Pope Francis has recently caused a stir by allegedly claiming there to be no Hell and even possibly once claiming there to be no Hell, Purgatory, or Heaven. See Francis, Spin Doctor To Himself. His Latest Exploits. I also have speculated there be no Hell and tend strongly to that view, but I’m a firm … [Read more…]
King David and other ancient Semitic poets, at least those I know of from inclusion in the Bible (some of the Semitic poetry in various works was non-Hebraic), would use repetition in various ways, not always exact duplication of the lines but perhaps providing more examples or even saying the opposite in an ironic tone. … [Read more…]
[This is a somewhat freewheeling response to Biblical Leadership — first given as a lecture in 1928, a chapter in the book On the Bible: Eighteen Studies, a collection of short writings taken from the various works of Martin Buber.] In the essay, Biblical Leadership, Martin Buber states: I believe that we are standing at … [Read more…]
In an article included in On the Bible, Martin Buber states that a knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Hebrews tells us that the meaning of the “good and evil” related to the tree of knowledge in Eden is “adequate awareness of the opposites latent in creation.” Apparently, the phrase “good and evil” … [Read more…]
When we suspect or fear that a miracle of any sort has occurred, we fool ourselves and fail to see that the miracle is nothing but an event tied closely to the always Present Whom we fail to see or to acknowledge in a proper way. “Is nothing but…” is a funny phrase to use … [Read more…]
What’s infallible and absolutely true is what God said to Moses and St. Paul, not what they said to us and certainly not what they said to us as filtered through human interpreters and human commentators.
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it … [Read more…]
I’ll be starting an occasional series of entries where I’ll be commenting upon the Bible’s treatment of some important issues, but I’ll be commenting from my own perspective which I’ve been developing in this blog, Acts of Being, and my other blog for less technical writings, To See a World in a Grain of Sand, … [Read more…]