Christianity, like Judaism, is an historical religion, by which I mean it is founded and grounded on historical events. This being the case, history is of paramount importance to understanding both the context and the content of the NT. In this post I am commending to you two very different sorts of resources for your libraries. The first of these deals with the issue of daily life and the social context of the Bible. I am on record as saying... Read more

THE POET’S PLIGHT Aspiration Contemplation Inspiration Perspiration Publication Admiration Adulation Coronation…. Expiration! BW3 3/1/18 Read more

Here is an excellent recent post by my friend and colleague Larry Hurtado. See what you think BW3 Fred Wisse on Early Textual Transmission by larryhurtado In a previous posting I asked if we need a revised/new paradigm for portraying the earliest transmission of NT writings (here). An earlier voice advocating a similar position is Frederik Wisse (Emeritus Professor, McGill University) in an essay published in 1989: “The Nature and Purpose of Redactional Changes in Early Christian Texts: The Canonical... Read more

*SIGN IN A SHOE REPAIR STORE IN VANCOUVER READS:* We will heel you We will save your sole We will even dye for you. *A SIGN ON A BLINDS AND CURTAIN TRUCK:* “Blind man driving.” *Sign over a Gynecologist’s Office:* “Dr. Jones, at your cervix.” *In a Podiatrist’s office:* “Time wounds all heels.” *On a Septic Tank Truck*: Yesterday’s Meals on Wheels *At an Optometrist’s Office*: “If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.”... Read more

When a culture is Biblically illiterate, anything can pass as a presentation for Biblical figures like Mary Magdalene. Here’s Larry Hurtado’s detailed critique of the movie. Go see the Paul movie, not this appalling one. BW3 “Mary Magdalene”: The Film by larryhurtado Viewing the recently released film, “Mary Magdalene,” wasn’t quite as boring as watching paint dry, but the comparison did come to mind. I did wonder at various points how much longer it would go on. And that’s a... Read more

It has taken me awhile to process this film. The film takes a small slice of Paul’s life, the end of it in about 67 A.D. and tells the story with empathy, passion, joy and sorrow. Unlike some films which major in Christian schlock, this film has real pathos, and the acting is first rate—- Jim Faulkner as Paul is excellent, so is Jim Caviezel as Luke, Joanne Whalley as Priscilla, John Lynch as Aquila, and Oliver Martinez as the... Read more

My new book, which completes the trilogy of intertextual studies is now out on Amazon and elsewhere. It has chapters on those key Pentateuchal passages that influence and show up in the NT, and we read the text forward, and then backward. It is this study of intertextuality that crucial to understanding the relationship between the OT and the NT, and I’ve done it in preparation for my capstone book Convergence: A Biblical Theology, which I am still working on.... Read more

https://www.dailywire.com/news/28738/alice-cooper-my-personal-relationship-jesus-saved-james-barrett (Thanks to James for this link) Read more

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Kudos to my school where I did my doctoral work in Biblical Studies, it recently was ranked 3rd in the world in the field of theology and religion of all the Universities everywhere! Here’s the report…. Record number of Durham University subjects in World Top 50 Durham University has recorded its highest ever number of subjects in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2018. Nine Durham subjects are now in the World Top 50 of the prestigious international table, up... Read more