So it’s only the second week of classes and I am feeling totally overwhelmed with readings and assignments. I have even fallen behind on my readings. But then again, when you have a full load of courses, one doesn’t do “reading,” but rather “skimming.” That’s right, it’s impossible to do all the readings. There’s simply not enough time in a day!
Here’s how my day went (thank you for asking:):
I fell asleep at about 2a.m. and woke up at 6a.m. I read for a couple of hours. I left home at 9:00 to get to a 10:00 class. Because it rained this morning, there was more traffic than usual. I cheated and risked getting a $200 fine and took the HOV lane. (Bad, don’t do it!) However, I still arrived to class a little late. Thank God my OT professor says a prayer at the beginning of each class, which saved me today, as I rushed in, out of breath, just in time to take the quiz.
I thought my Old Testament class this morning was very relevant, inspiring, and thought provoking. We read Genesis 1 and 2, and throughout the reading, my professor who is of course an OT/Hebrew scholar, and “NOT a raging feminist” (his words), substituted “man” with “humanity.” Why? Because the correct interpretation of the Hebrew word אדם orʼĀḏām means humanity, not man.
Also, in Gen, 1:27, it reads, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.”
My professor made the point that it does not say God created us individual human beings in God’s image; rather, it says humanity was created in God’s image. The individual image being interpreted as God’s image was Augustine’s interpretation, which the Christian tradition has largely followed to today.
I knew everything up to this point. After all, I have already taken Old Testament before, but hearing it again from another professor at a different school, and a male biblical scholar was truly rewarding.
But what was new for me was the following interpretation. That when we separate ourselves as individuals and say that we are the image of God, this could be interpreted as narcissistic and idolatrized. In other words, the image of God is only complete when we include all of humanity. I find this interpretation of humanity fascinating because if that’s the case, how might we perceive others of humanity that are not Christian, that are of other race, and so forth? We are not the image of God all by ourselves as individuals, but the image of God represents all of humanity, regardless. So next time, instead of looking at the mirror to find the image of God, we need to be looking at other people, at humanity as a whole as the image of God. Enough said? Yes, for now. Class finished at 11:20.
I then did my reading my next class at 1:30. Got it done. Class finished at 2:50.
I then took out my books to read for my next class at 4:30. At about 3:30, I experienced what I will refer to as a divine revelation. (Don’t laugh!) I decided to look at my syllabus for another class tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. To my surprise, I discovered I had a writing assignment due at 5p.m. I almost went into panic mode because I had less than an hour as I had another class at 4:30. Lucky for me, I had the book with me and already understood the assigned reading, Schubert Ogden. Needless to say, I got the writing done and submitted at 4:20.
4:30 was my next class, and that lasted until 5:50. I then drove home, which took me over an hour.
I should be studying Hebrew right now, but instead I decided to go on facebook. Bad idea, as I’ve decided to update my status and write this “note.” In about an hour, I will go to the airport to pick up a guest that will be staying with me for a few days while attending a conference nearby. This person is from New Zealand, I think. (I have to work all wkend; no further comment.)
Anyways, learning a different language is difficult and requires a lot of discipline. But I tell you what, being able to sound out the words, Hebrew words, my 3rd day of class is truly amazing. It makes it all worthwhile, I think!
That’s how my day went, 2nd week of classes.
-originally written as a facebook note, August 2010.
