"Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?"

ChristianHistory.net has posted an interesting article entitled, "Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?" You can read it here.

The Challenge of Blogging Christianly

Paul Wallace at the Reformed Baptist blog is giving up blogging. While people start and end blogs all the time, Paul's rationale for quitting is worth hearing. Read it here.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:

Piotr Bienkowski, Christopher Mee, and Elizabeth Slater, eds.
Writing and Ancient Near Eastern Society: Papers in Honour of Alan R. Millard
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5108
Reviewed by Raymond Person

Gerald L. Borchert
Worship in the New Testament: Divine Mystery and Human Response
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6648
Reviewed by Tony Costa

Thomas L. Brodie
Proto-Luke: The Oldest Gospel Account: A Christ-Centered Synthesis of Old Testament History Modelled Especially on the Elijah-Elisha Narrative
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6054
Reviewed by Gerbern S. Oegema

Stephanie Lynn Budin
The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6566
Reviewed by Mayer Gruber
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Roland Deines
Die Gerechtigkeit der Tora im Reich des Messias: Mt 5,13-20 als Schlüsseltext der matthäischen Theologie
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6024
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Neil Elliott
The Arrogance of Nations: Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6481
Reviewed by Glenn E. Snyder
Reviewed by Graydon F. Snyder
Reviewed by Ben Witherington III

Weston W. Fields
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Short History
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6369
Reviewed by Eric F. Mason

Benjamin Fiore
The Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6157
Reviewed by Matthew D. Montonini

Joseph A. Fitzmyer
First Corinthians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6687
Reviewed by Anthony C. Thiselton

Matthew E. Gordley
The Colossian Hymn in Context: An Exegesis in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Hymnic and Epistolary Conventions
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6564
Reviewed by Vincent Pizzuto

Wouter J. Hanegraaf, ed.
Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6316
Reviewed by David E. Aune

Edith M. Humphrey
And I Turned to See the Voice: The Rhetoric of Vision in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6286
Reviewed by Greg Carey

Matthias Köckert
Die Zehn Gebote
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6248
Reviewed by Paul Sanders

Andreas J. Kostenberger and Scott R. Swain
Father, Son and Spirit: The Trinity and John's Gospel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6661
Reviewed by Mary Coloe

Oded Lipschits, Gary N. Knoppers, and Rainer Albertz, eds.
Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E.
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6106
Reviewed by Allen Kerkeslager

Linda M. MacCammon
Liberating the Bible: A Guide for the Curious and Perplexed
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6631
Reviewed by Martin Meiser

Eckart Reinmuth
Anthropologie im Neuen Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6907
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke

Robert Rezetko
Source and Revision in the Narratives of David's Transfer of the Ark: Text, Language, and Story in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13, 15-16
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6463
Reviewed by Terrance A. Clarke

Eric A. Seibert
Subversive Scribes and the Solomonic Narrative: A Rereading of 1 Kings 1-11
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5656
Reviewed by Ralph K. Hawkins

Singular Nouns and Plural Verbs and Translating the Bible

Hall Harris has a good post on the challenges of translating singular nouns and plural verbs. This is an excellent example of the difficulties of translating and one reason I am so appreciative of those who do it well and allow me to benefit through their work.

McKnight on Commentaries on Luke

See this post for Scot Mcknight's recommendations concerning commentaries on Luke. He lists

Joel Green, The Gospel of Luke (New International Commentary on the New Testament)

Darrell Bock, Luke (2 vols.) (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)

John Nolland,Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 35a, Luke 1:1-9:20 .

Joseph Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I-IX: Introduction, Translation, and Notes (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 28).

These are solid recommendations.

Mead on Delivery Diagnostics

Peter Mead has posted a helpful reminder to those of us who preach to evaluate our delivery. See Peter's excellent list of diagnostic questions here.

Deborah the Judge

Claude Mariottini has posted a good summary of judges in the book of Judges in general and Deborah in particular (Judges 4-5). You can read it here.

A List of Cessationist Resources

The Cal.vini.st blog has posted an extensive list of resources related to the cessassionist position concerning spiritual gifts. You can access the listing here.

"Nehemiah-The Man Behind the Wall"

Biblical Archaeology Review has posted an article entitled, "Nehemiah-The Man Behind the Wall." You can access it here.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermons

Many of Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermons are available for free download here.

HT: Justin Taylor

Mounce on the Word Play in John 15:2-3

See Bill Mounce's post on the word play in John 15:2-3. I found this post to be both educational and edifying.

Decker on "That Which id Perfect" (1 Cor 13:10)

Rodney Decker has made one of his doctoral papers available:

A History of Interpretation of “That Which Is Perfect” (1 Cor 13:10) with Special Attention to the Origin of the “Canon View”

This looks intriguing.

Commentaries on Daniel

Keith Mathison Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of his top five commentaries on Daniel at the Ligonier Ministries blog. In evaluating this list I am somewhat hindered by the fact that I have not interacted with the commentaries by Lucas or Duguid. But, I would suggest that the top five should include S. Miller's commentary in the New American Commentary series and Goldingay in the Word series. Some more conservative interpreters might have problems with Goldingay, especially on introductory matters, but his interaction with the text itself is quite good. As far as the best overall, general commentary I would give the nod to Miller. That being said, I would probably bump Young and Ferguson out of the top five and into the Runners Up category. In the Runners Up category I would add Archer (EBC), L. Wood, D. Pentecost (BKC). In any case, the Mathison’s top five are:

1. E.J. Young -- Daniel (1949).
2. Iain M. Duguid -- Daniel (Reformed Expository Commentary, 2008).
3. Sinclair Ferguson -- Daniel (The Preacher's Commentary, 2002).
4. Tremper Longman III -- Daniel (NIV Application Commentary, 1999).
5. Ernest Lucas -- Daniel (Apollos Old Testament Commentary, 2002).

Walton on the Tabernacle

John Walton has posted on the topic of the tabernacle and how it compares to other ancient Near Eastern temples. While such comparisons are interesting and perhaps valid, it is important to keep in mind that the tabernacle was designed by God (which Walton acknowledges) and that it was not patterned after earthly structures but a heavenly one (Heb 9).