Bailey, Article 1 "Informal Controlled Oral Tradition & the Synoptic Gospels" (Them 20.

2 Jan 1995, 4-11) John Hogg was the founder of the community. Stories of what he did and said, particularly in contexts of conflict, became a part of the tradition of the community, and were passed on in their haflat samar. Rena Hogg dipped into that tradition in 1910 [?1914?]. I dipped into the same tradition in 1955-65 and found the same stories told in almost the same way. The tradition will last in those villages as long as the community he founded survives or until they acquire electricity and television. ... Thus far we have been examining only old material and how it is preserved, controlled and passed on. What then of more recent material? Here we would observe an oral tradition community as it enters new material into its oral store of recollections judged worthy of preservation. The case we have in mind centres in the nineteenth century around John Hogg, a Scottish missionary who was the founder of many of the Protestant churches in the south of Egypt. A biography of John Hogg was published by his daughter in 1914,32 primarily from his letters and papers. But, in the tradition of Plutarch mentioned above, she also used oral sources. Indeed, her father had been dead only twenty-eight years when she was assembling her material. John Hogg was the primary founder of the new Egyptian Evangelical community. Each village had and has its own stories of what he said and did. The more dramatic of these stories have moved from village to village among evangelicals, but each account is primarily preserved in the village of origin. 1) In the late fifties I encountered this same tradition. One village proudly told of how he was preaching in a village courtyard and the mayor, anxious to cause trouble, sent a village guard up onto the adjoining roof to urinate on him. Hogg stepped aside, took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his head and continued preaching without looking up. The mayor was so shamed and impressed that after inquiry and study he joined the infant church and became one of its leaders. Bailey Rena Hogg, Master Builder on the Nile (Revell, 1914) Heat was not the only discomfort connected with itineracy. In many a village insults were heaped upon him.

In the village of al-Muti'ah he anchored his houseboat on the river at the edge of the village. After some time village children began gathering and in turn composed a taunt song which they sang every time he came down from or returned to the houseboat. The taunt song was along the following lines: Mister John Hogg is too tall. Crack his head and see him fall. Hour after hour, day after day, this became tiresome. Hogg decided that something had to be done. So he purchased a large sack of

hard candy and told the children that he really appreciated their song. Would they sing it for him? Delighted, the children then sang the song with gusto. He then expressed gratitude and passed out hard candy to the singers as a reward. This continued for a number of days until the sack of hard candy was finally finished. On the next occasion they sang the taunt song as usual. He offered his usual thanks and praise, but there was no candy. The children complained, 'Where is our candy?' He answered, 'I don't have any more candy.' They responded testily, 'Well, if you don't give us any candy we won't come here and sing your song for you!!' The candy was not forthcoming and so the children stomped off, never to return. The incident occurred about 1870. It was proudly reported to me in 1961 by the alMuti'ah Evangelical community, complete with taunt song. In a trouble-maker's home in the village of Not infrequently the filth of the streets was Nazlet al-Milk Hogg was asked, 'Dr Hogg, do flung after him by the way, you seek to obey what is written in the Gospels?' 'I do,' answered Hogg. 'Very well then,' they said, 'in the Gospel it says that the evangelist is to eat what is set before him. Do you accept that?' 'Yes,' came the reply, whereupon they placed in front of him a dried cow manure patty of the type that village homes use for cooking fuel and said to him, 'Very well, then, eat this!' Hogg reflected momentarily and answered quietly, 'Da akl innar. Eddini akl al-bashar wa akulha' (This is food for a fire. Give me food for people and I will eat it). The present writer is fully confident that the above Arabic sentence is a record of Hogg's exact words spoken once over a hundred years ago and here recorded for the first time. and words as filthy were called loudly in contempt and derision as he passed, In the late fifties I encountered this same while on one occasion vile water was poured tradition. One village proudly told of how he on his head through a gap in the ceiling of a was preaching in a village courtyard and the room from which his audience had been mayor, anxious to cause trouble, sent a village forcibly ejected. guard up onto the adjoining roof to urinate on

him. Hogg stepped aside, took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his head and continued preaching without looking up. The mayor was so shamed and impressed that after inquiry and study he joined the infant church and became one of its leaders.

