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The latest issue of Currents in Biblical Research includes: Charles Trimm, “Recent Research on Warfare in the Old Testament” Judy Diehl, “Empire and Epistles: Anti-Roman Rhetoric in the New Testament Epistles” Hellen Mardaga, " Hapax Legomena: A Neglected Field in Biblical Studies" Travis B. Williams, “Suffering from a Critical Oversight: The Persecutions of 1 Peter within Modern Scholarship” David M. Miller, “Ethnicity Comes of Age: An Overview of Twentieth-Century Terms for Ioudaios”

Mark 12:28–30 reports Jesus’ citation of Deut 6:4–5 as Torah’s preeminent commandment and of Lev 19:18 as the commandment of next greatest standing (cf. Matt 22:34–40; Luke 10:25–28). Jesus’ expansion of Deuteronomy’s בכל־מאדך ( Deut 6:5; ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου; with all your might) into ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου ( Mark 12:30; with all your mind and with all your strength) 1 is in step with Deuteronomy’s original formulation (cf. Mark 12:33a) but perhaps stresses still further יהוה’s comprehensive claim on the affections of the command’s addressees. 2 Not surprisingly, these commands’ importance also provides further, mutually-reinforcing suggestions about readings of Israel’s scriptures, including ones that privilege the love of יהוה and even of one’s potentially disagreeable neighbor over any burnt offering or sacrifice ( Mark 12:32–34). 3 ...

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies John Goldingay, Israel’s Life (Old Testament Theology, vol. 3), reviewed by Ovidiu Creanga Michaėl N. van der Meer, Percy van Keulen, Wido van Peursen, Bas Ter Haar Romeny, eds., Isaiah in Context: Studies in Honour of Arie van der Kooij on the Occasion of His Sixty-Fifth Birthday, reviewed by Mayer Gruber New Testament and Cognate Studies ...

Through the end of the day tomorrow, Kindle with Special Offers users or Kindle users who have turned on the Special Offers feature are able to take advantage of a promotion that Amazon is running to “Buy one of 50 biography and history titles for $1.” A list of eligible titles is available here. Among the eligible titles of particular interest here are: ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“80” caption=“Image via Wikipedia”] [/caption] The latest issue of New Testament Studies includes: Armand Puig i Tàrrech, “The Glory on the Mountain: The Episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus” Richard Last, “Communities That Write: Christ-Groups, Associations, and Gospel Communities” Candida R. Moss and Joel S. Baden, “1 Thessalonians 4.13–18 in Rabbinic Perspective” Margaret M. Mitchell, “Peter’s ‘Hypocrisy’ and Paul’s: Two ‘Hypocrites’ at the Foundation of Earliest Christianity?” Rikard Roitto, “Practices of Confession, Intercession, and Forgiveness in 1 John 1.9; 5.16” Michael J. Kruger, “The Date and Content of P. Antinoopolis 12 (0232)”

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“284” caption=“von Carolsfeld, Woodcut for “Bibel der Bildern” (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption] The story of Jesus’ raising Jairus’s daughter appears in all three synoptics ( Matt 9:18–19, 23–26; Mark 5:21–24, 35–43; Luke 8:41–42, 49–56), but only Mark and Luke report a closing admonition about the event’s further dissemination ( Mark 5:43; Luke 8:56). In Luke 8:56, Jesus instruction focuses on the fact that the witnesses, perhaps especially the parents, should not themselves engage in describing what happened. By contrast, in Mark 5:43, Jesus warns those around him ἵνα μηδεὶς γνοῖ τοῦτο (so that no one would know this*). ...

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Fields Katharine Dell, ed., Ethical and Unethical in the Old Testament: God and Humans in Dialogue, reviewed by Walter Brueggemann Georg Fischer, Der Prophet wie Mose: Studien zum Jeremiabuch, reviewed by Bob Becking Thomas Richard Kämmerer, ed., Studien zu Ritual und Sozialgeschichte im Alten Orient/Studies on Rituals and Society in the Ancient Near East: Tartuer Symposien 1998–2004, reviewed by Gerhard Karner Jennifer L. Koosed, Gleaning Ruth: A Biblical Heroine and Her Afterlives, reviewed by Helen Leneman New Testament and Cognate Fields ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“150” caption=“Image via CrunchBase”] [/caption] After yesterday’s post about a couple important updates to Zotero’s SBL style support, John Harris suggested that some kind of Zotero tutorial or “how to” post might be useful. Since this information might be beneficial to others also, the Learning Commons has a pretty good YouTube playlist (48:57) assembled, which should provide some good introductory material about Zotero. ...

