jesus doll

Word out via the CT Weblog that the Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co. in Valencia, California, has produced a Jesus doll as the "star of a Messengers of Faith collection set to be released in June." Traditionalists will be happy to see that they got Jesus' looks right, with the requisite smooth-flowing, shoulder-length hair and the piercing blue eyes. This Jesus quotes Scripture at the push of a button. No word on the Bible version used, but I'm sure Aramaic targumim have been ruled out, as have any of the Hebrew versions and the Old Greek. Perhaps it is the KJV? Certainly not the TNIV! I'm looking forward to the Jesus Seminar version, the one that quotes select Q and Gospel of Thomas sayings at the push of a button (no more than 18% of canonical sayings, mind you!), but does little else, certainly nothing to get himself killed or to start a movement whose followers venerate him as Lord and God...

:-)

faith-based higher education

An article from Voice of America (via the CT Weblog) on increasing enrolments in religious colleges and universities in the U.S.:

More Students Applying to America's Religious Colleges
By Nancy Beardsley
Washington, D.C.
29 March 2005

These are tense times for many college-bound students in the United States, as they wait to hear whether they've been accepted at the college of their choice. For a growing number of such students, that choice is based on religion as well as academics. Journalist Naomi Schaefer Riley explores the trend in her new book, God on the Quad: How Religious Colleges and the Missionary Generation Are Changing America.

The author visited some 20 religious colleges to write God on the Quad. They represented a range of faiths -- from Wheaton College, which is evangelical Christian…to Brigham Young University, a Mormon school…to Notre Dame University, one of the country's most prestigious Roman Catholic institutions.

But Ms. Riley says almost all the schools had at least one feature in common. "They really tried to integrate the faith into the classroom in different ways," she says. "They tried to get students to think about how that faith would impact them once they left the school. And the administrations of these schools are very much encouraging them to move to the cultural and political centers of the country, to move to the top of their professions."

calvin on ideas

It's time for another dose of my favorite theologian-philosopher combo, Calvin and Hobbes. I've had ideas like this one, too...

tv complaints

Rogueclassicism points to a History Channel piece on Caligula which I would love to see--except that it's not on the History Channel in Canada, at least not where I'm at. This was a tremendous frustration for me on the weekend as well, when there was such interesting Jesus-related Easter viewing on (see here and here) but it turned out that these programs were not available here. Instead, the History Channel runs episodes of JAG! Now, my mother-in-law loves JAG, so it's hard for me to complain about the show itself... :-) But on the History Channel? In place of a special on John the Baptist, or on Caligula?

naming evil

An interesting and thought-provoking article over at Christianity Today:

Naming the Horror
We must resurrect the language of evil.
by David Neff

Every day I pray, "Deliver us from evil." Yet I long for the vocabulary of evil to make a comeback and be restored to our common language.

[...]

The language of diplomats and politicians is curious. It is often designed to insulate us from reality. In the December 2004 issue of International Relations, political scientist Farid Abdel-Nour pointed to the same phenomenon in discussions of international law and human rights. Too often, the vocabulary of international law is framed in terms of "inter-societal norms." San Diego State University's Abdel-Nour demonstrates the "obfuscation" of such talk by describing the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center as a violation of "the international norm prohibiting the targeting of civilians." It is an accurate description, but it hides the horror and the multiple dimensions of what happened.

What we need to recover, says Abdel-Nour, is the vocabulary of evil. To say that the September 11 attacks were evil may lack some analytical clarity (we can debate what evil means), but it compensates for that loss with absolute ethical clarity (we can agree on the horror)....

death penalty and biblical interpretation

This from Ekklesia news:

Death penalty decision overturned after jurors misinterpret bible texts

A divided Supreme Court in the US has thrown out the death penalty for a convicted murderer after jurors discussed verses from from the Bible during their deliberations, and reached conclusions that many Chistians would disagree with.

Robert Harlan was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of cocktail waitress Rhonda Maloney, but defence lawyers learned that five jurors had looked up such Bible verses as "an eye for eye, a tooth for tooth," and discussed them, in their attempt to reach a verdict.

[...]

Many Christians will point out that if the jurors were influenced by their readings of such verses, they misinterpreted them.

The 'Lex Talionis' (the idea of an "eye for an eye") is seen by many scholars as a limitation on the excalation of violence - in other words 'an eye for an eye but no more' - rather than a command for people to be punished in the same way that they offended. Jesus Christ is also quoted in the gospels as referring to the Hebrew verses which refer to 'an eye for an eye' but then commanding forgiveness rather than vengeance....

signs of spring

Some people look for groundhog shadows and others for solar equinoxes, some for geese flying north and others for buds on the trees, but I look for this: children with puddle boats and special bikes...

gospel of judas

Stephen Carlson has noted a new article in the Australian Daily Telegraph on the Gospel of Judas. Rather than point you to the article directly, I'll direct you to Stephen's discussion of it (with link included), as he provides some excellent commentary on the article along with links to his past comments on the Gospel of Judas.

apocalyptic television

This AP article just in from Beliefnet:

TV Networks Turn to Religious Themes
Associated Press
March 28, 2005--Now is the time in Hollywood when broadcast networks decide what shows TV audiences will want to watch in the season starting in September. Judging from several comedy and drama pilots now in progress that are already getting close consideration, America's couches will be turning into pews.

The lineup includes:

• Book of Daniel, about "a pill-popping Episcopal priest who has the ability to talk about his drug addiction with a hip, modern-day Jesus."
• Revelations, "a six-part apocalyptic miniseries" beginning next month (is that supposed to be "Revelation," as in the NT apocalypse, or "Revelations," as in multiple "disclosures of transcendent reality"...?)

I'm sure that somewhere in the book of Revelations [sic] there is something about this sort of TV programming being a sign of the end, or perhaps a form of tribulation that all humanity must endure... "But they shall overcome by a click of the remote..."

alvin plantinga

Some may be interested in this AP article on/interview with Alvin Plantinga, evangelical philosopher and professor at the University of Notre Dame (via NC Times via Joe Carter):

Protestant philosopher at Notre Dame carves out intellectual room for God and miracles
By: RICHARD N. OSTLING - Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ---- In a scientific era, is it still possible to believe in God and such events as the Easter miracle of Jesus' resurrection from the grave?

