Apr 24, 2010
Seminary Online
The Ascension of Christ
One of the most neglected theological aspects of the life and work of Christ relates to His Ascension. Christians often take for granted the reality of the Ascension since Christ is no longer physically present but fail to think about the theological implications of the event. If you doubt this, just ask a few people at your church concerning what they think of the Ascension. So I thought it might be helpful to share five observations from Peter Toon on the meaning of the Ascension.
1. The Ascension is seen, especially by Luke, as that which necessarily follows and completes the Resurrection.
2. Since Jesus died, descended into Hades, was raised from death, and ascended into heaven as the Messiah of his people, then by his resurrection and ascension, he became the firstfruits of his people.
3. The Ascension implies exaltation.
4. Jesus ascended in order to begin his heavenly ministry as High Priest, making intercession
5. Jesus ascended to bestow the gift of the Spirit upon the disciples whom he had called.
6. The Ascension inaugurates a new age.
Peter Toon, The Ascension of Our Lord (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984), 17-19.
Apr 23, 2010
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:
Frank Eibisch
Dein Glaube hat dir geholfen: Heilungsgeschichten des Markusevangeliums als paradigmatische Erzählungen und ihre Bedeutung für diakonisches Handeln
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7148
Reviewed by Wilhelm Pratscher
David L. Baker
Tight Fists or Open Hands? Wealth and Poverty in Old Testament Law
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7278
Reviewed by Timothy Sandoval
Hans M. Barstad
History and the Hebrew Bible: Studies in Ancient Israelite and Ancient Near Eastern Historiography
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7224
Reviewed by Jeremy Hutton
Carol M. Bechtel, eds.
Touching the Altar: The Old Testament for Christian Worship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6515
Reviewed by Tony Costa
R. Scott Chalmers
The Struggle of Yahweh and El for Hosea's Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6679
Reviewed by Markus Saur
James H. Charlesworth and Petr Pokorný, eds.
Jesus Research: An International Perspective
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7309
Reviewed by Peder Borgen
Lowell K. Handy, ed.
Psalm 29 through Time and Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7144
Reviewed by Gert Prinsloo
Hannah Harrington
The Purity Texts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6412
Reviewed by Eric F. Mason
Giulio Maspero
Trinity and Man: Gregory of Nyssa's Ad Ablabium
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7320
Reviewed by Ilaria Ramelli
Herbert Schmid
Die Eucharistie ist Jesus: Anfänge einer Theorie des Sakraments im koptischen Philippusevangelium (NHC 113)
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6296
Reviewed by Riemer Roukema
Apr 22, 2010
Acts: Prescriptive or Descriptive
“A major issue in interpreting Acts is the extent to which it is prescriptive, saying how the church is always meant to be, or descriptive, telling us how the church was at this particular period (Marshall, Acts, 101–5). One helpful tool in deciding case by case about this issue is to consider how far Luke presents clear patterns of events. For example, 2:38-42 presents a fivefold pattern of what it means to become a Christian, involving repentance from sin, water baptism, receiving forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit, and joining the renewed people of God. This pattern keeps reappearing in Acts, not always in the same sequence as in 2:38-42, but with the same elements present (e.g., 8:12–17; 10:44–48; 19:l–20). Using this ‘patterning’ tool, we may identify three themes that address the theology and practice of today's churches.”
Steve Walton, "Acts," in Theological Interpretation of the New Testament: A Book-by-Book Survey, ed. Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 80.
Apr 21, 2010
Latest Issue of Themelios
The latest issue of Themelios (35:1) is now available as a pdf here. The articles are:
Editorial: Perfectionisms by D. A. Carson
Minority Report: The Importance of Not Studying Theology by Carl Trueman
New Commentaries on Colossians: Survey of Approaches, Analysis of Trends, and the State of Research by Nijay Gupta
Does Baptism Replace Circumcision? An Examination of the Relationship Between Circumcision and Baptism in Colossians 2:11–12 by Martin Salter
Pastoral Pensées: The Church: A Hidden Glory (1 Timothy 3:14–16) by Bill Kynes
Ten Comments You're Least Likely to Hear at Church
1. Hey! It's my turn to sit in the front pew.
2. I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon went 25 minutes over time.
3. Personally I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.
4. I've decided to give our church the $500 a month I used to send to TV evangelists.
5. I volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the junior high Sunday School class.
6. Forget the denominational minimum salary; let's pay our pastor so he can live like we do.
7. I love it when we sing hymns I've never heard before!
8. Since we're all here, let's start the service early.
9. Pastor, we'd like to send you to this Bible seminar in the Bahamas.
10. Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual stewardship campaign!
