On the Herodians in the Gospel of Mark
Reading each of the gospels as a single story can be helpful in drawing out information. For instance, Mark 3:6 says that the Pharisees plotted along with the Herodians to destroy Jesus. The Herodians are introduced here as a new player, another antagonist against Christ. But they only show up again in Mark 12:3, the discourse about paying taxes to Caesar (the only other time they are mentioned in scripture at all is Matthew’s parallel to this account).
Herod and his allies do not have a prominent role in Mark, unlike in Luke where Jesus stands in trial before Herod. It would be easy to treat the alliance between the Pharisees and the Herodians as a minor detail, or only about the desperate pragmatism of the Pharisees. Yet the Herodians occupy an important place in Mark…
On The Ride of the Rohirrim
Throughout The Silmarillion the goodness of Men is directly connected to their affiliation with the Elves. In the First Age the Edain are the Men who resist Morgoth alongside the Elves, and grow greater in life, wisdom, art, culture, language, arms,…
On Enduring Light Overcoming the Dark
J.R.R. Tolkien united the stories of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings not just by creating a consistently compelling fictional universe, but by allowing echoes of The Silmarillion to be humming throughout the narrative of The Lord of the Rings….
