My birthday is on October 8.

Having a “milestone” birthday during these days of COVID-19, with social distancing, masking, and the like is pretty sucktastic. I mean, I wouldn’t have a big to-do anyway (not my speed) but I feel like doing something. So last week (Oct. 1) on the Twitter (@RickBrannan is my account), I offered the following:

It’s October 1, so you know what that means, folks. My birthday is ONE WEEK from today. Moving from “seven sevens” to the Jubilee. No huge celebration planned. #ThanksCovid So throw your own party in my honor, read some Greek (or a translation), and drink some good local [beer emoji]

@RickBrannan

I’d like to make it official. Help me celebrate my birthday on Friday, October 8 by:

• Reading some non-New Testament Greek (or translation thereof)
• Enjoying the beverage of your choice
• Tweet what you’re reading (picture optional) with the #RicksGreek50th hashtag

New to this stuff? Don’t have a favorite Green Loeb to pull from the shelf? Need some suggestions for non-NT Greek? Here are a few:

• Apocrypha/Deuterocanon. I recommend:
  • Judith
  • Tobit
  • Additions to Daniel (Susanna particularly)
• Apostolic Fathers. I recommend:
  • Second Clement
  • Didache
  • Epistle to Diognetus
  • Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians
  • Martyrdom of Polycarp
• Christian Apocrypha. I recommend:
  • Protevangelium of James
  • Gospel of Peter
  • Acts of Pilate (with Descent of Christ to Hades)
  • First Apocryphal Apocalypse of John

Or read whatever the heck you want to. It doesn’t even have to be Christian.

If you want to read something I’ve suggested, but can’t find a text (Greek or English), let me know (before Friday would be best) and I’ll see what I can do.

Bottom line: Just get into some Greek literature of some sort and enjoy it. Let me know what you read, it’ll make me smile.

And if there’s one thing we all need these days, it is more smiling.