Category Archives: Uncategorized

The relationship between the Old and the New Testament in Scripture is one of fulfillment, as the narrative of Israel becomes fully drawn out through the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. A reading of the New Testament is incomplete without knowledge of the Old, or else the full meaning is lost. Similarly, aContinue reading “3 March”

Moses and the Israelites were not perfect people. There are many instances in Exodus and Numbers where they each failed to trust in God or lacked hope. For example, when Moses sends out the twelve spies to explore the land and seek out its inhabitants, ten of the twelve who returned did not think itContinue reading “20 Feb”

Biblical notions of purity make more sense when placed in comparison to cultural norms in place a the time of its writing, or to other primeval religions. Purity is a wholeness of being, while impurity chips away at a person and breaks them down. From Leviticus, we can take purity to go hand-in-hand with “physicalContinue reading “18 Feb”

The question of “Who is God?” seems simple at first: he is a divine being, apart from humanity in his omnipotence and omniscience. This understanding is basic, but fails to capture the totality of how God interacts with man and his role in our lives. Joseph Ratzinger attempts to answer this question by tracing howContinue reading “11 Feb”

The story of Joseph and his brothers is a story of jealousy, rivalry, and ultimately, egos clashing against one another. After Joseph finds a high position of power in Egypt, he struggles to forgive his brothers and instead seeks to punish them for their previous wrongs against him. By planting the silver cup inside Benjamin’sContinue reading “6 Feb”

The brotherly relationship between Jacob and Esau has a lot more complications than in the one between Cain and Abel. Jacob and Esau are twins, and more information is given about their feuds. Cain acts against Abel in a fit of rashness, while we learn more about the premeditation and methodical nature of Jacob andContinue reading “4 Feb”

The question “What is religion?” is unanswerable for many scholars and adherents, according to William Cavanaugh. He finds that more often than not, people will avoid the question or provide answers riddled with inaccuracies. Cavanaugh admits that religion has “fuzzy edges”, but uses this point to give reasons for why it should not be consideredContinue reading “30 Jan”

In religion, faith is necessary for total belief in God, if we are taking our understanding of God seriously. Faith aids reason, and in some ways, faith fills in the gaps of knowledge. Wilken finds it necessary to define terms, and asks readers to reconsider what one really means when they use the words “knowledge”Continue reading “28 Jan”

Abraham had an unwavering faith in the Lord, who had promised him a nation of offspring and to make his name great. Like Noah, Abraham had showed total obedience to God, and was willing to follow his instructions even while unable to predict the outcome. God had rewarded Abraham by making a covenant with him,Continue reading “23 Jan”

In Genesis 4-11, God’s creation of man and the natural world shifts from fall and corruption to a rebirth through the saving of Noah. The causes that contributed to the Fall only grow larger after Adam and Eve are banished from Eden. Cain kills Abel in a sin of jealousy, which leaves two lines toContinue reading “21 Jan”