a great phrase

"[K]now thyself must also mean know thy history. . . . [T]he kind of history which we are apt to understand best may be our own."

John Lukacs, Historical Consciousness: The Remembered Past (New Brunswick: Transaction), 1994: 31

Jerusalem Syndrome: is this a "turn of phrase"?

James Davila mentions an article from Emunah magazine heralding a decrease in "Jerusalem Syndrome." I think Jim's right that the fundamental problem—differentiating reality from fantasy—remains, even if this particular malady is on the decline. But I point out Israeli psychologist Gregory Katz's description of at-risk groups:

“The majority of patients that come into the psychiatric clinic with religious delusions were already suffering from psychological problems before they arrived in the holy city.” He says that those most susceptible these days are extremely religious persons who are ninety-eight percent Christian. They normally come from remote rural areas and in most cases and are traveling abroad for the first time in their lives. (emphasis added)

Ninety-eight percent Christianity, apparently, isn't enough. You need to be one hundred percent sold out to Jesus. Then you can safely visit the Holy City without fear of transmogrification into the Virgin Mary or whatever.

add this to the collection

I came across another turn of phrase I'd like to add to my growing collection. I'm reading through Steve Mason's very interesting and easy-to-read Josephus and the New Testament (second edition; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003), which I've assigned for my World of the New Testament course. Notice Mason's wonderful description of Josephus' historical accuracy in the Life relative to Josephus' narration of events in War:

While referring the read to the War for more details (Life 27, 412), he blithely contradicts the earlier account at every turn. This almost aggressive carelessness may in fact be a deliberate clue to his purposes. (124; my emphasis)

"Aggressive carelessness." Mason could almost be describing the average driver in East Tennessee.

yet one more great turn of phrase

This is starting to look like a series. Anyway, I came across this wonderful, graphic turn of phrase in Ellen Charry's essay, "The Grace of God and the Law of Christ" (Interpretation [2003]: 34–44):

Paul's grand exposition of the Christian life is 1 Corinthians. Paul declares that God is not interested in notching foreskins on his belt, but that we keep God's commandments (7:19). (37–38; my emphasis)

another great turn of phrase

In his discussion of the Son of Man in Luke's gospel, Benjamin Reynolds uses the following phrase (in italics). I'm not sure if this was intentional:

Also, the Son of Man's appearance on that day will be like lightning (17.24; cf. Matt 24.27), and as noted above, lightning is commonly associated with the appearance of God (Exod 19.16; 2 Sam 22.15//Ps 18.14; Ps 77.17–18; 97.4; Ezek 1.13; Hab 3.11; Zech 9.14). Strikingly, the Messiah in 2 Baruch is also depicted as lightning (53.8–9; 70.9–10). (emphasis added)¹

---

¹ Benjamin E. Reynolds, The Apocalyptic Son of Man in the Gospel of John (WUNT II 249; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008), 75.

on great turns of phrase

I'm currently reading Virginia Burrus's article, "The Heretical Woman as Symbol in Alexander, Athanasius, Epiphanius, and Jerome" (Harvard Theological Review 84/3 [1991]: 229–48). The first full paragraph on p. 231 begins:

Christ and other feminist scholars have succeeded in redeeming the heretical woman, removing her from the margins of history and placing her instead at the center of a long tradition of women's struggles against patriarchal orthodoxy. (Burrus, "Heretical Woman," 231)

If it sounds like Burrus includes Christ among the "feminist scholars," that's because she does. Of course, it might help to know that she's engaging an essay written by Carol Christ.