Old Testament Interpretation Part 1 - Lecture 1

Summary

This lecture introduces the importance of studying Old Testament interpretation, emphasizing its long-standing intellectual tradition in the Western world. The speaker highlights the challenges of understanding the Old Testament, given its unfamiliarity to many modern readers, and addresses common misconceptions such as the idea that the Old Testament has been superseded by the New Testament. The course aims to help students become responsible biblical interpreters by exploring the text's relevance, understanding its content, and engaging with its rich interpretive history.

Takeaways

• 📚 This course focuses on Old Testament interpretation, aiming to help students understand the Old Testament and become responsible interpreters.
• 📜 The study of the Old Testament is part of the longest-lived unbroken intellectual tradition in the Western world, extending back to the 1st millennium BC.
• 📖 The Old Testament continues to play a crucial role in the lives of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, but it is often unfamiliar to modern readers, even within faith communities.
• 🤔 Many people today are unaware of the contents of the Old Testament, with some assuming it contains sayings that aren't actually in it.
• 📅 The Old Testament often plays a small role in the Christian church today, with only a limited selection of readings included in church lectionaries.
• 🚫 Supersessionism, the belief that the New Testament replaces or supersedes the Old Testament, is a widespread issue, both theologically and secularly.
• ⚖️ Theological supersessionism was declared a heresy by the early church, as the New Testament is heavily based on the Old Testament.
• 💡 Secular supersessionism is more dangerous because it suggests the Old Testament is outdated and irrelevant to modern life.
• 🔄 Old Testament interpretation should not focus on making the text relevant to modern times but rather on understanding it within its historical and interpretive tradition.
• 🎓 The course will explore the concept of canon and the history of interpretation, emphasizing the ongoing process of interpreting the Old Testament for each generation.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the course discussed in the transcript?

The course focuses on Old Testament interpretation, aiming to help students understand what the Old Testament is, how it has been interpreted historically, its contributions to contemporary religious communities, and how to become responsible biblical interpreters.

Why does the instructor emphasize the academic significance of studying the Old Testament?

The instructor emphasizes the academic significance because the study of the Old Testament represents the longest-lived unbroken intellectual tradition in the Western world, surpassing even the classical tradition of Greece, which was interrupted and later revived.

What challenge does the instructor identify regarding modern readers' familiarity with the Old Testament?

The instructor notes that many modern readers, even those within faith communities, have little knowledge of what is actually in the Old Testament, leading to misconceptions and a lack of understanding of its content.

What is supersessionism, and how does it relate to the study of the Old Testament?

Supersessionism is the belief that the Old Testament has been replaced or made irrelevant by the New Testament. It exists in two forms: theological, which views the Old Testament as theologically irrelevant, and secular, which considers it culturally outdated and irrelevant to modern believers.

Why does the instructor argue against the attempt to make the Old Testament 'relevant' to modern communities?

The instructor argues that trying to make the Old Testament 'relevant' implies that it is currently irrelevant or outdated, which is presumptuous. The problem lies not with the Old Testament but with the modern community's understanding of it. The text's relevance is inherent, and interpretation should focus on understanding it within its historical and theological context.

What role does the concept of 'canon' play in the study of the Old Testament, according to the instructor?

The concept of 'canon' signifies the fixed nature of the text, indicating its authority within a community. The instructor explains that while the text is fixed, interpretation involves understanding what the text says and how it is relevant to contemporary questions about God.

How does the instructor view the relationship between the Old and New Testaments in terms of interpretation?

The instructor views the Old Testament as foundational for understanding the New Testament, as the early Christian community relied on the Old Testament for its theology. Therefore, knowledge of the Old Testament is crucial for interpreting the New Testament accurately.

What does the instructor suggest about the role of interpretation in religious communities?

The instructor suggests that interpretation is an ongoing process that each generation and community must undertake. It involves understanding the text within its historical context and applying it to current theological and social questions.

Why does the instructor believe that the Old Testament is still relevant to contemporary believers?

The instructor believes the Old Testament is still relevant because it continues to speak as the Living Word of God to various communities, both Jewish and Christian. The issue of relevance lies more with modern interpreters' understanding than with the text itself.

What will be the focus of the upcoming lectures in the course?

