Merry Christmas!

To all those who visit this site, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may the peace of God be with you all this holiday season.


γινώσκετε γὰρ τὴν χάριν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι δι’ ὑμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν πλούσιος ὤν, ἵνα ὑμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσητε. (2 Cor 8.9)

The Big Archaeological Announcement from Nazareth

Here is the "big" news--hmmmmm?!?!

Joel Marcus Interview

There is an extremely interesting article/interview in Divinity Magazine, a magazine for alumni and friends of Duke Divinity School, with Joel Marcus, who talks about his Mark commentary and what it means to him to be both Jewish and Christian among other things.

Check it out--it will be well worth your time.

Help! Galatians commentary recommendations

From time to time I take a personal inventory of what my library is lacking. This is particularly true when it comes to commentaries. My OT collection is rather sparse, so I won't even go there. However, it does surprise me from time to time that which is missing in my NT collection.

It recently dawned on me that I am severely lacking in my Galatians commentaries. I have two to be exact, Longenecker's WBC volume, and Fee's in the Penecostal series. A couple I have thought about are Martyn's Anchor Bible Commentary and Silva's Interpreting Galatians. My first question would be, for those of you who own these aforementioned volumes, what do you think of them? Secondly, what are some others that I should be looking into?

I know Moo's BECNT is on the horizon as well as Schreiner's ZECNT, but those are still some ways off. Let me know what you all think.

Christmas List Update: Santa (er) Eerdmans comes through!

The other day as I was about to leave for work, I found a package from Eerdmans at my door. It was a rather large package, so I surmised that it was either Deliverance of God or Keener's Historical Jesus of the Gospels. It proved to be the latter, and needless to say, I was very pleased. That makes one down and nine to go for those keeping score at home. I will have more to say about this volume rather soon.

New Ernst Käsemann Book

On Being a Disciple of the Crucified Nazarene: Unpublished Lectures and Sermons
Ernst Käsemann, Rudolf Landau (editor), Roy A. Harrisville (translator)

$30.00 Paperback

Not yet in print
Expected ship date: 4/29/2010

352 pages; dimensions (in inches): 6 x 9

ISBN: 978-0-8028-6026-2

Some cool news from the folks at Eerdmans.

Description


In this book Ernst Käsemann — celebrated initiator of the twentieth-century “New Quest of the Historical Jesus” — examines the problem of the relationship between discipleship and faith. These twenty-eight previously untranslated lectures and sermons delivered between 1975 and 1996 show a side of Käsemann not revealed so clearly in his more famous theological publications.

Käsemann carefully analyzes specific Bible passages and New Testament themes, using them to speak to the realities of his (and our!) modern world, in which the majority of people live in a hell effectively created and sustained by the unjust greed of the white race. He is personal, provocative, and even combative throughout. A fascinating “Theological Review,” written by Käsemann at age 90, is reprinted in the front matter.

Philippians Resurrected II: Philippians 1.3-5 Translation and Notes

This will be the last time "resurrection" is in the header. That is simply because there were no other posts to 'resurrect!'

Here goes:


Philippians 1.3-5 Translation and Notes

Here is my second installment of my Philippians translation: (Note: These verses are part of a larger subunit that stretches to v.11. This unit comprises of Paul's Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians. I have decided to follow Silva [41-45] in breaking this in to smaller chunks).



Paul's Thanksgiving (vv.3-5 [8]): Initial Statement



3 Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν
4 πάντοτε ἐν πάσῃ δεήσει μου ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν, μετὰ χαρᾶς τὴν δέησιν ποιούμενος,
5 ἐπὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν,



My Translation:


3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,

4 always in my every prayer for all of you, I make my petition with joy,

5 because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,


Notes (v3)


•"I give thanks..." A favorite Pauline stock opening (Rom. 1:8; 1 Co. 1:4; Eph. 1:16; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; Phlm. 1:4).

•"...for every rememberance of you." There has been much discussion as to the best possible translation of 1.3. The questions usually center around the preposition ἐπί and the sense of the genitive ὑμῶν. As Holloway notes (419-420), the majority view still considers the genitive objectively while rendering the preposition temporally to provide a reaading: 'I give thanks to my God whenever I remember you' (419, n.1; See references there). The second, and minority viewpoint, renders the preposition causally but renders the genitive subjectively, providing a reading: 'I give thanks to my God for your every rememberance [of me]' (Holloway 419-420; n.2; See references there.)

•Like Holloway (419), I have preferred the most natural way of expressing the Greek, namely, interpreting ἐπί causally and ὑμῶν objectively: 'I give thanks to my God for every rememberance of you,' (e.g. 1 Cor. 1.4; 1 Thess. 3.9; Holloway 420-421; Fowl 22 n.5).


Notes (v4)



•As Sumney notes, 'Paul uses forms of πᾶς more often in Philippians than at the beginning of any other thanksgiving' (8; e.g. Phil. 1.1,3,4[2x],7[2x],8). One could also include v.9, but this section (vv.9-11) is more geared to Paul's prayer.


•The adjective πάσῃ with the anarthrous noun ( 'a noun without the definite article') δεήσει('prayer') would translate as 'my every prayer for all of you' (Sumney 9).


•"I make my petition with joy..." Fee calls this phrase "awkward," writing:


The word order ('with joy the prayer making') gives this phrase special emphasis; indeed this is the first of 16 occurrences of this word group ("joy") in the letter. ...The very awkwardness of the phrase in this case forces it upon the Philippians'- and our-attention (81).

•In n.43 of the same page (81), Fee writes:


...Paul has already mentioned his standard 'thanksgiving for you always in every prayer of mine.' By adding the phrase 'with joy' he feels compelled to note that the joy comes in context of 'his every prayer.' Thus he repeats, 'the prayer making,' all of which means, 'thanking God for you always in every prayer of mine for all of you, making that prayer with joy.'



Notes (v5)

•"because of your fellowship in the gospel..." The noun κοινωνία might be better translated "participation" or "partnership"(Fee 82-83). This "participation"/"partnership" is not merely referring to the collection mentioned later in the letter (4.15-16), but to the broader concerns of the gospel and its proclamation and spread (Fee 83-84; Fowl 22-24; O'Brien 63).
•"from the first day until now," Fee says that this phrase refers to the Philippians' conversion (85), that is, they have been participating in the gospel in Philippi since the time of their conversion.
Bibliography

Holloway, Paul A. "Thanks for the Memories: On the Translation of Philippians 1.3."NTS 52 (2006).

Fee, Gordon D. Paul's Letter to the Philippians. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Fowl, Stephen E. Philippians. The Two Horizons New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.

O'Brien, Peter T. The Epistle to the Philippians. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Silva, Moises. Philippians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.

Sumney, Jerry L. Philippians: A Greek Student's Intermediate Reader. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.

My Christmas Wish List

I have been fortunate to have either reviewed or am in the midst of reviewing (too many to count!) many of the books that I had on my own personal wish list. Being that Christmas season is upon us, I have been thinking of the many books that I would love to add to my already overcrowded library.




