Bible

Epiphany’s Choice and the Environment: In Reverence to Honor, or in Fear to Destroy

Bible, Bible and ecology, Blog, Ecology, Holidays, Jesus, Non-human Natural World, Politics / By

Hang on, you there, packing up the Christmas lights, dismantling the tree, boxing up the crèche with its cast of characters and that long-tailed star. Christmas is not over. Sure, come December 26th, it may have been all over for the “Little Drummer Boy,” Bing Crosby, and the Nutcracker; but not quite for Christmas. The …

Epiphany’s Choice and the Environment: In Reverence to Honor, or in Fear to Destroy Read More »

A Good Thing about That Emoji Bible

ancient Near East, Bible, Bible and ecology, Bible translation, Blog, Ecology, Jesus, Non-human Natural World, Sex, Writing Process / By

One of my favorite questions as a Bible-scholar-lady is “So, what’s the best translation?” I love this question not only because it opens the door to substantive discussion that can last for the better part of a class period… no matter how long the meeting. But I also love it because we get to talk …

A Good Thing about That Emoji Bible Read More »

Exodus the Movie, God, and the Power of Stories

Bible, Bible in the movies, Blog, movies, Supernatural, Women in the Bible / By

Let me say right off the top that this post isn’t so much about the movie Exodus as it is about God… and story. Still, I should probably warn, “spoiler alert.” But the two biggies below that might preempt one’s enjoyment of the drama hardly qualify as spoilers, and they bear immediately on the whole …

Exodus the Movie, God, and the Power of Stories Read More »

A Book, Changed — On Writing

Amytis, ancient Near East, Babylon, Bible, Blog, books, Creativity, Cyrus II, Historical Fiction, Women in the Ancient World, Work, Writing, Writing Process / By

At what point in writing does one book become another? In the editing, rewriting, re-editing and re-rewriting of a project engaged over years, should we just call it a different book? (The shadow question is, of course, at what point does one pack it away, brush off one’s hands, and turn to something else?) In …

A Book, Changed — On Writing Read More »

300, Awesome Ancient Women, and the Perils of Historical Fiction

ancient Near East, Atossa, Babylon, Bible, Breast Cancer, Creativity, Cyrus II, Historical Fiction, movies, Persian Empire, War, Women in the Ancient World / By

Here’s what I just posted on Huffington Post… and then, here’s the problem with it. Now if only there were about three hundred more 300‘s. Maybe not in blood and gore but movies with kick-ass women from ancient Persia and Greece. Then, more people would get what has so captivated me about Amytis, Cassandane, and …

300, Awesome Ancient Women, and the Perils of Historical Fiction Read More »

Herod and the Magi, a Study in Contrast on Epiphany

ancient Near East, Bible, Blog, Jesus, religious holidays / By

Rich guys, all — Herod, the half-blood king of Judea enjoying extravagances still evident today; and those magi, bearing gifts of rare value. Today is epiphany, in western Christian tradition, remembered as the moment when Jesus’ importance became evident to the greater world. Setting aside belief about Jesus’ divinity and all that for a moment …

Herod and the Magi, a Study in Contrast on Epiphany Read More »

Follow by Email
Facebook
Twitter