Miscellaneous

The Little Words: Greek Grammar, Discourse, and Interpretation

Here’s the short version of this post: I helped write a book on Greek and biblical interpretation and it’s coming out soon. Also, you should buy it.

I have mentioned this project once or twice before, but I thought it would be sensible to bring it up again, as the book will be released soon. “What is an ‘interpretive lexicon,’ anyway?” This has been a fairly common question in my life for the past several years. Generally the question comes from family and friends who ask “what I’m up to these days.” Needless to say, “Writing a book on Greek” does not usually help explain myself.

But I should clarify. Most of my work – and that of my co-authors – was closer to compiling than writing. Although there is an introduction that explains the purpose of the book and how to use it, the vast majority of the book is a reiteration of other books.

Now, paradoxically, that is precisely the value of this lexicon. Students of biblical studies, pastors, and professors well know the vast array of resources available when it comes to studying the Greek text of the New Testament. So the point of our work in this lexicon is to condense a handful of the key texts and present them succinctly. In essence, our hope is that this lexicon is a simple but powerful exegetical tool; the fulcrum, so to speak, for the interpretive lever.

So let me attempt to answer the question by addressing the two aspects of the book: 1) the Lexicon and 2) the Interpretive.

The “Lexicon”

There are three major resources condensed into this slim volume (~96pg). They are the following:

  1. BDAG (and BAGD) – Anyone familiar with New Testament Greek will know the Walter Bauer’s Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der übrigen urchristlichen Literatur. Okay, you may not know it by that name. But that is where this work started before Wilbur Gingrich translated and adapted it with the help of William F. Arndt in 1949. In a second edition in 1979, known as “BAGD,” Frederick W. Danker replaced Arndt to expand the work. The most recent edition in 2000 added still more material and was coined BDAG (i.e. Bauer, Danker, Arndt, Gingrich).

In our Interpretive Lexicon the word entries provide glosses keyed to both BDAG (’00) and to BAGD (’79), since they differ from one another often, so that when you go to look up a word you see a succinct chunk of information along with the page and section references to both versions of Bauer. The idea is that our entry provides the essential lexical information, with a quick link to the definitive NT lexicon should the exegete need greater detail. Naturally, this may be a frequent need, which is why we have so tenaciously included information from and about BDAG/BAGD. We encourage careful cross-referencing.

 The “Interpretive”

Thus far the “Lexicon.” Now for the “Interpretive.” As indicated by the subtitle of the book, it is focused on what linguists often call “function words.” In my experience, students usually think of these as the “annoying little words,” since there are so many of them and they are so difficult to define strictly. Unlike the more easily definable (and memorizable) “content words,” such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, “function words” are what fall in between, namely prepositions, adverbs, particles, relative pronouns, and conjunctions.

Another way to think about function words is as “connecting words,” since their job is to indicate the ways that ideas are connected in  the flow of thought of a text (spoken or written). And it is for that exact reason that these “annoying little words” are in fact stupendously important for interpreting scripture. If we are serious about understanding scripture, then we must understand how the flow of thought progresses. This is one of the tasks of interpretation, and function words are at the heart of it all. That is the rationale behind the other two resources included in our Interpretive Lexicon.

2.  Wallace’s Greek Grammar – Students of NT Greek will also well know Wallace’s Greek Grammar, a heavy-weight text that is rightly considered a standard in exegetical work. In this Grammar, Wallace focuses on syntax, which makes it perfectly suited to our lexicon, not to mention the fact that it is also published by Zondervan. For every word that we treat in the Interpretive Lexicon, if there is any discussion by Wallace we cite every page reference at the end of our entry. Again, the idea is that wherever the exegete is in need of greater detail, he or she has quick access to the industrial strength resources.

3.  Harris’s Prepositions and Theology – Finally, for even greater accuracy with one of the most significant Greek parts of speech – prepositions – we have also included Murray J. Harris’s work. In my experience, this resource is not as well known as it should be, so hopefully our lexicon will bring it to attention. Essentially, Harris discusses each Greek preposition (and even “improper” prepositions) in detail. As the book’s title implies, the meaning of a preposition can and does have profound impact upon theology. Consider, for example,  the importance of the preposition ὑπέρ (hyper), which in the genitive case connotes “for, on behalf of,” to discussions of atonement.

Discourse Matters & A Sample Entry

To give an idea of what an entry looks like, here is a sample. You may notice the boldfaced letters and symbols that occur in each numbered category. garThese boldfaced symbols and letters are extremely significant and form the backbone of the lexicon’s functionality. Some of you will be familiar with discourse analysis. Perhaps more of you will have heard of John Piper’s “Bible Arcing” (see BibleArc).

