Mounce on 1 Timothy 2:15

Bill Mounce has posted on the 1 Timothy 2:15 which states that women will be saved through childbirth. Mounce's treatment is pretty basic though. I would suggest that a much better treatment of this difficult passage by Terri Moore can be found here.

Hermeneutical Treatment of "Israel"

In his book, We have heard that God is with You: Preaching the Old Testament (p. 98), Rein Bos notes the following:

“All hermeneutical models teat Israel in one way or another as a symbol or cipher without a theological identity of its own. I discovered the following patterns describing and interpreting the relation between Israel and the church.

-The church has taken over the role of Israel (model of substitution);
-Israel became part of the church as the new people of God (model of integration);
-Israel in Old Testament times was the preliminary phase before the era of the church (model of development);
-Israel is the shadow of the reality of the church (typological model);
-Israel is the negative example as warning for the church (warning model);
-Israel is God’s experimental garden (failure model);
-Israel is an illustration of the generally human (illustration model)."

The Destiny of Those Who Die in Infancy?

Myron Houghton has an interesting post asking and answering the question concerning the destiny of those who die in infancy. In sum, Houghton notes:

The Major Views:

• Infants who die in infancy unbaptized do not go to heaven
• Infants who die in infancy unbaptized may or may not go to heaven
• Infants who die in infancy are damned
• Infants who die in infancy are saved and with Christ in heaven

The Major Reasons for Believing that Infants Who Die in Infancy Go to Heaven:

• The Death and Resurrection of Christ
• The Nature and Place of Saving Faith
• God’s Special Interest in Infants & Young Children
• David’s Statement Upon the Death of His Week-Old Child
• The Nature of the Great White Throne Judgment
• Hell, the Punishment for Refusal to Believe
• Divine Election
• One Purpose for Hell

Read the entire post here.

Biblical Genealogies: The Purpose

This post continues a series on biblical genealogies (see here, here, and here). Today, I will discuss the purpose of biblical genealogies.

A cursory reading of biblical genealogies might suggest that the genealogies sole purpose was to provide a written account of family histories. However, Johnson has actually identified nine different purposes for Old Testament genealogies. These purposes are as follows:

“(1) The demonstration of existing relations between Israel and neighboring tribes by tracing them back to a common patronyms, thus establishing a degree of kinship and at the same time a degree of distinction between Israel and her neighbors . . . (2) The interrelating of the previously isolated traditional elements concerning Israelite origins by the creation of a coherent and inclusive genealogical system. . . (3) to establish continuity over those periods of time not covered by material from the tradition . . . (4) as the vehicle for chronological speculation concerning the ‘Great Year’ or world cycles . . . (5) Several genealogies of tribes in I Chron. 2–8 no longer in existence in the Chronicler’s day show signs of being constructed of material from lists of military leaders . . . (6) to demonstrate the legitimacy of an individual in his office or to provide an individual a rank with connections to a worthy family or individual of the past . . . (7) for establishing the homogeneity of a race . . . (8) [an] attempt to assert the importance of the principle of the continuity of the people of God through a period of national disruption . . . (9) the most frequent use of the genealogical form is to be found in those writings which emanate from priestly circles, and that this use has a primarily literary function.”[1]

[1] Marshall D. Johnson, The Purpose of Biblical Genealogies with Special Reference to the Setting of the Genealogies of Jesus, 2nd ed., Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, ed. G. N. Stanton, vol. 8 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), 77–80.

Fabulous Friday Special

Christian Book Distributors is running a Friday ONLY special on the twelve volume New Testament Commentary Series authored by William Hendriksen and Simon Kistemaker for only $79.99 (plus about $8 postage). That is about $7 a volume for a hardback book! I purchased these volumes individually for substantially more than that. The retail price for the series is $700. Check it out here.

Free Audio Download of Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of the classic Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

"During the 16th and 17th centuries, many families owned two books: the Bible and Foxe's Book of Martyrs. This classic book arose during the Protestant Reformation and profoundly influenced many in the English Church. Beginning with Stephen and the earliest church martyrs and continuing through the French Revolution, Foxes details the sufferings of those who would courageously stand for Christ. Nadia May does a wonderful job narrating and her empathetic tone helps with the difficult subject matter."

Go here and use the coupon code MAY2009.

