You Studied Theology?

When I decided to go to graduate school for theology, I wanted to go either to Harvard to study with Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (In Memory of Her), or to the University of Chicago to study with David Tracy (Blessed Rage for Order). Turns out that I was accepted to Harvard and David Tracy accepted a visiting professorship position there. It seemed like the best of both worlds, so I readily decided to go to Harvard (plus, I escaped Chicago winters).



I think people hear Harvard and think HARVARD. Because, it is Harvard. And then they assume I am wicked smart. About everything. Let me be very clear. I am. Oh wait, no...I am not. As a matter of fact, I always had to work my ass off for my grades. During undergrad I was the one in the library until it closed on Friday and Saturday nights (not to worry, then I would go out and sleep until noon the next day like a proper college student).


Anyhow...I arrived at Harvard and took a course with Fiorenza my first semester. And I was bored to tears. I studied her a great deal as an undergrad and it turns out, she was teaching what I studied. I imagined depth and breadth and instead I got a flat line.  The next semester I signed up for Tracy's course. Oh. My. Doesn't even start to cover it. He would talk in 20 different directions and I couldn't make heads or tails of his lecture. I would go to our sessions with the teacher's assistant (TA) and he wouldn't have a clue what Tracy was talking about. In fact, the TAs got together to try to figure it out and they couldn't. I would meet with Tracy and, although I have never dropped acid, I am pretty sure sitting with him for 30 minutes is pretty close. Let me say, Tracy's written works are phenomenal. He must have one hell of an editor.


Then I started signing up for classes because I liked the topics rather than the professors. Early Christian novels (taught by the amazing David Hall), Old Testament prophets, South American tribal practices, political ethics, and so on. Oh, and Latin. Lots of Latin. I really loved Latin. I also took some German and Ancient Greek and Hebrew ~ all useful in grad school, now 99% forgotten.


The point is ~ yes, I studied theology, but I studied a smattering lots of different aspects of theology. I really love reading and interpreting the prophets, but I also really love thinking about France's role in the nuclear age (well, I don't love thinking about it, more that I am intrigued by it). I am not a Biblical expert ~ far from it. I suppose I am a bit of a jack-of-most trades theologian. I know just enough to (a) ask the right questions or (b) be quite troublesome.