490 To Go: Updated

The number is actually 485 to go now. Today I purchased A Study Guide Commentary on Acts by Curtis Vaughn, The Broadman Bible Commentaty Volume 12, A Survey of the New Testament by Robert H. Gundry, The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis, and a new Greek New Testament. Did you know that Texas doesn't require taxes on Bibles? I did not know this. I asked the girl at the checkout counter whether this exemption applies to other "Bibles" and she said that she didn't think so. So the Koran and the Upanishads are taxed. It appears that this exemption applies to any Bible whether English or Greek. I do wonder if the Hebrew Bible is exempted. Regardless, I purchased it. Also, I am anxious to read The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ. I did not like the film but I do not like any Scorsese film. But I did like what the author was attempting to do with the story. I thought I might like the book better. I'll let you know.

I haved decided to keep track of how many books I have and post/update the number here on the website. Below the Bravenet counter, at the bottom of the list of links, one can find the number of books I currently have in my personal library. You see, someone has repeatedly said that every seminary student should leave seminary owning 1500 books in his personal library (this person also said that every seminary student should read Agustine's Confessions and City of God). Now some, including myself, had taken this suggestion as an encouraging joke with a very real intention but not as a serious command. But since this person continues to make this suggestion it has occurred to me that this may not be a suggestion but a command. I have found in recent months that "joke" and "command" are not mutualy distinguishable words. In fact, when some people make a command jokingly, it is still a command and can be either cause for those receiving the command to be judged for not acting or it could be a cause for the one issuing the command to state: "it was only a joke." So you see , regardless of the outcome, the person making the command is in the clear. Now in the days and weeks following the advent of this current semester, I heard this 1500 book numuber repeated by many students. All of these students were those who are required to attend chapel. I can only assume that the command to acquire 1500 books has been a part of early chapel services; a command directed at new students.

Now I have a lot of books. My library is extensive with all the classics in both literary fiction and literary non-fiction, reference, devotion, history, theology, and Biblical studies. I consider my collection quite extensive but I do have a long way to go, specifically in the area of commentaries (Is it true that they never finished the Broadman Bible Commentary?). I have a year(?) to graduate and 490 books to own before I can say that I have met this command. Now I am not too worried about meeting this command; I am quite the bibliophile. Of course there are two caveats to the command that has been given: 1) One must read the books. What is the point of having 1500 books if one is not going to read or use them. 2) One must have good books. What is the point of claiming to have 1500 is they are all Criswell Commentaries (Have you read his commentary on Revelation? Ghastly!)? So chuck out all the Hal Lindsey, the John Piper, the Tim LaHaye, the Wayne Grudem, the Matthew Henry, the Max Lucado, the John Shelby Spong, the XXXXXXXXX, the W.A. Criswell, the Joel Osteen, and countless others. Find yourself some Moody, Stagg, Barth, Brunner, Moltmann, Lewis, Erickson, Kierkegaard, Niebuhr, Kung, Mullins, Ashcraft, Elliott, Glaze, McBeth, Bullock, Ellis, Cullman, Dodd, Smalley, Morris, Carson, Longenecker, Bauckham, Garrett, Estep, Bonhoeffer, Schleiermacher, and XXXXXXXX.

I would be interested in hearing from others how many books they currently have in their library and whether or not they will be attempting the big 1500 by their graduation.