I\’ve neglected to update my blog because October has been an absolute whirlwind of activity for me. As mentioned previously (see below), I went to Cincy to visit Hebrew Union College. I got back about ten days ago, and already I\’m once again in the Tampa Airport (TPA) and on my way again. This time, however, I\’m headed to quite the different locale. I\’m off to New York City to visit Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). Whereas HUC is the Reform rabbinic school, JTS is the conservative rabbinic school. (Of course, for those unfamiliar with the flavors of Judaism, this won\’t mean too much.) At any event, JTS also boasts a quite excellent graduate school, in which I am particularly interested in their program in Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages. I\’m really looking forward to seeing how the libraries, faculty, and administration of JTS compare to those of HUC. I have to say, HUC set the bar extremely high, but I\’m about finding out what JTS has to offer.
The trip is even more exciting because this time, unlike Cincy, I get to bring my lovely wife along with me. It\’s been at least a decade since I\’ve been to NYC, and Kathryn has never been, so we saved up our overtime for the past six months and decided to turn this trip into our big vacation for the year (or two…). So, we\’ll not only be in NYC for the sun-mon visitation day, but for a few days extra to see the city and the sites and decide whether we — two kids from rural Alabama — could really live in America\’s largest city for 3-5 years without killing ourselves or multiple other unsuspecting people.
It should be a great trip, and I\’ll no doubt post some pictures and comments on the trip as it develops.
For those who are wondering about how my thesis is coming about…. It\’s coming. Slowly, but surely making progress. I was reading through De Vries FOTL on Chronicles, where I found this gem:
Some years ago, Rolf Knierim flew out to Ohio to ask Ronald Hals and me to oin the FOTL project. Professor Hals was to do Ezekiel and I was to do 1—2 Chronicles. \”But,\” I protested, \”I don\’t know much about Chronicles.\” \”Neither does anyone else,\” Knierim replied….
This certainly reflects the common understanding of one of the most neglected books in the OT canon, and it certainly makes me feel better when I consider my own inadequacies about my thesis project!
Ben Neviim 