The Population of the Roman Empire in the First Century

Although, this is not strictly a biblical issue, the size of the population of the Roman Empire does provide some background for understanding the New Testament. A recent study based on coin counts posted at Yahoo.com concludes that "the entire population of the Roman Empire - and not just its male population - was somewhere around 4 million to 5 million people by the end of the first century B.C. " You can read the post here

HT: Jim West

Hebrew Vocabulary Resources Again

Karyn Traphagen has a another informative post identifying even more Hebrew vocabulary resources. See it here. You can see an earlier post here.

Powell's New Testament Introduction

I’ve not seen Mark Allan Powell’s new Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey published by Baker, but there are a lot of resources available at the book’s website. Check it out here.

God's Will

Mark Earngey has a good discussion on the will of God. You can access it here.

Metaphors

There is an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News on metaphors. While the article is not specifically related to biblical studies, there is food for thought here which may relate to both hermeneutics and homiletics. You can access the article here.

Hebrew Vocabulary Resources

Karyn Traphagen has a nice post on Hebrew vocabulary resources. Things have come a long way to the simple paper flashcards that I first purchased.

Wright on Mission and Wisdom

Tim Davy does a nice job summarizing key points of Christopher Wright's discussion of wisdom literature and mission in this post.

1,000th Post and Books I Am Currently Reading and Reviewing

Just in case you are interested, this is the 1,000 post for this blog.

Also falling under the category of just in case your interested, I am currently reading and reviewing four books, two for this blog and two for a journal. The four books are: Samuel Meier, Themes and Transformations in Old Testament Prophecy; Adela Yarbro Collins, Mark; Thomas Phillips, Paul, His Letters; and Acts, and Ben Witherington III, The Indelible Image.

Paul's Imprisonment, Acts 16, and Philippians

Phillip Long has a succinct but helpful post outlining the various options for Paul's imprisonment referred to in Philippians. For what it is worth I affirm the traditional Roman imprisonment view. In any case read Phillip's post here.

Waltke on Evolution

The Biologos Foundation has posted a paper by Bruce Waltke entitled "Barriers to Accepting the Possibility of Creation by Means of an Evoluyionary Process." You can access the article here.

HT: Koinonia blog

Craig Keener onthe Historical Reliability of Acts

4Truth.net has an audio Interview with Craig Keener on the historical reliability of the Book of Acts. You can access it here.

Expository Preaching Conference Featuring the Psalms

Hear free audio from the recent Advanced Expository Preaching Conference held lat month at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The four messages posted are:

Craig Blaising – Exegetical Foundations for Preaching the Psalms
Steven Smith Strategies for Preaching Through the Psalms
David Allen Psalm 1 and Using Hebrew
Calvin Pearson Psalm 46 and Using Art in Preaching

You can access these messages here.

Bryan Chapell on Expository Preaching

See this brief, but helpful, discussion on expository preaching by Bryan Chapell.



HT: Cal Habig

Three John Goldingay Courses on Free Audio

Fuller Theological Seminary has posted three of John Goldingay's seminary courses for free download online using the iTunes format.

The Pentateuch (20 tracks)
The Prophets (22 tracks)
Biblical Hermeneutics (22 tracks)

You can access the materials here.

HT: Nijay Gupta

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:

Lars Aejmelaeus and Antti Mustakallio, eds.
The Nordic Paul: Finnish Approaches to Pauline Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6949
Reviewed by Erik Heen

Sandra Gravett, Karla Bohmbach, F. V. Greifenhagen, and Donald Polaski
An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: A Thematic Approach
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6962
Reviewed by J. Dwayne Howell

Dietrich-Alex Koch
Hellenistisches Christentum: Schriftverständnis-Ekklesiologie-Geschichte
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6763
Reviewed by Friedrich Reiterer

M. Sydney Park
Submission within the Godhead and the Church in the Epistle to the Philippians: An Exegetical and Theological Examination of the Concept of Submission in Philippians 2 and 3
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6560
Reviewed by Mark A. Jennings

Jonathan T. Pennington and Sean M. McDonough
Cosmology and New Testament Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6955
Reviewed by Michael J. Lakey

Enno Edzard Popkes
Die Theologie der Liebe Gottes in den johanneischen Schriften: Zur Semantik der Liebe und zum Motivkreis des Dualismus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5254
Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Gershom M. H. Ratheiser
Mitzvoth Ethics and the Jewish Bible: The End of Old Testament Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5882
Reviewed by Ben Ollenburger

Jens Schröter
Von Jesus zum Neuen Testament: Studien zur urchristlichen Theologiegeschichte und zur Entstehung des neutestamentlichen Kanons
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6568
Reviewed by Nils Neumann

David Sim and Boris Repschinski, eds.
Matthew and His Christian Contemporaries
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6951
Reviewed by Glenna Jackson

Lawrence M. Wills
Not God's People: Insiders and Outsiders in the Biblical World
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6692
Reviewed by Lara van der Zee-Hanssen

