Theology as Science?

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

Barth quotes from J. Gerhard, who rejected the designation of theology as a science. One of his grounds was: ” scientiae certitudo ab internis et inhaerentibus principiis, fidei vero ab externis videlicet ab autoritate revelantis pendet ,” which in substance means that science derives its certainty from principles that are internal and inherent, while the truth of faith depends on the authority of an external revelation. This has wide ramifications for our understanding not only of theology as a discipline... Read more

The Oikoumene in the NT

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

Jim Jordan has pointed out that the Greek word “oikoumene” is used in the NT to refer to the Hellenistic and Helleno-Roman world, rather than to the entire inhabited earth. It could be translated as “empire.” Against this background, the usage in Heb 2:5 is very striking, since it talks about the “coming oikoumene” being subjected to Jesus. This is NOT a reference to the eschatological order, but to a new “world empire,” the empire of the Son of Man... Read more

Adam and the Dragon

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm By Peter Leithart

A discussion of death in the prefall world led to this thought: What was Adam supposed to do when a big dragon came to his wife and began tempting her to sin? I think he was supposed to do exactly what the Last Adam did: Crush the serpent’s head. But that means that maintaining the unfallen world of the creation depended on Adam’s willingness to kill. To turn it around, Adam’s fall is precisely a refusal to deal death to... Read more

Preflood Generation (Luke 17:27)

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:04 am By Peter Leithart

Jesus describes the activities of the unsuspecting preflood generation by listing four activities (Lk 17:27): eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage. He then describes the activities of the unsuspecting residents of Sodom by listing six activities (Lk 17:28): eating and drinking buying and selling planting and building. Several things are implied by these lists. First, numerologically: the fourfold list regarding the preflood generation is likely related to the four corners of the earth imagery common in Scripture. All... Read more

James Welch

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:45 pm By Peter Leithart

There’s an intriguing review of the work of James Welch in the January 26 Weekly Standard . Welch, who died last year, was a Montana-based poet and novelist, known as an “Indian poet” and “Indian novelist” for his focus on the lives and history of American Indians. The interest of the article is not only its introduction to a (to me previously unknown) writer, but also the fact that this appears in the Weekly Standard at all. What other DC-based... Read more

Exhortation, January 25

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

Exhortation for January 25: Jesus concluded the parable of the “unjust steward” by saying, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Though Jesus’ words have a particular application to the Pharisees of His own day, He states a principle here that applies throughout the ages and in many different realms. The specific application that Jesus makes here is... Read more

Eucharistic Meditation, January 25

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

Eucharistic meditation for January 25: Acts 2:41-47 In the book of Acts, we see the early church carrying out Jesus’ instructions regarding the proper use of wealth. After the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, and 3000 were saved, the disciples begin to sell their possessions in order to share with other believers who were in need. In Acts 6, the church set up a regular system to ensure that there is no need among them, that there is no... Read more

Baptismal Meditation, January 25

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

Baptismal meditation for January 25: Matthew 18:1-6 This passage in Matthew is parallel to the first part of Matthew 17 in our sermon text. As I mentioned in the sermon, Jesus’ reference to “little ones” in Luke 17 is not referring to little children, but to lowly people like Lazarus. But here in Matthew, Jesus applies this same comment to little children. There are two things I want to draw from this. First, this passage does give support to the... Read more

Civilization and Orifices

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:49 pm By Peter Leithart

Becoming civilized is a matter of gaining control over the body, and this bodily control is largely centered, as Mary Douglas recognized, on orifices. Infants have no control over their sphincters: They can’t hold urine or faeces, they fart and burp at inappropriate moments, they regurgitate milk and don’t care if it dribbles on their chin or splats on the floor. The foundational goal of parenting is to train children to control these openings. And once that’s done, parents move... Read more

Stuhlmacher on Hilasterion (Rom. 3:25)

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Peter Stuhlmacher interprets HILASTERION in Rom 3:25 as the KAPPORET of the ark of the covenant, the place where atonement is made. From the cross on, the place of atonement was no longer in the temple but in Jesus. He links this with the critique of the temple and temple cult that is found in Jesus’ preaching and Stephen’s. One of the differences he notes is that Paul speaks of a HILASTERION on public display: the verb PROTITHEMI could be... Read more