Peter J. Leithart

Sabbath-keeping is more than just putting aside our work one day in seven. It is a way of life. Even that is too narrow. Sabbath is a way of being human, a way of being human together. God commands us to be a Sabbatical people. That sounds grand, but what does it mean? It’s easiest to begin . . . . Continue Reading »

In his 1995 Foreordained Failure: The Quest for a Constitutional Principle of Religious Freedom , Steven Smith challenges the notion that there is a single ideal of religious liberty and argues that any quest for such an ideal principle is doomed to failure. Religious freedom comes in various . . . . Continue Reading »

The first song of the heavenly choir is sung by the four living creatures (Revelation 4:8). They sing not of creation or redemption, but of God Himself. The song is an intricate knot of intersecting structures. There is, first, a simple chiasm: A. Triple “holy” B. Three titles: Lord, . . . . Continue Reading »

John is caught up to the heavenly temple (Revelation 4), and it’s not surprising that he sees a “sea” in front of God’s throne. The sea is a recognizable peace of temple furniture. Further, the sea corresponds to the “waters above” that were caught up above the . . . . Continue Reading »

In his classic Leisure the Basis of Culture , Josef Pieper notes that Kant considered knowledge ot be “discursive” rather than “receptive and contemplative.” Against romantics like Jacobi, he insisted that “the law is that reason acquires its possessions through . . . . Continue Reading »

Davis convincingly argues that the scene in Revelation 4-5 is a meeting of the divine council, prophet present, to deliberate and pass judgment. What’s the issue before the court? Davis cites this explanation from Adele Yabro Collins: “In the context of the Apocalypse as a whole, it is . . . . Continue Reading »

In his discussion of the four creatures of Revelation 4, Davis notes the connections between the faces and the four principal tribes of Israel: Judah/Lion, Reuben/Man, Ephraim/Ox, and Dan/Eagle (serpent). He adds, “Scholars who link these insignias with the forces of nature are probably at . . . . Continue Reading »

What is destroyed in Revelation 17-20 is not only the Harlot, but the Harlot-with-Beast. False Israel and the apostate, bestial oikoumene collapse together. And this composite reality has a single replacement - the Bride that comes down from heaven, who becomes not just the replacement for the . . . . Continue Reading »

In his The Heavenly Court Judgment of Revelation 4-5 , Dean Davis notes the repetition of the word “name” in Revelation 1-3, and connects it with the temple-name theology of the Old Testament. He concludes that “The ‘name’ is now localized on the believer. It includes . . . . Continue Reading »

Each of Jesus’ seven letters to the churches in Revelation 1-3 ends with a promise to the “victors” ( ho nikon ). The blessings form a progression in various ways - they link up with different stages of the OT, and they also form a progression toward enthronement with Jesus. To . . . . Continue Reading »