Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The Blessing of the Father The narrative of the Exodus makes it clear that Yahweh is Israel’s Father. Moses is told to declare to Pharaoh that “Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me’” (Exodus 4:22-23). In contrast to…
When reading the Old Testament, the believer faces two dilemmas. First, there is a seemingly sharp discontinuity between the universal proclamation of the gospel to the whole earth and God’s singling out of the nation of Israel. Second, the New Testament says of Jesus that “there is no other name…
John 17 contains the longest prayer that we have from Jesus, and it shows us the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son in a way that few passages do. The prayer lays out the chiastic pattern noted by Athanasius (God became man so that man could become God),…
The following meditation on the incarnation is paraphrased and quoted from Karl Barth, The Doctrine of Reconciliation (Church Dogmatics, Vol. 4, Part 1) , pp. 185ff. In the incarnation, the eternal Son of God makes His way into a far country, and takes on the form of a servant. “But…
Peter says "baptism saves you" (1 Peter 3:21). Does the New Testament teach that "baptism justifies you"? I think the answer is Yes. That's a controversial answer, and demands some defense and explanation, but first some critical qualifications. No New Testament text states "baptism justifies you," so my argument will…
In his THI article “ Son of David, Son of Abraham ,” Peter Leithart notes that Matthew's genealogy “contains a summary of redemptive history.” This statement is only too true and one that deserves further elucidation. Biblos genese ō s. The first two words of Matthew's Gospel are usually translated…
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Sage cautions from de Lubac: In speaking of the generous giving of God, “one must, a fortiori , be careful to correct - if not wholly to avoid - the neo-Platonist metaphors of flux, of gushing, of ‘effluence,’ of emanation, of soaking into things. God is not, as one might…
In the sequence of miracles in Matthew 8:23-9:8, the shaking of the sea parallels the violence of the demoniacs and this parallels . . . what? The sin of the paralytic? Perhaps, but it seems more likely that Matthew is working out a parallel between the demons and the scribes.…
From Nicolas of Cusa: “The more I comprehend that you are incomprehensible, O my God, the more I attain to you, because I attain better the object of my desire . . . . The eternal principle which has given birth to my desire leads it to an unending, infinite…
De Lubac blames Cajetan for the distortions of Thomas prevalent in modern theology. While claiming to interpret Thomas, Cajetan in fact broke with Thomas in fundamental ways. Most centrally, Cajetan and his modern followers assumed, against Thomas, that no nature can have a desire for any finality that is not…
Anatole France said, “It is rare for any master to belong to the school he has founded as firmly as his disciples do.”
A partial self-review of Solomon Among the Postmoderns : Ironically, while I problematize beginnings at the outset of the book, I don’t do the same with endings. I treat the “end” as a simple end. Several recent encounters - including a fine paper from my student Ryan Handermann - exposed…
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