More Thoughts on Gratitude and Entitlement

Further elaboration of the thought I shared by Wilford Andersen was provided by Elder Dale Renlund:

The concept—“the greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement”—also has profound spiritual applications. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the ultimate Givers. The more we distance ourselves from Them, the more entitled we feel. We begin to think that we deserve grace and are owed blessings. We are more prone to look around, identify inequities, and feel aggrieved—even offended—by the unfairness we perceive. While the unfairness can range from trivial to gut-wrenching, when we are distant from God, even small inequities loom large. We feel that God has an obligation to fix things—and fix them right now!

This would indicate that those who characterize themselves as "woke" are actually better described as entitled. One might think that gratitude might encourage individuals to have the blessings that one enjoys shared more widely with others. In my experience, gratitude is more gracious than grating.

Gratitude vs. Entitlement

Wilford W. Anderson has been credited with the following observation: “The greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement.”

I have been able to witness this principle in action many times. I have seen colleagues who openly mock the individuals who so graciously and generously donated the funds that allow them have employment. On the other hand, I have been impressed by one colleague who deliberately buys the products of a company that funds part of his research.

In the Old Kingdom, a number of wealthy individuals set up a series of endowments. The purpose of these endowments was to provide offerings for the deceased in perpetuity after they were gone. The endowments do not seem to have been used for the intended purpose more than one generation after the death of the donor. This may provide some historical evidence for Anderson's observation.

Gratitude in Mesopotamia

In his Assyrian dictionary, Simo Parpola lists the term karabu as meaning "to thank." One of the definitions that the Chicago Assyrian dictionary lists for karabu is:

to invoke blessings upon other persons (for a specific purpose) before the images of the gods, to pray to the gods.

Parpola also list karibu as meaning "thankful."

So in ancient Mesopotamia, like ancient Egypt, to thank someone was to pray to the gods on their behalf. As in Egypt, gratitude involved god.

This seems a long way from the modern world, and would be were it not for the fact that a relative of this Mesopotamian term has survived into English in two different forms. One of the Hebrew words related to karabu is kerub or cherub. The actual Akkadian cognate is thought to be karibu "thankful." The cherubim (the plural form of cherub) were woven into the curtains surrounding the tabernacle of Moses. In the temple of Solomon they were erected in three dimensions and larger than life surrounding the throne of God. 

The general depiction of the cherubs throughout the West Semitic world shares similarities, even though Phoenician and Israelite cherubs were not identical in form. The Phoenician word and the general form was borrowed into Greek as the gryps, which is the origin of English gryphon or griffin.

In a way, gratitude allows the cherubim to be in the presence of God and behold his face.

Gratitude in Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptian expression meaning "to thank" is dw3-ntr. Literally, it means "to praise god (for)." If you wanted to thank someone, you would praise god for them. An early example of this (from the Old Kingdom) is the inscription of Ptahwash:

His majesty praised him because of it; he praised god for him (i.e. he thanked him) more than anything. (Urk. I 44.)

Nearly three thousand years later the same expression is used in late Ptolemaic period manuscripts of the Book of Thoth:

May I praise god for you (i.e. let me thank you). (P. Berlin 15531 8/5)

Expressing thanks by praising god for someone centers the action on god rather than on the individual involved.

In the Ptolemaic Period, another expression for gratitude appeared: šp šms. Literally, it means "to receive service (from)" or "to receive worship (from)." This expression, while still related to the divine realm is not as centered on god as the previous one.

In Coptic, the idiom has changed again to šp hmot, meaning "to receive grace (from)" or "to receive a favor (from)" or even "to receive a gift from." The background assumption is that gratitude would always accompany the reception of a gift or favor. To do otherwise is unthinkable.

At least as framed in the Egyptian language, entitlement is culturally unheard of. Gratitude was automatic and acknowledge God. This is something worth pondering and applying in modern times.

