Theopolis Logo

Writing

Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

See all
e99a2313
Baptism

Baptismal Imagery in James 1

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21). James hooks the different sections of his epistle together by using the same or a similar word at the close of one section and…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 11, 2014
lili-popper-lu15z1m_kfm-unsplash
Deuteronomy

A Good Land

Deuteronomy 8 is organized as a new chiasm: A. Remember and do commandments, 8:1-2 B. Manna and clothing in the wilderness, 8:3-4 C. Know in your heart that Yahweh disciplined you, 8:5-6 D. The good land, 8:7-10 C'. Do not be proud in heart, 8:11-14 B'. Manna and water, 8:15-17…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 8, 2014
sixteen-miles-out-al48tflf4e8-unsplash
Creation

On Nature

Should we use the category of "nature" in our theology? Start, as ever, with some Bible-thumpin': If someone were to construct a "metaphysics" or view of reality from the Bible alone, the category of nature would not be a prominent one. Here and there, the Bible uses this word and…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 3, 2014
amjd-rdwan-erymmvvsy1y-unsplash-1
John

Gift of Glory, Gift of Unity

The doctrine of the Trinity is woven into our worship every week. We are called to worship in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. We confess the Trinity in the Nicene Creed. We are blessed in the Name of the Trinity. Pervasive as it is, the…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 1, 2014
markus-winkler-aid-xyrtlec-unsplash
Theopolis News

Trinity Term, 2014

Eight students from five states and seven different churches attended the Trinity Term course, our first intensive course for the 2014-15 year. Two pastors were in the class, along with five pastoral students and one layman. James Jordan lectured through the book of Genesis, and Peter Leithart added several lectures…

by Peter LeithartAugust 29, 2014
screenshot-2023-10-02-at-12-56-04-pm
Matthew

Not One Stone

The world seems to be coming apart at the seams. A jihadist uploads a video showing an American journalist being beheaded. Ferguson, Missouri, endures night after night of demonstrations that turn into vandalism. Russia is meddling with Ukraine, ISIS is on the move in the Middle East, illegal immigrants (we're…

by Peter LeithartAugust 25, 2014

Showing page 169 of 309

See all
See all

The Three

In his classic work on the Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations , Cyrus Gordon points to a very specific parallel: “Homeric tradition often represents military organisation as contingents of troops under a triad of officers for each contingent.” He cites Iliad 1.563-7 and Odyssey 14.470-1 for support. And…

August 1, 2014

Fault in the Stars

Giorgio de Santillana’s Hamlet’s Mill is an exercise in un-forgetting. Ancients believed the world moved through various ages: “Each age brings a World Era, a Twilight of the Gods. Great structures collapse; pillars topple which supported the great fabric; floods and cataclysms herald the shaping of a new world.” And…

August 1, 2014

Magus of Britain

In an essay written around 1942, John Maynard Keynes beautifully captured the archaic character of Isaac Newton: “Newton was not the first of the Age of Reason. He was the last of the magicians, the last of the Babylonians and Sumerians, the last great mind which looked out on the…

August 1, 2014

Cosmic Myth

Giorgio de Santillana argued that mythology was not historical but cosmological ( Hamlet’s Mill , 50): “whatever is true myth has no historical basis, however tempting the reduction, however massive and well armed the impact of a good deal of modern criticism on that belief. The attempt to reduce myth…

August 1, 2014
Architecture

Google Space

Sim Van der Ryn’s Design for an Empathic World is a brief for person-centered design, design that takes the users and the world around a building into account. Van der Ryn sees “forward-thinking companies” doing just what he suggests. He quotes Paul Goldberger on Google’s California campus: “What is really…

July 31, 2014
Parenting

Unparents

University of Cape Town professor David Benatar argues answers the question “How many children should we have” with a simple “None.” “Morally responsible parents wish to spare their children pain,” he argues. But “the only way to prevent harm altogether is to desist from bringing children into existence. Any child…

July 31, 2014

Showing page 559 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.