Adding a counter to the blog recently makes me more aware of the geographic distribution of readers. Being aware of my changing role from a PhD student to a lecturer makes me more careful in what I blog about: stuff that is too personal, especially when writing under the mood of disillusionment, can be couched in exaggeration. Two entries I have written but have withdrawn are still part of my process of adjusting back to an Asian society that focuses on the pragmatic.
How I wish we have the British Library that provides the depth and coverage to areas needed for understanding the contextual and background issues of the Bible (Graeco-Roman materials, and of the Ancient Near East). Not having a school of European history and classics at the universities here does not help. Despite such a transition that interestingly included a period of 'mourning', I am still trying to work towards my driving motivation that had spurred me to do a PhD. The goal is not to allow physical constraints quench the dream. A book proposal of Revelation has been sent out, while knowing fully that a belief in what I have produced does not ensure a 'yes' from an editor.
This objective of a life of biblical research is faced with much difficulty in Singapore. The dearth of culture and thought of Singaporeans is linked to a bias in the what the society sees as worthwhile disciplines to pursue; library holdings naturally reflect the bias. Besides this and the problem with library facilities that can't compete with British libraries (especially the British library), work schedules of lecturers in local Christian colleges do not permit extended time for research and reflection. (I doubt one even has time for any sort of life outside work and church.) The lack of post-doctoral research posts in the theological schools and colleges contributes to the challenge. Equally detrimental is the absence of religious department in the universities here. Perhaps the department of philosophy can begin to absorb such a department for a start?
Here are some musings of a research dream.
Monday, 28 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
I dream a dream- forwarded by a friend
'I dream a dream' by Susan Boyle
Her on Wikipedia
Whether dreams come true or not is not for one to control.
But dreams come to the young, while realization to the old.
We all have dreams, what is yours?
Her on Wikipedia
Whether dreams come true or not is not for one to control.
But dreams come to the young, while realization to the old.
We all have dreams, what is yours?
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
In transit at Dubai
My studies in Edinburgh has formally ended with the submission of the viva corrections. The heartwarming farewell(s) from various groups and individuals, including my supervisor and his wife, is an encouragement to a process which was not always smooth the whole time. It was a journey full of challenges, both of interpretative conundrums and of 'battles' fought to persuade others, that has shaped me into a stronger person than I was when I first entered the program more than four years ago. A feeling of gratitude wells in me when I recall the love and care shown to me by friends in and outsides churches these last two weeks. Especially during the last farewell gathering the day before I left, I sensed the unspoken care of my supervisor (and his wife). It was a process that had started difficult, but had ended well. I am grateful for this wonderful memory. I am grateful to Priscilla and Marcelle for allowing me a place in their flats and for their moral support to me when I worked under time constraints on the corrections. The thesis now boasts of a satisfying introduction. There were memories of nights when I had to call Priscilla, who had become like a 'mother', to inform that I would take the last few buses home from the main library, close to midnight. Marcelle was genuinely caring each step of this last lap when I had to meet various deadlines. With them and other friends, I had left a part of me in Edinburgh. While I waited at Glasgow airport to board the plane home, I came across a collection of photographs of sights and scenes of Edinburgh. Nostalgia wells up in me as familiar sights came alive again of places that had once been very much part and parcel of life.
Saturday, 28 November 2009
PhD thesis seeking interested publishers/editors
Windows to the Polemics against the So-Called Jews and Jezebel In Revelation: Insights from Historical and Co(n)textual Analysis
Abstract:
The thesis mainly studies social-historical co(n)texts to understand the polemic in Revelation against the so-called ‘Jews’ and a self-professed prophetess named ‘Jezebel’ (Rev 2-3). The enquiry centres on two areas: (1) the underlying issues to the polemic against the above-named contenders, and (2) a reading of a polemical technique in the text against prophetess ‘Jezebel’ through a specific web of associations involving two ‘Jezebels’ and a great harlot.
Preliminary studies provide the framework for the main enquiry. ‘Historical anchorage’ is attained in the echoes/allusions of the beast from the sea-abyss to emperor Titus (Ch. 2) and the ‘Satanic trio’ and their cult (Rev 13) to the Flavian dynasty and cult (Ch. 3). A real crisis for Christians is seen late in Domitian’s time involving pressure from the Flavian provincial temple, widespread false accusations of ἀθεότης, ἀσέβεια or maiestas and pressures from Domitian’s rigorous exaction of the Jewish tax. These matters are seen to implicate both Jewish and Gentile Christians (Ch. 4). The figure of the beasts, the social pressure from the imperial cult, and the vulnerability of Christians reflected in these preliminary studies contribute to a fuller understanding of the anti-Judaistic polemic. There are reasons to think that the anti-Judaistic polemic in Rev 2:9-10 and 3:9 is not aimed at the Jewish community per se, but acts to discourage Christians from feigning affiliation with the attractive synagogue to escape social pressure from the imperial cult. There is a growing importance of the imperial cult towards the end of the first century C.E. in Asia Minor, and a judaizing tendency among some Christians there late first century and beyond. Importantly, Rev 14:9-11 reflects the author’s major concern about (1) participation in the imperial cult and (2) Christian ‘judaizing’ behaviour (the mark of beast as tefillin worn by outsiders to Rabbinic Judaism). Under the author’s creative hand, the beast from the land/false prophet becomes the ‘Satanic’ source of pressure to these two aspects (cf. 13:11-17; Ch. 5). The attractive 'other' is depicted as Satanic and thus a taboo.
