Is Being a Pastor-Scholar Impossible?

Andrew Wilson thinks it might be and he explains why here.

So Did You Preach a "Good" Sermon?

HT: Jeff Denton

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.

Gary A. Anderson and Joel S. Kaminsky, eds.
The Call of Abraham: Essays on the Election of Israel in Honor of Jon D. Levenson
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9529
Reviewed by Megan Warner

Bryan C. Babcock
Sacred Ritual: A Study of the West Semitic Ritual Calendars in Leviticus 23 and the Akkadian Text Emar 446
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9859
Reviewed by Daniel Oden

Reimund Bieringer, Ma. Marilou S. Ibita, Dominika A. Kurek-Chomycz, and Thomas A. Vollmer, eds.
Theologizing in the Corinthian Conflict: Studies in the Exegesis and Theology of 2 Corinthians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9482
Reviewed by H. H. Drake Williams III

Walter Bührer
Am Anfang…: Untersuchungen zur Textgenese und zur relativ-chronologischen Einordnung von Gen 1–3
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10019
Reviewed by Jordan M. Scheetz

Warren Carter
What Does Revelation Reveal? Unlocking the Mystery
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9877
Reviewed by Shane J. Wood

Yoram Cohen
Wisdom from the Late Bronze Age
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9442
Reviewed by Ralph K. Hawkins

István Czachesz and Risto Uro, eds.
Mind, Morality, and Magic: Cognitive Science Approaches in Biblical Studies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9494
Reviewed by Paul Korchin

David A. deSilva
The Apocrypha
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9026
Reviewed by Daniel M. Gurtner

Jo Ann Hackett and Walter E. Aufrecht, eds.
“An Eye for Form”: Epigraphic Essays in Honor of Frank Moore Cross
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9969
Reviewed by Heath D. Dewrell

Shalom E. Holtz
Neo-Babylonian Trial Records
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9781
Reviewed by J. H. Price

Mitri Raheb
Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10776
Reviewed by Michael Sandford

A Visualization of Daniel 11:1-12:3

My friend, Steven Anderson, has a helpful visualization of Daniel 11:1-12:3 available for free here (follow the links). Anyone who has studied this chapter knows how difficult it can be to unpack all that is going on. Do note that this visualization does not identify the various rulers but is solely trying to trace the flow of the actual text.

20 Preaching Quotes

SermonCentral has 20 quotes on preaching here.

Cognitive Biases That Might Affect Your Exegesis

David Murray has an infographic and list of "20 Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Exegesis" here.

The Origins of the Philistines?

There is an interesting article in Haaretz concerning the origins of the Philistines here.

2015 Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop: Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

This year's one-day Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop focusing on the topic of preaching Christ from the Old Testament. The workshop will take place on Monday, October 5, 2015 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in The Riley Center  on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The cost of the workshop is $50 for early regular registration,$25 Early student registration, and$10 for an optional buffet lunch. You can register here.

Win a Copy of A Commentary on the Manuscripts and Text of the New Testament

Facebook users can enter to win a copy of Philip Comfort's A Commentary on the Manuscripts and Text of the New Testament here.

Chart on Mary's Magnificat

Jim Gray has a nice chart on the Old Testament parallels to Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) here.

Biblical Archaeology Website

Those interested in biblical archaeology might want to check out this website. It has been around for a while, but I don't recall ever mentioning it.

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.

Wilhelm Bousset
Kyrios Christos: A History of Belief in Christ from the Beginning of Christianity to Irenaeus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9477
Reviewed by Jonathan M. Potter

Claire Clivaz, Corina Combet-Galland, Jean-Daniel Macchi, and Christophe Nihan, eds.
Ecritures et réécritures: La reprise interprétative des traditions fondatrices par la littérature biblique et extra-biblique. Cinquième Colloque International du RRENAB, Université de Genève et Lausanne, 10-12 juin 2010
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8772
Reviewed by Renata Furst

Devorah Dimant
History, Ideology and Bible Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Collected Studies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9845
Reviewed by Peter Porzig

Benjamin H. Dunning
Christ without Adam: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in the Philosophers’ Paul
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9972
Reviewed by Robert Paul Seesengood

Joseph R. Hacker and Adam Shear, eds.
The Hebrew Book in Early Modern Italy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8371
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow

Richard Horsley
The Prophet Jesus and the Renewal of Israel: Moving Beyond a Diversionary Debate
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8704
Reviewed by Chris L. de Wet

Gideon R. Kotzé
The Qumran Manuscripts of Lamentations: A Text-Critical Study
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9611
Reviewed by Pieter B. Hartog

Frans van Liere
An Introduction to the Medieval Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9792
Reviewed by Marcus Elder

Heinz-Werner Neudorfer
Der Brief des Paulus an Titus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9454
Reviewed by Manabu Tsuji

Walter T. Wilson
The Sentences of Sextus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8708
Reviewed by Johan Thom

Dumbed-Down Thesis Statements

See these 20 dumbed-down Ph.D. thesis statements. This might be fun to do with some biblical and theological dissertations as well.

