Peter J. Leithart

There are several parallels between the story of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) and the account of Hezekiah’s sickness and the visit from the Babylonians (2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39). First a list of the connections: 1) When Naboth refuses to sell his vineyard, Ahab lays down on his bed . . . . Continue Reading »

There has been a huge response to my post on “Too catholic to be Catholic” earlier this week, and I can’t hope to respond to everything. Given what I’ve seen of some of the responses, though, it will be helpful for me to clarify and elaborate briefly the biblical framework I . . . . Continue Reading »

In a post last week, I criticized some aspects of Nevin’s and Calvin’s sacramental theology. Jonathan Bonomo, author of Incarnation and Sacrament: The Eucharistic Controversy Between Charles Hodge and John Williamson Nevin , responded by arguing that Nevin and Calvin would both agree . . . . Continue Reading »

My friends tell me that my name has been invoked in various web skirmishes concerning Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, sometimes by people, including friends, who claim that I nurtured them along in their departure from the Protestant world. My friends also hinted that it would be good . . . . Continue Reading »

INTRODUCTION During the Assyrian crisis (Isaiah 38:6), Hezekiah falls sick. He prays, and Yahweh heals him. At the same time, he shows his treasures to Babylonians, a prelude to Babylon’s later invasion. THE TEXT “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, . . . . Continue Reading »

Isaiah 37:14-38 is arranged in a simple chiasm: A. Hezekiah prays in the temple, vv 14-20 B. Isaiah prophesies concerning Sennacherib, vv 21-29 C. Isaiah gives a sign concerning Judah, vv 30-32 B’. Isaiah prophesies concerning Sennacherib, vv 33-35 A’. Sennacherib killed in the temple . . . . Continue Reading »

Adam and Eve seize the forbidden fruit before it’s time. When they cover themselves, they again jump the gun - using leaves to hide their shameful nakedness. They aren’t ready for that either, and the Lord gives them skins of a sacrificed animal to cover. From that time until the Last . . . . Continue Reading »

The promises you’ll make in a moment are utterly open-ended. You can’t be sure what will happen later today, much less for the rest of your life. You can take these vows confidently only if you entrust yourselves to the God who is Alpha and Omega, the God who is before every past and . . . . Continue Reading »

Griffiths ( Song of Songs (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) ) suggests that we must interpret the Song’s bodily imagery through the theological lens of Paul’s teaching concerning the body of Christ. “The complex and fluid relations of one body part to another – of . . . . Continue Reading »

In his study of Classical Music and Postmodern Knowledge (p. 11), Lawrence Kramer describes the shift from modern to postmodern in terms of speech-act theory. Modernism privileged the constative and subordinated the performative; postmodernism deconstructs the hierarchy and especially highlights . . . . Continue Reading »