Jun 5, 2010
Some Problems With Identifying the Apostolic Prohibitions With Leviticus 17-18
Many New Testament interpreters identify the prohibitions in the Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25) with Leviticus 17-18. But this identification is not without significant difficulty. As Mark Seifrid notes:
"It is unlikely that the Decree is directly connected to Lev. 17–18, the Noachian commandments, or the bXwt rg (a Gentile who is not a proselyte). The most serious difficulty in connecting the Decree with Lev. 17–18 is that the term prosh,lutoj had undergone a shift in meaning which is manifest even in the LXX translation. By the first century, prosh,lutoj , by which the foreigner is designated in Lev. 17–18 (LXX) would be understood to refer to a full proselyte, not to a sojourner within Israel. Wilson [Luke and the Law, 86] also points out that the connection of pnikto,j with Lev. 17–18 is “by any reckoning extremely obscure.” There is no evidence that first-century Judaism made Lev. 17–18 a part of its requirements for either proselytes or godfearers.”
Mark A. Seifrid, “Jesus and the Law in Acts.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 30 (1987): 49.
Jun 4, 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:
A. Joseph Everson and Hyun Chul Paul Kim, eds.
The Desert Will Bloom: Poetic Visions in Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7277
Reviewed by by Uwe Becker
Karen L. King
The Secret Revelation of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7051
Reviewed by by Douglas M. Parrott
Christina M. Kreinecker
Zeugen der Auferstehungsberichte
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7344
Reviewed by by James M. Leonard
Elisa Estèvez Lòpez
Mediadoras de sanación: Encuentros entre Jesús y las mujeres: Una nueva mirada
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7054
Reviewed by by Stephan Witetschek
Nathan MacDonald, Richard Bauckham, Daniel R. Driver, and Trevor A. Hart, eds.
The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7266
Reviewed by by John Dunnill
Shalom Paul
Isaiah 40-66: A Commentary [Hebrew]
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7575
Reviewed by by Benjamin D. Sommer
Jeremy M. Schott
Christianity, Empire, and the Making of Religion in Late Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6685
Reviewed by by Todd Krulak
Lesleigh Cushing Stahlberg
Sustaining Fictions: Intertextuality, Midrash, Translation, and the Literary Afterlife of the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6953
Reviewed by by Oda Wischmeyer
The Effect of the Jerusalem Council
“The effect of the Apostolic Council is to universalize and make permanent the principle inherent in the conversion of Cornelius. Acts 15 finalizes the manner in which Gentiles are to enter and remain within the fellowship of believers. The question explicitly raised in the text is that of the requirements for salvation. However, the issue of the basic nature and identity of the believing community is also at stake. Ultimately the decision of the Council recognizes Gentiles as full heirs of salvation and members of the people of God, apart from the Mosaic law. This recognition defines the position of the believing community vis-à-vis the Law and Judaism."
Mark A. Seifrid, “Jesus and the Law in Acts,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 30 (1987): 44.
Jun 3, 2010
Ten Questions With Steven Lawson
Colin Adams has a nice interview with Steven Lawson on expository preaching. See it here.
The Book of Revelation
Although an exercise in hyperbole, Eugene Peterson's words concerning the Book of Revelation are a good reminder not to neglect the study of Revelation.
"The Revelation gives us the last word on Christ, and the word is that Christ is center and at the center. Without this controlling center, the Bible is a mere encyclopedia of religion with no more plot than a telephone directory."
Eugene H. Peterson, Reversed Thunder (New York: Harper Collins, 1988), 28.
Jun 2, 2010
Teaching Church History
Although teaching church history is not really my discipline, Seumas MacDonald has a post that offers a number of helpful suggestions for teaching church history. Read it here.
Missions in Preaching and Teaching
Dustin Benge has a good reminder on the centrality of missions in preaching and teaching here.
Mark Rooker on the Ten Commandments
Dr. Mark Rooker, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina has recently come o
ut with his fifth book: The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century. Dr. Rooker holds degrees from Rice University (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Brandeis University (M.A., Ph.D.) with additional studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has authored dozens of articles for books, journals, and dictionaries, as well as translation work for two English Bible translations.
Dr. Rooker has graciously agreed to the following interview concerning his book The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century.
