Category Archives: Messiah

Easter Faith

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:29 RSV)

I identify with the disciple Thomas. Believing has never been particularly easy for me.Every Easter prompts me to reconsider and reaffirm that my faith centers on the confidence that God was in Christ reconciling the world to God’s self and that God raised Jesus from the dead. I envy the earliest believers, those to whom Jesus appeared in the days following Continue reading Easter Faith

Israel’s United Monarchy (I)

I have been swamped recently:  meeting a publication deadline (a translation of the final volume of the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, which deals with Biblical Aramaic), attending the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting in Boston, chairing an editorial board meeting there (with all the preparation entailed), presenting a paper there, holidays, family, and all the rest.  Consequently, I have neglected this blog.  A New Year approaches and I do not intend to wait for its arrival before acting on my resolve to be more attentive.  For the next several weeks, I will be posting a series of lectures given last month at the First Presbyterian Church on the subject of:

The United Monarchy I

“In whom I am well pleased”

Mark 1:11; Matt 3:17; Luke 3:22

As I write, it is Tuesday of Holy Week and the world seems to be coming apart all around me – terrorism in Belgium, turmoil in American politics, and troubled people on every horizon.  People want political answers to what they perceive to be political threats; they want forceful measures to deal with destructive forces.  People are angry and afraid.  Can

Continue reading “In whom I am well pleased”