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Writing

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

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Authority

The Restrainer

When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, "Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one will restrain My people" (1 Samuel 9:17) Many English versions of 1 Samuel 9:17 read, "This one will rule over My people," but that is a mistranslation. The Hebrew verb is `atsar…

by James B. JordanDecember 4, 1992
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Acts

Chronology of the Gospels

We have arrived at the tentative date of A.M. 3474 for the decree of Cyrus, and we have determined to operate as if the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 are literal years. We also decided that Messiah the Prince arrives at the beginning of the 70th week, after the 69…

by James B. JordanDecember 4, 1992
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Biblical Studies

The Dramatic Structure of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs appears as a largely random collection of aphorisms drawn from experience saturated in law. Despite its random arrangement, however, the book does have an over-arching structure that reinforces its main themes. One way to gather clues regarding the structure of a biblical book (or any book)…

by Peter LeithartNovember 17, 1992
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Leviticus

Leviticus 27

I recently had the privilege and pleasure of reading the first draught of Gary North’s Economic Commentary on Leviticus , which will be out some time next year. Gary’s comments on Leviticus 27 were stimulating, and caused me to take another look at the passage. The results, which I sent…

by James B. JordanNovember 4, 1992
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Daniel

Bridging the Last Gap: Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Revisited

As we have seen in this series, each time there is a new covenant, there is a break in the year-by-year chronology. At the same time, each time the break is crossed by information provided in the text. Thus, the year-by-year chronology breaks down at the birth of Abraham, but…

by James B. JordanNovember 4, 1992
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Art

The Openness of Literature & the Mystery of Art

The Openness of Literature Let’s discuss literature for a moment. There are two ways a story or novel can close. The first is called poetic justice. When a story ends with poetic justice, the bad guys are all punished and the good guys are all rewarded. This kind of story…

by James B. JordanNovember 4, 1992

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Literature

Austen and Prejudice

Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is often interpreted by linking the principal characters with the two flaws of the title. Darcy is “pride” and Elizabeth “prejudice.” This way of reading the book gets at some important themes, but it doesn’t quite get at the crux of the issues raised by the…

March 28, 2007
Literature

Keeping us reading

An old essay by Edd Winfield Parks explores the question of how Austen gets us to move on to the next chapter. She doesn’t, he points out, use cliff-hanger chapter endings, like a John Grisham novel. What keeps us reading? The question becomes more pointed when we notice that Austen…

March 27, 2007
Literature

Jane Austen, Detective

PD James, who knows whereof she speaks, once remarked, “I think if Jane Austen were writing today, she might very well be our greatest mystery novelists.”

March 27, 2007

Sermon notes, Palm Sunday

INTRODUCTION On Palm Sunday, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as the King, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10 (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15). But the gospel writers mention Psalm 118 in this connection as well (Matthew 21:9, 42; Mark 11:9; 12:10; Luke 19:38; 20:17; John 12:13). On Palm Sunday, Jesus is the…

March 26, 2007

Eucharistic exhortation, Fifth Sunday of Lent

Matthew 25:35: I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in. The gospel is a story of hospitality. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God brings us from the outside…

March 25, 2007
Theology

Exhortation, Fifth Sunday of Lent

The family is not a redemptive institution. It is a fallen institution in need of redemption. Through the power of the Word and Spirit, God does redeem families. Through the Spirit, marriages can begin to reflect the marriage of Christ and His church; through the Spirit, the entire life of…

March 25, 2007

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