What does a BIDEN Presidency look like?

[Valmy]

I can imagine trying to read Koine Greek using a Greek-English dictionary would produce some very different results.

[Sheilbh]

Oh she's wild.

She did her PhD in Oxford and published a book back on it on how thousands of men had been executed in 19th century England for sodomy but no-one had realised until she started looking into it. Then in an interview on Radio 4 promoting her book another Victorian specialist noted that she'd misinterpreted both the sentences (which weren't death sentences, but something judges said in capital crimes that they were not punishing with death) and the crimes (which included rape of a child, not sodomy between men).

She then went very anti-vaxx, which I think led to the funniest post I've ever seen on Twitter:


Although that's closely beaten by the time she noticed that the lack of 5G in Northern Ireland made it like 1970s Belfast: peaceful and restful:


I have no doubt she won't disappoint in her exploration of the New Testament. I fully expect she's going to accidentally come out having "discovered" an ancient heresy (my money's on Arianism).

Edit: Although I would love to read a piece on her journey from Clinton and Gore campaign consultant to her current incarnation. It feels like one of the more unusual ones of a public intellectual fouling themselves in public.

[FunkMonk]

Naomi Wolf. Now there is a name I haven't heard in a long, long time. Always good for a laugh.

[The Minsky Moment]

Many years ago in college, for one semester, I led a student organization that invited speakers to come to campus.  We had about 10-12 in total, some quite distinguished.  Most of them were quite down to earth and happy to fraternize with the students (perhaps a bit too happy in the case of Chris Hitchens . . .).  But one stood out for being a self-absorbed prima donna.  Naomi Wolf.

[Admiral Yi]

What would you know about the bible, you're Jewish

[Barrister]

Here's Naomi Wolf's great discovery about the Bible...

https://twitter.com/naomirwolf/status/1780385997416497153

[Jacob]

It's against my faith to click on Twitter links 

[Sheilbh]

I, for one, cannot wait:

Dr Naomi Wolf
@naomirwolf
Hi all -- so. I skipped ahead to the New Testament, with a Koine Greek - English side-by-side literal translation, and what am I to do -- so much of the NT has been mistranslated, or, shall I say, creatively translated, in addition to the OT having often been mistranslated. Is it offensive if I analyze this fact when we get to the NT? The creative translations or outright mistranslations of the NT often write out what was familiar language of a radical/reforming Jewish teacher/Redeemer of Israel, and heighten or present other language that introduces or showcases the idea of the establishment of a new (Hellenistic-oriented) religion. As in later translations of the OT, there is often distance introduced in later translations of the NT between "the Sons of God" (that is, humans) and God, that is not there in the original. I think this set of insights is important but I do fear offending people.
2/ In the original, there is also less distance between humans and Jesus than there is in later translations. For instance the same term -- "Son of God" "Sons of God" is used for Jesus and for, well, people.
3/ At the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was not approached by his "disciples". He was approached by "learners."
4/ Also in the original Koine Greek, the Kingdom of the Heavens is here, or nearing, now. People who are good or peacemakers participate in it NOW. It's not "Blessed are the..." but "Happy are the ...." That is to say, NOW.
5/ I think it's odd that I've been doing a long video series on the Geneva Bible showing changes from the Hebrew Old Testament to the various later English translations, and no one objects, indeed it's warmly received, but somehow the idea that translations can alter meanings is drawing fire in re the NT. If translations did not alter meanings there would not be a perceived need for the Wycliffe, Geneva, KJV, RSV, etc etc. How is this idea even controversial?

Her posts will be deranged

I still expect Arianism but she might even be able to find a new heresy which would be extraordinary in the year of our Lord 2024

Edit: Also I find it doesn't reflect hugely well on Oxford that they gave a PhD to someone who seems to have opened one book (the Bible) and decided that no-one else has had any thoughts about it...

[The Minsky Moment]

It's not the Devil tempting Jesus but "the adversary",

No, really?  What an incredible discovery!

[The Minsky Moment]

The punchline: "these are all pre-institutional- Christian meanings. In other words they fit comfortably into a 1st c Judean/Jewish context."

Uh . .. yeah.

Just total blissful unawareness of the vast literature already covering this ground.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - see also her book where she uncovered hundreds of executions of gay men that literally every queer historian or Victorianist had hitherto missed until (I kid you not) she started browsing the Old Bailey's records online: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

As I say it's not great that book was an expansion of her doctoral thesis. But then her supervisor is a comparative literature professor, specialising in aestheticism. So, possibly not a subject area expert.

[HVC]

Edit: Also I find it doesn't reflect hugely well on Oxford that they gave a PhD to someone who seems to have opened one book (the Bible) and decided that no-one else has had any thoughts about it...

Maybe she suffered severe head trauma after getting her PHD?

[Tonitrus]

Naomi Wolf. Now there is a name I haven't heard in a long, long time. Always good for a laugh.

Indeed...I remember the quaint old days when she was just a slightly flakey feminist/activist.

[Syt]

I recall a uni professor for Latin complaining about literal Bible translations, especially the New Testament which (he said) was written in colloquial Greek with Jewish influences. His example was something like, when the translations says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you", the original is more akin to, "Yo, listen up, here's the thing:"

[Solmyr]

I recall a uni professor for Latin complaining about literal Bible translations, especially the New Testament which (he said) was written in colloquial Greek with Jewish influences. His example was something like, when the translations says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you", the original is more akin to, "Yo, listen up, here's the thing:"

Blessed are the cheesemakers?