2) In a trouble-maker's home in the village of Nazlet al-Milk Hogg was asked, 'Dr Hogg, do you seek to obey what is written in the Gospels?' 'I do,' answered Hogg. 'Very well then,' they said, 'in the Gospel it says that the evangelist is to eat what is set before him. Do you accept that?' 'Yes,' came the reply, whereupon they placed in front of him a dried cow manure patty of the type that village homes use for cooking fuel and said to him, 'Very well, then, eat this!' Hogg reflected momentarily and answered quietly, 'Da akl in-nar. Eddini akl al-bashar wa akulha' (This is food for a fire. Give me food for people and I will eat it). The present writer is fully confident that the above Arabic sentence is a record of Hogg's exact words spoken once over a hundred years ago and here recorded for the first time. 3) In the village of al-Muti'ah he anchored his houseboat on the river at the edge of the village. After some time village children began gathering and in turn composed a taunt song which they sang every time he came down from or returned to the houseboat. The taunt song was along the following lines: Mister John Hogg is too tall. Crack his head and see him fall. Hour after hour, day after day, this became tiresome. Hogg decided that something had to be done. So he purchased a large sack of hard candy and told the children that he really appreciated their song. Would they sing it for him? Delighted, the children then sang the song with gusto. He then expressed gratitude and passed out hard candy to the singers as a reward. This continued for a number of days until the sack of hard candy was finally finished. On the next occasion they sang the taunt song as usual. He offered his usual thanks and praise, but there was no candy. The children complained, 'Where is our candy?' He answered, 'I don't have any more candy.' They responded testily, 'Well, if you don't give us any candy we won't come here and sing your song for you!!' The candy was not forthcoming and so the children stomped off, never to return. The incident occurred about 1870. It was proudly reported to me in 1961 by the al-Muti'ah Evangelical community, complete with taunt song. 4) Before the First World War John Hogg's daughter dipped into this same oral tradition and in her biography of him told how he was waylaid at night by a band of robbers who demanded valuables. He quickly surrendered a gold watch and his money, but indicated that he had a treasure worth far more. They were curious. He pulled a small book from his pocket and spent

the entire night telling them of the treasures it contained. By morning the band, convicted of the evil of their ways, sought to return his watch and money and pledged themselves to give up highway robbery. Hogg took the watch but insisted that they keep his money, and indeed then financed the gang personally [p.9] until they could establish themselves in legal employment. Thus, like Plutarch (and St Luke, cf. Lk. 1:1-2), Rena Hogg had available to her both written and oral sources. Bailey 4) Before the First World War John Hogg's daughter dipped into this same oral tradition and in her biography of him An Old Patriarch's version Of one of the most popular [local tales about Dr Hogg's many hardships,] his own account [also] remains to show how fact and fancy mingle in such current lore. The story has many versions and we tell it as related by a fine old patriarch. At a village many miles distant from Assiut Dr. Hogg had been paying one of his periodic visits. The evening meeting was over and the missionary had sat late in conversation with his host and his friends, when to the amazement of all he rose to bid them adieu. In vain they urged him to spend the night with them, expatiating on the length of the way and the robbers that infested the district. He would neither await the daylight nor accept an escort. His work necessitated his reaching Assiut by morning, and in the Lord's keeping he was as safe as with armed men. Rena Hogg's corrected version It seems heartless to destroy so romantic a tale, but the original story itself deserves preservation as recounted by the chief actors Dr. Hogg and Mr. Shenoodeh Hanna, his companion on the historic occasion. Their story runs as follows: After a hasty breakfast on a hot Saturday in June, the two friends left the "Ibis" [their boat] at sunrise to walk to the village of Tahta two and a half miles distance from the river [Nile]. They were warmly received by the only Protestant in the place, before starting out [that evening after dinner] with a suitable escort to ride [back] to the river [where their boat was].

A jolting donkey is no happy sequel to a hasty meal, and Dr. Hogg, finding his companion unable to ride and his escort restive under enforced delay, decided that they would complete their journey on foot and unaccompanied. The servants with some polite demur gladly availed themselves of the reprieve, and the two preachers started riverward alone. When they [Hogg & Shenoodeh Hanna]

told how he was waylaid at night by a band of robbers

He had not walked far in the dense darkness when he was accosted by a robber band

who demanded valuables. He quickly surrendered a gold watch and his money,

who demanded his gold watch and purse. These he surrendered without demur,

reached the water's edge the boat was not in sight, and whether the landing lay north or south they could not tell. Some men when accosted [i.e., they asked for directions] misled them, either by mistake or of set purpose, their lack of a lantern perhaps arousing suspicions, and the night wore on in fruitless and solitary wanderings. Suddenly they observed on the river bank a man, innocent of clothes and bearing a gun, who started towards them till arrested by the sight of their shouldered umbrellas, which in the starlight passed easily for firearms. [[Mr. Shenoodeh says [in a sermon he wrote the next morning using the trip as a lesson], "This made us certain that these men were highway robbers (a most natural inference as they were in a neighbourhood infested by them)]] [[Dr. Hogg states [in his diary] that the men were about to shoot them in selfdefence, having received warning in their village an hour before that two suspicious characters were wandering along the bank, and having come for the express purpose of watching their melon crop against the marauders.]] The younger man [Shenoodeh Hanna] was distracted with fear, and still more so when he heard the sound of swimmers in the river perhaps coming to join their naked friend in some

but indicated that he had a treasure worth far more. They were curious.

surprising his marauders with the gratuitous information that he had with him still another treasure that he would gladly add to their store.

