Bad news! That’s what many people say when watching, reading, or hearing news media outlets. What then is good news? The Bible speaks of good news, but what specifically does this mean? Good News in the Old Testament The term “good news” or “glad tidings” comes from the Hebrew verb basar (בשׂר), which means to announce or give news, and by extension to herald as good tidings.[1] Sometimes the word and its cognates depict runners who advance to cities and... Read more
In Romans, Paul ends his letter by recommending Phoebe, a benefactor, to his recipients, and then he greets a number of friends and colleagues. Among these are a number of women, the first of which is Prisca, better known as Priscilla. We discover some important details about her in Romans as well as elsewhere in the Bible. One of her roles is teacher. Priscilla in Romans Paul writes about Priscilla in Romans 16:3-5: “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers... Read more
At the end of his letter to the Romans,* Paul commends a woman named Phoebe. Her credentials are that she is a fellow believer in Jesus Messiah (“our sister”), a minister from Cenchreae, and the presumed carrier of the letter to the Romans. She also appears to be the letter’s reader. Paul identifies her as a benefactor of many. Phoebe thus appears to be a woman leader in the Bible, though of course, not the only one. We will explore... Read more
Towards the end of the most famous letter in the Bible, Romans, the Apostle Paul gives a list of greetings to various people he knows in Rome (Romans 16:3–16). These greetings are designated to friends, colleagues, and fellow believers in Rome. We can learn some things about the recipients of this letter by virtue of these greetings. Such greetings are typically found as a conventional feature towards the end of his letters (1 Corinthians 16:19–20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Philippians 4:21–22;... Read more
Do you believe in angels? Those of Judeo-Christian faith normally do, whether by personal experience or, much more commonly, because they read about angels in the Bible. The word angel commonly identifies a supernatural being who plays a mediating role as a messenger or assistant between God and humans. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for angel is mal’ak, meaning “messenger.” In New Testament Greek the word is angelos. We should recognize from the outset that angels are not... Read more
This is the third and final instalment of a trilogy on the book, Paul, Then and Now by Matthew Novenson (Eerdmans, 2022). Part 1 was a review of the book, part 2 started an interview with Dr. Novenson, and now in part 3 we conclude the interview. We cover topics on whether the Apostle Paul believes that other gods exist, the Spirit (pneuma), and the future of Paul’s theology. Second Part and Conclusion to the Interview: More Questions and Answers... Read more
In this instalment, I begin my interview with Dr. Matthew Novenson. My previous post provides a review of Dr. Novenson’s new book Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022; click here to see the review). Dr. Novenson is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In this instalment we will cover some questions from the earlier chapters of his book Paul, Then and Now. The Interview: Part I I had the honor of interviewing... Read more
I had to privilege of reviewing the new book by Matthew V. Novenson, entitled Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022). Dr. Novenson is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He has written a number of articles and books including the monograph, Christ among Messiahs: Christ Language in Paul and Messiah Language in Ancient Judaism (Oxford University Press) and co-edited the massive Oxford Handbook on Pauline Studies. On the book’s back cover, Prof.... Read more
I suppose I’m sort of an insider to questions on which Bible a person should use. That is because I had the privilege of working on Bible translations as diverse as the Common English Bible, the New Revised Standard Version (updated edition), and the Lexham English Septuagint. I also worked on the Wesley Study Bible and recently on the HarperCollins Study Bible (updated edition). And as Professor of Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University—a mostly Wesleyan institute that claims an... Read more
Jesus’s parable about the return of seven spirits is situated after Matthew’s version of blaspheming the Holy Spirit and similar judgment teachings (Matthew 12:43–45; and parallel in Luke 11:24–26). The term “unclean spirit” is a Jewish way of referring to demons. How is it that this demon who was cast out of a person can return with reinforcements to possess that person again making him seven times worse? Does this refer to vulnerabilities related to backslidden Christians? The Teaching of... Read more
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