Perhaps the major historical tourist attraction in all of south Texas is the Alamo, even though it is a monument to defeat rather than victory. Only a short walk from our hotel, it was worth seeing again and remembering. My own childhood memories of the place, which I have visited several times was nonetheless colored by seeing the big budget Hollywood film which was released in 1960 and starred and was directed by ‘Duke’ aka John Wayne who plays Davy... Read more
There is actually quite a lot to see on the Riverwalk, and sometimes the boats take differing routes particularly in the day time so you appreciate some of the vintage buildings in San Antonio. This city has gone out of its way to preserve 19th and 20th century building, repurposing them again and again, rather than just razing them and build a new ugly concrete and glass tower. Kudos to the city council. Here below is our captain and guide.... Read more
San Antonio, named after the river of that name which in turn is named after St. Anthony is one of my very favorite places for the SBL to meet. And it is fun to ride the river and hear the chronicle of the boat driver, whether you do it by day or by night, but let’s start with night when the river and it trees are all lit up in bright colors as are the numerous restaurants. That hotel on... Read more
Richard Bauckham, ‘Son of Man’. Volume One: Early Jewish Literature, (Eerdmans, 2023), pp. 433. Without question, one of the leading and most learned Biblical scholars in my lifetime is Richard Bauckham. When he writes a new detailed study on a subject of relevance to the study of the Bible, it deserves the full attention of the Biblical Studies guild, but not only that also of educated laity, pastors, and religion scholars in general. And such a study is this... Read more
I’m thinking of putting up a sign like this in front of my house, except the reverse— House Not for Sale. Haunted!! I don’t know about you but I am now almighty tired of endless phone calls by huxters and hustlers from all over the world trying to get me to buy more medical insurance, or invest in their scam, or worse— they are offering to buy my house for cash. There have been phone calls, letters in the mail,... Read more
One of the things many literary scholars have pondered is why it is that so many of the great novels and short stories that have been written since the Civil War have been written by Southern writers. The answer I was given at UNC is that the South is the only region of our country that has lost a major war on its own soil, which created a lot of angst, soul searching, pathos and pouring one’s heart out on... Read more
Translating the New Testament from Greek is more of an art than a science, and one actually needs be a skilled writer to do it well, without whittling off the sharp edges or wrongly decoding the puzzling texts in the New Testament. Here, now in a third edition, which varies little from the previous two, is a very readable and clear New Testament translation in an edition with large enough print so that even those who are visually challenged will... Read more
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