Decker on Mark 7:19

Rod Decker has a brief but helpful explanation on the translation and interpretation of Mark 7:19. Read it here.

Darrell Bock: Influential Books

The Koinonia blog has posted a brief video of Darrell Bock discussing some books that were influential in his life.

The Age of Accountability

Alan Bandy has a nice post on the doctrine called the age of accountability which is related to when children become spiritually accountable to God. Read it here.

Adams on 100 Recommended Reads

Colin Adams has a pretty interesting list of recommended reads broken down by categories. Have a look here.

Syntactical Diagram of 1 Peter 1:8-25

For those who have facility with Greek, Daniel Doleys has now posted his syntactical diagram of 1 Peter 1:8-25.

Paul. Food Sacrificed to Idols, and the Jerusalem Council

One of the challenges of taking the Jerusalem Council as a historical event is Paul’s apparent silence concerning it in his epistles, even when such a reference might be appropriate (e.g., his discussion of food sacrificed to idols; cf. 1 Cor 8:1––11:1; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25) and even though Luke states the Paul was present at the Council and even carried its results to the church at Antioch. There are generally two broad approaches concerning this problem.

1. Some interpreters conclude that the Jerusalem Council was a Lukan creation and never actually happened. This view is generally unacceptable for conservative interpreters.

2. Other interpreters affirm the general historicity of the Jerusalem Council. In this position there are at least three variations. (1) The Jerusalem Council did occur, but contrary to Luke’s assertion, Paul was not there. Therefore, Paul does not refer to the decision of the Council either because he is unaware of it or that he does not feel bound by it since he was not present during the proceedings. (2) The Jerusalem Council was attended by Paul as Luke records, but he chooses to ignore the Council’s decision in his correspondence with Corinth and perhaps elsewhere. Perhaps Paul changed his mind or he might have viewed the Council’s decision as ad hoc or limited to churches in Syria. (3) The Jerusalem Council was attended by Paul as Luke records, and Paul follows the Council’s decision. This last view is the view of Alex T. Cheung, Idol Food in Corinth: Jewish Background and Pauline Legacy, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 176 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1999). Cheung writes:

“As I have shown earlier, the most likely scenario is that, in his first visit to Corinth, Paul prohibited-perhaps without any qualification-the consumption of idol food. He thus acted in accordance with the decree, whether he appealed to it or not. However, after Paul had left Corinth, some from the leadership of the church, perhaps because of their enlightened view of Christian freedom, but more likely due to social pressure, began to eat idol food. Paul attempted to correct them in his previous letter but was rebutted with clever arguments which were constructed with distortions of his earlier teachings and which seized on the potential impracticality of Paul’s unguarded language. This led to Paul’s response in 1 Cor. 8:1–11.1, which is both strongly combative and highly nuanced. To quote the decree there would not have served Paul’s purpose.

“To sum up, I have shown that the arguments advanced against the historical accuracy of Luke’s account of the Jerusalem council are not insurmountable. On the contrary, they readily fall apart if we are allowed to make one major assumption—that the decree is consistent with Paul’s missionary preaching, that Paul indeed prohibited eating idol food. As we shall see, this assumption also allows us to make sense of a plethora of early Christian writings touching on Paul’s stance in the matter of idol food” (p. 194).

I am very sympathetic to Chueng’s conclusions and his position on Paul’s perspective concerning idol food has been echoed by David Garland’s excellent 1 Corinthians commentary in the Baker Exegetical series.

Malcolm on the Flow of 1 Corinthians

Matthew Malcolm has posted on his understanding of Paul's flow of thought in 1 Corinthians. You can access it here.

