Genealogies matter. The Biblical narrative is fundamentally a record of events—births, deaths, k... more Genealogies matter. The Biblical narrative is fundamentally a record of events—births, deaths, kings enthroned, kings deposed, covenants made, covenants broken, etc. The Bible’s genealogies are the backdrop against which these events unfold. As such, they are a fundamental part of the fabric of Scripture. They tell us when things happen and who is involved in them. And, by extension, they often give us clues as to why.
The story of Scripture (on the Christian view) opens with an account of a triune God who creates ... more The story of Scripture (on the Christian view) opens with an account of a triune God who creates the heavens and earth over the course of a seven-day week. What's the connection between these numbers? Could a triune God have created the world over any period of time he chose? No doubt he could. But a sevenfold week seems particularly apt. It also sheds light on one of Genesis 1’s more unusual details, namely God’s reluctance to ‘look’ at Day Two’s events.
Summary: The book of Jonah is far more than an unusual sea-story. It’s a story about a God who ... more Summary: The book of Jonah is far more than an unusual sea-story. It’s a story about a God who hurls a wind down to the earth in such a way as to stir up a previously undisturbed sea, so as to lead its sailors to hurl/cast lots and subsequently hurl Jonah overboard, just in time to be swallowed by a fish and spewed out on the dry land three days later, all of which has been convened so as to foreshadow Israel’s long history, ultimately to be lived out by God’s own Son in his (Jonah-like) death, resurrection, and acceptance among the Gentiles. Key words: Jonah, Noah, plant, worm, Noah, dove, Peter, Gentiles. Date: Mar. 2021.
The Exploitation of Power in the Biblical Narrative: Sex, Lies, & Intertextuality
Summary: In t... more The Exploitation of Power in the Biblical Narrative: Sex, Lies, & Intertextuality
Summary: In the present note, I explore the Bible’s portrayal of the exploitation of power by means of two canonically separate yet textually related Biblical narratives. Keywords: David, Bathsheba, Ahab, Naboth, intertextuality, power, exploitation. Date: Dec. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I seek to trace the story of Benjamin as it unfolds on the pages o... more Summary: In the present note, I seek to trace the story of Benjamin as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture—a story of grace, preservation, and redemption.
Summary: Daniel’s solution to the riddle inscribed on Belshazzar’s wall (viz. MNHMNHTKLWPRSYN)1 ... more Summary: Daniel’s solution to the riddle inscribed on Belshazzar’s wall (viz. MNHMNHTKLWPRSYN)1 is analytically elegant and prophetically accurate. It’s also a lot more involved than it seems. Daniel decomposes the king’s riddle into three triliteral nouns—meneh, tekel, and peres—, which form the basis of his solution. (He begins the first line of his solution with the word mene, the second with tekel, and the third with peres.) But why is ‘decomposition’ necessary? If God’s message to Belshazzar could have been summed up in three triliteral nouns, then why doesn’t the Masoretic Text simply have God inscribe the letters MNHTKLPRS on Belshazzar’s wall (as Greek translations and the Vulgate do)? Why do we instead find parsin (the plural of peres) in the king’s riddle yet peres in its solution? And why, while we’re on the subject, do we find two occurrences of the word meneh in the riddle yet only one in its solution? Indeed, why are three different weights mentioned at all? Such questions are typically answered by recourse to the (inferred) pre-history of Daniel 5. A careful analysis of the text, however, explains the MT as we have it. The extra meneh, the plural parsin, and the specific weights mentioned in Belshazzar’s riddle turn out to be integral to its message. Meanwhile, a consideration of the text’s numerical properties and canonical context reveals the genius of Daniel’s workmanship. Daniel distils the king’s riddle into a 3 x 3 matrix of letters, and then—with the help of known Mesopotamian techniques—expands the matrix into a second 3 x 3 matrix, which not only predicts Babylon’s fall, but corresponds with extraordinary precision to: a] the numerico-gematrial properties of his first matrix, and b] the astronomical conditions at the time of Babylon’s fall. Daniel thus beats Babylon’s stargazers at their own game and justifies his reputation as a master of his art. Keywords: Daniel, riddle, wordplay, prophecy, Mesopotamian omens, gematria.
Summary: In the present note, I discuss the relationship between Job’s structure and message. T... more Summary: In the present note, I discuss the relationship between Job’s structure and message. The book of Job, I submit, has a highly unified and tightly integrated structure, which: a] illuminates a number of important aspects of Job’s message, and b] makes it difficult to view the book of Job as the product of multiple authors.
In the present note, I consider the general picture painted by the Bible’s chronological data-poi... more In the present note, I consider the general picture painted by the Bible’s chronological data-points, and then zoom in on a few key dates and details. In all, I make three distinct claims. First, that the ‘year-stamps’ inherent in the text of Scripture form a plausible pattern. Second, that the text of Scripture contains traces/memories of a consistently-reckoned Jubilee cycle. And, third, that the vast majority of the ‘day-stamps’ recorded in Scripture are closely connected with the priesthood.
Keywords: Biblical chronology, Jubilee cycles, Sabbatical years, priestly texts, Ezekiel, time-stamps, Judges. Date: May 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I outline some reasons why I find attempts to view/interpret the b... more Summary: In the present note, I outline some reasons why I find attempts to view/interpret the book of Daniel as a 2nd cent. composition unsatisfactory. Key words: Daniel, Maccabean, date, composition, critical, evangelical. Date: Dec. 2019.
Summary: Some notes on Biblical currencies in their narratival and Ancient Near Eastern context.... more Summary: Some notes on Biblical currencies in their narratival and Ancient Near Eastern context. Key words: Biblical weights, measures, metrology, mina, shekel, talent. Date: Oct. 2020.
Summary: Balaam’s story is a strange one. Quite apart from its account of Balaam’s dialogue wit... more Summary: Balaam’s story is a strange one. Quite apart from its account of Balaam’s dialogue with his donkey, it includes a highly irregular incident, in which YHWH tells Balaam to go to Moab and then becomes angry with Balaam when he does so (Num. 22.22). The irregularity of the aforementioned incident has often been explained by reference to the text’s (assumed) diachronic development and accrual of dissimilar sources/theologies.
In the present note, however, I want to proffer a different analysis of the story—one which focuses not on its supposed developed, but on its final form and resonance with the wider Biblical canon. As readers of the Biblical narrative, we know YHWH to be a God of immense power who has greatly blessed his people, Israel. By means of 22.20–22’s irregularity, the text raises an important issue: the issue of whether YHWH’s commitment to his people is subject to change. It does so in characteristically subtle fashion. YHWH issues a command which seems to represent such a change of mind on his behalf; Balaam finds the prima facie sense of YHWH’s command convenient (and hence ‘obeys’ it); and, soon afterwards, Balaam discovers YHWH has not in fact changed his mind—a fact which leads him to bless Israel by means of his attempted curses. Our text thus fulfils at least two important functions. First (discussed last), it advances the story of Israel’s election as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture. And, second (discussed first), it teaches us an important lesson about YHWH’s manner of communication. Ambiguity in YHWH’s commands is only apparent. It is not the hallmark of a deity who is unsure of his mind; it is the hallmark of a deity who wants us to engage carefully and thoughtfully with his words.
Ingeniously, then, our text functions as its own object lesson, since it puts its readers in a similar position to Balaam. Faced with an apparently inconsistent set of commands, what will we do? Dismiss the text as incoherent or as a mere smorgasbord of ideas (from which we are free to take our pick), or engage with its details all the more determinedly?
Summary: The text of Exod. 3–15 is a carefully structured narrative, over the course of which th... more Summary: The text of Exod. 3–15 is a carefully structured narrative, over the course of which the full measure of YHWH’s judgment is outpoured on Egypt. At the same time, Pharaoh’s heart becomes progressively hardened (to what is right and proper), even as YHWH becomes more actively involved in its state. Particularly important in Pharaoh’s journey are two Hebrew verbs (כבד and חזק), which provide a nuanced account of YHWH’s interaction with the human heart.
Summary: Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s salvation is generally taken as an example of how not to ... more Summary: Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s salvation is generally taken as an example of how not to order one’s affections. And rightly so. But, when we consider why Jonah is so aggrieved and set his story alongside the text of Exodus 32–34, Jonah’s response is instructive. It teaches us about YHWH’s character, YHWH’s acts of revelation, and the nature of atonement. Keywords: Jonah, Exodus 32–34, Moses, intertextuality, sacrifice, atonement. Date: Dec. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I share some brief thoughts about the lines of Zerah and Perez and... more Summary: In the present note, I share some brief thoughts about the lines of Zerah and Perez and their respective destinies. Keywords: Judah, Zerah, Perez, Jericho, genealogies. Date: Jan. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I discusse the literary and narratival significance of the many li... more Summary: In the present note, I discusse the literary and narratival significance of the many lists found in Daniel 3. Keywords: Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar, Dura, ceremony, instruments. Date: Jan. 2020.
Summary: The book of Esther recapitulates the age-old rivalry between Saul and Agag (and, more p... more Summary: The book of Esther recapitulates the age-old rivalry between Saul and Agag (and, more prototypically, between Jacob and Esau), yet it departs from the story of Saul and Agag at a critical juncture. At the very moment when Saul starts to get ideas above his station, Esther remains humble. And so, as Esther’s star continues to rise, Haman’s begins to fall, which is reflected in our text by means of a number of important allusions to the books of Samuel. Keywords: Esther, Ruth, Mordecai, Haman, intertextuality, Saul, Esau, Jacob. Date: Feb. 2020.
The text of Esther is built around a chiastically-structured plot, the shape of which reflects th... more The text of Esther is built around a chiastically-structured plot, the shape of which reflects the reversal of the Jews’ fate and of Haman’s plans. The text also employs a number of carefully arranged subplots and literary features which serve to frame it as a replay of a previous event in world history.
Summary: When the king backs Haman’s decree, Esther is saddled with a difficult mission. She ha... more Summary: When the king backs Haman’s decree, Esther is saddled with a difficult mission. She has been selected as Persia’s replacement queen not only because of her natural beauty, but because of her (apparent) lack of allegiance to a particular people. Yet Esther soon finds herself required to defend her people--a people who exhibit exactly the kind of insubordination as Vashti did (briefly). To her credit, Esther succeeds in her mission, which has a number of Messianic overtones.
Keywords: Esther, Ahasuerus, Haman, Messianic, Jewish tradition, liturgy, Psalm 22. Date: Jul. 2019. Credits: R. David Fohrman’s The Queen You Thought You Knew.
