Solomon's Bookcase

In our fourth annual Christmas installment, an Oak Tree grove dedicated to Thor, the northern European god of thunder, is visited by Saint Boniface in 723 CE.  Boniface takes it upon himself to dispose the world of this oak, and in its place, anoint a small evergreen as the "new" symbol of everlasting life.

With the vast majority of what would call the "Old Testament" composed and edited, and with Judea under continual military and political threats from outside, the Jewish theological literature did not simply freeze in place.  In these last few centuries leading into the 1st c. CE, scrolls such as 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and Tobit demonstrate that the views of angels, demons, and the roles of these beings in everyday life are very much continuing to be developed. Books: John J. Collins.  Daniel.  Hermeneia.  Minneapolis:  Fortress Press, 1993. Michael Heiser.  Demons:  What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness.  Lexham Press:  Bellingham, WA, 2020. Michael Heiser.  Angels:  What the Bible Really Says About God's Heavenly Host.  Lexham Press:  Bellingham, WA, 2018. John Walton, "Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel."  In Windows to the Ancient World of the Hebrew Bible.  Bill Arnold, Nancy Erickson, and John Walton, eds.  Eisenbrauns:  Winona Lake, 2014.  229-45. George Nickelsburg.  1 Enoch.  Hermeneia.  Minneapolis:  Fortress Press, 2001.  2 vols. James VanderKam.  Jubilees.  Hermeneia.  Minneapolis:  Fortress Press, 2018.  2 vols. James VanderKam.  "Demons."  In Demons:  The Demonology of the Israelite-Jewish and Early Christian Literature in the Context of their Environment.  Tübingen:  Mohr Siebeck, 2003.  339-64. James VanderKam.  "Mastema in the Qumran Literature and the Book of Jubilees."  In Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls:  John Collins at Seventy.  Joel Baden, Hindy Najman, Eileen Schuller, eds.  JSJSup 175; Leiden:  Brill, 2017.  1346-60. Karel Van der Toorn.  "The Theology of Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel – Popular Belief and Scholarly Speculation."  In Demons:  The Demonology of the Israelite-Jewish and Early Christian Literature in the Context of their Environment.  Tübingen:  Mohr Siebeck, 2003.  61-83. Géza Xeravits.  "The Angel's Self-Revelation in Tobit 12."  In Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls:  John Collins at Seventy.  Joel Baden, Hindy Najman, Eileen Schuller, eds.  JSJSup 175; Leiden:  Brill, 2017.  1399-1417. Artwork: "Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre," Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647).

A session at the 2021 American Academy of Religion's Annual Meeting, consisting of 3 papers, reflected on the ancient wisdom that might be found from the period of late antiquity in regards to isolation.  How did the early hermits of the Christian faith view their lives of isolation and separateness, and how might we draw from their perspectives and lessons learned during a pandemic or period of involuntary solitude in our own lives?

After the Battle of Hastings in September of 1066, William the Conqueror was in a tremendous hurry to consolidate his power, and thus elected to arrange his coronation ceremony on Christmas Day of that same year.  The chaos that ensued was certainly not according to plan!

Angels are often portrayed as messengers, yet the prophet Isaiah describes a very different type of "angelic" encounter with 6-winged flying creatures bathing in smoke.  Isaiah doesn't even seem that surprised to see them - perhaps there's a reason for that?  Oh, and we'll talk about the Angel of Death.  Not his real name, but he's kind of a big deal. Books: 1.  "Sarapu."  In The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.  Chicago:  Oriental Institute, 1962.  Pgs. 102-5. 2.  John Walton.  "Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel."  In Windows to the Ancient World of the Hebrew Bible.  Bill Arnold, Nancy Erickson, and John Walton, eds.  Winona Lake, IN:  Eisenbrauns, 2014.  Pgs. 229-45. 3.  T.N.D. Mettinger.  "Seraphim."  In Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible.  Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter van Horst, eds.  Leiden: Brill, 1999.  Pgs. 742-4. Music: Clip from The Ten Commandments.  Paramount Pictures, 1956. Clip from Evan Almighty.  Universal Pictures, 2007. Alexander Nakarada.  "Vopna."  Creative Commons license.  www.serpentsoundstudios.com Artwork: Seraphim, from the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul.  Unknown date and artist.

