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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Kevork B. Bardakjian and Sergio La Porta, eds.
The Armenian Apocalyptic Tradition: A Comparative Perspective
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9938
Reviewed by Olga Vardazaryan

Rodney J. Decker
Reading Koine Greek: An Introduction and Integrated Workbook
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10021
Reviewed by James F. McGrath
Reviewed by Steven Thompson

Brian R. Doak
The Last of the Rephaim: Conquest and Cataclysm in the Heroic Ages of Ancient Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9584
Reviewed by Debra Scoggins Ballentine

Israel Finkelstein and Nadav Na’aman, eds.
The Fire Signals of Lachish: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Israel in the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Persian Period in Honor of David Ussishkin
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7983
Reviewed by Fred L. Horton

Reuven Hammer
Akiva: Life, Legend, Legacy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10747
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz
Reviewed by Pieter de Vries

F. Stanley Jones, ed.
The Rediscovery of Jewish Christianity: From Toland to Baur
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8564
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow
Reviewed by Jonathan M. Potter

Tremper Longman III
Proverbs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10569
Reviewed by Bálint Károly Zabán

Timothy Mackie
Expanding Ezekiel: The Hermeneutics of Scribal Addition in the Ancient Text Witnesses of the Book of Ezekiel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10462
Reviewed by Christopher Dost

Joseph A. Marchal
Philippians: Historical Problems, Hierarchical Visions, Hysterical Anxieties
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10221
Reviewed by Katherine A. Shaner

Sheila E. McGinn, Lai Ling Elizabeth Ngan, and Ahida Calderón Pilarski, eds.
By Bread Alone: The Bible through the Eyes of the Hungry
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9908
Reviewed by Vicky Balabanski

Peter Oakes
Galatians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10275
Reviewed by Matthew V. Novenson

Preston M. Sprinkle
Paul and Judaism Revisited: A Study of Divine and Human Agency in Salvation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9583
Reviewed by Kenneth D. Litwak

Journal of Biblical Literature 135:3

The lasted volume of the Journal of Biblical Literature is now out. Here is a list of the articles with links to abstracts.

Editor’s Foreword. Snared by Words? (Proverbs 6:2): On the Perils of Editing
Adele Reinhartz
preview

Demons in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
Anne Marie Kitz
abstract

Rereading 1 Kings 17:21 in Light of Ancient Medical Texts
Andrew R. Davis
abstract

The “God of the Fathers” in Chronicles
Troy D. Cudworth
abstract

Where Art Thou, O Hezekiah’s Tunnel? A Biblical Scholar Considers the Archaeological and Biblical Evidence concerning the Waterworks in 2 Chr 32:3–4, 30 and 2 Kgs 20:20
Mary Katherine Yem Hing Hom
abstract

The Destruction of the Samaritan Temple by John Hyrcanus: A Reconsideration
Jonathan Bourgel
abstract

The Compositional Development of Qumran Pesharim in Light of Mesopotamian Commentaries
Bronson Brown-deVost
abstract

Baruch’s Jerusalem: The Conception of Jerusalem in 1 Baruch 4:5-5:9
Ruth Henderson
abstract

Semitic Poetic Techniques in the Magnificat: Luke 1:46–47, 55
Hugo Méndez
abstract

One of the Days of the Son of Man: A Reconsideration of Luke 17:22
Ryan P. Juza
abstract

On Paul’s Second Visit to Corinth: [Palin], Parsing, and Presupposition in 2 Corinthians 2:1
Stephen C. Carlson
abstract

Paulus als Yischmaelit? The Personification of Scripture as Interpretive Authority in Paul and the School of Rabbi Ishmael
Michael Benjamin Cover
abstract

Jesus’s Testimony before Pilate in 1 Timothy 6:13
Michel Gourgues
abstract

Emotional Physiology and Consolatory Etiquette: Reading the Present Indicative with Future Reference in the Eschatological Statement in 1 Peter 1:6
Troy W. Martin
abstract

A Piece on Peace and Decision Making

Eric Davis has a thoughtful post here on using peace as a way of making decisions might not be the best way to go.

