Leithart
I explore some of the astral symbolism of the book of Revelation at the Trinity House site. Read more
I explore some of the astral symbolism of the book of Revelation at the Trinity House site. Read more
Christians walk into church through a door. All of them can come in. There’s no restricted access. Inside, there’s a lectern with a Bible, a table with food, a pastor in white. In some churches, the aroma of incense fills the air. It’s the holy place; in fact, the most holy place, with the three gifts of the ark (word, bread, priestly staff) openly displayed. Nothing keeps us from seeing these gifts. There is no veil, no oil-wood doors, no... Read more
God’s throne in heaven, like Sinai, flashes with lightning, crashes with thunder (Revelation 4:5). Those throne phenomena are repeated at crucial seams in the book of Revelation, with additions. After the seventh seal, an angel throws fire to earth, which reproduces the heavenly throne on earth (8:5)—thunder, sounds, lightning, with the appropriate addition of an earthquake. After the seventh trumpet, the same phenomena appear in heaven (11:19), this time with a hailstorm added. The scene comes to a climax after... Read more
At Aeon magazine, Rebecca Giggs reflects on sakura, Japan’s cherry blossom season, and draws some conclusions about the lack of environmental imagination in environmental politics. “Gazing into the throats of flowers is surely one of the most trite, and universal, acts of environmental appreciation. From hand-picked posies displayed on a mantelpiece to the questing of the German Romantics for the impossible blue flower — a symbol of inspiration for the 18th-century poet Novalis — flowers induce an apparently effortless contemplation of... Read more
Jesus has to keys to open and close doors (Revelation 3:7-8). That could be a door of mission, but the next chapter of the book shows an open door. It doesn’t stand between church and world but between heaven and earth (4:1). The door Jesus opens to the church in Philadelphia is a door into the sky, a door into vision, a door that gives them a glimpse of the church’s future. That’s the door that cannot be shut. If... Read more
The scene in heaven in Revelation 4 is a temple scene. It’s also the beginning of John’s sky journey among the stars and constellations. But the combination of a throne and thrones indicates another setting: This is a courtroom. That’s what thrones indicate elsewhere in Scripture (Psalm 122:5; Daniel 7:9), most especially in Revelation 20:4, to which I will return momentarily. If this is a meeting of a court, it is an abortive assembly. No case is presented. The officers... Read more
Click here for a lecture I gave on Dostoevsky a few weeks ago in Colorado Springs. The event was co-sponsored by the Anselm Society and the John Jay Institute. Read more
The living creatures in heaven give glory, honor and thanks to the Enthroned One (Revelation 4:9). But when the elders sing, they don’t offer “thanks,” but praise the worthiness of God to receive “glory, honor, and power” (4:11). This isn’t glory, honor, and power given by one Person of the Trinity and received by another. The elders are raising the “One who sits on the throne,” the Father, and they say He is worthy of receiving power. We can make... Read more
The songs of praise in the heavenly temple are tradically structured (Revelation 4). The first (Revelation 4:8) is the most obvious; it is a triad of traids. A triple sanctus, followed by a triple name of God (kurios, theos, pantokrator), followed by the name of God in three tenses (was, is, coming). If we are to match the three triadic titles with the three persons, we have these correlations: The Father is thrice holy, the Son is Lord God Almighty,... Read more
“For you first,” Peter tells the people at the portico of Solomon, “God raised His paida and sent Him to bless you by turning every one from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:26). This “raising up” (anistemi) might be a reference to the incarnation: the Father raised Jesus up in Israel to carry out His mission. This is how the word is used in verse 22, where Peter quotes Deuteronomy 18’s promise that the Lord will “raise up” a prophet. But... Read more
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