So here is my Christmas list(in no particular order of preference):





1) The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul by Douglas Campbell. Needless to say, with all the buzz surrounding this book and its importance, this is a must have for the serious student of Paul and his theology. This book might be the biggest landmark in Pauline studies since Sanders' groundbreaking Paul and Palestinian Judaism written some 32 years ago. 'Nuff said.






2) The Historical Jesus of the Gospels by Craig Keener. In a day of overspecialization, Craig Keener has continued to demonstrate his expert grasp on all things New Testament related. Here, Keener puts his encyclopedic knowledge of the ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman world to bear on Jesus, offering a clearer glimpse into his world. Plus, reading Craig is always a pleasure as he is a lucid writer.





3) Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology by Michael Gorman. For my money, Michael Gorman is one of the most articulate interpreters of Paul and his theology going today. This book should probably be read in tandem with Campbell's as they both arrive at similar conclusions concerning what justification is (i.e. 'liberative' and 'participatory') but by differing interpretive routes.





4) Mark 8-16 (The Yale Anchor Bible Commentaries) by Joel Marcus. After reading Scot McKnight's write-up in Christianity Today's Books and Culture , I was completely sold. Not to mention, I'm ashamed to only own one other commentary on Mark's Gospel.

5) Philippians (The Yale Anchor Bible Commentaries) by John Reumann. Although I disagree with Reumann on his various partition theories as he divides Philippians into three separate letters, this may be the most substantive Philippians commentary ever written as it weighs in at a hefty 805 pages. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that Reumann turned in over 2,000 pages before he was ordered to cut it down to size!



6) The New Interpreter's Bible: Acts- 1 Corinthians (Volume X). This of course, is the particular volume that contains N.T. Wright's Romans commentary. This is a landmark study that really bolstered the already sterling reputation of Wright as an interpreter of Paul. Interestingly, as an aside, I have heard or read somewhere that Wright has the entirety of Romans memorized in Greek! This just stresses to me how much he has wrestled with this particular letter and makes me eager to read his exegesis of it. Wright is also probably my favorite writer to boot.



7) Romans 1-8; 9-16 WBC by James Dunn. In my opinion, Dunn is easily one of the greatest New Testament scholars of all time. He is responsible for much of the 'New Perspective on Paul,' in fact, coining the term in 1982 during his Manson Memorial Lecture. Again, the man's prose is beyond repute, and everything else of his that I have read has been a pleasure from front to back.




8) The First Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Greek Testament Commentary) by Anthony Thiselton. I have wanted this commentary since it has come out, now nine years ago. Somehow this commentary has always alluded me. I'd like to end that trend asap. Thiselton along with Fee (NICNT) still have what are considered the top two commentaries on 1 Corinthians.




9) The Epistle to the Philippians (Black's New Testament Commentary) by Markus Bockmuehl.

Bockmuehl is one of the most well-rounded New Testament scholars going today. I have started to collect Philippians commentaries as this is the one epistle that I have tried to memorize in Greek. This commentary is very highly regarded and should find it's way to my shelf.




10) Philippians (Two Horizons New Testament Commentary) by Stephen Fowl. Fowl, much like Gorman, is about as an articulate interpreter of Paul and his theology as one would hope to find. Fowl has set the tone for this entire series with how to do theological interpretation of Scripture.

N.T. Wright interview about New Paul book

Many have been anxiously awaiting for some time N.T. Wright's latest in the Christian Origins and the Question of God series, namely, his big Paul book. I remember chatting with Scot McKnight when he was in Ashland and he mentioned to me that he was reading Wright's manuscript as it was in process (250 pages or so), and his goal was to have it wrapped by the end of this year.

Well, apparently, the good bishop has been spending time at CTI (Center of Theological Inquiry)in Princeton working on just that! Here is a two part interview recently posted on YouTube. Enjoy!

Off the Grid

Sungha Jung, who recently turned 13 years of age, is simply a prodigy. If you have never heard of this kid, do yourself a favor and listen to him. Here he is playing the Beatles 'Come Together.'

For Those of Us Yet to Read Campbell's D.O.G.

I just wanted to give the biblioblog version of a "shoutout" to my friend, Mike Gorman. If any of you, like me, have yet to purchase and read Douglas Campbell's groundbreaking Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul, I offer two suggestions concerning one, Michael Gorman. First, and perhaps most importantly, if you, like me, have yet to purchase the latter's Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology, please hurry and do so. Mike has always been an extremely careful scholar and it would be interesting to compare his readings of Paul to Campbell's. Secondly, Gorman has just wrapped his review of Campbell's D.O.G. over at his blog. These series of 7 posts are essential to have by one's side when reading Campbell's massive tome. Other than Campbell himself, no one is more familiar with the book's arguments than Gorman. Thanks once again, Mike!

Philippians Resurrected Part I

Many of you who visit this blog (BTW-Thanks!) will recall that I attempted to memorize Philippians in Greek. Well, I'm thinking of making another attempt at it, so I will repost my translations starting here:

Paul's Salutation to the Philippians (1:-2)
1 Παῦλος καὶ Τιμόθεος δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Φιλίπποις σὺν ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις,2 χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

My translation:
1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints (lit. 'holy ones') in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notes:(v1)

• 'Paul and Timothy' : These two are mentioned in tandem in other Pauline salutations (2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1; Phm. 1) and also where Silvanus is brought into the fray (1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 2:1; O'Brien; 44). This marks the only place in Paul's letters where Paul includes another in the 'slave of Christ' designation. (Nod to John Byron!)
• 'slaves': A seldom used Pauline designation (Rom. 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:5; Gal. 1:10; Tit. 1:1). To oversimplify the issue, there are two camps that attempt to resolve what Paul had in mind with his 'slave' language. One would be the Greco-Roman background, as Fee nicely summarizes the background: "Indeed douloi were so common in Greco-Roman society that no one would have thought it to refer other than to those owned by, and subservient to, the master of a household "(63). The second posited background for Paul's 'slave' designation is to be found in its OT background, i.e. 'servant of God', which was an 'honorific title for those in special service to God' (Fee 63; n.25 and the references found there.) In the end, there is little point in choosing between the two options such as Hawthorne (5), O'Brien (45), and Silva (40 n.2) who decide in favor of a Greco-Roman understanding of Paul's 'slave' designation. As Byron has demonstrated throughout his work, there is a strong argument to be made for 'the slave of God' designations used widely throughout the OT and Second Temple Literature. It seems best to me to give a nod to Fee when he refers to this as a "double connotation"(63), i.e. Paul uses this designation to refer to both Greco-Roman slavery and its Jewish background simultaneously.
• "in Christ Jesus": A favorite Pauline expression (Rom. 3:24; 6:11,23; 8:1f,39; 15:17; 16:3; 1 Co. 1:2,4,30; 4:17; 15:31; 16:24; Gal. 2:4; 3:14,26,28; Eph. 1:1; 2:6f,10,13;3:6,21; Phil. 1:1,26; 2:5; 3:3,14; 4:7,19,21; Col. 1:4; 1 Thess. 2:14; 5:18; 1 Tim. 1:14; 3:13; 2 Tim. 1:1,9,13; 2:1,10; 3:12,15; Phlm. 1:23). O'Brien writes: It is a phrase denoting incorporation...believers are united with Christ in his death and resurrection, and the new corporate life into which they have entered is their share in his resurrection life. ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ frequently points to Christ Jesus as the sphere in which the Christian lives and moves. So the Philippians' glorying will abound 'in Christ Jesus' (1.26; 46).
• "bishops and deacons" : The only occurrence of ἐπίσκοπος in the undisputed Paulines (cf. 1 Tim 3.2; Tit 1.7). These were obviously recognized positions within the Philippians community. These positions, however, were probably not as developed as what is seen in the later church (i.e. the Church Fathers; e.g. 1 Cl. 42:4f; I. Ep. 3:2; I.Ph.l. 10:2; I.Ph. 10:2; Herm. Vis. 3 5:1; Herm. Sim. 9 27:2; Did. 15:1).

