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.

Judith Baskin and Kenneth Seeskin, eds.
The Cambridge Guide to Jewish History, Religion, and Culture
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7798
Reviewed by by Alan Avery-Peck

G. K. Beale
A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9016
Reviewed by by Stephen Moyise

John T. Carroll
Luke: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8739
Reviewed by by Daniel L. Smith

Jan Joosten
Collected Studies on the Septuagint: From Language to Interpretation and Beyond
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9091
Reviewed by by Sean A. Adams

Ingrid E. Lilly
Two Books of Ezekiel: Papyrus 967 and the Masoretic Text as Variant Literary Editions
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8621
Reviewed by by John Engle

Marty Alan Michelson
Reconciling Violence and Kingship: A Study of Judges and 1 Samuel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8763
Reviewed by by Gregory Mobley

John J. Pilch
A Cultural Handbook to the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8684
Reviewed by by Jacobus Kok

Konrad Schmid
The Old Testament: A Literary History
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8508
Reviewed by by Trent C. Butler

James W. Thompson
Moral Formation according to Paul: The Context and Coherence of Pauline Ethics
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8339
Reviewed by by David G. Horrell

Jane S. Webster and Glenn S. Holland, eds.
Teaching the Bible in the Liberal Arts Classroom
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9081
Reviewed by by Phillip Sherman

Facebook Tips for Pastors

Seven common-sense Facebook tips for pastors here.

A Theology of Exile/Restoration in the Prophets

Nicolas Batzig has a post on the biblical theology of exile/restoration in the Old Testament Prophets here.

Ezra 7:10

Andy Naselli has some thoughts and links related to Ezra 7:10 here.

The Purpose of Ministry

"The ministry in any age is in danger of losing its purpose. Only when it remembers the one who gave us that ministry-the one who did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, the one who humbled himself by taking the very form of a servant (Phil 2:5-11)–only then can it know its true purpose, which always has been and always will be diakonia, service."
 
Joel C. Elowsky, “The Ministry in the Early Church,” Concordia Theological Seminary 76 (2012), 310.

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.
 
Christoph Dohmen
Studien zu Bilderverbot und Bildtheologie des Alten Testaments
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8501
Reviewed by Sven Petry

Mark W. Elliott
The Heart of Biblical Theology: Providence Experienced
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9106
Reviewed by Mark McEntire

Larry R. Helyer
The Life and Witness of Peter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8723
Reviewed by Timothy P. Henderson

Matthias Henze, ed.
Hazon Gabriel: New Readings of the Gabriel Revelation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8184
Reviewed by Aaron Koller

Jan Joosten
The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew: A New Synthesis Elaborated on the Basis of Classical Prose
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8858
Reviewed by Jerome Lund

Granville J. R. Kent
Say It Again, Sam: A Literary and Filmic Study of Narrative Repetition in 1 Samuel 28
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8560
Reviewed by Andrew Steinmann

Yoo-Ki Kim
The Function of the Tautological Infinitive in Classical Biblical Hebrew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7250
Reviewed by Hubert James Keener

R. Reed Lessing
Isaiah 40–55
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8886
Reviewed by Alphonso Groenewald

Rüdiger Lux
Hiob: Im Räderwerk des Bösen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8912
Reviewed by Urmas Nommik

Andrew G. Shead
A Mouth Full of Fire: The Word of God in Jeremiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9048
Reviewed by Hallvard Hagelia

The Controversy Over "In Christ Alone"

I think that more attention should be paid to the theology of the songs that we sing. So whether I agree or disagree with the PCUSA’s decision to exclude “In Christ Alone” from the denomination’s hymnbook, I do appreciate that theological concerns appear to be at the core of the decision. To read more about this controversial decision go here.

