New Testament Related Archaeological Discoveries

Gary Shogren's post here relates his five favorite recent New Testament related archaeological discoveries.

Tips for Creating Effective Instructional Videos

I really want to add videos to my teaching repertoire. This post on "10 Tips for Creating Effective Instructional Videos" looks helpful.

Passover Rube Goldberg Machine

Strange Anti-Climaxes in Ezra–Nehemiah?

I have found The Bible Project's videos to be creative, well-done, and helpful. I recently watched the video on Ezra-Nehemiah. The presentation is fairly straightforward but the video presents Ezra 4, 9–10 and Nehemiah 13 as  strange anti-climaxes.This explanation is interesting but I am not sure I would view the events in these chapters as negatively as they do. In any case, you can check it out for yourself. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Tom Schreiner on Tithing

Tom Schreiner explains here why he believes that Christians are not required to tithe.

Free Audio: Gary Habermas on the Historicity of the Resurrection

Credo Courses are offering free audio of Gary Habermas' course on the historicity of the Resurrection. You can access the offer here.

Paul's Soteriology

Dr. Mike Burer has provided a nice diagram created by some of his students on Paul's soteriology. Check it out 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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Giuseppe de Carlo
Il Bagliore delle luci antiche: Una lettura sapienziale della Bibbia ebraica
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10935
Reviewed by Andrea Ravasco

Robert Evans
Reception History, Tradition and Biblical Interpretation: Gadamer and Jauss in Current Practice
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9987
Reviewed by William Lamb

Thomas Fabisiak
The “Nocturnal Side of Science” in David Friedrich Strauss’s Life of Jesus Critically Examined
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10413
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow

Joseph Lam
Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible: Metaphor, Culture, and the Making of a Religious Concept
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11165
Reviewed by Ryan P. Bonfiglio

Ekaterina Matusova
The Meaning of the Letter of Aristeas: In Light of Biblical Interpretation and Grammatical Tradition, and with Reference to Its Historical Context
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10580
Reviewed by Sean A. Adams

J. Gordon McConville and Lloyd K. Pietersen, eds.
Conception, Reception, and the Spirit: Essays in Honor of Andrew T. Lincoln
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10787
Reviewed by Joseph Azize

Mark D. Owens
As It Was in the Beginning: An Intertextual Analysis of New Creation in Galatians, 2 Corinthians, and Ephesians
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10945
Reviewed by Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr

Josaphat C. Tam
Apprehension of Jesus in the Gospel of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10779
Reviewed by Deolito Vender Vistar Jr.

Moulie Vidas
Tradition and the Formation of the Talmud
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10751
Reviewed by Joshua Schwartz

William O. Walker
Gospels, Jesus, and Christian Origins
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11030
Reviewed by J. Andrew Doole

Stephen I. Wright
Jesus the Storyteller
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10886
Reviewed by Marianne Blickenstaff

Six Keys for Better Sermon Preparation

Jason Allen provides some solid advice and encouragement here for the hard work of sermon preparation.

Three Essential Elements of a Funeral Sermon

What 3 elements need to be in every funeral sermon? An answer can be found here.

Interpretation Commentaries eBook Sale

There is a three-day sale on volumes in the Interpretation series with prices as low as $1.99. The sale ends Friday, March 24. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Book Distributors should all have the sale prices. See here.

Do You Love the Psalms?

Robert Godfrey explains why he does here.

Renovations at Jesus' Tomb

Recent renovations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been completed. You can read about it here.

Lot in Genesis 19

In Genesis 19, there are several clues that Lot may have compromised morally and spiritually. Consider the following list.

• Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom (19:1).
• Lot addressed the wicked men of Sodom as “brothers” (19:7).
• Lot was willing to offer his two daughters to the wicked men of Sodom (19:8).
• Lot was willing to let his daughters marry men from Sodom (19:14).
• Lot’s sons-in-law do not take his warning seriously (19:14).

For these reasons, we might be somewhat surprised that Lot can be described as righteous and implied as godly (2 Pet 2:7-9). But there might be clues that Lot's character was more righteous than it might first appear.

