Myrto Theocharous on Ezekiel; Home for Good's Who Cares? campaign; and keeping motivated for study
Welcome to my newsletter, ‘Bible, Mission, and More’, where I share what’s on my mind as I teach, research, and write on the Bible and mission, children-at-risk in the Bible and contemporary society, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, and a range of other topics. I teach at All Nations Christian College in the UK, though views are my own.
Each Tuesday I’ll share something I’ve read, something I’ve written or recorded, something on learning and teaching, and a quote to reflect on.
Something read – Myrto Theocharous on Ezekiel, wealth, and dehumanisation
Dr Myrto Theocharous is Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Greek Bible College in Athens. Her paper, ‘Wealth and Dehumanization: Ezekiel’s Oracles Against Tyre’ was published in the 2019 T & T Clark volume, Poverty in the Early Church and Today: A Conversation, edited by Steve Walton and Hannah Swithinbank.
Theocharous describes how Ezekiel’s four oracles against Tyre, found in chs. 26-28:19 focus on Tyre’s exploitation, wealth, and hubris. Citing Richard Bauckham she notes how Tyre could even be seen as a kind of template of economic exploitation. Further, she explores how the final oracle draws on imagery from Gen. 1-3, ‘retelling’ it using the angle of economics and pride. This raises issues around wealth, poverty, exploitation, wisdom, pride, violence, and the ‘dehumanising’ effects of greed.
The so-called ‘Oracles Against the Nations’ appear in several prophetic books (the main passages being Isa. 13-23; Jer. 46-51; Ezek. 25-32; Amos 1-2; Nahum; and Obadiah). These are passages that are often neglected, not least in missional readings. However, I think there is a lot of scope for more work in this area and Theocharous’ article is an excellent example of a direction this could go in.
Free access to the article can be found on her academia page.
Something written – Home for Good’s Who Cares? campaign
One of the things I do as Theologian in Residence at Home for Good is contribute towards a monthly prayer resource for our ‘Who Cares?’ campaign.
The campaign has three main actions:
PRAY - Pray for one of the 38,000 children and young people entering the care system in 2024.
EXPLORE - Send us an enquiry to explore adoption, fostering or supported lodgings. Or Partner with Home for Good to cheer on families and church in your local area.
GIVE - Support Home for Good financially as we seek to find homes for every child that needs one.
The monthly prayer resource includes a biblical reflection, an everyday practice of prayer, and some specific prayer requests for the month. It fits on one side of A4 so can be printed out and pinned somewhere easily. Please consider joining the growing movement of people committed to praying for the children and young people entering the care system this year. You can find out more at Home for Good’s website: ‘Who Cares?’ campaign.
Learning and teaching – Keeping motivated for study
Over the summer I’m contributing some material to an online ‘learning foundations’ (think ‘study skills’ but more holistic) course for All Nations students. One topic I’ve been working on is ‘Keeping motivated’. Persevering when you don’t feel like it can be such a significant issue for students (and not just students!). Here are a few tips if you ever find yourself there (which you will), though more could be said on each one:
Ask yourself ‘why?’ – What might be causing these feelings of lethargy towards your studies? Could it be as simple as sleep, exercise, healthy eating, etc? Is there something more fundamental going on, like you have chosen the wrong dissertation topic? Some of these are easy to fix, while others might require outside help and advice. Follow up on those.
Mix things up – perhaps you are in a rut with your studying routine or setup. Try changing things: go for a walk, read your work aloud; work somewhere different; write with a pen and paper rather than a screen. Sometimes I’ve found a particular place very productive to work in but that doesn’t mean it always will be.
Find carrots and sticks – What are the little treats you can reward yourself with if you’ve been productive? This doesn’t need to cost any money; it could just be giving yourself permission to watch a TV show or take a slightly longer lunch break. Equally, what can you avoid by being productive; e.g., ‘if I don’t read and make notes on this article by lunchtime I’ll ban myself from TV for two days.’ Be concrete and creative with these carrots and sticks.
Involve others – Can you make yourself accountable to others so they’ll help you stay motivated? For example, you can agree with someone that you will WhatsApp each other at the end of the day to share your progress. You can also give them permission to say things like, ‘Hey, I saw you on social media when you said you’d be studying!’ It’s amazing what a little social pressure will do!
Write through it – The truth is, sometimes there isn’t actually anything wrong when you are finding writing slow going; it may just be a necessary part of the process. If this is the case, keep going and you will work through it!
A couple of resources I’ve found helpful on this topic are:
How to Write When You Don’t Feel Like It: 5 Practical Tips You Can Try Today – The Write Practice
But What if I Don’t Wanna? – Research Degree Insiders
Quote – Esther Menn on the role of children in biblical narratives
‘Their agency, insight, and presence determine the course and outcome of many stories, whether they dominate the front stage of the narrative or appear briefly and remain for the most part behind the scenes. Their speech often articulates the central themes of the narrative and provides a theological witness otherwise absent in the story. Children emerge as leaders, protagonists, and witnesses in the Bible perhaps not in spite of their youth but because of it. Close attention to child characters in the Bible also serves to challenge some of our own contemporary conceptions about vulnerabilities and strengths of children and about what it means to be a child.’
Esther M. Menn, ‘Child Characters in Biblical Narratives: The Young David (1 Samuel 16–17) and the Little Israelite Servant Girl (2 Kings 5:1–19),’ in Marcia J. Bunge, Terence E. Fretheim and Beverly Roberts Gaventa, eds, The Child in the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008) pp. 324–352 (p. 325)
Thanks for joining the journey and see you next week,
Tim