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the singularity of being and nothingness
The Influence of Ancient Egyptian Literature upon the Biblical Story of Joseph
Jul 10th
In my continuing study of the similarities between the Hebrew Scriptures and contemporaneous (and, in this case, pre-dating) ancient Near Eastern literature, I came across these two Egyptian tales. They are significant in length. However, take a few minutes to read them, and keep the biblical account of Joseph in mind… The Tale of Sinuhe I was a henchman who followed his lord, a servant of the Royal harim attending on the hereditary princess, the highly-praised Royal Consort of Sesostris in the pyramid-town of Khnem-esut, the Royal Daughter of Amenemmes in the Pyramid-town of Ka-nofru, even Nofru, the revered. In year 30, third month of Inundation, day 7, the god attained his horizon, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Sehetepebre. He flew to heaven and was united with the sun’s disk; the flesh of the god was merged in him, who made him. Then was the Residence hushed; hearts were filled with mourning; the Great Portals were closed; the courtiers crouched head on lap; the people grieved. Now His Majesty had despatched an army to the land of the Temhi, and his eldest son was the captain thereof, the good god Sesostris. Even now he was returning, having carried More >
Reconstructing Justification by Faith
Jul 6th
In my previous post, I engaged the seminal texts which provide the backbone for the Prostestant conception of justification by faith, deconstructing the false notion that the works of the law to which Paul frequently referred are equivalent with action, unconditionally. Furthermore, I outlined how Pauls discussion of the works of the law is utilized as a polemic against the Judaizers of Pauls day who believed that justification was exclusivistically attained through identification with Jewish cultural and religious identification. Against these assertions, Paul argues that justification is not based upon becoming a Jew, but is rather located in identification with Christ through faith. As I have advocated, Paul does not, in his polemic against works of the law, mean to advocate that what one does (action) is immaterial to justification. Quite to the contrary, we will see that Paul understands act and attitude to be inseparably linked to one another and indelibly necessary to justification.
In Romans 3, Paul has completed his tour de force against the Judaizers, definitively eschewing the belief that justification with God is found through the Jewish system. To illustrate the alternative which he proposes (justification by faith), Paul conjures the example of Abraham:
1 What More >
Works=Actions…Or Do They?
Jun 26th
Over the last few days, I have been engaged in some rather lengthy and in-depth discussions of the concept of justification-by-faith with others, especially those from the Reformed tradition. As I have discussed this concept, I have come to the conclusion that the common conception of justification-by-faith, apart from works is a loaded and incorrect concept. In the following, I shall outline the objections which I have to this theology.
Per the standard explanation of justification-by-faith, humans are justified when they place their faith in Christ, hence justification by faith. As sinful humans cannot even be looked upon by a holy God, there must be a way by which humans are somehow changed from sinful to holy, from rejected to accepted of God. The doctrine of justification by faith advocates that this occurs through an imputation of righteousness. In this imputation, the righteousness of Christ, the only perfect human, is placed over or imputed to the one who has faith. Because of this imputation, God is now able to look down upon the sinner (who is still a sinner, BTW). However, instead of seeing sin, filth and wretchedness, God sees only the righteousness of Christ which literally clothes the one More >
Sumerian Kings' Lists and Genesis 5 - Part Deux
Jun 15th
My first post concerning this issue raised a lot of questions and spurred a lot of dialogue. Regardless of whether or not a consensus has been achieved amongst those who supported my opinions and those who did not, it did serve to create conversation, raise more questions, and better articulate and outline the salient issues that are involved in the act of interpretation. I believe this dialogue is important, especially in relation to texts that are shrouded in contexts which we will never be able to fully penetrate. Hopefully, this second post can move the conversation to other possibilities for thinking and reflection as well.
As I have continued to study this issue, I have come across some interesting information. For example, consider the following data set:
Name /Age When Son Born / Remaining Years / Total Years ——————————————————————— 1. Adam / 130 / 800 / 930 2. Seth / 105 / 807 / 912 3. Enosh / 90 / 815 / 905 4. Kenan / 70 / 840 / 910 5. Mahalalel / 65 / 830 / 895 6. Jared / 162 / 800 / 962 7. Enoch / 65 / 300 / 365 8. Methuselah / 187 / More >
Sumerian Kings' Lists and Genesis 5
Jun 12th
For one of my classes this summer, I am reading Kenton L. Sparks Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible in which Sparks meticulously draws comparisons and outlines the relationships between the content, form and structure of the Hebrew Scriptures with other texts from periods and people groups predating, consonant with and following the potential dates of authorship of the various biblical texts. While I am barely into this text so far, I have come across some very interesting information. For example, remember the genealogy of Genesis 5? In this section of Genesis, 10 persons, from Adam to Noah, are outlined, including their respective lengths of life. As Sparks points out, the genealogy in Genesis 5 is oddly out of place in Mesopotamian literature of the time, for the genealogies of other peoples did not include time frames. Rather, they were simply genealogies that outlined the descendency of families and tribes. However, and interestingly, there was a genre of literature that did include chronological information king lists. For example, consider the following Mesopotamian/Sumerian kings list: Name Length of Reign 1. Alulim————-28,000 2. Alagar————-36,000 3. EnmenluAnna—-43,200 4. EnmengalAnna—-28,800 5. Dumuzi————36,000 6. EnsipaziAnna——28,800 7. Enmeduranki—21,000 8. Ubar-Tutu——-18,600 Obviously, as compared to More >
Universal Reconciliation and the Deconstruction of Personhood
Jun 6th
One of the scandals of religion is that of exclusivity, the belief that the adherents of the particular religion will receive “X” benefits and those who don’t…will not. In reaction to these claims of exclusivity, there are many who attempt to equalize the playing field, so to speak. These advocate that if there is God who rewards humans with “X,” then all humans, without qualification, will receive “X” unconditionally.
