The Latest Issue of the Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Shawn Zelig Aster, Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1–39: Responses to Assyrian Ideology
Reviewed by Patricia K. Tull

Michael G. Azar, Exegeting the Jews: The Early Reception of the Johannine “Jews”
Reviewed by Chris Blumhofer

Walter Bruggemann, Money and Possessions
Reviewed by Peter Altmann

Oskar Dangl, Das Buch Habakuk
Reviewed by Csaba Balogh

Elizabeth Berne DeGear, ‘For She Has Heard’: The Standing Stone in Joshua 24 and the Development of a Covenant Symbol
Reviewed by Ralph K. Hawkins

Salima Ikram, ed., Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt
Reviewed by Shirly Ben-Dor Evian

John J. Pilch and Bruce J. Malina, eds., Handbook of Biblical Social Values
Reviewed by John Goldingay

J. David Pleins, Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary by Conceptual Categories: A Student’s Guide to Nouns in the Old Testament
Reviewed by Paul Overland

David E. Wilhite, The Gospel according to Heretics: Discovering Orthodoxy through Early Christological Conflicts
Reviewed by B. Lee Blackburn

David M. Young and Michael Strickland, The Rhetoric of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark
Reviewed by Elliott Maloney

Dressing for Seminary

I am a bit old-school so this post about dressing properly for seminary resonated with me.

Misusing Commentaries

Jay Sklar lists five ways here.

HT: David Murray

The Uniqueness of God's Covenant with Israel

I have expressed my reluctance before to using the so-called suzerain-vassal treaty forms as an interpretive grid for the Mosaic Covenant or certain parts of the Pentateuch. I believe that it is more likely that the these biblical texts and suzerain-vassal treaties owe their similarity to the fact that they draw from the same pool of elements that most agreements draw from (e.g., identification of the parties, stipulations, witnesses, etc.). 

I believe that my argument is bolstered somewhat by John Walton's assertion that, "In the ancient Near East, the idea of a god who made a covenant with a group of people was unique to Israel—a circumstance for which we have little precedent" (Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief [Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2017], 105). So it is possible that one could play the ancient Near Eastern background card to show that God was doing something different and not relying on cultural norms such as suzerain-vassal treaty forms.

Bible Overview Visualized

Several years ago, I became aware of a helpful visual resource that covered the entire Bible by James Yoder.

James has now improved and revised his work in a new volume entitled, Bible Overview Visualized. Here is the book's description.

Bible Overview Visualized is an easy-to-comprehend resource tool that can help anyone see and understand the Bible in its entirety. It relies heavily on graphics to assist the reader to see not only every chapter of the Bible, but also how each book fits within the context of the Bible where it is located. Additionally, the story of the Bible is presented to help the reader understand the what, the why and the how of Scripture.

This volume is even better than the original and I would encourage you to give it a look. You can check it out or order it from Amazon here.

Free eBook: Reading John

Chris Skinner's Reading John is the free book of the month from Wipf & Stock. But note that the deal expires on December 10. You can access the offer here and follow these instructions.

1. Click on the link above
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option
3. Code "ebookfree" is automatically applied within the shopping cart
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to download your free eBook
5. Free eBook offer applies only to Reading John

New Persia Resource

BiblePlaces recently released their latest volume featuring Persia. This collection of brand new images includes 22 PowerPoints and more photographs than any other Pictorial Library of Bible Lands volume. I didn't count all the images

but the PDF index listing all the images runs 46 pages! Todd Bolen combines a photographer's eye with a Bible scholar's knowledge. So if you teach or preach from books like Daniel, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah, you really owe it to yourself to check out this volume. Plus, you can now order the Persia volume at the introductory price of $25 (download or DVD or both).

The Latest Issue of the Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Moshe Blidstein, Purity, Community, and Ritual in Early Christian Literature
Reviewed by B. Lee Blackburn

Beate Ego, Ester
Reviewed by Jill Middlemas

Anne Katrine de Hemmer Gudme and Ingrid Hjelm, eds., Myths of Exile: History and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible
Reviewed by Bob Becking

Charles W. Hedrick, Parabolic Figures or Narrative Fictions? Seminal Essays on the Stories of Jesus
Reviewed by Ernest van Eck

J. Kabamba Kiboko, Divining the Woman of Endor: African Culture, Postcolonial Hermeneutics, and the Politics of Biblical Translation
Reviewed by David Tuesday Adamo

J. B. Lightfoot; Ben Witherington III and Todd D. Still, eds., The Gospel of St. John: A Newly Discovered Commentary
Reviewed by Joshua J. Coutts

Jordan J. Ryan, The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus
Reviewed by Byron R. McCane

Patrick Schreiner, The Body of Jesus: A Spatial Analysis of the Kingdom in Matthew
Reviewed by Wongi Park

David I. Starling, Hermeneutics as Apprenticeship: How the Bible Shapes Our Interpretive Habits and Practices
Reviewed by Matthew Lloyd Halsted

W. Dennis Tucker Jr. and W. H. Bellinger Jr., eds., The Psalter as Witness: Theology, Poetry, and Genre; Proceedings from the Baylor University–University of Bonn Symposium on the Psalter
Reviewed by Steven Bishop

Free Audio Book of the Month: The Confessions of St. Augustine

Christianaudio.com's free audio book of the month is The Confessions of St. Augustine. To read more about this resource and to get your free audio download in either MP3 or M4B formats go here.

A Cuneiform Fragment and Babylonians in Samaria.

