What Is Scholarship?

[kathleenmariekg]

I have been in positions of authority over other people. At the age of 4 years old, my childhood ended, and I became the "mommy" of a brain damaged 3 year old and an infant. Back them I was a terrible authority figure, but I was 4 years old. I've gotten better at it over time, but I never expect people to trust me until I earn their trust.

 

[John of Japan]

I never used the word "all". You bolded and underlined something that I never even said. Why would you do that?

I assume you are talking to me. In the English language, what you did was a generic approach. In other words, your phraseology says to me that you think authority figures in general are what you then said them to be. You didn't qualify your statement with "some" or "ones I know" or anything like that.

 

[John of Japan]

But folks, this thread is about scholarship, not authority figures. A scholar may or may not be an authority figure. A friend of mine is a research scholar--doesn't teach any classes. Does he have authority over anyone in his scholarship?

Many would look at him as an authority in his field, but that authority does not come from position. It comes from accomplishment--success in the pursuit of truth. If a scholar does a good job, he or she will have good sources and do good research. Then the scholar will be looked at as an authority.

I consider men like D. A. Carson, Millard Erickson, and David Hesselgrave to be authorities in the fields in which I teach. I use books from two of them as textbooks, and quote a lot from the other. This does not mean I have to obey them in my position, or anything like that. It simply means they have earned my respect in the search for truth. They are not "authority figures" to me, but they are authorities.

 

[kathleenmariekg]

My understanding is that the final stage of the Greek education system is argument of a law. Is Christian scholarship the same as Greek scholarship? Should it be?

 

[John of Japan]

My understanding is that the final stage of the Greek education system is argument of a law. Is Christian scholarship the same as Greek scholarship? Should it be?

I'm not sure what you mean. What form would modern scholarship take that is "argument of a law"?

 

[kathleenmariekg]

The Progymnasmata
thesis or theme thesis
progymnasmata: thesis or theme
Theme or argument is "a logical examination of a subject under investigation" and could be political or theoretical in nature. It is the first exercise to introduce arguing on two sides of a given question.

Hmmm, so Brigham Young University says that the thesis is the first part of the last step, but then there is still this.
progymnasmata: defend / attack a law
Defend or attack a law is more of a declamation than a progymnasma, more of an hypothesis than a thesis, but borrows from the thesis the attempt to argue two sides of an issue, while applying this to a specific law, real or fictional.

In the video I posted a few days ago, the professor said that a commentary must include conclusions not just information. He is requiring commentaries articles to have a thesis?

Secular scholarship is based on the Greek Progymnasmata? Accreditted Christian colleges must also adhere to this ancient model? Have I been taught something that is incorrect?

 

[kathleenmariekg]

SBL Handbook of Style has very specific instructions for citing the progmnasmata. I didn't know that.
Progymnasmata

Progymnasmata
16 February 2017 SBLPress Abbreviations8.3.14.3

The term progymnasmata (“preliminary/preparatory exercises”) refers to a series of compositional exercises that taught students in antiquity how to write and deliver declamations (speeches). The exercises educated students in the use of various elements of effective rhetoric, including “μῦθος (*fable), διήγημα (*narrative), χρεία (anecdotal apophthegm), γνώμη (maxim…), ἀνασκευή and κατασκευή (refutation and confirmation), κοινὸς τόπος (commonplace…), ἠθοποιΐα (speech written in character), ἔκφρασις (description…), θέσις (general question), [and] νόμου εἰσφορά (introduction of a law)” (Russell 2003, 1253). Each series contained a set of increasingly difficult exercises that were completed in writing and then read out loud.

There is secondary evidence for progymnasmata from a number of ancient authors, but modern scholars most frequently cite the surviving handbooks of Aelius Theon, Hermogenes, Aphthonius (the Sophist), Nicolaus of Myra (aka Nicolaus the Sophist or Pseudo-Nicolaus), and Libanius.

Although these five authors evidence significant overlap in the exercises included, they also demonstrate that there was no established pattern for the progymnasmatic curriculum. The handbooks do not all contain the same types of exercises, and even when they do, the exercises are frequently presented in a different order (see the table in Kennedy 2003, xiii).

With all that as background, we are ready to discuss how to cite the progymnasmata clearly and accurately.

 

[John of Japan]

The Progymnasmata
thesis or theme thesis
progymnasmata: thesis or theme
Theme or argument is "a logical examination of a subject under investigation" and could be political or theoretical in nature. It is the first exercise to introduce arguing on two sides of a given question.