I only want to mention this here as a primer for another post coming up. There I will discuss more about discourse analysis (which goes by many names), how function words fit into it, and what the bold letters and symbols mean in our entries. Stay tuned!

British and American Style Doctoral Programs

Punting on the River Cam in Cambridge

In a previous post, I briefly outlined my work at the University of Cambridge as a doctoral student in Old Testament. In this post, I will discuss the broad differences between British and American doctoral programs in terms of application procedure and requirements. These, at least, are differences that are stereotypically true. There are innumerable permutations to doctoral programs, of course, so what I touch on here will only be so accurate in any given institution.

British and American Doctoral Programs

Most of my family and friends are befuddled when I tell them about the doctoral program at Cambridge. This befuddlement is not always related to their incredulity at my field of interest (the Septuagint), which almost always generates obnoxious yawns when I discuss it. They’re confused by what I will actually do when I show up in Cambridge, namely not go to class (among other things). At least, classes are not the main point of my program.

American Programs

Princeton University

Most Americans are used to thinking about a doctoral degree in similar terms as a graduate degree. They imagine that you apply with your report card and letter of reference from your mother, get accepted, go sit in class for a few years, and then graduate somehow with no job prospects to show for it. Some will know there is a writing aspect. And this picture is somewhat accurate (particularly the job prospect part). In reality, most American programs work something like this:

  1. Rigorous application process, often involving several phases of elimination, and possibly a face-to-face interview.
  2. Acceptance, with an award of a major source of funding, often a full ride or even stipend for “living expenses” that can reach the $30k mark (per year!) at some of the major universities.
  3. Two to Four years of required coursework in your broad field, with mountains of reading and research papers.
  4. One to Two years of teaching assistance for a professor, which may overlap with your coursework. At larger schools, doctoral students actually teach the undergraduate classes themselves, which is a major benefit.
  5. Supervisor selection and the two to three year writing phase, where students will have finished their coursework and enter into (hopefully) unadulterated research and writing with their supervisor of choice. Occasionally doctoral students are employable at this point, having completed their degree “all but dissertation” (sometimes on faculty job postings you’ll see something like “ABD required”).
  6. Most American schools will also have “comprehensive” exams, or “comps,” required somewhere along the line, which are exactly what they sound like.
  7. Graduation.

All in all, the American system is terribly involved, extremely long, and exhausting. On the flip side, you are so completely immersed in education that you come out with a lot to show for it, including teaching experience and publications. Some or all of the steps above overlap at times.

British Programs

The British (and European) model is very different. The best way I can think of to describe it is as an apprentice-mentor relationship. When you are looking to apply for a doctoral program in the British system, you are not really looking for a school as much as for a person. The idea is that by the time you are ready to pursue a doctoral degree you should be educated enough to have a clear idea of your interests and the research that needs to be done in a certain field. Accordingly, you are left to come up with a detailed research project and to find the person under whom it would be best to conduct that work. The main criteria to determine that is whether a potential “supervisor” has the same research interests as you and expertise in the field.

How most people imagine studying at Oxford or Cambridge

Of course, where that scholar is employed also matters in many ways, since the reputation of your school will go a long way. But in theory aspiring doctoral students should be looking for the best person, over the best university reputation, since the working relationship is so closely knit that most of your education will come from your supervisor rather than the school. That is particularly true in the British system where there is no coursework required at all. Only research and writing.

So a British university’s format works more like this:

  1. Rigorous application process, requiring a writing sample related to your field, identification of a prospective supervisor (who you should have developed a relationship with by then), and a full-blown, detailed dissertation proposal identifying your research project (usually 1000 words).
  2. Offer of admission, usually with stipulation of funding, if any (a big “if”).
  3. (Your desperate attempt to find sources of funding.)
  4. Student’s acceptance of the school’s offer, usually completed by submitting further criteria such as your completed masters transcript, a financial liability agreement, etc.
  5. Three years of independent research and writing, overseen only by your supervisor at semi-regular intervals. Many programs have a probationary first year to ensure you’ve got the stuff it takes.
  6. Oral defense of your completed dissertation.
  7. Graduation.

So you can see that British programs are much shorter (about half the length), but do not necessarily come with any funding, and do not (usually) provide teaching experience. On the other hand, you spare yourself the expenditure of much youthful vigor that American programs excise, and you work personally with a scholar of your choice who is ideally at the top of their field. I chose the British path almost by default because most scholars involved in Septuagint studies are located overseas.