Can a rational person see God as both all-powerful and benevolent despite horrendous suffering in disasters like the Asian tsunami?

From the perspective of philosopher Alvin Plantinga the answers are emphatic: yes and yes.

A Protestant professor at the University of Notre Dame, Plantinga applies modern analytic philosophy to the age-old questions about God and the universe. While he's little known outside his specialty, an assessment in Christianity Today magazine called him "not just the best Christian philosopher of his time ... (but) the most important philosopher of any stripe."

And this excerpt in light of Easter and oft-discussed problems in historical Jesus studies, an interesting perspective fully in keeping with Plantinga's general approach:

Scientific laws state "the way in which God ordinarily treats the stuff he's made. That doesn't mean he always has to treat it the same way," Plantinga says.

Especially in an era of quantum mechanics, science "doesn't preclude someone's rising from the dead or turning water into wine," he continues. "These things are very unlikely, but of course we already knew that." In fact, highly improbable events happen all the time, he says.

But if miracles in general are possible, how do we substantiate a specific miracle like Jesus' resurrection?

According to Plantinga, the initial probability of any such claim is low, though it would obviously rise if Christians are right that Jesus "is the incarnate second person of the Trinity."

The external evidence, assessed by Oxford's Richard Swinburne and others, includes the apostles' Easter testimonies and the dramatic spread of their belief. Plantinga finds this convincing: "Maybe it's not knockdown, drag-out 100 percent conclusive evidence, but it's pretty strong evidence."

Plantinga adds a factor emphasized by Aquinas and Calvin ---- internal knowledge from the Holy Spirit that convinces an individual such things are really true.

A summary of Plantinga's life and work is available at the evangelical outpost.

passions

Our three children have developed some very distinct interests, and we've captured some of those over the last few days.

Here's Amelia at a dance class this past week, in preparation for her Royal Academy of Dance Grade One exam coming up:


Here's Michael surrounded by books with his faithful blanket--although he's only four he's picking up some reading and writing by osmosis:


And here's Matthew with his basketball hoop, his basketball, and his basketball referee's whistle (anyone see a conflict of interest developing here? and any guess what his favourite word is?):

easter wishes

Wishing everyone a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday to come. Some Easter reflections on Scripture, hymnody, and literature for your own reflection:

When the Giver of Eternal Life Thirsts
A meditation on Franz Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ.
by Stan Guthrie, excerpted from Echoes from Calvary

Good Friday
From Tolkien's Return of the King
at Ralph the Sacred River

Easter Sunday
From Tolkien's Return of the King
at Ralph the Sacred River

'It Is Finished' But It Is Not Over
God's work of redemption continues in the redeemed. An excerpt from Cross-Shattered Christ.
by Stanley Hauerwas

'Hymn for Easter Day'
Charles Wesley's 'Christ the Lord Is Risen Today' brings alleluia's historical significance to modern audiences.
by Collin Hansen

[Back again on Easter Sunday!]

csbs announcement

This announcement today from John McLaughlin regarding the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies and the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences annual meetings coming up at the end of May:

The deadline to register for the Congress and CSBS Annual Meeting at the reduced rate is Thursday, March 31st. On April 1st the registration fee will increase by 50%. You can register online at https://www.leverus.com/hssfc/congress2005form/

At the same time, if you are planning to stay in a hotel, the hotel rooms currently on hold for Congress attendees will be released on April 1st for anyone to book into -- and since the Memorial hockey tournament is being held in London at the same time as the Congress this year, rooms could go quickly. Information on the hotels can be found in the Congress Guide, which is also available online at http://www.fedcan.ca/congress2005/registration/index.htm

You can reigster online for campus housing. Go to to find out about accommodations and to reserve a space. The majority of CSBS sessions will be held in the Social Science Centre, which is near Saugeen-Maitland Hall. The Craigie Lecture and reception will be held at King's College; Elgin Hall is between the centre of the UWO campus and King's College.

keeping humble

With all the undeniable advances in science and technology over the past couple centuries, it's always tempting to think that we know more than we actually do about the universe. But (and this is some kind of law for every area of knowledge, isn't it?), the more you know, the more you know you do not know. Or, another way I often put this, for every question you answer another ten questions come up. Here's an article that highlights this, sort of a "State of the Ignorance Address" within the realm of science (thanks to Joe Carter for the link):

13 things that do not make sense
NewScientist.com news service
Michael Brooks

happy blogday to paleojudaica!

Today is the second anniversary for Jim Davila's biblioblog, PaleoJudaica.com. Congratulations! As Ed Cook notes on Ralph, PaleoJudaica is one of the great flagship biblioblogs, along with Mark Goodacre's NT Gateway Weblog. Jim has an excellent anniversary post here, giving some thoughts on biblioblogging over the past year(s) and pointing to an upcoming article of his on the topic in the SBL Forum.

rbl latest

For those that don't get the direct updates, Mark Goodacre has posted the latest New Testament-related Review of Biblical Literature book reviews here.

gospel of mark film

Mark Goodacre notes some items related to the Visual Bible's next project, The Gospel of Mark:

• A "preview" of the film here via The Gospel of John site (go to "Video Clips" to see the Mark one).
• Comments by Robert Fowler here, as the "Mark expert" on the advisory committee for the film.

metzger and ehrman, the text of the new testament

Word in the mail today from Oxford University Press that Bart Ehrman has taken Bruce Metzger's classic and produced an updated and revised fourth edition, due out in April: The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration.

bingham colloquium update

I just received more info on the Bingham Colloquium at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, from May 26-28, which gives me a chance to remind people about it (see my previous post) and encourage those that can to attend. Here's the link and a selection of the papers being presented:

Bingham Colloquium: Translating the New Testament: Text, Translation, Theology

Barbara Aland, "New Testament Textual Research, its Method and its Goals"

Phil Comfort, "The Significance of the Papyri in Revising the New Testament Text and Translations"

Stan Porter, "Assessing Translation Theory: Beyond Literal and Dynamic Equivalence"

Luke Timothy Johnson, "Hebrews 10:32-39 and the Agony of Translation"

Francis Watson, "Felix culpa: On the theological significance of mistranslation"

And others!

stan grenz's memorial service

Last week I noted Stan Grenz's tragic, sudden passing. The memorial service was held this past Sunday, and can be viewed here. Thanks to the Mars Hill Graduate School for making this available.

ossuary latest

Here's a new story with a Canadian twist on the James Ossuary and antiquities fraud matters, from Macleans:

Cashbox
An ossuary supposedly linked to Jesus was a windfall for a Canadian museum. Now Israel has declared it a fake and jailed its promoter, and the museum has some explaining to do.

