Faith, Revelation, Life

year end report

2011-12-30T01:31:00.002+08:00

It is year end, and it is time to take stock of God's grace in our lives. Three reflection pieces/updates doing just that stirred up something latent in me as I read them. To a sister and a brother in church who shared of their life experiences and thanksgiving to God, I wrote back in response:

"...It is so good to have such warm memories, and even better that we take time to savour them. Let us not be pressed into the mould of today's society, in which many things are so mechanical and routine, that people can function like machines passing through life without savouring the experience. Let us instead be sensitive to God's working in our life and his manifold blessings, however ordinary they may seem to be."

"...it gives a glimspe to your reflection on life incidents. It is always good to be connected with things happening in life, and not live life in oblivion, or in total haste. Few people have time to reflect nowadays."

My two responses speak of a real threat of oblivion -- of which we can find ourselves in when we are too busy to think, to feel and to experience.

The yearly update of a former supervisor stirred up something deeper within me. Indeed so, because I was there prior to two years back, and there were some common memories... To see how things finally turned out testifies to God's faithfulness -- indeed God is faithful to those who persevere in Him. But the Christmas update also led me to reflect on my progresses these two years. The saddest notion came upon the realization that I have gradually lost touch with what drives me along, and had gradually grow to be contented with the present situation. I realise that there is still a research dream latent in me, now buried evermore deeply in the layers of my heart. I thus mulled in response to his sharing:

"For me teaching in Singapore was enjoyable in the sense that it was like a continuation of PhD research! Preparing lessons was like doing some piecemeal research, and revisiting things I should have learnt during PhD days! Of course, days were hectic and quite lack of rest during term time. I miss the long stretch of time to concentrate on one project, and also the excellent library facilities in UK. So I have been giving pressure to the librarian and my dean to stock up the library here! [forgive me here...] The researcher in me did not die after PhD ended... As for my attempts to publish, they were very modest, and quite slow compared to some of my other PhD mates...! But I have not given up hope of doing it, as I still believe what I have in my thesis is really a step forward in the understanding of the book of Revelation."

It is up to me to make this work. I am given a chance to revise my thesis for a second assessment of its suitablity for publication in a particular series. But next week, a new teaching term starts.

Seminar on Leadership Tensions 领导的张力讲座

2011-11-04T23:49:00.000+08:00

There will be a Chinese seminar on the 15th November （11月15日） at TCA College (Singapore) on the topic of tensions in leadership. The two speakers will be approach the topic differently, one from the situation of the first century, the other from the situation today.

Dr Leong will analyze the conflicts or tensions between leaders and activists in the early church of the first century, namely the tensions/conflicts between Apostle Paul, Peter, James (the Just), and fanatics of the Jewish law. One may perhaps find fresh perspectives for looking at similar situations today. Dr Koh will speak on a model for transforming conflicting visions into impetus for growth. This may be helpful to resolving conflicts in today's churches.

More detials/讲座细节

A small Thece gathering in Singapore

2011-10-07T00:18:00.001+08:00

Today our precious friends who share a common Edinburgh memory gathered at my place to celebrate the visit of Simon from Taiwan. It is good to get connected and be updated of how each of us has progressed since graduation. I tried to cook up something for them. It is a happy occasion.

『神学臆想与进深者』/Theoresearcher，文章（一）

2011-08-11T17:37:00.000+08:00

『为什么你想读神学硕士课程？』（Why does one enrol in Master of Theology course?）

Seminar on the beast from the abyss in Revelation

2011-07-21T00:36:00.002+08:00

Title: Titus not Domitian as the Beast from the Abyss in Revelation
22 August 2011, 10 am (refreshments at 9.30 am), Singapore Bible College, Lecture Theatre
Presenter: Dr S N Leong (TCA College, Singapore); Respondent: Dr Richard Phua (Chinese Mission Seminary, Hong Kong)

Some thoughts on the inquiry this trimester

2011-07-18T01:23:00.001+08:00

This trimester of lessons is drawing to a close. It has been an exciting time researching and learning about the World of the Church Fathers, and the Pauline Concept of Salvation together with the students.

The socio-historical contexts of the church fathers have been very interesting--especially the big change in social and religious values and political ideology under the rule of Constantine. It is also very interesting how from Constantinian times, doctrinal issues were determined by the fad and fashion of emperors. Yet there were still dogged theologians and bishops with real theological concerns who defended the truth for the sake of it. Athanasius being one of them, as I see it. (Perhaps not everyone in scholarship today would hold such a high view of Athanaisus in view of his alleged use of violence against members of the opposite camps.) Ultimately it is the intellectual acumen and theological integrity of real theologians (such as Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers) that set the stage for the reception of the Nicene formula at the council of Constantinople and beyond.

The course on Exegesis of Pauline Concept of Salvation yields interesting thoughts on Paul's use of metaphor in his teachings on salvation. Paul couches the concept of salvation in many metaphors. Until now, most teaching in church/seminaries does not distinguish between metaphors and the gist of the salvific message itself. Salvific concepts can become phantom ideas floating in the air without any real significance if one does not pay attention to what these means in their social-historical background. For example, we need to ask why and how concepts such as adoption as sons, being heirs with Christ, redemption, being set free (or ransomed), Holy Spirit as deposit, justification, etc are used in the presentation of the Christian message. It may not be easy to nail down how and why these metaphors were used, nor for that matter to distiguish between the literal and metaphorical parts of a conception. But if one does not interrogate Paul's use of metaphors, one would not really understand Paul's portrayal of Christian salvation.

These are some thoughts that I have along the way, I would love to hear yours on these topics.

Master of Theology Course 神学硕士课程

2011-05-24T13:57:00.000+08:00

thesis on Edinburgh research archive

2011-05-04T23:29:00.000+08:00

University of Edinburgh provides a facility to access thesis of graduates and other publications: Edinburgh research archive. It is free of charge, and access is readily upon registration. Simply type my name or the title (Windows to the polemics in Revelation) and you will be able to download my thesis! All rights reserved.
I welcome comments on it if you care to read it.

updates before a new trimester of teaching

2011-05-02T21:55:00.000+08:00

Sorry to those who have visited this blog again and again but to find that it is quite dormant. Routine in life is what makes blogging lose its excitement. These is no new reflection, inspiration nor dream, nor any stirring in the heart substantial enough to record it in a blog. Meeting the daily requirements of teaching, or work in the college is enough to keep one fully occupied. But I own it to readers to make a report at this juncture when a new school term is about to begin tomorrow.

It is not to say that nothing was accomplished the last trimester. By God's grace the student feedback for the two courses I taught came back very positively-- close to full marks on the scale of five. I can only say that the effort put in has been appreciated, and the assessors have been gracious. It is by God's grace that lessons turned out well, though the preparation had been very hectic and not all the time fully satisfactory to myself because of time constraints. So God is able to transform the five loaves and two fishes we have to feed the multitudes. The marking week towards the end of the term in the first and second weeks of April saw me going laboriously through students' essays and reflection papers. The process reminded me of how much I had learnt to be critical in my PhD studies--thanks to my supervisor who had littered my essays with exclamation marks and questions marks at the initial stage of study. I see again the pitfalls of illogical arguments, poorly delimited topics, unfocussed discussions, vague statements that perhaps the writer didn't even understand properly, etc. Reading such papers is a constant process of exasperation, littered with internal exclamations that find voice once in a while in sighs and urghs. While reflecting on how well I write papers today, I can say I have improved tremendously to be self-critical but yet I still hope to be more aware of blind spots that I may have. This perhaps is the key to getting anything published in a peer-reviewed journal. Some distance to one's ideas is necessary for one to be self-critical.

It is now the beginning of a new trimester of lessons. It is again, as in the beginning of the last trimester of teaching, a whole new journey into the subject matter of the courses I decide to teach (The World of the Church Fathers and Exegesis of the Pauline Concept of Salvation). The end result, hopefully, would be a fruitful exercise into the matter to be researched and discussed in class. If curiosity to ask questions about the subject matter dies in the process of lesson preparation (one can indeed become a machine churning lecture notes), then teaching would lose its excitement and the job its meaning! The other challenge is how one can convey the insights gained from lesson preparation so that students can also be drawn into the subject matter, and be excited and sympathetic to what is being taught.

In the past month or so, I have the chance to meet with two PhD graduates my path crossed when we were in Edinburgh. One has now become my colleague--having met him a few years back in the Chinese church there and at a conference in St Andrews. I must say the faculty in the School of Divinity English in the college where I am working is indeed gaining much strength in past year! The other who shares memories of Edinburgh days -- a member of our informal THECE group -- passed by Singapore for an interview and intensive teaching at another college. We had the chance to meet, with some other Edinburgh graduates and talk about insider perspectives concerning life here. My master supervisor also visited Singapore for half a year to teach, and there were pockets of time for us to have meaningful fellowship and conversations. I also kept somewhat in touch with an emeritus professor in Groningen by phone who had been very kind to me during and after my PhD studies. I hope he is doing well.

I am still waiting for an editor to reply about a thesis manuscript I sent for consideration, and if he is hopeful that what I have there can be (re)expressed suitably for a book format, then I would indeed be very privileged. It sometimes takes some intuitiveness to spot a talent--I am not saying I am one :), though some level of self confidence is healthy--and it takes a leap of faith to allow room for improvement so that perfection can emerge!

a seminar held today on Babylon

2011-04-01T23:30:00.000+08:00

Over 170 people attended this Chinese Biblical Seminar at TCA College. A colleague spoke on the ANE mythology that could have thrown light on the Babylon figure in Isaiah 14 while I talked about Graeco-Roman queens and goddesses in the Harlot Babylon figure of Rev 17-18. Reading the Bible is contextual--foremost to the context at the point of composition, to get what a passage might have meant. It is also contextual in terms of applying a passage to the contemporary context to the reader. A layman reading would normally forego the former and jump directly to the latter.

A walk in the Botannical Gardens

2011-03-06T20:58:00.000+08:00

I took a walk to the Botannical Gardens in the evening. A section of it near the Bukit Timah Road has medicinal plants, exotic trees (at least to me), palms, bamboos, the papyrus plant from Egypt, from which kind the ancients used to make paper. There is also a foot reflexology pathway. Upon leaving the gardens, I saw a tree, the buttercup tree, with beautiful yellow flowers and with fruits containing silk, after which the tree takes its other name: cotton silk tree. Being in the flowering season, the grass around it is littered with yellow flowers, and I took some home.