The upcoming lectures will focus on understanding the concept of 'canon,' exploring the history of interpretation, and examining how these elements contribute to the ongoing process of interpreting the Old Testament within religious communities.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to Old Testament Interpretation

The speaker introduces the course on Old Testament interpretation, emphasizing its importance in understanding the Old Testament's role in contemporary religious communities and in becoming responsible interpreters of biblical texts. The study of the Old Testament is highlighted as one of the longest-lived intellectual traditions in the Western world, continuously practiced since the 1st millennium BC. The importance of the Old Testament in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities is discussed, along with common misconceptions about its content and relevance.

05:04

📚 Challenges in Understanding Sacred Texts

This paragraph addresses the challenges faced by contemporary religious communities in understanding their sacred texts, particularly the Old Testament. It discusses the selectivity and gaps in knowledge among Christians and Jews regarding their scriptures. The example of a Jewish rabbi who lacked knowledge about the prophets despite extensive training illustrates the limited exposure to various parts of sacred texts. The speaker emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to understanding the Old Testament and other scriptures to avoid partial interpretations and misrepresentations.

10:05

🔍 Theological and Secular Supersessionism

The speaker explores the concept of supersessionism, which is the belief that the New Testament replaces or supersedes the Old Testament. This belief manifests in two forms: theological, which views the Old Testament as theologically irrelevant after the New Testament, and secular, which sees the Old Testament as primitive and outdated. Both forms of supersessionism are critiqued for their simplistic views on the relationship between the Testaments and the continuous relevance of the Old Testament in understanding God's nature and human struggles, as portrayed in biblical texts.

15:05

⚠️ Dangers of Secular Supersessionism

This paragraph delves deeper into the dangers of secular supersessionism, which regards the Old Testament as a product of a primitive culture irrelevant to modern times. The speaker argues that this perspective promotes a sense of superiority over the Old Testament and leads to misguided attempts to 'fix' the text to make it relevant to contemporary contexts. The speaker cautions against dismissing the Old Testament's cultural context and encourages understanding it within its own historical and theological framework, recognizing its enduring relevance in modern religious discourse.

20:08

🛠️ Relevance of the Old Testament Today

The speaker discusses the misconception that the Old Testament needs to be made relevant to modern Christian communities. They argue that this view is both presumptuous and out of touch with reality, as the Old Testament continues to be a living, active text in many religious communities. The speaker suggests that the issue lies not with the Old Testament but with the communities that fail to engage with it. Rather than trying to adapt the Old Testament to modern norms, communities should strive to understand and integrate its teachings into their own religious practices.

25:08

📖 Canon and Interpretation in Biblical Studies

In this paragraph, the focus is on the concepts of 'canon' and 'interpretation' as fundamental to the study of the Old Testament. The speaker outlines the importance of understanding the text itself and the tradition of interpretation that accompanies it. They emphasize the need for readers to situate themselves within this long history of interpretation, contributing their own understandings and questions. The lecture preview suggests further exploration of how the canon was formed, the role it plays in theology, and the historical trends in biblical interpretation.

Keywords

💡Old Testament

The Old Testament refers to the first part of the Christian Bible, which is also significant in Jewish and Islamic traditions. It contains ancient texts that are considered sacred and foundational to the understanding of God's relationship with humanity. In the video, the Old Testament is portrayed as a critical source for interpreting religious and cultural traditions and understanding the intellectual history of the Western world.

💡Interpretation

Interpretation involves the process of explaining or understanding the meaning of a text, especially sacred or ancient texts like the Old Testament. The video emphasizes the importance of becoming responsible interpreters of the Old Testament, as interpretation shapes how communities perceive their religious texts and apply their teachings to contemporary life. This process includes understanding the original context and relevance of the text.

💡Supersessionism

Supersessionism is the belief that the New Testament has replaced or rendered the Old Testament obsolete in terms of theological relevance. The video describes two types: theological supersessionism, which claims the Old Testament is theologically irrelevant, and secular supersessionism, which views the Old Testament as outdated. Both forms are critiqued for ignoring the ongoing relevance and influence of the Old Testament in faith communities.

💡Canon

The term 'Canon' refers to a set of texts or books that are considered authoritative and foundational within a religious tradition. In the context of the video, Canon signifies the fixed nature of the Old Testament, which is recognized as theologically significant and forms a critical part of the Christian Bible. Understanding the concept of Canon is crucial for interpreting the Old Testament and recognizing its role in shaping religious thought.