And here's the latest from Biblical Archaeology Review on the whole situation, with a description of the indictment, bios of the alleged forgers, descriptions of the alleged forgeries, and more (all, of course, from BAR's perspective).

The Other Shoe: Five Accused of Antiquities Fraud

Thanks to Jim West for all the links.

george marsden on christian scholarship

The Wilberforce Forum has an interview with George Marsden on the topic of Christian scholarship here. Many readers will know George Marsden from his work on Jonathan Edwards, but also for his reflections on higher education and Christian scholarship. Some excerpts from the interview:

Christian scholarship is certainly a valid calling. The body of Christ has many members, and one needed role is those who can step back and look at the big picture or who can aid in seeing how to apply the faith. Being a scholar is not the highest calling, but it is a worthy one for those who have the gifts. Particularly, many churches today suffer from anti-intellectualism. Pious scholars in their midst can help them from falling prey to half-baked ideas that are popular but misleading.

[...]

The anti-intellectualism of the churches has meant that there has often been a gap between popular evangelicalism and academic evangelicalism. Thoughtful, well-educated clergy could do a lot to help close that gap. Some young people who are thinking of a calling in academia might also consider whether their calling is to be an educated pastor.

john the baptist on history channel

Thanks to two Jims for this notice: The Search for John the Baptist, this Friday, March 25, 9 p.m. ET/PT: Two hour prime-time special on The History Channel. This should "prepare the way" nicely for various Jesus-related specials on the weekend.

the lord's prayer in elvish

Here's another one in the "Wow, that is really cool!" category, at least for a Tolkien fan: Jim Davila has come across the Lord's Prayer in Elvish, as translated by Tolkien himself.

evans' ancient texts for nt studies

Craig Evans' Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation has been a tremendous resource for me and many other students of the New Testament, giving clear and concise mini-introductions to almost all of the non-New Testament writings that are at all helpful for studying the New Testament--all packed into a mere 281 pages (including appendixes and indexes!). I'm excited to see now that "a thoroughly revised and significantly expanded edition" is coming out this summer, called Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature. It looks to be almost 200 pages longer--that is truly "significantly expanded"!--so I'll be first in line to trade in my first edition at the first opportunity...

bach's birthday

Today is the 320th anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers ever, and the heart and soul of Baroque music. To celebrate with me, have a look at the J. S. Bach Home Page or Dave's J. S. Bach Page, and have a listen to some Bach today.

And remember: "If it's Baroque, don't fix it!"

no palm trees here

Wishing all readers a blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week from snowy Alberta:

(It's supposed to be 9 °C/48 °F tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be back to more spring-like weather!)

newsweek's from jesus to christ

In addition to the standard Jesus-related Easter fare on television, there is the same sort of thing in print (and online). Jim West notes Newsweek's latest lead article here, "From Jesus to Christ."

more on paul's tomb

Here's another article on the (re-)discovery of Paul's tomb, this one from the Catholic News Service (thanks to Douglas for the link). It gives more detail on the process of discovery and the location of the sarcophagus than I've seen elsewhere, but perhaps others have heard this all before and I've just missed it. Some extended excerpts giving these details, including the intriguing possibility of "video probes" into the sarcophagus itself:

The sarcophagus lies several feet below the marble structure of the main altar, embedded in a platform of concrete. Filippi managed to reach the back side of the sarcophagus, but he said opening the tomb would be practically impossible without destroying the altar area.

[...]

Filippi began his detective work in 1993, when he studied the early Christian inscriptions in the cloister of the basilica and in the monastery nearby. He began asking questions of older monks and caretakers, trying to discover where some of the inscriptions and other artifacts came from.

He soon discovered that by lifting up certain pavement stones in the basilica's floor, a series of underground chambers and tunnels were accessible -- most of them unmapped and forgotten. The excavations yielded a Roman sarcophagus and a wealth of other material.

In the year 2000, Filippi said, pilgrims coming to St. Paul's for the jubilee year asked for the burial place of the Apostle and were disappointed not to see and touch it.

After the jubilee ended, at the request of the basilica's papal administrator and on behalf of the Vatican Museums, Filippi made plans for a systematic study of the area under the altar. In 2002 and 2003, he examined, among other things, three vertical holes leading down to the lid of the sarcophagus.

The holes had been established many centuries earlier so that devotional items could be lowered to the tomb's surface. One reason the tomb ended up so far below the altar was that the altar area had been progressively raised due to changes that occurred through the centuries, Filippi said.

One of these holes -- now closed with mortar -- led inside the sarcophagus, apparently so that pieces of cloth could come into contact with relics of the saint. Filippi said the practice of creating these kinds of secondary relics was popular in the late fourth century, especially after the Emperor Theodosius banned the sale and distribution of corporal relics.

Theoretically, experts today could open the hole to the sarcophagus and stick a small video probe inside. But for now, no such examination is foreseen. Filippi said there's no hurry; as the last 11 years of work has demonstrated, he's happy to take one archeological step at a time.

latest nt reviews from rbl

For interested local readers, Mark Goodacre has the latest New Testament-related book reviews from Review of Biblical Literature on his NT Gateway blog here.

wright and crossan on the resurrection

As noted by Jim West, BPNews here offers its synopsis of lectures by and discussion between N. T. Wright and John Dominic Crossan on the resurrection of Jesus. For those familiar with these scholars and their views from their recent work, there's nothing really new here, but it is still a good "summary overview" sort of thing. Audio recordings of the lectures, discussion, and all responses can be ordered here.

easter viewing

Every Easter sees a mix of both old and new television specials related to Jesus. Here are a couple that have been noted elsewhere (thanks Mark and Jim!) and are worth noting for my local readers.