Notes: (v2)

• "Grace to you and peace": A Pauline adaptation to the standard Greco-Roman letter opening ( Rom. 1:7; 1 Co. 1:3; 2 Co. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; Phlm. 1:3)

References:

Byron, John. Slavery Metaphors in early Judaism and Pauline Christianity. WUNT II/162. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003.

Fee, Gordon D. Paul's Letter to the Philippians. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Hawthorne, Gerald. Philippians. World Biblical Commentary. Waco, Tex.: Word, 1983.

O'Brien, Peter T. The Epistle to the Philippians. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Silva, Moises. Philippians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.

Bill Mounce Joins the NIV translation committee

Darrell Bock has pointed to an interesting Christianity Today article that states that Mark Strauss has invited Bill Mounce to join the translation committee for the new NIV to be released in 2011. What makes this very interesting is that Mounce worked on the ESV translation committee prior, and he and Strauss have publicly sparred over the aforementioned ESV.

It is good to see that this process appears to be moving in a very transparent and ecumenical fashion.

Stay tuned.

Cool Historical Fiction

I readily admit that I do not read for pleasure primarily. Most of the reading I do is academically oriented. It is not that I don't enjoy academic reading, I do, but for the most part fiction does not make it's way into my "free time". That might change soon, as Moyer Hubbard's Christianity in the Greco-Roman World: A Narrative Introduction becomes available in January. This to me is the best of both world's -- history meets fiction. Here is the description:



Background becomes foreground in Moyer Hubbard’s creative introduction to the social and historical setting for the letters of the Apostle Paul to churches in Asia Minor and Europe.Hubbard begins each major section with a brief narrative featuring a fictional character in one of the great cities of that era. Then he elaborates on various aspects of the cultural setting related to each particular vignette, discussing the implications of those venues for understanding Paul’s letters and applying their message to our lives today. Addressing a wide array of cultural and traditional issues, Hubbard discusses:• Religion and superstition:• Education, philosophy, and oratory:• Urban society:• Households and family life in the Greco-Roman world:This work is based on the premise that the better one understands the historical and social context in which the New Testament (and Paul’s letters) was written, the better one will understand the writings of the New Testament themselves. Passages become clearer, metaphors deciphered, and images sharpened. Teachers, students, and laypeople alike will appreciate Hubbard’s unique, illuminating, and well-researched approach to the world of the early church.

Hendrickson has released excerpts of this work including the table of contents, the introduction,
and the first chapter.

Enjoy!

Doug Moo and the members of CBT

There has been quite a buzz around the biblioblogosphere about the creation of a 'new' NIV in 2011, after much backlash regarding the gender-neutral TNIV resulting in plummeting sales for Zondervan.

Doug Moo is now the chair of the CBT (Committee on Bible Translation) the group that works on the NIV text. He has helpfully listed all of the members on his site.

Check it out!

NO SBL THIS YEAR!

Oh, well...

I have known for sometime that I would not be attending SBL this year in New Orleans. Financial constraints have played the biggest part, and not knowing when, or how, I will be getting ready for the PhD thing is another.

I think what I will miss the most is hanging out with friends. Mike Bird, John Byron, Nijay Gupta and others have always made SBL a blast, especially out of the conference setting.

For anyone going their first time, I caution a couple of things. First, set a budget on book buying before you leave. Don't exceed it! I'll never forget my first SBL being charged on the flight home for excessive weight on my luggage (75lbs, yikes!). Secondly, do not spend all of your time in the conferences. Your brain, even the brightest of bulbs will turn to mush by exerting so much energy in just paying attention. You are likely to retain almost nothing about what you've heard and that is a pity. Be selective! Your best times will be at the book stalls, or at meal time chatting with friends. So make social time a priority. I always set aside one day for sightseeing or doing something non-conference related. You don't know if you will swing by this way again so take full advantage of your time there.

Well, that's it for now...Have fun!

Scot McKnight and the ATS lectures

A couple of weeks ago, my wife, Faith and I had the privilege of attending the Fall Lecture Series at my alma mater, Ashland Theological Seminary. It was a wonderful time catching up with friends John Byron, David deSilva, Allan Bevere, and not least, the guest lecturer, Scot McKnight.

Scot presented four different lectures on the Gospel that were extremely illuminating and will be eventually finding their way into print.

Here is a picture of myself with Scot and John at the conclusion of the series:

700 pages of SBL papers!

Michael Halcomb of Pisteuomen fame has done everyone in the biblioblogosphere a huge favor by collating all of the available SBL seminar papers online.

Also, Michael has a very helpful website that will help students with their Theological German.

Way to go, Michael!

More on Campbell's Deliverance of God

Mike Bird has pointed to Andy Rowell's blog where he has compiled a helpful collection of the talk that is surrounding Deliverance of God (DOG).

Also, Google Books features the vast majority of DOG that can be read for free.

Do check it out!

Scot McKnight and Michael Gorman on Campbell's Deliverance of God

Douglas Campbell's new massive tome on Paul and justification, The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul , has been creating quite the stir in the biblioblogosphere, which I am certain will make it a sell-out item at SBL.

First, Michael Gorman is doing bite-size reviews on it over at his blog Cross Talk. This has been followed by Scot McKnight who concludes:

The book is more than 1200 pages long. It would be a fantastic vacation read or summer read for pastors; it is a must for professors and I believe should be read by seminary students as a primary text on Paul -- whether one agrees with it or not. What Campbell calls the Justification Theory is deeply embedded in the Protestant consciousness; this sort of book reveals that consciousness and provides readers an opportunity to check whether it is the best reading or not.

I'm really curious as to the readability of this book; I remember trying to slog through his much shorter The Quest for Paul's Gospel: A Suggested Strategy and having to reread sections over and again to make heads or tails of what Campbell was attempting to convey. Nevertheless, I think it will still become a must read for any students of Paul. 1,200 pages + is nothing to take lightly!

Excerpts from Hendrickson

Hendrickson Publishers has just released excerpts of two volumes that I am keeping a close eye on.

The first, Mike Bird's Crossing Over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period (Jan. 2010) has a 16 page introduction and a chapter (2) consisting of 38 pages .

Secondly, a volume edited by Mark Given, Paul Unbound: Other Perspectives on the Apostle, has a sample chapter entitled "Paul and the Roman Empire: Recent Perspectives" by Warren Carter.

Forthcoming Commentary by Peter T. O'Brien

Peter T. O'Brien, known for his excellent commentaries on Philippians, Ephesians, and Colossians and Philemon, has a new commentary coming out next year in the Pillar series on Hebrews.

