Category Archives: Matthew

The Unforgiving King of Matthew 18:21-35?

Posted on December 27, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I am currently reading John Coutts’ A Shared Mercy: Karl Barth on Forgiveness and the Church, and I will probably write my review of it tomorrow.  Today, I want to share something in the book about Jesus’ parable on forgiveness … Continue reading →

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Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

Posted on December 25, 2015 by jamesbradfordpate

In Matthew 2, magi from the east present the child Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Why did they give Jesus those particular gifts? Here are three items.  The first two items draw from Tim Widowfield’s post on … Continue reading →

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The Testament of Abraham: Salvation and Answered Prayer

Posted on September 11, 2015 by jamesbradfordpate

I recently read the Testament of Abraham for my daily quiet time.  The Charlesworth Pseudepigrapha dates it to the first-second centuries C.E.  E.P. Sanders, in his editorial introduction to the work, argues that it has an Egyptian Jewish background. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Daily Quiet Time, Genesis, Hebrews, John, Mark, Matthew, Rabbinics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Write-Up: Matthew and Empire, by Warren Carter

Posted on December 17, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

Warren Carter.  Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations.  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International, 2001. Warren Carter argues that Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew was against the Roman empire and its oppression of Israel.  That’s not the message one often hears … Continue reading →

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Forgiving Each Day in Prayer

Posted on February 15, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

When I was doing my daily quiet time recently in the Book of Numbers, studying Numbers 28, I checked my notes on that chapter that I took a few years ago.  Numbers 28-29 is about the sacrifices that are offered … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Daily Quiet Time, Life, Mark, Matthew, Numbers, Religion, School, Weekly Quiet Time | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Forgiving Each Day in Prayer

John and Realized Eschatology

Posted on January 14, 2013 by jamesbradfordpate

For my write-up today on Lee Harmon’s John’s Gospel: The Way It Happened, I’ll use as my starting-point something that I wrote in a post a while back, when I was blogging through volume 4 of John Meier’s A Marginal … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ezekiel, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened, Lee Harmon, Matthew, Religion, School | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus’ First Coming, and We’re Here Because of Love

Posted on December 16, 2012 by jamesbradfordpate

At church this morning, the pastor’s sermon was about the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.  The pastor said that Christmas from now on may be an especially hard time for the families of the children and faculty members who were … Continue reading →

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Turning Stones into Bread: Why Was It Wrong?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by jamesbradfordpate

At church this morning, the pastor in his sermon said that Jesus not once thought about himself.  Rather, my pastor said, Jesus served others.  The pastor referred to Jesus healing the sick, and also Jesus turning water into wine at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Luke, Matthew, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Arbitrary Apologetics?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by jamesbradfordpate

Nate of the blog “Finding Truth” had a post a while back, Missing the Point.  In the course of the discussion in the comments-section, the topic of the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke came up.  Many contend that … Continue reading →

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Blinded by Might 7

Posted on November 13, 2012 by jamesbradfordpate

In my latest reading of Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can’t Save America, by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson, I started the section of the book entitled “The Interviews”, in which Cal Thomas interviews prominent people on the … Continue reading →

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