Welcome! Welcome to the traveling Biblioblog Carnival, the
greatest collection of biblical studies related blog posts this side of Des
Moines. We have scholars and musicians, freaks, and geeks galore We've got
respected scholars, talented amateurs and men in tights. We searched the internets all through the
month of April to find interesting and compelling articles related to the field
of biblical studies. So come on in; see
the sights. We've got angels. We've got demons. And we've got Joel Watts. (We
don't know what to do with him, but we've got him.) Come on in. Eat some food on a stick Play the
games on the Midway and win an over-sized stuffed animal for your date.
Everyone goes home a winner. There's something here for everyone -something to
delight, mystify, tickle, horrify, and amuse you. If we fail to deliver all this and more,
we'll gladly return your full ticket price.
Enjoy the show.
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
Did the Exodus Happen? Last week the Wall Street Journal published an article (by Joshua Berman) suggesting the biblical exodus might have its root in an historical event. This isn’t exactly new, but what interested me was the primary reason given— the biblical text seems to be appropriating some Ramesses II propaganda (discovered early in the 20th century) to make a theological point.
"Abraham and Job of the Bible were wealthy but I don't think they would call or consider themselves as Egyptians or Romans."
— Bible Students Say.. (@BibleStdntsSay) April 20, 2015
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden and its Background The serpent in the Garden of Eden is popularly equated with
the Devil. However, modern scholars agree that this was a later identification
and not the original meaning, but there is no consensus as to what the original
background of the serpent was. This brief article critiques a number of the
proposals that have been made and suggests a possible background for the
serpent. More generally it also discusses other questions of interpretation
that have arisen in connection with the serpent in Genesis 3, in particular the
suggestion that the serpent should be viewed more positively than has been
customary and questions associated with the so-called Protoevangelium in
Genesis 3:15.
Did the Exodus Happen? Last week the Wall Street Journal published an article (by Joshua Berman) suggesting the biblical exodus might have its root in an historical event. This isn’t exactly new, but what interested me was the primary reason given— the biblical text seems to be appropriating some Ramesses II propaganda (discovered early in the 20th century) to make a theological point.
Holy Blessings and Cursings Pardon my language, but some words make me see differently.
Deuteronomy 28 is not about God cursing the people, it's about the people denying
God as revealed to them in the words of Moses.
Illustrating The Benefits of Pentateuchal Literary Criticism: The David and Goliath Story
Job the Nazi Warrior In my article, “History of Consequences: The Case of
Gregory’s Moralia in Iob” (Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1 [2012] 368-87), I
traced a tradition of portraying Job as a warrior, indeed a soldier of Christ.
To Gregory the Great, Job was insisting that “life on earth is a
trial/temptation” (so the Old Latin of Job 7:1) and that “life on earth is
warfare” (so Job 7:1 according to the Vulgate). For Gregory, it is precisely through
a trial that is also warfare that one attains spiritual maturity—that is,
suffering is salutary for it leads one to maturity. One of the unintended
consequences of that interpretation is that this particular notion of the
“soldier of Christ” served crusader propaganda.
Who Was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12? But then I started wondering: Who is the suffering servant
in Isaiah’s narrative? What is his function in the immediate context of the
prophecy? This is some way outside my modest area of expertise, so you should
follow me warily, but I want to put forward a line of interpretation that is
new to me at least. No doubt it has been suggested before, but I haven’t found
it in the limited resources available to me at the moment. I’m aware of some
difficulties that would need addressing, but nothing that seems fatal. Take it
or leave it.
Did God “Seduce” Jeremiah? My earlier podcast: The last Confession of Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 20: Yahweh seduces his prophet I simply assumed the translation
seduce” for patah But “seduce” is not
a translation favoured by English translations. I dealt with this issue briefly
in a blog post: Did Yahweh seduce Jeremiah?
Brian Bibb’s Lecture on Biblical Translation No one knows what tomorrow holds. What if Bryan slips a cog
and goes all Pat Robertson or Joel Osteen up in here? Come to think of it,
maybe you better listen to him while you can, before he snaps.
Christian Bible / New Testament
Scratching the Plural Out of Matthew 6:5
Jezebel, A Great-Grandmother of Jesus The
family tree of Jesus contains many known and unknown people. All of them have
something to contribute to the bloodline of the son of Mary. The women Matthew
mentioned in his genealogies and the ones he failed to mention reveal the
inclusive nature of God’s plan for humanity. The indirect inclusion of
Athaliah, whom the Chronicler calls “that wicked woman” (2 Chronicles 24:7),
and Jezebel, whom Jehu called a whore and a witch (2 Kings 9:22), also reveals
that Jesus is the Messiah for all people.
Scratching the Plural Out of Matthew 6:5
A Parable in Hesiod, Plato, Jesus, and the Rabbis
Did Luke Know and Use Matthew? The Parable of the Talents /Pounds as a Test Case The Synoptic Problem is an endlessly fascinating puzzle.
