Peter J. Leithart

According to Isaiah 25, Yahweh will swallow ( bala ‘) the covering over the peoples (v. 7), the “veil,” and “death” (v. 8). He has spread a banquet on this mountain, and His portion is to eat the covering and feast. Most of the uses of “swallow” in the OT . . . . Continue Reading »

On the far side of the Red Sea, Israel sings the Song of Moses, praising the God who “does wonders (Heb. pele’ )” (Exodus 15:11). It’s the first time the word is used, and from that point on praise of Yahweh’s “wonders” always evokes the exodus story. The . . . . Continue Reading »

INTRODUCTION In the center of Isaiah’s “little apocalypse” is a vision of a ruined and restored city, and at the center of the center is a promise that the Lord will prepare a table for His people, and a series of songs of praise (25:1-2, 9; 26:1-6). THE TEXT “O Lord, You . . . . Continue Reading »

We all know that the days of the week take their names from classical or Germanic gods. But why the order? The order of the week is not the order of the planets in the sky, which is, as we find in Dante: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The order of days starts in the middle, and . . . . Continue Reading »

A few comments on the physiology, psychology, and culture of aroma from Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History of the Senses . Like many writers, Ackerman links smell and memory: “Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary, and fleeting, yet conjure up a . . . . Continue Reading »

How do prophets harden and deafen the deaf? Perhaps it works like this: Prophets speak in extremes. Prophets shout. Prophets “draw large and startling figures” (Flannery O’Connor). Yet nothing happens. They keep shouting and drawing. Still nothing happens. They shout louder, their . . . . Continue Reading »

We do not see Jesus. How do we know He is present? Smell and hearing are the senses of presence-in-absence, the senses that enable us to know the presence of what we do not see. Protestants know all about hearing Jesus. The fragrance of Christ is an undeveloped area of Christology. Smell is a . . . . Continue Reading »

Following up some suggestions by Toby Sumpter on Isaiah 24:2, which lists six pairs of social/religious classes that will be caught up in the devastation that is coming. There’s a sociology assumed and manifested in the verse. The six pairs are organized into three groups, with a 1 + 2 + 3 . . . . Continue Reading »

Oil is an extremely important part of the biblical world in a number of ways. Oil is a food. Oil is used for cooking. Oil is placed on grain offerings that are baked or fried before being offered to Yahweh (Leviticus 2), and the bread on the table of showbread is baked with oil (Exodus 29:2). . . . . Continue Reading »

When Panikkar writes, “neither the name Father nor the name God is the proper name of the Absolute. They are simply the names by which we designate him . . . . independently of us, in himself and for himself, what is He? Ultimately such a question does not even make sense . . . . God’s . . . . Continue Reading »