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UGA At Oxford Homecoming Lecture Features Oxford Theologian

by Lacey Hatchett
11/07/2007

An Oxford theology professor was the guest speaker of the third annual UGA at Oxford Homecoming lecture on Thursday, November 1.

Sue Gillingham, a Fellow and Tutor in theology at Worcester College at Oxford University, lectured about Psalm 8 and the changes it has undergone in both meaning and language over the centuries.

“My research is into the afterlife of psalms and the reaction through history... while the interpretation of biblical texts is the heart of my teaching,” Gillingham said at the beginning of her lecture.

Gillingham theorized that both political and religious influences could have affected the way the psalm was interpreted by different societies.

Gillingham gave credence to this idea by showing that early Latin commentators viewed the psalm as having a redemptive meaning and referring to the son of God, while Jewish commentators interpreted the psalm as a song of creation.

The lecture was accompanied by a handout which included the text of the psalm in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Middle English and a number of contemporary English forms.

The different translations of the psalm were used to point out that it is difficult to discern the meaning that the original psalmist intended, thereby explaining why there are so many different interpretations of Psalm 8.

Gillingham noted that today there is an evident split between academics who agree that the psalm refers to the creation story mentioned in Genesis 1, and Christians who believe that the song refers to redemption and the crucifixion of Christ.

The multi-media lecture was supplemented by a PowerPoint presentation which included musical and artistic examples of the interpretation of Psalm 8.

Paige Thompson, 20, a UGA at Oxford alum, remarked that hearing Gillingham lecture reminded her of days spent in Oxford in Gillingham’s Old Testament class.

“It made me want to write another eight page paper,” Thompson joked, referring to the theology assignments she previously completed for Gillingham.

Over 50 people were present for the lecture, including many students who studied under Gillingham and a number of UGA faculty and staff.

Gillingham’s fourth book, Psalms Through the Centuries: Volume One, is due to be released in the US in December 2007.

The UGA at Oxford program also held a Homecoming tailgate for program alumni and friends Saturday at 11 a.m. A full lunch was served and an extensive bar was available. Many UGA at Oxford faculty members were present, including Gillingham, as well as the program director Kalpen Trivedi.

T-shirts, blankets and other Oxford memorabilia were raffled off just before kickoff.

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