💡Intellectual Tradition

Intellectual Tradition refers to the continuous and historical development of thought, philosophy, and interpretation of texts. The video highlights that the Old Testament is part of the longest-lived unbroken intellectual tradition in the Western world, extending back to the first millennium BC. This tradition is significant because it reflects the continuous engagement of scholars and religious communities with these ancient texts.

💡Faith Communities

Faith Communities are groups of people who share common religious beliefs and practices. In the video, the term is used to refer to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities that find value and guidance in the Old Testament. Understanding how these communities interact with the Old Testament is essential for interpreting its relevance and ensuring that its teachings continue to influence contemporary religious life.

💡Theological Relevance

Theological Relevance refers to the significance or importance of a text, doctrine, or idea within the context of religious beliefs and practices. The video argues that the Old Testament maintains theological relevance because it continues to inform the beliefs and practices of various faith communities. It challenges the notion that the Old Testament is outdated, suggesting instead that it provides timeless insights into understanding God and human morality.

💡Historical Context

Historical Context involves understanding the time, culture, and circumstances in which a text was written. In the video, it is emphasized that interpreting the Old Testament requires an awareness of its historical context to accurately understand its messages and relevance. This approach helps avoid anachronistic interpretations and allows for a more authentic engagement with the text's original meaning and intent.

💡Secular Supersessionism

Secular Supersessionism is the belief that the Old Testament reflects a primitive culture that is no longer relevant to modern society. The video suggests that this perspective is dangerous because it dismisses the Old Testament's value in addressing contemporary issues. Instead, the Old Testament should be seen as a source that offers insights into the human condition and moral struggles, which are still relevant today.

💡New Testament

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible, detailing the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the early Christian community. In the video, it is contrasted with the Old Testament to highlight the continuity and differences between the two. The New Testament draws heavily from the Old Testament, and understanding the latter is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the Christian faith and theology.

Highlights

Introduction to the course: Focus on Old Testament interpretation and its relevance in contemporary religious communities.

The Old Testament represents the longest unbroken intellectual tradition in the Western world, dating back to the first millennium BC.

Comparison between the uninterrupted tradition of Old Testament interpretation and the disrupted classical tradition of Greece.

The Old Testament plays a crucial role in the faith traditions of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, influencing contemporary believers' lives.

The challenge of interpreting the Old Testament: Many modern readers are unfamiliar with its contents, which often leads to misconceptions.

The selective knowledge of sacred texts is prevalent across different faith traditions, not just among Christians but also Jews and Muslims.

The Old Testament's limited role in modern Christian practice, exemplified by its sparse inclusion in church lectionaries.

Supersessionism: The belief that the Old Testament has been replaced by the New Testament, and its two forms— theological and secular.

Theological supersessionism: The belief that the Old Testament is theologically irrelevant, declared a heresy by the early church.

Secular supersessionism: The belief that the Old Testament reflects a primitive culture, making it irrelevant to modern believers.

The danger of secular supersessionism lies in its influence on the interpretation of the Old Testament, leading to misguided efforts to 'fix' the text.

The importance of understanding the Old Testament in its original context rather than trying to force it to fit modern perspectives.

Old Testament interpretation should not focus on making the text relevant but on understanding its place within a long tradition.

The role of the Old Testament in providing insight into the human condition and the ongoing dialogue between the community and the deity.

The importance of Canon and interpretation: The text is fixed, but interpretation is an ongoing process that each generation must engage in.

