Jesus at the Movies: Week 1

To those of you who missed the first session of "Jesus at the Movies" this evening at lovely Christ Church United Methodist: where were you? ;-) Fortunately, however, the technological marvel that is Google Docs allows me to post the thoroughly captivating PowerPoint presentation (an introduction to the study of the historical Jesus, which will serve as a comparative framework for the evaluation of aspects of various films) here, so as to offset your inevitable feelings of emptiness, loss, etc. Alternatively, simply click on the slide below. Enjoy... and we hope to see you next week!

RBL Highlights: 7/9/09

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature. Note the volume in honor of the recently retired Eric Meyers, which is co-edited by the venerable Prof. Tom McCullough (one of my favorite professors at Centre).

Paul N. Anderson, Felix Just, S.J., and Tom Thatcher, eds.
John, Jesus, and History, Volume 1: Critical Appraisals of Critical Views
Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Timothy K. Beal and Tod Linafelt, eds.
Mel Gibson's Bible: Religion, Popular Culture, and The Passion of the Christ
Reviewed by William Telford

Richard J. Clifford, ed.
Wisdom Literature in Mesopotamia and Israel
Reviewed by John Mason
Reviewed by Andrew E. Steinmann

Richard M. Davidson
Flame of Yahweh: Sexuality in the Old Testament
Reviewed by Gerrie Snyman

Douglas R. Edwards and C. Thomas McCollough, eds.
The Archaeology of Difference: Gender, Ethnicity, Class and the "Other" in Antiquity: Studies in Honor of Eric M. Meyers
Reviewed by Cynthia M. Baker

Daniel K. Falk
The Parabiblical Texts: Strategies for Extending the Scriptures among the Dead Sea Scrolls
Reviewed by Lee Martin McDonald

David Flusser, with R. Steven Notley
The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus' Genius
Reviewed by Robert L. Brawley

Philip S. Johnston, ed.
The IVP Introduction to the Bible
Reviewed by Douglas Estes

Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta
Acta Andreae Apocrypha: A New Perspective on the Nature, Intention and Significance of the Primitive Text
Reviewed by Lee Martin McDonald

Sara Parvis and Paul Foster, eds.
Justin Martyr and His Worlds
Reviewed by Shawn W. J. Keough

Jaroslav Pelikan
Acts
Reviewed by John B. F. Miller

F. E. Peters
The Voice, the Word, the Books: The Sacred Scripture of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims
Reviewed by Kirk R. MacGregor

Kocku von Stuckrad, ed.; Robert Barr, trans.
The Brill Dictionary of Religion
Reviewed by Wolfram Reiss

Geza Vermes
The Resurrection: History and Myth
Reviewed by Tony Costa
Reviewed by Michael R. Licona

BAR Highlights: 7/9/08

Recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:

A Risen Messiah Before Jesus?
BAR Special News Report
The news media has been reporting on an important ancient text—like the Dead Sea Scrolls, but written on a stone tablet—that may challenge our understanding of the concept of messiah among Jews and Christians in ancient times. The first popular article on this intriguing tablet, called “Gabriel’s Vision,” appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review; read the article here, as well as a transcription and translation of the 87-line text.

Oldest Church Found?
BAR Special News Report
Excavators in Rihab, northern Jordan, say the have uncovered a cave underneath a third-century church that they believe was used by the very first Christians between the years 33, about when Jesus was crucified, and 70 A.D., when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.

“May His Bones Rot”
July 8, 2008
That’s what the Talmud said of the Roman emperor Hadrian, and understandably so considering his ruthless suppression of the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome. But Hadrian’s many accomplishments, good and bad, long ago secured his place in history, as shown in this review article of an upcoming British Museum exhibit.

F Is for Fake
July 6, 2008
The Brooklyn Museum has announced that it believes about one third of its Coptic (Egyptian Christian) objects are fakes—and it plans to put them on exhibit to highlight the problem of forgeries.

Back Home to Egypt
July 5, 2008
A 2500-year-old wall relief has been returned to Egypt after it was pulled from an auction house sale in England. The relief had been looted from a pharaoh’s tomb in Luxor.

Brush Up Your Syriac
July 4, 2008
Brigham Young University and Catholic University of America have joined forces to produce the Syriac Studies Reference Library, a valuable online resource for the study of early Christian texts.

Baghdad Eyewitness
July 3, 2008
Former Iraq Museum director Donny George, who was present during the looting of the museum in the wake of the American invasion in 2003, describes in a video interview those calamitous days and what it was like working for Saddam Hussein.

Uncovering Urban Egypt
July 2, 2008
The widely-held view that the land of the pharaohs was a civilization without cities is being upended by new discoveries south of Luxor.

Authentic Imitations
July 1, 2008
A Nevada natural history museum has received a gift of reproductions of King Tut’s treasures. The gifts came from Luxor—Luxor, Las Vegas.

What Took You So Long?
June 30, 2008
Thanks to clues in the Odyssey and the timing of an ancient solar eclipse, two scientists think they know when Odysseus was finally reunited with his beloved Penelope.

Palmyra Before Palmyra
June 29, 2008
Thanks to its spectacular remains, the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria is one of the most striking Roman sites in the Middle East. But now Austrian, German and Syrian archaeologists have uncovered an earlier incarnation of the city, which dates to the Hellenistic period.

On the Ropes
June 28, 2008
A manmade cave on the Red Sea coast has yielded more than 30 coils of rope wrapped by Egyptian sailors 4,000 years ago. The discovery is providing insights into ancient Egyptian sailing and shipbuilding techniques.

Handling of Greece’s Heritage Creates Scandal
June 27, 2008
The Greek government is coming under increasing criticism for neglecting the country’s archaeological heritage—many sites are poorly maintained or not accessible to visitors. The site of Akrotiri, on the volcanic island of Santorini, for example, is closed for the third straight summer because the roof over the remains collapsed and has yet to be replaced.

Forget Xbox, Play the Royal Game of Ur
June 26, 2008
A British Museum curator has had a lifelong obsession with ancient Mesopotamia’s most popular board game. Deciphering cuneiform texts, he discovered how the game was played and even convinced former chess champion Garry Kasparov to try his hand at it.

July SBL Newsletter

The first SBL Newsletter for July arrived in my inbox this evening. Among other news, the yearly subscription fee for the print edition of the Journal of Biblical Literature has been slightly increased, from $35 (for Society members) to $40. Not an exponential jump, but enough to inspire me to save a few trees and read each issue online!

Publications News

New JBL posted
Note the upcoming price changes for the Journal of Biblical Literature one-year print subscription. (JBL on-line included in membership)

Member pricing: $40 for print issue; Non-member pricing: $165 online only, $180 print only and $195 for print and online.

This increase will be effective starting with the Spring 2009 128:1 issue. If your renewal comes up before then or if you have already purchased a 2009 subscription, the price remains $35.

Logos has announced the upcoming availability of the Review of Biblical Literature (RBL)—9 years worth of reviews from 1998-2006 through Libronix.

