I Chronicles 12:23-40 describes David’s king-making at Hebron. The Chronicler lists the number of mighty men from each tribe, those who constitute a host, a set of constellations, around the king as Yahweh’s angels are a host around his throne (vv. 23-38). There’s nothing about an anointing or crowning ceremony. Instead, all the warriors assemble at Hebron to eat and drink with David for three days (v. 39). Food is brought from as far as Zebulun and Naphtali (regions that... Read more
The key to grasping the argument of Hebrews 9:1-10 is to follow the use of the word “first” (Gr. protos). There is a first covenant with its regulations of worship (v. 1) and the parable (parabole, v. 9) of this first covenant is the erection of a “first” tent (translated “outer,” but Gr. protos, “first”). By hiding the ark, the altar of incense, the tablets of the law, the jar of manna and Aaron’s budding rod in a second tent... Read more
When David was exiled to the stronghold to flee Saul, warriors from Israel’s tribes gathered to him. 1 Chronicles 12:16-18 records his reception of men from Judah and Benjamin. He greets with understandable suspicion; these are Saul’s kinsman, after all. He asks if they have come in peace or to betray him. Clothed by the Spirit, Amasai assures David of their intentions. Verses 17-18 run in neat parallel: A. David said: B. If you come in peace C. to help,... Read more
Leviticus 20 is mainly concerned with the penalties for sexual crimes. Adultery, homosexual sodomy, bestiality, and some forms of incest are capital crimes. Yahweh Himself punishes other crimes. The chapter begins and ends with more general exhortations to avoid the customs and ways of the Canaanites. Near the end, in Leviticus 20:26, we find a chiastic theology proper in seven words. Chiasm first, following the Hebrew word order: A. You will be B. to me C. holy C’. for holy... Read more
Everyone acknowledges that economic growth has stagnated for the past half-century by comparison with the previous century. Robert Gordon (Rise and Fall of American Growth) argues that the stagnation is more or less permanent, and the growth of the world economy between 1870 and 1970 is unrepeatable. According to William D. Nordhaus’s NYRB review of the book, Gordon “is not predicting that living standards in the US will decline; rather he views it as likely that the growth rate of... Read more
Rachel Aviv’s New Yorker profile of philosopher Martha Nussbaum was shadowed by irony. Entitled “The Philosopher of Feelings,” the article described Nussbaum’s work on the philosophy of emotions and her advocacy of human vulnerability. Philosophy itself can provide a protective shield against luck or unluck, and she has studied the ways disgust “draws sharp edges around the self” (Nussbaum’s phrase) and alienates us from our humanity. Yet Aviv depicts a confident, active, dominating woman, a woman who soldiered on with... Read more
Turkey’s Muslims have used the failed coup attempt last month as an excuse to attack churches. According to a report by Marco Giannengeli in the Express, on the night of the coup “Muslim Sunnis, whipped up to a frenzy, targeted Turkey’s Christian community. In Matalya, a sprawling city in Anatolia, once the heartland of Christianity in the East, they targeted a Protestant church.” Giannengeli continues: “A year earlier Father Andrea Santoro, a 61-year-old Roman Catholic priest, was murdered in the... Read more
I don’t recall if I ever met Stephen Masty but I had heard his name for many years. My brother and brother-in-law were at school with him at Hillsdale College, but until I read his obituary in the Hillsdale alumni magazine recently I hadn’t conceived of what a big life he led. The Telegraph published a long obit, from which I’ve made some selections: “Stephen attended Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan, before reading English Literature at Hillsdale College, also... Read more
Following Henri de Lubac’s studies in medieval Eucharistic theology, Ernst Kantorowicz traces the development of a sacralized-secular politics in the later medieval period, as ecclesiological principles were applied to national politics. Lucas de Penna drew a direct line from the church as mystical body to the political body: “The Prince is the head of the realm, and the realm the body of the Prince. Just as men are joined together spiritually in the spiritual body, the head of which is... Read more
In his book on The Gospel Commission, Michael Horton includes several insightful pages on baptism. “Like circumcision,” he writes, “baptism is represented in the New testament as God’s decision and claim on us. Although it obligates us to respond in faith and obedience, baptism is God’s sign and seal of his covenant oath. in this act, as in the preached Word, God pledges his commitment to us” (172). Instead of seeing baptism as a sign of my choice of God,... Read more
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