Wednesday, June 22, 2005
‘Christ Plays’ 39-47
Discussion at staff meeting this week:
Betty said that at Grants Colloquium last week, she heard the word “spirituality” being used more than ever before, and in nuanced ways, as Peterson calls for.
I noted that the Septuagint’s Greek word for “fear” in the Old Testament term “fear-of-the-Lord,” which Peterson unpacks starting at the bottom of page 40, is phobos, from which we get the English suffix “-phobia.” Although the English meaning is not fully relevant to the Septuagint’s, it is interesting to me that the English suffix means aversion necessitating avoidance (and, as John added, necessitating a cure), while the Hebrew (yirah adonai), as Peterson describes, is a reverent longing. On the other hand, Connie suggested, the English “-phobia” suggests a constant awareness of a condition, which certainly applies to fear-of-the-Lord!
(Update: see pages 121-122.)
Paul had a concern about Peterson’s line on page 44: “Fear-of-the-Lord is not studying about God but living in reverence before God.” Paul thought Peterson was establishing a false contradiction—the former, he said, can lead to the latter. In fact, the connection is explicit in Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Brenda pointed out that Peterson’s comment on page 46 was apt for us after the Grants Colloquium—there, Peterson calls us to “a way of life open and responsive to what God is doing rather than one in which we plot strategies to get God involved in what we are doing.”
John noted that Karl Barth was an odd person to quote on page 44 in the context of perichoresis—the Greek word for dance and its metaphorical encapsulation of the interpersonal Trinity (I only understand about half of what I just wrote…) Barth, John said, was a fervent supporter of a unipersonal understanding of the Trinity, and got nervous when people got too fond of perichoresis.
Joyce quoted the line on page 45: “Trinity is the most comprehensive and integrative framework that we have for understanding and participating in the Christian life.” She said this line rescues the Trinity from being an abstract concept and makes it “much richer,” a framework for daily living.
Carrie wondered why Peterson omitted the word “the” from the word “Trinity,” and said it seemed to make the word abstract ambiguous. Cindy said she took “Trinity” to be a name, like “God,” and Kathy said “Trinity” is a more “inclusive” and inviting term.
Anne quoted Peterson’s comment on prayer on page 41: “We deliberately interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to God…”
In response to Peterson’s reference to an Irish “ceilidh,” I asked Fiona (a Scottish native) about ceilidhs. Fiona said she remembers ceilidhs as massive dance gatherings as “tiring” but “energetic,” and explained that they were “not about getting the moves right, but about getting up and dancing.” She said ceilidhs were “the best community experience I ever had.”
For next time: p.51-61
Earlier: 26-39
Interdisciplinary Application • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink