Peter J. Leithart

Land of Pharaohs and pyramids, Egypt is about stasis. Israel leaves Egypt and builds a mobile sanctuary. They don’t even remain camped at the Mountain of theophany. They remain the people of Abraham, called ahead to a land they haven’t yet seen. Because Yahweh is a living God. . . . . Continue Reading »

By looking for the sources of biblical notions of kipper in texts dealing with bloodguilt for murder, Feder concludes that blood serves as a compensation for the damage done by sin. Sin is conceived as a debt, and the blood of sacrifice is payment for the debt. To explain the logic of the lex . . . . Continue Reading »

In discussing “the only non-cultic text with a seemingly concrete object for kipper (Genesis 32:20), Feder argues that kapar doesn’t mean “cover” and he takes the common view that panayv doesn’t mean “his face.” Jacob does not send a gift to . . . . Continue Reading »

Feder summarizes the scholarly consensus on the use of blood in Mesopotamian ritual, which, he says, “has little in common with the expiatory use of blood in the Bible.” He elaborates: “In Mesopotamian rites, blood is usually associated with chthonic deities. In numerous cases, . . . . Continue Reading »

The shema is often taken as a declaration of monotheistic faith, or at least of henotheism. In ANE context, it may have another aspect to it. Yitzhaq Feder ( Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual (Writings from the Ancient World Supplements/Society of Biblical Literature) ) analyzes a . . . . Continue Reading »

1-2 Kings mentions Passover in only one passage, describing the Passover of Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23). 1-2 Chronicles places more emphasis on Passover. Hezekiel celebrates a massive Passover (2 Chronicles 30), as well as Josiah (2 Chronicles 35). In both cases, Passover is mentioned only near the . . . . Continue Reading »

And in the “What the hell?” category: Eduardo Galeano writes in Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent : “In the middle of the nineteenth century the filibusterer William Walker, operating on behalf of bankers Morgan and Garrison, invaded Central . . . . Continue Reading »

Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa was a seminal book in the theological development of Emmanuel Katongole. As he recounts it in his recent The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa (Eedmans Ekklesia) , . . . . Continue Reading »

The State Department boasts that “The United States actively promotes freedom of religion as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability throughout the world.” Fundamental, unless it’s unconvenient for other reasons. Then, well, it’s not so fundamental after all. . . . . Continue Reading »

The State Department reports that in Saudi Arabia “The public practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. There is no separation between state and religion, and the deep connection between the royal family and the religious establishment results in significant pressure on all . . . . Continue Reading »