Robert Alter on Ancient Israel

  
Adam Kirsch has a review of sorts on Robert Alter's new book on Ancient Israel 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.

Mersha Alehegne
The Ethiopian Commentary on the Book of Genesis: Critical Edition and Translation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8452
Reviewed by James C. VanderKam

Daniel E. Fleming
The Legacy of Israel in Judah’s Bible: History, Politics, and the Reinscribing of Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8686
Reviewed by Yitzhaq Feder
Reviewed by Frank H. Polak

Mark Leuchter and Jeremy M. Hutton, eds.
Levites and Priests in Biblical History and Tradition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8383
Reviewed by Pekka Pitkanen

Tremper Longman III
Job
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8611
Reviewed by Michael Collender

Christian Metzenthin
Jesaja-Auslegung in Qumran
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7897
Reviewed by Paul Sanders

Douglas E. Oakman
The Political Aims of Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8610
Reviewed by Tobias Hagerland

B. J. Oropeza
Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of Paul: The Pauline Letters
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8509
Reviewed by Joseph Oryshak

Peter Pilhofer
Neues aus der Welt der frühen Christen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8356
Reviewed by Günter Röhser

Mark R. Sneed
The Politics of Pessimism in Ecclesiastes: A Social-Science Perspective
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8450
Reviewed by Martin A. Shields
 

An Interview with Dr. Robert Chisholm on 1-2 Samuel

A new commentary in the Teach the Text series on 1 and 2 Samuel recently came out. Its author Dr. Robert Chisholm Jr. is professor of Old Testament and chair of the department at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of Handbook on the Prophets, A Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew, and From Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical Hebrew. Dr. Chisholm graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the commentary:

Question: How did you get involved with the Teach the Text series?

I was invited by the Old Testament editor, John Walton, to participate in the series. Initially he asked if I’d be interested in writing the commentary on 1-2 Chronicles. I told him that I had not done a great deal of work on Chronicles, but that I would be very interested in writing on 1-2 Samuel, since I had done quite a bit of research on it. Since 1-2 Samuel was also unassigned at the time, John invited me to write on it and I gladly accepted the offer.

Question: What do you see as some of the challenges of preaching and teaching 1–2 Samuel?

1-2 Samuel, like the entire Old Testament, originated in a time and culture far removed from our own. While people often find the stories contained in 1-2 Samuel, especially those pertaining to David, to be interesting, they sometimes fail to see the relevance of the material to their own situation as a Christian living in the modern world. So the challenge for the interpreter is to bring the underlying theological and spiritual principles of the ancient text to the surface and to help a modern audience see their relevance.

A more specific challenge for interpreters of 1-2 Samuel is the fact that the primary literary theme of the story does not seem relevant for us today. It’s obvious that the ancient narrator(s), writing under the control of the Spirit of God, had a pro-David, anti-Saul agenda. All of the material in 1-2 Samuel, even the accounts of David’s failure, contributes to this theme. It may have been very relevant in ancient Israel, but most people in the pews of our churches don’t see why it is important. While it is important to show that David’s credentials as rightful king are foundational to Jesus’s credentials as rightful king as the son of David, one cannot keep drumming on this point as one teaches/preaches through 1-2 Samuel. To do so would empty the classroom or sanctuary and reduce one’s messages to a mere history lesson.

But 1-2 Samuel should not be viewed in isolation—it is part of a larger history that ends with the exile. It must be read in that context. Now the exiles would have been concerned about this issue—they needed to know that a Davidic king would be the ruler of the revived postexilic covenant community. But in this larger context 1-2 Samuel is not just a Davidic apology. It’s a story of how God made his people into a nation, but then the nation failed, primarily because of failed leadership. The leaders represent the people. So as one reads 1-2 Samuel, one must ask, What was the point of all of this for the exilic community? The story explains why they are in exile. It gives behavior to avoid and behavior to follow. It also gives insight into who God is, what he desires from his covenant community, and how he relates to them, especially when they fail. Those themes are very relevant for God’s people today.

Question: How do you see your commentary providing specific help to preachers and teachers who are trying to do exposition?

