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:

Joel S. Burnett
Where Is God? Divine Absence in the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7434
Reviewed by Joel Williams
 
Lynn H. Cohick
Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7528
Reviewed by Colleen Conway
 
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 Todd Hibbard
 
Susan R. Garrett
No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6921
Reviewed by Charles Gieschen
 
Timothy C. Gray
The Temple in the Gospel of Mark: A Study in Its Narrative Role
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7531
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7375
Reviewed by Vicki Phillips
 
David M. Jacobson and Nikos Kokkinos, eds.
Herod and Augustus: Papers Presented at the IJS Conference, 21st-23rd June 2005
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7284
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz
 
Peter T. O'Brien
The Letter to the Hebrews
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7432
Reviewed by Martin Karrer
 
Martin Vahrenhorst
Kultische Sprache in den Paulusbriefen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7364
Reviewed by Nils Neumann
 
William M. Wright IV
Rhetoric and Theology: Figural Reading of John 9
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7732
Reviewed by Adele Reinhartz
 

Review of Zondervan Atlas of the Bible

Rasmussen, Carl. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible. Revised ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

The Zondervan Atlas of the Bible is a revised version of the Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible which came out in 1989. While the first edition contains 256 pages, the revised edition clocks in at 303 pages. A spot check of the written portions indicated that these remain basically the same with one notable exception. The new edition has added a section on the seven churches in Revelation (pp. 235–39). While the written portion in both volumes is very similar, many of the maps, diagrams, and pictures are either new or significantly improved. The revised edition is a more attractive volume. In my opinion, this fact alone provides sufficient reason to acquire the new edition. The cover advertises that the atlas comes with a free poster of New Testament Jerusalem. However, my review copy did not come with the poster (for whatever reason) and so I cannot evaluate it. But if the poster is similar to the graphics in the book, then I am sure it would be a nice bonus.

There are four features that I liked about the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible. First, as I have already noted, the maps, diagrams, and pictures are nicely done. Second, the written sections typically take conservative Evangelical positions on issues of history and dating (e.g., the early 1446 date for the Exodus). Third, the timelines at the beginning of each section provide the reader a helpful chronological orientation for the discussion and maps in the section. This is not an original feature, but it is one that I appreciated in the original edition as well. Fourth, the indices for Scripture references and persons helps to make the information in the atlas more accessible. Similarly this atlas includes a geographical dictionary and index. This too is helpful, but it can be a bit confusing since there is another section called a glossary. I would suggest combining these sections.

Unfortunately, there are three aspects of this volume that I am less enthusiastic about. First, the font size of the revised edition is noticeably smaller than the original. The smaller font may have been needed to provide more space for the additional maps, diagrams, and pictures. But I think that the smaller font makes this atlas a little harder to use. Secondly, an observation that I would make about other atlases as well is that I wish that there would be more discussion and explanation of how the realities of the geography of the Bible lands impacted the biblical events. Third, I really wish that all published atlases, including this one, would come with a CD or some other way to access the maps, diagrams, and pictures so that preachers and teachers could more easily and efficiently utilize the materials in presentations, lectures, or sermons. This would be much more helpful than providing the free poster noted above.

But these minor criticisms aside, I really like this atlas and it is probably the volume I would recommend for anyone who wants to get a solid and attractive atlas written from an Evangelical perspective.

You can browse the atlas here.

Psalm 16:8-11 in Acts 2:24-28

  
See Michael Heiser's post for an introduction to a discussion of the use of Psalm 16:8-11 in Acts 2:24-28. Although there is little discussion on the issues (I am assuming that will come in subsequent posts), there are two links to material which will be helpful. The first is a PDF of the texts involved (Greek NT, LXX, and MT). The second is Greg Trull's Bibliotheca Sacra 2004 article "Views on Peter's Use of Psalm 16:8-11 in Acts 2:25-32."
  

Free Audio to the Baptists and the Cross: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives Conference

The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptists studies has made the audio for their recent conference on Baptists and the Cross: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives (August 30-31, 2010) available here. I am particularly interested in Tom Schreiner's contribution, "The Atonement in the Pastoral Epistles, Petrine Epistles, and Hebrews."

HT: Trevin Wax

Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable

   

Ken Keathley has good advice for when you are writing about those with whom you disagree. In sum he offers three good suggestions.

