Irony

Michael Halcomb posted a bit of  silliness we’re compelled to share with others.  When he discovered that he had been mentioned by the Biblioblog Top 50, he averred that it made no difference to him that he was mentioned, and then he posted his advancing status.

If it’s no big deal, why mention it?  And why mention it with oneself as one of one’s labels on one’s own blog?  Bibliobloggers are as fascinating a group as are the dilettantes who comment too frequently on their blogs.

More Geoff Hudson

Discovered on James Crossley’s Earliest Christian History, among a fine string of assorted asinine ignorance, this pearl of great crap:

JUDAS A COUNTRY BOY

Judas was from Modin, or Modein, a tell, a village about 20 miles NW of Jerusalem. Thus he was a country boy. His family were country folk, like most of the prophets.

Mattathias, his father, was a priest, of the order of Joarib (a prophet), and a citizen of Jerusalem. He would come up to Jerusalem to perform his day’s service in the sanctuary once a year, much as ‘John the Baptist’s’ father did. Now it was his turn, along with the people of Modin. But this time Apelles, king Antiochus’s general appeared, with instructions from the king, commanding everyone to offer sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem. Antiochus was a cultured Greek, tolerant of foreign beliefs, but his motive was greed (as usual).

This infuriated Mattathias. Generations of his family had worshipped God in the sanctuary. He and his sons slew the general and a few of his soldiers. “If”, said he, “anyone be zealous for the worship of God, let him follow me; and when he had said this, he made haste into the desert with his sons, and left all his substance in the village. Many others (prophets) did the same also, and fled with their children and wives into the desert and dwelt in caves.” (Ant.12:6.1,2)

This was really a clash between simple country folk used to hard labour in the fields and the sophisticated priesthood in the cities cosying-up to Antiochus and later Demetrius – the sociohistorical link, James. There was no ‘Jew’ who stepped forward to offer sacrifice at Modin. There were no idol altars to be overthrown. These were dissimulations by later Roman and Jewish writers (the winners).

Still watching then Jim?

We’re Not Dead Yet, But We Have Been Away

With apologies…  But we’re back now, bringing you the best moronic comments in all biblioblogdom, and expanding our horizons to include poking fun at all the bloggers who promote themselves too much.

Nothing demonstrates dilettantism more than stupidity.

A Real Comment, Believe It Or Not

Jim West mailed us this comment which he rejected because of its insanity (so of course we have accepted it).

 Have you spoken with someone who is at least a member of the NRA that says they’re proud of this kind of incident. I’m an NRA member who gets a lot of bang for my buck including rules and regs in all fifty states. A very long time ago I asked pastors at several large Baptist churchs if they knew wherin the Bible it says it’s O.K. to defend yourself with lethal force. Not one knew. So I called the NRA who answered and promised to call me back. They did and told me to read Luke 22:36. I think they’re right on target.

It’s unsurprising that this gun-lover couldn’t find support for his notion of lethal force until he contacted the NRA. Such persons really are dilettantes.

Trojan Hobby Horse

Elevated from the comments:

A minor classic from Leon from Crossley’s blog:

“One of the most interesting questions to ask about monsters is: What are the real-life monsters that fictional monsters are meant to represent? It’s a question a lot of people ask. There is pobably more than one answer to the question. Apart from the violent monsters that inhabit our world, is there anything more monstrous than an academic field that suppresses academic freedom and erases the historical evidence of a people’s culture? Ghastly.

One of the fears that ancient peoples had was that another culture could come along and wipe out their own history and culture — as if they had never existed. It is so easy to get erased. That could explain some of the monsters in ancient literature and folklore. It is a fear based on real danger.

That danger persists in modern NT scholarship with its penchant to disappear Jewish history of the 1st century and the historical, Jewish Jesus. One could give dozens and hundreds of examples of this. William Arnal’s “The Symbolic Jesus” erases everything from Jewish culture except Temple, rituals, and purity concerns. He trivializes and demeans the culture. The lesson is that unrestrained power produces monsters in both the real and fictional worlds.

Am I ratcheting up the rhetoric? Perhaps. What are the powerless to do? It’s interesting that we look for mosnters everywhere, over there, somewhere else, but never in some of the nasty things our own academic culture does. But the scariest monsters are those closest to home. Of course, you could just erase this point from your consciousness. But then, that would be monstrous, wouldn’t it?”

There are more and more Hudson comments on the latest entry too.