中国文学藏书出售

2011-01-16T18:31:00.000+08:00

该中国文学藏书说明

藏书出版年代：

从1945年至2000 年，其中50，60和70年代出版的书籍最为齐全。文化大革命期间出版的书籍也包括在内。

书籍类别：

1. 古典文学：

先秦至清代历朝著名作家作品和研究专著，包括诗、词、曲、散文等。其中有唐诗、宋词的著作和研究专著最为丰富。

2. 古典小说：

收集了从先秦神话至清朝长短篇小说，有白话文也有文言文的。有相当数量较为罕见的小说作品包括其中，约两百余本，此外有红楼梦研究著作。

3. 政治：

包括中、西政治著作：西方有马克思、思格斯、史太林、列宁中文译本著作。中方有毛泽东选集及各种争论等。

4. 哲学：

从先秦诸子哲学一直到清代，包括文本和研究专著，收集相当齐全。此外有一小部分的西方哲学著作（中文本）。

5. 历史：

上下五千年的历史，包括25史及各种断代史评论，收藏丰富。

6. 文学理论：

包括古代文学理论著作，如诗品、文心雕龙等。各种诗话、词话、艺概包括其中。大部分为绝版书。有少数西方文艺理论的著作（中文本）。

7. 语法、修辞：

约两百余本有关中文语法、修辞、文字学的书籍。收集相当全面。

8. 现代文学：

a 五四时期作家作品及研究。凡是重要的作家作品和研究专著包括在内。其中鲁迅研究专著有七、八十本。

b 文化大革命时期的作家作品及研究，包括长篇小说、诗歌、话剧、戏曲等。这类藏书相当罕有。

c. 其他时期作品，包括著名作家作品及研究著作。

d. 小数量台湾文学作品及研究，包括三毛、聶华泠、白先勇等作家。

e. 文学理论方面具有多部的现代文学史著作，以及个别理论著作，相当丰富，也是包括少量的西方文学论文理论著作（中文本）。

f. 文学作品，包括俄、英、美、法、德等国的中文翻译品。其中有小说、诗歌、戏剧等。

9. 期刊杂志：

包括诗刊、人民文学、考古研究等。

藏书特点：

1. 藏书总数约1万多本。

2. 藏书类别丰富、全面，足够古典和现当代文学的博士学位研究所须。

3. 大部分的藏书多为绝版，在书局已无法购得。

4. 大部分藏书情况良好，无须作过多的修复工作。

faces of Melaka

2010-12-31T00:25:00.000+08:00

an update

2010-12-30T00:57:00.000+08:00

The year is drawing to a close and comes with it the thought that perhaps I should write something after a long period of silence. This past month was a mixture of rest and work. Thank God for the rest! We made a trip up to Melaka, the historic town in Malaysia that shares something with Edinburgh: it is on the UNESCO world heritage list as is Edinburgh. (Some pictures later.) The few years in UK instilled in me an interest in history, and we took time to look in greater detail at the historic sites and museums there. In terms of work, looming is the on-going preparation for the three subjects that I would be teaching in the coming term: Research & Report Writing, Acts of the Apostles, and the World of the Early Church Fathers, especially of Athanasius. The last of the three subjects takes me out of my comfort zone of the New Testament. It has been an interesting journey into the world of the church fathers so far. Besides these weekly/fortnightly offerings for Jan to April, I also bear in mind a translation work for the NET Bible notes that is quite overdue, an article to an online journal "Testamentum Imperium", and preaching and seminars to be conducted. Added anxiety comes from the need to arrange a place to stay in the coming months, and a health check-up scheduled in February. But isn't 1 Peter 5:7 a helpful instruction to such concerns? More interestingly, the "three muskeeteers" here from THECE ("Theologically Hopeful Ethnic Chinese in Edinburgh", if you don't know what that means) look forward to a visit by the originator of the group (or of its name) on 7-9 January. Though it is a short visit, we hope to have some time to meet.

Travelling a lonely road-a social-historical approach to Revelation

2010-09-24T00:52:00.000+08:00

Teaching Revelation in different contexts calls up different responses to the approach I am taking. In the seminary-cum-college I teach, the students appeared ignorant of how one can approach Revelation, and absorbed quite whole-heartedly what I had to offer-- except for the occasional curious question on the issue of the millenium. In church, the audience consists of some who have studied Revelation for years. There are those engrossed with the study of the millenium, with the stages of history reflected in its images, in how Daniel can enlighten the message of Revelation, etc. Invariably every week, a rebuttal by a 'futurist' against my social-historical reading would surface. And how Daniel can enlighten Revelation is the second most common concern. But one asks which is a surer context to start with. Approaching the book from the first century context, it is almost as if I am travelling a lonely road, like Jesus in Mark as he went on the road to crucifixion, with none of his disciples appreciating the suffering he had called upon himself. It seems that by bringing Revelation more down-to-earth and more manageably concrete, I have somehow 'desecreted' the book, and the defenders of its major foretelling function would start to speak up. But I admit in the same way, a number of years ago, the process of revelation to me has shocked me, as I was fiddling with its images, to reveal a Revelation that is mainly didactic/hortatory and very down-to-earth, even in the depiction of its monstrous adversary characters. The book is not as 'apocalyptic' as one would commonly understand the term to mean. If I may, the apocalyptic images clothe concrete lessons for Christian living. There is an uncomfortable feeling at this new perspective. Or is it that we have for long an ingrained (and mistaken) idea of what apocalyptic literature is and what it is meant to do?

Imagery in Revelation and social-historical persons, events and situations

2010-09-18T09:46:00.000+08:00

I was teaching five sessions on the imagery in Revelation in church. I was sharing about my discovery of the Jewish War (66-70), the Flavians, and the long acknowledged Nero in its images, and my suggestion of imperial and major graeco-Roman goddesses therein (chs 9, 12-13 and 17-18). (See my PhD thesis.)
I realize that in the academic circles one main approach is to read Revelation through the lens of socio-historical contexts, but this approach has not caught the attention or gained momentum with the wider circle of the Christian community. The popular way of reading the book is still mainly futuristic, i.e. seeing the most part of Revelation as pointers to would-be events from our point of time. There is quite some mental blog to lay readers (or perhaps even to scholars) when they are asked to look at Revelation from the socio-historical perspective, since ingrained in the thinking is the idea that Revelation reads like a 'prophecy' in the commonly understood sense of the word: futuristic. And seeing such down-to-earth events and personages in the long past taking such a large part of the depictions just goes against the grain of understanding about the nature of the prophecy in Revelation, and the idea that biblical prophecy is mostly about the future. No doubt Revelation has future elements and rightly so up to the consummation of all things. But if one looks at 'prophecy' in the OT Bible, it is foremost relevant to a community that a prophet is trying to correct or to encourage, and the events that the prophet forecasts (such as the destruction of Jerusalem) are mostly imminent and looming in the horizon at the point of speaking. In addition, a prophet uses past events as historical lessons to teach his community. He also directs his attention to present circumstances, especially when reflecting on the present evils of the society. So can we also accept the 'prophecy' in Revelation to contain depictions of past and contemporary events at the point of its writing? In principle, there is nothing that requires 'prophecy' to be mainly futuristic. Understanding the images in it from the first century point of view, I suggest, makes much sense of the mind-boggling images in it. The author is seen to use his imagery to speak a meaningful message of warning to the deviant groups in the churches of Asia Minor, as much as he encourages the faithful then to endure oppositions.
This reading assumes the integrity of the whole book as one composition (i.e. chs 1-3 and 4-22 are meant to be read together). There are indicators of inclusio to the whole book. The blessings and curses in the letters do allow the reader to anticipate the final chapters in which Jesus fights the final battle(s) and certian details in the new Jerusalem that enact some of the blessings and curses. The injunction right at the end of the book to the addressed churches to heed the prophecy is a support that the book is meant to make sense to its first century readers in their own socio-historical circumstances.
But I guess the reluctance for the general audience to adopt a predominently socio-historical approach is that this reading takes away so much mystery from the book that it is no longer the Revelation which awes and intrigues! It feels as if without the 'prophetic' (futuristic) elements to provide the signs to our times, Revelation loses its appeal as the inspired word! But this could be due to misunderstanding of the nature of Bible, and an ingrained idea that the basis of our faith is built much on prophetic capability of the Bible.

Liberal Arts College in Singapore in conjunction with Yale!

2010-09-16T01:08:00.000+08:00

The team up between NUS and Yale in the area of liberal arts is welcoming to a country that has for a long time, since its founding, forgone emphasis in humanities. More about it here. I do hope that from the undergrad program there, interest in post-graduate study in classics and ancient religions can catch on. And that we can have a fuller range of postgraduate curriculum in Singapore universities. But this is a good place to start.

larry hurtado's new blog

2010-07-08T23:34:00.000+08:00

My former PhD supervisor has his own blog commenting on academic issues. This is a contribution to academic knowledge and discussion, but it is also quite time consuming for him to maintain one, especially if there are lots of traffic to it. He will be a great critique to ideas that go through the blog. Here is the link.

someone precious, a life example

2010-07-05T23:36:00.000+08:00

Have you ever had a mentor who can show you what it means to serve God with integrity and love others genuinely? Someone who is internationally reknowned as a teacher/speaker who yet spends time with a student talking for hours about life? Someone who has been to places, yet do not mind sitting out of nowhere, talking and munching homemade sandwiches? Not treated to restaurant, nor a place of interest, not transported in a car but willingly walk the mile just to accommodate another's lifestyle. How such a character came to be? What it takes to have such a stature? What kind of moving God has done in such a life that blesses many? How generous must one's heart be to build up others without thinking of oneself? This life embodies one word: "love" -- so generous and free, so unassuming and considerate, unstained by the ways of the sophisticated world. How blessed it is to know such a person.

what PhD lecturers keen on research would hope

2010-06-05T11:18:00.000+08:00

An excellent library with hard copies and e-resouces that are multidisciplinary. For biblical studies, historical, archaeological, ancient texts, philological resources, etc. i.e. practically, anything under the sun that tells us about the background of biblical communities and related writings. Commentaries are helpful but they rarely can help to provide the vantage point for ground-breaking discoveries in interpretation. Primary and background materials can.The British Library is one that is excellent for doing research in biblical studies. The quality of the lessons depends directly on how good a library facility the lecturer can access.
Time for research and exploration of concepts. Teaching helps to provide the momentum for research, as lesson preparation is a chance for research to take place. But allow one to chart his or her own syllabus and to explore unconventional approaches for the subject that he or she deems crucial. So the lesson preparation requires time for concepts to be grasped and gaps to be filled in. Textbooks are handy for reading by the students themselves. A textbook may not be tailored to what a lecturer thinks is a good way to approach a subject or for better learning and understanding on the part of the students. So time for lesson development is important. The lecturer learns in the process, as much as he or she teaches.
Ownership of one's intellectual property. Being employed by an educational institution can be equated to selling one's research work to the institution. This dampens the spirit of the employee to further research work. More helpfully, research findings can be free for the researcher to publish to the academic world. A good lesson delivery is the benefit that the institution reaps in this case. As the lecturer/professor develops in academic stature, the institution increases in stature too, academically speaking.
More flexibility in time management. Stress from overloaded work is an obstacle to research work, which requires time and space. The space component consists of financial resources to facilitate travelling for resources and scholarly interaction in academic conferences.
Respect. Reserchers may have reached their pinnacle in terms of academic capability close to retirement, and retirement allows ample time for further research. Value lecturers and professors after their retirement, and use their expertise to incultivate their research in younger scholars. They can be excellent mentors to younger scholars, and help to carry on the prestige of an institution.
A conducive enviroment. As much as PhDs' emphases would shape an institution, shape the insitutional system to allow such employees to achieve excellence in their various academic pursuits. In this way, the institution would have won a lifelong employee.

charting unknown waters

2010-05-13T21:52:00.000+08:00

For those who visit this site once in a while, I must say that this blog has lain dormant until now -- a month later. With trimesters per year, eight to nine subjects to cover by the end of the year, I get to explore more of the Bible, to track the maze of the diversified biblical materials and to develop the ability to learn fast, so that lessons can be prepared and concepts grasped in time. Thank God for seeing me through the first teaching term and into the second.
As I revisit the Gospel of Mark, the book of my master thesis' study, I realize that political subversiveness is an underlying theme in the plot. It is also an unspoken agenda borne by the immediate followers of Jesus, the Twelve. The "beginning of the euaggelion of Jesus Christ (son of God)" (1:1) ushers in a new era that boasts of a new hope of the beneficence of a new ruler -- the good news that a new Roman emperor would bring to his subjects. Jesus was expected to be the King of the Jews. Amidst cries of "hosanna" (please save!), he was given the red carpet treatment into Jerusalem. He, the son of David, was to usher in, in the words of the pleading crowds, the "coming kingdom of our father David" (11:10). When he failed their expectations of national/politcal revival, his disciples who had dreamt of basking in his glory, fled. Even the women who had followed Jesus to the tomb, out of fear, "said nothing to no one" of the last message Jesus has for them. On this note, the curtains fall on the drama of Mark, of a failed (in fact, nonexistent) insurrection. Jesus, nailed with the bandits, the insurrectionists -- Jesus, the purported King of the Jews. The desertion of Jesus' followers is a counterpoint to their hopes (now dashed) that they would become the left and right man to their purported king. The Messianic secret in Mark that has befuddled commentators is yet another counterpoint to the political subversiveness that the great miracles and exalted titles of Jesus would project if these were openly declared. Jesus forbid making these known. Conversely, he reminded the disciples a number of times that he has come to suffer and die. Even a hint of an exalted resurrection is left out of the original ending of Mark. The curtain draws on the gospel narrative in abject disillusionment in contrast to the opening line sowing the hope of the 'good news' (euaggelion) that the accession of a new political ruler would bring. Mark is, in my view, an apolitical reading of Jesus' ministry.
Charting unknown waters, represents one's biblical exploration. It also describes a dormant hope that things started in Edinburgh and with contacts elsewhere can have continuity and fruition. To you who are in Edinburgh and Netherlands, I wonder how you are and send you my best wishes.