Genealogies matter. The Biblical narrative is fundamentally a record of events—births, deaths, k... more Genealogies matter. The Biblical narrative is fundamentally a record of events—births, deaths, kings enthroned, kings deposed, covenants made, covenants broken, etc. The Bible’s genealogies are the backdrop against which these events unfold. As such, they are a fundamental part of the fabric of Scripture. They tell us when things happen and who is involved in them. And, by extension, they often give us clues as to why.
The story of Scripture (on the Christian view) opens with an account of a triune God who creates ... more The story of Scripture (on the Christian view) opens with an account of a triune God who creates the heavens and earth over the course of a seven-day week. What's the connection between these numbers? Could a triune God have created the world over any period of time he chose? No doubt he could. But a sevenfold week seems particularly apt. It also sheds light on one of Genesis 1’s more unusual details, namely God’s reluctance to ‘look’ at Day Two’s events.
Summary: The book of Jonah is far more than an unusual sea-story. It’s a story about a God who ... more Summary: The book of Jonah is far more than an unusual sea-story. It’s a story about a God who hurls a wind down to the earth in such a way as to stir up a previously undisturbed sea, so as to lead its sailors to hurl/cast lots and subsequently hurl Jonah overboard, just in time to be swallowed by a fish and spewed out on the dry land three days later, all of which has been convened so as to foreshadow Israel’s long history, ultimately to be lived out by God’s own Son in his (Jonah-like) death, resurrection, and acceptance among the Gentiles. Key words: Jonah, Noah, plant, worm, Noah, dove, Peter, Gentiles. Date: Mar. 2021.
The Exploitation of Power in the Biblical Narrative: Sex, Lies, & Intertextuality
Summary: In t... more The Exploitation of Power in the Biblical Narrative: Sex, Lies, & Intertextuality
Summary: In the present note, I explore the Bible’s portrayal of the exploitation of power by means of two canonically separate yet textually related Biblical narratives. Keywords: David, Bathsheba, Ahab, Naboth, intertextuality, power, exploitation. Date: Dec. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I seek to trace the story of Benjamin as it unfolds on the pages o... more Summary: In the present note, I seek to trace the story of Benjamin as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture—a story of grace, preservation, and redemption.
Summary: Daniel’s solution to the riddle inscribed on Belshazzar’s wall (viz. MNHMNHTKLWPRSYN)1 ... more Summary: Daniel’s solution to the riddle inscribed on Belshazzar’s wall (viz. MNHMNHTKLWPRSYN)1 is analytically elegant and prophetically accurate. It’s also a lot more involved than it seems. Daniel decomposes the king’s riddle into three triliteral nouns—meneh, tekel, and peres—, which form the basis of his solution. (He begins the first line of his solution with the word mene, the second with tekel, and the third with peres.) But why is ‘decomposition’ necessary? If God’s message to Belshazzar could have been summed up in three triliteral nouns, then why doesn’t the Masoretic Text simply have God inscribe the letters MNHTKLPRS on Belshazzar’s wall (as Greek translations and the Vulgate do)? Why do we instead find parsin (the plural of peres) in the king’s riddle yet peres in its solution? And why, while we’re on the subject, do we find two occurrences of the word meneh in the riddle yet only one in its solution? Indeed, why are three different weights mentioned at all? Such questions are typically answered by recourse to the (inferred) pre-history of Daniel 5. A careful analysis of the text, however, explains the MT as we have it. The extra meneh, the plural parsin, and the specific weights mentioned in Belshazzar’s riddle turn out to be integral to its message. Meanwhile, a consideration of the text’s numerical properties and canonical context reveals the genius of Daniel’s workmanship. Daniel distils the king’s riddle into a 3 x 3 matrix of letters, and then—with the help of known Mesopotamian techniques—expands the matrix into a second 3 x 3 matrix, which not only predicts Babylon’s fall, but corresponds with extraordinary precision to: a] the numerico-gematrial properties of his first matrix, and b] the astronomical conditions at the time of Babylon’s fall. Daniel thus beats Babylon’s stargazers at their own game and justifies his reputation as a master of his art. Keywords: Daniel, riddle, wordplay, prophecy, Mesopotamian omens, gematria.
Summary: In the present note, I discuss the relationship between Job’s structure and message. T... more Summary: In the present note, I discuss the relationship between Job’s structure and message. The book of Job, I submit, has a highly unified and tightly integrated structure, which: a] illuminates a number of important aspects of Job’s message, and b] makes it difficult to view the book of Job as the product of multiple authors.
In the present note, I consider the general picture painted by the Bible’s chronological data-poi... more In the present note, I consider the general picture painted by the Bible’s chronological data-points, and then zoom in on a few key dates and details. In all, I make three distinct claims. First, that the ‘year-stamps’ inherent in the text of Scripture form a plausible pattern. Second, that the text of Scripture contains traces/memories of a consistently-reckoned Jubilee cycle. And, third, that the vast majority of the ‘day-stamps’ recorded in Scripture are closely connected with the priesthood.
Keywords: Biblical chronology, Jubilee cycles, Sabbatical years, priestly texts, Ezekiel, time-stamps, Judges. Date: May 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I outline some reasons why I find attempts to view/interpret the b... more Summary: In the present note, I outline some reasons why I find attempts to view/interpret the book of Daniel as a 2nd cent. composition unsatisfactory. Key words: Daniel, Maccabean, date, composition, critical, evangelical. Date: Dec. 2019.
Summary: Some notes on Biblical currencies in their narratival and Ancient Near Eastern context.... more Summary: Some notes on Biblical currencies in their narratival and Ancient Near Eastern context. Key words: Biblical weights, measures, metrology, mina, shekel, talent. Date: Oct. 2020.
Summary: Balaam’s story is a strange one. Quite apart from its account of Balaam’s dialogue wit... more Summary: Balaam’s story is a strange one. Quite apart from its account of Balaam’s dialogue with his donkey, it includes a highly irregular incident, in which YHWH tells Balaam to go to Moab and then becomes angry with Balaam when he does so (Num. 22.22). The irregularity of the aforementioned incident has often been explained by reference to the text’s (assumed) diachronic development and accrual of dissimilar sources/theologies.
In the present note, however, I want to proffer a different analysis of the story—one which focuses not on its supposed developed, but on its final form and resonance with the wider Biblical canon. As readers of the Biblical narrative, we know YHWH to be a God of immense power who has greatly blessed his people, Israel. By means of 22.20–22’s irregularity, the text raises an important issue: the issue of whether YHWH’s commitment to his people is subject to change. It does so in characteristically subtle fashion. YHWH issues a command which seems to represent such a change of mind on his behalf; Balaam finds the prima facie sense of YHWH’s command convenient (and hence ‘obeys’ it); and, soon afterwards, Balaam discovers YHWH has not in fact changed his mind—a fact which leads him to bless Israel by means of his attempted curses. Our text thus fulfils at least two important functions. First (discussed last), it advances the story of Israel’s election as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture. And, second (discussed first), it teaches us an important lesson about YHWH’s manner of communication. Ambiguity in YHWH’s commands is only apparent. It is not the hallmark of a deity who is unsure of his mind; it is the hallmark of a deity who wants us to engage carefully and thoughtfully with his words.
Ingeniously, then, our text functions as its own object lesson, since it puts its readers in a similar position to Balaam. Faced with an apparently inconsistent set of commands, what will we do? Dismiss the text as incoherent or as a mere smorgasbord of ideas (from which we are free to take our pick), or engage with its details all the more determinedly?
Summary: The text of Exod. 3–15 is a carefully structured narrative, over the course of which th... more Summary: The text of Exod. 3–15 is a carefully structured narrative, over the course of which the full measure of YHWH’s judgment is outpoured on Egypt. At the same time, Pharaoh’s heart becomes progressively hardened (to what is right and proper), even as YHWH becomes more actively involved in its state. Particularly important in Pharaoh’s journey are two Hebrew verbs (כבד and חזק), which provide a nuanced account of YHWH’s interaction with the human heart.
Summary: Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s salvation is generally taken as an example of how not to ... more Summary: Jonah’s response to Nineveh’s salvation is generally taken as an example of how not to order one’s affections. And rightly so. But, when we consider why Jonah is so aggrieved and set his story alongside the text of Exodus 32–34, Jonah’s response is instructive. It teaches us about YHWH’s character, YHWH’s acts of revelation, and the nature of atonement. Keywords: Jonah, Exodus 32–34, Moses, intertextuality, sacrifice, atonement. Date: Dec. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I share some brief thoughts about the lines of Zerah and Perez and... more Summary: In the present note, I share some brief thoughts about the lines of Zerah and Perez and their respective destinies. Keywords: Judah, Zerah, Perez, Jericho, genealogies. Date: Jan. 2020.
Summary: In the present note, I discusse the literary and narratival significance of the many li... more Summary: In the present note, I discusse the literary and narratival significance of the many lists found in Daniel 3. Keywords: Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar, Dura, ceremony, instruments. Date: Jan. 2020.
Summary: The book of Esther recapitulates the age-old rivalry between Saul and Agag (and, more p... more Summary: The book of Esther recapitulates the age-old rivalry between Saul and Agag (and, more prototypically, between Jacob and Esau), yet it departs from the story of Saul and Agag at a critical juncture. At the very moment when Saul starts to get ideas above his station, Esther remains humble. And so, as Esther’s star continues to rise, Haman’s begins to fall, which is reflected in our text by means of a number of important allusions to the books of Samuel. Keywords: Esther, Ruth, Mordecai, Haman, intertextuality, Saul, Esau, Jacob. Date: Feb. 2020.
The text of Esther is built around a chiastically-structured plot, the shape of which reflects th... more The text of Esther is built around a chiastically-structured plot, the shape of which reflects the reversal of the Jews’ fate and of Haman’s plans. The text also employs a number of carefully arranged subplots and literary features which serve to frame it as a replay of a previous event in world history.
Summary: When the king backs Haman’s decree, Esther is saddled with a difficult mission. She ha... more Summary: When the king backs Haman’s decree, Esther is saddled with a difficult mission. She has been selected as Persia’s replacement queen not only because of her natural beauty, but because of her (apparent) lack of allegiance to a particular people. Yet Esther soon finds herself required to defend her people--a people who exhibit exactly the kind of insubordination as Vashti did (briefly). To her credit, Esther succeeds in her mission, which has a number of Messianic overtones.
