Anya went off to school and told me stories of her day. Thursday is Food and Health class, so she has to bring an apron. We borrow a denim one from the house that says Walla Walla, Washington. She was paired up with her friend, Oda (pronounced Oo’ dah), to make bread. She said she wasn’t much of a help, but Anya didn’t wan’t my guidance in preparation for today’s bread making.
She said she did better in PE. They started with indoor soccer, and she said she was one of the good players, but again passes to everyone. In volleyball, she did OK, but she enjoys volleyball in this PE class because they aren’t nasty to those who miss the ball. They actually are encouraging. Wow!
I took the first bus after getting Anya off to school and made good time arriving 15 minutes to the start of a special lecture by Philip Jenkins (but introduced with the Norwegian Y sound for the J, so Philip Yenkins), who is a leading scholar on the sociology of global religion and global Christianity.
(I was encouraged to add more photos, but this is not a very good photo! Are bad photos better than no photos?!?)
He spoke about the future of Christianity in Europe in the morning, followed by an hour of Q & A. When he told someone that he was writing a book on the future of Christianity in Europe, they asked if it would be a very short book! Actually no! He said that there is a future for Christianity in Europe, but the question is not how strong ti will be but how foreign it will be! For example, he noted the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God church in Ukraine which has 50,000 in the main congregation in Kiev. What is amazing is that this overwhelming white congregation has a Nigerian-born pastor.
I took almost 7 pages of notes, so there is too much to relay, but here’s one more. The Muslim population in the USA is always overstated because Arabs are assumed to be Muslim, but Jenkins stated that 75% of Arabs in the USA are Christians, such as Palestinians. I know from my visit to Ramallah, that the Christian Palestinians has a mass migration to the USA.
After the lunch break…
I went to my office to eat and review the Hebrew verses for our afternoon Maasai research group. I received an email that the inter-library loan book I ordered was in, so I went to pick it up. Unfortunately, I’m trying to get an English translation of the original German book, Die Masai, by Moritz Merker in 1904. Unfortunately, this was the German version.
The Hebrew went OK, but I forgot the Hifil form of the verb (which changes the translation, typically to causative, which it was in this case). Knut walks through all the textual critical notes for each verse and explains the issues related to translation. What was interesting was to see that in 1 Samuel 1:24, most of the modern English translations state that Hannah brought a 3-year-old bull to the temple to sacrifice when she brought Samuel. However the Masoretic Text (Hebrew Bible) says she brought 3 bulls. The old King James (written prior to the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery) will say 3 bulls, but Knut said when the Dead Sea Scrolls (which are perhaps 1000 years older than the Masoretic Text) corroborated the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from 200-300 years BC) then there is sufficient evidence from two older sources to not use the Masoretic Text reading. (This intrigued me. How about you!?!)
Then we went over two outlines for research projects (one PhD and one postdoc) and discussed them. Knut really is wise and helping his students avoid pitfalls down the road. The last of our 4 hours was my presentation of Time, Space, and the Unknown by anthropologist Paul Spencer. It is a deeper worldview discussion about the Maasai. Rather than just a thick description of their age-sets and gender relations or various rituals, he was tackling their sense of cosmic powers and providence. Because curses are significant, this is a great resource for me. So, I helped to unpack Spencer’s book, which is challenging. I’ve read it at least 2 times, and some sections many more times. However, it still amazes me that when you have to write about something or present it that you realize the gaps in your understanding and the need to resolve the issues. That’s why students write papers and not just read books. It was a time to help us all better understand the Maasai.
I took the bus home and cleaned the house for our guests arriving tomorrow. Anya is doing the laundry now, so she’s was managing this task. I started figuring out bus schedules for airport pickups. The crazy thing is that Easter break (yes “Easter” in this secular society) is a big thing! It is celebrated with going to the cabins and get in the last good opportunity for many to ski. So, the bus schedules are different, because of no school, many who aren’t working, and others who are probably taking vacation with their kids to ski. I checked the weather report to plan our hikes on the best days, but things aren’t looking very good for hiking.
Perhaps I’m one of the few who pass by the dowh in the administration building and has actually sailed in one. An awesome day in 2004.
With blessings,
Beth
Yes! Even bad pictures are better than no pictures. And thank you for the shout out. 🙂
Can I just say that sometimes I have no idea what is being discussed when I’m in the presence of academics–but you always manage to help me understand. Your ability to explain and elaborate are great. Thanks. And I would like to think that Hannah physically carried 3 bulls (like She Rah) and was noticed for her great strength besides her faithfulness in keeping her promises. Just sayin.