Feb 3, 2009
Scholarly Views on the Formation of Ancient Israel
Jin Yang Kim has a nice summary of scholarly views on the formation of ancient Israel. I am closest to the Conquest model and I would take exception to the suggestion that the accounts of the conquest in Joshua and Judges are contradictory. I would rather suggest that they are complimentary. Than being said, Kim's post is a helpful survey of the views. Read the post here.
Mounce on Translating Metaphors
Bill Mounce has a good post on the challenges of translating metaphors in the Bible. Read this eye-opening post here.
Feb 2, 2009
Prayer and Political Correctness
Caroline Petrie, a Christian nurse has been suspended for to pray for the recovery of an elderly patient. If you don't believe it you can read the story here.
Ritmeyer on the Antonia Fortress
Leen Ritmeyer has an interesting article on the Antonia Fortress (part of Herod's temple Mount complex). See it here.
The Need for Holiness
Jake Belder has an insightful challenge on the need for holiness in the church today. Belder writes:
Surveying the horizon of the evangelical landscape, you cannot help but notice that there is a disturbing lack of holiness in the Church—or perhaps conversely, that it is marked by a disturbing degree of self-righteousness. There are probably several reasons for this, but some of the most significant are the Church's unfaithfulness to Scripture and the negligent way in which it has allowed itself to succumb to the values and norms of our culture.
And:
What pains me so much about this is that people in the Church, leaders and laymen alike, don't see it and continue to feed the problem. In a post the other day, I quoted D. A. Carson, who said that while the gospel may have peripheral benefits such as improving your marriage or how you handle your finances, that is not the heart of it. Yet that is what has become of it in the Church today. We turn Jesus into a weak, smiling figure who loves us and gives us some good advice on how to make our lives better.
Read the entire post here.
Joseph's Bones
Jin Yang Kim has an interesting post on the references to Joseph's bones in Genesis 50:25-26; Exodus 13:19; and Joshua 24:32. In essence the references to Joseph's bones are apparently used to tie Genesis through Joshua together through promise-fulfillment. The post is tied Jerome Segal's book Joseph's Bones which I have not read. Therefore, it is a bit hard to evaluate the merits of the argument. At least two questions also come to mind. What exactly does Segal mean by "promise"? Is this being viewed as an argument for a Hexateuch (the Pentateuch + Joshua)? In any case, you can read the post here.
A Review of The Word Leaps the Gaps (A Festschrift for Richard Hays)
Nijay Gupta has a helpful review of some of the contents of the recent festschrift for Richard Hays entitled The Word Leaps the Gap (Eerdmans, 2008). You can read it here.
Feb 1, 2009
Commentaries on Isaiah
Keith Mathison Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of his top five commentaries on Isaiah at the Ligonier Ministries blog. Creating a list for Isaiah is complicated by the debates concerning Isianic authorship and unity (both of which I affirm) and whether one is willing to accept commentaries that do not hold these more conservative conclusions. Having said that I have little difficulty in accepting Motyer, Oswalt, and Young in the top five. I am less certain about the merits of Mackay (which I have not used) and Webb. It seems to me that commentaries by Gary V. Smith (1–39, NAC), Blenkinsopp (AB), and Childs (OTL) are more deserving in the top five.
I would also add H. G. M. Williamson (ICC), J. D. W. Watts (Word), and Wildberger (Continental)to the runners-up. In any case, the top five Mathison listed are:
2. John Oswalt -- The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66
3. Edward J. Young -- The Book of Isaiah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1965, 1969, 1972).
4. John L. Mackay -- Isaiah 1-39 (EP Study Commentary, 2008).
5. Barry Webb -- The Message of Isaiah (The Bible Speaks Today, 1997).
Jan 31, 2009
Walton on the Creation of Humankind in the Ancient Near East
John Walton continues is series of posts on Old Testament backgrounds by discussing the creation of Humankind in the ancient Near East. Read it here.
State of the Church in America
According to a recent story in USA Today, the Gallup pollsters have listed the states with the highest to the least percentages of respondents who affirmed that religion is an important part of their daily lives.
• Mississippi: 85%
• Alabama: 82%
• South Carolina: 80%
• Tennessee: 79%
• Louisiana: 78%
• Arkansas: 78%
• Georgia: 76%
• North Carolina: 76%
• Oklahoma: 75%
• Kentucky: 74%
• Texas: 74%
• West Virginia: 71%
• Kansas: 70%
• Utah: 69%
• Missouri: 68%
• Virginia: 68%
• South Dakota: 68%
• North Dakota: 68%
• Indiana: 68%
• Nebraska: 67%
• New Mexico: 66%
• Pennsylvania: 65%
• Florida: 65%
• Maryland: 65%
• Ohio: 65%
• Iowa: 64%
• Minnesota: 64%
• Illinois: 64%
• Michigan: 64%
• Delaware: 61%
• Wisconsin: 61%
• District of Columbia: 61%
• Idaho: 61%
• Arizona: 61%
• New Jersey: 60%
• Wyoming: 58%
• Colorado: 57%
• Hawaii: 57%
• California: 57%
• Montana: 56%
• New York: 56%
• Connecticut: 55%
• Nevada: 54%
• Rhode Island: 53%
• Oregon: 53%
• Washington: 52%
• Alaska: 51%
• Massachusetts: 48%
• Maine: 48%
• New Hampshire: 46%
• Vermont: 42%
Jan 30, 2009
Which Do Your Prefer to Hear?