HT: John Williams

Free Resource: Introducing the Old Testament Books

My friend Paul Weaver has made his brand-new book, Introducing the Old Testament Books, available as a free electronic download at Amazon until Monday, September 21. Use this link. He does ask that you would consider leaving a review but that is not required.

Nine Confessions of a Struggling Preacher

Preachers might want to check out this post by Caleb Suko entitled, "Nine Confessions of a Struggling Preacher." 

Is Inerrancy Nullified by a Death of a Thousand Qualifications?

Marc Cortez provides a great answer to this question here.

Free Faithlife Flashcard App for Hebrew and Greek Vocabulary

Watch this video by Michael Burer on how to download and set up the fee Faithlife flashcard app for Hebrew and Greek vocabulary.

Westminster Theological Seminary Faculty Website

Westminster Theological Seminary has a new faculty website here. You can access free articles, lectures, and courses. For example, under courses you can access audio of A New Testament Biblical theology taught by Greg Beale or Biblical Hermeneutics by Very Poythress.

the “I” of Romans 7

Lindsay Kennedy has a good presentation here of the various views of the "I" in Romans 7.

Aramaic: Past and Present

See Jon McWhorter's story in the Atlantic entitled, "Where Do Languages Go to Die? The tale of Aramaic, a language that once ruled the Middle East and now faces extinction."

Do New Testament Authors Use Sub-Themes from the Old Testament

Kenneth Berding has an interesting post here suggesting that one way to explain the hermeneutic of the New Testament author's approach to the Old Testament is to see them using sub-themes rather than main themes of given passages.

55 Theses on Pastors as Public Theologians

There is much to consider here from Kevin Vanhoozer on pastors as public theologians.

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.

James H. Charlesworth, ed.
The Tomb of Jesus and His Family? Exploring Ancient Jewish Tombs Near Jerusalem’s Walls
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9634
Reviewed by Jodi Magness

John J. Collins
A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9910
Reviewed by Corinne Blackmer
Reviewed by David M. Carr

Eric Eve
Behind the Gospels: Understanding the Oral Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9907
Reviewed by Werner H. Kelber

Charles W. Hedrick
The Wisdom of Jesus: Between the Sages of Israel and the Apostles of the Church
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10181
Reviewed by David Gowler

Douglas S. Huffman
The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek: Grammar, Syntax, and Diagramming
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9118
Reviewed by Justin Langford

Francisco Lozada Jr. and Fernando F. Segovia, eds.
Latino/a Biblical Hermeneutics: Problematics, Objectives, Strategies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10076
Reviewed by Tat-siong Benny Liew

Ronald D. Peters
The Greek Article: A Functional Grammar of ?-items in the Greek New Testament with Special Emphasis on the Greek Article
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9784
Reviewed by Daniel Wallace

Rivka Ulmer and Moshe Ulmer
Righteous Giving to the Poor: Tzedakah (“Charity”) in Classic Rabbinic Judaism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10023
Reviewed by Gregg E. Gardner

Yael Wilfand
Poverty, Charity and the Image of the Poor in Rabbinic Texts from the Land of Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10090
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

A Revival of the Half-Shekel Commandment (Exod 30:15)

Interesting story here about one man's attempt to revive the half-shekel commandment found in Exodus 30:15. This includes minting new coins. But much of the process appears to be more traditional than biblical. Also, the article states that, "it is forbidden by Torah law to actually count Jews," but doesn't the Torah itself contain sanctioned censuses in Numbers 1 and 26. Maybe I am missing something here.

The Power of Language

My favorite homiletics teacher is fond telling neophyte preachers, “We deal in words, friend.” The more I preach, the more I think about how I am going to say what I have so diligently unearthed in my study. In the following quote, Charles Bartow gets at the power of language.

“The religious language of the preacher is similar to the language of the poet, novelist, or dramatist. It is alive with the rhythms, accents, and images of ordinary speech. However, those elements of ordinary speech combine bits of experience for us in ways that we might not expect, thereby provoking insight. Suddenly, because of what the poet says, the novelist says, the dramatist or preacher says, your world and mine, the world of everyday occurrences that we have named a thousand times, taken for granted, not given much thought to, lights up with significance. We see our world more clearly than we may have ever seen it before, and we say, ‘That’s right, that’s it! That is my world as it is or could be or ought to be!’” (Charles L. Bartow, The Preaching Moment: a Guide to Sermon Delivery, Abingdon Preacher’s Library, ed. William D. Thompson [Nashville: Abingdon, 1980], 17).