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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Peter Turchin offers a sobering analysis of the state of America in 2020. He thinks we're in a potentially revolutionary moment. Revolutions are products of structural instabilities combined with triggering events. America's structural dislocations are serious: “increasing popular immiseration (declining incomes, falling life expectancies, growing social pessimism and despair), elite…
The description of the rite of ordination ends with a brief notice of what the priests are to do at the altar as a “continuous” ( tamiyd ) daily offering (Exodus 29:38, 42). Verses 38-42 are arranged in a simple chasm: A. Continuous offering each day, v. 38 B. Morning…
In a recent Theopolis podcast, Alastair Roberts called attention to the chameleon quality of the apostle Paul. When the magistrates of Philippi want to send him away quietly, Paul reveals he’s a Roman citizen – news both to the magistrates and to readers of Acts (Acts 16:35-40). In Jerusalem, his…
All Levitical sacrifices are food rites. Sometimes, Yahweh alone eats from His altar-table (the ‘olah , “ascension offering”). Sometimes, He shares His bread with the priests (certain forms of the hattat , “sin offering”). Sometimes, the food gets split three ways, among Yahweh, priests, and worshipers ( shelem , “peace…
Matthew Bates argues in The Birth of the Trinity that Trinitarian theology emerged from prosopological reading of the Old Testament. This isn't the same as typology. In a typological reading, David, say, is “regarded . . . as a type or pattern for the future Christ, while at the same…
In the midst of the COVID pandemic, many today put their hopes in a vaccine. It’s a vain hope. Our capacity to control the world of viruses is very limited. Microbes are the most common forms of life on our planet, with “5 x 10 30 bacteria” and ten times…
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