Philippians 3:7-8: Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish . . . . Continue Reading »
Hebrews 12:7: God deals with you as with sons. One of the privileges of membership in the body of Christ, one of the privileges sealed and effected by baptism, is the privilege of double-fatherhood. Today in baptism, God the Father marks your son as His son; by his baptism, Ezekiel receives an . . . . Continue Reading »
In his introduction to Plato: Timaeus (Focus Philosophical Library) , Peter Kalkavage writes that Timaeus’ “likely story . . . depicts making, poiesis , as an activity that starts with the highest things and proceeds to the lower.” In that is contained all the pathology and pathos . . . . Continue Reading »
The purportedly Egyptian writings of Hermes Trismegistus, understood as an obscure historical figure in the time of Moses, played a crucial role in the Renaissance. Collected together in the Corpus Hermeticum, it was published in 1463 in a translation by Marsilio Ficino and reprinted 22 times over . . . . Continue Reading »
Summarizing the work of Martin Bernal, Assmann says that “the Philhellenic movement in German Romanticism was inextricably combined with Judeophobia and Egyptophobia. This new image of Greece was instrumental in shaping a new image of Germany. The ‘Aryan myth’ had a big share in . . . . Continue Reading »
Reading the biblical account of the exodus, we think of it as a local conflict between Egypt and Israel, Yahweh v. Pharaoh and his gods. It was not. It was Yahweh’s massive intervention in the ancient world, and remade the whole religio-political landscape. So argues Egyptologist Jan Assmann . . . . Continue Reading »
In a long and illuminating post, “Buttonwood” of the Economist offers this provocative angle on the debt crisis: “how about thinking of the last 40 years as one long bubble, in which fiat money has led to asset price inflation. Before you dismiss the idea, think about this; with . . . . Continue Reading »
I have offered some reflections on the current evangelical murmur about social justice at www.firstthings.com. . . . . Continue Reading »
Describing Constantine’s deathbed baptism, Alan Kreider ( The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom ) observes that “it is impressive that the church leaders required Constantine to go through all this. For many years they, faced with a potential recruit of no less power . . . . Continue Reading »
In his epistle ad Donatum , Cyprian left this searching analysis of the challenges of converting from a luxurious and honor-driven aristocratic life to a Christian one: “While I was still lying in darkness and gloomy night, wavering hither and there, tossed about on the foam of this boastful . . . . Continue Reading »
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