Book Proposal: Polemics and imagery in the Revelation of John

2010-04-14T01:12:00.000+08:00

Title: Imagery and Polemic in Revelation:
Subtitle: Contextual windows to the so-called Jews and Jezebel under fire

In this proposed volume, the overarching theme is “imagery and polemic” in Revelation. Revelation takes the shape of an extended visionary narrative that tells a story of conflict, and of loyalty and betrayal. The story culminates with the eradication of antagonists and the triumph of protagonists. Revelation is rife with imagery. Not only are the seven “letters” full of metaphorical depictions, the lengthy “visionary narrative” through chapters 4 to 22 is made up of elaborate images that boggle the reader. Such elaborate images as the Great Harlot, the beasts, and the scenarios of woes ushered in by the 5th and the 6th trumpets are seen to concern the issues of polemic at hand. Together with the perceived socio-historical circumstances reflected in the letters, the images add to our understanding of the strong enunciations in the “letters” against the Judaistic factions (the so-called Jews from synagogues) and a prophetic contender “Jezebel” and like company. Images in Revelation are frequently read as futuristic in denotation, but they are seen in my reading to recast socio-historical people and events of the first century C.E. They speak a prophetic message against contending factions to the churches. The separate socio-historical and contextual studies performed act as windows illuminating the slippery images of Revelation and the contextual issues to the polemic against the Judaistic and Jezebelian factions. Artillery gunpowder against the prophetic contender Jezebel is also illustrated through associations of her with the Great Harlot and the notorious OT Queen Jezebel. Certain polemics in the OT Kings narrative also come into play.

Main research contributions:
* The polemic in Revelation has been commonly read as an anti-imperial one, but such an aspect is not too prominent in the ‘letters’ (Rev 2-3), in which the author voices his main concern for the churches. This study focuses instead on the two main groups of contenders reflected in the ‘letters’: the so-called ‘Jews’ ascribed to the synagogue of Satan and a self-professed prophetess Jezebel and like company, which have received less attention in the study of Revelation’s polemic than imperial Rome.

*The study will help readers to appreciate better the importance of paying attention to socio-historical contexts and resonances in the study of the slippery images in Revelation. It makes original proposals based on such methodological attention to suggest that the beast from the sea connote the general Titus defeating Jerusalem, that the Great Harlot is in part a conflation of the faces of imperial queens and popular Graeco-Roman goddesses, and that the first and second “woes’’ proclaimed by an eagle (8:13; or the fifth and the sixth trumpets) allude to the first Jewish-Roman war (66-70 C.E.). I suggest that the study contains a number of groundbreaking insights into the slippery images of Revelation, and reveals the close relationship these images have with historical figures and events.

*Overall, the work provides a ‘holistic’ study of the polemic in Revelation (not a study of mere stylistic rhetoric) that gives attention to the triggering issues and identities of the contenders under fire. It also presents how major visionary characters, such as the beasts and the Great Harlot, are closely involved in playing out the polemic against the above-named contenders.

Possible readership:
I believe that the book will primarily be of interest to the academic community interpreting Revelation, which could wish to understand how Graeco-Roman socio-historical contexts unravel the slippery images in the book, and the triggering issues behind strong polemics exhibited therein. It provides an original perspective that challenges the present understanding that images of suffering in the book is to be read as merely ‘perceived’, and not reflecting any real crisis Christians faced in late first century. The issue of dating Revelation receives an extended discussion informed by a number of new conclusions in the study of the book.

For readers concerned with “anti-Jewish” elements in biblical literature, the proposed book provides an alternative perspective to the anti-Jewish stance (or rather, the anti-Judaistic stance) that is reflected by a Satanic depiction of the ‘Jews’ and synagogue. Thus, scholars working on Jewish-Christian conflicts throughout the centuries would be interested in some insights offered.
The work would also be of interest to scholars performing literary readings of women figures in the Bible, both in the NT and the OT. The reading of the connotations of the Great Harlot and Queen Jezebel (especially her death scene) at the subtext level contribute to aspects that have not been noticed or fully explored in literary depictions.

The work could also, secondarily, be of interest to the wider public who may be confused by the arrays of interpretations of Revelation, especially the many futuristic and prophetic readings that alter along with the course of history. It provides an inroad to how one can anchor Revelation tangibly within the social-historical context of the late first or early second century C.E., and show how resonances to known historical personalities of the Graeco-Roman world can illuminate major characters in the book.

Relevant academic courses:
Book of Revelation, Apocalyptic Literature, Polemic in Context, Jewish-Christian conflict, and Women in the Bible

Brief author description:
The author is currently a lecturer in Singapore in biblical studies. She holds a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh. She has presented several papers in academic conferences of Society of Biblical Literature, Society of New Testament Studies, and postgraduate seminars in UK universities.

Promotional video clip and a star from new college

2010-02-14T18:41:00.000+08:00

It is an internet age. My alma mater has been keeping up with publicity on the internet on U-tube here. Chris Keith, who was in the same batch with me doing PhD, won the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise. He is in an enviable position. I salute him. Here is his profile.

A great retirement and an exciting future

2010-02-07T00:45:00.000+08:00

The retirement is certainly not mine, but someone who has given me a great deal of support the past few years. I savoured his life story in the most recent festschrift dedicated to him: Dijkstra, Jitse, Justin Kroesen and Yme Kuiper (eds.). Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity: Studies in Honour of Jan N. Bremmer. Leiden: Brill, 2009. Bremmer's wide ranging scope of research and his numerous publications speaks of an inquisitive mind that is able to handle vast and varied amounts of information, and to make sober sense of them. I cite a little of the biography on him from the introduction to the book (p. xxx):

Now, at this turning point, after about 200 articles (not even counting popularizing publications), 75 entries in encyclopaedic works, nineteen edited volumes, two co-authored books, five monographs, one volume of collected studies, Jan can look back on an amazingly rich and productive career, with so much more still to come.

To read the life and work of an established and well-known professor is encouraging in that one starts from somewhere and then progresses to where one is made out for. A fully successful career is seen in a person who is so unassuming, generous, and encouraging to younger scholars, and indeed passionate in what he undertakes, not lacking a bit in the zeal that so characterizes the career of one who is 'called' (to the ministry). A phrase resonates in both the introduction of him, and the write up about him as visiting Leventis Professor to the University of Edinburgh in 2007. Being 'a son of a minister' appears to reflect an important aspect of his own self-understanding. As what the editors write, we can look forward to 'so much more still to come', with God's grace not lacking.

a time of exploration

2010-01-30T11:29:00.000+08:00

The past month has been a chase after the lessons. I get the feeling of already turning into a lecture notes churning machine, clocking in 50-60 hours per week, with a near burn-out after the first. But as I prepare for the lessons, issues about the OT text start to intrigue me, and they become the driving motivation for the job. These include:

the historicity and specifics of Exodus, the location of the red sea crossing, the location of Mt. Sinai, and
the ANE and hellenistic influences to the OT text in terms of genre and historiography.

Books that I hope to read:

Fritz, Glen A. 'The Lost Sea of the Exodus: A Modern Geographical Analysis'. PhD dissertation. Texas: Texas State University, 2006; and the book having the same name.
Gruen, Erich S. Heritage and Hellenism: The Reinvention of Jewish Tradition. Hellenistic Culture and Society 30. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

A helpful review essay of the second book is: Feldman, Louis H. 'The Reshaping of Biblical Narrative in the Hellenistic Period: A Review Essay', International Journal of Classical Tradition 8 (2001): 60-79.
Comparative materials illuminate one's understanding of the biblical text, even though there are issues of temporal and spatial distance to consider.

Being new to the Singapore scene in terms of acdemic book providers, I was excited when I came across the 'Open Trolley', an online book seller based in Singapore. It offers some selection (though limited) of academic books across disciplines. (Books within their catalogue can be collected from Singapore Plaza in a week after payment online.) I would hope that it can do custom-made orders for books that are not stocked. The service would then become an oasis for the thirsty students of the ancient worlds.

Blogging is tricky here. I will try to keep to the restrictions on what I can blog about.

the way forward for the blog

2010-01-10T18:41:00.000+08:00

Having put the PhD research behind, and transiting into a more mundane life of teaching, I ask the question about the way forward for the blog: would it be the end of it, and what I shall write about. Would it be the OT survey issues I face as I prepare for the classes, e.g. the historicity of the Exodus; or the notes on Revelation, as I return to face the book I have worked on for the past years, and to catch up with something more than the topic I was focussing on? Greek 1 would not be too interesting either. Bloggers that have sustained interests of readers are those who keep abreast of new contributions to research. Time to spare and interaction in the academic circle are both needed for this to take place. So long for now, until something more interesting crops up.

a log entry of a research dream

2009-12-28T22:12:00.000+08:00

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.

I dream a dream- forwarded by a friend

2009-12-23T10:05:00.000+08:00

'I dreamed 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?

In transit at Dubai

2009-12-09T08:24:00.000+08:00

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.

PhD thesis seeking interested publishers/editors

2009-11-28T22:12:00.000+08:00

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

the sound of silence

2009-11-26T07:10:00.000+08:00

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

The bridge

2009-09-29T18:41:00.000+08:00

Lots of things happened the past month, squeezed between the BNTC and the coming viva. KS and I managed to go to the places I had very much wanted to go: Scottish Highlands, London and Paris (at last I set foot on continental Europe, and this time not on transit). The West Coast train journey up to Fort William of the Scottish Highlands featured rolling plains, close-up mountains and tranquil rivers. It could have gotten more spectacular if we continued the way to Mallaig but the itinerary could not accommodate that. Our stopoever at Inverness, the capital of the highlands, was very pleasant. It is a beautiful city that bears some resemblance to the beauty of Edinburgh. The River Ness flowing right through the city centre makes it more so

The bridge across River Ness, symbolises the bridge of time between my recent return and now; it brings people to the other side, to territories you dream of but have never set foot on, yet untrodden and untouched. It also symbolizes the journey through the coming viva on 1 October, like a rite of passage, that distances oneself from one's work to look at it from another perspective, even to hate it, and to emerge hopefully in a blissful reconciliation with one's views, and that of others. The journey across the river this Thursday will bring me down to Chichester for the oral defense together with my internal examiner. How it would be like would be in their hands, I can react but not dictate.

The onward journey from Inverness brought us back to Edinburgh, and then to London and Paris. Remember some time ago, I lamented that the continent is so near yet so far. But things turn out that I was there, Paris, and indeed the musée du Louvre--a spectacular city that does not fail to awe.

A capture of the woman at the window, which we missed in the British Museum, was the most rewarding part of the journey. She (her kind) is a character in my thesis.

The impetus to travel was driven by the notion that UK and Europe will be more distant once life in SE Asia resumes. This is the hard-to-come-by chance to see places around here. But right now, preparation for the viva is foremost.

From the acknowledgement page of the thesis...