Grace and Gratitude

Protestant Christianity emphasizes the concept of the grace of God, some even elevating the role of grace to preeminence by the slogan "by grace alone." This is a more recent development. As the scholar, Edward Schillebeeckx, noted that when one looks at

the theology of grace (charis and gratia) in the patristic writers, it is immediately evident that ‘grace’ did not formally become the centre of theological reflection until the later works of Augustine in his polemic with Pelagius. (Edward Schillebeeckx, Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord, trans. John Bowden (New York: Crossroad, 1983), 83)

In fact, Schillebeeckx observes that “the explicit theological use of charis in the New Testament is restricted almost exclusively to Paul and his school.” Jesus's use of the term, on the other hand, is “usually not with a theological meaning” (ibid.)

In most English versions of the New Testament, the term grace is a translation of Greek charis. One of the major definitions of charis is "thanks, gratitude" and this is the way that Jesus uses the term (as discussed in this article). As an exercise, try substituting "gratitude" for grace in New Testament passages (it may not always be the best translation, but it is food for thought). Here are some examples which I pulled off a Protestant site discussing grace:

We "grow in the gratitude and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 2:18).

"Be strengthened by the gratitude that is in Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:1).

"God is able to make all gratitude abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may about in every good work" (2 Corinthians 2:8).

"The abundance of gratitude and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).

In this season of gratitude, perhaps we should remember the way that Jesus used the term grace.

The Thank Offering

One of the basic offerings of the Law of Moses was the peace offering. A subcategory of peace offering was the thank offering (Leviticus 7:11-13). This offering, which was made of grain made into some sort of bread, or cake, or pastry, which was unleavened, Unlike the costly sacrifice of an entire animal, a thank offering did not need to be expensive. It was relatively simple expression of what came from the heart.

One of the things about this category of offerings that I have always appreciated is the name that they are given in the Septuagint: θυσίας σωτηρίου, the sacrifice of salvation. There is thus a connection between gratitude and salvation. That is something to be grateful for.

A Familiar Hymn

 

For two weeks in a row I was treated to hearing a favorite hymn from my mission days. It seems fitting to share.

 

Ολοι εμπρος μαζι

 

Ολ’εμπρος μαζι στο εργο του Θεου

Να κερδισουμε βασιλεια ουρανου.

Στου δικαιου τον αγων ας υψωθει

Της αληθειας το σπαθι.

 

Δεν δειλιαζοθμε κι ας μην ειμαστε πολλοι,

Συγκρινομενοι με τη δυναμη τ’εχθρου.

Μια αορατη δυναμη οδηγει

Στην αληθεια την λαμπρη.

 

Δεν φοβομαστε, βοηθαει ο Θεος

Ολους που ζητουν να κανουν το καλο.

Στις δυσκολες στιγμες χαροποιει

Κι η αληθεια θα τιμηθει

 

Μη φοβασαι κι ας χλευαζει ο εχθρος.

Θαρρος, στο πλευρο σ’ειν’ο Θεος.

Των κακων λογια καθολου μην ακους,

Μονο τον Θεο να υπακους.

 

Μη φοβασαι κι ας χλευαζει ο εχθρος.

Να’χας θαρρος, γιατι στο πλευρο σ’ειν’ο Θεος.

Μη φοβασαι τις απειλες απ’τους κακους,

Παρα μονο τον Πατερα και Θεο να υπακους.

 

Sacrifice, Entitlement, and Higher Education

I have noticed two trends in higher education that may be correlated.

The first trend has to do with the exorbitant cost of higher education which has been generally rising at a much higher rate than inflation, and has been for decades.

The trend I am interested in, however, is a by-product of this larger trend. Because the cost of higher education, particularly of an advanced degree, has been rising so quickly it has resulted long ago in the phenomenon that individuals who got advanced degrees in certain subjects, like the humanities, being incapable of getting a job upon graduation that would allow them to pay back their student loans. The problem became so severe that many graduate schools did something about it.

About fifteen to twenty years ago, most graduate schools moved to the model of not accepting any student unless they could fully fund them. This seemed to be the socially responsible thing to do. It is, on a certain level. There are two problems with it, however.

