W. J. Paul on Psalm 110

These days it is not theologically fashionable to affirm Davidic authorship of Psalm 110 or to see the psalm as primarily Messianic rather than merely royal. So in this instance I am wholly unfashionable. That being said, as I was sorting through some articles in my file cabinet I was pleased to rediscover an article by W. J. Paul. Paul argues that,  

“The conclusion is therefore inevitable: Psalm 110 speaks about a person who is king and priest. But in the history of Israel there never was such a king. The only probable solution is that the psalm speaks about a future king-priest. It deals not with a historical king, but with the Messiah. The unchallenged authority of the king whose rule will be universal and eternal points in the same direction. At the beginning of the psalm we can read lĕdāwîd. This phrase cannot mean that the psalm was directed to David, because David was not a priest. So we have to read it as “from David.” Thus, if the heading is reliable, David is the author of the psalm. With E. J. Kissane I am of the opinion that ‘there is nothing in the psalm itself which is inconsistent with this’ [Psalms, 190]. The NT confirms the Davidic authorship. Therefore, it is not necessary to assume that Jesus himself did not ascribe the psalm to David and merely appears to have asked his question in relation to the presuppositions of the Pharisees. The only consistent explanation of Psalm 110 in the context of the OT as well as the NT is based on Davidic authorship and a date of composition in the tenth century BC.”

W. J. Paul, “The Order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4 and Heb 7:3),” Westminster Theological Journal 49 (1987): 202.
  

Free Audio Book: Basic Christianity

Christianaudio.com's free audiobook download for the month of August is Basic Christianity by John R. W. Stott. 

For more information or to get your download go here.

"Mythconceptions" About Old Testament Law

“I am keenly aware that in proposing to address this subject I have guaranteed for myself a limited hearing. There are many reasons why there is little interest in preaching Old Testament law in our churches, whether they are mainline protestant, or charismatic, or fundamentalist, or generic evangelical. This aversion toward Old Testament law arises from a series of “mythconceptions” concerning the law. First, we are deluded by the ritualistic myth, that is, that Old Testament law is preoccupied with boring ritualistic trivia, declared to be obsolete with Christ's final sacrifice on the cross. Second, we are driven away by the historical myth, that is, that Old Testament law concerns the times and cultural context of nations so far removed from our own that, unless one has purely academic or antiquarian interests, what it has to say about the human condition is hopelessly out of date. Third, we are repelled by the ethical myth. The OT law reflects a standard of ethics that is rejected as grossly inferior to the law of love announced by Jesus and the high stock placed on tolerance in our enlightened age. Fourth, we are confused by the literary myth, that is, that the Old Testament laws are written in literary forms that are so different from modem literature that we cannot understand them. Fifth, we are indoctrinated by the theological myth, that is,that Old Testament law presents a view of God that is utterly objectionable to modern sensitivities. So long as these “mythconceptions” determine the disposition of preachers and pastors toward Old Testament law there is little hope that they will pay much attention to those parts of the Old Testament that we refer to as Israel's constitutional literature.”

Daniel I. Block, "Preaching Old Testament Law to New Testament Christians," Southeastern Theological Review 3/2 (Winter 2012): 195.

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.

Bohdan Hrobon
Ethical Dimension of Cult in the Book of Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8252
Reviewed by Wilhelm J. Wessels

Richard A. Norris Jr., trans.
Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Song of Songs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8687
Reviewed by Mark DelCogliano

Melvin K. H. Peters, ed.
XIV Congress of the IOSCS, Helsinki, 2010
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9117
Reviewed by Theo van der Louw

Brian Neil Peterson
Ezekiel in Context: Ezekiel’s Message Understood in Its Historical Setting of Covenant Curses and Ancient Near Eastern Mythological Motifs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8974
Reviewed by Christopher Bechtel

Eric A. Seibert
The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8871
Reviewed by J. Dwayne Howell

Deuk-il Shin
The Ark of Yahweh in Redemptive History: A Revelatory Instrument of Divine Attributes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9087
Reviewed by David G. Firth

Yves Simoens
Croire pour aimer: Les trois lettres de Jean. Une interprétation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8922
Reviewed by Michel Gourgues

Duane F. Watson, ed.
Miracle Discourse in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8685
Reviewed by Susanne Luther

Reviewed by Graham H. Twelftree

Molly M. Zahn
Rethinking Rewritten Scripture: Composition and Exegesis in the 4QReworked Pentateuch Manuscripts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8167
Reviewed by Martin G. Abegg Jr.