Scholars favoured the simplicity and explanatory power of Q for over a century,
but a new paradigm might be around the corner.
Petra von Gemünden on Affekte in the Synoptic Gospels Today’s post will look at a model sentence from Petra von
Gemünden‘s essay “Affekte in den synoptischen Evangelien. Die Bedeutung der
literarischen Gattung für die Darstellung von Zorn, Begierde, Furcht/Angst und
Neid” [Affects in the Synoptic Gospels: The Significance of the Literary Genre
for the Presentation of Anger, Lust, Fear/Angst and Envy]. Pages 255-284 in Jesus – Gestalt und Gestaltungen:
Rezeptionen des Galiläers in Wissenschaft, Kirche und Gesellschaft. Festschrift
für Gerd Theißen zum 70. Geburtstag. Edited by Petra von Gemünden, David
Horrell and Max Küchler. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013.
"The book of Galatians was basically a letter written to the churches in Galatia."
— Bible Students Say.. (@BibleStdntsSay) April 27, 2015
Paul and Stoicism
The Bible
"I don't think there should be different types of Bibles because Colossians 1:16 says 'All things have been created in him'." (LOGIC!)
— Bible Students Say.. (@BibleStdntsSay) April 20, 2015
Product Placement Bible
Parts of the Bible Are Missing. What Does That Mean for Christians?
Tennessee House Vote Bible as Official State Book No. no. wait. Tennessee Senate Kills Bill To Make Bible Official State Book
The Scandal of a Male Bible The Bible is a male book, written by men, to be read by men. That means that it is permeated by characteristically male values and ideals, some overt, others rarely noticed. Among these values are: the glorification of strength; the valorization of strength in action, which is violence; the approval of killing; the quest for honour; the tendency to misogyny. These embedded values continue to influence Bible readers, often subconsciously. They are most potent when they affect the language of religion, and shape the picture of the Bible’s deity, the God of Christian and Jewish believers. The scandal is twofold: it is that the Bible is deeply compromised by its ubiquitous adherence to specifically male values, and that its masculinity is hardly ever noticed or mentioned, even in our much more egalitarian world.
Tennessee House Vote Bible as Official State Book No. no. wait. Tennessee Senate Kills Bill To Make Bible Official State Book
The Scandal of a Male Bible The Bible is a male book, written by men, to be read by men. That means that it is permeated by characteristically male values and ideals, some overt, others rarely noticed. Among these values are: the glorification of strength; the valorization of strength in action, which is violence; the approval of killing; the quest for honour; the tendency to misogyny. These embedded values continue to influence Bible readers, often subconsciously. They are most potent when they affect the language of religion, and shape the picture of the Bible’s deity, the God of Christian and Jewish believers. The scandal is twofold: it is that the Bible is deeply compromised by its ubiquitous adherence to specifically male values, and that its masculinity is hardly ever noticed or mentioned, even in our much more egalitarian world.
Archaeology
New Controversy Surrounds Alleged “Jesus Family Tomb” "There's no evidence at all that Jesus had a son at all, let alone a son called Judah," Goodacre said.
New Controversy Surrounds Alleged “Jesus Family Tomb” "There's no evidence at all that Jesus had a son at all, let alone a son called Judah," Goodacre said.
Once More With Feeling – Did the James Ossuary Come out of the Talpiot Tomb? In any case, I am dubious about the whole notion of a
‘chemical fingerprint,' and even if there was a close match of chemical
composition, surely the earthquake could have produced the same sort of
conditions in a variety of places in and around Jerusalem.
A New Look at Where Jesus Grew Up
Why Aegean Archaeology Matters
11 Photos from Nimrud
Historical / Unhistorical Jesus
Thomas Jefferson, The Underappreciated Jesus Ideologue
Thomas Jefferson, The Underappreciated Jesus Ideologue
Are We Ready for a LGBTQIA Jesus?
On the “Historical Jesus” My suggestion is this: if you are not able to be conversant in all of the aforementioned disciplines then stay away from proffering conclusions that are only supported by one or two marginal authors.
On the “Historical Jesus” My suggestion is this: if you are not able to be conversant in all of the aforementioned disciplines then stay away from proffering conclusions that are only supported by one or two marginal authors.
Killing Jesus: A Movie for Progressive Christians
What Did Jesus Look Like?
Summation of the Torah – Hillel and Jesus On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came
before Shammai and said to him, 'Make me a proselyte, on condition that you
teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.' Thereupon he [Shammai]
repulsed him with the builder's cubit which was in his hand. When he went
before Hillel, he said to him, 'What is hateful to you, do not to your
neighbor: that is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof; go
and learn it.'
Will the American Jesus Please Listen Up?