Judge-to-be Gideon, a resistance fighter under oppression by a foreign army, is visited by a divine messenger.  Gideon has some pretty direct questions for his angelic visitor, and remains somewhat unconvinced that his commissioning as a deliverer of his people is in fact legit. Books: 1. Tammi Schneider.  Judges.  Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry.  David Cotter, ed.  Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000. 2.  Trent Butlet.  Judges.  Word Biblical Commentary.  Bruce Metzger, ed.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009. 3.  Samuel Meier.  "Angel." In Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible.  2nd ed.  Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1999. Artwork: Hendrik Heerschop.  "The Sacrifice of Gideon."  1653.

Following from the previous episode, we dive into the real-life inspiration behind The Exorcist, and remind you that there was kind of a big deal in the 80s and 90s called the Satanic Panic.  We talk about playing Led Zeppelin tapes backwards and washing your clothes in holy water.  We end with some cautionary tales and my own personal experiences in the Charismatic Catholic church and Evangelical missions. Timestamps: 00:51 Deliverance adventures in the Charismatic Catholic Church 04:38 Emotional drivers of belief in supernatural beings 06:36 Ronald Hunkeler - the inspiration behind The Exorcist 18:23 First-hand accounts of Exorcists 23:53 The "Satanic Panic," rock music, Dungeons and Dragons - the 80s were wild 31:05 Backlash on overemphasis on the supernatural 32:28 The informal nature of exorcism training; holy water in washing machines? 35:08 Severity of demonic influence per the Int'l Assoc of Exorcists 38:40 Dangers of lack of standards and accountability; Gabriele Amorth 49:28 A Blind spot in Progressive Christianity?; Personal stories 59:31 Wrap up Books: 1.  Sergio Rueda.  Diabolical Possession and the Case Behind the Exorcist.  McFarland:  Jefferson, SC, 2018. 2.  Michael Cuneo.  American Exorcism:  Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty.  Doubleday:  New York, 2001. 3.  Matt Baglio.  The Rite:  Making of a Modern Exorcist.  Doubleday:  New York, 2009. 4.  Gabriele Amorth.  An Exorcist Tells His Story.  Trans. by Nicoletta MacKenzie.  Ignatius Press:  San Francisco, 1999. Music: Grinz Beats.  Exorcist - Rap Instrumental.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw13gIFnxGQ Alex Mason.  The Conjuring.  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Alex_Mason/The_Exorcist/01_alex_mason_-_the_conjuring Alex Mason.  The Mountains of Madness.  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Alex_Mason/The_Exorcist/09_alex_mason_-_the_mountains_of_madness Scott Buckley.  Beautiful Oblivion.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Scott Buckley.  Snowfall.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Artwork: Tuscan School.  The Temptation of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino.  Early 16th century.

Kicking of a multi-part series on Demons and Angels, here we explore the concept of exorcism in the Catholic and Evangelical frameworks.  We survey some early Church history and discover some of the attitudes and assumptions surrounding exorcism in those early centuries following Christ, and we conclude with the story of Anneliese Michel, which is loosely the basis of the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Show Notes: Books: Matt Baglio.  The Rite:  The Making of a Modern Exorcist.  New York:  Doubleday, 2009. John Duffey.  Lessons Learned:  The Anneliese Michel Exorcism.  Eugene, OR:  Wipf & Stock, 2011. Felicitas Goodman.  The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel.  Garden City, NY:  Doubleday, 1981. Spirit Possession Around the World:  Possession, Communion, and Demon Explusion Across Cultures.  Joseph Laycock, ed.  Santa Barbara:  ABC-CLIO, 2015. Music: Musica Romana.  Pugnate II.  www.musica-romana.de/en/index-beta.html Musica Romana.  Pugnate III.  www.musica-romana.de/en/index-beta.html Musica Romana.  I.  www.musica-romana.de/en/index-beta.html Scott Buckley.  Beautiful Oblivion.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Scott Buckley.  Chasing Daylight.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Scott Buckley.  She Moved Mountains.  www.scottbuckley.com.au St. Mary of Pine Bluff.  Exorcism Prayer from Rituale Romanum. Grinz Beats.  Exorcist - Rap Instrumental.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw13gIFnxGQ Evan King.  From Other Suns.  https://youtube.com/evankingaudio Artwork: Francisco Goya.  "St. Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent."  1788.

