Peter J. Leithart

The notion that the Constitution has to grow with the nation is often seen as an innovation of the twentieth century. Yet, similar arguments were being aired early in the 19th century. Henry Clay, erstwhile ally of Jefferson and Madison, stated a form of “National Republicanism” that . . . . Continue Reading »

Some early modern thinkers saw the American Indians as exemplars of natural man, but JQ Adams believed the opposite: “Shall [Indians] doom an immense region of the globe to perpetual desolation, and to hear the howlings of the tiger and the wolf, silence forever the voice of human gladness? . . . . Continue Reading »

My volume on Athanasius, a contribution to the Baker series on Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality, is now available from Amazon. Click the link to the right. . . . . Continue Reading »

Richard Wolin has an extended review of several books by Tzvetan Todorov in a recent issue of TNR that provides a neat window into the workings of French theory in the middle of the twentieth century. Todorov came to Paris from Bulgaria in 1963 at the age of 24, already trained in Slavic theory by . . . . Continue Reading »

Isaiah 19:14: The Lord has mixed her a spirit of distortion; they have led Egypt astray in all that it does, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. When Yahweh comes to Egypt, Isaiah says, He is going to throw Egypt’s advisors, wise men, sages, and prognosticators into confusion. The princes . . . . Continue Reading »

“Do not cast me from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me,” David prayed after Nathan exposed his sin with Bathsheba. David understood what was at stake. He had watched Saul’s terrifying decline – Saul, who received the Spirit, became a new man, joined the . . . . Continue Reading »

Jesus broke down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles, uniting them into one new man. And not only in the church: Jews and Gentile who did not accept Jesus also joined into one unit, defending the old ways, especially sacrifice. For instance, this from the Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:2: . . . . Continue Reading »

When John first sees the harlot, she is in the wilderness (17:3). The only other references to the wilderness in Revelation are in chapter 12, where the mother of the heavenly King flees to the wilderness to escape from the dragon (12:6, 14). The mother of Revelation 12, protected and nourished in . . . . Continue Reading »

Like many other words in Revelation, the word “sharp” ( oxus ) is used seven times. The uses divided neatly into a 3/4 pattern. Three times the word describes the sword that extends from Jesus’ mouth (1:16; 2:12; 19:15), while four times it refers to the sickle wielded by . . . . Continue Reading »

A Pentecost meditation of mine is published this morning on the First Things web site: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2011/06/epiphany-to-pentecost . . . . Continue Reading »