Month: March 2019
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Matthew 4 12-22
We are studying Matthew 4:12-22 for Sunday, March 31. This text includes a prologue to Jesus’ ministry that presents Jesus as fulfilling a prophecy in Isaiah[*], and then tells the story of Jesus calling Simon [Peter], Andrew, James, and John. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want […]
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How Can We Possibly Read Isaiah?
Modern historical critical scholarship reads Isaiah 9:1 as an explicit reference to Israelite provinces annexed by Assyria in 732 BCE, and Isaiah 9:2-7 as a “royal song of thanksgiving” that gives hope to those who wait for YHWH “to act to restore righteous Davidic rule in Israel” (NOAB, note on Isaiah 9:2-7); the “child” “born […]
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Study Notes – Matthew 4 12-22
We are studying Matthew 4:12-22 for Sunday, March 31 – our second look this quarter at Jesus’ calling of the disciples Simon [Peter], Andrew, James, and John. This time we’re looking at Matthew’s version of the story – which is very similar to Mark’s, but not identical! But, before we get to that, there’s a […]
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Obviously Good Rules
Moses tells the Israelites that the Torah will be RECOGNIZABLY good, to outsiders, because “the peoples, … when they hear all these statutes, will say ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’” (Deuteronomy 4:6) That is, the Torah will recommend itself. In context, this self-recommendation seems to depend on the practice of […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Luke 19 1-10
We are studying Luke19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus, for Sunday, March 24. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we could consider before or in class: Have we heard this story before? Where? When? What images do we associate with this story? Where did those images come from? (E.g., illustrations […]
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A Toolkit for the Life of the Mind
Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl. The Philosopher’s Toolkit: A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods. Second edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. [An installment of the “Read Me” Project.] My sister-in-law has bought me a number of outstanding books for Christmas over the years. This is one of them. I’m not technically a philosopher. I like philosophy, […]
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Study Notes – Luke 19 1-10
We are studying Luke 19:1-10 for Sunday, March 24 – the story of Zacchaeus, “a wee little man” who not only sees Jesus but gets to host him as one of the last stops on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. [Questions on the text are here.] Here are my notes on this text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: […]
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Where Violence Has to End
When I heard the news about the massacre at the New Zealand mosques on Friday, I had to stop, and think. Something my dad taught me, a long time ago, came back to me: “What’s your part in this?” I hadn’t thought of that conversation for a long time. We had it more than once. […]