This month, a couple significant updates have come through the pipe for Zotero’s SBL style. First, footnoted citations containing parentheses will, if placed within parentheses themselves in the citation editor, now automatically change the inner parentheses to square brackets in compliance with the SBL handbook’s deference to Chicago Manual of Style (e.g., 15th ed., §6.102) on this point. Second, the style now more accurately handles citations of titled sections within works. ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“225” caption=“Image via Wikipedia”] [/caption] In Num 12:1, Miriam and Aaron confront Moses because of his marriage to a Cushite woman, and in so doing, they attempt to claim equal prophetic status with Moses ( Num 12:2a). Apparently, on this occasion, Moses’ meekness constrains him from responding ( Num 12:3; cf. Rom 12:19; 1 Clem. 17 [ANF 9:234]; Socrates, Hist. eccl., 7.42 [NPNF2 2:176]), but יהוה hears the conversation and summons all three siblings to the tent of meeting ( Num 12:2b, 4). יהוה then summons Aaron and Miriam for a special rebuke ( Num 12:5): however high may be their claim to apparently equal prophetic status with Moses, Moses own status still surpasses that of prophet ( Num 12:6–9). The status that Aaron and Miriam claim for themselves gets them only so far—only to dreams and visions ( Num 12:6). By contrast, Moses is not limited to dreams and visions, but פה אל־פה אדבר־בו ומראה ולא בחידת ותמנת יהוה יביט ( Num 12:8a; with him, I [יהוה] speak mouth to mouth, plainly, and not in riddles, and he looks upon the form of יהוה). More than a prophet, Moses is a faithful servant in all יהוה’s house ( Num 12:7; Heb 3:5). ...

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies Reinhard Achenbach and Martin Arneth, eds., »Gerechtigkeit und Recht zu üben« (Gen 18,19): Studien zur altorientalischen und biblischen Rechtsgeschichte, zur Religionsgeschichte Israels und zur Religionssoziologie: Festschrift für Eckart Otto zum 65. Geburtstag, reviewed by John Engle Blane Conklin, Oath Formulas in Biblical Hebrew, reviewed by Yael Ziegler Esther J. Hamori, “When Gods Were Men”: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature, reviewed by Michael B. Hundley André LaCocque, The Captivity of Innocence: Babel and the Yahwist, reviewed by Richard S. Briggs Jonathan Wyn Schofer, Confronting Vulnerability: The Body and the Divine in Rabbinic Ethics, reviewed by Phillip Sherman New Testament and Cognate Studies ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“193” caption=“Simon von Cyrene (Bamberger Kreuzweg; Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption] Mark 15:21 describes Simon of Cyrene as having been “pressed into service” (ἀγγαρεύουσιν . . . Σίμωνα Κυρηναῖον) to carry Jesus’ cross, and Matt 27:32 uses the same language (ἄνθρωπον Κυρηναῖον ὀνόματι Σίμωνα . . . ἠγγάρευσαν). Only Matthew’s narrative, however, has Jesus previously instructing his disciples, saying, ὅστις σε ἀγγαρεύσει μίλιον ἕν, ὕπαγε μετʼ αὐτοῦ δύο ( Matt 5:41; whoever will press you into service for one mile, go with him for two; cf. Bruce, “Synoptic Gospels,” 328; Gundry, Matthew, 94; Keener, Matthew, 199). Matthew does not identify how far Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’ cross, but the accompanying soldiers at least press him into service not to carry his own cross, as would have been anticipated, but someone else’s ( Matt 27:27–32; France, Matthew, 221–22, 1064–65; cf. Keener, Matthew, 199–200; Lightfoot, Commentary, 2:132–33; Schürer, Jewish People, 2.2.231). At this juncture, Jesus’ own disciples are not to be “found,” and in their stead is only one Cyrenean who appears only here in the synoptic tradition ( Matt 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). Although certainly not explicitly included among the audience for Jesus’ earlier instruction in Matt 5:41, Simon here serves, where others fail to do so, as a model of the kind of discipleship that Jesus has described. In this way, Simon has a share in Jesus’ cross, albeit still only to a limited extent (Allison, “Anticipating the Passion,” CBQ 56.4 [1994]: 704–5; cf. Luke 9:23; 14:27; 23:26; Rom 6:5; Phil 3:8–11; Augustine, Cons., 3.37 [NPNF1 6:196]; Origen, Comm. Matt., 12.24 [ANF 9:464]; [Pseudo-]Tertullian, Haer., 9.1 [ANF 3:650]*; Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, 95–104, 161; Keener, Matthew, 673). ...

