Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

  

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.

David A. Bernat
Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Priestly Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7283
Reviewed by Ulrich Zimmermann
 
Lewis R. Donelson
I and II Peter and Jude: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7965
Reviewed by Peter H. Davids
 
Neil Elliott and Mark Reasoner, eds.
Documents and Images for the Study of Paul
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7823
Reviewed by Carolyn Osiek
Reviewed by James P. Sweeney
 
Miguel Pérez Fernández
Textos fuente y contextuales de la narrativa evangélica: Metodología aplicada a una selección del evangelio de Marcos
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6615
Reviewed by David E. C. Ford
 
John Paul Heil
Colossians: Encouragement to Walk in All Wisdom as Holy Ones in Christ
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7734
Reviewed by Christopher A. Beetham
 
Job Y. Jindo
Biblical Metaphor Reconsidered: A Cognitive Approach to Poetic Prophecy in Jeremiah 1-24
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7850
Reviewed by Colin Toffelmire
 
Yelena Kolyada
A Compendium of Musical Instruments and Instrumental Terminology in the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8023
Reviewed by Helen Leneman
 
T. M. Lemos
Marriage Gifts and Social Change in Ancient Palestine: 1200 BCE to 200 CE
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7652
Reviewed by Marianne Blickenstaff
 
Anwar Tjen
On Conditionals in the Greek Pentateuch: A Study of Translation Syntax
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7747
Reviewed by Randall Gauthier

Which Would You Rather Hear?

  

When it comes to comments on your preaching and teaching, which would you rather hear?

"Wow! I have never heard that before? or "Wow! I have never seen that before?"

Earlier in my ministry, I think I would have chosen the former, but the more I teach and preach, the more I have come to prefer the latter. You see, my goal as a  preacher and teacher is not primarily to demonstrate that I have something novel to say. Nor is the goal of preaching to communicate what others might see if only they were as gifted, spiritual, well-trained, etc. as me. Rather, my goal as a preacher and teacher is to help people to see what Scripture has to say. I want my audience to know that the key to seeing what I have seen  is the diligent, careful, prayerful examination of the Scriptures. The best expository message are not one's that spotlight on the preacher, but the best expository messages are those that throw a spotlight on a passage of Scripture.

  

The Value of Historical Theology

  
See Tim Chester's post here on the value of studying historical theology.
 

Biblical Archaeology: Illumination, Probability, not Proof

  
“For those who have the specific purpose of engaging the biblical text, archaeology’s primary role vis-à-vis the Bible should be illumination and probability, not proof. We must learn to enter the biblical world and harmonize it with the text without the burden of ‘proving’ historical reliability, much less theological truth. And yet, with presuppositions aside, the weight of evidence leads us to more historical probability than the ‘minimalists’ allow.”

John M. Monson, "The Role of Context and the Promise of Archaeology in Biblical Interpretation," in The Future of Biblical Archaeology, ed. James K. Hoffmeier and Alan Millard (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 317.
  

The Death of Words

  
This is not exactly a biblical post, but I found this article on the life and death of words interesting.
 

Pedantry in the Use of Greek in Preaching

  

Kenneth Wuest notes that pedanticism needs to be avoided in the pulpit. Concerning this point Wuest notes:  

"There is no place in the Christian pulpit for a display or affectation of learning. Nor should there be any undue emphasis placed upon minutiae in the presentation of one’s knowledge when preaching the Word. The trained exegete will leave the technicalities connected with the grammar and syntax of the Greek language, back where they belong, in his study. He will bring only the finished product with him into the pulpit. To talk about the aorist tense, for instance, to an audience that could not tell the difference between it and the side of a barn, is pedantic. To mention a Greek word in an address to an audience that does not know Greek, is likewise pedantic."

Kenneth S. Wuest and revised by Donald L. Wise, The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, Revised ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1982), 135.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

  
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.

