The Voice of Stefan

Theology and Praxis (Or, "No Wonder I Understand Nothing at All")

2008-07-17T10:22:00.003-04:00

Једна од разлика између красноречиве философије јелинске и вере хришћанске јесте у томе, што се философија јелинска да сва јасно речима изложити и читањем појмити, док вера хришћанска нити се да сва јасно речима изложити нити пак, још мање, само читањем појмити. При излагању вере хришћанске неопходан је и пример излагача, а при појимању и усвајању потребно је сем читања и вежбање читача. Кад је патријарх Фотије прочитао речи Марка Подвижника о Духовном Животу, он је приметио извесну нејасност код писца, за коју он мудро каже, да „не происходи од тамноће излагања него од тога што истине, ту излагане, боље се схватају посредством вежбања (него посредством речи), и не могу бити објашњене само речима... И ово додаје велики патријарх, није случај само код ових беседа нити само код овог јединог мужа, него код свију који су се трудили изложити подвижничке законе, страсти и упутства, која се боље разумеју из самог делања (вежбања).”

One of the differences between the eloquent philosophy of the Greeks and the Christian Faith is that the whole of Greek philosophy can clearly be expressed with words and comprehended by reading, while the Christian Faith cannot be clearly expressed by words and even less comprehended by reading alone. When you are expounding the Christian Faith, for its understanding and acceptance, both reading and the practice of what is read are necessary. When Patriarch Photius read the words of Mark the Ascetic concerning the spiritual life, he noticed in the author a certain unclarity that, he wisely said, "does not proceed from the obscurity of expression but from that truth which is expressed there; it is better understood by means of practice (rather than by means of words), and that cannot be explained by words only." And this, the great patriarch adds, "is not the case only with these homilies nor with these men, but rather with all of those who attempted to expound the ascetical rules, passions, and instructions, which are better understood from practice alone."

(From the Prologue from Ochrid, reflection for June 24)

I'm Back!

2008-07-16T22:04:00.007-04:00

In a comment posted earlier today, Jim West states that his presumption of my death appeared to be correct after all, and asks me to pass on his greetings to Zwingli in the other world. Setting aside my shock that Jim, a Baptist, is given to the practice of necromancy, I'm sorry to disappoint him (and others): I am alive and well, I have arrived safely in Puerto Rico, and like Mark Twain, I find that the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

Upon my return, I was greeted by an exceeding great amount of mail which included a number of items of interest:

Those who have been following the saga of the damaged Orthodox Study Bible over the past few months will be delighted to learn that I have finally received a flawless copy of the OSB to replace the severely damaged one that the publishers originally sent. It bears noting that the book was packed with the utmost care, and that it was not mechanically shrink-wrapped, but rather wrapped by hand, which suggests that it was subjected to careful scrutiny before shipping. Kudos to Conciliar Press! After such a display of expeditious and attentive customer service, one can only surmise that Kevin's electronic communications merely fell through the cracks; the diligent staff at Conciliar might take note and ensure that this was not caused by unknown technical problems.
Concordia Publishing House has sent for review copies of Bengt Hägglund's History of Theology (4th rev. ed.), and of Paul Zimmerman's A Seminary in Crisis, which chronicles, from the "conservative" side, the events leading up to the debacle at Concordia Seminary-St.Louis in the mid-70s (long a research interest of mine). Many thanks to Concordia for their kindness in sending these along!
I have finally had the satisfaction to peruse Ben Witherington III's Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians (vol. 1), which I bought for an exceedingly low price from Mike Aubrey a number of months ago. (Thanks, Mike!) Though unfortunately I won't have the time to examine this commentary in detail for yet a while, I am very much looking forward to that: I never fail to learn something from Witherington's (and DeSilva's) always thorough socio-rhetorical treatment of biblical texts. I must, however, mention this: while I am in awe of Witherington's prodigious literary output and his evident scholarly powers, I can't help but be a little amused by his (systematic?) insistence on championing some peculiar view or another, such as the notion that St Lazarus was the "Beloved Disciple" or the authenticity of the so-called "James Ossuary." This commentary is no exception: here Witherington seems to champion the late great C. F. D. Moule's proposal that St Luke the Evangelist was the amanuensis for the Pastoral Epistles. However, in this case I'm very interested in following his exegetical argument, not only because I believe these Epistles to be authentically Pauline (the term "early catholicism" means nothing at all to me), but also because my inner neo-Griesbachian is continually fascinated by the interplay between St Luke and St Paul in the biblical canon. Of course, like everything else in Pauline studies, this proposal too is closely tied to questions of chronology; I'm also looking forward, then, to revisiting that vexing matter. For this, I know of no better companion than Gerd Luedemann's Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: Studies in Chronology, which I have placed next to Witherington's commentary (!) in anticipation of the coming day on which I shall be able to plunge into both.

In closing, I should like to take this chance to note that the one-year (i.e., silver, in internet time) anniversary of The Voice of Stefan occurred last Sunday, July 13. A year, and still alive and kicking (death reports notwithstanding)! Many thanks to all who have taken the time to read, comment and otherwise interact with me over the past year. I can only hope that the next year will likewise be filled with your input and friendship.

