Topical
The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
Whenever I mention that I am a specialist in Old Testament, I encounter questions of what people find difficult there. High on the list, along with the issue of violence, is the topic of Pharaoh’s hardening by God. As I…
The perspectives of the Gospels
A student of mine complained once when my NT colleague insisted that he should be focusing on the perspective of the particular gospel he was reading rather than bringing in viewpoints from the other gospels. ‘Why should I be focusing…
Jesus the unexpected Messiah
Christians tend to assume that the OT clearly predicted Jesus’s suffering, death and resurrection. In the gospels, however, even Jesus’s disciples did not get that Messiah had to suffer. Prophecies recognised as Messianic in the OT set out a pattern…
Jesus the Nazarene? (Matt 2:23)
This post is also a part of my reflections in ‘The hidden centre of Christmas’ (read it here), but I reproduce it as a separate post, so it is easier to find. Matt 2:23 There are three major interpretations regarding…
Prophecy as prediction?
As we read about Matthew’s use of Messianic prophecies this Advent, we may wonder about prophecy and what it’s meant to do. Today’s post reflects on this topic. Most Christians are taught in our churches to think of prophecy as…
Reading Messianic prophecies
As we read the early portions of the Gospels about Jesus’s birth and the prophecies which were supposedly ‘fulfilled’ by the events, we may be puzzled about the connections the gospel writers make. Sometimes, a closer look at the OT…
Jephthah’s vow – some issues discussed (Judg 11:29-40)
It is confusing for us to know what to think about Jephthah’s vow when Scripture doesn’t give an explicit value judgement. God seems to have responded by giving him victory, but if so, is such a vow from God? If…