Genesis 1: A Follow-Up

Chris Heard has posted a nice follow up on some recent discussions on Genesis 1 in the blogging world (see my previous post). Make sure that you follow the link that Chris has provided for John Walton's presentation.

Blame Shallow Preaching and Cultural Adaptability

The Christian Post has an article which has Paige Patterson, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary blaming recent declines in membership and baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention on shallow preaching, anemic pulpits, and an overemphasis on cultural relevance.

Israel Museum Displays an Isaiah Scroll

An AP story reports that,

One of the most important Dead Sea scrolls is going on display in Jerusalem this week — more than four decades after it was last seen by the public. The 24-foot scroll with the text of the Bible's Book of Isaiah had been in a dark, temperature-controlled room at the Israel Museum since 1967. It went on display two years earlier, but curators replaced it with a facsimile after noticing new cracks in the calfskin parchment.

Pictured on the right is the Isaiah scroll (ca. 120 B.C.).

A Biblical Approach to Mental Health?

A recent UPI story reports that the University of Illinois at Chicago is now offering an online course which highlights the use of biblical narratives in psychotherapy. According to the article, "'A Biblical Approach to Mental Health,' is a 12-week online course that suggests the biblical narratives offers life-affirming principles not found in the Greek myths traditional used a subtext for psychotherapy" [sic].

While it is always nice to see the Bible taken seriously as a book that is relevant to the needs of modern life, attempts like this one to principalize the biblical material are often hermeneutically unsound and therefore, therapeutically dubious. But without additional information, it is hard to know the methodological approach to the biblical narratives utilized in this course.

James McKeown on Genesis

Yesterday I noted Graogans commentary on the Psalms. Today I want to highlight the recently released commentary by James McKeown's on Genesis (part of the Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary Series) . According to the blurb at the Eerdman's website,

"In this commentary James McKeown treats Genesis as a book of beginnings and a foundational sourcebook for biblical theology. He begins with exegesis of the Hebrew text, highlighting the recurrence of key words, phrases, and themes throughout the book. He also draws attention to passages particularly pertinent to earlier readers either facing or returning from exile, offering a historical context outside a solely Christian perspective.

"The second half of the book unpacks the numerous theological horizons of Genesis — main unifying themes (descendants, blessing, land); key theological teachings of Genesis (creation, fall, character and image of God, life of faith); and the contribution of Genesis to theology today, including its impact on science, ecology, and feminist theology.

"McKeown’s Genesis provides a solid examination of a scriptural book that reflects the struggles and hopes of its readers — ancient and modern — and offers encouragement for their walk with God."

Table of Contents:

Introduction to Genesis

Commentary on Genesis

Theological Horizons of Genesis
Theological Message of the Book
Main Unifying Themes
Descendants
Blessing
Land
Key Theological Teaching of Genesis
The Theology of Land
The Doctrine of Creation
Creatio ex Nihilo
The Fall
The Character of God
The Image of God
The Life of Faith
Genesis and Theology Today
Genesis and Science
Mission
Ecology
Feminist Approaches
Genesis and Biblical Theology
Genesis in Canonical Context
Genesis in the Historical Books
Wisdom Literature
Thematic Continuity in the Prophets
New Testament
Conclusion

Bibliography

Index of Names

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings

The Role of the LXX in the Theology of the Early Church

Richard Anderson at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos has an interesting post on "The Role of the LXX in the Theology of the Early Church." Anderson points to the importance of the topic by noting:

. . . many early Christians spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint for most of their understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament writers also relied heavily on the Septuagint in that the majority of the quotes cited in the New Testament are quoted directly from the Septuagint. Greek Church Fathers also quoted from the Septuagint. The theology of the early church, as explained by the Fathers of the first several centuries, is based on the wording of the Septuagint.

Although I would probably take issue with a number of Anderson's conclusion the post is worth reading.

