The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis

Watch Rob Plummer's thoughts on the newly revised 5-volume New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis edited by Moisés Silva. 



Plummer notes that Zondervan is offering this resource at a 50% discount Until December 31 with free shipping.  You can
call 1-800-727-3480 and mention promo code NIDNTTE50 and ISBN 9780310276197, or go to ChurchSource.com. But for some an even better deal is being offered by Christian Book Distributors who is offering the same price with free shipping, but CBD does not charge state taxes. You can use this link.

Why Preachers Struggle with Sermon Application

Earlier this week, I posted on ten ideas for sermon application (see here). If you found that interesting you might take a look at Shane Lems' post here summarizing Murray Capill's explanation why so many preachers struggle with application here.

NICOT Psalms Commentary by deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner on Sale

Eerdmans has put the new Psalms commentary by Nancy deClaisse-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner, in the NICOT series on sale for $36 (40% off) for three days only (until Saturday, December 13. But please note that there is a charge for postage of about $3 and the sale is not available through the Eerdman's website. To access this offer, either email here (sales@eerdmans.com with with "3-Day NICOT Psalms (978-0-8028-2493-6) Sale" in the subject line) or call in your order at 800-253-7521 and use promotional code 739.

Köstenberger's Top Ten Books of 2014

Andreas Köstenberger has identified his top ten books of 2014 here. Make sure to read his annotations, but here is Köstenberger’s list.

1. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. 5 vols. Second edition. Edited by Moises Silva.

2. A Theology of James, Peter, and Jude. Biblical Theology of the New Testament. By Peter H. Davids.

3. How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature: A Response to Bart D. Ehrman. By Michael Bird, Craig Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles Hill, and Chris Tilling.

4. 1 Peter. Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament. By Greg W. Forbes.

5. Galatians. By Douglas J. Moo. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

6. 1–2 Thessalonians. By Jeffrey A. D. Weima. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

7. Heaven. Theology in Community. Edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson. Crossway.

8. Shepherding God’s Flock: Biblical Leadership in the New Testament and Beyond. Edited by Benjamin L. Merkle and Thomas R. Schreiner. 

9. The Acts of the Apostles: A Newly Discovered Commentary. Lightfoot Legacy Set. By J. B. Lightfoot. Edited by Ben Witherington III and Todd D. Still.

10. Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery. By G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd.

Review of Early Explorers of Bible Lands

Jack P. Lewis, Early Explorers of Bible Lands (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2013). Early Explorers of Bible Lands is a fascinating, inspiring, and sometimes humorous glimpse into the lives of ten nineteenth-century men who made significant contributions to our understanding of the geography, and to some extent the archaeology, of the Bible lands. The highlighted explorers include John Lewis Burckhardt, Giovanni Battista Belzoni, Conrad Schick, William Francis Lynch, James T. Barclay, Charles William Wilson, Charles Clermont-Ganneau, Selah Merrill, Claude Conder, and Archibald Henry Sayce.
 

This book is fun to read. The individual stories are relatively short and focused primarily as one would expect, on their times in the Bible Lands. But there is sufficient personal detail to give the reader a sense of the person. Lewis also does a good job highlighting the personal sacrifices that were often made, and the dangers and interpersonal conflicts that each one seemed to encounter. There is even a bit of humor thrown in. For example, William Lynch’s affirmation while staying in Tiberias that the rumor, “the king of the fleas holds his court in Tiberias” was true (p. 78). The book also contains a fairly thorough bibliography although it does lack a subject index. Those who have traveled to, or are interested in, the Bible lands should consider reading this book.

Much thanks to Abilene Christian University Press for providing the copy used in this review.

Ten Ideas for Sermon Application

Craig Schill has some really good ideas and suggestions regarding sermon application here.

Catching My Own Typos

I struggle with catching typos in my own work although I am pretty good at spotting them in general. I continue to work at it but this article at least gives a bit of an explanation of why I struggle.

Dan Wallace on Lexical Fallacies by Linguists

See this post by Dan Wallace on lexical fallacies by linguists here.