The “Middle” Man

For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 2 Timothy 1:5 NASB First dwelled – Was Timothy a Christian?  Was his grandmother or his mother?  If Paul wasn’t a Christian (and there is plenty of…

The Invention of Religion

Elu v’elu divrei elohim hayim  Talmud Eruvin 13b Elu v’elu (These and these) – The Talmud relates the following story: Rabbi Abba said that Shmuel said: For three years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion, and these said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion. Ultimately, a Divine Voice emerged and proclaimed: Both these and those…

Facing Reality

Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Genesis 32:24 NASB Alone – Consider these: “Self-awareness is a supreme gift, a treasure as precious as life.  This is what makes us human.  But it comes with a costly price: the wound of mortality.  Our existence is forever shadowed by the knowledge…

Reasonable (The End of the Empire 4)

“Come now, and let us debate your case,” says the Lord, “though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18  NASB Debate – You are probably most familiar with the King James version, “Come, let us reason together.”  The Hebrew verb…

The End of the Empire (1)

The king reflected and said, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?”  Daniel 4:30  NASB 1995 I myself – “Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that…

The Invention of Religion (1)

But I confess this to you, that in accordance with the Way, which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and is written in the Prophets;  Acts 24:14 NASB Sect – If you’ve been following my comments on Daniel Boyarin’s book Border Lines, you…

Succession Planning

“Now then, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness, do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria to this…

Inventing Difference

“But I confess this to you, that in accordance with the Way, which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and is written in the Prophets;”  Acts 24:14 NASB Sect – Unless you read the Greek text you’d never know that the word Paul…

The Middle of the Bridge (2)

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!  Galatians 1:8-9  NASB…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide (23)

“What are your many sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord.  “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.”  Isaiah 1:11  NASB I have had enough – The Hebrew word (śābēaʿ) has two connotations.  The first is about…