Derek Thomas asks the following great question:
Which of these two statements do preachers most like to hear: a) "I didn't understand much of what you said, but I love to hear you preach," or "You know, when I hear you preach I say to myself, 'I could have seen that in the text"?
Read his entire post here.
Proverbs 31 Woman Updated
Kate Dolan has an updated and humorous version of the Proverbs 31 woman.
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth more than a Nintendo system with Rock Band and Wii Fit all bundled together.
Her husband trusts her with all the credit cards and the remote control.
She brings him excellent credit ratings all the days of her life.
She selects volunteer cutting assignments from the kindergarten teacher and works with eager hands.
She is like merchant ships, bringing in food from the store with the best coupon deals that week.
She gets up before the clock radio kicks on; and microwaves sausage patties for her family.
She considers a lottery ticket and buys it; out of her Bunco winnings she enters a basket bingo and wins a birthday gift for her mother-in-law.
She works out at the gym vigorously; her arms are strong enough that she doesn't have too much of that hanging flab when she raises her forearms.
She sees that she's getting a good return on her 401(k) rollover, and her lamp always goes out at a reasonable time (but she can turn it back on if the kids need something or the dog starts whining).
In her hand she holds the steering wheel and grasps the box of Cheez-Its to hand out to the kids in the carpool.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for she has arranged to go in late for work on days when schools open on a two-hour delay.
She makes her bed most days even if no one's coming over.
Her husband is respected at the city sports stadium, where he takes his seat among the season ticket-holders.
She makes allergen-free brownies and sells them at the bake sale and supplies the scout troop with sodas for the party.
She is clothed with strength and dignity, or at least sweats that are clean, with not too many paint spatters.
She can laugh at the ridiculously high heating bill.
She speaks with wisdom, and can faithfully instruct her family on how to change the bag in the vacuum cleaner.
She watches over the affairs of her children text messaging each other in the same room and does not eat anything from the Cheesecake Factory.
Her children arise and, though they call her really bad names, at least they're up in time to get ready for school.
Her husband praises her (from his seat with the season ticket-holders): ``Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.''
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who has read this far in my bad paraphrase deserves to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned: A rest. (In other words, that's the end).
The original article can be found here.
Jan 29, 2009
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.
Jan 28, 2009
Prayer and the Sovereignty of God
Matt Waymeyer has posted a four part series, here, here, here, and here on prayer and the sovereignty of God. Namely, asking and answering the question, "Why pray if God is sovereign?"
Waymeyer offers five reasons why believers should pray in light of the sovereignty of God.
1. God has commanded us to pray.
2. Jesus modeled a life of prayer.
3. God is able to respond to our prayers.
4. God actually does respond to prayer.
5. God has ordained prayer as a means by which He accomplishes His eternal purposes
Mounce on Using Greek in the Pulpit
Bill Mounce has provided some good advice concerning using Greek in the pulpit. One paragraph in particular is worth noting well.
"So learn your languages, do your homework, read the best commentaries, struggle with the Greek and Hebrew text, check various translations, and then express yourself with simplicity and humility, and let the power of the sermon be the power of the Spirit working through your words. But please do not hold yourself up as an authority who must be believed because you know what the Greek says. Who knows? Perhaps God will send someone to hear you who knows more about Greek than you do, and will blog about your mistake before the world (as I did in last week’s blog)."
Read the entire post here.
Vance Havner on Being "There"
Vance Havner commenting on 1 Kings 17:2-4, 9-10 suggests:
I do not believe that the ravens would have fed Elijah anywhere else, not would the widow woman have appeared anywhere else except “there.” God did not say, “Elijah, ramble around as you please and I will provide for you.” “There” was a place of God’s will for Elijah- the place of God’s will for Elijah- the place of his purpose, the place of His power and the place of His provision.
“There” was the place of God’s purpose. God has a “there” for you, somewhere He wants you to be, something He wants you to do. You can never be truly happy elsewhere, nor can you please God anywhere but “there.” You may do lovely things and become a “success,” but always there will be the haunting sense of having chosen life’s second best.
