The Structure of Ecclesiastes

  

Anyone who has worked with Ecclesiastes knows, discerning the book's structure is very difficult once you get beyond the prologue and epilogue. Daniel Fredericks might be overstating things a bit, but he does sum up the challenges and frustrations faced by many interpreters. 

"It is the goal of every commentator to retain and reveal any and all strains of linear thought in a text. When it comes to Ecclesiastes, this is apparently impossible. A systemic, cumulative pregression in thought which is sustained to a climactic end is not found in the speech. Since the structure is so elusive, commentators have done their best to bind similar material together, stretching literary units to absorb as many verses as possible."

Daniel C. Fredericks and Daniel J. Estes, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, Apollos Old Testament Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity), 61-2.

Spirituality and 2 Corinthians

  

To be honest, spirituality is not the first word that comes to my mind when I think of 2 Corinthians. But I wonder whether Stegman does not have a point in suggesting that,

“What 2 Corinthians offers to people today is spirituality. By spirituality I mean a way of life that is inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit. While Paul’s vocation as apostle and founder of churches has particular characteristics and responsibilities, he insists that all Christians are called to embody Jesus’ loving, self-giving way of life in their own lives, within their own life circumstances. The Paschal mystery—God’s bringing about new life through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—is at the center of Paul’s understanding of life in the Spirit (1:3–7; 4:7–15). Christians participate in the paschal mystery by entering into the dynamic of Christ’s self-offering for the sake of others, trusting in God to bring life—to others and to oneself—out of one’s various ‘dyings.’ In these and so many other ways, 2 Corinthians —aptly called by a prominent commentator ‘the most extraordinary letter of the New Testament’[Jerome Murphy-O'Conner, Paul a Critical Life, 309 ]—is extremely relevant for Christian life today.”

Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), 29–30.

 

Criswell Theological Review NS 9:2

  

The Spring 2012 issue of the Criswell Theological Review is on the theme of Jewish Studies. The main articles are as follows.

Romans 11 and Christian and Jewish Relations: Exegetical Options for Revisiting the Translation and Interpretation of this Central Text

Mark D. Nanos

The Rationale for Gentile Inclusion and Identity in Paul

William S. Campbell

Judah Monis: “First” American Jewish Believer

Jim R. Sibley

Moses as Divine Substitute in Exodus

Stephen L. Herring

Is the Timing Respecting Paul and the Four Men Under a Vow in Acts 21:23–27 Plausible?

Stuart Chepey

Rejoinder to Boyd Luter—Jesus and the Land

Gary M. Burge

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.

   

Michael Bird and Michael Pahl, eds.
The Sacred Text: Excavating the Texts, Exploring the Interpretations, and Engaging the Theologies of the Christian Scriptures
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8115
Reviewed by Sean A. Adams
 
David Crystal
Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7827
Reviewed by Craig W. Tyson
 
Benjamin H. Dunning
Specters of Paul: Sexual Difference in Early Christian Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7925
Reviewed by Peter-Ben Smit
 
Philip A. Harland, ed.
Travel and Religion in Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8193
Reviewed by Lee Jefferson
 
Douglas A. Knight
Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8278
Reviewed by Markus Witte
 
Gary D. Martin
Multiple Originals: New Approaches to Hebrew Bible Textual Criticism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7819
Reviewed by Johann Cook
 
Robert D. Miller II
Oral Tradition in Ancient Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8361
Reviewed by Raymond F. Person Jr.
 
Jonathan A. Moo
Creation, Nature and Hope in 4 Ezra
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8225
Reviewed by Karina Martin Hogan
 
Bas van Os
Psychological Analyses and the Historical Jesus: New Ways to Explore Christian Origins
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8076
Reviewed by Wayne G. Rollins
 
Miles V. Van Pelt
English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7536
Reviewed by Hubert Keener

  

Brueggemann's Essential Books on the Psalms

  

Walter Brueggemann lists five essential books for studying the Psalms. His five include the following.

They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer, by Patrick D. Miller (Fortress).

Theology of the Psalms, by Hans-Joachim Kraus (Augsburg Fortress).

