As soon as Matthew mentions Judas as the one who will “betray” or “hand over” ( paradidomi ) Jesus (10:4), he records a fair bit about handing over and betrayal. Often, Jesus warns that the disciples will be handed over (10:17, 19, 21; 24:9-10), but after chapter 17, . . . . Continue Reading »
Novels arise with secularism. Citing Lukacs, Rowan William says that novels appear “when it is no longer possible to plot the significance of human lives against the unquestioned backdrop of what is agreed to be the one universal narrative,” which leads writers “to create . . . . Continue Reading »
In his discussion of The Idiot , Rowan Williams makes this profound psychological and pastoral observation: “To see the truth in someone is not only to penetrate behind appearances to some hidden static reality. It also has to be, if it is not to be destructive, a grasp of the processes . . . . Continue Reading »
Amazon says they’ve got my Jane Austen biography in stock. Click the icon to the right and you’ll get there. New St Andrews College philosopher Mitch Stokes has a biography of Isaac Newton (Christian Encounters Series) in the same series from Nelson, and it’s in stock at . . . . Continue Reading »
In his excellent Theopolitical Imagination , William Cavanaugh points out that during the Reformation Catholic princes remained Catholic in those areas where the power of the Papacy had already been restricted. Because the princes could have their way, they didn’t need to change . . . . Continue Reading »
Paul instructs the Corinthians to defer to weaker brothers, avoiding, for example, meat sacrificed to idols out of concern for a weaker brother’s conscience. But what happens when we apply a universality principle: What if everybody did? Wouldn’t that mean that the weak end up . . . . Continue Reading »
The woman’s description of her lover in Song of Songs 5:6-10 draws on terminology used to describe the temple - there’s myrrh, sockets, inlays, cedars of Lebanon. More, the sequence of the description is not only head-to-foot, but also roughly follows the pattern of the temple. Head of . . . . Continue Reading »
The lover’s eyes are doves, just like his beloved’s (Song of Songs 5:12). John’s description of Jesus in Revelation 1 draws on the model of the Song, with variations. In John’s blason of Jesus, though, the eyes of Jesus are like flames of fire not doves. Though . . . . Continue Reading »
LaCocque is irritating. He finds striking parallels between the Song and other biblical texts, but consistently says that the Song is undermining, subverting, reversing the other texts. Very few of these reversals begin to resemble actual reversals. Lamentations 4:1-8, for example, . . . . Continue Reading »
Jenson is right: One can hardly read Song of Songs 5:2 without thinking of Revelation 3:20 (or, at least, of cheesy paintings inspired by Revelation 3:20). What does Jesus want? In Revelation, Jesus stands at the door seeking entry, calling to those inside to open He can enter to enjoy . . . . Continue Reading »
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