Nashotah Reflections

Last night I returned home safely from a very intensive week at Nashotah House Seminary.  Condensing an entire course on Romans into 20+ hours proved to be utterly draining, yet invigorating at the same time.  Dr. Anderson led us through what is undoubtedly one of the most challenging books in the New Testament.  No wonder so many have fought so many battles on its epistolary turf.  St. Peter's early comments that many in his time had already misunderstood his colleague Paul proves even now to be prophetic.  Nevertheless, what a glorious treasure trove of theological gems hiding within the apostle's robust letter! We were assigned two commentaries, one by Joseph Fitzmyer, as esteemed Jesuit scholar, and one by Leander E. Keck.  Both are commendable scholars, yet Fitzmyer's higher critical bent could not ultimately be hid, especially in his less than transparent comments on Adam in Romans 4.  Apparently he doesn't believe him to be a real person, although he believes Paul did.  I think.  Keck was refreshing in his effort to present Paul as quite Christocentric, although his choice of "rectifying" for "justification" seemed a bit awkward.  All in all, though, they are good resources to be used with the usual caution.

I have a few papers yet to write, and my plan for the final one is a review and examination of Luther's and Melanchthon's exposition of Romans 13:1-7.  This passage has historically been a foundational scripture for the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, and I am curious as to how they handle it, especially in light of modern exegesis as a comparison.  I am especially interested in examining Melanchthon, as his commentary was recently republished by CPH, and highly commended.

When I complete this course I will have but two to go to finish the degree.  I will take one this summer, and one next January.  In between I hope to begin work on my thesis.  Well, that's the plan for now.

I didn't think I would necessarily think too far beyond this academically, but I am beginning to seriously muse about doctoral work now.  I am looking, however, at the possibility of pursuing this work in England rather than the states.  Again, that's just 'musing' for now.  I still have a lot to complete before I can seriously entertain those options.....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Roots of the Warham Guild Hood

Image
In doing just a little checking on the internet, it's interesting to see how the Warham Guild hood, which I have as part of my STM degree attire, is actually a throwback to the Medieval hood. One article notes "the work of the Warham Guild in its imaginative renderings of medieval hoods" (reference is from here ). Again, here is my hood: The Medieval hood, which was originally a very practical outer garment to cover a person's head and shoulders, protecting both from the elements, bears striking resemblance to this revived form: This hood was also a part of the garb of monks in that era. The Medieval hood, in some cases, also had what is known as a "liripipe," a long tail hanging from the back of a hood. You can see the modern stylized version of this on my own hood. From an article on "Academic hood development" we read that "By 1463 the favourite dress of doctors was the hood with round bell-shaped cape, and the lir
Read more

The Firefighter's Cross

Image
[Note: A similar article to this will be shared with my department at their next meeting. During this Lenten season when we are meditating on the significance and meaning of the Passion of our Lord and the Cross at Golgotha, it seemed like one way to offer a witness to the department that captured their interest and yet was not too heavy.] [Editorial Note: In response to a recent comment on this article I have made some changes to the original version of this article especially in regard to references to the so-called St. Florian's Cross. For any confusion the previous unreferenced information may have caused I apologize. I hope that the changes are satisfactory.] THE STORY OF THE MALTESE CROSS In many ways the familiar symbol to the right requires no explanation. It is the universal insignia of firefighting nationwide. Yet the precise origins of this symbol are less clear. The most popular explanation proposes its beginning in the far distant past of medieval Crusaders fi
Read more

KFUO-FM Sale: Editorial from Board of Directors

October 9, 2009 Letters to the Editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch 900 N. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101 RE: “Missouri Synod agrees to sell KFUO” - Oct. 7, 2009 Dear Editor, The ongoing news coverage of the sale of KFUO-FM has been disappointing in its lack of completeness. There is significantly more to the story than has been reported. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Board of Directors is elected by convention delegates and is responsible—on behalf of the 2.4 million members of the church—for conscientiously evaluating the assets of the church to determine how best to use those assets to further the proclamation, mission, and ministry associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Synod’s board has been open about its intentions regarding the disposition of its FM station. Since as early as February 2008, this item has been on the board meeting agenda. Board minutes are made public by posting on the LCMS Web site and summaries are reported in the board’s insert “Board
Read more