Category Archives: Biblical Studies

My Whetstone

Posted on May 18, 2023 by hessd

There’s nothing quite like a good metaphor. A powerful metaphor realigns ideas and experiences as surely as a powerful magnet realigns iron filings and sometimes just as quickly. I teach a series of classes on ancient narratives from other cultures.[1] … Continue reading →

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Peter, you Rock!

Posted on April 2, 2023 by hessd

One day, Jesus looked at his most outspoken disciple and said, “Peter, you rock!” As an opening line, that makes sense in so many different ways that it doesn’t really make a point at all. It does open up a … Continue reading →

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Forensic Pathology and Bible Study

Posted on February 2, 2021 by hessd

Since the COVID pandemic hit Portland, I have been doing  unusual amounts of two things: teaching Bible study courses and watching forensic pathology shows on TV.  Eventually, the one had to start affecting the other, and that is what this … Continue reading →

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“The” Christmas Story

Posted on December 25, 2020 by hessd

“The” Christmas Story I have never been a fan of “the Christmas story.”  I honestly don’t know why.  I know why I am not a fan of it now and it is a real temptation to project those reasons back … Continue reading →

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The Seductions of Narrative

Posted on December 1, 2020 by hessd

Some years ago, I ran my best half marathon time ever.  There were some special circumstances in this race.  I can think of two classes of such circumstances.  I’m going to tell you what they are because I am still … Continue reading →

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Parables: The Power of What Is Not There

Posted on August 4, 2020 by hessd

If the irony weren’t too heavy, I would  say that I love reading the work of scholars because it gives me a chance to ask really simpleminded questions. I think of “scholarship” as digging ever more deeply into the technical … Continue reading →

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The First 10 Years: Part III

Posted on May 27, 2020 by hessd

Tomorrow I am going to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this blog.  I’ve been working up to it by reflecting back over the last ten years.  This is the third and last of those essays. It doesn’t seem all that … Continue reading →

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Below the surface of Genesis

Posted on May 4, 2020 by hessd

I’ve been spending a fair amount of time recently reading scholarly analyses of the first three chapters of Genesis. I will leave until later the question of whether this is the best use of virus-generated free time. What I would … Continue reading →

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The gospels as murder mysteries

Posted on December 8, 2019 by hessd

The value of a metaphor is that it opens up a less known idea by comparing it to a better known idea. [1] I have never been to Greece, but I have been charmed for years by stories that Greek … Continue reading →

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Catching Eli’s Attention

Posted on October 9, 2019 by hessd

The story of old Eli and young Samuel has been told a lot of times.  The story I have always heard is how Samuel learned, finally, to hear God’s voice.  It’s a really good story.  But lately, I have been … Continue reading →

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