Otter's Rock

We watched a movie, today, in IS I (the class that's supposed to be about practical issues in congregations). The movie was about a Menonite community in 1939-1941, and a dispute within the community and with the bishop that led to the pastor leaving the Menonites altogether. We'll be discussing what we got out of it next week. "So," Seth said, as we walked back to the dorm, "if you have a dispute with your bishop, just leave the Church? Is that what we're supposed to get out of it?"

"Well," I replied, "Lutherans do like schisms. And, you know, he did say he wasn't going to stop preaching, just that he was looking for somewhere else to do it. That implies mergers in the future. We like mergers almost as much."

Somehow, I doubt that's what the discussion will be on.

( I'm still getting settled into classes )

I just signed up for sg_rarepairings ficathon. Deadline to sign up is September 17th, if you're interested in participating.

Seminary is going fine so far, but I am glad I took Greek in college and not here. In college it was a) slower (they cram what we did in two years into one school year at seminary) and b) better organized. Byron, our prof at Luther, wrote his own textbook because he didn't like the way most textbooks were written arranged. Flipping through the text used here at Gettysburg, and having sat in on a couple of classes so far, I'd have to agree with him. And I got an e-mail from the professor here after class today, asking me not to speak up when I know the answer, because he wants the people who haven't been through this already to work through it. It makes sense, but it will be frustrating, being the shy, retiring person I am. Not.

Hebrew: the alphabet is a killer. It looks nothing like any European alphabet, which makes it harder to memorize than the Greek alphabet. But I've been told that's the hardest part, and it's fairly straightforward once you've got that down. One can only hope. I'm remembering the Masoretes in my prayers tonight; they're the 5th Century CE group of Jews who managed to figure out how one could indicate what vowel when with what syllable without altering the text itself (which you couldn't do for obvious reasons). It's hard enough to figure out with the vowels, as a beginning student of the language. Without them? Eep!

Quote of the Day: He that leaveth nothing to chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things.
-George Savile, Marquess de Halifax