NOT IN
OUR CONTROL
Quote for Today October 22, 2011
"In nature there are few sharp lines."
A.R. Ammons [1926-2001] in Corson's Inlet [1972], line 31
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
WONDER:
HAVING A SENSE
OF PARTICULARS
Quote for Today - October 19, 2011
"When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not see them all."
Edward O Wilson, Professor of Science, Harvard University, Time Magazine, Oct. 13, 1984
Picture on top: pigeon in Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy, October 8, 2011
AND READING AGAIN
INTRODUCTION
The title of my reflection for this feast of St. Luke, October 18, is, “Reading - Re-Reading - and Reading Again.”
SACRED SCRIPTURES
Isn’t that what we do and have been doing with our Sacred Scriptures in the Liturgy and in private Bible reading down through the years - and we keep on seeing the new in the old?
In today’s first reading - from the 2nd Letter of Paul to Timothy, there is a sentence that stands out. It sort of jumps off the page. Did it jump out for you? “When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.”
Or did the comment by Paul that the Lord is going to give Alexander the Coppersmith a pay-back for the harm he did to Paul?
I would think that today’s first reading is not trying to tell us about the cloak, the papyrus rolls and the parchments. I would assume it was chosen because Luke is mentioned in this 2nd Letter of Paul to Timothy - and today is the feast of St. Luke.
However, for me, that little detail about a cloak and papyrus rolls and parchments was rather intriguing. How many times have we gone somewhere and left something behind - a favorite sweater, a book, an umbrella, our reading glasses or what have you?
Of course this was written in Greek and the Greek word, PHAILONEN, tells us that it was a cloak or heavy winter garment with a hole in it for one's head - something like a poncho.
However, what intrigued me most was the mention of papyrus rolls and parchments.
Last night I did a little research on writing materials for that time and came up with the following. Scholars think the text is referring here to the two types of materials that people back then used to write on. They did write on stones, but record keepers and letter carriers might not be too happy with rocks.
The papyrus rolls would be the writing material - often from Egypt. It was made from plants. Stalks were cut and then their white pith insides were taken out and sliced and laid side by side. Then another layer was laid on top of the bottom pieces, but in the other direction. Then that was pressed and processed and we had papyrus - the great writing on product from Egypt.
Meanwhile in other parts of the world, parchment was used. This was skins: the leather of sheep and goats etc.
Paper - didn’t hit the west from China till the 11th century. So when you hear complaints about “Made in China” - think about it.
As you know we don’t have any original copies of the New Testament. An original would be what is called an autograph copy. We have copies of copies of copies or copies - and as you know changes can happen when copying something.
The good news is that there has been a lot of research on the New Testament. Scholars looked at all the extent copies of copies that we have - plus many of the New Testament references in other writings that we have. Comparing all that, scholars have agreed that we now have to the best of our knowledge, what is very close to the original Greek New Testament. This project started in earnest in the mid 1800’s was completed in the second half of the last century. Having that best Greek Text in hand, translators then try to work out the best translation in the different languages.
As a footnote to that, I have read that the process for doing all this for the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish Bible, will be complete in the next 100 years. That means that a large majority of research scholars will have agreed that we have in hand the Hebrew Scriptures as they were finally written down - at some date. Up till the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest Hebrew Scriptures were from well into the Christian era.
TWO STORIES - ONE CONCLUSION
Let me now give 2 stories and 1 conclusion. Some of you have to get to work - or get to stores or what have you.
First story: Anna Freud - the daughter of Sigmund - once told Robert Coles - a wonderful child psychiatrist at Harvard - to re-read his notes - his extensive notes - from his vast amount of work with poor children here in the United States and in various other countries. She told him that he would find lots of stuff he missed the first time he wrote those notes. If you have letters, love letters, diaries, stuff you wrote when you were younger - find those writings - some of which are your sacred scriptures. Re-read them and then re-read them again. You’ll find all kinds of things you never saw the first time you read those letters or what have you. And as you touch that paper, you’ll be grateful that you were brought up before the digital age.
Second story: Yesterday in The New York Times there was an article about an exhibit in Baltimore - at the Walters Art Museum. It's entitled, "Lost and Found: The Secret of Archimedes." It will be there from October 16, 2011 till January 1st, 2012. It features the research on a parchment document that has a really varied and tricky history. It was discovered over 100 years ago in a monastery in Istanbul, Turkey. It became an old prayer book - used for centuries - and was in various countries.
Surprise! With all kinds of modern gadgets they found that underneath the prayers was some writings of Archimedes that had been erased - along with other materials - to make ready for the next use of that parchment. All this makes this document an extremely valuable document and worthy of lots of research. If you know about this kind of research, you know about various examples of these kinds of discoveries.
So if you are looking for a museum to go to, get to the Walters in Baltimore and check this out. Once more, the exhibit is called, “Lost and Found: The Secret of Archimedes.”
You’ll get lots of information about documents - old documents - which will be good background for all scriptures.
I hope to go and also pick up a book that goes with the exhibit. If you can't get there, check out this book.
ONE CONCLUSION
With modern technology much of what is being written is being lost in cyberspace. However, we always hear that stuff in the deep bowels of one’s computer, even if erased, might still be in there somewhere.
In the meanwhile, we can read and re-read things like our own letters and memoirs or what have you - along with the scriptures and find things that are very interesting. If you’re like me, you like this kind of stuff.
I also like comments written in books - except library books. People who write in library books should be written on - as in branding or tattooed. Just kidding - yet I'm serious about the not writing in other’s books.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The pictures above were taken from the Walters Art Museum website. I assume they are happy I'm promoting their exhibit.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
PORTRAIT OF
AN ARTIST
AS AN
OLD MAN
Quote for Today
"What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house."
Edward Hopper. Recalled on his death to mean, "I want to paint the human soul." Newsweek, May 29, 1967
Questions: What did you try to do in your life? What did you see? Where are your works hanging? Will people they see them after you die? If you had a museum, what would a walk through be like? What would be the big work of art they would stop to ponder?
Painting on top: Cape Cod Morning, 1950, by Edward Hopper
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)