The first section of Isaiah (chs. 1-12) has seven sections, which roughly match the days of creation. 1. Isaiah begins by calling “heaven and earth” as witnesses against Judah (1:2). Day 1. 2. Chapters 2-4 are concerned with idolatry and Judah’s leaders, their mediators. These . . . . Continue Reading »
A follow-up on yesterday’s brief comment on 2 Chronicles 26 and Uzziah’s pride: Isaiah 1:1 says that Isaiah prophesied during the reign of Uzziah, but the only other reference to Uzziah in the book is a death notice in 6:1. I’ve argued in an earlier post that the first five . . . . Continue Reading »
Critics say that Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is incomprehensible in its juxtaposition of the Big-Bang and primeval myth with a 1950s/60s family drama. The O’Brien family experiences a renching loss, despite their confidence that those who live by grace (= self-sacrifice) are . . . . Continue Reading »
James Jordan noted in a lecture on Zechariah that the date of Zechariah’s night visions is specified as day, month, and year. This stands in contrast to the introductory verses (1:1-6), which date only by the month and year. Jordan’s conclusion was that biblical datings are more precise . . . . Continue Reading »
In his first vision, Zechariah sees the Angel of Yahweh among the myrtles. James Jordan suggests that the small but beautiful and aromatic myrtle is the new tree for the returned exiles. As the terebinth was the tree of the Abrahamic period, and the cedar the tree of monarchy, so the hadas is the . . . . Continue Reading »
According to 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah was a powerful and successful king, but his power went to his head and he became proud. The Hebrew word behind “become proud” is gabah , related to gibeah , “high place.” Uzziah’s attempt to offer incense in the temple treated the . . . . Continue Reading »
In the same lecture, Meyers notes that the apostles at the beginning of Acts charge the Jewish leaders specifically with putting Jesus on the cross. That charge disappears from Acts after the church disperses from Jerusalem. When Paul returns to Jerusalem, his indictment of the Jews is different. . . . . Continue Reading »
In a superb Biblical Horizons lecture, Jeff Meyers pointed out that Jerusalem’s Jews become more intensely hostily to the gospel through the course of Acts. Priests and the council attack the apostles at the beginning, but let them go with a warning. Finally, they join to stone Stephen, and . . . . Continue Reading »
Human labor is an imitation of and participation in the creative work of God, and fulfilling human labor has the same structure as God’s creative work. We take hold of the world, tear it apart, reassemble it, give it a new name, and then evaluate the products of our labor (as James Jordan has . . . . Continue Reading »
Wise observations from Mead: “Perhaps the rarest thing in the United States today is to find a well-educated young American who sees earning the respect of ordinary Americans on an ordinary job as the necessary foundation to a strong personal character and valuable career. Plenty of young . . . . Continue Reading »
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