Google Books has available the full text of Sanday and Headlam’s commentary on Romans in the International Critical Commentary (5th ed.; 1899).

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: New Testament and Cognate Studies Craig L. Blomberg, with Jennifer Foutz Markley, A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis, reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt Gregg Gardner and Kevin L. Osterloh, eds., Antiquity in Antiquity: Jewish and Christian Pasts in the Greco-Roman World, reviewed by Douglas Estes Kevin B. McCruden, Solidarity Perfected: Beneficent Christology in the Epistle to the Hebrews, reviewed by Craig R. Koester Gert J. Steyn and Dirk J. Human, eds., Psalms and Hebrews: Studies in Reception, reviewed by Scott D. Mackie Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“150” caption=“Image via CrunchBase”] [/caption] Zotero 3.0.2 is now available. The update includes a number of bug fixes, including several word-processor integration improvements. For the change log, see here. ...

von Carolsfeld, Jésus est oint à Béthanie In his Dialog with Trypho, 86, Justin Martyr suggests that οἱ βασελεῖς πάντες καὶ οἱ χριστοὶ ἀπὸ τούτου μετέσχον καὶ βασιλεῖς καλεῖσθαι καὶ χριστοί (all the kings and messiahs had, by this one [= Messiah Jesus], a share in being called both kings and messiahs [i.e., anointed ones]). Yet, Matt 26:6–13 (cf. Mark 14:3–9; Lk 7:37–39; John 12:1–8) seems to ask its readers to connect Jesus to messiahship via a rather surprising route—namely, by an un named female character (France, Matthew, 361; Keener, Matthew, 618; Thiemann, “The Unnamed Woman,” ThTo 44.2 [1987]: 183–86; cf. John 12:1–8; Barrett, John, 2nd ed., 409; Gundry, Matthew, 522; Köstenberger, Theology, 232–32; Lightfoot, Commentary, 2:341; Platt, “Ministry,” ThTo 32.1 [1977]: 30–32). Irrespective of whether this unnamed woman understands the full significance of her action, including how Jesus connects it to his upcoming burial ( Matt 26:12),* Jesus’ response to the disciples’ objection ( Matt 26:8–13) clearly vindicates the woman’s actions also in connection with the proclamation of τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ ( Matt 26:13; this gospel in the whole world; Coakley, “The Anointing at Bethany,” JBL 107.2 [1988]: 243, 249, 255; Ford, “Matthew 26:6–13,” Int 59.4 [2005]: 401; Thiemann, “The Unnamed Woman,” ThTo 44.2 [1987]: 183–86; cf. Matt 24:14; 28:18–20). Jesus thus sets the woman’s memorial in the context of her fitting, if perhaps dimly anticipatory, recognition of his soon-coming death and all of the messianic significance with which he himself viewed that sacrifice ( Matt 16:13–28; Ephraim, On Our Lord, 47 [NPNF2 13:326–27]; Keener, Matthew, 618). ...

