That man alone is free who establishes God alone as his ruler; indeed, I am inclined to think that he is a ruler over of all others, put in trust over all earthly matters, being, as it were, the viceroy of a great king, the mortal lieutenant of an immortal sovereign….(Every Noble Man is Free 20; slight reworking of Yonge) Read more

For a talk that I am going to give tomorrow, I was planning on using the famous Chesterton quote: “every man who knocks at the door of a brothel is actually looking for God.” Because I try to be a respectable scholar, I wanted to find the context and source for this quote. IT DOESN’T EXIST!!! Oh no! Interestingly, everyone and their brother (mostly “Christian living” authors, but also Biblical scholars and theologians as well) attributes this quote to Chesterton,... Read more

A single hour lovingly directed to the text of the Septuagint will further our exegetical knowledge of the Pauline Epistles more than a whole day spent over a commentary. (Adolf Deissmann; The Philology of the Greek Bible, 12) Read more

Well folks, it is time for a bit of a celebration, as this blog has just surpassed 500,00 views. I began the blog in January of 2007. I have tried to blog regularly. I have had five different homes during that time in two countries and four different states in the US. But I have tried to stay committed to blogging. It is exciting to be settled in at Northeastern Seminary whence I will continue to blog, hopefully with even... Read more

Yes, folks, that’s right. The fall Baker catalog is out – I feel like a kid in a candy shop, except the shop only has pictures and descriptions of candy. Well, I am still excited.  Here is what I hope to get my hands on this fall! #1: Old Testament Theology: Reading the Hebrew Bible as Christian Scripture – Walter Moberly. Whilst (I had to throw the British “st” on there in honor of the author) I was a student at Durham,... Read more

Warren Carter has written a handy little book (~150 pp) on the background and context of the New Testament called Seven Events That Shaped the New Testament World (Baker, 2013). So, what are the “big seven”? (1) The Death of Alexander the Great (and the Hellenization of his conquered lands) (2) The Process of Translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (and the influence of the Septuagint) (3) The Rededication of the Jerusalem Temple (and the legacy of the Maccabean revolt) (4)... Read more

In the last post, I talked a bit about the importance and legacy of the LXX. Here I would like to talk about the Apocrypha, which is included within the LXX. Disclaimer: it is a bit misleading to talk about “the Septuagint.” Someone once wrote that to refer to the Septuagint is like referring to the English Bible. Just as with the English Bible, the Septuagint (as a term) represents a variety of text traditions with a long and winding history. The... Read more

I love the Septuagint! Well, I love Greek. I find the Septuagint, as a translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Jewish Scriptures fascinating. I love digging into the LXX for help with NT word studies in particular. However, I am disappointed that it is not emphasized very much as a resource for pastoral ministry (esp Biblical interpretation), and that many pastors are simply unaware of its legacy, and the influence it has had on the NT writers. Perhaps Ferdinand Hitzig... Read more

I am in the throes of lecture prep for the fall term. I am currently working on my lecture on the Jewish and Greco-Roman background and context of the New Testament. There is obviously a lot that could be said, and textbooks often cover quite a lot of ground. However, if you have only one hour to introduce uninitiated students to the salient events, ideas, and issues that “set” the New Testament period, what would they be? If you had... Read more

What looks to be another enticing set of article in JSNT. John Anthony Dunne “Suffering in Vain: A Study of the Interpretation of ΠΑΣΧΩ in Galatians 3.4” Allan T. Georgia “Translating the Triumph: Reading Mark’s Crucifixion Narrative against a Roman Ritual of Power” Wendy E.S. North “‘Lord, if you had been here …’ (John 11.21): The Absence of Jesus and Strategies of Consolation in the Fourth Gospel” Walter T. Wilson “The Uninvited Healer: Houses, Healing and Prophets in Matthew 8.1-22” Thomas... Read more