30 Kasım 2012 Cuma

Philosophical & Psychological Tactics

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Utah

At this point I am keeping things on an anonymous level...

My ideal preference.

As many of you will realize that know me personally and also online, I have thought it a good idea to pursue a multi-career, or at least a two career path option in life. In other words, I should not just depend on potential work based on my BA, MTS, MPhil, PhD degrees in Religious Studies and Philosophy, and sure enough after 400+ CVs sent out, that is a very reasonable thought.

I have been willing to assist with any family networking marketing endeavours. I have taken internet courses on copywriting, E-book writing and recently internet marketing.I completed 19-20% of the internet marketing course. I reason the material is basically sound and good, but I am not going to attempt to pay for it with outrageous, unreasonable levels of credit. Not with persons calling almost weekly looking for new four figure investments that are virtually mandatory with services not provided under my initial investment. I originally signed with a two figure offer. I then received a couple of phone calls including one from a Vice-President inquiring about training me and the cost originally was going to be a number I rejected and so we agreed on a much lesser amount. I was informed that would be the last major financial investment needed by me. They stated that my word of mouth testimony of success would make up the difference.

Now remember, although I do not have a business background, per say, I do have PhD in Theology/Philosophy and psychological use of words, or lack of use of words, is key in life. In academia and in business. What I was not told initially was that they have business partners that provide services, not provided under my initials fees, that I would need to pay for, in order for the business to work. Doubtless, there is benefit the parent company receives from them receiving new clients, which in itself I do not have a problem with, but I think the parent company should be more up-front with information. So there was calls from an associated company in regard to establishing a Nevada LLC for protection from bankruptcy if sued, a Tax Agreement, as in IRS tax counsellors, and another associated New York City company in regard to a Business Plan. But once the phone call came to the concept of Drop Shipping, I had had enough. If I had been told this business was really a $10, 000-$40, 000 potential start-up venture I would have declined. But instead the company psychologically starts with a two figure promotion to sign a student up, then a reasonable deal on websites is offered from a business partner, then a call from a Vice-President is provided a few days later for potential training which I negotiated down substantially. I actually negotiated with everyone that called. I specifically asked if any further investment would be requirement and the Vice-President stated, ‘No’ and also stated that a certain income level was guaranteed or my money back, of course I am claiming this at this point in writing.

Now, of course this financial claim of his is a technicality, as more than likely his company, the parent company, receives a commission, kick-back, portion, amount, of the payment that a student pays to the other companies, when the parent company weekly has these companies call students informing them services are basically required. I am not arguing that they are not good services, as when explained to me such as LLC, Tax Guidance and a Business Plan they all makes sense. And once one has a firm business plan finding Drop Shippers, or learning EBay, if one is not experienced, it would almost always pay to have professional companies to work on behalf of a new business, finding suppliers.

The problem is on several levels, but I will mention two. There is lack of transparency by the parent company up-front, and likely lack of available credit from many of those involved in such a venture.Basically, a philosophical and psychological tactic is to commit someone to the program with financial investment as if the only reasonable way out will be to go all the way, maximize out one’s credit card as if ‘failure is not an option’ and find a way to make it in that business. But, a bank and credit card company can always intervene and credit is limited. As well, I think more than just student coaching should be covered by the initial financial investment. The company I dealt with has only been online since 2011 and has mainly good reviews and good control over them online but I reason these tactics are dangerous public relations on their part. They are very much risking their reputation and those of their business partners. I emailed them all after an initial phone call to the Vice President was not returned.

After the initial post I actually received a very late night offer via email from someone on the 'Team' to give me for free three figures worth of product to 'compensate' me. When I replied this obviously in context would not work, she went ahead with the refund. Now she stated it will take 48 hours to process. I will wait and see whether it is the standard two figure refund or the full negotiated figure for teaching...

So we're living in Kingston...

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... and I'm getting home sick. If you know me, download skype and call/msg me. Seriously -- it's free, and it's cool.

Short Story: Nathan got a job in Kingston. When he first mentioned the job opportunity, I was like "Ummm... No. I'm not moving to Kingston." Then, through the many trials leading up to the job offer, I could see God's Hand leading us to this place. I began praying that Nathan *would* get the job. Then he did, and we spent a week in a motel trying to find a short term-lease (which we found), we moved that weekend, and I left for Florida the next day. After visiting my new Snowbird Mum for nearly 3 weeks, I came back to our new home. A week later, it's starting to settle in that we're not moving back to Ottawa any time soon.

It's cold outside, and I don't know anyone. How do people make friends in new cities? I mean, seriously. In grade school, you'd walk up to someone and ask them if they wanted to play tag, or build a snowman. Bang! Instant friend. I might not have been a social butterfly, but I didn't have to drive 2 hours to play Settlers, or "talk about feelings." This whole finding new social circles sucks.

I need to find a church... I did some research last month and found half a dozen in Kingston that didn't scare me (okay, I guess the rest weren't that bad -- just theologically stunted -- but I'm sure they have a heart for God). Nathan went to the closest one a few weeks ago (while I went to a Southern Baptist church in FL -- but that's a whole different story), and he seemed to like it. So maybe we'll go back this Lord's Day.

It would be a lot easier if there was an RP church in Kingston... Sovereign God? check. Biblical theology? check. Covenental relationship? check. Singing the Word of God? check. Yeah.. I love my Psalms. Give me 119x over "Here I am to Worship" anyday of the week. A few years of singing lessons and I might post some youtube videos... Until then, you can listen here. I've had a Psalter on my wishlist for a few years now... I think it's time to order one myself. But I digress...