Hmmm, so Brigham Young University says that the thesis is the first part of the last step, but then there is still this.
progymnasmata: defend / attack a law
Defend or attack a law is more of a declamation than a progymnasma, more of an hypothesis than a thesis, but borrows from the thesis the attempt to argue two sides of an issue, while applying this to a specific law, real or fictional.

In the video I posted a few days ago, the professor said that a commentary must include conclusions not just information. He is requiring commentaries articles to have a thesis?

Secular scholarship is based on the Greek Progymnasmata? Accreditted Christian colleges must also adhere to this ancient model? Have I been taught something that is incorrect?

My MA and the DMin I am working on are both from a regionally accredited Christian U., and none of this resembles what we were and are taught there. So I think it probably has nothing to do with accreditation, which looks at the qualifications of the profs, and the academic requirements of the classes, not pedagogical methodology.

Also, neither of the books I was required to read about research for the DMin mention progymnasmata or anything else about Greek pedagogy: Quality Research Papers by Vyhmeister and Robertson, and the standard college and grad school resource, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, rev. by Wayne C. Booth, et al (8th ed.).

 

[kathleenmariekg]

My MA and the DMin I am working on are both from a regionally accredited Christian U., and none of this resembles what we were and are taught there. So I think it probably has nothing to do with accreditation, which looks at the qualifications of the profs, and the academic requirements of the classes, not pedagogical methodology.

The academic requirements of the classes are the same as those developed for secular colleges? The academic requirements of the classes include research papers, and colleges are denied accreditation if they do not have a library that includes the expected resources? The secular research paper is based on the ancient exercise of arguing about laws?

 

[John of Japan]

The academic requirements of the classes are the same as those developed for secular colleges?

To my knowledge, a regional accrediting agency (considered the highest form of accreditation in the US) does not interfere with religious education except to ensure quality of education.

The academic requirements of the classes include research papers, and colleges are denied accreditation if they do not have a library that includes the expected resources?

A good library is required, but "expected resources" is a very general statement. I doubt that accrediting agencies look at all of the syllabi in a school and recommend library books.

The secular research paper is based on the ancient exercise of arguing about laws?

Not in any course I've ever taken or taught. The usual requirements include a clear statement of thesis in the first paragraph, cogent argument, a minimum of pages and sources, proper format, a concluding paragraph, and a good bibliography.

 

[John of Japan]

BB denizens, I should say here that there are many accrediting agencies out there, and I really don't know which one Kathleen is talking about. Generally, regional accreditation is thought to be the highest form. TRACS, a Christian organization, is usually thought to be a step lower in authority. Note that none of these are government agencies.

There are even accrediting agencies for degree mills, designed to make them look legit. I've even seen where a degree mill invented its own accrediting agency!

All of this is in trouble nowadays. Accredited Christian schools are starting to feel the bite of the LBGT (etc.) movement as the accrediting agencies go politically correct. Look for some well known schools to reject accreditation in the near future.

 

[John of Japan]

SBL Handbook of Style has very specific instructions for citing the progmnasmata. I didn't know that.
Progymnasmata

Progymnasmata
16 February 2017 SBLPress Abbreviations8.3.14.3

The term progymnasmata (“preliminary/preparatory exercises”) refers to a series of compositional exercises that taught students in antiquity how to write and deliver declamations (speeches). The exercises educated students in the use of various elements of effective rhetoric, including “μῦθος (*fable), διήγημα (*narrative), χρεία (anecdotal apophthegm), γνώμη (maxim…), ἀνασκευή and κατασκευή (refutation and confirmation), κοινὸς τόπος (commonplace…), ἠθοποιΐα (speech written in character), ἔκφρασις (description…), θέσις (general question), [and] νόμου εἰσφορά (introduction of a law)” (Russell 2003, 1253). Each series contained a set of increasingly difficult exercises that were completed in writing and then read out loud.

There is secondary evidence for progymnasmata from a number of ancient authors, but modern scholars most frequently cite the surviving handbooks of Aelius Theon, Hermogenes, Aphthonius (the Sophist), Nicolaus of Myra (aka Nicolaus the Sophist or Pseudo-Nicolaus), and Libanius.

Although these five authors evidence significant overlap in the exercises included, they also demonstrate that there was no established pattern for the progymnasmatic curriculum. The handbooks do not all contain the same types of exercises, and even when they do, the exercises are frequently presented in a different order (see the table in Kennedy 2003, xiii).

