Samson and Applying the Bible

See Ken Berding's illustration here of how one might apply Judges 16:28-30.

Ezekiel 4:9 Bread

Years ago my health-conscious daughter introduced me to Ezekiel 4:9 bread. It never really caught on with me but to each his/her own. Apparently the health benefits have been recognized by others (see here) but this bread really has nothing to do with what Ezekiel 4:9 means. Eat if you will but it is not any more "biblical" than any other brand of bread. 

Ezekiel's Temple

Tova Ganzel's article here seeks to root Ezekiel's temple vision in Babylonian temples and practices. While I am a bit skeptical in the linkage, the whole of the article seems to provide good evidence that Ezekiel's vision expected an actual temple. For example Ganzel notes that Ezekiel describes "in elaborate detail the measurements of its gates and passages: sixty-three verses are devoted to the gates, courts, and the wall surrounding the temple." She later adds, "By focusing on structural and ritual features that would safeguard the sanctity of the temple compound, Ezekiel works to ensure that the Divine Presence will remain there for eternity—a clear response to the Babylonian destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E."

I have long argued that any attempt to get away from the idea of a literal temple has to resort to a number of interpretive gymnastics. While one can debate the need for, the merits of, and the problems with, a literal future temple, the starting place for those discussions should be acknowledging that Ezekiel envisioned a physical temple.

The Latest Issue of the 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 to read them.

Craig G. Bartholomew, The Old Testament and God (Baker Academic)
R. W. L. Moberly

David G. Firth and Brittany N. Melton, eds., Reading Esther Intertextually (T&T Clark)
Else K. Holt

Jennifer Awes Freeman, The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power (Baylor University Press)
Nicola E. Hayward

Bruce McComiskey, Rhetoric and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Purity, Covenant, and Strategy at Qumran (Pennsylvania State University Press)
Gareth J. Wearne

Jenny Read-Heimerdinger, Luke in His Own Words: A Study of the Language of Luke-Acts in Greek (T&T Clark)
Kenneth D. Litwak

Ryan S. Schellenberg and Heidi Wendt, eds., T&T Clark Handbook to the Historical Paul (T&T Clark)
J. Andrew Doole

Konrad Schmid, The Scribes of the Torah: The Formation of the Pentateuch in Its Literary and Historical Contexts (SBL Press)
Kenneth Bergland

Daniel A. Smith and Christoph Heil, eds., Prayer in the Sayings Gospel Q (Mohr Siebeck)
Dieter T. Roth

Holger Strutwolf, Georg Gäbel, Annette Hüffmeier, Marie-Luise Lakmann, Gregory S. Paulson, and Klaus Wachtel, eds., The Gospel according to Mark (German Bible Society)
Elizabeth E. Shively

Abeneazer G. Urga, Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews: The Background and Nature of Jesus’ Heavenly Intercession in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck)
William R. G. Loader

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 46:3

The latest articles from of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament are available now. Here is a list of the articles and links to abstracts. The articles by Hase, Hirschi, and Atkins are open access.

Tatian and the Arabic Diatessaron: Mark’s Ending as a Case Study
Mina Monier

That We Might Die with Him: Jesus’s Death and Resurrection as a Paradigm for Discipleship in Jn 11.1–12.11
Luke Hase

Age, Maternity, and Allusion: Elizabeth and Other Mothers
Julie Newberry

‘A Little Yeast Leavens the Whole Batch of Dough’: Incest and Pollution in 1 Corinthians 5
Ethan Johnson

Doers of Torah: Lights from the Targumim and Their Implication for Jas 1.22
Vincent Hirschi

The Son of Man Behaving Beastly: Reading Jesus and the Wild Animals of Mk .13 with Dan. 4
Peter Joshua Atkins

God, Grace, and Equality in 2 Cor. 8.13–14
David E. Briones

Valentine's Day

Just in case you are needing card ideas.

 

The Copying of Torah Scrolls

Emmanuel Tov has a detailed and insightful discussion here of the development of the process of copying Torah scrolls.