Transcripts

all right so I want to say a few

introductory things about what we are

going to do this semester and why it is

important to do them this is a course in

Old Testament interpretation loosely

translated that means that this is a

course in which we try to help you

understand what the Old Testament is how

it has been interpreted how it

contributes to the lives of faithful

people in contemporary communities of

Christians Jews and Muslims and most

important how to become responsible

biblical interpreters ourselves we take

the course title seriously I've already

said that this is a course in Old

Testament interpretation as an academic

Enterprise the study of the Old

Testament deals with the longest-lived

unbroken intellectual tradition of the

Western world and that is quite an

important thing to remember the study of

this text goes well into the 1st

millennium BC and continues unbroken

down to the present day the only thing

in the West that even approaches it is

the great classical tradition of Greece

which was interrupted with the fall of

the Roman Empire and not recovered until

the late Middle Ages when Muslims

brought Arabic translations of the Greek

text to the west and Spain became the

place of intersection of the classical

world with what was then the height of

the

world so that tradition was interrupted

for several centuries

whereas in monasteries in various places

in Europe the business of the

interpretation of the Old Testament

continued as it did in rabbinic

academies in various places during that

period so don't let anyone try to tell

you that the study of the Old Testament

has no place in the modern university it

represents an intellectual tradition

that is longer than anything else you

can study here that has to do with the

West we talk about China and India and

Africa those are different stories but

we can you can do that here too

so just to get our academic credentials

in place at the very beginning is

important equally important the Old

Testament continues to play a crucial

role in the flourishing of three great

faith traditions and in the daily lives

of contemporary believers at the same

time when we undertake to learn how to

interpret the Old Testament we are faced

with a number of problems up front that

we need to recognize first of all for

many modern readers even those who are

faithful members of faith communities

the Old Testament is unknown territory

we have very little idea of what he is

actually in it there are many people who

still think that somewhere buried in the

book of Proverbs is the maxim

cleanliness is next to godliness you

won't find it there at all this is

something that is attributed to the

Bible for a want of something else to

attributed

it to accept your great-grandparents

all right so people generally today have

a very little idea of what is in and

this is true generally across the faith

traditions Christians are woefully

ignorant these days of what's there if

you had been here at Yale in the

colonial period it would have been a

very different story but now most people

come to this place not really knowing

what is here in the Old Testament and

very little incidentally if what's in

the New Testament if you want to know

what's coming so there are good reasons

for that within the Christian tradition

particularly but even in the Jewish

tradition

I was once hired by a local Jewish rabbi

to do a session of five sessions in his

synagogue on the prophets and I

eventually asked him why why import this

I mean he has five years worth of

seminary training to be a rabbi and he

said to me well we studied the Torah and

we study it mostly through the Talmud

and that doesn't really deal with

prophecy so I don't think I know

anything about prophecy it's so this

kind of selectivity of what people know

in their sacred texts stretches not only

across Christian community it stretches

across the Jewish community and I

suspect the Muslim community as well and

what is there so right up front if we're

gonna do a course like this we've got a

problem trying to deal with what is

actually in this text there's some basic

work that we need to do before we can

start interpreting if we're going to

interpret the text we need to have an

idea of what the text is that we're

going to be interpreting so this is not

surprising in the Christian community

particularly where it is obvious the Old

Testament too often plays are relatively

small role in the life of the church

take a look for example at the

lectionaries lectionaries include an Old

Testament reading every week except

during the Holy Week but those readings

are almost always from Isaiah from the

Psalms and occasional forays into

Jeremiah and Genesis and a little Exodus

and that's it look at how much is

missing the glories of Ezekiel are not

in there you will not find anything from

chronicles Ezra Nehemiah none of that is

there even Amos which became so popular

and necessary during the civil rights

movement you will not find readings

there or intensive engagement with the

Book of Amos as important as it was for

stirring the ideas of social justice and

their importance that is not part of the

lectionary and for that reason it often

drops out of the preaching tradition so

I mean how long has it been since you

heard a sermon on Chronicles it's been a

long time I suspect so this is largely

missing from the life of the church so

we need to find out first of all and

that's our main order of business in or

at least our first order of business in

this course is to try to acquaint you

with what is actually here and you will

at least take a passing look at

everything that is in here in this text

people and get the idea they're going to

read the Bible and learn about the Bible

and they start with Genesis and that's

about as far as they get

you may have done this yourself so there

there are other ways to address this

problem but we don't do a very good job

with it a second problem that we need to

face is a widespread belief in the

church that the Old Testament has in

