Monthly Archives: March 2017

Levenson-Jewish philosophers

Posted on March 30, 2017 by theoutwardquest

The next chapter in The Love of God by Jon Levenson moves on from ancient biblical and rabbinic material to medieval Jewish philosophers.  This is new territory for me. I had never heard of Bah ya ibn Pequda, an 11th … Continue reading →

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

Levenson-sex and theology in the Song of Solomon

Posted on March 27, 2017 by theoutwardquest

I continue to read Jon Levenson’s The Love of God Levenson cannot help but discuss the Song of Solomon as he discusses the erotic or romantic metaphors the Hebrew  Bible uses for the love of God.  Some have insisted that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Israel, Bible | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Levenson-the erotic dimension

Posted on March 24, 2017 by theoutwardquest

My reading project is Jon Levenson’s The Love of God. One of the complaints about the so-called feminizing of the church is that some contemporary worship songs are basically about Jesus as my boyfriend.  Of course, it is not just … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Israel, Bible | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Levenson-heart, soul, and might

Posted on March 22, 2017 by theoutwardquest

I am reading and blogging about Jon Levenson’s book, The Love of God. Levenson deals with midrash and other interpretations of the Bible in rabbinic writings.  I don’t know a lot about rabbinic thought.  Some of this chapter touches on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Deuteronomy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

That statue in Cairo is probably not Ramses II

Posted on March 21, 2017 by theoutwardquest

The latest news about the statue just discovered in a Cairo neighborhood is that the initial identification of the Pharaoh depicted is suspect. In other words, it probably is not Ramses II, but a much later Pharaoh. See the very … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Levenson-love as reciprocal loyalty

Posted on March 20, 2017 by theoutwardquest

In The Love of God, Jon Levenson uses the Amarna Letters to talk about the love of God for us. He has used the ancient suzerainty treaties as the source for the biblical notion of love. In those treaties the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ethics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The mysterious rock tombs of the pre-Israelites

Posted on March 17, 2017 by theoutwardquest

I will get back to the Jon Levenson book on the love of God, which is my current project.  But I have been distracted by some amazing archeological discoveries that have shown up in the news in recent days. Yesterday … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Egyptian gods and kings

Posted on March 16, 2017 by theoutwardquest

In the last month there have been existing discoveries about late Bronze Age Egypt. First, a trove of statues (idols) from the 14th century reign of Amenhotep III have come to light at Luxor in upper Egypt.  He was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt | Tagged | Leave a comment

Levenson-divine jealousy and the divine love language

Posted on March 15, 2017 by theoutwardquest

I am reading Jon Levenson’s The Love of God. Today I want to cover two points that derive from Levenson’s teaching experience. When a writer can bring real world experience–okay, sometimes it is a stretch to call universities the real … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Spirituality, Theology | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Levenson-love as obligation

Posted on March 14, 2017 by theoutwardquest

How can emotion be commanded?  Yet the shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 contains the command “You shall love the Lord your God.”  Most marriage ceremonies include the promise to love.  Yet love as passion is a fickle thing that comes and goes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Israel, Bible, Deuteronomy, Theology | Tagged , | 1 Comment