The University & College System

Another perplexing aspect to a school like Cambridge – Oxford is the same way – is that Cambridge itself is not formally a “school,” but a corporate, guild-like institution. Cambridge is the unified front for the diversity of colleges within it. So not only are you a “Cambridge student,” but also a student of your college, which in my case is Fitzwilliam College. The application to your college is part of your application to the university, although you pick several colleges of interest, and your acceptance to one is a separate process from your acceptance to the university.

At the doctoral level, your college is important insofar as it establishes your intellectual community, should you conduct your research there, and it also can provide funding opportunities. It is not necessary for your advisor to be part of your college. Doctoral students also work with their particular faculty, in my case the Faculty of Divinity. This is both a physical building and a group of people, namely the divinity faculty members from all the colleges.

In sum, then, there are many key differences between these two systems that important to know when considering applying for a doctoral degree. Hopefully this has been of some help to those in that position, and to my understandably confused family members.

How to Attend Biblical Studies Conferences – A Guide for Students (Part I)

In a previous post, I overviewed the various biblical and religious studies societies, how to join them, how to and whether you can participate, and why you would do such a thing. Well, one of the major reasons I mentioned is attending conferences. So, especially since it is September again and the new academic year is upon us, that is what I will focus on here, and chalk this post up as a Resource Review particularly targeted at current students of biblical studies hoping to enter a doctoral program.

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The conferences distinctly do NOT look like this.

The conferences, while often chaotic, offer wonderful opportunities for young scholars. But, as I mentioned in the prior post, as a newcomer, not only will you feel like a peon amidst the humming throng of scholars around you, that feeling is accurate. The conferences will give you a healthy, to-scale understanding of how insignificant you are as you drift amidst the endless sea of other aspiring scholars (trust me, I’ve had plenty of first-hand experience). So if you think you’re going to one of these conferences primarily to give education rather than receive it, don’t bother going. The real opportunity at these conferences is a learning opportunity. So consider this a strategy guide to getting as much as you can out of it.

The Opportunities of Biblical Studies Conferences

Let’s just get the obvious out of the way: if you are involved in biblical studies, but have never attended SBL in particular, you should go. It’s a wonderful opportunity to network and find out more about your field of interest. Particularly if you plan to enter doctoral studies (and especially if you are already in your doctoral work), attending this conference – and others – will help you tremendously. Here are a few opportunities, in no particular order, that you can take advantage of:

No. 1 – The Book Display

The book display at SBL

One benefit of registering for a conference is your access to the book display. At the larger events like SBL/AAR these displays can reach monumental proportions. Prepare to make use of a map lest you be lost for hours. What is exciting about the book displays is not just their size, however, but that all the major publishing companies set up shop and bring all the newest volumes. Even if you don’t have a budget to blow on books, it’s a great way to see the most recent scholarship and be able to page through it at your leisure.

Another thing to note is that most of the vendors know people have traveled great distances to be there. To incentivize purchases, not only are there significant discounts offered (although I recommend checking Amazon prices too, even if they are pre-order), but many offer free shipping to wherever you came from. That way you don’t have to haul books with you when you go home.

Finally, every vendor booth will have a brochure or handout of some kind listing all of their volumes. Usually these function as order forms that you can take with you to look through in a less hectic setting, and yet still take advantage of the conference rates. In many cases even the free shipping option applies for a period of time as well.

No. 2 – Hearing Papers

Of course, one of the major reasons for going to a conference is to attend sessions. If you register early enough, many organizations will mail you the program for the entire event. That is nice since it allows you to peruse the various topics to be discussed and gather your top choices to attend. Of course, these programs can reach biblical scales – literally hundreds of pages long for SBL/AAR – and therefore offer many hours of page-flipping, not to mention several pounds to your luggage. Some organizations are now opting for annual mobile apps that essentially do the same thing but in a more searchable and user-friendly fashion.

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Avoid this part of the conference experience – plan ahead!

However you choose to do it, go through the conference program in advance and schedule out sessions you’d like to attend. This is easier to do if you have a relatively decent idea of your field of interest, but quickly becomes overwhelming and can be extremely frustrating if you do not. It’s easy to think you can just pop from session to session as your fancy leads you, but at the bigger events Talk A can be a twenty minute walk (or more) from Talk B even assuming you know where you’re going. At that point, you’ve missed Talk B with nothing to show for it but sweat stains. Plan ahead. Orient yourself to the conference center upon arrival so that you can navigate from session to session without hiccup. Most events have staff members here and there to help you do so, but it’s best to be confident navigating for yourself. Some of the apps mentioned above have a scheduling feature with reminders and even conference center maps built in – use them!