Here are the particulars along with a description:

An esteemed exegete, O'Brien uses discourse analysis to unpack the Book of Hebrews---revealing its meaning for both first century and contemporary hearers. He categorizes the various text sections as either exposition or exhortation, the former enriching our knowledge of God and the latter encouraging us to right behavior. Includes an extensive bibliography and introductory materials.

600 pages, hardcover from Eerdmans.
Product Information
Format: HardcoverNumber of Pages: 600

Vendor: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 0802837298; ISBN-13: 9780802837295

Availability: This product will be released on 02/15/10

Series: Pillar NT Commentaries

Paul and Scripture session papers online

I am pleased to announce that the Paul and Scripture sessions that will be featured at SBL have now posted their papers online.

Gordon Fee, Jerry Sumney, and Stephen Fowl are among those who papers are online.

Incidentally, for someone like myself who will be unable to attend this year's SBL conference, this is a great way to keep track of what will be going on at your favorite sessions. I wished more groups would do this-- Bruce Fisk is to be commended for organizing and maintaining this site.

Interesting Titles forthcoming

Baker Academic has some interesting NT titles due out next spring.

Here is a list:

1) Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to "Holy Land" Theology
Gary M. Burge
Price:
$21.99
ISBN:
978-0-8010-3898-3
ISBN-10:
0-8010-3898-7
Dimensions:
5.5 x 8.5
Number of pages:
176
Publication Date:
Apr. 10
Formats:
Paperback

This accessible volume describes first-century Jewish and Christian beliefs about the land of Israel and offers a full survey of New Testament passages that directly address the question of land and faith. Respected New Testament scholar Gary M. Burge examines present-day tensions surrounding "territorial religion" in the modern Middle East, helping contemporary Christians develop a Christian theology of the land and assess Bible-based claims in discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.
Endorsements
"Gary Burge writes out of a deep knowledge of Scripture and personal acquaintance with the Middle East to demonstrate how the concern for the geographical land in the Old Testament is transmuted into concern for a spiritual inheritance for God's believing people, both Jewish and Gentile, in the New Testament. His exposition of the biblical material offers a gracious corrective to some inadequate and misinformed ideas about the role of Israel in the plan of God and about the Palestinian-Jewish situation, and has important consequences for Christian belief and behaviour. I warmly commend this thorough and scholarly but nevertheless clearly and simply written presentation."--I. Howard Marshall, emeritus professor of New Testament exegesis, University of Aberdeen
"Gary Burge has made a valuable contribution to the ongoing matter of the 'Holy Land' so contested by Israelis and Palestinians. Burge recognizes the powerful impulse to a territorial dimension in much of Judaism. But then he reflects on New Testament texts--notably those by Luke, John, and Paul--to see that Jesus and the early church distanced themselves from any territorial dimension of faith. This leads Burge to offer a powerful, compelling critique of 'Christian Zionism' to which 'the NT says: No.' Clearly a faith that intends to reach Gentiles must, perforce, refuse any closed tribalism that makes exclusive territorial claims. Burge's reading of Scripture is persuasive and provides a fresh way to think about 'faith and land.'"--Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
"Gary Burge may be American evangelicalism's foremost expert on a biblical theology of the land of Israel. This book reintroduces sanity, common sense, and exegetical acumen into a discussion that often sadly lacks these traits. Absolutely essential reading for any Christian who wants to hold a biblically defensible position on the topic."--Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
"For many years Gary Burge has focused on issues relating to Palestinians and the land of Israel. In this careful survey of biblical material, he pulls the rug from under any Christian emphasis on a special status for the land of Israel and from under Christian Zionism. Churches and pastors need to give serious attention to this study and follow its lead."--Klyne Snodgrass, Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies, North Park Theological Seminary

2) Temple in the Gospel of Mark, The: A Study in Its Narrative Role
Timothy C. Gray
Price:
$42.99
ISBN:
978-0-8010-3892-1
ISBN-10:
0-8010-3892-8
Dimensions:
6 x 9
Number of pages:
240
Publication Date:
May. 10
Formats:
Paperback

This work analyzes one of the most striking elements of Mark's story: the vital role the temple plays from Jesus's entry into Jerusalem to the moment of his death. Gray's narrative approach detects implications that redaction criticism missed. Using echoes of Old Testament prophets to present Jesus's "way" as the eschatological return of the Lord to his temple, Mark sees Jesus's cleansing of the temple as a pointer to its imminent destruction. It has failed in its appointed mission to serve as the focus for the restoration of Israel and the ingathering of the Gentiles, and that function will now be assumed by its replacement: the community gathered around Jesus. Originally published by Mohr Siebeck, this book is now available as an affordable North American paperback edition.

3) Jewish World around the New Testament, The: Collected Essays 1
Richard Bauckham
Price:
$59.99
ISBN:
978-0-8010-3903-4
ISBN-10:
0-8010-3903-7
Dimensions:
6 x 9
Number of pages:
560
Publication Date:
Jul. 10
Formats:
Paperback

Renowned biblical scholar Richard Bauckham believes that the New Testament texts cannot be adequately understood without careful attention to their Judaic and Second Temple roots. This book contains twenty-four studies that shed essential light on the religious and biblical-interpretive matrix in which early Christianity emerged. Bauckham discusses the "parting of the ways" between early Judaism and early Christianity and the relevance of early Jewish literature for the study of the New Testament. He also explores specific aspects or texts of early Christianity by relating them to their early Jewish context. Originally published by Mohr Siebeck, this book is now available as an affordable North American paperback edition.
Reviews
"Bauckham's essays are fresh in their approach, inspiring, erudite, and well-argued throughout. They show the methods and the promise of studying early Judaism for its own sake and in order to understand the New Testament in the Jewish world around it. The volume has left me with new insights and much to ponder and pursue."--Christoph Stenschke, Review of Biblical Literature

4) Matthew
Charles H. Talbert
Paideia Commentraies on the New Testament
$29.99
ISBN:
978-0-8010-3192-2
ISBN-10:
0-8010-3192-3
Dimensions:
6 x 9
Number of pages:
384
Publication Date:
Aug. 10
Formats:
Paperback

In this fresh commentary, the fourth of eighteen volumes in the Paideia series, a leading New Testament scholar examines cultural context and theological meaning in Matthew. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by:

-Attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs
-Showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits
-Commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book
-Focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text
-Making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format

Sage Journals Free Trial

Hey, folks. Sage Journals is offering a free trial until Oct. 31st. Be sure to load up on articles from such journals as Currents in Biblical Research, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Expository Times and much, much more.

Udo Schnelle's New Testament Theology Excerpt

Baker Academic has released a 23 page excerpt of Udo Schnelle's (trans. M. Eugene Boring)Theology of the New Testament (November release).

Enjoy!

Are You the One Who Is To Come? Review Part II

Bird, Michael F.

Are You the One Who is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question.

Grand Rapids: Baker Academic , 2009.

Pp. 207.

Paperback. $22.99.

ISBN: 978-0-8010-3638-5

For Part 1 of this review, click here.

