Monthly Archives: June 2018

The Lord’s Prayer-issues and beauty

Posted on June 27, 2018 by theoutwardquest

I am preaching this week. Occasionally congregations ask retired preachers to do this. In my case, I don’t encourage it. It still happens. I don’t mind doing it as long as it doesn’t become a long-term commitment. My text will … Continue reading →

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Was the ephod like a ouija board?

Posted on June 25, 2018 by theoutwardquest

There is a puzzle about something the Bible calls the ephod. At some point the ephod became just a name for an apron worn by a priest. But there was a time when the ephod was not a garment. It … Continue reading →

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Gaines- I compare Poetic P to Abe Lincoln

Posted on June 20, 2018 by theoutwardquest

Having reread parts of The Poetic Priestly Source by Jason M. H. Gaines that I had trouble understanding, I come away with the importance of his belief that poetry is a matter of degrees and that his term poetic is … Continue reading →

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Gaines-P as built upon a lyrical epic

Posted on June 19, 2018 by theoutwardquest

I am reporting on my read of The Poetic Priestly Source by Jason M. H. Gaines. In between the very specialized analysis of Hebrew passages in P according to his yardstick for what constitutes poetry and what constitutes prose, Gaines … Continue reading →

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Gaines-P and Poetry

Posted on June 18, 2018 by theoutwardquest

Sometimes I read a book that is just too technical for me. I have read The Poetic Priestly Source by Jason M. H. Gaines. But I realize that much of it is way beyond my ability to evaluate. There is … Continue reading →

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Jesus for peace and prosperity

Posted on June 15, 2018 by theoutwardquest

Religion and politics don’t mix. That is wrong, but often spoken. Look at U.S. churches and synagogues, which are largely either red or blue these days. Politics and religion are deeply mixed in reality. And yet, the statement that religion … Continue reading →

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Hamor the Hivite

Posted on June 14, 2018 by theoutwardquest

My guess in my last post hinting that the Hivites at Gibeon arrived from the southeast corner of Anatolia in the 12 century BCE seems to disagree with the notion that Hamor the Hivite is the founder of Shechem. The … Continue reading →

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Speculating about the Gibeonites

Posted on June 12, 2018 by theoutwardquest

In Joshua 9 there is a story about Israel coming into contact with Gibeonites. The Gibeonites pretend to not be settled. They make this claim: They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of … Continue reading →

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What really happened when the kingdom divided

Posted on June 11, 2018 by theoutwardquest

This week I expect to post a few more random thoughts about things that interest me, while I am trying to figure out how to handle my next book project. Today I want to talk about what might have happened … Continue reading →

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The imprecision of Carbon 14 dating

Posted on June 7, 2018 by theoutwardquest

The headline is: A Crucial Archaeological Dating Tool Is Wrong, And It Could Change History as We Know It Wow! That probably gives hope to those who want to change the standard dating and chronology of the Ancient Near East … Continue reading →

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