Paradox*
27/10/2009
As I've no doubt said before, the things that fire me up most in my degree are the big questions - theological, ethical, and above all philosophical - to the extent that this year I'd hoped to avoid any papers that didn't fall into that category (to take the ethics, metaphysics and doctrinal theology papers from my faculty, and then add in a paper from the philosophy department). As it turned out, that's not allowed, so I'm taking a paper on John's gospel, as well as the 3 "deep thought" papers from the theology fac., and this means that, of the 4 lectures in papers I'm taking each week, 3 are in a block on Tuesday morning.
It seems very unlikely from that description, then, for me to come out at lunchtime on a Tuesday having enjoyed the Johannine lecture more, indeed vastly more, than the philosophical one. Yet that's how it's turned out, not just this week but every week so far. In part, that's due to the fact that Judith Lieu is very good - she's been more interesting in 3 weeks this term than all the new testament lectures of last year combined; but it's unavoidably also in part due to a less positive analysis of Douglas Hedley. I wont say he's not good - he could hardly be in the position he's in at Cambridge if he weren't outstanding in his field. I'm loathe even to say what is undoubtedly true so far, that I personally find him mind-bendingly dull - because by saying that I'm only entrenching that view in my own head, and I have to break out of it if I'm to have any hope of enjoying philosophical theology for the next couple of years, over which he'll have a great influence. I just can't avoid the certainty in my mind that, had Professor Langford (our inspirational philosophy lecturer last year) given the lectures Dr Hedley's given, I'd have been hanging on every word. As it is, I'm struggling to keep awake.
Lets not end on a low, though. It's not as if lectures were really what matters. I'm being supervised on the philosophy paper at the moment as well, and that hour each week is as superbly enticing and stimulating as ever - Russel Re Manning scores many points :-). Perhaps, indeed, Dr Hedley would be similarly wonderful in a supervision, where you get the chance to really engage with him. Points, too, to Michael Banner, our ethics lecturer; first contact with him a few days ago left almost exactly the opposite impression to the negatives above. There's plenty of potential here for a good year :-)
*Yes, I am being terribly up myself and using the original root of "paradox", the Greek "para doxa", contrary to common belief. And yes, I'm also using it wrongly, because what I really mean is that this tale is contrary to my own natural expectations, rather than the opinions of the masses.