It seems like I’ve seen the site before, but Gideon Burton at Brigham Young
University has digested a good deal of information about classical and
Renaissance rhetoric at Silva
Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric. The site “is intended to help
beginners, as well as experts, make sense of rhetoric, both on the small
scale (definitions and examples of specific terms) and on the large
scale (the purposes of rhetoric, the patterns into which it has fallen
historically as it has been taught and practiced for 2000+ years).”
...
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55, no. 1
Clinton Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism: The Jewish Roots of
the Problem at Colossae”
Nicholas Lunn, “Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic
Gospels and Acts: Foundations of Biblical Type”
Daniel Hays, ” ‘Sell Everything You Have and Give to the Poor’: The
Old Testament Prophetic Theme of Justice as the Connecting Motif of Luke
18:1–19:10”
Paul Tanner, “James’s Quotation of Amos 9 to Settle the Jerusalem
Council Debate in Acts 15”
Jonathan Lunde and John Dunne, “Paul’s Creative and Contextual Use
of Isaiah in Ephesians 5:14”
Emmitt Cornelius, “St. Irenaeus and Robert W. Jenson on Jesus in the
Trinity”
Michael Bräutigam, “Good Will Hunting: Adolf Schlatter on Organic
Volitional Sanctification”
More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
Bauckham, Davila, and Panayotov< ‘Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha’
The time is soon-coming for the release of the long-anticipated Old
Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures edited by
Bauckham, Davila, and Panayotov (Eerdmans, Nov 2012). . . .
At more than 800 pages (in 2 volumes), it will certainly be
substantive. The attempt was made by the editors to collect
non-canonical texts that pre-date the rise of Islam. (underlining for
original italics)
...
iPad App for Greek Literature
There is now
an iPad app for introductory and intermediate Greek readers. Its name
is Attikos and it includes a selection of familiar texts, including
morphological information. The author is Josh Day, himself recently an
intermediate Greek student.
[caption id=“” align=“alignright” width=“200” caption=“Domenico
Fetti,”Parable of the Good Samaritan” (c. 1610–1623; photo credit:
Wikipedia)“] [/caption]
The parable of the Good Samaritan ( Luke 10:30–35) is unique to Luke and
contributes to the third Gospel’s general emphasis on socially
marginalized characters and groups. 1
Introducing the parable proper is an exchange between Jesus and a
νομικός (lawyer), which the lawyer begins by inquiring τί ποιήσας ζωὴν
αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; ( Luke 10:25b;
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?). Both this question and the
exchange that follows resemble some later rabbinic texts, not least in
the lawyer’s concern to define proper Torah obedience. 2
...
Review of Biblical Literature Newsletter (April 30, 2012)
First Samuel 18:6 describes
David’s return after killing Goliath ( 1 Sam 17:41–58). Precisely how this
event sits chronologically in relationship to the surrounding narrative
is difficult to establish. 1
One good way of reading the narrative, however, involves treating 1 Sam 18:1–5 as an extended
parenthesis, which includes some foreshadowing, and understanding 1 Sam 18:6 to be bringing the reader
back to the main plot line that had temporarily paused with 1 Sam 17:58. 2
In this context, it begins to be said הכה שׁאול֙ באלפו ודוד ברבבתיו ( 1 Sam 18:7; Saul has slain by his
thousands and David by his ten thousands; see also 1 Sam 21:11; 29:5). 3
Yet, thus far, David has specifically been reported to have killed only
one person (Goliath) and some animals ( 1 Sam 17:34–37)—not רבבת (ten
thousands). 4
Rather, the women’s song quantitatively represents the
qualitative value of David’s victory over Goliath as it relates
to Saul’s previous exploits. 5
On hearing this song, then, Saul becomes enraged and starts looking and
acting to do David harm ( 1 Sam
18:8–9).
...