Frank Yamada
Configurations of Rape in the Hebrew Bible: A Literary Analysis of Three Rape Narratives
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6638
Reviewed by Susanne Scholz

Thielman on Three Approaches to Luke's View of the Law in Luke-Acts

Frank Thielman suggests that there are three approaches that interpreters generally understand Luke’s view of the Law in Luke–Acts. He writes,

“Many interpreters claim that Luke's approach to the law is consistently conservative. Jewish Christians are required to keep it, and Gentile Christians, although not obligated to become Jewish proselytes, are brought under the Law's requirements by means of the Apostolic Decree in Acts 15. Some interpreters think that for Luke the law was the divinely sanctioned way of life for God's people until the introduction of a new era with the coming of Christ. Luke faithfully records in his two volumes that gradual acceptance among Jesus’ followers of the notion that a new age had dawned. One interpreter thinks Luke is anti-Semitic, and that his account of the abandonment of the Jewish law among the early Christians serves his attempt to show that the separation of Christianity from Judaism was the fault of the Jews.”

Frank Thielman, The Law and the New Testament: The Question of Continuity (New York: Crossroad, 1999), 136.

Church History in Four Minutes

Creative and humerous presentation but not sure how helpful this is.



HT: Joel Watts, Stephen Smuts

Top 15 Apologetic Books

Michael Patton lists the following fifteen books as must haves for apologetics.

15. Pensees, Blaise Pascal (can be read through Peter Kreeft, Christianity of Modern Pagans)

14. Letters from a Skeptic, Gregory Boyd

13. How Do You Know Your Not Wrong, Paul Copan

12. Reasonable Faith, William Craig

11. Scaling the Secular City, J. P. Moreland

10. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Norman Geisler

9. Case for Christ, Lee Strobel

8. Reason for God, Tim Keller

7. Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell

6. The Analytic Theist, Alvin Plantinga

5. The God Who is There, Francis Schaeffer

4. Faith Has its Reasons, Rob Bowman and Kenneth Boa

3. The Resurrection of the Son of God, N. T. Wright

2. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Habermas and Licona

1. Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis

Read the entire post here.

New Video on Three Views on the New Testament use of the Old Testament Darrell Bock, Walt Kaiser, and Pete Enns

How does the New Testament use the Old? from Zondervan on Vimeo.

Free Audio Download of Just Courage

Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of Gary Haugen's Just Courage . Go here and use the coupon code OCT2009.

The Story of Acts

“The story in Acts is the story of the ongoing activity of God that human beings can oppose and attempt to thwart but will nevertheless proceed as God purposes.”

I. Howard Marshall, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004), 162.

Expository Preaching Conference

Criswell College is hosting an expository preaching conference on October 5 & 6, 2009, The theme is “Prophetic Preaching in a Decaying Society.” Speakers include David Allen, Mac Brunson, John Mark Caton, W. A. Criswell (by video), O. S. Hawkins, Greg Heisler, and Alan Streett. The registration fee is $40 or $25 for students. The registration includes a DVD set of sermons by W. A. Criswell, a DVD of his sermon preparation methods, two free books, and a dinner and lunch. To register call 214-818-1316.

Grace Notes

Philip Yancey, Grace Notes: Daily Readings with a Fellow Pilgrim (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009).

Thanks to Zondervan for the review copy.

Those who are already fans of Philip Yancey will be excited to learn that material from his prolific writing career (and some unpublished works) have been turned into 366 (Feb. 29 is included) daily readings. Those who are unfamiliar with Yancey now have a great opportunity to be introduced to his work in bite-sized morsels.

These “morsels” are thoughtfully and thematically placed for each day of the year. A helpful explanation of the challenges and rationale behind the placement is included (p. 17). Those who are less familiar with Yancey’s books will also find the descriptive bibliography to be a helpful introduction to Yancey’s books (pp. 419-22).

Grace Notes provides a welcome option for someone who is looking for something slightly different for their daily devotions. Whether you agree or disagree with him, you will likely be moved and challenged.

Expository Preaching with David Allen

Dr. David Allen was recently interviewed by Barry Creamer on the topic of expository preaching on Live from Criswell radio program. Also on the program is Andrew Hebert. You can access the audio here.

The Doctrine of Grace

In his discussion on 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Craig Blomberg writes:

"The doctrine of grace is arguably the watershed that separates Christianity from all other world religions. It should cause no surprise, then that the church has a difficult time warding off the persistent intrusion of works-righteousness. It is central to fallen, human nature to say that grace is unfair and we should get what we deserve. But no one honest about his or her own sinfulness could ever really want that. What makes God’s grace filled gospel ‘good news’ is that we don’t have to get what we deserve. Verses 12-15 remind a society preoccupied with statistics that God desires quality as well as quantity as his church grows. But true progress occurs when believers obey him in joyful response to the salvation Christ has already provided, rather than in the hopes gaining greater reward (cf. Luke 14:12, 17:7-10)."

Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 86.