There is one level, of course, on which this idea (i.e., universal reconciliation) is an appealing concept. After all, it is difficult to imagine eternal separation from reconciled life with God. As callous as we humans can oftentimes be towards others, there is something innately disturbing about the idea of another person existing in dysfunctional relationship with God for all of eternity. Such reflections quickly lead to sentimentalized conceptions of eternity in which all, unequivocally, are reconciled to God and others.
Unfortunately, the sentiments of universal reconciliation disastrously ignore the issues that lie at the heart of the meaning of reconciliation and forgiveness. In reality, such a move co-opts the crises of reconciliation and forgiveness, replacing them with the opiate of universalism. However, this anaesthetizing of the severe consequences of relationship and its potential dysfunctions More >
Institute for Creation Research: "Proof" for Young Earth?
May 26th
I ran across a fascinating article today. The article discusses "Thousands, Not Billions," a new conference coordinated by ICR (Institute for Creation Research).
The purpose of the conference, simply enough, is to challenge the commonly accepted conclusions of scientific research which indicate that the universe is billions of years old, and that evolution is an accurate paradigm through which to describe the development of biological life on earth.To substantiate this "challenge," ICR commissioned its own scientists to conduct research to find proof for a 6,000 year-old earth.
Although I have some strong feelings about it, I will not spend time commenting on the merits of ICR's "scientists," nor of the methodology they employ to arrive at their conclusions (which, interestingly enough, are presupposed). However, I would like to simply outline some thoughts I have on the issues raised in this article, in general.
First of all, let me frame the issue. ICR's website outlines their mission as follows:
We believe God has raised up [Institute for Creation Research] to spearhead biblical Christianity's defense against godless and compromising dogma of evolutionary humanism.Clearly, ICR believes that not only is evolutionary theory illegitimate, but moreover they make it a soteriological issue. In other words, if one happens More >
Biblical Inerrancy: Helpful?
May 23rd
Biblical Inerrancy: Helpful?
Over the last year, I have engaged numerous individuals on the issue of biblical inerrancy. For many Protestant denominations, inerrancy is a catchword which differentiates conservatives from liberals, those who are true to the Scriptures and those who are not, etc. I am no stranger or newcomer to this argument, for the denomination to which I belong has a definitive stance on this issue. As our Articles of Religion clearly state, [The Scriptures] are the inspired and infallibly written Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts and superior to all human authority, and have been transmitted to the present without corruption of any essential doctrine. As seen above, the issue of inerrancy is a textual issue. But what, exactly, do evangelicals mean by biblical inerrancy? While a precise definition is difficult to provide given the fact that there is wide range of opinions as to the extent of inerrancy, a cursory understanding can be achieved by looking at The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978), a document which has dramatically impacted the current evangelical position on biblical inerrancy. Article VI of the Statement asserts, We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down More >
The Problem with Atonement Metaphors
May 17th
As I was making my arduous drive home the other day, I was listening to our local feed of Air1, the "positive alternative." Often, Air1 has various Christian speakers, leaders, and artists record short, 30-second lessons in Christian theology and biblical interpretation. More often than not, these lessons are theologically uncritical and philosophically obtuse platitudes that only perpetuate the theological wasteland of American religiosity. This particular day did not disappoint. KJ-52, a Christian rap artist and regular contributor to Air1's segments, came on air to offer his take on the atonement. Not surprisingly, he conjured the tried and true story of the train conductor.
As the story goes, there was a man whose job was to make sure that the "switch"on a set of train tracks was appropriately thrown to prevent passing trains from smashing into each other. On one particular day, the man brought his son to work with him and told him to stay close to the booth. On schedule, two trains approached the switch, and the man prepared to throw the lever. As he was preparing to do this, however, he looked up and realized-with horror-that his son was playing on the train tracks. If he left to More >
Calvinism and Open Theism
Apr 25th
The God who determines everything is the God who determines nothing. These were the words I posted in response to a Reformed member of a discussion board to which I belong. The statement was in response to one of the infinite number of similar threads devoted to discussing issues of predestination, foreknowledge, freedom of human will, etc. Almost instantly, I was bombarded with the predictable host of flames, some saying I was obtuse, others saying I was a troll seeking to undermine Calvinism at any cost, and even the obligatory accusation of Pelagianism. One thoughtful individual (a Calvinist, no less!), actually asked me what I meant. I went on to explain that I believed that open theism (a theology particularly despised by the Reformed club) was the natural by-product of a rabid Calvinism. Flabbergasted by my assertion, this individual challenged me to explain. In the following, I will seek to outline what I believe to be direct connections between Calvinism and the rise of Open Theism theology. It is my contention that instead of conceiving of the two in opposition to one another, it is more appropriate to conclude that open theism is actually the legitimate heir of Calvinistic theology, More >
