Theology on the Internet

 Funny but true!

 

Genesis 6: The Sons of God and Daughters of Men

Claude Mariottini has a good overview here of some of the issues related to the challenging identification of the sons of God and daughters of men in Genesis 6.

The Cleansing of the Temple in John

Ian Paul has a very detailed and careful post here concerning Jesus' cleansing of the temple recorded in John 2 and how it might relate to the cleansing of the temple in the Synoptic Gospels. As one who hold to two temple cleansings, I am happy to see that he is open to the idea as well.

Free eBook: Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians

Wipf and Stock is offering a free eBook copy of Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians by Lucy Peppiatt. The offer is only available until March 15. Here are the instructions to get your copy.

1. Click on this link
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option
3. Use the code "EBOOKFREE"
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions of how to download your free eBook

Free Logos Book for March: Ephesians and 2 Peter, Jude in the Anchor Bible Series

The free Logos Books for the Month for March are Markus Barth's Ephesians 1–3 and Jerome Neyrey's 2 Peter, Jude commentaries in the Anchor Bible series. You can also purchase the following at significant discounts by going here and here. 

Psalm 1: Psalm 1–50 (AB) by Mitchell Dahood for $1.99

Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul by Richard Hays for $1.99,

Religious Affections (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 2 for $2.99. 

The Letter of James (AB) by Luke Timothy Johnson for $3.99

A Marginal Jew, Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Volume One, the Roots of the Problem and the Person by John Meier for $3.99

A History of the Work of Redemption (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 90 for $5.99

Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God's Saving Promises by Scott Hahn for $5.99

Friendship in the Hebrew Bible by Saul Olyan for $7.99

An Introduction to the Gospel of John by Raymond Brown for $7.99 

The Death of the Messiah, from Gethsemane to the Grave by Raymond Brown for $8.99

Romans (AB) by Joseph Fitzmyer for $9.99

The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke by Raymond Brown for $9.99

Song of Songs (AB) by Marvin Pope for $10.99

The Epistles of John (AB) by Raymond Brown for $11.99.

Revelation by Craig Koester for $14.99 

And you can pre-order Stephen Cook's forthcoming AB commentary on Ezekiel 38–48 for $19.99

You can also register for a chance to win the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary by using this link.

Addressing God as Father?

In this post, David Miller walks through some of the arguments related to whether addressing God as Father (e.g., Matt 6:9) was primarily a Christian innovation. I have taught this myself (eg., this post). But Miller brings up some arguments that suggest that this view might need to be at least nuanced a bit if not abandoned.

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 to read them.

Johannes U. Beck, Verstehen als Aneignung: Hermeneutik im Markusevangelium
Reviewed by Kari Syreeni

Mark G. Brett, Locations of God: Political Theology in the Hebrew Bible
Reviewed by Joseph McDonald

Nicola Crusemann, Margarete van Ess, Markus Hilgert, Beate Salje, and Timothy Potts, eds., Uruk: First City of the Ancient World
Reviewed by Mitchell Rothman

Georg Fischer, Jeremiah Studies: From Text and Contexts to Theology
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney

Michael Flexsenhar III, Christians in Caesar’s Household: The Emperors’ Slaves in the Makings of Christianity
Reviewed by Catherine Hezser

Helen C. John, Biblical Interpretation and African Traditional Religion: Cross-Cultural and Community Readings in Owamboland, Namibia
Reviewed by Theodore W. Burgh

Jonathan Klawans, Heresy, Forgery, Novelty: Condemning, Denying, and Asserting Innovation in Ancient Judaism
Reviewed by Brandon R. Grafius

Craig R. Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things
Reviewed by Michael Naylor

Jeremy D. Lyon, The Genesis Creation Account in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Reviewed by Eric R. Montgomery

Susanne Rudnig-Zelt, Glaube im Alten Testament: Eine begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung unter besonderer Berücksichtung von Jes 7,17; Dtn 1–3; Num 13–14 und Gen 22,1–19
Reviewed by Samuel Hildebrandt

