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There are two patches in Joel’s prophetic quilt.1 Scholars do not agree on the editorial history of the book of Joel. Some argue for a ninth century date, while others suggest a Persian period (500-350 (...)

After a first, poetic account in Genesis 1, Genesis 2-3 offers a complementary narrative account of the beginnings of creation. Together these three chapters present creation through a bifocal lens that affirms both the profound, (...)

“They said nothing to nobody — they were afraid, you see.” That’s a fairly literal, inelegant English rendering of Mark 16:8. Could the evangelist have ended his Gospel like this? What kind of victor is (...)

Unvarnished and raw: that’s how Mark recounts Jesus’ death. More than any other evangelist, Mark drives the church into the heart of its gospel in all its horror and wonder. Every temptation to prettify it (...)

One of the striking things about Mark’s Gospel is that it is not the disciples, first and foremost, who serve to proclaim the Good News; in fact, the disciples are in many ways last to (...)

“Sorrow and love flow mingled down” from the lines of this poem.1 The poet draws on imagery from across the spectrum, as if grasping desperately for a metaphor, however inadequate, to capture the turmoil brewing (...)

Wisdom has built her house… Proverbs 9 continues what might be called the “Acts of Wisdom” begun in Proverbs chapter 8. Wisdom is presented as an independent and autonomous female entity, introduced in chapter 1. (...)

The celebration of the Incarnation can support the life of the church all year long. The text for Christmas day, Hebrews 1, and the letter to the Colossians, which provides the first text for Christmas (...)

Many religious and ethnic communities have intricate celebrations for the declaration of a new family member’s name. Even for those who do not have such rituals, deciding upon and revealing the name of one’s child (...)

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are as distinct from the earlier books of Samuel and Kings as the times they narrate are different from the ages that preceded them.  Part annals, part lists, part (...)