Keywords: Esther, Ahasuerus, Haman, Messianic, Jewish tradition, liturgy, Psalm 22. Date: Jul. 2019. Credits: R. David Fohrman’s The Queen You Thought You Knew.
Some thoughts on the inscription on Belshazzar's wall as recorded in Daniel 5. For further detai... more Some thoughts on the inscription on Belshazzar's wall as recorded in Daniel 5. For further details, see my (not yet finished) commentary. Key Words: Mene, Teqel, Tekel, Parsin, Babylonian, pišru, interpretation, omen text, pun, lexical exploration, Wolters, Broida.
...a consideration of the historicity and significance of Jesus’ life from a chronological perspe... more ...a consideration of the historicity and significance of Jesus’ life from a chronological perspective. Jesus is most commonly thought to have ministered either from c. 27 to 30 AD or from 29 to 33 AD. Both suggestions are broadly compatible with the relevant Biblical data, but require us to discard a large amount of extra-Biblical data. They also (in some of their forms) necessitate a less-than-straightforward interpretation of: a] the flow of events in the Gospels, and b] the time-indicators implicit in John 2.20 and Gal. 1.15-20. In the present paper, I propose an alternative: a Jan. 26 to Apr. 28 AD ministry. Those who believe Jesus to have been crucified on Friday 15th Nisan (as I do) are commonly attracted to a 30 or 33 AD crucifixion date on the basis of astronomical considerations. But, despite many assertions to the contrary, it is possible for the Passover to have fallen on a Friday in 28 AD (once intercalation is correctly handled), which enables the relevant Biblical data to be treated more soundly and the relevant extra-Biblical data to be given its full weight. As for the apparent conflict between the Synoptic and Johannine accounts of the Passion week, I here proffer a version of Jaubert’s 364-day-year hypothesis, which turns out to be particularly amenable to a 28 AD crucifixion. If my claims are correct--i.e., if Jesus ate his last supper within a community where the 364-day-year calendar was observed--, then Jesus’ last supper should be seen not as a fulfilment of the Mosaic law’s requirements, but as a prophetic enactment of the events to come (akin to Jesus’ coronation at Bethany and the ‘signs’ acted out by Israel’s prophets). A community where the 364-day-year calendar was observed merely provided a convenient and appropriate environment. As such, the present paper undercuts two frequently-made claims about the Gospels: a] that they cannot fruitfully be treated as credible historical documents; and b] that their account of Jesus’ last days contains an irreconciable (in Ehrman’s words, “impossible”) contradiction. It also sheds light on the significance of Jesus’ ministry. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says, “Some of Judaism’s most profound truths are to be found not in texts, but in time--in the Jewish calendar itself”.
The topic of the Jubilee is a significant one, both in size and importance. In the present paper... more The topic of the Jubilee is a significant one, both in size and importance. In the present paper, I seek to trace its emergence and evolution in the course of Scripture, from Ararat to Sinai, Jericho to Judah, Naboth’s vineyard to Jeremiah’s field, and Nazareth to the new heavens and earth. The Jubliee is, in a nutshell, a declarative act of restoration. It is an eschatological peak in Israel’s calendar, and, although it is typically viewed as a priestly abstraction, it actually turns out to be reflected in the ebb and flow of Israel’s history.
In terms of its theological and cultic significance, the Jubilee is grounded in three important principles: the perfection of God’s plans, the purity of God’s person, and the sovereignty of God over the earth. The Jubilee cycle is first initiated in the late 15th cent. BC in the aftermath of Jericho’s fall, once the land of Canaan has been divided among the Israelites. While the land of Israel is a microcosm of God’s new Creation, it is nevertheless part of a fallen world. As such, it is subject to the normal process of decay, decline, and pollution, and must be ‘rebooted’ (in Yom Kippur style) every seven weeks of years in order to bring the land of Israel back into line with its divine blueprint. Aside from such reboots, Israel would go the way of the world, as is depicted in Nebuchadnezzar’s colossus. The land would become progressively polluted, disordered, and removed from Yahweh’s Edenic ideal, until it reached a point of total de-creation and returned to dust. Grounded in the day of Atonement, the Jubilee provides an antidote to such entropic decline. But, of course, a reboot can never advance Israel beyond her initial condition. The notion of a Jubilee ‘cycle’ therefore seems inherently frustrated, plagued by a kind of Qoheleth-like futility.
In the NT, Jesus cranks the notion of a Jubilee up a notch. For Jesus, the Jubilee is not merely a reset of Israel’s initial conditions; it is a reversion of all Creation to its initial (Edenic) condition. As such, Jesus’ Jubilee is inextricably bound up with the defeat of Satan and the release of Israel and the nations from Satan’s dominion. It is set against the backdrop of a chaotic wilderness, a worldwide day of atonement, and a cosmic showdown with the world’s powers and principalities, all of which notions are latent in ‘the Nazarean pericope’ (Luke 4.16-21), and are inherently connected with the person of Melchizedek and the conclusion of the Jubilee cycle in Second Temple literature.
<b>Abstract:</b> What follows is intended to be a kind of ‘white paper’ on the doctrine of divin... more <b>Abstract:</b> What follows is intended to be a kind of ‘white paper’ on the doctrine of divine simplicity (hereafter DDS). DDS is a radical doctrine. It proposes a radical view of God with extensive implications, which are not always appreciated. Here, I seek to set out: a] what DDS asserts, b] who has endorsed DDS over the centuries, c] some positive reasons to affirm DDS, and d] some of DDS’s more problematic implications. My discussion of these implications divides into concerns about: i] divine timelessness (combined with immutability), ii] the modal collapse engendered by DDS, and iii] the overall coherency of DDS. (The relevance of divine simplicity to Trinitarian theology is a whole different ballgame, which lies beyond the scope of the present paper.) As such, the aim of the present paper is neither to prove nor to disprove DDS. Indeed, as I will seek to show, DDS is not really the kind of doctrine which <i>can</i> be ‘proven’ (at least in a mathematical sense), and to disprove DDS is no easier, since, when it comes to a doctrine as difficult to process as DDS, it is hard to distinguish a genuinely problematic implication of DDS from an <i>apparently</i> problematic implication. My aim is, therefore, a more modest one: to set out the broad areas of theology and philosophy which DDS influences and hence to enable the reader to formulate his or her own view of DDS’s importance and tenability.
<b>Key Words:</b> <i>divine simplicity, divine attributes, divine timelessness, modal collapse, the best possible world, metaphysics, constituent ontology, the coherence of theism, analogy</i>
What Really Matters in Life? Reflections on a lecture by David Field. The resurrection, redempt... more What Really Matters in Life? Reflections on a lecture by David Field. The resurrection, redemption story, and nature of our personal identities make what we do of eternal significance.
Daniel’s fourth empire is frequently identified with Rome--a hypothesis we will refer to as the ‘... more Daniel’s fourth empire is frequently identified with Rome--a hypothesis we will refer to as the ‘Roman hypothesis’. But the Roman hypothesis seems inadequate on a number of levels. It makes far more sense, in my view, to identify Daniel’s fourth empire with the empire of Satan (hereafter, the ‘Apocalyptic hypothesis’). The main difficulties with the Roman hypothesis can be summarised as follows.
...a discussion of Darius the Mede’s identity and historicity, taken from my commentary on Daniel... more ...a discussion of Darius the Mede’s identity and historicity, taken from my commentary on Daniel. The fall of Babylon is typically viewed in light of Cyrus’s propaganda campaign (which Herodotus follows), but Daniel (with Xenophon) provides us with the real account of Babylon’s fall. Modern-day commentators have invariably sought to reconcile the text of Dan. 5-6 with the received view of Babylon’s fall when the answer has simply been to read the text of Dan. 5-6 at face value and to give it the historic credibility it deserves.
In the present article, I seek to outline the function and nature of the Jubilee cycle within the... more In the present article, I seek to outline the function and nature of the Jubilee cycle within the context of the Hebrew calendar, and to explain how it finds its climactic and cosmic fulfilment in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. For a more detailed discussion, see my ‘Theology of the Jubilee’.
The present paper is an excerpt from my commentary on Daniel. My view of 9.24-27 is broadly Disp... more The present paper is an excerpt from my commentary on Daniel. My view of 9.24-27 is broadly Dispensational. Compared to other Dispensational treatments of the text, it has four key distinctives: (1.) It identifies the slightly enigmatic term rĕḥôb-wĕ-ḥārûṣ (trad. ‘square and moat’) with the system of governance established by Ezra and Nehemiah in Jeremiah (‘a public square of decision’). (2.) It identifies the first “anointed one” with Nehemiah, and identifies his final visit to Jerusalem with the end of Gabriel’s first seven weeks in 409n/408n. (3.) It identifies the second “anointed one” with the “prince to come” (Jesus), whose arrival in Jerusalem is dated to 26n/27n AD. (4.) It identifies the “people” of the prince to come with the generation of Jews who rejected their Messiah (e.g., Matt. 11.16, 12.39-45, 23.36), and takes the vb. šḥt (trad. ‘destroy’: 9.26a) to refer to the behaviour of the Jews over the years 28-70 AD, and, in particular, to the revolt in 70 AD.
Below are some slightly expanded notes from a sermon I recently gave on 1 Kgs. 19.1-17. The over... more Below are some slightly expanded notes from a sermon I recently gave on 1 Kgs. 19.1-17. The overall theme is persistence in the face of difficulty and depression.
Atonement (kpr) as it is defined within the Levitical system is often conceived of in a manner wh... more Atonement (kpr) as it is defined within the Levitical system is often conceived of in a manner which is roughly correct in terms of its gist, but quite mistaken in terms of its specifics. It can more accurately, I believe, be summarised as follows. (1) The purpose of the sacrificial system is not, for the most part, to deal with ‘moral transgressions’, but to purify the Tabernacle (and those associated with it) when a very specific type of transgression occurs, namely an unintentional transgression or a transgression of a ceremonial nature. (2) The blood of OT sacrifices is not normally applied to ‘sinners’; rather, it is applied to those who serve in the Tabernacle, or to the vessels or altar of the Tabernacle, or to the Tabernacle itself. As mentioned above, its primary concern is the purification of God’s sacred space. (3) The sins of believers are completely forgiven in the OT; hence, David can confidently proclaim, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does [the LORD] remove our transgressions from us”, and Paul can ground the doctrine of justification in David’s statements of his forgiveness (Rom. 4.7-8 cf. Psa. 32.1-2). The OT believer does not obtain forgiveness through sacrifices (or even through ‘sacrifices infused with Christ’s power’). He obtains forgiveness in exactly the same way as the NT believer, namely through faith in God insofar as God has revealed himself. (4) The sense in which the OT sacrificial system foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ is, therefore, as follows: just as specific animal sacrifices put right specific ‘ceremonial issues’ in OT times, so now Christ’s sacrifices deal with all sin, be it ceremonial or moral, intentional or unintentional. As such, Christ’s is a better sacrifice than the OT’s in every conceivable way.
