This has been a busy month and I can't believe I forgot to mention this. But it seems that I am Biblioblogs.com's "Biblioblogger of the Month" for June 2007.

They've got an interview with me and everything, so do check it out.

Mark Goodacre (NT Gateway Weblog) was in town for the Logos Lecture Series. We'd met a few years back at SBL in Philly, where he chaired a session on biblioblogging for CARG in which I presented a paper.

It was good to spend some time with him while he was in Bellingham on Monday. I broke away from Amy and Ella for a few hours (thanks, Mom T for coming by and spending time with Amy and Ella while I was out!) and was able to hang out with Mark and a few other folks from Logos for the afternoon. It was a hoot of a time. Mark talks about it some more on his blog.

I wasn't able to attend the lecture, but from what I heard it went very well. Note that Mark mentions he will post the text of the lecture on his blog, so keep an eye out there if you're interested in his topic, "Did the Jews of Jesus' Day Expect the Messiah?"

Next up on the lecture series: Dan Wallace (yes, that Dan Wallace) talks about the work of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. Note that if you've been to a lecture event before, the venue is changing. We'll be at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity instead of the Mount Baker Theatre.

Huh? What's that Latin doing in the title? Read on, wayward one.

A few years back (can it already be two years?) I posted on the cool typography of the Complutensian Polyglot New Testament. At the end of the post, I commented on the typographic device at the end of the NT, which I reproduce below:

A kind soul named Rob Flamming stumbled across the post and translated the Latin for me. Below is his translation.

Thanks to God. For the perpetual praise and glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, the recent printing and careful emendation of this sacrosanct work of the new testament and book of life in Greek and Latin characters has been brought to a happy completion in this most glorious Complutese university due to the command and financial support of our our most reverend father in Christ, his excellency, the lord friar Francis Ximine de Cisneros, cardinal priest of the titulus of Saint Balbina of the holy Roman church, Archbishop of Toledo of Spain, arch-chancellor to primates and to the kingdom of Castille, by the industry and ingenuity of the honorable man Arnold William from Brocarius, master of the art of the press, in the one thousand five hundred fourteenth year of the Lord, on the tenth day of the month of January.

In some comments, Rob opines the following:

It occurs to me that "master of the art of the press" would be a fitting title for you (or any other text geek), and particularly distinguished if you say it in Latin. And you can add a "Dei gratia" (by the grace of God) like the mediaeval kings did to keep themselves from getting too proud as they listed their titles. "Ricardus, Dei gratia artis impressoriae magister".

I think I'll have to add that to my business card.

Our new daughter Ella is so cute, I can't resist posting one more picture. Amy took this one yesterday.

Went to the pediatrician today; all is well. She's gotten over most of the jaundice, she's feeding like a trooper, and she's wigglin' like a worm.

Life is good.

May 31, 2007 is a day that will be etched in my mind forevermore. It began at 3:30 AM when my sweet wife Amy reported to me that her water had broke! Eleven days overdue, but we'll take it.

From there, it was straight to the hospital. The contractions began pretty much immediately. She was admitted around 4:00 AM.

Requisite calls were made to family members, who began arriving and assembling in the waiting room. Amy's labor progressed quickly, which has its plusses and minuses. She was incredible to watch during the whole process. What an amazing woman the Lord has blessed me with!

At 2:11 PM on May 31, 2007, Ella Kathleen Brannan was born! 9 lbs 10 oz of the cutest little thing I've ever seen in my entire life! Here she is, minutes old, already hamming it up for the camera:

Needless to say, Mom & Dad pretty proud. She's a healthy girl, though she's had some jaundice issues which contributed to a longer-than-normal hospital stay for the family. But we're home now, and life is good. Here are a few more pics:

Amy was nothing short of incredible during the labor and delivery. This was a 9lb/10oz child! Gentlemen, I can only say that your love and appreciation for your wife will grow beyond what you could consider when you see her holding your daughter or son. Mine certainly has. I love you incredibly, sweetie.

