Critical Exegesis and Critical Exegetes

  
Tim Gombis has some helpful thoughts here on how one who has knows how to do critical exegesis keep from becoming a critical exegete. One thing that I would add is to remember that exegesis is a means not an end.
  

Lamentations

This is an interesting description of Lamentations.

“Lamentations is a reality show set among the carnage of a burned-out city. There is no sugarcoating, no holding back—and no happy ending. The grotesqueness of human suffering on display in the scroll’s five laments rivals the blood and gore of any blockbuster disaster movie, and places it outside the boundaries of general church audiences. Lamentations is adult-only material and way beyond the comfort zone of worshipers seeking breathing space from the tragedy of their own lives.”

Kandy Queen-Sutherland, “Teaching/Preaching the Theology of Lamentations,” Interpretation 67 (2013): 184.
  

Daniel Patte Is Retiring

  
You can read about Daniel Patte's retirement here. Patte might be best known for his work in structural criticism.
 

Interview with Sidney Greidanus

  
Watch this Eerdman's interview with Sidney Greidanus.

A Hashtag and Textual Criticism

  
One of the challenges of reading some ancient manuscripts is that the words can run together. This can create a problem when one tries to separate the individual words. In many cases making such divisions are not a problem but occasionally there can be some ambiguity. 

The problem has been commonly illustrated (I first seen it in Josh McDowell's Evidence Demands a Verdict) with the following example: 

GODISNOWHERE. 

Should this be read "God is nowhere" or "God is now here"? The major challenge to making such a decision is the lack of context. 

But a recent news story illustrates that sometimes there can be ambiguity even when you have a context. Yesterday, a trending Twitter hashtag disturbed some fans of the entertainer Cher. The hashtag read "#nowthatcherisdead." Instead of seeing  a reference to the death of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, some read it as an announcement of the death of Cher. I will refrain from making a snarky comment here. At least we now have a more up-to-date illustration of one of the challenges of reading ancient manuscripts and at least one reason to be thankful for Twitter.
   

More on the Gospel of Judas

  
Readers might recall that in 2006 a manuscript popularly called the Gospel of Judas created quite the buzz. I do not want to rehash all of that except to say that the document is not really a "gospel" and it has very little to teach us about the historical Jesus.In any case, LiveScience has an interesting article on the science behind dating and authenticating the manuscript.

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.

Edward Adams
Parallel Lives of Jesus: A Guide to the Four Gospels
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8419
Reviewed by Adam Winn

Lincoln H. Blumell
Lettered Christians: Christians, Letters, and Late Antique Oxyrhynchus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8623
Reviewed by Thomas J. Kraus

Miguel A. De La Torre
Genesis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8372
Reviewed by John E. Anderson

Yitzhaq Feder
Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual: Origins, Context, and Meaning
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8282
Reviewed by William L. Lyons

Donald H. Juel; Shane Berg and Matthew L. Skinner, eds.
Shaping the Scriptural Imagination: Truth, Meaning, and the Theological Interpretation of the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8302
Reviewed by Ernest van Eck

Bo H. Lim
The ‘Way of the LORD’ in the Book of Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8071
Reviewed by Wilhelm J. Wessels

B. H. McLean
Biblical Interpretation and Philosophical Hermeneutics
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8599
Reviewed by Akio Ito

Francis J. Moloney
The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8504
Reviewed by Timothy Gombis

Daniel Polz
Der Beginn des Neuen Reiches: Zur Vorgeschichte einer Zeitenwende
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6814
Reviewed by Roberto B. Gozzoli Stephen C. Russell

Images of Egypt in Early Biblical Literature: Cisjordan-Israelite, Transjordan-Israelite, and Judahite Portrayals
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8240
Reviewed by Christopher Hays
 

Four Aspects of Early Christian Belief

Paul Barnett suggests that there are “four aspects of early Christian belief that can only be explained by the radical influence of Jesus.”

• His Followers Called the Preresurrection Jesus “Lord”/Kyrios.
• The God of Israel Was Now Redefined as Abba, “Father.”
• Access to God through a New Temple.
• Atonement Was through His Death, Not Temple Sacrifices.

