What do you mean, my lecture notes are hard to read?
BUT the whole discussion appears predicated on actually "reading books". I have told generations of students: "Never read a book!" After this shocking advise I instruct them in the not-so-gentle art of scanning:"The only way to read Hengel is with a beer in hand to take the edge off."
That's definitely my quote of the week!
God is neither male nor female.[1]and:
Sexual categories do not apply to the Godhead. [2][NB knee-jerk-readers may like to notice that the second quote is from Jerome that renouned and often excoriated feminist theologian!]
Early Christian writers picture God's teaching as breast-feeding. This picture was common in the Hellenistic world, and Christian theologians took up verses from the Epistles speaking of apostles' feeding their readers with the "milk of the gospel" and extend them to God the source of this milk (i.e. 1 Pet 2:2-3; 1 Thess 2:7-8; 1 Cor 3:1-3 and Heb 5:12-13). They could even speak of "God's breasts"!
[1] Migne P.G. 44, 916B. Gregory of Nyssa, Homily VII In Cantica Canticorum in Greek the quotation reads: "epeide gar oute arren, oute thelu to theion esti".
[2] Corpus Christianorum, Series Latine LXXIII, 459, 1.82-83. Jerome In Esaiam in Latin the quotation reads: "In divinitate enim nullus est sexus".
To us, Gnosticism looks radical and mystical. Look again. They're not Beards running Linux, they're just Suits shoe-horning css into FrontPage. Gnostics are ancient intellectual elitists for whom the real gospel was too radical.There's also a nice line about secret handshakes... well worth a read!
Wordprocessors: all text for HBC_ should be prepared in a either Open Office or MS Word (except by special arrangement).
Templates: use the supplied Template, (and not another like the MSWord "normal" template. Please make no changes made to the Styles in the Template. (For more details see the guide for either Open Office 2.0 or Microsoft Word2003.)
Characters from non-Roman alphabets and other special characters should either be standard Unicode, or produced in Times New Roman using the | Insert | Special Character| (Open Office) or | Insert | Symbol | (MS Word) functions (the writing system should be indicated using the “character” Styles “Hebrew” or “Greek” from the supplied Template).
This is a longer quotation in the Style “Quotation” the words quoted should be followed by a reference in brackets, either a Bible reference in SBL style or to the work cited. E.g. (Am 3:12) or (Blogs, 63)
Authors should aim to indicate where links are needed or may be created. There are two methods of doing this. The approach outlined here is easier and cheaper to convert, however if you find this inhibits your editing of the text then simply place the indications of links as comments, with the highlighted words forming the link text. (In Open Office only the end of the selected text in highlighted, so the beginning should be indicated by a double asterisk, see sample.odt)
Where you create “justification” or “explanation” lexia you should think about how, and from where, these lexia will be accessed. Links are normally made from sections of text (usually just one or a few words long), which themselves suggest or at least hint at the linked material. Such text should be enclosed within double asterisks and include an indication, within square brackets inside the asterisks, of whether the link provides justification (“J”) or explanation (“E”) followed by the filename of the linked lexia, still within the asterisks. Thus if you write:
**this explains linking [E links.doc]**
the text “this explains linking” will be linked via a link marked as an “Explanation” to the file named links.doc.
It may sometimes – most often where a longer lexia needs a list of headings at the start, for example linking to verse level comment within comment on a unit – be necessary to link to a location within a lexia. These may be made using:
Often it will be useful (think particularly of untrained readers) to link to a Bible Dictionary article.
Where such an article exists in the UBD, or where such an article is listed as desirable, if possible make the link text in your lexia the same as the head word (or term) of the dictionary entry mark the term with double asterisks and the mention [UBD] thus “the **kingdom of God [UBD]**” will link to the article headed “kingdom of God” as will "the **kingdom of heaven [UBD kingdom of God]**".
If no such article is yet listed, but where you think one would be desirable add double asterisks round the mention UBD to indicate this to the editor e.g. “**Ugaritic mythology [**UBD**]** is particularly…”
Where either you do not think it likely that the UBD will need to include an article, or you prefer to create your own, make the link as a standard “explanation” (see above).
You should take care that Bible references are given in standard (SBL) abbreviated format with the book name included (e.g. Is 5:3). You should mark them as links with asterisks and the mention [Bible reference] thus: “later in the chapter (**v.13 [Bible Is 5:13]**)” will read “later in the chapter (v.13)” where v.13 is a link to Isaiah 5:13. If you need to make reference to a particular translation you should usually quote the text directly.
As we have seen above, with VERY few exceptions NO styling should be used that is not applied as either a “paragraph” or a “character” Style. So I will include some simple instructions for those not yet very familiar with Styles:
Do NOT use fonts at all. They should ALWAYS be assigned by the Style chosen.
[1] Patrick H. Alexander, et al. (eds.) The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies (Peabody, Mass.: Hendricksen,1999)
[2] If such a style is needed and does not already exist contact the editors and one will be added to the Template.
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