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:

William S. Campbell, Peter S. Hawkins, and Brenda Deen Schildgen, eds.
Medieval Readings of Romans
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6528
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Adrian Curtis
Oxford Bible Atlas
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6734
Reviewed by George Athas

Lois M. Farag
St. Cyril of Alexandria, a New Testament Exegete: His Commentary on the Gospel of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6274
Reviewed by Hennie Stander

Terence E. Fretheim
Abraham: Trials of Family and Faith
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6633
Reviewed by Hallvard Hagelia

Susan Haber; edited by Adele Reinhartz
"They Shall Purify Themselves": Essays on Purity in Early Judaism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6736
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

Justin K. Hardin
Galatians and the Imperial Cult: A Critical Analysis of the First-Century Social Context of Paul's Letter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6651
Reviewed by Mark D. Nanos

Susan R. Holman, ed.
Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6597
Reviewed by Preston M. Sprinkle

Henry Ansgar Kelly
Satan: A Biography
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5590
Reviewed by James A. Metzger

Dale B. Martin
Pedagogy of the Bible: An Analysis and Proposal
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6609
Reviewed by Renate Viveen Hood

R. J. R. Plant
Good Figs, Bad Figs: Judicial Differentiation in the Book of Jeremiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6432
Reviewed by C.A. Strine

Regards croisés sur la Bible: Études sur le point de vue (Actes du IIIe colloque international du Réseau de recherche en narrativité biblique Paris, 8-10 juin 2006)
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6101
Reviewed by Jean-François Racine

Kenneth Schenck
Cosmology and Eschatology in Hebrews: The Settings of the Sacrifice
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6593
Reviewed by Jason A. Whitlark

F. Scott Spencer
The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6499
Reviewed by Gregory E. Sterling

Ivar Vegge
2 Corinthians-A Letter about Reconciliation: A Psychagogical, Epistolographical and Rhetorical Analysis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6980
Reviewed by Laurence Welborn

Basic Annotated Linguistic Bibliography

Mike Aubrey has posted a basic annotated linguistic bibliography here.

Gorman on Theological Interpretation

Michael J. Gorman has posted excerpts from hisdiscussion of the ological interpretation from the revised and expanded edition of Elements of Biblical Exegesis (Hendrickson, 2009). You can read it here.

HT: Nijay Gupta

Bruce Waltke and Peter Enns

The latest issue of the Westminster Theological Journal contains Bruce Waltke's review article of Peter Enn's controversial book Inspiration and Incarnation and Peter Enns' response to Waltke. You can view pdf's of both here.

Mounce on Metamorphoō and Personal Mission Statements

Bill Mounce has posted on the Greek verb metamorphoō and personal mission statements. What does one have to do with another? Read it here.

Latest Issue of Themelios

The latest issue of Themelios (April 2009) is now available online with links to its content here.

Mariottini on Deborah the Prophetess/Judge

Claude Mariottini has posted an article on Deborah the Judge here.

Nicole on the New Testament's Use of the Old Testament

Justin Taylor notes that Roger Nicole's 1958 essay, "New Testament Use of the Old Testament," is now available online for free in both PDF and iPaper formats. See also Justin's summary of the article here.

Commentaries on Hosea

Keith Mathison Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of his top five commentaries on Hosea at the Ligonier Ministries blog. The list is solid. But I would replace either Hubbard or Kidnder with Duane Garrett (NAC). I would also add Gary V. Smith (NIVAC) to the Runners Up category. In any case, Mathison’s top five are:

1. Douglas Stuart -- Hosea-Jonah (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987).
The single best commentary on the first five minor prophets is the commentary by

2. Thomas E. McComiskey -- The Minor Prophets (2009 [1992]).
3. David Allan Hubbard -- Hosea (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 1989).
4. Derek Kidner -- The Message of Hosea (The Bible Speaks Today, 1984).

5. Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman -- Hosea (Yale Anchor Bible, 1980).

Ancient Near Eastern Background and the Decalogue

The Koinonia blog has posted on possible ancient Near Eastern backgrounds and the Decalogue.

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson

I have just finished reading D. A. Carson's book on his father entitled, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson. I found the book to be both encouraging and edifying. As I read the book I was reminded of words that Carl Sandburg used in reference to Abraham Lincoln: "A tree is best measured when it's down" (Abraham Lincoln, p. 433). Carson's book shows that what is said of a president can also be said of many "ordinary pastors" who may never have biographies penned about them, but who have their names in the Lamb's book of life.

Biblical Genealogies: Open and Closed Genealogies

This post continues a series on biblical genealogies (see here and here). Today, I will discuss open and closed genealogies.

A significant and controversial issue related to genealogies is the issue of open and closed genealogies. Closed genealogies are genealogies that comprehensively and sequentially include a representative person in each generation covered in the genealogy. This does not mean that every person within a generation is identified, but that there is a direct and unbroken link between generations. Indeed, genealogies by nature tend to be selective (sometimes referred to as telescopic). Open genealogies are genealogies that are sequential but not comprehensive. That is, there are “gaps” within the genealogical record. Wilson refers to these “gaps” in terms of fluidity and has identified three types of fluidity: (1) changes in genealogical relationships, (2) additions of names, (3) disappearance or omission of names.[1] Usually these “gaps” are understood to be intentional and made for various reasons. These reasons can include the desire to have exactly a certain number of generations (7, 10, etc.),[2] a desire to be representative not exhaustive (only “hit the high spots”), or a desire to exclude certain individuals (unimportant or undesirable individuals). The problem here is that attempting to determine why a given genealogy was formed in a particular way is highly speculative. Green has argued strongly for the existence of open genealogies in Scripture,[3] and many, if not most, accept this premise as a given. Nonetheless, whether a particular genealogy is open or closed is a point of much debate. This tension is particularly acute concerning the genealogies in the Book of Genesis (e.g. Gen 5; 11). The issue is further complicated by the New Testament usage of the Old Testament genealogical data. Matthew[4] and Luke’s[5] genealogies seem to support open genealogies whereas Jude[6] seemingly supports a closed position.

