Theology
Various theological bits as I prep my weekly sermon and read
Theology
Isaiah 11:3b-5
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and fa
... See moreBecause Wants to Hear the Prayers of His People
Genesis Rabbah 45 (28C): Why were the matriarchs (of Israel) barren? R. Levi (ca. 300) said in the name of R. Shela of Kefar Temarta (the village of dates; ca. 280) and R. Helbo (ca. 300) in the name of R. Yohanan († 279), “Because God desired their prayers and their words.”—The same is found in Midr.
... See moreMatt 7:2 Measure
The imagery of the second comes from grain contracts in which it was frequently specified that grain delivery and payment therefore would be measured with the same instrument — that of [Matt., p. 319] the purchaser (see Couroyer, RB 77 [1970] 366–70). S
ISBE on the Intertexts to the Golden Rule
The general principle of reciprocity embodied in the “golden rule” is not unique to Jesus’ teaching. Among the Greeks, Isocrates stated a similar principle: “You should be such in your dealings with others as you expect me to be in my dealings with you” (Nicocles or The Cyprians 49). Similar maxims are found
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Structure of the Sermon on the Mount from Bible Project
The Golden Rule and the Sophists
Some have concluded (e.g., R. G. Hammerton-Kelly, IDB Supp., p. 369) that the “golden rule” originated in the Sophist movement in Greece (5th cent. b.c.), was taken over by Hellenistic Judaism, and from there found its way into early Christian teaching. It is incontestable that Christianity derived this principle fro
... See moreThe Problem with Judging
Chrysostom, “thou art making the judgment-seat dreadful to thyself, and the account strict,” p. 158)
Jesus on Matt 7:5
Jesus is drawing attention to a curious feature of the human race in which a profound ignorance of oneself is so often combined with an arrogant presumption of knowledge about others, especially about their faults. First gets the priorities right; that which matters most is to deal with the plank. The would-be helper’s first priori
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