Let’s say that angels ruled were associated with the great powers of the ancient oikoumene (the period between Nebuchadnezzar and Nero). This is (perhaps) what’s in view in Daniel 10:13, 20. Jesus establishes the new imperium , and in Revelation 2-3 sends out letters to the “angels” of the churches. I believe that the angels are pastors, so why call them angels? Perhaps Revelation 2-3 is giving us a portrait of the new empire, the oikoumene of Jesus, also ruled... Read more
In John’s vision, Jesus has bronze feet, a golden girdle, a face shining like the sun and hair as white as wool and snow (Revelation 1:13-15). This seems to be a tabernacle image: The bronze altar, the gold of the holy place, and the shining glory of the cloud in the most holy place. Jesus is an upright human tabernacle, bronze feet planted on the ground and glorious head in the heavens. Read more
Paul (Colossians 1:18) and John (Revelation 1:5) both describe Jesus as the “firstborn from the dead.” The firstborn is the heir, and so the firstborn of the dead is the heir of the world of death. He has the keys to death and hades. Death holds no fear, no dangers; it belongs to Jesus now. Better: If Jesus is born from the dead, then death has become a mother. The grave is not the end but the gate to a... Read more
The NASB translates Deuteronomy 32:43, “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants.” Hebrews 1:6, partially quoting the LXX of the same passage, says “and worship Him all angels of God.” The LXX also includes an exhortation to the “sons of God” to praise Yahweh for His just vengeance against the enemies of His people. This is intriguing on all sorts of levels. (more…) Read more
The English verb “keep” often translates the Hebrew shamar , “guard,” often used to describe the temple ministry of priests and Levites. Priests and Levites guarded the house of Yahweh, and also, literally, guarded the commandments, written on tablets and placed in the ark of the covenant. When the OT speaks of “keeping commandments,” then, it is imagining the Israelite as priest, guarding the commandments in the heart of the temple and guarding the commandments taught in Israel. When the... Read more
Meyendorff ( Christ in Eastern Christian Thought ) does a good job of showing not only the compatibility of Chalcedon with Cyrillian Christology, but that Chalcedon is essentially Cyrillian. The logic is this: Chalcedon insisted on a single hypostasis in Christ. The humanity has no separate subsistence, no existence apart from its existence as the humanity of the Word. Chalcedon implies that the human nature is anhypostatic. (more…) Read more
Norman Baynes opened his 1929 Raleigh lecture to the British Academy reflecting on the difficulty of making sense of Constantine. Constantine’s life and work don’t just raise historical problems (making sense of the evidence) but a problem of the philosophy of history: “To my mind, at least, all attempts to explain away Constantine as the natural outcome of the previous history of Rome have failed completely. Constantine can only be satisfactorily interpreted in terms of the Zeitgeist if the Zeitgeist... Read more
Gregory Beale notes frequent allusions to Isaiah 41-48 in the opening chapter of Revelation. “Alpha and Omega” rings on the “first and last” of Isaiah 41:4. John announces from the start that he’s prophesying about the fall of another Babylon, a third exodus. Read more
A further, pithier refinement of a post from yesterday: Why did God become man? He became man to kill man. Why did God become man? He became man to raise us from the dead. Read more
Revelation 1:4-8, the opening to John’s “apocalyptic” letter, is chiastically organized: A. From One who is, was, shall be B. From seven Spirits C. From Jesus Christ D. To Him who loved us and released by blood E. And made us kings and priests D’. To Him be glory and dominion C’. Coming on clouds B’. Look on the one pierced and will mourn A’. Alpha/Omega, is, was shall be Several things stand out in this structure: (more…) Read more
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