More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
In or Out?
Excavations in Syria are turning theories about the origins of cities upside down—or inside out. Rather than beginning with a central core and growing outward, cities may have started as scattered villages that linked and grew inward.
Ancient Vandalism
Restoration work on reliefs belonging to Bowdoin College in Maine shows that a depiction of the Assyrian ruler Ashurnasirpal II was defaced in ancient times by his enemy, the Medes.
Escape Route
Archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron have discovered an underground drainage channel that was used by many of Jerusalem’s residents to flee the Roman destruction of the city in 70 A.D. Artifacts found in the channel can be seen at http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070909/ ids_photos_wl/r2682897765.jpg.
Iron Age Chef
The team excavating Tell es-Safi (Biblical Gath) is finding that the Philistine way of cooking was copied by neighboring Israelites and Canaanites. The Philistines were especially fond of crock pots.
What to Do? Consult a Liver
Archaeologists at Hazor have discovered a tablet that contains instructions on how to foretell the future by studying animal livers (note: the article states the tablet was written in hieroglyphics, but it meant to say cuneiform).
Hezekiah Inscription to Return to Israel
The famed inscription, which was carved into the wall of Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem and which celebrates the city’s survival of an Assyrian siege, will be on view in Israel for at least several months and possibly longer. It has been in Turkey since the late 19th century, when Palestine was a part of the Ottoman Empire.
Land of Milk and ...
Excavators at Tel Rehov, in the Beth-Shean Valley, have uncovered 30 intact beehives and an inscribed jar that may refer to the father or grandfather of the Biblical king Jehu.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Eisenbrauns Catalogs
James Spinti announces that two new catalogs are now available online from Eisenbrauns (print versions should be out within the next few weeks). Here are the respective links:
Scholars' Source Catalog
Ancient Near Eastern Resources Catalog
Scholars' Source Catalog
Ancient Near Eastern Resources Catalog
Exploring the Social Tumult Behind the Reformation Movement
A recent announcement from Augsburg Fortress Publishers:
Perhaps no period in Christian history experienced such vast religious tumult and rapid social change as the European Reformation, when it quickly became apparent that social and political issues—finding deep resonance with the common people—were deeply entwined with religious ones raised by the Reformers.
For historians, clergy, college, university, seminary students, and general readers who want to learn more about this period in time Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of Reformation Christianity, Volume 5 in the A People's History of Christianity Series.
"These stories may come up from the basement of church history, but news about their existence deserves to be shouted from the housetops....This new series turns history upside down..."
—Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago Divinity School
Led by eminent Reformation historian Peter Matheson, ten distinguished social historians trace the myriad and profound ways in which Europe's several Reformations played out in the lives of common folk: in their personal spirituality and corporate worship, catechesis and discipline, sexuality and gender roles, mores surrounding marriage, birth, and baptism, aging and death, relations with Jews and Muslims, lay theologies, as well as the utopian and even revolutionary ventures they spawned.
Visit the companion Web site, www.peopleshistoryofchristianity.com, to learn more about the series including testimonials, tables of contents, research paper guides, and more.
Perhaps no period in Christian history experienced such vast religious tumult and rapid social change as the European Reformation, when it quickly became apparent that social and political issues—finding deep resonance with the common people—were deeply entwined with religious ones raised by the Reformers.
For historians, clergy, college, university, seminary students, and general readers who want to learn more about this period in time Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of Reformation Christianity, Volume 5 in the A People's History of Christianity Series.
"These stories may come up from the basement of church history, but news about their existence deserves to be shouted from the housetops....This new series turns history upside down..."
—Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago Divinity School
Led by eminent Reformation historian Peter Matheson, ten distinguished social historians trace the myriad and profound ways in which Europe's several Reformations played out in the lives of common folk: in their personal spirituality and corporate worship, catechesis and discipline, sexuality and gender roles, mores surrounding marriage, birth, and baptism, aging and death, relations with Jews and Muslims, lay theologies, as well as the utopian and even revolutionary ventures they spawned.
Visit the companion Web site, www.peopleshistoryofchristianity.com, to learn more about the series including testimonials, tables of contents, research paper guides, and more.
RBL Highlights: 9/10/07
A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:
Peter H. Davids
The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude
Reviewed by James P. Sweeney
Reviewed by Daniel B. Wallace
Craig A. Evans
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels
Reviewed by Stephen J. Patterson
Jonathan D. Lawrence
Washing in Water: Trajectories of Ritual Bathing in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature
Reviewed by James W. Watts
Peter H. Davids
The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude
Reviewed by James P. Sweeney
Reviewed by Daniel B. Wallace
Craig A. Evans
Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels
Reviewed by Stephen J. Patterson
Jonathan D. Lawrence
Washing in Water: Trajectories of Ritual Bathing in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature
Reviewed by James W. Watts
More Used NT Titles From Dove
A few of the most recent New Testament offerings from Dove Booksellers' Used Book Department. There's a lot of good stuff this week...
Allison Jr, Dale C
THE END OF THE AGES HAS COME: AN EARLY INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
(Augsburg Fortress, 1985)
Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Bailey, James L; L D Vander Broek
LITERARY FORMS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: A HANDBOOK
(Westminster John Knox, 1992)
Condition: VG Paperback $12.00
Barr, James
SEMANTICS OF BIBLICAL LANGUAGE
(Oxford University Press, 1961)
Condition: GC Hardcover $30.00
Comments: Pencilled UL through p 20
Black, David Alan
RETHINKING NEW TESTAMENT TEXTUAL CRITICISM
(Baker Book House, 2002)
Condition: NF Paperback $12.00
Charles, R H
APOCRYPHA AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHA OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (2 VOLS)
(Oxford University Press, 1963)
Condition: VG Hardcover $160.00
Comments: Bookplate; handstamp, annotation on rear pastedown of Vol 2
Charlesworth, James H
OLD TESTAMENT PSEUDEPIGRAPHA (2 VOLS)
(Doubleday, 1983)
Condition: VG Hardcover $58.00
Comments: DJs
Cross Jr, Frank Moore
QUMRAN AND THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLICAL TEXT
(Harvard University Press, 1975)
Condition: GC Paperback $12.00
Davies, W D
PAUL AND RABBINIC JUDAISM: SOME RABBINIC ELEMENTS IN PAULINE THEOLOGY
(SPCK, 1962)
Condition: VG Hardcover $22.00
Dodd, C H
INTERPRETATION OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL
(Cambridge University Press, 1960)
Condition: VG Hardcover $25.00
Comments: DJ
Hartin, Patrick J
JAMES AND THE Q SAYINGS OF JESUS
(Sheffield Academic Press, 1991)
Condition: VG Hardcover $55.00
Comments: R
Kenyon, Sir Frederic G
OUR BIBLE AND THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS
(Eyre-Spottiswoode, 1939)
Condition: VG Hardcover $24.00
Martin, Dale
SLAVERY AS SALVATION: THE METAPHOR OF SLAVERY IN PAULINE CHRISTIANITY
(Yale University Press, 1990)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Moore, George Foote
JUDAISM IN THE FIRST CENTURIES OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA (3 VOLS)
(Harvard University Press, 1962)
Condition: VG Hardcover $60.00
Comments: DJs
Robinson, James M; Helmut Koester
TRAJECTORIES THROUGH EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(Fortress, 1971)
Condition: GC Hardcover $20.00
Comments: Minor pencilled UL; DJ (worn)
Sanders, E P
JESUS, THE GOSPELS AND THE CHURCH: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF WILLIAM R FARMER
(Mercer University Press, 1987)
Condition: VG Hardcover $32.00
Allison Jr, Dale C
THE END OF THE AGES HAS COME: AN EARLY INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
(Augsburg Fortress, 1985)
Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Bailey, James L; L D Vander Broek
LITERARY FORMS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: A HANDBOOK
(Westminster John Knox, 1992)
Condition: VG Paperback $12.00
Barr, James
SEMANTICS OF BIBLICAL LANGUAGE
(Oxford University Press, 1961)
Condition: GC Hardcover $30.00
Comments: Pencilled UL through p 20
Black, David Alan
RETHINKING NEW TESTAMENT TEXTUAL CRITICISM
(Baker Book House, 2002)
Condition: NF Paperback $12.00
Charles, R H
APOCRYPHA AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHA OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (2 VOLS)
(Oxford University Press, 1963)
Condition: VG Hardcover $160.00
Comments: Bookplate; handstamp, annotation on rear pastedown of Vol 2
Charlesworth, James H
OLD TESTAMENT PSEUDEPIGRAPHA (2 VOLS)
(Doubleday, 1983)
Condition: VG Hardcover $58.00
Comments: DJs
Cross Jr, Frank Moore
QUMRAN AND THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLICAL TEXT
(Harvard University Press, 1975)
Condition: GC Paperback $12.00
Davies, W D
PAUL AND RABBINIC JUDAISM: SOME RABBINIC ELEMENTS IN PAULINE THEOLOGY
(SPCK, 1962)
Condition: VG Hardcover $22.00
Dodd, C H
INTERPRETATION OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL
(Cambridge University Press, 1960)
Condition: VG Hardcover $25.00
Comments: DJ
Hartin, Patrick J
JAMES AND THE Q SAYINGS OF JESUS
(Sheffield Academic Press, 1991)
Condition: VG Hardcover $55.00
Comments: R
Kenyon, Sir Frederic G
OUR BIBLE AND THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS
(Eyre-Spottiswoode, 1939)
Condition: VG Hardcover $24.00
Martin, Dale
SLAVERY AS SALVATION: THE METAPHOR OF SLAVERY IN PAULINE CHRISTIANITY
(Yale University Press, 1990)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Moore, George Foote
JUDAISM IN THE FIRST CENTURIES OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA (3 VOLS)
(Harvard University Press, 1962)
Condition: VG Hardcover $60.00
Comments: DJs
Robinson, James M; Helmut Koester
TRAJECTORIES THROUGH EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(Fortress, 1971)
Condition: GC Hardcover $20.00
Comments: Minor pencilled UL; DJ (worn)
Sanders, E P
JESUS, THE GOSPELS AND THE CHURCH: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF WILLIAM R FARMER
(Mercer University Press, 1987)
Condition: VG Hardcover $32.00
Thursday, September 6, 2007
BAR Highlights: 9/6/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Roman Footprint
The footprint of a Roman soldier has been found preserved in cement at the ancient city of Hippos/Sussita in Israel.
Ballard Back to the Sea
Oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic, will be exploring a shipwreck in the Black Sea from the Byzantine era.
Dog Walk Leads to Roman House
A man walking his dog at a local golf course found pottery shards and roof tiles from a Roman house at the Cumberwell Park Golf Club near Bradford on Avon in England.
That Was Fast!
Samarkand, along the Silk Road, celebrates its 2,750th birthday this year, after celebrating its 2,500th birthday just 11 years ago. The reason? New archaeological finds have necessitated a revision of the city.
Greece Aflame
Dozens of fires have been burning out of control in southern Greece and threatening ancient sites, including where the Olympic Games were first played.
Rebuild the Buddhas?
A debate is growing over whether the two giant statues of Buddha that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 can be rebuilt—and whether they should be.
Roman Footprint
The footprint of a Roman soldier has been found preserved in cement at the ancient city of Hippos/Sussita in Israel.
Ballard Back to the Sea
Oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic, will be exploring a shipwreck in the Black Sea from the Byzantine era.
Dog Walk Leads to Roman House
A man walking his dog at a local golf course found pottery shards and roof tiles from a Roman house at the Cumberwell Park Golf Club near Bradford on Avon in England.
That Was Fast!
Samarkand, along the Silk Road, celebrates its 2,750th birthday this year, after celebrating its 2,500th birthday just 11 years ago. The reason? New archaeological finds have necessitated a revision of the city.
Greece Aflame
Dozens of fires have been burning out of control in southern Greece and threatening ancient sites, including where the Olympic Games were first played.
Rebuild the Buddhas?
A debate is growing over whether the two giant statues of Buddha that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 can be rebuilt—and whether they should be.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Another Semester in the Halls of Ivy
Yale's fall semester began today. Although I may visit a few other courses during the two-week "shopping period," my schedule will most likely consist of:
REL 654 Sibling Rivalries: Israel and "The Other" (Joel Kaminsky)
REL 687 Greek Exegesis: Hebrews (Harry Attridge)
REL 835 Iconography of Christian Art (Jaime Lara)
I'm particularly excited/terrified about Hebrews, given Dean Attridge's status as a leading interpreter of this particular letter. In addition, I'm planning to audit Reading Knowledge of German (a necessity for NT studies, and one that will hopefully make me a more attractive PhD applicant!). Attention, Jim West... I'll be directing all my German questions to you. ;-)
REL 654 Sibling Rivalries: Israel and "The Other" (Joel Kaminsky)
REL 687 Greek Exegesis: Hebrews (Harry Attridge)
REL 835 Iconography of Christian Art (Jaime Lara)
I'm particularly excited/terrified about Hebrews, given Dean Attridge's status as a leading interpreter of this particular letter. In addition, I'm planning to audit Reading Knowledge of German (a necessity for NT studies, and one that will hopefully make me a more attractive PhD applicant!). Attention, Jim West... I'll be directing all my German questions to you. ;-)
Christ and the Cross in Stories of Redemption
A recent announcement from Augsburg Fortress Publishers:
What does it mean to be saved, and how can we make sense of the Christian claim that Christ died for our sins?
That is the work of soteriology, the classic discipline of theology that inquires into the "saving work" of Christ and asks what, why, and how of redemption as understood by Christians.