Ten more books have been added to the ICI Online Books Project. Click here for the complete list of books in the project.


Meetings and Events

The International Meeting in Auckland is currently in progress. It will end July 11.

Annual Meeting Session Guides have been mailed to all SBL members. Look for yours in the mail soon. You can check the Online Program for changes or register for the meeting at http://www.sbl-site.org/meetings/AnnualMeeting.aspx.


Career Center

Candidate registration for Jobs at the Annual Meeting is now open.

Employer registration for Jobs at the Annual Meeting will open July 16.

The American Theological Library Association is partnering with the Career Center. The Career Center's broad audience will make more visible the various opportunities available in the library field and provide SBL members additional career services. Check the Career Center homepage for more information.

Technology

We are aware that using FireFox 3.0 may lead to users experiencing errors using the site. We are working to get everything corrected shortly.


Society Fund

We invite you to make your 2008 contribution to the annual Society Fund. Your contributions are essential to SBL programs such as the Online books Project which provides online access to current, critical scholarship to students in qualifying countries.
Please join your colleagues in helping us reach our goal of $75,000.

Thank you for your continuous support and a special thank you to those who have already made their 2008 commitment.



Calendar items for July and August 2008
For more information on all Events listed, click here.

July 2008


7/6-7/11
SBL International Meeting
Auckland, New Zealand
Click Here for more information.


7/7-7/9
ARAM Twenty-Fifth International Conference: The Decapolis
University of Oxford
Click Here for more information.


7/14-7/16
Society of Asian Biblical Studies Meeting; Seoul, Korea
Click Here for more information.


7/20-7/25
54e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
University of Würzburg
More Information


7/21-7/24
Summer meeting of The Society for Old Testament Study (SOTS)
Wadham College, University of Oxford
For conference details click here.


7/21-7/26
International Conference on the Ancient Novel (ICAN 2008)in Lisbon, Portugal
includes sessions on Archaeology and the Ancient Novel and Early Christian Narrative and Jewish Narrative


7/29-8/2
The 63rd General Meeting of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (Society for the Study of the New Testament) will take place from July 29 to August 1 in Lund, Sweden. For members of the Society and their invited guests.

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/snts/


August 2008


8/4-8/5
Gender and Hebrew Bible conference
A Question of Sex: Embroidered Garments
King's College London
Strand Campus
For more detailed information please Click Here


8/4-8/8
Intertestamental Literature, Reading Non-canonical Books for biblical scholars from Catholic and various Protestant seminaries.
Conference Centre GBKP, Kabanjahe, North Sumatera, Indonesia
Contact: Fr. Dr. Hari Kustono or Rev. Armand Barus, Ph.D.


8/5-8/7
57th Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense; Topic: The Composition of the Book of Psalms
President: Prof. dr. Erich Zenger (University of Münster)
Venue: Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Theology, St-Michielsstraat 6, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
For more detailed information please contact: jos.verheyden@theo.kuleuven.be


8/19-8/20
Conference on Philemon
Theme: Philemon in Perspective
University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

For more detailed information Click Here

The Bible and Critical Theory 4.2

The latest issue of The Bible and Critical Theory is now available online. The included articles and reviews, with their respective hyperlinks, are listed below:

Editorial

Julie Kelso
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 22.1-22.3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Surveillant discipline: Panoptic vision in early Christian
self-definition

David M. Reis
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 23.1-23.21.

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Intersections in queer theory and postcolonial theory, and hermeneutical
spin-offs

Jeremy Punt
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 24.1-24.16.

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Revelation for sale: An intercultural reading of Revelation 18 from an
East Asian perspective

Rohun Park
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 25.1-25.12.

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The Story of Hannah (1 Sam 1:1-2:11) from a perspective of Han: The
three-phase transformative process

Yung Suk Kim
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 26.1-26.9.

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`My business is circumference': A meditation on scission, locution,
confession

Hilary Emmett
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 27.1-27.13.

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Review of John J. Collins, The Bible After Babel: Historical Criticism
in a Postmodern Age: (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
2005)

George Aichele
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 28.1-28.3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review of Corinna Riva & Nicholas C Vella (eds) Debating
Orientalization: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Change in the Ancient
Mediterranean: (London: Equinox, 2006.)

Michael Carden
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 29.1-29.3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review of Steven Schweitzer, Reading Utopia in Chronicles: (Library of
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 442. New York: T &T Clark, 2007)

Roland Boer
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 30.1-30.3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review of David Rhoads, From Every People and Nation: The Book of
Revelation in Intercultural Perspective

Rohun Park
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 31.1-31.4.

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Review of Dan O. Via, Divine Justice, Divine Judgment: Rethinking the
Judgment of Nations: (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007)

Kathryn Imray
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 32.1-32.3.

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Review of Hector Avalos, The End of Biblical Studies: (Amherst, NY:
Prometheus Books, 2007)

Peter D Miscall
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 33.1-33.4.

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Review of J. W. Rogerson, According to the Scriptures: The Use of the
Bible in Social, Moral and Political Questions: (London: Equinox, 2007)

Craig Martin
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 34.1-34.3.

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Review of Jerome T. Walsh, Ahab: The Construction of a King:
(Collegeville, MN: A Michael Glazier Book, Liturgical Press, 2006)

Lou McNeil
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 35.1-35.3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review of Ward Blanton, Displacing Christian Origins: Philosophy,
Secularity and the New Testament: (Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press, 2007)

Richard Walsh
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 36.1-36.4.

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Review of Fiona Black (ed.), The Recycled Bible: Autobiography, Culture
and the Space Between: (Semeia Studies 51, Atlanta: Society of Biblical
Literature, 2006)

Christina Petterson
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 37.1-37.3.

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Review of Anne F. Elvey, An Ecological Feminist Reading of the Gospel of
Luke: (Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005)

Rohun Park
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 38.1-38.2.

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Review of Warren S. Goldstein (ed.), Marx, Critical Theory and Religion:
A Critique of Rational Choice: (Studies in Critical Social Sciences,
vol. 6. Leiden: Brill, 2006)

Roland Boer
The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 4, No. 2: 39.1-39.4.

New from OUP: Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies

This announcement, however, comes not from Oxford University Press itself but from Dove, which is offering an introductory special on this title here. Given the exorbitant list prices of the hardcover volumes in this series, I will almost certainly be waiting for a paperback edition. But for those interested readers with deeper pockets, this will be well worth a look.

