I’ve been reading Keener’s commentary on Revelation and really like it. I started it about two weeks ago.
Other than the Gospels, I think Revelation may be my favorite NT book behind Colossians and Hebrews.
I decided to slowly redo the exercises from chapters 2-5 in Croy’s book but should be on to chapter 6 next week.
I talked with Esteban on the phone and it was extremely productive. I got a few questions answered, some tips on how to better go about learning some things and how thorough I should be in doing the exercises.
Regarding the latter, I was under the impression that I should not worry about being too much of a perfectionist, even though it’s against my nature, and keep going since the exercises would build on each other. But the professor said it’s important to master the exercises before going on to the next chapter. Although this is the opposite of what I thought would be said, I like the idea because I like to do things right and it will make for much less confusion and stress later on.
I had been waiting until I got the vocabulary down in each chapter before I started working on the (many) exercises. I think I’ll start them a little earlier in the process. Even so, I will be spending even more time on each chapter. I’ve been spending about a week on each one and there are 32. But I’d rather learn it well so I can refute Mike Aubrey and really throw it down. But by the time I’ve learned the very basics of Greek he’ll be off in Timbuktu somewhere translating or teaching Greek to missionaries.
I’m in no hurry. God doesn’t care how fast I learn Greek and if the world ends soon (please Lord) I won’t need it anyway.
Right now I’m on chapter 5 so let’s see how long it takes to get through the book. It probably won’t be until sometime in 2010.
Sometimes I wonder if it will be worth it but everyone that has learned Greek to any degree has said that it is. And I get more out of reading commentaries when I can understand the vocabulary and grammar better. Greek For The Rest Of Us just wasn’t enough.
prognosticism – forecasting of the probable course and outcome of a disease through the acquisition of heretical esoteric knowledge
This Greek stuff is hard. Memorizing the vocabulary isn’t too bad. It’s the paradigms and the grammar that get me. I’m doing all the exercises even though in the teacher’s guide he says it’s up to the discretion of the teacher as to how much to assign. I’m finding the made up sentences even more helpful than the Bible verses which is a nice feature of the Croy book.
I haven’t been practicing my pronunciation as much and can see that I’ve lost some recognition so I’m going to have to keep that up too. Too much to do. Too little energy and mental capacity.
I started Kruse’s commentary on the Letters of John. I decided to go right to that from the Letters of Peter and not read a regular book in-between because I want to keep moving ahead on those after some lost time.
Maybe it’s because it’s a small book, but 1 John seems to have connections all over it. There are things that seem contradictory but are really complimentary and the whole letter needs to be understood as a whole. I guess that’s the case with the whole Bible.
5 1/2 weeks after back surgery I think my life is getting back to normal except for some reason I’m having major insomnia problems, especially last night, the night of the lost hour time change. !
I went shopping yesterday for the first time since the surgery and there was virtually no extra nerve pain from the standing and walking which is really something. My back got tired which is always the case, but not as much since I can stand up straight.
I’m learning BibleWorks and am writing parts of a review post as I go. I’ve been blogging a little more and plan on doing more substantial posts.
I’ve got the laptop all configured and ready to go so hopefully I’m done piddling around for the most part.
I got the laptop on two days ago. It took quite a while to get on the Internet and then even longer to connect to the other desktops on the network. Then yesterday I couldn’t send e-mail through AT&T and spent an hour chatting with a tech person getting that straightened out. It hasn’t become enjoyable at all until today. I still lose the network every time I reboot which is maddening. I could wipe out Vista and install XP but then I’d have to start all over again.
Now I can get to work on learning BibleWorks and it will be much easier to check my work on the Greek exercises in the Croy book. I’m thrilled that there is a third party Croy vocabulary set available for the BW vocabulary flashcard module. And the sound files include modern Greek pronunciation! I don’t even want to listen to the Erasmian stuff.
Hopefully I’ve got most of the configuration and customization done and I won’t play around with that stuff so much and I’ll get to the important stuff.
Because of the pain med and what I think may have been lingering affects of the anesthesia, I was pretty foggy and stupid for a while. Sunday I was down to 1/8 the dose of the pain med compared what I was taking for a few days after the surgery and I could tell my word recall got better and I felt like reading more heavy stuff.
So I started reading the 1 Peter commentary on Sunday and started Croy’s Greek Grammar on Monday. I’m taking the latter very slow and really learning it.
I just installed a review copy of BibleWorks and I’m sure that will help my Greek.
In reading Greek For The Rest Of Us and Exegetical Fallacies I learned a lot about languages even though I still know next to nothing. I’m determined not to let a little bit be dangerous and may want to keep going further.
I was going to go through Croy’s Grammar and after that hopefully be able to read a Greek reader. But I would like to also go through Black’s linguistics book too later on. I think I’m going to have to devote some time each day to language long term.
Two priests died at the same time and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.
St. Peter said, “I’d like to get you guys in now, but our computer’s down.
You’ll have to go back to Earth for about a week, but you can’t go
back as priests. What’ll it be?”
