Joseph, human father of Jesus, is a dreamer (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19). In each case, an angel appears in a dream to protect Jesus. The first dream prevents Joseph from tucking Mary away, and the other two actually save Jesus’ life. Joseph is a dreamer, like his namesake from . . . . Continue Reading »
In his Of God and Gods: Egypt, Israel, and the Rise of Monotheism (George L. Mosse Series) , Jan Assmann argues that justice is a “generator of history,” that is, it is the concept/action that makes history a field of interaction between God and man. In the Bible, in contrast to . . . . Continue Reading »
A long title for a short post. The prophets sometimes portray the collapse of Jerusalem by saying that the “voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride will be heard no more” (Jeremiah 7:34; 25:10; 33:11; Revelation 18:23). ”I say there shall be no more . . . . Continue Reading »
My colleague Jonathan McIntosh takes issue with my post about nature in Aristotle: “I like the idea of questioning or challenging Aristotle’s notion of nature, but is it possible that your remarks confuse ‘not being impeded by an external influence for the fulfillment of . . . . Continue Reading »
In 2006, Pope Benedict came under intense criticism for citing the harsh words of a fourteenth-century Byzantine emperor about Islam. The Pope’s point was to highlight the importance of Greek philosophy in the Christian tradition. He cited the following passage from the . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Isaiah prophesied in Judah during the reigns of several different kings (1:1). To understand his prophecies, we need to know something about the times in which he was preaching. THE TEXT “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Corinthians 14:26: Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. Paul portrays the church as a body. That captures the unity and diversity of the church. The church is . . . . Continue Reading »
2 Kings 2:9-10: And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you? Elisha said, Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. So he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you . . . . Continue Reading »
“I hate your new moon festivals,” the Lord says at the beginning of Isaiah, “Bring your worthless offerings no longer; Incense is an abomination to me.” He rejects Israel’s offerings and festivals because their hands are filled with blood and because they oppress the . . . . Continue Reading »
Gregory Nazianzen ( Oration 28,9) says that negative theology is only a starting point, beyond which one must go to state what God is: ”he who is eagerly pursuing the nature of the Self-existent will not stop at saying what He is not , but must go on beyond what He . . . . Continue Reading »
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