Ground Work

I appreciate, at long last, digging into The Best American Science and Nature Writing, 2008, edited by Jerome Groopman, M.D.  The book has been sitting on a shelf for three years. This anthology was eclecticly-blended to include hard-science essays on physics and astronomy as well as fun reads on forensics science (ala CSI), robotics, mathematics, African game preserves, malaria, Islam (conflicts with science), and genetics . . . among others.  Many of these pieces originally appeared in such magazines as National Geographic, The New Yorker (which publishes a surprising number of science features), Scientific American, Outside, and even The Los Angeles Times. 

But I was most surprised to read the essay, "First Churches of the Jesus Cult" by Andrew Lawler . . . a piece first-run in Archaeology and detailing the first-century church that has been uncovered at Tel Megiddo (Armeggedon) in Israel.  Archaeologists and scholars disagree as to the significance of this find, but when I read the essay, one name popped off the page.

Suddenly I was reading about Eric Meyers, one of the pre-eminent scholars and archaeologists working on the site, and my mind raced back to Duke, where I sat in Meyers's class (2 of us) one spring and studied Talmudic Hebrew.  The course was nearly an independent study, since Dr. Meyers frequently met with me one-on-one.  Our study of Talmud (in Hebrew of course) was heavily weighted toward the Pirke Avoth tractate ("the sayings of the fathers") and as I recall, the final exam counted as 100% of the grade.  Meyers met with me in a dark corner of his office among his Jewish chotzkies, handed me a tract from the Talmud, asked me to read it in Hebrew, translate it, parse certain words, and then offer my commentary and opinion (just like a real Yeshiva boy would) on the text.

I was either engaged or married at the time, but I do recall coming home from the class smelling of library books and dust, my hair long, dreaming of joining Meyers on an archaeological dig in Israel or at least getting an A in his class.  (He gave me a B+.)  Becky would also ask me, "How can you stand to read all of this Hebrew?  When, really, are you ever going to read the Talmud?"

But back then, Greek and Hebrew (along with Aramaic and Syriac and even some Arabic) was my forte.  I loved languages.  I was proficient with them.  And for a time I had designs to get a Ph.D. in Semitic languages or Hebraic studies.  But God had other plans for me (why we'll never know, folks!).

I did eventually get to Israel on an archaeological dig (ancient site of Beth Shemesh) and spent part of a summer near Jerusalem and the Golan Heights driving around on my own looking at ancient rocks and dodging minefields (really!).  But I do thank Eric Meyers for his good work in my life and for inspiring me to read the small blackened lines of another tongue (right to left). 

I can still read Hebrew (though I have no idea what I'm reading) and as for archeology, I only do it now when my wife instructs me to dig a hole.  She loves to plant flowers.