When I worked at Christian Book Distributors and Hendrickson Publishers, I got great discounts on academic books of all kinds, but I ended up spending quite a bit on commentaries (which I do not regret). Most (in fact almost all) seminary students cannot afford to buy several commentaries, so I have seen people like Don Carson make a list of the best reference resources if you only have one commentary to buy per NT book. Here I humbly offer my... Read more

Not too long ago I posted my own review of Steve Moyise’s excellent reflection on scholarly approaches to biblical intertextuality (i.e., Old in New) [see HERE].  I asked Steve if he would answer some questions about his background, current issues in intertextuality, how this kind of research affects the church, and also future directions for the area of study.  He was kind enough to agree to do an interview on my blog.  By the way, I was recently at the... Read more

I came across an interesting ‘scholar profile’ in Epworth Review (2000) of James D G Dunn (written by friend Graham Stanton). One of the things Stanton briefly discussed is Dunn’s relationship with evangelicals. He asked Dunn if he is an evangelical. Dunn neither denied being one nor claimed the title. Dunn, as the article made clear, abhors labels like ‘evangelical’. That does not mean he does not have any common interests. He ended up phrasing his response in terms of... Read more

  One of my top interests in New Testament research is how the New Testament relates to the Old Testament.  In this area of scholarship, one tends to think of scholars such as Richard Hays, Greg Beale, A.T. Hanson, Richard Longenecker, Scott Hafemann, James Dunn, and C.H. Dodd.  Well, one who should be more recognized as a leading expert in this area is British scholar Steve Moyise, Professor of NT at University of Chichester, UK.  Not only is he the... Read more

As the BNTC programme is announced (see ntgateway.com/bntc), I am pleased to announce that yet another interesting session has appeared; the Paul seminar and the Acts seminar are joining together in the second session to discuss ‘Paul’s Damascus Road Experience’: Barry Matlock (Sheffield) will be treating the issue from the perspective of Paul’s letters Tim Churchill (London School of Theology) will be handling Luke’s portrait in Acts. Loveday Alexander will be responding to the papers. I am deeply saddened that... Read more

It has been mentioned in a few Tyndale announcements that Prof. Bockmuehl will, in fact, be presenting at the NT Tyndale Study Group (9 July, 9.30AM), but the title of the paper has just been announced.  It is as follows: “Peter, Paul and Simon: Peeling an Old Chestnut in the Pseudo-Clementines” Other scholars presenting will include Mike Bird and Tomas Bokedal. Read more

My colleague and friend BEN BLACKWELL paid a visit to the NT scholar C.E.B. Cranfield on Monday and chatted with him for a couple of hours. Yesterday was my turn. Overall, I found Prof. Cranfield to be very warm and welcoming, though he certainly is not restrained in his criticisms of certain scholars and particular ways of interpreting Paul. Here are some questions I asked, and summaries of how he responded. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. 1. Professor Cranfield,... Read more

The Annual British New Testament Conference will be held in Durham this year at St. John’s College. I have previously announced the plenary speakers (John Barclay, Loveday Alexander, Edward Adams, Dale Martin), but the papers being read are still in the process of final consideration. Some subject seminars have already finalized their group of papers. Currently, the ‘SOcial World of the NT’ seminar has announced their agenda. Session 1 includes a paper by John K Goodrich – a doctoral student... Read more

As others have already announced, the SBL national conference program book has been posted online at www.sbl-site.org.  I took a quick peak at the program and it looks like another great line-up of sessions packed with interesting topics and cutting edge scholarship.  Here are some quick highlights I noticed: Christian Theology and the Bible 11/22/2008 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Room: Room TBD – Hotel TBD Theme: Reading the Old Testament as Christian Scripture Russell Reno, Creighton University, Presiding (15... Read more

I am about the write a short section in my thesis on the Apostle Paul’s conception of the work of the Holy Spirit.  I know that that is a huge topic, but I am mostly looking at it from the perspective of the instances where he uses it in relationship to cultic metaphors: Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3.16; 6.19); also worship in Spirit (Phil. 3.3) – that sort of thing. Does anybody have suggestions as to what... Read more