some way been replaced or superseded by

the New Testament this idea usually

called appropriately supersessionism

exists in two forms the first form of it

is theological and it involves the

belief that knowledge of God and

salvation comes only through the New

Testament the Old Testament is therefore

theologically irrelevant and many church

members believe this even though if you

do not you will not have to look very

far in a Christian congregation until

you discover people who do now there is

a kind of irony about this because if

you really read the New Testament and

those of you who already had the New

Testament course already know this if

you read the New Testament you will find

that what is taken over from the Old

Testament is virtually in its entirety

everything that the Old Testament has to

say about God and the nature of God and

if you don't get that you're gonna have

a lot of trouble understanding what the

New Testament writers are about because

the Old Testament was the only scripture

of the early Christian community and so

when they talked about doing biblical

theology in the New Testament period

they talked about interpreting properly

what is in the Old Testament and not to

know that creates a major issue when you

try to understand the New Testament and

what the arguments are

that are going on and there are to be

sure arguments about interpretation as

the there always have been and we will

look in a couple of lectures at a really

whirlwind tour through the history of

interpretation both Jewish and Christian

that's that's just a preview of things

to come okay so we need to remember a

couple of things about this theological

supersessionism before we start the

first is that belief in the theological

irrelevance of the Old Testament was one

of the first beliefs that the early

church declared to be a heresy it has

that distinction and they never gave it

up if you've already had a New Testament

you will know that the New Testament is

simply saturated with allusions to and

quotations from the Old Testament the

church has always had a two-part Bible

and the Old Testament is the first part

of the Bible however there is a second

type of supersessionism which is purely

secular rather than theological the

secular version is more dangerous than

the theological version because of the

way that it influences our

interpretations of the Old Testament the

secular version of supersessionism holds

that the Old Testament reflects a

primitive culture that modern religious

groups have left behind the Old

Testament is irrelevant to contemporary

believers because we have advanced we

think far beyond it in the Old Testament

world people committed murder hated

their neighbors supported non-ag a lot

Arianism supported social oppression

tolerated slavery and political

injustice supported social oppression

although from time to time we have the

sinking feeling that we have not really

moved very far from the old testament

world and that we have a lot more in

common with our old testament ancestors

than we would like to admit now it

doesn't take long to have these growing

doubts about where we stand in our ideas

of developmental theology and social

consciousness all you need to do is read

the New York Times in the morning or

look at CNN and you will see how little

we have travelled along a road that

represents an increase the insensitivity

to important social and theological

issues we are just about like the Old

Testament community in its struggles to

understand who God is and what God wants

us to do and if you want to understand

the human condition and how people have

tried to solve the problems that humans

face the place to go is not the New

Testament which is much shorter in

compass but the Old Testament where you

get a much clearer sense of a community

struggling with its deity and how it is

responsible to that deity and what the

deity requires of the community and we

will be surprised to learn how the

community in turn reacts our rather the

deity in turn reacts to the struggles of

the community there is an ongoing

dialogue over time

that is portrayed in this text which you

will not get in the New Testament the

New Testament time period is much

shorter and you will not see it as

clearly as you will in the Old Testament

so the second kind of supersessionism is

in that way more dangerous than the

theological variety the theological

variety is simply wrong on the face of

it the second variety is much more

insidious and is liable to lure us into

thinking that we face our Old Testament

text in apna with a kind of superiority

over it that in fact probably does not

exist

and so we need to keep that in mind the

way that it influences interpretation

directly is to encourage us to think

that the way to interpret the Old

Testament or to fix it because of its

embeddedness in a culture which granted

is not our own culture and we have our

own cultural problems they had theirs

and they are trying to come to grips

with them we are trying to come to grips

with ours that is true enough but to

think as many people do that the Old

Testament is not relevant to the modern

community because it has this outlook

that it has gotten from the context in

which it was written to that we can

somehow fix that by making it relevant

to our own particular context that is an

exegetical error to try to do it that

way

when we do it that way we produce very

odd interpretations we will admit for

example that parts of the Old Testament

are embarrassing

we will DeMuth Allah gize some stories

to get at their true theological meaning

this is a way of saying it didn't really

happen or they didn't really mean it

when they said this we will work at it

with our laborious ly acquired

interpretive tools until the obvious

errors are corrected and nothing

offensive remains in this way through

diligent effort we will try to salvage

at least some of the old testament for

the church to paraphrase the prophet

amos with whom we will become intimately

acquainted next semester we will be like

the Shepherd who rescues from the mouth