He pulled a small book from his pocket and spent the entire night telling them of the treasures it contained.

To their chagrin all that he [Hogg] drew from his pocket was a small book, but his audience were soon so entranced by the magic of his tongue and of that priceless Word, that their greed speedily vanished, their consciences awoke, and they began to hunger for salvation.

bloody deed. [i.e., rob them by violence] The two wanderers walked on as if unheeding, but when a little distance was gained, turned inland, running rapidly to reach a point invisible from the beach. Avoiding Scylla, they came as it seemed upon Charybdis -- a group of smokers, three men and a boy, two of them [217] armed and with the usual vicious guard of watch-dogs. Dr. Hogg thought it best to throw himself frankly on their protection, and as the dogs sprang forward with a threatening welcome, "Call off your dogs," he cried, "and I shall tell you a story that will make you laugh." A discussion followed, and they were soon received within the smoking circle to spend the remainder of the night in this strange company. [[The younger man [Shenoodeh Hanna], during the colloquy [i.e., dialogue] that preceded the promise of a night's protection, spent the time in anxious prayer except when personally addressed.]] As sleep was distant, it was proposed to pass the time in songs and tales, and Mr. Shenoodeh chose a Bible story that gave him the opportunity of dwelling on the sin of murder and the fearful punishment awaiting the guilty, a tale which brought from one of his listeners the confession that only his brother's intervention had prevented him from shooting

at Mr. Shenoodeh on his first approach. Towards morning the air grew cold, and the missionary, made anxious by his young friend's cough, dug a deep hole for him in the sand and buried him to the neck, after which both secured some broken sleep. By morning the band, convicted of the evil of their ways, sought to return his watch and money and pledged themselves to give up highway robbery. Hogg took the watch but insisted that they keep his money, and indeed then financed the gang personally [p.9] until they could establish themselves in legal employment. Before morning dawned the whole band had been converted and were eager to return to him his stolen goods.

But the purse he refused, and as one and all, Copts and Moslems alike, had decided to abandon their life of robbery, he supported them liberally from that time forward out of his own pocket until they had learned to earn an honest living and had become respected and God-fearing members of the Church!

At dawn one of their guard accompanied them to the boat, lying miles from the spot at which they had encamped, and received for the service a backsheesh that sent him away blessing their memory.

Bailey, Article 2 "Mid East Oral Trad & the Synoptic Gospels" (TExpT, v106, 1994, pp 363367) So much for ancient material. What of the recent past? Here I would recount briefly one documentable occurrence of relatively recent origin. The primary founder of the Protestant church in Egypt was Dr John Hogg of Scotland. Hogg came to Egypt in 1854 and after thirty years of life and witness died there in 1886. Twenty eight years later his daughter, Rena Hogg, published an account of her father's life. Her sources were his papers and the stories she collected about her father from village people in numerous village churches across the south of Egypt. These villagers spoke only Arabic. In 1914 Rena Hogg published her book in America,(6) The villagers never knew of its existence. During 1957-64 I was preaching and teaching in those same village churches which John Hogg founded. From the grandchildren of Rena Hogg's informers I heard the same stories intact with roughly ninety percent of the same words I was told of important conversations, scenes of conflict with the village mayor, and of confrontations with those who tried unsuccessfully to humiliate the great man. I met one eyewitness! Indeed, conflict stories were a significant part of the orally preserved collection. For some of them, like Luke, I had both written and oral sources. I could read them in English from the 1914 book in

my hand or hear them recited in Arabic by the communities he founded. The events recalled were only thirty to forty years old when Rena Hogg gathered her data. They were only ninety years old when they were told to me. What is ninety years in a world with five thousand years of recorded history? John Hogg was the founder of their community. He shaped their new identity. To forget what he said and did was to forget a critical part of who they were (Let the reader understand!). 6) R. L. Hogg, Master Builder on the Nile (Revell, 1914).