With all that as background, we are ready to discuss how to cite the progymnasmata clearly and accurately.

Okay, I just checked the SBL handbook, and what you cited is not in there. You are simply reading clarifications on the website on how to cite ancient sources, not any set of rules for writing papers, articles, or books. The quote you gave is not from the SBL handbook.

The SBL handbook is simply a clarification of Turabian/Chicago. At our college and seminary we require adherence to Turabian, but certainly do not require writing papers or essays based on the ancient Greek model you are referring to. Turabian does not give directions on how to actually write paper. That is up to individual profs. Secular and religious scholarship are not based on the Greek Progymnasmata.

By the way, you mentioned Brigham Young U. Are you actually taking classes there as a Baptist?

 

[kathleenmariekg]

By the way, you mentioned Brigham Young U. Are you actually taking classes there as a Baptist?

No!

I linked to the translation of a Greek textbook. That is all.

 

[kathleenmariekg]

neither of the books I was required to read about research for the DMin mention progymnasmata or anything else about Greek pedagogy: Quality Research Papers by Vyhmeister and Robertson, and the standard college and grad school resource, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian, rev. by Wayne C. Booth, et al (8th ed.).

I would not expect mention of the progym to be included in the majority of student writing manuals, but I am assuming that it is sometimes included in the books written for the professors teaching writing classes, especially in colleges that teach the classical languages. This textbook is sometimes used in Law school composition classes, and is one that I have used.
https://www.amazon.com/Composition-Classical-Tradition-Frank-DAngelo/dp/0023271418

I think the progymnasmata is mentioned in my 8 vol IVP dictionary set, but I will have to check to be sure. I know I have read about it in resources about Paul's letters.

It has been years since I read Climbing Parnassus, but I think it discusses the history of scholarship and how it influences what is taught today. https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Parnassus-Apologia-Greek-Latin/dp/1933859504

Okay, I just checked the SBL handbook, and what you cited is not in there. You are simply reading clarifications on the website on how to cite ancient sources, not any set of rules for writing papers, articles, or books. The quote you gave is not from the SBL handbook.

The SBL handbook is simply a clarification of Turabian/Chicago. At our college and seminary we require adherence to Turabian, but certainly do not require writing papers or essays based on the ancient Greek model you are referring to. Turabian does not give directions on how to actually write paper. That is up to individual profs. Secular and religious scholarship are not based on the Greek Progymnasmata.

Thank you for clarifying what is in the SBL and what is not. I do not own the handbook.

 

[John of Japan]

I would not expect mention of the progym to be included in the majority of student writing manuals, but I am assuming that it is sometimes included in the books written for the professors teaching writing classes, especially in colleges that teach the classical languages. This textbook is sometimes used in Law school composition classes, and is one that I have used.
https://www.amazon.com/Composition-Classical-Tradition-Frank-DAngelo/dp/0023271418

I think the progymnasmata is mentioned in my 8 vol IVP dictionary set, but I will have to check to be sure. I know I have read about it in resources about Paul's letters.

It has been years since I read Climbing Parnassus, but I think it discusses the history of scholarship and how it influences what is taught today. https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Parnassus-Apologia-Greek-Latin/dp/1933859504

Very interesting. Thank you.

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

... the LBGT (etc.)... .

It's LGBTQ, etc., [snip] AFAIK, they haven't revealed what the alternative TQ part stands for yet.

 

[John of Japan]

It's LGBTQ, etc., as in "Let's Go, Brandon." AFAIK, they haven't revealed what the alternative TQ part stands for yet.

Aha. Thanks for the enlightenment.

 

[Yeshua1]

But folks, this thread is about scholarship, not authority figures. A scholar may or may not be an authority figure. A friend of mine is a research scholar--doesn't teach any classes. Does he have authority over anyone in his scholarship?

Many would look at him as an authority in his field, but that authority does not come from position. It comes from accomplishment--success in the pursuit of truth. If a scholar does a good job, he or she will have good sources and do good research. Then the scholar will be looked at as an authority.

I consider men like D. A. Carson, Millard Erickson, and David Hesselgrave to be authorities in the fields in which I teach. I use books from two of them as textbooks, and quote a lot from the other. This does not mean I have to obey them in my position, or anything like that. It simply means they have earned my respect in the search for truth. They are not "authority figures" to me, but they are authorities.

good point, as while authorities in their respective fields of study, not perfect, but at least do scholarly work, quite unlike much of what passes as such today in say Charismatic theology!