Jan 27, 2009
Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:
Philip S. Alexander
The Targum of Lamentations: Translated, with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6381
Reviewed by Jan-Wim Wesselius
Margaret Barker
Temple Themes in Christian Worship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6478
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
Paul C. Burns, ed.
Jesus in Twentieth Century Literature, Art, and Movies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6498
Reviewed by Tsalampouni Ekaterini
Reviewed by Richard Walsh
Bruce Chilton
Abraham's Curse: The Roots of Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6397
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney
John Day, ed.
Temple and Worship in Biblical Israel: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6455
Reviewed by Aren M. Maeir
Timothy Edwards
Exegesis in the Targum of Psalms: The Old, the New, and the Rewritten
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6282
Reviewed by Joachim Vette
William A. Ford
God, Pharaoh and Moses: Explaining the Lord's Actions in the Exodus Plagues Narrative
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6242
Reviewed by Hee Suk Kim
Reviewed by Brian D. Russell
J. Harold Greenlee
The Text of the New Testament: From Manuscript to Modern Edition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6605
Reviewed by J. K. Elliott
Robert H. Gundry
The Old Is Better: New Testament Essays in Support of Traditional Interpretations
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6484
Reviewed by Michael F. Bird
Thomas Krüger, Manfred Oeming, Konrad Schmid, and Christoph Uehlinger, eds.
Das Buch Hiob und seine Interpretationen: Beiträge zum Hiob-Symposium auf dem Monte Verità vom 14.-19. August 2005
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6266
Reviewed by Philippe Guillaume
Francis J. Moloney
The Living Voice of the Gospels
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6130
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek
Risto Nurmela
The Mouth of the Lord Has Spoken: Inner-biblical Allusions in Second and Third Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5565
Reviewed by Christophe Nihan
U. B. Schmid, with W. J. Elliott and D. C. Parker
The New Testament in Greek IV: The Gospel according to St. John: Volume 2: The Majuscules
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6303
Reviewed by Marcus Sigismund
Kenton L. Sparks
God's Word in Human Words: An Evangelical Appropriation of Critical Biblical Scholarship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6514
Reviewed by Arthur Boulet
Reviewed by Jeffrey A. Gibbs
Clinton Wahlen
Jesus and the Impurity of Spirits in the Synoptic Gospels
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6982
Reviewed by Mark D. Batluck
Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld
Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6535
Reviewed by V. George Shillington
Now for Something Totally Different: Transvestism in Ancient Israel
Claude Mariottini has an interesting post on transvestism in Ancient Israel and Deuteronomy 22:5. Although the content is a bit out of the ordinary, it is worth reading. You can access it here.
Jan 26, 2009
What You Won't Learn in Greek Class
Rod Decker lists six things taken from David Black that you won't learn in his Greek class. The list is worth reading. Make sure you read Decker's caveats which I would also share. In any case, you can read the post here.
Latest Issue of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Here is a list of articles to the latest issue (vol. 31 no. 3) of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament with links to their abstracts.
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“Exposing the Economic Middle: A Revised Economy Scale for the Study of Early Urban Christianity”
Bruce W. Longenecker
“Named Letter-Carriers among the Oxyrhynchus Papyri”
Peter M. Head
“The Politics of Promise: Echoes of Isaiah 54 in Romans 4.19–21”
Mark Forman
“Revisiting the Euphemism in 1 Corinthians 7.1”
Roy E. Ciampa
“After 70 and All That: A Response to Martin Goodman's Rome and Jerusalem
James Carleton Paget
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/31/3/339
Jan 25, 2009
Walton on Temple and Cosmos
John Walton has an interesting post on the ancient Near Eastern understanding of the relationship between temple and cosmos. You can read the post here.
Jan 24, 2009
Must Reads for a Pauline Scholar
Nijay Gupta has posted the following list of books that he considers essential reading for Pauline research and scholarship.
E. Kasemann, Perspectives on Paul (London: SCM, 1971).
Krister Stendahl, Paul Among Jews and Gentiles (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974) paperback, $12. This includes his classic essay, “Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West.”
E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977) paperback, $30. A landmark study.
Gerd Theissen, The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on
Wayne Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983) paperback, $18. A widely-acclaimed social analysis of the early Christian movement.
J. Christiaan Beker, Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)
Abraham Malherbe, Paul and the Popular Philosophers (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989).
Morna Hooker. From Adam to Christ: Essays on Paul.
Jerome H. Neyrey, Paul, In Other Words: A Cultural Reading of His Letters (Louisville, KY: Westminster / John Knox, 1990) hardcover, $23.
Wright, N. T. The Climax of the Covenant : Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology.
J. Louis Martyn, Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul (Nashville: Abingdon, 1997) hardcover, $40.
J.P. Sampley, ed. Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook (Continuum 2003).
