Psalm 119 is one of my favorite (at least top 10) passages in the Bible, especially since I had to memorize it (in the KJV) back when I was about 12 years old. Bob MacDonald is writing a series on it in Hebrew that is well worthwhile following. Start with his first post.
I was struck by a comment made by David W. Baker in his commentary on Leviticus (Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy [Cornerstone Biblical Commentary]), p. 194-195: … Protection of life and dignity through a shared distribution of wealth was also known and practiced in the early church at Jerusalem (Acts 2:44-45), though not in relation to any…
From Samuel E Balentine, commenting on the tamid in Leviticus 6:13 and elsewhere in Leviticus (Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching), p 65: … All religious rituals are more than practical or even symbolic acts, as important as these may be. At their core, rituals are a form of liturgical exegesis that engages…
Nijay Gupta has a short interview with Gordon Fee regarding his new commentary on Galatians (HT). Since I have an extremely high regard for Gordon Fee’s work in general, and for his commentary on 1 Corinthians (which I cite frequently) in particular, I’m certainly planning to get my hands on a copy of his work…
… Byu inculcating worship patterns that emphasize mind over body, word over deed, and rational thought over “merely” reflexive sacramental systems, all legacies of the Protestant Reformation, religious communities learn to be at home in the cognitive, typically abstract world of theological ideas. Ritual invites something different: the active participation in “embodied” theological reflection. Both…
From Hebrews: Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture, New Testament X, p. 116, (with translation taken from A Collection of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church), commenting on Hebrews 7: Was the law then of no use? It was indeed of use and of great use, but to make humans perfect it was…
I’m reading Frank J. Matera’s fine commentary on 2 Corinthians, and today was reading about Paul’s recitation of his history with the Corinthians as the basis for what he was about to teach them. I warn you that this post is only partially about 2 Corinthians. It is more broadly about the importance of seeing…
One of my devotional practices is to keep track of the weekly lectionary texts (not the daily and often not special days during the week), and read them through daily using different versions and different reference sources. I keep notes online when I have time. I haven’t publicized this very much because I have been…
I was reading an excellent post by Martin LaBar (Sun and Shield) today about our reading choices. He’s commenting on a study that shows that we tend to select reading that confirms our already existing views. Now I suspect there’s nothing terribly surprising about that. At least most of us assume that other people only…
I was struck by the wording of Leviticus 16:13 tody. There is a long list of instructions, followed by the clause “that he may not die.” It’s just 2 words in Hebrew. It seems to me that the Israelites approached the issue of God’s judgment against them very differently than we do. Rather than seeing…