2009-07-30T15:03:00.001+08:00

Windows to the Polemics against the So-Called Jews and Jezebel In Revelation: Insights from Historical and Co(n)textual Analysis

Acknowledgement and heartfelt thanks are long due to those who have supported me in various ways during the four-year journey into the intriguing world of the Apocalypse: My husband, Kwang-San, who has endured and perhaps suffered for his whole-hearted support to his wife for her life-dream of contributing to biblical interpretation; whom, I hope it is not too late to recompense for the years of my absence— My supervisors, Professor Larry Hurtado and Dr Helen Bond, for their unfailing support in giving shape to the thesis through their critique and suggestions, and their untiring reading of numerous drafts of the thesis. Whatever errors that remain are of my (un)doing! Special thanks go to Professor Hurtado for extending his support into the confines of family meals at Christmas. Thanks go to Chinese Evangelical Church in Edinburgh, which has given me a place to belong and a chance to serve, and to Pasir Panjang Hill Brethren Church (Singapore) for gladly offering financial support during the years of study. I also thank Panacea Society (UK) and TCA College (Trinity Christian Centre, Singapore) for providing a year of scholarship each. It is to the latter that I return to serve. My family members have been fully supportive of my endeavour. Thanks to them and many friends unnamed. All have a share in the fruits of this research, and indeed have contributed to the ministry of Biblical scholarship. I also think of sojourners along the pathway of research, particularly the THECE (Theologically Hopeful Ethnic Chinese in Edinburgh), whose companionship, jokes and laughter have made this path an enjoyable one. A number of scholars, Professor Jan Bremmer and Professor E. Mary Smallwood, with whom my path has delightfully crossed, have engendered faith in myself at what I was doing. Both willingly offered their expertise and read portions of the thesis. I thank especially Professor Bremmer, without whose initial kind reception to ideas in what is now Chapter Seven, Part Two of the thesis would not have taken off as smoothly. His constant support has been a source of encouragement. Last but not least, it was God, I believe, who had (through the prayer support of family and friends) enabled times of breakthrough, which opened up pathways in what seemed like cul-de-sac. I was truly amazed when those moments happened, and the exclamation of ‘heurēka’ accompanied one of those moments.

So near, yet so far - Europe

2009-06-09T05:03:00.000+08:00

The PhD studies have opened a totally new horizon for me to do NT studies: historical contexts and background. To many, that is just the normal perspective, but for me who started out with literary/structural studies, the past three years of study has led me right into the heart of socio-historical context of the Graeco-Roman world (and some Ancient Near East stuff). I remembered I told my supervisors very naively and laughingly at the beginning that I will not use that method, as the method I usually use is enlightening in itself. And I believe they commented on my change of mind after more than a year with pleasant surprise. Lo and behold, I walked right into it in the second year, when digging into background and contexts helped to unlock images in the book of Revelation. This of course is accompanied with attention to the context of the whole text. With Godsent people, very kind to help--they have enriched my learning experience enormously. It is different to interact with someone who is an expert from just reading off the book. You have the assurance that if you have someone to help bounce off imaginative ideas, you will not be too far off the mark. The subject of historical contexts is still alluring, and Europe, with its rich heritage is now becking. There is much more to learn. With about a few more months stay in UK, I confess that I have not travelled outside Edinburgh, except to do transit somewhere or to attend conferences. It would be a shame if I don't do some travelling, especially if this is the only chance in life to be so near, with time at leisure, to the places that hold the secrets of the past.

The conclusion is done

2009-06-05T08:38:00.000+08:00

Thank God for having my supervisor suggest a topic that fits my research, after having floundered about for a while! The conclusion is finally done, and awaiting to be commented upon. I thought it was a miracle for it to be completed today. The next step would be the abstract, to firm up some parts of the thesis, to trim off more than 10 000 words, proof-read, have the bibliography, abbreviations, contents done, etc. And hope to submit sometime end June or mid-July, after which there will be the viva, perhaps in early Sep.
In between, there is a 'Moving forward' Postgraduate conference, July 21-23, at Aberdeen, in which I will read a paper on the polemical depiction of the OT Jezebel (topic below*). I would also like to attend the British NT Conference also at Aberdeen, 3-5 Sep. Probably my examiners will be there. Thinking if a viva could be held there... or if I should submit a paper abstract for the conference. Waiting also for the plans for lodging in August (the landlord wants the flat back for last three weeks), so I would be exploring Netherlands and Cambridge as alternatives. But things can only be confirmed mid June for this when I hear back from a Prof. in Holland, who had kindly offered to allowed me to house-sit for two weeks while he is away (i.e. if no one else needs to use it). Tyndale House, Cambridge, may be where I can go for the remaining one week if the trip to Holland is possible, and back to Edinburgh by 1 Sep. Tentative plans...but for now a sigh of relief! All by prayer.

*Death of a queen or goddess? Overtones to Jezebel’s Vilification at her Death Scene in the Hebrew Bible (2 Kings 9:30-37)

Taking stock-how it feels towards the end

2009-05-18T06:31:00.000+08:00

I have not been writing a blog entry for a month again. So it is probably time to squeeze something out here, though quite short of what to say. I am entering the concluding part of the thesis and finding myself repeating parts of the introduction (the steps and some findings). There is, for the present, something short of a spark to give an 'altar call' type of punch at the end....It feels like a trudge to finish up, and with no words left for the job. The end is in view, though, and that is something good. The various parts, at least in my view, cohere now. However, there is the nagging question, 'Is there something I should have said but have missed out?... Could the conclusion of the matter be that simple and straightforward?' A brilliant thesis needs a brilliant end, but would it read to others simply as 'madness'? I hope not...I don't think so... Certainly not! Uncertainties... Besides, I would need to trim about 15 pages off the chapters after I finish the conclusion. An abstract is the next step after conclusion is done. Some simply charge to the end, I don't feel that way, at least not yet. But the thesis is coming into shape and I am glad for that!

"THECE Communitas"

2009-04-19T06:43:00.000+08:00

The "who" in Revelation and Arthur's Seat

2009-03-26T19:48:00.001+08:00

It has been close to a month since I updated the blog. During this time, I have been working hard at the thesis (well, not as hard as I wanted to, taking time for conversations and meals with friends, and a hike up Arthur's Seat). Embarking on the concluding analysis of the thesis, I still find that I am lack of a piece in my puzzle to connect up half of what I have done. It would be wonderful if I can find the historical person of Jezebel--the elusive woman! I have "cracked" (with thanks to God) the great harlot of Revelation (or at least I think I have), but not this personality yet. Is she someone in the Flavian period, a queen/mistress of the emperor, perhaps? Well, people think I have a fixation with her. How could she be such a prominent person (if she really is one in my guess) and be only affecting the Thyatiran church? At least she is not mentioned in the other letters of Revelation.

Taking the steps up the Arthur Seat provide a panoramic view of the city. A bag piper was playing Scottish music by the hillside, and the soothing music made the climb more comforting. Not a adventurous person for heights, musical accompaniment on the way helped. It aided to the romanticness of the climb and fed my imagination of the beautiful and original Scotland. I did not complete the climb as it became windy and sandy with less foothold, about four-fifths to the top. But sitting at where I could manage was sufficient to allow me a feel of being at the heights. Hope to return one day with some company. As for the thesis, it has to be nothing but the best--the heights. This is a dream to fulfill.

When time is still in your hands

2009-03-02T05:19:00.000+08:00

As evening sets in and shadows lengthen

the silhouette of bare trees

produces a harmonious imprint

to the angle of the setting sun--

artistically and temporally on the green

Eccl 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...

Yesterday evening, I attended the fundraising event jointly produced by Mayfield Salisbury Church and Chinese Evangelical Church of Edinburgh. Having left the ministry in the Chinese church last November, I heard the choir perform anew as a spectator. The experience reminded me of one thing: when God gives the chance to work at something, one should do it wholeheartedly, as the time will come when one cannot work at it anymore. The pieces, no doubt, reflect the inprints of many previous directors: voice production, harmony, expression, unceasingly and untirelessly each practice. It occurred to me at that moment that a time is past, and it remains for me to see if the effort put in continues to flourish or disappears.

I am reminded that, as is with vocal training, so is with the writing of a thesis: one should put in the best effort, since the time will come when such an attempt is no longer possible. When that time comes, it remains only for one to assess, perhaps satisfactorily or perhaps regrettably, the output of one's work.

So when time is still in one's hand, treasure and make the best use of it!

Eccl 5:18-19
Then I realized that it is good and proper
for a man to eat and drink,
and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun
during the few days of life God has given him—
for this is his lot.
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions,
and enables him to enjoy them,
to accept his lot and be happy in his work—
this is a gift of God.

A guest at home

2009-02-25T03:21:00.000+08:00

My master's supervisor came visiting the past weekend to conduct a few days of talks at church. Among the sessions, the church had also the opportunity to hear of his ministry in Cambridge, and from there learn some spiritual principles of church building. To me, hosting him was a good time of getting together and of recounting God's leading in the past year. Hearing of God's wonderful involvement in his ministry and of God's provision, I have deep sense of God's presence--that God is not only someone we encounter in the Bible, but He is so alive and real, ready to bless those who remain faithful to him. His blessings are so often unexpected and amazing for those who trust him. Besides eating some simple food that I prepared, brothers and sisters provided sumptuously to his meals. A sister, who is a professional tour guide, managed to conduct a visit to St. Andrews and places in between. The seaside behind the ruins of the Cathedral at St. Andrews was breathtaking.

I thank God for the few days he was here.

Below is a close-up picture of the Forth Railway Bridge (the only photograph my camera was capable of taking on the trip). The other sights along the way remain nostalgically in my memory.

Eureka!

2009-02-11T17:34:00.000+08:00

My husband was praying for me the night before, and lo and behold, I chanced upon the human face behind the mysterious great harlot in Rev 17-18. Reading Revelation is like trying to play a detective game, and the game is certainly made to be manageable with the many hints and leads provided. What a surprise!
For the thesis, there are quite some unfinished portions, but the gap has become less looming and, I hope, manageable.
Thanks also to all who have been supporting me in the work one way or other. Besides my two supervisors with their conscientious and ready support, I would also like to thank a prof in Holland, who despite having no obligations to help, has always been so ready to go the extra mile, to read and think about what I am doing.

近朱近墨，无知与聪明

2009-02-01T22:14:00.000+08:00

近期为着自己有机会在基督教会中长大感觉是的一份的福分。来到了英国开拓了自己的视野和生活体验。近期接触了不同圈子的人：观察着，感觉人是好无辜，虽然人本性是善良，但是容易在没有正确概念的支持下步入潮流的混乱作风里。教会圈子里整体可以说思想观念是比较保守，但是这一份的保守奠定了基础，帮助人生道路走得更雀跃，发挥得更淋漓尽致。它避免人走冤枉路。不是说教会圈子神圣、没有一丝毫罪恶，但是整体在信主的人心中有一盏灯，是上帝话语的指引，也是圣灵在良心中的照明，好让一个人不会不知所故地陷入大小陷阱。基本上，一个后现代的社会以尊重它者和异概念文化为理由，而毫无分辨意愿全盘好坏照收，善恶不分；在单纯的无知中随波逐流；外表上看起来很大方、很包容、很仁慈，内在却隐藏着一种危机。要知道世界不是完全美好，人性不是完全善良，在无知中所犯的错不是毫无后果；人都有善良的一面，但以善意出发的动作，不一定是最好的方式。在永恒的定律下，人们就算是努力依循，离理想还有一节，若不谨慎思考和谨慎行事便可能一失足成千古恨。在否认定律的当儿，就也对美好生活体验弃了权。后现代，不讲、也无真理的概念，但是所有的社会体系和关系都是以界限来维持的，界限的存在反映了真理本质的一面。听起来好不『后现代』、好狭隘，但你若不尊重它，生活容易以混乱收场；人生的美好无法透彻地体验，苦涩、懊恼、失望却会领教许多。每个人都是在努力，谁不愿生活更好？但是没有光的照明，没有古老智慧的训诲，努力归努力，也只象在伸手不见五指的漆黑空间中筑路。

智慧不是在呼唤，聪明不是在发声吗？
它在路旁高处的最高点，在十字路口站着；
在城门旁，在城门口，在进城门的空地上大声呼喊：

『众人哪！我向你们呼唤，对世人发声。
愚蒙人哪！你们要学习精明；愚昧人哪！你们心里要明白事理。
你们听着，因为我要讲论极美的事，我要开口说正直的事；
我的口要论述真理，我的嘴唇厌恶邪恶。
我口里的一切话都是公义的，毫无弯曲欺诈。

我的话对明理的人，都是对的；对得着知识的人，都是正直的。
你们要接受我的教训，不要银子；宁愿得着知识，胜过精金；
因为智慧比红宝石更好，你一切所喜爱的都不能和智慧比较。
。。。。。。』
（箴言8：1-11）

Four in One

2009-01-27T05:09:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year Eve, Burns Day, Birthdays all in one. Thank you all who planned a very memorable gathering, and for your card, presents and food. I can sense the typical warmth and joy when we all get together, for all the familiar and new faces. I am sure even new friends can sense God's love through your small and big efforts.

