Free Access to Holman New Testament Commentaries

 
The website for the the the Holman Christian Standard Bible has a number of resources including what appears to be full access to the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John commentaries in the Holman New Testament Commentary series here. (Under the library tab go to commentaries.) While you will need to turn to other commentaries for detailed exegetical work, the HNTC series does provide a number of features helpful for the preacher and teacher, including teaching outlines, prayers, illustrations, and applications, Check it out. 
  

Biblical Illiteracy: The Church's Dirty Little Secret?

  
See this article.
 

Interpreting Proverbs

  
David Murray has posted a nice handout on Exegetical Guidelines for Interpreting Proverbs, You can access it here.
 

Exodus in Acts

  
Nicholas Batzig has an interesting post tracing the Exodus motif in Acts. Read it here.

Free Audio of Gary Chapmans' Love Is a Verb

  

Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of Gary Chapman's Love Is a Verb. The folks have made it even easier since you no longer need a coupon code. Simply go here and download. 

   

David Alan Black on Thirteen Things Your Greek Teachers Won't Tell You

   
David Alan Black has posted "13 Things Your Greek Teachers Won't Tell You." Unfortunately Dr. Black's blog is sort of a running post and you can link to individual entries so here is the post in its entirety.

12:20 PM The latest issue of The Reader's Digest has an interesting article entitled "13 Things Used Car Salesmen Won't Tell You." Here are "13 Things Your Greek Teachers Won't Tell You":

1. Greek is not the only tool you need to interpret your New Testament. In fact, it's only one component in a panoply of a myriad of tools. Get Greek, but don't stop there. (You'll need, for example, a Hebrew New Testament as well.)

2. Greek is not the Open Sesame of biblical interpretation. All it does is limit your options. It tells you what's possible, then the context and other factors kick in to disambiguate the text.

3. Greek is not superior to other languages in the world. Don't believe it when you are told that Greek is more logical than, say, Hebrew. Not true.

4. Greek had to be the language in which God inscripturated New Testament truth because of its complicated syntax. Truth be told, there's only one reason why the New Testament was written in Greek and not in another language (say, Latin), and that is a man named Alexander the Great, whose vision was to conquer the inhabited world and then unite it through a process known as Hellenization. To a large degree he succeeded, and therefore the use of Greek as the common lingua franca throughout the Mediterranean world in the first century AD should come as no surprise to us today. I emphasize this point only because there are some today who would seek to resurrect the notion of "Holy Ghost" Greek. Their view is, in my view, a demonstrable cul-de-sac.

5. Greek words do not have one meaning. Yet how many times do we hear in a sermon, "The word in the Greek means..."? Most Greek words are polysemous, that is, they have many possible meanings, only one of which is its semantic contribution to any passage in which it occurs. (In case you were wondering: Reading all of the meanings of a Greek word into any particular passage in which it occurs is called "illegitimate totality transfer" by linguists.)

6. Greek is not difficult to learn. I'll say it again: Greek is not difficult to learn. I like to tell my students, "Greek is an easy language; it's us Greek teachers who get in the way." The point is that anyone can learn Greek, even a poorly-educated surfer from Hawaii. If I can master Greek, anyone can!

7. Greek can be acquired through any number of means, including most beginning textbooks. Yes, I prefer to use my own Learn to Read New Testament Greek in my classes, but mine is not the only good textbook out there. When I was in California I taught in an institution that required all of its Greek teachers to use the same textbook for beginning Greek. I adamantly opposed that policy. I feel very strongly that teachers should have the right to use whichever textbook they prefer. Thankfully, the year I left California to move to North Carolina that policy was reversed, and now teachers can select their own beginning grammars. (By the way, the textbook that had been required was mine!)

8. Greek students think they can get away with falling behind in their studies. Folks, you can't. I tell my students that it's almost impossible to catch up if you get behind even one chapter in our textbook. Language study requires discipline and time management skills perhaps more than any other course of study in school.

9. Greek is fun! At least when it's taught in a fun way.

10. Greek is good for more than word studies. In fact, in the past few years I've embarked on a crusade to get my students to move away from word-bound exegesis. When I was in seminary I was taught little more than how to do word studies from the Greek. Hence, I thought I had "used Greek in ministry" if I had consulted my Wuest, Robertson, Kittle, Brown, Vincent, or Vines. Since then I've discovered that lexical analysis is the handmaiden and not the queen of New Testament exegesis. Greek enables us to see how a text is structured, how it includes rhetorical devices, how syntactical constructions are often hermeneutical keys, etc.