• Abraham's attempted negotiations in the previous chapter might suggest that Lot was "righteous" (18:16-33).
• Lot's hospitality towards the visitors is commendable (19:1-3).
• Lot's attempt to protect the visitors and dissuade the men of Sodom (19:6-8).
• The men of Sodom's view of Lot as an outsider and as a judge (19:9).
• The angel's favorable treatment of Lot might imply it (19:10, 12, 15, 16, 21).

Language Humor

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.

Todd S. Berzon
Classifying Christians: Ethnography, Heresiology, and the Limits of Knowledge in Late Antiquity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11190
Reviewed by Robert M. Royalty Jr.

Collin Blake Bullard
Jesus and the Thoughts of Many Hearts: Implicit Christology and Jesus’ Knowledge in the Gospel of Luke
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10394
Reviewed by Tyler Smith

Anthony Le Donne
A Study Companion to The Bible: An Introduction
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9904
Reviewed by Johanna Friedl

Karoline M. Lewis
John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10195
Reviewed by Chang Seon An

Robert MacEwen
Matthean Posteriority: An Exploration of Matthew’s Use of Mark and Luke as a Solution to the Synoptic Problem
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10391
Reviewed by J. Andrew Doole

Matthieu Richelle
Guide pour l’exégèse de l’Ancien Testament: Méthodes, exemples et instruments de travail
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9162
Reviewed by Olivier-Thomas Venard

Clare K Rothschild
Paul in Athens: The Popular Religious Context of Acts 17
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10265
Reviewed by Troy M. Troftgruben

Brian Schmidt, ed.
Contextualizing Israel’s Sacred Writings: Ancient Literacy, Orality, and Literary Production
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10548
Reviewed by Gareth Wearne

Craig A. Smith
2 Timothy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11242
Reviewed by Robert W. Wall

Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer
Zechariah’s Vision Report and Its Earliest Interpreters: A Redaction-Critical Study of Zechariah 1–8
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11173
Reviewed by Max Rogland

Wipf & Stock 50%-Off Sale

Wipf and Stock is having a 50%-off sale. The sale is good until April 3. Use code INV50 at checkout to get the discount. Here is a list of the books on sale.

Is This Really Satire

The Babylon Bee has this post about choosing a dissertation topic. But those who have been through the process of trying to select a topic know how true to life this can be!

Word Studies for Those that Don't Know Hebrew or Greek

Jackson Wu has some helpful advice here for doing word studies when you don't know Hebrew or Greek.

Free Audio of a Dan Wallace Textual Criticism Course

You can download free audio of a textual criticism course by Dan Wallace here. Note video and other options are not free but the audio portion is. I am also unsure of how long it will be free so you might want to take advantage of the opportunity sooner rather than later.

Why Are Academic Books So Expensive?

Thomas Kidd explains here.

Exegesis vs Exposition

Michael Duduit explains the difference between exegesis and exposition here.

Missions and Hermeneutics

Will Brooks argues that training in biblical interpretation should be an integral part of every missions strategy here.

Greekonomics

Rob Plummer explains how to set goals, manage your time, and grow your Greek 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 but unfortunately you must be a SBL member.

Keon-Sang An
An Ethiopian Reading of the Bible: Biblical Interpretation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10941
Reviewed by Ralph Lee

Bradley Arnold
Christ as the Telos of Life
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10305
Reviewed by Julien M. Ogereau

Margaret Aymer
James: Diaspora Rhetoric of a Friend of God
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10472
Reviewed by Carla Swafford Works

Timothy Brookins
Corinthian Wisdom, Stoic Philosophy, and the Ancient Economy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10407
Reviewed by Devin L. White

Michael Gorman
Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10416
Reviewed by Gregory R. Perry

Christoph Heil
Das Spruchevangelium Q und der historische Jesus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10120
Reviewed by Kari Syreeni

Ronald Hendel
Steps to a New Edition of the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=11532
Reviewed by Emanuel Tov

Corrado Martone
Scritti di Qumran 1
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10110
Reviewed by Paola Mollo

Paul A. Rainbow
Johannine Theology: The Gospel, the Epistles and the Apocalypse
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10114
Reviewed by Athanasios Despotis

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher
Micah: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=10932
Reviewed by Claude F. Mariottini