John 20:17 -- Jesus said to [Mary Magdalene], "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5 -- To every thing there is a … Continue reading Happy Easter
Category: InterTexts
These are posts in which I’ve compared similar passages in different books, with an emphasis on authors who may never have read each other’s writings. Most are connections I have made myself, so perhaps they will be new to you too.
Let there be electromagnetism
In the beginning, God said, "Let there be light." Or, in translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roqGqhX6_-U "The four-dimensional divergence of an antisymmetric second rank tensor equals zero". That is the formula for light. In physics, light is defined as a form of electromagnetic radiation. If I understand correctly, what we have in the video above is James Clerk … Continue reading Let there be electromagnetism
William P. Brown podcast about Job
In my last post I reviewed a book by William P. Brown, The Seven Pillars of Creation, that read God's speeches in the Book of Job as a creation story. This was a very new perspective for me. It made me take a look back at my little journey through Job in recent months. I've … Continue reading William P. Brown podcast about Job
The Weaver of Raveloe
I'm re-reading George Eliot's "Silas Marner," almost forty years since first reading it in grade-school. I've just started, so this post won't be a full review. I'm going to share some of the reading experience I've had thus far, both by myself and with my kids, who've shocked me a bit by asking me to … Continue reading The Weaver of Raveloe
Gita and Job, shoutout to JRR
Time again to draw some lines between texts, for fun and maybe more. Texts today: Book of Job, Bhagavad Gita, Lord of the Rings, Gilgamesh Compare – Your hands have formed me and made me,Put me together—then destroyed me!Mind now, it is you who made me like clay,And will return me to the dust!He elevates … Continue reading Gita and Job, shoutout to JRR
Robert Alter’s reading of Job
I am currently taking in Robert Alter's reading of the Book of Job, in his "Art of Biblical Poetry." Alter reads Job not primarily as a text containing ideas, questions and answers but firstly as a great poet's depiction of the world and its Creator. What Alter finds is that God in his final speeches … Continue reading Robert Alter’s reading of Job
The Fellowship of the Ring
"The Fellowship of the Ring" came out in theaters twenty years ago, almost to the day. Below is an essay that I wrote in the days after I saw it -- an essay that, besides being a bit of a time portal, covers a ton of subjects about books, movies, history, religion, dead white males, … Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring
Fanny Price and Job
“But I cannot be satisfied without Fanny Price, without making a small hole in Fanny Price's heart. You do not seem properly aware of her claims to notice. When we talked of her last night, you none of you seemed sensible of the wonderful improvement that has taken place in her looks within the last … Continue reading Fanny Price and Job
Krishna, Tom Joad and the Gospel of John
In a previous post I made several connections between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bhagavad Gita. Here I'd like to make a few other connections for the Gita, with the Gospel of John and "The Grapes of Wrath." Compare this passage in the "Gita" – I am the Unborn and Eternal. I am the … Continue reading Krishna, Tom Joad and the Gospel of John
Gilgamesh, Smaug and Krishna
In a previous post I shared what it was like to read David Ferry's version of the Epic of Gilgamesh twenty years ago. I've just read Stephen Mitchell's version, from 2004. Both versions render the Epic as English free verse. They're similar in that sense: they're English poems that read like complete stories, meaning they … Continue reading Gilgamesh, Smaug and Krishna