11. Greek can cause you to lose your faith. It happened to one famous New Testament professor in the US when he discovered that there were textual variants in his Greek New Testament, and it can happen to you. When the text of Scripture becomes nothing more than "another analyzable datum of linguistic interpretation" then it loses its power as the Word of God. That's why I'm so excited about my Greek students at the seminary, most of whom are eager to place their considerable learning at the feet of Jesus in humble service to His upside-down kingdom.

12. Greek can be learned in an informal setting. The truth is that you do not need to take a formal class in this subject or in any subject for that matter. I know gobs of homeschoolers who are using my grammar in self-study, many of whom are also using my Greek DVDs in the process. If anyone wants to join the club, let me know and I will send you, gratis, a pronunciation CD and a handout called "Additional Exercises."

13. Greek is not Greek. In other words, Modern Greek and Koine Greek are two quite different languages. So don't expect to be able to order a burrito in Athens just because you've had me for first year Greek. On the other hand, once you have mastered Koine Greek it is fairly easy to work backwards (and learn Classical Greek) and forwards (and learn Modern Greek).

Okay, I'm done. And yes, I'm exaggerating. Many Greek teachers do in fact tell their students these things. May their tribe increase!

Now who wants to tackle "13 Things Your Hebrew Teachers Won't Tell You"?
      

The Book of Esther and a Computer Virus

   

See this New York times story.

HT: Claude Mariottini
 

The Need for a Gospel Centered Hermeneutic

  

A few days ago I introduced Graeme Goldsworthy's Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics which has just been released in paperback. I have just started reading the book, but was struck by the first paragraph from the preface which echoes some of my own propectives. Goldsworthy states:

"Since 1995 I have taught a fourth-year BD elective in hermeneutics at Moore Theological College. After a couple of years the college agreed to my request to a change in the course from a general study of hermeneutics to one designated as ‘Principles of Evangelical Hermeneutics.’ My main motivation in seeking the change was a pastoral one. I was concerned that the possession of the Bible by the people of God, the so-called people in the pews, was being eroded by the tremendous upsurge of interest in hermeneutics at the academic level. Not that the subject itself is illegitimate, but the regressive nature of much modern hermeneutics under the influence of the latest philosophical moods has contributed to the eclipse of the gospel in biblical interpretation. Sooner or later, the concerns of academia begin to affect the pastors and teachers exposed to them during their time as students, and are passed on through sermons and Christian education to the laity."
 

Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop Featuring the Book of Hebrews

  
The one day Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop Featuring the Book of Hebrews is only a few days away. Today is the last day to register. The workshop is only $25 and includes lunch and handouts.So this workshop is easy on your schedule (only one day) and easy on your pocketbook (only $25) and you get to learn from skilled expositors as they unpack a great book. 

Evangelical Theological Society Program

  

I am not sure when it was posted, but for those of you who can't wait until October for your hard copy, a PDF of the 2010 Annual Meeting program for this year's Evangelical Theological Society meeting is now available for download. The online version includes the front matter, daily presentation schedules, participant index, session index, maps, and exhibitor list. Click here to view the program.

  

Learning Greek

   
Here is another exhortation for learning Greek. Sooner the better.
  

Quest for the Historical Adam

  
Go here to access David Murray's nine-page handout for a recent address entitled "The Quest for the Historical Adam." 
  

Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics

 

It is hard to overestimate the importance of having a proper hermeneutic in studying the Bible. In fact, I contend that one's hermeneutic will have a greater impact on one's interpretations of Scripture than almost anything else. So I am always interested in reading books on hermeneutics and was delighted to receive a copy of Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation (which is now available in paperback)  from the kind folks at InterVarsity Press. I plan to provide further interaction with the book, but here is the publisher's description and table of contents.

Description:

While there are many books on hermeneutics, Graeme Goldsworthy's perception is that evangelical contributions often do not give sufficient attention to the vital relationship between hermeneutics and theology, both systematic and biblical.

In this new paperback edition of Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, Goldsworthy moves beyond a reiteration of the usual arguments to concentrate on the theological questions of presuppositions, and the implications of the Christian gospel for hermeneutics. In doing so, he brings fresh perspectives on some well-worn pathways.

Part I examines the foundations and presuppositions of evangelical belief, particularly with regard to biblical interpretation.

Part II offers a selective overview of important hermeneutical developments from the sub-apostolic age to the present, as a means of identifying some significant influences that have been alien to the gospel.