Ashbrook, Susan David Hunter (eds)
Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies
(Oxford University Press, 2008) 1032 pages
Hardcover List: $155.00 Dove Price: $125.99 Save $29.01 (19%) NYP Due: 08/15/2008

Description
The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies responds to and celebrates the explosion of research in this inter-disciplinary field over recent decades. As a one-volume reference work, it provides an introduction to the academic study of early Christianity (c. 100-600 AD) and examines the vast geographical area impacted by the early church, in Western and Eastern late antiquity. It is thematically arranged to encompass history, literature, thought, practices, and material culture. It contains authoritative and up-to-date surveys of current thinking and research in the various sub-specialties of early Christian studies, written by leading figures in the discipline. The essays orientate readers to a given topic, as well as to the trajectory of research developments over the past 30-50 years within the scholarship itself. Guidance for future research is also given. Each essay points the reader towards relevant forms of extant evidence (texts, documents, or examples of material culture), as well as to the appropriate research tools available for the area. This volume will be useful to advanced undergraduate and post-graduate students, as well as to specialists in any area who wish to consult a brief review of the 'state of the question' in a particular area or sub-specialty of early Christian studies, especially one different from their own.

Spring Wrap-Up: Greek Exegesis of Mark

My term paper for Prof. Adela Collins' exegetical course on the Gospel of Mark was an extended proposal for the increased application of recent text-critical theories, with their movement beyond basic questions of originality or authenticity of a particular passage, to the gospel's final verses. The thoughts presented herein are by no means exhaustive or complete, but I hope that they represent a starting point for further discussion.

* The end of the road, or just a fork? A fresh look at Mark 16:8-20

Enjoy!

Spring Wrap-Up: Theology and Cinema

The course requirements for "Theology and Cinema" included two reflection papers on the relationship between theological motifs and one or more movies, as well as a detailed proposal for an individual lecture or complete course linking the studies of faith and film in some fashion. My proposal, entitled "The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Scholarship and Cinema," served as the basis for the four-week seminar which I'm facilitating at my home church, Christ Church United Methodist, each of the remaining Wednesday evenings in July. If you're in town, I hope to see you there!

* "Get Busy Livin', or Get Busy Dyin'": The Shawshank Redemption as Cinematic Passion Narrative

* “Love Doesn’t End…”: A Bultmannian Study of Love in The End of the Affair

* The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Scholarship and Cinema: A Proposal

Enjoy!

Spring Wrap-Up: History and Methods of NT Research

Among the course requirements for "History and Methods of New Testament Research," taught by Prof. Adela Collins, were a few scholarly reviews of particularly influential articles and monographs. And now, in my infinite generosity, I share them with you here:

* Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History (new ed.; trans. William E. Wilson; New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957), pp. 3-26.

* C. H. Dodd, “The First Epistle of John and the Fourth Gospel,” in Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 21 (1937), pp. 129-156.

* Eldon Jay Epp, “The Significance of the Papyri for Determining the Nature of the New Testament Text in the Second Century: A Dynamic View of Textual Tradition,” in William L. Petersen, ed., Gospel Traditions in the Second Century: Origins, Recensions, Text, and Transmission (Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity 3; Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1989), pp. 71-103.

Idem, “The Multivalence of the Term ‘Original Text’ in New Testament Textual Criticism,” in Harvard Theological Review 92.3 (1999), pp. 245-281.

*John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew, Volume I: The Roots of the Problem and the Person (Anchor Bible Reference Library; New York: Anchor Doubleday, 1991). 484 pp.

Idem, A Marginal Jew, Volume II: Mentor, Message, and Miracles (Anchor Bible Reference Library; New York: Anchor Doubleday, 1994). 1118 pp.

Idem, A Marginal Jew, Volume III: Companions and Competitors (Anchor Bible Reference Library; New York: Anchor Doubleday, 2001). 703 pp.

Another requirement was a text-critical commentary concerning a problematic New Testament passage of our choice. As textual criticism is a particular hobby of mine, this was largely a labor of love!

*Romans 5:1--A Text-Critical Commentary

Enjoy!

ACCS Sale at Eisenbrauns

Throughout this month, Eisenbrauns is offering a 42% discount on no fewer than 20 titles from the noted series Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (published by Intervarsity Press). Eisenbrauns does not permit returns on sale items, but those searching for an inviting gateway into the occasionally daunting but repeatedly refreshing world of patristic exegesis will not be disappointed.

The complete list of available items may be viewed here.

Yay for Chris Beeley!

Last month's Religion Newsletter from Oxford University Press--which remained thoroughly submerged beneath a deluge of post-commencement e-mails until this evening--contained a blurb announcing the publication of a new tome by my former Patristics professor, Chris Beeley. I suppose he was working during that recent year-long sabbatical, after all. ;-) Congratulations are most certainly in order!

Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the Knowledge of God
Christopher A. Beeley

Christopher Beeley's groundbreaking study—the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship—examines Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity within the full range of his theological and practical vision. Long eclipsed in modern scholarship, Gregory Nazianzen is now brought into full view as the major witness to the Trinity among the Greek fathers of the Church.

The concurrent Classics Newsletter included another particularly interesting title:

Animal Sacrifice in Ancient Greek Religion, Judaism, and Christianity, 100 BC to AD 200
Maria-Zoe Petropoulou

This is a study of animal sacrifice within Greek paganism, Judaism, and Christianity during the period of their interaction between about 100 BC and AD 200. After a vivid account of the realities of sacrifice in the Greek East and in the Jerusalem Temple (up to AD 70), Maria-Zoe Petropoulou explores the attitudes of early Christians towards this practice.

New from the SBL: Swanson's New Testament Manuscripts Series

During the spring semester, Prof. Adela Collins mentioned this unique resource during the text-critical portion of her course "History and Methods of New Testament Research," and lamented the fact that a few of the volumes had gone out of print. Consequently I am pleased to see that the Society of Biblical Literature is now distributing the series, and is offering a 40% discount to members through July 15. Those interested readers who are familiar with Greek but have not yet had the opportunity to explore such a valuable set of tools would to well to peruse a volume or two.

SBL Distributes Swanson’s NEW TESTAMENT GREEK MANUSCRIPTS Series
Special One-Month 40% Discount Sale for Scholars and Libraries

The Society of Biblical Literature is pleased to announce that it now distributes the highly acclaimed New Testament Greek Manuscript series authored by Reuben J. Swanson.

Through July 15, 2008, the titles in this series are available to individual scholars and libraries only at a 40% discount. Download the order form here. You can also order online by clicking the book link and using promo code NTGM2008 at the checkout.

Members, please alert your libraries to this sale and its discount pricing.

Compiled and edited by New Testament scholar Reuben J. Swanson, the volumes in the New Testament Greek Manuscripts series present all the known variants in Greek to the texts of various New Testament books in an easy-to-follow, verse-by-verse format. Advanced students of the New Testament, Bible translators, and New Testament textual scholars can see at a glance any variations between the surviving Greek witnesses in any given verse. Each volume also includes a brief introduction to New Testament textual scholarship and helpful appendixes.

