Recent Comments
Quirinius’s Census
Ian Paul offers an interesting line of defense of Luke’s general historicity with regard to the census in Luke’s birth narrative. Commenting on the historiographical tendencies of both Luke and Josephus, he suggests an alternative translation of Luke 2:2 that seems to account for the historical and linguistic peculiarities of the text:
Marshall notes that ‘the form of the sentence is in any case odd’ (p 104); why say something was ‘first’ when there is nothing to compare it with? Stephen Carlson has looked even more closely, and also noted that the verb egeneto also seems strange; why suggest the census ‘became’ something, rather than that it simply ‘was’? Carlson suggests that prote, rather than ‘first’ numerically, should be read as ‘of most importance’—much as we might say ‘so-and-so is Arsenal’s Number One player.’ This would then give the translation as:
This registration became most prominent when Quirinius was governing Syria.
or
This [decree to get registered] became the/a most important registration when Quirinius was governing Syria.
In the end, the mystery of the conflict between Luke and Josephus remains unsolved and (as Marshall puts it) ‘can hardly be solved without the discovery of fresh evidence.’ But these arguments at least offer a plausible explanation—and when considering questions of history, proof is rarely possible, but plausibility is an important measure. It certainly offers no grounds to write off Luke’s account, think it unhistorical or a fabrication, or see it as in conflict with Matthew.
Sunday Inspiration: Loving Others
Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
—Thomas Merton
Oak, Ash, and Thorn Is LIVE!
Oak, Ash, and Thorn is now available through Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions! My beta team worked extra hard on this one, and my design guy worked even harder not only to beat my self-imposed February 2 deadline but to smash it to smithereens! Thanks, everybody!
For now, the paperback is available for $8.99. After Christmas, I’m going to experiment with opening up additional distribution channels, which will necessarily (and unfortunately) boost the price a few dollars. I think the price will still be reasonable, but if you know you want a hard copy, let me suggest you get it now at a better price than you’ll find next month.
The Sídhe in Fantasy
Excellent post today from Leo Elijah Cristea about the nobles of the Gaelic supernatural realm, the sídhe.
If you’re not convinced you’re about to see the fae make a slow and distinguished comeback, think about elves: everyone said they were dead. Well, the elf is dead; long live the elf. I raise you Dwenda, Shict, and Chris Evans’ revamped “Iron Elves”. If we really want to split hairs, I raise you the elves from the Dragon Age games, where the once-regal race has been given a bit of a different approach.
But, we’re not here to talk about elves: we’re here to talk about my other love. Yes, I happen to love fae. The potential with fae is nearly infinite: such an underdone, unsung, untouched race, one brimming with potential and plenty of fresh ground to dig your heels into.
Of course, the daoine sídhe figure quite prominently in my Into the Wonder Series (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3), which you are of course at liberty to check out for yourselves. 🙂
The Yule Lads
Iceland’s Yule Lads get the VIP treatment in an excellent article over at Atlas Obscura introducing a new book on the subject:
Not every beloved holiday tradition escapes its native land. “Unless you are lucky enough to have been born an Icelander, or have lived in Iceland through a Christmas season, you probably won’t have heard of the Yule Lads,” reads The 13 Yule Lads of Iceland, a children’s book by Brian Plinkington, presumably for non-Icelandic kids to learn about the holiday myth.
Here’s something I wrote about the Yule Lads, complete with a video.
Oak, Ash, and Thorn Available This Week!
The paperback version will be available through Amazon in another day or two, with digital versions coming shortly after that! Merry Christmas!
This novel, third in the Into the Wonder series, will also give readers their first bird’s-eye view of the faery geography in which most of the action takes place, thanks to my awesome design guy, Dave Jones:
Sunday Inspiration: Reading
I’ve never known any trouble that an hour’s reading didn’t assuage.
—Charles de Secondate.
Happy Saint Nicholas Day
You’d better watch out…
Krampusnacht is Tonight!
Happy Krampusnacht to those celebrating…or cowering under their beds in terror!
For those who don’t know, Krampus is Santa’s demonic henchman. He’s a figure in Germanic folklore, generally from Alpine regions such as Austria.
Here are some fascinating facts about Krampus from mental_floss:
December 5 is Krampusnacht, when Krampus reigns. In the real world, people might attend Krampus balls, or young men from the local Krampusgruppe might don carved wooden masks, cowbells, chains, and elaborate costumes to run through town in a Krampuslauf (Krampus run), frightening and sometimes beating bystanders. According to legend, Krampus will spend the night visiting each house. He might leave bundles of sticks for bad children—or he might just hit them with the sticks instead. He might toss them into a sack or basket on his back and then throw it in a stream, or he might straight-up take them to hell.
The next day, though, is Nikolastaug, St. Nicholas’ Day—the same St. Nicholas whose Dutch name, Sinterklass, evolved into “Santa Claus.” In other words, it’s time for presents for all the little girls and boys … that is, all the ones who haven’t already been beaten, damned, or drowned.
And here’s a post on Krampus I wrote a couple years back.
Sunday Inspiration: Appreciation
I believe that appreciation is a holy thing—that when we look for what’s best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something sacred.
—Fred Rogers
Darrell J. Pursiful 