tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post2554839262840404306..comments2024-03-28T13:59:11.445-07:00Comments on Left Behind and Loving It: From "Bread of Heaven" to "Gnawing on Flesh"D. Mark Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-14741808958452578232023-07-06T15:21:20.912-07:002023-07-06T15:21:20.912-07:00Wrong interpretation.Wrong interpretation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-55691755271262417642021-08-15T12:49:33.723-07:002021-08-15T12:49:33.723-07:00Hi! I copied and pasted your comment about the ref...Hi! I copied and pasted your comment about the reference to "flesh" harking back to the quail that fell from the sky to supplement the manna. I added that in real life, though, if a bird falls from the sky, you probably shouldn't eat it. One of our members said that the Israelites probably shouldn't have eaten the quail either, because the people who ate it died. This makes me think that the current reference has nothing to do with that, since the people who eat the Body and Blood of Jesus don't die.CarynWhttps://carynw.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-15161260347166930972021-08-15T06:38:31.645-07:002021-08-15T06:38:31.645-07:00Marvelous. Thanks for evoking a lot of thought abo...Marvelous. Thanks for evoking a lot of thought about the possibilities here.<br />MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-50628530713732181462021-08-15T05:18:25.044-07:002021-08-15T05:18:25.044-07:00A different question: What are the other things we...A different question: What are the other things we 'gnaw on'? 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.' 'I kept chewing over their comments about me.' We talk about being 'eaten up' with jealousy, and getting our teeth into something. Eating and drinking Jesus' flesh and blood may be an alternative to some other things we eat and drink. FWIW.Bill Schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14304598437917344802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-87379626622776300942019-02-25T12:22:15.931-08:002019-02-25T12:22:15.931-08:00Trogo is used in classical texts of animals who ea...Trogo is used in classical texts of animals who eat only vegetables, and of poor people who can't afford to eat meat. I think John's use of trogo after esthio and fagein is purposeful. Also, the word in Psalm 1.2 translated as "meditate" is not an eating metaphor, but sound: h-g-h means "make an animal sound." Spirit-abilityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10955516811829369431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-86704743416716615972018-08-19T05:08:42.950-07:002018-08-19T05:08:42.950-07:00I like the way you are thinking about this text, m...I like the way you are thinking about this text, my friend. I do think there is a kind of emergent eucharistic theology at work in this text as well. I suspect that if I could circle back before the 16th century to hear that theology for itself, I could then have a better appreciation for what the folks in the 16th century were facing. <br />Thanks for the note.<br />MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-70063292754269849702018-08-18T12:49:31.168-07:002018-08-18T12:49:31.168-07:00As usual, Mark, you have given us a lot to think a...As usual, Mark, you have given us a lot to think about in approaching this text. So here are my thoughts in response: [1] While I agree this text isn't about the first century anticipating the 16th, the use of the present tense at various points makes it hard for me not to think that this pericope isn't a statement of an early eucharistic theology emerging in John's community; [2] I'm aware that "trogo" was used by the classical authors especially of animals that didn't eat meat, so I'm wondering about the contraposition of these terms; and [3] the alternating verbs in v. 58 suggests to me that Jesus "as bread" is not merely a continuation of the manna miracle; it is something intimately related to it, yet in a different order.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-6330565792122933232018-08-17T05:21:50.283-07:002018-08-17T05:21:50.283-07:00Thank you for this generous note.
MDThank you for this generous note.<br />MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-89832744435796055962018-08-17T05:21:17.240-07:002018-08-17T05:21:17.240-07:00Savor is an excellent suggestion, William. Better ...Savor is an excellent suggestion, William. Better than gnawing, chewing, etc. because ever since translating it with rumination in mind I've been tempted to offer the bread with the words, <br />"The cud of salvation." :-) <br />MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-49489412755737939092018-08-17T05:03:28.584-07:002018-08-17T05:03:28.584-07:00I find the concept of ruminating to be a very frui...I find the concept of ruminating to be a very fruitful one (pun intended). How about "savor" as yet another extension of this way of receiving Christ? To savor Christ's body and blood is, then,to savor the fullness of who he is: in every atom of his being, both in Himself and in his extended Body throughout the world and through the ages. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819981598005217938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-83584568934262898202018-08-16T00:16:02.986-07:002018-08-16T00:16:02.986-07:00Ahhh this is so good...LOVE what you did with the ...Ahhh this is so good...LOVE what you did with the parable of the woman at the well! thank you!TAWhttp://www.thetoddwhitley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-20218194291569985932018-08-12T07:45:47.687-07:002018-08-12T07:45:47.687-07:00Thank you all for your comments in the past. The c...Thank you all for your comments in the past. The connection between gnawing and ruminating is very suggestive. Cows are called "ruminants" because they chew the cud, which is first received in the "rumen" (one of their 4 stomachs) and then rendered back into the mouth as little balls of cud for them to chew most of the day. I suppose 'ruminating' is basically chewing on something for a long period of time. <br />Maybe I should use "chew" instead of "gnaw." D. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-67404742071558195082015-08-11T12:34:04.496-07:002015-08-11T12:34:04.496-07:00Cranmer's prayer about the Scriptures says of ...Cranmer's prayer about the Scriptures says of our use of them, that me may read, mark, learn, and "inwardly digest them." Not the same as "chewing/ruminating" but another food sort of image.<br />Michael Merriman (love your work!)merrymikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12873481218912159488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-35784116209460233042012-08-21T08:42:49.813-07:002012-08-21T08:42:49.813-07:00More on the Chewing/gnawing comments... Eugene Pet...More on the Chewing/gnawing comments... Eugene Peterson makes a point of show how the word "meditate" in Psalm 1:2 should be translated better as "ruminate" or "chew"...as in "chewing on God's law." And this all reminds me that Benedictines, when describing the practice of Lectio, use the image of eating and digestion to talk about relating to God's Word.Pastor Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06172567834559364725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-62867883462225000652012-08-18T20:24:12.161-07:002012-08-18T20:24:12.161-07:00I read the 'gnawing" and "chewing&qu...I read the 'gnawing" and "chewing" as something like "chewing the cud." i. e. "churning over and over," "imbibing" "taking it all in," "tasting" ( as in tasting and seeing (understanding)how good the Lord is).<br /><br />Lloydnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-64008534098905698932012-08-18T08:11:31.852-07:002012-08-18T08:11:31.852-07:00Thank you for the work of interpreting these lecti...Thank you for the work of interpreting these lectionary passages each week. It is truly appreciated. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-91494493226891611582012-08-17T03:57:32.646-07:002012-08-17T03:57:32.646-07:00Maybe the difference between 'eating' and ...Maybe the difference between 'eating' and 'gnawing' is what this guy describes as the difference between a 'weak burger' and a 'strong burger.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcJFdCmN98s&sns=tw Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-49858373360632982182012-08-16T08:22:32.059-07:002012-08-16T08:22:32.059-07:00I read somewhere (so it must be true) that chimpan...I read somewhere (so it must be true) that chimpanzees, who have human-like dietary needs but eat only raw foods, expend something like 25% of their caloric intake on chewing. Jesus may be going a little apples-and-oranges (or apples-and-steak) with the comparison, but is he getting at a more deliberate, sustained engagement than just "filling our needs"?Nathan Williamshttp://hopecommunitypc.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-2321615162702841842012-08-15T07:13:19.900-07:002012-08-15T07:13:19.900-07:00I don't know how significant this is, but I no...I don't know how significant this is, but I noticed that the 'gnawing, chewing' definition refers to raw fruits and vegetables and not flesh(meat?) Just going to ponder that and see if anything happens... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com