Richard Bauckham Festschrift

Eerdmans is publishing a new collection of essays in honor of Richard Bauckham. You can read more about it here but the table of contents are as follows.

Part 1: Thematic Studies

The Birth of God and the Resurrection of Life
Jürgen Moltmann

Time and Eternity: Richard Bauckham and the Fifth Evangelist
Jeremy S. Begbie

Parmenides, Particularity, and Parousia: Identifying the One Who Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
Trevor Hart

The Bible and Wider Culture: Animals as a Test Case
David Brown

Worship and Divine Identity: Richard Bauckham’s Christological Pilgrimage
Larry W. Hurtado

“The Agent of the King Is Treated as the King Himself ”: Does the Worship of Jesus Imply His Divinity?
Philip Alexander

Christianity without Paul
James D. G. Dunn

Part 2: Textual Studies

God Put Jesus Forth: Reflections on Romans 3:24–26
N. T. Wright

Jesus the Baptist: The First Temptation of Christ
Sean M. McDonough

Giving the Kingdom to an Ethnos That Will Bear Its Fruit: Ethnic and Christ-Movement Identities in Matthew
Philip F. Esler

Mark’s Gospel for the Second Church of the Late First Century
Bruce W. Longenecker

The Book of Revelation and the Hekhalot Literature
James R. Davila

A Stone from the High Priest's Breastplate?

I think a fair amount of skepticism is warranted, but this story about a possible stone of the high priest's breastplate is certainly interesting.

Bible Interpretation

Edmond Sanganyado has a solid post on Bible interpretation which also lists some of what he considers the best Bible study books. I think that the list might be more helpful if he included the authors and not just the titles. In any case, you can read the post here.

I'm Sure Some of Our Wives Have Thought about This

Theology Nerd’s Wife Has Book Detector Installed.

Eric Cline on the Sea Peoples

Eric Cline answers the questions, "Who are the Sea Peoples and what role did they play in the devastation of civilizations that occurred shortly after 1200 BCE?" at ASOR's The Ancient Near East Today here.

Carefully Reading Luke 24 and the Christological Hermeneutic

Matt Waymeyer has a good discussion here on Luke 24 and its implications for the so-called Christological hermeneutic.

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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

James P. Allen
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10249
Reviewed by Aren M. Maeir

Mark J. Boda, Frank Ritchel Ames, John Ahn, and Mark Leuchter, eds.
The Prophets Speak on Forced Migration
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10308
Reviewed by Bob Becking
Reviewed by James S. Lee

Philip Church, Peter Walker, Tim Bulkeley, and Tim Meadowcroft, eds.
The Gospel and the Land of Promise: Christian Approaches to the Land of the Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8236
Reviewed by Boris Paschke

Matthew C. Easter
Faith and the Faithfulness of Jesus in Hebrews
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10340
Reviewed by Bryan J. Whitfield

Trine Bjornung Hasselbalch
Meaning and Context in the Thanksgiving Hymns: Linguistic and Rhetorical Perspectives on a Collection of Prayers from Qumran
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10246
Reviewed by Daniel K. Falk

George W. Houston
Inside Roman Libraries: Book Collections and Their Management in Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10818
Reviewed by H. Gregory Snyder

Outi Lehtipuu
Debates over the Resurrection of the Dead: Constructing Early Christian Identity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10337
Reviewed by Shelly Matthews

Simon Mainwaring
Mark, Mutuality, and Mental Health: Encounters with Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9917
Reviewed by John W. Fadden

Gregg S. Morrison
The Turning Point in the Gospel of Mark: A Study in Markan Christology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9955
Reviewed by Elizabeth Struthers Malbon

Robert J. Myles
The Homeless Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10075
Reviewed by Warren Carter

