Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Summary In what follows, I will consider the “year-stamps” employed in Scripture, i.e., statements of the form, “Such-and-such an event took place in the Xth year of Y.” In the process, I will suggest some ways in which the Biblical narrative might relate to events in the extra-Biblical world, though…
In the first essay on the parable of the Prodigal Son, I suggested that the problems commentators and others encounter in interpreting Jesus three-part parable are not accidental. These are not just problems in our ignorance of cultural background. They are intentional features of the stories —stories designed to poke…
The story of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most well-known story in the Bible. As others have observed, it may also be one of the most misunderstood. In two short essays, I will point out features of this story that are commonly neglected, aspects of Jesus’ parable that might…
The parable of Lazarus and the nameless rich man is not an independent story. It is part of a long context that begins in Luke 15:1, where Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners and the scribes and Pharisees grumble. In response to their hardheartedness, Jesus tells a three-part…
The Bible is written so that even when a reader cannot pick up on what might be deeper or more detailed aspects of a text, there is virtually always a message to be heard. In the ancient world, where the “reader” of Scripture would likely be a church official facing…
The distinction between garden (or vineyard) and field begins in Genesis 2. This relates to the ordering of the formless world. Plants of the field are contrasted with the garden planted by God in Genesis 2:5&8. Later on, under the Old Covenant the Israelites will be required to keep their…
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Welcome to the blog formerly known as Leithart.com. Readers of the earlier incarnation of my blog will, I trust, find the new site comfortably familiar. The contents will be consistent with what I have written over the years. Over to your right you’ll find a drop-down list of archives and…
“Come near,” Yahweh invites Israel (Isaiah 48:16). The verb is qarab , a liturgically charged term used frequently in Leviticus. Especially in Leviticus 1, various forms of the word describe what worship is for (drawing near, qarab ), what Israel does with its offerings (a different form of the verb),…
When Yahweh urges Israel to “go forth from Babylon” and “flee from the Chaldeans,” He also exhorts them sing and shout (Isaiah 48:20). The songs of deliverance are not merely expressions of joy, though they are obviously that. They are also declarations of Yahweh’s redemption. The text uses three verbs…
I have some thoughts on how we non-martyrs share in the work of martyrs at www.firstthings.com .
On three different occasions I have had the privilege of sitting under Jim Jordan and Peter Leithart as they have lectured for the annual Biblical Horizons conference in Florida. Each time I have come away from these conferences with new insight into the teaching of God’s word, and rejoicing in…
The year I spent in Dr. Leithart’s classroom was rich, challenging, and formative. Although I was firmly grounded in the truth of Scripture before, I had grown blind to its beauty. It was Dr. Leithart’s emphasis on reading the Bible as a story—paying attention to its themes, motifs, and type-scenes—that…
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