katagrapho
writing things down…Archive for September, 2009
Take that Technophobes!
Every communication advancement throughout human history, from the pencil to the typewriter to writing itself, has been met with fear, skepticism and a longing for the medium that’s been displaced.
A New Blog in my RSS and the singular “their”
I’ve added the blog Copyediting to my reading list, and today there is a post on the singular use of “their.”
Genesis as a graphic comic book
In general, Crumb’s tendency is to simplify Alter and bring the text closer to the vernacular. But being literal is not the same as being impartial or withholding interpretation. The language of Genesis is extremely terse and suggestive, opening itself up to countless retellings. Crumb’s personal views are bodied forth in his drawings, which frequently undermine or question the text. The words alone tell us nothing about how Dinah reacted to the murder of her sexual assailant (and would-be husband), Shechem, but a heartrending panel by Crumb suggests the possibility that the vengeance was far greater than anything she wanted.
Obligatory Post – Announcing NIV Bible 2011
It seems to me that one simply cannot call oneself a biblioblogger if one does not post something about the announcement of the NIV 2011. So, here’s my obligatory post, since I still fancy this as a biblioblog of sorts.
Here’s the link to the appropriate website: NIV Bible 2011 – New International Version updated.
But, to really call oneself a biblioblogger, one must also comment on this announcement. So here are two quick takes:
1. I like the TNIV. I’ll have to wait and see if the NIV2011 caves to the exclusivists who view the inclusive language of the TNIV as somehow a marring of God’s Word. I hope they don’t cave, but the whole language of “mistakes” makes me doubtful.
2. I think the CBT is comprised of good biblical scholars, even if right-leaning to a fault some times. But, my suspicion of corporate behemoths (i.e., Zondervan –> Harper Collins –> News Corporation) makes me wonder if there is not something else behind this decision. Even the working name, “NIV 2011,” smacks of underhanded marketing strategy. Soon enough we will all be needing to “upgrade” to the latest version of the NIV. There will be alpha and beta versions that you can buy in advance of the official release. The new version will be more stable and better able to resist viruses. Sometime down the road, in an effort to appear more creative, the numbers behind NIV will disappear or become secondary to the release names. We could have NIV Vista or NIV Snow Leopard.
Beware all who use Google Books
But whether or not the needs of scholars are a priority, the company doesn’t want Google’s book search to become a running scholarly joke.