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Matthew
070001P. 978-0-86585-051-4; 1995. Paper, $34.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $20.99

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Mark
070002P. 978-0-86585-052-1; 1995. Paper $31.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $19.19

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Luke
070003P. 978-0-86585-053-8; 1995. Paper $43.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $26.39

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: John
070004P. 978-0-86585-054-5; 1995. Paper $33.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $20.39

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Acts
070005P. 978-0-86585-055-2; 1998. Paper $50.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $30.59

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Romans
070006P. 978-0-86585-070-5; 2001. Paper $43.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $26.39

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: 1 Corinthians
070007P. 978-0-86585-072-9; 2003. Paper $49.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $29.99

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: 2 Corinthians
070008P. 978-0-86585-073-6; 2005. Paper $40.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $24.59

New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Galatians
070009P. 978-0-86585-069-9; 2000. Paper $20.99 retail.
DISCOUNT PRICE $12.59


Sale ends July 15, 2008.
Order online at www.sbl-site.org using promo code NTGM2008, or contact
Society of Biblical Literature Customer Service
P.O. Box 2243
Williston, VT 05495-2243 USA
Phone: 877-725-3334 (toll-free) or 802-864-6185
Fax: 802-864-7626

RBL Highlights: 7/1/08

And now, additional selections from today's RBL. I'm looking forward to reading a few of these myself throughout the course of the week, and possibly posting a few of my reactions/responses here.

Paul N. Anderson, Felix Just, S.J., and Tom Thatcher, eds.
John, Jesus, and History: Volume 1, Critical Appraisals of Critical Views
Reviewed by Mark A. Matson

David Catchpole
Jesus People: The Historical Jesus and the Beginnings of Community
Reviewed by Paul Foster

John Granger Cook
The Interpretation of the Old Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism
Reviewed by David Lincicum

Hubertus R. Drobner; Siegfried Schatzmann, trans.
The Fathers of the Church: A Comprehensive Introduction
Reviewed by Wilhelm Pratscher

Zev Garber, ed.
Mel Gibson's Passion: The Film, the Controversy, and Its Implications
Reviewed by W. R. Telford

Thomas J. Kraus
Ad fontes: Original Manuscripts and Their Significance for Studying Early Christianity: Selected Essays
Reviewed by Christopher Tuckett

Amy-Jill Levine, ed., with Maria Mayo Robbins
A Feminist Companion to the New Testament Apocrypha
Reviewed by Heike Omerzu

Yuzuru Miura
David in Luke-Acts: His Portrayal in the Light of Early Judaism
Reviewed by Steven Cox

Stephen W. Need
The Gospels Today: Challenging Readings of John, Mark, Luke and Matthew
Reviewed by Peter J. Judge

Birger A. Pearson
Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature
Reviewed by Philip L. Tite

Richard D. Phillips
Hebrews
Reviewed by Knut Backhaus

Brant Pitre
Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile: Restoration Eschatology and the Origin of the Atonement
Reviewed by John A. Dennis

Laurence M. Vance
Guide to Prepositions in the Greek New Testament
Reviewed by Paul Elbert

Robby Waddell
The Spirit of the Book of Revelation
Reviewed by Jan A. du Rand

Mark Wilson
Charts on the Book of Revelation: Literary, Historical, and Theological Perspectives
Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Magnus Zetterholm, ed.
The Messiah in Early Judaism and Christianity
Reviewed by James H. Charlesworth

RBL Highlights: 6/6/08-6/24/08

After a brief sabbatical, a handfull of especially interesting selections from the last three editions of the venerable Review of Biblical Literature:

Bradford B. Blaine Jr.
Peter in the Gospel of John: The Making of an Authentic Disciple
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Sebastian Brock
The Bible in the Syriac Tradition
Reviewed by H. F. van Rooy

Gregory W. Dawes
Introduction to the Bible
Reviewed by Randall L. McKinion

Jane DeRose Evans
The Coins and the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Economy of Palestine
Reviewed by Mark A. Chancey

Victor Paul Furnish
1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians
Reviewed by Eduard Verhoef

Paul M. Hoskins
Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Temple in the Gospel of John
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
Reviewed by Nicholas H. Taylor

Ådna Jostein, ed.
The Formation of the Early Church
Reviewed by Markus Oehler

Bart J. Koet
Dreams and Scripture in Luke-Acts: Collected Essays
Reviewed by David L. Tiede

Jerome H. Neyrey
Give God the Glory: Ancient Prayer and Worship in Cultural Perspective
Reviewed by Tony Costa

Birger A. Pearson
Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature
Reviewed by James F. McGrath

Calvin J. Roetzel
2 Corinthians
Reviewed by Frank J. Matera

Ward Blanton
Displacing Christian Origins: Philosophy, Secularity, and the New Testament
Reviewed by Claire Clivaz

Albert Eichhorn; trans. Jeffrey Cayzer
The Lord's Supper in the New Testament
Reviewed by Sakari Hakkinen

Fredrik Lindgard
Paul's Line of Thought in 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10
Reviewed by Thomas Schmeller

Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray, eds.
Teaching the Bible through Popular Culture and the Arts
Reviewed by Leonard Greenspoon

Andrew R. Angel
Chaos and the Son of Man: The Hebrew Chaoskampf Tradition in the Period 515 BCE to 200 CE
Reviewed by Lorenzo DiTommaso

J. Harold Ellens, ed.
The Destructive Power of Religion: Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Reviewed by Jan Willem van Henten

John H. Elliott
Conflict, Community, and Honor: 1 Peter in Social-Scientific Perspective
Reviewed by Pheme Perkins

Cristina Grenholm and Daniel Patte, eds.
Gender, Tradition and Romans: Shared Ground, Uncertain Borders
Reviewed by Angela Standhartinger

John Paul Heil
Ephesians: Empowerment to Walk in Love for the Unity of All in Christ
Reviewed by Timothy Gombis

Leo G. Perdue
Wisdom Literature: A Theological History
Reviewed by Bernd U. Schipper

Robert R. Stieglitz
Tel Tanninim: Excavations at Krokodeilon Polis 1996-1999
Reviewed by Jodi Magness

Lieve M. Teugels and Rivka Ulmer, eds.
Midrash and Context: Proceedings of the 2004 and 2005 SBL Consultation on Midrash
Reviewed by Alex P. Jassen

Joseph B. Tyson
Marcion and Luke-Acts: A Defining Struggle
Reviewed by Dieter T. Roth

Weekly Sale at Eisenbrauns

This week (through July 9): selected titles from the series Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, at discounts of 40%-50%. Check them out here.

Eerdmans Sale at Dove

Through July 15, Dove is offering discounts as high as 40% on titles from Eerdmans. Check them out here.

The Latest Issue of BAR: Online, but Unendorsed

Last week I received an e-mail from Biblical Archaeology Review announcing the online release of their July/August issue. I was planning to post the relevant links here... until I noticed that this issue, like so many of its unfortunate predecessors, contains a harangue from Herschel Shanks defending the authenticity of the much-maligned ossuary of James the brother of Jesus. The dreadfully tedious and largely irrelevant debates over this tricky little box, which cannot contribute anything to the historical record beyond simple confirmations of James' life, Jewish heritage, and death, caused me to temporarily abandon this publication in disgust a few years ago. It grieves me to see that Shanks and others are continuing to fan these feebly flickering flames rather than dousing them, and thus I am boldly drawing a cyberline in the cybersand and refraining from posting these latest links. If you feel so inclined, visit the BAR website and take a look at the issue... but do so at your own risk! ;-)

Summer SBL Forum Now Online

This just in:

The Summer 2008 issue of The SBL Forum is now available.