A. Graeme Auld and Erik Eynikel, eds.
For and against David: Story and History in the Books of Samuel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7948
Reviewed by Frank H. Polak

Philip Culbertson and Elaine M. Wainwright, eds.
The Bible in/and Popular Culture: A Creative Encounter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7833
Reviewed by Claudia Setzer
Reviewed by Anthony Swindell

Thomas Holsinger-Friesen
Irenaeus and Genesis: A Study of Competition in Early Christian Hermeneutics
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7272
Reviewed by Thomas Andrew Bennett

Philip J. King
The Bible Is for Living: A Scholar's Spiritual Journey
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6850
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Staley

Nina E. Livesey
Circumcision as a Malleable Symbol
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8188
Reviewed by Matthew Thiessen

Aliou Cissé Niang
Faith and Freedom in Galatia and Senegal: The Apostle Paul, Colonists and Sending Gods
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7422
Reviewed by Davina C. Lopez

Karl Olav Sandnes
The Gospel 'According to Homer and Virgil': Cento and Canon
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7971
Reviewed by Dennis R. MacDonald

Christa Schäfer-Lichtenberger, ed.
Die Samuelbücher und die Deuteronomisten
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7924
Reviewed by Graeme Auld

  

The Big Business of Bible Translation

   
See this Washington Times article.
  

Reading Greek

  
Daniel Streett has an interesting post on what it means to read Greek.
 

Arnold on Seven Reasons for Consecutive Exposition

  
See Clinton Arnold's post listing and discussing seven reasons for doing consecutive expositions.
 

New Blog on Koine Greek

  
Daniel R. Streett is starting a blog focusing on Koine Greek. There is not much up yet, but it looks like it will be interesting.
  

Seminary and the Local Church

  
Everett Berry has a good post reflecting on the seminary and the local church.
 

Application in Preaching

  

"Application in preaching helps us answer two important questions based on the exposition of God's Word: (1) So what? and (2) Now what? In other words, how does the Bible speak to me today and what do I do about it?"

Daniel L. Akin, "Applying a Text-Driven Sermon," in Text-Driven Preaching, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David L. Allen, and Ned L. Mathews (Nashville: B & H, 2010), 275.
 

Parables in Mark

  
See Michael Jensen's post on the Markan parables.
 

Free Audio Download of Prayers: A Personal Selection

Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of Prayers: A Personal Selection for the month of September. For more details and instructions go here.
  

A New Order

   
“Why do we preach the new order of God? Not because we are continuing the preaching of Jesus Christ – although he called us to do so. We are preaching God’s new order because it is; it is the reality in which our world lives. Christ is risen! The resurrection is news of God’s new order. We say to an exhausted, end-of-an-age world, Come join the new order of God.”

David Buttrick, The Mystery and the Passion: A Homiletic Reading of the Gospel Traditions (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992), 52.
   

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

  

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.

David Brakke
The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7825
Reviewed by James F. McGrath
 
Mark Andrew Brighton
The Sicarii in Josephus's Judean War: Rhetorical Analysis and Historical Observations
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7070
Reviewed by Catherine Jones
 
James H. Charlesworth and Lee Martin McDonald, eds.
Jewish and Christian Scriptures: The Function of 'Canonical' and 'Non-Canonical' Religious Texts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7865
Reviewed by Everett Ferguson
 
Jean Delorme and Isabelle Donegani
L'Apocalypse de Jean: Révélation pour le temps de la violence et du désir
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7610
Reviewed by Nils Neumann
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek
 
Ian J. Elmer
Paul, Jerusalem and the Judaisers: The Galatian Crisis in Its Broadest Historical Context
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7377
Reviewed by Davina C. Lopez
 
André Myre
Pour l'avenir du monde: La résurrection revisitée
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6262
Reviewed by Jeffrey F. Cayzer
 
Randall W. Reed
A Clash of Ideologies: Marxism, Liberation Theology, and Apocalypticism in New Testament Studies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7745
Reviewed by Leif E. Vaage
 
Karlheinz Schüssler, ed.
Das sahidische Alte und Neue Testament: Vollständiges Verzeichnis mit Standorten sa 621-672
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7381
Reviewed by Robert Paul Seesengood
 
Hal Taussig
In the Beginning Was the Meal: Social Experimentation and Early Christian Identity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7094
Reviewed by Pieter J. J. Botha

 

Free E-Books from the Biblical Archaeology Society

  
The Biblical Archaeology Society has seventeen free e-books here.
 