On the Discovery Channel:

The Real Family of Jesus
Part One - Premiere, Sunday, March 27, 9-10pm e/p
Part Two - Premiere, Sunday, March 27, 10-11pm e/p

Most people know very little about Jesus Christ's family - who they were and what role they played in his life. This two-part special reveals that Jesus was part of a large extended family - a network that played a critical part in his upbringing and the rise and success of Christianity. Using historical, archeological and biblical evidence, Family of Jesus examines Jesus' relationships with not only his parents Joseph and Mary, but grandfather Joachim, cousin John The Baptist, brothers Simon, Jude, Joseph and James, his uncle Clophas and aunt Mary and others, and pulls together a picture of a dynastic family who believed it was descended from King David, and did everything in its power to promote and perpetuate its lineage. What they would never know is how well they succeeded.

And on the National Geographic Channel:

Quest for Truth: The Crucifixion
Sunday, March 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

why the jews rejected jesus

In the wake of The Passion of the Christ, Jews and Christians alike have faced head on the recurrent question, "Who killed Jesus?" Most recent scholarship (in view of post-Holocaust sensibilities) has either exclusively focused attention on the Romans, or at least emphasized the simple fact that crucifixion was a Roman execution and "the buck stops here," at the feet of Pontius Pilate. This simple emphasis must surely be affirmed, even if the matter is more complex than this in both historical and theological terms.

Now a "liberal turned traditionalist Jew" has written a book on the matter which focuses at least some of the attention back on the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' day: David Klinghoffer, Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History. Klinghoffer notes the material in Jewish tradition which does not shy away from complicity of at least some Jewish leaders in Jesus' death--indeed, some of the material cloaks the execution of Jesus in almost purely Jewish terms, without any reference to Roman involvement. This from a review by Richard Ostling (thanks to Jim West for the link):

The Talmud says that "on the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu (Jesus)" on charges that he "performed magic, enticed and led astray Israel."

Since that's Jewish tradition, "to say that Jewish leaders were instrumental in getting Jesus killed is not anti-Semitic," Klinghoffer insists.

The Talmud also claims that Mary conceived Jesus in adultery and that Jesus suffers eternal punishment. Fear of Christian persecution caused Jews centuries ago to relegate such materials to footnotes in tiny type or delete them altogether, Klinghoffer says, but the history on this is clear and should be discussed honestly.

the passion increased anti-semitism in canada?

This from the Globe and Mail, worth quoting extensively:

Anti-Semitic incidents soar
By OLIVER MOORE
Wednesday, March 16, 2005

The number of anti-Jewish incidents in Canada surged last year to the highest level ever recorded, an advocacy group said yesterday.

In its annual audit, the national wing of B'nai Brith said that 857 such incidents were reported in 2004 and warned that the number probably represents only about one-tenth of actual cases.

[...]

Much of the rise seen last year can be attributed to increased tension in the Middle East, but some of the responsibility has to be borne by film director Mel Gibson and his controversial The Passion of the Christ, the head of B'nai Brith Canada said.

Mr. Gibson featured in his movie a scene in which a Jewish mob says that the blood of Jesus should "be on us and on our children," a quotation from the Bible that has been used as a justification for anti-Semitism through the ages. Although the dialogue was in Aramaic and no subtitle was provided for the line, the director was criticized for including material the meaning of which many theologians now dispute.

Frank Dimant, chief executive officer of the Canadian branch of B'nai Brith, said the movie flies in the face of modern tolerance and is an addition to a "long list of anti-Semitic works" throughout history.

"We've progressed from the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, we have moved forward, and this is really pulling us back into very dark ages that divide people," he said.

"We've made tremendous progress in terms of enlightenment and appreciating the differences and understanding the tragedies of inciting people with religious hatred. Christians and Jews have come a long way in that regard, and it's very sad that Mel Gibson took it upon himself to move us back into, literally, the Middle Ages."

The new audit from B'nai Brith Canada says that there were as many anti-Semitic incidents with direct religious connotations reported in February of last year -- the month the movie was released in Canada -- as in the entire previous year and that the surge continued over the next few months.

Another report about this words things differently--differences which are significant:

In its 2004 audit of anti-Semitic attacks in Canada, [B'nai Brith] said media coverage of Gibson's film -- and accusations by some critics of the film that it depicted Jews as Christ killers -- led to a spike in attacks against Jews in Canada. (emphasis mine)

However, given the sharp words of the Canadian director of B'nai Brith directly quoted above, it does seem that the organization has targeted Mel Gibson and The Passion directly, and not just media coverage of the film. Or, perhaps the report implicated the media coverage and movie critics, while the Canadian director went even further in targeting the film itself...

[Update: Ekklesia news has a report here which gives some more detail and further background.]

deep thoughts

Here's just what I needed at the end of a busy day, a little humor in the form of "Deep thoughts for today" via Between Two Worlds. Perhaps I'm just tired, but I was rolling in laughter (figuratively speaking) when I read some of these.

an american "tyndale house"

This from BP News (via Bible & Interpretation):

Library, now completed, will serve as American ‘Tyndale House’

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson joined members of the Fort Worth community and Texas State Rep. Anna Mowery in dedicating the International Reference Library for Biblical Research in Fort Worth March 12.

The two-story facility, conceived by E. Earle Ellis, research professor of theology at Southwestern Seminary and past president of the Institute for Biblical Research, is located adjacent to the seminary’s main campus on property leased to the group in 2002. Under the lease agreement with the seminary, the library will hold the property for 30 years at the rate of $1 per year.

Organizers of the library call it a North American "Tyndale House," a place where scholars can study and live at the same time as they do in Cambridge, England. The library is complete with an upstairs apartment and guest scholar’s room. The library also will host lecture series annually.

