This website is a special blend of textual criticism, linguistics, grammar, theology, and philosophy from a faith perspective.
This has been a hobby for almost three decades now. It is a hobby because there is little acceptance of this pursuit in the evangelical world, and when there is, the pay is paltry. So I am a blue-collar worker in a stable workplace with relatively good pay and benefits.
The fire of reading, researching, and discovering things of ancient literature has never died.
Where did that desire all start? My dad. He was a finish carpenter by trade, and later worked as a bylaw inspector, but at night he would routinely read encyclopedias, and Roman history books.
There are so many exciting things about working in an ancient language, a manuscript, or any literature in general. At one moment it is in the language or grammar that captivates. In another moment, it is admiring the creative writing or artwork of a manuscript. Sometimes it is the theological or philosophical insight. Most of all, what I really want is understanding the meaning, and how it applies for today.
It is amazing that a good piece of literature, whether written 3,500 or 10 years ago, never seems old or outdated. A good story, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, never dies. They teach immortal life-lessons.
Reading ancient literature draws a portrait of the human psyche. It demonstrates that our humanity has not changed over these thousands of years, nor have the solutions.
If I had the time, I would like to learn to read almost every language, but for the moment, I am limited to Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, some French, and have also studied older languages such as Sumerian and Akkadian.
The topics in the first four centuries AD demand the most interest because there is so much information to choose from.
This website is not intended to defend or market established dogma. The research and opinions are my own, which means they are not restricted through religious-based or institutional employment. The negative of this is accountability. I can, at any time, go off-on-the-deep end on any subject. You as a reader will have to decide.
My background is a BA from Winnipeg Bible College (now known as Providence College and Seminary) which is located in the province of Manitoba, Canada. This school encouraged in-depth religious instruction, Bible memorization, prayer, character development, service, and other important spiritual disciplines. A desire to know more brought me to the Hebrew University Overseas Student Program in Israel. This was where I began the journey into languages and manuscripts.
Why did I choose my full name as the url? It came up for a number of reasons. First of all, I couldn’t come up with a catchy url, and didn’t want to spend the time think about it. Secondly, Roger Pearse, a patristic enthusiast, technophile, and blogger, used his name as a url, and I thought, “if he can do it that way, why shouldn’t I?” And third, it is ideological. Everyone should have a website or blog by their name, and exchange their thoughts by this medium.
Your feedback via comments at charlesasullivan.com, Facebook, or Twitter would greatly be appreciated. Any feedback helps improve this website.
Charles Sullivan