For this year's Christmas season episode, we visit the history of the church father Saint Nicholas and the body of legends (and real-life torture at the hands of Emperor Diocletian) that lead us to the modern-day Santa Claus. Show Notes: Music: Scott Buckley.  Undertow.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Scott Buckley.  The Spaces Between.  www.scottbuckley.com.au

One of the central motifs of the Book of Proverbs is the comparison of the wise and the foolish.  We examine the power of paradox and how the artistry and skill of the ancient authors prevent us from using the Scriptures as a simple "rulebook for life."  Plus David Brent from The Office makes an appearance.  What could he possibly have to do with a fool? Show Notes: 1.  E.J. Schnabel.  "Wisdom."  In the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.  Eds. T. Desmond Alexander, Brian Rosner, D.A. Carson, Graeme Goldsworthy.  Downers Grove:  InterVarsity Press, 2000.  843-848. 2.  Verlyn Verbrugge, ed.  "σοφια".  New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology.  Abridged Edition.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2000.  3.  Miriam Lichtheim.  "Instruction of Amenemope (1.47)."  The Context of Scripture, Vol. 1 – Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World.  William Hallo, ed.  Leiden, The Netherlands:  Brill, 2003.   115-122. Music: Scott Buckley.  Borealis.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Teknoaxe.  The Exile of Kronos.  https://www.youtube.com/c/teknoaxe/featured Scott Buckley.  She Moved Mountains.  www.scottbuckley.com.au

A man named Abimelech (lit. "my father is king") sweet-talks his way into the hearts and minds of an ancient Israelite territory.  Ambitious and ruthless, he will eventually turn against the very people he was meant to rule.  A cautionary tale of choosing poor leadership. Show Notes: Artwork:  "A Woman Breaks the Skull of Abimelech." James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902).  The Jewish Museum. Music:  Borealis.  Scott Buckley.  www.scottbuckley.com.au Intervention.  Scott Buckley. Computations in a Snowstorm.  Scott Buckley. Insanity Control.  AMRPHIS.

We conclude our series on the atonement of Christ by recapping the question with which we began:  why does the public execution of Jesus have anything to do with our salvation?  Show Notes: 1.  Elizabeth Johnson.  Creation and the Cross:  The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril.  Maryknoll:  Orbis, 2018. 2.  Viktor Frankl.  Man's Search for Meaning.  5th edition.  Trans. Ilse Lasch.  Boston: Beacon Press, 2006. 3.  Thomas F. Torrance.  Atonement:  The Person and Work of Christ.  Edited by Robert Walker.  Paternoster:  Milton Keynes, 2009. 4.  Karl Rahner.  Foundations of Christian Faith:  An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity.  Translated by William Dych.  New York:  Seabury Press, 1978. 5.  Kevin Vanhoozer.  "The Atonement in Postmodernity."  The Glory of the Atonement:  Biblical, Historical, & Practical Perspectives.  Edited by Charles Hill and Frank James.  Downers Grove, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2004.  367-404. 6.  Scot McKnight.  A Community Called Atonement.  Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 2007. 7.  Joel Green.  "The Kaleidoscopic View."  The Nature of Atonement.  Four Views series.  Edited by James Beilby and Paul Eddy.  Downers Grove, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2006.

Why are infants baptized?  Why is a Catholic required to confess to a priest in the confessional?  Turns out, the answers to these and many other Catholic-specific questions tie directly into the concept of Grace, and the role that Grace plays in Catholic atonement theology.  What must a Catholic do to be saved? Show Notes: 1.  Karl Rahner.  Foundations of Christian Faith:  An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity.  Translated by William Dych.  New York:  Seabury Press, 1978. 2.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Available at http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/

In the 11th and 12th centuries CE, pushback increased against the dominant Ransom narrative of Christ's atoning work.  Step into the soap opera that is Abelard's life, and admire Anselm's life as a participant in history, all while we examine their unique contributions to our understanding of our salvation. Show Notes: 1.  Gwenfair Walters, “The Atonement in Medieval Theology.”  The Glory of the Atonement:  Biblical, Historical, & Practical Perspectives.  Edited by Charles Hill and Frank James.  Downers Grove, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2004.  Pgs. 239-62. 2. Mark Baker and Joel Green.  Recovering the Scandal of the Cross:  Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts.  2011. 3. Denis Kaiser.  “Peter Abelard’s Theology of Atonement:  A Multifaceted Approach and Reevaluation.”  Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, vol. 26(1).  2015.  pgs. 3-28. 4. Cristina Nehring.  “Heloise & Abelard:  Love Hurts.”  New York Times online edition, Feb. 13 2005.  https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/books/review/heloise-abelard-love-hurts.html 5. Peter Abelard.  Historia Calamitatum (Story of my Misfortunes).  Trans. Henry Adams Bellows, 1922.  Available at https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/abelard-histcal.aspx Cover artwork:  Jean Vignaud (1775-1826).  Abelard and Heloise Surprised by the Abbot Fulbert.  1819, oil on canvas.

