Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Mt. 10:28 The Greek word ψυχὴν, psyche, translated soul in this verse, has meanings that range from life spirit of animals to the center of the inner life of man, that is feelings and emotions, to the seat and center of life that transcends the earthly. As this verse contrast... Read more
I have long thought Paul’s thought needs to be seen at work in particular passages and that his whole theology comes to expression all at once — dense, to be sure, but all there. One such passage is Galatians 2:15-21, which I quote here so you can see how Tom Wright explains it in his Paul and the Faithfulness of God. In his explanation below, there are plenty of points to observe but some of this will be controversial for some.... Read more
Here is the first clue. You get one guess and, to win, your guess has to be accurate — not just general. You can guess but only one item in the guess per comment … so no long lists. What do you think I bought for myself? Read more
The 2D Eulogy Sometimes remembering someone who has passed is like looking at an autostereogram. You might ask, “What’s an autostereogram?” You may know it by its more popular title: Magic Eye. Autostereograms, or Magic Eyes, are pieces of art composed of thousands of different colored dots and lines. Depending on how you focus your eyes, you will either see a 2D image or a 3D one. I’m not sure about the whole science of it all, but it seems... Read more
Brent Sandy’s sketch of reading the NT in the context of its own world of composition and communication, in his jointly authored book, The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority, sketches a number of propositions that will helps us comprehend the NT in its context. (We begin with 5 because the first four were covered in our post on Monday.) 5. Much of the literature of the Greco-Roman world retained elements of a hearing-dominant culture. 6. Oral... Read more
Our passage [Matthew 5:17-20] is the most significant passage in the entire Bible on how to read the Bible, with a nod to Luke 24:13-49, Galatians 3:19-25, Romans 9—11 and Hebrews, because Jesus tells us how to read the Bible. The entire Old Testament or, in Jesus’ Jewish shorthand summary, the Law and the Prophets, aim at and are completed in/fulfilled in Jesus as Messiah. Yet, these words “completed” and “fulfilled” do not mean “abolished.” Rabbi Pinchas Lapide makes this... Read more
See this? cary. Insane. Ridiculous. Invasive. Wrong. The Washington Post reports that the FBI has had the ability to secretly activate a computer’s camera “without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording” for years now. What in the hell is going on? What kind of world do we live in? Marcus Thomas, the former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division, told the Post that that sort of creepy spy laptop recording is “mainly” used in terrorism cases or the... Read more
Science, especially in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience, is changing the way we in western culture view human beings, human nature, and the human experience. Some claim that this may prove a much more serious challenge to Christian faith than the science surrounding the age of the earth or evolution and common descent. To explore these issues related to neuroscience we’ve been looking at books by Malcolm Jeeves, a Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of... Read more
For more than three decades NT specialists have debated whether “faith of Christ” (I translate pistis christou literally) means (1) faith in Christ — believers believing in Jesus — or (2) the faith of Christ — Jesus himself being faithful before God in the mission of God to redeem the world through Israel. For some reason some think #2 undoes the whole of redemption, or they talk like it is that important, while others think it is so obvious that Jesus was faithful that it’s... Read more
One can never be sure one will get under the Christmas tree what one wants. Or, at least I can’t. A couple times this year, perhaps extending back into 2012 or earlier, I mentioned a certain something to Kris and she never bit on it. I got more direct not that long ago, to which she responded, “Do you think you’d use it?” To which I muttered to myself, “What does that have to do with it.” Well, it landed... Read more
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