Thursday, April 29, 2021
The Lives Behind the Lines...
by Lynn Johnston
First read in June 2012.
waiting room material
LibraryThing link
Labels: ForBetterofForWorse, LynnJohnston, WaitingRoomMaterial
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Matthew 21:1-28:20
by Jeffrey A. Gibbs
This one finishes up the three-volume commentary on the book of Matthew. It covers the climax of the story--Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. Dr. Gibbs shows how the events not only fulfill Jesus' overt predictions, but also how they echo ideas and phrases from earlier chapters. All along Matthew was pointing to the cross and the empty tomb. This and the other two books are definitely some of my favorite volumes in the series.
Of course it's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link
Labels: ConcordiaCommentary, JeffreyGibbs, OnMyShelf
Sunday, April 11, 2021
...and forgive them their debts
by Michael Hudson
This is the first book I reviewed that I've actually failed to finish. (I got a slow start and, before I knew it, the book was due back at the library.) I'm not quite sure I should post this, but since I posted a book meme back in 2007, I suppose there is a precedent for straying from the norm.
The theory explored in this book is that the Year of Jubilee mentioned in the book of Leviticus was actually not a practice unique to the ancient Israelites, but rather was declared by a number of kings in the ancient cultures of the middle east. Back before the common era, kings and other powers that be relied on landowners to man their armies and provide labor for public building projects. Proclaiming debt amnesties when a new ruler assumed power or in times of natural disaster was a safety valve. It kept citizens who fell into debt from either enslavement or from fleeing to another land. Ancient rulers, Mr. Hudson demonstrates, strove to maintain the productivity of the society as a whole rather than accumulate wealth for a few.
I thought this an interesting idea, but not, it turns out, interesting enough to devour the book. I think my curiosity could have been sated by an article. That said, I do have to respect Mr. Hudson's diligence in scholarship.
Labels: NoRating
Sunday, April 04, 2021
Dave Berg: Five Decades of "The Lighter Side of ..."
by Dave Berg (mostly)
This one's a collection of comic strips that Dave Berg did for Mad magazine. As the subtitle says, it spans five decades of work. The collection is not complete--I only recognized one set of strips, even though I read numerous issues of Mad back in the day. But it's still worth checking out. Mr. Berg had a great talent in finding humor in everyday life.
Labels: CheckItOut
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