In biblical poetry a vineyard often represents the beloved. The prophet Isaiah begins to “sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard,” a song in which God’s affectionate care of Israel is recounted. The love song quickly becomes a lover’s lament, though, as Isaiah tells how the vineyard was prepared with tenderness, but since it produced “wild grapes,” it will now be abandoned.
John W. Martens
John W. Martens is an associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn,where he teaches early Christianity and Judaism. He also directs the Master of Arts in Theology program at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He was born in Vancouver, B.C. into a Mennonite family that had decided to confront modernity in an urban setting. His post-secondary education began at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas, came to an abrupt stop, then started again at Vancouver Community College, where his interest in Judaism and Christianity in the earliest centuries emerged. He then studied at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, and McMaster University, with stops at University of Haifa and University of Tubingen. His writing often explores the intersection of Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman culture and belief, such as in "let the little children come to me: Children and Childhood in Early Christianity" (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009), but he is not beyond jumping into the intersection of modernity and ancient religion, as in "The End of the World: The Apocalyptic Imagination in Film and Television" (Winnipeg: J. Gordon Shillingford Press, 2003). He blogs at www.biblejunkies.com and at www.americamagazine.org for "The Good Word." You can follow him on Twitter @biblejunkies, where he would be excited to welcome you to his random and obscure interests, which range from the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, to his dog, and 70s punk, pop and rock. When he can, he brings students to Greece, Turkey and Rome to explore the artifacts and landscape of the ancient world. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and has two sons. He is certain that the world will not end until the Vancouver Canucks have won the Stanley Cup, as evidence has emerged from the Revelation of John, 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, and 4 Ezra which all point in this direction.
Posted inThe Word
Do It God’s Way
And more much more than this I did it my way rdquo sang Frank Sinatra There is something life-affirming about doing it ldquo my way rdquo charting one rsquo s own path following one rsquo s conscience and talents and not compromising one rsquo s values along the way But when it comes to th
Posted inThe Good Word
Did Jesus Exist?
There was an article in Salon com on September 1 2014 titled 5 Reasons to Suspect that Jesus never Existed This is problematic if true for scholars of the historical Jesus but more problematic for the millions upon millions of people who believe in Jesus not just as a human being but also as a
Posted inThe Good Word
The Letter of Paul to the Galatians Online Commentary (24)
In the first entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on Galatians I discussed introductory matters concerning the founding of the churches to the Galatians the situation when Paul wrote to them when the letter might have been written and the type of letters which Paul wrote based on the com
Posted inThe Word
The Ways of God
What are the ways of God There are twin dangers for us when we consider this question On the one hand some people consider God rsquo s ways so inscrutable that they no longer trust we can know how God acts or what God demands of us This draws some people to the point of disbelief If God rsquo s
Posted inThe Good Word
The Letter of Paul to the Galatians Online Commentary (23)
In the first entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on Galatians I discussed introductory matters concerning the founding of the churches to the Galatians the situation when Paul wrote to them when the letter might have been written and the type of letters which Paul wrote based on the com
Posted inThe Word
His Humility
We are called to travel many paths some that challenge us others that inspire us To trust in God is to trust that whatever path we are now on is the one that will ultimately bring us to the Promised Land This is easy to say especially when one rsquo s path is not meandering through war zones or
Posted inThe Word
Love’s Obligations
What does it mean to love your neighbor Paul says that ldquo love does no evil to the neighbor rdquo and that ldquo love is the fulfillment of the law rdquo How do these two statements coalesce to produce a practical Christian ethic of behavior One is stated negatively mdash love does no evil
Posted inThe Word
Rock-Solid Authority
One of the most shocking but welcome aspects of the Bible is how often power is challenged It occurs so often in the biblical tradition that we might take it for granted but the practice of saying uncomfortable things to those who have authority to speak from a position of weakness to those who
Posted inThe Word
Like Fire Burning in My Heart
Much modern talk about God tends to reduce the creator to a living doll who wants to give us a divine cuddle There is no doubt that the essence of God rsquo s being is love but the experience of that love and of God rsquo s being is not always an experience of comfort and ease God can disturb th