For more on the "Tyndale House" being referred to, see here.

evangelical alliance and penal substitution

This from Ekklesia news:

Evangelical Alliance reignites controversy over ideas of the cross

In the face of ongoing debate amongst Evangelicals concerning the understanding of Jesus crucifixion, the Evangelical Alliance has announced the adoption of a new 'Basis of Faith' which appears to endorse the idea of penal substitution and will reignite a controversy that has split evangelicals in the UK.

Evangelicals have already raised concerns that they would no longer be able to stay as members of the Evangelical Alliance after the Alliance announced that their previous doctrinal statement implied support for 'penal substitution' - the idea that God punished Jesus on the cross.

The whole "Basis of Faith" is cited, with the offending statement being:

6. The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.

[Update: Ekklesia news reports further here on a "nationwide exploration of atonement," "five all-day events around the country which will include teaching on the differing Christian ideas about the cross."]

"the aroma of christ"

Jim West notes this article which describes candles that spread the "scent of Jesus" when burned. How do these candlemakers know what Jesus smelled like? From Psalm 45, naturally.

Candle maker Karen Tosterud explains, "It's a Messianic Psalm, referring to when Christ returns, and his garments will have the scent of myrrh, aloe and cassia."

Ahh, I see! This also explains one of those exegetical quagmires that has bedeviled scholars for years--this must be what Paul means in 2 Corinthians 2:15 when he says, "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing..." Paul was actually a candlemaker, not a tentmaker (as skenopoios in Acts 18:3 clearly indicates), and he was referring to his Jesus-scented candles which he burned while talking with the Corinthians about Jesus...in his tent...which he didn't make...

the ascendency of the convenient

AKMA notes that:

Judging from my students’ papers, one of the most prominent journals in the field of biblical studies would be Bibliotheca Sacra, a publication of Dallas Theological Seminary — a source whose theology almost all of Seabury’s students would reject out of hand.

The reason for this heavy citation of BibSac? Convenience--the journal is readily available online and in nicely packaged digital libraries.

As a college instructor, I see this "ascendency of the convenient" in student research all the time, in various ways. It shows up in students not availing themselves of the reserve section of the library, just because they can't take the books out of the library as easily to peruse at their convenience in their dorm room or apartment--even though I specifically have those books set aside for each of my courses because they're some of the best out there. It shows up in students using the free Bible study tools that are available online or as part of a Bible software package--even though they may know that the better resources are still in print or by subscription only (although there's lots of good, free stuff out there, it's still generally true that you get what you pay for!).

Of course, I could go into a nice rant about how this "ascendency of the convenient" fast becomes a "tyranny of the convenient," how its roots are in the no-pain, "comfort and convenience," microwave-and-fast-food values of our western society, or how this "ascendency of the convenient" can join apathy, narrow-minded ignorance, lack of "critical empathy" and the like as the destroyers of good education and scholarship. But then I would only indict myself...

the scandal of the evangelical conscience

Related to the negative "stuff of earth" category, here's an excerpt of Ron Sider's book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, at the Christianity Today site. It's appropriate in view of the Lenten season, but not only in the Lenten season. An excerpt:

Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most "Christians" regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex, and self-fulfillment.

The findings in numerous national polls conducted by highly respected pollsters like The Gallup Organization and The Barna Group are simply shocking. "Gallup and Barna," laments evangelical theologian Michael Horton, "hand us survey after survey demonstrating that evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered, and sexually immoral as the world in general."

review of questioning q

Mark Goodacre notes a review here in the Church Times of his book (co-edited with Nicholas Perrin) Questioning Q.

darfur tragedy

The UN has just released an update on its estimate of deaths in Sudan's Darfur region due to the crisis there: a staggering 180,000 over the last 18 months, or 10,000 a month. And that's just non-conflict deaths--it doesn't even include deaths directly due to the actual ethnic violence that plagues the region. We need an immediate world response on the same scale as the south Asia tsunami relief...

banning potlucks?

That longstanding church tradition, that emblem and enacting of Christian koinonia, that powerful means of (saying) grace, that ordinance (surely Christ commanded it?)--nay, that sacrament--is under attack. No, not the Eucharist. Of course I'm referring to the Potluck. Christianity Today has an article here discussing this terrible persecution of the American church.

But thank goodness there are people like this out there, standing in the gap for the persecuted church:

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich eventually signed a new law exempting all potluck dinners from state and local health regulations, saying that potlucks "are a long-standing tradition that do not warrant government intrusion."

baroque bliss

Some Baroque bliss:

• One of our recent music purchases is Yo-Yo Ma's latest, Vivaldi's Cello. Played on his period instrument, a 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius, with Ton Koopman conducting the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra all on period instruments... brilliant!
• You know you're doing something right in raising your kids when... you're flipping through radio stations in the family minivan and your four-year old boy shouts out "That one!" when you come across J. S. Bach's third Brandenburg Concerto...
• Our College is putting on three of Bach's Cantatas at the beginning of April. I'm still deciding whether or not to play in this (I'm a violinist), but it's really hard to say no to Bach...

And remember: "If it's Baroque, don't fix it!"

racism in antiquity

David Meadows at rogueclassicism notes this review in the Jerusalem Post, on Benjamin Isaac's The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity. For those without a JP registration, Meadows provides an extensive excerpt here. It looks to have some interesting connections to New Testament issues (the new perspective on Paul...?). An excerpt of his excerpt:

In the world of Athens and Rome, all men were brothers. The Persians? "Impetuous, truculent, devious, and insolent." The Syrians? "Drenched in perfume." The Egyptians? "Intolerable in their wantonness." The Phoenicians? "Skilled in deceiving, and ever ready to prepare stratagems in the dark." And the Jews? "Malodorous and unmanageable."

Yes, in classical times, every week was National Brotherhood Week.

This depressing chronicle of viciousness and vituperation has a purpose. Benjamin Isaac, professor of ancient history at Tel Aviv University, delves into the sources in The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity, to discover the extent to which the ancients fell victim to and promoted racism, as distinct from ethnic hatred and other forms of enmity.