~25th Jan 2009

这时代感言

2009-01-18T03:54:00.000+08:00

网页时代是一个矛盾的时代。一个人能够身份秘密地在网页上发表，但又能够让全世界知道。
这个时代是一个很矛盾的时代，以为要尊重人权而不提道德规范，但是又在同时因为没有规范而侵略他人。
这个时代很恐怖，因为再也没有古老淳淳善诱的劝导；父母难有，老师也没有：分数、成绩、事业、薪水、吃得饱穿得暖，就如此。
这个时代很矛盾，把垃圾当为宝贵，宝贵的当成垃圾。
这个时代很矛盾：教会是上帝的灯塔，但它的光辉只令少数人看到。灯是发出了，但却被四面墙挡住。
这个世界步向毁灭，但警觉的声音微小，在潮流浪涛上浮沉的人很多。
谁也不能说什么，因为他人开心就好。

箴言3：13-20 （新译本）

得着智慧，获致聪明的人，是有福的。
因为智慧的利润胜过银子的利润，
智慧的收益胜过黄金的收益。
智慧比红宝石更宝贵；你一切所喜爱的，
都不足与智慧比较。
智慧的右手有长寿，左手有财富和尊荣。
智慧的道路尽是欢悦，智慧的路径全是平安。
对紧握智慧的人来说，智慧是生命树，
凡是紧抓智慧的，都是有福的。
耶和华以智慧奠定大地，以聪明坚立高天。
因他的知识，深渊就裂开，天空也滴下甘露。

RAE 2008-Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies

2009-01-05T23:51:00.000+08:00

Press on, New College (Edinburgh)! More details will possibly be updated at the official website. An analysis is excerpted from the school's website to encourage all who are researching in the field of Divinity to press on!

School of Divinity (University of Edinburgh) RAE Results (18 December 2008)
The School of Divinity once again turned in a very strong performance in the national research-ratings of university departments in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise results released 18 December. With 60% of our research activity rated in the two highest categories (4* and 3*), and 30% in the 4* category (which means "world-leading in terms of originality, significance, and rigour"), we are very pleased. Indeed, the School has the highest percentage in the 4* category of any Scottish university in Theology & Religious Studies, and stands a joint-third in the UK in the percentage of very top-rated (4*) research activity (with Oxford and University College London). The School submitted 100% of its academic staff (whereas in some other universities a selection of staff was submitted), who comprise the largest number of research-active staff of any unit in the subject in Scotland, and the third-largest in the UK. On the RAE assessment of publications submitted, research grants awarded, the numbers of postgraduate students, and indications of professional esteem for members of academic staff, 85% of our research activity was judged of internationally recognised quality.

Choral Appreciation 4

2009-01-03T08:31:00.000+08:00

Tonight I attended the 122nd Annual New Year Handel's Messiah performance by the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. This year the performance was at St Chubert's Church, with the organ taking the roles of the orchestral instruments. I was very stunned by the finale piece 'Worthy is the Lamb, Amen'. The recording here is from another choir. The lyrics of this piece are from Revelation 5:12-13:

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.
Amen.

New Year resolution for thesis

2009-01-02T21:51:00.000+08:00

If I need to return to Singapore in July,
I hope to aim viva sometime end June
thus thesis need to be submitted end March
the first draft by mid February
- conclusion, introduction, literature review and putting together by mid Feb
- polemic and the great prostitute by end Jan
- the context of Jezebel, Balaam and Nicolaitans in Revelation by mid Jan
(very tight schedule, scary)

Hope to try get some articles submitted to journals after thesis submission,
to do some book recommendations for TCA college,
and prepare anything I can for the viva.

With fear and trepidation, and God's help!

Hogmany's fireworks from Castle

2009-01-02T00:25:00.000+08:00

在苏格兰的圣诞节

2008-12-26T20:08:00.000+08:00

这次圣诞节也许是我最后一次在爱丁堡度过，因此想把各样的体验汇聚在今年圣诞。第一站是圣诞节前的主日（fourth Sunday of the Advent），参加了Old St Paul's 的九段经文和佳音的礼拜（Service of Nine Lessons and Carols）。在非常雄伟的坐堂中和烛光的闪耀下体验了前所未有圣诞的神秘和庄严。唱诗班的水准近乎一场正式音乐会，表达了伟大神该有的的尊荣。

圣诞前夕（平安夜）在同间教会的午夜弥撒(midnight mass) 这种感觉加剧了。在会众、诗班和圣职人员的轮流朗诵、献唱和礼拜中，庄严的伟大的曲目以及历代信徒的颂赞、信经、祷文和古老近乎无法追踪根源的仪式在那刻都汇聚成一股敬拜的洪流。讲道的主题『神与我们同在，成为卑微婴孩』与这宏伟敬拜仪式中所朝拜、充满奥秘和威信的神成为了强烈的对比。圣诞的主角（圣婴耶稣）是

God of God

Light of Light

Very God of very God

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father:

by whom all things were made

who for us and for our salvation

came down from heaven

神的奥秘裹着布。一婴孩的哭啼划过寂静的夜晚。在那夜有一大队天兵和天使显现给牧养人，报给他们关乎万民大喜的信息：

『在至高之处，荣耀归与神！

在地上，平安归与他所喜悦的人！』

往年的圣诞前夕都到StGiles去。今年体验了Episcopal Church（英国圣公会）high church近乎罗马天主教仪式的弥撒实在对神神秘的另一面又更大的体验！

圣诞节当天St Giles坐堂的管风琴后奏曲Messiaen的Dieu parmi nous充满上帝的神秘、可怕和庄严。它唤起了人对生命和神圣神奥秘的醒觉。在一个充满消费主义的圣诞节，神以不平凡的方式与沉睡的人相遇；在想象不到的角落，以想象不到的姿态出现。你若要遇见神，就要追随他出现时的脚踪和他流传下来生生不息的信仰传统。永恒『道』成肉身的信息其实离你不远，就在他所感动人写下的话--『圣经』--中，也在与他有生命交往的群体—『基督的教会』中—你可预见。

Choral music appreciation 3

2008-12-21T23:53:00.000+08:00

To share a piece I listened to in church today. It was a well designed service and I drew comfort from it. The piece for the focus today speaks of Mary accepting the mssion that God has called her: to bear the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The piece by Herbert Howells (1892-1983), Magnificat (Collegium Regale),

tells of the joy and ecstacy that Mary experienced knowing that God has valued her humility.

My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold, forhenceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his Name. And his mercy is on them that fear hm througout all generations. He hath shewn strength with his arm:

he hath sacttered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away. He rememb'ring his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel:

as he promised to our forefathers. Abraham and his seed, for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Chost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

In this season of Advent, when the world-transforming event of God Become Man was to happen, we are reminded of people in suffering, in need, and who are anxious. The Son of God came so that he could bear our burdens and iniquities individually and corporately. May the peace of God be with us all.

梦想

2008-12-16T20:20:00.000+08:00

最近收到一封email 邀请我报名一个在印第安纳Weslyan University 博士后teaching fellowship。突然感觉之前以为不可能的境界还是可能的。可惜已经和一所学院签约必须回新加坡。当然，若报名了也未必能成功，只是梦想罢了！至少离我能够在学术界里立足和贡献的长期梦想又在想象中更近一步。这个负担是挥之不去的。

梦想，希望有一天能够实现。

论文、聚餐

2008-12-12T03:20:00.000+08:00

这个房子越来越多人到来！昨天室友搞生日茶会，少过24小时的通知，来了十多人，又让我锻炼做茶叶蛋和莎拉的手艺，还见到了以前的室友。几个月没见，一见又有许多话可谈。听她分享到在困难中上帝的安慰和确实的帮助。咦！还来了以前的法文老师，实在好玩（是室友朋友的以前租户）。国际学生从印度、巴基斯坦、法国、美国、英国、中国大陆、台湾、新加坡、马来西亚等挤在一个不大不小的客厅里，十分融洽。最后的客人谈话到临晨1点多才离开，若不是主人（我）表示有些累，也许话题未尽还可聊下去！当初，租这房子只是希望朋友能够来聚聚，现在这里变成认识新朋友的地方。

感谢神论文有些以为可行的线索。有一个概念可能可以把已经做好的几章连在一起。老师这概念的回应是：

『你又再次提供一些有趣的和（我以为）创新的想法。我在表面没有看到明显的误差等。因此，虽然你不可能说服每个读者你的提案是唯一正确的答案或是最可能的解释，但我并不认为它容易地被人驳回。所提的没有严重不可能之处。实际上早期基督教圈子中如你所描述的可能有些自由派分子积极参与异教的狂欢活动。因此，我认为你可以往这方向继续研究，尽所能把论点巩固起来。』

这是他人在这段时间祷告中论文所有的突破。还需把框架实现出来。 Marzeah/ thiasos/symposium中的狂欢祭拜如何严重影响旧约以色列群体，又如何影响新约小亚细亚信徒？耶洗别、巴兰在旧约的影响如何在新约时代继续？手握酒杯的大淫妇又如何表明启示录作者对异教狂欢作乐的憎恨？

Yam 毕业风采一瞄

2008-12-04T20:28:00.000+08:00

12月4日12点15分左右。
家住McEwan Hall对面。从厨房窗口望下去是一堆穿着毕业袍的同学和他们的祝贺者兴奋地沐浴在毕业的荣耀和欣喜中。今天中午在厨房，听到外面突然的一声喧闹，便把蒙上水汽的窗户擦干，看看外头兴奋的人群从礼堂涌出来。再开了窗户想象自己若主带领的话明年底（？）也能够成为毕业生之一，心理出现了羡慕又忐忑的心情。不久一位熟悉的高个子（Ben）出现在人群中，接着我便追随他的周遭寻找Yam 的影子。果然看到这位以优越成绩毕业，从香港来参加毕业典礼的博士。虽然没有出席他的毕业典礼（可以想象其中的隆重的景象），却真的有幸在家里就能够看到他兴奋穿着黑底红色绸带的博士学位袍子的样子！还真奇妙的时间在厨房吃饭。

稍后在NewCollege和大家一伙合照。

Choral Music Appreciation 2

2008-11-28T05:08:00.000+08:00

Handel's Messiah, Halleluja Choir conducted by Morten Topp.

CHORUS Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!