I should take some classes... Bellydance, woodworking, art, acting. Something. I should also probably look into getting a job. Sigh... Is there anything in Kingston aside from prisons and universities?

Staying indoors makes it easier to pretend I'm not completely alone in a new city, miles from anyone I know... well, aside from Nathan, but he's at work >.>

I think I'll go outside now.

So we're looking for a house in Kingston...

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... and this is our search area. It extends down to Lake Ontario's Shore. While it would be cool to live on Wolfe or Howe Island, I don't think Nathan would enjoy taking the Ferry to work every day >.>

View Larger Map

It would be larger, but those long lakes are a real pain to drive around. I guess it would be easier if we stayed within Kingston, but I have this dream of raising alpacas and spinning their fibre on a beautiful spinning wheel I designed and carved myself. Somehow, I don't think I can do that within city limits, aye?

On the other hand, being close to everything Kingston has to offer (I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that is) would be handy. Buses are handy (although I got my G1 last week, after letting it expire nearly 2 years ago, so I can do my G2 test as soon as I practice parking >.>), and I think it would be easier to resell if the house weren't in the middle of nowhere.

I still want to build my Timber-Frame Strawbale house, but I think that might have to wait until I can get Nathan to warm up to the idea.

Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America's Christian Heritage, Dave Miller

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Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America's Christian Heritage, Dave Miller

I have heard of Dave Miller’s DVD “The Silencing of God” but have only recently viewed it. I was able to get a preview at a Bible Reading Marathon conducted by the Toledo Road Church of Christ of Lorain, Ohio at the Black River Amphitheatre with the Scriptures being read by teenagers over a 24-hour period where Brother Miller was able to speak at this event. While he and I were discussing our concern about the direction our country is being pushed, I asked brother Miller if he thought about putting this material in book form so people could communicate these vital facts documenting our nation’s Christian heritage with others as they are able more easily. I was delighted to hear that a coffee table full-color edition of the book had just been published. As the adult class where we attend began viewing the DVD, I ordered a copy of this book for the church library. It is an excellent product both from content and the attractive quality of printing.

Those who know me personally know I attempt to keep up on national politics and the forces that are attempting to take us further away from God. So, the material in the DVD was not a total shock to me. What was surprising to me is the voluminous efforts early leaders made to ensure all knew our county was established to be a Christian nation—monuments, money, manuscripts, correspondence, speeches, mottos, oaths, songs, constitutions—Federal and States, etc. I often hear people say the United States is not a Christian nation and was never designed to be one. That the Founding Fathers desired to establish a secular government that merely tolerates various religions. I knew before watching the DVD that was absurdly FALSE. The Founding Fathers wrote the First Amendment to protect religious freedom as opposed to the sinister twisting of the phrase, “a wall of separation between church and state,” in a letter by Thomas Jefferson to a Baptist association to reassure them that the Federal Government would not interfere with religion to restrict the exercise of religion. I am alarmed that some fail to realize the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, were written to preserve individual freedom from government interference. Particularly alarming is that few seem to realize that the freedom of the Press and Religion go together—these two are both in the First Amendment. Ask yourselves, “If the Press was being treated by the Federal Government the same way Christianity is, would they tolerate it?” It is a highly relevant question!

What I learned from the DVD is just how overtly the Founding Fathers and early leaders were in favor of New Testament Christianity. Sometimes people like to refer to our “Judeo-Christian Heritage”; however, the Founding Fathers were more specific to our Christian Heritage. They pointed out that we are a tolerant Nation because of, not in spite of, New Testament Christianity. The degree to which they expressed this was rather eye-opening to me. One of the quotes I vividly remember was by John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the first U.S. Supreme Court. The early founders of our Nation were not shy about affirming the importance of Christianity to the preservation of the Nation. John Jay wrote about supporting infidel (non-Christians) leaders:

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.—Page 89.

Some refuse to be involved in politics in any way and prefer to avoid all discussion on this subject; however, political and societal forces are pushing churches into areas that we cannot support; e.g., accepting the homosexual lifestyle and using our tax dollars to fund abortions. If we do not use our rights to make Christ’s views, which must be our views, on these two subjects clear to our leaders, then we will lose these two battles. And these two highly activist lobbies will not be interested in letting the church exempt herself. I wish we could continue in the luxury on relying on others to shoulder the political fight so we can focus solely on spreading the gospel, but we cannot. We must devote resources in this struggle too, or our ability to spread the gospel may be severely hindered. If we do not bow to our knees in prayer to God, we may find our knees forced to the ground against our wills and then we will be willing to pray to God but it will be a cry out to God in despair.

I found the words of President James A. Garfield, a member of the Christian Church, to be worthy of adoption:

Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to present them in national legislature…. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.—Page 89.

It is time for Christians to be “strong in the strength which God supplies thru His beloved Son.”

The Disciples' Prayer, Hugo McCord

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The Disciples’ Payer, Hugo McCord

Recently, I was requested to present a series on prayer. As I assembled reference materials, I shopped at a local used bookstore and came across a popular book that stated it was the 10th anniversary edition, and I learned it has over 1 million copies sold. I purchased the volume to see if it had any insights or approaches that I might find of use. While the book had several positive points, it also had some negative ones too. I went to my shelf and started reading Hugo McCord’s The Disciples’ Prayer and thought “Now this is a book on the subject that should be in new and used bookstores in a celebrated 10th anniversary edition!” Sadly, many of the works published among churches of Christ do not have the marketing support as some of large publishing houses. I believe brother McCord’s book far exceeds the value of the one I purchased that day.