Source: Preaching Now
Apr 20, 2010
More Links Between Luke-Acts
I recently posted on the thematic links that tie Luke and Acts together. Steve Walton has a couple of good paragraphs on this as well. Walton writes:
"Reading Luke and Acts together, on the other hand, can explain some puzzles. Such an approach is suggestive for Luke’s apparently diminished emphasis on the death of Jesus in Acts, for Luke has told this story clearly in his Gospel and, while writing Acts, can count it as read and known. The clear statement of Acts 20:28, seeing the blood of Jesus as ‘obtaining’ his people, is the tip of a large iceberg of understanding of Jesus’ crucifixion found in the Gospel, notably in Luke 23 (Wenham and Walton 235)."
Steve Walton, "Acts," in Theological Interpretation of the New Testament: A Book-by-Book Survey, ed. Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 79.
Apr 19, 2010
Paul's First Missionary Journey
"From the standpoint of ministry and mission, the most significant feature of the [first] missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas was the journey itself. As far as we know, this was the first time when a church had adopted and carried out a specific plan to carry the gospel to the lost world. On the other hand, from the standpoint of theology or doctrine, perhaps the most significant feature of that missionary journey was the fact that churches which were specifically and primarily Gentile had been established."
Robert L. Cate, A History of the New Testament and Its Times (Nashville: Broadman, 1991), 296.
Bibliotheca Sacra 11-20
Thematic Links between Luke-Acts
There are some interpreters today who suggest that Luke and Acts should be separated. But I truly believe in the importance of hyphenating Luke-Acts. There are numerous, significant, and meaningful links between Luke and Acts. In this vein, see these two posts (here and here) from Michael Barber summarizing an article by Charles Talbert on these thematic links. By the way I would add prayer to the six themes noted. You might also want to see this earlier post.
Apr 18, 2010
Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N.T. Wright
The much discussed nineteenth annual Wheaton Theology Conference held on April 16-17, 2010: Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N.T. Wright is now available in audio or video here.
HT: Denny Burk
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:
Hector Avalos, Sarah Melcher, and Jeremy Schipper, eds.
This Abled Body: Rethinking Disabilities in Biblical Studies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7175
Reviewed by Yael Avrahami
Susan Emanuel and Jonathan G. Campbell
The Exegetical Texts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6413
Reviewed by Eric F. Mason
A. Philip Brown
Hope amidst Ruin: A Literary and Theological Analysis of Ezra
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7135
Reviewed by Bob Becking
James R. Linville
Amos and the Cosmic Imagination
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6646
Reviewed by M. Daniel Carroll R.
John P. Meier
A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume 4: Law and Love
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7101
Reviewed by William Loader
Gerald O'Collins
Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7264
Reviewed by James F. McGrath
Gregory E. Sterling
Coptic Paradigms: A Summary of Sahidic Coptic Morphology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7000
Reviewed by William Arnal
Guy G. Stroumsa
The End of Sacrifice: Religious Transformations in Late Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7122
Reviewed by Douglas Estes
Stefan Wälchli
Glaubenswelten der Bibel: Eine kleine Geschichte des biblischen Glaubens und der Entstehung der Bibel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6936
Reviewed by Louis Jonker
Harald Martin Wahl
Das Buch Esther: Übersetzung und Kommentar
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7190
Reviewed by Donatella Scaiola
Walter T. Wilson
Pauline Parallels: A Comprehensive Guide
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7136
Reviewed by Martinus C. de Boer
Otto Zwierlein
Petrus in Rom: Die literarischen Zeugnisse
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7189
Reviewed by James D. G. Dunn
Apr 17, 2010
A Reader's Hebrew and Greek Bible
Jesse Hillman at Zondervan was kind enough to send a copy of the brand new A Reader's Hebrew and Greek Bible. Here are a four things I like about it.
1. It looks like a Bible. This means that I can take it to church
without feeling self-conscious about carry an original language text. I am not embarrassed about knowing the languages, I just think that one needs to be careful about how's actions can be perceived and we certainly want to avoid any suggestion that people cannot trust the English translations that they are using.2. I like the fact that has both Hebrew and Greek. I am a proud owner of Zondervan's separate volumes of Hebrew and Greek, but now I have them both in one volume.