This seems like a pretty good list. What would you add to that list?

Paul Barnett, Finding the Historical Christ, After Jesus 3 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 252–56. 
  

The Best Christian Book of all Time?

  
See what it supposedly is here.
 

A Pastor's Guide to Blogging

This post is pretty basic but it might help some pastor's enter the blogosphere.
 

The Average Salary of a Catholic Priest

  
This article probably falls into the "just in case you wanted to know" category.
 

The History of Applause

  
The Atlantic has an interesting article on the ancient practice of applauding here. I imagine that there is more than one good sermon illustration here.
 

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.

Matthew A. Collins
The Use of Sobriquets in the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8200
Reviewed by Ian Werrett

Philip R. Davies and Diana Vikander Edelman, eds.
The Historian and the Bible: Essays in Honour of Lester L. Grabbe http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7993
Reviewed by George C. Heider

Kristina Dronsch Bedeutung als Grundbegriff neutestamentlicher Wissenschaft: Texttheoretische und semiotische Entwürfe zur Kritik der Semantik dargelegt anhand einer Analyse zu zu [akouein] in Mk 4 http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8118
Reviewed by Sidney A. Martin II

Robert Gnuse
No Tolerance for Tyrants: The Biblical Assault on Kings and Kingship http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8147
Reviewed by James M. Bos

Douglas Harink
Paul, Philosophy, and the Theopolitical Vision: Critical Engagements with Agamben, Badiou, Zizek, and Others http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8083
Reviewed by Troels Engberg-Pedersen

Hayim Lapin
Rabbis as Romans: The Rabbinic Movement in Palestine, 100-400 CE http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8549
Reviewed by Steven Fine

Anne Pasquier, Daniel Marguerat, and André Wénin, eds.
L'intrigue dans le récit biblique: Quatrième colloque international du RRENAB, Université Laval, Québec, 29 mai-1er juin 2008 http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7950
Reviewed by Johanna Brankaer

Martin C. Salter
The Power of Pentecost: An Examination of Acts 2:17-21 http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8505
Reviewed by Chris L. de Wet

Davis A. Young and Ralph F. Stearley
The Bible, Rocks and Time: Geological Evidence for the Age of the Earth http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6721
Reviewed by David M. Maas
  

He Is Risen!

State of the Bible in 2013

The American Bible Society releases in-depth findings from its annual State of the Bible survey. See this infographic.

The Importance of Structure for Understanding Psalms

"Paying careful attention to structure is important when learning to read the psalms. Like other forms of communication, the psalms have structure and develop according to certain sets of logic. But rather than all of the psalms sharing one structure, each of the psalms tends to have its own unique structure and tends to develop according to its individual logic. And quite often, unlocking the logic of a psalm’s structure is the key to unpacking its meaning. And the more deeply one can understand the structure of a psalm, the more complete one’s understanding of a psalm will be."

Rolf A Jacobson and Karl N. Jacobson, Invitation to the Psalms: A Reader's Guide for Discovery and Engagement (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 21.

You can access an excerpt from the book here.
 

The Need for Pastor-Theologians

The following quotation offers some timely words from Gerald Hiestand.

"In a past essay I argued that pastors, not professors, should be leading the church theologically. I’ve since come to realize that this is the wrong way of framing the issue. Though we pastors have attempted to delegate the responsibility of theological leadership to the academy, the simple fact remains that pastors are leading the church theologically; we just have not been doing it well. The theological, gospel integrity of the Christian community will never rise above the level of her pastors. Gifted though academic theologians are—and indeed better positioned for some aspects of the theological task—the burden of theological formation is a yoke pastors have been divinely appointed to carry. For the last 100 years we (in North America, at least) have tried to slip this yoke, and the church and her theology have suffered for it. But it is the sober and joyous duty of the pastor, even before the professor, to nurture the church theologically—to proclaim the truth of the gospel, defend the truth of the gospel, think deeply about the truth of the gospel, and indeed write about the truth of the gospel, in ways that advance the church’s message and nurture her children."