In the present note, I discuss: a] an unusual feature of the Passover’s observation in Jesus’ day... more In the present note, I discuss: a] an unusual feature of the Passover’s observation in Jesus’ day, and b] two often-overlooked Passover-like events, namely the inauguration of God’s covenant with Abraham in Canaan and the events of Belshazzar’s feast in Babylon.
In Christian literature, Jesus’ crucifixion is commonly (and for good reason) assigned to a Frida... more In Christian literature, Jesus’ crucifixion is commonly (and for good reason) assigned to a Friday, and Jesus’ resurrection to a Sunday. Jesus would, therefore, have spent (at most) three days and two nights in the grave. Yet, in Matt. 12.39-41, Jesus describes himself as ‘a greater than Jonah’, and says he will spend “three days and three nights” in the heart of the earth. That fact has prompted students of Scripture to make some unusual moves, e.g., to (re)date the crucifixion to a Thursday, or to treat Jesus’ reference to “the heart of the earth” as a reference to a location other than the grave. But neither of these moves are (in my view) necessary, nor are they desirable. Scripture does not speak in its own language, much less employ modern-day conventions. Instead, it follows the conventions of its own time, which allow a three-day-and-two-night period to be referred to as “three days and three nights”.
The present note contains a number of observations about the OT’s conception of a ransom. The OT... more The present note contains a number of observations about the OT’s conception of a ransom. The OT does not, as far as I am aware, contain any exact and comprehensive foreshadows of how Christ died as our ransom. But its discussion of ransoms (particularly in its legal corpus) elucidates a number of important principles of divine justice, which can be pieced together to form a helpful backdrop against which to view Christ’s death.
The phrase kingdom of heaven is often identified with a particular entity (e.g., Christendom), bu... more The phrase kingdom of heaven is often identified with a particular entity (e.g., Christendom), but it is better identified as a process, namely the process whereby the God of heaven is establishing his reign on the earth.
The faith of the Canaanite woman is an example to us; it is ‘great’ in comparison to the discipl... more The faith of the Canaanite woman is an example to us; it is ‘great’ in comparison to the disciples’ little faith. The text as a whole echoes the Ruth’s encounter with Boaz, and hence resonates with John’s portrayal of Jesus as one who winnows a threshing floor. The text encourages persistence, perseverance, and great confidence in Jesus’ goodness.
Israel’s temple is an essentially human structure, fulfilled in believers on earth as they worshi... more Israel’s temple is an essentially human structure, fulfilled in believers on earth as they worship the God of heaven. That is frequently thought of as a ‘New Testament view’, but it is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible.
Summary: In the present note, I discuss the function (as I understand it) of the genealogies in ... more Summary: In the present note, I discuss the function (as I understand it) of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1–9. The Chronicler’s genealogies, I submit, are laid out in such a way as to bring all sorts of cultic imagery to mind, as well as to highlight the central of Levitical worship to the fabric of Israel’s society. Keywords: Chronicles, Biblical genealogies, Levites. Date: Aug. 2020.
Summary: Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke are frequently dismissed as ‘irreconciliable’. ... more Summary: Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke are frequently dismissed as ‘irreconciliable’. Such claims, however, like certain defences of Jesus’ genealogies, are too quick. Matthew and Luke differ from one another, not because they are poor historians, nor because one of them provides Joseph’s genealogy while the other provides Mary’s, nor even because they are ‘theological genealogies’ (whatever such things might be), but because two individuals in Joseph’s ancestry (viz. Shealtiel and Matthan/Matthat) chose to be adopted/grafted into different family lines within their clan.
Keywords: Matthew 1, Luke 3, genealogies, Jesus, Jehoiachin, Messiah, adoption. Date: Nov. 2019.
Summary: A brief look at the significance of certain numbers in Jesus’ genealogies and their imm... more Summary: A brief look at the significance of certain numbers in Jesus’ genealogies and their immediate context. Key words: Matthew, Luke, genealogy, Jesus, 14, 42, Jubilee, ark, glory. Date: Mar. 2021.
Summary: Matthew’s genealogy is a composition of remarkable sophistication and significance. It... more Summary: Matthew’s genealogy is a composition of remarkable sophistication and significance. Its patterns tell a story which hints at much of what is to come in Matthew’s gospel. And, while many commentators view Matthew’s genealogy as a largely arbitrary construction (cut to size for Matthew’s purposes), Matthew clearly doesn’t. On the contrary, Matthew professes to have identified a fourteen-generation rhythm in Israel’s history which has significant apologetic value. Matthew must either, therefore, have procured his groups of fourteen generations from known sources, or edited known sources on the basis of discernible principles. In the present note, I discuss how and on what basis he might have done so.
Summary: In the present note, I discuss Jesus as ‘the root of Jesse’. Isaiah 11.1’s reference t... more Summary: In the present note, I discuss Jesus as ‘the root of Jesse’. Isaiah 11.1’s reference to Jesus as a branch from the root of Jesse finds its fulfilment in the two Messianic ancestries recorded in Matthew and Luke. In the aftermath of Jehoiachin’s curse, YHWH raises up a new Messianic ‘branch’ from Jesse’s roots, namely Jesus’ Lukan ancestry. Keywords: Jesus, Matthew 1, Luke 3, genealogies, Jesse, root, branch, Messiah, Isaiah. Date: Nov. 2019.
Fact: Between them, the books of Ruth and 1 Samuel contain a genealogy and two (longish) ancestr... more Fact: Between them, the books of Ruth and 1 Samuel contain a genealogy and two (longish) ancestral chains. Hypothesis: The two ancestral chains in question (both of which are found in 1 Samuel) suggest the existence of a custom where individuals are standardly defined/introduced as the descendants of four particular ancestors--i.e., as ‘A the son of B, the son of C, the son of D, the son of E’--, and that custom, I submit, is able to explain the nature of the genealogy in question (which is found at the end of Ruth).
Summary: Most commentaries on the book of Judges endeavour to assign at least rough dates to its... more Summary: Most commentaries on the book of Judges endeavour to assign at least rough dates to its episodes, though often on quite different grounds and with quite different results. A necessary step in such endeavours—and one which is not always undertaken with sufficient attention to detail—is to analyse the book of Judges’ chronology on its own terms and in its own (canonical) context, which turns out to be instructive. Since the relationship between the book of Judges’ episodes is at times unclear, the book does not determine a specific chronology. (What look to be consecutive episodes may be separated by undisclosed periods of time or run in parallel.) The book is, however, assigned a specific chronological window in the Biblical narrative, since Solomon is said to begin to build Israel’s temple in the 480th year of the exodus. Two questions therefore arise, which are central to a proper analysis of the book’s inner logic and chronology. First, can its narrative be accommodated within its allotted 480 years (which, for the purpose of the present note, I take to designate a literal 480-year period)? And, second, can its narrative fill its allotted years in a plausible manner? In response to these questions, I compile a ‘lowest plausible chronology’ of the book of Judges—i.e., a chronology which takes consecutive incidents to be separated by minimal gaps—, and, by means of it, I answer both questions in the affirmative. The book of Judges’ narrative reflects the existence of a continuous line of pre-monarchic rulers in Israel, which extends from the rise of Israel’s first judge (Othniel) to the fall of her last judge (Abdon), whose final year is the year prior to the likely start-date of Samuel’s judgeship. How these rulers’ reigns and actions relate to our archeological knowledge of Israel’s history is a further question, and is an important one to ask, but we cannot properly answer it until we have identified the chronology implicit in the book of Judges itself.
Summary: The book of Judges is built around a series of inversions/travesties of Israel’s three ... more Summary: The book of Judges is built around a series of inversions/travesties of Israel’s three main feasts. These ‘feasts’ are not memorials of God’s goodness; rather, they are a liturgy of violence. Israel forget what they should have remembered and unintentionally memorialise what they should never have done in the first place. Key words: feasts, Judges, narratives, literary analysis, exegesis. Date: May 2021.
Summary: The book of Judges uses numbers in order to shed light on particular features of its na... more Summary: The book of Judges uses numbers in order to shed light on particular features of its narrative. Over 250 of its words designate numerical quantities, and our treatment of Judges’ narrative will be poorer if we gloss over them. Key words: numerology, Judges, narratives, literary analysis, exegesis. Date: July 2020.
<b>Summary</b>: Some thoughts on the interpretation of the book of Judges. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: M... more <b>Summary</b>: Some thoughts on the interpretation of the book of Judges. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Mar. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Scripture</i>, <i>Narrative</i>, <i>Interpretation</i>.
Yesterday, I took a brief read through Joshua 20 (with a few friends). I’m still not entirely su... more Yesterday, I took a brief read through Joshua 20 (with a few friends). I’m still not entirely sure how best to understand it. Provision is made for an Israelite who kills someone ‘without intent’ (בשגגה) (cf. 20.3), which is later qualified as ‘without knowledge’ (בבלי דעת) (cp. 20.3, 5).
First of all, the manslayer is to go to the gate of a city of refuge, where he is to present his case to the city’s elders (20.4a). The elders, it seems, are obliged to accept him into the city and allocate him a place to stay (20.4b), at least temporarily. The ‘manslayer’ is then to stay in that city—and here we come to the awkward/unusual verse—‘until he has stood before the congregation and been judged, until the death of the high priest at the time’ (20.6), at which point he’s free to leave.
Now, the job of ‘the congregation’ seems straightforward enough here, namely to determine whether the self-professed manslayer is a genuine manslayer (or a murderer) (Num. 35.24–25). Fine.
But how exactly do the ‘until’ clauses in 20.6a fit together? Is the (purported) manslayer to be judged before the people only when the high priest dies? That could be quite some time, and would seem an odd stipulation.
Summary: In Joshua 22, an altar is built on the far side of the Jordan. The trans-Jordanian tri... more Summary: In Joshua 22, an altar is built on the far side of the Jordan. The trans-Jordanian tribes say it isn’t a sacrifial altar as such; it’s simply a symbol of their unity with their brothers in ‘Israel proper’. Phinehas accepts the trans-Jordanians’ story, and all seems well. But should he have? A number of intertextual clues suggest not.