In Fortress Introduction to Salvation and the Cross, a masterful survey and analysis of 2000 years of Christian reflection on salvation, theologian David A. Brondos, Professor of Theology at the Theological Community of Mexico, lays bare the diverse and even competing understandings, their social context and development, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Concentrating on thirteen of the most important figures in that long arc—from its biblical roots to its most controverted contemporary expressions—Brondos unfolds the thought of each theologian as articulating a distinctive story of salvation or atonement.
An excellent learning tool, Brondo's succinct and helpful text is augmented with a helpful timeline, illustration, glossary, suggestions for further reading, and questions for discussion and reflection. His work illumines how Christians through the ages have understood Jesus, salvation, and human reconciliation with God.
Order your copy today!
What does it mean to be saved, and how can we make sense of the Christian claim that Christ died for our sins?
That is the work of soteriology, the classic discipline of theology that inquires into the "saving work" of Christ and asks what, why, and how of redemption as understood by Christians.
In Fortress Introduction to Salvation and the Cross, a masterful survey and analysis of 2000 years of Christian reflection on salvation, theologian David A. Brondos, Professor of Theology at the Theological Community of Mexico, lays bare the diverse and even competing understandings, their social context and development, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Concentrating on thirteen of the most important figures in that long arc—from its biblical roots to its most controverted contemporary expressions—Brondos unfolds the thought of each theologian as articulating a distinctive story of salvation or atonement.
An excellent learning tool, Brondo's succinct and helpful text is augmented with a helpful timeline, illustration, glossary, suggestions for further reading, and questions for discussion and reflection. His work illumines how Christians through the ages have understood Jesus, salvation, and human reconciliation with God.
Order your copy today!
RBL Highlights: 9/5/07
A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:
Roger S. Bagnall and Raffaella Cribiore
Women's Letters from Ancient Egypt, 300 BC-AD 800
Reviewed by Carolyn Osiek
Mark J. Boda and Gordon T. Smith, eds.
Repentance in Christian Theology
Reviewed by David H. Wenkel
M. Eugene Boring
Mark: A Commentary
Reviewed by Darrell L. Bock
David B. Gowler
What Are They Saying about the Historical Jesus
Reviewed by Mary J. Marshall
Larry W. Hurtado
The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins
Reviewed by James F. McGrath
Reviewed by Joseph Verheyden
Hillel Newman, edited by Ruth Ludlam
Proximity to Power and Jewish Sectarian Groups of the Ancient Period: A Review of Lifestyle, Values, and Halakhah in the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Qumran
Reviewed by Gerbern Oegema
Jerome H. Neyrey
The Gospel of John
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
Roger S. Bagnall and Raffaella Cribiore
Women's Letters from Ancient Egypt, 300 BC-AD 800
Reviewed by Carolyn Osiek
Mark J. Boda and Gordon T. Smith, eds.
Repentance in Christian Theology
Reviewed by David H. Wenkel
M. Eugene Boring
Mark: A Commentary
Reviewed by Darrell L. Bock
David B. Gowler
What Are They Saying about the Historical Jesus
Reviewed by Mary J. Marshall
Larry W. Hurtado
The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins
Reviewed by James F. McGrath
Reviewed by Joseph Verheyden
Hillel Newman, edited by Ruth Ludlam
Proximity to Power and Jewish Sectarian Groups of the Ancient Period: A Review of Lifestyle, Values, and Halakhah in the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Qumran
Reviewed by Gerbern Oegema
Jerome H. Neyrey
The Gospel of John
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
Monday, September 3, 2007
Great Resource For Bible Neophytes!
Danny Zacharias has announced that deinde.org has reintroduced its online glossary of biblical studies terms, which he describes as "the largest glossary for biblical studies on the net (335 terms and counting)." This is a great resource for students taking introductory courses (I still remember long nights in the library struggling to memorize lovely terms like "amphictyony"!) or any others seeking greater fluency in the lingua franca of biblical scholarship. I've added it to the "Helpful Links" section of the blog. Check it out!
Upcoming Accordance Seminars
Regular readers of this blog know that I am an avid user of Accordance Bible Software. One of the many fringe benefits of this software is that its support staff regularly present seminars designed to expand users' working knowledge and improve their experiences. Here are the preliminary dates, times, and locations of some upcoming seminars:
Orlando, FL
Circle Community Church
Saturday Sept. 29 and Monday Oct. 1
All day seminars, choose one
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Vineyard
Saturday Oct. 6
All day seminar
Houston and Dallas TX
to be decided
St. Louis, MO
to be decided
Concord, NH
United Baptist Church
Saturday Oct. 20 (or Monday 22)
All day seminar
Princeton, NJ
Princeton Theological Seminary
Thursday Oct. 25??
Day and Hours to be decided
South Hamilton, MA
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Saturday Oct. 27
All day seminar
Santa Barbara, CA
Saturday Nov. 10
All day seminar
San Diego, CA
Journey Community Church
Tuesday Nov. 13
Before the ETS meeting, all day seminar
San Diego, CA
Friday evening, Nov. 16
At AAR/SBL meeting, 7 to 10 pm
Berkeley, CA
Saturday Jan. 19, 2008
All day seminar
Orlando, FL
Circle Community Church
Saturday Sept. 29 and Monday Oct. 1
All day seminars, choose one
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Vineyard
Saturday Oct. 6
All day seminar
Houston and Dallas TX
to be decided
St. Louis, MO
to be decided
Concord, NH
United Baptist Church
Saturday Oct. 20 (or Monday 22)
All day seminar
Princeton, NJ
Princeton Theological Seminary
Thursday Oct. 25??
Day and Hours to be decided
South Hamilton, MA
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Saturday Oct. 27
All day seminar
Santa Barbara, CA
Saturday Nov. 10
All day seminar
San Diego, CA
Journey Community Church
Tuesday Nov. 13
Before the ETS meeting, all day seminar
San Diego, CA
Friday evening, Nov. 16
At AAR/SBL meeting, 7 to 10 pm
Berkeley, CA
Saturday Jan. 19, 2008
All day seminar
Tips For Statements of Purpose
On The Forbidden Gospels Blog, April DeConick has listed a number of timely tips for students preparing statements of purpose as part of their MA/PhD applications. As a student preparing to apply to a number of PhD programs this fall, I'm most grateful... thanks, Prof. DeConick!
New: Introduction to the Desert Fathers
A recent announcement from Wipf and Stock Publishers:
An Introduction to the Desert Fathers
by Jason Byassee
The desert fathers wanted to get away from a church co-opted by empire and a Christian faith grown cold and listless. Byassee’s introduction to the Sayings of the Desert Fathers is offered in the hope that readers with lives quite different from those third- and fourth-century desert dwellers might nevertheless come to imitate their lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and more importantly, that they might grow more imaginative and passionate in their following of the same Lord.
“Jason Byassee is the perfect guide—an intrepid all-terrain interpreter in the heart of the desert.”
—Timothy Larsen, Wheaton College
• Read Complete Description and Endorsements
• Read Excerpts (includes Table of Contents)
• Request Review or Exam Copy
ISBN 13: 978-1-59752-530-5 / 130 pp / $16 Retail / Paper
An Introduction to the Desert Fathers
by Jason Byassee
The desert fathers wanted to get away from a church co-opted by empire and a Christian faith grown cold and listless. Byassee’s introduction to the Sayings of the Desert Fathers is offered in the hope that readers with lives quite different from those third- and fourth-century desert dwellers might nevertheless come to imitate their lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and more importantly, that they might grow more imaginative and passionate in their following of the same Lord.
“Jason Byassee is the perfect guide—an intrepid all-terrain interpreter in the heart of the desert.”
—Timothy Larsen, Wheaton College
• Read Complete Description and Endorsements
• Read Excerpts (includes Table of Contents)
• Request Review or Exam Copy
ISBN 13: 978-1-59752-530-5 / 130 pp / $16 Retail / Paper
Latest from Tyndale Tech: SESB
The latest offering from Tyndale Tech (a nice resource prepared by David Instone-Brewer) is a review of the Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible (SEBS), which features electronic editions of the Nestle-Aland and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia critical texts, as well as their respective apparatuses. Instone-Brewer concludes: "give away your paper BHS + NA27 and buy this. An extraordinary conclusion for someone who doesn't like Libronix, but this is an extraordinary product which is more usable than the paper versions." Jim West is a little more skeptical, and counters: "No. Don’t. It’s never proper to replace an easily portable, non electronic, easy to use reference tool for one that requires a battery or a cord. But, do take his advice seriously if you are looking for an electronic supplement to your print collection." I'm always loath to disagree with Jim West, but I'm not sure that I would describe the BHS/N-A apparatuses as "easy to use." When my first Greek instructor introduced our class to the N-A apparatus, he told us that we were learning not one but two languages: koine Greek and the countless sigla of the apparatus. Furthermore, in order to weigh manuscript evidence properly, one must learn the provenance and relevance of all the papyri, uncials, early translations, and other versions which appear in the apparatus. That's a lot of information.
In an electronic edition, all of this information is available at the click of a mouse. Instone-Brewer mentions that a slightly less powerful, less expensive version of the SEBS is also available from Accordance Bible Software; I have used this version for the past year or so. (I also recently purchased an Accordance edition of Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, which is included in the SEBS reviewed by Instone-Brewer.) My verdict: I love the feel and portability of my Greek-English New Testament, but text-critical work is much simpler in the digital world. Explanations of sigla and the provenances of manuscripts appear simply by placing the cursor over them. The apparatuses can be searched with ease according to scriptural references, critical signs, witnesses, etc. In preparation for an exegesis class I'm taking this fall, I wanted to see how papyri have affected the development of the Nestle-Aland text from the 25th edition to the present 27th edition, with particular emphasis on the Letter to the Hebrews. I simply searched the critical signs for the cross (which symbolizes a reading which was part of the 25th edition but has now been changed), restricted the search results to Hebrews, and noted that almost all of the changes were supported by the papyri. Pretty easy.
In short, I'll probably keep my paper editions... staring at computer screens all day makes my eyes tired. ;-) But I highly recommend electronic apparatuses to all serious biblical scholars.
In an electronic edition, all of this information is available at the click of a mouse. Instone-Brewer mentions that a slightly less powerful, less expensive version of the SEBS is also available from Accordance Bible Software; I have used this version for the past year or so. (I also recently purchased an Accordance edition of Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, which is included in the SEBS reviewed by Instone-Brewer.) My verdict: I love the feel and portability of my Greek-English New Testament, but text-critical work is much simpler in the digital world. Explanations of sigla and the provenances of manuscripts appear simply by placing the cursor over them. The apparatuses can be searched with ease according to scriptural references, critical signs, witnesses, etc. In preparation for an exegesis class I'm taking this fall, I wanted to see how papyri have affected the development of the Nestle-Aland text from the 25th edition to the present 27th edition, with particular emphasis on the Letter to the Hebrews. I simply searched the critical signs for the cross (which symbolizes a reading which was part of the 25th edition but has now been changed), restricted the search results to Hebrews, and noted that almost all of the changes were supported by the papyri. Pretty easy.
In short, I'll probably keep my paper editions... staring at computer screens all day makes my eyes tired. ;-) But I highly recommend electronic apparatuses to all serious biblical scholars.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Teaching (and Studying) Difficult Issues
On The Forbidden Gospels Blog, April DeConick writes of her intention to include a "course contract" on her syllabi this year (after receiving a tip from a friend who developed a similar practice). The text of her contract is given here. As a biblical studies major, my classes often address difficult issues from the relationship between theology and biblical hermeneutics to theodicy, abortion, and homosexuality (the latter of which is also mentioned by DeConick as an example), and so I can see that such a contract may be warranted. And as a critically minded scholar myself, I'm not overly troubled by a contract which stipulates that students engage the various texts and their various issues in a critical way. This is certainly how the Old Testament Interpretation and the New Testament Interpretation courses are taught at Yale. But the concluding sentence of DeConick's contract still gave me some pause: "[b]y remaining in this course and accepting this syllabus, you are expressing your understanding of and agreement with these fundamental, non-negotiable conditions of intellectual freedom and critical engagement." Is intellectual freedom truly being maintained if certain viewpoints are expressly forbidden at the outset? How does the work of canonical critics such as Brevard Childs fit into a matrix which places "faith" on one pole and "scholarship" on the other? I must admit that I have no answers to these questions, nor do I really believe that they can be satisfactorily answered. And I do believe that in an academic setting, an approach such as DeConick's is both the most appropriate and the most effective. I just enjoy playing the Devil's Advocate. ;-)
I once heard a story about Prof. John Collins (possibly apocryphal, possibly not) which I still find amusing. Prof. Collins was in his first semester as an active faculty member at Yale and was teaching the standard Old Testament Interpretation course, a course of approximately 75-100 students. When it came time for him to deliver his lecture on Lev. 18, the class was a little tense, as the chapter's decisive verdict against male homosexuality remains a difficult issue for many. However, he noted that this passage includes no such verdict against female homosexuality--possibly because of a lack of concern for non-penetrative intercourse, or some similar reason. But before he could go any further, a young woman sitting in the back exclaimed in relief, "Pshew!" The entire class laughed and moved on.
The moral of this story: laughter is the surest way to bring people together, even if they represent different theological and doctrinal backgrounds. If only the church fathers had had better senses of humor...
I once heard a story about Prof. John Collins (possibly apocryphal, possibly not) which I still find amusing. Prof. Collins was in his first semester as an active faculty member at Yale and was teaching the standard Old Testament Interpretation course, a course of approximately 75-100 students. When it came time for him to deliver his lecture on Lev. 18, the class was a little tense, as the chapter's decisive verdict against male homosexuality remains a difficult issue for many. However, he noted that this passage includes no such verdict against female homosexuality--possibly because of a lack of concern for non-penetrative intercourse, or some similar reason. But before he could go any further, a young woman sitting in the back exclaimed in relief, "Pshew!" The entire class laughed and moved on.