This recent interpretation of a cuneiform fragment at Tel Mikhmoret which might record a slave transaction provides possible physical evidence of the presence of Babylonians in biblical Samaria. But do note the qualified nature of the previous statement and that the presence of Babylonians in the region can already be established from the Bible.

Free Logos Book for December: No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God

The free Logos Book for the Month for December is John Feinberg's No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God. You can also purchase Graham Cole's He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit or Bruce Demarest's The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation in the same series for $2.99 and $4.99 respectively. You can also register for a chance win the eight-volume Crossway Studies of the Bible package. For all these offers, go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here.

"Pilate" Ring

There are numerous reports that a ring found at the Herodian found in excavations in 1968-1969 might contain an inscription to Pontius Pilate. One of the news stories can be found here. It is an interesting find but caution is warranted because many archaeological announcements related to finds in the Holy Land are sensationalized.

The Search for Sacred Texts

National Geographic has a nice article here related to manuscripts in general and the Dead Sea Scrolls in particular. The pictures are wonderful as usual.

Empty Churches

The Atlantic has a sobering look at "America’s Epidemic of Empty Churches" here.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra

This is a delightfully nerdy post about translating the headpiece of the staff of Ra in the Raiders of the Lost Ark film.

HT: Elijah Hixson

Philippians for Pastors

Philippians for Pastors by John Kitchen has just been released. This 530-page work interacts with the Greek text (but not in an overly technical way) and also provides "ministry maxims," "digging deeper" questions and thoughts, and several helpful appendices. It is published by Kress Biblical Resources. You can get 45% off retail of this volume and on all titles that Kress offers with the coupon code "Spurgeon" but note that the code expires at the end of November. You can also get free usps media mail shipping on orders over $20. Kitchen also has two other helpful volumes, The Pastoral Epistles for Pastors and Colossians and Philemon for Pastors.

Lessons for Evangelical Scholars in the Academy

Michael Kruger, interacting with Thomas Oden, offers seven lessons for evangelical scholars in the secular academy that are worth reading here.

Reader's Edition of the Septuagint

You can listen here to the two editors talk about the Septuagint generally and the Reader's Edition of the Septuagint specifically.

Of Books and Blimps

I recently obtained a copy of The Messianic Temple: Understanding Ezekiel’s Prophecy and while thumbing through it I noticed the following statement, "All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews in magazines, newspapers or broadcast or on the sides of blimps" (my bold).

Clorfene, Chaim. The Messianic Temple: Understanding Ezekiel’s Prophecy. Jerusalem: Menorah, 2005.

Theological Themes Drawn from the Use of the Old Testament In Romans

"As Romans employs the Old Testament, drawn from diverse canonical units and text-types, in creative combinations, employed in explicit or implicit ways, and using a variety of hermeneutical strategies that range from continuity to discontinuity, what general theological themes are drawn from the Old Testament in Romans? First, Romans focuses considerable attention on the revelation of God, his character and his plan. The Old Testament is used as the foundation for expressing the key themes of salvation, judgment, sin, eschatology, redemptive history, and election, as well as for highlighting God’s character of mercy and wisdom, and the sovereign election and gracious promise. Second, Romans also looks to the Old Testament to shape human response in terms of both faith and ethics. Thus, the Old Testament provides the theological foundation for human awareness of sin (the need for salvation) as well as for human response of faith rather than works for salvation. The Old Testament also shapes human behavior, whether that means living faithfully in the midst of suffering, eschewing revenge, adultery, murder, theft, covetousness, and criticism., while embracing love for one’s neighbor and promoting unity within the Christian community. The Old Testament even provides ministry strategy for the church, whether that is reaching out to the Gentiles or extending the gospel to new regions."

Mark J. Boda, "The Old Testament and Romans:Interpreting the Scriptures Which Instruct and Encourage," in The Letter to the Romans: Exegesis and Application, McMaster New Testament Series, ed. Stanley E. Porter and Francis G. H. Pang, (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018), 159.

Puns for All

The Paris Review has an article here on puns. The article references some from the Bible and the creative preacher knows the value of a timely pun.

Average Bible Reading Times

The folks at Crossway have a nice infographic here on the average time it takes someone to read the English Bible. I try to read the Bible through once every year. By God's grace, I have been able to do so twenty out of the last twenty-one years. If you haven't done so, I would encourage you to do so.

Names in the Book of Ruth

When I teach Ruth, I often note the significance and role that the names of the characters play in the narrative. While I obviously think that such an approach is valid, one needs to exercise a bit of caution as noted by James Schipper below.

Regarding the names of characters and geographic locations in the narrative, critical commentaries, including the present one, often provide information about possible etymologies of these names based on cognates in Hebrew or related Semitic languages. Nevertheless, there is no hard evidence that Ruth’s author was aware of the etymological origins or significance of the names that she or he used, especially if the etymology reflects an Ugaritic cognate and the author lived during the early Persian period, as I tentatively argue. For example, even if one were to explain the origins of Bethlehem as “house pf Laḥmu [a Canaanite deity]” on the basis of Ugaritic cognates known to contemporary scholars, one does know whether Ruth’s author was familiar with this cognate or other possible Ugaritic cognates that I discuss throughout the NOTES. One can be certain, however, that the author of Ruth knew the Hebrew words bêt (“house of”) and leḥem (“food”) since forms of these words occur throughout the book. One could translate Bethlehem as “house of food” (bêt leḥem) on the basis of popular rather than historical etymology. This creates a play on words in that there is a famine in the house of food (1:1; consult comments on 1:1–7a).

James L. Schipper, Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible 24c (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2016), 7.