Sherlock Holmes used to say ‘the game’s afoot’ to signal that something major was happening in regard to solving crime, and in particular murders. Our recent string of disasters with police using excessive force even to the point of killing unarmed people has put in place lots of complex societal factors such that the ‘game’ really is afoot— racism, sanctioned violence by city officials, the militarization of police forces, peaceful protests infiltrated by looters and other opportunists, and the increasing... Read more

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In the third of his great tales from the first age of Middle Earth, there is a point in which Ulmo, the god of the sea, a sort of cross between Aquaman, Poseidon and Neptune with a Nordic flare, tells Tuor the main character in the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ tale the following: “in the armor of Fate…there is ever a rift, and in the walls of Doom a breach, until the full-making, which ye call the End.” (p. 165). What... Read more

SUMMER SONG (FOR EMILY ON HER BIRTHDAY) I must go down to the sea Because it clearly calls my name I can’t ignore the constant cry Or I’ll never be the same. I love the sound of wave on wave The roar and then the reach, Rise and fall, and rise and fall Until it covers the beach. The air is warm, the pelicans play In search of endless fish All too soon the day goes down Despite my deepest... Read more

BEN: On p. 152 I had an ah ha! moment when you showed that Mark had juxtaposed a two-stage healing of a blind person with the two stage growth in understanding of Jesus by the disciples starting in Mk. 8. Throughout, one of the things you are showing is how carefully crafted and ordered this Gospel is by Mark—there is nothing haphazard about it. This means that older characterizations of Mark’s work as clumsy, awkward, rough and ready simply do... Read more

43 years ago today, Ann and I got married in the Methodist Church in South Hamilton Mass. We’ve been all over the world together, and still going! Read more

BEN: On p. 152 I had an ah ha! moment when you showed that Mark had juxtaposed a two-stage healing of a blind person with the two stage growth in understanding of Jesus by the disciples starting in Mk. 8. Throughout, one of the things you are showing is how carefully crafted and ordered this Gospel is by Mark—there is nothing haphazard about it. This means that older characterizations of Mark’s work as clumsy, awkward, rough and ready simply do... Read more

BEN: Long ago, Charlie Moule stressed that the persistent use of the definite article before the phrase ‘Son of Man’ must be interpreted to refer to ‘the aforementioned (or well known) Son of Man (i.e. the famous one in Dan. 7). In other words, it’s unlikely to be an attempt at a modest self-reference, and Mk. 14.62 in particular was seen as making this finally quite clear with the reference to coming on the clouds. Given the eschatological and even... Read more

BEN: On p. 128 you quite rightly comment on the lack of use of the title Son of David to characterize who Jesus was in Mark. I wondered if you had considered that in that era the title ‘son of David’ if used in conjunction with a request for healing or some miracle was assumed to refer to someone who was like Solomon, who in the wisdom tradition was believed to have the wisdom for cures. Indeed, even for exorcisms... Read more