Originality in theological research

The PhD business of course puts a premium on orignial and significant contributions to scholarship that are worthy of publication. 

One of my tutors liked to talk about whether it is possible to be both orginal and right in theology. Of course a certain sort of originality is easy: anyone can come up with a crazy new idea, but being both original and right is the trick.

So the theological researcher may have mixed emotions when he comes across an idea which he thought might be orginal to him already in print. He might be disappointed that it was not as orginal as he had imagined. But he might be encouraged that perhaps it is not too crazy. It may even be right.