Monday 8 September 2008

Can scribes be trained for the kingdom of heaven?

My colleague Theodore Gill offered a splendid meditation to the European press officers as they began their meeting on Friday - as is the way I didn't get to read it until today. It's starting point was this wonderful one line parable from Matthew's gospel:
And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matthew 13.52)
Theo then moved on to look at Jeremiah 36 as a model for communications officers
In Jeremiah 36, Baruch (Jeremiah's scribe) does appear in public repeatedly – until sympathetic courtiers advise him to go into hiding, if he and Jeremiah have any sense. One of these courtiers, Elishama, is described as ha-sofer, the king’s scribe. Baruch and Elishama, two communication secretaries, representing different interests;one warns the other to lay low, if he wishes to avoid prison or worse. So there was honour among professional communicators, at least in this case ...
You can read the rest here.
Now I need to find a one line parable about translators being trained for the kingdom of heaven.

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