Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
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…
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"…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Showing page 272 of 309
Showing page 6 of 43
John Milbank argues ( Crisis of Global Capitalism , 29) that societies tend to be mixed - combining a necessary hierarchical element with elements of democracy and oligarchy. He begins from the Augustinian premise that "sort of human association defined by 'the object of its love.' This permits us to…
John Neville Figgis ( Pluralist Theory of the State ) acknowledges that corporate persons exist. The key question is: "how is this personality to be conceived? Is it a natural fact, the expression of the social union; or is it merely something artificial imposed upon the body for its own…
Writing in 1942, Christopher Dawson already recognized ( Judgment of the Nations , 52) the inner contradiction of the international principles embodied first in the League of Nations. "Self-determination" was the ideal for every people; yet at the same time technology was bringing nations into ever-closer intimacy. Dawson wrote, "The…
Philosopher James Ross explores “Musical Standards as a Function of Musical Accomplishment.” It’s a radical idea: We don’t measure music by anything outside music itself. Music is assessed and valued by standards that are internal to the performance of music. It sounds like relativism, but it isn’t. Ross insists that…
I've been checking the news more often than usual for the past week to find out if there's a breakthrough in the Las Vegas massacre. I imagine I'm not alone. When horror strikes, we look for explanations. We want to classify. Most often, we're looking for some kind of immanent,…
Stephen Beale argues that the NFL's real problem isn't protests against the flag but the league's militarization. He asks the question few have asked: Why is the anthem played at football games in the first place? According to Beale, "The singing of 'The Star Spangled Banner' was mandated during .…
Showing page 136 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