Eleuterio Ruiz
Das Land ist für die Armen da: Psalm 37 und seine immer aktuelle Bedeutung
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10485
Reviewed by Áron Németh

James M. Todd
Remember, O Yahweh: The Poetry and Context of Psalms 135–137
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10788
Reviewed by Beat Weber

Ronny Vollandt
Arabic Versions of the Pentateuch: A Comparative Study of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Sources
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10457
Reviewed by John Kaltner

Walter T. Wilson
The Sentences of Sextus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8708
Reviewed by Justin M. Rogers

Al Wolters
Zechariah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10347
Reviewed by Anthony R. Petterson

The Proper Sequencing of Adjectives

English language nerds will enjoy this post on the challenges of putting your adjectives in the right order.

HT. Ben Blackwell

Spurgeon Biographies

Here is a list of ten must-read Spurgeon biographies.

Earning a PhD Degree from a UK University without Leaving the United States

My friend and former colleague, R. Alan Streett (PhD, University of Wales) has written very helpful piece on earning a PhD from a UK university without leaving the United States. I reproduce Dr. Streett's post with his permission in its entirety.
________________________

Are you interested in working on a PhD in theology or biblical studies from a UK university without moving to Great Britain? The openings are limited and you need to know the options and the application process.

Earning a postgraduate degree (as it is called in the UK) is rigorous and usually takes approximately 4‒6 years part-time. These are not “seminary” PhDs, but “university” degrees that prepare you for a career as an academic.

I. Schools That Welcome American Students

Here are eight universities in the UK that work with American students. One may be a match for you.

• Nazarene Theological College validated by University of Manchester
• Cliff College validated by University of Manchester
• Spurgeon’s College validated by the University of Manchester
• St Johns Nottingham validated by University of Chester
• Wales Evangelical School of Theology validated by the University of Chester
• Highland Theological College validated by University of Aberdeen
• London School of Theology validated by University of Middlesex
• Trinity College validated by the University of Bristol

II. The Validation System

You work with the first school mentioned, but receive your degree from the latter school. This is known as the validation system in the UK. So your initial step is to get on the first school's website. Second, go to the "postgraduate" link. Read about the PhD application process, etc. Third, contact via email the professor in your desired field. Fourth, tell him/her of your research interests. It is best to be specific. Unlike American dissertations that are often topic-driven, most UK dissertations are "thesis-driven." That means you state a proposition or thesis and then seek to prove it. For example, my thesis was: “The Lord’s Supper during the first century CE was an anti-imperial practice.” Fifth, ask the professor if s/he would be interested in supervising such a project. Sixth, make formal application to the validating school and the degree awarding university. Seventh, realize that if accepted, you will likely be classified as an “MPhil/PhD” student. You will be reclassified as PhD student after one year if your academic progress is deemed worthy. The school year in the UK usually begins in October.

III. Bypassing the Validation Process

Recently, a few UK schools have begun working directly with American postgraduate students, thus bypassing the validation process. They include the Universities of Durham, Wales, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gloucestershire, and Birmingham. The University of Aberdeen offers both options. You can work through Highland Theological College or work directly with Aberdeen itself.

There two advantages of working directly with a university. First, by eliminating the middleman, you can cut the cost of your education. Second, you are more likely to work under the supervision of a world class scholar.

IIII. Choosing the Right School

Are you interested in earning your degree from a top tier theology department or are you more concerned with having a good relationship with your supervisor? The answer to this question may guide your choice of a school.

1. Each department in a UK university is ranked according to its academic excellence. Rank is based on the quality of research (books, peer reviewed articles, etc.) being produced by each faculty, which is evaluated by scholarly panels using objective standards. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) ranking can be found on the internet. In 2014, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) replaced the RAE. The new rankings have now been released and can be accessed on the Internet.