Random Updates from the Northern Wilderness

2008-07-02T16:19:00.003-04:00

In news that will undoubtedly cause the Irreverend Mr Ker to have a string of fits of hysteria, my venerable (and radically cool) glasses finally broke. Thanks to the good offices of Elmer's Super Glue I have been able to salvage them temporarily, but I'm afraid that I will have to altogether replace them within the next few months. This fills me with great distress, since the last time I was at the eyeglass shop, no model like unto them could be found anywhere.
In news that will make Dr Defiance squee with delight, I have chosen to eliminate my signature short beard, but have kept my sideburns. I fear, however, that now my appearance resembles that of the ignoble Rev Mr Tilling (seen here in a stock photo). No matter: this is, after all, the first step of my brilliant plan to one day usurp the place of Jim West. By eliminating my beard, I have automatically made myself eligible for the position of associate pastor at Jim's church. Once voted in (for no congregation has ever been known to resist my charms), I shall reveal myself as a BAR-loving maximalist, an extreme inerrantist, and a believer in centralized denominationalism, all of which will cause Jim to disintegrate into the ether in his fury. After this, I shall at last be able to lay hold of the title Dr Defiance myself, and enjoy the fruit of my exploits. (In case you didn't know, this title, which is the terror of Biblioblogdom, is passed on from generation to generation rather like that of the Dread Pirate Roberts, but by means of methods more closely resembling those that lay behind the succession of Roman Emperors.)
The saving grace of these internet-less hinterlands is a fantastic (if small) used book shop where I have been able to obtain a series of most interesting titles for no more than $3 USD each. Among my better finds are Douglas Bush's older (but still authoritative) study Mythology and the Renaissance Tradition in English Poetry; a pristine copy of Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers; and The Groucho Letters: Letters from and to Groucho Marx. I have read the latter title with particular delight, and I foresee in the immediate future of The Voice of Stefan a feature entitled "Marxist Quote of the Week." My impressions of another tome, whose title I will not yet disclose, you will read before too long.
My Michigan sojourn shall come to an end on Wednesday, July 16, after which date I intend to reclaim my rightfully earned place on Biblioblogs.com and Jim West's blogroll. Of course, it may take me a few days to get down to business, as I must yet read the 1,200+ posts that you, my gentle snowflakes, have produced in the meantime. (Seriously, people!) Well, at least I have kept up with my buddy Nick Norelli's blog, so that's nearly 150 less messages to read (but I must yet comment!).

Customer Service Update, Part Two

2008-06-12T14:37:00.005-04:00

A number of you have inquired over the past few weeks about the badly damaged copy of the complete Orthodox Study Bible which I received a while back (see the reports, with grievous pictures, here and here), and whether Conciliar Press ever replied to Kevin Edgecomb's communications regarding this matter. As far as I know, Conciliar Press did not, in fact, ever reply to Kevin despite his having contacted them more than once. This is a shame, given that our good friend Mr Edgecomb did not buy from them just one, but rather two copies of the OSB at full price, and that his payments were not declined or otherwise returned–all of which would normally make him, one thinks, a valued customer deserving of every attention.

Finally, I decided to call Conciliar Press a couple of weeks ago and ask how to go about returning a damaged copy of the OSB. The very polite lady who answered the phone, upon learning of the ghastly gash that disfigured my copy, apologized for the defect and promptly gave me the address to which I could send the damaged copy in exchange for a new, hopefully pristine one. I finally sent off the defective book via US Mail last Wednesday, June 4, and the Delivery Confirmation report states that the package was last seen in Richmond, CA 94804 as of June 11, 2008; if all goes well (that is, if my name is not in the same list as Kevin's), I expect to find upon my return a new copy of the OSB, this time free from every kind of unacceptable manufacture and binding defect. As for defects of other sorts that the book may or may not have, I continue to be engaged in copious notetaking as I explore the particulars of that volume thanks to another specimen available to me at my current location.

More as things develop!

On Extended Absences of the Post-Lenten Kind

2008-06-04T16:02:00.005-04:00

While many others normally place a moratorium on the internet during Lent, here at The Voice of Stefan all internet activities have instead been held in abeyance during the first 40 days of the Paschal season, which end today. It was a stroke of genius, I admit it: shattering expectations and holding all in suspense, while creating a space for the wildest speculations. Brilliant!

Of course, the real reason I haven't been posting for the past few weeks is that life has decided to take a great many turns of late, and I have suddenly found myself in the hinterlands Michigan, completely surrounded by no internet. (And if you fail to recognize this last line as both a reference and a deep nod to Keeping Up Appearances' Onslow, well, you should be, of all [women and] men, most to be pitied.) I should be back home not many weeks hence, at which point posting will resume at its normal speed. Which is not much, as we all know, but it's still better than nothing.

Noteworthy highlights from my trip to Michigan thus far include the following:

I paid a visit to that wretched emporium of blasphemous Christian trinketry, the Family Christian Stores, where I was able to see a guitar pick with the words "Pick Jesus!" printed in the front and Romans 10:13 printed in the back, as well as an idolatrous t-shirt that read, "JesUSAves";
I finally picked up a copy of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, which for all of its defects, allows me the pleasure to see on a printed page St John 3:16 excellently and unambiguously translated ("For God loved the world in this way...");
At a nearby parish of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Metropolia, I've been treated several times, much to my perverse amusement, to a setting of the Prayer Before Holy Communion ("I believe, O Lord, and I confess...") to the tune of—wait for it—Just As I Am (see for yourselves).

Clearly, the fun never ceases.

My limited internet time is about up, but I expect to check in at least a few times before I return home (and perhaps even to post one of those reviews on which I've been working!). In the meantime, and for the last time this Paschal season (as it is now nearly time for the Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension), allow me to say once again to one and all with great joy:

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY RISEN!

On the Day of the Lord's Glorious Resurrection

2008-04-29T13:29:00.002-04:00

SONNET LVXIII

Most glorious Lord of lyfe, that on this day,
Didst make thy triumph ouer death and sin:
and hauing harrowd hell, didst bring away
captiuity thence captiue vs to win:
This ioyous day, deare Lord, with ioy begin,
and grant that we for whom thou diddest dye
being with thy deare blood clene washt from sin,
may liue for euer in felicity.
And that thy loue we weighing worthily,
may likewise loue thee for the same againe:
and for thy sake that all lyke deare didst buy,
with loue may one another entertayne.
So let vs loue, deare loue, lyke as we ought,
loue is the lesson which the Lord vs taught.

From Edmund Spenser's 1595
Amoretti; quoted from the Oxford
edition of the Poetical Works.

Monday a'Machen: The Heart of the Gospel

2008-04-28T14:36:00.001-04:00

"The Christian Church, then, is founded upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead. If the resurrection be denied, then the origin of the Church becomes an insoluble problem. The Church itself is a witness to the resurrection. Not merely isolated passages, but the whole of the New Testament, bears testimony. [....]

"If Jesus was raised from the dead, then his lofty claims are established. If the resurrection is a fact, then Jesus of Nazareth was no mere man—but God and man, God come in the flesh.

"The Church is founded not upon the memory of a dead teacher, but upon the presence of a living Lord. The message, 'He is risen'—that is the very heart of the gospel."

(J. Gresham Machen, The New Testament: An Introduction to its Literature and History [Carlisle:Banner of Truth, 1990], pages 58-59.)

Христос воскресе, радост донесе!

