Christian*New Age Quarterly (Nov 07 - May 08)
16 Pages Half-Legal
$3.50 US / $5 ElsewhereThis is the third (fourth?) issue I've reviewed, and I've become increasingly impatient and unimpressed. Three of the four pieces in this issue are either about, or by, Robert Price. I have nothing against Mr. Price, but if this publication exists solely to sing his praises, then change the name to The Robert M. Price PhD. Official Fan Club Newsletter.
Christian*New Age Quarterly
PO Box 276
Clifton NJ 07015-0276
info@christiannewage.com
www.christiannewage.com
If you see me, as Editor of Christian*New Age Quarterly, as a huge fan of Robert M. Price, you'll get no argument from me. I, as well as most readers of C*NAQ, find Price's work delightful, challenging and even, as I wrote in my editorial, at times exasperating.
ReplyDeleteStill, my editorial and Dan Hahn's review were not about Price, but about The Pre-Nicene New Testament, authored by Price. It's the book that's important here. Why? It's a retranslation of the 27 books of the NT plus 27 early Christian noncanonical writings. The Pre-Nicene New Testament, in my estimation, shows the true diversity of early Christianity; accurately esteems the immense contributions to Christianity of those the later Church would call heretics; and gives us a more accurate (as in more literal) translation of the canon as we know it today. Especially today, when there is so much misinterpretation of the New Testament, both by Christians and by those attempting to offer alternatives to traditional Christianity, The Pre-Nicene New Testament is pretty much of a godsend. That's fully my opinion of course.
And, yes, you're correct in noting that Price wrote a piece for this issue. I had asked him to compose something that focused upon a significant topic in The Pre-Nicene New Testament. He chose Marcion as his focus. Who is Marcion? The early Christian "heretic" who was the first to recognize the need for a Christian collection of writings; in other words, the originator of a New Testament.
That's why The Pre-Nicene New Testament is such an important book and, hence, why C*NAQ devoted such coverage to it. That Price wrote it? Well, that's either icing on the cake or why I'm a Price fan, depending on how you look at it.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Oops, I had meant to leave my contact info, if anybody wanted to respond to me personally. And I thought I had but I'm new to this blogging thing. You can reach me, Catherine Groves, at info@christiannewage.com or through www.christiannewage.com
ReplyDeletejust in case i wasn't crystal clear; i am in no way critiquing price or his work. i take issue with the editing of C*NAQ, as i feel it lacks in reflecting or representing the abundance and diversity of things to be explored under the general heading Christian/New Age. You come off as cliquish, at best, which i think does everyone a disservice. i'd be delighted to see you prove me wrong in future issues. peace out.
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