Rules of Engagement (1)

Then God spoke all these words, saying,  Exodus 20:1  NASB All these words – kāl dābārim, “all words.”  But what is the meaning of “all”?  This verse precedes the recitation of the ten commandments.  Are just the Ten Commandments included in “all”?  What about the rest of God’s words to Moses? Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism has a…

The End of the Beginning (3)

For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of YHWH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances   Ezra 7:10  JPS 1917 To seek – Judaism and Hellenism, Martin Hengel’s magnum opus, might at first glance appear to be a study of the difference between these two streams.  At…

Conduct Unbecoming

but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,  1 Corinthians 1:23  NASB Stumbling Block – You certainly know that Paul’s choice of the Greek is a bit more outrageous than the typical translation, “stumbling block.”  The Greek is skándalon.  You can immediately see the English derivative, “scandal.”  We choose “stumbling block” because…