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Rev. Marie:
Janet Tyson has been called an unconventional Biblical scholar, & her two books have raised quite a stir in traditional academic circles. As a Fellow of the University of British Columbia with a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies, her solid & intensive research into the world's most widely read book is turning up new & thought-provoking possibilities. Here, she talks about her passion for challenging old assumptions & discovering new interpretations hidden in every page.
Our Man In Judea: Jesus took you seven years to research & write: quite a huge undertaking. What drove you to explain, or re-explain, the source of Christianity as we know it today?
Janet:
Actually, that was not my intention, to begin with. I started investigating the New Testament, specifically the Gospel of John, while an undergraduate, & hadn't the least notion where my research would lead me. However, the moment I discovered that there were symbolic patterns within the Gospel no other scholar had noticed, I was hooked!
I took a single undergraduate assignment & turned it into a Master's Thesis. Feeling very restricted by the rules & methodologies of academia, I decided the PhD route was not for me -- I felt very strongly that this material had to be made public.
As for personal ‘drive’, what carried me through 12-15-hour days of research & writing, for so many years, was the sheer joy of discovery! Most times, I felt I was following the text's lead. Other times, I felt lost, confused: I would sit back, take a deep breath & just trust that the ‘answer’ to that particular predicament would reveal itself.
I am a great believer in God (by any other name) as the ultimate "power of the universe" & the ability of the mind to ‘tune in’ to that source when it needs to. So many times, I would flip through the Bible, seemingly at random, & discover just what I needed to know to make concrete the connections that were revealing themselves. Many times I simply burst out laughing at the sheer serendipity of it.
I had a strong sense of mission, of contributing to a vast body of knowledge & query, & that excited me.
Rev. Marie:
Your books have been called “explosive” & “unorthodox.” Why do you feel there is so much resistance in the world of scholarship to your ideas & research, & to re-examining the Gospels in general, especially the 4th Gospel & its significance to Christianity?
Janet:
The world of academia is a wonderful place to hide from the world -- if one doesn't want to join a monastery. Resistance to change, unfortunately -- & ironically -- comes with the territory.
There are many biblical scholars whose careers & reputations, be they in writing, or in tenured university positions, are based on their ability to conform. I discovered this for myself, when, having won a graduate fellowship on the basis of my “unorthodox” approach -- simply because the results were proving so profound -- I soon found the support of my academic peers lacking the moment I decided to ‘go public’, rather than pursue the PhD option (elsewhere). The instinct to “stick together” is stronger in the halls of academe than almost anywhere else. I'm afraid I was never that much of a ‘team’ player!
The vast majority of New Testament research today is performed by Christians for Christians. Though there is a movement toward accepting a more Jewish interpretation of the Jesus Movement, few non-Jewish scholars dare to venture down this path, unless they, like me, turn maverick.
The orthodox material, therefore, is almost always based on work published by those who have travelled the same path, have come to similar conclusions, & who believe in the same, basic “Jesus story” --those who do not are rejected from the inner sanctum of academia -- no longer accused of heresy, perhaps, but just as ostracized.
Fourth Gospel research is a case in point. The FG has always been the most cherished of the New Testament texts -- it is the most beautifully written & the most symbolic. Held dear by Christians everywhere, when someone comes along who suggests it might just be telling a different story altogether, to that tradition has held for centuries, it is no wonder hackles & defences are raised.
While my goal was never to reject the authenticity of Christianity as a religion, my research, in the end, convinced me that the Christian faith is not rooted in Jesus' actions, but in Peter's, & Paul's. Once a Roman Catholic, I no longer even call myself a “Christian,” because I no longer believe that Jesus was, or ever claimed to be, the Davidic Messiah (which is fundamental to Christianity), or any more divine than any person who lives with God truly in their heart.
Orthodox scholars, clergy, & laity, on the whole, resist change. They resist having the veracity of their faith, & the firmness of their convictions, challenged, & I can appreciate this, but to reject all debate is acting as the Pharisees did when Jesus confronted them with a few home truths. The moment we close our eyes & ears, is the moment we are in trouble.
Rev. Marie:
Black Magick Woman details your intriguing, yet unconventional take on the Song of Solomon. What inspired you to delve into this particular Biblical text, & why do you think others have chosen to ignore its meaning & importance?
Janet:
While researching for my MA, I was asked by a new, female, instructor to do a paper on any woman in the Bible, as most of my work had been focused on the male perspective.