光的透射

2008-11-24T02:44:00.000+08:00

昨天在研究旧约的耶洗别皇后，今天在Greyfriars Kirk 崇拜时正好讲她的故事。附上教堂窗口的一面树影，实在富有诗意。感谢主，现在对论文的（心理）障碍感觉上少了很多，也能重新开始动笔了！不知圣经中记载耶洗别和耶戶的那幕里隐含多少的嘲讽。诗意和隐喻掺杂在圣经这本古老的著作中，诗意和秋色放映在古老坐堂窗际。

Choral music appreciation 1

2008-11-23T08:49:00.000+08:00

O HOLY GOD (P. Tchaikovsky)

performed by CHAMBER CHOIR KIEV

in ANTHOLOGY OF SACRED MUSIC

聚餐、闲聊和福音

2008-11-09T07:48:00.000+08:00

今天要谢谢大家让我有机会服侍你们到访的朋友。不但让我锻练厨艺，同时也更了解大家，从中发现人生智慧的宝贵。多多向你们学习！更庆幸是来了一两位意料之外的『天使』，使到事情能够有多几个帮手！洗碟子、端盘子、移桌子、收拾场地等等，样样事情在晚餐结束时便处理妥当，效率极高！同时抱歉让大家听我分享基督的『福音』大约15分钟，也许听得一知半解，无从和以往的思想体系连接。相信你心中所想的上帝，是他在你心里已经开始有的触碰和启示。

论文有些线索，继续追踪

2008-11-08T08:54:00.000+08:00

今天闲聊中另一位同学提醒我有一位研究旧约耶洗别的同学。向他请教帮助我理清一些的思想。没想到他对于旧约耶洗别这个人物的想法有助于我的论文的研究方向。嗨，可惜要等他发表文章才能采纳他的成果。至于目前最关键和重点的资料还是找不到。但至少停止很久的研究有些突破，还可能朝着原来的研究方向迈进。感谢主的带领！

收拾心情，把论文做好

2008-10-27T04:21:00.000+08:00

在过去一年教会事奉的时光让我看到教会的需要，也有灵感对于如何满足这需要。为此，也尽了相当大的努力，相信主会继续找人延续他的工作。当然接棒接地不好我也有责任，但我已经在有限的时间里尽了最大的努力。要放下爱城教会兼职牧养的工作也是需要收拾心情，因为在过程中投入了不少的思想、情感和意志力去把事情推动起来。稀奇的是，开始时对论文写作时间的把关，渐渐被教会里所看到的需要侵蚀。本来论文是主要，好几个月来变成了次要。投入教会事奉而体会到的满足和『刺激』与由异象（某些远见）而来的动力渐渐使到论文遥远起来--对它的思绪支离破碎！现在需要找回对论文『起初的爱』和热忱。回想当初是如何地排除万难把它一步步地建构起来，如今需要重新拾回那写论文起初的『异象』和动力。教会未成就的事，相信主会带领更好的人来完成。每一个阶段教会都有它合适的带领人。如今是卸任的时候。

属灵眼观是教会领导们所需要的。没有属灵的眼光，事务周而复始，到了某个阶段就难以再突破。这个突破需要在形式、在彼此鼓励下并主话语的激励中达成。这方面我感觉是我们教会在目前的发展阶段中所急着需要的！

过去到COCM授课也开阔我的视野，让我的心即对教会的负担还未完全放下时，又兴起了另一个，似乎还是比论文来得更刺激。但我想对于英国教会的需要这个负担太庞大，也不是我所能够去涉及。至少，目前不是时候。只能够尝试唤起定居英国的华裔基督徒负起这个使命！我鼓励有意者多接触COCM的宣教事工，和魏牧师跑一趟英国各教会，你肯能就会找到神呼招你的岗位。在你对前途茫然时，主会给你异象向前走。一个令人激励的事是：中国人已经在好些地方负起建立国语事工的责任。COCM圣经学院对这方面过去几届的努力，已经有成果了！为此我感到非常地兴奋。对于粤语工作的拓展，还未好好起步。英国各地香港的移民『建堂的阶段』是辉煌的昨日，下一个阶段的棒子谁来接替？教会中有粤-华-英三语和三种文化的情况该如何妥善处理？粤语的工作又要如何继续发展？这也是我过去在思考的。适当的形式，相信有助于各群体的发展。甚至在必要时、在文化差异和彼此不利的牵制下、在资源成熟时，分开来聚会会帮助突破一些现有的局限。前人所立下的根基也会更好地在时机成熟时被更好地在上建造。无可否认，一代接一代，预备接棒人是重要的一环。很多时候教会或机构的发展可能就卡在这一关无法前进。让下一代在成熟时，如断线的风筝随着灵风吹的方向发展。爱华福在这一点于英语的事工作了勇敢的尝试。

离开爱华福的教会生活和事奉是我的大损失。为了让自己能够收拾心情、把专注力转回论文，目前似乎也没有其他的方法。多一次的见面就是多一份的惦记。离开也许是目前所需要做的。

下一步不知主会有何安排？

Cheers! The first meal together at flat

2008-10-18T04:33:00.000+08:00

This is the first meal with friends at the flat. Remember the reason for choosing this flat is that we can have such gatherings. This is the first occasion at my place since arriving in Edinburgh for three years!

11 Oct 2008

Cheers! We put together a meal and a candlelit dinner, with lights also on! If not it would be too dark to see what we are eating. After the meal, we had a group of friends of different faiths, and someone suggested Bible Study, and I read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 to them, and the conversation centered around all sorts of things, including "love" in the movies. This constituted our "Bible Study" discussion.

Posting from COCM

2008-10-16T00:30:00.000+08:00

At last! After moving flat, and all the funny things that happened, I have a breather here at Milton Keynes. I had never known the letters to the Corinthians as I now do after doing the preparation for the course. Paul's love, exasperation and hope, and most of all his perseverance becomes a vivid guide to those in the ministry. I will quote some moving passages from his emotionally charged letters.... some memorable verses that are seldom quoted.

Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (1 Cor 4:15)

So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? (2 Cor 2:1-2)

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also. (2 Cor 6:11-13)

So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? (2 Cor 12:15)

I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it...(2 Cor 12:11)

Read the Bible in its context and an exciting world opens up that is no different from the 21st century experience.

God help!

2008-09-28T05:34:00.000+08:00

After moving to a new flat, life has yet to settle...finding it almost impossible to install a broadband, things left unfinished-thesis, notes for crash course... And feeling quite defeated already. Recently saw that I need to make a decision to put down the church's work from November as the thesis is more pressing... I need nothing short of a miracle to overcome some kind of hovering depression, and need his unabating presence and assurance again.

Perhaps it was providence that I met a friend yesterday night who had just submitted his thesis. He gave thanks that God is "scary" (in a pleasant way), allowing him to find just the material at a point when he almost wanted to give up his data set. Imagine God alerting him to look into a particular journal, and found what he needed to prove his case. It turned a challenged thesis into one that could fit two articles into a top business journal. He said, "Pray, and press on, not to give up!"

Even though "prayer" sounds very unscientific in the business of the academic, but is also my personal experience that it was prayer, more than anything else, that had helped me progress in the thesis. Without God's help, I would not have even gone so far with it.

A familar tune comes to my mind...

All the way my Savior leads me,
what have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
who through life has been my Guide?

On the way back from Durham

2008-09-07T05:54:00.000+08:00

It was raining the second day we arrived for the conference, and on the third day back, the sun just came out for a while after lunch. It allowed us to walk to the train station pleasantly just enough to soak in the beautiful sights of Durham without getting wet. My supervisor led the way. We were catching the same train back. We were forewarned of delays due to massive flooding in the north and south routes, only to realise at the train station our train and the subsequent trains to Edinburgh were cancelled! I would have panicked alone. However, I was comforted that I was not alone, and with him around, I had no fear of not getting back. Thank God for sending an angel. Somehow we got on a diesel train heading for Glasgow via Edinburgh, and the service also being greatly delayed, stalled along the way in nowhere waiting to pass the flooded tracks by switching lanes. The train finally terminated at Edinburgh, fortunately, about three hours late. It was a memorable experience in the rain to watch the flooded fields, engage in reading, and discuss Jezebel and Montanism. Closer to Edinburgh we caught sight of the sunset and the Arthur seat a few miles away. We know that Edinburgh is not far off. It was an experience I would not want to miss even if I could.

Sights from Lampeter, Wales

2008-09-01T06:07:00.000+08:00

Lampeter is a quaint town set in the midst of the hills, valleys and pastures of western Wales. The journey to the town is through winding roads. The 585 bus charged though the winding and sometimes narrow roads along the mountain terrian at quite a dangerously fast speed. The bus wisked and rattled along the way as the branches and bushes scrapped at its frame. But the driver seemed as confident as ever that there will not be an oncoming vehicle from beyond the bend. Only once had the bus needed to reverse in face of an oncoming vehicle to a broader stretch that could allow two vehicles to pass through. The journey on the way back on X40 to Aberystwyth was more pleasant and took me through a very scenic stretch, encasing the blue ocean and fields littered with sheep grazing pasture, as well as a bustling seaside town of Aberaeron.

I sensed the kindness of the Welsh people when two old ladies assured me of where to alight and brought me from the bus to the University grounds itself, even to the point of enquiring where the new porter's lodge was. It was dusk when I arrived, and if not for them I would have difficulty finding my directions. Thank God for them, and many others who have helped me on the research trip, to make sure I did not get lost, miss the train or feel uneasy. I must admit I initially found it puzzling when trying to find a way to get in and out of the town to and fro Edinburgh. The return journey included a three-hour wait at Carlisle in the dead of the night along the deserted streets (with occasional rowdy "pubbers") for a connecting National Express bus to Edinburgh! What an experience it was... trying to sleep standing, resting on the rail of the bus-stop.

I post a couple of pictures of the town of Lampeter

Was the trip fruitful in terms of research? After a few days of thinking, I settled in my heart the answer to the question I was searching for: that 'Jezebel' might not be afterall a known priestess (if ever she was one) in historical records. So a 'dead end' (though I still hope that my hopes for further leads could be revived) could also be an answer for me to work on something more profitable--at least for the time being. I was very touched by two scholars who listened to my queries and ideas, and who were really kind. They were, as one fellow conferee friend commented for one, scholars who wore their learning lightly, so much so that they exude a kind of magnetic humility. This allows one to leave one's pretences behind and talk to them on 'equal' footings. The 'Priest and State in the Roman World' was a hard to forget conference, in which established and young scholars interacted very amiably and with mutual respect. Further comradeship and friendship were forged through the process. I was a spectator and a learner, humbled by classicists and historians doing their job.

Language bar restored

2008-08-24T04:34:00.000+08:00

The drive to restore the Chinese input on my laptop has become increasingly important and even urgent, given the drive to write on the church blog, send emails to PRC b&s and prepare for lessons at COCM. Thank God that it is finally restored by going through the suggestions on the websites. But it has taken some time and repeated tries. I notice that some are having the same problem of the disappearing bar in Windows XP. Now I have no excuse to write less in my mother tongue.

A glimpse of Edinburgh-for your eyes only

2008-08-20T04:34:00.000+08:00

Works by watercolour painter Hong Sun capture Edinburgh vividly.

I had wanted to find something for a Professor in Netherlands who has been so kind in going the extra mile for my research and answering in detail my incessant queries. To share with you my find along the festive streets down the Lady Stairs near to the Mound where New College is. But it is for your eyes only...please. I bought a set including this and a view from Calton Hill for him.

Back home, I searched for the painter on the internet, and saw that he has a shop at Victoria Street. You never know that you had found and talked to a budding talent along the streets who could become famous oneday.

Are we also a talent that God has shaped with his handiwork and thronging the streets unnoticed?

Source of picture
Other samples
Apologies for posting one of his works. He should thank me for advertising for him.

A couple of reviews on the Apocalypse

2008-08-14T04:30:00.000+08:00

Review of Waddell, Robby. The Spirit of the Book of Revelation. Blandford Forum: Deo Publishing, 2006.

Review of Barr, David L., ed. The Reality of Apocalypse: Rhetoric and Politics in the Book of Revelation. Symposium 39, Atlanta, Society of Biblical Literature, 2006.

Comments/corrections from authors welcome. I humbly stand on the shoulders of giants.

Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants (nanos gigantum humeris insidentes) is a Western metaphor meaning "One who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past"

An answer to the flat-hunting prayer, and hope an answer to the Gap!

2008-08-13T18:10:00.000+08:00

After a few days of "confusion", trying to find flatmates, facing people pulling out, and myself making a last minute change, I found on the appearance, and I believe in reality, the flat of my dream (actually, my written prayer). God probably has something better than the initial one I had almost booked. It has a separate lounge, quite a spacious kitchen, so b&s from church and friends can come over some time. For two persons staying in it, the flat is considered spacious, and has good view of the McEwan Hall and Bristol Square, where the festival is going on at the moment.

