A Temporary Goodbye

This will be my one hundred thirty-sixth weekly blog or slide show--usually posted early on Saturday mornings--that The Huffington Post published. For now, this blog will be my last one. Before I explain why, I want to comment about the graciousness and professionalism of The Huffington Post and its readers.

At no time did the Huff-Post edit a single word of what I wrote, nor was there ever any effort to suggest that I write about some subjects or refrain from writing about others. I wrote on a variety of topics, but more about religious subjects than any other. The Huffington Post gave me complete editorial freedom. No writer could have been treated with greater respect.

I also want to thank the many readers who, from time to time, thanked me for writing the blogs. Some readers paid me what I considered one of the highest complements a writer could receive. They told me that they did not always agree with my positions, but said what I wrote caused them to think deeply about the subject and that they appreciated the objective way I treated the subjects. Of course, there were a few "crazies" who just wanted to disagree with everything anyone wrote and posted argumentative comments that, many times, made little sense, at least to me. But for the most part, the readers were very supportive, and I say, "Thank you."

Now for the reason for temporarily not continuing to write a weekly blog. As most of you probably know, the difference between a PhD degree and all other degrees is that a PhD degree is awarded for original research--research on a new subject or about new materials relating to a subject that has been written about earlier. I did that at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, being awarded a PhD degree in 1963 for research I did relating to the Old Testament and later Jewish literature prior to the time of Jesus (materials that were written during the Intertestamental Period, the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament).

Some additional materials have come to my attention that would continue my earlier research through the life of Jesus--through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As nearly as I can determine, this is original material that no one has delved into. It is a major undertaking, especially for an eighty-two year old man, whose Hebrew and Greek are a little rusty, but it is a scholar's dream. I will not be working alone, but I will be the lead person. I estimate that it will be a full-time task that will take at least eighteen months--possibly longer--to complete. My wife and four children are very supportive of my taking on this academic endeavor about a religious subject that has been grossly misunderstood.

At this point in time, I prefer not to comment on the subject matter of this material, but from time to time I will keep you informed as to my progress.

In the meantime, I solicit your prayers for wisdom, good judgment, and energy. For now, I will say, "Goodbye"--until we meet again in The Huffington Post.