I chose the Song of Solomon because I like a challenge, &, as with the Fourth Gospel, I had noticed elements within the text that intrigued me. After doing some preliminary research, I discovered many of the details I had taken note of were not even mentioned in the current literature. I am one to ask questions, constantly, & when those who claim to have the final word on something have, so clearly, missed vital material, I want to find out why.
I am also fascinated by things Egyptian & occult, & it was my first realization that the Song contained incantations that drove me to pursue my investigation.
The Song's message, as I claim in the book, was intended for Israelite men, in particular potential rulers, whose vulnerability to the charms of women, especially foreign women, might cost them their kingdom. Written after the Babylonian exile, the Israelites had good reason to hold King Solomon up as an example of how easily even the best-laid plans can go awry.
This is how the first audience of the Song would have understood the text. As times changed, however, the politics of the Song became impolitic, & it was necessary for Jews in the Diaspora (the Dispersion) to subvert the message of “keeping pure the Jewish blood,” because they were forced to live amongst the very people the Song rejected. For many years, the Song was probably seen as a symbol of the ‘Resistance’, but, as with all things, this perception was diluted with every generation that married & raised families in the world-at-large.
The Christian perception of the Song, which is based on the idea that it is symbolic of the sacred marriage between God & the Church, isn't so much “ignoring” the meaning of the text, as either being “ignorant” of it (when one is never challenged to see an alternative, one is, by definition, ignorant of it), or deliberately masking it. The Church has promulgated this interpretation for natural reasons of self-preservation & promotion, & in an effort to justify the Song's continued inclusion in the canon that is the Bible. That, in itself, makes the Church's interpretation a valid one.
Jewish scholars, however, have known for centuries that the Song was very important to their nation, & early Christian theologians, too, had at least guessed at its true message (one, in particular, whose attempt at interpreting the Song along similar lines resulted in accusations of heresy, & a spate of book burnings!)
It makes so much more sense to me, now!
Rev. Marie:
How does being a woman add to the texture of your research & writing? How has it helped, & how has it hurt in the academic world?
Janet:
Biblical scholarship has long been a male bastion. From my observations as an academic, I would say that the majority of women in the field are either promoting feminist or New Age interpretations, or are simply adhering to the expectations of the institution in which they are working. There are one or two well known female scholars whose (sometimes controversial) work has reached Best Seller lists, but these are few & far between. It stems from the Church as a masculine construct, I suppose, but things have to (& may be beginning to) change!
I am not convinced that my gender has been a direct hindrance, other than knowing I am in a minority; it's sometimes daunting, but I can live with it. I am certain, though, that my age has. Most biblical scholars who are “taken seriously” as one publisher put it, when I was sending out query letters, are at least 50 years old! Here I was, in my late thirties, claiming to have thrown the gauntlet down to all those “seasoned” scholars. The cheek!
As for positive effects? I have often heard it said that men think linearly & women think laterally, & I believe this to have more than a grain of truth to it. My one ‘claim to fame’ is that I know I am good at seeing the bigger picture. I see the patterns that make up the whole, the lines of connection from one concept to another. That, I believe, is my feminine lateral thinking kicking in.
It is this perception that has allowed me to write these two books. Period. Had I not the ability to listen to my ‘intuition’ about certain things, I would have pursued my intended career as a scientist (I have a ‘masculine’ side to my mind, too!).
Rev. Marie:
There are millions of Christians who refuse to acknowledge the growing body of scholarship that points out the Bible's many contradictions, mistranslations, errors, edits, changes, etc... How do you counter this obviously fear-based attitude that seems to prefer myth over truth?
Janet:
It is a very volatile time to be shaking the theological tree called “Status Quo” -- all sorts of apples come tumbling down & people begin to think Judgement is soon behind.
It isn't.
I remember meeting an elderly woman, one day, who heard about me writing Our Man in Judea & began asking me questions about Jesus. When I said I was researching him from the Semitic (Jewish/Samaritan) perspective, she dropped me like a hot potato, insisting that Jesus was a “Christian,” & that I would never get the book published. She never once asked me “Why?”
When people found out that I was taking a graduate degree in Biblical Studies, invariably, they asked me if I was intending to become a minister of the Church. Was there no other reason?
