Whether Joseph knows it or not, he is preparing Jesus for priestly ministry. Clean linen cloth reminds us of the priestly attire at the temple, the linen clothing that the high priest wore on the day of atonement when he entered the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood toward the ark. The . . . . Continue Reading »
The Jewish leaders address Pilate as “Lord” (Matthew 27:63), using the word kurios . That’s the term one would use to show respect to an official. It can mean something as colorless as “Sir.” But throughout Matthew’s gospel, people have . . . . Continue Reading »
Pharisees join the chief priests in sealing the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 27:62). They aren’t sealing it against the possibility of Jesus coming out from within the tomb; they are sealing it to prevent disciples from entering the tomb and stealing the body. Apparently, the Pharisees can no . . . . Continue Reading »
In Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in Romantic Literature , M. H. Abrams notes the influence of the Bible on Romanticism: “A conspicuous Romantic tendency, after the rationalism and decorum of the Enlightenment, was a reversion to the stark drama and suprarational mysteries . . . . Continue Reading »
Hume thought his arguments against miracles applied to prophecy as well. Miracles cannot serve as proof of the truth of Christianity because miracles violate natural law and because our knowledge of them rests on unreliable testimony rather than direct observation. So too prophecy: . . . . Continue Reading »
Pharisees of course are mentioned throughout Matthew’s gospel. After Jesus’ scathing denunciation at the temple (Matthew 23), they disappear for most of the rest of the gospel. They appear one last time, along with the chief priests, asking for a seal on Jesus’ tomb . . . . Continue Reading »
Joseph places Jesus’ body in a “new tomb.” New wine cannot be contained in old wineskins. The new wine of the new covenant, the wine that Jesus will drink new in the Father’s kingdom, cannot be contained in old wineskins. So too, a new kind of body requires a new . . . . Continue Reading »
My colleague Jonathan McIntosh writes the following in response to my post quoting Aristotle’s statement about wonder as the beginning of philosophy: “on your quote from Aristotle on wonder, I like to juxtapose this with another passage from a little later in the Metaphysics in . . . . Continue Reading »
Three women are mentioned in Matthew 27:56: Mary Magdalene, another Mary, identified as “the mother of Jakobos and Joses,” and the unnamed mother of James and John. Who is the second Mary? Matthew 13:55 is the only other reference to these names, Jakobos and Joses, and their . . . . Continue Reading »
The women who come from Galilee minister to Jesus along the way (27:55). They take the place of angels, who minister to Jesus after the devil has tempted Him (4:11). They are daughters of Peter’s mother-in-law, who rises and ministers to Jesus and the disciples (8:15). They are . . . . Continue Reading »
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