A couple of disconnected notes on Matthew 27. First, the death of Jesus responds to the mockery of passers-by and Jewish leaders. The passers-by mock Jesus for His claim to be able to destroy and rebuild the temple (v. 40), but at the death of Jesus the temple is essentially immobilized when . . . . Continue Reading »
Commentators often resort to some embarrassing expedients in trying to explain the bodily imagery of the Song of Songs. The assumption is that the images are mainly visual. Breasts are like fawns grazing among the lilies? Well, the fawns must be bent over, their backs rounded and . . . . Continue Reading »
In her commentary on the Song of Songs (Old Testament Library) , Cheryl Exum notes the finely rendered sexual differences between the way the man and woman of the Song, evident in the different ways they express their desires for one another. The woman tells stories: “They are the only . . . . Continue Reading »
Further thoughts on the structures of Matthew 27, focusing on verses 45-66. Verses 45-54 can be seen either as a panel structure or as two chiasms. In the panel structure, each panel begins with Jesus crying out in a loud voice: A. Jesus’ “cry of dereliction,” v 46 B. Reaction of . . . . Continue Reading »
Song of Songs 3:11 speaks of the crowning of Solomon on the day of his wedding. Most commentators refer to the Orthodox practice of crowning grooms and brides as new Adams and Eves. I’ve got no problem with that, but I suspect there’s something else. First, as Ernst Wendland . . . . Continue Reading »
The beloved is a dove. Why a dove? We can answer by taking a detour through temple theology. The temple is made according to the pattern of the mountain, reflecting the beauty of Yahweh’s original glory. The temple is glory come to earth., And the glory of Yahweh is like a . . . . Continue Reading »
Jenson again. He notes that liturgy provides a test of theological truth, in the sense that “no teaching can be true whose consequences would pervert the practice or darken the understanding of irreversibly instituted liturgy.” He illustrates: “the Reformers insisted there . . . . Continue Reading »
In the first volume of his Systematic Theology , Jenson argues that the Spirit is the guarantor of the church’s continuity over time: “it is God the Spirit who sustains the gospel’s and so the church’s self-identity through time,” but this means that “that . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus’ death is earth-shattering, literally and figuratively. In the OT, earthquakes are associated with the revelation of Yahweh’s glory (cf. Psalm 77:18) and His coming as the divine warrior to rescue His people. But in Matthew, the earth quakes at Jesus’ death. It quakes . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Orthodoxy claims that Jesus of Nazareth is God the Son in human flesh, but the test case of orthodox Christology has always been the crucifixion of Jesus. Especially here, we confront the mystery of the incarnation, for God the Son died on the cross just as surely as He was born, . . . . Continue Reading »
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