I noted a couple of passages in this young-readers book. First (178), “And, as Christianity spread across the Roman world, Christian writers and teachers drew upon Seneca’s essays.” Second (199): Unlike other fields of literature, in which the Roman imitated their Greek predecessors, letter writing was a uniquely Roman pursuit. For the Greeks, who traditionally … [Read more…]
This is sort of a slightly undersized coffee-table book (lots of white space, sidebars, illustrations), but the author is a real academic. Anyway, here’s a thought: After reading about these bloodthirsty, sex-crazed tyrants, it occurs to me that perhaps all that would have given Christianity some reactive appeal. (Also, it should caution us Westerners from … [Read more…]
This young-adult book discusses the special status the Jews had under the Romans (91). It’s interesting that they lost that status, with a vengeance, in the period when Jerusalem was destroyed, so I wonder if their fall made Christian persecution more likely, with it being viewed as just another Jewish sect (Nero’s reign was A.D. … [Read more…]
These lectures were okay, focusing as you would expect on Jewish history, mostly in Europe, during this time period; few insights into Christianity. He notes that Judaism was not static/established but was evolving, just as Christianity was. Also: Old Testament is to New Testament as Old Testament written is to Old Testament oral (I don’t … [Read more…]
I plucked this nugget from the Weekly Standard (Wray Herbert, “Faith of Their Fathers,” December 7, 2015, reviewing Private Doubt, Public Dilemma: Religion and Science Since Jefferson and Darwin by Keith Stewart Thomson): William Gladstone, the longtime British prime minister, responded to the emerging fossil record by noting that “the order of origins was identical … [Read more…]
This 1966 book is only 124 pages; the author — a bravely anti-Nazi Protestant pastor, by the way — acknowledges (89-90) that Kierkegaard is hard to summarize (and I bet not all that easy to understand in the first place). Some notes: Kierkegaard is extremely Protestant and un-Catholic in his insistence on individual grappling and … [Read more…]
This is an interesting book, but I should note that a lot of it is more about the secular times than about anything directly relevant to the Word. The author’s basic thesis is that King James wanted the translation to be an inclusive, unifying work, drawing together Protestants ranging from establishment bishops to near-Separationists. But … [Read more…]
This is a very good book, made excellent by the fact that the author is who he is: That makes it worth giving and recommending to others. Some notes: He’s a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and quotes him repeatedly. (No mention of Pascal, though.) There’s a heading in the book (224), “Evidence Demanding a … [Read more…]
What a find! I stumbled onto this book in the stacks at the public library; it would be worth buying as a reference and re-reading. The author starts with Alexander the Great and ends with the late first/early second century. The basic idea is to put the New Testament texts in their historical context. The … [Read more…]
Some notes: The patronage system was embedded not only in the culture generally but in the religion (polytheism) specifically. Religious strife and division for Jews, with each other and with Rome, was a big deal in the first century, including how to relate to Gentiles. Jews and the early Christians thought that the Septuagint was … [Read more…]