About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the crafstmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades , and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business.… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: NT
Ancient Boxing and the Apostle Paul
Another Tuesday Time Travel… “So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air.” – 1 Corinthians 9:26 Paul, discussing his willingness to yield certain rights for the sake of winning people to Christ, uses athletic imagery to illustrate his point. So what does it mean to land your punches in… Continue Reading
Household Idolatry in the New Testament World
Another Tuesday Time Travel… When visiting various ancient households in and near Rome, one will notice the presence of the lararium in most homes (right). This niche served as a place for adorning the household Lar (pl. Lares), a ‘spirit’ who would protect the home and property. Wealthy households would often contain an elaborate lararium, but even… Continue Reading
Useful to the Master: Household Utensils in the Ancient World
(Another Tuesday Time Travel…) In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, Paul supports his argument that Timothy should avoid false teachers (and their ‘chatter’) with an illustration from a wealthy first century household. The setting is a ‘large house’ (μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ) which would indeed contain a variety of household vessels varying in value. Such a house would have… Continue Reading
Yet More Free Biblical Studies Resources Online
The newest additions of links to Pauline books and articles have been posted here (at the NT Gateway). Yet another example of scholarship in a digital world. More thoughts on this tomorrow. Continue Reading
Apartment Living in First Century Rome
(Another Tuesday Time Travel to the Roman Empire…) When Paul finally arrived as a prisoner in Rome, Luke records that he was “allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him” (Acts 28:16). The lodging is described as some sort of ‘guest-housing’ (τὴν ξενίαν in Acts 18:23), the expenses of which Paul was… Continue Reading
Helpful Links for NT Grad Students
To celebrate the internet’s 40th birthday, here are some fairly recent links to helpful posts for New Testament grad students: Dr. Rodney Decker provides quite a list of Dissertation Research Sites. Dr. Mark Goodacre let’s us know where to find some NT audio on the web. Dr. Jim West informs us of opportunities to write for… Continue Reading
What's a Prisoner to Do? …Ask the Apostle Paul
Another Tuesday Time Travel… (This post piggy-backs on the previous one.) The Apostle Paul was imprisoned on multiple occasions. During his Caesarean and Roman imprisonments, the New Testament suggests he had plenty of time to do… well… whatever he wanted. Time to kill… Recall that a prison often served as a holding place for those… Continue Reading
Red, White, and Blue Hermeneutics
On the political left and right in the U.S., there is a decent amount of ‘colored’ biblical interpretation going on. In a recent article by Cynthia Boaz, she ponders what domestic and foreign policy of the United States might look like if the nation applied Jesus’ teaching to such issues. Perhaps the most provocative statement… Continue Reading
Roman Imprisonment: The Humility of Chains
Another Tuesday Time Travel to the Roman Empire… Though conditions of imprisonment may vary from one location to another (or one time period to another), a general picture of Roman imprisonment can be painted from primary source material. I will attempt only to give a general picture and offer a couple of secondary sources below… Continue Reading