Once upon a time, during a Sunday morning worship service, I almost laughed out loud when the man on the stage said, “Look around you and see all the people who aren’t here this morning.” I couldn’t see them, of course, because they weren’t there! We all have blind spots, things and—unfortunately—people we overlook. I know that I have them too … and by definition, I don’t know what they are.

The insidious power of blind spots reared its ugly head in a poll I answered today. The Christian Chronicle, “an international newspaper for Churches of Christ” (to quote its masthead), currently has a poll on its home page.

Notice anything missing? Can you see the people who aren’t there?

The more I learn about ancient and medieval biblical interpretation, the more I feel the power of Qoheleth’s observation that “there is nothing new under the sun”—or in this case, over the waters. If you’ve ever heard someone scoff at the translation “a wind from God” instead of “the spirit of God” for רוח אלחים in Genesis 1:2, you might appreciate the following quotation:

Which spirit “moved over the water”?

Some commentators believe it was the most Holy Spirit vivifying the nature of the waters and foreshadowing the grace of baptism. But I think it more likely that by “spirit” he is here referring to the air. After declaring that God made heaven and earth and mentioning the waters by reference to “the deep,” he logically goes on to mention as well the air, which extends from the water’s surface to heaven, for air naturally moves over bodies lying under it. Now, it was very apposite for him to say “moved over” and not “lying on”: “moved” implying the kinetic character of the air.

That was Theodoret of Cyrus (AD 393–460), from his Questions on the Octateuch, question 8 (Greek text edited by John F. Petruccione; English translation by Robert C. Hill; published in Theodoret of Cyrus: The Questions on the Octateuch, vol. 1, On Genesis and Exodus [Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 2007]). I don’t mean to use Theodoret as an authority in favor of the translation “a wind from God” or “a mighty wind,” but rather as evidence that variance in opinion about the translation of רוח אלהים is very longstanding indeed, not a product of modernity.

According to Spokeo, there are 332 people named “Chris Heard” living in the United States today.

Thirty-seven of those Chris Heards live in California:

Fourteen of those California Chris Heards live in the greater Los Angeles area:

None of them are me, although one of them reportedly lives 7.0 miles from me by the quickest route. Why don’t I show up on the Spokeo’s maps of American Chris Heards? It’s simple: “Chris” is a shortened form of my middle name, “Christopher.” Yes, I have the goes-by-his-middle-name blues. Since Spokeo relies on public records, it thinks my name is “Robert C Heard.” But my father’s name is also Robert, and therefore he and my mother called me by my middle name.

If you search Spokeo for Robert Heards, you’ll find me (and eighteen others) in the greater Los Angeles area. But if you cruise over to Texas, you’ll find me—listed at my dad’s address. You won’t find my dad listed at his own address. Care to guess why?

Overheard from the classroom next door:

If you don’t know what those terms mean, you didn’t read far enough—which means past the first page.