My buddy, Sean Adams, has published a really helpful study of Jewish literature and genres in the Greco-Roman world. Greek Genres and Jewish Authors: Negotiating Literary Culture in the Greco-Roman Era (Baylor University Press, 2020) Why did you write this book, Greek Genres and Jewish Authors? I did not set out with the intention to write this book. It began as a postdoctoral project that was going to look at a handful of Jewish authors (Luke, Paul, Philo, and Josephus) and... Read more
Is the Holy Spirit a “He”? Is God’s Spirit male? I get these kinds of questions from students or friends from time to time. It’s a good question because it forces us to go back to the Scriptures to see what is there. Therefore, this blog series will take such questions seriously and help to provide a “thick description” of how Scripture characterizes the Holy Spirit. First, the problem, what pronouns should we use for the Holy Spirit in English... Read more
Daniel M. Gurtner, Introducing the Pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism: Message, Context, and Significance (Baker Academic, 2020). Dr. Daniel Gurtner has written a helpful textbook on the Jewish Pseudepigrapha, a set of texts of used and misused in New Testament studies. Learn more from Gurtner about his new book in this interview. What is the Pseudepigrapha? DMG: Generally, these are writings that celebrate some figure from Israel’s past. I say “generally” because this by no means accounts for them. Technically, the term... Read more
This is part 6 of an ongoing series 0n Accordance. This time we will be talking about which packages to buy. part 1: Translation Comparison part 2: Greek Lexicons part 3: Deeper Word Studies part 4: Digital Library part 5: Accordance Mobile App Which Packages to Buy? Ok, so you are interested in Accordance. You’ve heard from folks it is handy for Bible study, you’ve collected some nickels and dimes, and you are ready to dive in. But what packages... Read more
Congratulations to my wonderful colleagues Volker Rabens, Jacqueline N. Grey, and Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn on publishing this robust volume: KEY APPROACHES TO BIBLICAL ETHICS. Table of Contents Part 1 How to Approach Ethics in the Bible: A Dialogue on the Fundamental Methodological Questions of Biblical Ethics “How to Read Biblical Texts Ethically: The New Method of “Implicit Ethics” for Analyzing Biblical Ethics”/Ruben Zimmerman “Reading Biblical Texts Ethically: A Discussion of Ruben Zimmermann’s Method of “Implicit Ethics” from an Old Testament Perspective”/Markus... Read more
This is part 5 of an ongoing series 0n Accordance. This time we will be talking Accordance’s mobile app. part 1: Translation Comparison part 2: Greek Lexicons part 3: Deeper Word Studies part 4: Digital Library Using the Accordance Mobile App There’s an app for that! Remember when we used to say that? Anyway, a nice perk of having Accordance is getting the app as well for your mobile device. Obviously you won’t be doing long-term, rigorous research via phone, but... Read more
My friend Patrick Gray (Rhodes College) is editor of an exciting new project, The Cambridge Companion to the New Testament—24 chapters, 400 pages. It is a bit surprising to me that Cambridge had not already published a CCNT (after all, the volumes on Paul and the Gospels are now in second editions). But this looks to be a really impressive volume covering a range of the key issues and texts in New Testament studies. Patrick was kind enough to share with... Read more
This is part 4 of an ongoing series 0n Accordance. This time we will be talking using Accordance as a digital library. part 1: Translation Comparison part 2: Greek Lexicons part 3: Deeper Word Studies Using Accordance as a Digital Library When I think about why and how I use Accordance Bible Software, I use it primarily for fast, convenient, and in-depth analysis of primary texts like LXX, GNT, Pseudepigrapha, DSS, Josephus, Apostolic Fathers, etc. But Accordance can be used... Read more
Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings Between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus Book Description: Do you want to understand Jesus of Nazareth, his apostles, and the rise of early Christianity? Reading the Old Testament is not enough, writes Matthias Henze in this slender volume aimed at the student of the Bible. To understand the Jews of the Second Temple period, it’s essential to read what they wrote—and what Jesus and his followers might have... Read more
Susan Docherty, The Jewish Pseudepigrapha: An Introduction to the Literature of the Second Temple Period Book Description: This is a concise yet comprehensive guide to the Pseudepigrapha: the Jewish texts of the late Second Temple Period (ca. 250 BC–100 AD) that are not included in the Hebrew Bible or standard collections of the Apocrypha. Each chapter deals with a specific literary genre (such as apocalyptic, testaments, and “rewritten Bible”), encouraging readers to appreciate the texts as literature as well... Read more
Crux Sola: Formed by Scripture to Live like Christ
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