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Fields Michael Avioz, “I Sat Alone”: Jeremiah among the Prophets, reviewed by Jerry Hwang Anthony J. Frendo, Pre-exilic Israel, the Hebrew Bible, and Archaeology: Integrating Text and Artefact, reviewed by Ralph K. Hawkins Giovanni Garbini, Introduzione all’ epigrafia semitica, reviewed by André Lemaire Manfred Görg, Mythos und Mythologie: Studien zur Religionsgeschichte und Theologie, reviewed by Mark W. Hamilton Paul M. Joyce and Andrew Mein, eds., After Ezekiel: Essays on the Reception of a Difficult Prophet, reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer Megan Bishop Moore and Brad E. Kelle, Biblical History and Israel’s Past: The Changing Study of the Bible and History, reviewed by Bob Becking Marti J. Steussy, Samuel and His God, reviewed by Johannes Klein New Testament and Cognate Fields ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“102” caption=“Nicolo di Pietro, “The Saint Teaching Rhetoric” (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption] In an article this past Sunday in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Dan Berrett digests the results of a recent conference at Harvard University about learning and teaching. The article contains several insightful observations, but in one key paragraph of his article, Berrett summarizes: ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“75” caption=“Image via Wikipedia”] [/caption] The latest issue of the Biblical Theology Bulletin includes: David M. Bossman, “Presenting the Issue: Canonical Undercurrents” Joel Edmund Anderson, “Yhwh’s Surprising Covenant Hesed in Jonah” Carey Walsh, “Theological Trace in Qoheleth” Victor H. Matthews, “Making Your Point: The Use of Gestures in Ancient Israel” Tim Hegedus, “Midrash and Papias of Hierapolis” ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“150” caption=“Image via CrunchBase”] [/caption] Zotero 3.0.1 is now available. The update includes several bug fixes and some important performance enhancements for LibreOffice integration. For the change log, see here.

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“174” caption=“Gustave Dore, “The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan” (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption] Within the narrative of Exodus, identifying the referent of the term מלאך (angel, messenger) in Exod 23:20 is somewhat nettlesome (Ausloos, “The ‘Angel of YHWH,’” VT 58, no. 1 [2008]: 7–10; Enns, Exodus, 473–74), but one reasonable reading is to understand this term as a reference to Joshua (Augustine, Faust., 16.19 [NPNF1 4:226]; Justin, Dial., 75 [ANF 1:236]; Tertullian, Adv. Jud., 9 [ANF 3:163]; Tertullian, Marc., 3.16 [ANF 3:335]; see also Ausloos, “The ‘Angel of YHWH,’” 9n43; cf. Exod 33:12; Gowan, Theology in Exodus, 227–28; Stuart, Exodus, 542–43). Yet, this Joshua does not pardon sins because the name of the God of Abraham is only in him ( Exod 23:21; i.e., he acknowledges this God’s renown; cf. 1 Kgs 5:11 [Eng.: 4:31]; see also Mal 1:11; Ps 8:2 [Eng.: v. 1]; 1 Chron 14:17; 2 Chron 20:9). Rather, such forgiveness comes by him who has received this God’s name as his own ( Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26; John 17:11–12; Phil 2:9–11; cf. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 272–74, 631–45) and in whom Abraham’s offspring inherit not one region only by conquest ( Exod 23:24, 31) but the whole world by meekness and rest ( Matt 5:5; Rom 4:13; Heb 4:8–10; see also Pao and Schnabel, “Luke,” 300–3). ...

Sadly, Frederick Danker passed away earlier today (HT: Peter Williams, Rod Decker). Danker’s contribution to contemporary New Testament Studies can hardly be overstated; the field will continue to be in his debt.

On the web: Andrew Criddle comments on an excerpt from Ephrem about the Gospels’ composition. Justin Milhoc reviews Andrew Cain’s The Letters of Jerome: Asceticism, Biblical Exegesis, and the Construction of Christian Authority in Late Antiquity (Oxford, 2009). Charles Jones notes the Roman Provincial Coinage Online database. Eric Sowell highlights the availability of much of J.-P. Migne’s Patrologia graeca online. Jim Davila mentions a list of biblical verses cited in the Talmud, an update about the Afghanistan manuscripts, Devorah Dimant’s recently released Dead Sea Scrolls in Scholarly Perspective, Lina Broydo’s discussion of the Dead Sea Scrolls online and in Israel. Nijay Gupta briefly reviews Joel Green’s Practicing Theological Interpretation.

Logos 4.5 (SR3) is now available with a couple minor bug fixes. For the change log, see here. Also, February’s free resource is now available: The Works of B. B. Warfield (Vol. 1: Revelation and Inspiration).