The moral of this story: laughter is the surest way to bring people together, even if they represent different theological and doctrinal backgrounds. If only the church fathers had had better senses of humor...
BAR Highlights: 8/29/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Temple Mount Digging Condemned—Again
Israeli archaeologists have again blasted Muslim religious authorities for construction work on the Temple Mount and have criticized the Israel Antiquities Authority for doing nothing to stop it.
Hadrian Unearthed
Parts of a large (13-16 feet) statue of the Roman emperor who quashed the Second Jewish Revolt have been uncovered in south-central Turkey.
An Inconvenient Truth?
Climate change may have led to the flooding of ancient Israel’s coastal plain 5,500 years ago.
New Translation of Egyptian Religious Text
The Pyramid Texts, one of the oldest known religious texts from Egypt and which evolved into the Book of the Dead, has been translated into English.
An Artifact in the Strangest Place
A woman in western Austria unwittingly uncovered a medieval cross while searching in a trash container for old dishes. The artifact, valued at half a million dollars, was part of a collection in Poland but was taken to Austria in 1941 by the Nazis.
Temple Mount Digging Condemned—Again
Israeli archaeologists have again blasted Muslim religious authorities for construction work on the Temple Mount and have criticized the Israel Antiquities Authority for doing nothing to stop it.
Hadrian Unearthed
Parts of a large (13-16 feet) statue of the Roman emperor who quashed the Second Jewish Revolt have been uncovered in south-central Turkey.
An Inconvenient Truth?
Climate change may have led to the flooding of ancient Israel’s coastal plain 5,500 years ago.
New Translation of Egyptian Religious Text
The Pyramid Texts, one of the oldest known religious texts from Egypt and which evolved into the Book of the Dead, has been translated into English.
An Artifact in the Strangest Place
A woman in western Austria unwittingly uncovered a medieval cross while searching in a trash container for old dishes. The artifact, valued at half a million dollars, was part of a collection in Poland but was taken to Austria in 1941 by the Nazis.
New: A Slimmer Version of Collins' Intro
A recent announcement from Augsburg Fortress Publishers concerning the publication of a new abridgment of John Collins' An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. The abridgment is about half the size of its predecessor. Prof. Collins is not only my advisor at Yale (which more than earns him a plug on this blog) but also one of the best teachers I have studied with in my career. I haven't had a chance to read the book, but I have seen a copy in the bookstore and it looks fantastic. Plenty of high-quality illustrations, helpful excurses in distinctive colored boxes, and other aids designed to appeal to undergraduates and other introductory readers. Check out the brief video clip on the accompanying website (www.collinstext.com) in which Prof. Collins wryly mentions that one of his major challenges was to produce a textbook "that students can read." With wit like that, how can he not be my favorite professor? ;-)
-------
Collins' Authoritative Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Now Abridged
"To now have A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible in a format fashioned especially for the undergraduate course is most welcome."
—James VanderKam, John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, University of Notre Dame
Fortress Press's new release of A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible brings the erudition of John Collins's well-regarded Introduction to the Hebrew Bible with CD-ROM (2004) to a wider audience. A marvel of conciseness, A Short Introduction provides more student-friendly features than the larger Introduction, including new charts and maps, more illustrations, chapter summaries, illuminating vignettes, and selected bibliographies.
"Using Collins' textbook is like team-teaching with a master teacher."
—Carol Newsom, Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology
A dedicated Web site (www.collinstext.com) includes test banks and classroom resources geared for the busy professor.
Order your copy today
-------
Collins' Authoritative Introduction to the Hebrew Bible Now Abridged
"To now have A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible in a format fashioned especially for the undergraduate course is most welcome."
—James VanderKam, John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures, University of Notre Dame
Fortress Press's new release of A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible brings the erudition of John Collins's well-regarded Introduction to the Hebrew Bible with CD-ROM (2004) to a wider audience. A marvel of conciseness, A Short Introduction provides more student-friendly features than the larger Introduction, including new charts and maps, more illustrations, chapter summaries, illuminating vignettes, and selected bibliographies.
"Using Collins' textbook is like team-teaching with a master teacher."
—Carol Newsom, Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology
A dedicated Web site (www.collinstext.com) includes test banks and classroom resources geared for the busy professor.
Order your copy today
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A Different Kind of "Historical Jesus"?
On his blog Euangelion, Michael Bird (currently attending the Dogmatics Conference in Edinburgh) has provided the final sentences of a paper given by John Webster entitled "The Eternal Begetting of the Son":
"The only historical Jesus there is is the one who has his being in union with the Son of God who is eternally begotten of the Father. Those who pore over the gospels searching for another Jesus (whether their motives be apologetic or critical) pierce their hearts with many pangs, for they study a matter which does not exist."
This is certainly a provocative conclusion, especially in light of the explosive growth of historical Jesus scholarship throughout the last century (growth helpfully charted for the blogosphere by Scot McKnight, with additional insightful comments from Mark Goodacre). I'm longing to read the rest of the paper... are "[t]hose who pore over the gospels searching for another Jesus" doomed to failure because of a lack of reliable source material (a judgment akin to that of Bultmann)? Or are the theological and historical personages of Jesus truly inseparable? Alas, a trip to Edinburgh wasn't included in my summer budget... ;-)
"The only historical Jesus there is is the one who has his being in union with the Son of God who is eternally begotten of the Father. Those who pore over the gospels searching for another Jesus (whether their motives be apologetic or critical) pierce their hearts with many pangs, for they study a matter which does not exist."
This is certainly a provocative conclusion, especially in light of the explosive growth of historical Jesus scholarship throughout the last century (growth helpfully charted for the blogosphere by Scot McKnight, with additional insightful comments from Mark Goodacre). I'm longing to read the rest of the paper... are "[t]hose who pore over the gospels searching for another Jesus" doomed to failure because of a lack of reliable source material (a judgment akin to that of Bultmann)? Or are the theological and historical personages of Jesus truly inseparable? Alas, a trip to Edinburgh wasn't included in my summer budget... ;-)
RBL Highlights: 8/28/07
A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:
Zev Garber, ed.
Mel Gibson's Passion: The Film, the Controversy, and Its Implications
Reviewed by Timothy D. Finlay
Michael W. Holmes
The Apostolic Fathers in English
Reviewed by Hennie Stander
Ben-Zion Rosenfeld and Joseph Menirav
Markets and Marketing in Roman Palestine
Reviewed by Michael Trainor
C. Kavin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
Reviewed by Joel B. Green
Gregory Tatum
New Chapters in the Life of Paul: The Relative Chronology of His Career
Reviewed by Eve-Marie Becker
Gerd Theissen
The Bible and Contemporary Culture
Reviewed by Christian Danz
Zev Garber, ed.
Mel Gibson's Passion: The Film, the Controversy, and Its Implications
Reviewed by Timothy D. Finlay
Michael W. Holmes
The Apostolic Fathers in English
Reviewed by Hennie Stander
Ben-Zion Rosenfeld and Joseph Menirav
Markets and Marketing in Roman Palestine
Reviewed by Michael Trainor
C. Kavin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
Reviewed by Joel B. Green
Gregory Tatum
New Chapters in the Life of Paul: The Relative Chronology of His Career
Reviewed by Eve-Marie Becker
Gerd Theissen
The Bible and Contemporary Culture
Reviewed by Christian Danz
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
BAR Highlights: 8/22/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
New Tomb of Egyptian Noblewoman Uncovered
Archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of an Egyptian noblewoman in Saqqara, 15 miles south of Cairo. The stone coffin is from the 27th dynasty and is part of the royal burial grounds.
Ireland’s Earliest Breweries?
Two Irish archaeologists have proposed that the horseshoe-shaped, grass-covered mounds found throughout Ireland were in fact used for brewing beer, not for cooking as previously thought. The analysis has been rather tasty.
Returning Art
The Getty Museum’s return of several artifacts to Italy is a major international case, one that may set a precedent for other countries.
Math in Translation
A new book gives English translations of significant mathematical theories from the non-Western world in historical and mathematical context.
Mesopotamian Revivalism through Art
Iraqi artists in Baghdad have been hired to paint over the concrete slabs throughout the city with images of former kings and mythical scenes from pre-Islamic history.
New Tomb of Egyptian Noblewoman Uncovered
Archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of an Egyptian noblewoman in Saqqara, 15 miles south of Cairo. The stone coffin is from the 27th dynasty and is part of the royal burial grounds.
Ireland’s Earliest Breweries?
Two Irish archaeologists have proposed that the horseshoe-shaped, grass-covered mounds found throughout Ireland were in fact used for brewing beer, not for cooking as previously thought. The analysis has been rather tasty.
Returning Art
The Getty Museum’s return of several artifacts to Italy is a major international case, one that may set a precedent for other countries.
Math in Translation
A new book gives English translations of significant mathematical theories from the non-Western world in historical and mathematical context.
Mesopotamian Revivalism through Art
Iraqi artists in Baghdad have been hired to paint over the concrete slabs throughout the city with images of former kings and mythical scenes from pre-Islamic history.
New: Severson on the Parable of the Sheep and Goats
A recent announcement from Wipf and Stock Publishers:
The Least of These
Selected Readings in Christian History
by Eric R. Severson
ISBN 13: 978-1-55635-106-8 / 282 pp / $31 Retail / Paper
This collection of primary documents from Christian history—all dealing with the interpretation of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew—spans the second to eighteenth centuries.
“A unique and brilliant contribution to theological pedagogy.”
—Robert Cummings Neville, author of Behind the Masks of God
Read Complete Description and Endorsements
Read Excerpts
Request Review or Exam Copy
The Least of These
Selected Readings in Christian History
by Eric R. Severson
ISBN 13: 978-1-55635-106-8 / 282 pp / $31 Retail / Paper
This collection of primary documents from Christian history—all dealing with the interpretation of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew—spans the second to eighteenth centuries.
“A unique and brilliant contribution to theological pedagogy.”
—Robert Cummings Neville, author of Behind the Masks of God
Read Complete Description and Endorsements
Read Excerpts
Request Review or Exam Copy
RBL Highlights: 8/22/07
A few highlights from this week's Review of Biblical Literature. I was pleased to see that Jouette Bassler's Navigating Paul (which I used while facilitating a four-week study of Paul this summer) received three pretty positive reviews.
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Jouette M. Bassler
Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts
Reviewed by William S. Campbell
Reviewed by Robert A. Bryant
Reviewed by David J. Downs
Charles B. Cousar
An Introduction to the New Testament: Witnesses to God's New Work
Reviewed by Greg Carey
Edmondo Lupieri
A Commentary on the Apocalypse of John
Reviewed by Craig R. Koester
Lee Martin MacDonald
The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority
Reviewed by David Chapman
Peter Schäfer
Jesus in the Talmud
Reviewed by Catherine Hezser
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Jouette M. Bassler
Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts
Reviewed by William S. Campbell
Reviewed by Robert A. Bryant
Reviewed by David J. Downs
Charles B. Cousar
An Introduction to the New Testament: Witnesses to God's New Work
Reviewed by Greg Carey
Edmondo Lupieri
A Commentary on the Apocalypse of John
Reviewed by Craig R. Koester
Lee Martin MacDonald
The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority
Reviewed by David Chapman
Peter Schäfer
Jesus in the Talmud
Reviewed by Catherine Hezser
Saturday, August 18, 2007
McKnight Turns to the Historical Jesus
Scot McKnight has followed his illuminating series of posts on the "New Perspective on Paul" with an equally illuminating series on Historical Jesus research, which concludes with nine general points for the reader. Mark Goodacre responded to these final points with a number of minor critiques, several of which I would second (e.g., his argument that some scholars are more effective than others in their attempts to objectively and dispassionately produce an historical reconstruction of Jesus). A few additional observations and comments of my own:
McKnight's fourth point is as follows: "I don’t think historical Jesus has any place in theological studies for the Church. To bracket off one’s theological views in order to study the historical Jesus and then to do theological studies on top of that bracketed-off-study-of-Jesus is a vicious circular argument. You won’t find the Church’s Jesus this way because you’ve decided the Church’s Jesus isn’t allowed at the table! Historical Jesus studies is for historians." While his warnings against circular arguments are well taken, it seems to me that our evolving conceptions of who Jesus really was--what he said, did, didn't say, didn't do, etc.--can and should have a profound effect on the church which is supposedly fundamentally based on his life and teachings. The Church's Jesus and the Historical Jesus may not always be one and the same, but they can communicate with one another, and learn from one another.
And his fifth point: "still, nearly every historical Jesus scholar I know--and I know most of them--believes in the portrait of Jesus they construct on the basis of the historical methods. John Dominic Crossan and Marc Borg and Tom Wright and Dick Horsley et al believe, so it seems to me, in the Jesus they have constructed. (We all do this, don’t we?)" Goodacre objects, and again points to Sanders as a pertinent example. The key to this question is one's understanding of the term "believe." If it is to be understood from a religio-spiritual perspective, then I would agree with Goodacre, and add additional examples such as Bart Ehrman (as I don't think an avowed agnostic can "believe" in Jesus in this way!). If it is to be understood from a more empirical perspective, then I would be more inclined to agree with McKnight. It is to be expected that researchers believe in the results they achieve. Thus the research process must be carefully regulated and comprehensively executed, in order to obtain a result worth believing in.
