It seems nothing can be done, in the Persian-administered province of Beyond-the-River, without the signature of a far-off king. Letters go back and forth in the project of securing Persians support for this or that version of a future for what had been Judah before Nebuchadnezzer’s tolerance for its nonconformist people ebbed.
Archive for June, 2008
seeking Cyrus’ signature: Ezra 4-6
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Ezra, textures on June 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
high volume unclarity: Ezra 1-3
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Ezra, textures on June 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Disappointment frequently dogs the story of the Jewish Commonwealth that was founded by the returnees from Babylonian captivity. The exilic prophets—at least those whose legacy found its way into the canonical vision of a people reborn against the strong currents of history—were better at cultivating expectation than at managing it. So the same narrative that [...]
sweetness follows: R.E.M, Automatic for the People
Posted in reseña, tagged music, R.E.M., reseña on June 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Can it be 16 years since this brooding, sinister, insightful CD, opening memorably as it did with the softly sung lyrics to `Drive’?: Smashed! Cracked! Bushwacked! Tie another one to the rack. Baby …. Hey! Kids! Rock and roll! Nobody tells you where to go! What if I ride? What if you walk? What if [...]
sinister: 2 Chronicles 31-33
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Chronicles, textures on June 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Few kings are as highly regarded by Israel’s historians and chroniclers as Hezekiah. His rule falls upon Judah like a long, sunny day when storms have been and others are forecast. Not only does this monarch preside over an unprecedented surge of generosity towards the temple and its officials. He also pushes forward a systematic [...]
a complex identity: John 18
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, John, textures on June 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The gospels approach Jesus’ identity in narrative and oblique fashion rather than in systematic assertions that a reader can bullet-point, store, and pull out of the drawer on demand. It took the emerging Church centuries to define the Christian understanding of God in terms that would command philosophical assent. The biblical materials fueled that endeavor [...]
turning: 2 Chronicles 23-25
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Chronicles, textures on June 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The two histories of Israel focus upon the kings of Judah and Israel, lending special attention to questions of royal conduct. Did this or that king do what is just and right in the sight of Yahweh? Or did he not? The verdicts pronounced on this score are concise. No doubt each one summarizes in [...]
feeling blue: Donald W. Stokes, The Bluebird Book. The Complete Guide to Attracting Bluebirds (A Stokes Backyard Nature Book)
Posted in fauna, reseña, tagged birding, fauna on June 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Stokes bird books major in the sheer delight of discovering the bird in question. The 1991 Stokes Bluebird Book carries this tradition forward without missing a step. The book’s three sections explore ‘The Birds’, ‘Attracting Bluebirds’, and ‘Bluebird Behavior’. The first section introduces this captivating bird by way of poetry and observations made about [...]
lethal deafness: 2 Chronicles 23-25
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Chronicles, textures on June 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It seems at first odd that a history of Israel that reserves an exalted space for good-hearted monarchs should clear a circle also for the rogue prophet who strides into the king’s courts to denounce his behavior. This scenario represents the narrative version of the more abstract declaration that Israel must not have kings like [...]
leaning and seeking (II): 2 Chronicles 16-18
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Chronicles, textures on June 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Asa’s own political machinations come under the disapproving gaze of the prophet Hanani, who again takes up the language of leaning or relying. By persuading the king of Aram to open a northern front against the Asa’s Israelite nemesis, the Judahite king successfully wards off pressure from that quarter. Yet Yahweh’s prophet, for all the [...]
leaning and seeking (I): 2 Chronicles 13-15
Posted in textures, tagged biblical reflection, Chronicles, textures on June 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The story of the Judahite kings Abijah and Asa is perforated with observations about two human endeavors towards Yahweh: leaning upon him and seeking him. Neither one of these activities is transparent to the modern reader.
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