Since racism as we know it is a 19th-century development, he prefers to term its ancient equivalent "proto-racism." Its distinguishing features, in brief, are a belief that geography, environment or other external force determine the nature or character of a people, and that such character is immutable. In some cases, stress was put on the purity of a people that dwelt in the same place and did not intermarry with others.

american evangelicals and civic responsibility

The National Association of Evangelicals has issued a document on the civic responsibility of American evangelicals: For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility (.pdf format). Ron Sider has described it this way:

The declaration calls evangelicals to a biblically balanced concern that reflects the full range of God's concerns for the well-being of marriage, the family, the sanctity of human life, justice for the poor, care for creation, peace, freedom and racial justice. No longer dare one accuse evangelicals of being 'one-issue' voters focused exclusively on one or two issues.

review of vermes, the passion

Bible & Interpretation notes a short Times review here by Karen Armstrong of Geza Vermes' The Passion.

[Update: Jim Davila notes a further Times review of the book here.]

shakespeare, chaucer, and gutenberg

This is in the "Wow, that is really cool!" category. Paul Nikkel at deinde.org notes Treasures in Full at the British Library website:

The British Library, besides offering one of the best places to meet people in London (the cafe in the shadow of the King's Library), now offers anyone with a net connection the opportunity to take a close peek at Shakespeare in Quarto, Caxton's Chaucer and the Gutenburg Bible. What makes this even more exciting is that you can compare the different versions of texts side by side, magnify and even read commentary by curators and others. The layout is very slick and the pages load quickly. Of course the other great thing is that it is absolutely free.

Check it out here.

stan grenz (1950-2005)

Dr. Stanley Grenz, prominent evangelical theologian--"a humble scholar, a joyful Christian"--passed away on March 12, 2005, after suffering a brain hemmorhage the day before. He was only 55 years old. He will be missed by many in the evangelical community and beyond. Brian McLaren offers some reflections on Stan Grenz's life and impact here.

He is survived by his wife, Edna, and his two adult children, Corina and Joel. They are in our prayers...

[Update: Several tributes can be found on Stan Grenz's website here. Info on Stan Grenz's memorial service here.]

and while we're talking sports...

And while we're talking sports, congrats to Alberta for just winning the 2005 Brier!

(For those unfamiliar with the Brier, it's the Canadian men's curling championship. For those unfamiliar with curling, it's Canada's secret weapon against the rest of the world--a mind-numbing sport with a code language and mysterious rules that only permafrosted Canucks or other snowbound peoples can appreciate, or even really understand. Sort of like cricket in the rest of the Commonwealth, only colder. For those unfamiliar with "the Commonwealth," it's not the American version such as this one, but the British version. For those unfamilar with "Canucks," it's the nickname for "Canadians." It's also the name of the NHL team in Vancouver that the Flames knocked out of the playoffs last year. For those unfamiliar with the NHL or the Flames... well, there's no hope for you anyway, so I won't explain...)

march madness!

It's here: March Madness, a.k.a. the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament! The tournament draw was announced today, with a viewable version here and a printable .pdf version here. This is one of the best sporting events in North America, certainly not escaping the commercialism that dogs all high profile sports, but still retaining an innocent enthusiasm along with all the drama and intensity and athleticism and rivalries that make for great sports. Let's get it on!

the weekend

We're now more than two-thirds of the way through our semester here, and once I (finally!) excavate my mounds of midterm marking I think I'll be in good shape through the rest of the term. I've also had an innumerable number of meetings and an immense amount of administrative work over the past two or three months. But I feel as though the end of the tunnel is near.

Today we're having some good friends out from Calgary, and we're going to see Anne of Green Gables, put on by our College's drama department. It should be a wonderfully wonderful day--even in spite of the snow that's falling this morning...

biblical and theological crisis

This from Christian Today (via Bible & Interpretation):

Disregard of Bible and Theological Neglect have led to Church Crisis
Bishop of Chester, Peter Forster has called for the Church to return to more holy ways, where the Bible, as the provident word of God, can be used to guide and bring back brighter days for the Church.

Some excerpts:

He went on to speak of the sadness that comes to him as he sees the "inattention" that congregations give to the bible during services. In his despair he said, "Only rarely, I am tempted to say, do I gain the impression that the person reading the Scriptures actually believes that what is being read means something."

[...]

Forster said, "The central message from the African Church to the Western Churches at the present time is that we are accommodating too much to an increasingly secular culture. But how will we resist this, without a clear and widely held appreciation of the distinct teaching of the Gospel?"

In particular, the Bishop was alarmed at the lack of detail given to fundamental theological doctrines by Church ministers today. In a rush to help the Church be accepted into today’s secular environment, ministers have forgotten and neglected the Prayer Book. He said, "(The Bible) has been practically ignored to the point that many Christians no longer read it."

The same disregard of the Bible has "gone hand in hand with a certain neglect of the seriousness and dignity of our worship."

a country mourns

From CBC:

Memorial honours Mounties 'who have given everything'

EDMONTON - As RCMP officers bowed their heads and blinked away tears, the haunting bugle notes of the Last Post hung over the final moments of a memorial service for four constables gunned down in the line of duty last week.

Thousands of police officers, mourners and dignitaries gathered inside an Edmonton pavilion to honour Constables Peter Schiemann, Leo Johnston, Anthony Gordon and Brock Myrol in the largest memorial service in the Mounties' history.

The officers were shot and killed while investigating stolen property and a marijuana grow operation last Thursday near Mayerthorpe, Alta. Their killer, James Roszko, also shot himself.

os guinness on evil in the world

An interview at Christianity Today here:

Os Guinness Looks Evil in the Eye
The author of Unspeakable: Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror talks about "life's greatest dilemma."

sold for $10,600!

The pretzel watch has ended, with "golden_palace_casino" winning the Mary and Jesus pretzel at a bid of $10,600. I guess the seller can now get a horse (and maybe pay for my family's flight over to England with the extra...?).

virtual pompeii

This from rogueclassicism, noting a virtual reality (or "augmented reality") project for touring Pompeii.

"At Pompeii for example, the visitor would not just see the frescos, taverns and villas that have been excavated, but also people going about their daily life," explains Professor Nadia Magnenat-Thalman of the Swiss research group MiraLab and scientific coordinator of LIFEPLUS.

