Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The name of Harry Turtledove is well known to readers of fantasy and science fiction. Turtledove is an historian, and most of what he writes is in the "alternative history" genre. A fine collection of short stories, available in paperback, is his Agent of Byzantium . These stories are set…
In answer to a question, the following about the unicorn, a supposed "New Age" symbol: The unicorn, or monoceros (one-horn), was known around the ancient world. Some scholars believe it may have been the one-horned goat that is still bred today. Others think it may have originated in tales of…
3. A Brief Survey of Esther (continued from the previous issue) Haman told the king that "a certain people" were rebellious against him, and that Haman wanted to rid the king of their noxious presence. The king agreed, and the two sat down to a feast. This is the third…
It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter. "Halloween" is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word "hallow" means "saint,"…
2. The Setting of the Book of Esther (continued from previous issue) Astyages E. W. Faulstich presents his arguments in his book History, Harmony, The Exile & Return . 1 To understand it, we have to have some background. The Assyrians ruled the near east. Median king Cyaxeres decided to…
In my commentary on Judges, I demonstrated that Jephthah in his Spirit-led vow intended to offer to Yahweh the first person who greeted him from the doors of his house after the battle. Since it was a custom for the young women to come out dancing to greet the returning…
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Knight again: “In reply to Sanders’s claim that Lutheran talk of representation and substitution is alien to Israelite sacrifice, I suggest that we should see Old Testament talk of atonement of place as a solution, not a problem. If we make a hard distinction between individuals and persons defined by…
Douglas Knight’s The Eschatological Economy is one of the most stimulating works of theology in recent years. It is also one of the densest. The density doesn’t come from difficult prose or lack of clarity, but from the sheer profusion of insights and ideas, and from Knight’s determination to leave…
INTRODUCTION A delegation of Pharisees and scribes comes from Jerusalem to interrogate Jesus about His conformity to tradition. Jesus turns the tables and interrogates them about their conformity to God’s commandments. THE TEXT “Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘ Why do Your…
Another lectionary meditation at the Christian Century : http://www.theolog.org/blog/2008/06/blogging-towa-3.html.
Jesus is worshiped three times in Matthew, at the beginning, middle and end. At the beginning by the wise men, in the middle by the disciples after Jesus has entered the boat and calmed the storm (14:33), and at the end after His resurrection (28:9) and before He commissions the…
In the background of the story of John’s martyrdom is the story of Jacob and Esau. Because Jacob took the birthright from his brother, Esau sought to kill him, and Jacob had to flee. Herod is an Edomite, an Idumean, descended from Esau, but he is in a sense a…
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