The Bible and Culture

The long running SNTS seminar 'Paul and Rhetoric' has produced some excellent discussion about Paul's use of Greco-Roman rhetoric, and various collections of essays have been published on this subject, as a direct product of this seminar, and on the basis of other such seminars in the SBL and elsewhere. This particular volume with the same title as the SNTS seminar includes various essays, variously revised or translated or both (everything is in English), from the period of about 2002 to 2008 … [Read more...]

Critique of Bousset Article Availableby larryhurtadoIn one of my very first academic publications, I gave a critique of certain key positions taken in Bousset's classic work, Kyrios Christos (1913), and called for an equivalent effort to build a sounder portrayal of the emergence of earliest Jesus-devotion: Larry W. Hurtado, "New Testament Christology: A Critique of Bousset's Influence," Theological Studies 40 (1979): 306-17. A number of my own publications thereafter were devoted toward … [Read more...]

Kruger on P. Antinoopolis 12 (0232)by larryhurtadoOver the weekend I read with interest the newly-published study of the fragment of 2 John known as P.Antinoopolis 12 (Gregory-Aland 0232) by Michael J. Kruger (former PhD student). The manuscript was dated by C.H. Roberts to the 3rd century CE, and proposed that it originally other Johannine writings, making it the earliest evidence of an early "Johannine corpus" of writings. (The single leaf extant has page numbers preserved: 164-165, so … [Read more...]

Here is a program I appeared on recently in Australia. Check out this link. BW3http://christianmeetsworld.com/cmw050 … [Read more...]

Here is a sane response to the recent kerfuffle (which is much ado about not very much) about the existence of Jesus.The “Did Jesus Exist” Controversy and Its Precedents by larryhurtadoWell, the internet is buzzing nowadays with positive and negative responses to Bart Ehrman's recent book: Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, written in response to the recent mini-wave of people denying that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure. I haven't read Ehr … [Read more...]

One of the more interesting bits of discussion comes in addressing the issue of the Collection for the Jerusalem Church mentioned in 1 Cor. 16 (pp. 484-85). Bailey is of the opinion that when Paul refers to letters of commendation he is talking about letters the Corinthians must write to commend their own members who will carry the collection to Jerusalem, accompanied by Paul. That is, it is not Paul writing the letter of commendation but the Corinthians themselves. This is probably right. … [Read more...]

While there are many reasons why Evangelical Christians of all stripes might disagree with Mormon theology, perhaps the most important of these is Christology and the related matter of soteriology.I would encourage you to read carefully through the statement at the link below by a practicing Mormon scholar, presented at Harvard Divinity School a few years ago. Here is the link---http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/what-mormons-believe-about-jesus-christ (in order to actually find this … [Read more...]

In the no brainer department, Centre College's Arts at Norton Center staff chose Alison Krauss and Union Station to open their 2012-2013 concert seres. This is rather like bringing Mitt Romney to Salt Lake hoping for a good reception, or coals to Newcastle for that matter. They don't call Kentucky the Bluegrass State just because of the grass. I'm just saying. And what a perfect choice it was for a wonderful evening of fun and music in Danville with our good friends the Arnolds.The … [Read more...]

The discussion of 1 Cor. 14.33b-36 is unfortunately all too brief. Bailey wants to translate the key verb as ‘chat’ the word simply means ‘speak’ (laleo ) and it is the same word used elsewhere in this same chapter. It is used in contrast with the word silence. The speech is further defined as questions, which are to be asked at home. Bailey thinks the nouns in question refer to husbands and wives, but it is possible they are used more generically of men and women. The key issue is the verb … [Read more...]