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.

Bohdan Hrobon
Ethical Dimension of Cult in the Book of Isaiah
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8252
Reviewed by Wilhelm J. Wessels

Richard A. Norris Jr., trans.
Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Song of Songs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8687
Reviewed by Mark DelCogliano

Melvin K. H. Peters, ed.
XIV Congress of the IOSCS, Helsinki, 2010
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9117
Reviewed by Theo van der Louw

Brian Neil Peterson
Ezekiel in Context: Ezekiel’s Message Understood in Its Historical Setting of Covenant Curses and Ancient Near Eastern Mythological Motifs
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8974
Reviewed by Christopher Bechtel

Eric A. Seibert
The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8871
Reviewed by J. Dwayne Howell

Deuk-il Shin
The Ark of Yahweh in Redemptive History: A Revelatory Instrument of Divine Attributes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9087
Reviewed by David G. Firth

Yves Simoens
Croire pour aimer: Les trois lettres de Jean. Une interprétation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8922
Reviewed by Michel Gourgues

Duane F. Watson, ed.
Miracle Discourse in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8685
Reviewed by Susanne Luther
Reviewed by Graham H. Twelftree

Molly M. Zahn
Rethinking Rewritten Scripture: Composition and Exegesis in the 4QReworked Pentateuch Manuscripts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8167
Reviewed by Martin G. Abegg Jr.

Five Questions with Dr. David L. Allen on 1-3 John

Dr. David L. Allen graciously agreed to answer five questions about his new book on 1–3 John in the Preaching the Word series edited by R. Kent Hughes. Dr. Allen is professor of preaching, director of expository preaching, George W. Truett Chair of ministry, and dean of the school of theology at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has pastored for 21 years and written or edited a number of books and articles related to specific books of the Bible and preaching.

Question: I find it interesting that you call describe your book as a “sermontary,” “more than a sermon but less than a commentary.” Can you unpack that a bit?

Well, each chapter is indeed a sermon, but I have heavily footnoted the sermon to allow the reader to delve deeper into certain grammatical/syntactical issues that informed the way I chose to write the sermon as I did. Additionally, the footnotes provide readers a chance to see other sources (commentaries, sermon books, etc.) that I have used in the preparation of the sermon. This gives some insight into the broad reading I attempted to do in preparation of each of these sermons.

Question: I know that you believe that all Scripture is relevant, but what do you see in the message of 1–3 John as particularly relevant for our day? 

I do indeed! The notion of assurance of salvation is especially critical today. As a pastor for 21 years, I dealt with that issue in the lives of many Christians. 1 John speaks directly to that problem and teaches us we can have a “know so” salvation. Another issue today that is hotly debated in culture is just who is Jesus anyway? Is he divine? Is he merely a good moral teacher? Is he indeed the God-man as the Bible teaches? The issue of the incarnation is a vital part of Christology which then touches everything else. These are two important issues relevant for today!

Question: What are the most significant challenges in preaching 1–3 John?
Perhaps the most difficult is the structure. It is notoriously difficult to disentangle. I have attempted to segment the letter into its constituent paragraphs from a linguistic perspective based on the Greek New Testament. I believe in preaching through books of the Bible paragraph by paragraph. I also believe in making each sermon a stand-alone sermon. Once you get the paragraph structure down, it is relatively easy to construct sermons that move through the book sequentially, unpacking John’s main points.
  
Question: What other must-have resources on 1–3 John that you would recommend for the average preacher or Sunday school teacher?  

