The Lamb is as if slain, but stands in heaven (Revelation 5:6). That might appear odd, John knows his sacrificial system. This is precisely what happened to all lambs that were slain on Israel’s altars. The sacrificial procedure was not completed when the Lamb was killed. The Lamb was killed, . . . . Continue Reading »
At the climax of Isaiah 33, the prophet envisions a restored and secure Zion, its regular feasts back in place and Yahweh (or His Davidic Son) reigning in beauty. But the image of restoration is not taken from the glory-days of Solomon. Jerusalem will be undisturbed, but not because its walls are . . . . Continue Reading »
Tinker, tailor, spy. Yahweh is declared to be Israel’s Judge, Lawgiver, and King in Isaiah 33:22. As Thomas Leclerc ( Yahweh Is Exalted in Justice ) points out, Yahweh is assuming responsibility for the failures of Judah’s leaders. Judges take bribes and ignore the pleas of the weak . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 33 is arranged into two fairly neat chiasms. The first goes from verses 1-13: A. Woe to the destroyer, v. 1 B. Prayer for mercy in time of distress, vv. 2-3 C. Yahweh exalted, vv. 5-6 B’. Land laments, vv 7-9 A’/C’. Yahweh arises, is exalted, lifts Himself, and lets distant . . . . Continue Reading »
Only twice in Scripture are the words “treasure,” “wisdom” and “knowledge” used together. In Isaiah 33:6, Yahweh promises that after He destroys the Assyrian destroyers, He will fill Zion with justice and will open the fourfold treasure of wisdom - salvation, . . . . Continue Reading »
I flew into Toronto recently on a smallish regional plane from Chicago. It was a wild landing, the plane flopping this way and that in a strong wind. At times, we seemed certain to land wing-first, not the kind of landing one dreams of. Even after we landed, we could feel the wind pushing the plane . . . . Continue Reading »
Robert Solomon concludes an article that analyzes the reasons given for condemning kitsch with this defense of the emotions associated with kitschy art: “it seems to me that the real objection to kitsch and sentimentality is the rejection (or fear) of emotions and, especially, certain kind of . . . . Continue Reading »
In a decades-old article, Robert Solomon criticizes the “liberal American sexual mythology” found in the work of Tom Nagel: “His analysis is cautious and competent, but absolutely sexless. His Romeo and Juliet exemplify at most a romanticized version of the initial phases of . . . . Continue Reading »
VanderKam quotes 2 Maccabees 3:1-3’s claim that “King Seleucus of Asia defrayed from his own revenues all the expenses connected with the service of the sacrifices,” and comments: This continues “the centuries-old practice that the foreign overlord of Judea pay at least a . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Maccabees famously includes a letter from King Areus of Sparta to Onias, high priest of Israel, in which it is stated that “the Spartans and the Jews . . . are brothers and are of the family of Abraham.” Scholars dismiss the genealogical connection, and many even deny that the letter . . . . Continue Reading »
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