The Element of Surprise in Jonah

"The element of surprise is the key structural device employed by the writer of Jonah. Before 3:10–4:1, the writer misdirects the readers, leading them to picture Yahweh as a God of wrath who pursues persons or groups until they are appropriately punished, and leading them to see Jonah as a reluctant, passive prophet who flees the task of crying against a wicked city. The repentance of the Ninevites poses an intriguing problem, since no one has up to this point in the book repented and sought God’s forgiveness, and the question rings out: “Will this wrathful God forgive Nineveh?” The writer then springs his surprise: God does indeed repent of the evil he had intended to inflict on Nineveh, while the seemingly passive Jonah issues a furious fusillade against God (3:10 and 4:l). The element of surprise makes the readers vulnerable and therefore receptive to the writer’s basic point that Jonah’s anger and vindictiveness are inappropriate in the light of the forgiving nature of God. The final chapter emphasizes this point by means of the dialogue between Jonah and God, wherein God is clearly portrayed as one eager to forgive his creatures, while Jonah is seen to be excessively self-serving."

Alan Jon Hauser, “Jonah: In Pursuit of the Dove,” Journal of Biblical Literature 104 (1985): 37.
  

Biblical Theology and the Book of Hebrews

"By now it will be clear that we shall not get anywhere with this until we have defined what we understand by Biblical theology. If we take it to mean the theological content of the Bible, and in particular the common outlook that binds the New to the Old Testament, we might be able to trace it back to the Epistle to the Hebrews. That epistle can plausibly claim to have been the first systematic attempt to demonstrate that the true meaning of the Hebrew Bible can only be found in the person and work of Jesus Christ, to which it bore witness “at many times and in many ways,” as its opening sentence so memorably states. Few analysts of modern Biblical theology would go that far back, but there is little doubt that virtually all serious Christian writers from New Testament times to the eighteenth-century Enlightenment took the approach of Hebrews as axiomatic for their interpretation of the Bible and their understanding of what Christian theology is. Systematization, which began with what we now call scholastic theology in the thirteenth century and was adapted to both Protestant and Eastern Orthodox needs after the Reformation, may have gone beyond the Bible but it did not go against it, at least not intentionally."

Gerald L. Bray, "Biblical Theology and From Where it Came," Southwestern Journal of Theology 55.2 (2013): 194.
 

W. J. Paul on Psalm 110

These days it is not theologically fashionable to affirm Davidic authorship of Psalm 110 or to see the psalm as primarily Messianic rather than merely royal. So in this instance I am wholly unfashionable. That being said, as I was sorting through some articles in my file cabinet I was pleased to rediscover an article by W. J. Paul. Paul argues that,  

“The conclusion is therefore inevitable: Psalm 110 speaks about a person who is king and priest. But in the history of Israel there never was such a king. The only probable solution is that the psalm speaks about a future king-priest. It deals not with a historical king, but with the Messiah. The unchallenged authority of the king whose rule will be universal and eternal points in the same direction. At the beginning of the psalm we can read lĕdāwîd. This phrase cannot mean that the psalm was directed to David, because David was not a priest. So we have to read it as “from David.” Thus, if the heading is reliable, David is the author of the psalm. With E. J. Kissane I am of the opinion that ‘there is nothing in the psalm itself which is inconsistent with this’ [Psalms, 190]. The NT confirms the Davidic authorship. Therefore, it is not necessary to assume that Jesus himself did not ascribe the psalm to David and merely appears to have asked his question in relation to the presuppositions of the Pharisees. The only consistent explanation of Psalm 110 in the context of the OT as well as the NT is based on Davidic authorship and a date of composition in the tenth century BC.”

W. J. Paul, “The Order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4 and Heb 7:3),” Westminster Theological Journal 49 (1987): 202.
  

Free Audio Book: Basic Christianity

Christianaudio.com's free audiobook download for the month of August is Basic Christianity by John R. W. Stott. 

For more information or to get your download go here.