How did the Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century come about?
A few years ago, Broadman & Holman had a luncheon in the Raleigh area and announced the launching of a new series called the New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology. The next day I met with a representative of Broadman & Holman and the subject of the Ten Commandments was discussed. This was the beginning of my research for the book.
My special interest in studying the Ten Commandments for myself began during my doctoral studies at Brandeis University where I took a course on the book of Exodus taught by the late Nahum Sarna. Dr. Sarna was a Jewish scholar and a former British citizen and was interested not only in uncovering the meaning of the biblical laws but also how Old Testament biblical laws were the foundation for European law.
I continued to study the Ten Commandments as I taught courses on the book of Exodus at Dallas Seminary, Criswell College, Moscow Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Why did you write the book?
I wrote the book to examine each of the Ten Commandments in their Old and New Testament contexts and explore how they are relevant for today.
What is the main thesis of the book?
The Ten Commandments apply to the contemporary Christian life as they are important for biblical ethics and part of what is involved in the process of sanctification.
Who should read the book?
People interested in biblical ethics and those teachers who want to address our culture about the ethics and morals of the Bible.
What do you hope to accomplish through this book?
That people see the relevance of the Ten Commandments for personal ethics and appreciate the fact that the Ten Commandments are foundational for the laws of Western Civilization.
Jun 1, 2010
Free Francis Chan Audio Book
Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of Francis Chan's Forgotten God. Here is a description of the book.
As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit - the Helper - so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today's church has admired the gift but neglected to open it. Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church's power: the Holy Spirit.
Go here and use the coupon code JUN2010.
Exegesis and Expository Preaching
"An expository sermon rises and falls on exegesis. Exegesis involves a thorough, analytical study of a biblical passage in order to develop a useful interpretation of the passage. Before we can preach any passage, we need to thoroughly understand it; exegesis is the process by which we determine the meaning.”
Paul D. Wegner, Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching: A Guide for Students and Pastors (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009), 68–9.
May 31, 2010
Confession vs. Apologies?
Recently I read this article on how to make apologies for verbal faux pas in the work place. This article got me to thinking about apologies and the Bible. It seems to me that the Bible tends to emphasize confession rather than apology. But, Is a confession the same as an apology? Just thinking out loud here. What do you think?
May 30, 2010
The Divinity of Christ
"Some critics of Christianity seem to think that you can get rid of the idea of the divinity of Christ, and leave every other Christian doctrine untouched. They seem to think it's like some sort of precision surgery, allowing you to remove apparently unnecessary parts of the human body - it's not taking away something unimportant, but the very source of it's life and power! These words of C. S. Lewis sum up the situation perfectly: "The doctrine of Christ's divinity seems to me not something stuck on which you can unstick, but something that peeps out at every point so that you'd have to unravel the whole web to get rid of it." To deny the divinity of Christ is unnecessary and leads to a totally inadequate version of Christianity."
Alister McGrath, Explaining Your Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 61.
May 29, 2010
The Bible and the Current Immigration Debate
I must confess that I have been a bit uncomfortable with how the Bible is sometimes being used in the current immigration debate. Here is an article by Jason Poling at the Washington Post website that exposes just some of the problems.
Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary
Anyone who is interested in working on biblical Hebrew vocabulary might be interested in this.
Testing Ancient Coins
Ancient coins are often an overlooked aspect of primary source material for biblical backgrounds. Coins can shed light on a number of historical questions as seen in this article.
HT: G. M. Grena
May 28, 2010
Barrett on the Church
“The chuch as the body that lives under—or indeed on—the cross is expressing in its disciplined and triumphant life the very nature of its Lord; and this is not in any sense peripheral.”
C. K. Barrett, Church, Ministry, and Sacraments in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), 26.
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:
Charles B. Cousar
Philippians and Philemon: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7099
Reviewed by Eduard Verhoef
E. A. Judge
The First Christians in the Roman World: Augustan and New Testament Essays
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7363
Reviewed by Everett Ferguson
Ulrike Mittmann-Richert
Der Sühnetod des Gottesknechts: Jesaja 53 im Lukasevangelium
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7569
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke
William D. Mounce
Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7437
Reviewed by Laurence M. Vance
Jacques van Ruiten and J. Cornelis de Vos, eds.
