Salvation in Acts

Two choice quotes from I. Howard Marshall

"It is our thesis that the idea of salvation supplies the key to the theology of Luke. Not salvation-history but salvation itself is the theme which occupied the mind of Luke in both parts of his work."

"Our claim is not that salvation is a feature unique to Lucan theology in comparison with the rest of the New Testament, but that it is the central motif in Lucan theology."

I. Howard Marshall, Luke Historian and Theologian (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1988), 92, 93.

The Irony of Scattering as Spreading of the Word

“An ironic theme in Acts, which plays a major role in its plot structuring, is that persecuting attempts to suppress God’s word lead to the spread of that work. This theme is a major instance of the Lukan motif of reversal-God reverses or overrules human attempts to control history and if that the persecution associated with Saul occasions the spread of Christianity, eventually to Antioch, where the converted Paul is summoned (coming full circle) to minister to Christians. Acts structures this theme in three steps: Acts 8:1, 3-5; 11:19-20, and 11:25–26.”

William S. Kurz, Reading Luke-Acts: Dynamics of Biblical Narrative (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1993), 144.

Dramatis Personae In Luke's Prologue (Luke 1:1-4)

William Kurz has noted concerning Luke 1:1-4 that,

“The prologue singles out at least four differing individuals or groups: (1) "Many have tried to compile a narrative"; (2) "events fulfilled among us"; (3) "it seemed good to me also"l; (4) "to write to you." Among these four are a first-person narrator who presents himself as a histor (3), a second-person narratee named Theophilus (4), an earlier group of writers of similar Christian narratives (1), and a group of Christians in whose midst the recounted events took place (2). The histor narrator distinguishes himself from other narrative writers (1), but includes himself in the Christian community among which the events took place (2).”

William S. Kurz, Reading Luke-Acts: Dynamics of Biblical Narrative (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1993), 41.

McKnight Recommended Commentaries on Philippians

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

Gordon Fee: Paul's Letter to the Philippians (New International Commentary on the New Testament).

Peter O’Brien: The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary)

G. F. Hawthorne: Philippians: Revised (Word Biblical Commentary)

John Reumann: Philippians (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

Dean Fleming: NBBC, Philippians: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (New Beacon Bible Commentary)

Ben Witherington III: Friendship and Finances in Philippi (New Testament in Context)

Mahaney on Tools for Teaching Proverbs

C. J. Mahaney has a nice post on tools for teaching Proverbs. Read it here.

HT: Justin Taylor

New Theological German Website

See here for a new theological German website by Andy Rowell.

HT: Mike Whitenton

Top Ten Signs that You are Spending Too Much Time Doing Greek

Mark Lightman has the following top ten signs (from the b-Greek discussion group).

Top Ten Signs that You are Spending Too Much Time Doing Greek:

10. The ring tone on your cell phone is the “Song of Seikilos.”

9. You are more excited about them making UBS 5 than Godfather 4.

8. While eating waffles with your kids, you say to them λεγωμαι εγω. LEGWMAI EGW.

7. Your cats are named “Erasmus” and “Buth.”

6. When you get a “Dear John” letter, instead of being upset, you begin diagramming the sentences.

5. You’ve tried to translate “Egg McMuffin” into Koine.

4. You wonder if the 7th edition of L.S.J., before Jones replaced Drisler, was called the L.S.D.

3. Two words: spurious diphthongs.

2. Your favorite T.V. program is “That LXX’s Show.”

And the number one sign that you are spending too much time doing Greek:

1. When people tell you to stop writing Top Ten lists and get a life, you wonder if they mean BIOS or ZWH.

Free Audio Download of Francis Chan's Crazy Love

Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of Francis Chan's Crazy Love. Go here and use the coupon code JUL2009.

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:

J. K. Aitken
The Semantics of Blessing and Cursing in Ancient Hebrew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6817
Reviewed by Yael Avrahami

Rami Arav, ed.
Cities through the Looking Glass: Essays on the History and Archaeology of Biblical Urbanism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6727
Reviewed by Aren Maeir

Donald T. Ariel, Hava Katz, Shelley Sadeh, and Michael Segal
The Dead Sea Scrolls Catalogue
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6482
Reviewed by George J. Brooke

Carl Cosaert
The Text of the Gospels in Clement of Alexandria
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6784
Reviewed by J. K. Elliott

Audrey Dawson
Healing, Weakness and Power: Perspectives on Healing in the Writings of Mark, Luke and Paul
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7025
Reviewed by Kobus Kok

Stephen Finlan
The Apostle Paul and the Pauline Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6724
Reviewed by Korinna Zamfir