Part III evaluates ways and means of reconstructing truly gospel-centered hermeneutics.

Goldsworthy's aim throughout is to commend the much-neglected role of biblical theology in hermeneutical practice, with pastoral concern for the people of God as they read, interpret and seek to live by his written Word.

Table of Contents:

Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction: Can hermeneutics be saved?

Part I - Evangelical Prolegomena to Hermeneutics

Introduction to Part I

1. The necessity for hermeneutics
2. Presuppositions in reading and understanding
3. Gospel-centred hermeneutics
4. Towards a biblical theology of interpretation

Part II - Challenges to Evangelical Hermeneutics

Introduction to Part II

5. The eclipse of the gospel in the early church
6. The eclipse of the gospel in the mediaeval church
7. The eclipse of the gospel in Roman Catholicism
8. The eclipse of the gospel in Liberalism
9. The eclipse of the gospel in philosophical hermeneutics
10. The eclipse of the gospel in historical criticism
11. The eclipse of the gospel in literary criticism
12. The eclipse of the gospel in Evangelicalism

Part III - Reconstructing Evangelical Hermeneutics

Introduction to Part III

13. Pre- and post-Enlightenment evangelical interpretation
14. The gospel and the literary dimension
15. The gospel and the historical dimension
16. The gospel and the theological dimension, I: the two Testaments and Typology
17. The gospel and the theological dimension, II: biblical and systematic theology
18. The gospel and contextualization
19. The hermeneutics of Christ

Epilogue

Bibliography

 

Digitized Manuscripts

  
The British Library has digitized 284 Greek manuscripts and made them available online. I could not access the site to provide more information, but here is the link.
  

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:

Pierre Bordreuil and Dennis Pardee
A Manual of Ugaritic
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7347
Reviewed by Jeremy Hutton
 
Paul Borgman
David, Saul, and God: Rediscovering an Ancient Story
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6985
Reviewed by Peter S. Hawkins
 
Curtiss Paul DeYoung
Coming Together in the 21st Century: The Bible's Message in an Age of Diversity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7359
Reviewed by Celucien L. Joseph
 
Hubertus Drobner, ed.
Opera exegetica In Genesim: Volume 1: Gregorii Nysseni In Hexaemeron
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7288
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow
 
Michel Gourgues
Les deux lettres à Timothée, La lettre à Tite
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7329
Reviewed by Sylvie Raquel
 
Samuel Jackson
A Comparison of Ancient Near Eastern Law Collections Prior to the First Millennium BC
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7242
Reviewed by Anselm Hagedorn
 
Corin Mihaila
The Paul-Apollos Relationship and Paul's Stance toward Greco-Roman Rhetoric: An Exegetical and Socio-historical Study of 1 Corinthians 1-4
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7567
Reviewed by Keith A. Reich
 
Roberta Sabbath, ed.
Sacred Tropes: Tanakh, New Testament, and Qur'an as Literature and Culture
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7335
Reviewed by Maire Byrne
 
Minna Shkul
Reading Ephesians: Exploring Social Entrepreneurship in the Text
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7487
Reviewed by Daniel Darko
 
Shera Aranoff Tuchman and Sandra E. Rapoport
Moses' Women
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6411
Reviewed by Claudia Bergmann

 

Books on Inerrancy

  
Louis McBride has a good discussion on some of the better books to read on inerrancy. Check it out here.
 

The Death of Jesus in Hebrews

"Attempts to locate the heart and core of the Epistle to the Hebrews elsewhere than in the death of Jesus fly in the face of all but unanimous scholarly opinion. There is wide agreement regarding Jesus’ death as basic to the theology of the author of this Epistle. The evidence is everywhere. Having made ‘purification for sins’ by his death, Jesus achieves session at God’s right hand (Heb. 1:3–4). The certainty of Christ’s sympathy toward his own rests in his assuming a humanity culminating in passion and death (2:17-–18; 4:15–16). Jesus’ death, followed by his exaltation, is the assurance that God will bring his people to the glory for which he created them (3:3; 5:4–5). By his death Jesus becomes fully Son of God and High Priest forever (5:8–10; 6:20; 7:11–17, 20–22, 24–28). His crucifixion guarantees the superiority of the new covenant (8:6, 9:11–14)."

Roy A. Harrisville, Fracture: The Cross as Irreconcilable in the Language and Thought of the Biblical Writers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 235.

Interview with Wayne Meeks

    
Some readers might be interested in this brief interview with Wayne Meeks.
   