And, finally, his sixth point: "historical Jesus studies have waned significantly in the last ten years. The hey day was the 80s and 90s but the creative work has been done, climaxing perhaps in Tom Wright’s big book, and mostly the conversation has grown stale. What used to attract hundreds to academic sessions now attracts 30 or 40." Goodacre essentially agrees, and adds that "[t]here is so much of it; it is so much in the mainstream that it has become somewhat less exciting. I am tempted to add that I have not seen anything in twenty years that begins to approach Sanders' Jesus and Judaism for stimulation and interest, but then I really would sound like a Johnny-one-note." Here I find myself disagreeing with both of my esteemed colleagues. McKnight suggests that the climax of recent Historical Jesus research is Tom Wright's "big book" (which I assume is Jesus and the Victory of God, released in 1997). However, both McKnight and Goodacre fail to mention John P. Meier's magisterial Marginal Jew series, the most recent of which was released in 2001 (the third volume, with another volume forthcoming). For my money, these are the definitive volumes on the Historical Jesus, and they are every bit as stimulating and interesting as Jesus and Judaism, albeit in a slightly different vein. McKnight mentions the work of Paula Fredericksen and Amy-Jill Levine, but doesn't mention that their work is relatively recent as well (Fredericksen's Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews was first published in 1999; Levine's The Misunderstood Jew was first published last year). Last fall I took a seminar course with Adela Collins entitled "The Historical Jesus"; it was one of the largest seminars I've taken at Yale. There's still a great deal of interest in the Historical Jesus, and if some of that interest is outside the academy, so much the better.
Take a look at all these intriguing posts (and Goodacre's responses) and see what you think!
McKnight's fourth point is as follows: "I don’t think historical Jesus has any place in theological studies for the Church. To bracket off one’s theological views in order to study the historical Jesus and then to do theological studies on top of that bracketed-off-study-of-Jesus is a vicious circular argument. You won’t find the Church’s Jesus this way because you’ve decided the Church’s Jesus isn’t allowed at the table! Historical Jesus studies is for historians." While his warnings against circular arguments are well taken, it seems to me that our evolving conceptions of who Jesus really was--what he said, did, didn't say, didn't do, etc.--can and should have a profound effect on the church which is supposedly fundamentally based on his life and teachings. The Church's Jesus and the Historical Jesus may not always be one and the same, but they can communicate with one another, and learn from one another.
And his fifth point: "still, nearly every historical Jesus scholar I know--and I know most of them--believes in the portrait of Jesus they construct on the basis of the historical methods. John Dominic Crossan and Marc Borg and Tom Wright and Dick Horsley et al believe, so it seems to me, in the Jesus they have constructed. (We all do this, don’t we?)" Goodacre objects, and again points to Sanders as a pertinent example. The key to this question is one's understanding of the term "believe." If it is to be understood from a religio-spiritual perspective, then I would agree with Goodacre, and add additional examples such as Bart Ehrman (as I don't think an avowed agnostic can "believe" in Jesus in this way!). If it is to be understood from a more empirical perspective, then I would be more inclined to agree with McKnight. It is to be expected that researchers believe in the results they achieve. Thus the research process must be carefully regulated and comprehensively executed, in order to obtain a result worth believing in.
And, finally, his sixth point: "historical Jesus studies have waned significantly in the last ten years. The hey day was the 80s and 90s but the creative work has been done, climaxing perhaps in Tom Wright’s big book, and mostly the conversation has grown stale. What used to attract hundreds to academic sessions now attracts 30 or 40." Goodacre essentially agrees, and adds that "[t]here is so much of it; it is so much in the mainstream that it has become somewhat less exciting. I am tempted to add that I have not seen anything in twenty years that begins to approach Sanders' Jesus and Judaism for stimulation and interest, but then I really would sound like a Johnny-one-note." Here I find myself disagreeing with both of my esteemed colleagues. McKnight suggests that the climax of recent Historical Jesus research is Tom Wright's "big book" (which I assume is Jesus and the Victory of God, released in 1997). However, both McKnight and Goodacre fail to mention John P. Meier's magisterial Marginal Jew series, the most recent of which was released in 2001 (the third volume, with another volume forthcoming). For my money, these are the definitive volumes on the Historical Jesus, and they are every bit as stimulating and interesting as Jesus and Judaism, albeit in a slightly different vein. McKnight mentions the work of Paula Fredericksen and Amy-Jill Levine, but doesn't mention that their work is relatively recent as well (Fredericksen's Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews was first published in 1999; Levine's The Misunderstood Jew was first published last year). Last fall I took a seminar course with Adela Collins entitled "The Historical Jesus"; it was one of the largest seminars I've taken at Yale. There's still a great deal of interest in the Historical Jesus, and if some of that interest is outside the academy, so much the better.
Take a look at all these intriguing posts (and Goodacre's responses) and see what you think!
Friday, August 17, 2007
RBL Highlights: 8/17/07
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 Christoph Stenschke
Trevor J. Burke
Adopted into God's Family: Exploring a Pauline Metaphor
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
C. D. Elledge
Life after Death in Early Judaism: The Evidence of Josephus
Reviewed by Daniel Maoz
Ehud Netzer
The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder
Reviewed by Peter Richardson
Séamus O'Connell
From Most Ancient Sources: The Nature and Text-Critical Use of the Greek Old Testament Text of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
Reviewed by Anneli Aejmelaeus
Abraham Wasserstein and David Wasserstein
The Legend of the Septuagint: From Classical Antiquity to Today
Reviewed by John Mason
François Bovon
Luke the Theologian: Fifty-Five Years of Research (1950-2005)
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke
Trevor J. Burke
Adopted into God's Family: Exploring a Pauline Metaphor
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe
C. D. Elledge
Life after Death in Early Judaism: The Evidence of Josephus
Reviewed by Daniel Maoz
Ehud Netzer
The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder
Reviewed by Peter Richardson
Séamus O'Connell
From Most Ancient Sources: The Nature and Text-Critical Use of the Greek Old Testament Text of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
Reviewed by Anneli Aejmelaeus
Abraham Wasserstein and David Wasserstein
The Legend of the Septuagint: From Classical Antiquity to Today
Reviewed by John Mason
Thursday, August 16, 2007
More NT Titles From Dove
More recent New Testament offerings from Dove Booksellers' Used Book Department:
Aland, Kurt; Barbara Aland
TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1988)
Condition: VG Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Bell, H Idris; T C Skeat
FRAGMENTS OF AN UNKNOWN GOSPEL AND OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN PAPYRI
(British Museum, 1935)
Condition: GC Hardcover $30.00
Comments: Shelfworn, frayed at head and tail of spine
Bruce, F F
BIBLICAL EXEGESIS IN THE QUMRAN TEXTS
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1959)
Condition: VG Hardcover $24.00
Comments: DJ
Charlesworth, James H
JESUS' JEWISHNESS: EXPLORING THE PLACE OF JESUS IN EARLY JUDAISM
(Crossroad Publishing, 1991)
Condition: VG Hardcover $22.00
Comments: DJ
Childs, Brevard S
NEW TESTAMENT AS CANON: AN INTRODUCTION
(Fortress, 1985)
Condition: NF Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Comments: DJ
Davies, W D
JEWISH AND PAULINE STUDIES
(Fortress, 1984)
Condition: VG Hardcover $25.00
Comments: DJ
Farmer, William R
MACCABEES, ZEALOTS AND JOSEPHUS: AN INQUIRY INTO JEWISH NATIONALISM IN THE GRECO-ROMAN PERIOD
(Columbia University Press, 1956)
Condition: VG Hardcover $28.00
Comments: DJ
Farmer, William R
SYNOPTIC PROBLEM: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM OF THE LITERARY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE
(Macmillan, 1964)
Condition: VG Hardcover $18.00
Comments: Owner stamp on ffep, title page; DJ
Kummel, Werner Georg
NEW TESTAMENT: THE HISTORY OF THE INVESTIGATION OF ITS PROBLEMS
(Abingdon Press, 1972)
Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Comments: DJ
Lake, Kirsopp
EARLIER EPISTLES OF ST PAUL: THEIR MOTIVE AND ORIGIN
(Rivingtons, 1911)
Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Ludemann, Gerd
HERETICS: THE OTHER SIDE OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(Westminster John Knox, 1996)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Meier, John P
MARGINAL JEW: RETHINKING THE HISTORICAL JESUS, VOLUME 1: THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM AND THE PERSON
(Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1991)
Condition: VG Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $23.00
Comments: DJ
Moore, Stephen D
LITERARY CRITICISM AND THE GOSPELS
(Yale University Press, 1989)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Sanders, E P; Magaret Davies
STUDYING THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
(Trinity Press International, 1989)
Condition: GC Paperback $20.00
Comments: Front cover, text creased at fore edge
Smith, Morton
SECRET GOSPEL: THE DISCOVERY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE SECRET GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
(Harper & Row, 1973)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Tischendorf, Constantine
NOVUM TESTAMENTUM GRAECE (2 VOLS BOUND TOGETHER, 7TH ED)
(Adolph Winter, 1859)
Condition: GC Hardcover $40.00
Comments: Half-leatherm very worn but intact; faint dampstain to text along front and bottom edges
Weaver, Walter P
HISTORICAL JESUS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: 1900-1950
(Trinity Press International, 1999)
Condition: VG Paperback $19.00
Aland, Kurt; Barbara Aland
TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1988)
Condition: VG Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Bell, H Idris; T C Skeat
FRAGMENTS OF AN UNKNOWN GOSPEL AND OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN PAPYRI
(British Museum, 1935)
Condition: GC Hardcover $30.00
Comments: Shelfworn, frayed at head and tail of spine
Bruce, F F
BIBLICAL EXEGESIS IN THE QUMRAN TEXTS
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1959)
Condition: VG Hardcover $24.00
Comments: DJ
Charlesworth, James H
JESUS' JEWISHNESS: EXPLORING THE PLACE OF JESUS IN EARLY JUDAISM
(Crossroad Publishing, 1991)
Condition: VG Hardcover $22.00
Comments: DJ
Childs, Brevard S
NEW TESTAMENT AS CANON: AN INTRODUCTION
(Fortress, 1985)
Condition: NF Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Comments: DJ
Davies, W D
JEWISH AND PAULINE STUDIES
(Fortress, 1984)
Condition: VG Hardcover $25.00
Comments: DJ
Farmer, William R
MACCABEES, ZEALOTS AND JOSEPHUS: AN INQUIRY INTO JEWISH NATIONALISM IN THE GRECO-ROMAN PERIOD
(Columbia University Press, 1956)
Condition: VG Hardcover $28.00
Comments: DJ
Farmer, William R
SYNOPTIC PROBLEM: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM OF THE LITERARY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE
(Macmillan, 1964)
Condition: VG Hardcover $18.00
Comments: Owner stamp on ffep, title page; DJ
Kummel, Werner Georg
NEW TESTAMENT: THE HISTORY OF THE INVESTIGATION OF ITS PROBLEMS
(Abingdon Press, 1972)
Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Comments: DJ
Lake, Kirsopp
EARLIER EPISTLES OF ST PAUL: THEIR MOTIVE AND ORIGIN
(Rivingtons, 1911)
Condition: VG Hardcover $30.00
Ludemann, Gerd
HERETICS: THE OTHER SIDE OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(Westminster John Knox, 1996)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Meier, John P
MARGINAL JEW: RETHINKING THE HISTORICAL JESUS, VOLUME 1: THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM AND THE PERSON
(Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1991)
Condition: VG Dust Jacket Condition: VG Hardcover $23.00
Comments: DJ
Moore, Stephen D
LITERARY CRITICISM AND THE GOSPELS
(Yale University Press, 1989)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Sanders, E P; Magaret Davies
STUDYING THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
(Trinity Press International, 1989)
Condition: GC Paperback $20.00
Comments: Front cover, text creased at fore edge
Smith, Morton
SECRET GOSPEL: THE DISCOVERY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE SECRET GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
(Harper & Row, 1973)
Condition: VG Hardcover $20.00
Comments: DJ
Tischendorf, Constantine
NOVUM TESTAMENTUM GRAECE (2 VOLS BOUND TOGETHER, 7TH ED)
(Adolph Winter, 1859)
Condition: GC Hardcover $40.00
Comments: Half-leatherm very worn but intact; faint dampstain to text along front and bottom edges
Weaver, Walter P
HISTORICAL JESUS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: 1900-1950
(Trinity Press International, 1999)
Condition: VG Paperback $19.00
BAR Highlights: 8/16/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Saving History or Criminal Activity?
In September 2005, Israeli professor Hanan Eshel was suspected of trading antiquities and purchasing stolen goods. Although no charges were filed and the matter languished, one lawyer is demanding that the Israel Antiquities Authority be held accountable for cutting the nearly-2,000-year-old scroll that Eshel obtained.
Death on View
Royal graves in Alacahöyük, in the province of Çorum, Turkey, near the Black sea, will be on view for tourists. Replicas of the tombs will offer visitors a chance to see how the royals were buried and what treasures accompanied them.
Unexpected Find at Tiberias
The Israel Antiquities Authority’s excavation at Tiberias has uncovered a mosaic on the floor of a Byzantine church with a surprising inscription that contradicts an earlier theory about Jews and Christians in Tiberias.
Fruit Baskets: Popular Then and Now
A sixth-century B.C.E. floor mosaic showing trees and fruit baskets has been uncovered at Yavneh Yam, an ancient archaeological seaport 15 miles south of Jaffa.
Cursing Like the Ancients
Archaeologists may have found exceptional curse tablets in Lincolnshire, England, dating to a time of political turmoil under the Roman empire.
Tanning in Rome
An ancient tannery has been uncovered in the outskirts of Rome, but it is now threatened by railway construction. The complex, at 3,345 square feet, is the largest discovered in the city.
Saving History or Criminal Activity?
In September 2005, Israeli professor Hanan Eshel was suspected of trading antiquities and purchasing stolen goods. Although no charges were filed and the matter languished, one lawyer is demanding that the Israel Antiquities Authority be held accountable for cutting the nearly-2,000-year-old scroll that Eshel obtained.
