For those of you who now are worried that I may emerge from seminary a dry husk of a human being, let me assure you that sentences such as these are definitely the minority…. most of the reading is very interesting and informative.
P.P.S Thanks for letting me externally process.
“In the mind of the present author, the current state of confusion in Deuteronomistic studies ultimately is the result of an overly optimistic opinion of how much redactional activity might be isolated within a finished piece, augmented by the atomistic tendencies that seem to be inherent to the critical methodologies of OT exegesis”.
Whew, that was exhausting just writing that! Now, I know that most of you might think this sentence would be easier to understand if you had read it in its context. But let me assure you that reading it in its context made no difference in my comprehension. In other words, I still have no idea what this sentence is really trying to say. I have decided, in situations like this, that there are certain ways in which I will not respond, such as: a). Believing I missed that particularly vocab lesson in grade school and therefore am a bit “behind”
b). Thinking that I should really look up all the words I don’t know and try to figure out the meaning so that I can feel smarter c). Scoff at this scholarly language by jeering, “Yeah, well I bet this guy has never climbed a mountain
Instead, I believe a happy compromise is to say, “Well, I don’t really think this particular sentence is going to help me study the Bible any better, so I will just leave it and move on”.
P.S. For those of you who now are worried that I may emerge from seminary a dry husk of a human being, let me assure you that sentences such as these are definitely the minority…. most of the reading is very interesting and informative.
P.P.S Thanks for letting me externally process.
posted by Melody at
3:50 PM
4 Comments:
You sounded a lot smarter when Cindy and I had lunch with you the other day. Now I know why.
See you Tuesday.
By
Curious George, at 11:15 AM
By "climbing a mountain", do you mean actually reaching the summit or climbing around on the "side" of a mountain? (See your entry entitled "Mt Rainier"; July 19, 2007 as Exhibit A)
Maybe he got stuck in a tent during a whiteout and had plenty of time to compose that sentence?
If you need a Seminary grad to interpret, just let me know. I'll get Nate Hicks on the phone. . .
By
Filatore, at 5:46 PM
Are you not a seminary graduate as well? For some reason, I bet Sam Adams would have no trouble with that sentence. As to your first question...I believe that it is my poetic license to keep that purposely vague.
By
Melody, at 2:56 PM
Oh brother! I haven't started any of the reading for that class and now I know what I have to look forward to. My head is swimming!
By
First Pres. Youth Group, at 4:34 PM
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