Robert Yarborough’s commentary 1–3 John in the Baker Exegetical series is a must. I would probably say it is the best commentary on 1–3 John on the market. Danny Akin’s commentary 1, 2, 3 John in the NAC series is also an important volume that is very helpful for preachers/teachers. Ruth Edwards' The Johannine Epistles in the New Testament Guides series published by Sheffield Academic press provides excellent summaries of background, style and theological issues. Martin Culy’s I, II, III John: a Handbook on the Greek Text provides pastors with practical linguistic help in a non-technical format.

Question: This “sermontary” is a reflection of your preaching philosophy and methodology. What could someone read to get a better sense of this philosophy and methodology?

I co-edited a book with Danny Akin and Ned Mathews entitled Text-Driven Preaching: God’s Word at the Heart of Every Sermon. I wrote the introduction and the chapter on “Preparing a Text-Driven Sermon.” In that chapter, I outline

my philosophy of preaching and then provide my 12 step method of sermon preparation using 1 John 2:15-17 as a test case. (You can read an interview with Dr. Allen related to this Text-Driven Preaching here.)

A PDF excerpt of Dr. Allen's 1–3 John is available here.

Course on Preaching Acts

If you are interested in the book of Acts, or preaching the book of Acts, and live in the Dallas Metroplex, you might want to consider taking my course this fall on Preaching from the New Testament: Acts (NT333) at The Criswell College this fall. The course meets once a week on Wednesdays @ 10:45-1:15. You can view a PDF of the fall schedule here.

A Collection of Bruce Waltke's Essays

Eerdmans is publishing a collection of essays from Bruce Waltke in a volume entitled, The Dance between God and Humanity: Reading the Bible Today as the People of God that is due out in August. You can read a interview with Dr. Waltke concerning this volume here. Amazon's link lets you have a peek at the contents.

Challenges of Translation

Although this article in the Economist is not specifically about Bible translation, it does illustrate issues that also occur in Bible translation.
 

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 36:1

The latest issue of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament is out. Here is a list of the articles and links to abstracts.

Suffering in Vain: A Study of the Interpretation of ΠΑΣΧΩ in Galatians 3.4

John Anthony Dunne

pp. 3-16
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/3

Translating the Triumph: Reading Mark’s Crucifixion Narrative against a Roman Ritual of Power

Allan T. Georgia

pp. 17-38
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/17

‘Lord, if you had been here ...’ (John 11.21): The Absence of Jesus and Strategies of Consolation in the Fourth Gospel

Wendy E.S. North

pp. 39-52
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/39

The Uninvited Healer: Houses, Healing and Prophets in Matthew 8.1-22

Walter T. Wilson

pp. 53-72
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/53

No Bridge over Troubled Water? The Gap between 2 Corinthians 1–9 and 10–13 Revisited

Thomas Schmeller

pp. 73-84
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/73

Rethinking the Ethics of John: A Review Article

Craig R. Koester

pp. 85-98
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/85

Loving Leviticus

See Christopher J. H. Wright's article in Christianity Today entitled "Learning to Love Leviticus" here. The CT website also has a brief discussion on the topic of sexual morality and Leviticus which was a sidebar to the article above here.

Background Information and Understanding the Bible

Check out Andy Naselli's blog post entitled,''Is 'Background Information' Ever Necessary to Understand the Bible?" I appreciate Naselli's cautious and nuanced approach.

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.