Offering a copy of Black Magick Woman to a local silent auction, for charity, I was told the content was too mature, thank you very much, & might not be suitable for the (adult!) bidders. But wasn't the original in the Bible?! How “suitable” can you get?
Fear & ignorance are rife in the world today. Just as Jesus warned us that the poor would always be with us, so, I am afraid, will the timid, the unquestioning, the self-assured. I don't think it is a case of having to ‘counter’ them, but having to be true to one's own voice & self. All I can do is put my work out there, in the hope that it sparks new debate &, in time, new understanding, for some.
Also, I think the concept of ‘truth’ is, as the FG itself infers, subjective. “What is truth?” I am not claiming to have a better truth than the next person -- just a different perspective. & myths are powerful things, not to be gainsaid without careful consideration. They led humanity out of the darkness of a purely animalistic existence. I just think we have reached a point in our evolution where we can, & should, say, “Alright, that was a good story, while it lasted, but where do we go from here?”
What is it Voltaire said? “I disagree wholeheartedly with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (or words to that effect). That is how I feel. I am allowed my say, just as orthodox ‘believers’ are allowed theirs. It is not a competition -- & even if it were, the ‘prize’ is knowledge, wisdom, & we should all prove winners if that is achieved!
It's just time for some new ideas.
Rev. Marie:
What do you hope readers will most take away from your books?
Janet:
My one passion, my one focus, has always been to learn. I believe my work, so far, has opened up new avenues of investigation for those with the motivation & desire to follow up. My books are intended as mental challenges to biblical scholars, believers, historians, Jews, Christians, atheists. The beginning, not the end.
I envision people, a hundred years from now, rediscovering an old paperback that has fallen down the back of a library shelf -- opening its pages, they find my words. Unable to reconcile all their differences of opinion, their interpretations, & their biases, the institution in whose library the book has rested, gathering dust, now claims ownership of this rare insight into the historical Jesus that fate has revealed to them. A new department is created -- the Department of Open Enquiry.
Knowledge is timeless. I'm in no rush.
On a more day-to-day level, of course, I want people to come away from the books feeling they have read a good story, but at the same time, saying, “Gee, I never knew that.” It is, I hope, a seed of curiosity that I am sewing. Nothing more.
Rev. Marie:
May we have a hint of what you are working on next?
Janet:
I have just completed a short book on the people & theology behind Rochester Cathedral, in Kent, England. It was a book I have wanted to write for many years, as I used to live near the Cathedral & it came to be a very symbolic place for me. I am dedicating to the Lady Chapel there.
I am also working on a book of ‘strange’ short stories, actually, just for a change.
As for my biblical work, I am hoping to finalize my plans for a book on the strong female characters in the Bible, & how they play such a vital role in the Judeo-Christian theology. I am amazed at how little literature there is that retains the ancient context of the women's stories, while opening up the debate on why they are there in the first place!
EcceNova Editions (www.eccenova.com) has accepted a proposal for a new book -- not the one on women of the OT, as I was thinking about, but one called And God Said: Reassessing Moses and the Ten Commandments. It's an investigation into the Egyptian heritage of Moses & the implications of his alleged ‘meetings’ with God. It will be published in 2005. I had a sudden urge to formalize a proposal, after several years of back-of-the-mind consideration, & a re-emphasizing ‘dream’ a few weeks ago!
Rev. Marie:
Last, but certainly not least, we MUST know your favorite color!!!
Janet:
Why? (I jokingly suggest that my epigraph should read, simply: ‘She asked, ‘But why?’’)
While in the everyday world of material objects, I do like rich browns, burgundies, & golds (tapestries & old gilt frames), if I am to commit myself to one colour that represents who I am, it would have to be white.
I know it is not, technically, a “colour,” but the fact that it is the reflection of all colours makes it symbolically apt for my way of thinking. No discrimination.
I am also drawn to its simplicity, as I try to live a simple life; & to its purity, which I strive for day to day.
I also love huge white clouds -- & cricketers' ‘whites’' against the green grass (I am British) -- the white moon in a blue sky -- & the large white sails of tall ships (I live by the sea).
Rev. Marie:
Thank you, Janet, for going public with your fascinating insights. They have made many of my days! & Readers: do catch by reviews of Our Man In Judea: Jesus & Black Magick Woman -- I'm sure they'll make you go right out to Amazon & buy yourself a couple of great treats!
Rev. Marie D. Jones
2004©Rev. Marie D. Jones
Published 06/13/04
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