Having been quite silent on the blog for sometime, it seems that things are going uphill trying to bridge the gap. I have an idea yesterday, and am now trudging the trail of the sibyl. Looking at the looming deadline of the December for the first draft, I suddenly realise in fright that that one has to concentrate on only a few things (one thing if possible). Having sent a few emails seeking help, and throwing ideas about, I await for God to send help as I continue to track the connection between Jezebel and the sibyl.

In the midst of the thesis, besides the exciting church matters, a presentation at BNTC, 4-6 Sep, awaits me to get the paper on Games as a context in Revelation out, and also to prepare a 30-something credit hour intensive course on the letters to Corinthians at COCM, 14-24 October. And when I return, November is almost on the door-step.

May He who has started the work in me, bring it to fruition to His glory.

A flat-hunting prayer

2008-08-07T06:26:00.000+08:00

God, give me a flat conducive to study,

central to New College, the libraries I frequent and the church;

a flat where a simple get-together meal can be shared;

a flat where I can have no worries and concentrate on what you want me to do!

Amen

In life there are many prayers of this nature. And you will be surprise that God hears these petty prayers. I hope He does it this time.

What's up in scholarship of Revelation

2008-08-02T23:39:00.000+08:00

Paul, Ian. "Ebbing and Flowing: Scholarly Developments in Study of the Book of Revelation". Expository Times 119 (2008): 523-31.

A glimpse of light?

2008-08-01T05:47:00.000+08:00

As I was mulling over the puzzling Gap, and wandering quite aimlessly over the books and internet, an idea struck me that seem to fit some of the loose pieces. May God help me to be able to track it out...! Someone is praying for me.

Dionysos, Cybele, prophetess, Jewish queen, festivals, games, theatrical performances....Expert help sought, comments appreciated.

BNTC 2008 paper abstract

2008-07-30T03:51:00.000+08:00

Does Revelation Play (on) Games as Context?

One finds subtle allusions to the Graeco-Roman festive games in the scenes of Revelation in a mixture of reality and creativity. During Domitian's time, about which time Revelation was composed, the games were in vogue in Asia Minor. The fad was further encouraged by Ephesus’ own Olympic games held in connection with the inauguration of the Temple of the Sebastoi, the Flavian temple of Asia Minor.

Among interesting allusions to the games, I cite the setting of martyrdom of the two witnesses (11:7-10) as example. The context of a festival may be indicated by large throngs of people gathering from all over, their celebrative mood, the presence of a beast from the abyss (the underground passageway in an amphitheatre?) and the duration of a few days, as in the Roman games. The spectators ‘watching’ the mutilation of the two witness would evoke the context of a martyrdom in an arena (already in Paul’s time? Cf. 1 Cor 4:9). Furthermore, the majestic enthroned figure, like the statue of Zeus Olympios in Elis, the victory and celebration with crowned wreaths, palm branches, victory songs and feasting (2:10; 3:11; 4: 4, 10; 7:9-12; 14:1-5; 15:2-4; 19:11-21), and pervasive ‘victory’ language suggest a context of the Greek games.

S. N. Leong

Why people can talk about what they study and I cannot: musings of the Gap in Revelation

2008-07-25T21:49:00.000+08:00

What have the visions of the book of Revelation to do with the problems John/Jesus Christ deals with in the churches of Asia Minor. Some say that chs 4-22 have totally nothing to do with chs 2-3: that they speak of a later time than the days of the original addressees. This idea stems from reading these latter chapters as "prophecy" (Rev 1:3; 19:10; 22:7, 10, 18, 19 ) in the sense of a forecast, but is this the necessarily way to do it? What sort of message do the prophets in the OT speak of? Are their messages totally a forecast or also perhaps a re-interpretation history cast in the cycles of the past? Would not parts of their prophecy be ex-eventu interpretation of past critical moments? Do they also not speak of their present?

Indeed, as we examine the structure of, and details in the letters and the following heavenly visions, we see plenty of interconnections between them at the literary level (something that cannot be denied). For example, eschatological scenes of new Jerusalem resound in the promises, and the eschatological battle (2:16; cf. 19:15) and coming judgement are reflected in the warnings of the letters. Futhermore, the whole book is cast in "inclusio frames" of an epistolory prophetic work of Jesus Christ directed to specific churches (chs. 1-3 and 22:7-21).

The next question is, how are the heavenly visions related to the issues of concern in the churches. How do the characters, events or the lessons taught through the prophetic visions speak to the problems of sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols? There is also the problem of self-professed "Jews" creating hardships for members of some churches. Do we see the shadow of Jezebel, followers of Balaam and the Nicolaitans somewhere in the worshippers of the beast, and the great prostitute? Does John deride and warn deviant behaviour in the churches through the visions, just as the OT prophets provide moral lessons for the apostate people of God? Where do the hardships caused by "Jews" come into the picture of the visions?

Ideas I am exploring at the moment: Graeco-Roman meals, Olympic games, spectacles, and goddesses. Intriguing questions: 'Jezebel', someone named after (and possibly having the attributes of) the OT queen of Israel and a Phoenician princess, operates within the church of Thyatira! What would a person of such a status be doing there in a church of Asia Minor? Who are the Nicolaitans - a sect following the deacon Nicolas in Acts (as some church fathers attest) or/and a Graeco-roman athletic guild? How do all these fit?

Bridge the Gap...!

2008-07-23T17:40:00.000+08:00

默想诗篇90

2008-07-22T06:13:00.000+08:00

生活侧重点混乱时，时间使用混乱时，回到大原则思考。
把主的话语紧记在心，把思绪带到主座前，求主洁净更新。
圣经诗篇90篇给予提醒和启发。

人生短暂对比神的永恒

主啊！你世世代代作我们的居所。
群山尚未生出，大地和世界你未曾造成，从永远到永远，你是　神。
你使人归回尘土，说：“世人哪！你们要归回尘土。”
在你看来，千年好像刚过去了的昨天，又像夜里的一更。
……
我们一生的年日是七十岁，如果强壮，可到八十岁，
但其中可夸耀的，不过是劳苦愁烦；
我们的年日转眼即逝，我们也如飞而去了。

人的罪恶惹动神的愤怒

你使世人消逝，像被洪水冲去；他们好像睡了一觉；
他们又像在早晨生长的草，早晨发芽生长，晚上就凋萎枯干。
我们因你的怒气而消灭，因你的烈怒而惊恐。
你把我们的罪孽摆在你面前，把我们的隐恶摆在你脸光之中。
我们一生的日子都在你的震怒中消逝，我们度尽的年岁好像一声叹息。
……
谁晓得你怒气的威力，谁按着你该受的敬畏晓得你的忿怒呢？

诗人醒觉，求神怜恤祝福

求你教导我们怎样数算自己的日子，好使我们得着智慧的心。
耶和华啊！要到几时呢？求你回心转意，求你怜恤你的仆人。
求你使我们早晨饱尝你的慈爱，好使我们一生一世欢呼喜乐。
你使我们受苦和遭难的年日有多久，求你使我们喜乐的日子也有多久。

愿你的作为向你的仆人彰显，愿你的威严向他们的子孙显明。
愿主我们的　神的恩慈临到我们身上；
愿你为我们的缘故，坚立我们手所作的工；我们手所作的工，愿你坚立。

Flowery Creation of God

2008-07-16T04:54:00.000+08:00

What happens when one faces one dead end after another trying to find out the identities of Jezebel, Balaam and Nicolaitans, or when one needs some emotional solace? Pray for help and head for the gardens. There you will see nature not burdened by the stresses of man. There the flowers bloom in their full array of colours.

教会姊妹信主见证

2008-07-07T05:46:00.000+08:00

生死之间

未认识神之前，死亡是根植在人们心里的无奈和恐惧。在这次四川大地震后很多人都会感叹，如林语堂说过的：“我们的生命就好像风中的残烛，随时可能熄灭。”但如今我要为自己曾行过死荫的幽谷而感谢赞美奇妙的救主。

在2006年的5月底，也就是两年前的这个时候，就在我准备办理赴爱丁堡求学的签证之际，一场突如其来的医疗事故让我经历了病危，值班医生将我当时患的急性心肌炎当作普通的肠胃感染来治疗，不断加大输液量而没有进行细致的观测检查，直到我在输液室休克过去。各科专家来会诊，但之前的输液在体内造成透视时的大片阴影，导致病情诊断不清，当时我的血压已经降为零，最后医院宣布无法医治。作为家里的独生女，爸爸面对医生的宣判几近崩溃，妈妈拉着我已经冰冷毫无血色的手，一遍遍呼唤着。

但家人没有放弃，最后请来一位心脏科专家诊断出真正的病情，开始换药治疗，然而我的生命征兆不稳定，一直处于昏迷状态。此时我体验到被许多奇形怪状像三维动画的黑影纠缠侵袭的痛苦。直到最终在零度的检查室里我突然恢复意识，睁开眼看到的亲人面孔，每个人脸上都是惊讶而痛苦的表情，那时我仍完全不知发生了什么事情。

但是这苏醒后的记忆里却储存了一段奇妙鲜活的经历，也就是通常所称的“濒死体验”。恢复意识后的我清楚的记得，有一个能够思想的“自己”升在空中，周围是很明亮耀眼但感觉祥和的白光，向下看去有一堆人围着一个白色床单盖着的人，这个空中的自己对着下面的人说：“你们不要难过，我不会离开的。”可是那些人仍旧是很悲伤的样子并且仿佛听不到“我”说话，于是空中的“我”一遍遍的重复着这句话，那时感受到前所未有的轻松安宁，全然没有身体的重量感和任何病痛的不适感。而更让我感觉奇妙的是，当时那个升空的“我”看到的病床位置和我醒来时所在的位置是一致的！

之后的日子里我在医院度过了艰难的半个月治疗期。听着医疗仪器的声音，看着身上缠绕的管子，震惊，内疚，痛苦，沮丧，庆幸，各种复杂情绪每天萦绕于脑海中，感恩于自己绝境重生的同时，不得不面对自己因注射过多药水而浮肿的身体，体力虚弱到像瘫痪似的躺在床上需要人每时每刻的照顾，每日注射的营养药因对血管有刺激输液时会痛到浑身震颤。

然而肉体的痛苦也比不过心理上的打击：一方面为今后可能留下后遗症而担心，另一方面难过自己计划了一年的留学就此泡汤，一切关于个人的前途与未来仿佛在短短几天的时间里都变得不可预知。而在住院期间，我的大学舍友表现出的冷漠使我也感到从未有过的委屈尴尬，觉得自己平日付出的百般真心竟然换不来一句病危时的问候，人际的挫败感和对人性思考的困惑终日缠绕着我。为了家人我表面上表现的很坚强，然而每日面对自己生活中的变故：“健康突然失去，外表因病改变，学业因此停滞，人际出现问题，还有医院完全的推卸责任……”这一切都让我对人生的根本意义有了疑问：“命运改变突然至此，生命脆弱至此，人心难测至此，社会黑暗至此，人们忙碌追求的一切都是可变的，那生命中什么是可以守候的？是自我挑战吗？人真的能征服命运吗？”身心的无力感让我虽不断思考却寻不到一个能让自己信服的答案。就如同约伯在面对苦难时的绝望发问：“但人死亡而消灭；他气绝，竟在何处呢？（伯 14:10）”

后来我就觉得很是应当感谢上苍，自己并未因此事故留下任何后遗症，出院时各项细微检查均达正常，发病之严重而恢复速度之快实属罕见，成了市内各大医院心脏科流传的特殊病例。但是在出院后医嘱的三个月恢复期内，我的体力差到蹒跚5分钟就要歇10分钟。在我逐渐恢复体力期间，妈妈因为受到这场刺激也病倒了，一家人面临前所未有的压力。然而，就是这样一场事故，让我们一家在困境中产生一种感恩的心境，家人之间更加和睦温馨，因为这大难不死的奇迹让我们真正思考什么是人生中最值得珍惜的，那就是生命和爱。

