Elijah was a prophet who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab in the 9th century BCE. Felix Mendelssohn wrote a famous oratorio on his life entitled Elias in the original German, though it is often performed in English translation as Elijah. The story of Elijah is related in the books … Continue reading Elijah
Bible
Who Were the Pharisees?
In the New Testament the Pharisees emerge as major adversaries of Jesus, and he refers to them several times as hypocrites, as in Matthew 23:13. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go … Continue reading Who Were the Pharisees?
How Very unChristian of Him!
One of my (many) pet peeves occurs whenever there is a news item of someone who is identified as a Christian who is accused or perhaps convicted of some dreadful wrongdoing, such as molesting young children. Almost invariably somebody will pipe up and claim, “He’s not really a Christian as far as I’m concerned.” Or … Continue reading How Very unChristian of Him!
Esther
Did you know that there is a book in the Bible named Esther? When was the last time that you heard anyone read from it? Unless you go to a synagogue, you’ve quite probably never heard anyone read from it. Esther is notable as one of only two books in the Bible that has no … Continue reading Esther
Not the Beginning
So play the game Existence to the end…Of the beginning— John Lennon, “Tomorrow Never Knows” In Greek mythology Pandora or “gift of all” is given gifts such as beauty, charm, etc., from all the gods, and she is also given a box that she is commanded never to open. But open it she does, and … Continue reading Not the Beginning
Show Me
Re-watching the first season of Justified last night I came across this short scene: Chief Deputy Art Mullen asks where does the Bible justify the killing of innocent people. Like most Christians, he apparently hasn’t read very much of that not very good book, or he wouldn’t ask a stupid question like that because there are … Continue reading Show Me
How Much Is a Human Worth?
Yahweh, or the god of the Old Testament, assigns some precise values to humans, though in keeping with the misogynistic biases of that god, women are valued far less than men. Here is Leviticus 27:1-8 in the New International Version (NIV) translation: The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: … Continue reading How Much Is a Human Worth?
The Story of Ehud and Eglon
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, distributed a Bible to each committee member at the committee’s first meeting on January 31, and invited them to read through it in 2023. Good. More folks ought to see what’s in the Bible. And not just the stories that they taught … Continue reading The Story of Ehud and Eglon
In the Name of the Lord
In the Authorized Version of the Bible (popularly known as the King James Version) in Exodus 6:2-3 God introduces himself to Moses: 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my … Continue reading In the Name of the Lord
That Old Time Religion
I think most people who practice a religion derived from the Bible assume that the Bible describes one and only one religion. Oh, they may realize that the so-called Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible or Tanakh) is an older version of the religion, and they may even recognize it as the Jewish religion, so at … Continue reading That Old Time Religion