Trinity
Jürgen Moltmann 1979 Warfield Lectures on the Trinity Today I contacted Princeton Theological Seminary about purchasing digital copies of the lectures that Moltmann gave in October 1979 on the Trinity (these lectures form the basis for some of the chapters in The Trinity and the Kingdom), and was advised that these audio files are now offered FREE OF CHARGE.
Early Trinitarian Thought Here's an audio snippet from this week's class on the
Trinity. It's a 20-minute summary of the past few weeks of the course, which
have focused on trinitarian theology in the second and third centuries.The Holy Trilogy I’ll be giving a paper at SBL in November comparing sci-fi canons (with particular focus on Star Wars, given the new direction the franchise is taking) and Biblical canons. And so I was struck when a couple of items came to my attention today, all connected by the use of the phrase “The Holy Trilogy,” an obvious play on the “Holy Trinity.” For many fans, the original three films are sacrosanct. Others think the rejection of the prequels is a blasphemous rebellion against the authority of Emperor Lucas.
Good Friday
Audio Reconstruction of Jesus’ Aramaic Quotation of Psalm 22 “How the heck do you pronounce *that*?” I am asked often enough. “Eh-loy eh-loy llama sab-ach!-thane-y?” And my answer is: You don’t.
Audio Reconstruction of Jesus’ Aramaic Quotation of Psalm 22 “How the heck do you pronounce *that*?” I am asked often enough. “Eh-loy eh-loy llama sab-ach!-thane-y?” And my answer is: You don’t.
Thoughts on the Crucifixion of Jesus
Holy Saturday
Doubt (A Holy Saturday Reflection)
Doubt (A Holy Saturday Reflection)
Holy Saturday Meditation: The Cross Is the Devil’s Mousetrap
Resurrection Sunday
Ishtar Vs. Easter: Pick Your Story For argument’s sake, I’m willing to concede that while the meme’s comparison of Ishtar to Easter is problematic, there are some interesting similarities between the goddess Ishtar and the Easter story. But what I find really interesting are the differences.
Ishtar Vs. Easter: Pick Your Story For argument’s sake, I’m willing to concede that while the meme’s comparison of Ishtar to Easter is problematic, there are some interesting similarities between the goddess Ishtar and the Easter story. But what I find really interesting are the differences.
Suicide
Cases of Suicide in (Canonical) Scripture While I hate making definitive statements about “the bible,” there is no explicit condemnation of self-inflicted killing in Scripture. Rather, we have plenty of examples that seem to match instances found in other cultures. Honor. Remorse. Heroism.
Suicide in Jewish and Roman Thought Suicide was such a commonplace sight in Rome it gave rise to a concept, Romana mors, complete with images of dramatic suicides serving as the evening’s entertainment. The act of taking one’s own life became almost a standard norm but it was not associated with depression. Rather that the stark contrast offered by depression or a joy to die, the reality was more often an overreaction to events. Romans took their own life due to certain “signs,” losses in war, even criminal charges. Added to this is the developed ritual and even stylistic etiquette Romans used. At one point, suicides become a public event, a transformation prompting parodies at Nero’s court.
Super Heroes
Confusing Jesus with DaredevilThe huge problem with all this for Christians is that our
compliance in such a model of justice is terribly removed from the teachings of
Christ. It’s sinful. Jesus was certainly focused on living justly and
righteously, both in terms of Jewish law and in ways deeper than the law, into
what he called the fulfillment of the law. But we like to imagine Jesus as the
masked crusader in the night, doling out eternal punishment that we cannot.
Most of us have been comforted at one time or another by the thought, “Well,
they’ll get theirs in the end.” Many Christians support this model in our civil
judicial system. The death penalty is the clearest example. Our system
executes, it crucifies, and there are Christians who justify this type of
retributive justice. But to do so, you have to ignore some pretty key teachings
of Christ.
Raging Devil: Daredevil and the Failure of ImaginationThey fail to remember the ways in which they have hurt (or
been hurt by) others and how these experiences might shape them moving forward.
Confusing Jesus with Daredevil
Raging Devil: Daredevil and the Failure of Imagination
See, There Were these Two Guys in a Lunatic Asylum… And that’s what got me thinking about The Killing Joke — one
of my favorite Batman stories, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland in 1988. The
ending of that story is still hotly disputed. And, like all stories, its
meaning depends on how it ends. The argument over how this story ends is, in
other words, something like an eschatological debate.
Batman Vs Superman = Calvin Vs Wesley
The Politics and Theology of Superman It seems as though Superman ought to be able to save anyone — perhaps even everyone. And yet he doesn’t. Why not? Is it simply that Superman doesn’t care about everyone (that he is not really good)? Or is it that he isn’t really all-powerful after all?