IN THE CLASSROOM
Reading Job from the Margins: Dialogical Exegesis and Theological Education
Robert Williamson Jr.

IN THE PROFESSION
Why I Chose a German Ph.D. Program
Jacob L. Wright

Seven Tips for Getting Your Feet Wet at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting
Shayna Sheinfeld

IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE
An Atheist's Dilemma: Should We Bend the Bible for Justice?
Michelle Krejci

IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Bible-Shaped Mirror: Biblical Women and Contemporary Culture in Recent Film
Donna Bowman


The SBL Forum is the online newsletter of the Society of Biblical Literature. It features essays, interviews, and up-to-date news of general and professional interest to SBL members. Its mission is to provide short, useful articles to inform, educate, and address the professional needs of biblical scholars, as well as those interested in biblical studies.

Leonard Greenspoon, editor
forum@sbl-site.org

AOAT Sale at Eisebnrauns

For the remainder of the month, Eisenbrauns is offering a hefty discount of 40% on 45 different titles from the extensive German series Alter Orient und Altes Testament (AOAT). The complete list of relevant titles may be viewed here.

Check them out!

Is a Jordanian Cave the Oldest Extant Christian Church?

According to a group of excavators, the answer to the above question is "yes." A recently discovered cave beneath a third-century church may have been used by early followers of Jesus between the time of his crucifixion and that of the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman forces in 70 CE. If such an assertion were to be confirmed, the cave would stand as the earliest extant Christian place of worship, easily displacing the third-century house church of Dura Europos uncovered by Yale researchers in the 1930s. Not surprisingly, Herschel Shanks, the feisty editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, has already questioned these claims, and he will certainly not be the last to do so. Nevertheless, BAR has helpfully compiled a number of news agencies' reports of the discovery, as well as images of the excavation site and other information, which may be viewed here.

Deep Discounts from Dove (say that three times fast!)

Dove Booksellers is currently offering significant discounts on a number of New Testament and other related titles from Routledge/Taylor & Francis. Most of these are still slightly beyond my preferred price range, but those with deeper pocketbooks should certainly take a look here.

Other noteworthy sale books are listed here.

The Routledge/Taylor & Francis sale ends June 23.

New ANE Monograph Series

A recent announcement from the SBL:

New Online Ancient Near East Monograph Series Established

The Society of Biblical Literature, in partnership with the Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente, Universidad Católica Argentina (CEHAO/UCA), announces the establishment of a new online, open-access monograph series. The focus of the series will be on the ancient Near East, including ancient Israel and its literature, from the early Neolithic to the early Hellenistic eras. Proposals and manuscripts may be submitted in either Spanish or English. Manuscripts are subject to blind peer review by two members of the series’ editorial board before acceptance. Published volumes will be held to the high scholarly standards of SBL and CEHAO/UCA.

A prestigious international group of scholars has agreed to serve on the editorial board:

Co-General Editors:
Ehud Ben Zvi, University of Alberta
Roxana Flammini, Universidad Católica Argentina

Editorial Board:
Marcelo Campagno, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET
Michael Floyd, Centro de Estudios Teologico, Santo Domingo, Dominica Republic
José Galan, Director of the Spanish-Egyptian Mission at Dra Abu el-Naga, Luxor (Egypt)
Erhard Gerstenberger, Philipps Universität-Marburg
Steven Holloway, Saint Xavier University and the American Theological Library Association
Alan Lenzi, University of the Pacific
Santiago Rostom Maderna, Universidad Católica Argentina
Martti Nissinen, University of Helsinki
Juan Manuel Tebes, Universidad Católica Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires

The partnership between SBL and CEHAO/UCA was initiated under the auspices of SBL’s International Cooperation Initiative (ICI) and represents the type of international scholarly exchange that is the goal of ICI. Scholars from anywhere in the world are invited to submit proposals, and the online nature of the series will provide global access to the published scholarship.

Questions about the series or proposals for volumes should be directed to Ehud Ben Zvi (ehud.ben.zvi@ualberta.ca), Roxana Flammini (roxflamm@yahoo.com.ar), or Billie Jean Collins (billie.collins@sbl-site.org).

RBL Highlights: 5/28/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:

François Bovon
Luke the Theologian: Fifty-Five Years of Research (1950-2005)
Reviewed by Eric Noffke

Dan W. Clanton
The Good, the Bold, and the Beautiful: The Story of Susanna and Its Renaissance Interpretations
Reviewed by Robert Doran

John J. Collins
A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
Reviewed by Robin Gallaher Branch

Beverly Roberts Gaventa
Our Mother Saint Paul
Reviewed by Angela Standhartinger

Daniel M. Gurtner
The Torn Veil: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus
Reviewed by Tony Costa

Doug Ingram
Ambiguity in Ecclesiastes
Reviewed by Martin A. Shields

Lance Byron Richey
Roman Imperial Ideology and the Gospel of John
Reviewed by Warren Carter

RBL Highlights: 5/17/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:

Loveday C. A. Alexander
Acts in Its Ancient Literary Context: A Classicist Looks at the Acts of the Apostles
Reviewed by Chrys C. Caragounis

Markus Bockmuehl and James Carleton Paget, eds.
Redemption and Resistance: The Messianic Hopes of Jews and Christians in Antiquity
Reviewed by Joshua Ezra Burns

Frances Taylor Gench
Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John
Reviewed by John Painter

L. Ann. Jervis
At the Heart of the Gospel: Suffering in the Earliest Christian Message
Reviewed by Thomas W. Gillespie

Robert Kysar
John: The Maverick Gospel
Reviewed by Dirk G. van der Merwe

Terence C. Mournet
Oral Tradition and Literary Dependency: Variability and Stability in the Synoptic Tradition and Q
Reviewed by Robert K. McIver

Geert van Oyen and Tom Shepherd, eds.
The Trial and Death of Jesus: Essays on the Passion Narrative in Mark
Reviewed by Adam D. Winn

RBL Highlights: 5/9/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:

Paul N. Anderson
The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus: Modern Foundations Reconsidered
Reviewed by John Painter

Malcolm Choat
Belief and Cult in Fourth-Century Papyri
Reviewed by David Frankfurter

Michael Thomas Davis and Brent A. Strawn, eds.
Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions
Reviewed by Heinz-Josef Fabry

April D. DeConick
The Original Gospel of Thomas in Translation: With a Commentary and New English Translation of the Complete Gospel
Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Mikael C. Parsons
Body and Character in Luke and Acts: The Subversion of Physiognomy in Early Christianity
Reviewed by Pieter J. J. Botha
Reviewed by Patrick E. Spencer

Todd Penner and Caroline Vander Stichele, eds.
Moving beyond New Testament Theology? Essays in Conversation with Heikki Räisänen
Reviewed by Jan van der Watt

Richard L. Rohrbaugh
The New Testament in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Reviewed by Stephan Joubert

C. Kavin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
Reviewed by Christopher Tuckett

Naomi Seidman
Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation
Reviewed by Cameron Boyd-Taylor

Brad H. Young
Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus
Reviewed by Verlyn D. Verbrugge

New from Fortress: Apostle to the Conquered

A recent announcement from Fortress:



Apostle to the Conquered: Reimagining Paul's Mission






"The Apostle to the nations" in political perspective

Davina C. Lopez here combines attention to Roman visual and literary representations of conquered nations with a gender-critical "re-imagination" of Paul's apostleship. The result is a new and more critical perspective on the systematic violence of the Roman Empire, and a renewed understanding of "Paul's politics of the new creation."

