Lots happens in holy communion. Let’s just say this: The celebration of communion is a memorial of Jesus. A memorial is not only a reminder to the participants (though undoubtedly it is that). More fundamentally, a memorial is directed at God. In the Supper, we memorialize the death of Jesus before His Father, calling on Him to keep the promises sealed with the blood of His Son. How does this work? Again, much to be said. But at least this:... Read more
The Eucharist is a memorial of Jesus, a ritual portrayal of the church God promised to form. It points toward a future union. Because it is a memorial, it is also the path toward that ultimate goal. Read more
Dr. Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, was the first Nevin Lecturer at Trinity House in February 2014 on the topic of “Baptist Sacramental Theology.” Videos of those lectures are now available here. In an 1844 sermon on Ephesian 4, John Williamson Nevin declared that “unity of the church . . . is a cardinal truth in the Christian system,” involved in the very “conception of Christian salvation itself.” When we lose sight of the unity of the... Read more
At every stage of His incarnation, Jesus is involved with the Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, anointed with the Spirit at His baptism, offered Himself in the Spirit on the cross, rose by the power of the Spirit, and then at His ascension, the Father conferred the fullness of the Spirit as a coronation gift for His Son. He doesn’t keep the Spirit for Himself. Ten days after His ascension to heaven as King of kings and Lord... Read more
It was suggested long ago by Origen that the canonical arrangement of the three books of wisdom – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song – is deliberate. It represents the progress of wisdom. Origen saw it the trajectory as one from the principles of “moral knowledge” through the recognition of the fleetingness of this world to the climax of eternal love. I’d suggest a variation of that: Proverbs teaches that a moral cause-and-effect exists in God’s world. Ecclesiastes teaches that this... Read more
John Walton observes that there are no real parallels to the imprecatory Psalms in Ancient Near Eastern hymnody (Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context, 147). That is no accident: “In the monotheism of Israel, the suffering of the righteous constituted a much more serious problem than it did in the polytheistic system of Mesopotamia. If YHWH was just and the retribution principle was true (both firmly believed by the pious Israelite), then the punishment of the wicked in proportion... Read more
In a recent post, I presented a case for seeing the sacrificial system of Leviticus as a continuous wedding feast. The portions of the animal placed on the altar were considered “bridal” food for Yahweh the divine husband. I was drawing on the work of James Jordan, and Jordan suggests that there’s also a filial dimension to sacrifice. The sacrificial procedure follows the exodus story, as Yahweh’s son Israel comes to the mountain of the altar and (like Moses) ascends in... Read more
Ramses III was not the only ancient conqueror who castrated his conquered enemies (see Niehaus, Ancient Near Eastern Themes in Biblical Theology, 143). He destroyed the household of the conquered enemy by making it impossible for the household to reproduce. They were made eunuchs for the kingdom of Ramses. Circumcision is a symbolic castration. It removes the foreskin as a sign that it is removing the whole. By circumcision, Abraham’s children were marked as the conquered, vassals to Yahweh. By circumcision... Read more
Social history in various forms, history that focuses not on kings and battles but on the common life of people, has been popular for a century and a half. But it’s not a modern development. It has ancient roots. Van Seters (In Search of History) writes, “for the Egyptians, the Hittites, and the nations of Mesopotamia these historiographic genres did not lead to true history writing. Insofar as the king, his dynasty, or even kingship itself was the focus of... Read more
In the blessing he pronounced over Israel, Aaron was to say “Yahweh make His face to shine upon you” (Numbers 6). Why this particular form of blessing? God’s face shines like the sun, and so gives life and health to all it shines on. If a man is like a tree, he needs not only water but sunlight if his leaves are to stay green and if he is to bear fruit. Psalm 34:5 gives another angle: “They looked to... Read more
Leithart
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In