In the ancient Near East, the distinction between the divine realm and the material world was not always clear. In Mesopotamia, statues, kings, and even cultic utensils could become "gods" in their own right. Certain biblical traditions show this idea as well. Yhwh appears as a human during visitations to Abraham and Jacob (Gen 18:1-2 and 32:25-31). Yhwh also can act through objects (Gen 15:17; 1 Sam 5:1-5). This suggests that, in Israel as in Mesopotamia, a distinction between humans and gods was one of status more than ontology. Throughout the ancient Near East, religious literature included motifs that emphasized divine status, such as power, size, wonder-working ability, and the possession of numinous qualities. In Israel, these divine "status symbols" were frequently storm motifs like cloud, precipitation, and fire. Fire was one of the most common, perhaps because, being vivid and powerful, it shared Yhwh's life-giving, transformative, yet dangerous qualities. In certain narratives, fiery motifs accompany an embodied divine presence. At other times, fiery phenomena are the sole perceptible indications of divine presence. As a motif of divinity, fire can symbolize divine agency even functioning at a distance from Yhwh or shared with a secondary agent like an angel, tool, or weapon. Israel's extensive use of fire in the cult gives witness to similar traditions. Divine fire accompanies each new cultic inauguration in the Hebrew Bible. A tradition in Leviticus suggests that this fire remained continuously burning and served as a "gate" that allowed God to received portions of the cultic offering. In the Hebrew Bible, fire was thus a "status symbol" of divinity, drawn from traditional storm motifs and ancient conventions of divine embodiment. In its vivid ethereal appearance and power to give, transform, and take life, it symbolized the presence and agency of Yhwh, the God of Israel.

Explores how our innate desire for God (and to be like God) is often perverted into the arrogant lust to be God.

“Essential and thoroughly engaging...Harvey Cox’s ingenious sense of how market theology has developed a scripture, a liturgy, and sophisticated apologetics allow us to see old challenges in a remarkably fresh light.” —E. J. Dionne, Jr. We have fallen in thrall to the theology of supply and demand. According to its acolytes, the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It can raise nations and ruin households, and comes complete with its own doctrines, prophets, and evangelical zeal. Harvey Cox brings this theology out of the shadows, demonstrating that the way the world economy operates is shaped by a global system of values that can be best understood as a religion. Drawing on biblical sources and the work of social scientists, Cox points to many parallels between the development of Christianity and the Market economy. It is only by understanding how the Market reached its “divine” status that can we hope to restore it to its proper place as servant of humanity. “Cox argues that...we are now imprisoned by the dictates of a false god that we ourselves have created. We need to break free and reclaim our humanity.” —Forbes “Cox clears the space for a new generation of Christians to begin to develop a more public and egalitarian politics.” —The Nation

Through these essays, Brueggemann addresses the necessity for thinking about the shape and structure of Old Testament theology, and the impact such thinking can have on the large issues of contemporary life. "The Old Testament is seen to be something that has intelligible and significant connections to all sorts of things in this world".--Patrick D. Miller, Jr.

He had seized the nine dragons that defied the heavens! With the Lightning Perception surrounded, one's soul would be reincarnated, reborn into the body of the trash, Lei Nian. What? Cultivation genius? I have the Nine Dragons Stone! Unconvinced? Close the door, let loose thunder!

Creation Immortal Emperor: Immortal Emperor Sky Tyrant has been dead for ten thousand years, no one can defeat him. With a single sword strike, Heaven and Earth will be destroyed. The Heavenly Emperor of Wei was extremely talented, his Eight Devils Mysterious Eyes overlooked the ancient river, and his killing power was the highest in the world. Meng Xuan, is killing them a small task? Meng Xuan: I can't say it was a small matter, right? That would seem too arrogant. Interesting, right? There were 3,000 great Daos, 100,000 Planets, and various types of Chosen vying for the Emperor's Road. ... 

Centering on the "knowledge of God" and the ultimate painful, paradoxical triumph of God's grace, the book of Hosea is one of ambivalence and redemption. The redemptive message of Hosea is underscored by H. D. Beeby's canonical and Christological interpretation. Beeby stresses that the true context of the book is much wider than the eighth century B.C.; Hosea must continually be heard against the background of and in response to the reader's own time. This commentary makes Hosea's message available today to all who struggle with questions of gospel and culture, contextualization, idolatry, church and state, and interfaith dialogue.