BibleX

Mar 12, 2009

A Resource for Text-Driven Preaching

See this article by Robin Foster on OpenText.org, a free site that that displays New Testament Greektext (and some NT Apocrypha and Apostolic Fathers texts) in semantic structural layout form.

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:

Michael F. Bird
The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6245
Reviewed by James P. Sweeney

James H. Charlesworth
The Historical Jesus: An Essential Guide
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6511
Reviewed by Peter J. Judge

Andrew D. Clarke
A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6427
Reviewed by Jens Herzer

Tal Davidovich
The Mystery of the House of Royal Women: Royal Pilagsim as Secondary Wives in the Old Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6492
Reviewed by Yael Shemesh

Mary Dove
The First English Bible: The Text and Context of the Wycliffite Versions
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6508
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton
Reviewed by Christo H. J. van der Merwe

David Flood, ed.
Peter of John Olivi on Genesis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6123
Reviewed by Mark Elliott

David Flusser; translated by Azzan Yadin
Judaism of the Second Temple Period, Volume 1: Qumran and Apocalypticism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6591
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

Richard S. Hess and Elmer A. Martens, eds.
War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6579
Reviewed by Brad E. Kelle

Alistair G. Hunter
An Introduction to the Psalms
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6479
Reviewed by Gert T. M. Prinsloo
Reviewed by John S. Vassar

Barclay M. Newman, ed.
The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6215
Reviewed by Cynthia Long Westfall

Anita Norich and Yaron Z. Eliav, eds.
Robert B. Wright, ed.
The Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Edition of the Greek Text
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6010
Reviewed by Rodney A. Werline
Reviewed by Joel Willitts

Mar 11, 2009

Six Words to Leaders from Acts 20

Tim Chester offers the following six words for Christian leaders drawn from Acts 20.

1. Both feed and guard the flock (28-31)
2. Never shrink back (20, 26-27)
3. Trust grace (21, 24, 32)
4. Guard yourselves (28)
5. Sacrifice (24, 33-35)
6. Shed tears (19, 31)

You can read Tim's entire post here.

What if Galatians had been Published in Christianity Today?

The Sacred Sandwich has a funny piece on the possible letters to the editor if Galatians had been published in Christianity Today. Check it out here.

HT: Wes Bolton

Praying the Psalms

Here is one way to pray through the Psalms.

Mar 10, 2009

Christocentricity and the Hermeneutics of the Reformers

Read this interesting and provocative post on Christocentricity and the Hermeneutics of the Reformers. The basic point is that this hermeneutic was Christocentric and ours should be as well.

Commentaries on Ezekiel

Keith Mathison Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of his top five commentaries on Ezekiel at the Ligonier Ministries blog. Block's two volumes at the top spot is hard to argue with. But I would suggest that Lamar Cooper's commentary in the NAC series is better than either Duguid or Stuart and that although they are more critical in orientation, Allen (WBC) and Zimmerli (Hermeneia) deserve a place in the top five. I would also add Feinberg to th Runners Up category. In any case, the Mathison’s top five are:

1. Daniel I. Block -- The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 1-24; The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25-48 (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1997, 1998). 2. Iain M. Duguid -- Ezekiel (NIV Application Commentary, 1999).
3. Douglas Stuart -- Ezekiel (The Preacher's Commentary, 2002).
4. Derek Thomas -- God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained (Welwyn Commentary Series, 1993).
5. Patrick Fairbairn -- The Visions of Ezekiel (1842).

Mar 9, 2009

Pritchard on Twenty-One Ways to Prepare for Ministry

Ray Pritchard has written a helpful article on twenty-one ways to prepare for ministry. You can read it here.

Mounce on 1 Timothy 3:2

Bill Mounce has a helpful discussion on the qualification of elders as it pertians to marriage/divorce/remarriage (1 Tim 3:2). Read it here.

Mar 8, 2009

Hebrew Jonah Comic

AnimatedHebrew.com has a neat interactive Hebrew Jonah comic. According to the instructions,

Every word of the Hebrew text is included in this Jonah comic in multiple scripts (square, cursive, paleo-Hebrew) and multiple forms (consonantal, pointed, cantillated). You can also listen to my slow, deliberate read of the Hebrew text, and pause or repeat at any time. At the bottom of the screen you'll find ancient and modern translations that you can compare with the Hebrew text (Aramaic, Syriac, Greek, Latin, German, French, and 3 English translations). This comic is a great way to learn or practice your biblical Hebrew. It will help you develop an “ear” for the language and wean your dependence on pointed texts. For an extra challenge, use the 'no text' option to try memorizing the whole book. :)

Check it out here.

Mar 7, 2009

Perseverance and Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Mike Bird takes on the topic of perseverance and Hebrews 5:11-6:12. It is an interesting post, although I would take a bit of a different interpretation. Read Bird's post here.

