Israel’s first and short-lived king, Saul by name, is arguably the Hebrew Bible’s most tragic figure. He bears that peculiar curse that consists of great things happening to him. He does not invite them. In fact he seems bent on fleeing the tectonic movement of events that bring inexorable fame upon his large, fragile shoulders.
Archive for April, 2008
the last seat: 1 Samuel 10-12 // Luke 14
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Luke, Samuel, textures on April 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
family solidarity: 1 Samuel 1-2, Luke 12
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Luke, Samuel, textures on April 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
We believe that faith unites a family. Sometimes it does, though more seldom than we imagine. Aging Eli felt a deep foreboding when reports of his sons’ comportment as self-serving priests reached his dulling ears. He pleads with them to change their ways, but does not offer understanding on the basis of ‘family’. The language [...]
my father’s music: Vintage Jazz (Sunday Times Music Collection)
Posted in reseña, tagged jazz, music, reseña, Sunday Times Music Collection on April 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The eyes of my father’s generation still light up when the occasion arises to speak of Duke Elington, Harry James, Benny Goodman, and Django Reinhardt. These are the artists who, with their bands, contribute to this remarkable entry in the mid-90′s CD-a-week collection offered to subscribers by London’s Sunday Times. Frankly speaking, the first four [...]
four men singing: Medieval Music (Hilliard Ensemble, Sunday Times)
Posted in reseña, tagged Hilliard Ensemble, music, reseña, Sunday Times Music Collection on April 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In the mid-90s, it was possible to receive a CD each week from London’s Sunday Times Music Collection. The eclectic library of music that results now seems a treasure. One of the finer anthologies and one of the few to record a single collection of artists on a themed CD was ‘Medieval Music’, all of [...]
out of nowhere: Ruth 3-4
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Ruth, textures on April 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
One almost feels a wry heavenly smile hovering over the proceedings as the short story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz ambles towards its contented dénoument. The wily grandmother-to-be joins the submissive and diligent protagonist and the sturdy, good-hearted male rescuer to produce an unlikely ending that is full of Yahweh’s blessing. Events bring the wish [...]
Abimelech’s shadows: Ruth 1-2
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Ruth, textures on April 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The narrator of the book of Ruth is exact about his setting. He places his moving story in ‘the days when the judges were judging Israel’. What is more, he gives his merciful and strong hero a pedigree that links it to the Book of Judges. Boaz is of the family of a certain Elimelech. [...]
identity crisis: Judges 17-20
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Judges, textures on April 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
it would be difficult to find in the Hebrew Bible a story of more brazen awfulness than that of the Levite traveler and his concubine on their ill-fated layover in Gibeah of Benjamin. The conduct of the ‘men of the city’ is miscreant. Their overnight host, so generous in his rescuing invitation that they pass [...]
whatever: Judges 15–17
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Judges, textures on April 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Samson’s rage against the Philistines comes across as righteous, though there is hardly a white hat to be found in this entire story. Samson himself hardly wears one. Nor does anyone who figures in the rent-a-priest tale that follows hold up well under the lens of Deuteronomistic ideals. The book of Judges is punctuated by [...]
deep: Stephanie Blythe, Handel & Bach Arias (EMI/Virgin Classics)
Posted in reseña, tagged G.F. Handel, J.S. Bach, John Nelson, music, reseña, Stephanie Blythe on April 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The inimitable John Nelson, conductor of the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, has a knack for giving little known musical pieces and as-yet uncelebrated artists their due. He has made good on this worthy capacity by conducting his consort in a debut recital CD of one of our moment’s finest contraltos. Stephanie Blythe works her way [...]
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