Some stills are available here; videos here.

[See also my previous post on biblical virtual reality websites here.]

carlisle curse update

An update on the curse of the Carlisle stone (first blogged here), and the local council's decision whether to remove the stone or not: Helenann Hartley reports that the decision is to keep the stone and ignore the curse. According to one council member as reported in the BBC story here, "the decision proved the citizens of Carlisle were rational people."

review of segal's life after death

Jim Davila notes this review on the National Catholic Reporter site, of Alan Segal's Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion.

the choices of tolkien

Ed Cook has a terrific post here on Tolkien's thoughts as he worked through the best way to conclude the climactic Mount Doom scene in the Lord of the Rings. Every Tolkien fan should read it. Ed's posts are always insightful and "off the beaten path," making his blog one of the more interesting ones out there. Keep up the good work, Ed!

interpreting revelation

For my Revelation students and others, I just came across this quote from Augustine on the difficulty of interpreting the book of Revelation:

Though this book is called the Apocalypse, there are in it many obscure passages to exercise the mind of the reader. There are few passages so plain as to assist us in the interpretation of the others, even though we take pains. (City of God 20.17.13)

The quote was mentioned by George Heyman in his recent review of Loren Johns' The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John.

the nicene creed

This from the Christian History website here:

"Do You Know Whom You Worship?"
Did the Nicene Creed distort the pure gospel, or did it embody and protect it?
By D. H. Williams

An excerpt:

The charge laid against Nicaea by later theologians that the creed was more the product of philosophical influence or "Hellenization" than of Scripture is misconstrued for two reasons. First, all Christian thinkers of the time—"orthodox" and "heretical"—were drawing on contemporary philosophical language in order to frame theological truths. Terms such as person, substance, essence, and many others all had a philosophical background that pre-dated Christianity but were borrowed permanently for Christian purposes. Where there was obvious conflict between the Bible and Greek philosophy, the Bible took precedent for even the most erudite Christians.

Second, one of the lessons learned during the "Arian controversy" was that in order to achieve doctrinal orthodoxy you cannot interpret the Bible from the Bible alone. The church needed a vocabulary and a conceptual framework that stemmed from the Bible but were also outside of the Bible. Sooner or later, some means of interpreting the scriptural text would be required.

evangelicals on evangelical outpost

Following up on a past conversation starting here on evangelicals and evangelicalism: Joe Carter has just listed several of his past posts related to these topics and others here. There are some good overview discussions there.

ot pseudepigrapha index

This has been noted by several bibliobloggers already, but local readers may be interested to know that Kevin Edgecomb has compiled an index for Charlesworth's 2-volume OT Pseudepigrapha. The index is available for download in .pdf form, with more information here. Thanks to Kevin for this tremendous tool!

puddle jumping

We've had some glorious weather recently (in the 14 °C/57 °F range), and our masses of snow are finally getting a good meltdown. Of course, this can only mean one thing: PUDDLES! So we had to go for a walk today and try out the new rubber boots, which, of course, can only keep the lower legs and feet dry, but do little for anything else...

"i am the bread of life"

Yet another Jesus sighting, this one a pretzel (via Jim West). It's selling on eBay as we speak, now for $255. Come on, people, let's get the bid up to $1000, and the pretzel owner can buy a horse!

(Hmmm... I'm just thinking about the possibilities... I do have to finance our trip to England next year for my PhD studies... And wouldn't that be great on a CV? "Sold Jesus on eBay (2005)"... On second thought...)

canada's shock and mourning

On Thursday, four RCMP officers were ambushed and killed while securing a crime scene in Alberta, not far from here. The gunman then apparently shot himself. This is the worst incident of its kind for the RCMP in the past 120 years, and it has left an entire country in shock and in mourning.

My deepest sympathies to the families of these officers, and to the community of Mayerthorpe.

eugene peterson on spirituality

Here's an interview at Christianity Today's website with Eugene Peterson on the topic of spirituality, in view of his new book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology. An excerpt:

What we're talking about [with the term "spirituality"] is the Christian life. It's following Jesus. Spirituality is no different from what we've been doing for two thousand years just by going to church and receiving the sacraments, being baptized, learning to pray, and reading Scriptures rightly. It's just ordinary stuff.

Perhaps you could say, it's "the stuff of earth"...

"through a glass darkly"

Another Jesus sighting mentioned already by several, this one Jesus in a foggy bathroom mirror. This gives new meaning to the biblical phrase in the title of my post (1 Corinthians 13), and to the idea of Christians being re-created in the image (reflection) of Christ, reflecting the glory of the Lord (Ephesians 4, 2 Corinthians 3-4)... :-)

nt reviews and releases

Mark Goodacre has pointed to some recent book reviews and a press release on a new book. The reviews are in the Church Times, one on Francis Watson's Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith and the other on the James Dunn Festschrift The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins, edited by Graham Stanton, Bruce Longenecker, and Stephen Barton. Both look good, but this second one is particularly interesting to me as I will be doing a review on it for the Review of Biblical Literature (if the book ever gets here--it was sent over two weeks ago!).

The press release is for a new book from Fortress Press:

Fortress Presses Releases Matthew and the Didache

MINNEAPOLIS (March 3, 2005)— In Matthew and the Didache, scholars from the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and South Africa analyze the complex relationship between the Gospel of Matthew and the Didache. They discuss the implications not only for scholars' understanding of these two ancient documents but for the development of Christianity, Jewish-Christian relations, and the history of liturgy.

More details on this book at Mark's blog here.

a call to holiness

Here's the latest from Evangelicals and Catholics Together, a statement called "A Call to Holiness," at the Christianity Today site. Evangelical signers of this "include Harold O. J. Brown, Charles Colson, Timothy George, Thomas Oden, J. I. Packer, Cheryl Bridges Johns, Kevin Vanhoozer, and John Woodbridge." An excerpt:

[In 2003] we took up the interpretation of the phrase "The Communion of Saints" that appears in the Apostles' Creed, and there we affirmed that, by virtue of our communion with Christ, we are in a certain, albeit imperfect, communion with one another in his body, the church. That round of discussions called our attention to the holiness that is proper to God alone but in which human beings are called to participate. Such participation means nothing less than to be drawn into the very life and love of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Holiness is also participation in the life of the church, which is the holy people called into being by God's saving work in Christ. Following up on this theme, we wish now to consider the ways in which our communities and their individual members can and must foster and embody holiness.

evangelical environmentalists

There's an interesting point-counterpoint sort of exchange on Beliefnet on the topic of American evangelicals and environmental concerns (thanks to Bible & Interpretation for the alert).

