Okay... I need to do a little bit of complaining about something that has been bothering me for quite some time. In my Masters of Theological Studies program the title of my specialization is "Old Testament" (it is labeled on my grid for graduation). The first time I saw that I just said "Hmm... that is interesting" because it had been quite some time since I had seen the terminology "Old Testament" used in an academic setting. Then I saw it again as the title for a class. I thought "Okay, this is getting ridiculous!"
I prefer to use the title "Hebrew Bible" to avoid offense and because that was what I was taught in undergrad (BTW Thanks Jessica!). I understand that in churches the congregations will probably never call that section of the Bible the "Hebrew Bible" (because of tradition and lack of offending) but in the world of academics it is a different world.
In Academia, the use of "Old Testament" is like a taboo. It shows a lack of respect for the Judaism due to the negative connotations associated with the word "old." In a book I am reading for my New Testament class called The Misunderstood Jew, the author Amy-Jill Levine (a New Testament scholar who is Jewish herself) emphasizes the same points as I have noted above.
I am tempted to bring forth a few complaints to the administration about this! "Old Testament" is offensive and it also could look bad on my transcript when I submit it to certain PhD. Programs. (Not to mention the grid itself really isn't set up well).
I will mention that when referencing the Septuagint (Greek Translation of Hebrew Bible) the term should be Septuagint or Septuagints... But that is just a random note...
Okay... Rant Over.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment