It's Bede's day, and in the spirit of gotta-work-on-those--summer-writing -projects-as- -promised, I defer to the great writer of saints' posts, Padre Mickey, whose reflections on Bede (with a very nice icon) I commend to you.
See also the picture at Grandmère Mimi's place.
And I would be a lousy friend and academic if I didn't pay tribute to my colleague and friend Arthur Holder, one of the Bede specialists of planet Earth, who has written and edited all manner of deep scholarly works on this early historian, who was also a biblical commentator.
I see this new piece is just out (well, two years ago, but that's "just out" in the non-blog world):
- Arthur Holder, “The Feminine Christ in Bede’s Biblical Commentaries,” in Bède le Vénérable entre tradition et postérité, ed. S.Lebecq, M. Perrin, and O.Szerwiniack, Brepols, 2005.
P.S. Padre Rob not only has Bede, but two other Celtic saints for today, Dunchad and Aldhelm. I had no idea it was their day too. Have a read.
14 comments:
Thank you for your kind comments.
You know, in all the years I was at CDSP and the GTU, I never took a class by Arthur Holder! I spent lots of time talking with him and we did things together at St. Mark's, but I never took one of his classes, and I regret that.
He's a love. I am just about to post a link to one of his books. Though the more readable and interesting book he just edited is a huge series of essays, the Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality. Expensive though. I'm still saving up for it.
The feminine Christ intrigues me; I love it when these seemingly new ideas pop up in the historical literature. I guess I'll have to hie me to a library, as I don't think anyone I know is likely to actually buy this book ...
Ed, I'm going to write Arthur and see if I can get a manuscript copy of the essay.
Julian of Norwich is another one of course. It just fried me when people got all bent out of shape at Katharine Jefferts Schori's "Mothering Jesus" image in her post-election sermon -- the image of Jesus as mother has been around since the Middle Ages and before. (It was all the more ironic that Bishop Schori mostly uses male God-language and has not been all that influenced by the last 30 years of inclusive-language discussion.)
I remember Art when he was a seminarian at GTS. He was a brilliant, warm & witty guy back then, and I assume he's only gotten better.
Mickey: I'm with you on missing out on a great teacher. When I was a graduate music student at Union Seminary back in the 60's, both Tillich and Neibuhr were on the faculty, and doh! (I'm punching my forehead vociferously), I didn't, I didn't, I didn't (punch, slap face, groan).
Believe it or not, when my rector was new to us he asked me to give s short teaching on the feminine in God to the adult Sunday school class. I think he meant for me to talk about a minute, but I went 10 minutes.
I don't know if he'd ask me do something like that now. That reminds me that I could do a post on the material. I still have it, but I don't know if I have the nerve. I seem to have some very learned readers.
Oh, pooh, learned readers still need to learn. Do it. I have a card on my office door that I got in grad school. It says "there has been an astonishing increase in the number of things I know nothing about."
I'd love to read what you found inspiring and interesting. No rush, though. It can always wait till fall...
P.S. You seem to give your rector a lot of authority. He's only human, and he goes to the bathroom just like everyone else, never forget that.
Jane, I can't barge in a take over a Sunday school class, nor do I want to.
I know he's human, and I'm not frightened of him at all. Actually, I feel a little sorry for him, as I believe he finds me a bit frightening.
No, no, I meant we wanted to read your thoughts online!
Glad about the rector. It's just that you had talked about him a lot at OCICBW, whether he knew aboutyour blog, etc.
The archdeacon of my diocese left a comment on my blog with his real name. I feel sure that he knows who I am. I told my priest that I had a blog, but he did not seem interested at all.
The rector and I do not see eye to eye on the squabbles in the church, and I believe he is concerned that I will stir up a controversy in the parish. I would not do that. Most folks in my church are not paying attention, and I let them be. I'm getting tired of the squabbles myself.
For a while, I was a little concerned about being found out, but I'm not any longer. I'm not shouting my name from the rooftops, and I'll continue to use my pseudonym on my blog, partly because I like it and partly because my grandchildren call me Mimi, and I answer to the name.
When I comment at the Episcopal Café, I must use my real name, so it's out there.
Well, I didn't mean to run on like this, but there you have it.
I use a pseudonym when I post at "Beauty Tips for Ministers." ;-)
I am getting sick of the squabbles myself. It's part of why I don't post about them much. There's a whole other world out there. Not that the issues aren't important, they are, but we can get very caught up in our little puddle and lose sight of the ocean. (Not a very good image but it's late...)
Mimi said: "I believe he finds me a bit frightening."
Ed says: "Work it, girl."
And I second the request for your thoughts on the feminine divine.
Please, grandmere Mimi, please! I promise I'll be good--well, I'm counting on a lot of help--and won't say anything erudite and snotty; besides, if I do, by accident, of course, you will all have the pleasure of observing Jane R. take me down. :)
I don't take people down. I know you're making a joke but I just want to make clear that I really loathe sarcasm (irony is another matter altogether) and I'm not that fond of debate either. I much prefer conversation and I'm happy for anyone to pontificate theologically (or in any other field) as long as it's reasonably clear. I do far too much pontificating as it is, so I welcome and need and cherish whatever anyone else has to say. (Except spam and flames and trolls and the like.) (Don't you love all that internet vocabulary?)
(By the way, recent real estate spam in the "Eating the Words of God" post's comments, which I am about to delete, is about Costa Rica, but SiteMeter tells me it was actually posted from Nicaragua. There you have it.)
(Yes johnieb, I would have made a very good intelligence officer too.)
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