Death on View
Royal graves in Alacahöyük, in the province of Çorum, Turkey, near the Black sea, will be on view for tourists. Replicas of the tombs will offer visitors a chance to see how the royals were buried and what treasures accompanied them.
Unexpected Find at Tiberias
The Israel Antiquities Authority’s excavation at Tiberias has uncovered a mosaic on the floor of a Byzantine church with a surprising inscription that contradicts an earlier theory about Jews and Christians in Tiberias.
Fruit Baskets: Popular Then and Now
A sixth-century B.C.E. floor mosaic showing trees and fruit baskets has been uncovered at Yavneh Yam, an ancient archaeological seaport 15 miles south of Jaffa.
Cursing Like the Ancients
Archaeologists may have found exceptional curse tablets in Lincolnshire, England, dating to a time of political turmoil under the Roman empire.
Tanning in Rome
An ancient tannery has been uncovered in the outskirts of Rome, but it is now threatened by railway construction. The complex, at 3,345 square feet, is the largest discovered in the city.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Car vs. God
I've pulled some tough all-nighters and taken some frustrating classes, but I don't think that I've ever considered this course of action as a possible outlet:
Deputies: Man 'Mad At God' Drives Into Church
St. Augustine Man Accused Of Criminal Mischief
Fortunately, it doesn't appear that anyone was injured.
Deputies: Man 'Mad At God' Drives Into Church
St. Augustine Man Accused Of Criminal Mischief
Fortunately, it doesn't appear that anyone was injured.
Key Stendhal Essay Available Online
Mark Goodacre notes that Krister Stendhal's seminal essay "Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West" is now available online via The Paul Page. In many ways, Stendhal's work blazed a trail for Sanders, Dunn, and others who followed. I read this article for the first time last spring as part of Judy Gundry-Volf's class on Paul, and found it to be as good as advertised. Check it out!
UMC Cotillion?
An article posted on the website of the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church proclaims, "New Tone Set for Conversation, Debate at 2008 Methodist General Conference." In preparation for the upcoming conference (the denomination's chief policy-making body, scheduled to meet in Fort Worth April 23-May 2), a task force has prepared a brief set of rules entitled "Guidelines for Holy Conferencing: What God Expects of Us." I suspect that fears of a devastating schism over homosexuality, magnified by the continuing state of affairs in the Episcopal Church in America and the Anglican Communion, motivated this course of action. So... will it succeed? Only time will tell, but at the moment I have doubts. While it is certainly worthwhile to urge all parties to "listen patiently before formulating responses" and "avoid using inflammatory words, derogatory names, or an excited and angry voice," the biblical text has an uncanny way of igniting people's passions, particularly when they feel that basic theological tenets are at stake. Furthermore, the rules could lead to the conclusion that the maintenance of denominational decorum, however improbable, is more important than action... in any direction. (And for what it's worth, the historical Jesus seems to have been much more interested in action than decorum!) Nevertheless, we can all benefit from timely reminders to "strive to understand the experience out of which others have arrived at their views" and "remember that people are defined, ultimately, by their relationship with God--not by the flaws we discover, or think we discover, in their views and actions."
Monday, August 13, 2007
Love for the Variants
I've just finished reading Eldon Jay Epp's article on textual variants in the most recent edition of the Harvard Theological Review (if you or your supporting institution are subscribers, you may access a full text version of the article here; the abstract is available to everyone). Not surprisingly, I found it to be extremely stimulating (and not just because he taught at Case Western, where my best friend went to school!). Epp concludes with a brief definition of textual criticism which, in my opinion, succinctly captures the new direction in which the discipline is headed:
"New Testament textual criticism, employing aspects of both science and art, studies the transmission of the New Testament text and the manuscripts that facilitate its transmission, with the unitary goal of establishing the earliest attainable text (which serves as a baseline) and, at the same time, of assessing the textual variants that emerge from the baseline text so as to hear the narratives of early Christian thought and life that inhere in the array of meaningful variants."
The body of the article is concerned with the paradigm shift expressed in the above definition: the abandonment of the long-standing search for an "original text" in favor of an "earliest attainable text," and a more detailed exploration of the relationship between individual variants and the communities which produced them. In particular, Epp is determined to avoid the common text-critical pitfall in which one reading is determined to be "original" or "correct" while the others are simply discarded. He even offers a sample of a prototypical, "variant-friendly" critical text:
I must admit that despite my appreciation of the various sigla of the Novum Testamentum Graece--particularly the unobtrusive way in which they offer a vast amount of information to readers without forcing it upon them--I enjoyed the ability to view variants alongside the "baseline" text. Of course, as Epp points out, this is only a brief sample; a full-scale edition is but a pinpoint on the biblical studies horizon. He also notes that even if such an edition were produced, it would be best used in conjunction with existing critical editions, rather than apart from them. Even so... I think I'd buy one. ;-)
"New Testament textual criticism, employing aspects of both science and art, studies the transmission of the New Testament text and the manuscripts that facilitate its transmission, with the unitary goal of establishing the earliest attainable text (which serves as a baseline) and, at the same time, of assessing the textual variants that emerge from the baseline text so as to hear the narratives of early Christian thought and life that inhere in the array of meaningful variants."
The body of the article is concerned with the paradigm shift expressed in the above definition: the abandonment of the long-standing search for an "original text" in favor of an "earliest attainable text," and a more detailed exploration of the relationship between individual variants and the communities which produced them. In particular, Epp is determined to avoid the common text-critical pitfall in which one reading is determined to be "original" or "correct" while the others are simply discarded. He even offers a sample of a prototypical, "variant-friendly" critical text:
I must admit that despite my appreciation of the various sigla of the Novum Testamentum Graece--particularly the unobtrusive way in which they offer a vast amount of information to readers without forcing it upon them--I enjoyed the ability to view variants alongside the "baseline" text. Of course, as Epp points out, this is only a brief sample; a full-scale edition is but a pinpoint on the biblical studies horizon. He also notes that even if such an edition were produced, it would be best used in conjunction with existing critical editions, rather than apart from them. Even so... I think I'd buy one. ;-)
Friday, August 10, 2007
More on the "New Perspective"
Mark Goodacre has helpfully provided a link to Simon Gathercole's recent article on the "New Perspective on Paul," which appeared in the August issue of Christianity Today. I agree with his observation that Gathercole's appended bibliography unfairly neglects the works of E.P. Sanders and James Dunn (particularly Sanders) in favor of those of N.T. Wright. Furthermore, it seems to me that a number of the "Six Tendencies" which Gathercole presents as the New Perspective's shortcomings could be rebutted. But the article is still well worth a read.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The Many Faces of the "New Perspective"
On his blog Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight has composed an excellent series of posts which briefly and accessibly summarize the work of the three most influential pioneers of the "New Perspective on Paul" (E.P. Sanders, James Dunn, and N.T. Wright), and also offer a number of other helpful insights regarding the coherence of the movement, terminology, theology, etc. These were particularly interesting to me, as I spent a good deal of my summer with the various works of these men while preparing and facilitating a four-week study of Paul at my home church in Louisville, Kentucky. Although it's certainly a close call, I would reverse McKnight's rankings of the two most important recent developments in biblical studies (he places historical Jesus studies ahead of the New Perspective, a choice which may be related to the fact that he has written at least one magisterial book on the former subject!). In my mind, the radical reassessment of ancient Judaism which followed in the New Perspective's formidable wake, and the ways in which this reassessment can affect current Jewish-Christian relations, give it a slight edge. Dunn's reading of Paul, in which Judaism is no longer an inherently flawed system of works-righteousness but merely the recipients of a promise which Paul desires to expand, removes much of the traditional boundary between Pauline Christianity and Second Temple Judaism and brings them closer together--a bond which offers their modern descendants a legitimate foundation for dialogue and fellowship. That's pretty exciting to me.
If you have a few minutes, check these posts out!
(NOTE: Just after completing this post, I noticed that McKnight has now added a post which outlines some of the objections to the New Perspective. Keep checking for additional updates!)
If you have a few minutes, check these posts out!
(NOTE: Just after completing this post, I noticed that McKnight has now added a post which outlines some of the objections to the New Perspective. Keep checking for additional updates!)
BAR Highlights: 8/9/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Massive Hadrian
A larger-than-life-sized statue of the emperor Hadrian has been uncovered at Sagalassos in south-central Turkey. The statue was found in part of a bath complex that was built during the emperor’s reign.
Largest Fortress from Pharaonic Egypt Uncovered
A massive fortress dating to the pharaonic period of ancient Egypt has been uncovered at Tell-Huba near the Suez Canal. Archaeologists found graves of soldiers, horses and remnants of a water-filled moat.
Beyond the Fertile Crescent
Archaeologists are showing that civilization emerged about 5,000 years ago not only along the Euphrates River, but also along an arc from the Russian steppes through Iran and into the Arabian Peninsula.
A Tour of the Jewish Quarter
A news site in Israel describes the sumptuous Herodian remains at the Wohl Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem. Also on the site is a brief video tour of the museum.
Massive Hadrian
A larger-than-life-sized statue of the emperor Hadrian has been uncovered at Sagalassos in south-central Turkey. The statue was found in part of a bath complex that was built during the emperor’s reign.
Largest Fortress from Pharaonic Egypt Uncovered
A massive fortress dating to the pharaonic period of ancient Egypt has been uncovered at Tell-Huba near the Suez Canal. Archaeologists found graves of soldiers, horses and remnants of a water-filled moat.
Beyond the Fertile Crescent
Archaeologists are showing that civilization emerged about 5,000 years ago not only along the Euphrates River, but also along an arc from the Russian steppes through Iran and into the Arabian Peninsula.
A Tour of the Jewish Quarter
A news site in Israel describes the sumptuous Herodian remains at the Wohl Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem. Also on the site is a brief video tour of the museum.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Faith and Scholarship...
In a post on his self-titled blog, Dr. Claude Mariottini responds to criticisms of his earlier claim that in terms of biblical hermeneutics, "believers" are inherently superior to "atheists." Mariottini correctly observes that atheism cannot pass the "outsider test": it cannot scientifically prove that God does not exist, anymore than Christianity (or any other religion, for that matter) can scientifically prove otherwise. This fact is recognized by more erudite atheist commentators such as Richard Dawkins, but often overlooked or ignored by others.
However, a number of other points are extremely problematic--at least in my view. First and foremost, how does one define the term "believer"? Are Jews included within this category? Mariottini does not explicitly address this question, as he is principally concerned with the battle between Christianity and atheism. He does state that the distinction between Christian exegetes and their atheist counterparts is that the former "read the Bible from a historical, sociological, linguistic perspective, but also from the perspective of faith and religion." Under those criteria, Jewish scholars would certainly qualify, at least as far as Hebrew Bible studies are concerned. But even if these are included, the fact remains that a number of Jewish scholars have turned their attentions to the world of the New Testament, with fruitful results. Samuel Sandmel and Amy-Jill Levine immediately come to mind. Should their efforts be discarded because, in Mariottini's words, they cannot "say 'Christ lives in me'" or "understand fully what it means to be saved by grace"? Having recently read and enjoyed Levine's The Misunderstood Jew, I would respond in the negative.
Furthermore, Mariottini's argument that faith provides intrinsic exegetical superiority is largely incompatible with the last century of mainstream biblical scholarship, which has encouraged a more critical, scientific approach. A number of significant developments have occurred as direct results of this shift, including the reevaluation of key texts in light of extrabiblical historical and archaeological findings and the advent of ecumenical research efforts. A return to faith-based scholarship would likely undermine these developments. While Mariottini may believe that atheists are at a disadvantage because "they approach the Bible with false assumptions" such as the belief that there is no God, the actual veracity of those assumptions remains beyond the scope of human epistemology. Neither the atheist nor the believer can produce evidence which irrefutably verifies his or her claims. In their own ways, they are both matters of faith... and members of both camps must recognize and respect this.
Ultimately, it seems that the validity of Mariottini's arguments rests with one's understanding of the relationship between faith and scholarship--specifically, whether the two must go hand in hand. Anyone who feels that the discipline is and should be dedicated to Christian apologetics will likely be attracted to his position. On the other hand, anyone who feels that it is a primarily critical enterprise--capable of being strengthened by faith, but not simply operating on its behalf--will likely dissent. Personally, I believe that it is quite possible to be a person of faith and a critical scholar, and to use the results of the latter to strengthen the former. Also, I feel that it is possible to learn a great deal from critical scholars who represent faith commitments other than my own. Both of these beliefs certainly reflect my experience at Yale. Nevertheless, I realize that others will hold different views. Shall we agree to disagree?
However, a number of other points are extremely problematic--at least in my view. First and foremost, how does one define the term "believer"? Are Jews included within this category? Mariottini does not explicitly address this question, as he is principally concerned with the battle between Christianity and atheism. He does state that the distinction between Christian exegetes and their atheist counterparts is that the former "read the Bible from a historical, sociological, linguistic perspective, but also from the perspective of faith and religion." Under those criteria, Jewish scholars would certainly qualify, at least as far as Hebrew Bible studies are concerned. But even if these are included, the fact remains that a number of Jewish scholars have turned their attentions to the world of the New Testament, with fruitful results. Samuel Sandmel and Amy-Jill Levine immediately come to mind. Should their efforts be discarded because, in Mariottini's words, they cannot "say 'Christ lives in me'" or "understand fully what it means to be saved by grace"? Having recently read and enjoyed Levine's The Misunderstood Jew, I would respond in the negative.
