At a recent Theopolis Institute course on Leviticus, James Jordan argued that the skin disease described in Leviticus 13-14 is a “touch of affliction” (the word translated as “mark” is nega’, from a verb for “touch”). It describes a touch from God, and skin disease defiles when the touch of God both consecrates and exposes flesh, when there is a white hair of glorious holiness in a wound that goes deeper than the skin. That combination of holiness and defilement... Read more
Many critiques of technology are technological critiques of technology. That is, they weigh technology by technological standards and find it wanting. So argues Antonio Lopez in an essay in Retrieving Origins and the Claim of Multiculturalism. Lopez spies a technological mindset behind the question: “what do we do with or in this technological world of ours?” (58; emphasis original). The question assumes that this technological world is another set of phenomena with which we are to “do” something, another bit... Read more
The list of Benjamites who come to David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3-7) is punctuated by names of men identified by their hometown or clan (Sara Japhet, 1 & 2 Chronicles, 261): 1. Ahiezer, Joash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite (3 names). 2. Jeziel, Pelet, sons of Azmaveth, Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite (5 names). 3. Ishmaiah the Gibeonite (1 name). 4. Jeremiah, Jahazkiel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite (4 names). 5. Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shamariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite (5 names). 6.... Read more
In Leviticus 18 and 20, the one specific sexual sin that is described as an “abomination” is “lying with a male as lying-with a woman,” that is, male homosexual acts. An abomination is an act that makes the land sick so that it drives Israel into exile. At the end of chapter 18, the text refers to “all these abominations” that cause the land to spew out inhabitants. That makes clear that other sexual sins were also considered abominations. But... Read more
Leviticus 18:23 describes male or female bestiality as tebel, a noun related to the verb balal, the word used to describe the confusion of languages at Babel. Tebel is often translated as “confusion.” That makes sense; bestiality crosses created boundaries between animals and human beings. It is a recognizably “confusion.” The word is used in Leviticus 20:12, which deals with the penalty for lying with a daughter-in-law. That also is “confusion.” These are the only two uses of the word... Read more
Peter King is an avowed Antimodern, a reactionary with a sensitivity to the unintended consequences of any effort at reform (much less revolution) and skepticism about progress. Reactionaries don’t necessarily have to move to be reactionaries. When progress is the reigning creed “anyone can be a reactionary, including trade unionists who oppose their members losing their jobs and Christians not prepared to accept changing attitudes to marriage and sexuality.” These have “merely stood still and would like to continue doing... Read more
The late 10th century was a period or feuding, pillaging, and general disorder. In their editorial introduction to The Peace of God, Thomas Head and Richard Landes cite the Peace of God as an effort to reign in in the chaos: “Leading regional bishops convoked councils of their fellow bishops, meetings that were also attended by the abbots of important monastic communities and by various secular leaders. Monks from the region raised up the relics enshrined in their churches and... Read more
In her study of digital memory (When We Are No More), Abby Smith Rumsey distinguishes between data storage and memory. What makes memory important is not simply its capacity to store fact: Rather, “it is the ability for information to be useful both now and in the future that counts” (12). If memory fails, then “we fail to build the vital repertoire of knowledge and experience that may be of use to us in the future. And it is the... Read more
Luke Timothy Johnson’s critique of John Paul II’s theology of the body isn’t convincing. He complains about the way the Pope uses Scripture, moving from text to exhortation in an “uncritical” way, and failing to rise to the level of “serious theological engagement” (The Revelatory Body, 25). He seems to forget that the Pope’s theology was developed in a series of pastoral homilies, not in a series of academic lectures. It’s an odd criticism coming from Johnson, who complains about... Read more
Some of the freshest commentary on the 2016 Presidential election has been coming from Dilbert creator Scott Adams. Adams has endorsed Clinton, as he says, “for my own personal safety,” but he has also stated that he doesn’t vote. He wants to maintain objective distance from the fray, and analyze the rhetorical strategies, successes, and failures of each candidate. On July 24, for instance, he examined Clinton’s successful use of “dark” to describe Trump: “‘Dark’ is a linguistic kill shot... Read more
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