2008-04-27T22:32:00.002-04:00

For me, one of the great joys of Pascha is to sing in Church (and everywhere!) the wonderful hymn Људи ликујте (Rejoice, O People!), written by St Nikolaj Velimirović (d. 1956)—our beloved Vladika Nikolaj, the "Serbian Chrysostom." This is one of many Serbian religious folk songs, a genre that is usually called "duhovne pesme" ("spiritual songs," cfr. Colossians 3:16). Some of them are quite ancient, and others are of more recent composition. But the greatest and most prolific writer of these spiritual songs was St Nikolaj; anthologies of his "spiritual songs" are quite popular in Serbian parishes and homes. Also, in many Churches (including our parish here), these "spiritual songs" are often sung during the communion of the clergy, or after the Liturgy. Everyone knows them! It is therefore with great joy that I share once again with you the joy of our Serbian Orthodox people, our crkvene duhovne pesme, also this time from Stupovi's remarkable 2006 album Обновимо себе - подигнимо Ступове, produced as part of the efforts to raise funds to rebuild the ancient Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery in Ras.

(Note: what you hear at 1:37 is precisely how this song was meant to be sung! For the studio version, which includes the final verse in full, click here. If you understand Serbian, and I don't see why anybody wouldn't, there is a lovely interview on the recording of this song available here. The lyrics may be seen here.)

БРАЂУ И СЕСТРЕ,

This Is the Day of Resurrection

2008-04-27T00:00:00.005-04:00

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

And as the prince Satan and Hades spoke this together, suddenly there came a voice as of thunder and a spiritual cry: "Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O everlasting gates, and the King of glory shall come in." When Hades heard that, he said unto the prince Satan: "Depart from me and go out of mine abode: if thou be a mighty man of war, fight thou against the King of glory. But what hast thou to do with him?" And Hades cast Satan forth out of his dwelling. Then said Hades unto his wicked ministers: "Shut ye the hard gates of brass and put on them the bars of iron and withstand stoutly, lest we that hold captivity be taken captive."

But when all the multitude of the saints heard it, they spake with a loud voice of rebuking unto Hades: "Open thy gates, that the King of glory may come in." And David cried out, saying: "Did I not, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy unto you: 'Let them give thanks unto the Lord, even his mercies and his wonders unto the children of men: for he hath broken the gates of brass and smitten the bars of iron in sunder; he hath taken them out of the way of their iniquity.'" And thereafter in like manner Isaiah said: "Did not I, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy unto you: 'The dead shall arise, and they that are in the tombs shall rise again, and they that are in the earth shall rejoice, for the dew which cometh of the Lord is their deliverance?' And again I said: 'O Death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?'"

When they heard all these things from Isaiah, all the saints said unto Hades: "Open thy gates: now shalt thou be overcome and weak and without strength." And there came a great voice as of thunder, saying: "Lift up your gates, O princes, and be ye lifted up, O gates of Hades, and the King of glory shall come in." And when Hades saw that they so cried out twice, he said, as though he knew it not: "Who is the King of glory?" And David answered Hades and said: "The words of this cry do I know, for by his spirit I prophesied the same; and now I say unto thee that which I said before: 'The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, he is the King of glory.' And: 'The Lord looked down from heaven that he might hear the groanings of them that are in fetters and deliver the children of them that have been slain.' And now, O thou most foul and stinking Hades, open thy gates, that the King of glory may come in." And as David spake thus unto Hades, the Lord of majesty appeared in the form of a man and lightened the eternal darkness and broke the bonds that could not be loosed: and the succour of his everlasting might visited us that sat in the deep darkness of our transgressions and in the shadow of death of our sins.

--From the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus

(Click above to hear the Paschal troparion sung to our Serbian melody.)

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY RISEN!

Prolegomenon to a Bible Review: On the Necessity of Seriously and Critically Engaging Matters of Text and Translation

2008-04-16T21:00:00.008-04:00

It has been my experience that, when faced with the discussion of issues of Biblical text and translation, not a few Orthodox Christians in North American contexts protest that all such considerations are ultimately petty and irrelevant, since all one really needs in order to approach the Scriptures in an Orthodox manner (say they) is a set of explicitly Orthodox annotations to be used alongside any translation of the Bible. Why invest all this time and attention in such matters, then?

The answer is quite simple, really.

The Bible belongs to the Church, and it is from her that we receive both its letter (i.e., our ecclesiastical text) and its interpretation (i.e., patristic and liturgical exegesis). Our holy and God-bearing fathers, meditating on those words of Scripture, have seen Christ at every turn. This is the interpretation of Holy Scripture embodied in our prayers, our Services, and indeed of our whole Faith. But how can we, the faithful, see Christ in every page of Scripture guided by our holy fathers, if we're not looking at the same page as they? Yet if our Bibles fail to give us the Church's text of the Scriptures, we will in fact be looking at a different page, and we'll see Christ a little (and at times even a lot!) less clearly than our holy fathers did. Gems that, according to them, reveal Christ to us, will have disappeared.

The same is true if our translation is substandard. Think of it as trying to admire a rough diamond as though it were already polished. A questionable or incompetent translation can hide Christ in the pages of Scripture from us; it can darken the image that should shine clearly, and in the worst cases, it can obliterate it entirely.

While a good annotated edition can be helpful in many ways, one must be careful to always remember that the notes are not the inspired Scriptural text; that is, we don't seek to see Christ in the notes, but in the Biblical text. We must not mistake the means for the end! Consider this: neither the Epistle Book nor the Gospel Book used liturgically in Church have explanatory notes. There such notes become superfluous, because the Scriptural texts are in their true context: that of true worship, and the true faith, "given once for all to the saints" (St Jude 3). This context alone enables us to see Christ clearly in every word of Holy Scripture. Thus, good annotations may be a very helpful aid to our reading, but they cannot substitute for the Scriptural text itself. And again, to the extent that the translation in front of us fails to accurately render the ecclesiastical text of the Scriptures, to that extent it departs from the letter and interpretation that the Church has given us, thus preventing us from accessing that authentic Orthodox approach to Scriptures in which we seek to be immersed.

So, why then must we engage with the utmost care matters of text and translation? So that, when we open the Scriptures, we may have before us all that our Fathers and Mothers in Christ saw, that they may teach us; and so that we may the see splendor of Christ clearly, and not through darkness. After all, Scriptural reading has little do to with private interpretation, and everything to do with reading in communion with those who, now triumphant, have have gone to their rest before us.