Reading the Old Testament Through Ancient Egyptian Eyes

Check out Carmen Imes' Christianity Today article here.

Cremation or Burial

Justin Dillehay has some helpful thoughts here on the issue of cremation or burial. It seems to me that Christians are choosing cremation more often now than in the past.

The Latest Issue of the 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 to read them.

Kathy Ehrensperger, Searching Paul: Conversations with the Jewish Apostle to the Nations; Collected Essays (Mohr Siebeck)
Mark D. Nanos

Hans Förster, Kerstin Sänger-Böhm, and Matthias H. O. Schulz, eds., Kritische Edition der sahidischen Version des Johannesevangeliums: Text und Dokumentation (De Gruyter)
David Kneip

Frederick E. Greenspahn, Judaism and Its Bible: A People and Their Book (Jewish Publication Society)
Zev I. Farber

Ruth Christa Mathieson, Matthew’s Parable of the Royal Wedding Feast: A Sociorhetorical Interpretation (SBL Press)
Jonathan W. Lo

Mogens Müller and Heike Omerzu, eds., Gospel Interpretation and the Q-Hypothesis (T&T Clark)
David Landry

Matthew Pawlak, Sarcasm in Paul’s Letters (Cambridge University Press)
Matthew Thiessen

Jonathan Rivett Robinson, Markan Typology: Miracle, Scripture and Christology in Mark 4:35–6:45 (T&T Clark)
Myrick Shinall

Stephen J. Smith, The Conflict between Faith and Experience, and the Shape of Psalms 73–83 (T&T Clark)
Jeffery M. Leonard

Michael R. Stead, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—An Introduction and Study Guide: Return and Restoration (T&T Clark)
Laura Carlson Hasler

Mark Wreford, Religious Experience and the Creation of Scripture: Examining Inspiration in Luke-Acts and Galatians (T&T Clark)
Margaret Froelich

Free eBook: The First Christian Slave: Onesimus in Context

Wipf and Stock is offering a free eBook copy of The First Christian Slave: Onesimus in Context by Mary Ann Beavis. Keep in mind that offer is only good until February 5. Here are the instructions to get your copy.

1. Click on this link.
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option.
3. Use the code "ONESIMUS"
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions of how to download your free eBook.

Free Logos Resources for February

Logos is offering these three freebies this month: The Dynamics of Parallelism by Adele Berlin, Christ in the Early Christian Hymns by Daniel Liderbach, a free ebook, Pause for Power: A 365-Day Journey through the Scriptures by Warren Wiersbe, and the audio book John: An Expositional Commentary by R. C. Sproul. You can get these free resources and also purchase others at significant discounts here, here, here, and here.

John 1

Ian Paul has a very good post here on John 1.

The Latest Issue of the 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 to read them.

David J. A. Clines, Joban Papers (Sheffield Phoenix)
Israel McGrew

Margaret Froelich, Jesus and the Empire of God: Royal Language and Imperial Ideology in the Gospel of Mark (T&T Clark)
Jin Young Choi

Thomas Kazen, Impurity and Purification in Early Judaism and the Jesus Tradition (SBL Press)
Jonathan Klawans

Nancy Klancher, The Biblical Mothers Deliver: The Chosen, the Saved, and the Disavowed (Cascade)
Claudia D. Bergmann

Ben C. Ollenburger, God the Creator: The Old Testament and the World God Is Making (Baker Academic)
Gerald A. Klingbeil

M. John-Patrick O’Connor, The Moral Life according to Mark (T&T Clark)
David J. Neville

Jonathan D. Redding, One Nation under Graham: Apocalyptic Rhetoric and American Exceptionalism (Baylor University Press)
Greg Carey

Jens Schröter, The Apocryphal Gospels: Jesus Traditions outside the Bible (Cascade)
Ian N. Mills

Arthur Walker-Jones, Psalms Book 2, An Earth Bible Commentary: “As a Doe Groans” (T&T Clark)
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford

Steve Walton, Reading Acts Theologically (T&T Clark)
Reed Metcalf