Summary: The book of Ruth tells a story about a man and woman with a high sense of duty and an u... more Summary: The book of Ruth tells a story about a man and woman with a high sense of duty and an uncommon concern for the welfare of others. As such, it’s a rare gem, which sparkles all the more brightly because of the dark and murky backdrop against which it’s framed. (Note especially the book of Judges’ last two incidents, both of which, like the book of Ruth, unfold in and around Bethlehem.) Why, then, spoil things with the events of ch. 3, i.e., Ruth and Boaz’s unusual night-time encounter? The answer, I submit, involves the book of Ruth’s connections with the stories on the one hand of Judah and Tamar and on the other of Lot and his daughters. Keywords: Ruth, Boaz, Naomi, Tamar, Lot, Judah, intertextuality. Date: Dec. 2020 (updated).
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 1, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 1, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 1</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Metalwork</i>, <i>Numbers</i>, <i>OT Narratives</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 2, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 2, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 2</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Saviours</i>, <i>Numbers</i>, <i>OT Narratives</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 3, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 3, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 3</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Wordplay</i>, <i>Names</i>, <i>Puns</i>, <i>Irony</i>, <i>Lex Talionis</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 4-5, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, ... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 4-5, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 4</i>, <i>Judges 5</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Wordplay</i>, <i>Names</i>, <i>Puns</i>, <i>Irony</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 6, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 6, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 6</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Gideon</i>, <i>Signs</i>, <i>Fleece</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 7, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 7, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 7</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Gideon</i>, <i>Army</i>, <i>Elijah</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 8, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 8, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 8</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Gideon</i>, <i>Decline</i>, <i>Fleece</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 9, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, bu... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 9, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 9</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Abi-Melech</i>, <i>Vengeance</i>, <i>Irony</i>, <i>Lex Talionis</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 10, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, b... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 10, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 10</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Jephthah</i>, <i>Repentance</i>, <i>Jair</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: An Appendix to my notes on Judges 11-12, the subject of which is Jephthah’s daug... more <b>Summary</b>: An Appendix to my notes on Judges 11-12, the subject of which is Jephthah’s daughter. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 11</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Jephthah</i>, <i>Jephthah’s Vow</i>, <i>Jephthah’s Daughter</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 11a, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, ... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 11a, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Feb. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 11</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Jephthah</i>, <i>Jephthah’s Vow</i>, <i>Jephthah’s Daughter</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 13-16, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 13-16, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Mar. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 13-16</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Samson</i>, <i>Riddles</i>, <i>Woven</i>.
<b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 13, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, b... more <b>Summary</b>: Notes on Judges 13, the aim of which is not to cover/summarise the whole text, but simply to pick out particular (and sometimes overlooked) points of interest. \\ \\ <b>Date</b>: Mar. 2019. <b>Keywords</b>: <i>Judges 13</i>, <i>The Book of Judges</i>, <i>Women in Judges</i>.
Jesus’ sermon in Luke 15–16 is built around a series of five parables, each of which involves a s... more Jesus’ sermon in Luke 15–16 is built around a series of five parables, each of which involves a significant reversal of fortunes and often a feast as well. The book of Esther also involves many feasts and reversals of fortunes, and it turns out to have instructive points of contact with Jesus’ parables.
Summary: Many commentators have dismissed Matthew’s arrangement of his genealogy in groups of fo... more Summary: Many commentators have dismissed Matthew’s arrangement of his genealogy in groups of fourteen as sleight of hand. A more careful consideration of the matter, however, suggests Matthew’s arrangement is predicated on a close study of the Hebrew Bible. Key words: Matthew, genealogy, Jesus, 14, 42. Date: Mar. 2021.
Summary: While Matthew and Luke’s birth narratives are frequently said to contradict one another... more Summary: While Matthew and Luke’s birth narratives are frequently said to contradict one another, when we give careful consideration to their respective purposes and nuances, they turn out to fit together quite tidily. Particularly important to note is the thrust of each author’s genealogy. Key words: Matthew, Luke, genealogy, birth narratives, Herod, wise men, shepherds, Bethlehem, Nazareth. Date: Mar. 2021.
Summary: As Christians, most of us are familiar with harmonised versions of the NT’s birth narra... more Summary: As Christians, most of us are familiar with harmonised versions of the NT’s birth narratives. We see them acted out each year in Nativity plays (if we subject ourselves to such things). Considered in isolation, however, the birth narratives are less familiar, and even slightly awkward. They gloss over major events. Or, put another way, they don’t mention what we might (reasonably?) expect them to. Consequently, most critical commentators dismiss (elements of) them as ahistorical. If Joseph had really fled to Egypt to avoid a massacre, we’re told, Matthew wouldn’t be the only person to mention it. And if Joseph had really ended up in Bethlehem as a result of an empire-wide census, Luke wouldn’t be the only person to mention it. And so it goes on.
But how can such commentators be so sure they know what Matthew and Luke—individuals about whom they can tell us very little—would have wanted to include in their narratives? If the two narratives aren’t inherently incompatible (as I’ve sought to show elsewhere1), and if we can provide plausible reasons why Matthew and Luke might not have wanted to mention the particular incidents they decline to mention, then why should we think their narratives are ahistorical, even in part?
In the present note, I want to consider whether such reasons can be provided. The hypothesis I’ll advance is as follows. Jesus was born in tumultuous times. The events of his birth included a census, a massacre, a flight to Egypt, and many other things besides. Matthew and Luke saw these events as significant—more specifically, they took them to portray Jesus’ birth as the fulfilment of Biblical history—, but each author chose to bring out a different aspect of them in his narrative. For Matthew, Jesus is a Moses-like deliverer, who presents an immediate threat to the world’s Herods. As far as Matthew is concerned, then, Jesus’ presentation at the Temple and childhood in Nazareth are irrelevant, and to include them would be a distraction. Meanwhile, for Luke, Jesus is a more subversive, Samuel-like figure, who grows up and in around the Temple. From Luke’s perspective, then, Jesus’ stay in Bethlehem (after his presentation at the Temple) and flight to Egypt are irrelevant, while his presentation at the Temple and (undramatic) childhood are highly relevant.
That Matthew and Luke don’t write the way we’d expect them to may, therefore, be true. It’s testament, however, not to their narratives’ ahistoricity, but to their purpose and sophistication (as well as the climactic nature of the Messiah’s entrance into world history). If, by today’s standards, that makes elements of the birth narratives ahistorical, then it makes elements of the birth narratives ahistorical. But trustworthiness and conformity to (modern-day) expectations are two different things. Ultimately, if we want to engage with Matthew and Luke in a fruitful way, we need to engage with them on their own terms rather than on the basis of our expectations.
Summary: Matthew and Luke provide us with quite different accounts of Judas’s death. Despite wh... more Summary: Matthew and Luke provide us with quite different accounts of Judas’s death. Despite what’s often claimed, these accounts aren’t irreconcilable; rather, each author chooses to record a different aspect of Judas’s death, and does so for his own particular purposes. Matthew wants us to see Judas as an Absalom—a man who ends up hung as a result of his own selfish ambition—, while Luke wants us to see Judas as an Ahab—a man whose ill-gotten ends up soiled by his blood—, and each author’s portrayal of Judas has important Christological implications.
Keywords: Judas, Field of Blood, hung, historical, Matthew, Acts, contradiction. Date: Mar. 2021.
Summary: Some thoughts on the motives of the various parties involved in Matthew’s Passion and i... more Summary: Some thoughts on the motives of the various parties involved in Matthew’s Passion and in particular on how they accomplish God’s sovereign purposes.
Keywords: crucifixion, divine sovereignty, the Gospel of Matthew, passion narrative. Date: May 2020.
Summary: In what follows, I provide a brief outline of Luke 2.21–24 and discuss some of the prob... more Summary: In what follows, I provide a brief outline of Luke 2.21–24 and discuss some of the problems entailed in its interpretation. In the aftermath of Jesus’ birth, Luke has both Mary and Jesus purified (by means of a Temple sacrifice), yet the relevant Levitical regulations only appear to discuss the purification of a mother (her newborn child not included). As a result, Luke is often assumed to be ignorant of Jewish customs/law. On closer inspection, however, Luke’s text appears to embody a deep familiarity with the customs of Jesus’ day. In addition, Luke’s reference to the purification of both Mary and Jesus ties in very neatly with a number of his Gospel’s broader themes.
Summary: Jesus’ statements in Luke 23.27–31 allude to at least three OT texts: Song of Solomon ... more Summary: Jesus’ statements in Luke 23.27–31 allude to at least three OT texts: Song of Solomon 3, Hosea 10, and Ezekiel 17. These texts are inherently interconnected (by their descriptions of vines and marriages), and together form a rich Scriptural backdrop in light of which Jesus invites us to view his death. As the true Israel, Jesus is Hosea’s fruitful vine. As Israel’s substitute, Jesus takes the place of Ezekiel’s dry tree and allows God’s fire to pass over him. And yet Jesus also goes to the cross as the Song of Solomon’s bridegroom, where he is enthroned as Israel’s king and offers Israel a new future.
Key words: Luke’s passion narrative, OT allusions, green tree, daughters of Jerusalem, intertextuality.
Summary: A brief comparison of the personal names attested in the Talmud and those attested in t... more Summary: A brief comparison of the personal names attested in the Talmud and those attested in the NT. Key words: Talmud, Rabbinic, personal names, onomastics, Hebrew, Greek, Latin. Date: Apr. 2020.
Some brief notes on John 4, with particular emphasis on their OT and historical backdrop.
Keywor... more Some brief notes on John 4, with particular emphasis on their OT and historical backdrop.
Keywords: John 4, Gospel of John, Woman from Samaria, water of life. Date: May 2020.
Summary: The Gospels are often said to be more concerned with the fact of the atonement than wit... more Summary: The Gospels are often said to be more concerned with the fact of the atonement than with theories of the atonement. In the present note, I consider John 18–21 as a case study, and, on the basis of it, I argue otherwise. The shape and detail of John’s narrative is careful and didactic. For John, Jesus offers his life up to God as a sacrifice which is (at least) substitutionary, penal, and propitiatory.
A garden, a tree, some thorns, some guards, angels, weapons, and flames. What passage of Scriptu... more A garden, a tree, some thorns, some guards, angels, weapons, and flames. What passage of Scripture do these things bring to mind? Genesis 2–3, right? It’s certainly *a* valid answer. But it’s not the only one. John’s passion narrative involves all of these things, and its references to them are highly instructive.