The Teach the Text series is very user-friendly for pastors and teachers; the format allows them to get at the main point of the narratives quickly. My commentary, like the others in the series, is not a reference work that provides exhaustive analysis of the text. There are plenty of these works available, many of which are cited in the footnotes and bibliography of the commentary. The purpose of my commentary is to identify the major themes of each literary unit, to show how the text itself develops them, and to suggest how teachers can relevantly and accurately apply those themes to a modern audience. I focus on the text’s thematic and theological dimensions, which are of primary interest to teachers and preachers. Since the text’s theological themes are often bound together with its literary features, this commentary is sensitive to the text’s literary dimension, especially intertextual connections within the Former Prophets and within 1-2 Samuel. Oddly enough, this literary dimension has been sorely neglected for the most part in the reference commentaries.

Question: What commentaries or other resources have you found particularly helpful in shaping your own thinking on 1–2 Samuel?

I found Bill Arnold’s NIVAC commentary quite insightful. Various literary studies were especially helpful, particularly the commentaries by Keith Bodner and David Firth, and monographs by Diana Edelman and V. Philips Long, all of which are listed in the bibliography.

Question: What do you hope to accomplish through this commentary?

The preface states the commentary’s purpose as follows: “to provide a ready reference for the exposition of the biblical text, giving easy access to information that a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively.” More specifically, my desire is to help teachers and preachers see the literary

contours of the text as a basis for discovering its theological themes. These in turn become the foundation for relevant application to a modern audience. As always in my research and writing, I seek to serve in some small way the Church, especially those whom God has gifted and prepared to teach his people.

You can preview a section of 1 and 2 Samuel here.
    

New Testament Studies 59:3

  
The latest issue of the New Testament Studies is out. Here is a list of the articles.

Passover and Last Supper Revisited
Joel Marcus
pp 303-324

Der Geist und das Reich im Lukanischen Werk: Konkurrenz oder Konvergenz zwischen Pneumatologie und Eschatologie?
Klaus B. Haacker
pp 325-345

The Improper Temple Offering of Ananias and Sapphira
Anthony Le Donne
pp 346-364

The Election of Officers in the Corinthian Christ-Group
Richard Last
pp 365-381

‘Peace and Security’ (1 Thessalonians 5.3): Is It Really a Roman Slogan?
Joel R. White
pp 382-395

The Benefactor's Account-book: The Rhetoric of Gift Reciprocation according to Seneca and Paul
Thomas R. Blanton
pp 396-414

Justification, Good Works, and Creation in Clement of Rome's Appropriation of Romans 5–6
David J. Downs
pp 415-432

Reciprocity as Salvation: Christ as Salvific Patron and the Corresponding ‘Payback’ Expected of Christ's Earthly Clients according to the Second Letter of Clement
James A. Kelhoffer
pp 433-456

Taking up and Raising, Fixing and Loosing: A Chiastic Wordplay in Acts 2.23b-24.
Benjamin R. Wilson
pp 457-460 
  

Free eBook from the John 3:16 conference

  
You can download a free eBook from the 2013 John 3:16 Conference in either ePub or PDF format here. The conference was held on March 21-22, 2013 at North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The following papers were presented and part of the eBook. 

“For Whose Sins Did Jesus Die?” by Jerry Vines
“Who is Guilty of Adam’s Sin?” by Adam Harwood
“Does Regeneration Precede Faith?” by David L. Allen
“What Were the Early SBC Leaders’ View of Salvation?” by Emir Caner
“Who Are the Elect?” by Eric Hankins “Is the Sinners’ Prayer Biblical?” by Steve Gaines

Studying the Old Testament

 
Eric has some good advice for studying the Old Testament here.
 

Titles for God in Malachi

Jimmy Millikin, in his discussion on the theology of Malachi notes the following in relation to the titles used for God in the book.

"Three significant titles for God are found in Malachi–father (1:6; 2:10), master (1:6), and king (1:14). None of these are unique to Malachi. That God is father of his covenant people is an undisputable truth found throughout the Old Testament. This father-son relationship was declared at the beginning of the Exodus (Ex. 4:22, 23), and afterward was stated explicitly a number of times (Dt. 32:6; Is. 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:4, 19; Ps. 89:27). However, some have thought that Malachi introduces a new dimension to Yahweh’s fatherhood in his question in 2:10: “Have we not all one father?” This is taken by some to be a preparation for the idea of the universal “fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man” supposedly taught by Jesus, a concept found nowhere else in the Old Testament. But the context clearly reveals that the question in 2:10 is applicable only to God’s particular covenant relationship to Israel. “Malachi’s point of reference is indisputably his fellow Jews” (Verhoef, p. 266).