"Mythconceptions" About Old Testament Law

“I am keenly aware that in proposing to address this subject I have guaranteed for myself a limited hearing. There are many reasons why there is little interest in preaching Old Testament law in our churches, whether they are mainline protestant, or charismatic, or fundamentalist, or generic evangelical. This aversion toward Old Testament law arises from a series of “mythconceptions” concerning the law. First, we are deluded by the ritualistic myth, that is, that Old Testament law is preoccupied with boring ritualistic trivia, declared to be obsolete with Christ's final sacrifice on the cross. Second, we are driven away by the historical myth, that is, that Old Testament law concerns the times and cultural context of nations so far removed from our own that, unless one has purely academic or antiquarian interests, what it has to say about the human condition is hopelessly out of date. Third, we are repelled by the ethical myth. The OT law reflects a standard of ethics that is rejected as grossly inferior to the law of love announced by Jesus and the high stock placed on tolerance in our enlightened age. Fourth, we are confused by the literary myth, that is, that the Old Testament laws are written in literary forms that are so different from modem literature that we cannot understand them. Fifth, we are indoctrinated by the theological myth, that is,that Old Testament law presents a view of God that is utterly objectionable to modern sensitivities. So long as these “mythconceptions” determine the disposition of preachers and pastors toward Old Testament law there is little hope that they will pay much attention to those parts of the Old Testament that we refer to as Israel's constitutional literature.”

Daniel I. Block, "Preaching Old Testament Law to New Testament Christians," Southeastern Theological Review 3/2 (Winter 2012): 195.

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.

Bohdan Hrobon
Ethical Dimension of Cult in the Book of Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8252
Reviewed by Wilhelm J. Wessels

Richard A. Norris Jr., trans.
Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Song of Songs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8687
Reviewed by Mark DelCogliano

Melvin K. H. Peters, ed.
XIV Congress of the IOSCS, Helsinki, 2010
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9117
Reviewed by Theo van der Louw

Brian Neil Peterson
Ezekiel in Context: Ezekiel’s Message Understood in Its Historical Setting of Covenant Curses and Ancient Near Eastern Mythological Motifs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8974
Reviewed by Christopher Bechtel

Eric A. Seibert
The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8871
Reviewed by J. Dwayne Howell

Deuk-il Shin
The Ark of Yahweh in Redemptive History: A Revelatory Instrument of Divine Attributes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9087
Reviewed by David G. Firth

Yves Simoens
Croire pour aimer: Les trois lettres de Jean. Une interprétation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8922
Reviewed by Michel Gourgues

Duane F. Watson, ed.
Miracle Discourse in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8685
Reviewed by Susanne Luther

Reviewed by Graham H. Twelftree

Molly M. Zahn
Rethinking Rewritten Scripture: Composition and Exegesis in the 4QReworked Pentateuch Manuscripts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8167
Reviewed by Martin G. Abegg Jr.

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.

Bohdan Hrobon
Ethical Dimension of Cult in the Book of Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8252
Reviewed by Wilhelm J. Wessels

Richard A. Norris Jr., trans.
Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Song of Songs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8687
Reviewed by Mark DelCogliano

Melvin K. H. Peters, ed.
XIV Congress of the IOSCS, Helsinki, 2010
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9117
Reviewed by Theo van der Louw

Brian Neil Peterson
Ezekiel in Context: Ezekiel’s Message Understood in Its Historical Setting of Covenant Curses and Ancient Near Eastern Mythological Motifs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8974
Reviewed by Christopher Bechtel

Eric A. Seibert
The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8871
Reviewed by J. Dwayne Howell

Deuk-il Shin
The Ark of Yahweh in Redemptive History: A Revelatory Instrument of Divine Attributes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9087
Reviewed by David G. Firth

Yves Simoens
Croire pour aimer: Les trois lettres de Jean. Une interprétation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8922
Reviewed by Michel Gourgues

Duane F. Watson, ed.
Miracle Discourse in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8685
Reviewed by Susanne Luther
Reviewed by Graham H. Twelftree

Molly M. Zahn
Rethinking Rewritten Scripture: Composition and Exegesis in the 4QReworked Pentateuch Manuscripts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8167
Reviewed by Martin G. Abegg Jr.

Five Questions with Dr. David L. Allen on 1-3 John

Dr. David L. Allen graciously agreed to answer five questions about his new book on 1–3 John in the Preaching the Word series edited by R. Kent Hughes. Dr. Allen is professor of preaching, director of expository preaching, George W. Truett Chair of ministry, and dean of the school of theology at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has pastored for 21 years and written or edited a number of books and articles related to specific books of the Bible and preaching.

Question: I find it interesting that you call describe your book as a “sermontary,” “more than a sermon but less than a commentary.” Can you unpack that a bit?