“Psalms,” by J. Clinton McCann Jr. (in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 4: 1 & 2 Maccabees, Introduction to Hebrew Poetry, Job, Psalms (Abingdon).

Praise and Lament in the Psalms, by Claus Westermann (Westminster John Knox).

A God of Vengeance? Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath, by Erich Zenger (Westminster John Knox). 

To read Brueggemann's annotations see this post in the The Christian Century online here. 
  

Witherington on 1 John 4

  
See Ben Witherington's post on 1 John 4, namely, his explanation of the idea that God is love.
   

You Think What Your Wear?

  
There is an interesting blog post at The Chronicle of Higher Education which suggests that what you wear might affect your thinking. You can read the post here. Maybe seminaries that used to require wearing coats and ties were on to something!
  

The Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon Again

 
I am not sure how long it has been up but Biblical Archaeology Review has posted an article from its forthcoming May/June issue on the Qeiyafa Ostracon, entitled "Ancient Inscription Refers to the Birth of Israelite Monarchy." I would prefer that the title be a little more cautious in its claims. I did find the article interesting though. You can access the article here.
 

The Samaritans in the News

  
See this article in Der Spiegel online.
 

When Creativity Crosses the Line

  
Calvin Miller has some admonitions concerning the misuse of creativity in preaching here.
 

Second Corinthians as a Source of Theological Reflection

  

“Second Corinthians is a fertile source for theological reflection. To be sure, Paul was not what we would today call a systematic theologian. His letters are not theological treatises. Paul was a founder of local churches who, in the course of exercising pastoral care over them, wrote letters that dealt with practical matters and pressing concerns. Nevertheless, he tended to think theologically. In the course of handling even the most mundane affairs that arose, his strategy was to bring the realities of faith to bear on them.”

Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), 24.

Interview with Craig Evans

  
The Christianbook.com Academics blog has four video segments of an interview with Craig Evans related to his forthcoming book, Jesus and His World. You can access the videos here.
  

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.

Don C. Benjamin
Stones and Stories: An Introduction to Archaeology and the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7976
Reviewed by Aren M. Maeir
 
Jeffrey Burns; David Bers and Stephen Tree, eds.
The Music of Psalms, Proverbs and Job in the Hebrew Bible: A Revised Theory of Musical Accents in the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8221
Reviewed by Rebecca A. Mitchell and Matthew W. Mitchell
 
John S. Kloppenborg and Richard S. Ascough, eds.
Greco-Roman Associations: Texts, Translations, and Commentary: Volume 1: Attica, Central Greece, Macedonia, Thrace
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8214
Reviewed by Alicia J. Batten
 
Oh-Young Kwon
1 Corinthians 1-4: Reconstructing Its Social and Rhetorical Situation and Re-reading It Cross-Culturally for Korean-Confucian Christians Today
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8094
Reviewed by Yongbom Lee
 
Martin Leuenberger
Segen und Segenstheologien im alten Israel: Untersuchungen zu ihren religions- und theologiegeschichtlichen Konstellationen und Transformationen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7319
Reviewed by William P. Brown
 
Stuart Macwilliam
Queer Theory and the Prophetic Marriage Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8189
Reviewed by Christine Mitchell
 
Kent Aaron Reynolds
Torah as Teacher: The Exemplary Torah Student in Psalm 119
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8033
Reviewed by Steven Dunn
 
Thomas Römer
Dieu obscur: Cruauté, sexe et violence dans l'Ancien Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7332
Reviewed by Delia Klingler
 
Jonathan Y. Rowe
Michal's Moral Dilemma: A Literary, Anthropological and Ethical Interpretation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7988
Reviewed by Susanne Scholz
 
Michael A. Salmeier
Restoring the Kingdom: The Role of God as the "Ordainer of Times and Seasons" in the Acts of the Apostles
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8269
Reviewed by Richard I. Pervo

  

Free Audio and Video of the 2012 Together for the Gospel Conference

  
You can access free audio and video from the 2012 Together for the Gospel Conference here.