Furthermore, Mariottini's argument that faith provides intrinsic exegetical superiority is largely incompatible with the last century of mainstream biblical scholarship, which has encouraged a more critical, scientific approach. A number of significant developments have occurred as direct results of this shift, including the reevaluation of key texts in light of extrabiblical historical and archaeological findings and the advent of ecumenical research efforts. A return to faith-based scholarship would likely undermine these developments. While Mariottini may believe that atheists are at a disadvantage because "they approach the Bible with false assumptions" such as the belief that there is no God, the actual veracity of those assumptions remains beyond the scope of human epistemology. Neither the atheist nor the believer can produce evidence which irrefutably verifies his or her claims. In their own ways, they are both matters of faith... and members of both camps must recognize and respect this.
Ultimately, it seems that the validity of Mariottini's arguments rests with one's understanding of the relationship between faith and scholarship--specifically, whether the two must go hand in hand. Anyone who feels that the discipline is and should be dedicated to Christian apologetics will likely be attracted to his position. On the other hand, anyone who feels that it is a primarily critical enterprise--capable of being strengthened by faith, but not simply operating on its behalf--will likely dissent. Personally, I believe that it is quite possible to be a person of faith and a critical scholar, and to use the results of the latter to strengthen the former. Also, I feel that it is possible to learn a great deal from critical scholars who represent faith commitments other than my own. Both of these beliefs certainly reflect my experience at Yale. Nevertheless, I realize that others will hold different views. Shall we agree to disagree?
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Hidden Images in Da Vinci's Last Supper?
Just when you thought it was safe to put away your copy of The Da Vinci Code:
New "Last Supper" theory crashes Web sites
A new theory that Leonardo's "Last Supper" might hide within it a depiction
of Christ blessing the bread and wine has triggered so much interest that
Web sites connected to the picture have crashed.
New "Last Supper" theory crashes Web sites
A new theory that Leonardo's "Last Supper" might hide within it a depiction
of Christ blessing the bread and wine has triggered so much interest that
Web sites connected to the picture have crashed.
BAR Highlights: 8/5/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Ancient Mariners
Researchers on the coast of Cyprus have discovered tools used by seamen as far back as 10,000 years ago.
Getty to Return 40 Objects to Italy
Facing an embargo from Italy, the Getty Museum has agreed to return 40 ancient objects that the nation claims were looted from within its borders. Among the objects is one of the Getty’s best-known holdings, a statue thought to represent the goddess Aphrodite.
Exploring Galilee Hideouts
A doctoral student is investigating caves near the Sea of Galilee that may have served as rebel hideouts in the Great Revolt against Rome (for a photo, click here).
Iraq to Renovate Prophet’s Tomb
The traditional site of the burial place of the Prophet Nahum and the synagogue of which it is a part, located about 25 miles north of Mosul, are slated to be renovated next year. Nahum is recognized as a prophet in the Jewish and Christian traditions and in Sunni and Shiite Islam.
Model Soldiers
Researchers say a virtual model of Qumran, the site near where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, shows that the settlement was originally built for warriors.
Egypt in the News
Several items from the land of the Pharaohs: Excavators have announced the discovery of the largest fort yet found from the pharaonic era and of underwater remains of the city at Alexandria from seven centuries before Alexander the Great established his city. And a British researcher suggests that a wooden toe on a mummy is the world’s oldest prosthetic device.
Ancient Mariners
Researchers on the coast of Cyprus have discovered tools used by seamen as far back as 10,000 years ago.
Getty to Return 40 Objects to Italy
Facing an embargo from Italy, the Getty Museum has agreed to return 40 ancient objects that the nation claims were looted from within its borders. Among the objects is one of the Getty’s best-known holdings, a statue thought to represent the goddess Aphrodite.
Exploring Galilee Hideouts
A doctoral student is investigating caves near the Sea of Galilee that may have served as rebel hideouts in the Great Revolt against Rome (for a photo, click here).
Iraq to Renovate Prophet’s Tomb
The traditional site of the burial place of the Prophet Nahum and the synagogue of which it is a part, located about 25 miles north of Mosul, are slated to be renovated next year. Nahum is recognized as a prophet in the Jewish and Christian traditions and in Sunni and Shiite Islam.
Model Soldiers
Researchers say a virtual model of Qumran, the site near where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, shows that the settlement was originally built for warriors.
Egypt in the News
Several items from the land of the Pharaohs: Excavators have announced the discovery of the largest fort yet found from the pharaonic era and of underwater remains of the city at Alexandria from seven centuries before Alexander the Great established his city. And a British researcher suggests that a wooden toe on a mummy is the world’s oldest prosthetic device.
NT Markdowns From Dove
A few tempting NT markdowns from Dove... and if you order before August 18, every five titles that you order earns a sixth title free!
I feel compelled to add that I'm not receiving any kind of compensation for these plugs... I simply get occasional e-mail newsletters from Dove, and enjoy passing the savings on to you. ;-)
-------
Ashton, John
THE RELIGION OF PAUL THE APOSTLE
(Yale University Press, 2000)
Our Price: $16.50
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Save: $18.49 (53%)
Attridge, Harold, and Gohei Hata (eds)
EUSEBIUS, CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM
(Wayne State University Prhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifess, 1992)
Our Price: $32.99
List: $59.95
Save: $26.96 (45%)
Beker, J Christiaan
HEIRS OF PAUL: PAUL'S LEGACY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AND IN THE CHURCH TODAY
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1997)
Our Price: $8.50
List: $15.00
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Brown, Michael Joseph
THE LORD'S PRAYER THROUGH NORTH AFRICAN EYES: A WINDOW INTO EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(T & T Clark International, 2004)
Our Price: $15.99
List: $39.95
Save: $23.96 (59%)
Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A Evans (eds)
AUTHENTICATING THE ACTIVITIES OF JESUS
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $29.50
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Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A Evans (eds)
AUTHENTICATING THE WORDS OF JESUS
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $29.50
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Cohen, Shaye J D
JOSEPHUS IN GALILEE AND ROME: HIS VITA AND DEVELOPMENT AS A HISTORIAN
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $19.99
List: $39.00
Save: $19.01 (48%)
Davies, W D
CHRISTIAN ENGAGEMENTS WITH JUDAISM
(Trinity Press International, 1999)
Our Price: $14.99
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Save: $24.96 (62%)
Fitzmyer SJ, Joseph A
TO ADVANCE THE GOSPEL: NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998)
Our Price: $22.99
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Save: $12.01 (34%)
Freyne, Sean
GALILEE AND GOSPEL
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $19.99
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Garcia-Martinez, Florentino, and Eibert J C Tigchelaar
DEAD SEA SCROLLS STUDY EDITION, 2 VOLUMES
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1999)
Our Price: $49.99
List: $100.00
Save: $50.01 (50%)
Horsley, Richard A
SOCIOLOGY AND THE JESUS MOVEMENT
(Continuum International Pub Inc, 1994)
Our Price: $8.99
List: $19.99
Save: $11.00 (55%)
Magness, Jodi
ARCHAEOLOGY OF QUMRAN AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2003)
Our Price: $9.99
List: $26.00
Save: $16.01 (62%)
Sherwin-White, A N
ROMAN SOCIETY AND ROMAN LAW IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Oxford University Press, 2000)
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Save: $15.00 (42%)
I feel compelled to add that I'm not receiving any kind of compensation for these plugs... I simply get occasional e-mail newsletters from Dove, and enjoy passing the savings on to you. ;-)
-------
Ashton, John
THE RELIGION OF PAUL THE APOSTLE
(Yale University Press, 2000)
Our Price: $16.50
List: $34.99
Save: $18.49 (53%)
Attridge, Harold, and Gohei Hata (eds)
EUSEBIUS, CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM
(Wayne State University Prhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifess, 1992)
Our Price: $32.99
List: $59.95
Save: $26.96 (45%)
Beker, J Christiaan
HEIRS OF PAUL: PAUL'S LEGACY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AND IN THE CHURCH TODAY
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1997)
Our Price: $8.50
List: $15.00
Save: $6.50 (43%)
Brown, Michael Joseph
THE LORD'S PRAYER THROUGH NORTH AFRICAN EYES: A WINDOW INTO EARLY CHRISTIANITY
(T & T Clark International, 2004)
Our Price: $15.99
List: $39.95
Save: $23.96 (59%)
Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A Evans (eds)
AUTHENTICATING THE ACTIVITIES OF JESUS
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $29.50
List: $59.00
Save: $29.50 (50%)
Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A Evans (eds)
AUTHENTICATING THE WORDS OF JESUS
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $29.50
List: $59.00
Save: $29.50 (50%)
Cohen, Shaye J D
JOSEPHUS IN GALILEE AND ROME: HIS VITA AND DEVELOPMENT AS A HISTORIAN
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $19.99
List: $39.00
Save: $19.01 (48%)
Davies, W D
CHRISTIAN ENGAGEMENTS WITH JUDAISM
(Trinity Press International, 1999)
Our Price: $14.99
List: $39.95
Save: $24.96 (62%)
Fitzmyer SJ, Joseph A
TO ADVANCE THE GOSPEL: NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998)
Our Price: $22.99
List: $35.00
Save: $12.01 (34%)
Freyne, Sean
GALILEE AND GOSPEL
(Brill, 2002)
Our Price: $19.99
List: $39.95
Save: $19.96 (49%)
Garcia-Martinez, Florentino, and Eibert J C Tigchelaar
DEAD SEA SCROLLS STUDY EDITION, 2 VOLUMES
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1999)
Our Price: $49.99
List: $100.00
Save: $50.01 (50%)
Horsley, Richard A
SOCIOLOGY AND THE JESUS MOVEMENT
(Continuum International Pub Inc, 1994)
Our Price: $8.99
List: $19.99
Save: $11.00 (55%)
Magness, Jodi
ARCHAEOLOGY OF QUMRAN AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
(Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2003)
Our Price: $9.99
List: $26.00
Save: $16.01 (62%)
Sherwin-White, A N
ROMAN SOCIETY AND ROMAN LAW IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Oxford University Press, 2000)
Our Price: $20.99
List: $35.99
Save: $15.00 (42%)
New: John H. Elliott on 1 Peter
A new publication announcement from Wipf and Stock Publishers:
Conflict, Community, and Honor: 1 Peter in Social-Scientific Perspective
by John H. Elliott
“The book is an excellent introduction to Prof. Elliott’s seminal work in applying social-scientific analysis of this New Testament writing, and will richly reward its careful reader.”
—Paul J. Achtemeier, author of 1 Peter (Hermeneia)
“This... reading reveals the letter in its own context, in such a way that we can appropriate its message and values into our own.”
—Carolyn Osiek, co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity
“Here, as elsewhere, Elliott expertly joins the findings of social-scientific research with the insights of literary and theological analysis to clarify the ‘good news’ that is proclaimed in this often-overlooked New Testament writing.”
—Victor Paul Furnish, author of The Moral Teaching of Paul
John H. Elliott is Professor of New Testament Emeritus at the University of San Francisco. Among his numerous publications are The Elect and Holy, A Home for the Homeless, What Is Social-Scientific Criticism?, and 1 Peter (Anchor Bible).
Conflict, Community, and Honor: 1 Peter in Social-Scientific Perspective
by John H. Elliott
“The book is an excellent introduction to Prof. Elliott’s seminal work in applying social-scientific analysis of this New Testament writing, and will richly reward its careful reader.”
—Paul J. Achtemeier, author of 1 Peter (Hermeneia)
“This... reading reveals the letter in its own context, in such a way that we can appropriate its message and values into our own.”
—Carolyn Osiek, co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity
“Here, as elsewhere, Elliott expertly joins the findings of social-scientific research with the insights of literary and theological analysis to clarify the ‘good news’ that is proclaimed in this often-overlooked New Testament writing.”
—Victor Paul Furnish, author of The Moral Teaching of Paul
John H. Elliott is Professor of New Testament Emeritus at the University of San Francisco. Among his numerous publications are The Elect and Holy, A Home for the Homeless, What Is Social-Scientific Criticism?, and 1 Peter (Anchor Bible).
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Is Bible Software Cheating?
In a post describing a blog dedicated to BibleWorks software, Michael F. Bird declares, "I do not know what biblical scholars did before BibleWorks, I'm not even sure I could use a concordance if I was given one anymore." I don't know Michael personally, so this may be a hyperbolic declaration. Nevertheless, he raises an interesting point regarding the potentially overwhelming seduction of bible software. For the past two years I have been an avid user of Accordance (BibleWorks' counterpart for the Mac), and it has since become one of the secrets of my success in divinity school. I can view a large variety of translations in parallel, search the textual apparatuses of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Nestle-Aland critical editions, and even jump to relevant entries in the Anchor Bible Dictionary, all with just the click of a mouse. However, there are times when I wonder if my knowledge of Greek and Hebrew would be more thorough if I had invested additional hours memorizing vocabulary and parsing verbs, instead of simply placing the cursor over an unfamiliar word and receiving instant results. It's easy for such a dependable resource to become an equally dependable crutch; some of my professors have even predicted that the increasing use of such software will result in a significant erosion of linguistic aptitude among biblical scholars.
Despite these apparent misgivings, I'm not giving up Accordance (or any other internet resources, for that matter) anytime soon. The electronic format offers too many promising possibilities for the advancement of biblical studies--not only flexibility and ease of use, but also raw power. Complex grammatical searches of ancient texts can be completed in a matter of seconds. As Bird observes, print concordances are now virtually obsolete. But like any innovation, it is best used in moderation, and in conjunction with more traditional methods. My well-worn copies of Seow, Hewett, and Blass-Debrunner-Funk are still sitting on my bookshelf, and they're not going anywhere.
