N'awlins Day 5

Nearing the end of the Biblical Studies ScholarPalooza in NOLA. The Bibliobloggers' Dinner was tonight and about 30 or 40 of us wound up getting there, I'd guess. Every moment was absolutely delightful. The other best moment of the day was around lunch when my old friend, neighbor and house church compadre Neil Carter drove in for the rest of the conference. New friends and old. Silver and Gold. Both are priceless. Now here's the rest of the news.

Words that I find equally helpful and ridiculous, which I learned at the Johannine Literature section, today: "figuration", "enplotment", "refiguration", "anachronies", "achronistic". (I'm shocked the spell checker actually knows "figuration"!)

Authors I was encouraged to go read on John's Gospel and Lit-Crit, today: Culpepper, Koester, some others, and Ricoeur.

Most honest Q&A I shared, today: Me (Q), "Is anyone trying to use Lit-Crit as a stepping stone to historical analysis?" New Friend (A), "No, because they all want to keep their jobs."

Most helpful insight I heard about the positive aspects of Lit-Crit, today: It allows a holistic analysis of the entire Gospel, as opposed to the Hist-Crit which always chops it up into tiny pieces. Plus, believers and skeptics can actually have a conversation about the material.

Major reservation I still hold about Lit-Crit, today: Sidestepping Ignoring the entire issue of historicity essentially & implicitly demeans the value of truth itself.

Presentation I absolutely could not have afforded to miss, today: John's Rhetorical Use of Narrative Time, by Mark A. Matson

Bad bowls of Gumbo I ate because Jim West booked us at an Italian place and I felt duty-bound as a native Louisianian to order something both affordable and cajun style: one

There are some memories money can't buy. Seven days at a hotel in New Orleans isn't what I'd call cheap. But it's priceless.