So far, so good! I started getting a few papers and quizzes back this week, and I'm doing well.
Church History has it's first paper due this Tuesday, and I'm writing on the Montantist influences on early Christian martyrs, particularly those mentioned in The Martyrs from Lyons and The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. Amazing stuff. You can find links to the text of Perpetua's martyrdom here: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/perpetua.html. Basically, Perpetua's story is interesting because it's mostly a first-person account of her time spent in the prison while awaiting martyrdom in the arena, and then a narration of what happened. Very cool stuff. I quite enjoyed reading about it; I could definitely write more than a 4 page paper on it.
And Hebrew is good too! There are so many rules to the ancient, dead language, but I think our professor has the right idea: she's insistent that we learn the hard stuff first (instead of later) because HEBREW IS ALL HARD STUFF, and if we want to be able to read it (thank goodness! Not write it or speak it, just read and translate it) then we need to know the hard stuff up front and spend the semester practicing it. Tonight's homework was to translate Genesis 1:1-6 from the original(ish) Hebrew, and here's what I got (and no, I didn't look up the answer!) The italics are words I had to add, as Hebrew doesn't always have the words "is, are, was" in the sentence; they're often implied by the context. And there isn't much natural punctuation either...in fact I added some periods because I just couldn't stand it.
"God created with the heavens and with the earth and the earth was formless and emptiness and darkness was upon the face murmuring and the wind of God swooping upon the face of the seas.
Then God said let there become light and there was become light and God saw with the light that it was good and God made a separation between the light and the darkness and God called the light day and for the darkness he called night and let there be exchange and let there be morning day one.
And God saw let there be solid expanse in the midst of the seas and let there be a separation between the seas to seas." ~Neato! That only took two hours...
As for my Old Testament course, I'm enjoying that too, but it's hard to explain all that we're learning without making terribly general statements like "the Bible was written by a lot of anonymous people--but some known folks, but probably not Moses, maybe his scribe or someone who knew him--over a great deal of time as oral traditions from around the region were eventually written down by scribes (many of which may-or-may-not have had agendas in mind) but that's ok because it's still the inspired word of God that speaks to us in our present condition, today. But that inerrancy thing will have to be answered by your own tradition." See, that sounds so awkward, and I still didn't get it right.
Needless to say, it's very edifying, and I'm learning a lot. Many of my questions are being answered, most in challenging ways that I can't even articulate well at this point. BUT if you, like me, really hadn't read the Old Testament yet (honestly, no, I had not. I HAVE not, as I'm still not yet done with it) because you too got bogged down in the drudgery of Numbers or Leviticus or some other early book--then read this: The Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament by Marti J. Steussy. It's an EXCELLENT read, very easy and thorough without being too scholarly, and gives all kinds of good context and background for the scriptures you're reading. I realized why I never "got" the Old Testament before: I didn't know where it was coming from! But be warned: this book may challenge your traditions, which is fine, because we all need to know where the text stops and our traditions begin.
And finally, for Intro to Church Ministry, all I'm going to say at the present is this: There is an intensive, 2 credit course offered in the winter term: a ten day trip to South Africa to learn about post-apartheid theology. AND MY STUDENT LOAN CHECK JUST ARRIVED. We shall see.
Ah, but now it is truly late, and I must to bed, or I won't be able to awaken for church in the morning!
Much love and please say a little prayer for me!
Marie
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Whoa. Lots of Reading. Did I mention the READING??
So I'm already behind in the posting-often deadline I set for myself, so I'm going to reset and say that I'm going to try and do it every Friday, after the week of classes. And thus I can now say this about all four of my classes...
Dear Lord. There is so much to read.
And I read fast, and well, and I enjoy it, but OH MY GOODNESS. It's actually a very good thing that I am taking the train to and from class, because even though it takes about two hours each way (including walking), that's really the only time I study, unless Katie is taking a very good nap. And I've needed every moment of those 5 hours a day to get it done. It's about a thousand pages of reading a week. Roughly.
And actually, I've already had a moment in which I've thought "this is impossible". And that was, in fact, confirmed by both senior students and my adviser, who sadistically signed me up for BOTH of her crazy classes. Don't get me wrong, AWESOME classes, Hebrew is an amazing language and I don't know why we don't literally teach it in Sunday School, it is THAT necessary to a fundamental understanding of the Old Testament and the culture/times in which the scriptures were written...but I digress.
Beth said that she had intentionally assigned more reading than was possible, because as a pastor, this same thing will happen to you all the time so-you'd-best-get-used-to-it-now. And she wasn't kidding.
But so far I've managed. Granted, it's only a week into classes...but hey! I'll take my successes as they come!
I really like my Ministry Studies class with Prof. Dennis (I totally have a theological crush. He thinks your church is dead unless it's actively engaged in the pressing issues of the community. <3 ! ) Even though it ostensibly has the lightest reading load, it also has a large 15 page research paper due at the end, and you'd-best-start-writing-that-now-so-he-can-tell-you-how-you're-wrong-in-the-drafts-first. But it's also quite personally challenging. The focus of the class at the moment is on the idea that you can't possibly be a good pastor unless you've dealt with all your emotional and personal baggage first, and here is a convenient list of the baggage you probably have. Now start unpacking.
