Blog

For twenty-first-century, Christian readers, both biblical testaments present unique challenges.1 Whether intentionally or accidentally, Christian readers often neglect the Old Testament. Or when they consider it, they often read in less than fully healthy ways. Readings of the New Testament also face difficulties. They sometimes suffer from over-familiarity. As such, they neglect how the New Testament may more confront and admonish than comfort and affirm. There remains much necessary work to indicate ways out of these difficulties. But one useful approach is to ...

In the academy, it’s easy to always press ahead into what’s next. But academic life also involves being away, and it’s worth doing that well.

Academic conferences can be hard to do well. But some simple steps can help you have your best meeting yet.

Academic conferences can be intimidating even for seasoned scholars. If you find yourself having “imposter syndrome,” try imposturing.

Philemon may be Paul’s shortest letter. But it still sees plenty of use by writers in the earliest Christian centuries.

In biblical studies, you need to be able to type biblical languages. Transliteration can work, but you can’t always bank on using it. Instead, use Unicode.

Seeing how others work can help you hone your own craft. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at David Moffitt’s essay in 𝘏𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴’𝘴 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤.

Seeing how others work can help you hone your own craft. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Ardel Caneday’s essay in 𝘏𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴’𝘴 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤.

Seeing how others work can help you hone your own craft. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Alex Stewart’s essay in 𝘏𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴’𝘴 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤.

Unity isn’t easy. Neither is Genesis. But the history of interpretation has important things to teach contemporary readers who are looking to foster unity.

Work is ongoing in earnest on the Ancient Christian Study Bible (ACSB). When complete, the volume will be published by Oxford University Press (OUP).1 Different study Bibles have different emphases in the resources they give their readers. The ACSB focuses on annotations that summarize the first Christian millennium’s major interpretations of each passage. The project aims to connect the Greek text of the Bible with patristic annotations for a modern English-speaking educated public[ … and to] be the premier patristic Study Bible for use by Orthodox clergy, scholars, students and faithful, as well as those interested in ancient Christian interpretation of Scripture. ...

The ability to “see what is questionable” and to ask questions accordingly is the first step in choosing a good research topic.

The urgent and unimportant easily consumes more time than it should. But 5 strategies can help you say the “no” that your “yes” really needs.

A good reference manager can be an incredibly helpful tool in your research. There are 10 reasons you should seriously consider using Zotero.

In Mark 10, “James and John, the sons of Zebedee” (v. 35a; Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης οἱ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου) ask Jesus to sign a blank check.1 “We wish that you would do for us whatever we might ask you” (Mark 10:35b; θέλομεν ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωμέν σε ποιήσῃς ἡμῖν), they say. Of course, Jesus knows better than to underwrite such a desire. So, he cautions James and John that they don’t truly know what they’re asking. They don’t fully recognize what what it means to sit “at [his] right hand and at [his] left in [his] glory” (Mark 10:37; σου ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ … ἐξ ἀριστερῶν καθίσωμεν ἐν τῇ δόξῃ σου; see Mark 10:38–40). ...

At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus’s words and the Spirit’s presence enables the disciples to move past their fear and begin the new chapter that lies before them.

Calling theology “public” highlights how that theology addresses the public square or speaks to matters of concern within it.1 Such theology may be undertaken by specialist biblical scholars and theologians. Or it might be undertaken by Christians with no such specialized training. In either case, public theology’s address to the public square confronts three key temptations. Public Theology’s Temptations One is a tendency toward authoritarianism. Public theology succumbs to this temptation when it seeks to enforce adherence. Against this temptation, public theology finds itself obliged to uphold the independence of the public square. ...

In the Society of Biblical Literature’s adaptation of Chicago style, footnotes citing books have a “facts of publication” section. This section appears in parentheses and includes the work’s place of publication, publisher, and publication date. In determining what SBL style requires, Chicago’s style authorities have a lower rank than SBL’s. So, where they explicitly speak to a given issue, SBL’s own authorities solely determine SBL style. These authorities include the SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd ed. ( affiliate disclosure) and the SBL Handbook of Style blog. ...

Cinco de Mayo (5 May) commemorates the Mexican victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862.1 And more generally in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is an occasion for the celebration of the culture and heritage of Mexico and, to some extent, Latin America more broadly.2 In honor of Cinco de Mayo this year, I’d like to offer the following three readings. Reading 1 No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.3 ...

Academic life often involves competing demands. But amid its ambiguities, a 4-step process will help you put more focus where you need it.

The Expositor’s Greek Testament is now dated, but it preserves some keen exegetical insights that more recent commentators have continued to find helpful.

Using styles is a great way to ensure consistent formatting in a Word document. But, here’s a way to turn these styles into “direct” formatting.

When you add a new record in Zotero, you can identify the author for that source. But sometimes, works have more than one author. Or works might have more than one type of role involved in their production (e.g., editors, translators). Whatever the scenario, though, Zotero has you covered. Creator Types Within Zotero, you almost never see a Creator field as such. Instead, for different types of resources, have different types of creators available in the interface. For resources related to biblical studies, the most common creator types, include ...

The Internet is a massive library. Cut through the clutter with this growing guide to more than 600 open online resources.

Human experience works out such that inside any “yes” is also a “no.” But investing effort in activities like study lets us engage better with life as a result.

Having text in your PDFs makes them searchable and easier to mark up. For any image-only PDFs you have, Zotero can extract and add this text.

Zotero comes with a little free storage, but you’ll soon need more. So, here are 4 ways to get the space you need as you expand your research.

You can’t know your research is publishable unless you ship it. But even publishing should involve shipping for feedback.

Printed texts have their virtues. But sometimes you need to look at a manuscript. Here’s how to find your way around the Aleppo Codex.

After completing a goal, it’s tempting to move straight into the next thing. But celebrating accomplishment is a key way of giving thanks.