I would also recommend for those who can read Greek consulting Diogenes. The critical edition is older and will clearly be inferior to Behr’s for that reason but it is still much better than nothing.
Diogenes will (provided one has the files to TLG for, well, perfectly negligible reasons) have all Greek patristic writers present in TLG, but suffers from the absence of Latin writers conditioned by the obtuse decision of the PHI Latin corpus to exclude Christian Latin (which seems in their thought to be an entirely separate language).
So glad to hear of your enthusiasm for Behr’s latest work, which I have invested in. I don’t read Greek, but perhaps when I retire I can sit with this volume and grow old in the attempt. In any case, it sits on my bookshelf like a fine whiskey, waiting to be enjoyed. “There’s whiskey in the jar.” 🍷
the John Behr translation looks interesting ill have to pick up a copy eventually.But you also have my deepest appreciation for reminding us all of the glory and grace of the Manatee.I'm ashamed to admit I did'nt know when it was but thank you for enlightening all of us.long live the Manatees.
The difficulty of finding good, affordable editions of patristic texts in the original is really a shame. I'm stuck with my bootleg Migne PDFs for the time being, I guess. Perhaps I can console myself with your brother's work on Cole. His paintings always seem to stand out in memory whenever I've seen him in museums. La croix dans la solitude is the painting I remember most clearly from a visit to the Louvre.
My thalassophobia means I find entire Sirenia order strangely terrifying (especially in their natural habitat), so I will observe the Holy Day by keeping far away from shallow bodies of brackish water and encouraging everyone else to do the same.
Thalassophobia is just a matter of prudence, an invaluable wisdom passed to us by generations of men drowned, frozen to death, or devoured by sharks, crocodiles, and other chthonic beasts. Spielberg has my deepest gratitude for teaching me that lesson in my early childhood.
I knew that the etymologically it was not the proper use of the word, but I thought that it has also acquired the meanings of "infernal" or "chaotic" (as opposed to the Olympic order). Besides that, titans are considered chthonic deities and Ocean is a titan:). Some even ascribe chthonic qualities to Poseidon (because of his earthquake mastery). So, at least they are subject to chthonic masters:).
But all of the above are weak excuses and you are right, of course. Still, I will not correct my initial post and will leave the error there in order not to leave your reply without context.
All of the above adjectives are more than adequate, but none of them even remotely conveys the terror these sea monsters (the sharks, not the manatees, seals, walruses, sea lions and other gentle inhabitants of the pelagic world ) evoke in me. If we are looking for relevant words of Greek origin carrying scary connotations, "abyssal" sounds quite sinister. Unfortunately, it is only suitable for creatures living in waters much deeper than sharks' hunting grounds. Still better than chthonic though:).
I am sure Melville has come up somewhere with something appropriate considering how skillful he was in describing the monstrosity of sharks: "Gorgon head", "port of serrated teeth", "jaws of the Fates".
Not the be a downer, but your comment regarding the manatee stirred a memory of my childhood. My father purchased a massive encyclopedia set in the early 80s (probably the equivalent of 2000 dollars nowadays), which I would peruse as a child, being particularly fascinated with all the information regarding the natural world, and the animals there.
What's so sad to me, is that all the numbers and statistics I used to memorise about the "population of African elephants" (for example), based on that encyclopedia from the 80s are so, so horrendously, so sadly out of date.
Sorry to be a downer, and sorry for the ramble. But like I said, it did stir a memory...
It is so sad that so much of what we have remaining today is likely to disappear in the next decades to centuries. I try to take heart from the fact that, in the next tens of millions of years or so, there will likely be an astounding diversity of new forms that evolved from the survivors. Just as happened with the mammals and birds that survived the asteroid impact that killed the non-avian dinosaurs.
A fortuitous consequence of the Hudson River School of painting is their influence on the landscape films of Peter Hutton, whose work is—often explicitly—something of an homage to that movement. His films are stunning, even if they’re difficult to find in decent quality.
I didn’t know that manatee appreciation day existed, so this is a pleasant surprise! But for those of us who already appreciate manatees every day (unless something goes terribly awry), it seems a little redundant. Though given the human race's apparent desire to transmute the oceans into seething vats of death, perhaps many need a reminder that in order for something to be appreciated, it typically needs to be alive.
A while ago I had a minor obsession with watching footage from Ocean Conservation Namibia, a group dedicated to cutting fishing line and other tethers from Cape fur seals. It's genuinely depressing just how bad and multi-layered the problem actually is. It's not just the more far-reaching and insidious stuff like micro-plastics; the ordinary swimming places of many creatures have been turned into minefields by negligent fishing practice.
The sillily named Netflix documentary Seaspiracy is quite an interesting look at the sheer extent to which modern fishing practices pillage the seas of life.
This is perhaps tangentially related to the item on Behr's intro to On First Principles, but I was wondering whether you have a view on Tzamalikos's work on Origen. It is very difficult for an amateur like me to assess.
For those who would like to hear Dr. Behr on his translation On the Human Image of God here is my interview with him about this.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grace-saves-all-christianity-and-universal-salvation/id1534051216?i=1000547726943
thanks
I would also recommend for those who can read Greek consulting Diogenes. The critical edition is older and will clearly be inferior to Behr’s for that reason but it is still much better than nothing.
