Friday, August 04, 2006
(8:29 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
Friday Afternoon Confessional
I confess that I am too dismissive. My preparation for the 20th Century exam continues to lead to embarrassment as I remember making derisive remarks about figures and movements of which I had insufficient knowledge, but it is hopefully helping to cure that tendancy as well. In particular, I once made some disparaging remarks about Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (perhaps in my defense, perhaps intensifying my guilt: this was based on one of those incoherent "miscellaneous essay" collections that big-name scholars occasionally put out, not on her most significant works), but I found In Memory of Her to be a really compelling and carefully argued work of scholarship -- one of those rare books that actually seems to achieve the goals it sets for itself. It even inspired in me a desire to reread the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers, although I confess that time did not allow me to follow through on that.I confess that I love reading scholarship on the New Testament and early Christianity, but I would never want to be a New Testament scholar, at least not full-time. I confess that I am actually reading a Latin reference grammar and that it really helps, not least because it has a ton of sample sentences with translations. I confess that Confessions might not have been the best choice of reading text, because it's kind of whiny and boring, but Augustine's critique of theater might have a point, insofar as theatrical spectacles (and movies by extension) train us to be passive observers to suffering rather than offer assistance.
I confess that I've bought too many used books lately. I confess that I continue to eat Little Caesar's $5 large pizzas every week or two, even though I know that they're bad for me. I have, however, cut out Burger King entirely, mainly because I realized that the Whopper tastes like nothing so much as a massive wad of mayonnaise.
I confess that there are still Hatred slots available. Sign up today!
UPDATE: I confess that I have allowed myself to be interviewed by Adam Robinson, author of the blog Publishing Genius and of the new serialized novel here at The Weblog.