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include: Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies J. Andrew Dearman, The Book of Hosea, reviewed by Heinz-Dieter Neef Károly Dániel Dobos and Miklós Köszeghy, eds., With Wisdom as a Robe: Qumran and Other Jewish Studies in Honour of Ida Fröhlich, reviewed by Korinna Zamfir Bruce Louden, Homer’s Odyssey and the Near East, reviewed by Charles L. Echols Jason Radine, The Book of Amos in Emergent Judah, reviewed by Daniel C. Timmer Shemaryahu Talmon, Text and Canon of the Hebrew Bible, reviewed by August H. Konkel William A. Tooman and Michael A. Lyons, eds., Transforming Visions: Transformations of Text, Tradition, and Theology in Ezekiel, reviewed by William R. Osborne New Testament and Cognate Studies ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“75” caption=“Image via Wikipedia”] [/caption] Theodor Zahn’s Kommentar zum Neuen Testament volume on Romans (1910) is available freely in several formats from Internet Archive, and his volume on Galatians (1905) is available freely in PDF format from Google Books. The bibliographic information for both is available here (BibTeX). ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“175” caption=“Image via CrunchBase”] [/caption] The stable release of Zotero 3.0 is now available: Zotero 3.0 marks a major departure from previous versions, most notably with the new ability run outside the Firefox browser. Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, this standalone version of Zotero contains all the great functionality of the old Firefox-based Zotero but now enables users to integrate Zotero into browsers other than Firefox like Google Chrome and Apple Safari. To all you Firefox lovers out there, no need to worry! Zotero continues to work within Firefox, and even if you choose to run the standalone version, it will talk to Firefox, too. ...

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“200” caption=“Depiction of the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Image via Wikipedia)”] [/caption] The interchange in Matt 18:21–22 looks back to Jesus’ immediately preceding comments on handling a community member (ἀδελφός) who sins ( Matt 18:15–20; Chrysostom, Hom. Matt., 61.1 [NPNF1 10:357]; cf. Matt 18:21; 19:1). Read within this context, Peter’s question ποσάκις ἁμαρτήσει εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἀφήσω αὐτῷ; ( Matt 18:21a; How many times* shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?) addresses a very plausible ambiguity in Jesus’ preceding comments. Judging from this question, Peter presumably thinks it inappropriate for a community member endlessly to sin and repent, but as long as some repentance was involved, Jesus’ instructions could seem never to allow further action to be taken. As many times as the community member would sin and repent, this member would also be restored ( Matt 18:15b; Chrysostom, Hom. Matt., 61.1 [NPNF1 10:357]). ...

On the Web: Alin Suciu provides a PDF of the now public-domain R. Draguet, Julien d’Halicarnasse et sa controverse avec Sévère d’Antioche sur l’incorruptibilité du corps du Christ(Louvain: Smeesters, 1924). The bibliographic entry is available here (BibTeX). Google Books has Adolf Deissman’s Bible Studies(trans. Alexander Grieve; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1903) available for download in PDF format. The bibliographic entry is available here (BibTeX). Logos 4.5 (SR1) is available with some minor bug fixes, and Evernote for Windows gets a major update for its PDF handling. Jim Davila notes a couple updates about recent stories of Jewish manuscript finds in Afghanistan ( 1, 2), as does John Byron. John Byron reflects on a selection from Thomas à Kempis and lectures on rewritten Bible. Marc Cortez discusses “How to Reject a Rejection Letter,” announces a series on the value of blogging, and begins this series by considering how blogging can improve writing. Richard Hays delivers lectures on “Torah Reconfigured: Reading Scripture with Matthew” and “The One Who Redeems Israel: Reading Scripture with Luke” (HT: Kerry Lee). Matthew Montonini notes some new Durham University dissertations that are available and collects links to audio resources by Rikk Watts. Charles Jones mentions the website of the Berliner Papyrusdatenbank, which includes some papyrus images. Robert Woods discusses C. S. Lewis’s “Reading of Old Books.” For links to the essay’s full text, please see here. Larry Hurtado considers “Bousset and ‘Early High Christology.’” Brian LePort notes an interview with Peter Williams on the Gospels’ reliability. Greg Goswell has the latest article in the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, “An Early Commentary on the Pauline Corpus: The Capitulation of Codex Vaticanus.” For the full text of the article, please see the JGRChJ’s current volume page.

Despite what was apparently some earlier confusion about the timing of the release, Logos 4.5 is now shipping. This significant update mainly introduces improvements in highlighting and note taking, but it contains several other improvements also. For the full release notes, see here. ...