Summary: Over the last few days, I’ve come across a number of different takes/articles on the ‘o... more Summary: Over the last few days, I’ve come across a number of different takes/articles on the ‘online observation’ of the Lord’s Supper. Below are some thoughts on the matter, which I hope will be of help (to someone at least). Keywords: Communion, Corona, Eucharist, Lord’s Supper, Passover, liturgy, evolution. Date: Apr. 2020.
Summary: A note on Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7, with a particular focus on his treatment of the O... more Summary: A note on Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7, with a particular focus on his treatment of the Old Testament. Keywords: Acts 7, Stephen, sermon, exegesis. Date: July 2020.
Good-natured discussions between well-informed individuals are in short supply. For that reason,... more Good-natured discussions between well-informed individuals are in short supply. For that reason, Peter Williams’ discussion of his most recent book (‘Can We Trust the Gospels?’) with NT scholar Bart Ehrman is a must-watch. In what follows, I share a number of thoughts/reflections on it.
Some brief thoughts on Bart Ehrman’s 2019 discussion with Peter Williams on Premier Christian Rad... more Some brief thoughts on Bart Ehrman’s 2019 discussion with Peter Williams on Premier Christian Radio. Keywords: Gospels, oral tradition, historicity. Date: May 2020.
Resumen: En esta nota, pretendo delinear la historia de Benjamín que se desenvuelve en las págin... more Resumen: En esta nota, pretendo delinear la historia de Benjamín que se desenvuelve en las páginas de las Escrituras-una historia de gracia, preservación y redención. Fecha: diciembre 2019. Traducida por: Jonathan Boyd. Palabras clave: Benjamín, Saúl, Gabaa, Jueces, Samuel, narrativa.
Resumen: Abajo hay una serie de tuits sobre el significado general de Samuel y Reyes y su lugar ... more Resumen: Abajo hay una serie de tuits sobre el significado general de Samuel y Reyes y su lugar en la historia de la redención.
Fecha: enero 2019.
Traducido por: Jonathan Boyd.
Palabras clave: Samuel, Reyes, Gálatas, Promesa, Obras de la Ley, Narraciones del AT.
Resumen: Algunos pensamientos breves y dispersos sobre el Sal 147.
Palabras clave: Salmo 147, ... more Resumen: Algunos pensamientos breves y dispersos sobre el Sal 147.
Es bastante fácil traerle sistemas teológicos/éticos a un libro como Jueces y después leerlo a la... more Es bastante fácil traerle sistemas teológicos/éticos a un libro como Jueces y después leerlo a la luz de estos sistemas. Pero, aun si esos sistemas son correctos, el libro de Jueces en sí mismo entonces no nos *guía* o *enseña*. En lo que sigue, quiero sugerir varias maneras a través de las cuales el libro de Jueces nos enseña y hace afirmaciones morales sobre sus personajes.
Exact days are rarely identified in Scripture. Events we might think of as highly significant--th... more Exact days are rarely identified in Scripture. Events we might think of as highly significant--the coronation of kings, victories in battle, etc.--are not assigned to particular days. Events of particular concern to the priesthood, however, are. The sanctuary is like a clock which was assembled in the wilderness and deposited in Jerusalem, and, when the Biblical narrative enters its vicinity, day-stamps frequently appear. As such, the presence of day-stamps in Scriptural texts has the potential to tell us about their place of composition and/or preservation, and reflects the way in which time was kept in the sanctuary, measured by its sacrificial and liturgical timetable.
The Gospel of John contains numerous references to (Jewish) feasts, given which it is possible to... more The Gospel of John contains numerous references to (Jewish) feasts, given which it is possible to compile a historical chronology of Jesus’ ministry. It is also underlain by a symbolic chronology, whose purpose is not historical, but theological. John’s symbolic chronology frames the climax of his Passion narrative against the backdrop of three significant calendrical moments: i] a time of darkness at noon (the 7th hour), ii] the arrival of the feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and iii] the inauguration of a Jubilee.
Summary: The Bible is a multi-faceted text. As a result, it can fruitfully be analysed in many ... more Summary: The Bible is a multi-faceted text. As a result, it can fruitfully be analysed in many ways. Its pace, context, flow, imagery: all of these aspects of the Biblical text are significant and instructive. Here, by way of illustration, I analyse Gen. 38 in a range of different ways, and show how each method of analysis contributes to a unified theme, namely the continuation of Abraham’s ‘line of promise’.
In what follows, I consider the ‘year-stamps’ employed in Scripture, i.e., statements of the form... more In what follows, I consider the ‘year-stamps’ employed in Scripture, i.e., statements of the form, ‘Such-and-such an event took place in the Xth year of Y’. In the process, I suggest some ways in which the Biblical narrative may relate to events in the extra-Biblical world, though only briefly and tentatively. (My primary focus is the inner logic of the Biblical narrative itself.) My conclusion is as follows: the year-stamps included in the Biblical narrative follow a consistent and plausible pattern, which scribes do not appear to have sought to explain, but to preserve.
Summary: The present note is intended to highlight a particular sub-theme of Daniel 3, namely th... more Summary: The present note is intended to highlight a particular sub-theme of Daniel 3, namely the nature and downfall of Nebuchadnezzar’s ceremony and Babylon’s liturgy. Nebuchadnezzar’s ceremony is meticulously planned, rich with symbolic import, and a spectacular tribute to Nebuchadnezzar’s glory and greatness. Unfortunately for the king, it is just as spectacularly ruined by three obstinate Hebrews in his ranks. Yet God decides to use the Hebrews’ ‘obstinacy’ (in God’s eyes, ‘obedience’) to transform the ceremony into a tribute to his glory and greatness instead.
Keywords: Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar, Dura, ceremony, instruments. Date: Sep. 2019.
Chapter 5 from a Bible commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical (non-critical... more Chapter 5 from a Bible commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical (non-critical) perspective. To download a pdf version (where the fonts come out best), either sign up to academia.com or email me.
<b>Abstract/Intro:</b> The observance of Sabbatical years in the Second Temple period is atteste... more <b>Abstract/Intro:</b> The observance of Sabbatical years in the Second Temple period is attested by a wide range of historical sources--in particular, the OT, the books of Maccabees, the text of Josephus, Rabbinic literature, and ancient inscriptions. The record of Sabbatical year observances generated by these sources is not entirely unproblematic, but is substantially coherent. Give or take a year, every observed Sabbatical year in the Second Temple era can be accommodated within the constraints of a fixed seven-year cycle. Or, to put the point negatively, we have not found any documented observances of Sabbatical years which (give or take a year) do <i>not</i> occur a multiple of seven years away from one another. That such a wide range of sources exhibits such a consistent pattern is noteworthy; it suggests the observance of Sabbatical years is a genuine feature of Jewish history, which can be reconstructed with relative confidence.
Of course, mine is not the first attempt to reconstruct Israel’s Sabbatical cycle. Zuckermann<fn>Zuckermann 1857:43-45.</fn> has proposed a Sabbatical cycle coincident with the year 458t/457t, which has been seconded by Blosser<fn>Blosser 1979:113.</fn> and Finegan.<fn>FHBC 116-126.</fn> Meanwhile, Wacholder<fn>Wacholder 1973:153-196.</fn> has proposed a cycle a year removed from Zuckermann’s (i.e., a cycle coincident with 457t/456t), which has been seconded by Steinmann and Young.<fn>SFATP 188-191.</fn> In the present paper, I critically assess the data cited by Wacholder, and ultimately side with Zuckermann’s cycle. In the process, I propose a schema for the determination of the Seleucid Era (SE) conventions employed in 1 and 2 Maccabees. If I am right in my acceptance of Zuckermann’s 458t-based Sabbatical cycle--and if that cycle was in existence prior to Ezra’s arrival in 458t--, then 534t/533t would have been the first observed Sabbatical year after Israel’s return from exile, and the 520t/519t Sabbatical year would have coincided with Haggai’s prophecy, where Haggai says Israel’s “seed” is “still in [its] barn” (Hagg. 2.19). Furthermore, every public assembly in the 7th month in Ezra and Nehemiah coincides with a Sabbatical year (when the law is to be recited before the people: Deut. 31.10-13<fn>Graves 2007:467-487.</fn>), as does the covenant made in Nehemiah’s day when Israel promise to give the land its Sabbath rest (Neh. 10.31),<fn>See my <i>Post-Exilic History</i> (2015).</fn> which I take to be a further point in favour of Zuckermann’s cycle.
<b>Abstract/Intro:</b> In what follows, I outline a chronology of the activities of Haggai, Zech... more <b>Abstract/Intro:</b> In what follows, I outline a chronology of the activities of Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Post-exilic life in Judah has a distinctly Sabbatical rhythm, which is aligned with all the known observances of Sabbatical years in Israel’s intertestamental period. In particular, post-exilic life in Judah is punctuated by a number of important events when the people gather in a public square and God’s word is ministered in a public manner.
<b>Key Words:</b> <i>Sabbatical years, Sabbatical cycle, dates, week, chronology, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, post-exilic, Second Temple</i>
A Chronology of Herod's reign which coheres with Zuckerman's Sabbatical cycle and posits a 1 BC d... more A Chronology of Herod's reign which coheres with Zuckerman's Sabbatical cycle and posits a 1 BC date of death.
Appendix 0 (i.e., an introductory appendix) from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from ... more Appendix 0 (i.e., an introductory appendix) from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical perspective. To download a pdf version (where the fonts come out best), either sign up to academia.com or email me.
Appendix 1 from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical (non-critical) per... more Appendix 1 from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical (non-critical) perspective.
Appendix 5 (i.e., an introductory appendix) from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from ... more Appendix 5 (i.e., an introductory appendix) from a commentary on the Book of Daniel written from an evangelical perspective. (For the best results, download as a pdf.)
A timeline of Daniel's seventy weeks, interpreted as three concentric series of 'weeks'. For ful... more A timeline of Daniel's seventy weeks, interpreted as three concentric series of 'weeks'. For full details, see my commentary on Daniel 9 or my note on Daniel's Seventy Weeks.
The present note is the first in a series of notes on Mark’s Gospel. My intention in these notes... more The present note is the first in a series of notes on Mark’s Gospel. My intention in these notes is not to provide a full or detailed commentary on the text of Mark, but, rather, to discuss (briefly) how Mark’s Gospel presupposes, builds upon, and casts its narrative in light of the OT.