3. I like the fact that the Bible appears to be well-made and sturdy.
4. I like the good-size Hebrew font, although I do wish the Greek font were a bit larger.
Concerning the actual content, here is the product description:
This combined A Reader's Greek New Testament and A Reader’s Hebrew Bible offers the following features: • Complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible, using the Westminister Leningrad Codex
• Greek text underlying Today’s New International Version—with footnotes comparing wherever this text is different from the UBS4 text • Footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less—twenty-five or less for Aramaic words—with context-specific glosses • Footnoted definitions of all Greek words occurring thirty times or less • Lexicons of all Hebrew words occurring more than 100 times and Greek words occurring more than thirty times • Eight pages of full-color maps separate the OT and NT sections Ideal for students, pastors, and instructors, A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible saves time and effort in studying the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. By eliminating the need to look up definitions, the footnotes allow you to more quickly read the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text. Featuring fine-grain black European leather binding, A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible is a practical, attractive, and surprisingly affordable resource.
Apr 16, 2010
Resources for Studying Biblical Theology
Matt Capps has a nice post for resources for studying Biblical Theology here.
Spiritualizing the Text
“Spiritualizing involves turning the physical realities of a biblical text into unwarranted spiritual analogies and applications. When preaching about Jesus calming the storm on Galilee, for example, a preacher might say, ‘This storm represents the storms that we often face on the sea of life.’ Or, when discussing the Israelites' seven-circuit march around the walls of Jericho, he might spiritualize the event by listing seven acts of obedience in response to which God will remove the obstacles that stand in our way. When preaching about God's parting the Red Sea, he might spiritualize the text by saying, ‘The Red Sea represents the difficulties in your life. This text teaches that God will carve a path straight through them.’
When we spiritualize the details of a text, we divorce that text from the original author's meaning and purpose. We snatch the authority from the inspired pen of the biblical writer and invest it in our own imaginations. Though the advice we give and applications we make may provide help to our listeners, we inadvertently put words into God’s mouth that He never spoke. We attach a ‘thus saith the Lord’ to an application that would cause the original writer to scratch his head.”
Daniel Overdorf, Applying the Sermon: How to Balance Biblical Integrity and Cultural Relevance (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009), 74-5.
Apr 15, 2010
Librivox
I'm not sure whether I have mentioned this before, but LibriVox provides free audiobooks from works that are in the public domain. There provide several downloading and listening options. You can access the site here. Most of the books are not Christian or theological but it could be a great way for the busy pastor or student to be exposed to some of the great literature of the past.
Apr 14, 2010
Preaching Narrative
Peter Mead makes some helpful observations/suggestions about preaching narrative. I particularly like his first point (reproduced below).
"1. If the message structure reflects the story structure, then some points may be better stated in historical terms. What I mean is that in an attempt to be contemporary, we can end up making three or four life principles out of the developing elements of the story, rather than allowing the story to be told properly. The problem then becomes a moralizing approach to the details of a story, rather than allowing the force of the story to stand behind the main point, which itself might best be the only focus of application. Stories that are told effectively will hold attention, so it is not necessary to generate points of relevance or application throughout the detail of the story. Pay careful attention to the introduction, generating a definite sense of sermon relevance there, then feel free to be in the world of the narrative for a large part of the message, continually building to the relevance that may only become overt in point 3 or 4 (i.e. whenever the main idea is revealed with its abiding theological thrust)."
Read the entire post here.
Mounce on Prayer and Fasting and 1 Corinthians 7:5
Bill Mounce has a good discussion on the text-critical issue involving 1 Corinthians 7:5, namely does Paul mention only prayer or prayer and fasting. Read Mounce's post here.
Apr 13, 2010
Studying Paul
Those who use Logos Bible software and are interested in Paul and his epistles might be interested in this deal.
An Armininian's List of Favorite Calvinist Books and Authors
This is something you don't see every day, but something that I believe we should see more of. An Arminian's list of favorite Calvinist books and authors. The list is not extensive but I appreciate those who are willing to read outside of their theological tradition or position.
Resources on Leviticus
Nijay Gupta has a list of resources that he found useful and insightful for studying Leviticus. See it here.
Apr 12, 2010
Blogaversary
For whatever its worth, today is the second anniversary for this blog. In the past two years there have been nearly 1400 posts. That makes me tired just thinking about it.
Apr 11, 2010
Divine Purpose in Acts
"In reading Luke and particularly in following the events of Acts, one becomes increasingly aware of the pervasive theme of the divine purpose. This author, more than any other in the New Testament, is consumed by this concept, which he introduces in a variety of ways: by employing terms expressing necessity, through some type of supernatural intervention (voice from heaven, activity of the Spirit, angels, demons, appearances of the risen Christ, dreams or visions, etc.), by using various temporal expressions, or by appealing to the Old Testament and its interpretation."
Earl Richard, "The Divine Purpose: The Jews and the Gentile Mission (Acts 15)," in Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the Society of Biblical Literature Seminar, ed Charles H. Talbert (New York: Crossroad, 1984), 192.
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