I've realized that I likely have a few myths working in my life, most notably the myth of the Superwoman (who'd have guessed??) and even the Myth of the Loner (the idea here is that you secretly think you can do it alone, or that you don't really need help from others. I've been aware of this one for awhile, but I hadn't realized that it really was important that I deal with it now.) Anyway, it's very challenging and Prof. Dennis has done an amazing job getting me to rethink (again) about the moral ground I stand on when I benefit from the institutionalized White Privilege in this country. Oh, so much to do...so much to think...
Anyway, if this has a time stamp on it, you can tell I need to go to bed--I just had to update though before the next week started. Think good thoughts for me; this week 3 out of 4 classes start their weekly quizzes!
Love and say a prayer for me,
Marie
Dear Lord. There is so much to read.
And I read fast, and well, and I enjoy it, but OH MY GOODNESS. It's actually a very good thing that I am taking the train to and from class, because even though it takes about two hours each way (including walking), that's really the only time I study, unless Katie is taking a very good nap. And I've needed every moment of those 5 hours a day to get it done. It's about a thousand pages of reading a week. Roughly.
And actually, I've already had a moment in which I've thought "this is impossible". And that was, in fact, confirmed by both senior students and my adviser, who sadistically signed me up for BOTH of her crazy classes. Don't get me wrong, AWESOME classes, Hebrew is an amazing language and I don't know why we don't literally teach it in Sunday School, it is THAT necessary to a fundamental understanding of the Old Testament and the culture/times in which the scriptures were written...but I digress.
Beth said that she had intentionally assigned more reading than was possible, because as a pastor, this same thing will happen to you all the time so-you'd-best-get-used-to-it-now. And she wasn't kidding.
But so far I've managed. Granted, it's only a week into classes...but hey! I'll take my successes as they come!
I really like my Ministry Studies class with Prof. Dennis (I totally have a theological crush. He thinks your church is dead unless it's actively engaged in the pressing issues of the community. <3 ! ) Even though it ostensibly has the lightest reading load, it also has a large 15 page research paper due at the end, and you'd-best-start-writing-that-now-so-he-can-tell-you-how-you're-wrong-in-the-drafts-first. But it's also quite personally challenging. The focus of the class at the moment is on the idea that you can't possibly be a good pastor unless you've dealt with all your emotional and personal baggage first, and here is a convenient list of the baggage you probably have. Now start unpacking.
I've realized that I likely have a few myths working in my life, most notably the myth of the Superwoman (who'd have guessed??) and even the Myth of the Loner (the idea here is that you secretly think you can do it alone, or that you don't really need help from others. I've been aware of this one for awhile, but I hadn't realized that it really was important that I deal with it now.) Anyway, it's very challenging and Prof. Dennis has done an amazing job getting me to rethink (again) about the moral ground I stand on when I benefit from the institutionalized White Privilege in this country. Oh, so much to do...so much to think...
Anyway, if this has a time stamp on it, you can tell I need to go to bed--I just had to update though before the next week started. Think good thoughts for me; this week 3 out of 4 classes start their weekly quizzes!
Love and say a prayer for me,
Marie
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
First Day of Class!
Actually, the first thing I should mention is how difficult it was to come up with a title for this blog. After many failed attempts (including "Commuting for Jesus" and "Seminary Rock!") I decided to simply pay homage to Matthew Gilliland's goodbye note on my giant posterboard; "Rock that Seminary" seemed a good command and title. Those with complaints may direct them to Matthew.
As for the occasion of this post, it's pretty self-descriptive: today was my first day of class! And for class I had what appears to be (at least judging by the reading list, class size, and the number of seniors who had put it off for as long as possible) one of the more difficult and rewarding courses offered. I have high hopes and expectations for "Intro to Old Testament", as taught by my advisor and Hebrew professor the Rev. Dr. Beth Tanner. (Side note: I would love to be a Rev. Dr. I have often joked with my husband that I'd like a nameplate that reads "The Rev. Dr. Mrs. Kathryn Marie Mainard O'Connell, Notary Public", but I digress.)
I'm not sure whether I should expound on the class itself, or just the experience as a whole. The evening started with worship at 6:20, which was a suprise for me as I thought that worship was still in the middle of class, around 8pm. But it lasted for almost an hour, and involved a great reading and sermon by the President of the Seminary on the topic of holy ground--and the singing was FANTASTIC. I felt like I could really cut loose and sing loud and proud--and was surprised to hear a distinctly southern gospel voice coming out of me, complete with accent and sliding between notes. It was lovely and freeing and after communion (on a Wednesday-weee!) I felt totally pumped up and ready for class.
