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Writing

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

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Baptism

Baptism Unto Priesthood: Historical Notes

In a recent article in Biblical Horizons , I argued that the imagery of James 1:21 alludes to baptism, and particularly to baptism as an ordination and incorporation into the holy priesthood. This understanding of baptism as ordination to priesthood is not, I have since discovered, original, but in fact…

by Peter LeithartMarch 27, 1995
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Biblical Studies

The Counsel of Peace

He will be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two of them (Zechariah 6:13b). A prime difficulty in the interpretation of this verse is the antecedent of the pronoun "them." A number of alternatives have been offered. Some suggest that the "two"…

by Peter LeithartMarch 27, 1995
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How to Worship

Why Sacraments?

Like certain kinds of music, the unchanging rhythm of Aquinas's Summa gets into your bones. Read a few sections and it begins to run through your head. You start drumming your fingers, humming, swaying gently to the rhythm of Videtur-Sed Contra-Responsio, Videtur-Sed Contra-Responsio, “It seems-On the contrary-I answer.” The only…

by Peter LeithartMarch 14, 1995
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Revelation

The Hymn of the Revelation

The Book of Revelation is a gold mine of liturgical information. The various hymns and exclamations in Revelation have always been used in Christian worship. As I have been studying Revelation this year, it occurred to me that make a complete hymn out of the various hymns in the book.…

by James B. JordanMarch 7, 1995
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Revelation

The Angelic Triads in Revelation

In the book of Revelation we find a triad of Strong Angels, and another triad of Other Angels. The purpose of this essay is to explore the Biblical background of these two sets, and thus fill out their meaning. The first triad of angels we encounter in the Bible comes…

by James B. JordanFebruary 7, 1995
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Revelation

The Angels of Revelation (continued)

In Revelation, the term aggelos means messenger, of course, but with a special emphasis on messenger as covenant administrator. This is immediately obvious from the fact that the angels are constantly acting to enforce the covenant one way or another: sealing people, bringing judgment, calling for repentance, etc. They are…

by James B. JordanFebruary 7, 1995

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Scriptural Use of “Justification”

James White (in The God Who Justifies )issues this important caution in his treatment of the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek word-groups for justification and righteousness: “there are obvious instances in which the biblical term speaks of a moral or ethical quality when it speaks of someone being righteous.…

November 26, 2004

Scriptural Use of “Justification”

James White (in The God Who Justifies )issues this important caution in his treatment of the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek word-groups for justification and righteousness: “there are obvious instances in which the biblical term speaks of a moral or ethical quality when it speaks of someone being righteous.…

November 26, 2004

Incredibles

I’m not the first one to notice, by any means, but let me chime in: The Incredibles is an overt attack on egalitarianism. All the bad guys in the movie want to flatten out the differences between “supers” and everyone else - the litigious people who are injured during rescues,…

November 25, 2004
Theology

Reno on Genesis

Rusty Reno had some sharp observations on the importance of creatio ex nihilo in a paper giving a preview of his theological commentary on Genesis. He said that it fit with the overall Scriptural polemic against idolatry, and demonstrates that idolatry is fundamentally nihilism ?Edevotion to nothing, what does not…

November 25, 2004

Written or Oral?

Does the OT show signs of being a product of long oral tradition? In his 2004 book Biblical Narrative and the Death of the Rhapsode (Indiana University Press), Robert S. Kawashima argues that it does not. He believes that the Bible manifests a very different narrative art from the epic…

November 25, 2004

Gathercole on Sin in Romans

Simon Gathercole had some interesting points in his paper on “Jewish and Gentile sin in Paul.” He wanted to show that the “history of sin” was revelatory of God’s character, and had an integral role in the work of redemption. He defended this thesis by examining parallels between Romans 1:18-32…

November 25, 2004

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