Diogenes will (provided one has the files to TLG for, well, perfectly negligible reasons) have all Greek patristic writers present in TLG, but suffers from the absence of Latin writers conditioned by the obtuse decision of the PHI Latin corpus to exclude Christian Latin (which seems in their thought to be an entirely separate language).
nice to see the other davids name pop up here too
So glad to hear of your enthusiasm for Behr’s latest work, which I have invested in. I don’t read Greek, but perhaps when I retire I can sit with this volume and grow old in the attempt. In any case, it sits on my bookshelf like a fine whiskey, waiting to be enjoyed. “There’s whiskey in the jar.” 🍷
the John Behr translation looks interesting ill have to pick up a copy eventually.But you also have my deepest appreciation for reminding us all of the glory and grace of the Manatee.I'm ashamed to admit I did'nt know when it was but thank you for enlightening all of us.long live the Manatees.
Speaking of things eagerly awaited . . . is there (or will there be) a hardback of the 2nd edition of your New Testament?
I don’t think so.
Speaking of more things eagerly awaited, is the publication of your book on mind imminent?
The difficulty of finding good, affordable editions of patristic texts in the original is really a shame. I'm stuck with my bootleg Migne PDFs for the time being, I guess. Perhaps I can console myself with your brother's work on Cole. His paintings always seem to stand out in memory whenever I've seen him in museums. La croix dans la solitude is the painting I remember most clearly from a visit to the Louvre.
My thalassophobia means I find entire Sirenia order strangely terrifying (especially in their natural habitat), so I will observe the Holy Day by keeping far away from shallow bodies of brackish water and encouraging everyone else to do the same.
Thalassophobia is just a matter of prudence, an invaluable wisdom passed to us by generations of men drowned, frozen to death, or devoured by sharks, crocodiles, and other chthonic beasts. Spielberg has my deepest gratitude for teaching me that lesson in my early childhood.
There’s no excuse for being scared of manatees, however.
And beasts of the sea can’t be described as chthonic.
I knew that the etymologically it was not the proper use of the word, but I thought that it has also acquired the meanings of "infernal" or "chaotic" (as opposed to the Olympic order). Besides that, titans are considered chthonic deities and Ocean is a titan:). Some even ascribe chthonic qualities to Poseidon (because of his earthquake mastery). So, at least they are subject to chthonic masters:).
But all of the above are weak excuses and you are right, of course. Still, I will not correct my initial post and will leave the error there in order not to leave your reply without context.
I think pelagic would serve.
All of the above adjectives are more than adequate, but none of them even remotely conveys the terror these sea monsters (the sharks, not the manatees, seals, walruses, sea lions and other gentle inhabitants of the pelagic world ) evoke in me. If we are looking for relevant words of Greek origin carrying scary connotations, "abyssal" sounds quite sinister. Unfortunately, it is only suitable for creatures living in waters much deeper than sharks' hunting grounds. Still better than chthonic though:).
I am sure Melville has come up somewhere with something appropriate considering how skillful he was in describing the monstrosity of sharks: "Gorgon head", "port of serrated teeth", "jaws of the Fates".
Not the be a downer, but your comment regarding the manatee stirred a memory of my childhood. My father purchased a massive encyclopedia set in the early 80s (probably the equivalent of 2000 dollars nowadays), which I would peruse as a child, being particularly fascinated with all the information regarding the natural world, and the animals there.
What's so sad to me, is that all the numbers and statistics I used to memorise about the "population of African elephants" (for example), based on that encyclopedia from the 80s are so, so horrendously, so sadly out of date.
Sorry to be a downer, and sorry for the ramble. But like I said, it did stir a memory...
It is so sad that so much of what we have remaining today is likely to disappear in the next decades to centuries. I try to take heart from the fact that, in the next tens of millions of years or so, there will likely be an astounding diversity of new forms that evolved from the survivors. Just as happened with the mammals and birds that survived the asteroid impact that killed the non-avian dinosaurs.
Thank you, David.
A fortuitous consequence of the Hudson River School of painting is their influence on the landscape films of Peter Hutton, whose work is—often explicitly—something of an homage to that movement. His films are stunning, even if they’re difficult to find in decent quality.
I didn’t know that manatee appreciation day existed, so this is a pleasant surprise! But for those of us who already appreciate manatees every day (unless something goes terribly awry), it seems a little redundant. Though given the human race's apparent desire to transmute the oceans into seething vats of death, perhaps many need a reminder that in order for something to be appreciated, it typically needs to be alive.
A while ago I had a minor obsession with watching footage from Ocean Conservation Namibia, a group dedicated to cutting fishing line and other tethers from Cape fur seals. It's genuinely depressing just how bad and multi-layered the problem actually is. It's not just the more far-reaching and insidious stuff like micro-plastics; the ordinary swimming places of many creatures have been turned into minefields by negligent fishing practice.
The sillily named Netflix documentary Seaspiracy is quite an interesting look at the sheer extent to which modern fishing practices pillage the seas of life.
This is perhaps tangentially related to the item on Behr's intro to On First Principles, but I was wondering whether you have a view on Tzamalikos's work on Origen. It is very difficult for an amateur like me to assess.
It’s difficult for everybody to assess Tzamalikos.
This post was worth it just for the manatees. And Behr.
But mostly for the manatees.
I've never read them. I don't tend to read many translations from Greek or Latin if I have access to the originals.