2. Since you will be working with the same supervisor for a half dozen years, it is important to find one with whom you can work. This means finding a supervisor who 1) likes Americans, 2) is available to answer your questions, 3) has patience working with someone unfamiliar with the British system, 4) is as concerned with your success as much as s/he is with their own publication schedule, 5) is an encourager, 6) recommends resources, 7) reads your chapters and offers a critical evaluation, and 8) guides you through each step of the PhD process.

V. Research is the Name of the Game

These are not online education degrees, but research degrees. You receive the same degree as those who reside on campus. You work with the same supervisors, write the same quality thesis (dissertation), and orally defend your thesis (a process known as a viva voca). But instead of being on campus, you meet regularly with your supervisor through Skype, email, etc. Some schools require you to visit campus once a year or once every two years, but others do not. Many meetings between students and supervisors take place at the annual Society of Biblical Literature conference, which convenes in a different American city each year.

Be forewarned, a UK research degree is not for the faint of heart. As one Oxford scholar said, “American PhD programs are a mile wide and an inch deep. UK programs are an inch wide and a mile deep.” This means American PhD graduates are more generalists and UK PhD graduates are more specialists. American PhD programs are more structured and require a student to take classes in a variety of subjects (usually 48 credits hours), plus write a dissertation. UK PhD programs require a student to spend the equivalent amount of time conducting narrowly focused research toward the thesis. There are no classroom requirements, even for full-time students who live on campus.

VI. The Financial Costs

Typically, UK programs do not offer financial assistance to Americans. So expect to pay the full tuition, which can run as high as 6,000 British pounds per year. Additional costs might include travelling expenses to SBL cities and/or to Great Britain: airfare, lodging, meals, and land transportation, etc.

VII. The Thesis

You should only submit your thesis after your supervisor believes your research is PhD worthy. The degree-granting university will then select two scholars to critically read your thesis and examine you on its content. One will be an internal reader from the university. The other will be an external reader from another UK university. One will likely be an expert in your area of research and both will be scholars in your particular discipline (NT, theology, church history, etc.). A date will be set and you will meet for the viva voca, which will involve a 2-3 hour period of intense questioning to determine if you can defend your thesis and elaborate on your research. At the end of the viva voca, you will step outside the room while the examiners discuss the thesis and your responses. You will be called back into the room and given the verdict. Your thesis will be assigned one of the following grades: 1) Pass “as is” without need for revisions or further clarifications; 2) Pass with minor revisions which must be completed and submitted within three months; 3) Pass with significant revisions, which must be completed and submitted within one year; 4) Major rewrite, which must be completed and submitted within two years along with taking another viva voca; 5) Not acceptable or the possible award of MPhil instead of PhD. Your goal is to receive one of the first three evaluations.

VIII. Is a UK PhD Program for You?

Over the past few years, I have recommended five American students for UK PhD programs who were accepted and matriculated into the programs. However, only one earned a degree. The others dropped out. All were smart enough to complete the program, but they lacked either self-confidence and/or self-discipline, or else, faced time constraints. So, count the cost before you apply.

If you are a self-starter, inquisitive, thick skinned, academically able to do original research, have a history of meeting deadlines, work well with a supervisor, and do not get discouraged easily, you may be the ideal candidate.

An American or UK PhD program—which is best for you? That depends on your goals, aptitude, interest, personality, work schedule, finances, etc. The Lord will guide you in your selection of the right doctoral program.

If you have any further questions, feel free to write me at: astreett@criswell.edu.

Generosity in the Old Testament

This interview with Dr. Andy Jones has a nice discussion on the topic of generosity in the Old Testament.

Guidelines for Reading Old Testament Stories

George Guthrie has some basic but valuable guidelines for reading Old Testament stories here.

The Longest Book in the Bible

Many Bible students already know that the longest book in the Bible is Jeremiah. But Justin Taylor here provides some data to support that view as the next nine longest books.

Second Temple Floor Tiles

A number of news outlets are reporting that archaeologists have been able to reconstruct the tile flooring of the second temple, more specifically and most likely Herod's temple. You can see these three stories (with one in Hebrew). I list all three because they have different pictures.

