This first full day of the Luther Congress was worth the wait and the travel. First, we heard two very good lectures: one from my teacher, Dr. Wengert, and another from Dr. Irene Dingel of Mainz. Without summarizing the talks, I came away with a renewed appreciation for the hard work that goes into quality historical research. The stories we tell about the past matter. It helps when those stories show respect for the historical record and for the well-being of people today and in years to come. How does history do that? When I study things that happened hundreds of years ago, it occasionally reminds me that someday my life will be hundreds of years in the past, too. What will people say about my time then? Thinking about the past and future then inspires me to invest in the moment, as a professional and as a person.
Today I also led a small group discussion about some research I've been doing. I did 97% of it in an inelegant but understandable German, which was an accomplishment in itself. Often these little presentations are chances to read an essay to a group and get feedback. But I didn't want to do that. Instead, I shared some pages of surprising things I recently found when I was perusing some of Wartburg Seminary's rare books. One source was a commentary on Paul by the humanist Faber Stapulensis (1515) and the other came from an edition of St. Jerome published by Erasmus (1516). I started by saying, "In this presentation, I want to learn more than talk." This was maybe a risky thing to do, because--like everyone else--academics like to show expertise and know that the person talking has said expertise. In contrast, I started with ignorance. But the conversation happened just the way I hoped. I learned things from my questions, I shared my thoughts and research, and gained new ideas about the subject. I'll give a slightly more formal talk on a similar theme on Wednesday, so I still have time to show off, too. :)
Throughout the day, from my morning walk to the lecture hall, to the Kaffeepause and lunch, and on to a little happy hour, dinner, and evening hang out time, I enjoyed lots of great company and conversation. I capped it off with a late stroll around town, which is what I did a lot when I was in Wittenberg for some months while I worked on my dissertation. I talked to the Bugenhagen statue (again). A couple hours before that, I took this picture of the sun setting behind the City Church from my window. It's a good summary of my day. Peace.
Today I also led a small group discussion about some research I've been doing. I did 97% of it in an inelegant but understandable German, which was an accomplishment in itself. Often these little presentations are chances to read an essay to a group and get feedback. But I didn't want to do that. Instead, I shared some pages of surprising things I recently found when I was perusing some of Wartburg Seminary's rare books. One source was a commentary on Paul by the humanist Faber Stapulensis (1515) and the other came from an edition of St. Jerome published by Erasmus (1516). I started by saying, "In this presentation, I want to learn more than talk." This was maybe a risky thing to do, because--like everyone else--academics like to show expertise and know that the person talking has said expertise. In contrast, I started with ignorance. But the conversation happened just the way I hoped. I learned things from my questions, I shared my thoughts and research, and gained new ideas about the subject. I'll give a slightly more formal talk on a similar theme on Wednesday, so I still have time to show off, too. :)
Throughout the day, from my morning walk to the lecture hall, to the Kaffeepause and lunch, and on to a little happy hour, dinner, and evening hang out time, I enjoyed lots of great company and conversation. I capped it off with a late stroll around town, which is what I did a lot when I was in Wittenberg for some months while I worked on my dissertation. I talked to the Bugenhagen statue (again). A couple hours before that, I took this picture of the sun setting behind the City Church from my window. It's a good summary of my day. Peace.