Busy Day

Today was packed full of academic activities. This morning after breakfast, we attended a lecture with Dr. Larry Kreitzer who talked to us about the New Testament and how Jesus has been portrayed in different films. We had a chance to view and compare three crucifixion scenes from three movies about Jesus. They were all vastly different, which just goes to show how many different ways the Bible can be interpreted and that there is no one right answer, or at least that is the message I got from the lecture. After a very short break to stretch our legs, we had a session with Dr. Robin Gibbons (the same professor who took us on a tour of Oxford this past Friday) about Eastern Christianity. The lecture was very interesting, especially since I did not know much about Eastern Christianity. I do hate to admit that there was a point in the lecture when I made a reference to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Luckily I practiced self control and did not blurt this connection out. I am not sure that would have gone over well in this highly academic crowd. The lecture ended and Dr. Gibbons was going to do another extra session on iconography. I wish I could have stayed for that one but I had some research to do in the library on Quakerism.

We had pasta for lunch with delicious brownies for dessert. Then we went to our third lecture of the day. Dr. Anthony Cross talked to us about the link between the Reformation and the Baptists. There were times when this session was quite boring, but other times where we were all laughing. Dr. Cross had a pretty great, somewhat cynical sense of humor. The lecture ended, I grabbed my laptop, and headed to the Radcliffe Camera to pick up a book I had on hold about cultural reproduction. I had ordered it from off site (i.e. it came from the salt mines) with the hope that it might contain something about cultural heritage preservation and the importance of it, but it didn't. I did get some other general information that might not be helpful for my thesis, but will be helpful as an anthropologist. I ended up meeting up with Mike there and we both sat there attempting to do work. It was amazing to work in there. I wish I could have taken a photograph. There were huge stacks of books with ladders to reach them. The tables all had their own electrical outlets and lamps. It was dead quiet because everyone was super studious. I did get distracted a lot because the architecture in there was so ornate. It was a whole other universe from Miller Library at WAC. I felt like I went back in time (except for the fact that we had electricity).

Dinner was some sort of rice with vegetables served in a large pepper. I am pretty sure dessert was meringue with cream and berries. I could be wrong. I did actually take a photo of my food tonight just to show the quality of presentation that we receive here.

We all had coffee together after dinner and chatted with Dr. Wood. He told us about one of the men who is going to lecture us tomorrow. His name is Paul Fiddes and he used to be the head of Regent's Park College. Apparently he graduated from St. Peter's College in Oxford with the highest English degree for his undergrad and then with the highest degree in Theology for his graduate studies. Point is, he is a very smart man.

It's a bit hard to believe we only have two more full days of the program. When I first got here, it seemed like we had plenty of time before the program ended. I guess time just flew by. I am surprised at how much I've enjoyed being here and learning about religion, especially since I was so wary about coming here.