David J. H. Beldman and Craig G. Bartholomew, eds.
Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8545
Reviewed by Jeanette Mathews

Reinhard von Bendemann and Markus Tiwald, eds.
Das frühe Christentum und die Stadt http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9019
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Mark E. Biddle
Reading Judges: A Literary and Theological Commentary http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8673
Reviewed by Trent C. Butler

Joachim Conrad
Karl Heinrich Grafs Arbeit am Alten Testament: Studien zu einer wissenschaftlichen Biographie http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8349
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Morrow

Scott S. Elliott and Roland Boer, eds.
Ideology, Culture, and Translation http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8693
Reviewed by Lénart J. de Regt

Georg Fischer, Dominik Markl, and Simone Paganini, eds.
Deuteronomium: Tora für eine neue Generation http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8416
Reviewed by Mark Christian

Elizabeth Frood
Biographical Texts from Ramessid Egypt http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6083
Reviewed by Gerald Moers

Dong-Hyuk Kim
Early Biblical Hebrew, Late Biblical Hebrew, and Linguistic Variability: A Sociolinguistic Evaluation of the Linguistic Dating of Biblical Texts http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9044
Reviewed by Frank H. Polak

Peter Thacher Lanfer
Remembering Eden: The Reception History of Genesis 3:22-24 http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8596
Reviewed by L. Michael Morales 

David Penchansky
Understanding Wisdom Literature: Conflict and Dissonance in the Hebrew Text http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8931
Reviewed by Peter Hatton

Preserving Manuscripts at St. Catherine's Monastery

This Time magazine article reports the efforts of the monks at St. Catherine's monastery, located at the traditional site of Mt. Sinai in Egypt, to preserve their priceless collection of manuscripts.

The Importance of the Septuagint

See this blog post/interview with Timothy Michael Law entitled "Why Should We Care about the Septuagint?"

Average Time for Sermon Preparation

Thom Ranier recently conducted an unscientific Twitter poll related to sermon preparation time. According to this article he tabulated the following results.

1 to 3 hours — 1%
4 to 6 hours — 9%
7 to 9 hours — 15%
10 to 12 hours — 22%
13 to 15 hours — 24%
16 to 18 hours — 23%
19 to 21 hours — 2%
22 to 24 hours — 0%
25 to 27 hours — 1%
28 to 30 hours — 2%
31 to 33 hours — 1%

Ranier also offered the following eight observations

1. Most pastors responded with a range of hours. I took the midpoint of each range for my data.

2. Seventy percent of pastors' sermon preparation time is the narrow range of 10 to 18 hours per sermon.

3. Keep in mind that these numbers represent sermon preparation time for just one sermon. Many pastors spend 30 or more hours in preparing messages each week.

4. The median time for sermon preparation in this study is 13 hours. That means that half of the respondents gave a number under 13 hours; the other half gave a number greater than 13 hours.

5. Most of the respondents who gave a response under 12 hours indicated they were bivocational pastors.

6. If the sermon was part of a series, the pastors indicated they spent even more upfront time to develop the theme and preliminary issues for the sermons to be preached.

7. Many of the pastors are frustrated that they don't have more time for sermon preparation.

8. A number of the pastors indicated that finding consistent and uninterrupted sermon preparation time was difficult.

Theology Research Paper Title Generator

This would have come in handy when I was going through my theology courses!

HT: Abraham Joseph

A Review of Saving Eutychus

Gary Millar and Phil Campbell, Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake (Kingsford: Matthias Media, 2013). 

Saving Eutychus is a book that preachers might be tempted to hide in a plain brown wrapper. No one wants to admit that they might actually need this book. It is a book written for other preachers. 

That being said, Saving Eutychus is probably a book that most preachers should at least consider reading. I appreciated three things about the book. First, I appreciated the authors’ personal humility about their own preaching and yet the pastoral commitment to the craft of preaching. So their advice about preaching comes across as less talking about you and more about talking with you. Second, the book is easy to read. Millar and Campbell tend to model in their writing what they encourage about preaching (see especially the chapter called “Deadly, dull and boring”). Third, the authors’ emphasis on, and advice concerning, critique were particularly helpful. 

There are a few mild criticisms that I would offer. I wish that the authors would have discussed what they mean by “application” and if or how they would distinguish application from principle (see pp. 69-75). I remain unconvinced that sermons should be 23-25 minutes long (pp. 50-51). This seems to be too short. Finally, both of the sermonic examples at the end of the book came from narratives in Acts. This is okay, but it might have been more helpful to use one example from Acts and the other example from the Old Testament and preferably something other than narrative. The reader could then see how the authors’ methodology works with another kind of text. 