When we last left off in chapter 3, Bird carefully and systematically dissected the objections made by scholars that Jesus did not understand himself to be the Messiah of Israel. One of these objections in short, emphasized that the Gospel authors mined OT texts to find, or as Bird colorfully states "ransacked" them in order to find proof of Jesus's messiahship. Bird finds it inconceivable that scholars quickly dismiss the possibility that Jesus himself could have acted out OT stories and patterns deliberately in order to define his role as Messiah (e.g. Zech. 9; 76).

Chapter 4 (77-115) follows this latter point for the author as he discusses among other things, the thorny Son of Man debate. After examining what significance בר אנשא held for Jesus, Bird states:

"...the son of man figure of Dan.7 contributed to the construction of a messianic narrative; it was capable of sustaining a messianic interpretation and was occasionally interpreted as messianic in pockets of pre-Christian Judaism, and Jesus's employment of the phrase taps into that background" (84).

Bird also discusses Jesus's identification being in line with the "anointed one" that 4Q521 and Luke 7.22/Matt. 11.5 discuss in their drawing from Isa. 35.5-6; 61.1. These texts describe the Messiah performing a series of deeds in which "it is highly probable that Jesus regarded his ministry as demonstrating that the messianic signs of deliverance were present, and that forms an all-sufficient answer to the question posed to him by followers of John the Baptist" (104). The chapter concludes with Jesus's identification with kingship due to his teaching on the Kingdom of God, allusions to David and Solomon (104-109) and the "I Have Come" sayings (109-114).

Chapter 5, entitled "Messiah Jesus-A Crucified Messiah?" (117-160) cover a number of important topics. For brevity's sake, I will just mention two significant points in this chapter. The first point is that Bird argues, rightly in my estimation, that Jesus's triumphal entry and demonstration in the temple were "implicit messianic" acts that caused the Judean leadership to move against him (123). Regarding the triumphal entry (Matt. 21.4-5; John 12.14-15; cf. Zech 9.9) and other messianic acts taken from Zechariah, Bird astutely states:

There can be absolutely no reason why Jesus could not model an action based on events found in Israel's sacred traditions. In fact, several threads from Zechariah may have been programmatic for Jesus. Taken together, the use of Zech. 9:9 (triumphal entry), Zech. 14:21 (temple episode), and Zech. 13:7 (passion prediction) provide a coherent and plausible context indicating that Zechariah was the script that Jesus sought to follow in his final days in Jerusalem(124).

The other point that Bird makes in this chapter, is that it makes little or no sense that the church would retroject messianic status back to Jesus independent from his own actions. In other words, the church did so, due to Jesus's actions.

The messianism of the early church was not an impromptu add-on to disappointed hopes; instead, it issued forth in a comprehensive reconfiguration of the Jewish belief mosaic on topics such as kingship, vindication, eschatology, restoration, and the fate of the nations. The messianism of the first Jesus followers was not merely the Christianization of a homogeneous and extant Jewish messianic myth; rather, it involved the redefinition and transformation of a selection of pluriform exegetical traditions and apocalyptic narratives around Jesus (150).

The final chapter, 6, "Toward a Messianic Christology" concludes with another Bird gem.

Jesus is the goal and fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures. The person of Jesus links the story of the church to the story of Israel. He is the supreme mediator between God and humanity. Furthermore, Jesus is for the Gentiles only because he was first (and continues to be!) a servant to Israel. He is the royal and divine Son of God only because he is also the suffering Son of Man. Here is the confession not only of the Johannine network but of all Christians: 'We have found the Messiah!' (167).

In my estimation, this is the best primer on Jesus and the messianic question. First, Bird deftly leads the reader by the hand in summarizing the history of scholarship on this question, and provides a treasure trove of important extra-canonical texts (often quoted rather than referenced!) that shed light on messianism in Second Temple Judaism. Second, Bird writes with an engaging style, making complex arguments easy to follow. Bird also represents the ideas of those he disagrees with fairly and charitably. Lastly, I believe Bird has come at this subject from the right angle, eschewing any attempt at analyzing Jesus's self-consciousness, but rather analyzing Jesus's self-understanding, which can be demonstrated much more readily by evaluating his actions, rather than guessing at his mental state.

This book should be in the hands of every seminary student who wants a better grasp on what calling Jesus "Messiah" actually means!

Paul, His Letters, and Acts excerpt

The latest in the Library of Pauline Studies (Hendrickson), Paul, His Letters, and Acts (forthcoming Jan 2010), authored by Thomas E. Phillips, has available excerpts, 29 pages in all. You can click here, for the main part, chapter 1, "The Plurality of Plausible Pauls."

Enjoy!

Piggybacking on Mike Bird

I thought I would point the way to Mike Bird's latest blog post as there are several must click resources that he has pointed out. Good heads up, Mike!

BTW- I should be getting around to Part II of my review of Mike's new book, Are You the One Who is To Come? In the meantime see part I, here.

Excerpt from Lynn Cohick's new book

Lynn Cohick, Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton, and most recently, co-author of the much acclaimed The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Context (Zondervan), brings to bear her expertise on women in the ancient world, with a new volume Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life (Baker Academic; Nov. 2009).

Here is the description plus blurbs:

Lynn Cohick provides an accurate and full picture of the earliest Christian women by examining a wide variety of first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman documents that illuminate their lives. She organizes the book around three major spheres of life: family (daughter, wife, mother, widow), religious community (including both official and unofficial activities), and society in general (work, slavery, prostitution, benefaction). Cohick shows that although women during this period were active at all levels within their religious communities, their influence was not always identified by leadership titles nor did their gender always determine their level of participation.
Women in the World of the Earliest Christians corrects our understanding of early Christian women by offering an authentic and descriptive historical picture of their lives. The book includes black-and-white illustrations from the ancient world.

Endorsements

"Lynn Cohick combines insights from ancient Roman and Jewish texts with current scholarship on the lifestyles and limitations of being female in the first Christian century. The New Testament is not her primary focus, but it is frequently discussed, providing many fascinating parallels, which sometimes confirm and sometimes question traditional interpretations. As well as summarizing previous findings, the book includes many provocative new ideas, which will become the focus of much new work."--David Instone-Brewer, senior research fellow in rabbinics and the New Testament, Tyndale House, Cambridge

"Dr. Cohick offers a richly detailed and finely nuanced invitation into the lives of women in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The study profits from her integrated examination of literary, epigraphic, iconographic, and archaeological evidence. She exposes gender bias and ideology in literary evidence without discarding what reliable evidence these texts offer for the reconstruction of women's 'real life' experience. She remains attentive throughout not only to issues of gender but also to issues of status, class, and ethnicity and to the bearing these have on the levels of self-direction, involvement, and influence enjoyed by women in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. This book challenges some oft-heard generalizations about women, women's roles, and women's influence, replacing these with the more complicated and varied realities of women's experience in the ancient world."--David A. deSilva, Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary

"Many preconceptions exist about the role of women in the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds at the time of Jesus. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians is a wonderful tour of the real terrain, providing a solid array of general principles and specific examples. By taking us through the world of women at that time, Cohick offers a solid glimpse of first-century culture--a wonderful window into the world of the New Testament that is well worth the read."--Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

