Yahweh promises to be a wall around Jerusalem (Zechariah 2:5), as well as the glory in her midst. Jerusalem dwells within the fiery wall that is Yahweh’s consuming presence. Jerusalem is indwelt by the fiery glory that is Yahweh’s consuming presence. And, if Jerusalem indwells and is . . . . Continue Reading »
The Bible typically provides measures of “length and breadth” when it is talking about holy places and cosmic models. The ark’s “length and breadth” are recorded (Genesis 6:15), and so is that of the land (Genesis 13:17). Frequently, this combination . . . . Continue Reading »
An Easter meditation of mine is on the First Things site, here: http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/04/04/a-new-beginning/ . . . . Continue Reading »
Mary and the other Mary come to the tomb on the day “after the Sabbath,” which is the first day of the new week. It is beginning to dawn and light is beginning to shine. Now, a new week begins, new light breaks. But Matthew’s phrasing is even more emphatic on this . . . . Continue Reading »
From an interview with Vera Pavlova: “Prose is addition in line, poetry is multiplication in column.” . . . . Continue Reading »
The angel rolls away the stone from Jesus’ tomb and takes a seat on it. It’s an enthronement, but there’s something more. In Exodus 17, Moses sits down on a stone while Aaron and Hur hold up his hands. Joshua fights in the valley below, filling the ground with . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus’ body is placed in a tomb and a “great stone” rolled in front of it. Can He move the stone? That is to say: Is He truly a greater Jacob, who set up a stone where angels descended (Genesis 28:18), who rolled away a large stone to open a well for Rachel the shepherdess . . . . Continue Reading »
Heaven and earth are key themes in Matthew’s gospel (see Jonathan Pennington’s Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew ). The two words are used in combination eight times in the gospel, and those uses fall out into a nearly chiastic pattern: A. Heaven and earth pass away, . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew is up to something with his use of two different words for “tomb” in the narratives of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. The two words are mnemeion and taphos , and the 9 uses in the closing chapters of Matthew are deliberately patterned: mnemeion , 4x: 27:52, 53, 60 . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew 28 is arguably constructed with two intertwine chiasms. The first covers verses 1-8, and the second goes from verse 9 through the end of the chapter. The first follows this pattern: A. Women arrive at grave, v 1 B. Angel descends from heaven, vv 2-3 C. Guards become like dead, v 4 . . . . Continue Reading »
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