After wincing and dodging through some of the earlier chapters, it is refreshig to read this chapter on communication. Not because I am the penultimate or even standard communicator, but rather because when I was young it was the highlight of my childhood to sit with a teacher and have them explain to me what I envisioned were the secrets of life. KNOWLEDGE A tool for the correct completion of any project, and who wants to complete a project incorrectly. Getz does a good job of explicating the surrounding context of his source verses to teach a teacher what teaching is. I went a little further though in my excitement, and looked above his reference at 2 Tim 2:23 where my literal translation reads
'|1161| But |3474| foolish |2532| and |0521| uninstructed |2414| questionings |3868| refuse, |1492| knowing |3754| that |1080| they generate |3163| quarrels.'
Now, you take the GSN 2414 and find he is refering to 'Jerusalem'. 052 is 'stupid'. and so we have 'stupid Jerusalem'. A better historian than I is required to understand exactly whazt Paul refers to here, but in the context of the 'Living Bible' or the 'Bible as the Living Word of God', it may be that any time the leadership of the church becomes enamoured of their own personal, self centered, and overly specific essayes, then they can be seen as the object of this statement, no matter how well meaning, otherwise respected by peerage, or well elocutioned. An effective tool of teaching, for any leaning or suasion, is the question which inspires introspection before answer. So people of position may be asking questions which lead us into stupid assumptions and therefore they are stupid questions and should not be answered at all. The one who is able to recognize these situations can stay away from direct involvement in that particular discussion but rather maintain the course of study, presenting Truth rather than 'uninstructed(misconstructed?) questions'.
All around the above referenced section by Getz on Didaktikos was a well thought out, kind, encouraging, peaceful summation of what teaching is, how it flows from the study and understanding of the teacher, when it might occur, and how the soft word of compassion, encouragement and enlightenment turns a violent hand!
Except for the middle part to which I have added some flourish it was a very edifying and peaceful read, this chapter of Didaktikos.
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3 comments:
I am still dwelling on the fact that he takes a term like "teaching" and turns it into "communication." there must be a qualification here (right?): that the communication taking place is specifically about the Gospel message. More specifically, the character of Christ as rightly interpreted through the Old Testament. I know that I have probably overstated the specifics, and the truth probably lies somewhere in between.
I am not sure that I understand your question here but it seems to me that as regards the effectiveness of the teacher the understanding of the student is problematical. The teacher must be open to various techniques of presenting the same message--what might appear to be beating around the bush until the bush is all that is left standing-if that is what it takes to get the student in compliance with all the tests of knowldege and skills attanined.
Again, specifically to your first statement above, if a teacher just teaches to be teaching whether there is learning involved or not they must be getting paid too much, or be of the ilk of an Old Testament prophet-convinced of their message and committed to its delivery leaving the response to God.
I probably have taken the lesson to a general, secular application which I am want to do for the purposes of attracting bears(sic) to the honey, so to speak.
Long time in review I have to say that I agree with you Randy by pointing out that Getz' book is involved with coming to an understanding of God and His mystery as ably as we can so that we might be better communicators(<-->teachers)of His Grace.
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