[For another discussion of this subject, see my earlier post On Translating the Church's (and No Other) Bible. For previous posts on patristic and liturgical exegesis, see here, here and here.]

Room With a View Meme

2008-04-12T15:51:00.009-04:00

Some time ago, the Rev Mr Ker (i.e., The Blogger Formerly Known as Lingamish) inflicted on Biblioblogdom (and beyond) a meme whose point was to post a picture of the view from your desk. On that occasion he said: "I would tag Estêbãn Vasquez [sic] but I’ve never seen any photos on his ~~black hole~~ blog other than his own gorgeous mug." Well, then! Since today is picture day at The Voice of Stefan thanks to the good offices my sister, I will overlook the vexing use of random Portuguese diacritical marks over my decidedly Spanish first name, as well as the distressing misspelling of my last name, in order to belatedly answer the Rev Mr Ker's meme call. Without further ado, then, here is the picture:

(Click on the picture for the full image)

This is what I see to my left while working at my computer. Actually, there is a sliding door there; this picture was taken with the sliding door open. "The bars on the windows as well as the mosquito screens" (not seen in the picture, alas!) remind you that I'm in the Caribbean. (Just so you know that such things are not exclusive to Africa!) I will not tag anyone specifically, but if anyone wishes to post their own picture, let them do so.

Incidentally, the Rev Mr Ker noted earlier today that I've bleached my blog; in a private communication, he suggests that this is clearly the work of hackers. Iyov, for his part, expresses his wishes that the authorities may speedily catch the perp. Well, be not anxious, my friends: it was I indeed who effected the change. As it happens, I just grew tired of the black background and the clashing color scheme (much to Nick Norelli's rejoicing, I'm sure). I find that I like this scheme much better, though I must yet fine tune some things. Besides, my dear friend Emily has famously said that all my clothes are brown, and it is only fitting that my blog be brought into conformity with this pattern. Attentive readers will also note that I've reverted to my original blog heading, which I've never taken the time to explain; expect some comments related to this matter next week.

Oh, and one further thing: if you haven't clicked through to my blog from your aggregator recently, then you haven't seen the newest feature of my sidebar, the Contextless, Yet Priceless, Endorsements. These are choice excerpts from Enlightened Minds who have spoken about the excellencies of The Voice of Stefan. If you feel qualified to endorse this blog and wish to see your endorsement displayed on the sidebar, please leave a comment with your quotable quote, and I shall see to it that it is excerpted in the manner most favorable to this blog's reputation. ;-)

Customer Service Update

2008-04-12T11:39:00.004-04:00

It is now the weekend, and there's been no word yet from Conciliar Press regarding a replacement copy for the sloppily bound and sloppily handled copy of the complete Orthodox Study Bible that they dispatched to Kevin Edgecomb, who (unknowingly) passed it along to me. I find this a bit disappointing, but perhaps they're just a bit backed up and we'll yet hear from them early next week. Here's hoping!

Meanwhile, thanks to my sister's superior technological bearings, I have been able to upload two high definition pictures of my copy of the OSB in which the damage may be appreciated in greater detail. Please click on the pictures below for the full size images:

In Which I Discuss, or Otherwise Note, Sundry Comments By Other People Whose Blogs I Read (Or, Highlights from the Blogroll)

2008-04-11T22:29:00.014-04:00

Jim West suggests that I should attend the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond. And it's not like I haven't seriously considered it: after all, BTSR is a terrific school with quite the attractive biblical studies curriculum, and BTSR students have cross-registration privileges at nearby Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, itself a fine center for the study of biblical exegesis and theology (and with a doctoral program, to boot!). Why I am not packing my bags and looking for housing around Richmond, then? Because BTSR offers only the MDiv, which degree, as is well known, is profoundly against my religion. Sadness!
While we're still on the subject of theological education: thoughts on the University of London's external Bachelor of Divinity, anyone?
Nathan Stitt wins here and here. (Take that, Ker and Norelli!) But of course, this hardly comes as a surprise, since we already knew that Mr Stitt wins at life.
Michael Bird makes an impassioned plea to doctoral students in New Testament to pay heed to Græco-Roman sources in their research, and offers a well thought out 12-step plan to remedy the widespread neglect of these sources in recent NT research. In light of posts and articles such as this one, I'm really glad to have taken the time to pursue coursework in the Classics!
I knew that reading J. Mark Bertrand's wonderful Bible Design and Binding blog would be bad for me sooner or later. Earlier today, Mark featured an exquisite handmade edition of the Reina Valera 1995, bound in genuine calfskin by Abba Bibles in Mexico. I was blown away and died a million deaths upon beholding such unearthly beauty. Naturally, I set out to look for other Bibles bound by Abba; I found this, which appears to sell for a mere $450.00 MX (roughly $43 USD). Anyone have any experience buying merchandise directly from Mexico? I can't afford it at the moment, but I'd certainly like to know how to go about buying this Bible if the opportunity presents itself! Of course, perhaps I should wait until I can find a gorgeously bound edition of the RVR1960, because we all know what happens to me when I read any other Spanish translation.
And finally, speaking of translations, the Rev Mr Ker asks, "How would you translate Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ?" (I Corinthians 13:4a). The divine Suzanne McCarthy hits the nail square on the head with "Love is slow to anger," and this for entirely Septuagintal reasons. (By the way, Suzanne also posted earlier today on the subject "participle theology"; go, read, and be enlightened. My favorite part of the post is the last paragraph, because I love it when the ESV gets caught doing that which its most ardent pamphleteers so sharply criticize in other translations.)

In Which the OSB and I Don't Get Off to Such a Great Start

2008-04-09T22:30:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, our good friend Kevin Edgecomb kindly decided to send me a copy of the complete Orthodox Study Bible, an endeavor to which he attended with remarkable celerity: indeed, I received my copy of the OSB this afternoon, exactly a week after he made the offer! Many, many thanks to Kevin.

