Genesis is full of genealogies: A genealogy for Cain (ch. 4), for Seth (ch. 5), a table of the sons of Noah (ch 10), of Shem and Terah (ch. 11), of Ishmael (ch. 25), and of Esau (ch. 36). Besides those seven (!) genealogies, there are other lists of names of the sons of Jacob. Exodus has little genealogical information. The book begins with a list of the tribes of Israel, and there is a genealogy for Moses and Aaron... Read more
Genesis is full of genealogies: A genealogy for Cain (ch. 4), for Seth (ch. 5), a table of the sons of Noah (ch 10), of Shem and Terah (ch. 11), of Ishmael (ch. 25), and of Esau (ch. 36). Besides those seven (!) genealogies, there are other lists of names of the sons of Jacob. Exodus has little genealogical information. The book begins with a list of the tribes of Israel, and there is a genealogy for Moses and Aaron... Read more
I reflect on the problems of using “nature” in Christian theology at the Trinity House site. Read more
Brian Brock is one of the most unusual theologians and ethicists writing today, and the set of interviews newly published as Captive to Christ, Open to the World is an excellent introduction to Brock’s work. Early on, he explains why he uses the term ethos rather than character, virtue, or theodrama to describe the setting of Christian ethics. “Theodrama” suggests the need to gain “an aesthetic grasp of my whole life” or “the whole context of my own action,” but the... Read more
Brian Brock is one of the most unusual theologians and ethicists writing today, and the set of interviews newly published as Captive to Christ, Open to the World is an excellent introduction to Brock’s work. Early on, he explains why he uses the term ethos rather than character, virtue, or theodrama to describe the setting of Christian ethics. “Theodrama” suggests the need to gain “an aesthetic grasp of my whole life” or “the whole context of my own action,” but the... Read more
Writers on ancient laughter often speak in the singular of the “ancient theory of laughter.” What they usually mean is Aristotle’s theory of laughter. Mary Beard (Laughter in Ancient Rome) doesn’t think either of these things exists – there was no single ancient theory, and what Aristotle said about laughter (in the extant sources, excluding the legendary lost book on comedy) doesn’t amount to a theory. Aristotle’s most extensive discussion of the topic appears in the Nicomachean Ethics, where he... Read more
We don’t know what Henry V said to his troops before the battle of Agincourt. No doubt it was less eloquent and stirring than Shakespeare’s Crispin’s Day speech. But we do know how the English won the battle, and it’s vividly described in Gorgon Corrigan’s recent account of the Hundred Years War, A Great and Glorious Adventure: “In the first thirty seconds, 25,000 arrows fell upon the French. The target area was such that no archer needed to pick a specific... Read more
We don’t know what Henry V said to his troops before the battle of Agincourt. No doubt it was less eloquent and stirring than Shakespeare’s Crispin’s Day speech. But we do know how the English won the battle, and it’s vividly described in Gorgon Corrigan’s recent account of the Hundred Years War, A Great and Glorious Adventure: “In the first thirty seconds, 25,000 arrows fell upon the French. The target area was such that no archer needed to pick a specific... Read more
When the Lamb appears in heaven, heaven bursts into song (Revelation 5). After the seven trumpets (Revelation 8-11), John sees a long series of visions depicting the dragon’s various attacks on the church. When the saints have all been safely harvested and raised above the firmament, they burst into song (Revelation 15). After the seven bowls (Revelation 16), John sees a series of visions of a harlot city being destroyed (Revelation 17-18). When that’s all finished, again the saints burst... Read more
When the Lamb appears in heaven, heaven bursts into song (Revelation 5). After the seven trumpets (Revelation 8-11), John sees a long series of visions depicting the dragon’s various attacks on the church. When the saints have all been safely harvested and raised above the firmament, they burst into song (Revelation 15). After the seven bowls (Revelation 16), John sees a series of visions of a harlot city being destroyed (Revelation 17-18). When that’s all finished, again the saints burst... Read more
Leithart
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