In this review series on Douglas Moo’s BEC Galatians commentary, we have already discussed the introduction. Now we move on to chapter 1 of Galatians in the commentary proper. 1:1-5 I was a bit surprised by Moo’s translation of 1:1 – “Paul–an apostle chosen not by human beings nor by a human being…” – why did he translate both of these prepositions with “by”?  He seems to contradict or challenge his own decision on p. 68 by stating that dia (the second... Read more

RBL has posted my review of the so-called “Scholars Version Paul” translation published under the title The Authentic Letters of Paul and developed under the auspices of the Westar Institute. I was occasionally impressed with their “dynamic equivalent” glosses, but overall I found their project seriously flawed. Check the review out if you are interested. Read more

If you don’t get a chance to read Bart Ehrman’s new How Jesus Became God (and the response book, How God Became Jesus) – or even if you do! – make sure to check out the radio debate between Ehrman and Simon Gathercole (Cambridge NT scholar and contributor to response book). I think listening to Ehrman helped me better see how all the pieces of his book chapters fit together and also how he responds to somewhat obvious criticisms (esp re:... Read more

I have mentioned before that I have never read a Bart Ehrman book, but his recent offering, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee (HarperOne, 2014), piqued my interest for a few reasons. Firstly, I am teaching a course on Christology in the fall. Secondly, I am also interested in the “Response” book (Bird/Evans/Gathercole/Hill/Tilling). Third, this is a make-or-break issue for NT studies and it is actually vigorously debated. So, I spent the last couple of days... Read more

I just discovered today that my article on the Gospel of John in the latest Horizons in Biblical Theology (36.1, 2014, 60-78) has been published on Brill Online (accessible to those with subscription access). The title of the essay is this: “Gloria in Profundis: Comparing the Glory of Moses in Sirach to Jesus in the Fourth Gospel.” This is one of the most enjoyable pieces of scholarship I have ever worked on, especially because it was G.K. Chesteron’s poem, Gloria in Profundis,... Read more

2014 was a big year for the Justice Conference, especially because they managed to line up a number of highly respected pastors, scholars, activists, and Christian leaders as speakers. I was disappointed that I could not be in attendance, but I was elated when I found out from a student of mine that the videos were recorded and can now be watched for free online here. Here is a sample list of some of the speakers: Eugene Cho, Bernice King,... Read more

RBL has now published my review of Edith Humphrey’s little book, Scripture and Tradition. I found this an interesting book by just the right author. If you are interested in ongoing conversations about theological interpretation of Scripture, this is a helpful contribution. Read more

Carol A. Newsom, Daniel (The Old Testament Library) – November Richard Lischer, Reading the Parables (Interpretation, Resources) – September Daniel Migliore – Philippians and Philemon (Belief) – August Kevin Vanhoozer – Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine – September Ellen Davis – Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry (Interpretation, Resources) – October Christopher B. Hays, A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East (I found out about these through Twitter: @wjkbooks) @wjkbooks @wjkbook Read more

I am a little embarrassed that it has been two months since I last did a varia post on N.T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God (see here1, here2, and here3), but now I am ready to press on! In the first three posts I worked through the first volume of Paul and the Faithfulness of God. The book is so rich and multi-faceted  – it powerfully pushes forward like a gigantic textual glacier – that I could only make random comments (hence, varia).... Read more