The late brother McCord wrote this book in 1954 as Vice President of Central Christian College (now Oklahoma Christian University). McCord’s scholarship was well known. He received degrees from Freed-Hardeman College (now University), University of Illinois, and a doctorate from Southern Baptist Seminary. Brother McCord’s dissertation was on the supposed “Synoptic Problem” which I find of interest since it is a theory of many modernists who attack the Bible. The “Synoptic Problem” claims there are discrepancies, even contradictions between Matthew, Mark and Luke. They even go so far as to suggest an imaginary author called “Q” that the gospel writers had to borrow from. Some suggest that Mark’s gospel was written first and Matthew had to borrow from it. Imagine that! Matthew, an apostle who was with Jesus during His ministry, had to borrow from Mark who was not an apostle. Difficult to believe? Indeed. Occasionally McCord writings point out how these critics overlook certain realities that contradict their theories. For example, McCord’s chapter on “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” discusses the word “daily” and how modernists have far missed the mark:

Many scholars have doubted that the word “daily,” epiousion, in this petition is a faithful translation. Actually, some great scholars have been unfamiliar with epiousion. Origen (c. 185-254) was bold to say that Matthew and Luke just made up the word. But Chrysostom, Gregory Nyssen, and Basil of Caesarea—all eminent Greek-speaking scholars—thought that epiousion really means “daily”… Centuries elapsed, and modern scholars, still unfamiliar with epiousion, refused to accept the translation “daily” (needful). However, thanks to penetrating scholarship (?), the stigma of coining the word was taken off Matthew and Luke, and laid on the broad shoulders of imaginary author “Q,” from whom Matthew and Luke copied (?). So said modernists Moulton and Milligan as late as 1919. But in 1925 Q was exonerated from coining the word, for lo it was found in an old Greek housekeeping book. (Page 62)

The Disciples’ Prayer discusses the model of prayer Jesus gave in the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew and later to a smaller group in Luke. These two accounts are not parallel in the chronological but topical sense since the Sermon on the Mount is five chapters before the model prayer of Luke 11. Also, the wording is not identical in these models which indicate it was never intended to be recited repetitively as some do—a practice Jesus warned about just prior in Matthew’s account. And churches of Christ are not the only ones to point this matter out! I found the words of Martin Luther of interest on this and more pungent:

Thus, as we see, it was carried on in monasteries, nunneries and the whole ecclesiastical crowd, that seem to have had nothing else to do in their calling than to weary themselves daily so many hours, and at night besides, with singing and reading their Horas; and the more of this they could do, the holier and greater worship they called it. And yet among them all there was not one that uttered a real prayer from his heart: but they were all filled with the heathenish notion that one must tire God and one’s self with crying and muttering, as if he neither could nor would otherwise hear; and they have thereby accomplished nothing else than to waste their time and punish themselves…with their praying.— Martin Luther, Commentary on the Sermon On The Mount, Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1892, pp. 240-269.

Brother McCord does a thoughtful and insightful analysis of what some commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer”. McCord points out that it was never a prayer that the Lord actually prayed so to call it “The Lord’s Prayer” would be incorrect unless one is speaking of a pattern of prayer taught by the Lord. The study of prayer has been enriching and this small volume spoke volumes compared to other works I have examined of longer length.

Originally printed West Virginia Christian, Vol. 18, No. 1,January 2011, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe

“Are you a Benedictine?”

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After church last Sunday, a visitor asked me this. He is connected with the Benedictine Abbey of St. Meinrad, in southern Indiana and (I gather) was in town for the week.

I was confused; why would he think such a thing? It turns out that it was because of the Psalm. We had sung a plainsong setting of Psalm 132 in the service, and in his view, we sang it stylistically and well. The choir does good work with the psalmody; it is perhaps the best singing that we do. I do pester them about it quite a bit: shape of phrases (like a wave coming onto a tropical beach, then going back out), pause at the asterisk, diction. But the credit, if there is any, is mostly theirs; they have done this enough so that they listen to each other, and it is sung prayer – as it ought to be.

No, I am not a Benedictine. But my teacher was: Fr. Gerard Farrell, OSB (1919-2000). I am delighted to post a link to this page, which honors his memory.

He was an organ student of Flor Peeters and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He became Choirmaster at the great Abbey of St. John in Collegeville, Minnesota in 1951. Among his innovations, he instituted daily Choral Vespers, where it had previously been sung only on Sundays. I suspect that he would be pleased that the pendulum has swung back sufficiently so that a service such as the one I described in the previous essay, most of it in Latin, would again be valued, or indeed permitted by those in authority.

After the Second Vatican Council and the changes to the monastic liturgy, especially the use of the Vernacular and the desire of many to abandon the heritage of Gregorian Chant, he strove to hold the old and new together, as outlined on the memorial page, but eventually in 1969 resigned from the position, like many other Catholic Church Musicians of those dark days. He moved east, and (among other duties) taught at Westminster Choir College, serving also as associate priest in the local parish. I had the privilege of taking his graduate course in Gregorian Chant; I wish I had continued with his advanced class in Semiology and Paleography (that is, working with the original chant manuscripts and grappling with issues of interpretation of the ancient Neumes; he was one of the masters of his generation in that field), but my paths led in other directions.