Contents

Introduction: The Problem with "the Nations"

The Fate of the Nations in Roman Imperial Representation
Destiny and the Naturalization of Conquest
Conversion, Call, and Consciousness
The Politics of the New Creation

Conclusion: Dislocating Paul's "Universalism"

Davina C. Lopez is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida and serves on the American Academy of Religion's Board of Directors.

ISBN: 978-0-8006-6281-3

Price: $29.00 / CAN $35.00 / UK ₤16.99

Spec: 6" x 9", hardcover with jacket, 224 pages

Order your copy today!

RBL Highlights: 5/5/08

A few highlights from the most recent editions of the Review of Biblical Literature (I've been slacking off due to finals).

Eldon Jay Epp
Junia: The First Woman Apostle
Reviewed by Nancy Calvert-Koyzis

Alice Hunt
Missing Priests: The Zadokites in Tradition and History
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Ivan Shing Chung Kwong
The Word Order of the Gospel of Luke: Its Foregrounded Messages
Reviewed by Steven Runge

Philip L. Mayo
"Those Who Call Themselves Jews": The Church and Judaism in the Apocalypse of John
Reviewed by Jack T. Sanders

John Howard Schütz
Paul and the Anatomy of Apostolic Authority
Reviewed by Graydon F. Snyder

Tommy Wasserman
The Epistle of Jude: Its Text and Transmission
Reviewed by Stephen D. Patton

Herbert W. Bateman IV, ed.
Four Views on the Warning Passages in Hebrews
Reviewed by Felix H. Cortez

Joseph A. Fitzmyer
The One Who Is to Come
Reviewed by Jeffrey L. Staley

Kathy L. Gaca and L. L. Welborn, eds.
Early Patristic Readings of Romans
Reviewed by David A. Creech

Hillary Rodrigues and Thomas A. Robinson
World Religions: A Guide to the Essentials
Reviewed by Joseph Matos

Valerie M. Warrior
Roman Religion
Reviewed by Edmund P. Cueva

Claus Wilcke
Early Ancient Near Eastern Law: A History of Its Beginnings: The Early Dynastic and Sargonic Periods
Reviewed by Michael S. Moore

New from Oxford: Handbook of Biblical Studies

A recent announcement from Oxford. Technically, this isn't a new title, merely a new paperback edition of a previous title. But it's well worth a look!

The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies
Edited by J. W. Rogerson and Judith M. Lieu

Biblical studies is a highly technical and diverse field. The Study of the Bible demands expertise in fields ranging from Archaeology, Egyptology, Assyriology, and Linguistics through textual, historical, and sociological studies to Literary Theory, Feminism, Philosophy, and Theology, to name only some. This authoritative and compelling guide to the discipline is an invaluable reference work for all students and academics who want to explore more fully essential topics in Biblical studies.

RBL Highlights: 4/18/08

And speaking of the RBL, here are some recent highlights:

John Barton
The Nature of Biblical Criticism
Reviewed by James D. G. Dunn

Roland Boer
Symposia: Dialogues Concerning the History of Biblical Interpretation
Reviewed by Henning Graf Reventlow

Andrew Chester
Messiah and Exaltation: Jewish Messianic and Visionary Traditions and New Testament Christology
Reviewed by Martin Karrer

Zeba A. Crook
Reconceptualising Conversion: Patronage, Loyalty, and Conversion in the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean
Reviewed by Dietmar Neufeld

A. Andrew Das
Solving the Romans Debate
Reviewed by Don Garlington

James M. Robinson
Jesus: According to the Earliest Witness
Reviewed by Robert A. Derrenbacker Jr.

Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire
Reviewed by Warren Carter

Peter Jeffery Responds to Scott Brown

I recently received an e-mail from Peter Jeffery in which he indicated that the Review of Biblical Literature has refused to publish his reply to Scott Brown's extensive review of his recent book The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled (which has received high praise from a number of Yale faculty, including Harry Attridge). As a result, his reply may be found here; other related material is available here.

RBL Highlights: 4/10/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:

Carol Dempsey
Jeremiah: Preacher of Grace, Poet of Truth
Reviewed by Carolyn J. Sharp

Ronald Herms
An Apocalypse for the Church and for the World: The Narrative Function of Universal Language in the Book of Revelation
Reviewed by David L. Barr

Timothy Paul Jones
Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus
Reviewed by Craig L. Blomberg

Jan Joosten and Peter J. Tomson, eds.
Voces Biblicae: Septuagint Greek and Its Significance for the New Testament
Reviewed by Hans Ausloos

J. A. (Bobby) Loubser
Oral and Manuscript Culture in the Bible: Studies on the Media Texture of the New Testament-Explorative Hermeneutics
Reviewed by Alan Kirk

Nicholas Perrin
Thomas, The Other Gospel
Reviewed by Kenneth D. Litwak

Don Sausa
The Jesus Tomb: Is It Fact or Fiction? Scholars Chime In
Reviewed by Mark R. Fairchild

John L. Thompson
Reading the Bible with the Dead: What You Can Learn from the History of Exegesis That You Can't Learn from Exegesis Alone
Reviewed by John Sandys-Wunsch

D. Francois Tolmie
Persuading the Galatians: A Text-Centred Rhetorical Analysis of a Pauline Letter
Reviewed by Steven A. Hunt

Elaine M. Wainwright
Women Healing/Healing Women: The Genderization of Healing in Early Christianity
Reviewed by John J. Pilch

Even More SBL News

Publications News

New on The SBL Forum:

The April issue focuses on a controversial new German Bible translation: Die Bibel in gerechter Sprache (The Bible in Inclusive Language).

The Spring 2008 Journal of Biblical Literature 127.1 has been posted.

SBL Publications has added new books to the Online Books Program. For the complete list of books available, click here.

Calendar items for April 2008

4/7-4/11
Concept of Exile in Ancient Israel and its Contexts: A Workshop (Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich and University of Alberta, Edmonton). To be held at the University of Alberta.
For a full description and program click here.

4/9-4/12
Museums and the Web 2008: Montréal, Québec, Canada
Annual conference exploring the on-line presentation of cultural, scientific and heritage content across institutions and around the world. http://www.archimuse.com/mw2008/

4/13-4/16
The Judeans in the Acheamenid Age: Negotiating Identity in an International Context
International conference to be held at the University of Heidelberg
Click Here for more info.