"Cohick invites the reader into the lives of women in the ancient world. She carefully assesses the available information--from literature, artwork, inscriptions, and even business receipts--sketching a portrait of 'real women's experiences' in the early days of Christianity. This portrait is one that moves beyond the stereotype of women sequestered at home, but it takes full account of the patriarchy that characterized their world. To combine fascinating storytelling with careful historical assessment is no simple task; Cohick does so with ease. Essential reading!"--Jeannine Brown, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary

"This is an important book for all students of the New Testament, however novice or advanced. Cohick's historical sensibilities and sympathetic reading of the whole range of available evidence overturn a number of caricatures that have for decades plagued claims about women (and men) in the world of the early church. Her presentation of the life of the ordinary Roman woman from Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian sources is a model of careful exploration and nuanced reconstruction. It deserves to be read attentively and consulted often."--Joel B. Green, professor of New Testament interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary

"What a gift--a scholarly volume that dusts off images and memorabilia tucked into the 'family album' of Greco-Roman life only to find women everywhere! Cohick deftly examines a variety of ancient sources to reveal explicit and implied norms and actual behaviors, freedoms, and restrictions of women in this first-century context. From treatises to business receipts, the ordinary is allowed to shed light on the extraordinary variety, complexity, and communal significance of women's contributions at every level of social and religious life--rural, urban, Jew, Gentile, wealthy, poor, pagan, Christian. This careful historical investigation does not play to modern temptations that either deconstruct women as props in an androcentric, patriarchal drama and reconstruct them as contemporary free agents or dismiss authentic access to their historical particularity. Nor does it ignore the social structures in which early Christian women and men became Jesus followers. Rather, it offers evidence that Greco-Roman women--daughters and mothers, educators and matrons, slaves and free women, religious leaders and patrons with civic influence--were active participants in an honor/shame-based culture in which gender, status, class, and ethnicity were interwoven. For those wanting a fuller glimpse of the embodied world into which the New Testament was given and enacted, noting its differences from and echoes in contemporary life, this book is a lovely, valuable contribution."--Cherith Fee Nordling

This book appears that it will be on the 'essential reading' list of anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the social world of the New Testament, especially the often misunderstood role of women. To get a feel for what this work is about, Baker Academic has released a 17 page excerpt that can be viewed here.

Recommendation Needed

I have always found this to be a fruitful way to hunt down my next commentary purchase. So here goes: I am looking for a really solid commentary on the Johannine letters. I do own Smalley in WBC, but it is a bit dated (1984).

I have heard that Yarbrough's (BECNT) recent contribution is good, but I am also wondering about anything else that I should be considering.

So if I could have your opinions on Yarbrough and others I would greatly appreciate it.

Excerpts from forthcoming James commentary

Although Baker Academic has yet to release excerpts from Dan McCartney's forthcoming James commentary (BECNT), it appears that Amazon has done so, albeit more limited than Baker's usual 40 page excerpts.

Interestingly, Baker has also changed the cover art for the commentary.

Before:

After:

Is This Still True?

I was reading through the introduction of Grant Osborne's Revelation commentary (BECNT), when I came across this quote:

The definitive work on the use of the OT in the Apocalypse has yet to be written (2).

Osborne's commentary was published in 2002, and I am aware of Greg Beale's and Sean M. McDonough's contribution (pp. 1081-1161)in the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (eds. Beale and Carson).

Is anyone aware of other works that attempt an overview of the OT in Revelation? More to the point is it even possible to write the definitive work of the OT in Revelation?

Osborne goes on to say:

Virtually every point made comes in some way via an OT allusion (2).

With that in mind, it seems to me that a definitive work in this area would almost have to ignore other concerns that commentaries in general seek to address, and stick solely to the OT backgrounds that Revelation seeks to engage.

Let me know what you think.

Scot McKnight reviews Joel Marcus' Mark Commentary

Over on Christianity Today's Books & Culture, Scot McKnight gives a glowing review Of Joel Marcus' second volume Mark commentary (Mark 8-16) in the Yale Anchor Bible Series.

First off, the review is splendid. McKnight is one of the finest writers going today. He makes me want to purchase this commentary RIGHT NOW! Secondly, he opens with a confession about his own struggles in writing a commentary. Apparently, he was originally slated to write the one for Matthew in the NICNT series, a void R.T. France more than admirably filled, in what is to my mind, the most interesting commentary I have had the privilege of working through. He since has completed the one for James in the aforementioned series, and I'm sure it will be well worth consulting when it is released next year.

Lastly, even though he praises Marcus' commentary, he still insists that Marcus' effort should be read in conjunction with Evans (WBC), France (NICGNT), and Stein (BECNT), among others, insisting that we need to listen to a 'cacophony of voices.' I like his suggestion as well to read commentaries in the order that they were published, so readers can get a feel for the advancements that have been made in the area of exegesis.

Do yourself a favor, take the time and read this review.

Companion video to Introducing the New Testament

About a month ago, I posted on Mark Allan Powell's forthcoming Introducing the New Testament (Baker Academic).

There I noted that Powell has a companion website to accompany the forthcoming volume.

Well, as it turns out, there also appears a video where Powell provides an overview of this volume.

Excerpts on Discovering Jesus in the New Testament

Keith Warrington, Research Fellow in New Testament and Pentecostal Studies and lecturer in New Testament Studies at Regents Theological College, Cheshire, England, has a forthcoming volume out that succeeds his previous effort entitled, Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. This volume, Discovering Jesus in the New Testament has the following description:

Nearly everyone knows something about Jesus, but how much of what we “know” really comes from the Bible? In this thoroughly insightful book we can find the full portrait of Jesus as described in the New Testament, one that is complex yet rich, one that is diverse yet unified, one that explains who Jesus was and how he continues to speak to our world.

I am somewhat familiar with Warrington's previous work, the aforementioned Holy Spirit volume, and I must say from what I remember reading, it was very helpful in summarizing and explicating how the Spirit is portrayed in each book of the NT. I suspect the volume on Jesus will follow much the same format.

Here are some blurbs to whet your appetite:

“Many want a piece of Jesus, but few want all of him. What else explains the stampede for books, videos, and seminars offering a truncated version of the biblical Christ? How starkly this book stands in contrast! Professor Warrington unveils a full portrait of Jesus, cast in the light of the entire New Testament and wholly faithful to the original. Has your Jesus been downsized? Pick up this book and find out!”—J. Ed Komoszewski, Coauthor, Reinventing Jesus and Putting Jesus in His Place
“The shelves are full of books, written at all levels, on Jesus. Nevertheless, Dr. Keith Warrington has discerned an unresolved need of mid-range readers and addressed it commendably. Discovering Jesus in the New Testament charts the course of reflection on Jesus—his life, works, identity and theological significance—through the whole of the New Testament writings and does so in a way that is eminently readable and accessible. What emerges is a carefully conceived description of Jesus that embraces both the rich diversity of first-century articulation and the profound common threads of Christology that assure us of a single (though marvelously complex) conversation.”—Philip H. Towner, Dean of The Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship, American Bible Society
“With clarity and insight, Warrington takes the reader on a whirlwind journey through the multifaceted—yet complementary—presentations of Jesus found in the New Testament writings. Very few introductions to Christology can claim the balance of comprehensiveness, simplicity, and lucidity found in this volume”—Mark L. Strauss, Professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary San Diego

Since the volume will not be available until January 2010, Hendrickson Publishers has made available 48 pages of excerpts available for reading, including the first chapter (40 pages on the Synoptic Gospels). Enjoy!

