Category Archives: Blog News

Blogger of the Month Interview up at Biblioblogs.com

Posted on by

The revealing tell-all interveiw with this month’s “Biblioblog of the Month” (yours truly!!) has been uploaded at biblioblogs.com. It is a riveting exposé of one of the most influential inconsequential bibliobloggers ever to write a piece of html! I laughed, I cried, and in the end I wanted more. Here is the picture of myself I wanted to include with the interview:

Homer_slippers_sm.jpg

Seriously, I would like to thank Brandon Wason and Jim West for the honour of being Biblioblog of the Month – and for maintaining biblioblogs.com. These are the sorts of things that will provide cohesion to the biblioblog community. Cheers!


I Am No Longer Worthless!

Posted on by

I can’t believe it — I am no longer worthless! (see here and here for previous laments). Or at least my blog is not worthless! For months I have been silently weeping because when I checked how much my blog was worth, it always was a resounding $0.00.

But now, prompted by Loren Rosson, whose blog also is no longer worthless. (Hmmm… it is, however, of significantly less worth than my blog! I wonder if I should associate with him anymore?!) I’m actually worth more than a number of other significant blogs (who will remain nameless, ahem, Jim, lest I be called boastful)


My blog is worth $53,066.76.
How much is your blog worth?

Wow… I’m not sure what I’ll do with all of this money. Perhaps I will redecorate! Shag carpeting anyone?


Oilers, Soccer, and Bunnies

Posted on by

My blogging has been thwarted by the Oilers, my kid’s soccer, and plans to buy some bunnies (and work, of course!). I really need to get back on track, though I would be lying that the break from blogging has been refreshing.
Go Oilers Go!
Wow — what a great game tonight! It looks like sharks can’t swim in oil! Next, we’ll defeat the Mighty Ducks (how can a duck be mighty? C’mon, really!), and then it is Stanley Cup time!  I really think the league needs to get rid of some of the new rules. I understand they are to open up the game, but when a penalty is called and for the life of you you can’t figure out what the penalty is, something is wrong (and then when they show it on replay it doesn’t look like a penalty!).
Funky Pickles Rule!
That’s right — the Funky Pickles — that’s the name of the all girls under 10 soccer team I coach. My daughter suggested the name, and go figure, the other eight and nine year olds liked it! In Edmonton, May and June are outdoor soccer months. That means a couple nights a week you are out on the pitch cheering on your kids. This is my seventh year coaching and I really enjoy it.

Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies!
My kids have been wanting a pet for some while now. My wife and I really didn’t want to get a dog or a cat due to the work involved and the fact that some close family members have allergies. I raised rabbits as a kid, so I suggested we get a rabbit or two. Rabbits are also nice because they can be kept outside for most of the year but can still be brought inside the house on occasion. If we are to get some bunnies, then of course I needed to build a rabbit hutch. I think I have outdone myself with the two storey deluxe rabbit hutch I have contructed (I will have to post some pictures).

So that is a bit of what I have been doing in my evenings and weekends.
I have a number of plans for future blog posts, but please bear with me as I actually have a bit of a life! 🙂


Congratulations to James K. Aitken!

Posted on by

JAitken.jpgFinally! I have a winner! My 41,000th visitor is none other than Dr. Jim K. Aitken, Teaching Fellow in Hebrew and Aramaic at University of Cambridge. He is a specialist in Second Temple Judaism, Septuagint, and Greek and Hebrew Lexicography. His doctorate was on Ben Sira and he has been involved in the “Greek Bible in the Graeco-Roman World� project and the Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database Project. Talk about an über-lexicographer! His personal web page is filled a lot of interesting stuff on lexicography, Septuagint, and more. I strongly encourage you to peruse his site!

I believe I met Jim at the Toronoto SBL meeting when I was with a common friend and fellow Septuaginalist Tim McLay.

In terms of a prize, Jim has requested a copy of the revised edition of Moisés Silva‘s Biblical Words and their Meanings (Revised & Expanded edition; Zondervan, 1995), and I am more than happy to fulfill that request! (I’m just glad that other Jim didn’t win — West would have wanted some esoteric — and expensive — book on some dead Swiss guy called Zwingli!)

Congratulations Jim! (So, when are you going to start your blog?)


41,000 Please Step Forward…

Posted on by

Now perhaps we will have a winner… the 41,000 visitor to my blog is from Cambridge, England. The individual visited Codex at 9:51:25 am (my time), 4:51:25 pm (Cambridge time). If you think you are that person, please email me at codex [at] biblical-studies [dot] ca and provide me some information about your ISP, computer, and browser.

If I don’t hear anything in 24 hours, then the winner will be 41,001, etc., until I have a winner.

Then I can get back to some regular biblical studies blogging! (Actually the reason I haven’t blogged much in the last few days is that my wife is on the other side of the world and I am single parenting — as well as the typical end-of-semester grading push)


One Year Blogiversary

Posted on by

One year ago today at 3:38 pm I published my first blog post. I’m not sure why I started a blog. One of my former students and friend Ken Ristau had mentioned his blog and I had looked at it on occasion, but it was more of an impulsive move that led me to create Codex Blogspot a year ago today.

In the year I have made some 335 posts (not quite once a day) on subjects ranging from Dead Sea Scrolls to ancient toilets, Jesus junk to inscriptions, Hebrew language to Hebrew tattoos. Since 7 July 1005 (when I added a site meter), I have had more than 40,000 visitors; my average for the last six months is around 200 visitors per day.

I have to say that I have very much enjoyed the blogging experience. I have enjoyed the camaraderie between bloggers and the relationships I have developed with others.

In honour of my blogiversary, I think I will put together a “Best of Codex” post to highlight what I think some of my best posts have been. So stay tuned.

I look forward to see what the next year will bring.

Thank you for taking the time to visit!