Don't Waste Your Summer

Jeff Medders at EatBible has an interesting post titled "Don't Waste Your Summer (9 resolutions)." His list includes:

1. Study Jesus & the Gospel. Read and study one of Gospels this summer. Read your Bible!!!!

2. Have breakfast everyday.

3. Read a good book this summer.

4. Get discipled or get a disciple.

5. Share the Gospel with someone.

6. War with your sin.

7. Serve in your church or go to church!!!

8. Tithe . . . if you have a job already, or if you are getting a summer job.

9. Pray for other people.

I suggest a tenth: take a summer mission trip.

Preaching in Saul's Armor

Peter Mead at Biblical Preaching has a good post on preaching as you are, i.e. not trying to preach in Saul's armor. Mead writes, "I recently wrote about preaching to ordinary people. It should go without saying that we preach as ordinary people." I agree, but unfortunately, the ordinary people we preach to often have extraordinary expectations of their rather ordinary preacher. The problem is exacerbated (at least in the US) by a congregations frequent exposure to size extraordinary preachers and preaching through Christian television, radio, and now the internet. Make sure you read Mead's entire post.

Geoffrey Grogan on Psalms

Geoffrey Grogan's commentary on Psalms (part of the Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary Series) has just been released. According to the blurb at the Eerdman's website,

"Geoffrey Grogan here tackles the growing field of Psalms research and presents an accessible theological treatment of the Psalter. He begins by surveying and evaluating the main scholarly approaches to Psalms and then provides exegesis of all the psalms, emphasizing their distinctive messages.

"Grogan follows with a full discussion of the Psalter’s theological themes, highlighting the implications of its fivefold arrangement. He considers the massive contribution of the Psalter to biblical theology, including the way the psalms were used and interpreted by Jesus and the New Testament writers. The volume closes with an analysis of the contemporary relevance of the Psalms and a step-by-step guide to preparing a Psalms sermon, based on Psalm 8."

The table of contents:

Preface
Important Advice to the Reader
Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION
The Familiar and Yet Unfamiliar World of the Psalms
Textual Criticism
Sense Rhythms of the Psalms
Historical and Source Criticism
Superscriptions
Psalm Genres and Form Criticism
Redaction Criticism
Canonical Criticism
Rhetorical or Literary Criticism
Reader-Oriented Criticism
Appraisal of the Various Types of Criticism
Use of the Psalms Today
Excursus: The Davidic Psalms

EXEGESIS
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5

THEOLOGICAL HORIZONS OF PSALMS
The Psalter’s Key Theological Themes
The Basic Convictions of the Psalmists
The Covenants and the Theological Significance of the Exile
Yahweh as the God of the Future, the God Who Plans, the God of the Messiah and His Kingdom
The Contribution of the Psalter to Biblical Theology
A Warm Doctrine of God
A Firm and Confident Doctrine of Historical Revelation
A Heartfelt and Expanding Sense of Community
A Profound Doctrine of Sin
A Realistic Doctrine of Suffering
A Responsive Doctrine of Prayer and Worship
An Unshakable Doctrine of the Messiah
The Psalter’s Relevance to Present-Day Theological and Other Issues
God and Creation
Humanity and Sin
Christ’s Person and Work
The Grace of God, the Work of the Holy Spirit, and the Christian Life
The Church
The Last Things
Holy Scripture

Appendix: Preparing a Sermon on a Psalm
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
Index of Scripture References

Wallace and Ehrman Debate at NOBTS

See this story on the recent debate between Dan Wallace and Bart Ehrman on the textual evidence for the reliability of the New Testament.

After posting this, I noticed Joe Weaks discussion at the Macintosh Biblioblog.

Guidelines for Christian Blogs

See Ken Camp's editorial concerning guidelines for Christian blogs.

Of Giants and Midgets

Lord teach me Your Word not so I can become an intellectual giant, but so I would not remain a spiritual midget.

Ministerial Students, Calling, and PhD Studies

Sean Michael Lucas has a helpful discussion on ministerial students, calling, and PhD studies. As a PhD student myself I have wrestled with some of the issues that Lucas raises in his post.

