Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
When might the Gospel according to Matthew have been written? Of course, any answer can only be speculation, but that does not mean we are reduced to groundless opinion. In this series of articles I point the way to an approach different from the general consensus among scholars today which…
In my first essay on “synopticity” I offered a rather rough definition of the phenomenon and important, though not exhaustive examples. In this essay, I want to introduce broader aspects of the phenomenon of “synopticity.” The first example that I have in mind is conventional stories, stories of different historical…
Since the judgment of Babel was followed by the initiation of the circumcision, the impending end of the circumcision in AD70 explains the significance of the first century miracle of foreign tongues. Except for a few Aramaic “teasers” in the book of Daniel, the Word of God was monolingual and…
To the best of my knowledge “synopticity” is not a word used in theology or Biblical studies, but it seems an appropriate word to describe the kind of phenomena associated with the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three Gospels tell essentially the same story with significant — sometimes…
Humor is a funny thing. It is altogether familiar yet also mysterious. What makes us laugh? Why do we find things funny? There are academic fields of study dedicated to discovering what makes things humorous. These academicians even have a journal entitled International Journal of Humor Research . No joke.…
Out of all the characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales , the Pardoner has been called the “one lost soul.” The pious Parson, who closes out the collection of tales with a sermon on the seven deadly sins and how a sinner can absolve himself of them, connects the…
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Pauline Viviano has a bit of fun at my expense over on the America website(www.americamagazine.org/blogs/client). She’s “reviewing” my commentary on 1 & 2 Kings, but instead of actually discussing my book, she mocks typological interpretation and my use of it in particular. She knew what I was up to without…
With advances in medical technology, it’s possible to keep people alive longer than ever before. This certainly has its wonders, but it’s really an ambiguous achievement. It means that death more and more is the result of decisions about treatment and ending treatment. We can keep someone breathing artificially, a…
A TLS review of several recent books on bio-computing contained old news for some people, but new news for me. The latest wrinkle in computer technology has been to use biological material - DNA - rather than silicon for information storage and processing. One USC scientist was able to create…
Conflicting incentives are built into the American health care system. On the one hand, many patients depend on insurance companies to pay their bills, and come into a health crisis with a “no expense spared” mentality. On the other hand, doctors and hospitals, despite the millions they pull in, are…
Death is an enemy of life in the obvious sense that it brings an individual’s life to an end. But it’s an enemy of life in a broader sense to. Death interrupts life, everyone’s life, life in the broadest sense. Death turns festivity to mourning. Death prevents us from bringing…
Bediako, Mbiti, and Lamin Sanneh are all African theologians who reject Christendom. By “Christendom” they mean a system where the Christianity is domesticated and put into the service of state or imperial interests. While this has been a reality within the West, and it is bad. But it is simplistic…
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