New Photo Resource: Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, and 1, 2, & 3 John

BiblePlaces has released their latest volumes in the "Photo Companion to the Bible" series. These resources contains nearly 5,000 photos related to Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, and 1, 2, & 3 John. The BiblePlaces photo companions are excellent resources for teaching and preaching. The photos are carefully curated, painstakingly researched, attractively presented, helpfully organized, and currently on sale.

Hebrews - 1,950 photos; reg. $59; on sale: $39
James - 950 photos; reg. $49; on sale: $39
1 & 2 Peter, Jude - 1,400 photos; reg. $59; on sale: $39
1, 2, & 3 John - 650 photos; reg. $49; on sale: $29

Or you can purchase all four collections for the special sale price of $49. These companions are available as either a  DVD+download or as a download-only.

Check out these free downloads excerpted from the collection if you are still uncertain.

Hebrews 7 PowerPoint (145 slides).
James 3 PowerPoint (185 slides
1 Peter 2 PowerPoint (175 slides)
1 John 4 PowerPoint (90 slides)

Hall Harris: The Unknown Johannine Scholar

This is an nice write up here on Dr. W. Hall Harris III. I had the opportunity to have Dr. Harris as a professor in seminary and I concur completely with the article. He has a brilliant mind, quick wit, and a kind and gracious demeanor. If you have ever benefited from the NET Bible then you already have encountered his work. You can also access his free commentary on the Gospel of John here and the Johannine Epistles here. I highly recommend these resources and look forward to his continued contributions to biblical scholarship.

Free Logos Book for September: James (ZECNT)

The free Logos Book for the Month for September is James Blombergs' and Miriam Kamell's James commentary in the ZECNT series. David Pao's Colossians and Philemon or Karen Jobe's 1, 2, and 3 John in the same series can also be had for $1.99 and $4.99 respectively. You can also register for a chance to win the six-volume Zondervan Reference Collection. For all these offers, go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here.

Free Logos Book for June: Esther by Anthony Tomasino

The free Logos Book for June is Anthony Tomasino’s commentary on Esther in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series. You can also purchase 1, 2, 3 John by Gary Derickson in the same series for .99 cents. You can also enter to win the entire Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series. Go the Logos' Free Book of Month page here to enter and download your free book today!

Review of Interpreting the General Letters

Herbert W. Bateman IV, Interpreting the General Letters, Handbook for New Testament Exegesis, ed. John D. Harvey (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2013).

Interpreting the General Letters is the third of four volumes intended to introduce and demonstrate a methodology for interpreting and communicating the books of the New Testament. The volume at hand covers Hebrews through Jude. The book consists of seven chapters. The first three relate more to background issues, namely, the genre, background, and theology of the General Letters. The next three chapters present a nine-step process moving from translation, text-criticism, exegesis, to homiletics. The final chapter uses two passages (Jude 5–7; Hebrews 10.19–25) to demonstrate the nine step process. This volume includes a nice bibliography and brief glossary.

Interpreting the General Letters has at least three commendable qualities. First, Bateman packs a lot in. This is a 315-page work that in many ways could stand alone as a general handbook on interpretive process. There are also additional features that add value to the work. For example, the discussion on choosing commentaries will prove valuable to many. Second, the author communicates well. The writing is clear and there are numerous charts, tables, and diagrams for the more visually inclined. The discussion on Greco-Roman letters is a good example of this. Third, I believe that the methodology presented is sound, even if a bit ambitious for many pastors and teachers. (For example, I am not sure that generating a fresh translation of a given passage is a realistic goal for the average pastor/teacher with limited time and skills.)

While Interpreting the General Letters provides significant help and insight in the process of moving from exegesis to exposition, there are a few minor critiques that can be made. First, I am not sure that all the material included is truly necessary. A case in point is Bateman’s brief history of the English Bible (pp. 135–39). While the discussion is interesting, it is doubtful that it is essential for the task at hand. Second, the importance of some material is not really demonstrated well. For example, after an extended discussion of Greco-Roman letters (pp. 19–54) a few comments, mostly speculative, are made related to how understanding this material contributes to a specific understanding of the General Letters (pp. 54–56). It would be nice to see specific ways in which this background material impacts the interpretation of specific texts. It is also puzzling that so much is made about Greco-Roman letter forms and little is noted about ancient homiletical practices. This absence is significant since many interpreters today believe that Hebrews and perhaps James are more homily than letter. Third, while one hesitates to mention typos (since all works have them), they are somewhat conspicuous in this work (see pp. 77, 78, 88, 91, 102, 105, 109, 111, 114, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 292, 295, 298, 304). Finally, many will not be convinced that Bateman has the provenance correct in seeing Jude’s antagonists as Jewish rebels rather than the more traditional identification of false teachers (pp. 84–87). This idiosyncratic thesis would need to discuss the striking similarities between Jude and 2 Peter, another letter often held to address false teachers. Unfortunately, Bateman does not do this.

At bottom, Interpreting the General Letters is a solid resource for anyone interested in interpretation generally, and in the General Letters specifically. A reader will need some working knowledge of Greek to get the most benefit from this book but those lacking such facility could still benefit from much of the content. Bateman has done his homework and summarized and packaged much helpful information for students of the Bible.

You can access an excerpt here.

Thanks to Kregel for providing the free book used in this unbiased review.

Theology of the Catholic (or General) Epistles

Michael Bird highlights the following three recent treatments related to the theology of the Catholic (or General) Epistles (James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude).

Peter H. Davids, “The Catholic Epistles as Canonical Janus: A New Testament glimpse into Old and New Testament Canon Formation,” Bulletin of Biblical Research 19 (2009): 403-16.

David R. Nienhuis, Not by Paul Alone: The Formation of the Catholic Epistles and the Christian Canon (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2007).

Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr and Robert W. Wall, eds., Catholic Epistles and Apostolic Tradition (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009).

McKnight Recommended Commentaries on 1, 2, 3 John

See this post for Scot McKnight's recommendations concerning commentaries on 1, 2, 3 John. McKnight lists:

Raymond E. Brown, The Epistles of John (Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries).

Judith Lieu, I, II, & III John: A Commentary (New Testament Library).

John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries).

I. H. Marshall, The Epistles of John (New International Commentary on the New Testament).

Martin Culy, I, II, III John: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament).

S. Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John (Word Biblical Commentary).

Commentaries on the 1-3 John (the Johannine Epistles)

Mark Goodacre has posted on the availability of some of the latest issues of the Biblical Studies Bulletin here. The March 2008 issue provides a nice summary and evaluation of commentaries on the Johannine Epistles that help in preaching and teaching in the local church. The evaluation is done by Pieter J. Lalleman. You can dowload the entire issue here (see pages 5-6). Or you can access all the issues here.