From: Edgar M. Krentz (emkrentz@mcs.com)
Date: Wed Dec 13 1995 - 17:00:49 EST
>Bildad the Shuhite was not really the shortest man in the Bible. While
>he was certainly taller than Kneehighmiah, he cannot have been as short
>and as small as Habakkuk, who stood on his watch, or as Peter, who
>slept on his watch. Of course we do not know how big watches were in those
>days, but even a very large "railroad" pocket watch could not support
>anyone as tall as a shoe (be sure not to confuse a sandal with a shoe,
>or you will err on Bildad's height).
>
>Edward
I am just getting around to absorbing this serious contribution of Edward
Hobbs. I must say, it is a bit troubling to me, for the following reasons.
(1) If Peter were that small, then the church founded on that rock must
also be very small. Perhaps that is what lay behind the Swedish hymn that
referred to the "little flock." (2) I have admired the hWOLOGION in the
Roman agora in Athens as a major piece of Roman era architecture and
technology. If Peter stood on this and was of an appropriate size, he was a
major church father. (3) On the other hand, if he stook on a Roman sundial,
he may have had glue on his feet. But then, he could have served as a
gnomon. Perhaps that latent petrine biass underlay the name which the great
Wuerttemberg theologican gave to his one volume commentary: _Gnomon novi
testamenti_; it's Johnann Albrecht Bengel I am referring to of course.
Or is "Edward perhaps falling prey to a misinterpretation of that King
James version passage "Watch ye, therefore, that you enter not into
temptation" [please note that I cite from a very fallible memory!] and is
interpreting "Watch" as a noun and thinking of Peter as the one who needed
the warning.
These interpretive possibilities are truly challenging. I thank Edward for
stimulating this list. If I get the impression that this is a form of
"reader-response criticism," how far off would I be.
You might think that I am stir happy at the end of a term; but if "he who
sitteth in the heavens" can laugh, I trust that the members of B-GREEK can
too.
Thank you, Edward, for an illuminating and challenging posting.
Edgar [nota bene: We are both Ed, but are not otherwise to be confused.]
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 East 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Tel.: 312-256-0752; (H) 312-947-8105
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