Another thought from Luke, this time chapter 3. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 contains 77 names. Several commentators suggest that the names are arranged in 11 groups of 7, and that there is a pattern of 7s (groups of 2 and 3 7s) that provides an overview of history from Adam to Jesus. If this is the case, then Jesus is the first in the 12th group of 7, beginning the completion of Israel (a 12).
Another numerological note: According to Jewish tradition, there were seven prophetesses in Israel. Anna (Luke 2) is called a prophetess, and by this reckoning would be the 8th, fittingly, since she praises God for beginning the 8th day, sending the 8th man.
The Possibility of Possibility
"Might could” is a Southern expression meaning “maybe I could” or “I might be able to,” conveying…
The False Promise of No Contact
Around the time nineteen-year-old Alice began cutting ties with her family, she announced on social media that…
Moral Certitude and the Iran War
The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…