Roland Meynet and rhetorical criticism

It was a pleasure to follow a seminar with Roland Meynet on his theory on Semitic rhetorical analysis. He has spent most of his career developing and applying this approach to biblical literature. One of his main contentions was that biblical scholars were focusing on one type of rhetoric, namely Greco-Roman rhetoric, to the neglect of other types of rhetoric in the world. Semitic languages like Arabic and Hebrew needed more attention. I find his research especially helpful for poetic texts and sections of prose abounding in various types of parallelism.

Roland Meynet, Traité de rhétorique biblique, Rhétorique sémitique 11, Gabalda, 2013.

Roland Meynet et Jack Oniszczuk, Exercices d'analyse rhétorique biblique, Rhétorique sémitique 12, Gabalda, 2013.

John Moles -

We're very sorry to hear about the passing of John Moles at Newcastle University. Brillant classics researcher; instrumental as founder and editor of Histos journal. I'll miss his friendship and our exchange of ideas regarding historiography and St. Luke's writings. He was key in helping me to explore new avenues of research. 

We extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. 

'Oldest' Koranic fragments - amazing discovery in a university library!

One of the oldest fragments of the Koran (Islam's holy book) was just waiting a hundred years to be identified as such in the library of the University of Birmingham. Further research will be conducted to verify the initial

results.

Here is what makes this find so fascinating: the parchment (sheep or goat skin) has been dated from between 568 and 645. This places the manuscript very close to the period when Mohammed claimed to receive revelations, between the years 610 and 632 A.D. The scribe may have even heard Mohammed's preaching.

I'm intrigued by what these pages might reveal of the textual history of that early (or earliest) period of the Koran. Specialists (textual critics and Islamic scholars) must be anxious to read this manuscript for themselves.

Here's more information about this discovery:

Article in English

Article in French

A treat from Niger: the best peanuts in the world (in a whisky bottle)

Anyone who has lived in West Africa knows that the best peanuts are bought on the street. They are usually sold in bottles of gin or whisky (see photo). Excellent example of recycling!

Recently our daughters came back from a trip to Niamey and brought us two wonderful bottles of whisky...filled with delicious Nigerien peanuts. These were one of our favorite snacks in Niger, either roasted or caramelized.

Now, take a look at the whisky bottle itself. I've never tried this brand, and I'm not really enticed to do so either. A whisky called "Lava" doesn't seem too promising to me. The "Best Quality" on the label doesn't convince me either.

The bottle is perfect though. I'll stick to Lava's peanuts.

"The way of peace" according to Zechariah (in French)

I really enjoy writing for Vivre, a magazine of the FREE (Fédération romande des églises évangéliques). After some months following publication, they post our articles on their Web site. Here's my article on the expression "the way of peace" in Zechariah's prayer in relation to the wider "way motif," which develops progressively in the Gospel of Luke and continues in the Acts of the Apostles.

Click here to read the article in French.

"iCafé Fribourg" - Proud to be a part of this adventure!

It's about time I write an entry on the "iCafé Fribourg", which was inaugurated last August (2014).

The Bible Groups for Students in Fribourg, a recognized UniFr association, opened this lovely place for university and professional school students in Fribourg. It's a place to hangout, drink various types of delicious coffee and tea, practice languages (German, French and English), attend conferences, eat scrumptious meals, etc. We're trying to keep the place open as often as possible, but we need more volunteers (iCafé is a nonprofit organization). The "iCafé" ("i" for international) means we promote cross-cultural interaction between different linguistic and cultural groups. Being officially bilingual, Fribourg is a great place to attempt to cross cultural boundaries and climb over linguistic barriers. At our last meal, raclette was served to folks from more than ten different nationalities. We talked about the funny, and not so funny, experiences we have had as foreigners in Switzerland (greetings, money, work, how to have or not have arguments, privacy and isolation, etc.). I'm looking forward to more events where we can share openly about our experiences as pilgrims in this big, often scary world and as guests in this small, beautiful country! Although I am a Swiss citizen (thanks  to my wife!), I still have a lot to learn in order to survive and thrive here!

The "iCafé Fribourg" is located in Avenue de Beauregard 3 (Canisius building), just a short walk from Fribourg's main bus/train station. 

For more info, please see the following web pages in English (international.vbg.net/fribourg), French (www.gbeu.ch/fribourg), or German (www.fribourg.vbg.net).