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