I. Significant Places in Hebrews 9-10 Hebrews 9-10 is a visual text replete with places, details and movement. It combines two analogically related diachronic topographies. It begins with a tour of the earthly tabernacle (9:1-11) and moves to the realms of the heavenly tabernacle (9:12-28). It travels the reader to the covenant inauguration at the […]
For the last 150 years, scholars, with few exceptions, have read Hebrews 9:11-20 as focused on “moral cleansing”, in contrast to the “ceremonial cleansing” that is described as ineffective in 9:10 and 9:13. This section is followed by the description of Christ’s role as covenant mediator prefigured by the covenant inauguration at Sinai, which is […]
Introduction A vast literature arguing for a shift in the translation of חַטָּאת from “sin offering” to “purgation offering” has been part of Leviticus studies since the time of Milgrom.[1] In my own work on the חַטָּאת offerings I have detected a variety in the class of חַטָּאת offerings that remedy both sin and […]
Problem: how does defilement of the sanctuary described in Ezekiel 5 occur based on defilement outside of the sanctuary as catalogued in Ezekiel 6?
Isaiah speaks also of a sheet that covers the nations that will be removed when God conquers death, wipes away tears, and removes disgrace. The removal of “disgrace” or shame is connected with impurity, those ways in which we have been defiled by our own impurity or by the impure acts of others.
I am thinking this morning that some of the conversation about Christ and the Law have resulted in through developments in English language regarding the word “fulfilled.” The Greek word, used in the New Testament, carried the idea of “bringing something into its fullest expression.” Over time, we have seen “fullfilling” as meaning that something […]
Our highest aim, as things stand, is that on occasions, we, in the guise of one exceptionally called an exceptional prepared, may pass through the holies place and return to the mundane alive with news of peace with the Holy One. So, the problem remains how God’s presence can walk among his people. The problem that remains is how God ‘s presence can rest and remain among an unholy people.
A friend of mine, years ago told me, “We always go to a liturgical worship service when we travel because regardless of anything else in the service, we can at least know that we will hear readings from the Bible.” My friend offered sage advice, and yet I have a serious problem with the Christian […]
I was told recently that I might not be a good PhD candidate because of my academic bias. I written this person saying I had grown up thinking of the Hebrew Scriptures less of religious text and more as a family history. Further, I read the New Testament for the first time as an adult […]
In this note, we consider what the writer of Hebrews meant when quoting Psalm 40, and whether recent Christian commentators have been adequately nuanced in their interpretations of the writer’s meaning. The language of Psalm 40 regarding sacrifice is notable, but not unique. The biblical writers expressed this thought in several variations. Below are a […]