Upon retrieving my new, shrinkwrapped OSB from the box in which it was carefully packed, I realized that the upper right corner of the front cover was bumped, as were several of the pages towards the middle of the volume. Whoever dropped this at Conciliar Press dropped it hard, I thought. Of course, I have bought a number of books thus damaged in my time, so this is in itself not a matter of concern to me; however, Mr Edgecomb paid full price for the book, and he certainly deserves his money's worth! I alerted him of this small defect, and proceeded to continue to look through the book. As I examined the New Testament, I noticed that the back cover wasn't sitting quite right, so I decided to take a look. Imagine my surprise when I saw this (with my apologies for the bad quality of the pictures):

It is truly unfortunate that it was this sloppily bound and sloppily handled copy of the OSB that made its way all the way down here. While the binding defect shown above was evidently in place before shrinkwrapping, I'm almost certain that the book was dropped in the process of inserting the list of errata, for which purpose the shrinkwrap was slit along the edge. In any case, a replacement copy has already been requested from Conciliar Press; no word from them yet on the matter, but I do intend to update as soon as there are news, and report on the quality of their customer service.

As an aside, Kevin also sent along a copy of Charles Thomson's translation of the Septuagint (1808). I was unaware that a reprint of this beautiful and lively translation is currently available (see here; more information about the reprint from the publisher go here). A bit more about Thomson's translation (which apparently originally included also the New Testament) may be read here, and those interested in its printing history may learn more about it here. I've only had this beautiful volume for a few hours, and I can already tell that it will become one of my favorite Bibles. Again, thanks, Kevin!

Announcement: New Orthodox Psalter Published

2008-04-09T12:32:00.004-04:00

Readers will remember that in an earlier post I mentioned that Michael Asser's revision of the King James Version's Psalter according to the Septuagint (available online here and here) was forthcoming in a printed and further corrected edition from the Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies. I am glad to report that the book is now available for purchase, and that shipping is expected by the end of this month. Here is the announcement:

THE CENTER FOR TRADITIONALIST ORTHODOX STUDIES

announces, after several years in production, the publication of

THE PSALTER

arranged for Orthodox liturgical use by Michael Asser, edited by the St. Gregory Palamas Monastery. With full kathismata and verses, conforming to the language of the King James and the Douai-Rheims but translated to reflect the Septuagint text.

This is a beautiful publication of rare book quality on fine paper, with large type, perfect-bound in black faux leather with gold embossing and decorated throughout with original manuscript illumination and Icons in full color.

Because of the cost of production, this first printing is a limited run and should be ordered as early as possible. Pre-orders will be filled and mailed out by the end of April, until the printing is exhausted. If your order is not filled, you should look for announcements of a future second printing.

See details and ordering instructions at:

http://www.ctosonline.org/forth/PK.html

Michael Asser, a gifted writer and translator, is a native of Great Britain, where he received his B.A. degree in Classics and postgraduate Diploma in Classical Studies at the Open University. He is a Fellow of the Library Association of England and Wales. Mr. Asser was received into the Orthodox Faith by Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia.

This is undoubtedly an important publishing event for English-speaking Orthodox, and this excellent, handsomely bound Psalter deserves to be widely used and recognized. While it is a bit expensive, it should be borne in mind that this quality liturgical text is designed to last several generations of use in the icon corner or the cantor's stand. Also, it is well known that the CTOS does not arbitrarily inflate book prices for gain (as may be seen from the rest of their catalog), so one may be sure that the price one will pay for this volume is very close to cost. Unfortunately, at $47.95 it is still beyond my means at the present time, but I encourage all who can afford this outstanding publication to order a copy and thus create demand for many other printings.

On People Who Wish Not to Be Bothered with the Facts (or, Don't Mess with Moisés Silva)

2008-04-08T16:13:00.007-04:00

Mike Aubrey reports that, much to his horror (and mine), someone found his blog through these vile search terms:

"moises silva liberal"

I know well, my gentle snowflakes, that no words can possibly express the tremendous horror produced by such ghastly (and indeed, hellish) lucubrations, produced as they are by sick and perverted minds. It is to Mr Aubrey's credit, then, that he made some excellent (if brief) remarks concerning the wholly reprehensible practice of labeling scholars as "liberal" as a way to conveniently dismiss their work. To them I should only like to add a quote from the infallible Moisés Silva himself (depicted to the right in an artist's rendering), taken from his wonderful manual Explorations in Exegetical Method: Galatians as a Test Case (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996):

Nothing could be more wrong-headed than letting our conceptual framework blind us to the evidence or to new ways of looking at the evidence. It is all too easy for us to prejudge specific interpretations simply because they have been advanced by unbelieving scholars or simply because they appear, at first blush, to conflict with our prior commitments. But the Christian faith does not ask us to ignore or reject the facts. Quite the contrary, it provides the only means of properly evaluating them—all of them. (page 150)

(This chapter of Explorations in Exegetical Method appeared originally as "Systematic Theology and the Apostle to the Gentiles" in Trinity Journal 15:1 [Spring 1994]: 3-26. A link to the full text of this article, and to that of several other articles by the infallible Moisés Silva, may be found at the end of what is, perhaps, the most important post I have written on this blog: And This Was How Hermeneutics Came to My Life.)

More Tuesday Morning Musings

2008-04-08T11:46:00.008-04:00

My superfriend Juhem has apparently decided to move from retelling stories from our high school days on to poking fun at me on the basis of news items. Of course, I'm only complaining because I had seen the very same news item a while back and had thought to do the same thing with Jim West, but I forgot! Meanwhile, Juhem forgot to link to the relevant xkcd comic on the subject of death by blogging.

Speaking of blogging and the dangers thereof, Jim West has posted a (typically) provocative response to Chris Brady's thoughtful reflections on how bloggers write. Be sure to give both posts a read! [UPDATE: Chris writes a second post on the subject here.]

I wish to take this chance to state that I love the OSB. I can hardly think of a better study edition of any Bible, and I find the translation delightful in every respect. Therefore, I'm glad to heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a study edition of the Scriptures. Oh, wait—maybe I should clarify that by "OSB" I mean the Oxford Study Bible in the Revised English Bible, which our good friend ElShaddai Edwards has recently been able to find in a fine genuine leather edition. (He posts pictures!) I too own a leatherbound copy of this Bible (mine is burgundy), and it is one of my top two favorite academic editions. Are you interested in buying one of these beautiful Bibles for yourself, perhaps? Well, no problem! Iyov notes that you can score one for a mere $74o plus shipping. He also discusses Oxford's crazy Bible publishing strategies, so head on over to read his post and let us be enraged together.