"The titles “master” and “king” guard against misusing the title “father” to become overly familiar with Yahweh. The word “master” denotes the owner of a slave or servant. As such he is to be honored and feared. The adjective “great” is used with “king” to magnify Yahweh’s greatness and the reverence that is due his name. This composite picture of Father-master-king serves to guard against “over-familiarity one the one hand and a too distant subjection on the other” (Baldwin, p. 217)."

Jimmy A. Millikin, “The Theology of Malachi,” Mid-America Theological Journal 11:1 (1987): 72–73.
  

New Bible App

  
This is a great app, y'all.
 

Designations for God in the Psalms

  
Some might be interested in this simple chart I created based on information in Robert Bell's article (see below).

 

Some Titles for God in the Psalms
Titles related to God and His people	Titles related to God’s exalted position	Titles related to God’s attributes
·  The God of Israel (68:35). ·  The Holy One of Israel (78:41) ·  The God of Jacob (81:1) ·  The Mighty One of Jacob (132:5)	·  Yahweh Most High (7:l7) ·  The Most High (46:4) ·  God Most High (78:35)	·  The God of truth (31:5) ·  A God of great salvation (68:20) ·  A living God (84:2) ·  The Almighty (91:1) ·  A God of complete vengeance (94:1) ·  A great God (95:3) ·  The God of my righteousness (4:1)* ·  The God of my salvation (18:46)* ·  The God of my strength (43:2)* ·  Yahweh of hosts (e.g., 24:l0; 48:8) *Hebraisms for my righteous God, my saving God, and my strong God.

Robert D. Bell, "The Theology of the Psalms, Part 2: The Pattern for Worship," Biblical Viewpoint 4 (1970):116. 

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls In Tax Court

  
The Forbes website has this interesting story on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
 

New Testament Humor

  
Leonard J. Greenspoon has posted on "Humor in the New Testament" here. While the New Testament does not typically contain obvious slapstick kind of humor, there are passages which can bring a smile to the careful reader.
  

Online Resources for Psalms

  
Check out David Murray's listing of the top 70 online resources on the Book of Psalms. I am delighted that this blog made this list a few times. By the way, David's blog is one of the blogs that I read regularly.
 

Free Audio Book: The Explicit Gospel

 
Christianaudio.com's free audiobook download for the month of June is The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler with Jared C. Wilson.

For more information or to get your download go here.
  

Statement from the Calvinism Advisory Committee of SBC

  
A Statement from the Calvinism Advisory Committee of Southern Baptist Convention entitled "Truth, Trust, and Testimony in a Time of Tension" can be read here.

Access to the Bible Translator

  
I recently received an email from Sage Publications which noted that they are now publishing The Bible Translator from 2013 on behalf of United Bible Societies. Sage is offering free access to the journal until the end of June. The email highlighted the following articles.

Translation, Exegesis, and 1 Thessalonians 2.14–15: Could a Comma Have Changed the Course of History?
Stanley E. Porter (April 2013)

Looking in the Old Testament for the Epic Genre
Roger Bullard (April 2013)

Hearing the Voice of the Other: Engaging Poets and Writers as Bible Translators, with a Case Study on Isaiah 7.14
Hans-Olav Mørk (July 2012)

A Feminist Approach to Bible Translation: Translating John 4.7b-26 into Korean Addressee Honorifics
Ji Youn Cho (October 2011)

Ethical Concerns and Worldview Perspectives in Bible Translation: An Inquiry into the Ethics of Bible Translation
Krijn Van Der Jagt (July 2010)
  

Piper on the Traits of a Good Teacher

  
See this brief article by John Piper on the traits that make for a good teacher.
 

The Best Sermon Illustrations

  
See this blog post that builds on the work of Haddon Robinson.
 

Teaching Theology in the Local Church

  
Chuck Lawless has some pointers on how to teach theology in the local church. Check it out here.
 

Dead Sea Scrolls for Sale

  
According to this article, some fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls can still be purchased. Unfortunately, I don't think that they would be within my budget!
 

