This article below is an additional handout I produced for a recent local Scripture Study Group meeting on the Seven Women in John’s Gospel. In the article, I look particularly, but not exclusively, at references to Mary of Bethany/Mary Magdalene… Read More ›
Old Testament Exegesis
Strength in Weakness: the “Israel of God” and the Structure of Gal. 6:15-16
In this article, I look at the structure of Gal. 6:14-17, in particular concentrating on verses 15 and 16. One of the aims of this investigation is to see whether Paul’s intriguing use of the term “without strength” in relation… Read More ›
The Restoration of Sodom in Ezekiel Ch. 16 – a Proposed Interpretation
One of the difficulties in the exegesis of Ezekiel Ch. 16 concerns the “restoration of the fortunes” (v. 53), and the “return to an original state” (v. 55), of three cities, Jerusalem, Samaria and Sodom. The main difficulty here concerns… Read More ›
The Prophetic Foreknowledge of the Ascension of Elijah
We read the exciting and dramatic account of Elijah’s ascent to heaven in 2 Kings 2. At the very start of that narrative, we, as readers, are told that Yahweh was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a… Read More ›
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit: an Intertextual Reading of Mark 9:14-29 and the Golden Calf Incident in Exodus Ch. 32
Many commentators have noticed a similarity between Jesus’ return from the Mount of Transfiguration and Moses’ return from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments. In both cases there is a chaotic scene of failure which Jesus and Moses resolve. In… Read More ›
Christ in Genesis Chs. 1-2 and John 1:1-2:11
A recent video by Alastair Roberts looks at the likelihood of a “creation week” at the start of John’s Gospel which “tracks” the creation week at the start of Genesis, and thus links the new creation in Christ with the… Read More ›
Some Chiastic Structures in Luke Ch. 4: Part 2
In this article, I attempt to describe the structure of Jesus’ sermon, delivered in the synagogue at Nazareth, about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath and about Elisha and Naaman the Syrian in Luke 4:25-27. I also look briefly at… Read More ›
The 153 Fishes and Solomon’s Temple – an Inter-textual Reading
This article is actually chapter 3 of my book Chiastic Structures in the Interpretation of Scripture. The article is a Word document and can be accessed below or from the Articles page of this website. In his Gospel, John makes many… Read More ›
A “Timeline” for Jonah Chapter 2 (Jonah’s “Psalm”)
Jonah chapter 2 is basically the prayer that Jonah says from the belly of the great fish. In it he “rehearses” to Yahweh the events that have led up to his rescue. Now some of these events were things that he… Read More ›
Jonah – a Chiastic Analysis of the First Two Chapters – Part Two
This article is a continuation of what I hope will be a series of articles exploring the possibility that the first two chapters of Jonah (or, more accurately, Jonah 1:1-3:2) constitute a chiasm. The centre of the proposed chiasm is… Read More ›
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