Folks, I am pleased to introduce you to my friend, Dr. F. Scott Spencer, NT scholar and author of the new book, THE PASSIONS OF THE CHRIST: THE EMOTIONAL LIFE OF JESUS. Spencer presents this new blog series as a way to introduce to you some of the key issues and ideas involved in his work on Jesus and emotions. Spencer is a great scholar, and an even better writer. Enjoy! And the WORD “Felt” Among Us F. Scott Spencer I... Read more
My friends William A. Ross and W. Edward Glenny have edited a wonderful new book, The T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research (2021). I asked them to guest write a post on key questions and trends in Septuagint Research. Read their thoughts below and definitely check out the book. What’s Going On In Septuagint Studies? William A. Ross and W. Edward Glenny, editors What is the Septuagint? Most of us involved in biblical studies would agree that the so-called Septuagint (LXX) is... Read more
I (Nijay) am excited to host a new series welcoming expert OT scholars’ “Top 6” recs for OT Commentaries. First up, Dr. Richard Middleton (Northeastern Seminary). Middleton has written widely on biblical theology and Old Testament studies. Related to Genesis, I highly recommend his books: The Liberating Image and his Oct 2021 forthcoming book, Abraham’s Silence: The Binding of Isaac, the Suffering of Job, and How to Talk Back to God. My Top 6 OT Commentaries on Genesis (J. Richard Middleton) Technical ... Read more
Two great New Testament scholars, Jason Myers (Greensboro College) and James W. Thompson (Abilene Christian University), have teamed up to edit a new commentary series: Proclamation: Preaching the New Testament (Cascade Books, 2021-). A new series, really? (You might be wondering.) My buddy Jason kindly sent me the launch volume (2 Corinthians, by Thompson) and I gotta say I think this is a great idea. First things first, here is the series description (edited to keep it short): In these volumes,... Read more
The church I (Nijay) went to in high school did not ordain women to pastoral ministry. I interned at my church when I was in college, and something troubled me about that experience. There were a handful of pastors (all men), and one woman director of children’s ministry. She came to all the pastoral staff meetings. She came to the pastor’s retreat. She ministered to families with the same passion and excellence as the other pastors (even more!). But she... Read more
My friend Dr. Rebekah Eklund has written an incredibly rich study of how the Beatitudes have been interpreted and made an impact on Christian communities throughout the centuries. I am teaching a Gospels course right now, and had this been published a few months ago, I would have assigned it to my students. Learn more about Eklund’s book in this interview; pre-order it or put it on your reading list (release: April 27, 2021). NKG: What drew your interest to the... Read more
I am excited to help announce a couple of new initiatives at Northern Seminary: Feel free to reach out to me or message @nseminary for more information. Master of Arts in Women’s Studies (54 credit hrs, 3-4 years, distance-friendly) A New Northern Seminary Podcast: The Alabaster Jar, weekly conversations on women and theology, co-hosted by Dr. Lynn Cohick, Dr. Ingrid Faro, and Dr. Beth Felker-Jones. ... Read more
Dr. Thomas Andrew Bennett has published the 1-3 John volume in the Two Horizons New Testament series. Eerdmans kindly sent me a copy and I appreciated some of Bennett’s fresh thinking on approaching these letters. In the past, scholars have spent a ridiculous amount of time and energy “reconstructing” the so-called Johannine community, and then fitting 1-3 John into elaborate situational theories. Is that the best way to approach these texts? Bennett says “no.” I asked Bennett to write up some thoughts... Read more
A.J. Swoboda, PhD – Bushnell University Nijay K. Gupta, PhD – Northern Seminary On Good Friday, April 2, we published an (admittedly too-short) article with Christianity Today entitled “Jesus was the God-man, not the God-Superman.” Within, we (A.J. as a theologian and pastor; Nijay as a New Testament scholar) sought to identify what we believed was an array of integral, pressing, and pertinent set of questions regarding the nature of doubt. First, did Jesus ever experience doubt? And, secondly, if... Read more
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My Top 6 Commentaries (Exodus)
We have launched a new series featuring “best pick” recommendations on OT commentaries by OT experts. Last time, Dr. Richard Middleton gave his recommendations on Genesis. This time around, we have Dr. Carmen Imes talking about Exodus. Dr. Imes has written several books on the Old Testament, and she is due to publish a major Exodus commentary in the Baker Commentary on the OT Pentateuch. She has also written the widely popular Bearing God’s Name, and is now working on a... Read more