The Narrative Continues...

This article was sent to me yesterday by a friend.  Our little Ph.D. cautionary tale is global in scope:

http://chronicle.com/article/Report-Examines-the-Global/138439/

-anthony

Cat Humor and Jesus

I must thank Joshua Paul Smith for this one:

I've never really understood cat humor, which has pretty much alienated me from my siblings over the years, but this is really something.

-anthony

A Kinder, Gentler World Domination

Are you sick and tired of the Roman Empire getting a bad rap?

See here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-22079835

-anthony

Sandra Hübenthal on Social and Cultural Memory—Chris Keith

In an earlier post, I pointed out that some critics of memory theory appear surprisingly uninformed of the complexities of the theory itself and seem to be dependent simply upon second-hand applications of the theory in Biblical Studies, and only a fraction of second-hand applications at that.  One of the scholars I mention in that post who has been overlooked is Sandra Hübenthal of Tübingen.  I have just finished reading her essay “Social and Cultural Memory in Biblical Exegesis: The Quest for an Adequate Application” (in Niels Peter, ed., Cultural Memory in Biblical Exegesis, Gorgias Press, 2012) and recommend it enthusiastically to anyone interested in memory theory in Biblical Studies.  She shows precisely why generalized references to “memory” are inadequate—social memory, collective memory, and cultural memory all refer to different things.  Furthermore, and this is a particularly significant insight, in German discourse soziales, kommunikatives, and kulturelles Gedächtnis tend to mean something different than their English counterparts mean.  And, even further, Hübenthal notes something that several of us working with Jan Assmann have also noted, which is that his and his wife’s understandings of kommunikatives and kulturelles Gedächtnis have undergone changes just in the last several years.

Quite simply, Hübenthal’s essay is a must-read for anyone who wants to work accurately with the theory.  Her comments toward the end on the differences between approaching the New Testament texts as kommunikatives Gedächtnis and kollectives Gedächtnis indicate just why this approach contains so much promise for New Testament and early Christian studies.  We eagerly anticipate the publication of Dr. Hübenthal’s Habilitationschrift!

Quarterly Quote of the Month about Jesus for this Week

“If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.”

                                    ―Woody Allen

Of Memory and Mother's Milk - Le Donne

Every now and again I like to remind my readers that I grew up in the hippie capital of the world (that's right Ibiza, Spain; you just got told!). In my bra-optional part of the planet, we're quite fond of the topic of breastfeeding.  Next to conversations about medicinal garlic oil, we talk about mother's milk more often than anything else.  How often should we protest applesauce?  How often should preachers breastfeed from the pulpit?  Should grade-schoolers nurse at recess or lunch time?  All these topics and more are hotly debated in most unisex bathrooms in Sebastopol, California.

So it was only a matter of time before I used this here blog as a platform for the topic.  (Chris opened this door when he posted about the defensive prowess of the Louisville Basketball team).

While the nursing Madonna became prominent in fourteenth-century Italy (cf. Marilyn Yalom, History of the Breast, p. 5), recent portraits of the Holy Mother and Child have shied away from this image.  But with the groundswell of interest in historiography and memory, the question "was Jesus breastfed?" becomes illustrative.

Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus - Le Donne

I have recently accepted an invitation to join the editorial board of the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus. I would like to thank Bob Webb for the invitation. The next issue will include an essay that introduces my work in social memory theory and critiques recent missteps within the guild.

-anthony

Foucault on Truth and Subjectivity - Le Donne

Every now and then you have to bow your head and thank Jesus for Al Gore who made resources like this possible. A little bit of vintage 1983 for your listening pleasure.

-anthony

How Masculine was Jesus? - Le Donne

In her reading of Genesis in this book, Susan E. Haddox suggests four criteria for masculinity (pp. 6-7). While there are different ways to exhibit masculinity, a typical, "biblical" male:

1) avoids being feminized (especially avoids of excessive attachment to women);
2) displays virility and strength (including warfare);
3) acts with honor (including provision for family, especially the women);
4) speaks with persuasiveness, wisdom, honesty.*

Of course, these categories distill the ten or so criteria offered by David Clines years ago.  What intrigues me is the dissonance in our constructions of the historical Jesus versus the Gospel portraits of him along these lines.  Would it be safe to say that the New Testament portraits of Christ heighten his masculinity?  Concerning number two, I am reminded of the portrait of Jesus in John's apocalypse.

*The important distinction here is between “hegemonic” and “subordinate” masculinities.  These four criteria are generally associated with varieties of hegemonic masculinity.  Interestingly, the Lord seems to favor men with subordinate masculinities in Genesis to a surprising extent. 

Gospel of Judas as Early as 280 CE

April DeConick posted this a few days ago:

http://forbiddengospels.blogspot.com/2013/04/gospel-of-judas-dated-to-280-ce.html

Here is the original link:

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/04/08/truth-behind-gospel-judas-revealed-in-ancient-inks/

-anthony

Does Assmann's Mnemohistory Program Have Antisemitic Undertones? - Le Donne

If you've been following this blog for any time at all, you know that we talk about "memory" here and there. Much of this interest stems from Jens Schroeter's use of Maurice Halbwachs via Jan Assmann. Assmann's Moses the Egyptian was intriguing enough to give Halbwachs second and third lives in religious studies.

In this article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Richard Wolin suggests that Assmann might be contributing to antisemitic sentiments.

-anthony

On the Dangers of Googling Oneself—Chris Keith

I admit it. Every once in a while, I google myself. And sometimes what I find either amuses or frightens me, especially when I wonder whether others have confused me with some of these Chris Keiths.

For the sake of clarity, then, this Chris Keith who has written a bit of Christian fiction is not me, despite the fact that Amazon occasionally puts our books together under the common author “Chris Keith,” an understandable mistake for a computer to make.  Likewise, this Chris Keith who is a Christian music artist in Nashville also is not me, although at one time I too wore earrings.  This Chris Keith who is a lawyer in Panama City is not me, although I did spend some time in Panama City once where I attended a Too Live Crew concert at Club La Vela while wearing an Elvis t-shirt.  This Chris Keith who survived a terrible ordeal is not me, although people once contacted my former employer thinking that he was me.  This Chris Keith who is a professional bodybuilder is not me as well, although I can completely understand how easy it would

be for someone to make this mistake given our similarities! I know James Crossley at Sheffield University has this problem of mistaken identity as well.

I do sometimes laugh thinking that every once in a while one of these Chris Keiths gets a nasty email from someone who is disagreeing with something that he wrote about the New Testament and early Christianity!

Quarterly Quote of the Month about Jesus for this Week

“When Jesus tells us about his Father, we distrust him. When he shows us his Home, we turn away, but when he confides to us that he is 'acquainted with Grief', we listen, for that also is an Acquaintance of our own.” 

                     ~Emily Dickinson