John T. Fitzgerald, ed.
Passions and Moral Progress in Greco-Roman Thought
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6860
Reviewed by Wayne A. Meeks

Richard A. Horsley
Wisdom and Spiritual Transcendence at Corinth: Studies in First Corinthians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6812
Reviewed by Anthony C. Thiselton

Darin H. Land
The Diffusion of Ecclesiastical Authority: Sociological Dimensions of Leadership in the Book of Acts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6718
Reviewed by Steve Walton

AnneMarie Luijendijk
Greetings in the Lord: Early Christians and the Oxyrhynchus Papyri
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7050
Reviewed by J. K. Elliott

Kevin McGeough
Exchange Relationships at Ugarit
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6818
Reviewed by Roger S. Nam

Charles B. Puskas and David Crump
An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6804
Reviewed by Peter J. Judge

Kenneth Gangel (1935-2009)

This is a bit late, but I just learned that Kenneth O. Gangel went to be with the Lord last Thursday, June 18 at the age of 74. Dr. Gangel was a prolific writer and although I did not know him personally, I have benefited from his writings particularly in the area of Christian education and leadership. You can see a more extensive write up of Dr. Gangel here.

Syntactical Diagram of 1 Peter 2 and 3:1-12

For those who have facility with Greek, Daniel Doleys has now posted his syntactical diagram of 1 Peter 2 and 1 Peter 3:1-12, here and here respectively.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Glen Scrivner has a good reminder concerning the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). In part Glen writes, "I wanted the fruit not the Spirit. I wanted the fruit apart from the Spirit. Yet the fruit is fruit of the Spirit. It grows organically from a relationship with Him. Henceforward I prayed for the Spirit Himself." You can read the entire post here.

Quote of the Day

“The fact that Luke and Acts are addressed to Christian readers puts even more restrictions on contemporary free play of interpretation than their traditional character alone would require. All narratives have gaps in what is explicitly recounted, the filling of which is a major aspect of their interpretation. The gaps in Luke and Acts that are meant to be filled are gaps that would occur to Christian readers, and they are meant to be filled from a Christian perspective. The points of view of the text, both in its original setting and in its later context as part of the Christian Bible, are grounded in and express Christian faith. The most empathetic reading of the text would therefore ordinarily proceed from Christian faith and experience. Readers from many backgrounds and faiths can execute historical-critical methods to glean historical answers from the text or engage in literary analysis of the text, but reading Luke-Acts as biblical requires a biblical perspective and strong imaginative empathy for the Christian faith. Some obvious examples where faith facilitates filling biblical gaps in Luke concern Jesus' identity and accounts of providence or the miraculous, including Jesus' resurrection and relationship to God as his Father.”

William S. Kurz, Reading Luke-Acts: Dynamics of Biblical Narrative (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1993), 15.

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:

Stephen C. Barton, ed.
Idolatry: False Worship in the Bible, Early Judaism and Christianity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6399
Reviewed by Markus Bockmuehl

Andrew Bernhard
Other Early Christian Gospels: A Critical Edition of the Surviving Greek Manuscripts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6346
Reviewed by Stephen J. Patterson

Walter Brueggemann
A Pathway of Interpretation: The Old Testament for Pastors and Students
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6905
Reviewed by Danny Mathews

Warren Carter
The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5406
Reviewed by Pieter J. J. Botha

J. Harold Ellens
Sex in the Bible: A New Consideration
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6856
Reviewed by William R. G. Loader

Jonathan Gan
The Metaphor of Shepherd in the Hebrew Bible: A Historical-Literary Reading
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6167
Reviewed by Claudia D. Bergmann

Jeffrey P. Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen R. Spencer, eds.
The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries: From the Early Church to John Paul II
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6768
Reviewed by Charles H. Talbert

Philip A. Noss, ed.
A History of Bible Translation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6910
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Markus Saur
Der Tyroszyklus des Ezechielbuches
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7017
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Martin A. Shields
The End of Wisdom: A Reappraisal of the Historical and Canonical Function of Ecclesiastes http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5240
Reviewed by Harold C. Washington

H. G. M. Williamson
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27: Volume 1: Commentary on Isaiah 1-5
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7176
Reviewed by Francis Landy

The Book of Revelation as Key to a Missional Hermeneutic?

Michael Gorman has an interesting post discussing whether the book of Revelation is a key to a missional hermeneutic.

How Big was Goliath

The Logos blog has made a an article from their Bible Study magazine on the size of Goliath. You can access the article here.

Monday Mornings for Preachers

Peter Mead suggests four ways that preachers can have productive monday mornings.

• Reflect
• Record
• Relax
• Renew

Read the post here.

Long on the Philistines

See this brief, but helpful article on the Philistines by V. Phillips Long.

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.