Well, each chapter is indeed a sermon, but I have heavily footnoted the sermon to allow the reader to delve deeper into certain grammatical/syntactical issues that informed the way I chose to write the sermon as I did. Additionally, the footnotes provide readers a chance to see other sources (commentaries, sermon books, etc.) that I have used in the preparation of the sermon. This gives some insight into the broad reading I attempted to do in preparation of each of these sermons.

Question: I know that you believe that all Scripture is relevant, but what do you see in the message of 1–3 John as particularly relevant for our day? 

I do indeed! The notion of assurance of salvation is especially critical today. As a pastor for 21 years, I dealt with that issue in the lives of many Christians. 1 John speaks directly to that problem and teaches us we can have a “know so” salvation. Another issue today that is hotly debated in culture is just who is Jesus anyway? Is he divine? Is he merely a good moral teacher? Is he indeed the God-man as the Bible teaches? The issue of the incarnation is a vital part of Christology which then touches everything else. These are two important issues relevant for today!

Question: What are the most significant challenges in preaching 1–3 John?
Perhaps the most difficult is the structure. It is notoriously difficult to disentangle. I have attempted to segment the letter into its constituent paragraphs from a linguistic perspective based on the Greek New Testament. I believe in preaching through books of the Bible paragraph by paragraph. I also believe in making each sermon a stand-alone sermon. Once you get the paragraph structure down, it is relatively easy to construct sermons that move through the book sequentially, unpacking John’s main points.
  
Question: What other must-have resources on 1–3 John that you would recommend for the average preacher or Sunday school teacher?  

Robert Yarborough’s commentary 1–3 John in the Baker Exegetical series is a must. I would probably say it is the best commentary on 1–3 John on the market. Danny Akin’s commentary 1, 2, 3 John in the NAC series is also an important volume that is very helpful for preachers/teachers. Ruth Edwards' The Johannine Epistles in the New Testament Guides series published by Sheffield Academic press provides excellent summaries of background, style and theological issues. Martin Culy’s I, II, III John: a Handbook on the Greek Text provides pastors with practical linguistic help in a non-technical format.

Question: This “sermontary” is a reflection of your preaching philosophy and methodology. What could someone read to get a better sense of this philosophy and methodology?

I co-edited a book with Danny Akin and Ned Mathews entitled Text-Driven Preaching: God’s Word at the Heart of Every Sermon. I wrote the introduction and the chapter on “Preparing a Text-Driven Sermon.” In that chapter, I outline

my philosophy of preaching and then provide my 12 step method of sermon preparation using 1 John 2:15-17 as a test case. (You can read an interview with Dr. Allen related to this Text-Driven Preaching here.)

A PDF excerpt of Dr. Allen's 1–3 John is available here.

Course on Preaching Acts

If you are interested in the book of Acts, or preaching the book of Acts, and live in the Dallas Metroplex, you might want to consider taking my course this fall on Preaching from the New Testament: Acts (NT333) at The Criswell College this fall. The course meets once a week on Wednesdays @ 10:45-1:15. You can view a PDF of the fall schedule here.

A Collection of Bruce Waltke's Essays

Eerdmans is publishing a collection of essays from Bruce Waltke in a volume entitled, The Dance between God and Humanity: Reading the Bible Today as the People of God that is due out in August. You can read a interview with Dr. Waltke concerning this volume here. Amazon's link lets you have a peek at the contents.

Challenges of Translation

Although this article in the Economist is not specifically about Bible translation, it does illustrate issues that also occur in Bible translation.
 

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 36:1

The latest issue of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament is out. Here is a list of the articles and links to abstracts.