Biblical Theology Bulletin 42, no. 2
[caption id=“” align=“alignright” width=“75” caption=“Image via
Wikipedia”] [/caption]
Luke 11:1–4 recounts Jesus’
teaching his disciples how to pray. The substance of the prayer much
resembles the parallel account in Matt
6:9–13. Yet, Luke’s version is considerably shorter than Matthew’s
at a couple points. Also, rather than coming in the context of a longer
discourse, Jesus’ teaching in Luke
11:2–4 responds to a specific request from one of the disciples that
he teach them to pray, just as John had done with his own disciples ( Luke 11:1).((Darrell L. Bock, Jesus according to Scripture:
Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Baker,
2006), 141.))
Joanna Collicutt, “Bringing the Academic Discipline of Psychology to
Bear on the Study of the Bible”
Charlotte Hempel, “Who Is Making Dinner at Qumran?”
Jonathan Knight, “The Origin and Significance of the Angelomorphic
Christology in the Ascension of Isaiah”
Suzanne Watts Henderson, “Discipleship after the Resurrection:
Scribal Hermeneutics in the Longer Ending of Mark”
P. Lorraine Buck, “Voluntary Martyrdom Revisited”
Geoffrey D. Dunn, “Innocent I’s Letter to Lawrence: Photinians,
Bonosians, and the Defensores Ecclesiae”
Markus Vinzent, “Questions on the Attributes (of God): Four
Rediscovered Parisian Questions of Meister Eckhart”
Andrew Ter Ern Loke, “Sanday’s Christology Revisited”
...
Messiah, Our Passover
[caption id=“” align=“alignright” width=“268” caption=“Scenes of the
Passion of Christ (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption]
As יהוה was delivering Israel from Egypt, he commanded his people
spread lamb’s blood on their doorposts and lintels ( Exod 12:7). In view of this blood, יהוה
passed over his people and judged only the Egyptians’ firstborn and
their gods ( Exod 12:12–13), for
יהוה had provided that the Israelites should redeem their firstborn with
lamb’s blood ( Exod 13:15; cf. Exod 34:18–20). He delivered them
mightily, he brought them through the sea, he made a covenant with them,
and he settled them in Canaan ( Exod
12:29– Judges 1:26).
Nevertheless, even those who entered the land did not fully enter יהוה’s
rest ( Heb 4:8–11), and year by
year, they offered sacrifices for sins ( Lev 16:1–34; 23:26–32; Num 29:7–11; Heb 9:6–10; 10:1–4).
...
International Journal of the Platonic Tradition
Starting this year, the International Journal of the
PlatonicTradition has become fully and openly accessible
online (HT:
Charles
Jones).
Although it’s a bit belated, I just noticed this morning that
February and March have been the busiest months at New Testament
Interpretation to date. Thanks so much to all of you who have been
interested in visiting.
An audio version of the Hebrew Bible is also available here in “Sephardic-style
modern Hebrew.” Although the audio quality is not as crisp as it is for
Schwandt’s GNT recording, these Hebrew Bible recordings are an
excellent, free resource. They seem to follow BHS (5th ed.) ( affiliate disclosure), but I have not
seen this fact explicitly stated on the site.
Through their pre-publication program, Logos Bible Software is now offering
English translations of Thomas Aquinas’s commentaries on Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and the Sentences of Peter Lombard.
Aquinas’s Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles
have been available in English for some time, but once enough
pre-publication orders have accumulated, Logos’s texts of these three
commentaries will be the first time they have been available in
English.
...
Passing the Piazza
[caption id=“” align=“alignright” width=“125” caption=“Piazza (Image
via Wikipedia)”] [/caption]
In his
article Sunday in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey Young
comments:
[Pooja] Sankar, a recent graduate of Stanford University’s M.B.A.
program, leads a start-up focused on finding a better way for college
students to ask questions about course materials and assignments online.
Her company, Piazza, has built an online study hall where professors and
teaching assistants can easily monitor questions and encourage students
who understand the material to help their peers.
...
Wright Bests Carson
Logos Bible Software’s March Madness
final between D. A. Carson and N. T. Wright was certainly an ironic
pairing, but the results are in, and Wright’s victory leaves users with
a 75% discount on select
texts, including New Testament and the People of God
and Jesus and the Victory of God. A pair of runner-up Carson’s
texts are also available at a 60% discount. For more information,
please see here.
...
