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Biblical Horizons

The Dominion Trap

In Genesis One, God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). In Christian worldview…

by James B. JordanJuly 2, 1990
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Biblical Studies

Building the Church

"And I also way to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). Matthew 16:13ff. has historically been one of the most oft-cited passages of Scripture. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was used…

by Peter LeithartJune 19, 1990
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Matthew

Ephraim in Redemptive History

One of the important themes of the synoptic gospels is Jesus’ rejection of Israel and the transfer of God’s favor to the New Israel, the Church. A clear statement of this theme is found in the parable of the vineyard owner in Matthew 21:33-46. Jesus explained the meaning of the…

by Peter LeithartJune 19, 1990
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Biblical Horizons

Advice From a Sojourner, Part 7

11. There is a type of person [a generation] who curses his father, And does not bless his mother. 12. There is a type who is pure in his own eyes, Yet not washed from his filthiness [manure]. 13. There is a type — oh how lofty are his eyes!…

by James B. JordanJune 2, 1990
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Leviticus

A Male Without Defect

Under the Levitical law, whole-burnt offerings from the herd and flock had to be male. No such specification is made with respect to birds (cf. Lev. 5:7-10). Why did the Lord demand that only males be offered as whole-burnt offerings? The easy answer is that the whole-burnt offering typified Christ,…

by Peter LeithartMay 19, 1990
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Matthew

He Shall Be Called A Nazarene

Matthew 2:13-23 has a tripartite structure, reporting briefly three events of the early years of Jesus’ life. Matthew ends his narrative of each event with a "fulfillment formula." Jesus’ flight to Egypt and His Exodus back into Israel was a fulfillment of Hosea’s words, "Out of Egypt I call my…

by Peter LeithartMay 19, 1990

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Twenty-Something Radical Orthodoxy

A couple of years ago, Kyle Nicholas summed up "The Progress and Future of Radical Orthodoxy ," now entering its early adulthood. Though the movement has waned, he argues for "its continuing relevance." "Amidst scathing critiques from every corner," he points out, "Radical Orthodoxy has continued to bear fruit on…

September 22, 2017
Eucharist

Homily on Grain

In his Material Eucharist (30), David Grumett summarizes the "Homily on the Grain" from the Syrian poet Cyrillonas: "Alluding to the incarnation and to Christ's two natures,. he describes the grain falling into the earth and its kernel encased within a dual outer husk. This echoes the image that Jesus…

September 22, 2017

On the Structure of Leviticus

Leviticus is divided into thirty-seven speeches, each introduced by "Yahweh spoke to Moses" (see Warning, Literary Artistry in Leviticus ). The 19th speech - the central one - is Leviticus 16, instruction for the "day of coverings." From this, one can derive a simple chiastic outline of the book (I've…

September 21, 2017

The Cross of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, 4

IV. Cross of Reality Christianity’s history is the story of the cross’s penetra­tion into human experience and society. New epochs are formed when the cross begins to mark a new “sphere of our minds or bodies” ( CF , p.165). In the new era that Rosenstock-Huessy saw coming, the cross…

September 21, 2017

Post-Confederate Memorials

Joseph Bottum offers a Girardian analysis of the current craze for knocking down monuments ( Weekly Standard ). Along the way, he explores the origins of the Confederate memorials, observing that "The list of removed statues and memorials seems mostly to prove what busy beavers the United Daughters of the…

September 21, 2017

The Cross of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, 3

III. The Cross and Civilization Jesus gives abundant life. As the Crucified and Risen Man, he also creates new possibilities for history, forms a new epoch of history, the Christian era, and forms the possibil­ity of a new civilization. To understand fully what Rossen­stock-Huessy means by this, we need to…

September 20, 2017

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