Two New Books on the Psalms

See this article on two new books written from a Jewish perspective by Conservative rabbis: A New Psalm: The Psalms as Literature, by Rabbi Benjamin Segal and Joy, Despair and Hope: Reading Psalms, by Rabbi Edward Feld.

The Debate about Sodom

Christianity Today has brief summary of the debate regarding Steven Collins' identification of Tall el-Hammam with the biblical Sodom. You can access the article here.

Exodus Videos

The Biblical Archaeology Society’s Bible History Today website has added over a dozen new full-length free lecture videos from the recent Out of Egypt Conference. You can access links to the videos here.

Leadership and Authority

Shane Lems, interacting with Timothy Witmer's book The Shepherd Leader, has enumerated five observations concerning the authority of elders (and I would suggest all church-based leadership). Lems distilled list is further summarized below. See his entire post here.

1. All human authority is derived. 

2. The exercise of authority is designed to serve the well-being of those under its care. 

3. This authority is to be directed by God’s Word. 

4. All who hold derived authority are ultimately accountable to the One who gave that authority. 

5. The flock is called to submit to the authority of the elders.

Camels and the Bible

I have refrained from getting into the recent flood of reports related to camel domestication, archaeology, and the accuracy of the Bible. A great irony here is that many of the same folks who criticize so-called fundamentalist Christians for misusing archaeological evidence (and often rightly so) are doing much the same in this case. The claims have well-exceeded the evidence. Thankfully, Todd Bolen, although not the first, has provided a nice response with a number of links here. To paraphrase and adapt something Mark Twain once said, "the reports of the death of the Bible's accuracy have been greatly exaggerated."

Beyond the River Chebar

I just received a review copy of Daniel Block's Beyond the River Chebar: Studies in Kingship and Eschatology in the Book of Ezekiel. This volume consists of a collection of essays from Ezekiel 25-40 and is a companion to Block's By the River Chebar which I reviewed here. I am looking forward to digging into this volume.

Top Ten Books from Dr. J. Carl Laney

Those who appreciate the work of J. Carl Laney might also appreciate this list of his recommended books.

Simply the Bible

Nick Page. Simply the Bible. Oxford: Lion Books, 2013. 

Kregel recently sent me a copy of Simply the Bible by Nick Page. The publisher describes the book as follows.

“For those who find the Bible a bit daunting, or those who require a quick, pithy overview, Simply the Bible provides an instant introduction. Arranged in canonical order, each chapter contains a 500-word summary that conveys the essential facts and meaning for each book of the Bible. In addition to the summary, each chapter has a bulleted overview and a listing of the key characters. “Lavishly illustrated throughout in full color, Simply the Bible is an excellent and affordable guide to accompany a program of daily Bible reading, and the ideal starting point for anyone who wants to get better acquainted with the world's best-selling book. It also includes an introduction to each book of the Apocrypha and a "Surprise Me!" fact in each chapter.”

My initial and cursory impressions are positive. Simply the Bible provides a succinct and helpful overview of each biblical book. One might disagree here and there with what the author has chosen to spotlight but such is expected in a work like this. Novice Bible readers will find help in getting the big picture and more advanced teachers and preachers can find material to incorporate into lessons and sermons. One final note: the advice of not judging a book by its cover might apply here. I found the cover a bit “cheesy” for my tastes, but one of my daughters noted that the style was common among younger readers. 

You can access an excerpt 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.

Rainer Albertz and Jakob Wöhrle, eds.
Between Cooperation and Hostility: Multiple Identities in Ancient Judaism and the Interaction with Foreign Powers
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9290
Reviewed by Michael L. Satlow

Greg Carey
The Gospel according to Luke: All Flesh Shall See God’s Salvation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9082
Reviewed by Ernest van Eck

Bruce Chilton, Anthony Le Donne, and Jacob Neusner, eds.
Soundings in the Religion of Jesus: Perspectives and Methods in Jewish and Christian Scholarship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8556
Reviewed by Benjamin I. Simpson
Reviewed by Peter-Ben Smit

David A. deSilva
Global Readings: A Sri Lankan Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8900
Reviewed by David S. Harvey

Craig A. Evans
Matthew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8907
Reviewed by Donald A. Hagner