4/17-4/18
The Sword of Judith: Female Agency and the Aesthetic of Terror; New York Public Library
For a complete description of the conference, see: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb559915.htm

4/18
New England Regional Meeting
Andover Newton Theological Seminary, Newton, MA
Click Here for more info.

4/19
A memorial service for Bernhard Word Anderson will be held in the Miller Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary on April 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM, followed by a reception with music and remembrances in the Gambrell Room of Scheide Hall, next door to the Chapel.

4/28-4/29
Groningen Qumran Institute Symposium 2008
What is the contribution of the Dead Sea Scrolls for research into the formation of the canon of the Bible?
This question stands central at an international symposium in honor of Professor Florentino García Martínez.
University of Groningen, The Netherlands
For more info Click Here.

Roman Emperors in the Library

Not that one really needs a reason to visit one of the largest and most beautiful university libraries in the world:

Yale University Library Presents

















James J. O'Donnell
Provost & Professor of Classics, Georgetown University
"Roman Emperors in the Library: Tracking Them to Their Lair"
Thursday, April 3, 4:00 p.m.

Libraries: their riches, how they grow, and how they change. James J. O'Donnell, an historian of the late Roman world, uses his own quest for emperors, barbarians, saints and others to capture the excitement that sizzles through the quietest stacks and the darkest corridors.

James J. O’Donnell has been Provost of Georgetown University since 2002. He is a distinguished scholar and recognized innovator in the application of networked information technology in higher education. In addition to his duties as Provost, O'Donnell is a member of the faculty of Georgetown’s Classics department. He has served as president of the American Philological Association, the primary professional association for classicists in the United States and Canada, and has been elected a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. He earned his doctorate from Yale in 1975.

Free and open to the public.

More SBL News

More from the SBL:

Publications News

Recent Reprints:
Hymnic Affirmation of Divine Justice, James L. Crenshaw
Prophetic Conflict: Its Effect upon Israelite Religion, James L. Crenshaw
A Comprehensive Bilingual Concordance of the Hebrew and Greek Texts of Ecclesiastes, John Jarick
Semitic Interference in Marcan Syntax, Elliott C. Maloney
The Hand of the Lord: A Reassessment of the "Ark Narrative" of 1 Samuel, Patrick D. Miller and J. J. M. Roberts
Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries, Michael A. Morgan
Logos and Sophia: The Rhetorical Situation of 1 Corinthians, Stephen M. Pogoloff
The Syriac Version of the Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Evaluation, Joseph L. Trafton

Brown Judaic Studies Reprints:
Sparda by the Bitter Sea, Jack Martin Balcer
Sectarian Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Courts, Testimony and the Penal Code, Lawrence H. Schiffman
Fear Not Warrior: The Study of 'al tira' Pericopes in the Hebrew Scriptures, Edgar W. Conrad
Babylonian Witchcraft Literature: Case Studies, Tzvi Abusch
The Doctrine of the Divine Name: An Introduction to Classical Kabbalistic Theology, Stephen G. Wald

New on The SBL Forum:
In Essential Links: Harvard Passes Resolution on Open Access
Also: Announcing a new email discussion list for biblical studies, called "The Biblicalist"

Most new, recent, and backlist titles are available to SBL members at a 40% discount through June 15, 2008. This discount applies to SBL and Brown Judaic Studies titles. It does not apply to titles from Sheffield Phoenix Press. Download the order form or order online using promo code SPG2008.

SBL Publications is adding ten new books to the Online Books Program this month. For the complete list of books available, click here.

Calendar items for March 2008
For more information on all Events listed, click here.

3/27-3/28 Mid Atlantic Regional Meeting
Hyatt Regency
New Brunswick, NJ

3/28-3/29 Rocky Mountains - Great Plains Regional Meeting
Denver, CO
Hosted by Denver Seminary

3/28-3/29 Upper Midwest Regional Meeting
Luther Seminary
St. Paul, Minnesota

3/30-3/31 Central States Regional Meeting
St. Louis, Missouri

3/30-3/31 Pacific Coast Regional Meeting
Hosted by Fuller Theological Seminary

3/31 Call for Papers Deadline
"Septuagint Translation(s): Retrospect and Prospect"
Septuagint Institute
Trinity Western University

RBL Highlights: 3/30/08

A few highlights from this week's especially rich Review of Biblical Literature:

Joan Cecelia Campbell
Kinship Relations in the Gospel of John
Reviewed by Ritva H. Williams

Daniel K. Falk
The Parabiblical Texts: Strategies for Extending the Scriptures among the Dead Sea Scrolls
Reviewed by Matthew Goff

Karin Finsterbusch, Armin Lange, and K. F. Diethard Römheld, eds.
Human Sacrifice in Jewish and Christian Tradition
Reviewed by Jason Tatlock

John Fotopoulos, ed.
The New Testament and Early Christian Literature in Greco-Roman Context: Studies in Honor of David E. Aune
Reviewed by Michael Labahn
Reviewed by Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr

Paul M. Fullmer
Resurrection in Mark's Literary-Historical Perspective
Reviewed by John Dart

Martha Himmelfarb
A Kingdom of Priests: Ancestry and Merit in Ancient Judaism
Reviewed by Henryk Drawnel

F. Rachel Magdalene
On the Scales of Righteousness: Neo-Babylonian Trial Law and the Book of Job
Reviewed by Markus Witte

James K. Mead
Biblical Theology: Issues, Methods, and Themes
Reviewed by James D. G. Dunn

William Varner
The Way of the Didache: The First Christian Handbook
Reviewed by Jonathan A. Draper

Robert Louis Wilken, trans. and ed.; with Angela Russell Christman and Michael J. Hollerich
Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators
Reviewed by J. David Cassel

New from Fortress: Covenental Conversations

A recent announcement from Fortress:

Covenantal Conversations: Christians in Dialogue with Jews and Judaism

Eight key topics for Jewish-Christian relations today

This useful volume, edited by noted theologian Darrell Jodock and including leading thinkers both Christian and Jewish, explores the shared theological framework, special historical relationship, and post-Holocaust developments and current trouble spots that situate the Jewish-Christian relationship today. Covenantal Conversations is a special gift to students, scholars, and Christians of all descriptions who wish to understand the vital link and special promise that Jews and Christians share.

Eight special topics or talking points get special attention from the chief contributors and their dialogue partners: Judaism Then and Now, Covenants Old and New, Law and Gospel, Promise and Fulfillment, Difficult Texts, Promised Land and Zionism, Healing the World and Mending the Soul, and Jewish-Christian Relations in a Pluralistic World.

Contributors include Esther Menn in conversation with Krister Stendahl, Ralph Klein in conversation with Isaac Kalimi, and six other conversations and responses.

Darrell Jodock is Drell and Adeline Bernhardson Distinguished Professor of Religion at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota.

