In my previous post on the grave reliefs depicting the agony of separation between the deceased and surviving family (here), I shared how many people in the Greco-Roman world grieved over the prospect of never…
exegetical exercise
Ancient Athletic Training: Regimes, Dieting, and Sports Complexes
When athletes train, they usually enter a sports complex called the palaestra (Latin; Greek παλαίστρα), which in classical times often referred to the wrestling ring but by the Roman era came to designate a specialized…
Grace and Gift according to Professor John Barclay of Durham University
There are others who take much better advantage of educational videos and lectures on youtube than I do. However, every now and then, I do stumble across a lectureship series by Tom Wright or other…
The Presence of Christ at the Lord’s Supper and Pagan Sacramentalism
Sorry for the delay between posts, but I have been scrambling now with the indices to the Seyoon Kim Festschrift and my taxes (the first a joy; the 2nd a real pain). But back to…
More Pastoral Reflections on the Life of a Slave and Paul’s Letter to Philemon
One of the more difficult texts in the New Testament has been what Paul says (or rather, does not say) concerning slaves in the Greco-Roman era. Past interpreters of the Bible, for example, are puzzled…
Ecstatic Women Prophetesses at Corinth
Here’s another reflection and post on my trip to Greece. When I was visiting the museum at Corinth, I came across this piece of a Neo-Attic relief found in the area of the Propylaia around…