One of the YouTube channels that I follow is called Journey to the Microcosmos. On that channel, a narrator (either Hank Green or Deboki Chakravarti) give a mini lecture about some microscopic organism in a hushed voice set to soothing music while video captured from their Master of Microscopes James Weiss displays footage of either the organism in question or an organism that is close enough to be used for comparison. It’s one of the more relaxing entries in my Subscriptions tab on YouTube.
Mr. Weiss has written a book called The Hidden Beauty of the Microscopic World, and has an Instagram channel called Jam’s Germs. On a recent episode of Journey to the Microcosmos, Hank explained the misadventures of Mr. Weiss after finding an unusual looking microbe in his sample. It had a tail, which is apparently not something you see very often on a ciliate. I’ll have to take their word for it. While I’m happy to admit that I haven’t seen very many ciliates with tails, my sample size is considerably smaller than theirs. Indeed, the sample size of ciliates I’ve seen is small enough that I personally would hesitate to draw any general conclusions about what to expect regarding the available body plans for ciliate life based primarily on what I have and have not seen.
Mr. Weiss has discovered a new species of microscopic organism before. Back in 2022, he was able to consult with Genoveva Esteban of Bournemouth University when he saw something unusual in his slides, and together they confirmed that what he saw were previously undescribed species. As best as I’m able to piece together, it was about the same time that he was making these discoveries that he came across this specimen.
As Mr. Weiss searched for information on this unusual organism, he was told that he must have damaged the slide, that he must have photographed it wrong, or that some other mistake on his end must be the explanation for the bizarre appearance. As a credit to his humility, Mr. Weiss dutifully checked each of these possibilities. When he verified that they weren’t what was wrong, he was back with more questions. From the sound of it, finding a professional expert that was willing to field the questions of this amateur expert was quite difficult.
I’m sympathetic to the academics that get these kinds of requests. I’m a nobody from nowhere, and I still get people that ask me things after reading my blog or reading one of my books. Most often, they’re adversarial, incoherent, and arrogant. I can easily see how a professor or researcher would get many more of those, and it’s got to be hard to strain the kooks from the feral geniuses. But sometimes it’s worth following these strays to see if they’re kooks or not. Just recently, I was contacted by someone looking into Hebrew Matthew. At first I was tempted to dismiss him, but I’m glad I didn’t. He turned out to be very friendly, interesting, and intelligent. In the case of Professor Esteban, she was able to publish a paper describing new species and someone else had already done a lot of the work for her.
My plans for 2024 are not going well. In September of last year, my oldest son turned eighteen. Due to a genetic condition, he’s unable to care for himself. So my plan was to finish up 2023 getting him set up with the support he needs, then start trying to find people to help me improve my thinking about Hebrew Matthew. I had an interview with Brave New History so that I could get used to how these things are scheduled. I’m now two months into 2024 and can’t seem to get calls back from the government and private agencies I need to complete the process for my son. It’s frustrating. Even more frustrating is that it interferes with the other plans I had.
I’ve tried reaching out to academics about what I’ve found in Hebrew Matthew. I try to be patient, understanding, and humble. I understand that they’re busy and they get a bunch of people demanding their time, not listening to their concerns, and sure that they know more than the academics. I don’t want to be like that.
In a Facebook group I lurk in, I’ve been watching James Snapp reach the end of his frustration regarding his research on the ending of Mark. It’s been vicariously satisfying to watch him call out the academic establishment for ignoring him and his findings. His recent book (or at least the title, I haven’t gotten around to reading the book) A Word to John MacArthur Regarding His False Claims About Mark 16:9-20 is a clear expression of the frustration he feels. His book Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20 is the most nuanced examination of the subject of the ending of Mark I’ve ever read. I watch Mr. Snapp as he calls out those who simply dismiss him and I can’t help but wish I had his courage.
One of the things I had hoped to be doing by now was looking for people willing to have a public or semi-public dialogue or debate on the subject of Matthew’s original language. I think I’m right. People who are wrong generally think they’re right, though. Back in 2020, when I first started pulling together my data, I had a few academics that agreed to discuss the question in private. None of them ever replied to my first message with my initial evidence. My case has only grown stronger since then. I can never know for sure why they would ghost me. It always feels like they were not prepared for such a robust case for Matthew being written in Hebrew. It could be bad luck and each of them simply had a personal emergency come up and they didn’t feel the need to discuss it with me. It’s left me nonplussed at the idea of further attempts at private debates or discussions, though. I don’t want to have to harass someone, but I want them to continue even if it’s not going the way they hoped. If they feel the urge to suddenly drop out of the conversation, I want them to feel the pressure of the public eye watching them. Hopefully that will encourage them to justify that decision publicly. I get it if life comes up, but if they just aren’t ready for a robust minority position and they ghost me that’s kinda rude. But it’s hard to put someone in that position when I also know that my home life is hanging on potential phone calls that could upend my schedule at a moment’s notice. I want to try to publish what I’ve found, but I want to “pressure test” my findings first. If there’s an error in my thinking, I want to know what it is.
With all that said, I’m opening up my search for a discussion or debate partner a little more. I’m still only passively looking for such a partner, but if you are or know someone that avidly believes that Matthew was written in Greek, I would love to get in touch with you and discuss the question in an open, public format. If you have a YouTube channel, I would love to come onto it with you and discuss the reasons why we each come to our opposite conclusions. I’d like to say I’m throwing the gauntlet down in challenge, but actually it’s more like I’m placing it gently on the floor for your consideration. I don’t have any real debate experience, so if you are trying to rack up debate wins on your religion channel or blog or whatever, I’m a great place to get one. All I need is someone that understands that my “day job” is a stay at home father with a special needs son, and working with that schedule is my highest priority. At any rate, I would love to see what weaknesses and strengths in my position someone could help me find.
Shaun C. Kennedy's Bible Translation Blog 