Tragedy of Finitude

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:51 pm By Peter Leithart

Jos de Mul , professor of Philosophical Anthropology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam , has produced a fascinating book on Wilhelm Dilthey , just released from Yale. The title The Tragedy of Finitude captures the essence of the work. He traces Dilthey’s work back to the transcendentalism of Kant, showing how Dilthey historicized the human subject. And he shows, on the other end, how Dilthey’s work was itself “radicalized” in Heidegger and Derrida. Fundamentally, this entire line of modern... Read more

Eucharistic Meditation, February 29

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:39 pm By Peter Leithart

Luke 21:10-11 According to John?s gospel, Jesus said at the outset of His ministry, ?destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it.?E As John tells us, Jesus was talking about the temple of His body, which would be destroyed on the cross and ?rebuilt?Ein the resurrection. Though Luke doesn?t include that statement of Jesus, Luke does assume the same perspective as John. This is evident from the way that Luke brings out the connections between Jesus prophecy... Read more

Exhortation, Feburary 29

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:40 pm By Peter Leithart

The reaction to the release of Mel Gibson?s film The Passion of the Christ this past week proves that Americans are still very interested in and curious about Jesus. In just a few days, the film made tens of millions of dollars in what was one of the biggest openings for any film ever. The Passion has made it clear once again that America is, as one historian recently put it, a ?Jesus nation.?E But saying that we are a... Read more

The Passion

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:56 pm By Peter Leithart

N.T. Wright has spoiled me. He has given such vivid portrayals of Jesus that I had difficulty getting into and appreciating Gibson’s The Passion . The film seemed so context-free that it’s hard for me to see how anyone could make much sense of it without already knowing who’s who and what’s what. Here are some of my complaints about the movie: 1) I think starting the film in Gethsemane was a big problem. You have no idea who Jesus’... Read more

Thoughts on Lent

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:51 pm By Peter Leithart

This Sunday is the first Sunday in the traditional church season of Lent, the 40-day period of preparation for Easter. Though Lent is not mandated by Scripture, it is edifying for the church for a couple of reasons. First, Lent cannot be separated from Easter. It is a journey toward Easter, a 40-day preparation for a feast. Easter, with its celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, is also a celebration of our participation in Easter, in resurrection and new life.... Read more

Exodus in Luke

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:41 pm By Peter Leithart

In Luke’s account of the transfiguration, Jesus discusses with Moses and Elijah the “exodus” that he is going to accomplish in Jerusalem (9:31). That surely refers to His sufferings, death, and resurrection, which have just recently been a subject of discussion with Jesus and the apostles (9:18-27, esp. v 22). Yet the context in Luke 9 also suggests a connection with the “coming of the Son of Man” and the coming of the “kingdom of God.” What is the “exodus”... Read more

Sermon Outline, February 29

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:01 am By Peter Leithart

Days of Vengeance, Luke 20:45-21:38 INTRODUCTION It is always important to remember that Luke wrote two books about Jesus and the early church, and that the two books work together. In the first book, the gospel of Luke, Jesus the Beloved Son comes to the vineyard and is killed by the vinedressers (20:9-18). The owner of the vineyard plans to take vengeance on the vine dressers, and hand the vineyard to others, but this doesn?t take place immediately. Jesus, as... Read more

Welcome and Thanks

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:48 pm By Peter Leithart

Welcome to my new location. I trust everyone who reads this will think it an improvement over Blogger. Also, I want to offer a hearty, public thanks to Emeth Smith of Tokyo, who designed and set up this site for me. I know nothing about this kind of thing; I even needed help to set up on Blogger, for heaven’s sake. So, this site exists purely because of Emeth’s work. If it’s a good thing that it exists, then that... Read more

Beliefs & Desires

Last updated on: February 26, 2004 at 4:40 pm By Peter Leithart

A trio of authors argue in the January 2004 issue of American Philosophical Quarterly that conscious desires are impossible. They begin with a distinction between beliefs and desires, showing that the difference has to do with the “direction of fit” with the external world. Beliefs (and perceptions) arise from the mind, but are checked and controlled by the world; if a belief proves false, we adjust the beliefs accordingly. Desires, however, have a different direction of fit; a desire is... Read more

Beliefs & Desires

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:47 pm By Peter Leithart