Bray’s God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology
While there is no substitute for personal, faithful, and careful
Bible reading and prayer, the Bible’s vast size and diversity can make
distilling its truth a daunting task. Thus most Christians benefit from
supplemental resources to help learn and apply what Scripture teaches. .
. .
...
Frightful Fishing and Forgiven Catching
Although the calling of Simon Peter appears in all three synoptic
Gospels ( Matt 4:18–20; Mark 1:16–18; Luke 5:1–11; cf. John 1:35–51; 21:1–11), Luke’s narrative develops
the pericope in much greater detail than Matthew’s or Mark’s. Luke 5:3 indicates that Jesus did some
teaching from Simon’s boat. After concluding, Jesus instructs Simon to
take the boat into the λίμνη (lake), and set out the nets for a catch (
Luke 5:4). Although incredulous, Simon
acquiesces ( Luke 5:5–6a, 8–10a).((Jon L. Berquist, “Luke
5:1–11,” Int 58, no. 1 (2004): 62; Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (New
International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1997), 232.)) Then, to his surprise, not only do they catch fish, but
their catch is of such quantity that it nearly nearly tears the nets and
sinks both their boat and another called to help ( Luke 5:6b–7). Observing this situation,
Simon προσέπεσεν τοῖς γόνασιν Ἰησοῦ λέγων· ἔξελθε ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ
ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, κύριε. θάμβος γὰρ περιέσχεν αὐτὸν καὶ πάντας τοὺς σὺν
αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἄγρᾳ τῶν ἰχθύων ὧν συνέλαβον ( Luke 5:8–9; fell at Jesus’ knees,
saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” For,
astonishment at the catch of fish that they had enclosed had come upon
him and all those who were with him).((Or, if Ἰησοῦ is a dative,
προσέπεσεν τοῖς γόνασιν Ἰησοῦ may be “he fell on [his own] knees before
Jesus” (I. Howard Marshall, The
Gospel of Luke [New International Greek Testament Commentary;
Exeter: Paternoster, 1995], 204).))
Fifteen print volumes of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s works are now
available as a single set via Logos Bible Software’s pre-publication
program. According to the product page:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most influential Christian martyrs in
history, bequeathed to humanity a legacy of theological creativity and
spirituality that continues to inspire people from a variety of
backgrounds. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (15 vols.) offers a fresh,
critical translation of Bonhoeffer’s writings, with extensive
introductions, annotations, and interpretation.
...
Faithful Rahab
[caption id=“” align=“alignright” width=“150” caption=“Rahab Helping
the Two Israelite Spies (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption]
After assuming leadership over Israel ( Josh 1:10–18), Joshua commissions
two men to survey Jericho and the surrounding area ( Josh 2:1a). Rather tersely, then, the
menוילכו ויבאו בית־אשׁה זונה ושׁמה רחב וישׁכבו־שׁמה ( Josh 2:1b; went and entered the house of
a prostitute, whose name was Rahab, and they lodged there). For
onlookers, such an action might not have been unusual in itself, 1 but by
some means or other, the king became aware of these Israelite’s intent
to survey Jericho ahead of some forthcoming military action ( Josh 2:3).
...
Review of Biblical Literature Newsletter (March 23, 2012)
I hadn’t noticed it until now, but Logos Bible Software has a very nicely
developed YouTube
Channel with a number of helpful videos both about individual
resources that they offer and about using the Logos 4 engine (HT: Josh
Burdick).
2012 Oxford Society of Scholars Conference
This summer:
The Oxford Graduate School Society of Scholars is calling for papers
related to the following theme: The Three Cultures: Natural
Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Humanities in the 21st Century,
based on the book of the same title by Jerome Kagan. Papers should
specifically relate the role of religion and theology to the scope of
the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
For more information and to propose a paper, please see here.
...
So Then You Also Were Made to Die
In Rom 7:1–6, Paul appears to
draw on Num 5:11–31 as a
metaphorical way of characterizing the Christian community’s history. 1
While her husband lives, the wife’s involvement with another man would
make her liable to the charge of adultery from her current husband. From
this charge, the wife would also become liable to the ritual of Num 5:11–31, and the serious
consequences that it would entail if she had indeed committed adultery (
Num 5:21–22, 24, 27–28).2
