Historian of Religion, Science, and Biblical Interpretation
Carl Bloch’s Last Supper, public domain
Luke 22 opens with “Satan enter[ing] into Judas called Iscariot.” John refers to this as “Satan [had] put into the heart of Judas Iscariot… to betray” Jesus. The heart, in Israelite thought, was not just the center of emotion but also conscious thought and planning. In other words, while we could read Luke as something vaguely like demonic possession, John seems to say that Judas was tempted by the suggestion. Continue reading
A short commentary tonight, which I’ll try to update later this week.
Matthew 25 is part and parcel of Matthew 24, with two parables further illustrating Jesus’ eschatological themes. (Remember that our biblical chapter and verse divisions are medieval and somewhat artificial, not part of the original text. See here. The oldest divisions in the text are marked in the KJV by the ❡ or paragraph marker.) Continue reading
Today covers only one chapter, an interesting one. Known sometimes as the Olivet Discourse (because it’s given on the Mount of Olives) or the Little Apocalypse (because Gr. apokalypsis is the word for “revelation.” The Book of Revelation would be the “big” revelation/apocalypse, and Matthew 24-25 is the little one.) Several things are of interest. Continue reading
We’re getting into the last week of Jesus’ life. Since it was on sale, I picked up The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach about Jesus Final Days in Jerusalem, which follows Jesus through his last week, with particular focus on Mark’s Gospel (the earliest of the four.) I’ll quote from it a bit in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Eric Huntsman has a chronology of the last week of Jesus’ life here. Continue reading
I’ve gotten behind, due to some unanticipated red-eye travel cross-country, spontaneous camping in Nauvoo with extended family, intensive home-improvement-on-a-tight-deadline, etc. I’ll try to catch up by taking a page out of a new book. 
I’ve received a review copy of James Faulconer’s The New Testament Made Harder- Scripture Study Questions.
Faulconer is a philosophy professor at BYU, who previously wrote Scripture Study: Tools and Suggestions (Amazon, Maxwell Institute) and a lot of other things (more here, with some overlap.) I like Faulconer’s stuff so much, I recruited him to be a columnist at Patheos back when I worked for the site. I’m predisposed to like his material. Continue reading
Today we’re covering less territory. In fact, we can focus entirely on one chapter. What’s the setting? A stereotypical collection of tax collectors and sinners on one side, scribes and pharisees on the other. The second group criticizes Jesus for associating with the first group. Jesus responds to them with three parables. Continue reading
All about the Benjamin?
Today’s lesson covers a grab-bag of parables, many about money. Before getting to them though… Continue reading
Two chapters of John today. Continue reading
Bits and pieces this week. Continue reading
Two parables today, that of the unjust servant, and that of the good samaritan.
First, though, a practical note based on Matt 18:8. “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Continue reading
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