The Hebrew phrase יראת יהוה (“the fear of the LORD”) and its verbal counterparts (e.g., לירא את־יהוה, “to fear YHWH”) have traditionally been understood as an awe, reverence, or fear directed to and received by YHWH. More nuanced studies have made distinctions in the meaning, such as Joachim Becker’s 1965 study, Gottesfurcht im Alten Testament, … Read more
A Persian- or Hellenistic-period setting for Ecclesiastes is so axiomatic among modern interpreters that Barton, writing at the turn of the twentieth century, could presume that “no extended argument is necessary to prove it” (56). While interpreters have reached this conclusion largely owing to the book’s themes and linguistic profile, such studies have tended to … Read more
The church has long struggled with the sexual language in the Song of Songs. Both the rabbis and church fathers primarily interpreted it allegorically rather than wrestling with the sexual exegesis and ethics of the Song. Many within the modern church have rejected an overt allegorical interpretation, but they still apply the Song of Songs … Read more
As with any major transformative technological advance, be it writing, the alphabet, printing press, industrial revolution, digital computers, Internet, and now with Artificial Intelligence [AI], some have been reticent and resistant to adopting technology and, at times, even deprecated such advances. What is AI? Why is it so significant? What potential does it have? This … Read more