Tyranny of Public Reason

Last updated on: June 9, 2012 at 2:09 pm By Peter Leithart

Rawls ( Political Liberalism: Expanded Edition (Columbia Classics in Philosophy) ) admits that the ideal of public reason doesn’t pertain in “private” settings like churches and universities. But, he insists, it “does hold for citizens when they engage in political advocacy in the public forum, and thus for members of political parties and for candidates in their campaigns and for other groups who support them. It holds equally for how citizens are to vote in elections when constitutional essentials and... Read more

Congar on Dissidents

Last updated on: June 9, 2012 at 1:31 pm By Peter Leithart

In Divided Christendom;: A Catholic study of the problem of reunion , Yves Congar gives a careful, charitable explanation of the reasoning behind Catholic refusal of intercommunion with Protestants. asks about the status of separated brothers, whether Orthodox or Protestant. He writes that if a child of Protestant parents is baptized in a way that “the form and intention of the rite are observed,” then “the child is thus truly incorporate in Christ and in the Church – the True... Read more

Structure of Isaiah 41

Last updated on: June 9, 2012 at 5:05 am By Peter Leithart

Walsh summarizes his structural analysis of Isaiah 41:1-20 as follows: A. introduction (vv. 1-4) ?. idolaters: partisans of Yahweh’s rivals (vv. 5-7) C. Yahweh consoles Israel (vv. 8-12) D “I, Yahweh, am your God” (v. 13) C’. Yahweh consoles Israel (vv. 14-16) B’. the weak and needy: partisans of Yahweh (vv. 17-19) A’. conclusion (v. 20) He offers this explanation of the structure: (more…) Read more

Trees for Travelers

Last updated on: June 9, 2012 at 4:53 am By Peter Leithart

Walsh makes this helpful point concerning the trees of ISaiah 41:19: “Vv. 18-19 depict the transformation of the desert into a lush land well supplied with water and a wide variety of trees. The identifications of the trees range from fairly certain to very tentative. To the extent that they are reliable, however, it is striking that none of the trees is a fruit tree, whereas all are shade trees. This suggests that the images of water and vegetation are... Read more

Beloved Abraham, Beloved Seed

Last updated on: June 9, 2012 at 3:35 am By Peter Leithart

In an article in VT from 1993, Jerome Walsh analyzes the strructure of Isaiah 41:8-9 as follows: A. Israel A’. My servant B. Jacob B’. You whom I have chosen C. Seed of my beloved Abraham C’. You whom I have held firm and called. But then he notes that the cycle starts over: “the text has seduced us” (p. 361). (more…) Read more

Conversation or Monologue?

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 3:12 pm By Peter Leithart

Sola scriptura is not a piece of epistemology. It is not a modernist quest for certainty and unquestionable foundations. It doesn’t pretend to bypass interpretation or the church or people with all their foibles and fallibility. It’s not a claim that Scripture is easy. It’s not a claim that the Bible is a transparent window to absolute truth. It’s not a rejection of tradition. Sola scriptura is a theological claim. It is Christological: It says that Jesus is Husband of... Read more

Fours and Seven

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 1:16 pm By Peter Leithart

Yahweh’s promise to repeat Himself by bringing water to scorched Israel is laid out in fours and a seven (Isaiah 41:18-19). There are four topographies: high place, valley, wilderness, dry land. To these four topographical regions, Yahweh promises to bring an appropriate form of water: Rivers on the heights, springs in the valleys, pools in the wilderness, fountains in the dry land. Four, of course, represents the corners of the land, or the earth: Water will spring up in all... Read more

Worm Jacob

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 12:47 pm By Peter Leithart

Why is Jacob a “worm” (Isaiah 41:14)? In his Isaiah: A Covenant to be Kept for the Sake of the Church (Focus on the Bible) , Allan Harman gives a good summary of the standard view: “Israel is called a ‘worm.’ The Hebrew word here ( tole’ah ) is used as a general description of insect larvae and worms. It is the word employed in Psalm 22:6 where the psalmist describes himself as ‘a worm and not a man.’ This... Read more

Structure in Isaiah 41, Part II

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 12:07 pm By Peter Leithart

Isaiah 41:8-13 forms a neat chiastic paragraph: A. Chosen servant: Israel, Jacob, seed of Abraham, vv 8-9 (inclusio with “chosen”) B. Do not fear, v 10a C. I am your God for strength and help; My right hand, v 10b D. Rescue from those who content, vv 11-12 C’. I am Yahweh your God; uphold your right hand, v 13a B’. Do not fear; do not fear, v 13b-14a A’. Worm Jacob, v 14 The verses at the center have... Read more

Structure in Isaiah 41

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 9:17 am By Peter Leithart

The opening verses of Isaiah 41 are laid out in a neat chiasm: A. Islands: be silent, draw near, v 1 B. Who awakens righteousness? v. 2a C. Feet, v 2a D. Gives nations, rules kings, v 2b D’. Sword and bow against dust and chaff, vv 2c-3a C’. Feet, v 3b B’. Who has performed? v 4 A’. Islands see and tremble, v 5 Read more

What fruit of the Spirit is described as "patience" or "longsuffering"?