Special thanks to Kevin for bringing this post to my attention.

I Never Thought: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

I never thought I would see a news editorial with the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isaiah 8:1, 3) in it, but here it is in The Valley Dispatch ("Just Be Thankful You're Not Named Mahershalalhashbaz"). The pertinent section states,

Parents have been giving their kids Biblical names as long as the Bible has been around. I wonder if Old Testament parents were thinking, "Hey, that would be a great Bible name someday," There's Caleb, Gabriel, Rebecca, Noah, Jeremiah and Isaiah, who picked out a doozy of a name for his firstborn. Actually, it was the Lord who told Isaiah what to name his son. The boy's name was Mahershalalhashbaz. Try getting that on a keychain.

The Problems of Digital Tithes and Offerings

A growing number of churches are now offering online giving. While such giving is convenient, there is a theological cost. See Bob Smietana’s article “Tithing evolves from offering plate to click of a mouse.” In the article,

Todd Johnson, professor of worship, theology and the arts at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, says that when offerings become digital, church rituals of offering no longer work.

Worship used to be marked by awe, reverence and sacrifice, he says.

“Now it's seen as a spiritual recharge station,” he says. “The church does not know what to do with giving as a ritual.”

The Kingdom of God in the SBJT

The Spring 2008 issue of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology is devoted to the topic of the Kingdom of God. Stephen Wellum's editorial and Brian Vicker's article on "The Kingdom of God in Paul's Gospel" are available as pdf downloads (see links below). See also the article in Towers Online.

Editorial: Stephen J. Wellum
"Reflecting on the Kingdom of God"

Graeme Goldsworthy
“The Kingdom of God as Hermeneutic Grid”

Peter J. Gentry
“Kingdom Through Covenant: Humanity as the Divine Image”

Jonathan T. Pennington
“The Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew”

Brian Vickers
“The Kingdom of God in Paul's Gospel”

Russell D. Moore and Robert E. Sagers
“The Kingdom of God and the Church: A Baptist Reassessment”

Todd L. Miles
“A Kingdom without a King? Evaluating the Kingdom Ethic(s) of the Emerging Church”

Latest Issue of The Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of the Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest to those interested in Bible exposition include:

Paul N. Anderson
The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus: Modern Foundations Reconsidered
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5879
Reviewed by John Painter

Michael Thomas Davis and Brent A. Strawn, eds.
Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6114
Reviewed by Heinz-Josef Fabry

April D. DeConick
The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation: With a Commentary and New English Translation of the Complete Gospel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5655
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Seenam Kim
The Coherence of the Collections in the Book of Proverbs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6093
Reviewed by Johann Cook
Reviewed by Jutta Krispenz

Sarah Malena and David Miano, eds.
Milk and Honey: Essays on Ancient Israel and the Bible in Appreciation of the Judaic Studies Program at the University of California, San Diego
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5940
Reviewed by Wolfgang Zwickel

Mikael C. Parsons
Body and Character in Luke and Acts: The Subversion of Physiognomy in Early Christianity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5830
Reviewed by Pieter J. J. Botha
Reviewed by Patrick E. Spencer

Todd Penner and Caroline Vander Stichele, eds.
Moving beyond New Testament Theology? Essays in Conversation with Heikki Räisänen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5492
Reviewed by Jan van der Watt

Richard L. Rohrbaugh
The New Testament in Cross-Cultural Perspective
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5956
Reviewed by Stephan Joubert

C. Kavin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5966
Reviewed by Christopher Tuckett

Naomi Seidman
Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5658
Reviewed by Cameron Boyd-Taylor

Brad H. Young
Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5912
Reviewed by Verlyn D. Verbrugge

Bock on Forthcoming Book

Read the brief interview of Darrell Bock concerning the forthcoming book entitled Jesus of Nazareth: A Realistic Portrait, written by Paul Verhoeven and Rob van Scheers.

