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Psalm 96:5 – Word Play
Today’s responsorial Psalm is Psalm 96. In verse 5, there is a word play between the words translated “gods of the peoples” and the word translated “idols” (or “worthless idols” or “worthless” dependent on which translation you are reading). I wanted to see if you can hear it. Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of…
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1 Samuel 5 – Hemorrhoids & the Wrath of God
I have been reading each morning recently from the Old Testament in the NJPS. And, it seems like each day I’ve been noticing things I’ve not seen before. And, today is certainly no exception. I suppose when I have read through 1 Samuel before, I probably read from the NASB or ESV. And, I believe…
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What I've Been Reading
I’ve been posting quotes from a lot of books here recently and wanted to consolidate. I’ll post here what I’ve been reading along with if I’d recommend reading it by a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “yes, read it” and 1 being “don’t bother.” 5 might mean something like “only if your interested in…
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Anglican Priest's Wrong Choice of Words
Jim West has posted his latest “excoriation” of the Anglican Priest who suggested that it was okay to “shoplift” if need required. Jim states: I’m right firstly because there is NO biblical justification for theft. None. Not a passage nor a theologically undergirded interpretation of any passage permits theft. And, that is true, in terms…
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"Prostitute," "Harlot," "Whore" – Does it Make a Difference?
I’m sorry to disappoint you after that provocative title, but this is a translation issue. I was reading Judges again this morning in the NJPS. I read Judges 16.1, which is translated as follows: “Once Samson went to Gaza; there he met a whore and slept with her.” I thought to myself that I was…
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1 Samuel 1 – Some Background
In the rare occurrence that the reading I do throughout the day has some bearing the lectionary reading, I like to share that. Today’s lectionary reading was verses 24-28 of 1 Samuel 1 (the responsive reading was from chapter 2). In the reading, Hannah has dedicated her son, Samuel, to the Lord and she hands…
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Judges 11.31 – "Whoever" or "Whatever"
I was reading in the Book of Judges again this morning and was reminded of the interesting translation issue in Judges 11.31. Parallel Translations of Judges 11.31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will…
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Does the Bible Justify Violence? – Review
This morning I finished reading John Collins’ Does the Bible Justify Violence? It is a very short monograph that (obviously) seeks to answer the question contained in the title. Pros of Does the Bible Justify Violence? First off, I think this little book has some important points to make, though I am sure they are…
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Betting Most Churches Go with Zephaniah
Interesting … today there is a choice of Old Testament lectionary readings between Song of Songs 2.8-14 or Zephaniah 3.14-18. If most parishes are in any way like mine, I’m guessing they will probably go with Zephaniah. I think the priests in my parish know enough about Biblical Studies to recognize we do not so…
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Micah 5.1-4 – Thomas Paine on Prophecy
Today’s Old Testament lectionary reading is from Micah 5.1-4a. This text reminded me of a discussion I had in one of my classes when I was teaching prophets to seminarians. We dealt a bit with the New Testament treatment of the Old Testament and the problems of thinking of prophecy as prediction. One of the…