The present note is part of a series of notes on Mark's Gospel. 1 My intention in these notes is ... more The present note is part of a series of notes on Mark's Gospel. 1 My intention in these notes is not to provide a full or detailed commentary on the text of Mark, but, rather, to discuss (briefly) how Mark's Gospel presupposes, builds upon, and casts its narrative in light of the OT. 2 My focus throughout will be specifically 'Markan'; that is to say, my exegesis of the text will be restricted to what Mark himself explicitly tells us, and my main reason to refer to the details of Matthew, Luke, and John will be to identify details which Mark, as an observer and recorder of Jesus' life, could have recorded but chose not to record in order to draw greater attention to his own agenda.
The text of Mark 6.45-52 describes an incident where Jesus goes out to meet his disciples on the ... more The text of Mark 6.45-52 describes an incident where Jesus goes out to meet his disciples on the sea of Galilee. Our text should be viewed against two different OT backdrops: first, Daniel’s vision of the four beasts (Dan. 7), and, second (as others have noted), Job’s pursuit of God (Job 9). Jesus’ actions then take on a new and noteworthy significance. As he walks out to meet his disciples, Jesus assumes the role both of Yahweh (as prophets like Ezekiel and Hosea did) and of a mediator between heaven and earth. He is the embodied presence of the God of Israel in Israel’s very midst. Paradoxically, he is also a figure whom Israel will not initially recognise.
What follows is an exploration of Luke 1.5-2.52’s flow and OT allusions. In 1.5-2.52, Luke inter... more What follows is an exploration of Luke 1.5-2.52’s flow and OT allusions. In 1.5-2.52, Luke interweaves his account of John the Baptist’s appearance in Israel with Jesus of Nazareth’s appearance to great effect. The two characters come face to face in ch. 3, at which point an old era in Israel’s history comes into contact with a new one. Luke pays particularly close attention to the narratives of 1 Sam. 1-4 and Zech. 1-6, which portray the events of 1.5-2.52 as the inauguration of a new phase in ‘tabernacle history’.
The present note is part of a series of notes 1 intended to highlight how certain narratives in t... more The present note is part of a series of notes 1 intended to highlight how certain narratives in the Gospels resonate with—or ask to be read in light of—certain OT narratives. The text of Luke 9.28-37 strongly resonates with the text of Exod. 24.1-18, where the heavens descend to earth on the summit of mount Sinai. As Alastair Roberts has helpfully pointed out, 2 the wider context of 9.28-37 (namely 9.1-43) also has parallels with the exodus narrative as a whole, and should therefore be viewed in light of it. Jesus is a 'greater than Moses', who has come to accomplish at least three important objectives: a] to inaugurate a new era in Israel's history, b] to release Israel from bondage, and c] to begin the construction of a new tabernacle in the wilderness.
The present note considers the parallels between the text of Luke 23.26-28 and Sng. 3.6-11. Luke... more The present note considers the parallels between the text of Luke 23.26-28 and Sng. 3.6-11. Luke deliberately sets his account of Jesus’ departure from the city of Jerusalem—and, by implication, his passion narrative more generally—against the backdrop of Solomon’s arrival at the city of his bride (in Sng. 3.6-11). Needless to say, the parallels between the two texts are parallels of contrast rather than of similarity. As such, they help us to see Jesus’ journey from Jerusalem to Calvary not as the men and women of 1st cent. Israel saw it, but as God saw it, namely as the coronation of a glorious ruler.
The imagery and detail of John 18.1-21.25 imbue it with a number of important theological implica... more The imagery and detail of John 18.1-21.25 imbue it with a number of important theological implications. These include the concepts of substitutionary atonement, a new kingdom, a new power structure on the earth, and more besides. In the present note, I discuss the extent to which our text depicts Jesus’ death and resurrection as the start of a new divine creation. John’s narrative has a number of contact-points with Gen. 1.1-3.24, which cast it as a creation story, but not just any old creation narrative: Jesus’ triumph in John’s ‘garden’ is set in deliberate contrast to Adam’s failure; as such, it depicts a new redeemed creation as opposed to an old fallen creation. New creation, then, is not an interpretation theme which must be superimposed on top of John’s narrative; rather, it is an integral part of the plot and drama of John’s view of Christ’s crucifixion.
A critical review of The Day the Revolution Began by Tom Wright. Key words: N T Wright, The Day... more A critical review of The Day the Revolution Began by Tom Wright. Key words: N T Wright, The Day the Revolution Began, critical review, atonement theology, OT narrative & allusion, propitiation, divine wrath, Gospels, substitutionary atonement, Wright’s treatment of the terms hilastērion and dikaiosynē, and the need for ‘whole Bible theology’.
A review of Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture. Authors: Roberts,... more A review of Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture. Authors: Roberts, Alastair J. and Andrew Wilson.
To view magic (along with scholars such as Schmidt and Nihan) as an initially-accepted-but-later-... more To view magic (along with scholars such as Schmidt and Nihan) as an initially-accepted-but-later-prohibited activity in Israel is to impose an undue burden on the text of Scripture. Rather than decompose the Pentateuch into hypothetical sources and read Exod. 22.18 in light of them, I here seek to view the Pentateuch as a single literary unit (as Jesus does), substantially authored by Moses. Moses’s prohibition of female sorcery in the Covenant Code is not a late addition to a pre-existent corpus; it is more likely to be a prohibition intended to prevent the formation of a particular kind of Egypt-born magic in the course of Israel’s years in the wilderness.
In chs. 3–37, Job and his friends ask 20 ‘why’ questions. They do so via the words מה | למה | על... more In chs. 3–37, Job and his friends ask 20 ‘why’ questions. They do so via the words מה | למה | על מה | מדוע. In response, God asks Job 20 ‘who’ questions (all via מי). Why? Because the central issue in the book of Job is *who* God is.
What follows is a count of the numbers of questions asked by God and Job repsectively in the book... more What follows is a count of the numbers of questions asked by God and Job repsectively in the book of Job. My count is simply a tally of the number of question-marks found in the ESV, which, from what I can tell, is consistent in its treatment of the text. For instance, it has no question marks (contra some other translations) when there are no question-indicators in the Hebrew (e.g., 38.21), only one question mark when a verse is joined with an ‘and’ or an ‘or’ (e.g., 38.29, 36), and, in the absence of a conjuction, two question marks (e.g., 38.33).
In total, Job asks a total of 122 questions, while God asks Job a total of 61. Hence, Job asks twice as many questions as God, while God gives Job twice as many possessions as he previously had (42.10).
Resumen: A diferencia de lo que frecuentemente se supone, Eclesiastés no es un libro escrito desd... more Resumen: A diferencia de lo que frecuentemente se supone, Eclesiastés no es un libro escrito desde una perspectiva materialista diseñado para despertar a los materialistas de su sueño. Más bien, es un libro de sabiduría escrito para animar a los creyentes a vivir vidas más piadosas, más agradecidas y más gozosas.
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Tweets/Notes by James Bejon
Summary: In the present note, I explore the Bible’s portrayal of the exploitation of power by means of two canonically separate yet textually related Biblical narratives. Keywords: David, Bathsheba, Ahab, Naboth, intertextuality, power, exploitation. Date: Dec. 2020.
Keywords: Benjamin, Saul, Gibeah, Judges, Samuel, narrative. Date: Dec. 2019.
Key words: Job, structure, literary analysis, redaction, unity, coherence. Date: Jan. 2020.
Keywords: Biblical chronology, Jubilee cycles, Sabbatical years, priestly texts, Ezekiel, time-stamps, Judges. Date: May 2020.
In the present note, however, I want to proffer a different analysis of the story—one which focuses not on its supposed developed, but on its final form and resonance with the wider Biblical canon. As readers of the Biblical narrative, we know YHWH to be a God of immense power who has greatly blessed his people, Israel. By means of 22.20–22’s irregularity, the text raises an important issue: the issue of whether YHWH’s commitment to his people is subject to change. It does so in characteristically subtle fashion. YHWH issues a command which seems to represent such a change of mind on his behalf; Balaam finds the prima facie sense of YHWH’s command convenient (and hence ‘obeys’ it); and, soon afterwards, Balaam discovers YHWH has not in fact changed his mind—a fact which leads him to bless Israel by means of his attempted curses. Our text thus fulfils at least two important functions. First (discussed last), it advances the story of Israel’s election as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture. And, second (discussed first), it teaches us an important lesson about YHWH’s manner of communication. Ambiguity in YHWH’s commands is only apparent. It is not the hallmark of a deity who is unsure of his mind; it is the hallmark of a deity who wants us to engage carefully and thoughtfully with his words.
Ingeniously, then, our text functions as its own object lesson, since it puts its readers in a similar position to Balaam. Faced with an apparently inconsistent set of commands, what will we do? Dismiss the text as incoherent or as a mere smorgasbord of ideas (from which we are free to take our pick), or engage with its details all the more determinedly?
Key words: Balaam, Numbers 22–24, narrative, coherence, intertextuality, serpent, donkey, animals, typology
Citation: Bejon, J., 2019. ‘Balaam in Light of the Biblical Narrative’ in Plērōma anul XXI nr. 1 (2019), pp. 11–38. «http://jurnalulpleroma.itpbucuresti.ro/revista-online/», accessed 2021.
Keywords: Exodus, Pharaoh, plagues, hardness, heart, desires, narrative. Date: Sep. 2019.
Keywords: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, intertextuality, literary structure, literary analysis. Date: Jul. 2019.
Keywords: Esther, Ahasuerus, Haman, Messianic, Jewish tradition, liturgy, Psalm 22. Date: Jul. 2019. Credits: R. David Fohrman’s The Queen You Thought You Knew.
Summary: In the present note, I explore the Bible’s portrayal of the exploitation of power by means of two canonically separate yet textually related Biblical narratives. Keywords: David, Bathsheba, Ahab, Naboth, intertextuality, power, exploitation. Date: Dec. 2020.
Keywords: Benjamin, Saul, Gibeah, Judges, Samuel, narrative. Date: Dec. 2019.
Key words: Job, structure, literary analysis, redaction, unity, coherence. Date: Jan. 2020.
Keywords: Biblical chronology, Jubilee cycles, Sabbatical years, priestly texts, Ezekiel, time-stamps, Judges. Date: May 2020.