Suffering in Vain: A Study of the Interpretation of ΠΑΣΧΩ in Galatians 3.4

John Anthony Dunne

pp. 3-16
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/3

Translating the Triumph: Reading Mark’s Crucifixion Narrative against a Roman Ritual of Power

Allan T. Georgia

pp. 17-38
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/17

‘Lord, if you had been here ...’ (John 11.21): The Absence of Jesus and Strategies of Consolation in the Fourth Gospel

Wendy E.S. North

pp. 39-52
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/39

The Uninvited Healer: Houses, Healing and Prophets in Matthew 8.1-22

Walter T. Wilson

pp. 53-72
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/53

No Bridge over Troubled Water? The Gap between 2 Corinthians 1–9 and 10–13 Revisited

Thomas Schmeller

pp. 73-84
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/73

Rethinking the Ethics of John: A Review Article

Craig R. Koester

pp. 85-98
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/85

Loving Leviticus

See Christopher J. H. Wright's article in Christianity Today entitled "Learning to Love Leviticus" here. The CT website also has a brief discussion on the topic of sexual morality and Leviticus which was a sidebar to the article above here.

Background Information and Understanding the Bible

Check out Andy Naselli's blog post entitled,''Is 'Background Information' Ever Necessary to Understand the Bible?" I appreciate Naselli's cautious and nuanced approach.

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 J. H. Beldman and Craig G. Bartholomew, eds.
Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8545
Reviewed by Jeanette Mathews

Reinhard von Bendemann and Markus Tiwald, eds.
Das frühe Christentum und die Stadt http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9019
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Mark E. Biddle
Reading Judges: A Literary and Theological Commentary http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8673
Reviewed by Trent C. Butler

Joachim Conrad
Karl Heinrich Grafs Arbeit am Alten Testament: Studien zu einer wissenschaftlichen Biographie http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8349
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow

Scott S. Elliott and Roland Boer, eds.
Ideology, Culture, and Translation http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8693
Reviewed by Lénart J. de Regt

Georg Fischer, Dominik Markl, and Simone Paganini, eds.
Deuteronomium: Tora für eine neue Generation http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8416
Reviewed by Mark Christian

Elizabeth Frood
Biographical Texts from Ramessid Egypt http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6083
Reviewed by Gerald Moers

Dong-Hyuk Kim
Early Biblical Hebrew, Late Biblical Hebrew, and Linguistic Variability: A Sociolinguistic Evaluation of the Linguistic Dating of Biblical Texts http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9044
Reviewed by Frank H. Polak

Peter Thacher Lanfer
Remembering Eden: The Reception History of Genesis 3:22-24 http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8596
Reviewed by L. Michael Morales 

David Penchansky
Understanding Wisdom Literature: Conflict and Dissonance in the Hebrew Text http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8931
Reviewed by Peter Hatton

Preserving Manuscripts at St. Catherine's Monastery

This Time magazine article reports the efforts of the monks at St. Catherine's monastery, located at the traditional site of Mt. Sinai in Egypt, to preserve their priceless collection of manuscripts.

The Importance of the Septuagint

See this blog post/interview with Timothy Michael Law entitled "Why Should We Care about the Septuagint?"

Average Time for Sermon Preparation

Thom Ranier recently conducted an unscientific Twitter poll related to sermon preparation time. According to this article he tabulated the following results.

1 to 3 hours — 1%
4 to 6 hours — 9%
7 to 9 hours — 15%
10 to 12 hours — 22%
13 to 15 hours — 24%
16 to 18 hours — 23%
19 to 21 hours — 2%
22 to 24 hours — 0%
25 to 27 hours — 1%
28 to 30 hours — 2%
31 to 33 hours — 1%

Ranier also offered the following eight observations

1. Most pastors responded with a range of hours. I took the midpoint of each range for my data.

2. Seventy percent of pastors' sermon preparation time is the narrow range of 10 to 18 hours per sermon.

3. Keep in mind that these numbers represent sermon preparation time for just one sermon. Many pastors spend 30 or more hours in preparing messages each week.

4. The median time for sermon preparation in this study is 13 hours. That means that half of the respondents gave a number under 13 hours; the other half gave a number greater than 13 hours.

5. Most of the respondents who gave a response under 12 hours indicated they were bivocational pastors.

6. If the sermon was part of a series, the pastors indicated they spent even more upfront time to develop the theme and preliminary issues for the sermons to be preached.

7. Many of the pastors are frustrated that they don't have more time for sermon preparation.

8. A number of the pastors indicated that finding consistent and uninterrupted sermon preparation time was difficult.