Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Flying scrolls. Red horses. Beasts coming out of the sea. Winged women. The list goes on. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is like a cross between science fiction and Marvel comics. And the Bible has a fair bit of this sort of thing. Daniel sees visions in Babylon, Zechariah sees…
Trinity House Institute has taken a new name, the Theopolis Institute. This striking new name expresses our unique vision and mission and captures the unified purpose behind all our specific programs and activities. We still have Bible, liturgy, and culture in our tagline. We still offer the same courses on…
Adam Kotsko offers a socio-political variation on the Christus Victor atonement theory in his 2010 study, The Politics of Redemption: The Social Logic of Salvation . He does this by explaining "the devil" in terms of the Hegelian concept of "objective spirit," Geist . As Kotsko puts it, Geist "refers…
Two factors keep Nahtali Meshel from discussing the meaning of sacrifice until late in his The "Grammar" of Sacrifice . The first has to do with the texts he draws from: "P says little about the meaning of its rituals" (174). The other has to do with the grammatical theory…
Chapter 5 of Naphtali Meshel's The "Grammar" of Sacrifice focuses on "praxemics," the physical actions of sacrificial ritual. Praxemes are constituted by six elements: an "atomact," an elementary physical act or gesture; an actor; an object that is acted up; a target for the action and often for the object…
Two chapters of Naphtali Meshel’s The “Grammar” of Sacrifice cover what he calls “jugation” and “hierarchies.” The first involves the addition of other materials to an animal offering. Jugates include wine, cereal, and oil that are added to the animals (zoemes) that are offered in sacrifice. Some jugates are coordinated…
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Yahweh makes water in the wilderness, and where there is water there is a city (Psalm 107:33-38). Water may not seem a very stable foundation for urbanization, but it is the necessary basis for the life of any human community. Without water, people can’t live, their livestock won’t survive, nothing…
Jezebel’s appearance in 1-2 Kings is part of a continuing story of Israel’s relationship with Tyre and Sidon. During the days of David and Solomon, Hiram king of Tyre was an ally of Israel. This is the ideal relationship between Jew and Gentiles, Israel and the nations. Jezebel represents an…
Jesus appears with fiery eyes, more specifically with eyes that are “flame(s) of fire” (Gr. hos phlox/phloga puros , 1:15; 2:18). The phrase has Old Testament roots. Moses sees the angel of the Lord en phlogi puros on Sinai (Exodus 3:2; LXX), and in the plague of hail fire is…
With cynicism about politics widespread, it’s good to have James Skillen’s seasoned, balanced reminder of The Good of Politics . A few excerpts. At the outset, Skillen questions the common separation of politics and culture: “can political really be distinguished as a realm separate from culture? Isn’t political life one…
Noah Smith thinks that drones are the new gunpowder. Guns and gunpowder revolutionized warfare. A barely trained peasant could take down a proud knight from a distance. Smith argues that the drone is about to replace the gunman. That means an upheaval in warfare. The Age of the Gun, he…
William Broad reports in the New York Times that budget cuts in federal science programs have created a crisis in research. Billionaires have stepped into the gap to fund projects that they deem important. This disturbs the scientific establishment,. Steven Edwards of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
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