Despite these apparent misgivings, I'm not giving up Accordance (or any other internet resources, for that matter) anytime soon. The electronic format offers too many promising possibilities for the advancement of biblical studies--not only flexibility and ease of use, but also raw power. Complex grammatical searches of ancient texts can be completed in a matter of seconds. As Bird observes, print concordances are now virtually obsolete. But like any innovation, it is best used in moderation, and in conjunction with more traditional methods. My well-worn copies of Seow, Hewett, and Blass-Debrunner-Funk are still sitting on my bookshelf, and they're not going anywhere.
Monday, July 30, 2007
RBL Highlights: 7/30/07
A few reviews from this week's Review of Biblical Literature:
Octavian D. Baban
On the Road Encounters in Luke-Acts: Hellenistic Mimesis and Luke's Theology of the Way
Reviewed by Thomas L. Brodie
Stephen Barton, ed.
The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels
Reviewed by Paul Foster
Thomas L. Brodie, Dennis MacDonald, and Stanley E. Porter, eds.
The Intertextuality of the Epistles: Explorations of Theory and Practice
Reviewed by Korinna Zamfir
Trevor J. Burke and J. Keith Elliott, eds.
Paul and the Corinthians: Studies on a Community in Conflict. Essays in Honour of Margaret Thrall
Reviewed by Joubert Stephan
James L. Kugel, ed.
Prayers That Cite Scripture
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney
Mikeal Parsons
Luke: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist
Reviewed by Robert C. Tannehill
Mikael Sjöberg
Wrestling with Textual Violence: The Jephthah Narrative in Antiquity and Modernity
Reviewed by Rüdiger Bartelmus
Octavian D. Baban
On the Road Encounters in Luke-Acts: Hellenistic Mimesis and Luke's Theology of the Way
Reviewed by Thomas L. Brodie
Stephen Barton, ed.
The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels
Reviewed by Paul Foster
Thomas L. Brodie, Dennis MacDonald, and Stanley E. Porter, eds.
The Intertextuality of the Epistles: Explorations of Theory and Practice
Reviewed by Korinna Zamfir
Trevor J. Burke and J. Keith Elliott, eds.
Paul and the Corinthians: Studies on a Community in Conflict. Essays in Honour of Margaret Thrall
Reviewed by Joubert Stephan
James L. Kugel, ed.
Prayers That Cite Scripture
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney
Mikeal Parsons
Luke: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist
Reviewed by Robert C. Tannehill
Mikael Sjöberg
Wrestling with Textual Violence: The Jephthah Narrative in Antiquity and Modernity
Reviewed by Rüdiger Bartelmus
Saturday, July 28, 2007
BAR Highlights: 7/28/07
More recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:
Coins from Cyprus Barred
The U.S. government, hoping to stem the trade in illicit antiquities, has imposed restrictions that will keep coins from Cyprus out of this country unless the Cypriot government gives its authorization for their importation.
New Temple Mount Bridge Approved
Authorities in Jerusalem have given the go-ahead for a rebuilt bridge to the Temple Mount, one that is smaller than a previously proposed bridge, which was criticized by archaeologists and also sparked violent protests by Muslims.
Genesis Text Unveiled
Professor James Charlesworth has acquired an ancient manuscript with verses from the Book of Genesis and has also bought 30 new Dead Sea Scrolls. Charlesworth will be a lecturer at the BAS seminar in Atlanta; for details, click here.
Rome in 3-D
Tour ancient Rome circa 320 A.D. through a full-size, three-dimensional model created by Bernard Frischer, head of the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia.
Bathing Never Goes Out of Style
Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved, two-story bath complex in Rome. The complex, which extends over five acres, is thought to have belonged to the wealthy Roman Quintus Servilius Pudens, one of the Emperor Hadrian’s friends.
Coins from Cyprus Barred
The U.S. government, hoping to stem the trade in illicit antiquities, has imposed restrictions that will keep coins from Cyprus out of this country unless the Cypriot government gives its authorization for their importation.
New Temple Mount Bridge Approved
Authorities in Jerusalem have given the go-ahead for a rebuilt bridge to the Temple Mount, one that is smaller than a previously proposed bridge, which was criticized by archaeologists and also sparked violent protests by Muslims.
Genesis Text Unveiled
Professor James Charlesworth has acquired an ancient manuscript with verses from the Book of Genesis and has also bought 30 new Dead Sea Scrolls. Charlesworth will be a lecturer at the BAS seminar in Atlanta; for details, click here.
Rome in 3-D
Tour ancient Rome circa 320 A.D. through a full-size, three-dimensional model created by Bernard Frischer, head of the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia.
Bathing Never Goes Out of Style
Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved, two-story bath complex in Rome. The complex, which extends over five acres, is thought to have belonged to the wealthy Roman Quintus Servilius Pudens, one of the Emperor Hadrian’s friends.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Translation Issues and the UBS Rating System
In her recent discussion of the translation issues surrounding 1 Cor. 14:30-40, Suzanne McCarthy briefly refers to the rating system employed by the editors of the United Bible Societies (UBS) Greek New Testament to indicate the probability of various readings. According to Bruce Metzger's A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (p. 14*), the general outline of the system is as follows:
A: the reading chosen by the editors is "certain"
B: the reading chosen by the editors is "almost certain"
C: the editors "had difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text"
D: the editors "had great difficulty in arriving at a decision" (relatively rare; e.g., Matt. 23:26, John 10:29)
In the case of 1 Cor. 14:30, the placement of vv. 34-35 was assigned a "B" rating; a few uncial codices (D, F, and G) and a handful of Latin witnesses place them after v. 40. McCarthy notes that while this rating leaves some room for doubt, the transposition of vv. 34-35 is rarely footnoted in English Bibles. While I haven't done any substantial research on this particular point, it served to remind me of a larger problem: the seeming arbitrariness of the rating system. Rom. 5:1 is an even more glaring example. Here is the complete verse, as found in the UBS/Nestle-Aland text:
Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
In the NRSV, the verse is rendered, "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"; many other major English translations adopt similar formulations. However, the original hands of the earliest and best manuscript witnesses (א, A, B, C, D, etc.), along with some patristic witnesses (particularly the recorded teachings of the early heretic Marcion of Sinope, which date to the mid-second century), replace ἔχομεν ("we have") with εχωμεν ("let us have"). In summarizing the UBS editors' preference for the former, Metzger notes that in antiquity the two terms were phonetically identical, and suggests that the the early occurrences of εχωμεν may have been the result of a simple scribal misunderstanding. The decision was assigned an "A" rating.
Whether one concurs with the editors' conclusions or not, it seems misleading to state that a particular reading is "certain" if it is not found in the most important and most frequently cited manuscripts. Some Yale professors encourage their students to simply ignore the rating system, but such blissfully intentional ignorance isn't always an option. The revised edition of the Guidelines for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible, a document produced by the Vatican in 1987, states that translators should follow the UBS text in the case of an "A" or "B" rating. If entire denominations are placing their trust in this system, then it seems reasonable to request that it be based upon consistent, clearly defined principles, and that it reflect the formidable difficulties which hinder the reconstruction of the "original" New Testament text.
A: the reading chosen by the editors is "certain"
B: the reading chosen by the editors is "almost certain"
C: the editors "had difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text"
D: the editors "had great difficulty in arriving at a decision" (relatively rare; e.g., Matt. 23:26, John 10:29)
In the case of 1 Cor. 14:30, the placement of vv. 34-35 was assigned a "B" rating; a few uncial codices (D, F, and G) and a handful of Latin witnesses place them after v. 40. McCarthy notes that while this rating leaves some room for doubt, the transposition of vv. 34-35 is rarely footnoted in English Bibles. While I haven't done any substantial research on this particular point, it served to remind me of a larger problem: the seeming arbitrariness of the rating system. Rom. 5:1 is an even more glaring example. Here is the complete verse, as found in the UBS/Nestle-Aland text:
Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
In the NRSV, the verse is rendered, "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"; many other major English translations adopt similar formulations. However, the original hands of the earliest and best manuscript witnesses (א, A, B, C, D, etc.), along with some patristic witnesses (particularly the recorded teachings of the early heretic Marcion of Sinope, which date to the mid-second century), replace ἔχομεν ("we have") with εχωμεν ("let us have"). In summarizing the UBS editors' preference for the former, Metzger notes that in antiquity the two terms were phonetically identical, and suggests that the the early occurrences of εχωμεν may have been the result of a simple scribal misunderstanding. The decision was assigned an "A" rating.
Whether one concurs with the editors' conclusions or not, it seems misleading to state that a particular reading is "certain" if it is not found in the most important and most frequently cited manuscripts. Some Yale professors encourage their students to simply ignore the rating system, but such blissfully intentional ignorance isn't always an option. The revised edition of the Guidelines for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible, a document produced by the Vatican in 1987, states that translators should follow the UBS text in the case of an "A" or "B" rating. If entire denominations are placing their trust in this system, then it seems reasonable to request that it be based upon consistent, clearly defined principles, and that it reflect the formidable difficulties which hinder the reconstruction of the "original" New Testament text.
Used NT Titles From Dove
A few of the most recent New Testament offerings from Dove Booksellers' Used Book Department:
Albright, William Foxwell
MATTHEW
(Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1982)
Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Baltzer, Klaus
COVENANT FORMULARY IN OLD TESTAMENT, JEWISH AND EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS
(Fortress, 1971)
Condition: VG Hardcover $40.00
Comments: DJ
Bilde, Per
FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND ROME: HIS LIFE, HIS WORKS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
(Sheffield Academic Press, 1988)
Condition: VG Hardcover $45.00
Chilton, Bruce
GOD IN STRENGTH: JESUS' ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM
(JSOT Press, 1979)
Condition: VG Paperback $25.00
Johnson, Luke Timothy
LITERARY FUNCTION OF POSSESSIONS IN LUKE-ACTS
(Scholars Press, 1977)
Condition: VG Paperback $30.00
Juel, Donald
MESSIAH AND TEMPLE: THE TRIAL OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
(Scholars Press, 1977)
Condition: VG Paperback $20.00
Kummel, Werner Georg
THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Abingdon Press, 1973)
Condition: VG Paperback $9.00
Comments: Spine creased
Marcus, Joel
MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
(Scholars Press, 1986)
Condition: VG Paperback $38.00
Comments: Ink annotation on front cover
Stanton, Graham N
GOSPELS AND JESUS
(Oxford University Press, 1989)
Condition: VG Paperback $19.00
Talbert, Charles H
LITERARY PATTERNS, THEOLOGICAL THEMES AND THE GENRE OF LUKE-ACTS
(Scholars Press, 1974)
Condition: GC Paperback $20.00
Comments: Shelfwear, front cover stained
Some of these look pretty good... if you want them, you'd better act fast before I snatch them up. ;-)
Albright, William Foxwell
MATTHEW
(Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1982)
Condition: VG Hardcover $16.00
Comments: DJ
Baltzer, Klaus
COVENANT FORMULARY IN OLD TESTAMENT, JEWISH AND EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS
(Fortress, 1971)
Condition: VG Hardcover $40.00
Comments: DJ
Bilde, Per
FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND ROME: HIS LIFE, HIS WORKS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
(Sheffield Academic Press, 1988)
Condition: VG Hardcover $45.00
Chilton, Bruce
GOD IN STRENGTH: JESUS' ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM
(JSOT Press, 1979)
Condition: VG Paperback $25.00
Johnson, Luke Timothy
LITERARY FUNCTION OF POSSESSIONS IN LUKE-ACTS
(Scholars Press, 1977)
Condition: VG Paperback $30.00
Juel, Donald
MESSIAH AND TEMPLE: THE TRIAL OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
(Scholars Press, 1977)
Condition: VG Paperback $20.00
Kummel, Werner Georg
THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
(Abingdon Press, 1973)
Condition: VG Paperback $9.00
Comments: Spine creased
Marcus, Joel
MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
(Scholars Press, 1986)
Condition: VG Paperback $38.00
Comments: Ink annotation on front cover
Stanton, Graham N
GOSPELS AND JESUS
(Oxford University Press, 1989)
Condition: VG Paperback $19.00
Talbert, Charles H
LITERARY PATTERNS, THEOLOGICAL THEMES AND THE GENRE OF LUKE-ACTS
(Scholars Press, 1974)
Condition: GC Paperback $20.00
Comments: Shelfwear, front cover stained
Some of these look pretty good... if you want them, you'd better act fast before I snatch them up. ;-)
Monday, July 23, 2007
July SBL Forum
IN THE PROFESSION
Biblical Scholarship in Vienna
by Markus Tiwald, Markus Himmelbauer, Marianne Grohmann
IN POPULAR CULTURE
Did Paul Get Whacked? The Endings of The Sopranos and the Acts of the Apostles
by Micah Kiel
NEWS
BAS Announces Two $10,000 Awards for ASOR Papers
Nabu-sharrussu-ukin Sites
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
J.D. Walters's Reply to Avalos
A Reflection on Brevard Childs
Kiel's article seems particularly fun, although I've never actually seen an episode of "The Sopranos" (I couldn't justify spending extra money on HBO). I'm looking forward to reading it in full.
I was pleased to see a lengthy tribute to former Yale professor and biblical studies icon Brevard Childs; a number of bloggers noted the absence of any such tributes in the days immediately following his death. Prof. Childs had been retired for several years by the time I arrived at Yale, but he visited the bookstore pretty frequently. Not long ago, he stopped by to pick up a copy of one of his own books because he had given his own copies away, and someone else had asked him for one. He will be missed, both at Yale and throughout the larger academic community.
Biblical Scholarship in Vienna
by Markus Tiwald, Markus Himmelbauer, Marianne Grohmann
IN POPULAR CULTURE
Did Paul Get Whacked? The Endings of The Sopranos and the Acts of the Apostles
by Micah Kiel
NEWS
BAS Announces Two $10,000 Awards for ASOR Papers
Nabu-sharrussu-ukin Sites
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
J.D. Walters's Reply to Avalos
A Reflection on Brevard Childs
Kiel's article seems particularly fun, although I've never actually seen an episode of "The Sopranos" (I couldn't justify spending extra money on HBO). I'm looking forward to reading it in full.
