Category Archives: Biblical Studies

The Risk-averse servant

Posted on May 18, 2017 by hessd

This story, recorded by both Matthew and Luke, has been given a lot of different interpretations. I’ve been working/playing with it recently and I have three observations I would like to make. Before I get into the observation-making business, let … Continue reading →

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A Victory for Biblical Scholarship

Posted on May 3, 2017 by hessd

When I think of “going out at the top of our game, I’m not thinking of Kevin Costner’s performance as Billy Chapel, the aging Detroit Tigers pitcher who pitches a perfect game on his last trip to the mound in … Continue reading →

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A Bunny Welcome for Jesus

Posted on April 23, 2017 by hessd

This year, Walmart featured a very upbeat TV ad with the caption, “Easter like you mean it.” It’s about kids running around in a well cared for neighborhood, chasing each other and finding easter eggs while inside the house, the … Continue reading →

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James the Presbyter at Princeton

Posted on April 7, 2017 by hessd

I have been paying a good deal of attention to the recent goings-on at Princeton Theological Seminary for one reason or another. The issues themselves are small potatoes, it seems to me; in comparison to the reasons people have given … Continue reading →

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The Last Word

Posted on March 29, 2017 by hessd

I am married to a librarian and every now and then she dips into whatever bag of tricks librarians have and produces just the right observation. That happened last weekend and I want to tell you about it. Telling you … Continue reading →

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Thy rod and thy staff…

Posted on March 17, 2017 by hessd

…they comfort me. That’s the way the psalm goes. It is Psalm 23, very likely the most famous psalm in the world. [1] I got to thinking about it the other day and, like so many other things I think … Continue reading →

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The Re- of Resurrection

Posted on February 26, 2017 by hessd

The argument in this essay is that whoever put the re- prefix on resurrection did us no favors. We’ll see. Despite the imminent onset of the Lenten season, this is not a doctrinal investigation. This is a linguistic investigation. There … Continue reading →

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How “it” really happened

Posted on February 18, 2017 by hessd

I am going to wind up saying that I don’t know how it really happened and before you start pressing me on just what “it” I have in mind, I want to say that I don’t have one in mind. … Continue reading →

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“This isn’t told for sentiment”

Posted on December 4, 2016 by hessd

Every other year, I study Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. [1] By happenstance (see footnote 1) the Luke years are the even numbered years, which means that I study Luke in the presidential years and in the midterm … Continue reading →

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Jesus supports my political program

Posted on September 7, 2016 by hessd

Today, I feel like Yaskov, the Russian spy in Howard Neame’s 1980 movie, Hopscotch. He says of his opposite number, the American spy, “I do like him, you know. One can’t help it.” The opposite number in Hopscotch is Miles Kendrick, … Continue reading →

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