Peter J. Leithart

Using an unusual transsexual image, Isaiah promises that Israel will “suck the milk of nations and suck the breast of kings” (Isaiah 60:16). Gentile kings will take the place of Moses, the “nursing father” of Israel (cf. Numbers 11:12).And not just Moses: Most of the . . . . Continue Reading »

When Israel’s light shines, kings will flock to Zion to “serve” (sharat) Israel. The word typically describes priestly ministry. In the Pentateuch “stand to serve” is a thumbnail description of priestly ministry (Numbers 16:9; Deuteronomy 10:8; 17:12; 18:5, 7), and . . . . Continue Reading »

Irene Backus began her study of Reformation Readings of the Apocalypse: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenbergout of frustration that Protestant commentaries on Revelation were widely unavailable. Her book is a straightforward summation of the ways Calvinists and Lutherans read the book.Those in . . . . Continue Reading »

When Jesus called the disciples to be “fishers of men,” he was riffing on imagery from the prophets. Yahweh fishes for Israel as He gathers exiled Jews from the sea of nations in His nets.Isaiah 60:5 gives an additional angle on the imagery. In the parallel lines at the end of the verse . . . . Continue Reading »

Yahweh bares His arm so that the nations can see the “salvation of our God” (Isaiah 52:10; Heb. yeshu’at-elohenu). The genitive seems obviously to refer to the salvation that God brings. After all, what sense would it make to speak of God Himself being saved?But then Isaiah twice . . . . Continue Reading »

Zizek (The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic?) consider’s John Caputo’s On Religionto be the “ultimate formulation of Derridean deconstructive messianism” (256). Caputo reveals that deconstruction is a “Jewish science” at war with idols and even, Caputo . . . . Continue Reading »

“Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their windows?” someone asks in Isaiah 60:8. It’s a puzzling question in a context having to do with the assembling of Gentiles at Zion for worship (vv. 6-7, note gold, frankincense, flocks and rams that ascend on . . . . Continue Reading »

When the nations bring their treasures to Zion (Isaiah 60:6), they come with camels. It’s an unusual site. The patriarchs have camels (the word is used 18x in Genesis 24 alone, 25x in Genesis). After that, camels are typically the mounts for Gentile visitors or invaders.Midianites riding . . . . Continue Reading »

When Zion sees her sons and daughters returning home in the arms of the nations, she is stunned (Isaiah 60:5). Her heart trembles (pachad; cf. Deuteronomy 28:66-67) and grows large (rachab; cf. Isaiah 54:2). In short, she has a heart attack, and a flushed face to prove it (“you will see and be . . . . Continue Reading »

Romanticism is often seen as a reaction against the Enlightenment. Louis Dupre thinks that’s too simplistic (The Quest of the Absolute: Birth and Decline of European Romanticism, 4-5). Rather, Romanticism transforms the values of the Enlightenment by turning them into a sublime.Dupre writes, . . . . Continue Reading »