Finally getting around to this, just the sort of thing for the beach on a sunny day 🏖️ Reads clear and concise, feels more like a honed explanation than others in the series. May post some quotes later.

New Explorations in Genesis 1, by John Walton…

Honestly forgot I’d preordered this, apparently it’s shipping! It was an insta-buy as the latest in the series, so I had no particular expectations. Format appears to be FAQs grouped by topic; you prob have to read the original first : ) #forbiblenerds

Realised that my literary diet has been formed of quite dry academic papers of late. This book by @johnhendrix.bsky.social has been a poignant read and visual delight over the Christmas break, and encouraged me to suggest better (i.e., more esoteric) names for the niche communities I start/join.

Well, I for one welcome our new psychoanalysing AI overlords.

blueskyroast.com/roast/laychr...

While the justifiable angst surrounding the US election will doubtless continue to dominate our narratives for a while, the arc of Christian history is long and has resurrection at its core. There’s hope for good when we seek and enact it; may the impact of that far outlive us. /end

The memory of these saints has largely been lost to time and sand, a reminder of how transient our own cares and concerns are. While we might know little about them, Christianity’s spread from this period shaped our world today, not just in terms of naming the landscape but in hopes and ideals. /4

Wells like this are often associated with healing, which is perhaps where the connection with Cuthbert came from (the whole coffin journey thing). St Cubert was a 7th century Welsh missionary, and apparently a reasonably good one considering the number of landmarks that still bear his name. /3

The freshwater spring in the cave formed a series of stepped pools from mineral deposits. It’s been the subject of some very parochial controversy after the UK’s Ordnance Survey labelled it “St Cuthbert’s Cave” (instead of Cubert) since it was confused with the Lindisfarne saint of similar name. /2

The Holy Well at St Cubert’s Cave: a thread.

I’m blessed to live close to Holywell Bay in Cornwall (UK) which is so named due to the holy well in a cave at the north end. It’s only accessible at low tide, and today happens to be very low so I was able to pop in. /1

Current read: The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels. I had no idea how wild the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts was. That aside, I’m aware this is ~45 years old now, what should I read for a more up-to-date view? Has much changed?