[1] Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World, 29-36.
[2] Sasson argues that it was common Hebrew convention to make minimal alterations in genealogies to highlight certain individuals by placing them in the seventh (or sometimes the fifth) position. Jack M. Sasson, “A Genealogical "Convention" in Biblical Chronography?,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 90 (1978): 171-85. But Sasson’s work is not without problems. See David T. Bryan, “A Reevaluation of Gen 4 and 5 in Light of Recent Studies in Genealogical Fluidity,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 99 (1987): 181-82.
[3] William Henry Green, “Primeval Chronology,” Bibliotheca Sacra 47 (1890): 285-303.
[4] In Matthew 1:8, Matthew leaves out at least three generations (Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah). Furthermore, Matthew’s depiction of three sets of fourteen genealogies appears to most to be highly stylized and intentional.
[5] In Luke 3:36, Cainan is included between Arphaxad and Shelah. Cainan does not appear in the Masoretic text, although it does appear in the LXX (Gen 10:24; 11:12-13).
[6] Jude 14 states that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam.

Scripture Unlocked

My friend René López has a new website called Scripture Unlocked. There are a variety of resources available. Check it out here.

Bird on Royal Psalms

Michael Bird has posted three ten minute videos on royal Psalms.

Mounce on the Imperfect Verb

Bill Mounce has posted on the imperfect verb in Greek.

Biblical Genealogies: Forms

I recently began a series on biblical genealogies (see here). Today, I want to discuss the forms of genealogies.

The genealogies in Scripture typically take one of two forms. One form is a standard identification and linking of descendants (e.g. Gen 36). Another form of genealogy is narratival in form (e.g., 25:19), and Wilson refers to these genealogies as a “genealogical narrative.”[1] The Book of Genesis includes both of these forms. One might also distinguish between patrilinear and matrilinear genealogies. Patrilinear genealogies trace descent from the father and matrilinear genealogies trace descent from the mother. “In the Penteteuch genealogies are fundamentally patrilinear, though women occasionally—and significantly—appear within them (e.g., Gen 11:29-31; Ex 6:23, 25).”[2]

While perhaps not strictly a question of form, it is worth noting at this point the work of Martin Noth.[3] Noth distinguished between “authentic” and secondary genealogies. “Authentic” genealogies are genealogies that existed prior to and apart from the narrative in which they are found. Secondary genealogies, on the other hand, are genealogies which exist only within the narrative itself. For Noth, the Pentateuch contains some “authentic” genealogies which are older than the narrative in which they are found (and thus might have some historical value) and secondary genealogies which are literary constructs for linking literary units.

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[1] Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World, 9.

[2] Wright, “Genealogies,” 346.

[3] Martin Noth, A History of Pentateuchal Traditions, trans. Bernhard W. Anderson (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972), 214-19.

Emergent Scrabble

Not sure if this is available in Toys R Us yet!!!

McKnight on the New Perspective

Scot McKnight sums up the new perspective on Paul in three lines.

1. Judaism was not a works-earns-salvation religion.
2. Paul was therefore not opposing a works-earns-salvation religion.
3. Therefore, the Reformation's way of framing the entire message of the New Testament as humans seeking to earn their own redemption rests on shaky historical grounds.

Read Scot's post here.

Biblical Genealogies: Definition and Types

Genealogies tend to be an area of the Bible that most people know little about. However, I have to admit that I am a bit intrigued by this material. So I will have several posts dealing with some of my research in this area. Today, I want to discuss a definition and the types of genealogies.

Genealogies may be defined as “a written or oral expression of the descent of a person from an ancestor or ancestors.” [1] Broadly speaking genealogies have either/both breadth and depth.[2] Breadth relates to how many persons a genealogy lists in a single generation. Depth relates to the chronological length of the genealogy. Genealogies that have only depth are also called linear genealogies (e.g. 5:3-31). If a genealogy contains both breath and depth it is called a segmented genealogy (Gen 10:1-32). (A family tree is a common form of segmented genealogy.) A shift from a linear genealogy to a segmented genealogy often carries literary significance. Generally speaking, segmented genealogies seek to establish familial relationships, whereas linear genealogies seek to establish a link between the first and final descendant.[3]

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[1] Robert R. Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977), 9.
[2] J. W. Wright, “Genealogies,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, ed. David W. Baker (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 346.
[3] Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 106-7.