PThU Bible blog
- Does Paul Speak Out about Homosexuality?Can a translation choice change a society? Yes, argues Kathy Baldock in her recent book Forging a Sacred Weapon. The 1946 Bible Mistranslation Behind Anti-Gay Theology. Her thesis in a single sentence: a mistaken translation choice in 1946 put a condemnation of homosexuality into Paul’s mouth, with disastrous consequences. On 7 November, Baldock will be the keynote speaker at the LoveLoveXL festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where I will lead several workshops with her as a translation expert.
- A thorn in Paul’s flesh?In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth there are a few chapters in which he does his utmost to win the congregation back to his side (2 Cor 10–13). His opponents had successfully appealed to extraordinary gifts and revelations. Paul could do the same, he writes, but he deliberately refrains from doing so. Paradoxically, his weakness becomes his strongest argument. In the middle of this section stands a puzzling little sentence: ‘to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me’ (2 Cor 12:7 NRSVue). What does Paul mean here, and in particular, what does he mean by that ‘thorn’?
- Divination by arrows in the Hebrew Bible and pre-Islamic ArabiaCuriosity about the future is an important trait of human nature. Everyone wants to know what is going to happen. The human inability to see the hidden has led to the use of divination: the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers (Merriam-Webster).
- Slave and brother? Christian brotherhood in a world of slavery and inequalityOne of the best-known passages in the Letter to Philemon is where Paul writes that, through his conversion to faith in Jesus Christ, Onesimus has become more than a slave: a “beloved brother” (v. 16). But what does it actually mean to call someone a brother in a context of slavery? This Bible blog shows that anyone who truly takes the metaphor of brotherhood and sisterhood seriously inevitably comes into conflict with slavery. Brotherhood is not innocent religious language; it is a morally charged concept with political and social consequences.
- Did Paul have a near-death experience on the road to Damascus?The apostle Paul was a passionate preacher of the Gospel. But his life started differently. Paul was first called Saul and belonged to the Jewish movement of the Pharisees. As an ardent zealot, he aimed at imprisonment of the followers of the growing Jesus movement. In that context, he set out one day for Damascus. Along the way, however, something remarkable happened. Paul had an experience that turned his life upside down. In this blog, I discuss whether we can interpret Paul’s experience as a near-death experience.
- Name Making in the USA and the Old TestamentPresident Donald Trump likes to see his name on buildings. In recent months, various media outlets have reported on Trump’s desire to “make a name for himself” (including The New York Times). Hotels, casinos, and conference centers, but also a savings plan for children or a visa for wealthy migrants (the Trump Gold Card), all bear the name of the President of the United States. There is even a Wikipedia page listing the many things named after Trump. In this blog, I explore how this desire for name and fame can be viewed from a biblical perspective.
- The first thing is what matters most The beginning of a new year invites us to return once again to the beginning of the Bible: the book of Genesis, which itself opens with ‘in the beginning’. Why do we so often understand creation stories as a moment in time, a starting point, a beginning? Might they be telling us something else as well?