In the end, he was permitted to return to the Abbey; he taught week-long summer courses in Chant there in his final years, and went there to die, as is appropriate for a Brother of the Order of St. Benedict. He arrived there on December 30, 1999 with terminal cancer, and died on January 9, 2000, with Requiem Mass at the Abbey on January 12.

May he rest in peace. May he remember us his students before the Throne of Grace.

Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America's Christian Heritage, Dave Miller

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Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.—Page 89.

Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to present them in national legislature…. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.—Page 89.

It is time for Christians to be “strong in the strength which God supplies thru His beloved Son.”

The Disciples' Prayer, Hugo McCord

To contact us Click HERE

Many scholars have doubted that the word “daily,” epiousion, in this petition is a faithful translation. Actually, some great scholars have been unfamiliar with epiousion. Origen (c. 185-254) was bold to say that Matthew and Luke just made up the word. But Chrysostom, Gregory Nyssen, and Basil of Caesarea—all eminent Greek-speaking scholars—thought that epiousion really means “daily”… Centuries elapsed, and modern scholars, still unfamiliar with epiousion, refused to accept the translation “daily” (needful). However, thanks to penetrating scholarship (?), the stigma of coining the word was taken off Matthew and Luke, and laid on the broad shoulders of imaginary author “Q,” from whom Matthew and Luke copied (?). So said modernists Moulton and Milligan as late as 1919. But in 1925 Q was exonerated from coining the word, for lo it was found in an old Greek housekeeping book. (Page 62)

Thus, as we see, it was carried on in monasteries, nunneries and the whole ecclesiastical crowd, that seem to have had nothing else to do in their calling than to weary themselves daily so many hours, and at night besides, with singing and reading their Horas; and the more of this they could do, the holier and greater worship they called it. And yet among them all there was not one that uttered a real prayer from his heart: but they were all filled with the heathenish notion that one must tire God and one’s self with crying and muttering, as if he neither could nor would otherwise hear; and they have thereby accomplished nothing else than to waste their time and punish themselves…with their praying.— Martin Luther, Commentary on the Sermon On The Mount, Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1892, pp. 240-269.

So we're living in Kingston...

So we're looking for a house in Kingston...

28 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba

The Disciples' Prayer, Hugo McCord

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Many scholars have doubted that the word “daily,” epiousion, in this petition is a faithful translation. Actually, some great scholars have been unfamiliar with epiousion. Origen (c. 185-254) was bold to say that Matthew and Luke just made up the word. But Chrysostom, Gregory Nyssen, and Basil of Caesarea—all eminent Greek-speaking scholars—thought that epiousion really means “daily”… Centuries elapsed, and modern scholars, still unfamiliar with epiousion, refused to accept the translation “daily” (needful). However, thanks to penetrating scholarship (?), the stigma of coining the word was taken off Matthew and Luke, and laid on the broad shoulders of imaginary author “Q,” from whom Matthew and Luke copied (?). So said modernists Moulton and Milligan as late as 1919. But in 1925 Q was exonerated from coining the word, for lo it was found in an old Greek housekeeping book. (Page 62)

Thus, as we see, it was carried on in monasteries, nunneries and the whole ecclesiastical crowd, that seem to have had nothing else to do in their calling than to weary themselves daily so many hours, and at night besides, with singing and reading their Horas; and the more of this they could do, the holier and greater worship they called it. And yet among them all there was not one that uttered a real prayer from his heart: but they were all filled with the heathenish notion that one must tire God and one’s self with crying and muttering, as if he neither could nor would otherwise hear; and they have thereby accomplished nothing else than to waste their time and punish themselves…with their praying.— Martin Luther, Commentary on the Sermon On The Mount, Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1892, pp. 240-269.

Finding a specific word in a verse in any Bible: BibleWorks and Logos

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An Accordance user recently asked David Lang on the Accordance Blog this question:

How would I find in which version of the Bible is "endurance" used in Hebrews 12:1?

The issue here is that some English versions use "endurance," but others use "patience" or "perseverance" or perhaps some more 'dynamic' rendering. Lang provided a nice means for getting the answer in Accordance. I'll provide here what I think are the best ways to do so in BibleWorks and Logos.

BibleWorks

There are a few ways to conduct such a search, but I think the easiest is as follows. (If you can think of a better way, let us know.)

We want to search all the English version Bibles we have installed, so first get those all displayed by using the following command: d c english ENTER
(d=display; c=clear all versions; english=display all English versions)
(A shortcut way to the results now is simply to go to Hebrews 12:1 and scan all these versions. To conduct the search in a more generally automated way and have the results highlighted, continue with the following steps.)
Now we want to do a "cross-version search." To access this, right click anywhere in the command box, choose "Cross Version Search Mode" and select "Search All Display Versions." Note in the graphic above that when you do this, the second button in the green bar below the command line turns yellow to remind you that you have this mode activated.
Now we want to limit our search to the one particular verse, in this case, Hebrews 12:1. In the command line: l heb 12.1 ENTER
Note that the first button in the green bar turns yellow to remind you that limits are set. (The limit set is also visible at the bottom of the BW window.)
We are now ready to run the search. In the command line: .endurance ENTER
The results appear in a popup window. (see below)

You usually don't want to use the cross-version search, so be sure to reset it back to "Search only current version."

Logos

I think this is the best way, but someone may know of a better way.

