Peter J. Leithart

A student, Maggie Church, notes the parallel between the situation in Philemon - a runaway slave returning to his master - and the story of the prodigal son. If we plug in NT Wright’s interpretation of that parable, we get a deeper insight into the theology of Philemon. According to Wright, . . . . Continue Reading »

A student, Sam Bussey, offers several sharp intertextual insights into Paul’s discussion of Spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14. First, 1 Corinthians 12:2’s reference to “dumb idols” hearkens back to the idol polemics of Psalm 115 and Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46 is in the midst . . . . Continue Reading »

INTRODUCTION History is meaningful, but its lessons sometimes take the form of riddles and allegories. Israel is supposed to have the eyes and ears to take the lesson to heart, and see in Babel’s story a parable (v. 4; Heb. mashal ) about rising and falling. THE TEXT “It shall come to . . . . Continue Reading »

Revelation speaks several times of the “synagogue of Satan,” which is the Jewish synagogue in opposition to Jesus. Is there a corresponding synagogue of God? Austin Farrer thinks so: “heaven is the synagogue of God, where the Almighty sits at the head of the elders, and where the . . . . Continue Reading »

At the beginning of each “letter” to the seven churches, Jesus identifies Himself with a descriptive phrase that goes back to the original vision of John in 1:12-20. The churches are judged and evaluated by the ideal human, Jesus. The following lists the connections: 1. Ephesus: stars . . . . Continue Reading »

Proverbs concludes with the portrait of the “excellent wife” (31:10). The portrait reaches back to the beginning of Proverbs and the portrait of wisdom. Like Lady Wisdom, the excellent wife’s value is far above jewels (v. 10; cf. 3:15; 8:11). Like Lady Wisdom, the excellent wife . . . . Continue Reading »

Jesus went away. What did He leave behind? The church, of course. But how? On the cross, Jesus is the new Adam, His side opened, and even after the resurrection still open. What comes out is not a rib but water and blood. What Jesus leaves behind is the water and the blood, baptism and Eucharist. . . . . Continue Reading »

Verse 5 describes the results that follow if a king relaxes and rests before the battle is done, if a king indulges in drink too much or at the wrong time. While rejoicing with strong drink and wine is often associated with memorial and memory, in fact drink can cause loss of memory. Memory is . . . . Continue Reading »

Isaiah 13 is framed by explicit references to Babylon (vv. 1, 19), but the structure extends into chapter 14. A new section begins in 14:4, with another reference to “Babylon” and the introduction to the taunt song over the king of Babylon. When we include 14:1-3, we get a neat . . . . Continue Reading »

Isaiah 13 moves forward in part by regular puns. One thread of wordplay works with the tzb- combination. When the Medes come, Isaiah says, men will scatter like roebucks, like tzebyi (v. 14). The very same word is translated as “glory” or “beauty” in verse 19. Babel is the . . . . Continue Reading »