First, an article here by Bill Moyers "based on a lecture Bill Moyers gave in December 2004 upon receiving the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment":

Welcome to Doomsday
If you care about the fate of the planet, start worrying about fundamentalists eagerly awaiting the end of the world.

Then, this response here by Jim Ball providing a moderate evangelical perspective:

Ungodly Distortions
Evangelical Christians know that caring for God's creation is a scriptural imperative.

latest nt from rbl

For those who don't get the updates, here are the latest New Testament book reviews from Review of Biblical Literature:

Blomberg, Craig L.
Making Sense of the New Testament: Three Crucial Questions
Reviewed by Mark Scott

Brown, Tricia Gates
Spirit in the Writings of John: Johannine Pneumatology in Social-Scientific Perspective
Reviewed by Ron Fay

Ehrensperger, Kathy
That We May Be Mutually Encouraged: Feminism and the New Perspective in Pauline Studies
Reviewed by Heike Omerzu

Johns, Loren T.
The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John: An Investigation into its Origins and Rhetorical Force
Reviewed by George Heyman

Johns, Loren T.
The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John: An Investigation into its Origins and Rhetorical Force
Reviewed by Tobias Nicklas

MacDonald, Dennis R.
Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases from the Acts of the Apostles
Reviewed by Stan Harstine

Manning, Gary T., Jr.
Echoes of a Prophet: The Use of Ezekiel in the Gospel of John and in Literature of the Second Temple Period
Reviewed by David Miller

Thomas, John Christopher
The Pentecostal Commentary on 1 John, 2 John, 3 John
Reviewed by Matthew Dunn

Wakefield, Andrew Hollis
Where to Live: The Hermeneutical Significance of Paul's Citations from Scripture in Galatians 3:1-14
Reviewed by Matthew Harmon

Wakefield, Andrew Hollis
Where to Live: The Hermeneutical Significance of Paul's Citations from Scripture in Galatians 3:1-14
Reviewed by Preston Sprinkle

paul in recent research

From Bible and Interpretation (thanks to Mark Goodacre for the heads up), here's an article by John McRay on "Paul in Recent Research," a good summary of recent trends.

archaeology's trial of the century

From AP via NC Times via Jim West, a nice, concise summary article here on the upcoming trial in Israel related to antiquities fraud, including the alleged forgery of the James Ossuary.

maclaurin institute lectures

The MacLaurin Institute, "A Christian study center at the University of Minnesota," has an online repository of past lectures in mp3 format here. Since I've blogged on The Da Vinci Code recently, I'll note here that Craig Blomberg has a couple of mp3 lectures on The Da Vinci Code here and here. But there are many others, ranging from standard apologetic concerns of conservative Christianity through to lectures on literature, politics, economics, and more. I haven't listened to them and so can't vouch for their quality, but many of them look good. Thanks to Joe Carter for the link.

jerusalem in competing eschatologies

In my online travels today I've come across this Beliefnet article by Gershom Gorenberg which outlines the place of Jerusalem in competing eschatologies within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Gorenberg notes several times that these eschatologies do not represent the perspectives of all Jews, Christians, and Muslims respectively, but they are popular among some groups.

The article seems to be an older one, but it is still an interesting read in presenting these eschatological perspectives. Here's a teaser:

To make sense of all this, picture apocalyptic believers seated in a triangular theater around the stage of Jerusalem. All agree that history's last act is being played out, but they hold different programs. Jewish Temple activists--bit players in real life--have starring roles in the Christian play; Jews and Christians alike unknowingly play in the Muslim script. Hope and fear are the sound system, wildly amplifying every word, every footstep. Small actions at the Temple Mount take on significance that nonbelievers--such as secular politicians and analysts--neither expect nor understand.

And here's a further article, excerpting Gorenberg's book, The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount.

biblical curses upon carlisle

Helenann Hartley here notes an article in the Times on the Carlisle "Cursing Stone" which was installed as part of millennium celebrations but which many believe has actually brought about a real curse on the region. The local council will be debating this week whether or not to remove the stone, and thus to remove the curse. Fascinating stuff!

An ancient evil has awakened plague and football disaster. A council must fight it - democratically

WHEN councillors in Carlisle commissioned a “Cursing Stone” as part of the city’s millennium celebrations, they dismissed warnings from Christians and other groups that it would bring ill fortune. But since the £10,000 work of art, inscribed with a 16th-century malediction known as “Mother of all Curses”, was installed, the city has suffered disasters of “biblical proportions”.

It has been hit by the plague of foot-and-mouth disease, the floods of January, a pestilence of job losses and a famine of goals scored by Carlisle United, resulting in the club’s relegation from the Football League. Now the council is to debate a motion to have the stone removed and destroyed or put outside the city boundaries.

the secret life of academia

This from rogueclassicism today, a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a sort of combination humorous-ironic-informative-tragic look at life in academia: A God in Colchester.

bryn mawr review of kessler

Pieter W. van der Horst has a review here in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review on Edward Kessler's Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac, a book that is of some significance for New Testament studies:

Edward Kessler, Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp. xii, 222. ISBN 0-521-83542-9. $75.00.

In this book Kessler, director of the Cambridge Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations, examines whether there was an 'exegetical encounter' between Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Bible during the first six centuries CE and, if so, what this may tell us about relations between Jews and Christians in late antiquity. He focuses on the interpretations of the story of Genesis 22 (the 'binding [or: sacrifice] of Isaac,' also known as the Aqedah, 'binding'), an obvious choice since Jewish tradition increasingly attributed atoning value to the 'sacrifice' of Isaac whereas Christians attributed such value only to Jesus' death. ...