Jim West has recently posted, as "a cautionary note to the young," some helpful comments on the matter of acquiring books; Nick Norelli, a notorious book junkie (and yes, I do have the moral authority to say that!), inquires as a result which books from Jim's categories are missing from his library. He wonders, in particular, about Old and New Testament theologies. Since I like to watch out for other people's wallets every bit as much as for my own, I thought I would let Nick (and any other interested parties) know that Christian Book Distributors has the Prince Press (i.e., single-volume) edition of Gerhard von Rad's epoch-making Old Testament Theology available for a mere $9.99 plus shipping. Yes, you're welcome. As for New Testament theologies, other than Ladd, I would highly recommend G. B. Caird's New Testament Theology (completed posthumously by his student E. D. Hurst), but unfortunately that will set you back a few bucks.

Felix Culpa over at Ora et Labora has posted a marvelous series entitled The Areopagite in 20th Century Orthodoxy, offering a masterful assessment of the anti-Dionysian Orthodox scholarship of the middle of the last century and its reversal. Read it all: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

And to close, I offer the following two quotes for your edification:

Nick Norelli: "Scripture does not interpret Scripture, people interpret Scripture." (Now, chew on that for a while!)

Iyov: "Now this midrash -- like all aggada -- is not obligatory to believe. However, it puts the story in a new light -- making our Biblical dialogue richer. [....] Midrash is the result of careful and pious reading of Scripture." (Do read the whole thing! A brilliant post, indeed.)

My Modus Operandi (or, "P.P.S.: I Can Kill You With My Brain")

2008-04-04T00:45:00.011-04:00

Since earlier I uncovered the real reason behind Jim West's drive to blog, I thought it only fair to likewise expose the dark pathology undergirding my own blogging (and commenting) proclivities:

Comments from the Peanut Gallery:

[00:42] nick_norelli: Where do you find this stuff?
[00:43] nick_norelli: And did YOU write that?

Yet More Comments on the Complete OSB

2008-04-03T15:43:00.006-04:00

Those keeping track of the many reviews of the complete Orthodox Study Bible that have appeared online in recent weeks might also wish to take note of the following posts:

1) Our good friend Kevin Edgecomb has produced another review piece entitled Orthodox Study Bible redux, in which he ably discusses a number of errors and problems with the OSB that he did not address in his first review post.

Also, alerted by a mischievous miscreant regarding a particularly egregious misprint in the OSB, Kevin gives us a short relation of some quirky Bibles in the history of English Bible printing, and suggests at the end of this entertaining post what, in light of the long tradition of English Bible misprints, might become the name for the first edition of the OSB: The 'Slop' Bible.

2) Felix Culpa (i.e., Father Anonymous) over at Ora et Labora has written a dazzling first installment of his projected multi-part review of the OSB (Orthodox Study Bible: My Turn, I) in which he dissects, unflinchingly and with a steady hand, the dust cover of this new volume. As is well known, I worry a great deal about the worldview deficiencies of projects such the OSB and of "American Orthodoxy" (whatever that means) in general, so I welcome commentary focusing exclusively on this issue—which I believe should be treated separately from any translational, textual or editorial deficiencies that may exist in this volume. I'm eagerly looking forward to the rest of the installments! [UPDATE: The second installment, dealing with the nature of the OSB notes, is now available.]

Father has also posted a helpful round up of some OSB reviews so far. To the comments and reviews he has already listed we might add the following: those by David Bryan, Benedict Seraphim (both his Initial Superficial Impression and his Further Reflections), and a commenter over at Orthodoxie. [UPDATE: Kevin Burt also offers some very thoughtful, and generally positive, observations in his post A layman's thoughts on the Orthodox Study Bible.]

Finally, I should like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Kevin Edgecomb, who has kindly offered to send along a copy of the OSB for examination and review. My own plan since learning of the publication of the OSB has been to do a point-by-point examination using Father Ephrem Lash's review as an "evaluation guide," if you will, for the new volume. To borrow Felix Culpa's words, I believe that "Fr Ephrem's review can be used as a standard to measure the success of the 2008 version of the OSB. Were the editors able to incorporate constructive criticism, or were they not?" With thanks to Kevin for making it possible, I expect to start on that project in the near future, after the volume arrives here—perhaps after Pascha.

A Few Random Comments on a Tuesday Morning

2008-03-25T11:28:00.010-04:00

Nick Norelli has sent me the Hebrew-English New Covenant: Prophecy Edition which he recently offered as a prize for his caption contest. This handsomely bound volume features the King James Version and the Trinitarian Bible Society's Hebrew New Testament, also based on the Textus Receptus. I should like to thank Doug Chaplin for forfeiting his rightfully earned prize, and Nick Norelli for choosing me quite arbitrarily to receive it in Doug's stead!
Spanish-speaking readers might be interested to know that there exists a Spanish translation of the Septuagint, that by Guillermo Jünemann-Beckschaefer, a Chilean Roman Catholic priest and scholar of German ancestry. This is an extremely literal translation and in many ways, I have found, it paints a picture of the "translation Greek" quality of the original, much like the NETS does for English-speaking readers. Although completed in 1928, Jünemann's translation of the Greek Bible was not printed in full until 1992, and is sadly now out print. Despair not, however: the full text (including his translation of the New Testament, which as far as I can tell is based on the Byzantine text) is available in an electronic edition which may be downloaded for free here!
According to Sitemeter, someone from Calvin College in my old stomping grounds of Grand Rapids, Michigan, found my blog via Lingamish! That is very exciting to me, for as is well known by all, Grand Rapids is the Holy City of God (i.e., the New GRusalem). Visitors from Calvin, in particular, must know that I am able to pass this test with flying colors and quite effortlessly, and that at least one unsuspecting Oma has declared in the past that I'm "a very nice Dutch boy." Ere zij God, ere zij God...
Sitemeter also notes that someone in Austria found my blog by searching for me by name. Clearly it is time for me to go underground.
I think the author of the best "Orthodox" blog in existence, Ora et Labora, is trying to tell me something.
The watchful Trevor informs us that a spokesman of the Patriarchate of Moscow has recently named The Simpsons as an example of a cartoon that "can be even called Christian and promote[s] family values." Outstanding! Surely this means that, as I have long suspected, The Simpsons make for appropriate Lenten viewing.

