Joe Manafo

Leather Pants & Deft Literary Moves

I’ve be ousted from my regular spot at my second office, but it appears to be for good reason. The woman in leather pants, with mini-Gucci bag in tote is holding back tears. The lid is off her extra-large coffee, and from the sounds of it, her life as well. Her friend leans closer and offers a listening ear and some soft words of hope. They’re laughing now. I hope her day picks up.

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I’m still trudging through “Dominion and Dynasty: A theology of the Hebrew Bible”. It’s been a helpful read so far. Good stuff like:

“[The end] concludes the successive events of the text (if it is a narrative), and, with the overall organization, ensures that the events recorded are not haphazardly connected moments in time, but become precise periods as part of a larger temporal pattern: the sense of story is working towards an ending turns mere chronos (the ‘tick tock’ of the clock) into moments of kairos, points of time filled with significance of being part of a larger fulfillment.”

“A key purpose of genealogies in some contexts is to show a divine purpose that moves history to a specific goal.”

“The historical sequence of events from Genesis to Kings is disrupted by a body of poetic literature that functions to provide a pause in the storyline to reflect on the tragedy of the exile, its causes and significance. It is here that a profound dialogue occurs, in which God addresses Israel in the first person through the voice of the prophets and Israel addresses God in the first person through the voices of the psalmists. This ‘I-thou’ pause provides important perspective on the Story - backward in retrospect and forward in prospect.”

“The [relationship between God and humankind] fails at the beginning, and, instead of subduing the world (as planned and prescribed by God), [humans] are subdued by it.”

“…there is a deliberate anthropological climax in Gensis 1 with the creation of humanity as the ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ of God. In a deft literary move, with the use of these terms the writer makes the goal of creation anthropological and thus doxological, since to crown the creation with the creation of humanity is firmly to stamp God’s own image in the very heart of the created order. It is as if humanity is functioning as a type of priest-king, mediating God to the world and the world to God.”

Wow.

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Coffee time is over. The ladies stand and embrace, exit through the glass doors , embrace again, disarm the standard issue alarm systems of their european imports and drive away. Now I can reclaim my spot.

Filed by Joe at November 8th, 2006 under Quotes, Office Stories