Burge on Kenneth Bailey

Books & Culture has posted an article/review by Gary Burge of the work of Kenneth Bailey in general, and his recent book Jesus in Middle Eastern Eyes in particular. Burge is perhaps most well known for his work in Jesus' parables. I believe that Bailey's work merits more attention than he usually gets. But check out Burge's thoughts for yourself here.

Mar 6, 2009

Azazel and the “Scapegoat” (Leviticus 16)

See the post for background issues related to Azazel and the so-called "scapegoat" in Leviticus 16.

Audio on the Psalms

Justin Taylor has posted links to free lectures on the Psalms sponsored by Union Seminary. You can access Justin's post and audio links here.

Mar 5, 2009

Taking Seminary Classes Online

Technology has enabled a number of seminaries and Bible colleges to offer classes online. This can be a great opportunity for those who are unable to move or find commuting difficult. But online courses can present its own set of challenges. Jake Belder at GoingtoSeminary.com has written a helpful piece on some of these challenges. I would echo Jake's points, having served as a graduate teaching assistant for online courses for several years.

Rabbinic Parables

Maer dos Santos has written an interesting post related to Harvey K. McArthur and Robert M. Johnston's book,They Also Taught in Parables: Rabbinic Parables from the First Centuries of the Christian Era. "The first part is a collection of selected parables of the תנאים (tannaim - the Rabbinic sages in the Mishnah from approximately 70-200 CE) and the second part comprised of essays on the nature of their parables and some comparisons with the parables of Jesus." Read the rest of the post here.

The Price of Hosea's Wife

Claude Mariottini asks and answers the question, "How much did Hosea pay for his wife?" Read abut it here.

Mar 4, 2009

Perspectives on the Ending of Mark

I just received my review copy of Perspectives on the Ending of Mark (thanks to Jim Baird at Broadman & Holman). The book consists of five chapters as noted below.

Chapter 1 — Mark 16:8 as the Conclusion to the Second Gospel (Daniel B. Wallace)
Chapter 2 —The Long Ending of Mark as Canonical Verity (Maurice A. Robinson)
Chapter 3 —The Last Twelve Verses of Mark: Original or Not? (J. Keith Elliott)
Chapter 4 —Mark 16:9–20 as Markan Supplement (David Alan Black)
Chapter 5 — The Ending of Mark: A Response to the Essays (Darrell L. Bock)

I will be reviewing this book shortly. In the meantime, you can access a sample chapter of the book here.

Angelos in Revelation 2-3

Alan Bandy has a helpful overview concerning the identity of the angelos in Revelation 2-3. This is a tough issue. I wrote a review of a commentary on Revelation several years ago in which the author's translated angelos in his translation of Revelation 2-3 with "angel," but stated in his comments that he believed that the angelos were human messengers.

Mar 3, 2009

Mounce on the Difficulty of Translating Some Greek Words and Phrases

Bill Mounce has posted on the difficulty of translating some Greek words and phrases. In particular, Mounce looks at Mark 5:7 and the optative me genoito (e.g., Luke 20:16; Rom 3:4). Read Mounce's post here.

Mar 2, 2009

The Relationship Between James and Paul

Patrick Woods an M.Div. student at Truett Seminary at Baylor University has started a new blog dedicated to the Epistle of James. In a recent post, Woods interacts with Margaret Mitchell’s essay “The Letter of James as a Document of Paulinism” in Reading James With New Eyes (T & T Clark, 2007), edited by Robert Webb and John Kloppenborg and identifies the following possible options for Jmaes' relationship to Paul.

1. James and Paul were completely independent and any allegorical overlaps are mere coincidence.

2. James and Paul both reflect “Hellenistic Judaism” or “first generation Jewish [Christianity]” (without direct connection to one another).

3. Paul knew the Epistle of James and wrote against it in his letter(s), especially Galatians (and/or Romans).

4. James did not know Paul’s letters but had heard something (accurate) about Paul.

5. James did not know Paul’s letters but had heard something (inaccurate) about Paul.

6. James depends on the Pauline letters (especially Galatians, perhaps Romans) and writes against them because he understands how radical Paul’s teaching on justification was and wishes to combat it.

7. James depends on the Pauline letters (especially Galatians, perhaps Romans) and writes against them, but ‘misunderstands’ Paul’s true teaching on justification to combat it.

8. The author of the Letter of James knows some collection of Paul’s letters, and writes from within Paulinism (rather than in opposition to Paul), creating a compromise document which has as one of its purposes reconciling ‘Paul with Paul’ and ‘Paul with the Pillars.’ This is Mitchell’s view.

Mar 1, 2009

Books on Hebrews at Google Books

Brian Small has compiled a list related to books on Hebrews at Google Books. Most of the books are older works, but the price is right (free). Check it out here.