遇见

在延迟留学一年后，2007年的8月我又重新踏上出国之路，爱丁堡华人教会的免费接机团队将孤身一人来到国外的我顺利接到，从下午到傍晚，两位弟兄耐心的帮助我找宿舍搬行李还带到超市采购生活用品，无条件的热心和周到让我那颗因经历人情冷暖而失望过的心受到触动，第一次接触基督徒的我因他们的无私付出的善行引发了好奇心。

之后我参加了教会组织的海边出游活动，那是我人生中第一次听到敬拜歌曲，觉得非常鼓舞动听，看到基督里兄弟姐妹之间的情谊，看到他们衣服上那句“我们爱，因为神先爱我们”，看到每个人眼中真挚单纯的快乐，心中不由产生隐隐羡慕，不仅因为那种同龄人间的温暖是我在病休一年里很难体会到的，也因那时我已经感觉到了基督里家庭一样的团体与其他友谊联合团体的不同。

寻求

于是后来我拉了朋友去“探索观摩”华人教会的主日崇拜，在国内时从来没了解过基督教的我第一次走进教堂这个只在媒体中看过的圣所，不禁被那平安祥和的氛围所感染。一周后我又来到周五的团契，那晚我被一首As the Deer (如鹿渴慕溪水)的英文诗歌打动，觉得自己似乎也有‘my soul longing after You’（我的灵渴慕你）的感觉，那种温暖真诚又快乐的气氛让我坚定了继续“探索”基督教和基督徒的计划，于是之后我都坚持去教堂。

认识

未认识神之前，与很多人一样，我觉得很多事情都是众说纷纭的，每个人的秉性也是本性难移，价值观是社会家庭加上自己的主观判断而建立，因而不可避免的会随波逐流。

在几次聆听讲道后，我渐渐发现圣经中的价值观是那样无可指摘的圣洁，神的道德标准超乎一切人的良心与律法，人所构造的许多观念都在神的话语中得到颠覆。骄傲，抱怨，论断，报复，放任，自私 ……这些人类共有的天性在神的眼里都是罪，因为这些与他创造我们的初衷相违背。因为感受过人情冷暖，自己也曾有埋怨苦毒，这罪的定义在当时的我看来就觉得实在太有道理了！

而之后又知道神不是定罪来控诉人类，而是以教导来规劝我们爱人如己并且爱仇敌，他的要求看来高不可及，却都因主耶稣道成肉身进入人类历史，做了一个完美的典范，一个唯一值得人类俯伏敬拜的对象。这奇妙的逻辑让当时的我感到不可思议，于是回家后我在网上查了自己没有明白的地方，恍然发现基督教和其他宗教最不同的地方，就是驳倒了进化论这个自己一直接受的教育观点，然而因为我知道了灵魂的存在，对于人是偶然降世的产物就不再觉得可信。

决志信主

就这样，9月16日，来英国一个月后，一场关于‘喜乐人生’的讲道让我感动不已，觉得牧师句句都是对我讲的，于是之后决志信主。其实那时的我对一些基本概念都十分懵懂，但念完祷告词时眼泪就要流出来了。感觉主的奇妙作为的确就是我心深知道的，主就是在等我来寻求和称谢他的名。我知道天父在死亡的门向我显露时，当我还是个罪人时，已施奇妙恩典于我，预备我来认识他的心！

笃定跟随

我的灵魂曾经真实的飘摇，我的心曾经失落到绝望，直到因一个个契机遇见神，也因寻求那生命“不被震动的”意义而认识神。我病危的经历在世人眼中是个悲剧，但认识神的人就会明白神的拣选与美意是远超过我们的认识及言语。

两年前听过这样一句话：“我总是在最深的绝望里，遇见最美丽的惊喜”。
两年后明白这样一句话：“上帝带领人进入深水中，不是要淹没他，乃是要洁净他。”
感谢神，我曾安然度过绝境，并因此得到了一生最美的祝福。从此生命中不再有绝境，没有偶然，只有意义。因为信实的上帝会开路，且他的美意是在一切忧患苦难中使我们得到陶造。人生因“神是爱”三个字而有信心有盼望。

认识神以后自己的学习生活各方面都有很多挑战很多挫败，更是看到很多自己的缺点与软弱，但在每次难过时看到弟兄姐妹真挚的笑脸，每次对自己失望时看到天父的原谅，每次跌倒时去思想神的美意，都得到了父神的安慰与鼓励，从而学习以永恒的眼光来接纳生活中种种的不完美，学习每日心意更新攻克己身，学习付出爱分享得着。

天路因我们不愿再放任自己的罪行而很难走，但慈爱的天父说他愿将凡事都能做的力量加给我，他愿永生永世陪伴我，他愿意管理我的人生，他只让我保守自己的心，静默等候他。当领悟到主的爱是及其长阔高深，我选择今天站在这里，不论今后面对困难时是否会信心软弱，我都知道自己愿意今生永世跟随主耶稣基督。

Karen王可偲

A view from my window

2008-07-04T04:12:00.000+08:00

Behind the houses

lay a section of

Arthur's seat of Edinburgh
in a Summer's dusk at 9:30 pm,
when days are long

and the nights

short.

在INFJ 舆 INTJ 之间

2008-07-01T06:37:00.000+08:00

人的性格难以相信能够用MBTI的16种性格分类来定型。当然，上帝所造的人没有这么简单，也没有「黑白两极」的情况。但是为了能够让自己更加容易了解他人，自己便常使用MBTI的模式来作分析。到今天，这个模式帮助我更加轻松地与人相处。看看自己这几年在读博士课程和在事奉中的成长，发现自己的性格在转变当中。一个比较不累，又能够适合我的模式是INTJ。最近参加「爱大」主办的MBTI课程，作了测试发觉了自己几乎「变型」于INTJ。也许是事奉的需要，使到以这模式运作起来更加容易。工作场合的来往和讨论，及学术的研究中，thinking 的人比feeling 的人占优势。没有个人情绪因素的搅扰办起事情来多么简单，以事论事也就得了，何必这么敏感？要使出feeling的场合也许是在艺术表达方面，也许是在关心人和与朋友倾谈时。只有在不压力，能够「作自己」的时候，INFJ可能会再次出现。作为原本是INFJ的我，感觉自己在某学术要求方面是「残障」的，因为我不喜欢细节。但是iNtuition 能带来一种Sensing 没有的优势，即「宏观把握」。它却缺乏S和T类对细节的清晰度。但是，既以恩典开始，也以恩典经过，论文种种要过的关，求主来帮助。

The call on Father's Day

2008-06-16T00:47:00.000+08:00

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me
See, on the portals He's waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me
O for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Tho' we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me
Come home (come home),
Ye who are weary, come home
Earnestly tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
What blessed assurance we have on Father's day that our heavenly Father is there watching over us. Relationships on earth are transient but He alone, our heavenly Father, is constant and unchanging. If in love He had not withheld his beloved Son from us, what good things would He withhold from us this life and next. He is the Father, who would give us a Son He could not lose, so that He would gain back the sons and daughters He had lost. The church is the place where we meet with brothers and sisters equally beloved by God--the universal, yet personal Father.
If you belong to this family of God,
and have not gone home, come home,
and each day will be Father's day evermore.

道德规范的保护

2008-06-09T04:35:00.000+08:00

诗篇 119:1-16

行为完全，遵行耶和华律法的，都是有福的。
谨守他的法度，全心寻求他的，都是有福的。
他们不作不义的事；他们遵行他的道。
你曾把你的训词吩咐我们，要我们殷勤遵守。
但愿我的道路坚定，为要遵守你的律例。

我重视你的一切诫命，就不至于羞愧。
我学会了你公义的法则，就以正直的心称谢你。
我必遵守你的律例，求你不要把我弃绝。
谨守　神的话可免犯罪

少年人用什么洁净自己的行为呢？就是要遵守你的话。
我一心寻求你，求你不要容我偏离你的诫命。
我把你的话藏在心里，免得我得罪你。
耶和华啊！你是该受称颂的；求你把你的律例教导我。
我用嘴唇传扬从你口中所出的一切典章。
我喜欢你法度定下的道路，如同喜欢一切财富。
我要默想你的训词，重视你的道路。
我喜爱你的律例，我不会忘记你的话。

这里诗人歌颂耶和华的律法。他体会到神律法如'财富'，带来满足的福分。他一心一意依循神律法而活。他脚所踏的是康庄大道，步伐轻快而稳健。他心里没有隐藏的罪，也没令他羞愧的起因。他心里满溢着喜乐，是由一颗平安的心涌出。神的律法要给他自由，是一种不被罪中之乐束缚的自由，一个能不断听到神说「你是我的爱子，我喜悦你」的自由。这个把握不被良心的谴责打断，因为耶和华的律法保护着他不跌入试探的网罗。他安静的心感受神不间断的保证：「你，是我的爱子，我喜悦你。」这声音又安静，又如此地清晰－无一人能夺去。耶和华的律法所带来的满足远超任何短暂的「快乐」，因为它是真实的，又能持续，也不虚幻。

「你曾把你的训词吩咐我们，要我们殷勤遵守。

但愿我的道路坚定，为要遵守你的律例。」

耶和华律法所带来的财富至上。

世上有没有永恒？

2008-05-28T05:49:00.000+08:00

有。人心中有永恒的概念

从小虽然被灌输人死如灯灭的概念。但是幼小的心灵明白如此的一生是突然的。你一生有多大的抱负与梦想，就在死亡来临的那一刻，完全变成零。幼小的心告诉我：这是没有意思的。因此，我九岁时开始寻找，能够胜过死亡的答案。你若不知如何地死，就不会知道如何地活，因为死亡的阴影总在你脚步放慢时，敲敲你的门，提醒你它的真实。但是人总是不甘心：生命的毅力要胜过死亡的事实。

有。有限的世界的「永恒性」在与短暂的一生比起，显得「永恒」

一棵千年老树比起区区几十年的一段人生，显得永恒。宇宙表面的「长久性」与我这个世上的一个个体比起来，可让我们赞叹。所谓的「大自然」不变的规律，几乎成为人类历代永无止息去探索的对象。在冥冥中掌管这一切长久并似乎永恒的规律，和创造宇宙与维系意义系统的那一位，必然存在 (巧合不能创造定律，因为巧合本身就不是依据定律而发的)。他把永恒赐给我们: 在所造的物质范围内，物质有不灭定律，能量只能转换，它不能消失。人灵魂，同样有永恒存在的定律。人心中长生不死的渴望，真实反映出灵魂的永恒。但是，人生命(或灵魂)永恒存在，不代表是永远的快乐，除非你找到「生命胜过死亡」的答案。

有。永恒的那一位，他预备了答案给我们具有永恒性的人

这生命的启示，就在他成肉身的启示中。这位永恒者为了与我们沟通，把自己暂时屈就成为人，让人认识他，同时把上帝本身的奥秘传给人，最终为人受死，打通死路，赐给人永生。
他……不是遥不可及。

经上记着说：
「论到太初就已经存在的生命之道，就是我们所听见，亲眼所看见，仔细观察过，亲手摸过的；这生命已经显现出来，我们见过了，现在也作见证，并且向你们宣扬这本来与父同在，又向我们显现过的永远的生命。我们把所看见所听见的向你们宣扬，使你们也可以和我们心灵相通。我们是与父和他的儿子耶稣基督心灵相通的。我们写这些事，是要使我们的喜乐充足。」

你要寻找启示这传统背后的那一位。

Thoughts on starting a Blog

2008-05-28T05:34:00.001+08:00

Just wondering why people start a blog? Friends have it...To find something to fight boredom..To find a way to communicate with the unknown world...To keep friends updated...Trying not to be outdated...To try web-publishing and designing...To release the creative powers trapped within...Your reasons are not my own, neither mine necessarily yours.