I am currently passing through a lull in inspiration or lack of specific focus. Overall, however, I am highly motivated! This year has seen 93 posts so far on this blog, which I think is something of an achievement. A high point in the year was when in August I felt I was ready to release the first edition of my paper, Trinitarian Interpretations. This paper has continued to evolve and will include some important updates during the next release some time next year (I had promised an Old Testament section and more biblical depth in the categories researched).
The blog hit a low-point when I began to look in-depth at the Greek word arche, which either means "beginning" or "principality" depending on a number of factors that I have explored. The low-point was to realise that this is not what people look for in a blog, and sadly since then my stats have plummeted and remained lower despite returning to more accessible themes, like the posts on Judas. I really want to finish that work, however, but I have a problem that I cannot resolve. While I have something of a theory (with predictive power) for arche, I have one significant exception in a verse from the gospel of John, chapter 8. It is a real head-scratcher for me. I could just push on and say something along the lines of "the exception proves the rule", but I don't want to do that!
What do you do when you hit a lull? My solution is to read again. N.T. Wright, prolific scholar of Pauline stuff, said that the secrets to his writing (and he writes masses of high-quality material) is his reading. He took 20 years to mainly read - not write. (BTW recently heard a great debate here between him and James White here on Paul and Justification)
So I have two new books to get into and through thanks to Father Christmas. I have gone for Kindle version of
The Unseen Realm, by Michael Heiser, which is thus-far excellent, and:
The Virginal Conception & Bodily Resurrection of Jesus
- yet to receive this one.
The first of these may help me research a future chapter on the Old Testament for my expanding paper.
Happy Christmas everyone, and a very happy new year.
The blog hit a low-point when I began to look in-depth at the Greek word arche, which either means "beginning" or "principality" depending on a number of factors that I have explored. The low-point was to realise that this is not what people look for in a blog, and sadly since then my stats have plummeted and remained lower despite returning to more accessible themes, like the posts on Judas. I really want to finish that work, however, but I have a problem that I cannot resolve. While I have something of a theory (with predictive power) for arche, I have one significant exception in a verse from the gospel of John, chapter 8. It is a real head-scratcher for me. I could just push on and say something along the lines of "the exception proves the rule", but I don't want to do that!
What do you do when you hit a lull? My solution is to read again. N.T. Wright, prolific scholar of Pauline stuff, said that the secrets to his writing (and he writes masses of high-quality material) is his reading. He took 20 years to mainly read - not write. (BTW recently heard a great debate here between him and James White here on Paul and Justification)
So I have two new books to get into and through thanks to Father Christmas. I have gone for Kindle version of
The Unseen Realm, by Michael Heiser, which is thus-far excellent, and:
The Virginal Conception & Bodily Resurrection of Jesus
- yet to receive this one.
The first of these may help me research a future chapter on the Old Testament for my expanding paper.
Happy Christmas everyone, and a very happy new year.
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