James D.G. Dunn and the Quote of the Day

Having worked through 2 Corinthians in my master's thesis over 3 years ago, one of the quandaries in interpreting the letter is in handling the various partition theories (e.g. chs. 1-7, chs.8-9, and chs. 10-13) and how to adequately deal with the seemingly incongruous parts.

Here is a great quote in summarizing the difficulties from James Dunn in his latest, Christianity in the Making: Beginning From Jerusalem:

For myself, such hypotheses have the advantage of making sense of the puzzling factors...My only problem is with envisaging the situation and the motivation which caused some anonymous collector or editor to chop off the introductions and conclusions to each letter and simply stick the torsos together in such an awkward way as to raise the questions which the various amalgamation hypotheses are designed to resolve. Why not retain them as complete letters? Nothing was obviously to be gained by giving the impression that Paul wrote only two letters to the Corinthians rather than, say, five or more. If the editor felt so free to 'top and tail' the letters in question, what prevented him from exercising the same freedom to edit the material into a more coherent unit? Or if he was careful to excise greetings, thanksgivings and farewell, would we not have expected him to take care to ensure better links between the sections? Furthermore, unless the editing was done very early indeed, then we might have expected copies of one or more of these independent letters to have been made and circulated more widely, which would almost certainly have left some mark in the textual tradition. But of that there is none.

I do not believe the puzzle of 2 Corinthians is finally resolvable. The unavoidable fact is that all the data of the letter in its present form are capable of supporting a variety of hypotheses. What is frustrating in this, as in other debates on the beginnings of Christianity, is the unwillingness of some to make allowances for changes of circumstance or information or mood which might provide a perfectly adequate explanation of the various infelicities and disjunctures which grate on the ear of the twentieth-or twenty-first-century reader of such documents. The inadequacy of our historical imagination is often a greater problem than the puzzling data of a letter like 2 Corinthians (emphasis mine; 835-836).

Having been an advocate of one form of the various partition theories, I have since revised my thinking. To me the clincher is not having any evidence for any of these partition theories in our manuscript evidence. Some might accuse this as being an argument from silence, but I steadfastly maintain that a cautious and careful interpreter of this letter will ultimately be swayed by this inevitable fact. Furthermore, rhetorical conventions cannot and should not be set aside when evaluating these letters. Dunn is spot on when he accuses the historian for the lack of imagination in making allowances in viewing the text as an organic whole.

Book Review: Are You the One Who Is To Come? Part 1

Bird, Michael F.

Are You the One Who is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question.

Grand Rapids: Baker Academic , 2009.

Pp. 207.

Paperback. $22.99.

ISBN: 978-0-8010-3638-5

Michael Bird, Tutor in New Testament at the Highland Theological College in Dingwall, Scotland, prolific author, and fellow biblioblogger , has provided New Testament scholars and students with a wonderful primer revolving around the knottiest of historical Jesus questions, namely, "Who did Jesus understand himself to be?" Or to put it more specifically:"Did Jesus understand himself himself to be designated by God as the Messiah of Israel?" To this question, Bird answers with a resounding "Yes!" Bird arrives at this affirmative by arguing "...that the historical Jesus understood his mission, ministry, or vocation...in messianic categories" (11).

Bird organizes his study into six succinct chapters. Chapter 1 titled "Jesus Who is Called the Christ" (Pp. 23-30) provides an overview of scholarship regarding the "messianic question" of whether or not Jesus believed himself to be the Messiah. Bird demonstrates that scholarship has largely answered this inquiry in the negative. Furthermore, Bird addresses the topic of Jesus's self-understanding. After surveying the various options that scholars have posited, Bird states that "the goal of this work is to argue ...that Jesus of Nazareth did claim, in action and speech, to be the Messiah of Israel" (29). Bird prefers to use the term "messianic self-understanding" as opposed to "messianic self-consciousness" due to the fact that analyzing an ancient figures psychological and mental states go beyond what historical inquiry can prove. Conversely, Bird defines "messianic self-understanding" as "Jesus's identifying himself in a messianic role and couching his activities as messianic in character and purpose" (29). Further, Bird is interested in "intentions and identity as they pertain to Jesus and messiahship" (29; emphasis original).

In Chapter 2 (Pp. 31-62), Bird sets out to explore the origins of messianism during the Second-Temple period. The author stresses that there was no single conception of what the messiah would be. Certain texts such as 1QM and Pss. Sol. 17-18 expected an early warrior, while others viewed him to be a preexistant and transcendent figure (1 Enoch; 4 Ezra), and yet others such as those at Qumran pictured two messiahs, one of Aaron and one of Israel (1 QS 9.11; CD 12.22-23; 13.20-22; etc.) Next, Bird tackles the Old Testament (OT) in a attempt to understand the extent of the roots of messianism found therein. The author takes on Joseph Fitzmyer and his volume similarly titled The One Who is To Come, stating that the former has wrongly correlated messianic and eschatological expectations from the OT data. For Bird, Fitzmyer is much too strict in viewing messianic texts by tying his method to the word משיח‎ ('anointed one') as it relates to the continuance of the Davidic dynasty in subsequent texts pertaining to the history of Israel (35). Bird opts for this viewpoint: "When we come to messianic hopes, biblical and postbiblical, we see that functions and roles are often more important than a single title" (35). after surveying a myriad of OT texts (34-46), Bird concludes:

...what I propose then is that we identify an Old Testament text as "messianic" when the plain sense of the text...designates a figure with royal qualities who is sent by God, and also that either the text itself was treated as messianic in postbiblical interpretation, or else the pattern of activity that the figure embodies corresponds to a pattern of activity often expected of messianic figures in antiquity (46).

Skipping ahead to chapter 3 (63-76), Bird tackles what is perhaps the central question of the volume: "Did Jesus understand himself to be the Messiah?" First, he summarizes the five reasons scholars have traditionally rejected the possibility of Jesus's messianic self-identification: 1)Linking the resurrection with Jesus's status as Messiah. In other words, Jesus did not become Messiah until after his resurrection as traditional material ( e.g. Rom. 1.4; 2 Tim. 2.8) and kerygmatic summaries of the early church demonstrate (e.g. Acts 2.36; 13.33; 64). Bird's response to this theory is manifold: One, The resurrection itself has not ties to messiahship apart from a messianic claim by Jesus or the expectation of such by his disciples. Second, there is no analogy in Jewish thought for a resurrected Messiah. Third, resurrection did play a role in messianic beliefs about Jesus in that it marked "a transition into a higher rank of sonship, and his sonship exercises a new eschatological function that he did not previously discharge before Easter" (65). 2) Another argument against Jesus understanding himself to be the Messiah is the so called "messianic secret" proposed by William Wrede. Wrede argues that this 'secret' as found in Mark's Gospel was merely theological, in that it accounted for Jesus's messiahship even though he himself never claimed to be so. Among other objections, Bird rightly refutes Wrede's attempt "to compress all miracle and kingdom traditions under the aegis of messiahship..."(67). Furthermore, Bird points out that the so-called "messianic secret" would be better categorized as a "messianic misunderstanding" due to the fact that Jesus's actions are still widely publicized even with injunctions not to do so (68).