The second major part demonstrates a polemical technique in the text that binds the prophetess ‘Jezebel’ with an OT Queen and the Great Harlot (Rev 17-18). Social meals with drinking parties in guilds/associations and the imperial cult could have been a common context for allurements to of sexual immorality and eating idol-food that ‘Jezebel’ advocates. I construct a picture of the prophetess ‘Jezebel’, who perhaps doubles as a patroness of a trade guild incorporating members from the Thyatiran church. Pagan ‘mysteries’ could have been a part of her activities (Ch. 6). I also examine the Great Harlot within the Graeco-Roman context giving attention to her depiction as tyrannical and sexually immoral queens and assimilated goddesses, such as Isis, Cybele, Aphrodite and Roma (Ch. 7). The OT Queen Jezebel is also studied within her social-historical context. She is seen to take on the image of the ‘woman at the window’ (2 Kgs 9:30), reflective of goddess Astarte or her temple servant. Her role as the ‘gebirah’ (great lady; 2 Kgs 10:13) and queen mother also fits that of another goddess, Asherah, whose prophets she hosts (Ch. 8). The destruction of Queen Jezebel and that of the Great Harlot contain a polemic against pagan deities they both embody. The prophetess bound tightly with them is also indirectly castigated (Ch. 9).
Overall, the author’s polemic in Revelation acts to deter Christians from veering into the grounds of ‘Satan’—the imperial cult and the synagogue (as the author puts it)—and against behaviours, such as sexual license and eating food offered to idols, that would allow Christians to easily enter contexts involving pagan worship.
S. N. Leong, University of Edinburgh, 2009
Abstract:
The thesis mainly studies social-historical co(n)texts to understand the polemic in Revelation against the so-called ‘Jews’ and a self-professed prophetess named ‘Jezebel’ (Rev 2-3). The enquiry centres on two areas: (1) the underlying issues to the polemic against the above-named contenders, and (2) a reading of a polemical technique in the text against prophetess ‘Jezebel’ through a specific web of associations involving two ‘Jezebels’ and a great harlot.
Preliminary studies provide the framework for the main enquiry. ‘Historical anchorage’ is attained in the echoes/allusions of the beast from the sea-abyss to emperor Titus (Ch. 2) and the ‘Satanic trio’ and their cult (Rev 13) to the Flavian dynasty and cult (Ch. 3). A real crisis for Christians is seen late in Domitian’s time involving pressure from the Flavian provincial temple, widespread false accusations of ἀθεότης, ἀσέβεια or maiestas and pressures from Domitian’s rigorous exaction of the Jewish tax. These matters are seen to implicate both Jewish and Gentile Christians (Ch. 4). The figure of the beasts, the social pressure from the imperial cult, and the vulnerability of Christians reflected in these preliminary studies contribute to a fuller understanding of the anti-Judaistic polemic. There are reasons to think that the anti-Judaistic polemic in Rev 2:9-10 and 3:9 is not aimed at the Jewish community per se, but acts to discourage Christians from feigning affiliation with the attractive synagogue to escape social pressure from the imperial cult. There is a growing importance of the imperial cult towards the end of the first century C.E. in Asia Minor, and a judaizing tendency among some Christians there late first century and beyond. Importantly, Rev 14:9-11 reflects the author’s major concern about (1) participation in the imperial cult and (2) Christian ‘judaizing’ behaviour (the mark of beast as tefillin worn by outsiders to Rabbinic Judaism). Under the author’s creative hand, the beast from the land/false prophet becomes the ‘Satanic’ source of pressure to these two aspects (cf. 13:11-17; Ch. 5). The attractive 'other' is depicted as Satanic and thus a taboo.
The second major part demonstrates a polemical technique in the text that binds the prophetess ‘Jezebel’ with an OT Queen and the Great Harlot (Rev 17-18). Social meals with drinking parties in guilds/associations and the imperial cult could have been a common context for allurements to of sexual immorality and eating idol-food that ‘Jezebel’ advocates. I construct a picture of the prophetess ‘Jezebel’, who perhaps doubles as a patroness of a trade guild incorporating members from the Thyatiran church. Pagan ‘mysteries’ could have been a part of her activities (Ch. 6). I also examine the Great Harlot within the Graeco-Roman context giving attention to her depiction as tyrannical and sexually immoral queens and assimilated goddesses, such as Isis, Cybele, Aphrodite and Roma (Ch. 7). The OT Queen Jezebel is also studied within her social-historical context. She is seen to take on the image of the ‘woman at the window’ (2 Kgs 9:30), reflective of goddess Astarte or her temple servant. Her role as the ‘gebirah’ (great lady; 2 Kgs 10:13) and queen mother also fits that of another goddess, Asherah, whose prophets she hosts (Ch. 8). The destruction of Queen Jezebel and that of the Great Harlot contain a polemic against pagan deities they both embody. The prophetess bound tightly with them is also indirectly castigated (Ch. 9).
Overall, the author’s polemic in Revelation acts to deter Christians from veering into the grounds of ‘Satan’—the imperial cult and the synagogue (as the author puts it)—and against behaviours, such as sexual license and eating food offered to idols, that would allow Christians to easily enter contexts involving pagan worship.
S. N. Leong, University of Edinburgh, 2009
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
the sound of silence
the sound of silence
the sound of the wind
the sound of the clock ticking
one speaks of stillness, of an unbearable stifle
one speaks of unrestrained passion, causing destruction
one speaks of a steadfast, neverending movement
-- in circles --
loyalty without regret
service without complaint
until the last energy is drained
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