Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy, by Walter Brueggemann, approaches the subject using “the metaphor and imagery of a courtroom trial.” Be careful not to omit the second in a pair of commas in cases such as the following: Judas returned on Nisan 21, 164 BCE, from his trip to … The emperor’s behavior offended even Roman sensibilities when, for example, he immolated scores of innocent Christians. Scholars are, generally speaking, inclined to dismiss