Peter J. Leithart

We miss some of the radical force of Peter’s declaration in Acts 10:28 if we don’t keep OT distinctions of holiness and purity in mind. They are not the same category. Holiness is the opposite of common, pure the opposite of impure or unclean. One can be pure without being holy; . . . . Continue Reading »

When Peter speaks to the men from Cornelius, he reminds them that for Jews it is unlawful to “join” or “come to” men from any other nation. Both verbs are significant. “Join” can have a political sense; to join a community is to become a polites , citizen, of . . . . Continue Reading »

In a 2003 article in Biblica , Thomas Slater gives reasons for re-thinking the common assignment of Revelation to the reign of Domitian. He begins with questions about Irenaeus’ accuracy. Irenaeus claims to have known Polycarp who knew John, but Slater argues that Polycarp would have been too . . . . Continue Reading »

Revelation 20:4: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. In our sermon today, we’ve heard about how Moses set up a system of courts in Israel. This doesn’t surprise us. Israel, after all, was a nation, we might even think a “nation-state,” . . . . Continue Reading »

Exodus 18:12: Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. When Abram returned from defeating the kings who had taken Lot captive, Melchizedek met him with . . . . Continue Reading »

In any sizable congregation, there are going to be disputes. Two members go into business, it fails, and they fight about who’s responsible for what. One member borrows the lawnmower from his neighbor and breaks it; who pays? Someone makes a thoughtless comment and damages a friendship. The . . . . Continue Reading »

Joseph Mangina ( Revelation (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) ) makes this shrewd comment on the “visuality” of Revelation: “the Apocalypse is equally a book of auditions . . . . Revelation is a very loud book, situating us in the midst of an extraordinarily aural . . . . Continue Reading »

John’s gospel begins with a “book of signs,” the word semeion used sixteen times in the first 12 chapters and only once after (20:30). The last use of the noun in the book of signs occurs in 12:37, which speaks of the “signs” that Jesus performs to unbelieving Jews. . . . . Continue Reading »

If my argument in an earlier post about the angel of Jesus in Revelation 1:1 works, then we have a fully Trinitarian structure to the revelation given to John. The Father gives apocalypse to the Son; the Son shows/displays this unveiling to the slaves; the Son signifies this through His . . . . Continue Reading »

Who is the “angel” through whom Jesus signifies His apocalypse? We get a clue from the unusual phrase “His angel” (1:1). This is one of two places in Revelation that use the phrase “His angel” (cf. 22:6). Here His is specifically Jesus’. In 22:6, the . . . . Continue Reading »