beingthebrowns

June 1, 2008 

As of May 30, 2008 I am now over the single largest hurdle before I submit my final dissertation in a couple of years or so. Here is how it works (at least at the Univ. of Edinburgh; it’s a bit different elsewhere I am told): at the end of the first year of PhD studies, each candidate has to submit an official proposal, a writing sample of their work (typically an excerpt from one of their chapters), and a working bibliography. Then, a week later they have to meet with a few of the professors in the department who have read the papers turned in the week before. This is a rather nerve racking process, as you can imagine.

The morning of my review board I was quite edgy and stressed–just ask my dear wife. As the moment in which my eternal fate was be decided drew near (okay-but that is how it felt!), anxiety took over my thoughts, causing me to fear the worst. (Secretly, I feared that like on American Idol, after my review board the panel would ask me the dreaded question, “so, what else do you like to do?”) If it wasn’t for a new suit and new shoes (always a confidence booster) and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” (no joke), who knows how things would have unfolded. But any fears that I did have were allayed by the time I got down to the main floor of the building on account of a conversation with my secondary supervisor who had just come down the stairs to join my review board. At the beginning of our brief but friendly chat she noted that I seemed to be “getting along well” with my work. Beautiful. Confidence reset, I was good to go from that point onward.

A couple of questions into the actual meeting and I was sure that all would go well, as it did. Later on I even started to enjoy the process, soaking up the helpful insights of the board members and standing my ground when needed. After all, you only get one shot and you better not miss your chance, right?

Celebrations were, of course, in order that evening. So Katie took me out to one of our new favourite restaurants in town, First Coast. It was superb, not only because of the fine food but also due to the emancipation of my mind from all things related to my dissertation. The bottle of wine and chocolate hazelnut cake didn’t hurt either.

One step down, and several more to be taken for sure. But this is the last official step for a while, so I am relieved to have passed without any trouble and even a few compliments.

January 19, 2008 

When I applied to PhD programs in January of last year, I had spent the better part of the previous month hashing out ideas for a research proposal. Initially Katie and I planned to apply with the intention of beginning studies in 2008, but about a month and half before applications were due we got the crazy idea of applying for 2007. That decision precipitated a frenetic period of collating transcripts, begging my professors for reference letters within a short time frame, filling out several applications and, of course, pulling a couple of PhD-caliber research ideas out of my arse.

In the end, I was happy with what I was able to conjure up in so short a time, especially since it served its purpose in getting me into a few programs. I had proposed to analyze the christological reception of some of the OT psalms within the NT. I knew my proposal would have to be focused and refined once I arrived, but I was okay with this prospect.

Fast forward to September 2007 and the beginning of my studies at the University of Edinburgh. Like many of my colleagues at New College (where the School of Divinity is located), I spent the first couple of months of the Fall term trying to make my proposed project ‘work’. This consisted of attempting to focus my ideas to a particular body of texts within the NT (e.g. the synoptic gospels or Paul), reading what was already published on the subject, and maintaining open dialogue with my primary supervisor regarding my progress. Somewhere around the end of October I decided that my proposal was no longer viable as a doable dissertation, and so I abandoned it. Though this meant starting almost completely over, it was a (necessary) step forward.

I moved on to a couple of other ideas that had come up while researching my initial subject. I rejected one fairly quickly, but the other I explored in greater detail. I had been reading some stuff in 1-2 Thessalonians, and as I was reading Paul’s letters a particular verse kept catching my attention. In 1 Thessalonians Paul is telling his readers that he longed to return with his companions to see them again (having been there only for a short spell) when he writes, ‘For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way’. ‘Now that’s a robust notion of Satan’, I thought to myself. Then I began to look at other references to Satan in Paul’s letters, analyzing how he thought of him and in which sort of contexts he mentions him in. I also began to read some secondary literature to see what others had said about Paul’s understanding of Satan. Turns out not a whole lot.

So long story short, I am now moving ahead—with Prof. Hurtado’s approval, which is both quite affirming and absolutely necessary—with the research topic of Satan in Paul’s theology and thought world. Since my scholarly interests almost always have to do with Christian origins, I am most intrigued by questions related to how Paul understands Satan in comparison to his Jewish ancestors and contemporaries, as well as how his understanding of Satan changed after his Damascus road experience.

I am now working on a paper looking at Paul’s references to Satan that I will present to the review board in May along with my official research proposal. If all goes well with the board, I will then be free to complete the rest of the 100,000 words of my dissertation. A lot of work, I know! But for now I am simply excited and content to have landed on a subject that I am both very interested in and convinced needs to be done, for it has been a devil of a time trying to find a viable project. (NB-henceforth I will try to employ as many puns on ‘Satan’ and/or ‘the devil’.)

September 22, 2007 

I am now officially a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. Since we arrived in Edinburgh life has been going by rather quickly, so I don’t think that I have fully soaked in everything yet. Being amidst so many other students/colleagues has been absolutely brilliant so far. Two of my fellow researchers are also beginning their postgraduate work with Professor Hurtado on Christology this term, so I think my immediate academic community will be most encouraging and stimulating. I look forward to conversing with them over our findings as our studies unfold.

So what does a PhD student do throughout a given week? Well, prior to arriving here I had often heard the maxim, ‘as soon as you step off the plane, you will be working on your dissertation’. And to a certain degree, that is accurate. But the School of Divinity places high importance on languages, so this term I will be taking both Advanced Hebrew Readings (Jeremiah for the term) and AdvancedGreek Readings (Susanna [LXX], Prot. of James, Inf. Gos. Thom., Gos. Pet., Ign. Eph.) as well as continuing my German. This means I am preparing for and attending classes far more than I expected. But since I know that all language skills (whether spoken or merely for reading comprehension) atrophy without practice, I welcome the fruit of this labour. Once a week, on Fridays, I also attend the research seminar for OT and NT studies. In the British PhD system, this is a prized event. Personally, I have been anxiously awaiting to participate in these weekly gatherings. Each week a different scholar presents part of their research to all of the postgraduate students, the Univ. of Edinburgh biblical studies staff, and former scholars from the School of Divinity. As PhD students, we are expected to sit at the elongated table and to engage the presenter (others sit in a secondary circle outside the first row). The first week’s paper was presented on the topic of inter-personal forgiveness in the Hebrew Prophets from a biblical theology perspective, a topic I know very little about. It was nice to get a feel of the weekly proceedings. I look forward to further papers throughout the year.

I have also begun my own research. Last week I had my first meeting with Professor Hurtado, during which we agreed to meet again to go over my progress in a couple of weeks. My current aim is to look at the use of the OT psalms in the early development of NT Christology in the writings of Paul. This is my research ‘topics’, with my precise dissertation question to be in place by December or January. Once I have established this question I will then begin to outline the project (methodology, parameters, limitations, etc.), and then present my official proposal a board at the end of the academic year. If I am approved, then I pass on from my first probationary year and will focus more exclusively on my research.

As a postgraduate research student at Edinburgh I am allotted a personal study space in one of the privately accessible studying rooms. This is another great benefit of being a PhD student. I get to leave all books, etc. here and return to them each day without the pain of hauling them all the way home each night. The picture below is of me sitting at my space.

Other info: 

Here is a page with some info on applying to PhD programs.