Bible Quiz Controversy

I had reported a few posts back that a story in the Jerusalem Post was reporting that a group religious Zionist rabbis were calling for a boycott of this year's International Bible Quiz because one of the four finalists from Israel is a Messianic Jew. A new Jerusalem Post story now notes that the two chief rabbis of Israel are calling for the cancellation of the quiz altogether.

A Good Reminder

"Only God omniscient can accurately appraise the results of evangelism. Only He can count converts. When through mass evangelism many thousands come to profess faith in Christ, only He who searches the reins and hearts of men (Rev. 2:23) can judge how many of them possess true and abiding faith. And when Robert Morrison, the father of Protestant missions in China, after twenty-eight years of zealous missionary endeavour numbered but ten souls as his hire, only God knew in how many additional hearts his Spirit was about to begin, or even had begun, a good work."

R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966),221

Pastoral Mentoring

Dustin Benge at his Pastor and People Blog has a helpful post on pastors and mentoring. Dustin identifies the following ten things that he wished someone would have shown or taught him.

1. Show them a heart truly devoted to God and the glory of Christ
2. Show them why to love church history.
3. Teach them to preach and pray
4. Teach them to love books
5. Give them discipline
6. Teach them to love the church
7. Instill in their hearts a passion for missions
8. Teach them to mentor
9. Set an example of Godliness and Holiness
10. Show them why you love to be a pastor

Balaam in the Tell Deir 'Alla Inscription

In 1967 pieces of a plaster inscription was discovered in some building ruins (generally thought to be an ancient sanctuary)[1] located at Tell Deir 'Alla the Transjordan valley near the Jabbok River. The dating of the ink on plaster inscription has ranged from the eighth century to the Persian period, although most seem to hold an eighth century date.[2] The issue of dating was initially complicated by two problems. First, the text is fragmentary and at least fifteen combinations of the inscription have been proposed.[3] Second, the form of the text is debated (Canaanite, Aramaic, both?).[4] However, it is now generally agreed that the first combination (see below) is the most likely and that the text is Aramaic (at least primarily).

In the first combination, and in the first line, Balaam is described as a “seer of the gods” (ḥzh ˒lhn, I, 1). Interestingly, Yahweh is never mentioned, although El, El Shaddayin (plural), and a goddess (whose name is mostly missing from the fragmentary text) are found in the text. The superscription also mentions that Balaam sees an oracle (wyḥzh mḥzh) like a vision (mś˒). The rest of the text contains material not found in the biblical record (although some of the language is similar).[5] The oracle itself appears to relate to divine punishment and the loss of fertility.[6] A detailed examination of the text is not possible here but such treatments are available.[7]

Overall, the inscription, unlike most of the biblical material, presents Balaam as a positive figure. Although he is not called a prophet, he is identified as a seer and his oracle apparently was seen as significant enough to record and place on a wall or stele in a sanctuary. The fact that he is mentioned at all suggests some prominence. What is not certain is who held him in such high regard. The question as to whether the sanctuary was Israelite or non-Israelite has also not been answered definitively.

McCarter's Combination (“The Balaam Texts from Deir 'Alla,” 51-2)

