5 Weeks: What Have I Achieved at Tyndale House?

My time at Tyndale House, Cambridge, has almost come to an end. I will be flying home tomorrow night. Time flies, and 5 weeks just seem like a few days for me. I have been clocking in almost 10-12 hours of work in the library daily from Mondays to Saturdays, not to mention that I continue to work most of the evenings when I got home [I hope this can assure my colleague that my trip to Cambridge is really work. He keeps on teasing me and insisting that I am having a nice vacation in Cambridge with plenty of 'kiau kah' (literally means 'shaking legs' or 'crossing legs') sessions. Well, to be honest, I don't even have time to 'kiau kah' although I truly wish I could!]

So what have I achieved in these 5 weeks?

First, I have completed a draft of a 8000-word essay that will be published in a compendium of essays on Paul and Identity Formation to be published by T&T Clark next year.

Secondly, I have also made some progress in my writing for my book on Paul's Use of Images in the Corinthian Correspondence. I've made some changes to the introductory chapter and further clarified the methodology. I also did some additional writing on some of the chapters, tidied up some of the arguments, and also updated my reading on issues related to these chapters.

Although my progress falls short of my initial target, I must say I am still pleased with the achievements thus far. It would have been nice if I have a 4-5-month sabbatical soon, then I would be able to complete the first draft of the book. But I have to accept the reality of teaching in Malaysia that sabbatical is a privilege and not a right, so I am not sure where such privilege will be accorded. Nevertheless, I am thankful I have the 5-week period to work on the book - that itself I am grateful.

I will miss Tyndale House and its excellent resources.