Nov 16, 2012

Four Major Questions Concerning the New Covenant









  
John Master in the forward of Dispensational Understanding of the New Covenant,a book I introduced here. Notes that there are four major questions concerning the New Covenant. The questions (slightly modified) as identified by Master are:

1. How was Jeremiah 31:31-34 understood by the original audience?

2.To what does the term new covenant refer?

3.How does one use the term fulfillment?

4. How does one identify the markers of a new covenant member?


Are their other major questions?
   

Nov 15, 2012

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

  
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.


Phillip R. Callaway
The Dead Sea Scrolls for a New Millennium
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8407
Reviewed by Stephen Reed

Marlene Crüsemann
Die pseudepigraphen Briefe an die Gemeinde in Thessaloniki: Studien zu ihrer Abfassung und zur jüdisch-christlichen Sozialgeschichte
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8038
Reviewed by Lars Kierspel

Benedikt Eckhardt, ed.
Jewish Identity and Politics between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba: Groups, Normativity, and Rituals
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8394
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

James A. Kelhoffer
Persecution, Persuasion and Power: Readiness to Withstand Hardship as a Corroboration of Legitimacy in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8391
Reviewed by Alexander Stewart

Oded Lipschits and David S. Vanderhooft
The Yehud Stamp Impressions: A Corpus of Inscribed Impressions from the Persian and Hellenistic Periods in Judah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8420
Reviewed by Aren Maeir

Dale B. Martin
New Testament History and Literature: The Open Yale Courses Series
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8502
Reviewed by Cornelis Bennema

Roger Pearse, ed.
Eusebius of Caesarea: Gospel Problems and Solutions
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8305
Reviewed by Michael F. Bird

J. W. Rogerson
An Introduction to the Bible: Third Edition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8519
Reviewed by Bob Becking

L. L. Welborn
An End to Enmity: Paul and the "Wrongdoer" of Second Corinthians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8458
Reviewed by B. J. Oropeza

Nov 14, 2012

Hossfeld and Zenger: Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150




Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger.
Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia, ed. Klaus Baltzer. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2011.

If one is looking for a technical commentary written from a critical perspective on the Psalms then you would be hard pressed to find a better choice than the trilogy in the Hermeneia series by Hossfeld and Zenger. Two of the volumes in this series have been published (51–100 [2005] and 101–150 [2011]).

I was reminded recently of the comprehensive nature of this resource when I was doing some work on Psalm 110. The discussion on this psalm in the third volume was quite good. The discussion of the Hebrew text was thorough and helpful. Zenger is very thorough in his analysis. He deals with the various scholarly positions, the dating of the psalm, and other issues. There are a number of interesting drawings from the ancient Near East sprinkled throughout the commentary and a few related to Psalm 110. After the commentary proper, Zenger deals with the context, reception, and significance of Psalm 110. One might not agree with every conclusion reached, but this commentary leaves few stones unturned.

Thanks to Fortress press for sending this review copy.
  

Nov 13, 2012

Bruce Ware on the Incarnation of Jesus

  
The Crossway blog has a good interview with Bruce Ware on his book The Man Called Christ Jesus. You can check it out here.
 

Nov 12, 2012

A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature

  
Christian Book Distributor's Academic Deal of the Day has Joseph Fitzmyers, A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature for $2.99 or 88% off. You can check it out here. Note that the description of the book is incorrect but if you follow the link you will be able to get to the correct description.
 

Nov 11, 2012

A Visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible Exhibit


Yesterday I enjoyed a nice afternoon at Southwestern Baptist theological Seminary checking out the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible Exhibit. The exhibit itself is a self-guided tour consisting of five major parts.

(1) You go through a pictorial and artifact exhibit that introduces you to the Dead Sea area and basic archeological period beginning with the Hasmonean period. The artifacts include coins, ossuaries, pottery, glassware, and the like. There is a fairly nice model of first-century Jerusalem as well.

(2) You go through an area that contains various facsimiles of select Dead Sea scrolls.

(3) You view a 7 minute film on the Dead See Scrolls.

(4) You enter the “scroll room” to see the scroll fragments and other manuscripts and Bibles. The Dead Sea Scroll fragments include the FrgDSSText1, “Loveless Fragment” whose content is as yet unidentified; FrgDSSExod2, “Mora Fragment” containing Exodus 23:8–10; FrgDSSLev3 “Paleo Leviticus” containing Lev 21:7–12; 22:21–27; FrgDSSLev2, “Dearing Fragment” containing Leviticus 18:28–30; 20:24, FrgDSSDeut3 containing Deuteronomy 9:25–10:1; FrgDSSDeut4, “Rogers Fragment” containing Deuteronomy 12:11–14; FrgDSSPs1, “Patterson Fragment” containing Psalm 22:3, 5–8, 10, 12; FrgDSSDan2/ FrgDSSDan3 containing Daniel 6:22–24; 7:18–19; 1QIsaiahb containing Isaiah 41:3–23 and 44:21–45:13; various fragments belonging to the Kando family containing Isaiah 28:23–29; Genesis 33:18–34:3; 1 Kings 13:20–22; Amos 7:17–8:1; Joel 4:9–10 (3:9–10 Eng), Gen 37:26–38; and various fragments from the Green collection containing Numbers 8:4–5, Nehemiah 2:13–16, Jeremiah 23:6–9; Ezekiel 28:22, Daniel 10:18–20, and Jonah 2:4–5. The Jeselsohn Dead Sea Stone or the “Gabriel Stone” is also on display. The New Testament manuscripts on display include P46 containing parts of Romans and Hebrews, P38 containing Acts 18:27–19:6, 12–16, P53 containing Matthew 26:29–35, 36–40. The exhibit is rounded out with various codices, medieval manuscripts, and early print Bibles.

(5) After the requisite book store stop one can go outside and visit the Qumran simulated dig, a 80 x 100 ft site built to about 90% scale. (The picture below is from a reproduction of a mikvah from Qumran.)
 

Overall I think that this exhibit which runs through January 13, 2013, is worth checking out.