Peter J. Leithart

The letter to the Laodiceans clearly ends with an allusion to teh Song of Songs. Jesus knocks and seeks entry to the Bridal chamber of the church, where he will sup with His Bride, sup on His Bride (Revelation 3:20). As almost everyone notices, that reaches back to Song of Songs 5:1, the . . . . Continue Reading »

The sequence of Song of Songs 4:16 is significant. The verse begins with an invocation to the winds. The Bride awakens the north wind and invites the south wind, and these winds breathe out ( haphiychiy , from puach , which rhymes with ruach ) the fragrances of the garden. Wind blows from the north . . . . Continue Reading »

Matthew is famously organized by five large blocks of teaching (chs. 5-7, 10, 13, 18, 23-25). At least numerically, if not otherwise, it hints that Jesus is the new Moses, bringing five new “books” from the mountaintop and then sending His disciples out into the world to read out those . . . . Continue Reading »

In his Grace and Christology in the Early Church (Oxford Early Christian Studies) , Donald Fairbairn lays out some helpful distinctions that clarify what was at stake in the Nestorian controversy. He initially lays out a distinction between “composite” understandings of the unity of . . . . Continue Reading »

In his 2005 Christmas encyclical, Deus caritas est , Benedict XVI explains why love has to be understood as both eros and agape , as ascending and descending love. He notes early on that the Bible rarely uses the word eros , arguing that “the tendency to avoid the word eros , together with . . . . Continue Reading »

INTRODUCTION Isaiah’s earlier series of woes against the nations climaxes with woes against the “cousin” nation Moab (Isaiah 25:10; cf. Genesis 19:30-38). His second series of woes climaxes with a prophecy against another close relative – Edom, the descendants of Esau (Isaiah . . . . Continue Reading »

In a sermon on the life of Abraham, James Jordan made several points that clarify what is happening to Abram and Sarai when they sojourn in Egypt. He noted parallels between Sarai and Helen of Troy to highlight the fact that it was not unknown for ancient kings to seize beautiful women, even at the . . . . Continue Reading »

sunset across bare hills lights the treetops on the far side of the road . . . . Continue Reading »

In the highly sensible opening chapter to his Creator Spirit: The Holy Spirit and the Art of Becoming Human , Steven Guthrie asks what makes “art” seem “spiritual” to so many people. Many, he notes, find that art is spiritual because both “art” and . . . . Continue Reading »

I organize some scattered thoughts on the good of authority over at http://www.firstthings.com/ . . . . . Continue Reading »