Mar 7, 2009

Perseverance and Hebrews 5:11-6:12


Mike Bird takes on the topic of perseverance and Hebrews 5:11-6:12. It is an interesting post, although I would take a bit of a different interpretation. Read Bird's post
here.

Burge on Kenneth Bailey


Books & Culture
has posted an article/review by Gary Burge of the work of Kenneth Bailey in general, and his recent book Jesus in Middle Eastern Eyes in particular. Burge is perhaps most well known for his work in Jesus' parables. I believe that Bailey's work merits more attention than he usually gets. But check out Burge's thoughts for yourself here.

Mar 6, 2009

Azazel and the “Scapegoat” (Leviticus 16)


See the post for background issues related to Azazel and the so-called "scapegoat" in Leviticus 16.

Audio on the Psalms


Justin Taylor has posted links to free lectures on the Psalms sponsored by Union Seminary. You can access Justin's post and audio links
here.

Mar 5, 2009

Taking Seminary Classes Online


Technology has enabled a number of seminaries and Bible colleges to offer classes online. This can be a great opportunity for those who are unable to move or find commuting difficult. But online courses can present its own set of challenges. Jake Belder at GoingtoSeminary.com has written a helpful
piece on some of these challenges. I would echo Jake's points, having served as a graduate teaching assistant for online courses for several years.

Rabbinic Parables


Maer dos Santos has written an interesting post related to Harvey K. McArthur and Robert M. Johnston's book,
They Also Taught in Parables: Rabbinic Parables from the First Centuries of the Christian Era. "The first part is a collection of selected parables of the תנאים (tannaim - the Rabbinic sages in the Mishnah from approximately 70-200 CE) and the second part comprised of essays on the nature of their parables and some comparisons with the parables of Jesus." Read the rest of the post here.

The Price of Hosea's Wife


Claude Mariottini asks and answers the question, "How much did Hosea pay for his wife?" Read abut it
here.

Mar 4, 2009

Perspectives on the Ending of Mark


I just received my review copy of
Perspectives on the Ending of Mark
(thanks to Jim Baird at Broadman & Holman). The book consists of five chapters as noted below.

Chapter 1 — Mark 16:8 as the Conclusion to the Second Gospel (Daniel B. Wallace)
Chapter 2 —The Long Ending of Mark as Canonical Verity (Maurice A. Robinson)
Chapter 3 —The Last Twelve Verses of Mark: Original or Not? (J. Keith Elliott)
Chapter 4 —Mark 16:9–20 as Markan Supplement (David Alan Black)
Chapter 5 — The Ending of Mark: A Response to the Essays (Darrell L. Bock)


I will be reviewing this book shortly. In the meantime, you can access a sample chapter of the book here.

Angelos in Revelation 2-3


Alan Bandy has a helpful
overview concerning the identity of the angelos in Revelation 2-3. This is a tough issue. I wrote a review of a commentary on Revelation several years ago in which the author's translated angelos in his translation of Revelation 2-3 with "angel," but stated in his comments that he believed that the angelos were human messengers.

Mar 3, 2009

Mounce on the Difficulty of Translating Some Greek Words and Phrases


Bill Mounce has posted on the difficulty of translating some Greek words and phrases. In particular, Mounce looks at Mark 5:7 and the optative
me genoito (e.g., Luke 20:16; Rom 3:4). Read Mounce's post here.

Mar 2, 2009

The Relationship Between James and Paul


Patrick Woods an M.Div. student at Truett Seminary at Baylor University has started a new
blog dedicated to the Epistle of James. In a recent post, Woods interacts with Margaret Mitchell’s essay “The Letter of James as a Document of Paulinism” in Reading James With New Eyes (T & T Clark, 2007), edited by Robert Webb and John Kloppenborg and identifies the following possible options for Jmaes' relationship to Paul.


1. James and Paul were completely independent and any allegorical overlaps are mere coincidence.

2. James and Paul both reflect “Hellenistic Judaism” or “first generation Jewish [Christianity]” (without direct connection to one another).

3. Paul knew the Epistle of James and wrote against it in his letter(s), especially Galatians (and/or Romans).

4. James did not know Paul’s letters but had heard something (accurate) about Paul.

5. James did not know Paul’s letters but had heard something (inaccurate) about Paul.

6. James depends on the Pauline letters (especially Galatians, perhaps Romans) and writes against them because he understands how radical Paul’s teaching on justification was and wishes to combat it.

7. James depends on the Pauline letters (especially Galatians, perhaps Romans) and writes against them, but ‘misunderstands’ Paul’s true teaching on justification to combat it.

8. The author of the Letter of James knows some collection of Paul’s letters, and writes from within Paulinism (rather than in opposition to Paul), creating a compromise document which has as one of its purposes reconciling ‘Paul with Paul’ and ‘Paul with the Pillars.’ This is Mitchell’s view.

John Piper's Finally Alive for Free Download


John Piper's 2009 book
Finally Alive is now available for free download as a pdf file. Go here to download this book and many others that are also available for free.

Free Audio Download of Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Donald Whitney


Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of the unabridged version of S
piritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Donald Whitney. Go here and use the coupon code MAR2009.

Walton on "I Am Who I Am" (Exodus 3:14-15)


John Walton has posted on the possible ancient Near Eastern background to the designation "I Am Who I Am" in Exodus 3:14-15. You can raed Walton's post
here.

Mar 1, 2009

Books on Hebrews at Google Books


Brian Small has compiled a list related to books on Hebrews at Google Books. Most of the books are older works, but the price is right (free). Check it out here.