Identifying Humor in the Bible

Tim Bulkeley has a nice post here on identifying humor in the Bible.

Getting the Most from Seminary

David Murray has a helpful list of over 150 links on getting the most from seminary here.

What Is Your Book Nerd Score?

Check this out. Yup, most of these fit me!

Where Was Herod’s Augusteum?

Ferrell Jenkins has a very nice post here related to the location of Herod’s Augusteum. Many would hold that it was located in Caesarea Philippi/Banias/Panias but as Ferrell notes a good case can be made for Omrit. John Francis Wilson has a good discussion in Caesarea Philippi: Banias, the Lost City of Pan (London: I. B. Tauris, 2004), 11-16. Also,  some numismatists suggest that Herod’s Augusteum can be seen on the coins of Herod Philip. See David Hendin's Guide to Biblical Coins (New York: Amphora, 2010), 255-62, and Ya’akov Meshorer, A Treasury of Jewish Coins (Nyack, NY: Amphora, 2001), 85-90.

As many Bible students know, Caesarea Philippi is associated with Peter's famous confession concerning Jesus' identity (Matt 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30).

Parallels between the Joseph and Esther Narratives?

William Varner has noted seven parallels between the Joseph and Esther stories here. The parallels are interesting but some seem to oversimplify the details a bit (See #1. Is the setting really the court for both narratives? Or is the court part one of the settings in both stories?) and others might be a bit of a stretch (See #3. Is Joseph's rejection of the advances of Potiphar's wife really an attempt to save his people?). On the other hand, some parallels are more persuasive (2, 4, 6, 7). I might add that both stories involve the transfer of a signet ring (to Joseph in Gen 41:42; to Mordecai in Esth 8:2).

Tel Burna

International BusinessTimes has a nicely-illustrated article on Tel Burna which might be biblical Libnah here.

A Papyrus Containing a Verse from Acts

A newly-identified papyrus fragment containing a single verse from Acts and tentatively dated to the fourth century has been reported here.

HT: Larry Hurtado

The Logical Structure of the Beatitudes?

Interpreters seeking to identify a logical structure to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 have proposed several options. Here are three.

The Best Online Preaching Resources

David Murray has identified over 500 of the best online resources for preaching here. If you are not familiar with David's blog you really should be.

50 Micro-Book Reviews

I enjoyed read these 50 micro-book reviews from Nicholas McDonald.

Into the World of the New Testament

The T & T Clark blog has a brief post here by Daniel Smith discussing his new book Into the World of the New Testament. Here is the table of contents. 

Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: What is the New Testament?

Part 1: The Setting
Chapter 2: The Kingdom of... God?
Chapter 3: When in Rome

Part 2: The Cast of Characters
Chapter 4: John the Baptist and other Movers and Shakers
Chapter 5: A Virgin, a King, a High Priest, a Governor, and a Rabbi
Chapter 6: Joshua the Carpenter's Son...or the Christ, the Son of God?
Chapter 7: Learners
Chapter 8: The Jews
Chapter 9: "I am a Jew"

Part 3: Reading Words
Chapter 10: The Crux of the Matter
Chapter 11: Faith(fulness)
Chapter 12: Apocalypse Then
Post-Script: Loose Canons

The Chronicler and the Book of Chronicles

William Varner has some helpful thoughts on the Chronicler's idealized presentation of David and Solomon here.

Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World

Larry Hurtado has noted that Jan N. Bremmer's Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World is available for free access here. This sounds like a must read for those interested in Roman-era mystery cults and the New Testament. You can read what Hurtado has to say about it here.

Assyrian Soldiers and PTSD?

Smithsonian.com has an interesting article on how ancient Assyrian soldiers might have suffered from PTSD here. This would not be surprising if the Sennacherib palace reliefs tell even half the story regarding the atrocities committed by the troops. For example see here.

HT: Charlie Dyer

Are You a Theology Nerd?

If so, you might enjoy this.

Are You Using PDF's in Your Research?

If the answer to the above question is"yes," then you might want to check out Brian Renshaw's helpful post here.

Pointers for Young Preachers

Peter Mead has some sound advice for young preachers here.

Who Sold Joseph into Slavery?

Someone at church recently asked me about who actually sold Joseph into slavery. He had been reading Genesis 37 and noted that the text is not as clear on the answer to that question as many would assume. The ambiguity in the account has resulted in three basic interpretations.

1. If one assumes a documentary approach to the composition of the Pentateuch then one might explain the ambiguity and confusion due to the inclusion of two different accounts of the same event (what is called a doublet).

2. Joseph’s brothers put him into the pit, but the Midianites found him and sold him to the Ishmaelites. This view assumes that the Ishmaelites are distinct from the Midianites and that all of Joseph’s brothers, not just Reuben was absent when this occurred. This view assumes that the “they” of v. 28 refers to Midianites (e.g., HCSB, NAB, NRSV, REB). This seems to be supported by the fact that Reuben reported to his brothers that Joseph was gone (v. 30). Presumably, the brothers would not need to (1) have Reuben return to them if they were in fact present at the pit, and (2) it appears that Reuben made a solo trip to the pit (v. 29). Also, later in Genesis 40:15, Joseph states that he had been “stolen.”

3. Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Midianites/Ishmaelites. This view understands the designations Midianite and Ishmaelite to be overlapping, or more technically Ishmaelite is more generic and Ishmaelite more geographically specific (Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50, NICOT [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995], 423). So from a distance Joseph’s brothers could only tell that it was a, Ishmaelite caravan, but when they got closer they discovered that they were in fact Midianites. This shared identity seems to be supported by v. 36. If the Midianites had stolen Joseph and then sold him to the Ishmaelites, how do they again have him to sell him to the Egyptians? So this view assumes that the “they” of v. 28 refers to Joseph’s brothers, minus Reuben (e.g., NKJV, NET, NLT, NIV, TEV). This view finds support in (1) the likelihood that Midianites and Ishmaelites refer to the same group, and (2) Joseph’s statement in Genesis 45:4: “So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.’ And they [Joseph’s brothers’ came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt’” (ESV). 

In sum, if one decides that the Midianites and Ishmaelites refer to the same group, then view 3 seems practically certain. On the other hand, if the Midianites and Ishmaelites refer to different groups then there are good reasons to support view 2. But neither view changes the fact that Joseph was mistreated by his brothers.

2015 Expository Preaching Workshop - Preaching Jude in Today's Culture

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is holding its annual Expository Preaching Workshop on March 2-3, 2015. The theme this year is "Preaching Jude in Today's Culture." Early registration for the workshop is $25 for students and $50 for non-students through February 26, 2015. After February 26, registration fees increase to $50 for students and $75 for non-students. The workshop will run from 4:00-8:00 pm on Monday and 8:00 am-4:15 pm on Tuesday. You can see the list of speakers, schedule, and more information here.

Bible-Minded Cities

Barna has just released their 2015 list of Bible-minded cities in America.

"In the annual “Bible-Minded” cities report, Barna Group explores how Bible engagement plays out regionally in the United States. The study, based on interviews with 62,896 adults over a 10-year period, shows how people in the nation’s 100 largest media markets view and use the Bible

"Barna Group ranks the nation’s top media markets based on their level of Bible engagement. Individuals who report reading the Bible in a typical week and who strongly assert the Bible is accurate in the principles it teaches are considered to be Bible-minded. This definition captures action and attitude—those who both engage and esteem the Christian scriptures. The rankings thus reflect an overall openness or resistance to the Bible in various cities of the nation." 

HT: James McCullen

Talking to the Preacher Before They Preach

Thom Ranier has some helpful suggestions about talking to preachers before they preach here. I know that before I started preaching I was fairly oblivious to some of the challenges faced by those who preach. 

Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain

Students of the Gospels are aware that there is some debate as to whether the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 is the same as the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:17–49. Although most have concluded that they are the same sermon, I created the following table to try and outline the issue in broad terms.

 

Sermon on the Mount and Sermon on the Plain: Same Sermon?
Yes	No
·     Both sermons have the same beginning and endings ·     Both sermons have similar content with virtually all of the Sermon on the Plain paralleled in the Sermon on the Mount and often in identical order ·     Both sermons are followed by Jesus’ entrance into Capernaum and the healing of the centurion’s servant	·     The stated geographical location is different (mount vs. plain) ·     The Sermon on the Plain follows the choosing of the Twelve an event that does not occur in Matthew until chp. 10 ·     The content is different (Matt 5:33-37; 6:1-6, 16-18; 7:6 are not found in the Sermon on the Plain)
Geographical and content differences between the sermons can be readily explained	Similarities can be explained by understanding that Jesus was an itinerant preacher who reused his material
Proponents: Origen, Chrysostom, J. Calvin, W. Hendricksen, C. Blomberg, R. Guelich, C. Quarles, D. Turner, D. A. Carson, B. Witherington	Proponents: Augustine, J. A. Alexander, E. H. Plumptre, L. Morris, E. Glasscock

The Gospel of Matthew by Davies and Allison

Those who have done serious work in the Gospel of Matthew are certainly familiar with the ICC commentary by W. D. Davies and Dale Allison. What I had not realized is the extent to which this helpful work can be attributed to Allison. Note the following comment by William Baird in his History of New Testament Research: Volume Three. 

"Davies is credited with the publication of massive three-volume commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, in which all three volumes list him as the lead author. Although Davies was the inspiration, architect, and supervisor of this monumental project, most of the actual research and writing (virtually all in volumes 2 and 3) was done by Dale Allison. Allison became a student of Davies at Duke in 1977 and worked with him on the Gospel of Matthew for almost two decades. He served as Davies's research assistant during the time Davies was at Texas Christian University (1981-85). Allison knew the mind and method of Davies and incorporated them into this comprehensive commentary on Matthew" (p. 298).

Book Writing Hack

Nicholas Carlson has some helpful advice for writing here.

Paul's Garden of Gethsemane?

William Varner has an interesting take on Acts 20:13 and Paul's decision to travel alone. You can read about it here.