Peter J. Leithart

John Paul Heil ( The Death and Resurrection of Jesus: A Narrative-Critical Reading of Matthew 26-28 ) offers a close and illuminating reading of Jesus’ trial before Pilate.  Pilate’s first question is about Jesus’ kingship, a question that Jesus answers with somewhat puzzling . . . . Continue Reading »

On the cross, Jesus is surrounded by “strong bulls of Bashan” with mouths that open like the jaws of lions (Psalm 22:12-13, 21).  Why lions and bulls? Jesus on the cross is one like the Son of Man, triumphing over the beasts. Jesus on the cross is the temple, flanked by cherubim. . . . . Continue Reading »

Jesus first uses lestes , “brigand,” when He’s in the temple in Matthew 21:31.  When the high priest’s guard comes to arrest Him, He asks why they are armed as if to arrest a lestes (26:55). On the cross, the brigands are back, and Jesus is in the midst of them. . . . . Continue Reading »

Matthew gives a great deal attention to Jesus’ garments in his account of Jesus’ death.  Clothing is stripped three times - first his normal clothes are stripped by the soldiers, then the scarlet robe is stripped, and then his normal clothes are stripped yet again, as the soldiers . . . . Continue Reading »

Gulgoleth is the Hebrew word for “skull.”  In the OT, the word is used several times in contexts where people are being counted “skull by skull” (Exodus 16:16; 38:26; Numbers 1:2, 18, 20, 22; 3:47). More interesting for interpreting Matthew are several occurrences of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Cyrenian who bears Jesus cross of course shares a name with the leading disciple, Peter, who we last see in the gospel denying Jesus (26:75).  That a Simon bears the cross is perhaps a hint of the hope that we have for Peter’s restoration, which John describes in detail. Peter is . . . . Continue Reading »

After the soldiers mock, they strip off the scarlet robe from Jesus ( ekduo ) and put His own garments back on Him ( enduo ).  That’s a Day of Atonement link, but in the LXX the combination of these two verbs occurs also in Numbers 20:26, where the high priestly robes are stripped from . . . . Continue Reading »

Roman soldiers mock Jesus by conducting a coronation - with robe,m crown, scepter, and acclamation (Matthew 27:28-29).  Then they strip it all off, beat Jesus, and send Him away to the cross.  The scarlet chlamys is the robe of the Roman soldier.  For the Romans, the irony is . . . . Continue Reading »

Near the beginning of 1 Chronicles, Yahweh stirs up the spirit of Pul of Assyria to invade and conquer Israel (5:26). Near the end, He stirs up the spirit of Cyrus of Persia to issue a decree sending the exiles home (2 Chronicles 36:22). Israel’s intervening history is framed by those two . . . . Continue Reading »

Keel interprets the “seal” on the heart of the lover as the woman herself (“set me as a seal”) and connects this to ANE beliefs about death-warding and life-giving amulets.  The bride is the one who stands between death and chaos and her lover. That’s a stretch, . . . . Continue Reading »