It’s 9am on a Monday morning - what are you doing?
January 9, 2006
It’s 9am on a Monday morning, and I’m sitting in a classroom right now trying to translate something very similar to this, in fact, possibly this very text. Of course, I don’t have Accordance. But I do have the wonderful ‘little’ book the BDB. Still, it’s a pain in the ass. We have 2 large chunks to translate that we *should* be familiar with, and then one smaller passage that we have to do some exegesis on. Goodness. I don’t really know what to expect. But then I’ll be done with Hebrew and my exegesis course. Now I just have to take Greek this summer at Columbia and then pass the Hebrew Exegesis Ordination exam and then I’ll be done with these languages.
It’s actually fun to know that you can read Hebrew. I know I’ll forget it soon…but, for right now, I’m enjoying being able to read and semi-understand this stuff. Still, it’s a pretty painful aspect of the whole ordination process. What good does it do to make us (Presbyterian) students take both Greek and Hebrew and do exegesis in them, just so that we’ll forget the languages within a few years of being out of seminary. And don’t tell me "I’m going to try and keep my language up" or "I’m going to do some Hebrew every day or week" - it just doesn’t happen. Unless you’re going on for a Ph.D. or something, you’ll forget your language. I’ve talked with enough pastors. You forget it. You might remember enough to figure out how to use the BDB again, or insert a cool "This word means X in Hebrew" in your sermon (even though no one is really even that impressed, and if they are, they’re impressed for about the amount of time that it takes you to explain it). But we have to do this to get ordained. Does that make sense to anyone?
UPDATE: Sweet. Hebrew DONE. The exam was actually easy. We had to translate a chunk from Genesis 22 (when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac) and then a passage from Numbers (which, the top of line of the scanned portion above was actually on it). Then we had a sight-translation on the call of Jeremiah and then a little essay to write on that. Done. Pretty quick too, I was ALL OVER that Genesis 22 passage. I’m rockin’ out to Imogen Heap right now…seriously, I love it when you are heading toward the end of finals week…starts to feel good…
Technorati Tags: Ordination, Presbyterian, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seminary, Hebrew, Accordance
Posted in PC(USA)
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
January 9th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Is there anything in the curriculum about:
a) Financial management
b) Leading volunteers/interpersonal conflict resolution
c) Plumbing repair (esp toilets)
Seems like these are more suited to the daily rigors of running a church ;)
January 9th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I don’t get the language thing either. My brain is not wired for learning languages and i don’t think I should be kept from getting a degree or ordination, if that was my plan, because of these languages. Glad your exam went well. Take care and enjoy the concert!
January 9th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
did you watch out for dageshes?
January 9th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Oddly enough I start every work day with a half hour of Greek translation. I actually enjoy it. That’s what I do by 9 AM every day.
January 9th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
I also had a test in Hebrew reading at the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta GA this morning. Good to know others across the country are suffering with me as well.
January 9th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
I’m disappointed, Adam. You’re right that lots of us pastors forget our Greek and Hebrew. But to suggest that this is should be tolerated (celebrated?) is really sad. Lots of what Christians disagree about–disagreement you yourself spend much of this page exploring–comes down to understanding scripture.
Not just knowing a little about what scripture says, but really being able to dig in, understand context and vocabulary, get into the text in ways beyond what anyone with a study Bible can do. Of all people in the Church who should be able to do this, should it not be those who are charged with interpreting the Word week in and week out for real people? (As opposed to merely professors?)
It’s a distinctive of our Reformed understanding of the ministry. And it’s worth preserving. Drop Greek and Hebrew requirements for pastors, and let fundamentalist ignorance ensue.
January 9th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Congrats on finishing Hebrew. I’ve been in the same position of having those language finals, and know it’s nice to be finished.
I think Brian is right, though, that poo-pooing the idea of language requirements for ordination is ill-advised. Believe it or not, the seminary doesn’t teach you languages assuming that you’ll forget them. Your professors have invested themselves in learning the language so as to share it with those who will be ministers and who will share their knowledge with their congregations. Removing language requirements or not brushing up on what you have learned in language courses is simply the way of the uninspired and lazy. My, how theological education has changed in the last century.
January 9th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Thank God I got through Hebrew at ptsem. It was God’s grace that saved me from summer Hebrew with the birth of our third son. Pass/Fail was my best friend that summer. I look at this image with fear…hehe
January 9th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
it is the thinking in this post that led me away from traditional seminaries and into mars hill graduate school. i don’t get either. there’s so much in terms of technology out there that helps us with the languages. it seems more beneficial to learn how to use that software and learn the limitations of it. knowing greek/hebrew inside and out does not help us in terms of being pastors. but since you’re their, keep up the hard work. you may find some good use for it some day.
January 10th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
How bizarre that the church would have you learn Hebrew but not teach anything about Judaism or the history of Israel.
No one would understood this would link to a site like End the Occupation that is full of total falsehoods and is so twisted that they are actually in agreement with Robertson that withdrawing from Gaza was WRONG!
Heaven save us from such crazyness!
January 11th, 2006 at 12:01 am
as one in PhD work in theology, i’m infinitely glad to never have to touch Hebrew again. every. single. day.