As I mentioned in a previous post, I think that it is unlikely that when Paul states that Philemon and Onesimus are adelphoi en sarki (“brothers in the flesh”), that he means that they are both human beings.  I say this for at least five reasons, the first of which I’ll elaborate here. First, this […]

Most commentators on Philemon work with the dominant understanding of the relationship of Philemon to Onesimus.  They are master and slave.  In some way Onesimus has brought harm to Philemon and has fled.  He has somehow found Paul, whom he has known to be a close friend of his master Philemon.  The extant letter is […]

When major season on the golf calendar rolls around, golf commentators invariably weigh in on whether or not Tiger Woods will break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 professional majors.  Woods has set himself to this epic quest and it’s been fascinating to see him pursue it.  When he’s playing well, the talking heads say that […]

Last week I read a paper at the International SBL in which I argued that it is more likely than not that Philemon and Onesimus are actual brothers.  This isn’t, of course, the consensus view, according to which Onesimus is the slave of Philemon. Before I read my paper I gave a brief account of […]

One of my favorite weeks of the year is here–the week of The Open Championship.  Most Americans know it as “the British Open,” but when it began it had nothing else from which to distinguish it.  So it’s just “The Open Championship.” This year it’s being played at Muirfield, home to the Honourable Company of […]

I’m back from International SBL, which was held in St. Andrews. It was good to be in such a lovely place, to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. It’s always a highlight to play a few rounds of golf on the St. Andrews Links. The summer’s been very dry and warm […]

As I indicated a few weeks ago, we’ve moved into summer mode around here.  Because other things need my attention, I’m taking a blogging break and anticipate being back in action around July 15th.

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you […]

*Originally given at Midtown Christian Community, October 9, 2010. I’ve always been deathly afraid of passages like Mark 13.  I grew up in an evangelical culture that would read passages like Mark 13 as wild and woolly predictions of end-times cataclysms, assigning biblical significance to contemporary events.  Back in the 1980’s, the big fear was […]

Yesterday I cited a comment I’ve heard occasionally that indicates how some evangelical Christians regard the Bible.  They seek to understand the Bible primarily so that they can tell others what it says. Those with this sort of anxiety need to understand that the gospel sets them free to enjoy open-ended conversations with others.  They […]