The first thing I did is to create a "collection" of all my English Bibles. The graphic above shows how to use Tools > Library > Collections and then create a new collection. I named my collection "English Bibles" and dragged/dropped all the Bibles I wanted from the (lengthy) list that appeared. Note that you only have to create this collection once, and it is a handy one to have later on for other searches.
(A shortcut way that requires some manual scanning now is to use Tools > Text Comparison and look up Hebrews 12:1 in the English Bibles collection you just made. To conduct the search in a more generally automated way and have the results highlighted, continue with the following steps.)
The graphic below shows how I ran my search:

Click on the search magnifier icon
Choose Bible as your type of search
Search "All Bible Text"
To limit your range, click on the range after the first "in" and, in this case, define the new range of Hebrews 12:1
Click on the spot after the second "in" and choose that collection of English Bibles you just created and hit ENTER

Your results should look something like the graphic below. The easiest way to see the results you want is to click on the Result column and order them alphabetically.

There you go! If you know of better ways, please share them in the comments.

UPDATE 2012.10.26: Be sure to read the solution proposed by Brenda in the comments! Here's an instance where a Google search may be the quickest way to go. A few additional things I can add to Brenda's suggestion:

I added a parenthetical step 2 for both BibleWorks and Logos above which basically reproduces Brenda's suggestion within each program. You simply are displaying all the English versions and scanning for results.
Brenda suggests using the Online Parallel Bible tool in Biblos.com. 18 English versions are available on that site: NIV84, NLT, ESV, NASB, KJV, ISV, Aramaic Bible in Plain English, God's Word, KJ2000, AKJ, ASV, Douay-Rheims, Darby, ERV, Webster's, and Weymouth. Another good option is to use the Net Bible Study Environment and click on the Parallel tab where 10 English versions are available: NET, NIV84, NASB, ESV, NLT, Message, BBE, NKJV, NRSV, and KJV. With either of these, and whether you are using IE or Firefox, note that you can quickly find the word you are looking for by searching for it (CTRL-F) on the page and using the option to highlight all occurences.

Logos 5 Review - Part 3

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I have a few more things that I want to highlight about Logos 5 in this part 3 of my review. (Part 1 andPart 2)

BIBLE SENSE LEXICON
One new feature in Logos 5 that shows up in the Tool menu is the "Bible Sense Lexicon." (It also is available through the Exegetical Guide for a passage in the "Word by Word" section, by right clicking on words in reverse-interlinear coded texts, and in the Bible Word Study about which I say more below.) It is part of a very ambitious project that seeks to organize words used in the Bible according to their function and relationship to similar words or concepts. In effect, it is similar to what Louw-Nida did in the Lexicon of the NT based on Semantic Domains, but this project covers both Hebrew and Greek. We again see that a lot of human-hours has been spent going through the biblical text and assigning words to their various sense categories. I really can't do better explaining this feature than what Logos has on their web site, so be sure to look at this page on the Bible Sense Lexicon. I will simply make some observations and raise some questions and concerns here.

There is a hierarchy of listings, and you can move up/down the hierarchy by clicking on the word or concept above/below the one you are looking at. Such a hierarchy is useful for seeing the relationship between concepts. It would, however, be helpful to be able to see the overall outline of how this lexicon is organized. (I'm thinking of something like the domain list structure in Louw-Nida.) "Entity" is one top level category and has six sublevel categories which branch out further from there, but I can't even find what are the other top level categories. As you work down through the levels, the higher ones disappear from the display, so I find that I do a lot of back/forth in the levels trying to keep straight where I am.
You can search for words in Hebrew, Greek, or English and will be provided with suggested results (and you need to choose one of those results) as you type.
This tool is useful for helping us realize that words do indeed have specific senses. You cannot simply claim that because a word can have the sense of "x" in one passage that it can have the sense of "x" in any passage.
As far as I can tell, you can only have one Bible Sense Lexicon window open.
It can be helpful for seeing how a certain concept is expressed using Hebrew, Greek, or English. That said, there are still some aspects of it that confuse me. E.g., there is an entry for "lamb" under "livestock" > "young livestock" for which six Hebrew words are provided and three further sub-senses: "ewe lamb," "nursing lamb," "ram lamb." I was expecting to find the Greek word most often used for "lamb" (á¼€Ï�Î½á½·Î¿Î½) here, but it is listed under "livestock" > "sheep" > "lamb (year old)" with two further sub-senses of "Passover lamb" and "young lamb." For "Passover lamb," Ï€á½±ÏƒÏ‡Î± is given for the Greek (the word used in the NT), but it doesn't connect to the Ï€Ï�á½¹Î²Î±Ï„Î¿Î½ used to designate that lamb in Exodus 12:3, and neither of them connect to the Hebrew word used for the animal in Exodus 12:3, a ×©ֶׂ×” which is found under "livestock" > "small livestock" > "young small livestock." So, I'm not clear about the organizing principles, and it will still be important to work with the Hebrew/Greek collation done in Emanuel Tov's The Parallel Aligned Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Texts of Jewish Scripture or, even better, the LXX or Hebrew Translation feature in the Bible Word Study.
As you can see in the graphic below, a word like Ï€Î½Îµá¿¦Î¼Î± which has a wide possible range of meanings does get sorted out into its various senses. Still, there are limitations to what it does. E.g., I can't find an entry where the Hebrew ×¨×•ּ×—ַ is directly connected to that Greek Ï€Î½Îµá¿¦Î¼Î±. You can find ×¨×•ּ×—ַ under "causal agency" > "vital principle" > "spirit (God)" for which their is a sub-sense "soul <=> spirit." It's under that latter sub-sense that you find Ï€Î½Îµá¿¦Î¼Î±, where a definition is supplied: "the soul understood especially according to its composition: being made of a transcendental, immaterial substance known as spirit." Okay, so that's a hard word to define under any circumstance, but I don't see how it fits under this particular category.

