About this Blog
This blog is a place where I can just “think out loud” and ask questions. My main interests are Old Testament Theology, Biblical Theology, Wisdom Literature, Modern and Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Interpretation. But I do not want to limit this blog to these areas only. One of my aims is to keep asking questions about how these different areas shape my understanding of the Bible as a whole and how I live my life today as a result.
I believe there is a need today for people not only to engage in exegetical and theological discussions but also to bridge the gap between those discussions and everyday living.
Although “Ancient Wisdom” can be understood broadly, here I am thinking specifically of the Judeo-Christian Ancient Wisdom which revolves around Israel’s writings and their interpreters, the person of Jesus Christ and the writings of His followers. I could have called it “Biblical Wisdom,” but I wanted the scope to be a bit broader as I am also interested in the wisdom (or even lack thereof) of extra-biblical materials.
The “Today” part seeks to emphasize the fact that I believe this “Ancient Wisdom” should not be studied for its own sake, but that it has something to say to people in our age. But it also means that if we are going to talk about that kind of wisdom today, we must engage with the people of the past and the present. In other words, how are we, 21st century Christians, to appropriate words that were written thousands of years ago? That’s where hermeneutics, the confessions and biblical scholarship come in.
For those who may be curious about the banner, here is some background. The first painting to the left is John and Mark discussing their writings. This was painted by Bernardo Strozzi, and I first saw it on the cover of Gowan’s book The Divine Authenticity of Scripture. The next painting is Aaron and Hur supporting Mose’s hands while Joshua was leading the fight against the Amalekites (Ex. 17:10-12). And the last one is Daniel in the lion’s den. All images were chosen for their metaphorical possibilities, and I will let you guess what they might be as you read my blog.
The Hebrew text below the banner is Ecclesiastes 12:13. To understand why I chose this text, read Qohelet and the Human Experience.
I hope there will be some who will benefit from my musings, and any interaction will be more than welcome.
A Note About Comments
Dr. Mounce at Koinonia wrote a helpful post on what our attitude should be when interacting with others, and I hope that discussions on this blog will follow the spirit of his guidelines:
1. Take every thought captive to Christ. In other words, think before we speak and write, weighing everything we say and write against the teachings of our Lord.
2. Feel free to disagree when it is appropriate to the situation, but always do so as an expression of grace.
3. When wanting to encourage, write it.
4. When wanting to criticize, if possible, do so face to face. If it is not possible, write only what you would say face-to-face.
5. No matter how angry or justified you feel, there is never a place for cruel or vulgar speech.
