lost in perspective

He (Edward Slingerland) argues that postmodern theory has swept through the Academy, leaving us suspicious of any truth-claim and with "a conviction that the distinguishing mark of sophisticated scholarship is an ability to engage with a prescribed pantheon of theorists" rather than serious study of primary texts. What was fun at first "has left us with an intellectual hangover" (2008, 1), luxuriating in language for language's sake.

the forbidden gospels blog

i wouldn't say that the authors i read have been prescribed to me, but i definitely agree that while its fun to learn about everybody's perspective on things, it'd most likely be a lot more personally useful to get to the core texts. three or four commentaries on the gospel of mary magdalene is all well and good, but i still need to read and study it for myself...

On Watchfulness and Holiness 02

The great lawgiver Moses - or, rather, the Holy Spirit - indicates the pure, comprehensive, and ennobling character of this virtue, and teaches us how to acquire and perfect it, when he says: "Be attentive to yourself, lest there arise in your heart a secret thing which is an iniquity" (Deut. 15:9. LXX) Here the phrase 'a secret thing' refers to the first appearance of an evil thought. This the Fathers call a provocation introduced into the heart by the devil. As soon as this thought appears in our intellect, our own thoughts chase after it and enter into impassioned intercourse with it.

St Hesychios the Priest, On Watchfulness and Holiness, Vol. 1 pg. 161

 how easily my mind races towards thoughts unbidden.

a few books

i've got a few books to be read these days, so i thought i'd put them up here to remind myself which ones i'd like to focus on and prioritize...

Practicing Resurrection
Cris Rogers

this book has been recommended to me by a friend, and will say that this isn't my normal cup of tea. the cover design of a sticky-tape cross and a 'vote 4 jesus' sticker would make me pass it up before even reading the description on the back cover... lols, as would the mention of shane claiborne, who wrote the foreword :)... not that i have anything against shane claiborne, but a book of his was left behind (on purpose??) after a parental visit, and though deb and others have enjoyed it, it wasn't something that i had the slightest interest in.
however, back to this book. its always good to get another perspective in, and this is definitely one that i mayn't have. from the introduction, i do agree with his stand, but it'll be the rest of the book that hopefully will tell me something worthwhile...
what do i hope to get from reading this book? hopefully not even more cynicism towards todays christian activists...

The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-time
Mark Haddon

this should be a fun one. ida just gave us this one, before she left, and it looks like a great fun read. i haven't heard of it, or the author, before, but ida thought it was good fun, and that's enough for me, so far...

The Older Testament
Margaret Barker

Margaret Barker has been very much at the center of my Christian redirection, and this is her first book. very dense, it makes me stop after every few pages and take a deep breath. over christmas i read her 'Christmas: the Original Story', and it was full of ideas and thoughts that i'd never had before. i've been trying to finish 'the Older Testament' for a few years now, and i do hope to get there this year, as i've got her next three books, as well as her latest, 'Creation', waiting for me on the shelf.
i'm finding the temple themes that she pulls out very clarifying, and that leads me onto a few more of the books i have waiting...

Dwelling in the
Household of God
Mary Coloe

i don't remember how i came across this book, but i think it had something to do with Father Tim Mansfield. mmm, can't remember how, though...
either way, Johannine spirituality has been interesting me more and more, as i read various books and blogs, and visit sites such as the Apostolic Johannite Church...
what do i want from this book? a deeper understanding of living as a member of a johannite community...

the Corpus Hermeticum

lastly, the Corpus Hermeticum. this book is on the toolkit list at johannite.org, so i thought i'd pick it up. also, Jordan Stratford issued a challenge to read this little book, so here we go...
what do i want from this book? i really don't know :), but its very interesting so far...

the Philokalia

the Philokalia is a long term one. there are four volumes, and each is so densely packed with ancient Christian wisdom that its going to take forever to get through. i'm going to try and post some extracts as i go through, too, so i hope that'll help it all sink in better.










phew, this could take awhile :)

another break?

most likely no more updates until thursday or friday. we have a guest in, our lovely friend, Ida, from Sweden. and, she is staying in the study... also, the boys are buzzed from the excitement of having her around all the time :)...

the lovely Ida

good friends are hard to find, and even harder to lose :)

does naming GOD 'spirit' limit GOD?

Minor Arcana: Cups (Labyrinth Tarot)

Luis Royo