Alfred Wenski | Homepage

It’s one of those words that can expand and contract, “community.” Depending on the context, I can use “the Markan community” to suggest a network of hive-minded members whose shared values, rituals, oral traditions, etc went into the making of their own Gospel (a collaborative effort, obviously). And when someone challenges my broad conception–here’s looking at you, Walsh!–I can retreat into “All I’m saying is the author wrote with a certain readership in mind, people he saw as potentially receptive to his message.” (Of course, any book fits that description.) And after I’ve gotten her to back off, I can forget the exchange and go back to using the word word exactly as I’ve done before. Looks like it’s here to stay! (An example of the motte-and-bailey fallacy…. One of my favourites!)