Thomas B. Slater, Revelation as Civil Disobedience: Witnesses Not Warriors in John’s Apocalypse
Reviewed by Gregory L. Linton

Gerald L. Stevens, Acts: A New Vision of the People of God
Reviewed by Ross D. Harmon

Konrad F. Zawadzki, Der Kommentar Cyrills von Alexandrien zum 2. Korintherbrief: Einleitung, kritischer Text, Übersetzung, Einzelanalyse
Reviewed by David Kneip

Christopher B. Zeichmann, ed., Essential Essays for the Study of the Military in First-Century Palestine: Soldiers and the New Testament Context
Reviewed by Gwyn Davies

Tyrian Shekels and Graven Images

David Hendin, an expert in coins of the biblical era, has a good article here in Coin Week discussing the Tyrian shekel. This shekel or half-shekel was used to pay the temple tax and likely ties into several stories in the Gospel. 

Writing "God" in Jewish Tradition

This is an interesting post discussing whether one should use G-d rather than completely spelling out God in English.

HT: Marc Brettler

Song: "Girls Like You - Purim Parody"

Those looking for something different to illustrate their Esther lessons or sermons might be interested in the song "Girls Like You - Purim Parody" by the group Rabotai. It is a "parody" of the Maroon 5 song "Girls Like You." You can check out this article which discusses the song and also contains a music video of the song.

Cancel Culture

I don't know whether to laugh or cry over this list of biblical characters that Mira Fox suggests ought to be cancelled. One problem with a cancel culture is that it is cannibalistic. Sooner or later every eater deserves to get eaten.

New Website on the New Testament

I have used earlier editions of the Exploring the New Testament series. The third edition of these books will now be accompanied by a website that looks quite promising. You can check it out here.

Latest Issue of Currents in Biblical Research

Here is a list of articles in the Currents in Biblical Research 19:2. The link takes you to an abstract.

Moral Injury and Biblical Studies: An Early Sampling of Research and Emerging Trends
Brad E. Kelle

Reading the Masoretic Psalter as a Book: Editorial Trends and Redactional Trajectories
Gert T.M. Prinsloo

Parting Ways or Rival Siblings? A Review and Analysis of Metaphors for the Separation of Jews and Christians in Antiquity
Timothy A. Gabrielson

 

HT: Antony Billington

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. 

Delbert Burkett, An Introduction to the New Testament and the Origins of Christianity
Reviewed by Susan E. Myers

Mordechai Z. Cohen, The Rule of Peshat: Jewish Constructions of the Plain Sense of Scripture and Their Christian and Muslim Contexts, 900–1270
Reviewed by Michael Carasik

David N. Gottlieb, Second Slayings: The Binding of Isaac and the Formation of Jewish Memory
Reviewed by Charles Hughes Huff

Brandon R. Grafius, Reading the Bible with Horror
Reviewed by Carl S. Ehrlich

Matthew J. Lynch, Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Literary and Cultural Study
Reviewed by Joel Kaminsky

Paul McKechnie, Christianizing Asia Minor: Conversion, Communities, and Social Change in the Pre-Constantinian Era
Reviewed by Richard Last

James Chukwuma Okoye, Genesis 12–50: A Narrative-Theological Commentary
Reviewed by R. W. L. Moberly

Brian Rainey, Religion, Ethnicity and Xenophobia in the Bible: A Theoretical, Exegetical and Theological Survey
Reviewed by Arthur Jan Keefer

Mark Sameth, The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God
Reviewed by Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos

John Van Seters, My Life and Career as a Biblical Scholar
Reviewed by Jennifer M. Matheny

Ian G. Wallis, The Galilean Wonderworker: Reassessing Jesus’ Reputation for Healing and Exorcism
Reviewed by David A. Fiensy

Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos, The Land and Its Kings: 1–2 Kings
Reviewed by Bob Becking