Creation: Biblical Options, a Gracious Dialogue

  

If you live in or near the Houston area, you might be interested in attending the Creation: Biblical Options, a Gracious Dialogue conference on October 28–29, 2011 at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land, TX. Early bird registration has ended but yit looks like they have some good speakers including Todd Beall, Craig Blaising, Ligon Duncan, Walter Kaiser, John Mark Reynolds, John Walton, and Bruce Waltke. You can find more information here.

 

Ten Common Problems with Much Old Testament Teaching

See this excellent post by David Murray. I say amen and amen.
  

The Introverted Leader

  
The introverts in ministry out there might find this article interesting.
 

Ossuary Related to Caiaphas

  
I am not sure how "new" this is, but some readers might be interested in this news article on an ossuary that appears to be related to the family of the high priest Caiaphas.
 

BibleWorks 9

  

I recently received a review copy of BibleWorks 9 and was quite excited about some of the new features that I had been hearing about. I have been a BibleWorks user from almost the beginning and have always found it to be a valuable exegetical tool. Here are some initial thoughts on BibleWorks 9.

Installation: I found this version easier to install than previous versions. It is not that earlier versions were difficult, but this time out, everything went quite smoothly.

New Features: I count around thirty-five new features, resources, or translations in BibleWorks 9. Of course, what features one finds most exciting will vary from user to user. Here are few of my early favorites.

BibleWorks Manuscript Project

The BibleWorks Manuscript Project's initial release covers the following:

• Sinaiticus
• Vaticanus
• Alexandrinus
• Bezae
• Washingtonianus
• Boernerianus
• GA1141

For these manuscripts, the BibleWorks Manuscript Project includes the following:

• New full transcriptions
• Complete digital image sets (over 7.5 GB!!)
• Verse location tagging in images
• Extensive transcription notes
• MSS comparison tool
• Morphological tagging (not complete for all manuscripts but updates will be provided free of charge to BibleWorks 9 users as they become available)

The manuscripts above are fully searchable and integrated with the BibleWorks analysis tools. You can compare, examine, and analyze the text and images of these key manuscripts by using a new image processing panel.

CNTTS NT Critical Apparatus

The New Testament Critical Apparatus from the Center for New Testament Textual Studies (an organization led by  Bill Warren of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) is being made available for the first time for PCs. This exhaustive apparatus covers the entire New Testament.

The Moody Atlas of the Bible

Seasoned Bible students are already aware of the value of Barry Beitzel's atlas and now it is included in BibleWorks 9. This includes 118 high-resolution maps and dozens of photos.

    

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

  
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.

J. A. van den Berg
Biblical Argument in Manichaean Missionary Practice: The Case of Adimantus and Augustine
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7674
Reviewed by Jason BeDuhn
 
Gordon Campbell
Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7831
Reviewed by Mark Elliott
 
John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow, eds.
The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7875
Reviewed by Siam Bhayro
 
Michael R. Cosby
Apostle on the Edge: An Inductive Approach to Paul
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7644
Reviewed by James M. Howard
 
Jeffrey A. Gibbs
Matthew 11:2-20:34
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7916
Reviewed by Warren Carter
 
James W. Hardin
Lahav II: Households and the Use of Domestic Space at Iron II Tell Halif: An Archaeology of Destruction
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7851
Reviewed by Raz Kletter
 
Robert W. Jenson
Canon and Creed
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7881
Reviewed by Lee Martin McDonald
 
Scot McKnight
The Letter of James
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7918
Reviewed by Alicia J. Batten
 
Lawrence H. Schiffman
Qumran and Jerusalem: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7591
Reviewed by Matthew A. Collins
 
David F. Watson
Honor among Christians: The Cultural Key to the Messianic Secret
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7796
Reviewed by Adam Winn

C. K.. Barrett (1917-2011)

  
C. K. Barrett, the well-know New Testament scholar has passed away.