I guess my main problem with writing is that I have so many interests, and so many things I’m studying and such that it is very hard for me to stay on track and finish an article without my attentions being distracted onto a new topic or study that seems at least as pressing as the last. I have many writings that are between 50-80% complete, and are just waiting to be “finalized” for presentation and archival.
My latest study has been a combination of Rabbinic authority and tradition, verses the opposite extreme — the authority of the Early Church Fathers and “Christian” tradition — and how they have influenced modern religious movements, specifically Messianic Judaism. I started Daniel Gruber’s book, Rabbi Akibah’s Messiah: The Origins of Rabbinic Authority, over a year ago, but didn’t get very far into it. On my recent vacation I was able to devote more time to reading it, and studying it’s implications.
It is also interesting to note that this directly coincides with Avi ben Mordechai’s commentary on Galatians, released only a few weeks ago. Another interesting turn of events is that a conference I annually attend notified me yesterday that one of the scheduled speakers could not make the event, and Daniel Gruber would be speaking in his stead. I plan on communicating with him via email in the next few days to discuss these topics as well as inquire of his knowledge of Avi. I’ll have a full book review of his Rabbi Akibah’s Messiah as soon as possible on the Book Reviews section of the website.
UPDATE 07_06_07
The reason I have never completed a book review for Daniel Gruber’s Rabbi Akibah’s Messiah is that initially I was blown away by Grubers systematic chopping away at the rabbis with his sleek arguments for the uninitiated in Talmudic texts. However, as I gained understanding of the texts I came to realize that all of his arguments were either a serious misunderstanding of the text, or a malicious attack of lies for a personal agenda. I intend on posting more about this. In the meantime, see my article regarding Aknai’s Oven in which I address Avi ben Mordechai’s foundational argument against the rabbis, a basic premise which he received from Gruber.
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