Not to look gift horse in the mouth (consider the 'senses' needed to clarify that phrase!), but this remains a work in progress, and there are many subjective choices which invariably had to be made. It's useful, but you will want to use it with some caution and awareness of other ways to come at a word's meaning and its relationship to its Hebrew/Greek/English counterparts.

BIBLE WORD STUDY
The Bible Word Study has been expanded with three new sections: Root (which connects the word you are studying with its root and all the related forms with their occurrences;cf. my previous post), Senses (which ties in to the Bible Sense Lexicon; cf. above), and Phrases (which ties in to the Topic guide if there is an entry connected to that word). The Phrases section might not return the results for which you were hoping. E.g., a search on Ï€Î¯ÏƒÏ„Î¹Ï‚ does not return results for the thorny issue of the "faith in Jesus / faithfulness of Jesus" phrase but instead points to Topic Guides on "Fight of Faith" and "Proportion of faith, Measure of faith." Again we see Logos working hard at integrating its various resources.

EXEGETICAL GUIDE

Speaking of the "faith in Jesus / faithfulness of Jesus" issue, I want to note the Exegetical Guide which is accessible both through the Guides menu and as a right click on a Bible verse. The graphic above shows the guide for Romans 3:22, and you can see that in Logos 5, under the "Word by Word" section, that a new "Sense" explanation has been provided which is linked to the Bible Sense Lexicon described above.More info on the Exegetical Guide is on the Logos site. I want to draw attention to one enhancement to the analysis of the word where additional information about its "syntactical force" has been added. This provides a deeper level of analysis of the grammar, and all the grammatical terms are helpfully linked to The Lexham Syntactic Greek New Testament Glossary. As Logos advertises, this shows "how syntax determines the word’s function." That's great, but...
Many of you are probably aware of the major issue in Pauline studies related to the Ï€Î¯ÏƒÏ„ÎµÏ‰Ï‚ á¼¸Î·ÏƒÎ¿á¿¦ phrase which occurs here in Romans 3:22 and again in verse 26. The issue revolves around how "Jesus" in the genitive case is to be construed. It is a syntactical issue, and the usual way of laying out the options is as an objective genitive which would mean "faith in Jesus" or a subjective genitive which would mean "faithfulness of Jesus." (Take a look at your English versions. Most have a footnote indicating the possible alternative readings.) As you can see, how you take that phrase has significant implications for how we experience the righteousness of God. In the Exegetical Guide to Romans 3:22, the syntactical force enhancement has identified "Jesus" as a qualitative genitive. I find that rather odd, since it would suggest that it means "a Jesus-like faith." Then, just a few verses later when the phrase occurs in 3:26, it's identified as a subjective genitive. That is one of the usual ways of understanding it as I note above, but how you take it in 3:22 should likely be the same way you take it in 3:26. To add to the confusion, it labels it as a subjective genitive in 3:26, but in the Sense definition provided just below it, it links to "trust in the gospel - trust in Jesus as contained in the content of the Gospel" which is the objective genitive reading.
Once again, it's great that Logos is working at providing all this additional information and integrating its resources, but we also see the limitations--and perhaps even dangers--of simply relying on Bible software (and I'm not just meaning Logos here) to make definitive claims.

NEW RESOURCES

I was pleased to see the addition of the new Lexham English Septuagint from the Logos team, and it's a welcome replacement to Brenton's 1870 version. Since it is intended as a literal translation based on The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint, I was wondering why the English words are not linked to their underlying Greek, nor can I find a Greek Septuagint text with which it has the sympathetic reading capability. (I’m comparing this to Rick Brannan’s work on The Apostolic Fathers in English—another great addition-- where the English works are all connected with the Greek. UPDATE: Cf. Brannan's comment to this post for some explanation.)
Lexham Hebrew Bible with Morphology which can hook into word roots (something the BHS/Westminster one cannot do)
The new Nestle-Aland 28 (in Platinum or higher libraries; NA28 does not appear to be available separately yet)
HarperCollins Bible Dictionary: An excellent inclusion that comes with all libraries
Tanakh (both the 1917 and the 1985 editions): I encourage my students to compare this Jewish translation with the standard English versions (comes in Diamond or higher libraries; available separately)
The Faithlife Study Bible resources--Infographics, Photos, and Videos--are quite good for the most part. Available in all libraries, I think they will be widely used.
The Logos Bible Photos, also part of all the libraries, are collected from the Internet, and are generally of good quality and usefulness. They are public domain images and thus can be used without restriction.
The Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament (Jenni & Westermann) and the Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Spicq) are part of all but the Starter library.
The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Septuagint (comes in all but the Starter library) mainly provides glosses, so it does not replace the Lust/Eynikel/Hauspie lexicon, but it is a good start.