The first problem is that a number of students are denied the opportunity to get an education that might otherwise benefit them because the graduate schools will only admit students it can fully fund. These students cannot reach their full potential because access to the education is denied them.

Unfortunately, not all graduate schools are wise in their selection of graduate students. For example, during the time that I was a graduate student at Yale, every student selected to receive the top scholarship failed to finish their graduate program. There were all sorts of reasons given for the problem and probably a different reason could be given for each student. I mention it merely to point out that the track record of selecting graduate students to receive money at that particular school at that particular time was not great.

The second trend I am interested in is the much discussed sense of entitlement supposedly found among millennials. I do not think this is necessarily accurate because I do not think it is necessarily a generational thing. I know a number of individuals from earlier generations (including early boomers) that also manifest a sense of entitlement disproportionate to their accomplishments. Whether the sense of entitlement is increasing or not, those who have the misfortune of working with those who are entitled generally agree that having a sense of entitlement is not a good thing.

I do not have data at the moment to support a correlation, but it seems to me that the first trend directly feeds into the second trend. That is, fully funding graduate students without their having to work for it might promote a sense of entitlement in them. It is a hypothesis that at least can be tested.

With that in mind, some time ago, I encountered a little essay about the sacrifices that some people still make to get an education. Having made some sacrifices for my education I appreciate stories like this of the sacrifices made. We need more of them.

Announcing: Saving Faith

Almost three and a half years ago, my book An Introduction to the Book of Abraham was announced by Deseret Book. When it was announced a certain individual or group of individuals launched a campaign to have the book suppressed. This delayed the release of the book a number of months (it was over a year from the announcement of the book to its actual release). To forestall something similar happening I have waited to announce my new book, Saving Faith, until it has actually come off the press.



The book is physically in print. I received a physical copy on March 18, but have delayed the announcement until it was actually released. You can order it here or here. Although the book is scheduled to be officially released May 11, I have heard of people already receiving copies.

The book deals with the narrative that youth are leaving the Church in droves. The data do not support this narrative, but those promoting the narrative sometimes seem to be more interested in telling tall tales than telling truth. A more careful examination of the data shows important information about not only the numbers of those who lose their faith, but how and why they do so.  The data also show what factors are statistically correlated with keeping faith, and that a host of proposed solutions have no data to back them up or worse can be shown to be counter-productive. Readers of this blog will have noticed that I have tackled some of these issues here before. We have probably passed the point where we should be doing apologetics without good data.

Those who know me will not be surprised that I also have provided a few scattered references to history, archaeology, and philology. The book, after all, did have its origin at an international archaeological conference where I was giving a philological paper.

New Data on Ulisum

Just this morning the Journal of Near Eastern Studies posted a new issue with an article by Nashat Alkhafaji and Gianni Marchesi called "Naram-Sin’s War against Armanum and Ebla in a Newly-Discovered Inscription from Tulul al-Baqarat."

The inscription gives us much more information about Naram-Sin's campaign into the area around Ebla. The information it provides is material we had not even dreamed about knowing before.

The new inscription published in the article is also important for the on-going discussion about the location of Ulisum, about which I once wrote an article. The inscription gives us one clue about the location of Ulisum that we did not previously have, but it does not supply enough information to positively locate the site.

Congratulations to Alkhafaji and Marchesi for publishing this important inscription.

An Ancient Plague

A few notes on the Hittite plague:

It begins after the Hittite prince, Zannanza, was assassinated on the way to Egypt.

Dismissing the protestations of innocence from the new pharaoh Ay, a bereaved and angry Suppiluliuma immediately took punitive action, sending Hittite troops into the Egyptian-held territories. Ironically, the Egyptian prisoners whom they transported back to Hattis from these campaigns were blamed for the pagues that wreaked havoc in the Hittite heartland for the next two decades. Six years after his conquest of Karkamis, Suppiluliuma died, probably from this very plague. His son and successor, Arnuwanda II, also succumbed to it after little more than a year on the throne.