The Land of Israel in Bible, History, and Theology: Studies in Honour of Ed Noort
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7387
Reviewed by Hallvard Hagelia
William A. Simmons
Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6934
Reviewed by James Riley Strange
Michael Sokoloff
A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7340
Reviewed by H. F. van Rooy
Günter Stemberger
Juden und Christen im spätantiken Palästina
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6844
Reviewed by Peter J. Tomson
May 27, 2010
Introduction to 1-2 Corinthians
Matt Capps has posted a pretty good introduction to 1-2 Corinthians here.
Seifrid on Luke's View of the Law in Acts
“I am arguing that, at crucial points, Luke gives evidence that he maintains an ethic which transcends Torah (and hence may overturn it): (a) the enthroned Messiah, Jesus, places new demands on humankind; (b) the recipients of salvation (and hence, the people of God) are not determined by Mosaic law, but by faith in Jesus; (c) the Mosaic law is not the criterion which determines the modus vivendi of the Gentile believers; (d) the Mosaic law need not govern the conduct of Jewish believers either.”
M. A. Seifrid, “Jesus and the Law in Acts,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 30 (1987): 40.
May 26, 2010
May 25, 2010
Mounce on 2 Peter 1:20
Second Peter 1:20 is well known as crux interpretum. Bill Mounce has a good discussion of the issues here. For what its worth, I happen to agree with Mounce's conclusion. I offer the following four reasons for the the "origins" view (I prefer inspiration view).
(1) This view fits the context of authentication (v. 19). Peter never states how one is to properly interpret the Scriptures.
(2) Grammatically, v. 20 goes with v. 19 rather than v. 21 Thus, Peter is not talking about interpretation but authentication (Green, 2 Peter and Jude, 90).
(3) The conjunction ga,r is often used inferentially to indicate the basis of or conclusion for something previously stated. It is easier to see how the logic fits this view (Scripture is inspired → how inspiration occurs) rather than the other (Scripture must be properly interpreted → how inspiration occurs).
(4) While the term evpi,lusij can be translated as “interpretation,” it is never used this way elsewhere to refer to the interpretation of Scripture (Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, 230–31).
May 24, 2010
Gordon Fee's 1-2 Thessalonians on Sale at 50% Off
Eisenbraun's deal of the day has Gordon Fee's 1-2 Thessalonians commentary (NICNT) on sale at 50% Off ($22.00). The sale is only good until tomorrow at noon. Check it out here.
The End of the Law in Luke-Acts
I have been working through Jonathan Bayes, The Weakness of the Law: God’s Law and the Christian in New Testament Perspective, Paternoster Biblical Monographs, ed. I. Howard Marshall et al. (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2000). Here is a section in which Bayes discusses the end of the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law in Luke-Acts.
"There are indications already in Luke’s Gospel that the coming of Jesus as the Christ who must suffer (Lk. 9:20, 22), heralds the displacement of the ceremonial law by the new reality of fulfillment in Him. It is noteworthy that five references to the law are clustered in 2:22–39, but the word occurs only four more times in the Gospel thereafter. For this reason the authenticity of Luke 1–2 has been doubted, but this view has been compellingly refuted. More likely, the phenomenon is symbolic of the fact that a transition to something new has begun with the event described in chapter 2. Luke notes that, for the angels, it was more important that the One who had been born was the Christ than that His name was Jesus (2:11). Later, Jesus twice pronounces “Woe” on the lawyers (11:46, 52): this again may be an indication of the approaching demise of the law. In 22:37, in connection with the fulfillment in Him of the Scripture prophesying His identification with the transgressors (avno,mwn), Jesus says: “The things concerning Me have an end (te,loj).” Perhaps there is a deliberate double entendre here: the te,loj (goal) of what was prophesied about Jesus, and the life which He lived, was this identification in his death with the lawless, but that very death spells the te,loj (termination) of the law which thus pointed forward to Him.
Bayes, The Weakness of the Law, 72–3.
May 23, 2010
Köstenberger and O’Brien on Acts 15
-->
Andreas J. Köstenberger and Peter T. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission, ed. D. A. Carson (Downers Grove, IL, 2001), 151.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)