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Monday, September 30, 2013

Francis J. Moloney's 2013 Mullen Lecture

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the annual Mullen Lecture delivered by Francis J. Moloney at St. Mary's Seminary in Ohio.

Frank's topic was "Love in the Gospel of John: to What End? The lecture, as one might imagine, was very well attended, and also served to whet the audience's appetite for Moloney's forthcoming Love in the Gospel of John: An Exegetical, Theological, and Literary Study (Baker Academic).

At the conclusion of Frank's wonderful address, Father Gerald Bednar presented him with the first copy of the aforementioned book, slated for a November release.
Francis J. Moloney delivering the Mullen Lecture, September 29, 2013. Photo taken by Matthew D. Montonini

I am hoping that St. Mary's will make the video recording available soon, but in the meantime, I am delighted that the full text of Frank's lecture is available here.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Excerpt of N.T. Wright's Paul and the Faithfulness of God


Perhaps the most anticipated book of the fall in NT studies, N.T. Wright's Paul and the Faithfulness of God, now offers the reader a sneak peek as to what all the fuss is about.

Fortress Press has included the Table of Contents, the Preface, and chapter one, "Return of the Runaway?" (74 pages long!). Enjoy!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Scripture and Ministry Lecture: Gareth Cockerill on Hebrews

The Scripture and Ministry Lecture at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School was given by Gareth Cockerill on the topic "Do not Refuse the One Who is Speaking (Heb 12:25): Hebrews and Contemporary Preaching."

It is now available to stream here.


Friday, September 13, 2013

Ringing Endorsements for Moloney's Love in the Gospel of John

A couple of months ago, I did a brief write-up on Francis J. Moloney's forthcoming Love in the Gospel of John: An Exegetical, Theological, and Literary Study.

Since that time, more endorsements have come in for this highly anticipated volume.

Here are the blurbs, some of the best I have ever read for a forthcoming volume, and might I add, very well deserved!:


Endorsements:

"Francis J. Moloney is one of the most distinguished Catholic scholars of John's Gospel in the English-speaking world today. In his latest work on the Fourth Gospel, he displays his fine gifts as an able teacher. Having absorbed a vast amount of literature on the topic of love in John's Gospel, he presents his own argument in a clear, orderly form that even the uninitiated can grasp." John P. Meier, Warren Chair Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame

 "Francis J. Moloney is well known for his narrative commentaries on the Gospel of John. In Love in the Gospel of John, he uses his understanding of narrative to explore and interpret the theology of the Gospel. He sees that John tells the story of Jesus as the story of God, who, for love of the world, gave his Son to save the world, and argues that this reality is integral to the Gospel and the source of Jesus' command to 'love one another as I have loved you.' Readers interested in John will want to read this book." John Painter, professor of theology, School of Theology, Charles Sturt University

"Decades of study of the Fourth Gospel have uniquely qualified Frank Moloney to write this book about love in the Gospel of John. What he has written is a story of God's love for the world, manifest in Jesus' love for his own until the end and proclaimed in the Gospel according to John. The evangelist's story has all the twists and turns of any real love story. Moloney sheds light on these several twists and turns as only he, among contemporary English-language scholars, can do." Raymond F. Collins, visiting scholar, Department of Religious Studies, Brown University

"What better way to crown a lifetime of research and writing on the Gospel of John than to produce a book on its major theme of love! Francis Moloney, one of the world's leading experts on the Gospel, has brought to bear his keen analysis of the text and vast knowledge of the secondary literature in this comprehensive study. Moloney not only illuminatingly treats God's love for the world in the giving of the Son, the love commandment, and the Beloved Disciple but also embeds the discussion of such topics in the developing narrative as it moves towards Jesus' hour of glory. In showing how love pervades this Gospel and is integrally related to its other major themes, Moloney's engaging book is bound to become indispensable reading for all students of John's Gospel and its theology." Andrew T. Lincoln, Portland Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Gloucestershire