The first priest says, “I’ve always wanted to be an eagle, soaring
above the Rocky mountains.”
“So be it,” says St. Peter, and off flies the first priest.
The second priest mulls this over for a moment and asks, “Will any of
this week ‘count’, St. Peter?”
“No, I told you the computer’s down. There’s no way we can keep track
of what you’re doing.”
“In that case,” says the second priest, “I’ve always wanted to be a stud.”
“So be it” says St. Peter, and the second priest disappears.
A week goes by, the computer is fixed, and the Lord tells St. Peter to
recall the two priests. “Will you have any trouble locating them?” He
asks.
“The first one should be easy,” says St. Peter. “He’s somewhere over
the Rockies, flying with the eagles. But the second one could prove to
be more difficult.”
“Why?” asketh the Lord.
“He’s on a snow tire, somewhere in North Dakota.”
It’s two weeks after surgery and I’m tired. I haven’t had the mental clarity to read the commentary on 1 Peter or start Greek yet although I’m still practicing pronunciation/recognition. I’ve been reading Living for God’s Glory which I’ll be reviewing. And spiritual disciplines are done at all costs even if reduced. But I’m just tired. I may resort to watching more TV tonight than usual.
This feeling started last night. I couldn’t get myself to do any real reading or anything so I read part of an article by Silva on Bible interpretation that I have on my MP3 player. I was thankful that God has brought me to the point where reading something like that is “light reading” and I’d rather do that than read fiction or watch a movie.
I already had 3:17 memorized and decided to add to it in the NLT after recently readings through Colossians. I don’t know why, but right now this is the passage that sinks in the most among those that speak about kindness, gentleness, forgiveness etc. And I love the first part about being chosen.
“But small talk becomes tiny talk and insignificant blather when it circles in on itself time and again. It’s like coffee hour at some churches, where the conversation remains exceedingly trivial Sunday after Sunday, stuck in the weather, the stock market, and (for Chicagoans) ‘da Bears.’ Church coffee hour that doesn’t lead to anything deeper (like joining a Bible study or small group or missions team) is something we quickly dread.”
Mark Galli, An Entertaining Saboteur
“[W]e all too often give very little thought to the gossip and idle talk (reeking, as is nearly always the case, with mordant sarcasm and cheap humor) to which we commit enormous amounts of time and energy, and much less ponder the ultimate (eternal!) implications of these seemingly trivial activities. In this we too betray our true character, and thereby sign our sentence of condemnation. For this we will be held accountable.
But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we left all such nonsense behind, and committed all of that time and energy to gossiping the Gospel, instead?”
Esteban Vázquez, Gossiping the Gospel
HT: Shaun Tabatt
Gordon Fee says:
“In your own words, describe (briefly) what the author has said and how his argument develops.”
My description:
God is to be praised/blessed because of the salvation He has given us by causing us to be born again because of His incredible kindness towards us. We know that this ultimate salvation is kept safe for us and we are kept by him. Peter is encouraging his readers in that they can be joyful in this despite the difficulties they/we may face, because we know that these difficulties don’t occur for nothing. They prove all the more that our faith is for real and that as difficult as they may be during our relatively short time here in this world, we will receive praise, glory and honor when we see God face to face. As our salvation isn’t now seen, so also God isn’t seen. But we still love Him and believe in Him because even now we are receiving salvation.
That’s almost as long as the passage itself! These paragraphs are extremely difficult to write and I’m always afraid of choosing the wrong words or sounding dorky. Probably hearkens back to getting bad grades on writing assignments in English class. I keep it here in seclusion instead of putting it on the main blog.
So I’m nearly done with my exegesis of this passage, having done most of the multitude of steps, and can’t wait to read the commentary.
1 Peter 1:3-9 NRSV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Here is the revised sentence diagram/phrasing of 1 Peter 1:1-12. Verses 3-9 are the focus though.
Phrasing of 1 Peter 1:1-12
This was previously done under the direction of Mounce from the book Greek For The Rest Of Us where he phrased this passage (using NIV) and I made some modifications under the direction of Fee’s general sentence diagramming guidelines in his book and what I see doing it the second time around.
Back surgery is Tuesday, which I’ll write about on the main blog.
I would like to:
I feel like I’ve got too much stuff going again. I’d rather concentrate on a couple of things.
I’m going through the grammar book for those studying Latin. Which I’m not, but it’s just the grammar I need to get ready for Greek.
Right now I’m doing my own exegesis of 1 Peter 1:3-9. I use Fee’s NT Exegesis. In following his guidelines for diagramming, I understand the grammar terms he uses so much better now that my grammar is better. The diagramming is so helpful for me and it seems that most people don’t understand it. I spent quite a bit of time tonight revising a diagram I already did with Mounce’s guidelines and it caused me to really look into things in addition to diagramming. That was time well spent.
I still need to do more steps outlined in the Fee book. I just finished the 2 Peter and Jude in Schreiner’s commentary so I want to get that stuff done before I read 1 Peter in the commentary. I think that will clear up some questions I have and hopefully a few blog posts will be born out of it.