Malachi's Literary Form and Message

After brief discussion on the literary form and message of Malachi James Fischer summarizes Malachi in this way. 
 
"Or to put it in simpler words, the message of the prophet was to tell who Yahweh was. The message was not from men to God (“We are, sorry”); it was from God to man. And it said Yahweh is father, lover, a God who is faithful because that is the kind of God he is and who wants most of all that men be faithful to him."

James A. Fischer, “Notes on the Literary Form and Message of Malachi,” Catholic Bible Quarterly 34 (1972): 320.

The Lessons of Balaam for Ministry

At the conclusion of a fine chapter on the theology of the Balaam oracles, Ron Allen makes the following point.

"A final word concerns the relationship Balaam bears on the issue of the Christian ministry. It is sometimes said that God never uses an unclean vessel. But remember Balaam. Perhaps it might better be said that God rarely uses unclean vessels. This factor may indicate that our success syndrome is wrongly directed. A given minister of God’s Word may have blessing and success simply because God is honoring His Word and not necessarily because He is honoring the messenger.

"The fate of a Balaam is beyond comprehension. Perhaps the Balaam of the Numbers account will not be the only one who died in the enemy camp, having never been related to the God whose Word he communicated to others. Many others may say, “Lord, Lord,” whom the Lord never knew. The story of Balaam tells us a great deal about our God. It also places a mirror before us. We must view ourselves."

Ronald B. Allen, "The Theology of the Balaam Oracles," in Tradition and Testament: Essays in Honor of Charles Lee Feinberg, ed. John S. Feinberg and Paul D. Feinberg (Chicago: Moody, 1981), 109–10.
 

File Under Unbelievable

  
According to a recent Christian Post article, 

"The head of the Episcopal Church has garnered outrage from some in the Anglican Communion over her claim that St. Paul of Tarsus' curing of a demon-possessed slave girl as described in the Bible was wrong.

"In a sermon delivered before the Diocese of Venezuela on the island nation of Curaçao, Presiding Bishop The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori said that by driving the demon out of her Paul was 'depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness.'

"'Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness,' said Jefferts Schori."

To read the full sermon go here.

How can someone in such a high position of leadership so misinterpret a text? How could one equate demonic possession with spiritual awareness? I guess the demons in Matthew 8:31 just wanted to bring spiritual awareness to pigs.
  

Christ in the Psalms

  
Nicolas Batzig has an interesting post on seeing Christ in the Psalms. I found the criticism of Calvin's approach particularly interesting.
 

Esther's Outstanding Literary Characteristic and Preaching

Robert Gordis suggests that,
 

"The outstanding literary characteristic of the author of Esther is his interest in the swift flow of the action. He, therefore, strips the plot of all non-essentials, concentrating on events rather than on motivations, on incidents rather than on descriptions of character. Thus, he does not inform us as to the reasons for the king's two banquets, or Vashti’s disobedience, or the grounds for Bigthan and Teresh’s conspiracy. We are not told why Mordecai instructs Esther not to reveal her origin, nor why he himself refuses to bow down to Haman.

"Because of the same over-riding consideration, the author does not concern himself with filling in the background against which the incidents take place. The structure of government and administration in Persia, the relations subsisting between the Jews and the general population, the religious practices and ethnic customs of the people—all these are passed over in silence, so as not to impede the swift pace of the narrative."

Robert Gordis, “Studies in the Esther Narrative,” Journal of Biblical Literature 95 (1976): 45.


If Gordis is correct concerning the author's intention, then this has important implications for how the story might be preached. That is, too much historical background might not help but actually hinder "hearing" the story as the author intended. Furthermore, if the author does indeed show little interest in the character's motivations, then the preacher might be wise to tread lightly here as well. A number of messages that I have heard on Esther have been prime examples of the so-called "sanctified imagination" where the preacher has waxed eloquently on why a character acts as he/she does or even what he/she might have been thinking. While such forays into the white space around the text might be occasionally beneficial, one should recognize that it might actually draw attention away from what the text actually states. Or in other words, spending too much time on what the a text does not say means that we have less time to spend on what a text actually states. This is something, but it is not really exposition.
  

Haddon Robinson on Good Preaching

HT: SermonCentral.com