What Your Pastor Wishes You Knew About Him

Andy Nasselli has summarized a list by Dan Burrell, a former pastor, on ten things that your pastor probably wishes you knew about him. The ten are:

1. Bible college and seminary weren’t enough.
2. Good sermon preparation takes time.
3. His family is important too.
4. Be kind if you have a criticism.
5. Give your pastor time to grow.
6. Your pastor probably views you differently than you view him.
7. Pastors sometimes find it difficult to have friendships.
8. Your pastor may well be different out of the pulpit than when he’s in the pulpit and that doesn’t necessarily make him a hypocrite.
9. Your pastor has bills too.
10. Your pastor loves the work of the ministry.

Syntactical Diagram of 1 Peter 1:1-7

For those who have facility with Greek, Daniel Doleys has posted his syntactical diagram of 1 Peter 1:1-7.

O Pulpit Where Art Thou?

There is an interesting post by Erik asking and answering the question, "O Pulpit Where Art Thou?" See also Colin Adam's follow-up here.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:

Roger David Aus
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus and the Death, Burial, and Translation of Moses in Judaic Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6771
Reviewed by James Crossley

Mark G. Brett
Decolonizing God: The Bible in the Tides of Empire
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6923
Reviewed by Roland Boer

Régis Burnet
L'évangile de la trahison: Une biographie de Judas
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6867
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Chaim Cohen, Victor Hurowitz, Avi Hurvitz, Yochanan Muffs, Baruch Schwartz, and Jeffrey Tigay, eds.
Birkat Shalom: Studies in the Bible, Ancient Near Eastern Literature, and Postbiblical Judaism Presented to Shalom M. Paul on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6944
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Daniel K. Darko
No Longer Living as the Gentiles: Differentiation and Shared Ethical Values In Ephesians 4.17-6.9
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6667
Reviewed by William R. G. Loader

J. Harold Ellens, ed.
Miracles: God, Science, and Psychology in the Paranormal: Volume 1: Religious and Spiritual Events
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6859
Reviewed by Susanne Heine

Gene L. Green
Jude and 2 Peter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6969
Reviewed by Peter H. Davids

Michael P. Knowles
We Preach Not Ourselves: Paul on Proclamation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6588
Reviewed by H. H. Drake Williams III

Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, eds.
Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6690
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Jerome H. Neyrey and Eric C. Stewart, eds.
The Social World of the New Testament: Insights and Models
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6883
Reviewed by Heather McKay

Leo G. Perdue
The Sword and the Stylus: An Introduction to Wisdom in the Age of Empires
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6647
Reviewed by Benjamin G. Wright III

Stanley E. Porter and Christopher D. Stanley, eds.
As It Is Written: Studying Paul's Use of Scripture
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6726
Reviewed by Rodrigo J. Morales

Tom Thatcher and Stephen D. Moore, eds.
Anatomies of Narrative Criticism: The Past, Present, and Futures of the Fourth Gospel as Literature
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6908
Reviewed by Steven Hunt

Peter T. Vogt
Deuteronomic Theology and the Significance of Torah: A Reappraisal
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5484
Reviewed by Trent C. Butler

Ten Reflections/Recommendations on Seminary Life

Josh Philpot has a nice discussion of ten reflections concerning his seminary experiences. Josh has provided some sound advice to those who are considering seminary or those who are already in seminary. You can read Josh's reflections and recommendations here.

McKnight Recommended Commentaries on Ephesians

See this post for Scot McKnight's recommendations concerning commentaries on Ephesians. McKnight lists:

Markus Barth: Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1-3 (Anchor Bible, Vol. 34) and Ephesians: Translation and Commentary on Chapters 4-6: Anchor Bible 34A (Anchor Bible).

Andrew Lincoln:Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 42, Ephesians .

Ernest Best: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians (International Critical Commentary) .

Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians: The NIV Application Commentary.

The Dating of Galatians

One of the debated issues in New Testament studies is the dating of Paul's writing of Galatians.

Traditionally, interpreters have taken what is called the North Galatian theory. That is, Galatians was originally written to churches in the geographical region known as Galatia, in north central Asia Minor. In this view, Paul visited the region during his second missionary journey (cf. Acts 16:6; 18:23) and his visit to Jerusalem is recorded in Galatians 2 and Acts 15. This would mean that Paul likely wrote Galatians in A.D. 55 or 56 during his third missionary journey, probably while he was in Corinth (see Acts 20:3).

However, beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a new view called the South Galatian Theory began to be promoted, most notably by W. M. Ramsey. In this view Galatia is not a geographical designation but a Roman political designation for an area south of geographical Galatia. That is, Paul was referring to the province of Galatia which included cities such as Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium. These cities were visited during Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:1–14:28). In this view, one is not necessarily committed to identifying Paul’s Jerusalem visit in Galatians 2 with Acts 15. Galatians could then be dated as early as A.D. 47–49, prior to the Jerusalem Council. In this scenario Paul is likely written from Antioch.

Having said all that, Daniel Doleys has posted a helpful list of the proponents for both positions. For what its worth, I hold to the South Galatian view.

Essential Reading for A Course on the Book of Romans

Mike Bird has posted on what he considers essential reading for a course on Romans.

A Biblical Theology of Cooperation

Eric Schumacher has a nice post on a biblical theology of ccoperation as traced through redemptive history. His main points are:

My initial definition of Biblical Cooperation was:

Biblical Cooperation happens when God's people, under God's rule, trust God's promises and obey God's commission in the pursuit of God's glory.

My seven main points were as follows:

1. Cooperation was Founded in Creation.

2. Cooperation was Distorted in the Fall.

3. Cooperation was Foreshadowed in the Law but Failed in Israel.

4. Cooperation was Foretold by the Prophets.

5. Cooperation was Redeemed in the Gospel.

The result of the Gospel is Christian Cooperation: God's people (believers in Jesus), under God's rule (the Lordship of Jesus Christ), trust God's promises (believe the Gospel) and obey God's commission (the Great Commission, and all that Jesus commands) in the pursuit of God's glory (the display of God's excellence in Jesus Christ).

6. Cooperation is Applied in Local Churches.

7. Cooperation will be Perfected in Eternity.

You can also access audio of Schumacher's message entitled "Cooperation from Genesis to Revelation" here.

HT: Jim Hamilton

Hoffmeier on Immigration

Justin Taylor has posted a fascinating interview with James Hoffmeier, professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, on his recent book The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible. I have not read the book, but I appreciate what is said in the interview. Even if you don't end up agreeing with the authors conclusion, you can see how one can methodologically apply the Old Testament to contemporary concerns. You can access the interview here.

Master Scripture Index for New Studies in Biblical Theology

Andy Naselli has done us a great service by compiling a master Scripture index for the New Studies in Biblical Theology series edited by D. A. Carson into a single spreadsheet. Furthermore Andy has placed an asterisk by each page number where there is a discussion rather than merely a reference or brief comment. Since I own a number of volumes in the Biblical Theology series this is a wonderful resource to have.

You can see Andy's post here with a further description, explanation, and a link to the Excel file.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:

A. Berlejung and P. van Hecke, eds.
The Language of Qohelet in Its Context: Essays in Honour of Prof. A. Schoors on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6794
Reviewed by Max Rogland

Joshua A. Berman
Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6939
Reviewed by Mark Leuchter

Constantine R. Campbell
Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6873
Reviewed by C. Michael Robbins

Sang Youl Cho
Lesser Deities in the Ugaritic Texts and the Hebrew Bible: A Comparative Study of Their Nature and Roles
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7005
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

A.-F. Christidis, ed.
A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6748
Reviewed by Douglas Estes

Lowell K. Handy
Jonah's World: Social Science and the Reading of Prophetic Story
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6865
Reviewed by Karl Moller

Richard A. Horsley
Jesus in Context: Power, People, and Performance
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6716
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Peter Jeffery
The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5627
Reviewed by J. Harold Ellens

Katrin Keita
Gottes Land: Exegetische Studien zur Land-Thematik im Hoseabuch in kanonischer Perspektive
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6486
Reviewed by Sven Petry

