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Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

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evangelists
Matthew

Dating Matthew, (Part 1)

When might the Gospel according to Matthew have been written? Of course, any answer can only be speculation, but that does not mean we are reduced to groundless opinion. In this series of articles I point the way to an approach different from the general consensus among scholars today which…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 22, 2016
hebrew-manuscript-3
Hermeneutics

Synopticity, (Part 2)

In my first essay on “synopticity” I offered a rather rough definition of the phenomenon and important, though not exhaustive examples. In this essay, I want to introduce broader aspects of the phenomenon of “synopticity.” The first example that I have in mind is conventional stories, stories of different historical…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 17, 2016
screen-shot-2016-03-31-at-9-32-11-am
Ascension

Brexit and the Binding of Satan, Part 4

Since the judgment of Babel was followed by the initiation of the circumcision, the impending end of the circumcision in AD70 explains the significance of the first century miracle of foreign tongues. Except for a few Aramaic “teasers” in the book of Daniel, the Word of God was monolingual and…

by Mike BullNovember 15, 2016
four-evangelists
Hermeneutics

Synopticity, (Part 1)

To the best of my knowledge “synopticity” is not a word used in theology or Biblical studies, but it seems an appropriate word to describe the kind of phenomena associated with the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three Gospels tell essentially the same story with significant — sometimes…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 10, 2016
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Humor

Learning to Laugh

Humor is a funny thing. It is altogether familiar yet also mysterious. What makes us laugh? Why do we find things funny? There are academic fields of study dedicated to discovering what makes things humorous. These academicians even have a journal entitled International Journal of Humor Research . No joke.…

by Bill SmithNovember 8, 2016
chaucer
Literature

Flawed Means of Grace: Liturgy in The Pardoner's Tale

Out of all the characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales , the Pardoner has been called the “one lost soul.” The pious Parson, who closes out the collection of tales with a sermon on the seven deadly sins and how a sinner can absolve himself of them, connects the…

by Christian LeithartNovember 3, 2016

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A Walk Through Trinity’s Liturgy, Part 1

This continues a Sunday School series on worship, interrupted by the holidays and resumed on Sunday, January 23. INTRODUCTION In our previous studies, we have laid out some basic biblical patterns for worship. First, we examined the sacrificial character of worship, showing how the sequence of OT sacrifice provides a…

January 22, 2005

A Walk Through Trinity’s Liturgy, Part 1

This continues a Sunday School series on worship, interrupted by the holidays and resumed on Sunday, January 23. INTRODUCTION In our previous studies, we have laid out some basic biblical patterns for worship. First, we examined the sacrificial character of worship, showing how the sequence of OT sacrifice provides a…

January 22, 2005

Neologisms

My son Christian is making up words, and I’m hoping to get them into wider circulation. Gauble: n., a bauble of exceptional gaudiness. Chucklement: n., merriment expressed with uncontrollable chuckling. As in, “He was overcome with chucklement.” Shrinkle: v., to shrink and wrinkle simultaneously; or, what plastic does in the…

January 20, 2005
Literature

Girard on Troilus and Cressida

Girard has tpyically provocative and stimulating things to say about Troilus & Cressida (in Theater of Envy ). 1) He focuses attention on Pandarus as a representative of ?desire made man.?EHis business is to inflame Troilus and Cressida to love, which he does through exaggerated praise of the one to…

January 20, 2005
Literature

Notes on Troilus and Cressida

Scattered notes from Augostino Lombardo, ?Fragments and scraps?Ein Piero Boitani, The European Tragedy of Troilus (Clarendon, 1989). 1) Love seems to be taking hold in the midst of war at the beginning of the play, with Troilus removing his arms to win the war that takes place within him and…

January 20, 2005

Translation, 1 Kings 14

In that time became ill Aviyyah, son of Yarav?am. And said Yarav?am to his wife, ?Arise, please, And change yourself And they will not know that you [are] the wife of Yarav?am And walk/go to Shiloh. Behold there [is] Achiyyah the prophet He himself spoke concerning me as king over…

January 19, 2005

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