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Biblical Horizons

The Servant of the Ground

Why was Abel’s offering approved and Cain’s rejected? This question has been debated for many centuries. Some have argued that Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not a bloody offering; others that Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not from the firstfruits; others that Cain’s offering was rejected…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 19, 1990
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Luke

The Unjust Steward Revisited

Last year I had occasion to work through the book of Luke as I did some work for one of my editorial clients, and this year my pastor has been preaching through Luke. Thus, I have twice been reminded of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13), a parable…

by James B. JordanSeptember 2, 1990
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Biblical Chronology

The Mysterious Numbers of Edwin R. Thiele

We come now to what some have called the "Gordian Knot" of Biblical chronology: the period of the kings of Israel and Judah. We do not have a summary figure that tells exactly how long this period of time was. The book of Kings provides the years each king reigned,…

by James B. JordanSeptember 2, 1990
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Matthew

Additional Reflections on the Dew of Hermon

In an earlier article , while examining the biblical symbolism of dew, I noted the parallel in Psalm 133 between the dew upon Mount Hermon and the oil poured upon the head of Aaron. Both the dew of Hermon and the oil of ordination are compared to the pleasantness of…

by Peter LeithartAugust 19, 1990
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Biblical Horizons

Cornelius van der Waal, "The Covenantal Gospel"

The Covenantal Gospel was the last book written by the remarkable South African theologian and exegete Cornelius van der Waal. Two other works of van der Waal’s have been translated: Hal Lindsey and Biblical Prophecy , and Search the Scriptures . Because this book was written in 1979, it does…

by James B. JordanAugust 2, 1990
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Beer

The Evangelical Cocaine Lobby

A year or so ago, my wife and I were invited to a Christian school in order to preview a film on drug abuse that was going to be shown to our children. One of the children in this film turned out, of course, to be using drugs. This child’s…

by James B. JordanAugust 2, 1990

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Stranger Things

G racy Olmstead has joined the chorus of praise for Netflix’s Stranger Things . She has many insightful things to say about the program, but I have to register a dissent from this: My husband and I joined the legions of hooked fans, as we followed the journey of Will’s…

September 16, 2016
American Politics

Whither Social Conservativism?

P ete Spiliakos doesn’t see Trumpism as the fulfillment of Buchananism. Trump is rather evidence of “the erosion of the Buchanan coalition.” Buchanan's appeal didn't depend on his views on trade or foreign policy. He appealed because of his social conservatism. In recent cycles, Spiliakos notes, social conservatism gets no…

September 16, 2016

Intimate Violence

Since her recent canonization, Mother Teresa's letter on abortion , addressed to the US Supreme Court, has been making the rounds. It's a call to America to live up to our own stated values, and includes this penetrating analysis of the wider effects of legalized abortion: “The so-called right to…

September 16, 2016

Science at the DOD

D aniel Sarewitz argues in New Atlantis that science is sick, and that the disease is systemic and terminal. When science is detached from technology, it is loosened from real-world effects. Research exists only for the sake of further research, and science loses the ability to judge whether or not…

September 16, 2016

Beowulfian Chiasms

I n a 1979 article in PMLA , John D. Niles examined the “ring composition” of Beowulf. He argued that each of the major battles (Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, the dragon) are arranged chiastically, and that the poem as a whole also has a chiastic shape. He outlines the initial fight…

September 16, 2016

Poetry, Nimble and Droopy

O K, so you want poetry? Try this. Macbeth, 1.6.1-3, Duncan speaking: “This castle hath a pleasant air. The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / Unto our gentle senses.” Put aside the fact that Duncan is at the gate of hell, and that he’s wholly deceived about the…

September 16, 2016

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