Saturday, July 22, 2006
(9:08 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
Specificity in General
In Truth as Encounter, Emil Brunner argues that not all aspects of the Bible are equally central:There are, for example, the local references in the Gospels, which indeed are not inconsequential for a knowledge of Christ, for it is of the greatest importance that Jesus Christ lived and suffered, not just anywhere, but in specific places. And yet the local references considered singly are for the most part not of great importance, and not too much depends on whether or not they are right.In other words, such references are important insofar as they point toward the general idea of a particular place -- but unimportant insofar as they point toward a concrete particular place.
(Progress has slowed somewhat in recent weeks, but is picking back up again. Currently, I have completed 39 of the 69 books, and I am likely to finish Brunner either tonight or early tomorrow, bringing my total to a solid 40. I have also become aware that reading every single book is not strictly necessary and that perhaps it is even possible to pass the exam using only secondary resources -- but that route is for the weak. I am finding that in many cases, getting a taste of a particular author through reading one book makes me want to read more, so that is a positive sign. Yet admittedly, the odds of my reading every single book on the list are declining.)
(Tonight I made a wonderful dinner, by the way -- penne alfredo with whole sauteed mushrooms, plus steamed broccoli [organic] on the side. It was my first time using a vegetable steamer, which I found to be a very exciting thing.)