Order your copy today!

Regional SBL

I recently learned that my paper proposal for the upcoming New England Regional Meeting of the SBL (April 18 at Andover-Newton Theological School) was accepted. The proposal was based upon my first term paper at Yale--written for Prof. Adela Collins in the fall of 2005. Here's the abstract:

Splish, splash: the symbolism of water in the Book of Revelation

Nearly two thousand years after its initial composition and dissemination, the Book of Revelation remains among the most enigmatic and inscrutable components of the biblical canon. Generations of clerics, commentators, scholars, and students have struggled to penetrate the thick veneer of historical, cultural, and hermeneutical patina which has so successfully hidden its secrets. But as Adela Yarbro Collins, Frederick Murphy, and other sensitive modern exegetes have noted, attention to Revelation’s original historical and literary milieu provides the most illuminating insights into its character and purpose. A cursory examination of the book reveals that its author is heavily dependent upon the symbolic imagery of the ancient Near East, as found in portions of the Hebrew Bible and in the literature of other contemporary societies. The author often utilizes this imagery in a fairly universal way, incorporating it into his own work while retaining and exploiting the intrinsic emotional and thematic connotations present in his source material. This paper will present an extended analysis of one of the most pervasive of these symbolic elements: the element of water, which appears more than two dozen times throughout the work in an array of forms. With this analysis in hand, it is eminently clear that the author of Revelation has appropriated three established aquatic archetypes—the tumultuous sea and other raging waters; life-giving rivers, streams, and springs; and the elements of the storm—as crucial buttresses for his presentation of the Christian God as the sole possessor of sovereign power.

New from Tyndale Tech: The Tyndale Toolbar

The most recent edition of David Instone-Brewer's eminently useful Tyndale Tech series has been released. In this edition, Instone-Brewer outlines the features of the new Tyndale Toolbar, a remarkable free resource which every serious scholar, student, and pastor should immediately add to his or her browser. Links to Greek and Hebrew lexicons, bibliographic resources, and a huge number of Bibles are all available at the click of a mouse, without any tedious or repetitive searching, bookmarking, etc. And for those of you who feel that a picture truly is worth a thousand words, here's a visual outline of the toolbar:






Check it out!

RBL Highlights: 3/14/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature, including the reviews of and responses to Prof. Joel Kaminsky's Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election which were originally presented at the SBL Annual Meeting. Those of you unable to attend this session should first read the reviews and then the book itself; it's a fresh, innovative contribution to biblical studies (which can't always be said in this day and age!).

Joel S. Kaminsky
Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election
Reviewed by Benjamin D. Sommer
Reviewed by Jacqueline Lapsley
Reviewed by Ellen F. Davis
Reviewed by Joel N. Lohr
Reviewed by Patrick D. Miller
Response by Joel S. Kaminsky

Richard J. Cassidy
Four Times Peter: Portrayals of Peter in the Four Gospels and at Philippi
Reviewed by Patrick J. Hartin

Ira Brent Driggers
Following God through Mark: Theological Tension in the Second Gospel
Reviewed by Elliott Maloney

Katharina Galor, Jean-Baptiste Humbert, and Jurgen Zangenberg, eds.
Qumran, The Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Archaeological Interpretations and Debates (Proceedings of a Conference held at Brown University, November 17-19, 2002)
Reviewed by Kenneth Atkinson

New from Fortress: Mark and Method

A recent announcement from Fortress:

Mark & Method
New Approaches in Biblical Studies
Second Edition

Since its publication by Fortress Press in 1992, Mark and Method has been an invaluable resource for the study of Mark, and of the range of methods used in interpreting the New Testament. This second edition offers a new introduction and chapters brought up to date with the latest developments in interpretation, including new chapters on Cultural Studies and Post-Colonial Criticism.

The contributors include: Janice Capel Anderson, Stephen D. Moore, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Robert M. Fowler, David Rhoads, Tat-Siong Benny Liew, and Abraham Smith.

Order your copy today!

Celebrate with the Authors of YDS

For those in and around New Haven, this is always a good time:

The 13th annual Yale Divinity School Faculty Book Party, celebrating books (and other media) produced by YDS/ISM faculty in this academic year...

TUESDAY, MARCH 25th 2007
4:30-6:00 p.m.
YDS COMMON ROOM

Champagne, food, and general merriment in good supply.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

RBL Highlights: 3/6/08

A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:

Dale C. Allison Jr.
Studies in Matthew: Interpretation Past and Present
Reviewed by Bogdan G. Bucur

John J. Collins and Craig A. Evans, eds.
Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Reviewed by Matthew Goff

Jeffrey A. Gibbs
Matthew 1:1-11:1
Reviewed by Charles L. Quarles

John H. Hayes and Carl R. Holladay
Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner's Handbook
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5970
Reviewed by David Allen

William Loader
The New Testament with Imagination: A Fresh Approach to Its Writings and Themes
Reviewed by Sean P. Kealy

Jerry L. Sumney
Philippians: A Greek Student's Intermediate Reader
Reviewed by Robert Keay

New from Fortress: Faith and Human Rights

A recent announcement from Fortress:

Faith and Human Rights: Christianity and the Global Struggle for Human Dignity

Is faith friendly to human rights or not?

The UN's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stands as a highpoint of twentieth-century moral deliberation, yet sixty years later human rights are widely denied, evaded, or ignored around the world. Where are religious persons in this situation? Here a philosopher and a theologian address the issues with authority, clarity, and genuine passion in a way that does not spare religion or even religious people, who have been among the most egregious violators of human rights in the world.

Faith and Human Rights argues that the idea of human rights is not exclusively religious, but that its realization in practice requires urgent action on the part of people of all faiths—and of no faith. The authors contend that while faith has much of value to contribute here, the world's religions will require vigilant reappraisal if they are to function as genuine partners in the global struggle for human dignity. Acknowledging the ambiguous moral legacy of their own tradition, Christianity, the authors draw on Christological themes to draft blueprints for a culturally sensitive "theology of human rights."

Order your copy today!

Additions to SBL Forum

New articles have been posted on the SBL Forum:

Towards an Ethic of Liberation for Bible Translation, Part 1: Ideology (Steven M. Voth)

Ancient Languages Are Still Around, but Do We Really Know How to Teach Them? (Rachel Halabe)

The Wiki Way: Improving Your Class Notes Using the Internet for Online Student Collaboration (Carl N. Toney)

Bernie McGinn Comes to Yale

The legendary Prof. Bernard McGinn will be lecturing at Yale tomorrow:

Bernard McGinn
Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology, Chicago Divinity School

"The Evangelical Pearl: The Last Masterpiece of Medieval Women's Mysticism"

Tuesday, March 4, 5:30 PM
Room 108, Whitney Humanities Center (Located at the corner of Church St. and Wall St.)

Part of the series Yale Lecturers in Medieval Studies (http://www.yale.edu/medieval/lectures.html)

Please join us for Professor McGinn's lecture, with a reception to follow.