Peter J. Leithart

Jesus is the greater Jacob who rolls away a great stone to offer water to the world. Further reflections at the Trinity . . . . Continue Reading »

Jesus relished a good argument, and so did the Buddha. That is the premise of Michael Collender’s To End All Suffering. Collender relishes a good argument too, and he mounts one. He thinks that Buddhist-Christian dialogues ought to give way to something their founders’ would have . . . . Continue Reading »

I reflect on Shakespeare and the Christian notion of tragedy over at the Colson . . . . Continue Reading »

Discussing his book Christianophobiaat the fathom journal, TLS religion editor Rupert Shortt suggests that there is a “hierarchy of victimhood” according to which “it’s just not very fashionable to be a persecuted Christian.” Shortt suggests . . . . Continue Reading »

In 1863, James H. Hackett sent a copy of his Notes and Comments upon Certain Plays and Actors of Shakespeare to the White House. Abraham Lincoln wrote a note of thanks and revealed his Shakespearean reading habits. He had read some “as frequently as any unprofessional reader,” . . . . Continue Reading »

No sooner is David anointed to be Saul’s successor than he starts plundering the king’s house.His victory over Goliath wins the admiration of the women of Israel, who praise him more highly than they praise Saul.Jonathan recognizes that David will be the next king, and he strips off the . . . . Continue Reading »

Two recent pieces highlight neglected dimensions of corporate and upscale welfare, already wealthy people making large amounts of money from the tax dollars of ordinary people.At Slate , Krissy Clark asks the obvious question of who ultimately benefits from food stamp programs. The program . . . . Continue Reading »

Mummies don’t go to waste, Ana Ruiz tells us in The Spirit of Ancient Egypt :“By the 11th century, Egyptian mummies were being ground into powder and sold as Mummia Vera; this was marketed as an aphrodisiac and a medicine. The great Persian physician Avicenna prescribed Mummia for . . . . Continue Reading »

Ana Ruiz gives a detailed summary of the variety of sevens in ancient Egyptian religion and culture (The Spirit of Ancient Egypt ).There were seven major deities, seven astral powers, seven planets, seven metals (gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin, lead) ruled by the planets. Spells used the . . . . Continue Reading »

Averil Cameron’s Byzantine Matters is not the popular introduction to Byzantium that it’s small page count (115 text) and pocket size might lead one to expect. It’s more a review of the literature on Byzantium, particularly from English-writing scholars, among whom Byzantium . . . . Continue Reading »