Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | September 13, 2015
One of the most well-known Bible stories is the temptation and fall of man (Genesis 3:1-24). But how familiar are we with the how the story is told? To method there is meaning. Seeing how a text is organized is more than just a time consuming exercise. It helps to explain why something is included, […]
PHall | September 9, 2015
Genesis 3:1 suggests why Satan chose to take the form of a serpent, but why did he choose to take an animal form to begin with? I wonder if it is all part of the upside-down world he helped create. The temptation is about usurpation: Satan’ s word over God’s; man over God; and female […]
PHall | September 9, 2015
I know not every one believes the Bible has chiasms in it; but for those who do (and maybe for those who don’t), here is a simple one I noticed today: Genesis 3:9-19 A – God to Adam B – God to Eve C – God to Serpent B’ – God to Eve A’ – […]
PHall | September 4, 2015
I am reading Proverbs. It is commonly thought Solomon wrote his Song in his youth, Ecclesiastes in his old age, and Proverbs as a middle aged man. If so, knowing Solomon had around 700 wives and 300 concubines when writing Proverbs, it makes the reading at time very sorrowful. For example, “Better a dry crust […]
PHall | September 4, 2015
In Luke 4 Jesus mentions how miracles were done for a widow in Sidon and a general in Syria – both Gentiles – and not for Jews. This infuriates His Jews contemporaries. No doubt Jesus’ use showed these incidents had purpose. Such an incident having surprising meaning made we wonder if another seemingly inconsequential incident […]
PHall | September 4, 2015
Simple things impress me especially when unexpectedly filled with treasures. Let’s take the phrase “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” It is filled both with science and theology: Science – “In the beginning (time) God (force) created (action) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter). These five are the manifestations of […]
PHall | September 4, 2015
If there is anything more boring than the etymology of names, it has to be genealogies; right? Not so fast. In the Bible, the meaning, and even the sound, of names is theologically important. Often there are various meanings, and sometimes the Bible gives a meaning. In Genesis 5:29, Lamech names his son Noah saying, […]
PHall | August 6, 2015
A – Habakkuk’s First Complaint About God’s Justice (1:2-4) – Waiting In Doubt B – Yahweh’s First Response (1:5-11) – Babylon’s Army C – Habakkuk’s Second Complaint About God’s Justice (1:12-2:1) – Babylon’s Wickedness D – Yahweh’s Second Response (2:2-5) – The Righteous Live by Faith C’ – Five Woes (2:6-20) – Babylon’s Wickedness B’ […]
PHall | July 31, 2015
It’s a good thing I am not a scientist because many of them confuse me. Recently a new planet, Kepler 452b, has been discovered that supposedly can sustain life. In fact scientists have been looking for planets capable of sustaining life assuming all life must be comparable to life on earth. Isn’t that a flawed […]
PHall | July 24, 2015
With Janet’s surgery, we were blessed by our spiritual family bringing us dinners. One night while eating a wonderful dish with turkey and sweet potatoes, I noticed one son had eaten the turkey and left the potatoes. I love sweet potatoes but he doesn’t. I asked if he was thankful for all the love shown […]