Listen now | Poetry Aloud: Excerpt from the first dramatic monologue in The Twelve-Gated City, Dr. Esolen's second book-length sacred poem (forthcoming)..
Would you explain the "Because it is none" part of the Name of God? I'm pondering on that phrase and I would like a further explanation. Is it because God is so great and holy He cannot be contained or described by a Name even though it is an essence of who He is?
Thank you for that excellent question. A name seems to individuate, to specify; to GIVE a name is a God-like prerogative, and that is why Adam names the creatures in Genesis 2. All the false gods have names, but the holy Name of God is beyond all naming: I AM. It may not be uttered, except by the chief priest on Yom Kippur. The ancient Syrian mystic we know as Dionysius the Areopagite (or the Pseudo-Areopagite) wrote a whole work on the Divine Names, saying that we must always stipulate that when we use an adjective to describe God, we are doing so in a way that is not the same as when we use it to describe any created being. The same with nouns, and with attributes of God: God is Father, but it's OUR fatherhood that is distantly analogous to His Fatherhood, not the other way around.
You say that in a dramatic monologue "feelings" have to be "underlying the whole situation." You are right, and this is what you do best. In your book, The Hundredfold, it was as if you were taking dictation, and it is the same here. It's as if you are able to tap into the very person of Moses to know what he'd be thinking and feeling. You give your readers so much to think about.
A quick comment on Moses...He was denied entry into the Promised Land because he doubted God's Word and tapped the rock twice. In our day and age, most might think that a pretty harsh punishment for so light an infraction. Even many of our Shepherds have begun to think that most, except the obviously heinous, infractions are not "heavy" enough to warrant eternal punishment. When I think on this example and the Gospel story of Lazarus the beggar, I'm not so convinced.
Please read the entire poem. Heck, if you're up to it, read the entire book!
Thank you very much for that endorsement of The Hundredfold! I wish we had a way to reach a wider audience for it than we have done. Now Tony is finishing up The Twelve-Gated City, and we are in a quandary about how best to reach that wider audience and perhaps attract new readers to The Hundredfold at the same time.
It's always a wonderful day when we get some of your poetry, Dr. E! Your skill always inspires me with the desire to get writing again, with what little time I have for it these days...
Personally, I would very much enjoy a rendition of the whole monologue...not to mention the fact that I eagerly look forward to the day (hopefully soon) when "The Twelve-Gated City" is finally published, so I can read the whole thing!
David, you are an astute reader, so your comments really cheer us. He has decided to take the entire Twelve-Gated City through another edit. You can imagine how tight he will make it. What we need are people who will actually read it. And a publisher who will really market it.
That is very kind of you to say, as always. I can definitely appreciate the thought behind another round of editing. The lack of readership for poetry is a sad obstacle to have to overcome, though it is good that there is hopefully an existing audience among Dr. E's current readership. But even that is hardly enough for publishers these days. They're far too risk-averse in many ways to take a chance on real poetry, even if they could be doing a good thing by helping to revitalize the art...
David, that is true with the small presses, too. Though I will say that I found out too late for us that Tony's publisher should have nominated his book for a poetry award. I think it would have had to have won, if only because of the "novelty" factor -- had they tried.
Thank you, Frances, for reading and appreciating Tony's work. He is writing very fine poetry, and in our times there are few "takers" for that, least of all among academics. But he is not writing to please modern academics. We are happy to share his poetry in bits and pieces here at Word & Song, among those with ears to hear. <3
Debra, I think I am at a loss as to why beauty and excellence aren’t what we crave. Tony offers both. I do believe the hunger is there, a hidden stream that needs to be re-discovered.
What a lovely hand-off - how can Joshua not pick up the baton and heed the burning message and the messenger.
You wrote, "Of all our fathers, God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, God of seed and flesh,
Sounded the Name above all other names
Because it is none, nor may it be uttered."
Would you explain the "Because it is none" part of the Name of God? I'm pondering on that phrase and I would like a further explanation. Is it because God is so great and holy He cannot be contained or described by a Name even though it is an essence of who He is?
Thank you for that excellent question. A name seems to individuate, to specify; to GIVE a name is a God-like prerogative, and that is why Adam names the creatures in Genesis 2. All the false gods have names, but the holy Name of God is beyond all naming: I AM. It may not be uttered, except by the chief priest on Yom Kippur. The ancient Syrian mystic we know as Dionysius the Areopagite (or the Pseudo-Areopagite) wrote a whole work on the Divine Names, saying that we must always stipulate that when we use an adjective to describe God, we are doing so in a way that is not the same as when we use it to describe any created being. The same with nouns, and with attributes of God: God is Father, but it's OUR fatherhood that is distantly analogous to His Fatherhood, not the other way around.
Thank you.
You say that in a dramatic monologue "feelings" have to be "underlying the whole situation." You are right, and this is what you do best. In your book, The Hundredfold, it was as if you were taking dictation, and it is the same here. It's as if you are able to tap into the very person of Moses to know what he'd be thinking and feeling. You give your readers so much to think about.
A quick comment on Moses...He was denied entry into the Promised Land because he doubted God's Word and tapped the rock twice. In our day and age, most might think that a pretty harsh punishment for so light an infraction. Even many of our Shepherds have begun to think that most, except the obviously heinous, infractions are not "heavy" enough to warrant eternal punishment. When I think on this example and the Gospel story of Lazarus the beggar, I'm not so convinced.
Please read the entire poem. Heck, if you're up to it, read the entire book!
Thank you very much for that endorsement of The Hundredfold! I wish we had a way to reach a wider audience for it than we have done. Now Tony is finishing up The Twelve-Gated City, and we are in a quandary about how best to reach that wider audience and perhaps attract new readers to The Hundredfold at the same time.
It's always a wonderful day when we get some of your poetry, Dr. E! Your skill always inspires me with the desire to get writing again, with what little time I have for it these days...
Personally, I would very much enjoy a rendition of the whole monologue...not to mention the fact that I eagerly look forward to the day (hopefully soon) when "The Twelve-Gated City" is finally published, so I can read the whole thing!
David, you are an astute reader, so your comments really cheer us. He has decided to take the entire Twelve-Gated City through another edit. You can imagine how tight he will make it. What we need are people who will actually read it. And a publisher who will really market it.
That is very kind of you to say, as always. I can definitely appreciate the thought behind another round of editing. The lack of readership for poetry is a sad obstacle to have to overcome, though it is good that there is hopefully an existing audience among Dr. E's current readership. But even that is hardly enough for publishers these days. They're far too risk-averse in many ways to take a chance on real poetry, even if they could be doing a good thing by helping to revitalize the art...
David, that is true with the small presses, too. Though I will say that I found out too late for us that Tony's publisher should have nominated his book for a poetry award. I think it would have had to have won, if only because of the "novelty" factor -- had they tried.
I’m always so impressed by your erudition.
Thank you, Frances, for reading and appreciating Tony's work. He is writing very fine poetry, and in our times there are few "takers" for that, least of all among academics. But he is not writing to please modern academics. We are happy to share his poetry in bits and pieces here at Word & Song, among those with ears to hear. <3
Debra, I think I am at a loss as to why beauty and excellence aren’t what we crave. Tony offers both. I do believe the hunger is there, a hidden stream that needs to be re-discovered.