In the present note, however, I want to proffer a different analysis of the story—one which focuses not on its supposed developed, but on its final form and resonance with the wider Biblical canon. As readers of the Biblical narrative, we know YHWH to be a God of immense power who has greatly blessed his people, Israel. By means of 22.20–22’s irregularity, the text raises an important issue: the issue of whether YHWH’s commitment to his people is subject to change. It does so in characteristically subtle fashion. YHWH issues a command which seems to represent such a change of mind on his behalf; Balaam finds the prima facie sense of YHWH’s command convenient (and hence ‘obeys’ it); and, soon afterwards, Balaam discovers YHWH has not in fact changed his mind—a fact which leads him to bless Israel by means of his attempted curses. Our text thus fulfils at least two important functions. First (discussed last), it advances the story of Israel’s election as it unfolds on the pages of Scripture. And, second (discussed first), it teaches us an important lesson about YHWH’s manner of communication. Ambiguity in YHWH’s commands is only apparent. It is not the hallmark of a deity who is unsure of his mind; it is the hallmark of a deity who wants us to engage carefully and thoughtfully with his words.
Ingeniously, then, our text functions as its own object lesson, since it puts its readers in a similar position to Balaam. Faced with an apparently inconsistent set of commands, what will we do? Dismiss the text as incoherent or as a mere smorgasbord of ideas (from which we are free to take our pick), or engage with its details all the more determinedly?
Key words: Balaam, Numbers 22–24, narrative, coherence, intertextuality, serpent, donkey, animals, typology
Citation: Bejon, J., 2019. ‘Balaam in Light of the Biblical Narrative’ in Plērōma anul XXI nr. 1 (2019), pp. 11–38. «http://jurnalulpleroma.itpbucuresti.ro/revista-online/», accessed 2021.
Keywords: Exodus, Pharaoh, plagues, hardness, heart, desires, narrative. Date: Sep. 2019.
Keywords: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, intertextuality, literary structure, literary analysis. Date: Jul. 2019.
Keywords: Esther, Ahasuerus, Haman, Messianic, Jewish tradition, liturgy, Psalm 22. Date: Jul. 2019. Credits: R. David Fohrman’s The Queen You Thought You Knew.
In terms of its theological and cultic significance, the Jubilee is grounded in three important principles: the perfection of God’s plans, the purity of God’s person, and the sovereignty of God over the earth. The Jubilee cycle is first initiated in the late 15th cent. BC in the aftermath of Jericho’s fall, once the land of Canaan has been divided among the Israelites. While the land of Israel is a microcosm of God’s new Creation, it is nevertheless part of a fallen world. As such, it is subject to the normal process of decay, decline, and pollution, and must be ‘rebooted’ (in Yom Kippur style) every seven weeks of years in order to bring the land of Israel back into line with its divine blueprint. Aside from such reboots, Israel would go the way of the world, as is depicted in Nebuchadnezzar’s colossus. The land would become progressively polluted, disordered, and removed from Yahweh’s Edenic ideal, until it reached a point of total de-creation and returned to dust. Grounded in the day of Atonement, the Jubilee provides an antidote to such entropic decline. But, of course, a reboot can never advance Israel beyond her initial condition. The notion of a Jubilee ‘cycle’ therefore seems inherently frustrated, plagued by a kind of Qoheleth-like futility.
In the NT, Jesus cranks the notion of a Jubilee up a notch. For Jesus, the Jubilee is not merely a reset of Israel’s initial conditions; it is a reversion of all Creation to its initial (Edenic) condition. As such, Jesus’ Jubilee is inextricably bound up with the defeat of Satan and the release of Israel and the nations from Satan’s dominion. It is set against the backdrop of a chaotic wilderness, a worldwide day of atonement, and a cosmic showdown with the world’s powers and principalities, all of which notions are latent in ‘the Nazarean pericope’ (Luke 4.16-21), and are inherently connected with the person of Melchizedek and the conclusion of the Jubilee cycle in Second Temple literature.
<b>Key Words:</b> <i>divine simplicity, divine attributes, divine timelessness, modal collapse, the best possible world, metaphysics, constituent ontology, the coherence of theism, analogy</i>
Keywords: Matthew 1, Luke 3, genealogies, Jesus, Jehoiachin, Messiah, adoption. Date: Nov. 2019.
Key words: Matthew, genealogy, 14, gematria, David, Jehu, Messiah, Herod. Date: Dec. 2019.
First of all, the manslayer is to go to the gate of a city of refuge, where he is to present his case to the city’s elders (20.4a). The elders, it seems, are obliged to accept him into the city and allocate him a place to stay (20.4b), at least temporarily. The ‘manslayer’ is then to stay in that city—and here we come to the awkward/unusual verse—‘until he has stood before the congregation and been judged, until the death of the high priest at the time’ (20.6), at which point he’s free to leave.
Now, the job of ‘the congregation’ seems straightforward enough here, namely to determine whether the self-professed manslayer is a genuine manslayer (or a murderer) (Num. 35.24–25). Fine.
But how exactly do the ‘until’ clauses in 20.6a fit together? Is the (purported) manslayer to be judged before the people only when the high priest dies? That could be quite some time, and would seem an odd stipulation.
Key words: Joshua, altar, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, trans-Jordanian, Phinehas, narrative, intertextuality. Date: Feb. 2020.
But how can such commentators be so sure they know what Matthew and Luke—individuals about whom they can tell us very little—would have wanted to include in their narratives? If the two narratives aren’t inherently incompatible (as I’ve sought to show elsewhere1), and if we can provide plausible reasons why Matthew and Luke might not have wanted to mention the particular incidents they decline to mention, then why should we think their narratives are ahistorical, even in part?
In the present note, I want to consider whether such reasons can be provided. The hypothesis I’ll advance is as follows. Jesus was born in tumultuous times. The events of his birth included a census, a massacre, a flight to Egypt, and many other things besides. Matthew and Luke saw these events as significant—more specifically, they took them to portray Jesus’ birth as the fulfilment of Biblical history—, but each author chose to bring out a different aspect of them in his narrative. For Matthew, Jesus is a Moses-like deliverer, who presents an immediate threat to the world’s Herods. As far as Matthew is concerned, then, Jesus’ presentation at the Temple and childhood in Nazareth are irrelevant, and to include them would be a distraction. Meanwhile, for Luke, Jesus is a more subversive, Samuel-like figure, who grows up and in around the Temple. From Luke’s perspective, then, Jesus’ stay in Bethlehem (after his presentation at the Temple) and flight to Egypt are irrelevant, while his presentation at the Temple and (undramatic) childhood are highly relevant.
That Matthew and Luke don’t write the way we’d expect them to may, therefore, be true. It’s testament, however, not to their narratives’ ahistoricity, but to their purpose and sophistication (as well as the climactic nature of the Messiah’s entrance into world history). If, by today’s standards, that makes elements of the birth narratives ahistorical, then it makes elements of the birth narratives ahistorical. But trustworthiness and conformity to (modern-day) expectations are two different things. Ultimately, if we want to engage with Matthew and Luke in a fruitful way, we need to engage with them on their own terms rather than on the basis of our expectations.
Key words: Matthew, Luke, birth narratives, historical, Herod, exodus, Samuel, Jubilee. Date: Apr. 2021.
Keywords: Judas, Field of Blood, hung, historical, Matthew, Acts, contradiction. Date: Mar. 2021.
Keywords: crucifixion, divine sovereignty, the Gospel of Matthew, passion narrative. Date: May 2020.
Keywords: Luke 2.22, Leviticus 12, purification, Mary, Jesus, ritual, Levitical, yoledet, tazria, Rabbinic literature. Date: Nov. 2020.
Key words: Luke’s passion narrative, OT allusions, green tree, daughters of Jerusalem, intertextuality.
Keywords: John 4, Gospel of John, Woman from Samaria, water of life. Date: May 2020.
Keywords: Gospel, John, atonement theory, narrative, penal substitution, crucifixion, propitiation.
Fecha: enero 2019.
Traducido por: Jonathan Boyd.
Palabras clave: Samuel, Reyes, Gálatas, Promesa, Obras de la Ley, Narraciones del AT.
Palabras clave: Salmo 147, creación, providencia, estructura literaria.
Traducido por: Jonathan Boyd
Keywords: Genesis 38, Judah, Tamar, Samson, Biblical narrative, intertextuality, literary techniques.
Keywords: Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar, Dura, ceremony, instruments. Date: Sep. 2019.
Of course, mine is not the first attempt to reconstruct Israel’s Sabbatical cycle. Zuckermann<fn>Zuckermann 1857:43-45.</fn> has proposed a Sabbatical cycle coincident with the year 458t/457t, which has been seconded by Blosser<fn>Blosser 1979:113.</fn> and Finegan.<fn>FHBC 116-126.</fn> Meanwhile, Wacholder<fn>Wacholder 1973:153-196.</fn> has proposed a cycle a year removed from Zuckermann’s (i.e., a cycle coincident with 457t/456t), which has been seconded by Steinmann and Young.<fn>SFATP 188-191.</fn> In the present paper, I critically assess the data cited by Wacholder, and ultimately side with Zuckermann’s cycle. In the process, I propose a schema for the determination of the Seleucid Era (SE) conventions employed in 1 and 2 Maccabees. If I am right in my acceptance of Zuckermann’s 458t-based Sabbatical cycle--and if that cycle was in existence prior to Ezra’s arrival in 458t--, then 534t/533t would have been the first observed Sabbatical year after Israel’s return from exile, and the 520t/519t Sabbatical year would have coincided with Haggai’s prophecy, where Haggai says Israel’s “seed” is “still in [its] barn” (Hagg. 2.19). Furthermore, every public assembly in the 7th month in Ezra and Nehemiah coincides with a Sabbatical year (when the law is to be recited before the people: Deut. 31.10-13<fn>Graves 2007:467-487.</fn>), as does the covenant made in Nehemiah’s day when Israel promise to give the land its Sabbath rest (Neh. 10.31),<fn>See my <i>Post-Exilic History</i> (2015).</fn> which I take to be a further point in favour of Zuckermann’s cycle.
<b>Key Words:</b> <i>Sabbatical years, Sabbatical cycle, Shmitah, dates, week, chronology, extra-Biblical, week, seventh year, Zuckermann, Wacholder, Ezra, Nehemiah, post-exilic, Second Temple</i>
<b>Key Words:</b> <i>Sabbatical years, Sabbatical cycle, dates, week, chronology, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, post-exilic, Second Temple</i>
Key Words: Gospel, John, atonement, theory, historical, narrative, resurrection, substitution, penal.
In total, Job asks a total of 122 questions, while God asks Job a total of 61. Hence, Job asks twice as many questions as God, while God gives Job twice as many possessions as he previously had (42.10).