Michael-Bird

Earlier this month, Rick Brannan posted an analysis of the most frequently cited in a selection of systematic theologies. Rick has since made available on his blog the bibliography of systematic theologies that fed this analysis.

Meanwhile, Christianity Today picked up the post for further discussion. According to CT,

Perhaps most interesting—and potentially disturbing—is the dearth of Old Testament references among the 100 most-cited verses. This raises the question of whether the Old Testament is necessary for Christian theology, and whether it should be included in systematic theology more often.

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The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include:

Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies

• Gary M. Beckman, Trevor R. Bryce, and Eric H. Cline, The Ahhiyawa Texts, reviewed by Paul Sanders
• Walter Brueggemann, David and His Theologian: Literary, Social, and Theological Investigations of the Early Monarchy, reviewed by Andrea Ravasco
• James L. Crenshaw, Reading Job: A Literary and Theological Commentary, reviewed by Norman Habel
• Jonathan Grossman, Esther: The Outer Narrative and the Hidden Reading, reviewed by Kelly A. Whitcomb
• Irene Schulmeister, Israels Befreiung aus Ägypten: Eine Formeluntersuchung zur Theologie des Deuteronomiums, reviewed by Peter Porzig

New Testament and Cognate Studies

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include:

Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies

• A. Graeme Auld, First and Second Samuel: A Commentary, reviewed by Phillip G. Camp
• Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum, Margarete van Ess, and Joachim Marzahn, eds.,  Babylon: Wissenskultur in Orient und Okzident, reviewed by Michael S. Moore
• Alan T. Levenson, The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible: How Scholars in Germany, Israel, and America Transformed an Ancient Text, reviewed by George Savran
• Hans-Peter Mathys, Das Astarte-Quadrat, reviewed by Sven Petry
• Vincent Sénéchal, Rétribution et intercession dans le Deutéronome, reviewed by Paul Sanders
• Marvin A. Sweeney, Tanak: A Theological and Critical Introduction to the Jewish Bible, reviewed by Jason M. Silverman

New Testament and Cognate Studies

The folks at Zondervan sponsored this year’s Institute for Biblical Research meeting reception. In addition to the deserts there, they very kindly provided attending members with a copy of the recent (2012) Counterpoints volume on Paul, edited by Michael Bird. According to the publisher’s description:

The apostle Paul was a vital force in the development of Christianity. Paul’s historical and religious context affects the theological interpretation of Paul’s writings, no small issue in the whole of Christian theology.

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On the web:

• Jim Davila and Hershel Shanks, among others, pay tribute to the fallen titan, Frank Moore Cross.
• Michael Bird joins Joel Watts in reflecting on Justin Martyr, Xenophon, and the Gospels.
• The Cornell University Library has a collection of Eleusinian inscription images available (HT: Charles Jones).

The latest reviews from the Review of Biblical Literature include:

Jewish Scriptures and Cognate Studies

• Stephen J. Bennett, Ecclesiastes/Lamentations: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, reviewed by Russell L. Meek
• Alicia Suskin Ostriker, For the Love of God: The Bible as an Open Book, reviewed by Barbara Green

New Testament and Cognate Studies

• Michael F. Bird and Joseph R. Dodson, eds., Paul and the Second Century, reviewed by Joseph B. Tyson
• Gary Alan Chamberlain, The Greek of the Septuagint: A Supplemental Lexicon, reviewed by Peter Burton
• Bruce W. Longenecker, Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World, reviewed by Kathy Ehrensperger and by L. L. Welborn
• Charles B. Puskas and C. Michael Robbins, An Introduction to the New Testament, reviewed by J. Samuel Subramanian

Miscellaneous

Via Michael Bird:

I’m glad to announce that my Ph.D padwan Adam Copenhaver has passed his doctoral viva. His thesis was: “The Colossian Heresy? An Investigation of the Christological Polemics and Socio-Cultural Background in Colossians.” Adam boldly argued for M.D. Hooker’s position that there was no specific “heresy” or “heretics” in Colossae, and Colossians was written as a general exhortation against a variety of possible religious encroachments against a cluster of house churches in the interior of the Lycus Valley.

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