To celebrate the Christmas season and the culmination of Epiphany, this episode presents a brief digression from our Atonement series to discuss that all-important date of December 25th.  It's become popular to view this date with cynicism and a deconstructionist perspective, as we learn more about the pagan and non-Christan inspiration and roots of our Christmas celebrations.  Is this cynicism warranted?  Or is there room to appreciate the traditions and truths which undergird the season while still internalizing the meaning of the holiday? Show Notes: 1.  Steven Hijmans.  "Sol Invictus, the Winter Solstice, and the Origins of Christmas."  Mouseion, Series III, vol. 3, 2003.  Pgs. 377-98. 2.  C.P.E. Nothaft.  "The Origins of the Christmas Date:  Some Recent Trends in Historical Research."  Church History 81(4), 2012.  Pgs. 903-11. 3.  Kurt Simmons.  "The Origins of Christmas and the Date of Christ's Birth."  JETS 58(2), 2015.  Pgs. 299-324. 4.  Mike Duncan.  "A History of Rome Christmas."  The History of Rome Podcast, Episode 18.  2010.

The early and medieval Church held to a model of atonement called "Ransom" or "Christus Victor".  Hand over the briefcase, Jesus...but slowly, keep those hands where we can see 'em.  In this episode, we outline the Ransom model of atonement using Satan's tempations of Jesus in the Judean wilderness as a test case. Show Notes: 1.  "Atonement."  In The Jewish Annotated New Testament.  2nd edition.  Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds.  2017. 2.  Gregory Boyd, Crucifixion of the Warrior God.  2017. 3.  Mark Baker and Joel Green.  Recovering the Scandal of the Cross:  Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts.  2011. 4.  Gregory Boyd, "Christus Victor".  In The Nature of Atonement:  Four Views Series.  James Beilby and Paul Eddy, eds.  2006.

The New Testament writers are very concerned with presenting Christ as a "living sacrifice" - but since most of us aren't in the habit of sacrificing animals anymore (or we've sworn it off at the strong urging of our sponsor), this episode presents an overview of the Ancient Near Eastern sacrificial systems. Show Notes: 1.  "Atonement."  In The Jewish Annotated New Testament.  2nd edition.  Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds.  2017. 2.  John Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament.  2nd edition.  2018. 3. Naphtali Meshel, "Sacrifice and the Temple."  In The Jewish Annotated New Testament.  2nd edition.  Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds.  2017. 4.  Pete Enns.  "The (Not So) Radical Idea of Jesus's Death Atoning for the Sins of Others."  Blog post.  2019. 5.  Mark Boda.  A Severe Mercy:  Sin and its Remedy in the Old Testament.  2009.  

Perhaps the most common Evangelical presentation of our need for Christ and his sacrifice comes from a theological model called "The Romans Road" (also referred to as "The Four Spiritual Laws").  Is God's wrath something which must be appeased and satiated, and is Jesus thus our "escape valve" from the Father?  Or is the Romans Road a model which should be critiqued and reconciled by thoughtful Christians? Show Notes: 1. Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (sermon) 2.  The Bible Project Podcast, Interview with Scot McKnight, June 20, 2019 3.  Mark Baker and Joel Green, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross:  Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts 4.  Scot McKnight, A Community Called Atonement 5.  Andrew Perriman, "What's Wrong with the 'Romans Road' to Salvation?"

Most listeners will be familiar with the crucifixion of Jesus.  Was this type of execution rare, an especially sadistic and cruel punishment reserved for only the few?  Or was crucifixion a common feature of life in the Roman Empire before and after Jesus' earthly life?  This episode makes a cursory examination of the history of crucifixion and what this might mean for our understanding of the Atonement of Christ. Show Notes: 1.  Aron Wall.  "Darkness at Noon" 2.  Erika Belibtreu.  "Grisly Assyrian Record of Torture and Death."  Biblical Archaeology Society 17(1), 1991. 3.  Herodotus.  Histories. 4.  Martin Hengel.  "Crucifixion:  in the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross." 5.  Gunnar Samuelsson.  Crucifixion in Antiquity:  An Inquiry into the Background and Significance of the New Testament Terminology of Crucifixion. 6.  Josephus.  Antiquities of the Jews.

When Jesus was crucified, did his disciples understand the significance of his death?  Was it even reasonable to expect them to?  Should Christ's atoning death be obvious to us today, or do we benefit from assistance by Church tradition, academia, and contemplatives?