Genesis ends with Jacob blessing his sons (Genesis 49). Deuteronomy ends with Moses blessing the tribes that have descended from Jaob’s sons (Deuteronomy 33). Moses is a new Jacob, the father of the tribes of Israel as Jacob was the father of the tribal ancestors. As the father of a new . . . . Continue Reading »
Ephrem the Syrian on Genesis 1: “The Holy Spirit warmed the waters with a kind of vital warmth, even bringing them to a boil through intense head in order to make them fertile. The action of a hen is similar. It sits on its eggs, making them fertile through the warmth of incubation. Here . . . . Continue Reading »
In Genesis 1:16, the sun and moon are set in the firmament as rulers of the day and night. The word “ruler” or “dominion” is taken from the verb mashal , memshalah . Stars are called “rulers” of night in Psalm 136:9. The LXX of Genesis 1:16 translates memshalah . . . . Continue Reading »
The Bible’s first kiss occurs when disguised Jacob receives a blessing from his father Isaac. Isaac is suspicious, and wants Jacob to come closer so he asks for a kiss (27:26-27). From that point on, the book of Genesis uses the word “kiss” about ten times. Men kiss men (Genesis . . . . Continue Reading »
Before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed in the garden (Genesis 2:25). After the fall, they saw their nakedness (3:7), and their behavior manifests shame, even though the word is not used. In the LXX, the two words “naked” and some form of “shame” are used . . . . Continue Reading »
The table of nations (Genesis 10) initially lists Noah’s sons in the common order: Shem, Ham, Japheth. In the body of the list, however, the order is reversed: First descendants of Japheth, then Ham, then Shem. In the history of Israel, the list is reversed again. Israel begins in subjection . . . . Continue Reading »
Back to Witherington, and I discern that nuance and subtlety are not Witherington’s style, at least not in these posts. He writes, “Gen. 3.15 is not in any way shape or form a messianic prophecy about a warrior messiah. The ‘he’ in question is the descendants of Eve of . . . . Continue Reading »
I skip over Witherington’s second complaint for a moment and move to #3. For this one, he uses two exclamation points!! More than once!! Witherington writes, “the enmity set between humans and ‘the serpent’ has nothing to do with an endorsement of war, it has to do with a . . . . Continue Reading »
Over on his blog (I can see it in the distance), Ben Witherington has been working through my book on Constantine. His latest post criticizes my biblical arguments at the end of that book. I hope to address some of his criticisms over the next few days, and I’ll start with his charge that my . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh put Adam into deep-sleep, death-sleep, in the garden. When he woke he found Eve waiting for him. So too the last Adam, who does into death-sleep, and whose first sight after waking are the women come to minister to Him. . . . . Continue Reading »
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