Proverbs 31 and the Church

Chad Ashby suggests here that Proverbs 31 should be mainly applied to the Church. The dogmatic subtitle states, "The ‘wife of noble character’ is rarely applied to whom it was meant to describe." Unfortunately such a meaning would be quite foreign to the original Israelite audience. One might tease out implications for the Church from Proverbs 31 but to go there running roughshod over the original meaning is problematic at best.

Teaching Systematic Theology in the Local Church

Joshua Hebert gives three reasons to do so here.

Free Acts Class Taught by Craig Keener

BiblicalTraining.org is offering a free new class on Acts taught by Craig Keener. This includes 24-hours of lectures, transcriptions, and outlines. You can check it out here.

Hurtado on the Divine Name in Second-Temple Jewish Biblical Texts

Larry Hurtado identifies five “pre-Christian” Jewish biblical manuscripts in Greek that contain the  Divine Name here.

Using Personal Illustrations

Ian Paul has some pretty good advice here on using personal illustrations in preaching.

Free Ebook: Fee's Revelation Commentary

Wipf & Stock is offering Gordon Fee's Revelation commentary as a free eBook. Acts fast since the offer is only good until 5/13.  Use the following instructions.

1. Click on this link
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option
3. Code "ebookfree" is automatically applied within the shopping cart
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to download your free eBook

The Latest Issue of the 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.

Vincenzo Anselmo, Fece ciò che è male agli occhi di Yhwh: La figura narrativa di Acab in 1 Re
Reviewed by Andrea Ravasco

Simon Chi-Chung Cheung, Wisdom Intoned: A Reappraisal of the Genre ‘Wisdom Psalms’
Reviewed by Scott C. Jones

Maria Conterno, Temistio Orientale: Orazioni temistiane nella tradizione siriaca e araba
Reviewed by Ilaria L. E. Ramelli

Adam Copenhaver, Reconstructing the Historical Background of Paul’s Rhetoric in the Letter to the Colossians
Reviewed by Matthew S. Collins

Jennie Ebeling, J. Edward Wright, Mark Elliott, and Paul V. M. Flesher, eds., The Old Testament in Archaeology and History
Reviewed by Lester L. Grabbe

Karin Finsterbusch and Norbert Jacoby, MT-Jeremia und LXX-Jeremia 25–52: Synoptische Übersetzung und Analyse der Kommunikationsstruktur
Reviewed by Georg A. Walser

Brandon R. Grafius, Reading Phinehas, Watching Slashers: Horror Theory and Numbers 25
Reviewed by Richard Walsh

Gerhard Karner, Frank Ueberschaer, and Burkard M. Zapff, eds., Texts and Contexts of the Book of Sirach/Texte und Kontexte des Sirachbuches
Reviewed by Ibolya Balla

James Chukwuma Okoye, Genesis 1–11: A Narrative-Theological Commentary
Reviewed by Joan Cook

Mark Alan Powell, Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey
Reviewed by Jay Harrington

Matthew L. Skinner, A Companion to the New Testament: The General Letters and Revelation
Reviewed by J. Michael McKay Jr.

Olivia Stewart Lester, Prophetic Rivalry, Gender, and Economics: A Study in Revelation and Sibylline Oracles 4–5
Reviewed by Jonathan Groce

How Can I Regain the Use of Greek and Hebrew?

Steve Mathewson answers the question with some suggestions here.