The last 3 objections that scholars posit are briefly mentioned here: 3) The disciples' enthusiasm and the authorities' perception of Jesus as the Messiah; 4) An inference from the Titulus on the cross; and finally, 5) The Scripturizing of the Tradition. For brevity's sake, I will only discuss the last point. This objection states that the earliest Christians "ransacked" their Scriptures to find scriptural proof that Jesus was the Messiah. Bird, conversely states that "Although the evangelists and their sources interpreted Jesus's activities through the lens of Scripture, we have no indication that their reading of Scripture somehow created the story of Jesus's messiahship" (75). In addition, the author astutely points out:

What is more, it remains a mystery as to why scholars continue to insist that the evangelists or the early church created stories about Jesus out of Scripture, and yet this same propensity to engage Scripture is never attributed to Jesus himself. We muster wonder, why, in principle, Jesus was unable to deliberately act out stories and scriptural patterns that were also creative, innovative, subversive, provocative, and even offensive (75).

This segues nicely into Bird's next chapter where he discusses Jesus as deliberately acting and playing out messianic motifs in his ministry and teaching. This concludes part 1 of this review.

Off the Grid: And You Thought Usain Bolt was Fast!

Check out this video about Sarah, a cheetah from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. 100 meters in 6.130 seconds! That is only about 3.5 seconds faster than Bolt's amazing 9.58.

A Good Idea Just Got Better

For reading comprehension, Zondervan has produced two stellar editions with A Reader's Hebrew Bible and A Reader's Greek New Testament . Regarding the latter, which I do not own, (I use The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition, read my review here) is already in its second edition, and uses a slightly different text than the UBS 4, namely, the text used as a base for the TNIV.

It is my practice to bring my UBS to church every Sunday and there have been many occasions where, much to my dismay, the reading will be from the Old Testament, and you guessed it, my Hebrew Reader's edition will be sitting at home. Well, Zondervan has good news in that they will be combining the aforementioned titles into one handy volume with the title, A Reader's Hebrew and Greek Bible. The release date is not until April 2010 and retails for $74.99, but the 2,256 page volume has all of these features making the price and the wait worthwhile:

This combined A Reader's Greek New Testament and A Reader’s Hebrew Bible offers the following features: • Complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible, using the Westminister Leningrad Codex • Greek text underlying Today’s New International Version—with footnotes comparing wherever this text is different from the UBS4 text • Footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less—twenty-five or less for Aramaic words—with context-specific glosses • Footnoted definitions of all Greek words occurring thirty times or less • Lexicons of all Hebrew words occurring more than 100 times and Greek words occurring more than thirty times • Eight pages of full-color maps separate the OT and NT sections Ideal for students, pastors, and instructors, A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible saves time and effort in studying the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. By eliminating the need to look up definitions, the footnotes allow you to more quickly read the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text. Featuring fine-grain black European leather binding, A Reader’s Hebrew and Greek Bible is a practical, attractive, and surprisingly affordable resource.

I think I have just solved my problem no matter what testament is preached from on Sunday!

Discovery: Largest Cache of Bar-Kokhba Coins Ever Found

According to GNews:

The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University.
The coins were discovered in three batches in a deep cavern located in a nature reserve in the Judean hills. The treasure includes gold, silver and bronze coins, as well as some pottery and weapons.
The discovery was made in the framework of a comprehensive cave research and mapping project being carried out by Boaz Langford and Prof. Amos Frumkin of the Cave Research Unit in the Department of Geography at the Hebrew University.

In total, 120 bronze, silver, and gold coins were discovered within a hidden wing in a cave. For more on this story see here.

(HT: BiblePlaces Blog)

New Covenant Commentary Series Now Out!

The first two volumes of the New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS: Wipf & Stock) has been released.

Michael Bird, whose credentials all of us know about, has authored the volume on Colossians and Philemon, and Craig Keener, another amazingly prolific scholar has authored the volume on Romans.

Here are the details:

Romans By Craig S. Keener; edited by: Michael Bird and Craig S. Keener

Retail Price: $32.00

Web Price: $25.60

ISBN 10: 1-60608-156

XISBN 13: 978-1-60608-156-3

Pages: 294

Description: A helpfully concise commentary on Paul's letter to the early Christians in Rome, which the Apostle wrote just a few years before the outbreak of Nero's persecution. Keener examines each paragraph for its function in the letter as a whole, helping the reader follow Paul's argument. Where relevant, he draws on his vast work in ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources in order to help modern readers understand the message of Romans according to the way the first audience would have heard it. Throughout, Keener focuses on major points that are especially critical for the contemporary study of Paul's most influential and complex New Testament letter.

Endorsements:

By grounding his exposition of Romans in the world of the first century, yet keeping his eye on the needs and concerns of the contemporary world, Keener offers here a rare commodity: a lucid commentary that is simultaneously conversant with the latest biblical scholarship and pastorally sensitive."—John T. Fitzgerald, University of Miami, USA and North-West University, South Africa

"Craig Keener has written a marvelous commentary that will prove to be a valuable tool for ministers, students, and scholars alike. By insightfully introducing and contextualizing, as well providing excurses that guide the reader from ancient to modern times, Keener has done with excellence what a commentary should do."—Manfred Lang, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg

Colossians By Michael Bird; edited by: Michael Bird and Craig Keener

Retail Price: $22.00

Web Price: $17.60

ISBN 10: 1-60608-131-4

ISBN 13: 978-1-60608-131-0

Pages: 192

Endorsements:

Every generation needs to grapple anew with the Bible, and every pastor needs a series that pushes the text into the community and this commentary series accomplishes these tasks. May God bless these commentaries to yield communities that live out God's gracious covenant with us."—Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies North Park University

"Michael Bird's treatment of Colossians and Philemon is incisive, informative, and independent. He guides readers with a light touch, accurately setting out competing positions, but judiciously weighing the merits of each of these alternatives. The commentary is built on a foundation of mature, balanced, and sane exegesis—and from this firm foundation Bird draws weighty theological implications. This is a masterpiece of succinct writing and an auspicious start to the New Covenant Commentary Series."—Paul Foster, School of Divinity University of Edinburgh

Here are the remainder of the commentaries and their order of projected appearance:

REVELATION – Gordon Fee

EPHESIANS – Lynn Cohick

JAMES – Pablo Jimenez1–

3 JOHN – Sam Ngewa

JOHN – Jey Kanagaraj

PASTORAL EPISTLES – Aida Besancon-Spencer

MARK – Kim Huat Tan

ACTS – Jungmo Cho

LUKE – Jeannine Brown

2 PETER AND JUDE – Andrew Mbuvi

MATTHEW–Joel Willits

1 PETER – Eric Greaux

1–2 THESSALONIANS – TBD

PHILIPPIANS– Linda Belleville

HEBREWS – Tom Thatcher

GALATIANS – Brian Vickers

1 CORINTHIANS – TBD

2 CORINTHIANS – David DeSilva

What's more is that the Wipf and Stock website is offering a 40% discount on these inaugural volumes when you enter the coupon code: NCCS09.