Review of J.B. Green’s BODY, SOUL, AND HUMAN LIFE (BAKER)

Last updated on: February 18, 2009 at 10:27 am By Nijay Gupta

Joel Green, professor of New Testament interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary, is known as an expert in biblical exegesis (especially in Luke and 1 Peter) as well as in his work on ‘theological interpretation’. One who has already shown breadth and depth of knowledge, he flexes his interdisciplinary muscles by exploring the way in which the study of neuroscience can shed light on discussions of biblical anthropology. Too often scientists look at their own experimental findings and at traditional Christian... Read more

PDF Editor (Free online)

Last updated on: February 13, 2009 at 8:16 am By Nijay Gupta

I am considering taking my articles that have been published so far and making them into a nice one-volume book (paperback) that I can send with job applications. The problem is, self-publishing websites like lulu.com require (I think) that your uploaded book be one pdf file. I don’t have a very sophisticated pdf editor (foxit), so how do I do it? I found a great site called pdfhammer.com which is free. Check it out! Read more

J. Fitzmyer’s 1 Corinthians Commentary (Anchor-Yale)

Last updated on: February 10, 2009 at 8:32 pm By Nijay Gupta

I am currently reviewing Fitzmyer’s 1 Corinthians commentary (Anchor-Yale 2008 ) and I thought I would offer some thoughts and reflections on this massive work. In the first place, I was not surprised to find Fitzmyer writing this volume as he did fine work on Romans in the series. However, I was also aware that he steered clear of making many ‘theological’ claims. So with 1 Corinthians. It is a ‘commentary’ in the sense that he makes a lot of... Read more

3rd Paper Accepted for SBL Rome…

Last updated on: February 6, 2009 at 4:20 pm By Nijay Gupta

Well, I proposed 3 papers for SBL and all three have been accepted! Now, I have to choose my favorite two! Well, here is the 3rd, FYI Sustaining the Sacred Canopy: John 17 from a Socio-Cognitive Perspective In this paper I intend to apply the sociological work of Peter L Berger to the matter of prayer in the New Testament. Berger argues that ‘reality’ is socially constructed and that people, by nature, seek out order. Religion, Berger contends, is an... Read more

Second Paper Accepted to SBL (Rome)

Last updated on: February 2, 2009 at 1:40 am By Nijay Gupta

I just received word that my second paper has been accepted for SBL (Rome) in the group looking at Methods in NT Studies. Title: A Methodological Reconsideration of Paul’s Use of Scripture in Philippians This paper challenges a long-held view that some letters of Paul have more Scriptural quotes than others because of the Jewish education (or lack thereof) of his audiences. Thus, for Philippians, several scholars argue that this epistle lacks scriptural quotes because Paul knew the Philippians would... Read more

Review of THE WORD LEAPS THE GAP (FS for Richard Hays)

Last updated on: January 31, 2009 at 9:22 pm By Nijay Gupta

I have tried to commit to reading the entire 664 pages of the Festschrift for Richard Hays entitled The Word Leaps the Gap (Eerdmans, 2008; eds. J.R. Wagner, C.K. Rowe and A.K. Grieb). Truth be told, I just can’t get through it. The volume boasts a whopping 32 chapters and world-reknowned contributors such as N.T. Wright, Jimmy Dunn, Beverly Gaventa, Markus Bockmuehl, Joel Marcus, Luke T. Johnson, and many more. There are certainly attractive features here that make any NT... Read more

My Intl. SBL (Rome) proposal accepted

Last updated on: January 31, 2009 at 8:51 am By Nijay Gupta

I have just received word that my international SBL (Rome) paper proposal has been accepted in the Paul group. My family and I are excited because my wife has never been to Italy and I haven’t visited since I was in high school. I have dreamed about going back and taking lots of pictures and using them in NT course instruction. Also, they have some good food too…. OK, here is the abstract and title for the paper: RULES OF... Read more

Hauerwas Defends His ‘Hermeneutic’

Last updated on: January 29, 2009 at 8:58 pm By Nijay Gupta

In the new Richard Hays FS (The Word Leaps the Gap; Eerdmans, 2009), the very first essay is by Stanley Hauerwas who defends himself against Hays’ criticism. Hays has argued that Hauerwas has a freewheeling approach to the Bible which does not seem to depend on a close reading of the text especially from a historical standpoint. Hauerwas states quite bluntly that Hays accuses him of not actually doing exegesis (though Hays never says it in this way). Hauerwas, though... Read more

Must-Read Book List for Preparing to be a Pauline Research/Scholar

Last updated on: January 24, 2009 at 3:05 pm By Nijay Gupta

As I am nearing the completion of my doctoral research, I have been reflecting on how ‘ready’ I am to engage within the guild of NT and specifically Pauline scholars and whether my base of knowledge is mature enough and up-to-date, so to speak. It is becoming increasingly difficult to play catch-up because of the rate of scholarship output in Paul. But, one must have goals. So, I am setting my sights to complete a list of books on Paul... Read more

Common Mistakes in Theological Research #7: Cart Pulling the Horse

Last updated on: January 17, 2009 at 1:42 pm By Nijay Gupta

CART PULLING THE HORSE This CMTR entry has to do with how a researcher/writer uses secondary sources. There are two ways (as well as a few others) of using quotes/resources in the formation of your thesis argumentation. Some research is referred to that demonstrates where you got your ideas and traces the origins and trajectory of your thought. This is essentially how we start our research. A second type of citation is where you are using the scholarship of others... Read more