The Grand Inquisitor and Rebellion

Ivan Karamazov issues the following challenge to his devout brother Alyosha, before sharing with him the now-famous parable about the Grand Inquisitor, in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov": Tell me straight out, I call on you—answer me: imagine that you yourself are building the edifice of human destiny with the object of making people happy … Continue reading The Grand Inquisitor and Rebellion

Favorite reads of 2022

My ten most memorable reads of 2022, fiction and nonfiction, out of my 42 first-time reads: 1. The Book of Job -- Robert Alter's translation “Oh, let that night be barren, let it have no song of joy.Let the day-cursers hex it, those ready to rouse Leviathan.Let its twilight stars go dark.Let it hope for … Continue reading Favorite reads of 2022

Carol Newsom podcast on the Book of Job

The Two Testaments finished its podcast-tour through the Book of Job recently with a discussion focused on Job's concluding words and the epilogue: Job 42 (Job's Response and Epilogue) with Carol Newsom. The podcast is hosted at The Two Testaments, and it's available at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nmfpbCSEQc Carol Newsom is the author of The Book of … Continue reading Carol Newsom podcast on the Book of Job

Seven Pillars of Creation

I recently read Michael P. Brown's "The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder", an exploration of scripture in light of modern science, with emphasis on our current ecological crisis here on Earth. Brown, a Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, explores what the Bible and science have … Continue reading Seven Pillars of Creation

The Weaver of Raveloe

I'm re-reading George Eliot's "Silas Marner," almost forty years since first reading it in grade-school. I've just started, so this post won't be a full review. I'm going to share some of the reading experience I've had thus far, both by myself and with my kids, who've shocked me a bit by asking me to … Continue reading The Weaver of Raveloe

Book of Job illustrated by William Blake

Below is the King James text of the Book of Job, with illustrations of William Blake's twenty-two engraved prints. I've inserted the illustrations almost entirely in Blake's original order. Plate 2, which depicts Job's happy former life, I've used both in the prologue and in Chapter 29, when Job recalls that lost time of his … Continue reading Book of Job illustrated by William Blake