I doubt that anyone who wanders by Coffespoons has ever heard the name Roy Melugin. He passed away last week at the age of 70 after an extended battle with cancer. He was a long time Old Testament professor at Austin (Presbyterian) College and spent his retirement years as a professor at Texas Christian University.
Roy was a world class scholar on the book of Isaiah. Isaiah scholarship over the last 150 years assumed that there were multiple writers, writing in different geographical and temporal contexts. They argued that Isaiah 1-39 addressed a very different historical setting than did chapters 40-66. Dr. Melugin was ardent in his view that this was mistaken. He explored the various connections between these two sections and argued that Isaiah is a single literary piece.
If he was theologically conservative, he was unashamedly liberal on social issues. He marched for racial justice in the 1960’s and was informed by the prophets as he consistently spoke out against the widespread injustices of our world today.
But none of that directly affected me. In 2001, I attended the regional meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature for the first time as a faculty member. I also presented my first paper to the conference. Dr. Melugin came to the session and heard my stuttering, sweaty, angst-ridden presentation. After it reached its miserable conclusion, he came up and made a few very charitable comments. I was stunned that this gifted academic would be so gracious as to offer me praise and encouragement after my first paper.
Later that evening as I arrived on my floor of the hotel, I stepped out of an elevator as he was stepping in. I quickly thanked him again and awkwardly said something to the effect that “If you ever see me make some mistake around this conference or commit some breech of academic etiquette, please let me know.”
The doors of the elevator began to shut, and in my mind’s eye I can still see his thin, wiry arm snake out to prevent the elevator doors from closing. He looked me in the eye, through his thick owlishly-round spectacles and said to me sternly. “I will Taran, I will. But remember, we are now colleagues and I will expect that you will do the same for me.”
That thought has remained with me until this day. Because as I transition (be it in the church, work, or personal worlds) from the stage in my life when I am the awkward newcomer to when I am the veteran expert, I hope that I will be as gracious, considerate and compassionate to those who come after me.
May he be received into God’s eternal rest.
Roy was a world class scholar on the book of Isaiah. Isaiah scholarship over the last 150 years assumed that there were multiple writers, writing in different geographical and temporal contexts. They argued that Isaiah 1-39 addressed a very different historical setting than did chapters 40-66. Dr. Melugin was ardent in his view that this was mistaken. He explored the various connections between these two sections and argued that Isaiah is a single literary piece.
If he was theologically conservative, he was unashamedly liberal on social issues. He marched for racial justice in the 1960’s and was informed by the prophets as he consistently spoke out against the widespread injustices of our world today.
But none of that directly affected me. In 2001, I attended the regional meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature for the first time as a faculty member. I also presented my first paper to the conference. Dr. Melugin came to the session and heard my stuttering, sweaty, angst-ridden presentation. After it reached its miserable conclusion, he came up and made a few very charitable comments. I was stunned that this gifted academic would be so gracious as to offer me praise and encouragement after my first paper.
Later that evening as I arrived on my floor of the hotel, I stepped out of an elevator as he was stepping in. I quickly thanked him again and awkwardly said something to the effect that “If you ever see me make some mistake around this conference or commit some breech of academic etiquette, please let me know.”
The doors of the elevator began to shut, and in my mind’s eye I can still see his thin, wiry arm snake out to prevent the elevator doors from closing. He looked me in the eye, through his thick owlishly-round spectacles and said to me sternly. “I will Taran, I will. But remember, we are now colleagues and I will expect that you will do the same for me.”
That thought has remained with me until this day. Because as I transition (be it in the church, work, or personal worlds) from the stage in my life when I am the awkward newcomer to when I am the veteran expert, I hope that I will be as gracious, considerate and compassionate to those who come after me.
May he be received into God’s eternal rest.
2 comments:
Taran, it would be an honor for anyone to receive such a wonderfully written tribute. I have never heard of him, but you make me wish I had.
Great post. Very nice euology. I hope you have some means of getting a copy of this to his family.
DD
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