(Billie Jean Collins, The Hittites and Their World [Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007], 49.)

It continued to be a problem for Suppiluliuma's successor, Mursili:

The plague that Suppiluliuma had brough home from his conquests in Syria continued to rage unabated throughout the kingdom well into the latter half of Mursili's reign. There was no question that this scourge had been brought on by an angry deity, but Mursili had to find the source of its anger. Oracular inquiry identified three possible causes, each attributable to Suppiluliuma. Among the possibilities was a retaliatory attack Suppiluliuma had made on Egyptian-held Amka, which, it turned out, was a violation of an old treaty between Hatti and Egypt. Wile maintaining that the responsibility for the plague did not rest with him personally, Musili promptly made restitution for his father's lapses.

(Collins, The Hittites and Their World, 51-52.)

 Here's hoping the current plague does not last two decades.

An Observation from Agatha Christie

Over seventy years ago, Agatha Christie made the following observation in an exchange between her protagonist and a scientist:

I said, "You mightn't want money for yourself--but wisely directed, money may do a lot of interesting things. It can endow research, for example."

I had supposed that Clemency might be a fanatic about her work, but she merely said:

"I doubt if endowments ever do much good. They're usually spent in the wrong way. The things that are worth while are usually accomplished by someone with enthusiasm and drive--and with natural vision. Expensive equipment and training and experiment never does what you'd imagine it might do. The spending of it usually gets into the wrong hands."

(Agatha Christie, Crooked House [New York: Pocket Books, 1951], 131.)

The copyright date on the book is 1948, but the sentiment sounds very modern.

Four years ago, Elder Dale G. Renlund shared an insight into why Agatha Christie's observation holds true:

“The greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement.”

I have seen that his insight is true.

Some Cross-Disciplinary Advice

In this thoughtful piece, a law school dean reflects on what recent events in athletics have to with living with integrity as a lawyer. The recommendations seem applicable on a wider scale.

Getting Religion Wrong

While one might expect a religious studies scholar to know something basic about religion, that is not always the case. Consider, for example, the following passage from a recent Oxford University Press book on religion by Tim Clydesdale, Professor of Sociology at the College of New Jersey, and Kathleen Garces-Foley, Professor of Religious Studies at Marymount University. In discussing a survey that they conducted, they note that

1 out of 11 indicate Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Eastern Orthodox, or "other non-Christian" religion (hereafter, "other" religion).

They scarcely discuss those in the other religion category. I suspect because, as a sociologist, Clydesdale knows that the sample is so statistically small that it may not be responsible to do so. Instead the authors say that they have decided to focus

on the lives of the 91% of American twentysomethings who affiliate with Christianity (Catholic or Protestant) or have no religious affiliation.

 (Tim Clydesdale and Kathleen Garces-Foley, The Twenty-something Soul (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 24.)

Latter-day Saints are used to being mischaracterized, and one would not necessarily expect a sociologist to get denominational distinctions sorted out, but apparently it is too much to expect a professor of religious studies to know that Eastern Orthodox Christians are Christians.

News on Donor Intent

This article is about a month old but tells an interesting story about what happened when Sherlock Hibbs tried to pass on what he learned to the rising generation (another report here, the other side here). Hibbs set up an endowment at his alma mater, the University of Missouri, to teach the Ludwig von Mises Austrian School of Economics that helped him become so successful. Von Mises advocated for free markets and the role of the entrepreneur. Apparently, the University of Missouri was happy to accept Hibbs's millions but was not so enamored with von Mises and his economics and so was using the money for other purposes. Many academics follow economic theories along the following lines: What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine too.

Hibbs, however, was wiser than many philanthropists and gave an outside organization power to police the use of the funds. When that outside organization discovered that the University of Missouri was not following the donor intent, they sued the University of Missouri. The court ruled that the University of Missouri was not following donor intent and must surrender the funds. There is probably a lesson in here somewhere.