When the English Bible Does Not Mean What It Says

2008-03-21T21:05:00.003-04:00

The last line of my idiomatic rendering of Psalm 22 , "for as long as I live" (KJV: "forever"), seems to have attracted the most comments (not only online, but even over the phone!). A number of people have told me that they had a εὕρηκα (heurēka) moment of sorts when it hit them that there's no reference to eternity in the last couple of lines of this Psalm, which in fact speak of a lifetime devoted to God's service. In this case, our English translations have long conveyed an incorrect meaning by adopting a free rendering that did not accurately represent in English the meaning of the idiom in the original.

Now our friend Jeff over at Scripture Zealot brings to our attention another instance in which our English translations have likely conveyed an incorrect meaning in English, but this time by slavish adherence to form: Psalm 119:92.

If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction. (ESV)

But as Jeff notes, the idiomatic use of "perish" here doesn't seem to mean precisely "to die," but rather to be crushed under, to fall into despair. And much to his surprise (and to mine as well), only one English Bible seems to pick up on this nuance: The Message. Well, I guess that proves that it is not entirely useless, as I had previously thought! Go read Jeff's post to take a look at Eugene Peterson's rendering of this verse, and to read some relevant quotes from some older (and therefore better) Biblical commentators. (And to learn why I dutifully check out the likes of Matthew Henry, John Gill, and Adam Clarke before the thought of opening a critical commentary even crosses my mind, see the first paragraph of this older post.)

"Form," while able to communicate meaning clearly in some instances, can be a hindrance in others. I can say in Spanish "Mi mamá me dio aliento," which can be formally rendered as "My mom gave me breath;" however, this idiom does not mean that my mother gave me life, but rather that she encouraged me. Thus the formal translation quite plainly communicates the wrong meaning in English—and so slavish adherence to form leads us astray here. Let it be noted, however, that I believe it is greatly misguided to dispense with form as matter of principle. That seems to be rather en vogue these days, but I just find it to be a hopelessly obtuse endeavor. As I've noted before, there's no reason to try to make a translation easier than its original! But more about that later.

Two Spanish Book Notices

2008-03-18T23:44:00.017-04:00

I. I recently picked up a most interesting volume published by Broadman & Holman: the Biblia Peshitta en Español: Traducción de los Antiguos Manuscritos Arameos. Even though (contrary to the claim in the promotional material) this is not "the first formal attempt to translate th[e]se manuscripts into Spanish" (there exists an earlier 20th century Spanish translation of the Aramaic Peshitta, that by Hernández and Trujillo), the B&H edition is still a very welcome addition to the ever increasing count of Biblical translations into Spanish.

It is striking that this is not a reference (i.e., bookshelf) edition produced for an exclusively academic audience, but it is quite evidently meant for actual use by Bible readers and perhaps even churches. For a start, one notes that it is not a slavishly literal translation meant to give us the original Aramaic in Spanish trappings, but rather it strives to be an accurate, idiomatic translation, an endeavor in which it succeeds to a remarkable degree. According to the front matter of this edition (which includes an able and informative introduction to the Syriac Bible for the uninitiated), B&H's "optimal equivalence" translation philosophy is followed throughout; if this is what "optimal equivalence" looks like, I should like to see much more of it. There are cross-references listed on nearly every page of the text, as well as a number of clear and succinct philological and interpretive notes addressing both textual and translational issues. Further, there is an invaluable 22-page annotated table appended to the volume which notes the chief differences between this translation of the Syriac text of the Peshitta and the "usual translation from Hebrew and Greek," but we are not told which Spanish translation(s) they reference throughout. Also appended are helpful relations of common biblical words and names as they appear in this translation along with their Aramaic equivalents and short definitions—for all practical purposes, a short dictionary of the Aramaic Bible.

Rather disappointing (though not of course surprising, given the source) is the fact that only the protocanonical books of the Old Testament are included. An edition of this type including the full Syrian canon would be a fantastic accomplishment, but needless to say, the wise should not hold their breath. This edition (along with, I believe, all other B&H Bibles) also prints Christ's words in red. To quote Fr Ephrem Lash once again on this point, "I must protest most vigorously against the wholly unorthodox inverted Arianism of the typography whereby the words of Christ are printed in salmon pink, while his heavenly Father has to be content with mere black along with Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate." Also printed in red are the "Messianic prophecies" of the Old Testament (not whole passages, naturally: only verses, and in some cases, even less than that; cfr. Genesis 12:3). I'm quite unsure as to what advantage(s), if any, this crypto-Marcionite practice may present to the reader.

A peculiarity of this translation is that it uses the name "Yahweh" (and not "Yahveh," which would be a more natural Spanish transcription) for the Tetragrammaton—and this not only in the Old Testament, but even in the New (and, in the latter case, even outside quotations from the OT; cfr. II Peter 3:9). According to the relation of names in the back, this is because the translators understand the Aramaic Marya to be a contraction of Mar Yah, that is, "Lord Yahweh." I am told, however, that R. Payne Smith's standard lexicon indicates no such roots for Marya; and, as I recall, Aramaist extraordinaire Sebastian Brock specifically notes that it is merely an emphatic form of mar. I wonder, then, at the appropriateness of the use of this idiosyncratic translation. As I understand the matter, the use of Marya in the Peshitta simply parallels that of the anarthrous Kyrios in the LXX as a replacement of the Tetragrammaton (and indeed, the standard replacement of Adonai for YHWH in Hebrew reading). And of course, it should be noted that failing to render Marya as "Lord" throughout the Old and New Testaments makes it exceedingly difficult to read the Peshitta as the foundational text of the Syriac Patristic tradition, which no less less than the Greek, relies on this use of "Lord" for YHWH in the Old Testament to read it christologically.

In spite of the limitations and problems listed above, this new translation of the Peshitta into Spanish (the only one, in fact, readily available in print) remains a valuable contribution to the advancement of Biblical knowledge in the Spanish speaking world, and for this we are greatly in the translators' and the publishers' debt.