"'Love in Action' could be the subtitle of this very fine study of John's Gospel. Frank Moloney focuses not only on the relational aspects of love--between Father and Son, God and the world, Jesus and disciples, disciples and one another--but also on the performative consequences of this love: what love looks like, particularly in the Johannine Passion. This book reads as the culmination of a lifetime of exegetical skill, research, and lived discipleship, enabling Moloney to express the heart of the Gospel's message in the one word love." Mary L. Coloe, associate professor, MCD University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia

 "Love plays a central role in the Gospel of John, and in this fine volume Frank Moloney offers a richly textured interpretation of the theme. With insights gained from a lifetime of engagement with this Gospel, Moloney invites readers to see the many facets of love that are disclosed by John's narrative and to discover anew the ways in which love's many dimensions cohere in the self-giving actions of Jesus. Scholars and students, theologians and pastors will welcome this compelling treatment of the idea that shapes John's understanding of God, Jesus, and the path of discipleship." Craig R. Koester, Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota

"The reader soon discovers that this is not a narrow treatment of the love command in the Gospel of John but a full-scale expedition into the heart of the Gospel's theology. Along the way it offers fresh and insightful interpretations of Jesus' mission, his work, and the centrality of the cross in the Gospel. Moloney knows this theological terrain so intimately that he makes sure the reader does not miss the grand vistas it offers." R. Alan Culpepper, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

"Love in the Gospel of John is unique; it is not a semantic study of the words for love in the Fourth Gospel but a study of love in action. According to Moloney, in the Gospel of John it is Jesus' task, his mission, 'to make love known' in the world. The culmination of the revelation of love is seen in the death of Jesus on the cross, where Jesus himself enacts what he says in John 15:13: 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.' Moloney's interpretation of John cannot leave us indifferent, and his book has the rare quality of calling us to actions of love not with moralizing appeals but with rational insight and narrative transformation. A much-needed book that will appeal both to scholars in the field of Johannine studies and to interested nonspecialists." Reimund Bieringer, professor of New Testament exegesis, Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), Belgium

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Francis J. Moloney: Online Mark Videos

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference that took place this past May 16, 2013, had as its theme, "St. Mark: A Crucified and Risen Messiah."


One of the two speakers was eminent NT scholar, Fr.Francis J. Moloney, SDB. Moloney speaks in two separate sessions, each lasting around 25 minutes apiece.

I highly recommend viewing these videos, as you will see a master teacher communicate Markan essentials in a brief period of time.

Best of all, these videos can now be accessed here. You will have to download a specific player to see the videos, but it is free and painless.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Bultmann and the Fourth Gospel: Introducing the Johannine Monograph Series

Paul N. Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University, along with R. Alan Culpepper, Dean of the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, are teaming up as co-editors of an important new monograph series, the Johannine Monograph Series (henceforth, JMS; Wipf & Stock).

R. Alan Culpepper
Paul N. Anderson 
What is distinctive about this series is the fact that Anderson and Culpepper are reintroducing important, seminal works on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine epistles to a whole new generation of students and scholars. The first to kick off the JMS series, and perhaps the most important commentary ever written on John's Gospel, is Rudolf Bultmann's, The Gospel of John: A Commentary. I have had the pleasure of reading the foreword written by Paul Anderson, and it is simply the best evaluation I have ever read of Bultmann's commentary. This volume should be out within the month.
Rudolf Bultmann

Other volumes slated for subsequent release in this series are:

D. Moody Smith, The Composition and Order of the Fourth Gospel 
Peder Borgen, Bread from Heaven
Wayne Meeks, The Prophet-King 
David Wead, Literary Devices in the Fourth Gospel (revised edition)
Michael Theobald, The Lord's Sayings in the Gospel of John (revised, translated)

Anderson and Culpepper are to be congratulated on this service to scholars and students alike. I especially look forward to seeing Bultmann in paperback, a much more affordable venture!