Translating Philippians This is a blog series reflecting on Bible translation by looking at the Greek text of Philippians. In my book Reading Philippians, I offer my own fresh translation of this letter. I tried to provide a readable, modern English translation, which means I made some untraditional choices. Follow along as I talk through some of these decisions. Here we will look at Phil 4:1-23. 4:8 Truth     Nobility         Justice          ... Read more

My friend Chris Keith alerted me to this new book (how did I miss it?), and it looks amazing. Right now, Amazon has it at an amazing 72% off discount. I just bought it.  Description A groundbreaking investigation of early Christ groups in the ancient Mediterranean As an urban movement, the early groups of Christ followers came into contact with the many small groups in Greek and Roman antiquity. Organized around the workplace, a deity, a diasporic identity, or a... Read more

Preaching this Sunday  This coming Sunday, May 17, 2020, I will be preaching at New Hope PDX. They are going through an excellent sermon series on Philippians (“A New Way of Living”). I will be giving a message on Philippians 3:17-21 called “Becoming Friends of the Cross.” Thanks (?) to COVID-19, the sermon will be shown via video online, so available to all. New Hope has services at 10am and 5pm (PST), and my message will be given at both... Read more

Translating Philippians This is a blog series reflecting on Bible translation by looking at the Greek text of Philippians. In my book Reading Philippians, I offer my own fresh translation of this letter. I tried to provide a readable, modern English translation, which means I made some untraditional choices. Follow along as I talk through some of these decisions. Here we will look at Phil 3:1-21. “Beware of the wild dogs” (3:2) Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας Straightforwardly, Paul just says “beware/watch the... Read more

As college and seminary spring terms wind down, I have had several people as me about how to sharpen or keep up with their Greek this summer. There are many good resources for that, including Karen Jobes’ excellent Septuagint reader and Hendrickson’s Keep Up your Biblical Greek in Two Minutes a Day. But I would also highly recommend the FREE Greek reader that I designed along with me students in 2018: Intermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts (co-edited with my friend Jonah... Read more

Translating Philippians This is a blog series reflecting on Bible translation by looking at the Greek text of Philippians. In my book Reading Philippians, I offer my own fresh translation of this letter. I tried to provide a readable, modern English translation, which means I made some untraditional choices. Follow along as I talk through some of these decisions. Here we will look at Phil 2:12-30. “you need to live out your own divine deliverance” (2:12) τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθε·  ... Read more

James W. Thompson is a New Testament scholar whom I have admired and appreciated for many years. He is an excellent researcher and writer, and he also cares deeply about Christian formation and the life of the Church. Perhaps my favorite Thompson work is his Pastoral Ministry according to Paul. I also appreciate his recent Philippians contribution to the Paideia commentary series. This new book, Apostle of Persuasion, is Thompson’s magnus opus, a guide to his overall approach to Paul’s writing ministry. As... Read more

I wanted to write a quick note to let folks know about this new commentary by Craig Keener on Acts. Of course, Keener published a massive 4-volume set on Acts with Baker. Here is a condensed version (about 15% the length of “big” Acts) with the New Cambridge Bible Commentary. This is a more affordable way to access Keener’s scholarship on Acts, and easier for quick reference on more basic issues. Unfortunately there are not nearly enough good commentaries on Acts... Read more

Translating Philippians This is a new series reflecting on Bible translation by looking at the Greek text of Philippians. In my book Reading Philippians, I offer my own fresh translation of this letter. I tried to provide a readable, modern English translation, which means I made some untraditional choices. Follow along as I talk through some of these decisions. Here we will look at Phil 2:1-11. “…treating the other as if they were superior (and vice versa)” (2:3) τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους... Read more

Eerdmans is running another big ebook sale. Here are my top Biblical Studies Picks A Great window into different readings of Romans from major scholars A nice, short guide to NT Christology from a renowned scholar Burridge is excellent! Fleming is captivating Not a massive discount, but still worth getting. I really enjoyed this book. Read more