Gerald Hiestand, “A Taxonomy of the Pastor-Theologian: Why Ph.D. Students Should Consider the Pastorate as the Context for Their Theological Scholarship,” Expository Times 124 (March 2013): 270-71.

  

$5 Off at Westminster Bookstore

  
Westminster Bookstore is promoting its brand new website by offering $5 off your purchase for three days only (offer ends on 3/29 at 5 PM EST). Go here and use the coupon code wtsbooks to receive your discount.
 

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. 

John E. Anderson
Jacob and the Divine Trickster: A Theology of Deception and Yhwh's Fidelity to the Ancestral Promise in the Jacob Cycle
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8284
Reviewed by Koog P. Hong

Walter Brueggemann; Carolyn J. Sharp, ed.
Disruptive Grace: Reflections on God, Scripture, and the Church
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7890
Reviewed by S. D. Giere

Frank Lothar Hossfeld and Eric Zenger
Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8367
Reviewed by Leonard P. Maré

Pirjo Lapinkivi
The Neo-Assyrian Myth of Istar's Descent and Resurrection
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7600
Reviewed by James R. Getz Jr.

Wali van Lohuizen
A Psycho-Spiritual View on the Message of Jesus in the Gospels: Presence and Transformation in Some Logia as a Sign of Mysticism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8199
Reviewed by John DelHousaye

B. H. McLean
New Testament Greek: An Introduction
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8574
Reviewed by Hennie Stander

Jordan M. Scheetz
The Concept of Canonical Intertextuality and the Book of Daniel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8624
Reviewed by Philippus J. Botha
Reviewed by Don Collett

Janet Smith
Dust or Dew: Immortality in the Ancient Near East and in Psalm 49
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8561
Reviewed by Ilaria L. E. Ramelli

Susan Sorek
Remembered for Good: A Jewish Benefaction System in Ancient Palestine
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8009
Reviewed by Carrie Elaine Duncan
 

The Advantages of Teaching What You Don't Know

I recently came across Therese Huston’s book Teaching What You Don’t Know. In the book the author addresses the common experience of many professors who are tasked with teaching a course outside of their area of expertise. In a chapter entitled “Why It’s Better than It Seems,” Huston points out four potential advantages to teaching outside of one’s area of expertise (pp. 31–34).

● Learn something new and interesting

● Connect with faculty outside your department

● Broaden your CV

● Develop new areas of research 

While these advantages might not make the preparation any easier, it might provide some encouragement during the process.
  

Free Audio of the 2013 Expository Preaching Workshop

  
You can access free audio of the 2013 Expository Preaching Workshop 2013 held on March 4-5 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This year's focus was preaching the Gospels. You can access the audio of the sessions here.

Recording Sermons

  
This looks like a helpful article on how to get started in recording your sermons.
 

D. A. Carson on Preaching the Gospel

“To write a brief chapter on how to preach the Gospels feels a bit like offering a how-to manual prescribing how to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by introducing paint-by-numbers. It is not just the real task has complexities that mock such reductionism; there is also the little matter of the unquantifiable gifts and calling of the preacher. Moreover, there is nothing to substitute for unction, for which careful instruction, no matter how important, is not substitute.”

D. A. Carson, “Preaching the Gospels,” in Preaching the New Testament, ed. Ian Paul and David Wenham (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2013), 17.
  

Preaching the Psalms

  
Peter Mead has three possibilities related to preaching the Psalms. Read them here.
 

Dr. Roy Zuck (1932-2013)

  
Dr. Roy Zuck has gone to be with the Lord. There is a nice tribute to his life and ministry here. One of my regrets in life has been that I was unable to have him as my professor before he retired from teaching in 1996. I did have the opportunity to get to know him a bit in the process of getting a couple of articles published in Bibliotheca sacra and I will always be grateful for the editorial work that he did on the first draft of my dissertation. I will miss seeing Dr. Zuck around but I treasure the times we were able to have lunch or chat.