Between Babel and Beast
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The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan

Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Athanasius
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The Four: A Survey of the Gospels

Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom

From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John

Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture

Jane Austen
(A Biography)

Solomon Among the Postmoderns

The Baptized Body

1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary

The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter

A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons

Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature

Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen

The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism

A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel

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From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution

Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy

Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper

A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament

Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature

Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays

Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life

The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church

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Theology - Liturgical: Peter and the Rock

In her Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity: Ritual, Visual, and Theological Dimensions (pp. 190-191), Robin M. Jenson notes that in some early Christian iconography, Peter was substituted for Moses in the scene of the striking of the rock: “In the fourth century . . . the composition of the scene was radically transformed; rather than Moses, it showed the apostle Peter as the rock-striking, staff-wielding wonder-worker.  Viewers may easily identify Peter from his unique portrait type (a low forehead, square jaw, short beard, and bushy hair) and from the common juxtaposition of scenes of his denial (designated by a rooter) and arrest.”

Why? Jenson suggests two reasons: “it may reflect an anti-Jewish polemic. . . . Moses represents the ‘Old Law’ that has passed away, and Peter the ‘New Law’ that has replaced it. . . . Since Peter’s name literally means ‘rock’ . . . . he is the obvious one to be charged to strike the rock that is Christ . . . and he is also charged to bring ‘living water’ to the people.”  She also points to an account in the Acts of Peter that describes Peter “baptizing his Roman guards, Proclus and Martinus, while he was in jail awaiting execution.”

Perhaps. But the fact that the rooster is present suggests something else: Peter denied Jesus, thus striking the “Rock” that was Christ. He was among the disciples that abandoned Jesus.  Yet it was through this abandonment that Jesus becomes the source of living water.  The cowardice and betrayal of Peter and the other apostles becomes life for the world.