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One of the most perplexing aspects of the golden calf narrative in Exodus is the capital punishment enacted by Moses and the Levites in the Israelite camp (32:25–29). It confounds because previously Yhwh appears to tell Moses that Yhwh will not kill the Israelites because of the calf (vv. 9–14). How might these passages cohere? … Read more
Eating children as food is a tragic and grotesque undertaking, even in a famine. The author of the Elisha narratives is not reticent to show how acts of cannibalism can come out of desperate mothers in 2 Kings 6:28, 29. However, despite being in a famine, Elisha is often depicted as one living in abundance. … Read more
In Romans 15:16, Paul describes his vocation as “the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” The priestly framing of his missionary vocation draws quite obviously from the old covenant priesthood but also from the servant prophecies of Isaiah. Others … Read more
This paper explores the theological significance of the creation of light and darkness in Genesis 1:2-3, emphasizing these elements’ contrasting roles in biblical cosmology. While light is depicted as an inherent attribute of God, symbolizing life, goodness, and creation, darkness is understood as a non-world—a state of cosmic disorder and potential non-existence. The creation narrative, … Read more
Most of us have met believers sharing stories of supernatural encounters with God—or encounters with other spiritual entities. Perhaps it was a lecture from a majority world theologian or a missionary testimony during Sunday School. Meanwhile, biblical scholars and theologians trained at Western seminaries emphasize the historical “distance” between the world of Scripture and the … Read more
The prevailing view in OT studies is that monotheism is a mistaken postbiblical construct that does not cohere with the biblical texts. This paper will admittedly swim upstream against this widespread view. It sketches out a contrary perspective, arguing that the OT is consistently monotheistic, by challenging ten relevant claims as misconceptions. (1) Is evidence … Read more
This paper will seek to explore Paul’s understanding of how our humanity will still be reflected in the resurrection state. Drawing on his argument from 1 Corinthians 15, we will look at the unique Pauline agrarian metaphor of resurrection as our grounding for a robust resurrection anthropology. Special attention will be given to the misunderstanding … Read more
Most modern scholars understand ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν in Eph 6:9 as a command for slave masters to “give up threatening” (BDAG). Some argue further that a prohibition of threats entails a prohibition of violence, and thus Eph 6:9 severs “the thread that held the institution of slavery together” (Frank Thielman). However, modern commentators have given … Read more
John’s Gospel portrays an elusive Jesus, who evades capture, sidesteps questions, and communicates enigmatically. This aspect of Jesus’ characterization has been explained in terms of mythological language (Bultmann), sectarian insider language (Meeks), Johannine belief (Hamid-Khani) or ancient rhetorical techniques (Williams). However, this paper situates this feature of the Gospel in the context of Jesus’ final … Read more
This paper examines pro-revival ordination as a vision for augmenting colonial ecclesiological authority in the contentious environment of New England during the Enlightenment. Congregationalist Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) preached, published, and produced protégés during the transatlantic revivals known as the Great Awakening. His favorite biblical text to use for ordination must have been the Gospel of … Read more