While Amy and I have been waiting (and waiting) for our baby to make its appearance (as of this writing, Amy is 9 days overdue) I've been doing a lot of grilling. After reading a few recipes I've concocted a simple and yummy quick marinade for white fish. Amy and I like pacific snapper or rockfish, which we've been getting fresh (if you're in B'ham, try the Pescadaria on Railroad by Starbucks) for around $5.50/lb. I'd guess it would be good on tilapia or even mahi-mahi (which we're laying off of until after the baby comes as it can have high mercury content).

Now, a short warning: I never measure stuff like this, so all amounts are very approximate.

Lemon-Dill Quick Marinade for White Fish

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• dill weed (dried or fresh)
• garlic powder
• salt & pepper

Basically, you're looking for a 3:1 mix of olive oil to lemon juice (so, try 3 tbsp olive oil to 1 tbsp lemon juice if you fear eyeballing your dumping and pouring). Sprinkle in a ton of dill -- more than you think you should, the fish should end up covered with the stuff. Then salt, paper and garlic powder to taste, but don't be bashful.

Do this in a small container that seals. Pop on the lid, shake it like crazy. It's ready.

Put your fish on some tinfoil and fold up the edges close around the fish so the liquid won't run all over. Spoon the liquid over the fish, make sure it is adequately covered. Pop it on a hot grill. Chances are it'll be done in 10 minutes (it's done when the fish flakes apart with a fork).

I'm thinking the same marinade might actually be good with chicken too.

If you're looking for something to eat along with the fish, head to the store and get some ears of yellow corn. It's in season and is relatively cheap. Amy and I got 3 ears for a dollar the other day, which is cheaper than canned corn, fresher, and tastier to boot. Cook these on the grill too. Here's how:

1. Pull husks back, but don't detatch. Remove silk. Put husks back in place.
2. Soak corn ears in cold water for at least 10 minutes. The water soaked up and captured by the husks will help steam the corn as it cooks, which makes for corn that's more moist -- and it should cook a little faster too.
3. Place on hot grill for, oh, 15 minutes. Turn 'em every five minutes or so until you think they're done.
4. Take off the grill. With your kitchen scissors, cut off the base of the husks as close to the ear as possible. Pull of the husks. It's handy to do this with an oven mitt on, the corn will be hot. If some cinders from the husk got on the corn, just rinse it with hot water. No biggie.
5. If you don't think the corn got done (maybe some spots look lighter than others) just put the shucked corn back on the grill for a few minutes.
6. Butter, salt and pepper ... then chow down.

So, get your grill hot. Put your corn on. Get your fish ready. Put it on too. It's all ready 'bout the same time.

Let me know how it goes!

Yesterday I stumbled across PJ Hillery's The Georgian Language: An Outline Grammatical Summary. No, this page isn't about how y'all talk down there in Atlanta; it is about the language of the country of Georgia. Vööbus describes Georgia as "that rough mountain-district between the Black and Caspian Seas — known to the ancient world as Iberia" (Vööbus 173).

I'm always at least superficially interested in the languages of the early versions of the New Testament (Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopic, Armenian, Georgian, Gothic, etc.). This gave me a chance to re-read sections of Vööbus and Metzger on the Georgian Versions (see citations below). You could also check the wikipedia entry on Georgian Language for general background on the language.

What do we know (or at least, what do we think we know) about the Georgian version?

• Christianity probably came to the region in the middle of the fourth century — that's like 350, y'all! (Metzger 184; see also Vööbus 176). For comparative purposes, that's around the same date that many ascribe to the copying of Codex Sinaiticus.
• The Georgian version was probably in currency " ... in the second part of the fifth century. Its origin, then, seems to belong to the decades before the middle of the fifth century" (Vööbus 178; see also Metzger 184). For comparison, many date Codex Bezae in the fifth century.
• Vööbus concludes the Georgian was likely originally translated from the Armenian and later subjected to editing against Greek exemplars (Vööbus 187-192). Metzger makes no conclusions, he just reports conclusions others have made (Metzger 190-196).