of the lion to legs or the piece of an

ear now there is a tendency among

scholars to get defensive about this

kind of treatment of their text but when

we begin to think about it I would

suggest that this way of approaching the

Old Testament text by mirela making it

relevant to the present is wrongheaded

so let me state that theory in its most

sharp form Old Testament interpretation

should not concern itself with the

question of the relevance of the Old

Testament and we as interpreters should

not spend our time trying to make the

Old Testament relative to the modern

relevant to the modern community now

before you quote me on this let me

explain why I think this is true there

are basically two reasons the first is

that when we talk about the need to make

the Old Testament relevant to the

Christian community we imply that the

Old Testament currently plays no role or

only a limited role in Christian

experience we imply that the Old

Testament is out of date and out of

touch with modern reality and it must be

somehow brought into

21st century in short we imply that the

Old Testament needs a lot of help if it

is to be salvaged for the Christian

community this view is both presumptuous

and out of touch with reality is I've

already indicated there are now and

always have been communities for which

the Old Testament continues to speak as

the Living Word of God and I'm not only

talking about Jewish communities I'm

talking about Christian communities as

well the very existence of such

communities suggests that the problem of

the relevance of the Old Testament is

not the Old Testaments problem it's our

problem if we are not now a members of a

community to which the Old Testament

speaks then perhaps the fault does not

lie with the Old Testament but with us

and our community instead of worrying

about making the Old Testament relevant

and trying to save it from our for our

community perhaps we should be doing

something else we should be looking at

communities where the Old Testament has

spoken and still speaks so that we can

better understand those communities and

become a part of their life there's a

second reason that we should not concern

ourselves with making the Old Testament

relevant to the church when we speak of

making the Old Testament relevant we

usually mean that we want to fit what we

can of the Old Testament into our modern

understanding of the Christian life we

want to make it conform to our norms we

want to salvage from the Old Testament

what we can we want to fit our own

experiences of God to what we find to in

the Old Testament it seems to me that

this terms the interpretive process on

its head that this is not in fact what

we should be doing and it is not in fact

what the

the Christian tradition has done

traditionally rather it is the text

itself embedded in its long history of

interpretation that provides the

starting point into which we then need

to fit our own experiences and questions

we need to try to understand how we make

ourselves a part of this long tradition

and where we belong in it so that we

will eventually take our place in this

long history of interpretation and

therefore it seems to me that what we

ought to be doing in fact and in fact

what we will be doing in this course is

beginning with a text which has a long

history in our community it is a history

that has been furthered and developed by

generations of readers and students

trying to figure out where they fit in

this and how this text addresses the

current needs of the congregation this

needs to be done in every generation and

in every place it is not something that

is done once for all and that is why we

are not in the business here of teaching

you and interpretation but we are

teaching you how to interpret because

when the time comes it will be your job

to interpret for your community and to

help your community understand what this

text says to you in the present

condition so interpretation is never

definitive yet is always an

interpretation for a particular time in

a particular place and it will be

replaced by a different community

in a different at a different place and

in that sense the process of

interpretation is an ongoing process of

which you are now to become a part you

are the most recent generation to take

on this challenge and what you begin

with is a text it is a fixed item it was

once in oral form it was not necessarily

in the form that we now have it in

writing and we will learn something

about that but we will also see that

there came to be an understanding in the

community that this text was in some

ways theologically relevant to the

community and that it was a revelation

of God to the community about what at

that moment God wanted so the text is a

fixed item we signify the fixing of this

text with the word canon that is it

becomes authoritative for the life and

practice of that community but what the

community has to do with it is to

interpret it so these two items Canon

and interpretation are the cornerstones

of what we are going to be up to and the

interpretive part of it involves a

understanding of what the text says that

is we have to spend some time trying to

figure out what those words mean in a

language that we understand and then we

have to understand I understand how that

is relevant to the questions that we

have about God and what God is up to in

our own particular time those are the

two focal points of interpretation the

text itself the cannon and the

interpretive tradition of which we are a

part so in the next lecture I want to

spend some time fleshing out this idea

of Canon and what Canon is how people

have thought about it

the role that it plays in the modern

discussion of theology and following

that not surprisingly I will do this

whirlwind tour of the history of

interpretation from which we will learn

how interpretation has gone on and what

the general trends within the

interpretations have been and what the

importance of that is for our own

efforts at interpretation so we'll take

up canon in the next hour on Friday