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

Reverse interlinears have now been integrated totally into the Bible versions. This is really the way they should be done, but note that only the following texts have this coding thoroughly worked out.
- Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia/Westminster and the new Lexham Hebrew Bible
- Rahlf's Septuagint: This is actually a Greek-Hebrew reverse interlinear and provides the basis for linking the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint as well as to English.
- English Bibles: ESV, KJV, LEB, NRSV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT, AV
- Lake’s Apostolic Fathers and Brannan's Apostolic Fathers
The information window provides a lot of information quickly. Depending on the resource, you will get: definition, pronunciation, translation, analysis, lexical help. You do need to be working with Hebrew/Greek/English versions of the Bible that have reverse interlinear codings. Even so, there will be some discrepancies due to the English correspondences. The LEB looks to be most distinctly coded to the underlying original language, but with the other English versions you may, for example, get a link to the article that precedes the noun.
It really helps to have a wide-screen monitor. Even better, two wide-screen monitors!
The color scheme is attractive enough, but I don't see any way to customize it beyond what you can do with Windows system personalization.
I was using Logos 4 on an old Pentium 4, WinXP system, and it was pretty slow. I'm now using Logos 5 on a 3rd generation i7 system with 12GB RAM and Win7. That's a pretty fast system, and I can't make a direct comparison of speed between Logos 4 and 5. On my new system, running Logos 5 really does not give me any annoying delays at all. It's very nice working with it.
The "Library" packages that Logos offers continue to evolve, and it is a bit confusing. This page provides some explanation, but basically a particular Logos 4 library is not the same as its Logos 5 counterpart. The best thing to do is to go to the Logos site, log in, and use the Custom Upgrade Discount Calculator to see what products are new in Logos 5, which would be new to you, and how big your discount is. I'm disappointed that the "Original Language Library" that I used to recommend to my students is gone. It appears that the Bronze is its substitute, but that looks like a big jump in price (though I can't really tell the exact price, and it would further depend on available discounts).
For now, if you want to move to Logos 5, you need to upgrade your Library. This will likely cost you some hundreds of dollars. In the near future, Logos has affirmed that they will offer a minimal "cross-grade" that will be cheaper (under $100) and add features without adding all the new resources. They will also offer a free engine upgrade, but you won't be able to get all new features. Read HERE for more info from Logos' Bob Pritchett.

BOTTOM LINE
Logos 5 is a significant upgrade whose new features and databases show a commendable commitment to helping the user work with the biblical texts and secondary resources by even deeper integration of all its materials. It is not a huge jump like moving from Logos 3 to Logos 4 was, but that does mean that the user is not confronted with needing to relearn how to use the program. InPart 1 I highlighted some nice updates, and inPart 2 and above on this page, I indicated the main reasons for updating. As I have indicated, there are pros and cons to some of the features. A person should not assume that Logos 5 is the last word on any topic or grammatical matter, but Logos 5 certainly does provide a strong foundation for gathering the relevant data. I am also sure that Logos will continue to improve their datasets and analyses, and for now, it is exciting to see how all these are being integrated and presented.

So, if you read this far, you are probably wondering if I am recommending that you buy or upgrade to Logos 5. My response: I don't know, and I'm not sure. I don't know because it really depends on what you want your Bible software to do. If you do not have any program and are simply looking for an electronic way to read the biblical texts and have some resources available, you can get by with fine free programs like The Word,e-Sword, orLaParola or an online site like the NET Bible Learning Environment. If you are willing to pay some money for particular resources, you can build up a Bible study library with programs like OliveTree's Bible Reader or Laridian's PocketBible. If your interest is primarily in the biblical texts with connections out to important textual, lexical, and grammatical resources,BibleWorks is an outstanding value. (Accordance should also be mentioned here, but I am not a Mac user and have not kept up with all its developments. My sense from taking the 'tour' linked on their home page is that it is similar to Logos 5 for Mac, and I can report that all my students who use Accordance love it.) Logos 5 is primarily a library management tool that is particularly designed for Bible study. If BibleWorks starts with biblical text and links out to resources, Logos starts with a library and delves deeply into the biblical text. Logos 5 shows how well the integration of biblical text and resources can be implemented. It's a premium Bible study program, but you should expect to pay a premium price for it, even with discounts. That is why I'm a bit unsure on what to recommend to you. Personally, for me to upgrade one level from Gold 4 to Platinum 5 would cost over $400, and there are only a couple of the 300 or so extra books that interest me. If an upgrade turns out to be too much money for you also, then you might consider waiting until Logos rolls out the crossgrades. If they are indeed less than $100, I would think it's a very reasonable upgrade. (Look especially at all the Lexham resources you gain, all the resources listed under "Bible Reference," ones in the "Maps, Photos, and Media" group, and the new "Data Sets.") Also keep in mind that buying a Logos library also means it's available to you on your mobile device.
As for what I will recommend to my seminary students, I still stand bymy observations I made a couple months ago explaining why we have mainly ended up using BibleWorks. As for myself, I am very pleased with what Logos 5 offers, and I anticipate I will be using this new version much more than I used Logos 4. It's intuitive, attractive, provides easy linking to the kinds of information and excellent resources I want, and now with this version 5, provides some analyses of the biblical text that no other program can do.

Free Art Catalogs and Guides from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently (?) launched a MetPublications site that will be of interest to biblical scholars. Its purpose is described on its About page:

MetPublications is a portal to the Met’s comprehensive publishing program. Beginning with nearly 650 titles published from 1964 to the present, this resource will continue to expand and could eventually offer access to nearly all books, Bulletins, and Journals published by the Metropolitan Museum since the Met's founding in 1870. It will also include online publications.