The free review copy utilized for this unbiased review was provided by Cross Focused Reviews.
  

Virtual Tour of the Temple Mount

Go here to read about the opportunity to take a virtual tour of Jerusalem's temple mount and here to take the tour. The tour is in Hebrew.

Summary of Malachi

This is a nice summary of the book of Malachi from J. D. W. Watts.

The last of the prophetic books is Malachi. It epitomizes the prophetic insistence on God’s continued love for this chosen people. It is very practical in demanding faith and faithfulness in the realistic situations in which priest and people find themselves. It insists on the reality of God, his presence, his purpose, and his love. It also knows that he distinguishes sharply between true worship and false, between genuine dedication and sham, and between a quality of life consistent with the Torah and one that is not. He will tolerate no lowering of these standards. Malachi proclaims the importance of God’s will as revealed through the Torah (4:4). It also calls for a look to the future when God’s intervention will come. And it promises a prophetic figure, Elijah, to intercede with the people in calling them to faith. It relates the Law and the Prophets to each other and binds the people to observance of both. These verses tie the Latter Prophets with the Pentateuch (Moses) and with the Former Prophets (Elijah).

J. D. W. Watts, "Introduction to the Book of Malachi," Review and Expositor 84 (1987): 373–74. 
  

Bryan Chapell on Christ-Centered Hermeneutics

See Bryan Chapell's post on Christ-centered hermeneutics here. The post is part of a larger series hosted on Ed Stetzer blog on Christ-centered hermeneutics. The four parts series has or will include posts by,


● Dr. Daniel Block (Wheaton College)
● Dr. David Murray (Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary)
● Dr. Walt Kaiser (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) 
● Dr. Bryan Chapell (Grace Presbyterian in Peoria, IL)

Daniel Block's post can can be read here and here, Murray's post here, and here, Ed Stetzer's recap here and here. and Kaiser's post here.

Latest Issue of Bible Magazine

The latest issue of Bible Magazine is available for free here. This issue continues an examination of the Lord's prayer and focuses on Matthew 6.16-18. 
 

Technological Gratitude

  
"Thanks to Overhead Projectors" is a good reminder to be thankful about, and to have the right attitude toward, using technology in ministry.
 

Advice on Sermon Titles

  
See this blog post on writing better sermon titles.
 

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.

Constantine R. Campbell
Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8689
Reviewed by William Campbell

Daniel Epp-Tiessen
Concerning the Prophets: True and False Prophecy in Jeremiah 23:9–29:32
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8828
Reviewed by Kelvin Friebel

Judith Gärtner
Die Geschichtspsalmen: Eine Studie zu den Psalmen 78, 105, 106, 135 und 136 als hermeneutische Schlüsseltexte im Psalter
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8851
Reviewed by Susan Gillingham

Lee Martin McDonald
Formation of the Bible: The Story of the Church’s Canon
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8665
Reviewed by James Leonard

Matthew V. Novenson
Christ among the Messiahs: Christ Language in Paul and Messiah Language in Ancient Judaism
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8495
Reviewed by Nijay K. Gupta

Richard I. Pervo
Acts: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8754
Reviewed by Don Garlington

Karlheinz Schüssler
Biblia Coptica: Die koptischen Bibeltexte. Vollständiges Verzeichnis mit Standorten. Band 2/Lfg 1 sa 121–184
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8765
Reviewed by Elina Perttilä

Cynthia Shafer-Elliott
Food in Ancient Judah: Domestic Cooking in the Time of the Hebrew Bible
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=9023
Reviewed by Stephen Reed

Caroline Vander Stichele and Hugh S. Pyper, eds.
Text, Image, and Otherness in Children's Bibles: What Is in the Picture?
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8847
Reviewed by Gottfried Adam

C. Richard Wells and Ray Van Neste, eds.
Forgotten Songs: Reclaiming the Psalms for Christian Worship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8835
Reviewed by Leonard P. Maré