II. Have you ever wondered about what kinds of projects the infallible Moisés Silva is up to from his retirement in Litchfield, MI? I, for one, often lie awake at night pondering this question. Well, during a recent trip to the local office of the United Bible Societies, I came across a copy of Un Comentario Textual al Nuevo Testamento Griego (shown to the left), a Spanish translation of the second edition of Metzger's Textual Commentary by Alfredo Tepox and, you guessed it, Moisés Silva. This volume has been published by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, and therefore should be available through the United Bibles Societies anywhere around the globe. This is yet another important addition to the body of technical literature in biblical studies available in Spanish, and will surely be greeted with enthusiasm by both scholars and students alike. While I cannot comment on the quality of the translation as I didn't acquire a copy (being that I have both the first and second editions of Metzger's Textual Commentary already sitting on my shelf), readers of this blog are well aware that I haven't yet met a project of Moisés Silva's that I didn't like, and so might suppose (rightly or wrongly) what my assessment would be! But of course, it may be that in a joint project such as this we might encounter a translated text of uneven quality; in that case, we would have recourse to the old rhyme regarding the Liddell and Scott lexicon, which goes:

Two men wrote a lexicon, Liddell and Scott;
Some parts were clever, but some parts were not.
Hear, all ye learned, and read me this riddle:
How the wrong parts wrote Scott, and the right parts wrote Liddell.

Naturally, in that imagined scenario, the right parts of Spanish Textual Commentary would be Silva's, which would make Tepox the culprit, in the end. But of course, I only jest: I have no reason to doubt that this is an excellent translation, and hope that it will prove eminently useful throughout the Spanish speaking world (and beyond—I note that, so far, I have only been able to find it available for sale in German and Portuguese language websites).

Psalm 22 (23): A Poor Attempt at an Idiomatic Translation of the Church's Text

2008-03-13T23:18:00.026-04:00

Biblioblogdom is abuzz once again with talk of idiomatic and literary translations of Scripture, and this most recent round has been aptly summarized by ElShaddai Edwards. I don't generally contribute to these discussions, but I recently remembered a translational exercise I undertook about a year ago in which I attempted to produce idiomatic English translations of the ecclesiastical Greek text of several Psalms. (It goes without saying that these are not meant for use in public worship, but they grew out of my frustration with the translation of the ecclesiastical Psalter more commonly in use among English-speaking Orthodox, the Psalter According to the Seventy, which is basically incomprehensible at many points.) I've decided to post one of my translation drafts from time to time in order to gather input on translation theory and practice from others who might be interested to give it. My goal in this exercise was to render each Psalm coherently in contemporary, idiomatic English, taking liberties where necessary, but bearing in mind that form also can communicate meaning (and sometimes quite clearly!). But naturally, I have my limitations—as you might imagine, my Spanish substratum threatened to make the whole exercise an utter failure at every turn!

I'll start this week with Psalm 22 (23). The ecclesiatical Greek text is given below, followed by my draft. For Rahlfs' (semi-)critical text, which differs from the ecclesiastical text in some rather minor ways, see here. For the Hebrew text, along with a fresh translation into English and a very helpful supporting bibliography, see John Hobbins' recent post. I have followed here John's arrangement of the Psalm for practical reasons.

ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΚΒ´
Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ.

Κύριος ποιμαίνει με,
     καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει.
Εἰς τόπον χλόης, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν.
     ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέ με.
          Τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψεν,
ὡδήγησέ με ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης,
     ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.

Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου,
     οὐ φοβηθήσομαι κακά,
ὅτι σὺ μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ εἶ.
     Ἡ ῥάβδος σου καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου
          αὗταί με παρεκάλεσαν.

Ἡτοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν,
     ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με.
Ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου,
     καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον με ὡσεὶ κράτιστον.

Καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου καταδιώξει με
     πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου,
καὶ τὸ κατοικεῖν με ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου
     εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν.

PSALM 22
A Psalm concerning David.

The LORD shepherds me,
     and I will lack nothing.
He made me encamp in a verdant place,
     he reared me by refreshing waters.
          He turned my soul around,
he guided me along paths of justice
     for his name's sake.

Even if I walked amid death’s shadow,
     I would fear no evils,
because you are with me;
     your rod and your staff
     have comforted me.

You prepared a table before me
     in front of those who afflict me.
You anointed my head with oil,
     and your strong cup inebriated me.

And your mercy will pursue me
     all the days of my life,
and the LORD's house will be my dwelling
     for as long as I live.

A (Nearly) Definitive Review of the Orthodox Study Bible

2008-03-13T11:34:00.001-04:00

Our good friend Kevin Edgecomb offers a very insightful review of the complete Orthodox Study Bible in which he addresses important issues of translation, content and binding. If you're looking for an honest look at this new volume untainted by the euphoria that the appearance of this new publication has caused in some circles, look no further. I know that Kevin has touched on issues that are of great interest to me personally, and surely others will also find his comments to be a necessary, balancing contribution to their final assessment of the complete OSB.

The Best "Orthodox Blog" in Existence (and a Handful of Others)

2008-03-11T13:41:00.013-04:00

In his most recent update to the excellent Orthodox Christian Information Center, webmaster Patrick Barnes noted:

"Ora et Labora. This is the best blog I've seen on Orthodox Christianity. The blogger, a Russian Orthodox clergyman who wishes to remain anonymous, posts frequently and with considerable insight and erudition."

After only a few days of reading Ora et Labora, I can attest to the truth Patrick's words and heartily recommend this wonderful blog to all. Here is one more exception (and quite a marvellous one!) to "the pseudo-academic, obnoxiously self-important, dolefully provincial yet militant Americanist 'Orthodoxy' that dominates the Internet" (and which I mentioned earlier).

Also, since some of you have asked in the past about "Orthodox blogs"* that might be worth your while, I will take this chance to highlight those listed on my blogroll in addition to Ora et Labora, which are the ones that I myself read and find useful and interesting:

Alithos Anesti! (Isaac Crabtree)
Glory to God for All Things (Fr Stephen Freeman)
Going Along (Gabriel Sánchez)
Orrologion (Christopher Orr)

I'm sure there are others, but again, these are the ones I read, and they have yet to disappoint. (N.B.: There is also, of course, Kevin Edgecomb's wonderful blog Biblicalia, but I've always thought of it more along the lines of a "biblioblog" by an Orthodox author.)

__________________

* I have no earthly idea of what an "Orthodox blog" may be. I have never seen a blog being baptized, chrismated or communed. Allowing for some imaginative exegesis of these words, however, I suppose that they might refer to blogs dedicated to theology and the spiritual life (which are, after all, one and the same thing) written by Orthodox Christian authors from the perspective of the Tradition of the Orthodox Church. This was, in any case, my working definition for my limited selection here.