It’s a difficult thing to write a blog post on a book of the Pseudepigrapha. One’s head hurts trying to think through the complexities of it: there is what the Old Testament says, then there is the pseudepigraphal work that interprets said OT text, then there is the New Testament interaction with the OT text, […]
Kerux Christou, aka Herb's Blurbs
Kerux Christou is a phrase from New Testament Greek meaning “herald of Christ,” i.e., a preacher.
Books that Didn’t Make the Cut: The Pseudepigrapha
December 10, 2015 By
Marie Antoinette did not actually say, “Let them eat cake.” Nor did she say Qu’ils mangent de la brioche (that’s “let them eat cake” in French). It makes a great story though. Nor did Julius Caesar actually utter the famous Et tu, Brute? According to Plutarch he died in silence, while Suetonius has him asking […]
The Value of the Apocrypha: 1 Maccabees and Jesus
December 3, 2015 By
Historical context matters. I can think of many instances when learning the “rest of the story” is of immense help in understanding the current context. A social gathering gets suddenly awkward when Yuri enters the room; Boris, next to you, leans over to whisper, “He and Sasha used to date.”* A particular church’s dynamics seem […]
Books that Didn’t Make the Cut: The Value of the Apocrypha
November 19, 2015 By
We don’t determine the value of something generally based on its lack of value for a particular purpose. If I need a hammer for a particular job for which my screwdriver is not helpful, it doesn’t therefore follow that my screwdriver is worthless and should be thrown away. If I want to play football, I […]
Books that Didn’t Make the Cut: The Apocrypha
October 29, 2015 By
At the end of each summer, every NFL team must winnow its roster to 53 players. The very best make the cut; many hopeful young men see their hopes dashed with news they didn’t make the cut (or, more graphically, they’ve “been cut”). This is true in all walks of life – whether you are […]
