Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The story of Judges 19 and the subsequent chapters are some of the most shocking and appalling accounts in all of Scripture. The callousness of the old host and the Levite, and the monstrous brutality of the men of Gibeah, leaves us feebly scrabbling for words by which to surmount…
David has become king. He has conquered the capital city of Jerusalem. He has brought the ark of Yahweh into the city and placed it in a tent. He has stationed Levites at the tent to offer sacrifices of praise. An anomaly hits him: He has a cedar-paneled palace, and…
In Part 2 of this series we traced what we have of the development of the epiclesis in the liturgy of the Church. In this third and final part we’ll look at the theological implications of this and how we may apply what we’ve learned. As we saw in Part…
In a 2014 piece published in First Things , I offered a "wish list" for Protestant churches, a checklist for a future catholic Protestantism. The wish list doesn't cover everything. It doesn't mention those things that Protestants, especially Evangelicals, already do, often exceedingly well, things like missions and evangelism and…
In the first part of this series we examined the meaning of “blessing” in Scripture and its parallels in Jewish liturgical tradition, but did not find anything that we could properly call an epiclesis (an invocation of the Holy Spirit). We did find examples of invocation of Jesus to “come”…
When the Aaronic priests were ordained, the blood of the ram of "filling” was placed on the lobe of the right ear, the right thumb, and the right big toe (Lev. 8:22-24). Similarly, the cleansing rite for a leper included smearing the right ear lobe, thumb, and big toe with…
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Uncritical advocates of gift societies should ponder Stefan Joubert’s summary of the benefactions of Augustus ( Paul As Benefactor: Reciprocity Strategy and Theological Reflection in Paul’s Collection (Wissunt Zum Neuen Testament, 2) , p. 26): “After inheriting the military Heeresclientel from his (step)father, Julius Caesar, he moved swiftly to enlarge…
It has been common, especially among some varieties of Protestantism, to take Paul’s statements about circumcision as pieces of a theology of ritual. Paul’s statement about inward and heart circumcision in Romans 2 is transferred to rites of entry in general, especially to baptism: ” Baptism is that which is…
INTRODUCTION Yahweh declares that He is the only God, Israel’s only Rock (Isaiah 44:8; cf. Exodus 17; Deuteronomy 32). He proves Himself by exposing the folly of idolatry. THE TEXT “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you…
In his introduction to his English translation of Ernst Cassirer’s The Question of Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Peter Gay comments (p. 27): “Rousseau’s ‘one great principle’ - that man is good, that society makes him bad, but that only society, the agent of perdition, can be the agent of salvation is…
Rousseau ( Emile: Or, On Education , 322-3 ) exults in “what the ancients accomplished with eloquence,” but notes that for them eloquence “did not consist solely in fine, well-ordered speeches.” Rather, “what was said most vividly was expressed not by words but by signs.” Romans were masters of the…
It is a joy to hear about the Trinity Institute and the involvement of Peter Leithart and Jim Jordan. Peter brings a powerful mind and a pastor’s heart to his calling to educate and train a new generation for pastoral ministry. Jim adds a remarkably creative mind and his penetrating…
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