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The phrase μολὼν λαβέ (“come and take”) is a classical expression of defiance. This phrase was the response of King Leonidas when King Xerxes demanded that the Spartans surrender their weapons on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae (440 BC). This example illustrates that a normal way of communicating two distinct imperatival nuances was … Read more
This paper explores and compares three major theological approaches to the discernibility of the persons of the Trinity: the patristic doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son, John Calvin’s assertion of the Son as autotheos, and Brant Bosserman’s philosophical argument for triune necessity as articulated in The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: … Read more
When invited to deliver the 1981 Warfield Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary, the renowned Scottish theologian Thomas F. Torrance chose to address the theology of the Nicene Creed. Published as The Trinitarian Faith, Torrance presents a fascinating retrieval of the church fathers and their Nicene theology. Yet, Torrance’s appropriation of the fathers raises historical and … Read more
The gospel of John’s ‘Book of Signs’ features several characters with varying levels of belief in Jesus’ messianic identity. Two of those characters interact with Jesus in healing type scenes that share many similarities: the lame man of John 5 and the blind man of John 9. There have been several studies on these characters, … Read more
This paper argues that the anthropological extension of Christ’s human ontology strengthens the coherence of his penal substitutionary atonement (PSA). The traditional explanation of how the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ secures the redemption of his people by effectively paying the penalty for their sin presents a central truth of the gospel as a warranted theological … Read more
Why are some parts of Romans (e.g. Romans 4 and 14) similar to Paul’s other letters (Galatians 4 and 1 Corinthians 8)? Some scholars saw the lack of concrete situation in these similar teachings in Romans that the other letters have and consider Romans to be a “report or testament” (Bornkamm), “general paraenesis” (Karris). On … Read more
What, according to Paul, is πνεῦμα (spirit)? an inquiry into Stoicism and its influence on Judaism, notably Paul’s thought is critical for a detailed investigation. Stoicism was a leading philosophy in the Greco-Roman world. This school of Hellenistic philosophy flourished until the third century C.E. It would claim its place as the pre-eminent frame of … Read more
The Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, who is equal in essence with the Father (Yahweh) through the wilderness motif. Jesus says in his debate with the religious leaders that the Father gives testimony of the Son (John 5:37), but we never clearly see any explicit statements coming … Read more
Contemporary Christian theology is plagued by terminological difficulties in its conceptualizing of God and the world. While broad access to historical material has provided fertile grounds for retrieval, it also possesses the attendant danger of the obscuration of theological concepts based on the misapplication of technical terms. This has occurred with the use of words … Read more
Though individuals can undoubtedly possess Christian conviction without metaphysics, it is much more controversial whether theology can stand alone. The history of Christian thinking, especially in theology proper, has often been intertwined with philosophical views of reality and being. As the 20th century dawned, metaphysical questions were broached based on the opposition of logical positivism, … Read more