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Category Archives: NT

Three thoughts on commentaries on Luke and Acts

Three thoughts on commentaries on Luke and Acts

I spent a lot of time with Luke-Acts the past few years, including with many of its commentators. Here are three random thoughts from recent reflection: Howard Marshall’s NIGTC Luke commentary from 1978 is still one of the most useful commentaries for quickly thumbing to a specific passage and finding the major issues laid out. And he did it in… Continue Reading

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The Politics of Time

The Politics of Time

I have just read a really nice article in JSNT by David Horrell and Wei Hsien Wan on the politics of time inherent to the ‘eschatological Christology’ in 1 Peter. In other words, setting up Christ as the centre of time (and the sweep of history) reorients one’s assumed associations of power. Continue Reading

The New Exodus in Recent Scholarship

The New Exodus in Recent Scholarship

Last week I read Daniel Lynwood Smith’s article, “The Uses of ‘New Exodus’ in New Testament Scholarship” CBR 14.2 (2016): 207–243. I think Smith persuasively shows that the term is a helpful, if problematic, description that likely originated in Isaiah studies, possibly with J. A. Alexander, The Later Prophecies of Isaiah (NY/London: Wiley and Putnam, 1847),… Continue Reading

Treasures of the British Library (and British Museum)

Treasures of the British Library (and British Museum)

Yesterday my family and I took a day trip to London. One of our goals was to spend some time in the British Museum, esp. to view the BM exhibition, Faith after the Pharaohs (£10), and the British Library, esp. to view the free Treasures of the British Library exhibition. The BM’s Faith after the Pharaohs featured a number… Continue Reading

Remembering I. Howard Marshall (1934-2015)

Remembering I. Howard Marshall (1934-2015)

For the past many days, memories of I. Howard Marshall have been shared by many (see, e.g., Mark Goodacre’s post and Steve Walton’s post). I particular enjoyed watching snippets of Marshall’s past lectures, like these. My own interactions with Prof Marshall came late in his life. Dr Terry Wilder, a former student of his, introduced us… Continue Reading

Early Christian Texts for the Current Multi-faith Context

Early Christian Texts for the Current Multi-faith Context

Larry Hurtado has provided a summary of his and other’s contributions to a conference in Leipzig. In summarising his own contribution, I found the following interesting: For some 15 centuries, Christian theology has basically been an “in-house” discussion, Christian theologians arguing with one another.  And the key starting points have been theological developments of the 4th… Continue Reading

List of 1123 Greek Mss. at British Library

List of 1123 Greek Mss. at British Library

Get the spreadsheet here (.xlsx file). From the British Library: The completion of the third phase of the Greek Manuscripts Digitisation Project is as good a time as any to release to this world a handy spreadsheet containing details of the Greek manuscripts held by the British Library. The spreadsheet includes a brief description of the… Continue Reading

‘Higher Criticism’ is not the Bogeyman

‘Higher Criticism’ is not the Bogeyman

I recently came across a post by Roger Olson called “The Absurdity of “Higher Criticism” of the Gospels.” I think I am as bothered about his characterisation of higher criticism (hereafter HC)–indeed, even the use of the term–as he is about HC itself. Olson implies that HC is basically a kind of biblical criticism* that is “…negative or destructive… Continue Reading