Rivka Nir
Joseph and Aseneth: A Christian Book
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9056
Reviewed by Thomas J. Kraus

Peter Yaw Oppong-Kumi
Matthean Sets of Parables
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9097
Reviewed by J. R. C. Cousland

Christopher A. Richardson
Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith: Jesus’ Faith as the Climax of Israel’s History in the Epistle to the Hebrews
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9096
Reviewed by Philip Church

C. A. Strine
Sworn Enemies: The Divine Oath, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Polemics of Exile
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9420
Reviewed by John T. Strong

Heath A. Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Paul Copan, eds.
Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9270
Reviewed by Guenther Haas

Amram Tropper
Simeon the Righteous in Rabbinic Literature: A Legend Reinvented
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9168
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

Robert Wafawanaka
Am I Still My Brother’s Keeper? Biblical Perspectives on Poverty
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8925
Reviewed by Timothy J. Sandoval

N. T. Wright Videos

Fortress Press has posted three 30 minute videos of N. T. Wright with Ronald Allen, Michael Gorman, and Richard Hays on Paul and the Faithfulness of God. You can access all the videos here.

The Church and Social Media

Brandon Cox's article in Christian Media Magazine entitled "5 Reasons Why the Church Must Engage the World with Social Media" is worth considering.

Using the Old Testament for Counseling

David Murray has a nice post here on the use of the Old Testament in counseling.

Innovation in Theological Education

Some might be interested in this article in Christian Century.

Sermon Ownership

Dave Miller has some interesting thoughts and helpful advice on sermons and copyright issues here. I wonder if and how this might relate to materials created in an academic setting.

Handling Distractions

Brandon offers some common-sense advice about handling distractions when preaching. If you preach regularly, distractions are not an if but a when. Check out Brandon's advice here.

Is French Still an Important Language?

I am not trying to be controversial here but this New Republic article offers a provocative challenge related to the traditional study of French. While the article is not specifically concerned with academic biblical studies, I think that there might be some applicability. In my own doctoral work, German was more significant and fruitful by far than French.

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.

Claire Clivaz, ed.
Infancy Gospels: Stories and Identities
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8991
Reviewed by Tony Burke

John J. Collins
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8718
Reviewed by Eileen Schuller

John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow, eds.
Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8786
Reviewed by David M. Maas

J. Cheryl Exum
Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9080
Reviewed by Ginny Brewer-Boydston

Karin Finsterbusch and Armin Lange, eds.
What Is Bible?
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9165
Reviewed by Shraga Bar-On

Nijay K. Gupta
Colossians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9182
Reviewed by Brian C. Small

Donald A. Hagner
The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8798
Reviewed by Moschos Goutzioudis
Reviewed by Nils Neumann

Yongbom Lee
The Son of Man as the Last Adam: The Early Church Tradition as a Source of Paul’s Adam Christology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8875
Reviewed by Haley Goranson

Robin A. Parry and Heath A. Thomas, eds.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness? Reading Lamentations as Sacred Scripture
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8988
Reviewed by Charles Miller

Annette Schellenberg
Der Mensch, das Bild Gottes? Zum Gedanken einer Sonderstellung des Menschen im Alten Testament und in weiteren altorientalischen Quellen
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9008
Reviewed by Bob Becking

Eric W. Scherbenske
Canonizing Paul: Ancient Editorial Practice and the Corpus Paulinum
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9105
Reviewed by David Trobisch

Hayim Tadmor and Shigeo Yamada
The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC), Kings of Assyria
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8930
Reviewed by Michael S. Moore

Using Infographics in Preaching

I found this post on how to use infographics to support your preaching series to be interesting.

Reading

Although the following infographic and poster were created with younger readers in mind, similar strategies could be employed by more seasoned readers in studying the biblical text. You can download a PDF of this poster here.

Free Logos Book for February: Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry

The free Logos Book for February is Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry by Michael Lawrence. You can also enter to win the entire 11-volume 9Marks series. Go the Logos' Free Book of Month page here to enter and download your free book today!

Free Audio Book: When Helping Hurts

Christianaudio.com is offering When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert as their free download for the month of February. To read more about the book and to get your free audio download go here.

