In a wall relief at the shrine of Hathor,
goddess of love and joy, Thutmose III,
Napoleon of Egypt, conqueror of Syria
holds a ball in one hand and in the other
a stick, “striking the ball for Hathor, foremost
in Thebes.” Seker-hemat, batting the ball.
The king’s priest plays the field, “catching it for him
by the servants of the gods,” ritual
for renewal and a relief to learn
that it was nothing new under the sun
when you buried your father with ball and glove.
— J. L. Wall
You have a decision to make: double or nothing.
For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
In other words, your gift of $50 unlocks $100 for First Things, your gift of $100 unlocks $200, and so on, up to a total of $120,000. But if you don’t give, nothing.
So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?
Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
