In a TLS review of several books on ancient perception, material, and architecture Peter Thonemann notes the dominance of circular architecture in “prehistoric” Europe, and asks whether this form carried some kind of symbolic weight. He cites an Athenian example: “The best-known . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh assures grieving Zion that she will see her children again (Isaiah 49:20-21). Dead children will reappear, and Zion will ask in astonishment, “Who has begotten these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children?” (v. 21). This is not merely a return from exile. It’s a . . . . Continue Reading »
Pastor Ralph Smith offers a meditation on John 18 at the Trinity House web site. . . . . Continue Reading »
The NASB translates Isaiah 53:11, in part, as “by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many.” Based on the discussion in Hagglund’s Isaiah 53 in the Light of Homecoming After Exile (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament) (73-77), I find this questionable on two . . . . Continue Reading »
Hagglund ( Isaiah 53 in the Light of Homecoming After Exile (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament) , 50-1) notes the parallels between the complaint Psalms and Isaiah 53: “The individual complaint psalms . . . begin with an invocation of YHWH. Then the complaint proper and a petition to YHWH often . . . . Continue Reading »
Lauren Shields describes her experiment in modesty at Salon . For a year, she put away her designer clothes, covered her body including her hair, and didn’t wear make up. Some people lost interest in her: “I learned that if you put down the Beauty Suit you will be ignored by people who . . . . Continue Reading »
In his monograph on Isaiah 53 in the Light of Homecoming After Exile (Forschungen Zum Alten Testamentbears ) (46-49), Fredrik Hagglund offers a helpful outline of the chapter. The following scheme is a modification of his work: A. Exaltation of the Servant, 52:13-15 B. Question from Yahweh: Who has . . . . Continue Reading »
Sudden as it seems to some, the Supreme Court’s endorsement of gay marriage in Windsor was a long time in coming. In cultural terms, of course, it is the fruit of fifty years of sexual liberation with all its attendant institutional, technological, and psychological shifts. In terms of . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 51:1-11 runs roughly through the creation week. The chapter begins with an exhortation to hear the word of Yahweh, the God who spoke the worlds into existence. He reminds Israel of their miraculous birth from the dead rocks, Abraham and Sarah (51:1-2). Evening and morning are the first day. . . . . Continue Reading »
Americans like to remind ourselves of Crevecoeur’s letters concerning America. Like Tocqueville, he initially saw the American as virtually a new human species, breaking away from the European past. “This great metamorphosis,” he wrote, “extinguishes all his European . . . . Continue Reading »
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