History in the Book of Acts

New Testament interpreters have long debated the historical reliability of Acts. Opinions are all across the spectrum from extreme historical unreliability to undeniable historical reliability. I happen to hold that Acts is historically reliable, but I think that what is meant by historically reliable is a question worth asking and answering. In asking and answering this question, it may be more profitable to first ask and answer the question “what kind of history do we have in Acts” before asking and answering “is that history reliable.” Daniel Marguerat attempts to answer the first question by applying Paul Ricœur’s historical taxonomy to Acts which I have attempted to represent in the table below. Thoughts?

Marguerat’s Application of Paul Ricœur’s Historical Taxonomy to Acts
Documentary History	Explicative History	Poetic History
Seeks to establish verifiable facts	Seeks to evaluate events from a social, economic, and/or political perspective	Seeks to interpret the past and the possibility it offers to a community to understand itself in the present
Question: How did Titus take Jerusalem in AD 70?	Question: What were the consequences of Titus’ conquest of Jerusalem for Jews and Christians?	Question: Why did God allow Titus to conquer Jerusalem?
Acts contains this kind of history (e.g., Paul’s travel itinerary in 20:13–15)		Acts contains this kind of history (e.g., God’s intervention in 5:19; 7:55; 9:10)
Modified from Daniel Marguerat, The First Christian Historian: Writing The "Acts of the Apostles," Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 121, ed. Richard Bauckham (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 8–11.

Challenges in Preaching Numbers

Readers of this blog know that I am deeply committed to preaching and teaching both Testaments. But preaching the Old Testament in general and certain books in particular is not without its challenges. Part of the challenge is not the book or the sermon, but the hearers. I think that Bechtel's remark is pretty accurate observation.

“For many people in the pew, hearing a passage from Numbers read is a little like tuning in on the fourth night of a two-week television mini-series. A few might listen patiently for a while, trying to keep the characters straight and straining to get a sense of the plot. Most, however, will abandon the effort, making a mental trip to the kitchen for a snack, figuring that they will be back in time for the New Testament lesson. For those who do stay glued to their set, the content may strike them as being unsuitable for twentieth century Christian viewers. What could a loose conglomeration of laws, census reports, and travelogues have to do with us, after all?”

Carol Bechtel Reynolds, “Life After Grace: Preaching from the book of Numbers,” Interpretation 51:1: 269.

Commendable Actions of Job’s Friends

Much is often made of the failures of Job's friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) in the Book of Job. This criticism is valid. But I think it is also worth noting that these same friends acted commendably at the beginning (2:11-13).

They came (they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him)
They mourned (they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven)
They stayed (“they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights”)
They stayed quiet (“no one spoke a word to him”)
They were sensitive (“they saw that his grief was very great”)

I think that Job's friends can provide helpful ministerial principles, both good (as seen in 2:11-13) and bad (as seen primarily in chapters 4-26). Job's friends also remind us that ministry is often a process and therefore, there is always the danger of starting well and finishing poorly.

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 33:1

Here are the articles to the latest issue of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament.

David G. Horrell, “A New Perspective on Paul? Rereading Paul in a Time of Ecological Crisis,” pp. 3–30
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/1/3

Mark Finney, “Honour, Head-coverings and Headship: 1 Corinthians 11.2–16 in its Social Context,” pp. 31–58
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/1/31

Ben Cooper, “Adaptive Eschatological Inference from the Gospel of Matthew,” pp. 59–80
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/1/59

J. R. Daniel Kirk, “Why Does the Deliverer Come (Romans 11.26)?” pp. 81–99
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/1/81

Daniel Johansson, “Kyrios in the Gospel of Mark,” 101–24
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/1/101

Science and the Bible

I am not anti-science. In fact, one of my earliest ambitions was to be a scientist and the field in general still fascinates me. But, I am not comfortable with the way the science card is sometimes played in biblical studies. An example would be how science (e.g., the theories of evolution, age of the earth, etc.) is sometimes used in the debate about Creation (e.g., Gen 1-2). While I agree with those who state that the Bible is not a scientific text book per se, I would also suggest that science is not an infallible evaluator of what is found in Scripture. One reason for my skepticism is simply that the assured results of the scientific enterprise is not as assured as many think it is. Read this.

Universal Consensus

Trevin Wax has a good word of caution concerning "universal consensus" in scholarship here.

Free David Gooding Books

You can download free pdf copies of David Gooding's books. I have not read all of his books, but I can commend According to Luke to you. You can access the books here.

HT: Nicholas Batzig