From a biblical perspective, you might want to search using thematic categories using such ones as:

Ancient Near Eastern Art
Greek and Roman Art in the Ancient World
Byzantine Art

Some of the books are only offered in Google Book Preview, but most are free, downloadable PDFs. Here are some I found that were particularly interesting:

Art of the Ancient Near East: A Resource for Educators
Roman Art: A Resource for Educators
The Vatican: Spirit and Art of Christian Rome
The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West
Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Guide to the Collections: Ancient Near Eastern Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 1, Egypt and the Ancient Near East (preview only)
Treasures of the Holy Land: Ancient Art from the Israel Museum (preview only)
Ancient Art in Miniature: Ancient Near Eastern Seals from the Collection of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky
Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt: A Photographic Essay (preview only)
Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century
The Jaharis Gospel Lectionary: The Story of a Byzantine Book (preview only)

I am not an art specialist, so the first two "Resource for Educators" guides were especially helpful. (How do you know if a depiction is that of an Assyrian deity? The guide will tell you.) Coming from an art museum, there are many graphics, illustrations, photos, and descriptions of many notable pieces from antiquity. Lots of archaeological stuff and much more...

[HT: Stephen's Web]

AAR SBL 2012 Meeting - Great deal on NA28

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I'm enjoying the 2013 AAR-SBL meeting in Chicago. It's always a great time to hear some speakers, catch up with friends, and peruse the exhibition hall. Quick tip for anyone who is here and may happen to read this blog: Stop by at the Crossway Books booth #331. Until they run out they are selling a very nice, hardbound, ESV-NestleAland 28th for only $15. I don't think you are going to find the new NA28 for that cheap anywhere else. Mention my name, and it won't mean a thing...
Off to the Fortress Press reception!

27 Kasım 2012 Salı

New Developments in Fixing the World Project

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Portal 2012

Posted: 24 Nov 2012 07:34 AM PSTNew Developments in Fixing the World ProjectThere have been interesting new developments in Fixing the world project. You can read about it here:
http://hopegirl2012.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/lets-do-this/
And you can actively contribute here:
http://www.gofundme.com/1jtunk?utm_campaign=Emails&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

Let's do this! Victory of the Light!

TERI HINKLE: DECLARE YOURSELVES FREE !!!!! RIGHT NOW !!! ONE BANNER, ONE IDEAL, ONE PEOPLE !

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The Rumor Mill News Reading Room TERI HINKLE: DECLARE YOURSELVES FREE !!!!! RIGHT NOW !!! ONE BANNER, ONE IDEAL, ONE PEOPLE !Posted By: Seawitch [Send E-Mail]
Date: Sunday, 25-Nov-2012 13:18:32

FROM TERI HINKLE:
DECLARE YOURSELVES FREE!
The TIME HAS COME. The monumental wave of participation in the secessionist petitions has gotten their attention! It is now time for America to unite under
ONE BANNER, ONE IDEAL, ONE PEOPLE!
It matters not your gender, your lifestyle, your political or spiritual beliefs, your color, your ethnicity, your station or your occupation. You are either free or you are slaves, there is no in between. You can have Freebies or you can have Freedom but you most certainly cannot have both.
For the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY SIGN YOUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE!
LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE FREE, YOU ARE AMERICAN AND YOU ARE THE BOSS!
Sign the Document here… http://www.soldierhugs.com/sign-re-declaration-of-independence-2012/
Sign the petition that lets them know here…. http://wh.gov/IIKC
THE QUESTION IS NOT ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES, THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF FREE OR DO YOU WANT TO BE LED AROUND BY THE NOSE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? DO YOU WANT THAT FOR YOUR CHILDREN?
Don’t hesitate to stand and speak for Freedom and Liberty. Since the installation of the Homeland Security Fusion Centers and the government takeover of Face Book they now know more about you than you do yourself! Let them know they have no right and they DO NOT OWN YOU! Stand with ALL AMERICANS and show them YOU ARE NOT A HUMAN RESOURCE FOR THEM TO BUY AND SELL!
This issue will be shared on Blogtalk Radio today at 1pm EST.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/universalvoice/2012/11/25/drakes-vital-weekend-update--sunday
Sunday : 559-726-1300 Pcode 489454
Replay Line: 559-726-1399 Pcode 489454
You can read the document by the attachment herein and you can listen to the message on the mp3. Or you can also listen to the entire document read aloud here…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1K7YeuziKA
or here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWmUjsTNkS0&feature=youtu.be
Another cite to obtain this informationhttp://removingtheshackles.com
These are supporting documents you should read to discover how our nation was nearly stolen right out from under us. Learn how you were lied to deliberately your entire life and how your childrens future has been planned to completely enslave them.
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/The-American-State-Papers-1834-Titles-of-Nobility.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/LAW_-Original-Constitution_of_the_United_States.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DUOLOCRACY-IN-AMERICA.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Congress-Lamar-Smith-Letter.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CIVILIAN-INMATE-LABOR-PROGRAM.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/1825-Military-Laws-of-the-United-States.pdf
http://www.soldierhugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Military-Laws-Cover-Page.jpg
Catchum Lion Enterprises, LLC “Let's tell it like it is: A lot of us aren't fond of lawyers.”
www.AttorneysAboveTheLaw.com
--
Teri
"A nation...cannot survive treason from within...the traitor ...wears the face of his victims,...and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation—he works secretly...he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared......." Cicero, 42 B.C.E.

SIGN THE PETITION AT THIS LINK:Sign the petition that lets them know here….http://wh.gov/IIKC