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Post by talmid on Apr 3, 2007 18:50:00 GMT -5
Hi everyone. I wanted to introduce myself as the forum newbie.
I work at the Master's College in California and recently completed the M.Div. program at the Master's Seminary. During my graduate studies, I realized I was deficient in the classics and classical languages, which was a detriment to my understanding of the Greek New Testament. Hence, I am now beginning my study of philology to enhance my grasp of the Greek NT and Hebrew OT (since the best grammars assume a prior knowledge of Latin).
I enjoy being challenged in my faith and welcome any topic you'd like to interact with me over.
Through this forum, I hope that my understanding of the classics will grow and that I can nourish some fellowship with other like-minded believers (Christians) who equally see a value in studying the classics.
FYI--on the Textkit forum, I use this same username.
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Post by klplockmeyer on Apr 3, 2007 18:52:26 GMT -5
Welcome, talmid, we're glad to have you on the Forum! I hope that our discussions are enlightening, intriguing, and challenging!
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Post by litteratus on Apr 5, 2007 17:55:52 GMT -5
welcome talmid! i happen to be a california native myself, so a special welcome in that regard!
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Post by talmid on Apr 5, 2007 18:55:42 GMT -5
Thanks litteratus!
Whereabouts?
I grew up in Oxnard, between LA and Santa Barbara.
Then I was down in San Diego when I started college.
More recently I moved to the Santa Clarita area.
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Post by litteratus on Apr 5, 2007 20:05:26 GMT -5
i'm originally from redlands, by san bernardino. but for right now i'm at school at calvin college in grand rapids, mi
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Post by talmid on Apr 11, 2007 11:51:57 GMT -5
I'm wondering if other forum members would also like to make their introductions. I noticed there are only 8 members--if I could get to know a little more about the others, that would be great!
talmid
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Post by klplockmeyer on Apr 11, 2007 21:49:17 GMT -5
Hey talmid:
I'm a native of Holland, Michigan, about 45 minutes southwest of Grand Rapids on the shores of Lake Michigan. I'm at Calvin College right now, but will be at the University of Florida grad program in the fall.
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Post by talmid on Apr 12, 2007 11:38:26 GMT -5
klplockmeyer -
Are you a classics major? If so, what do you hope to do with the degree? Which grad program are you considering at UoF?
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Post by klplockmeyer on Apr 12, 2007 17:15:46 GMT -5
I'm a Latin, Greek, and Classical Studies triple major. Hope to be a college professor. In the fall I'll be starting at UF's Classics PhD program.
I've thought about being a high school Latin teacher or Seminary (from 1st-12th grade I wanted to be a Pastor, in my second year of college I thought I would take a brief stint as a high school Latin teacher), but decided in the end that I wanted to teach at the college level. I love teaching and working with students, but I also love academic research, so I wanted a career that would keep me in touch with the academic aspect yet would also allow me to work with students. Plus, I think that so many college professors are just not good teachers and hope to be one of those professors that students actually like having for a class!
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Post by talmid on Apr 13, 2007 14:48:27 GMT -5
klplockmeyer -
It would certainly be nice to see more Christian colleges devote their efforts to classical education. Calvin College & St. Andrews are the only Christian schools that I know of doing this. I don't know of any dispensationalist schools--my educational background--which care to focus on this topic.
I find this odd because many of the best grammars and resources in biblical languages assume the reader has a working knowledge of Latin. In addition, all the theological concepts are given Latin or Greek labels (imago Dei, hypostatic union). One must know Latin in order to read the critical apparatus at the bottom of the Hebrew Bible. Etc.
When I began Latin, I found my systematic theology lectures more understandable in seminary.
Inexplicable that most Christian colleges would overlook this somehow!
Press on, friend! You're doing a good work.
talmid
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Post by klplockmeyer on Apr 14, 2007 8:29:00 GMT -5
talmid:
When we formed the Society of Christian Classicists, we went through and found all the Christian colleges offering Latin that we could, and you're right, it's surprisingly low. In fact, as far as I know, Calvin has one of the largest Classics departments in a Protestant college. There are still a fair number of Catholic universities with Latin and Greek programs, but even that has gone down. Hope College still has a small Classics program, and you can find several schools offer at least a course or two in Greek and/or Latin. Luther College and Millsaps have a few professors of Classics, as does Gordon College. Hopefully this number will grow in the future!
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Post by talmid on Apr 14, 2007 11:00:49 GMT -5
Hopefully the Society of Christian Classicists will make it a goal to promote the study of classics in more Christian colleges. There's a little talk among the faculty here at The Master's College of forming a small program--but so far, this is nothing more than mere chat over a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Nobody has made a serious effort to submit a proposal for the board to consider, but I'll keep doing my best to enlist interest for such a project.
talmid
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Post by klplockmeyer on Apr 14, 2007 16:33:12 GMT -5
That's wonderful, talmid. I'm glad to hear that another Christian college is considering the addition. Even if it hasn't been real formal yet, at least it's a step in the right direction. I do hope that the SCC will grow to a point where we can have that sort of impact. Some of our members currently (not necessarily the ones who post on the message board) come from schools without a full-fledged Classics department, so hopefully this will have a positive impact on the study of Classics at their schools.
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Post by cmpavey on Apr 23, 2007 13:55:19 GMT -5
Yes, that's great news, talmid.
To catch up on the intros: I am a Classics mj from Indianapolis. After I finish my BA, I hope to go on to grad school, and eventually become a Classics prof. My hero (of the ancients) is Cicero. Besides being one who futilely attempted to save his beloved patria from tyranny, he also displays great moral virtue and courage. In my opinion, De Off. is one of the best treatises on morality ever written. Cicero's style is quite lucid as well, at least in prose.
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baw4
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by baw4 on Jun 1, 2007 4:38:13 GMT -5
Hi Talmid. Nice to meet you.
I don't get on the site very often, but its good to see more people joining the conversation.
As for intro, I'm another Classics major who just graduated, and am looking forward to part-time seminary in the Fall. My interest in the classics is pretty broad, but I've been spending more and more time in late antiquity, especially patristics. Other interest areas are Greek philosophy, especially Empedocles, Aristotle, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, and Roman philosophy (if that's not an oxymoron!), like Seneca the Younger and Cicero's philosophical dialogues.
In terms of the Church Fathers, I am finishing up about a year and a half of study into Gregory Nazianzen, and am beginning to take an interest in Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius and other Alexandrian Christians. In terms of Western Fathers, I'm not so much a fan of many of them, but most of Augustine is good, and Rufinus is also a growing interest.
In any case, all the best in your philological endeavors. I myself was snagged into classics for just the same reason, and am glad I did. A solid grounding in the languages of the earliest Christians is not a bad thing for a Christian interested in learning to love God more.
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