Then and Now
In an essay recently posted on the NPR site , Patrick Jarenwattananon asks, “Does a Jazz Critic Have to Be a Musician, Too?” His answer: “Playing music isn't a prerequisite for that understanding, but it can only help. Duh, right?” I have recently … [Continue reading] about Religion, Jazz, and their Critics
I have just added two new syllabi to my "Teaching" page. Both are to classes that I will be teaching this fall: "Religion and Sexuality" and "Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls." … [Continue reading] about New Syllabi
We need fanatics. By keeping true to their ideological positions – whether by threatening to bring down the modern global financial markets or by banning vegetables for consumption because they contain microscopic bugs – they remind us of … [Continue reading] about Fanatics
It has taken me some time, but I finally have managed to create a site that consolidates my blog, my personal website, and my site devoted to resources for my book, Creating Judaism. I have imported past blog entries, a procedure that I have … [Continue reading] about A New Home
I had the good fortune of recently attending "The Enoch Seminar," which this year was devoted to study of the books of 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra. These two books are both thought to originate in first or second century Palestine, written in Hebrew by … [Continue reading] about Apocalypse, One of These Days