Angels / Demons
Zodiac Calendars and Angelic Teaching in the Dead Sea Scrolls An understanding of astronomy and mathematics ensured that
people prayed at the correct time with the angels, a theme in several of the
Dead Sea Scrolls. The implication of this research is that the zodiac calendar
was extremely important in Second Temple Judaism and probably in early
Christianity. Had this continuous copying not taken place by Christians, we
would not have had an ancient literary context in which to interpret these
remarkable mathematical texts from Qumran.
The Origin of Evil Spirits in Early Jewish Literature The topic of evil spirits is one that is often approached
with some skepticism by scholars and non-scholars alike. It is perhaps in part
due to the bizarre and far fetched features that are granted the topic in the
world of fiction novels and the “big screen”. Through the course of the history
of biblical interpretation, it is clear that some, particularly in the modern
era, have steered away from the topic due to the supernatural element involved
with the alleged reality of these spiritual beings. As has been the case with
other supernatural elements of the biblical text (e.g. the miracles of Jesus,
the exorcisms performed by Jesus, or even the baptism of the Holy Spirit), many
have refused to accept the historicity of the “demonic” events in the Jewish
Scriptures and the New Testament. However, in the biblical and post-biblical
periods of Israel and the later world of early Christianity, it appears the
topic of the “demonic” was one of grave concern to a majority of those who held
to certain aspects of a Jewish or Jewish-Christian worldview.
The Midway
Pederasty in Rome
Did Temple Prostitution Exist? Where does all this leave us? 1) We need to be extremely careful about any arguments we build
on the idea that the ancients practiced temple prostitution. 2) It is unlikely that temple prostitution was a known reality
across the Mediterranean. 3) The evidence we do have for any such activity appears to
point more in the direction of women providing such services, if ever they were
provided, than men (although the latter is not impossible).
Mary in the Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah
This is another post about the pseudepigraphical Martyrdom
and Ascension of Isaiah, which is dated in the Charlesworth Pseudepigrapha to
the second century B.C.E. to the fourth century C.E. My focus today is on what the book says about
Mary the mother of Jesus. The relevant
passage is 11:1-16.
Regarding Papias and the Oral Fixation
Riots and the Kingdom of God “But not during the festival, or else there might be a
riot.” Riot avoidance is the concern of power. Riot avoidance forms part of the
strategy of how injustice is deployed. Riot avoidance is the way of freedom for
the oppressor and the murderer.
Did Affluence Spur the Rise of Modern Religions?
A New Wrinkle in Time -
The Freak Show
Kent Hovind: An Atheist’s Worst Nightmare This documentary is about Pastor Kent Hovind: An Atheist’s Worst Nightmare.
Kent Hovind: An Atheist’s Worst Nightmare This documentary is about Pastor Kent Hovind: An Atheist’s Worst Nightmare.
Blood Moon Abomination: Why Christians Shouldn’t Buy What Hagee isSelling / Benjamin Corey So, here’s the reader’s digest of the Blood Moon nonsense: Hagee’s theory is based on absolutely bad theology, and the entire practice of trying to tell the future by looking to celestial bodies is forbidden. That means the best case scenario for Hagee is that he’s a false prophet, and the worst is that he’s possessed by an evil spirit. The rest of us? My advice is to not pay it any attention, and certainly don’t spend any money on the book.
Church Signs with Movable Letters Should Be Outlawed (pt.25) I've heard of some churches "eating pastors alive," but I'd rather not know how the sausage gets made.
CERN Large Hydron Collider: Science or Portal to Hell Allowing Access to Nephilim? YOU Be the Judge In an interview with Paul Begley, Mike from around the world
claims that CERN has opened up portals to Hell through which Nephilim are now
manifesting.
Creationists Are Seriously Trying to Figure Out Adam and Eve’s Skin Color The idea is that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and you have to find some way of explaining the diversity of skin color within that time… which to them means either Adam or Eve had to be super-duper-black.
Hate preacher Steven Anderson mock Buddhists, bursts into
song like a lunatic.
Don't tell this pastor he can’t have a private jet “He has a
dream” It’s just not MLK’s dream
"Understanding the Bible is important. I don't go looking around to see what other people think, I find it confusing & counterproductive."
— Bible Students Say.. (@BibleStdntsSay) April 20, 2015
Mega-Church Bus! Forget about the traditional church van or modified school bus! Show your community how blessed your ministry
has become with the new Mega-Church bus.
Calendar of Upcoming Biblioblog Carnivals:
May 2015 (June 1) - Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
June 2015 (July 1) - William A. Ross -University of Cambridge - Doctoral Student
July 2015 (August 1) - Lindsay Kennedy, - My Digital Seminary
And Philip Long, who coordinates these carnivals, is always
looking for bloggers willing to host the carnival. Contact him if you’re interested.
now that's carnivalesque! nice job.
ReplyDeleteVery very impressive - thank you.
ReplyDelete