Jan 14, 2017

Garden of Eden as Temple or Sanctuary

Many Bible students today see the Garden of Eden in Genesis as a prototype temple or sanctuary. Greg Beale identifies fourteen reasons for this identification (The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, New Studies in Biblical Theology [Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004]). John Walton also holds a similar position. But as Andrew Perriman points out in this post, this kind of identification is open to question. I have personally gone back-and-forth on the issue and remain agnostic.







Jan 13, 2017

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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Simeon Chavel
Oracular Law and Priestly Historiography in the Torah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11012
Reviewed by Benjamin D. Sommer

Terence E. Fretheim; Michael J. Chan and Brent A. Strawn, eds.
What Kind of God? Collected Essays of Terence E. Fretheim
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10719
Reviewed by Carmen Imes

Federico Giuntoli and Konrad Schmid, eds.
The Post-Priestly Pentateuch: New Perspectives on Its Redactional Development and Theological Profiles
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11033
Reviewed by Ernst Axel Knauf

Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett, eds.
The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10846
Reviewed by Janet Spittler

Christine Hayes
What’s Divine about Divine Law? Early Perspectives
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10749
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

Justin Langford
Defending Hope: Semiotics and Intertextuality in 1 Peter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9623
Reviewed by Katherine M. Hockey

Richard N. Longenecker
Paul, Apostle of Liberty
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10959
Reviewed by Panayotis Coutsoumpos

Victor H. Matthews
The Cultural World of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10465
Reviewed by Tyler R. Yoder

Charles E. Shepherd
Theological Interpretation and Isaiah 53: A Critical Comparison of Bernhard Duhm, Brevard Childs, and Alec Motyer
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9874
Reviewed by J. Todd Hibbard

Martin Stowasser, ed.
Das Gottesbild in der Offenbarung des Johannes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10431
Reviewed by Nils Neumann

Mark L. Strauss
Mark
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10063
Reviewed by J. Andrew Doole

John Van Seters
The Pentateuch: A Social-Science Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10862
Reviewed by Jean Louis Ska

Donald R. Vance, George Athas, and Yael Avrahami
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: A Reader’s Edition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10326
Reviewed by Hubert Keener

Luigi Walt
Paolo e le parole di Gesù: Frammenti di un insegnamento orale
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9407
Reviewed by Ilaria L. E. Ramelli

Kyle B. Wells
Grace and Agency in Paul and Second Temple Judaism: Interpreting the Transformation of the Heart
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10254
Reviewed by Don Garlington

Jan 12, 2017

Jeremiah 29:11

I just couldn't resist linking to this Babylon Bee "story."

Jan 11, 2017

Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs

This article provides an interesting account of a surreptitious visit to Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs. Because of security issues most tourists do not go to Hebron much less see the features described and pictured in the article.

Jan 10, 2017

Reading Proverbs

Matthew Holst has some good advice here for reading Proverbs.

Jan 9, 2017

John Sailhamer (1946–2017)

Several sources have noted that John Sailhamer has died (here is one). Although, I did not know Dr. Sailhamer personally, I found his writings to be helpful and stimulating. I did not always agree with his conclusions but he frequently caused me to think or rethink.

Jan 8, 2017

A Challenge of Theological Education

I am not sure if I would call it the biggest challenge of theological education, but Greg Forster's post here is worth considering.