This is it - Episode 2: Who Are You?

Word got around; John’s following had grown. Many were coming to repent and be renewed in the waters of the Jordan.

Word even got to the Temple. This tevilah he was offering people, what was he promising it would do—was he being a mediator? Was his preaching in line with Torah? Talk that the world was soon to end had some people on edge. Could this guy be a new prophet or was he masquerading as one in order to gain money or political traction? Whatever the case, the man was charismatic and had in short order amassed quite a following.

The situation was deemed worthy of investigation, so the Temple sent a small delegation to investigate the matter. In the main, they could support anyone’s right perform ritual cleansing, but they wanted to know what was this person’s authority to lead such ceremonies.

The morning after they arrived at Bethabara, they announced themselves and moved through the crowd to meet the man, on the pretense of seeking the immersion for themselves. After introductions had been made, the spokesman asked, We’ve heard you’re telling everyone the world is coming to an end. Who are you, that you can tell this to people? Do you proclaim yourself to be the messiah?

He moved out of the water and joined them on the riverbank. 

He answered: No, I am not the messiah.

Another of the delegation asked: What are you, then? Are you Elijah, returned from the clouds? 

There was a short burst of nervous laughter from some in the crowd, but others were offended; they quietly voiced objections to the question. By the tone, they knew it was intended to belittle someone they respected.

He answered: I think you know that I am John. No. I am not Elijah.

One of the priests asked, Are you a new prophet?

He answered: No.

The head of the delegation had hoped for more substantive information from this interview. So far, they’d really learned nothing they didn’t already know, and the man’s demeanor seemed calm and reasonable. He asked, So, John, who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. 

He thought, for a moment, before responding. 

Mine is that voice calling from the wilderness “Repair the pathways to the almighty!”

Another of the group asked: Why do you offer the immersion rite, if you are not messiah, Elijah returned or a prophet? Tell us about yourself and why you make your mission here, in the wilderness.

At this challenge, the crowd hushed.

Brood of vipers! What wind sent you blowing from the coming fury! Where is the fruit of your repentence? Don’t hide behind Abrahamic lineage; the holy one can turn even these river stones into sons and daughters for Abraham. The ax is readied at the root of the trees; those that don’t produce will be chopped down and burned for fuel! 

The delegation had had enough. They began to move away. This man and his talk were no threat to their authority; even if it was an affront, his actions were not impious.

One from among the followers asked: What should we do to be saved from this time of trial you’re talking about?

Those who have should share with those who have nothing. Tax collectors should not take more than is owed. Soldiers should not extort or falsely accuse people.

They waited expectantly for more.

Look, you want to know why I’m here. This is why: I’m simply here to baptize the repentant with water. But someone is coming who’s so much more powerful, I am not fit to carry his sandals. This one will baptize with holy spirit and with fire. His wheat will he gather to the silo, but the chaff he’ll burn with unquenchable fire.

He stepped back down into the river. 

Who is next?

© 2020 by Elisabeth T. Eliassen and songsofasouljourney.blogspot.com

A brief note about my literary exploration of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth: I have undertaken this exercise having read, sung (in several languages), meditated and prayed on the contents of the Synoptic Gospels (as well as the Non-Synoptic Gospels) for at least 45 years. In that time, I’ve accumulated a bit of a library (which comes as no surprise to those who know me), and I try to follow modern scholarship. Here is a partial list of the authors and books that come to mind as I write these episodes:

Ballentine, Debra Scoggins, The Conflict Myth & the Biblical Tradition; Oxford University Press 2015

Erdman, Bart, various titles

Gaus, Andy, The Unvarnished New Testament; Phanes Press, 1991

Herzog, William R., Parables as Subversive Speech; Westminster John Knox Press, 1991

Louden, Bruce, Greek Myth and the Bible; Routledge, 2019

Tatian, Diatesseron; www.earlychristianwritings.com/diatessaron.html

Wajdenbaum, Philippe, Argonauts of the Desert, Routledge, 2011

Ward, Keith, The Philosopher and the Gospels, Lion Hudson, 2011

Yosef ben Maityahu (Titus Flavius Josephus), various writings

This Business of Poetry, Part 2: Who and What is a Poet?

Here are some words that have been used to describe the poetry of poets:

            Political

            Subversive

            Discerning

            Beautiful

            Evocative

            Serene

            Incomprehensible

            Wild

            Erotic

            Evocative

            Impressionistic

            Metaphysical

            Obscene

            Surreal

There are a lot more adjectives that could be used to describe the work, but do these adjectives tell us anything about the poets, themselves? What kind of person is a poet?

In my last article, we looked at the areas in philosophy that strive to define, categorize and legitimize poetry and poetic form. All such speculation might be interesting, but philosophy has no business being involved in the business (such as there is) of poetry. This may well be an audacious statement to make, but I believe it to be true. The philosophical branches can only strive to create rigid structures and teachings, ideological cults, if you will, that attempt to hold the thing, but are not the thing itself. Poetry does not fit within neat, labeled boxes, for even if it follows form, its function is ruled and owned by the unique mind that imagines and creates it, and by every unique mind that reads and interacts with the work.

Let us take on a thought experiment. We begin with the following question:

What came first, the word or the vocalization?

This is an interesting question because history does not hold the answer for us. Our earliest iteration of written history occurred thousands, perhaps millions, of years after the time that would hold such an answer for us.

I would venture to say, within the bell jar of this thought experiment, that vocalization and word are twins of a sort, born of thought and instinct. Thought is a product of awareness. Words are vocalizations of thoughts that seek, firstly, to identify and to name, secondly, tools of memory. Remembered objects and words become the primary tools of coping and teaching.

When you can name things, you have mastery, of a sort. When you can relate one thing to another by the use of words, and can bridge such relationships to another person, you have communication. When you turn from those things you understand fairly well toward speculation of things you don’t understand at all, you begin a conversation that leads to philosophy, cosmology and/or metaphysics. When you stir together combinations of organic matter over an open fire, you have science—if you can remember the best combinations and repeat them, you have a recipe. When you can repeat the story of something that happened to you, a bad thing that might better be avoided, you have a teaching, and possibly a moral.

Back to the question we started with: What kinds of people are poets? To some extent, this is a silly question with a simple answer. Anyone who has ability with language can be a poet. Poets are musicians, philosophers, instigators, rebels, loners, peasants, rabble, home makers, theologians, soldiers, workers, kings and queens, provocateurs, “gypsies, tramps and thieves”, not to mention crazies and addicts.

Poets are prophets—they see and report on the state of reality, asking us to turn and return away from hubris towards conscious trends of action.

Poets are seers—they experience life to the fullest extent of its triumphs and failures; they are people who arise from oceans of reality to mingle in the clouds of possibility and imagination. They illustrate what might be, what could become, in the world, if certain conditions were extant.

Poets are illusionists and magicians—they show us one perspective, while drawing us to apprehend another. They conjure and transform perspective, stopping or elongating time, recovering, reflecting, reverencing and rejuvenating moments of splendor or simplicity.

Poets are alchemists—from the symbolism of all that has come before, they develop new forms, ideas and words by means of their thought experiments that result in poetry.

Do you resemble any of these remarks?

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Next time: Thought, word, deed through the filter of imagination.

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