I was pleased to see a lengthy tribute to former Yale professor and biblical studies icon Brevard Childs; a number of bloggers noted the absence of any such tributes in the days immediately following his death. Prof. Childs had been retired for several years by the time I arrived at Yale, but he visited the bookstore pretty frequently. Not long ago, he stopped by to pick up a copy of one of his own books because he had given his own copies away, and someone else had asked him for one. He will be missed, both at Yale and throughout the larger academic community.
RBL Highlights: 7/23/07
A few of the most compelling entries in this week's Review of Biblical Literature:
Michelle Brown, ed.
In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000
Reviewed by Michael W. Holmes
This book was printed as a companion to the exhibit of the same name which appeared at the Smithsonian during the AAR/ABL Annual Meeting last fall (and which was one of my favorite moments from that trip). I haven't had a chance to examine the book in detail, but from what I've seen, it's every bit as fascinating as the exhibit itself.
William G. Dever
Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel
Reviewed by Patrick D. Miller
One of my professors at Centre studied with Dever at Arizona State, and I've always been intrigued by his work. (Sometimes getting dirty in the field seems much more fun than sitting around in a library!) I'll get around to this book as soon as I have some free time... in other words, in about ten years or so. ;-)
Jennifer A. Glancy
Slavery in Early Christianity
Reviewed by Fabian E. Udoh
Stanley E. Porter, ed.
Paul and His Theology
Reviewed by M. Eugene Boring
Paul A Rainbow
The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification
Reviewed by Timothy Gombis
Michelle Brown, ed.
In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000
Reviewed by Michael W. Holmes
This book was printed as a companion to the exhibit of the same name which appeared at the Smithsonian during the AAR/ABL Annual Meeting last fall (and which was one of my favorite moments from that trip). I haven't had a chance to examine the book in detail, but from what I've seen, it's every bit as fascinating as the exhibit itself.
William G. Dever
Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel
Reviewed by Patrick D. Miller
One of my professors at Centre studied with Dever at Arizona State, and I've always been intrigued by his work. (Sometimes getting dirty in the field seems much more fun than sitting around in a library!) I'll get around to this book as soon as I have some free time... in other words, in about ten years or so. ;-)
Jennifer A. Glancy
Slavery in Early Christianity
Reviewed by Fabian E. Udoh
Stanley E. Porter, ed.
Paul and His Theology
Reviewed by M. Eugene Boring
Paul A Rainbow
The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification
Reviewed by Timothy Gombis
BAR Highlights: 7/23/07
The most recent archaeological developments throughout the world, as collected by Biblical Archaeology Review:
New Mycenaean Grave
A rare Mycenaean grave dating to approximately 1,200 B.C.E. has been uncovered in southern Greece. In addition to one body curled in the fetal position, archaeologists found a knife, pottery and metal weapons.
Papal Dungeon Re-Opens
The dungeon below the papal fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome will be open through August 26 as part of the summer festival that takes place at the fortress. The dungeon, constructed in 1503 by Pope Alexander VI, was an addition to the castle, which originally functioned as a monumental tomb for the emperor Hadrian.
New Wonder Needs Help
Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world, has scholars wondering if it will be able to keep up appearances in the future. The number of tourists to the site is expected to double due to the new honor, but experts question Petra’s facilities, visitor accommodations and fundamental infrastructure.
Mummy Testing
A CT scan has proven that an Egyptian mummy was not King Tuthmosis I, as had been previously thought, and now 40 royal mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo will undergo CT scanning and DNA testing to confirm their identities.
"Israeli and Palestinian authorities are failing to protect the Temple Mount."
In The Wall Street Journal dated July 18, 2007, Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, has written an editorial piece about the Waqf’s digging on the Temple Mount. The Waqf, the Muslim administrative body responsible for overseeing the site, is doing some of the digging with mechanical equipment in order to install electric and telephone lines. Although this excavation has been approved by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, it contradicts the excavation procedures required everywhere else in Israel.
Biblical Confirmation
The existence of a significant Biblical figure has been confirmed through the translation of a cuneiform inscription on a small tablet from 595 B.C.E. Assyriologist Michael Jursa came across a somewhat-familiar name, Nabusharrussu-ukin, during his translation of the tablet. He then checked Jeremiah 39, where he found mention of Nebo-Sarsekim, a different spelling of the same name. The tablet, from the tenth year of Nebuchadnezzar II’s reign, indicates that the person in question was the king’s “chief eunuch,” a detail that matches closely with the Biblical text. See also the article in the New York Sun.
Return to Writer
Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski is asking that Turkey return the 2,700-year-old Siloam inscription to Jerusalem. The inscription, uncovered in Hezekiah’s tunnel, was taken to Istanbul by Ottoman rulers in 1880.
Lascaux on the Nile
Drawings and etchings 15,000 years old have been discovered in the village of Qurta in southern Egypt, 400 miles south of Cairo. Expedition leader Dirk Huyge likens the illustrations to those found in the Lascaux caves in France.
New Mycenaean Grave
A rare Mycenaean grave dating to approximately 1,200 B.C.E. has been uncovered in southern Greece. In addition to one body curled in the fetal position, archaeologists found a knife, pottery and metal weapons.
Papal Dungeon Re-Opens
The dungeon below the papal fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome will be open through August 26 as part of the summer festival that takes place at the fortress. The dungeon, constructed in 1503 by Pope Alexander VI, was an addition to the castle, which originally functioned as a monumental tomb for the emperor Hadrian.
New Wonder Needs Help
Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world, has scholars wondering if it will be able to keep up appearances in the future. The number of tourists to the site is expected to double due to the new honor, but experts question Petra’s facilities, visitor accommodations and fundamental infrastructure.
Mummy Testing
A CT scan has proven that an Egyptian mummy was not King Tuthmosis I, as had been previously thought, and now 40 royal mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo will undergo CT scanning and DNA testing to confirm their identities.
"Israeli and Palestinian authorities are failing to protect the Temple Mount."
In The Wall Street Journal dated July 18, 2007, Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, has written an editorial piece about the Waqf’s digging on the Temple Mount. The Waqf, the Muslim administrative body responsible for overseeing the site, is doing some of the digging with mechanical equipment in order to install electric and telephone lines. Although this excavation has been approved by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, it contradicts the excavation procedures required everywhere else in Israel.
Biblical Confirmation
The existence of a significant Biblical figure has been confirmed through the translation of a cuneiform inscription on a small tablet from 595 B.C.E. Assyriologist Michael Jursa came across a somewhat-familiar name, Nabusharrussu-ukin, during his translation of the tablet. He then checked Jeremiah 39, where he found mention of Nebo-Sarsekim, a different spelling of the same name. The tablet, from the tenth year of Nebuchadnezzar II’s reign, indicates that the person in question was the king’s “chief eunuch,” a detail that matches closely with the Biblical text. See also the article in the New York Sun.
Return to Writer
Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski is asking that Turkey return the 2,700-year-old Siloam inscription to Jerusalem. The inscription, uncovered in Hezekiah’s tunnel, was taken to Istanbul by Ottoman rulers in 1880.
Lascaux on the Nile
Drawings and etchings 15,000 years old have been discovered in the village of Qurta in southern Egypt, 400 miles south of Cairo. Expedition leader Dirk Huyge likens the illustrations to those found in the Lascaux caves in France.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
A Much-Needed Facelift (Bloglift?)
After more than a year, I've finally made my triumphant return to the blogosphere! I know that my many readers have been eagerly awaiting my return. ;-) In any case, the blog has been significantly updated and improved, beginning with a brand spanking new title (let's face it, "Matt's Blog" isn't very catchy) and a few purely cosmetic changes to some previous posts. Other handy features include links to a few especially significant websites (most notably the daily reading on zhubert.com, an outstanding online reference for the study of the Greek NT), a list of the books I'm currently reading (all of which you should immediately run to the store and buy), and a fairly extensive blogroll. Let me know what you think!
Sunday, June 4, 2006
C-J Editorial
Editor's Note (7/10/07): Just one day after this exasperated post was first published, the C-J printed my editorial under the title, "Divinity School Student Reflects on Da Vinci Debate." Yay!
-------
Last week, I wrote an letter to The (Louisville) Courier-Journal which addressed a few of the glaring problems in other readers' responses to The Da Vinci Code. They haven't printed it yet, so I decided to post it here... I've got to have some kind of outlet on this subject! ;-)
-------
As a graduate student specializing in biblical studies, I have been both excited and intrigued by the intense dialogue surrounding The Da Vinci Code, just as I was by that surrounding The Passion of the Christ and the recently published Gospel of Judas. Although these three present radically different portraits of early Christianity--which exhibit varying degrees of accuracy--they share one critical piece of common ground: they have stimulated an immense amount of interest in the origins of Christianity. Ideally, they should be viewed as stimuli for further research into the subjects they discuss, not as infallible sources of truth. After all, while a book/movie, another movie, and an unusual ancient manuscript are excellent starting points for religious discussion, it seems silly and intellectually irresponsible to identify any one of them as a key to the Christian faith, even if they make such claims.
Two comments included in The Readers' Forum's recent section on The Da Vinci Code ("'The Code' and the Complaints About It," May 23) call for an immediate response. One reader was concerned by recent studies indicating that a large number of Americans "changed their beliefs because of the book." The reader concludes, "Imagine two million adults changing their beliefs based on this fantasy." However, for reasons similar to those mentioned above, it is possible for The Da Vinci Code phenomenon to lead people towards a different understanding of Christianity apart from its own claims. I was still in college when the book first became popular--so popular, in fact, that one of the instructors in the religion department offered a course entitled "Early Christian Literature" which included it as one of the required texts. The class was packed, and although the course did not espouse many, if any, of Dan Brown's own theories, it exposed many students to obscure Christian texts which were not included in the final New Testament canon but nevertheless offer a great deal of insight into the diversity of Christianity's formative years.
A second reader justified conservatives' responses to the book by arguing that if a similar book were written concerning the foundations of Islam, "no one would publicize it for fear of having their print shop blown up. Some 'peaceful religion.'" This statement is a sad demonstration of the insensitivity and ignorance that has produced religious conflicts throughout human history. The small percentage of Muslims who kill in the name of Allah should not be viewed as a representation of all Islam, any more than the Christians who kill in the name of their God (and there are many, throughout the world) should be viewed as a representation of all Christianity. Historically, of the three religions which claim descent from Abraham, Islam has proven to be the most tolerant ruler, often offering Christians and Jews a protected status as "peoples of the book."
It is my sincere hope that the discussions over these and other similar issues, which will continue through the summer and beyond, can be conducted in a spirit of love, acceptance, and understanding. Although this is often difficult, we should not forget that according to almost every source, these were the primary concerns of Jesus himself. Let us follow this exemplary example.
Matthew Burgess, MAR '07
Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT 06511
-------
Last week, I wrote an letter to The (Louisville) Courier-Journal which addressed a few of the glaring problems in other readers' responses to The Da Vinci Code. They haven't printed it yet, so I decided to post it here... I've got to have some kind of outlet on this subject! ;-)
-------
As a graduate student specializing in biblical studies, I have been both excited and intrigued by the intense dialogue surrounding The Da Vinci Code, just as I was by that surrounding The Passion of the Christ and the recently published Gospel of Judas. Although these three present radically different portraits of early Christianity--which exhibit varying degrees of accuracy--they share one critical piece of common ground: they have stimulated an immense amount of interest in the origins of Christianity. Ideally, they should be viewed as stimuli for further research into the subjects they discuss, not as infallible sources of truth. After all, while a book/movie, another movie, and an unusual ancient manuscript are excellent starting points for religious discussion, it seems silly and intellectually irresponsible to identify any one of them as a key to the Christian faith, even if they make such claims.
Two comments included in The Readers' Forum's recent section on The Da Vinci Code ("'The Code' and the Complaints About It," May 23) call for an immediate response. One reader was concerned by recent studies indicating that a large number of Americans "changed their beliefs because of the book." The reader concludes, "Imagine two million adults changing their beliefs based on this fantasy." However, for reasons similar to those mentioned above, it is possible for The Da Vinci Code phenomenon to lead people towards a different understanding of Christianity apart from its own claims. I was still in college when the book first became popular--so popular, in fact, that one of the instructors in the religion department offered a course entitled "Early Christian Literature" which included it as one of the required texts. The class was packed, and although the course did not espouse many, if any, of Dan Brown's own theories, it exposed many students to obscure Christian texts which were not included in the final New Testament canon but nevertheless offer a great deal of insight into the diversity of Christianity's formative years.
A second reader justified conservatives' responses to the book by arguing that if a similar book were written concerning the foundations of Islam, "no one would publicize it for fear of having their print shop blown up. Some 'peaceful religion.'" This statement is a sad demonstration of the insensitivity and ignorance that has produced religious conflicts throughout human history. The small percentage of Muslims who kill in the name of Allah should not be viewed as a representation of all Islam, any more than the Christians who kill in the name of their God (and there are many, throughout the world) should be viewed as a representation of all Christianity. Historically, of the three religions which claim descent from Abraham, Islam has proven to be the most tolerant ruler, often offering Christians and Jews a protected status as "peoples of the book."
It is my sincere hope that the discussions over these and other similar issues, which will continue through the summer and beyond, can be conducted in a spirit of love, acceptance, and understanding. Although this is often difficult, we should not forget that according to almost every source, these were the primary concerns of Jesus himself. Let us follow this exemplary example.
Matthew Burgess, MAR '07
Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT 06511
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