The Great Defender

In mid-December, Brad defended his dissertation.

We moved to Durham six-and-a-half years ago for Brad to begin his doctoral program. We have lived a LOT of life in those years. Brad's dissertation defense was the culmination of all that living, and WE ARE SO PROUD.

Thanks to the pandemic, his defense didn't look like what we imagined. Rather than meeting his committee on campus and being allowed to have fans there to cheer him on, he defended via Zoom with his fans (the girls and me) downstairs watching a Christmas movie (while I kept a steady stream of snacks flowing) in an attempt to keep things quiet.

After years in the culture of doctoral work, I've learned that it's a loaded question to ask people what their dissertations are about. Generally, people are incapable of answering that question succinctly or in a way that makes sense to anyone outside of their (highly specific) field of study. So, to the best of my ability, here's a layman's recap of Brad's dissertation:

After two years of course work (regular classes) and a year of studying/reading/passing his exams, Brad spent two more years translating (from Byzantine Greek into English) Cyril of Alexandria's tome, Against Julian, which was Cyril's response to Julian the Apostate's tome, Against the Galileans. Julian lived almost a century before Cyril, had been raised with Christian teaching, and sought to return the Roman empire to a pagan state. He wrote Against the Galileans as a persuasive argument against Christianity. Cyril, a century later, felt that Julian's work was still causing damage in the Christian community and wrote a rebuttal, Against Julian, of which there is not a published English translation. That's what Brad spent two years doing.

After he did the translating, he then wrote about it. 150,000 words about it. Here's his boiled-down-to-the-smallest-fragment summary: "it analyzes the intellectual conflict between Cyril and Julian, concluding that they inhabit rivaling rationalities and that the conflict thus extends to the narrative frameworks of their traditions- they try to outnarrate their rival."

No, I have not read it. I have read bits and pieces, and I have had lengthy discussions with Brad about it, though. And although I haven't read it, I have never been prouder of a piece of writing. Actual blood, sweat, and tears went into the creation of that dissertation; nearly a decade of our lives has been invested in it. It's the most valuable body of written work that we own, to be sure. 

While he defended, we tried to keep things quiet downstairs with our movie and snacks, and we also made Cardboard Congratulations + a special Christmas ornament for him.

"Congrats, Doctor Daddy!"

Smiles all around!

Lily drew a family portrait.

Our ornament honoring the other fuel to the dissertation flame: gallons and gallons of coffee. We paired this gift with an insulated mug from one of his favorite local coffee places.

After he finished, we hooted and hollered and danced around with our cardboard signs for a bit. I taught the girls to sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," and they still sing it to me every day when I walk down the stairs. Then, I set them up with another movie so that Brad and I could order Door Dash burgers (we're big celebratory spenders over here) and hash it all out. I couldn't be there in person for the defense, so I got the Wife's Special, wherein nothing goes in a linear format, it comes out in very fragmented sections, and there are extra retellings of the best parts. 

I wouldn't have it any other way. 

And, we got documentation of one of the proudest moments of my life.

Please note that I remembered to wear the appropriate color and everything.