Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The chronology of the Kings of Judah and Israel can be divided into three periods with clearly defined boundaries. The first period begins with the death of Solomon and the accessions of Rehoboam in the south (Judah) and Jeroboam in the north (Israel). It ends with the deaths of Ahaziah…
Most modern people regard the arts as essentially decorative. They are hardly very important, as compared to business, politics, or religion. Yet, from a Biblical point of view, the arts lie close to the heart of human life. The universe that God created is itself an artistic masterpiece by the…
Before we move into a detailed survey of the history and chronology of the kings of Israel and Judah, let us review the chronological information that leads from creation to the kingdom. This will be helpful both to new readers of these essays, and a reminder for those who have…
We have completed our overall survey of Biblical chronology, and now turn to a detailed examination of the Biblical information regarding the chronology of Israel’s kings. The first piece of chronological information we have regarding Israel’s kings is very cryptic, and it serves as an guide to the interpretation of…
Jonathan Z. Smith, To Take Place: Toward Theory in Ritual (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987). Reviewed by Peter J. Leithart. The philosophes of the 18th century often attacked Christendom using the tools of anthropology and comparative religion. Rousseau contrasted the idyllic equality of primitive, natural peoples with the bondage…
Valerie I. J. Flint, The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe (Princeton University Press, 1991). Reviewed by Peter J. Leithart. Valerie I. J. Flint, Professor of History at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, is refreshingly candid about her reasons for undertaking a study of The Rise of Magic…
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Chris Tilling’s Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul reviews, summarizes, evaluates the work of Douglas Campbell, especially his monumental The Deliverance of God . It’s a thorough review. There are essays from leading New Testament scholars, and Campbell responds to each, and also contributes several substantial essays of his…
Jesus comes to a fig tree looking for fruit, and finds only leaves. He curses the tree (Mark 11:12-14). In the next scene, He’s in the temple throwing the furniture and calling it a den of brigands (vv. 15-18). The next morning, the fig tree is withered, and Jesus talks…
When Israel camps around the tabernacle at Sinai, Yahweh lays out a map for the tribes, the Levites and priests forming the inner cordon around the tent and the tribes arranged more distantly with groups of three at each point of the compass (Numbers 2). Each group has a lead…
Richard Plass and James Cofield base their book, The Relational Soul , with the claim that “a deep participation in the life of another is the lifeblood of the soul” (15). Relationships are not epiphenomenal or added extras. They form the core of the soul. Plass and Cofield cite recent…
Belden Lane knows that his thesis is surprising. In fact, the word “surprising” appears in the subtitle of his 2011 Ravished by Beauty , a study of Reformed spirituality’s “surprising legacy.” Neither ravishment nor beauty fits the stereotype of Reformed Christianity. But Lane says that both are central to Reformed…
In the Song of Songs, the Lover calls His beloved out to romp, encouraging her by telling her it’s the time of love - springtime, when everything comes back to life. There are seven signs of the new creation of spring: winter past, rain over, flowers appear, pruning, turtledoves coo,…
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