a blogentary on 1 thessalonians: preface

With this post I begin a new series: a "blogentary" or blog commentary on 1 Thessalonians. Here is a bit of a preface to this series in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (that haven't yet been asked, let alone frequently).

Why a "blog commentary" on 1 Thessalonians?

This is really two questions:

1. Why 1 Thessalonians? My doctoral research is centred on a particular passage in 1 Thessalonians, and so I've spent a good deal of time in this Pauline letter. As I've gone through it again and again in both Greek and English, I've grown to love this little letter in a way that's probably abnormally odd (repetitively redundant, I know). It has tremendous historical significance, as possibly the earliest Christian writing we possess. Its theological and formational significance is far richer than it has typically been given credit for; these facets of the text have too often been taken hostage by eschatological questions and perspectives that are alien to the text. In short, 1 Thessalonians has much to offer.
2. Why a blogentary? Quite simple: no one wants to buy a print commentary written by me (at least not yet), so this is the only way I could get it published. :-) Actually, however much that may be the case, the real answer is that I want to explore and experiment: I want to explore the meaning and significance of 1 Thessalonians and how I can best express these, and I want to experiment with the medium of blogging and see what its potential might be for this sort of endeavour.

What distinguishes this blogentary from a commentary?

I'm not really sure yet, but here are some ways I see my blogentary taking advantage of the blogging side of things:

1. A somewhat more informal style. I may use big words from time to time (I do like the sound of them), but I hope that overall this commentary will be like thinking out loud with a friend over a cup of coffee. In particular, I look forward to a distinct lack of referencing--not that I will not have read the work of others (I certainly will) or never cite anything (I sometimes will), but I plan on keeping references to a minimum. This may make for bad academic protocol but hopefully it will make for better blogging (note to students: don't transfer this protocol to the genre of academic papers!).
2. The use of hyperlinks. Having just said I will avoid reference citation as much as possible, I now say that I will employ the citation protocols of the 21st century as I feel so moved. These links could really point to anything, but will normally be items that may be helpful in providing further background.
3. The ability for myself and others to comment. This will help to supplement the main commentary and to clarify it when my statements are unclear and need their own commentary.

What will be the format of this blogentary?

I'll begin with a few posts dealing with some of the standard introductory matters related to 1 Thessalonians, and then the blogentary proper will focus on individual sections of the text. Each of these sections will have up to four types of posts:

1. Text and Translation. These posts will include the Greek text of the passage (in unicode, using Palatino Linotype; here's a test sample: ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου) and an English translation. I will be using the text found in the Nestle-Aland 27th and UBS 4th editions of the Greek New Testament. Text critical comments will be limited to the most significant issues. The translation will be my own, with some explanatory notes.
2. Exegetical Notes. These posts will discuss some of the most significant exegetical questions posed by the text in its context: grammatical, lexical, historical, literary, and so on. Some passages may have very few of these sorts of issues; others will have several, and may require several of these posts to deal with them.
3. Theological Reflection. These posts will present a sort of "flowing commentary" on the passage. I'm not quite sure what to call what I'm aiming for in these posts: it's not exegetical, historical, theological, homiletical, or devotional, but it may be all of these as I attempt to describe the meaning of the authors' words as written to the Thessalonians and the significance of these words for those today who share the basic theological worldview of the first authors and readers.
4. Summary Paraphrase. These posts will conclude the section with an expanded paraphrase of the passage in light of the previous discussion.
   

How long will this blogentary take?

Fittingly, I hope to have it done before the parousia. Should that event be sufficiently delayed, this project could take several months, possibly a year or more. It is one of several side distractions for me while I complete my dissertation and teach full-time--all while maintaining a healthy personal life with family and friends. Posts will be posted as they are ready: sometimes that could be once or twice a week, at other times there could be a couple of weeks between posts. If there are no posts on this for several months, then you know I've been raptured and the tribulation has begun, in spite of my better theological judgment... ;-)

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