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LibreOffice 3.5.1 was released earlier this week. The version includes a number of important bug fixes ( RC1 change log, RC2 change log). Enabling experimental features in the 3.5 series, however, can apparently still cause difficulties with Zotero integration.

The latest issue of the Journal of Biblical Literature includes:

• Carol Newsom, “Models of the Moral Self: Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism”
• Jonathann Vroom, “Recasting Mišpātîm: Legal Innovation in Leviticus 24:10-23”
• Suzanne Boorer, “The Place of Numbers 13–14 and Numbers 20:2–12 in the Priestly Narrative (Pg)”
• Israel Finkelstein, “The Historical Reality behind the Genealogical Lists in 1 Chronicles”
• Francis Landy, “I and Eye in Isaiah, or Gazing at the Invisible”
• Jacob Wright and Michael Chan, “King and Eunuch: Isaiah 56:1-8 in Light of Honorific Royal Burial Practices”
• Alec Lucas, “Reorienting the Structural Paradigm and Social Significance of Romans 1:18–32”
• David Downs, “Faith(fulness) in Christ Jesus in 2 Timothy 3:15”
• Jason Whitlark, ” ‘Here We Do Not Have a City That Remains’: A Figured Critique of Roman Imperial Propaganda in Hebrews 13:14”
• Matthias Henze, “4 Ezra and 2 Baruch: Literary Composition and Oral Performance in First-Century Apocalyptic Literature”

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include:

Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies

• Peter Altmann, Festive Meals in Ancient Israel: Deuteronomy’s Identity Politics in Their Ancient Near Eastern Context, reviewed by Stephen A. Reed
• Martin Hallaschka, Haggai und Sacharja 1–8: Eine redaktionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung, reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer
• Tod Linafelt, Claudia V. Camp, and Timothy Beal, eds., The Fate of King David: The Past and Present of a Biblical Icon, reviewed by Ilse Muellner

New Testament and Cognate Studies

Thanks to wonderful readers and the excellent folks at the Westminster Bookstore, the following have arrived at the door recently:

• David Aune, Apocalypticism, Prophecy, and Magic in Early Christianity
• Greg Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New
• Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity
• Harvie Conn, ed., Inerrancy and Hermeneutic
• Gordon Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God
• Gordon Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-theological Study
• Richard Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics
• Anthony Thiselton, The Hermeneutics of Doctrine
• Kevin Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-linguistic Approach to Christian Theology

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

• Jennifer G. Bird, Abuse, Power and Fearful Obedience: Reconsidering 1 Peter’s Commands to Wives, reviewed by Torrey Seland
• Scot McKnight, The Letter of James, reviewed by James P. Sweeney
• Rodrigo J. Morales, The Spirit and the Restoration of Israel: New Exodus and New Creation Motifs in Galatians, reviewed by Sigurd Grindheim

Biblical Theology and Hermeneutics

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:

• Simon Baker, Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
• Samuel Kramer, The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character
• Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
• N. K. Sandars, trans., The Epic of Gilgamesh
• John Sherrill, The Hiding Place

Further offer details are available here; the promotional price appears only after checkout on the order confirmation.

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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)”

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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

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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.

Since the stable release of Zotero Standalone is still fairly new, some help material, even on Zotero’s website, still refers to the software as a “Firefox extension.” The standalone version does have some limitations, for example, in terms of attaching web pages or snapshots to Zotero items, but the standalone version’s performance also seems to be a good bit better than that of the Firefox extension. The standalone version also works with Chrome and Safari. As a work around for some of Zotero Standalone’s limitations, however, both the Firefox extension and the standalone version can use the same Zotero library. So, one can also install the Firefox extension to use its fuller functionality as needed but still use the standalone version for its better performance when simply accessing the Zotero library or when integrating with a word processor.

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.

To download the most recent version of Zotero’s SBL style, go to the style repository, click “Theology,” and find “Society of Biblical Literature (Full Note).”

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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

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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

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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.

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),

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

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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:

[Effective pedagogical] approaches . . . demand much more of students and faculty. Students should be made to grapple with the material and receive authentic and explicit practice in thinking like an expert. . . . Faculty . . . need to provide timely and specific feedback, and move beyond lectures in which students can sit passively receiving information. (underlining added)

...

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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”

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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.

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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

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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).