San Paolo Maggorie, Bologna

Yesterday I took the train to Bologna.  I visited four churches in the morning and shot this at San Paolo Maggorie.  I thought I would give you the whole ceiling look and then zoom in on one part.  BTW, shot without a tripod and some serious correction afterward.  There was hardly any light on these…

A Tapestry in Bergamo

I am always amazed at the incredible craftsmanship of the Italian Renaissance.  Here is a tapestry hanging in Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo.  Imagine the work that went into this.  It’s about 8 feet tall and 20 feet long.  The detail is stunning.  Yes, of course, it’s an Italian version of the crucifixion (you can…

A Verse to Remember

“ . . . reckoning the crime of fathers with sons and sons with sons, to the third generation and the fourth.”  Exodus 34:7  Alter This was supposed to go out on October 8, but the server missed the schedule. Reckoning – Robert Alter’s attempt to render the Hebrew pāqad avoids the totally misdirected implication…

The Church’s Choice

So often in Catholic churches in Italy the conversion decision is portrayed in stark relief.  Here’s something from Chiesa di San Vitale in Parma.  You get to decide which path you want to choose (and notice who is in the “comforting” one): This? Or this?

Robert Alter’s Introduction

A few days ago I mentioned that the Introduction of Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible was crucial reading in order to understand the complexities between Hebrew and English, and to know why current English Bibles are more or less misdirected. Of course, you would have to buy the 3 volume set to read…

Why You Can’t Read the Bible in English

What is the best English translation of the Bible? That question gets asked over and over.  My answer, “Probably none,” isn’t really helpful because it doesn’t explain why English translations really don’t convey Hebrew thought.  Now I want to point you to an article that explains all this. Robert Alter produced a translation of the Hebrew Bible…