27.November.2006
Sackler Exhibit
Over Thanksgiving break I visited the Sackler Museum temporary exhibit of Bible’s from the first one thousand years, in Washington D.C. All these manuscripts come from before the printing press, many of them from the 2nd and 3rd century. So fragile and faded, but still legible. We tend to think of objects from the 1950s as antiques, but these writings are 1500 years old and older. Ridiculous. If you get a chance to see it before January, get to it.
25.September.2006
Going Dutch
Last week I had a first. A book I coauthored with Roger Olson was translated and published in Dutch. Dutch! InterVarsity Press sent me a copy, and even though my name is on it as the author, I can’t read a word of it. But I did see words in it like: “afhankelijkheidstheorie” and “bevrijdingstheologieen” (I promise I am not making this up or misspelling). This experience has made me think about how amazing ideas are and how incredible it is that ideas can be shared across cultures, languages, and times. The great thing about college is that all of the great ideas from around the world and throughout history are being brought together, translated, and distilled for your understanding. All of these various worlds and experiences are presented and made sense of – learning is a beautiful thing. Maybe I will take time to learn Dutch. That way I can read what I wrote!
