Apr 25, 2009
Ancient Near Eastern Background and the Decalogue
The Koinonia blog has posted on possible ancient Near Eastern backgrounds and the Decalogue.
Apr 24, 2009
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson
I have just finished reading D. A. Carson's book on his father entitled, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson. I found the book to be both encouraging and edifying. As I read the book I was reminded of words that Carl Sandburg used in reference to Abraham Lincoln: "A tree is best measured when it's down" (Abraham Lincoln, p. 433). Carson's book shows that what is said of a president can also be said of many "ordinary pastors" who may never have biographies penned about them, but who have their names in the Lamb's book of life.
Apr 23, 2009
Biblical Genealogies: Open and Closed Genealogies
This post continues a series on biblical genealogies (see here and here). Today, I will discuss open and closed genealogies.
[1] Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World, 29-36.
[2] Sasson argues that it was common Hebrew convention to make minimal alterations in genealogies to highlight certain individuals by placing them in the seventh (or sometimes the fifth) position. Jack M. Sasson, “A Genealogical "Convention" in Biblical Chronography?,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 90 (1978): 171-85. But Sasson’s work is not without problems. See David T. Bryan, “A Reevaluation of Gen 4 and 5 in Light of Recent Studies in Genealogical Fluidity,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 99 (1987): 181-82.
[3] William Henry Green, “Primeval Chronology,” Bibliotheca Sacra 47 (1890): 285-303.
[4] In Matthew 1:8, Matthew leaves out at least three generations (Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah). Furthermore, Matthew’s depiction of three sets of fourteen genealogies appears to most to be highly stylized and intentional.
[5] In Luke 3:36, Cainan is included between Arphaxad and Shelah. Cainan does not appear in the Masoretic text, although it does appear in the LXX (Gen 10:24; 11:12-13).
[6] Jude 14 states that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam.
Apr 22, 2009
Scripture Unlocked
My friend René López has a new website called Scripture Unlocked. There are a variety of resources available. Check it out here.
Apr 21, 2009
Biblical Genealogies: Forms
I recently began a series on biblical genealogies (see here). Today, I want to discuss the forms of genealogies.
The genealogies in Scripture typically take one of two forms. One form is a standard identification and linking of descendants (e.g. Gen 36). Another form of genealogy is narratival in form (e.g., 25:19), and
While perhaps not strictly a question of form, it is worth noting at this point the work of Martin Noth.[3] Noth distinguished between “authentic” and secondary genealogies. “Authentic” genealogies are genealogies that existed prior to and apart from the narrative in which they are found. Secondary genealogies, on the other hand, are genealogies which exist only within the narrative itself. For Noth, the Pentateuch contains some “authentic” genealogies which are older than the narrative in which they are found (and thus might have some historical value) and secondary genealogies which are literary constructs for linking literary units.
[1] Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World, 9.
[2] Wright, “Genealogies,” 346.
[3] Martin Noth, A History of Pentateuchal Traditions, trans. Bernhard W. Anderson (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972), 214-19.
Apr 20, 2009
McKnight on the New Perspective
Scot McKnight sums up the new perspective on Paul in three lines.
1. Judaism was not a works-earns-salvation religion.
2. Paul was therefore not opposing a works-earns-salvation religion.
3. Therefore, the Reformation's way of framing the entire message of the New Testament as humans seeking to earn their own redemption rests on shaky historical grounds.
Read Scot's post here.
Apr 19, 2009
Biblical Genealogies: Definition and Types
Genealogies tend to be an area of the Bible that most people know little about. However, I have to admit that I am a bit intrigued by this material. So I will have several posts dealing with some of my research in this area. Today, I want to discuss a definition and the types of genealogies.
Genealogies may be defined as “a written or oral expression of the descent of a person from an ancestor or ancestors.” [1] Broadly speaking genealogies have either/both breadth and depth.[2] Breadth relates to how many persons a genealogy lists in a single generation. Depth relates to the chronological length of the genealogy. Genealogies that have only depth are also called linear genealogies (e.g. 5:3-31). If a genealogy contains both breath and depth it is called a segmented genealogy (Gen 10:1-32). (A family tree is a common form of segmented genealogy.) A shift from a linear genealogy to a segmented genealogy often carries literary significance. Generally speaking, segmented genealogies seek to establish familial relationships, whereas linear genealogies seek to establish a link between the first and final descendant.[3]
[1] Robert R. Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977), 9.
[2] J. W. Wright, “Genealogies,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, ed. David W. Baker (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 346.
[3] Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 106-7.