Dooyeweerdian Impasse

Last updated on: November 11, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In an essay on radical Augustinian social critique in his Religion, Truth, and Social Transformation, Lambert Zuidervaart summarizes the social vision of Herman Dooyeweerd with two themes: spiritual antithesis and structural differentiation. The antithesis is, for Dooyeweerd, “universal, comprehensive, and deeply spiritual,” running “right through the Christian life itself.” History is a life-and-death struggle between antithetical “ground motives,” ultimately a struggle between “a spiritual orientation for which life, culture, and society are God’s redeemed and redeemable creation, and one for... Read more

Jezebel and Babylon

Last updated on: November 11, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Paul Duff (Who Rides the Beast? 90) calls attention to five parallels between the prophetess Jezebel of Thyatira (Revelation 2) and the harlot city Babylon (Revelation 17-18). “First, Ahab’s wife was a queen—of the kingdom of Israel in the ninth century BCE; the regal bearing of ‘Babylon’ in chapter 17 would call the Israelite queen to mind. Second, she was associated with sexual promiscuity in the Hebrew Scriptures as well as in the later Jewish tradition, just as ‘Babylon’ is... Read more

Confessionalization and Division

Last updated on: November 11, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

I have only two quick responses to Toby Sumpter’s generous and thoughtful review of (a part of) The End of Protestantism. First, he expresses the wish that I would have called the book The End of Denominationalism or somesuch, hinting that I chose the title because of its rhetorical punch. It does have rhetorical punch, I grant. But I (and Brazos) gave it the title we did because the end of Protestantism is the end game. As I discussed recently,... Read more

Hegel the Theologian

Last updated on: November 11, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Enrique Dussel (Underside of Modernity) explains Hegel’s defection from Kant in theological terms. Inspired by Schiller’s distinction of reason as “the vital faculty of synthesis” and understanding as the faculty that “determines its object, separates it, kills it,” Hegel described the kingdom of Jesus in terms of reason rather than understanding: “In the Kingdom of the Heavens he [Jesus] shows to them [his disciples] not the elimination of the law, but instead that these will be fullfilled through a justice,... Read more

America Being America

Last updated on: November 10, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

International observers have looked with dismay on the 2016 Presidential election, often for good reason. But David Goldman offers a rebuttal. He observes that Trump’s victory “is not strictly speaking a Republican victory. The self-appointed guardians of Republican ideology for the most part supported Clinton or sat the race out. George Bush, father and son, reportedly left their presidential ballots blank.” He thinks it’s a victory for the American spirit, “a triumph for America’s risk-friendliness and willingness to adapt, experiment... Read more

Forgetful Reading

Last updated on: November 10, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

When teaching hermeneutics, I’ve limited myself to giving students two rules: “Pay attention!” and “Remember!” The exclamation points are essential. Professional readers don’t always observe these rules. For instance: Satan is mentioned twice in Revelation 2-3 in connection with synagogues: Jewish communities that oppose the gospel and accuse Christians are denounced as “synagogues of Satan” (Revelation 2:9; 3:9). “Devil” is first used in Revelation in the same context: He is about to put some of the Christians of Smyrna into... Read more

Before the Ark

Last updated on: November 10, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

After David installs the ark of the covenant in the tent he prepares for it, he sets up Levites to carry on continuous praise before the Lord’s throne. 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 is a long sample of praise. As commentators point out, the Psalm consists of three Psalms from the fourth book of the Psalter (which begins at Psalm 90). 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 matches Psalm 105:1-15; verses 23-33 are taken from Psalm 96:1-13; and the last few verses of the Chronicler’s... Read more

Men of Measure

Last updated on: November 9, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

The account of David’s reign in 1 Chronicles alternates between house-building and war, house-building and international recognition and repute. David builds his house, and then fights Philistines, spreading fear throughout the region (1 Chronicles 14). Then David brings the ark into Jerusalem, places is in a tent, and makes plans to build a house (1 Chronicles 15-17). Then David fights Philistines and Ammonites (1 Chronicles 18-20) before settling in for the rest of Chronicles to arrange for the temple project.... Read more

Building a Human House

Last updated on: November 8, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

David is the hyperactive organizer of the effort to bring the ark into Jerusalem. After the first attempt ended in Uzza’s death, David determines that they had violated the ordinance, the word of God through Moses (1 Chronicles 15:13, 15). He makes sure they don’t make the same mistake. David prepares a place for the ark (15:1; 16:1). David declares that only Levites can bear the ark (15:2). David assembles Israel (15:3)> David summons priests and Levites (15:4). David instructs... Read more

The Ways of Figuration

Last updated on: November 8, 2016 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In his Apocalypse Commentary, Nicholas of Lyra pauses from his comments on Revelation 11:11 to describe the various ways a figure can figure. He starts from the reasonable premise that “a figure of another thing is necessarily something in itself, because what is nothing cannot figure or signify something.” And from this he develops the point that “a figure can be taken in three ways”: “In one way only as the thing in and of itself. In another way only... Read more

What Jewish festival celebrates the deliverance in Esther?