Edward W. Klink III
The Sheep of the Fold: The Audience and Origin of the Gospel of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6594
Reviewed by Cornelis Bennema

Chaim Navon
Genesis and Jewish Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6438
Reviewed by Bradley Embry

Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright III, eds.
A New English Translation of the Septuagint and the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included υnder That Title
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6729
Reviewed by Wolfgang Kraus

Thomas R. Schreiner
New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6526
Reviewed by Panayotis Coutsoumpos

Katherine M. Stott
Why Did They Write This Way? Reflections on References to Written Documents in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Literature
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6672
Reviewed by Werner H. Kelber

David Shepherd, ed.
Images of the Word: Hollywood's Bible and Beyond
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6913
Reviewed by Christopher Fuller

17 Ways A Pastor Can Shorten His Sermon Prep Time

Joe McKeever has written a funny but serious reminder for preachers entitled " "17 Ways a Pastor Can Shorten His Sermon Prep Time." You can read it here.

HT: Colin Adams

Sermon or Pulpit Plagiarism

Ron Forseth, general editor of SermonCentral.com, has a thoughtful article on the topic of sermon or pulpit plagiarism here.

Top Five Commentaries on Joel

Keith Mathison Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of his top five commentaries on Joel at the Ligonier Ministries blog. The list is solid but I would replace Hubbard and Robertson with Duane Garrett (Hosea, Joel, NAC) and Thomas Finley (Joel, Amos, Obadiah) respectively. To the Runners Up category I would add Barton (OTL), Crenshaw (AB), and Wolff (Her). In any case, Mathison’s top five are:

1. Douglas Stuart -- Hosea-Jonah (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987).
2. Thomas E. McComiskey -- The Minor Prophets (2009 [1992]).
3. David Allan Hubbard -- Joel & Amos (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 1989).
4. O. Palmer Robertson -- Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: The Message of Joel (Welwyn Commentary Series, 1995).
5. Leslie C. Allen -- The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1976).

Preaching for Faith

Peter Mead provides a good exhortation/reminder to preach for faith here.

Block on Shamgar

See this post by Daniel Block on Shamgar, one of the minor judges in the Book of Judges (3:31).

Luke's Unique Terminology Related to the Law

As part of my ongoing research into Luke's view of the Law, I thought I would share an excerpt from Jacob Jervell's insightful essay entitled "The Law in Luke-Acts."
“An examination of Luke's terminology regarding the law offers a hint that Luke is not only echoing previous solutions. His terminology differs from other New Testament writers and from the apostolic fathers. Some examples:
1. Only Luke employs terms like nomos kyriou, ‘the law of the Lord’ (God)^12 and ‘the law of the fathers’ (Luke 2:23, 24, 39; Acts 22:3).
2. No one but Luke refers to the Mosaic law as ‘the customs,’ ta ethnē, which Moses delivered to us’ and similar expressions (Acts 6:14; 15:1; 21:12; 28:17).
3. Only Luke talks about ‘Moses being preached’ (Acts 15:21), and uses the word paranomein (23:5).
4. The law is ‘the living words,’ lōgia zonta, (Acts 7:38), once again, solely a Lukan phrase.
5. The expression ‘to speak against Moses, the law,’ is present only in Luke’s writings (Acts 6:11, 13, 14 [18:13]; 21:12, 28; 25:8 [10]; 28:17).
6. The expression ‘the law of Moses,’ nomos Mōuseōs, is used five times by Luke; in other New Testament writings three times (Luke 2:22; 24:44; Acts 13:38; 15:5; 28:23).
7. The name ‘Moses,’ referring to the law, appears frequently in Luke-Acts, seldom in other writings (Luke 5:14; 16:29, 31; 24:27; Acts 6:11; 15:1, 21; 21:12).
Jacob Jervell, "The Law in Luke-Acts," in Luke and the People of God (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1972), 136-7.