A quick search of the NA27 apparatus shows that it is only cited twice, in Mt 27.64 (supporting the omission of a pronoun) and Mk 10.25 (supporting the reading of a phonetically-similar word, καμηλον [NA27] vs. καμιλον). This makes sense because the Georgian is at least a translation of a translation (or perhaps a translation of a translation of a translation, depending on your view of the origin of the Armenian text). But Metzger, in his Textual Commentary, cites 'geo' almost 100 times. So it is of some value in the realm of NT textual criticism.

Wikipedia has some images from the Adysh Gospels (a canon table and an illumination) and also the Vani Gospels (an illumination), two early (10th century) Georgian codices. Here's the canon table from the Adysh Gospels, copied in 897 AD:

Works Cited

Metzger, Bruce M. The Early Versions of the New Testament. London: Oxford University Press, 1977, pp. 182-214.

Vööbus, Arthur. Early Versions of the New Testament: Manuscript Studies. Stockholm: Estonian Theological Society in Exile, 1954, pp. 173-209.

The good folks at Hendrickson Academic have recently sent me a copy of Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why it Matters what Christians Believe (amazon.com). No, they haven't found me in any heresy — so they say — they sent me the book because they thought I'd be interested in it and just might blog about it. Thankfully, the book is interesting and I will blog about it to some degree. But first, I need to point out the cover art because it is so cool. It's Augustine battling a demonic-looking heretic with a Bible and what appears to be a light saber!

Now that is cool. How can you not want to read a book with cover art like that?!

One thing I really like about this book is that it began as a series of sermons. These aren't intricate theological definitions of heresy; they are intended to be heard and understood by the person in the pew who may not have a strong background in dogma and heresy. You know, someone who would think "Arianism" has more to do with Hitler than heresy in the fourth century. Ben Quash writes in the book's prologue:

Appreciative inquisitiveness was the premise for devoting a term-full of sermons in Peterhouse Chapel, Cambridge (where the editors of this volume serve as Anglican priests) to great heresies, and the majority of essays in this volume were first delivered as sermons in that series — intended not to be excessively encumbered with scholarly apparatus, but to be informed and accessible accounts of how these ancient debates still have much to say to Christians today as they try to make sense of their faith in thought, word and deed. The huge interest in the sermons took us by surprise, and the idea was hatched of making them available to a wider audience by publishing them in a book. (Quash and Ward, 8)

Here's the back-cover blurb, which is different than the publisher blurb you'll find at Hendrickson's site or on Amazon. I think the back-cover blurb is better than those other blurbs.

What don't Christians believe?
Is Jesus really divine?
Is Jesus really human?
Can God suffer?
Can people be saved by their own efforts?

The early Church puzzled over these questions, ruling in some believes and ruling out others. Heresies and How to Avoid Them (amazon.com) explains the principal ancient heresies and shows why contemporary Christians still need to know about them. These famous detours in Christian believing seemed plausible and attractive to many people in the past, and most can still be found in modern-day guises. By learning what it is that Christians don't believe — and why — believers today can gain a deeper, truer understanding of their faith.

Topics Include
Adoptionism—did Jesus become the Son of God at his baptism?
Docetism—was Jesus really human or did he just appear to be so?
Nestorianism—was Christ one Person or a hybrid with a divine dimension and a human dimension?
Arianism—was Christ divine and eternal or was there a time when he did not exist?
Marcionism—is the God of the New Testament the same as the God of the Old?
Theopaschitism—is it possible for God to suffer in His divine nature?
Pelagianism—can people save themselves by their own efforts?
‘The Free Spirit’—are there two kinds of Church membership, one for the elite and one for the rest?
Donatism—do Christian ministers need to be faultless for their ministrations to be effective?

From what I can tell (I've read the intro and the first two essays) the essays strive to define and place the heresy in proper historical context, discussing the milieu in which the heresy came about. Each essay begins with a paragraph-long definition of the heresy in plain language, followed by major scriptures that provide foundation for the orthodox position. The essays provide the setting and discuss the heresy, and then also discuss the theological implications of the heresy. Good stuff. As I read the first two essays, I thought that Heresies and How to Avoid Them (amazon.com) might even make good fodder for book-study groups in local churches. There are sections in the back with a few recommendations for further reading and a brief glossary. There's an index as well.

I say: check it out. I may blog further on the book as I read it, I may not. We'll see what happens.