Monthly Archives: March 2016

An Egyptian background for the Golden Calf

Posted on March 30, 2016 by theoutwardquest

Sometimes it is good to read people  whose theology you do not share. I recently found an online version of an article I had read long ago.  The first thing I noticed was that as a believer in some version … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Purim

Posted on March 29, 2016 by theoutwardquest

This year the Jewish feast of Purim, which celebrates Queen Esther saving the Jews from mass murder in ancient times, corresponded with Christian Holy Week.  I prefer it when Passover corresponds. I did not say anything about Purim last week. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Life after life after death

Posted on March 28, 2016 by theoutwardquest

I don’t go all the way with N. T. Wright on the New Perspective on Paul or on the category of Empire being as significant as he thinks it is. But he does have some great turns of phrase. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Paul, Seasonal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Neil Elliott inspires my sideways Holy Week reflection

Posted on March 25, 2016 by theoutwardquest

Even though I have a busy week of Holy Week services and preparation for leading worship on Sunday, I had to spend some time in a medical waiting room where I read another article on the Paul-within-Judaism perspective from the anthology, … Continue reading →

Posted in Paul, Seasonal | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Passion Sunday

Posted on March 21, 2016 by theoutwardquest

Yesterday I used the taunts calling Jesus to come down from the cross as the basis for a Passion Sunday talk. The story is in Mark 15:29-32: Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Lectionary, Seasonal | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday?

Posted on March 16, 2016 by theoutwardquest

I’ve been asked to provide pulpit supply Palm Sunday and Easter.  This means travel and worship preparation.  So I won’t be starting any new blog project. Preaching on Palm Sunday is a dilemma.  People expect you to talk about Jesus … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Seasonal | Leave a comment

Soulen-Islam and Nineveh

Posted on March 15, 2016 by theoutwardquest

A few years ago I posted several summary/evaluations of Kendall Soulen’s The Divine Name(s) and the Holy Trinity.  I was a little out of my depth.  Trinitarian theology–ugh. Unitarianism, although mistaken, would be less of a strain on the brain. … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The historical Jacob

Posted on March 11, 2016 by theoutwardquest

I have been reading the article “Comments on the Historical Background of the Jacob Narrative in Genesis” by Israel Finkelstein and Thomas Romer. It is available in PDF format here. As mentioned when I wrote about Finkelstein’s The Forgotten Kingdom … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Israel, Genesis | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Markus Gabriel-New Realism

Posted on March 9, 2016 by theoutwardquest

You cannot avoid philosophy in history or theology.  The frustration I feel is that academic philosophy today seems dominated by the post-modernist emphasis on the construction and deconstruction of narratives.  Males and colonialists wrote history so you have to approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Nanos-rites of the law

Posted on March 8, 2016 by theoutwardquest

Paul depreciated circumcision. Representatives of Judaism supported circumcision. Therefore Paul does not represent Judaism. According to Mark Nanos in an article, “The Question of Conceptualization: Qualifying Paul’s Position on Circumcision in Dialogue with Josephus’s Advisors to King Izates”, things are more … Continue reading →

Posted in Paul | Tagged , , | Leave a comment