Jeremy Thompson

Category: Biblical Studies

  • Nineveh – A Great City to God

    Nineveh has been the focus of a post here in the past, but this one’s a little different.  It’s a translational issue.  I’ve pointed out in the past that many if not most translations are relatively boring.  Jonah 3:3, which is a part of today’s lectionary reading, is a wonderful case in point.  Here’s a…

  • Lenten Reflections 2010

    Last night I started a series of Lenten Reflections in my church parish.  These are intended for lay people in my parish, so hopefully they are free from academic jargon.  If you are in a tradition that celebrates Lent, or even if you are not, you might want to give them a listen.  There will…

  • Don't Blame Me Moses … That Calf Just Came Out

    I was listening to Exodus today and 32:24 sounded a bit funny.  So, I looked at the Hebrew and compared a few translations.  Sure enough … Aaron sounds like a weasel.  Moses comes down from the mountain and finds the people with their golden calf.  And, here is Aaron’s response (translation comparison a cut and…

  • Come on Knock My Teeth Out … You Know You Want To

    Some people are reading through the Bible this year … or, said they were going to and have already stopped.  By this time maybe they hit the instructions for building the tabernacle and their commitment gave up the ghost so to speak.  I on the other hand am starting to listen through the Bible.  If…

  • Consign it to Sheol! And, I was Almost Done

    Thanks to Ben Byerly for his post and links on more reasons not to do a PhD.  Of course I’m trying to be a little bit funny, but more often than not some of us academics only laugh to keep from crying.  I will be feeling and have felt this pinch already.  My wife and…

  • War in the Bible & Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century Review

    My friend Karyn has written a very thorough review of the book War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century.  It is in three parts here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.  Violence in scripture is a topic that preoccupies my mind a great deal as I am sure that it does…

  • Game Theorist Interpretation of Genesis 2

    I’ve been reading The Art of Strategy by Dixit and Nalebuff mainly because I have a side interest in Game Theory.  I just think it’s fascinating, especially some of the examples from the field of study.  Anyway, I’m reading along and then they discuss in a very short manner Genesis 2.  The context  is a…

  • Biblical Studies Courses on Sale

    I noticed today the Teaching Company has a lot of their Biblical (and Religious) Studies courses on sale.  I don’t think they normally have this many on sale, and I’m not sure how long it lasts but here’s a list: Beginnings of Judaism Between Cross and Crescent: Jewish Civilization from Mohammed to Spinoza Biblical Wisdom…

  • Giving the Bible Commentwary Another Shot

    A good while back, when I first started using Twitter, I had the idea to start a Bible Commentwary.  The basic gist of the idea was that I would choose a verse or passage for a given day (probably not daily as I at first thought) and people would need to comment in 140 characters…

  • The Pride of Naram-Sin

    I was reading this morning in Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation and found this section from Chapter 2 interesting.  King Naram-Sin says: Thus I said to myself, thus indeed I spoke: “What lion practiced divination? What wolf inquired of an interpreter of dreams? Let me go like a bandit, following the counsel of…