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert is the free audiobook of the month for February. Seldom has a book come out on such a specific topic that has mass appeal and widespread application. When Helping Hurts is just that kind of book. The central point is to provide proven strategies that challenge Christians to help the poor empower themselves. - See more at: http://christianaudio.com/free/?utm_source=HomePage&utm_medium=InternalBanner&utm_campaign=CAFreeBook#sthash.RLKJDpoZ.dpuf

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert - See more at: http://christianaudio.com/free/?utm_source=HomePage&utm_medium=InternalBanner&utm_campaign=CAFreeBook#sthash.RLKJDpoZ.dpuf

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert - See more at: http://christianaudio.com/free/?utm_source=HomePage&utm_medium=InternalBanner&utm_campaign=CAFreeBook#sthash.RLKJDpoZ.dpuf

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. 

Jack Barentsen
Emerging Leadership in the Pauline Mission: A Social Identity Perspective on Local Leadership Development in Corinth and Ephesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8423
Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Lukas Bormann
Der Brief des Paulus an die Kolosser
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9083
Reviewed by Thomas Bergholz

Eryl W. Davies
Biblical Criticism: A Guide for the Perplexed
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9338
Reviewed by Richard N. Soulen

J. Albert Harrill
Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8815
Reviewed by James Harrison
Reviewed by Ross P. Ponder

David Lyle Jeffrey
Luke
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8984
Reviewed by Robert L. Brawley

Ernst Jenni
Studien zur Sprachwelt des Alten Testaments, Bd. 3
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8580
Reviewed by Markus Zehnder

Eugene E. Lemcio
Navigating Revelation: Charts for the Voyage
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8573
Reviewed by Alexander E. Stewart

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor
Keys to Galatians: Collected Essays
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8816
Reviewed by Frank J. Matera

Jerry L. Sumney, ed.
Reading Paul’s Letter to the Romans
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8696
Reviewed by Panayotis Coutsoumpos
Reviewed by John K. Goodrich

Kay Weißflog
Zeichen und Sinnbilder: Die Kinder der Propheten Jesaja und Hosea
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8953
Reviewed by Mark W. Hamilton

Paul's Missionary Journey Tube Map

This is pretty neat. You can access the original here.

 

HT: James McGrath

Bible Exposition and Discipleship

Dave Miller has some good thoughts on how Bible exposition and discipleship work together here.

Review of By the River Chebar

Daniel I. Block. By the River Chebar: Historical, Literary, and Theological Studies in the Book of Ezekiel. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2013.

Anyone who has recently undertaken a serious study of Ezekiel has probably looked at Dan Block’s two-volume commentary. It is one of, if not the best, treatments of this enigmatic book. With that in mind, I was excited to read and review By the River Chebar. This work is a compilation of articles written by Block that reflects his longstanding interest in Ezekiel (p. xi). The articles include “a general essay on preaching the message of Ezekiel, a synthetic essay on the theology of the book; a series on more specific theological topics, and two literary studies focused on specific texts that frame the first half of the book (chs. 1 and 24)” (p. xi). (A companion volume entitled Beyond the River Chebar covers chapters 25–40.) These nine essays were written between 1988 and 2010.

Those familiar with, and appreciative of, Block’s work will not be disappointed here. The scholarship represented by these essays is first-rate. It is well-researched, the writing is clear, and the arguments are cogent. One will also find a number of helpful figures, tables, and lists. But this work also contains a refreshing pastoral and spiritual element. This is most evident in the first essay which relates to the preaching of Ezekiel, but it is also sprinkled throughout the other essays as well (e.g., “The God Ezekiel Wants Us to Meet,” pp. 44–72). The preaching essay should be required reading for those planning to preach through the book. It was one of my favorites. I also especially enjoyed “The Theology of Ezekiel,” “The Prophet of the Spirit.” and “Beyond the Grave: Ezekiel’s Vision of Death and Afterlife.”

Although By the River Chebar is a more selective reference than a commentary on Ezekiel, it is a good supplementary resource for those who want to dig deeper. To borrow a line from a well-known Christian hymn, “Shall we gather at the river?” The answer in this case is “yes.”

Thanks to the folks at Wipf & Stock for providing the book used in this unbiased review.