Discovery of astronomy

Josephus ( Antiquities 1.3) says that the pre-diluvians lived a long time so they could make astronomical discoveries that required a lifetime of at least 600 years: “God afforded them a longer time of life on account of their virtue, and the good use they made of it in astronomical and . . . . Continue Reading »

Zeusophany

A description of war in heaven from The Fall of Troy by Quintus of Smyrna sounds familiar to Bible readers: “Yet men feared not, for naught they knew of all That strife, by Heaven’s decree. Then her high peaks The Gods’ hands wrenched from Ida’s crest, and hurled Against . . . . Continue Reading »

Sacrifice coopted

What is modern politics? Kahn describes it as “a distinctive form of religious experience” that depends on the shift of sovereignty (Schmitt) from the monarch to the people. When the miraculous of sovereignty shifts, so does sacrifice: “The domain of sacrifice shifted [in modern . . . . Continue Reading »

Martyr’s victory

Kahn ( Putting Liberalism in Its Place ) again, a wonderful passage on martyrological politics: “Hegel writes of the master-slave relationship as the origin of political history. The slave is not willing to die; he is a failed martyr. He grants others the power to script the meaning of his . . . . Continue Reading »

World bears fruit

World, tebel , is used four times in Isaiah’s little apocalypse. The four uses tell the story of this section of the prophecy. In 24:4, the world is fading and languishes. Isaiah hopes that through the Lord’s judgment the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness (26:9), but at . . . . Continue Reading »

Buds and blossoms

In the dream of Pharaoh’s cup-bearer, he sees branches of a vine bud, blossom, and bring forth their clusters (Genesis 40:10). The budding vine was a sign of the cup-bearer’s restoration to his position in Pharaoh’s court. It signified his resurrection from prison and his . . . . Continue Reading »

Keeping the vineyard

Isaiah 27:2-6 promises that the Lord will restore the vineyard that he had earlier abandoned (Isaiah 5:1-7). He raises the vines up, restores the hedge that had protected it, turns it into a vineyard of wine. A song of praise and love replaces the lament of chapter 5. The section is a chiasm of . . . . Continue Reading »

Visitation

So. The word “visit” ( paqad ) is also used seven times in the “little apocalypse” of Isaiah (24:21, 22; 26:14, 16, 21; 27:1, 3). Again, if nothing else, we have a numerical link with the days of creation, appropriate to a passage concerning the destruction and . . . . Continue Reading »