And the excitement was very good, as I think this is going to be a very interesting class. I really like Prof. Beth, as she seems to seek to make the class as challenging as possible for each of us on a personal level. Her whole focus isn't just on the historical events within the Old Testament (or First Testament, which I rather like!) but the theology, storytelling and relationship that the authors are trying to share. I almost feel like my lack of religious training is almost a boon here, as I may be approaching the Testament with a little less baggage than usual--of course, I'm also not nearly as familiar with the text as my classmates, many of whom can quote whole passages without blinking. I tend to blink a lot as I fumble with the very thin pages of my brand-new NRSV Study Bible With Apocrypha (you won't use the Apocrypha in class, but is highly recommended that you read it, as Prof. Beth did the translation!).
There are no less than 5 required books for the class, 3 recommended books for the class, and one journal that you are encouraged to start (I plan to). It appears that there is between 150-250 pages of reading per week, which as I was told, "Shouldn't be a problem unless you're also taking Church History, in which case you'll be reading a lot. Or Hebrew." This is often said (at least three times to me tonight alone) with a crafty smirk on the face of the knowing speaker, and a look of appropriate horror on the face of the recipient (me).
I am taking all three of the above mentioned classes. Insert big, buggy eyes of horror here, as a visual of the amount of reading I will be doing. Did I mention the 4 page paper due next week? Actually, that's cake and I'm not worried about it, but I definitely feel that I have lots of work ahead of me and no lack of reading material.
In fact, I also discovered that not all of the 19 other full time students are taking 16 hours of classes (that's four 4 credit courses), some of them only have 12 credit hours! What?! And to top it off, Prof. Beth told our class "in fact, those of you who are my advisees may have noted that I didn't sign you up for both Old Testament and Church History if you have a full time job." HEY! I DO have a full time job--I'm a stay-at-home mom! Whatev. I'm going to rock this seminary. I can't wait to start my readings. In fact...I think I'll go read my first assignment now!
Thanks for reading, and say a little prayer for me!
Much love always,
Marie
As for the occasion of this post, it's pretty self-descriptive: today was my first day of class! And for class I had what appears to be (at least judging by the reading list, class size, and the number of seniors who had put it off for as long as possible) one of the more difficult and rewarding courses offered. I have high hopes and expectations for "Intro to Old Testament", as taught by my advisor and Hebrew professor the Rev. Dr. Beth Tanner. (Side note: I would love to be a Rev. Dr. I have often joked with my husband that I'd like a nameplate that reads "The Rev. Dr. Mrs. Kathryn Marie Mainard O'Connell, Notary Public", but I digress.)
I'm not sure whether I should expound on the class itself, or just the experience as a whole. The evening started with worship at 6:20, which was a suprise for me as I thought that worship was still in the middle of class, around 8pm. But it lasted for almost an hour, and involved a great reading and sermon by the President of the Seminary on the topic of holy ground--and the singing was FANTASTIC. I felt like I could really cut loose and sing loud and proud--and was surprised to hear a distinctly southern gospel voice coming out of me, complete with accent and sliding between notes. It was lovely and freeing and after communion (on a Wednesday-weee!) I felt totally pumped up and ready for class.
And the excitement was very good, as I think this is going to be a very interesting class. I really like Prof. Beth, as she seems to seek to make the class as challenging as possible for each of us on a personal level. Her whole focus isn't just on the historical events within the Old Testament (or First Testament, which I rather like!) but the theology, storytelling and relationship that the authors are trying to share. I almost feel like my lack of religious training is almost a boon here, as I may be approaching the Testament with a little less baggage than usual--of course, I'm also not nearly as familiar with the text as my classmates, many of whom can quote whole passages without blinking. I tend to blink a lot as I fumble with the very thin pages of my brand-new NRSV Study Bible With Apocrypha (you won't use the Apocrypha in class, but is highly recommended that you read it, as Prof. Beth did the translation!).
There are no less than 5 required books for the class, 3 recommended books for the class, and one journal that you are encouraged to start (I plan to). It appears that there is between 150-250 pages of reading per week, which as I was told, "Shouldn't be a problem unless you're also taking Church History, in which case you'll be reading a lot. Or Hebrew." This is often said (at least three times to me tonight alone) with a crafty smirk on the face of the knowing speaker, and a look of appropriate horror on the face of the recipient (me).
I am taking all three of the above mentioned classes. Insert big, buggy eyes of horror here, as a visual of the amount of reading I will be doing. Did I mention the 4 page paper due next week? Actually, that's cake and I'm not worried about it, but I definitely feel that I have lots of work ahead of me and no lack of reading material.
In fact, I also discovered that not all of the 19 other full time students are taking 16 hours of classes (that's four 4 credit courses), some of them only have 12 credit hours! What?! And to top it off, Prof. Beth told our class "in fact, those of you who are my advisees may have noted that I didn't sign you up for both Old Testament and Church History if you have a full time job." HEY! I DO have a full time job--I'm a stay-at-home mom! Whatev. I'm going to rock this seminary. I can't wait to start my readings. In fact...I think I'll go read my first assignment now!
Thanks for reading, and say a little prayer for me!
Much love always,
Marie
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