1. Describe your opponent’s position in such a way that he can recognize it.
2. Know your opponent’s position well enough that you could argue it for him.
3. Write as if your opponent and you were going to dinner together after you finish

I often find that advice like this is sadly neglected on discussion lists, blogs, and other forums like Facebook. This is also one reason that I don't often interact with discussions in these contexts. In any case, Ken's post is worth reading in full here.
   

Free Ministry Resources

  
See this page for over 150 free resources at churchleaders.com.
  

New Gospel of John Commentary and NICNT Commentaries on Sale

  

J. Ramsey Michael's new commentary on the Gospel of John and the rest of the volumes in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) commentaries are on sale at the Westminster Theological Seminary Bookstore until Wednesday, Oct. 20th at 11:59 PM.

J. Ramsey Michael's new commentary on the Gospel of John in the NICNT series is on sale for $39 or 40% off. Go here.

If you buy two volumes in the NICNT series you get an additional 10% off. Go here.

Or you can buy all eighteen volumes in the NICNT series for $528.60. Go here.

   

There Must Be a Preaching Illustration Here

 
Rabbi Ari Schvat has issued a written ruling which concludes that Mossad agents can use "illicit sex" for sake of national security. I would be interested in seeing the rabbi's biblical support for this one. See the story here.
  

"SBL in October" Sale

  

Some readers might be interested in Eisenbraun's "SBL in October" sale. Even if you are going to the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Atlanta in November, you might want to consider taking advantage of this offer. Not only do you get the convention prices, but there are two additional advantages. You won't need pay Atlanta's sales tax and you won't have to worry about how you are getting the books home (especially with airlines and their bag limits and fees). There is also free shipping for orders over $99.00. But the sale is only until October 18. Here is a link to the sale. 

  

Suffering in the New Testament

   
See this two-part article here and here in Christian Today Australia.
  

New Esther Commentary

The latest offering from the Bible Speaks Today series published by InterVarsity Press is The Message of Esther by David G. Firth. I hope to share some additional insights from the book in the near future, but for now here is the publisher’s description and table of contents (I really like some of the clever titles).

Description:  

By any assessment, Esther is a rather strange book to find in the Bible. Not only is it, along with Daniel, the only book of the Bible to be set entirely outside of the Promised Land, it also shows no interest in that land. More than that, Esther is the only book in the Bible which definitely does not mention God. None of this should be taken as meaning that the book has no theological intention––on the contrary it has a developed theology, but it is a theology which operates precisely because it does not mention God directly. In this volume in the Bible Speaks Today commentary series, David Firth explores this paradoxically important book and its implications for our own contemporary context, where the reality of God’s presence is experienced against a backdrop of God’s relative anonymity and seeming absence.

Table of Contents:

General preface
Author's preface
Chief abbreviations
Bibliography

Introduction
1. Some Parties and Their Aftermath (1:1–22)
2. Providence in the Passive Voice (2:1–23)
3. Power and Corruption in High Places (3:1–15)
4. Risking All (4:1–17)
5. A Tale of Two Banquets (5:1–14)
6. A Funny Thing Happened (6:1–13)
7. An Awkward Dinner (6:14–7:10)
8. Revoking the Irrevocable (8:1–17)
9. Days of Deliverance (9:1–19)
10. Remembering Deliverance (9:20–10:3)

Much thanks to IVP for the review copy.

Introductory Comments on Job 14:1–27:23

 
I am teaching through the Book of Job this fall. Many interpreters of Job know that the heart of the book consists of cycles of speeches, cast in poetic form, between Job and his friends. Here are some introductory thoughts on these cycles.

Each cycle consists of a speech from each of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, with an intervening response from Job. Throughout the three cycles of speeches Job’s friends’ view Job’s suffering through a theory of retribution, that is, God rewards the righteous and punishes the unrighteous. The explanation for Job’s suffering then is sin. It is important to note that Job appears to also embrace the theology, but rejects the inference since he knows that he is innocent. This raises a problem for Job since the theology seems to have failed in his case. For Job, the effect does not reflect the cause. It should also be noted that as the cycles progress the tone of Job’s friends becomes more specific and critical of Job. In response to the increasing accusations of his friends, Job remains steadfast in affirming his innocence (6:10; 9:21; 16:17; 27:6). Indeed, Job accuses God of afflicting him unfairly (6:4; 9:17; 13:27; 16:12; 19:11) and seeks to present his case before God (9:3; 13:3; 16:21; 19:23; 23:4).
  

How to Name an Evangelical Church

  

See this "helpful" article on how to come up with a name for your new church.

HT: Michael Patton

  

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."