Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
After the identification of the recipients of his letter at the beginning of Revelation, John gives a benediction that resembles the benedictions of the Pauline letters. He pronounces grace/favor and peace, grace and favor that lead to peace, grace that leads to fullness and harmony that is the biblical definition…
Throughout the latter half of 1-2 Samuel, Saul and David are locked in hand-to-hand combat. It seems an unequal contest. All the heavy artillery is on Saul's side. To understand the full scope of the conflict, we need to back up to the beginning of the book. Prior to Saul's…
Last week, I lectured at Ostrog Academy in Ostrog, Ukraine, and at a pastors' conference in Kyiv. The latter was co-sponsored by Trinity House and the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Ukraine. I offer my impressions of Ukraine this morning at Firstthings.com .
Why do I bristle when I see someone with white wires hanging from his ears, flipping through what must be a million songs downloaded onto his iPod? No doubt, it’s the threat of the new. I've only recently begun carrying a cell phone, and now I hear tell of compact…
Judah is in terrible shape (Isaiah 57). Yahweh told Israel to worship Him only at the temple, but the people worship on every hill and under every green and leafy tree. He commanded them to worship Him alone, but they are devoted to many gods. Worshipers set up their beds…
Like any great writer, the Lord foreshadows late happenings in early happenings. Like many greater writers, the Lord ends where he begins, returning to a glorified Edenic city-sanctuary at the end of his cosmic story. The Lord writes with history, real people and events, not merely with words. But His…
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INTRODUCTION Antony and Cleopatra is set in the 30s BC, during the period of the Second Triumvirate, which consisted of Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Lepidus. It is a story of middle-aged infatuation between the title characters, carried out in the context of a political struggle between Antony and Octavius for…
One Thomas Merriam has a very intriguing article on “Parallel Ironies: Henry VIII (All Is True) and Antony and Cleopatra ” (available in full on his web site ). He argues that the clown’s words to Cleopatra in Act 5 of Shakespeare’s play provide theological commentary on the action. Here…
Some exceprts from Coppelia Kahn’s stimulating feminist study of Shakespeare’s Roman plays [ Roman Shakespeare: Warriors, Wounds and Women (Routledge, 1997)], with appended theological reflections: The word ?suicide?Edoes ?not appear in ancient Latin, but is, rather, an English derivative from Latin compounds?EIn contrast, the Roman lexicon of suicide emphasized rationality…
In Shakespeare’s play, Cleopatra’s outburst against Agrippa (who has suggested that Antony marry Octavia, Caesar’s sister) is remarkable: “That Herod’s head I’ll have” (3.3.5-6). “Herod” cannot be used in the same sentence with “head” without evoking the story of John the Baptist. I’m not sure how this functions in the…
Nigel Cameron, director of a Wilberforce Forum council on biotechnology includes the following in his recent email update: “I gave a presentation at the Experimental Biology conference in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, where I was surveying the ethical pros and cons of stem cell research. Alongside me were…
Some of the following notes were taken from a longer introduction to Julius Caesar posted on this site some months ago. INTRODUCTION For several generations, Julius Caesar has been a staple of high school English literature, coming from a period when education was rooted in Greek and Roman classics and…
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