In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NASB In the beginning – Abraham Heschel’s two volume work, The Prophets, is undoubtedly one of the most important theological texts you can read. It’s not simply an analysis of the message of the prophets like you would find in commentaries. It is a tour…
In the beginning God created (various translations) God – I have often remarked that there is no Jewish systematic theology, but the importance of that fact is perhaps lost on an audience of Western thinkers. Most likely the subliminal explanation is simply that the ancient Hebrews were not intellectually or morally equipped to construct a…
In the beginning God created . . . Genesis 1:1 NASB God created – We have often heard the statement that the Hebraic cosmogony is different from all other ancient accounts of creation. It lacks the explicit or implicit overtones of violence, sexuality and conflict, as other ancient accounts include. It emphasizes the particular creation…
When God began to create, the heavens and the earth . . . Genesis 1:1 JPS When – For years we’ve been exploring the differences between the Near Eastern paradigm of the Bible and the Western paradigm of the Church. These differences make all the difference, particularly when we attempt to understand what the Near…
In the beginning God . . . Genesis 1:1 (various translations) God – Over the last decade I haven’t engaged very much with the typical arguments for the existence of God. There’s plenty of material written about these classical arguments, mostly to no avail since I don’t really know of anyone who was ever convinced…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1 NASB Created – Why do we love sunsets? Or being at the ocean? Or viewing majestic mountain ranges? Do you have the same feelings when you see city streets, tall buildings or sports stadiums? Why are we so thrilled with natural beauty? Even…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NASB God – Have we mined this verse yet? It’s certainly familiar, but it might be too familiar to actually understand what it says. Today I want to leave you with just a few remarks that might cause you to think once more about this…
In the beginning . . . Genesis 1:1 (virtually all translations) Beginning – If you have been paying attention for the last few years, you know that the opening word of Scripture is bere’shit. It does not mean “in the beginning.” If it did, it would require a definite article (“the”) incorporated into the word…
In the beginning . . . Genesis 1:1 NASB Beginning – Of course, this isn’t the real beginning. It isn’t even the beginning of all of these investigations called “Today’s Word.” But it is a beginning, and with that in mind, a few things must be said. Beginnings happen all the time. Every day is…
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB One – Paradigms, paradigms, paradigms. Everywhere we look, people operate according to paradigms. “Evidence” is a function of presupposed paradigmatic expectations. Once I have made up my mind about a worldview, I will find all the evidence I need to…
