Peter J. Leithart

In his contribution to The Old Testament in Byzantium , Robert Ousterhout examines the efforts of Eusebius and others to draw connections between Solomon’s temple and the church of the Holy Sepulcher: ““‘holy sites’ and relics previously associated with the Temple . . . . Continue Reading »

It’s rare to see a book utterly miss its target. When it purports to expose a mortal threat to our Republic, it’s a rather astonishing achievement. But Sean Faircloth has done it in his Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All—and What We Can Do About It . The . . . . Continue Reading »

In the introduction to their Dumbarton Oaks symposium on The Old Testament in Byzantium , Paul Magdalino and Robert Nelson observe that the Byzantine empire’s use of the Old Testament seems to involve a strange reversion to Judaism: “the New Testament threw open the election of one . . . . Continue Reading »

In the aforementioned article, Charlesworth points to a passage from Procopius where he describes a bronze equestrian statue of Justinian, which was, the writer says, “arrayed as Achilles.” Charlesworth observes: “why should Justinian, in the sixth century, have chosen Achilles? . . . . Continue Reading »

In a 1943 article in the Journal of Roman Studies , MP Charlesworth notes that for the Romans pius , felix , and invictus were intimately, even causally, connected: “because the Emperor is pius the gods will render him felix (for felicitas is their gift to their favourites) and his felicitas . . . . Continue Reading »

Hans A. Pohlsander’s The Emperor Constantine is a miracle of concision. In under 100 pages he summarizes the life of his subject, assesses his reign, and provides some pithy summaries of his legacy, real and in legends. He also withholds the title “the Great.” Pohlsander . . . . Continue Reading »

Giovanni Della Casa’s Galateo: Or, The Rules of Polite Behavior was one of the most important Renaissance treatises on civility, written in an age obsessed with civility. As M.F. Rusnak points out in his excellent introduction to his charming new translation, civility and politeness was not a . . . . Continue Reading »

Four women appear in Matthew’s genealogy, all of them connected with some scandal - Tamar, who fathered twins by her father-in-law, Judah; Rahab, retired prostitute; Ruth, a forward Moabitess; and Bath-sheba, whom David seized from Uriah. Though unnamed, three of the same women are implied in . . . . Continue Reading »

Naomi aims to provide “rest” for her daughter-in-law Ruth (Ruth 3:1), and the Hebrew word is manoach , built from the root nuach , which is the name of Noah, the one who gives rest to the earth. On a small scale, Boaz proves to be Noah redux, guiding Ruth and Naomi through the flood of . . . . Continue Reading »

When he is first introduced in the narrative of Ruth, Boaz is called a ‘ish g ibbor chayil , a “mighty man of strength.” “Mighty men” are usually violent warriors - the Nephilim who dominated the earth before the flood (Genesis 6:4), Nimrod (Genesis 10:9), . . . . Continue Reading »