HT: Denny Burk
 

Nine Reasons to Preach Expositionally

  
See this article by Danny Slavich.
 

Articles on The Dead Sea Scrolls

  
The latest issue of the Southwestern News (read it here) has several Dead Sea Scrolls related articles and information about upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
 

Fourth Blogiversary

  
This blog was started on this day in 2008 after a little prodding of one of my friends (thanks Patrick). I am humbled and amazed at how the Lord has chosen to use it. To Him be the glory.
 

Vatican Plans to Digitize Its Library

  
See this article about a cooperative effort between Oxford University and the Vatican to digitize the Vatican's library which includes a number of biblical manuscripts.
  

"Top 10 Christian Phrases I Never Want to Hear Again"

  
You might not agree with every point that Nicole Cottrell makes in this article, but I do think she has a point about how trite and unhelpful some of the things we say in speaking Christianese can be.
   

One More Thought on the Resurrection

  

While I was jogging this morning it struck me that when one looks at the aptly identified resurrection chapter in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15, it is interesting to note how Paul does not make his case for the resurrection. That is, he does not make it by appealing to well-known examples of people being raised from the dead (e.g., the widow of Zarephath's son [1 Kgs 17], the Shunnamite's son [2 Kgs 4), Jairus' daughter [Mark 5], the widow of Nain's son [Luke 7], Lazarus [John 11], etc.). Instead, Paul points to Jesus' resurrection and illustrates his point using creation (plants, animals, and stars). I believe that there is a very good reason for this. Namely, the examples of people raised from the dead are not really examples of resurrections, but more technically, of resuscitations, or as I prefer to call "resusurrections" (see this post). Jesus was the first one to be resurrected. Therefore, there are no other examples (yet!) of resurrections for Paul to appeal to. While we must exercise caution in making too much of how a biblical author does not make his argument, it seems to me that what Paul does not say here is worth noting.

  

Four Views on the Influence of the Old Testament on the New

  
I found this post interesting because the question more often asked relates to the question of the New Testament's influence on our understanding of the Old Testament. In any case, the post contains responses from Craig Blomberg, Darrell Bock, Robert Plummer, and Andrew Hill.
 

Walter Kaiser on Job 19:21-27 and Resurrection

  

In honor of Resurrection Sunday yesterday, I thought I would share a portion of Walter Kaiser's discussion of Job 19:21-27 from his recent book, Preaching and Teaching the Last Things. After doing an exposition of Job 19:21-27, Kaiser concludes with the following three points.

"1. A real and personal afterlife was assumed by the Israelites as a naturally and necessary conclusion to the present life, similar to what is evidenced throughout the ancient Near Eastern cultures in their burial practices and writings.

2. Believers have a right to expect that their 'Living redeemer' will 'in the end' raise them back to physical life again.

3. Job's references to 'skin,' 'flesh,' and 'eyes' make it clear that the Old Testament believers were not expecting a resurrection of a disembodied state, or ghostly appearance, but one with a bodily identity."

Walter Kaiser, Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011), 18.
 

You Have to Act Quickly But . . .

  
The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary is free today as a text-only Kindle edition here.
  

He Is Risen

  

No “I” in Grace

  

The word grace (ca,rij) is used eighteen times in 2 Corinthians (1:2, 12, 15; 2:14; 4:15; 6:1; 8:1, 4, 6,7, 9, 16, 19; 9:8, 14, 15; 12:9; 13:13) and appears in the introduction (1:1–11), conclusion (13:11–14), and in each of the three major sections of the book (1:12–7:16; 8:1–9:15; 10:1–13:10). Recently I was teaching through 2 Corinthians 10 and 11, a section in which the idea of boasting plays a prominent role (10:8; 13, 15, 16, 17 [2x]; 11:12, 16, 18 [2x], 30 [2x]). The fact that boasting plays such a prominent role is ironic for at least two reasons. (1) Paul recognizes that boasting in one’s accomplishments in ministry is an exercise in foolishness (11:1a). (2) Paul understands that his apostolic calling and ministry are according to grace. As there is no “I” in team, there is no “I” in grace.