Jerusalem Post

NRG

Haaretz

HT: David Graves

Ministry and Theology

Joe Thorn provides a good reminder here that ministry demands theology.

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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Samuel E. Balentine, ed.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10311
Reviewed by Robert L. Foster

Ehud Ben Zvi and Diana V. Edelman, eds.
Imagining the Other and Constructing Israelite Identity in the Early Second Temple Period
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10209
Reviewed by Aren M. Maeir

Stephen K. Black, ed.
To Set at Liberty: Essays on Early Christianity and Its Social World in Honor of John H. Elliott
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10234
Reviewed by Carolyn Osiek

Ronald Charles
Paul and the Politics of Diaspora
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10141
Reviewed by Don Garlington

John J. Collins
Apocalypse, Prophecy, and Pseudepigraphy: On Jewish Apocalyptic Literature
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10831
Reviewed by Ben Sutton

Paul A. Hartog, ed.
Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts: Reconsidering the Bauer Thesis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10191
Reviewed by Robert M. Royalty Jr.

Thomas Hieke
Levitikus: Erster Teilband: 1–15
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10134
Reviewed by Thomas Kazen

George A. Kiraz, ed.; J. Edward Walters, trans.
Galatians to Philemon according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9272
Reviewed by James McGrath

Thomas E. Levy, Thomas Schneider, and William H. C Propp, eds.
Israel’s Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective: Text, Archaeology, Culture, and Geoscience
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10344
Reviewed by Michael D. Oblath

Ralph P. Martin
2 Corinthians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10060
Reviewed by H. H. Drake Williams III

Steven L. McKenzie and Michael D. Coogan, eds.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9534
Reviewed by Jean-François Racine

Jocelyn McWhirter
Rejected Prophets: Jesus and His Witnesses in Luke-Acts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9710
Reviewed by David M. Miller

Alicia D. Myers and Bruce G. Schuchard, eds.
Abiding Words: The Use of Scripture in the Gospel of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10307
Reviewed by Beth M. Stovell

S. D. (Fanie) Snyman
Malachi
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10696
Reviewed by Paul L. Redditt

John C. Yoder
Power and Politics in the Book of Judges: Men and Women of Valor
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10362
Reviewed by Gregory Mobley

Preaching Tips from Charles Spurgeon

See this post for ten speaking tips from Charles Spurgeon.

The Purpose and State of Seminaries

This post examines the purpose of seminaries as it relates to training scholars and/or pastors, this interview with Ligon Duncan discusses the role of seminaries to help students discern their call, this article reports on the current state of Southern Baptist seminaries especially as it concerns the MDiv, and this piece looks at mainline seminaries.

Free Logos Book for September: What Is a Healthy Church Member?

The free Logos Book of the Month for September is What Is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti Anyabwile. You can also purchase the Mark Dever's What Is a Healthy Church or $1.99 or enter to win the entire eleven-volume 9marks series. For all these offers you can go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here.

New Preaching Website

Those interested in preaching should check out this brand new website from the School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Interpreting Poetry and the Road Not Taken

I am teaching the poetic and wisdom books of the Bible this fall (Job– Song of Solomon). I have been reminding my students of the challenges of interpreting poetry in general. These challenge are well illustrated in an article by David Orr, "You’re Probably Misreading Robert Frost’s Most Famous Poem: On the Many Tricks and Contradictions of 'The Road Not Taken'" (here). Orr's article also highlights the importance of authorial intention in interpretation.

Two Posts Related to Paul's Journeys in Acts

There are a couple of posts that those interesting in Paul's journeys in Acts might want to take a peek at. Ferrell Jenkins here has a nice picture and brief description of Pamphylia and Lycia (Acts 27:5) and Carl Rasmussen here has a very interesting post here on the riot in Ephesus mentioned in Acts 19 and a painting from a house at Pompeii depicting a riot at the amphitheater at Pompeii in A.D. 59.