J.D.G. Dunn, The New Perspective on Paul (
My main quibble with this list is that it basically ignores Evangelical contributions to the study of Paul. A more well-rounded list might include such works as:
Gordon D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study (
Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology. (
Modern Marcions in the Pulpit
I was disappointed to read that surveys have shown that only about 8% of sermons originate from an Old Testament text. How can this be given the fact that the Old Testament makes up approximately two-thirds of our Bibles?
Jan 23, 2009
Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:
The Sinner in Luke
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6616
Reviewed by Bruce Chilton
Reviewed by I. Howard Marshall
Barry Bandstra
Genesis 1–11: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6469
Reviewed by Paul L. Chen
Diane Banks
Writing the History of Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6097
Reviewed by Susanne Scholz
Wesley J. Bergen and Armin Siedlecki, eds.
Voyages in Uncharted Waters: Essays on the Theory and Practice of Biblical Interpretation in Honor of David Jobling
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5638
Reviewed by James West
William Sanger Campbell
The "We" Passages in the Acts of the Apostles: The Narrator as Narrative Character
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6149
Reviewed by Deborah Prince
Philip R. Davies
The Origins of Biblical Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6429
Reviewed by K. L. Noll
Reviewed by Thomas L. Thompson
Wilfried Eckey
Das Lukasevangelium: Unter Berücksichtigung seiner Parallelen. Teilband I: 1,1-10,42; Teilband II: 11,1-24,53
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5340
Reviewed by Joel B. Green
Katrin Keita
Gottes Land: Exegetische Studien zur Land-Thematik im Hoseabuch in kanonischer Perspektive
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6486
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney
Clemens Leonhard
The Jewish Pesach and the Origins of the Christian Easter: Open Questions in Current Research
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5961
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow
Victor H. Matthews
Studying the Ancient Israelites: A Guide to Sources and Methods
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6289
Reviewed by Trent Butler
Madeline Gay McClenney-Sadler
Recovering the Daughter's Nakedness: A Formal Analysis of Israelite Kinship Terminology and the Internal Logic of Leviticus 18
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6417
Reviewed by Deborah W. Rooke
Wayne A. Meeks and John T. Fitzgerald, eds.
The Writings of
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6485
Reviewed by V. George Shillington
Hyung Dae Park
Finding Herem? A Study of Luke-Acts in the Light of Herem
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6449
Reviewed by Darin H. Land
John Riches
Galatians through the Centuries
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6436
Reviewed by John Dunnill
Reviewed by Martin Meiser
Todd D. Still, ed.
Jesus and Paul Reconnected: Fresh Pathways into an Old Debate
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6225
Reviewed by Otis Coutsoumpos
Paul Trebilco
The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6382
Reviewed by Markus Oehler
Review of Christopher J. H. Wright's The God I Don't Understand
Wright, Christopher J. H. The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on the Tough Questions of the Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.
Thanks to Andrew Rogers at Zondervan for the review copy.
I have long appreciated the writing of Christopher J. H. Wright. In particular I have been both enlightened and encouraged with his work in the area of Old Testament ethics and missions. As an author he is easy to read and biblical in his approach.
In the book at hand Wright turns his attention to some common faith-challenging topics: the problem of evil, the divinely-ordained destruction of the Canaanites, the Cross, and the end of the world. I appreciate Wright’s willingness to rush in to places where “angels fear to tread.” His identification of the issues, different views, and potential solutions is clear and thoughtful. I found his treatment of the Canaanite conundrum particularly helpful. I also appreciate the stated goal of the author to help Christians to sustain their faith.
That being said, there are a few areas where I was less enthusiastic about. For example, there were times when I felt that that author was really discussing the people I don’t understand rather than the God I don’t understand. This is not entirely surprising given the nature of this book, but I note it nonetheless. I also felt that Wright’s characterization of positions in the end times section was a bit harsh and unfair, and his argumentation is weak at points. The harshness was evident for example in his title for chapter ninth: “Cranks and Controversies.” To be fair, I may be taking exception to this since he would probably consider me as a pretibulational premillennialist to be a “crank.” But even if I didn’t have my eschatology quite right, I am not sure that calling me a “crank” is helpful in moving the dialogue forward or sustaining me (and others like me) in my faith. I suggest that Wright characterization of pretribulationalism/premillennialism was unfair in that he seemed to straw man a bit, by taking some of the weaker examples of the view and treating them as normative (see pp. 163, 165). Finally, I would suggest that the author might be guilty of the pot calling the kettle black in condemning premillennialists for holding to a literal millennium in Revelation 20 and then proceeding to argue that chapters 21–22 should apparently be taken literally (see. pp. 195–6). What is the hermeneutical basis for making such a move? I would also argue that Wright’s discussion of Matthew 24:40–41 is also wrong in that the position that he condemns is not one held by many pretibulationists.
Reservations aside, I think The God I Don't Understand is worth reading and my appreciation for the work of Christopher Wright as a whole remains undiminished.
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