Layers

Archeologists work in layers. So do Scripture Scholars. This is shaping up to be an important theme for this summer for me. Archeologists can discover evidence of a church built on top of a a previous church, built over a house, built over a pagan temple. Meticulously, the archeologist carefully peels back each layer to see what treasures of knowledge (or material) each previous generation has for us. Based on other evidence, the archeologust my have suspicions about what he will find, but the real joy is in the completely unexpected, the new, the surprising.

A Scripture scholar's task is similar. Recognizing that texts have layers of meaning: literal, historical, moral, dramatic, comic. The scholar open-mindedly wades from layer to layer, never really expecting to exaust the possible layers, the possible meanings that the text holds. Each succesive reading of the text provides new insights, new nuances that contribute to a deeper understanding of the text in its original context, or in today's world. Like the archeologist, the scripture scholar finds great joy in the surprising, the new, the unexpected.

My time in Rome, ostensibly vacation, has been a time of looking at one level. I have had fun playing tour guide for others just like someone showed me Rome in one of my past trips. I have had great fun watching otehrs discover. But I also have been lead to the new, the unexpected, the surprising. Here in Rome, that has happened as I have been led to deeper archeological levels - seen the layers upon layers that reveal the distant past and give context to the present. I have discovered new treasures: the tomb and relics of St. Peter, the church of Santa Pudenziana and I have rejoiced in old friends: the Papal Basilicas.

The archeological focus of this fun time in Rome has been a great precursor to my weeks in Jerusalem, for which I depart in a couple of hours. By leaving Rome and heading for Jerusalem, I am digging to the next level in both the archeological and scripture scholar senses. Much of what I see with regards to Christian Jerusalem and the text of the Gospels will be contemporary to the older levels of Rome - St. Peter will figure as prominently in Gallilee as he did in Rome. But much of what I will see will be older - the Jewish matrix out of which our faith has grown, the affects of the cultures of hte Ancient Near East on ancient Israel and the culture into which Jesus was born, lived, and died. Archeological, Israel is a great next level to dig to for a Christian Pilgrim

Similarly, I will dig deeper into scripture. Intense textual study will lead to new insights, to deeper understanding, to new ideas for preaching. I learned some new things in Rome (think Paul's mention of Pudens in his 2nd letter to Timothy or the great homily I heard in which Tobit was used to preach against superstition). But Rome was vacation, Israel will be study. Fr. Gregory, who will be guiding our studies and travels throughout Israel, has a wonderful understanding of the connection between text and archeology. He has crafted an itinerary that will allow us to dig deeper both in the archeological sense and the scripture scholar sense.

As I prepare to leave Rome and head to Israel, I am keenly aware that I am being called to go deeper, not only as a scholar of history or of Bible. I am being called to dig deeper spiritually, to be refreshed and renewed, to be open to the Spirit and to allow myself to be surprised by the treasures of grace that God wishes to share with me as I dig to deeper levels.