Perhaps this is a good time to say that you should have some concept of your narrower field of interest (e.g. the Pastoral Epistles, Papyrology, Essene Studies, etc.) if you are going to attend a conference. While of course you don’t have to have a dissertation proposal in-hand, it certainly goes a long way to know the kinds of sessions you want to be in, the kinds of topics you find fascinating, and – most importantly – the people at work in those areas. This leads me to the next opportunity.

No. 3 – Networking

Possibly the biggest pay-off for attending a conference is the opportunity to meet other scholars. I say “possibly” because this opportunity is in large part what you make of it. If you plan to shoot from the hip and let fate/providence have its way, I submit that you’ve lost the principal on your conference investment. The Academy is made up of people, and it is people that therefore present the greatest resource to the young scholar.

This is your chance to talk to real people.

While it’s true that attendees will be wearing name tags, don’t count on this being your primary means of meeting scholars of interest (although it is always fun to see who’s standing behind you in the coffee line). Here is my recommendation: Again, assuming you have a decently focused idea of your area of interest for doctoral work, spend lots of time on the front end of your trip researching scholars in that field. Find out who they are, where they studied (and under whom), what they’ve written, which institution they are currently on faculty, the kinds of dissertations they have supervised recently, and whether their interests overlap with yours. Most of this information can be found on faculty members’ webpages. Even if you are planning to undertake an American-style doctoral program where choosing an advisor comes late in the game, it’s important to develop relationships nevertheless.

Once you have, say, six to ten people of interest to you – and these should be top tier choices – you need to get in touch with them. Don’t just plan to bump into them. Last year in Baltimore I saw one of my Old Testament professors heading down an escalator as I went up one next to him, and we said “Oh, hey!” as we passed by, both knowing we would certainly never cross paths again that weekend. This is where planning ahead comes into play, since many scholars will only attend part of a conference, or will have already drawn up a full schedule in advance, especially if they are presenting work themselves. You will need to email them directly. In most cases, email addresses can be found on university faculty pages. Look them up, pluck up your courage, and send a note their way.

Others I’ve spoken with about this step seem to express some level of intimidation. That is understandable. But remember that doctoral supervisors are in the business of seeking out new students. Not only do they want prospective students to contact them, but they need such students! Supervisors need supervisees. So be cordial but forthright. Here’s a sample email that I sent two years ago (with success) if you’re really stuck:

_________________________

Hi Dr. ___________,

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the new academic year. I am a current student at __[your institution]__, and I’m becoming increasingly interested in the field of _______________ studies for doctoral work. I am familiar with your material in this field, and I’m curious to know if you are planning to attend the upcoming ___________ conference. If so, I wonder whether we might be able to meet up for coffee. I’d love to discuss prospects for doctoral work in general, and _[the professor’s institution]_ in particular.

Thanks, and take care,

[your name]

_________________________

Avoid over-enthusiasm. It’s off-putting.

Remember, you’re dealing with scholars who are extremely busy and who don’t particularly care to be fussed over. Get to the point with clarity and professionalism. Read this article for more pointers.

Of course, not everyone will respond, and not everyone who responds will be going, and not everyone who is going will have time to meet up. Hence the need to plan ahead. Most likely, however, you’ll get enough meetings on the agenda to make your attendance more than worthwhile. Oh, and make sure you buy their coffee!

Finally, you will want to be sure to attend the sessions of scholars you are interested in studying under. Be sure to tell them in advance that you’ll be there, although when you go give plenty of space, especially if you’ve already spoken with them or will. When you do meet with scholars, be sensitive to their time. Do your homework on their research, publications, and institution well in advance so you can skip it and spend more face-time dealing with important matters. Think of strategic questions (e.g., are they taking doctoral students when you’ll be matriculating? are they aware of work already done in the vein that you are proposing? what kind of placement rates do their prior students have? what publishing opportunities can they connect you with? etc.). A a bit of forethought goes a long way in establishing a foundation for a potential working relationship. First impressions and all that…

More to come…

I will bring this post to an end here, but in my next I will continue this discussion with some tips on being frugal. As mentioned, it can be expensive to attend conferences, but there are a few practical ways to make your pennies last.