About a century before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, an Egyptian royal scribe named Hunefer died. Found in his tomb was a papyrus Book of the Dead, an illustrated guide for navigating the afterlife. The above illustration shows Hunefer (in white at far left) entering the afterlife, where his heart will be weighed…
A surgical strike won’t solve this problem
Whatever Zeus, chief of Greek gods, once held in his right hand was not friendly–either a lightening bolt or a spear. A little violence would solve whatever problem Zeus encountered. I ponder the political and spiritual message of this oversized statue of Zeus (5th century BC) I saw a few years ago at the National…
Autocrats love their gold
Ever notice how authoritarian rulers try to salve their ego, distract attention from their corruption, and dazzle others with bling? And there’s gold, always gold! A great fire destroyed more than half of the city of Rome in the summer of AD 64. Suspected of having torched the city to make room for a new…
Let those mighty bells resound!
Twice during the month of May, church bells thundered and shook the ground around me. At Rome: Ellen and I arrived at Rome on May 8 to visit Roman imperial and early Christian sites. Late in the afternoon we explored Trastevere (“Across the Tiber”), a section of ancient Rome where many first-century Jews and Christians…
This Pontiff was a Bridge Builder
Thank God for the life and witness of Pope Francis! His humility, pursuit of justice, care for the marginalized, and commitment to environmental stewardship made me grateful to be a Christian. In 2018 I waited in a chapel at Geneva, Switzerland for the arrival of the pope. Church leaders from several hundred Christian traditions had…
Come join me on a gospel journey . . .
Join a Christian pilgrimage to biblical sites in Greece and Türkiye. Learn about the Roman Empire and how early Christians witnessed.
Take inspiration from the midwives
Even today the Pharaoh, photographed last November as a mighty crouching sphinx, still seems powerful. But the book of Exodus doesn’t so much as give his name! It’s those who resisted Pharaoh’s cruelty on a grassroots level—midwives Shiphrah and Puah—whose names really matter. Scripture says trouble for the Hebrews began when “a new king arose…
It’s time to stand with suffering and vulnerable people!
Two thousand year ago the cruelty of Herod forced Jesus and his parents to go to Egypt for refuge. Today cruel policies in Washington threaten to force Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. This in the wake of American-supplied bombs having reduced Gaza to cinders. Today Washington also threatens to violate the sanctity of churches, mosques,…
When a ruler becomes idolatrous
At a museum in Rome I took this picture of a head of Emperor Caligula (AD 37-41). With eerily familiar words, first-century Roman historian Suetonius describes Caligula’s rise to power:“Upon his arrival in Rome the Senate and a crowd of people who had forced their way into the House immediately and unanimously conferred absolute power…
Christians cannot be Crusaders
Any call for Christians to become Crusaders or to hate Muslims is as far from the gospel as we could go.
Holy Lands Peace Pilgrim 