(1) [VACAT] The sa]ying[s of Bala]am, [son of Be]or, the man who was a seer of the gods. Lo! Gods came to him in the night [and spoke to] him (2) according to these w[ord]s. Then they said to [Bala]am, son of Beor, thus: “Let someone make a [ ] hereafter, so that [what] you have hea[rd may be se]en!” (3) And Balaam rose in the morning [ ] right hand [ ]and could not [eat] and wept (4) aloud. Then his people came in to him [and said] to Balaam, son of Beor, “Do you fast? [ ] Do you weep?” And he (5) said to them, “Si[t do]wn! I shall inform you what the Shad[daying have done]. Now come, see the deeds of the g[o]ds! The g[o]ds have gathered (6) and the Shaddayin have taken their places in the assembly and said to Sh[ , thus:] ‘Sew shut the skies with your thick cloud! There let there be darkness and no (7) perpetual shining and n[o] radiance! For you will put a sea[l upon the thick] cloud of darkness and you will not remove it forever! For the swift has (8) reproached the eagle, and the voice of vultures resounds. The st[ork has ] the young of the NHS-bird and ripped up the chicks of the heron. The swallow has belittled (9) the dove, and the sparrow [ ] and [ ] the staff. Instead of ewes the stick is driven along. Hares have eaten (10) [ ]. Freemen[ ] have drunk wine, and hyenas have listened to instruction. The whelps of the (11) f[ox ] laughs at wise men, and the poor woman has mixed myrrh, and the priestess (12) [ ] to the one who wears a girdle of threads. The esteemed esteems and the esteemer is es[teemed. ] and everyone has seen those things that decree offspring and young. (15) [ ] to the leopard. The piglet has chased the young (16) [of ] those who are girded, and the eye. . .’”

---

[1] There is some discussion regarding the original placement of the plaster. Some suggest that it was on a wall and other suggest that it may have been part of a stele. See Gerrit van der Kooij, “Book and Script at Deir 'Alla,” in The Balaam Text from Deir 'Alla Re-Evaluated: Proceedings of the International Symposium Held at Leiden 21-24 August 1989, ed. J. Hoftijzer and G. Van Der Kooij (New York: E. J. Brill, 1991), 239-41.

[2] See P. Kyle McCarter, Jr., “The Balaam Texts from Deir 'Alla: The First Combination,” Bulletin of the Schools of Oriental Research 237 (1980): 49-60, J. Naveh, “The Date of the Deir 'Alla Inscription in Aramaic Script,” Israel Exploration Journal 17 (1967): 236-38.

[3] M. W. Chavalas, “Balaam,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and David W. Baker (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003), 76.

[4] Dennis Pardee, “The Linguistic Classification of the Deir 'Alla Text,” in The Balaam Text from Deir 'Alla Re-Evaluated: Proceedings of the International Symposium Held at Leiden 21-24 August 1989, ed. J. Hoftijzer and G. Van Der Kooij (New York: E. J. Brill, 1991), 100-05.

[5] Hackett, “Balaam,” 572

[6] Chavalas, “Balaam,” 76.

[7] See Jo Ann Hackett, The Balaam Text from Deir 'Alla, Harvard Semitic Monographs 31, ed. Frank Moore Cross (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1980), 21-89, McCarter, “The Balaam Texts from Deir 'Alla: The First Combination,” 51-9.

Genesis One: Hobbins vs. Walton

John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry has recently taken John Walton to task for his reading of Genesis 1 (read here). John Walton has now offered a detailed response and defense of his position which is also posted at AHP (here). I think that both posts are worth reading even though one might disagree with both Hobbins and Walton.

Hebrews 2:1-4: A Propositio?

Michael Bird has an interesting question at the Euangelion blog concerning whether Hebrews has a propositio (similar to a thesis statement). Bird writes,

Does Hebrews have a propositio? (Actually, does any NT doc have a propositio, but that is another matter). Recently, Ben Witherington has argued that since Hebrews is a piece of epideictic rhetoric it has no propositio. But if I had to press one passage that certain does fit the function or role of a propositio in Hebrews, it would have to be Heb. 2.1-4:

My knee-jerk response was "no." I have always understood 2:1-4 as simply a warning passage but I must admit I am now thinking about Bird's question. Make sure to read his entire post here.

Prayer and Evangelism

“To pray, however fervently, for the conversion of the unsaved, whether they be in China or in the house next door, and to take no action whatever toward acquainting them with the gospel of Jesus Christ, is an abomination.

“To be never so diligent in bringing the evangel to the lost, and not to pray that God may bless the evangel to their hearts unto salvation, is the height of folly, for only God the Holy Spirit can effectually by the Word call sinners to repentance.”

R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966),151.