Welcome to the Biblioblog Carnival for May 2014. We searched the internets all through the month of May to find interesting and compelling articles related to the field of biblical studies. There's something here for everyone, something to delight, to mystify, to tickle, to horrify (we include the N.T. Wright clip specifically to horrify and annoy Jim West), and to amuse you. If we fail to deliver this, we'll return your full ticket price.
By the way, before you get lost in the carnival grounds, next month's carnival will be hosted by Phil Long at his blog
Reading Acts. You'll want to check it out, I'm sure. And if you're interested in hosting the carnival at your blog please (PLEASE!) contact Phil. He is "semi-desperate..for
volunteers for the rest of the year."
Oldest Reference to Israel Outside the Bible
Genesis
Noah – Hollywood Midrash "Aronofsky’s version of
the Noah story is keenly aware that traditions are living things that develop
over time, and draws upon the Noah story--or stories--as they were actually
being told and repeated by believers down through the centuries. Not everything
Aronofsky adds can be traced to ancient sources, but I have to applaud him for
actually doing some research into how the Noah story was received and
interpreted before embarking on his own interpretation."
Ten Ancient Stories and the Geological Events that May Have Inspired Them "Myths have fed the
imaginations and souls of humans for thousands of years. The vast majority of
these tales are just stories people have handed down through the ages. But a
few have roots in real geological events of the past, providing warning of
potential dangers and speaking to the awe we hold for the might of the planet."
URCall: Herodotus and Babel "Being, after all, the
so-called “Father of History,” Herodotus wasn’t necessarily all that great at
it by modern standards. That is to say, while many of the things that he wrote
about did happen, others are derived from the myths and legends of his time –
the distinction was not as important to his readers as it is to us. Finding
that Herodotus has repeated your particular myth is not therefore the stamp of
approval Lloyd makes it out to be."
On Religious Commitment and Violence: A Reading of the Akedah "I like to go with the
Jewish description (the
Akedah) of this event--the binding of Isaac--rather
than the typical Christian description--the sacrifice of Isaac--because, well,
Isaac was bound for a sacrifice but wasn't actually sacrificed."
Exodus
Liberation Theology, Moses, and Us "Watching
The Prince of
Egypt was the first time I’d really thought about Moses and The Exodus since
I’ve started looking into Liberation Theology, and one of the things that stood
out to me this time was what Moses had to overcome in order to become the man
that could lead the Jews."
The Ten Words and their Music "Exodus has some
interesting points in both music and translation. There may even be some irony
in the accented musical figures created by doubling a sub-linear sign on a
change in the reciting note. In the short commandments, they provide emphasis
on the first and last syllables."
Deuteronomy
Did Moses Invent Secular Government? "As I understand it,
correction invited if I'm wrong, it was standard in the ancient world for the
highest religious offices to be occupied by those also in the highest political
offices. That is there was no way to separate the religious and the secular
authorities."
Are the “Ten Commandments” in the Bible? "The first problem with
the suggestion that Christians should know the Ten Commandments is the fact
Bible never refers to anything called, “the Ten Commandments.” This phrase in
Hebrew would be (
עְַשֶׂרֶת
הַמִּצְוֹת). It does not
exist in the Old Testament."
Joshua
Land Allotments "The narrator follows up
by describing the boundaries of the land under Israelite control on the east
side of the Jordan, reminding us once more about how Moses defeated King Og and
King Sihon (will he ever stop going on about that?). We are told that the Israelites
had failed to drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites, who still live within
Israel 'to this day'"
Judges
Chronicles
I Chronicles 9 "This story is an example
of how disturbing the Old Testament can be to modern people, who generally
believe that people should be punished for their own sins, not the sins of
their parents or ancestors."
Psalms
Free Adaptation, Translation without
Word Boundaries – Psalm 16
You will not throw me
off into shadowy places with Dead Rulers.
You will not allow
anyone within your love and mercy to see destruction.
You will show me the
path of life,
satisfaction, gladness,
your continuing presence,
pleasures in your
governance always.
This is the Sunday School Pageant I’d Love to See: Psalm 82 "Psalm 82 is a dazzlingly
weird passage. It’s a lot more like something out of Neil Gaiman than most of
the Psalms. The scene is a “divine council” in which God meets with all the
other Gods and informs them that they’re all in danger of losing their jobs and
dying like mere mortals if they don’t get their act together and defend justice
for the weak and needy."
Isaiah
Ramblings on Isaiah 58, the Sabbath, and Edward J. Young "I was consulting Young’s
commentary because I had a question: Was Isaiah 58 saying that the Israelites
should help the poor while they are fasting from food, or that they should help
the poor instead of fasting? What does
it mean to call helping the poor a “fast”?
Is the author here saying that helping the poor will accomplish what the
Israelites are looking to fasting to do: to get God’s attention so that Israel
will be blessed?"
The Gospel of Matthew
The Politics of Biblical Genealogies "...despite scholarly
attention tending to focus on the unusual inclusion of the four female names in
the genealogy, there are also strong echoes of sociopolitical displacement
within the text. This is evident both from the repeated emphasis on the
Babylonian exile, but also by the simple (but original as far as I am aware)
observation that of the forty or so names in the genealogy, at least fifteen
can be explicitly linked to episodes of forced displacement, wandering, and
political instability in the Old Testament."
Was Jesus Employed? "The assumption that
Jesus himself wasn’t overly affected by the economic and political turmoil in
ancient Galilee is surprisingly common. And even though scholars devote
considerable attention to exploring this ancient context, Jesus still seems
able to move about and make economic decisions with relative ease. This, I
would contend, reflects more about capitalist middle-class assumptions of
individual entrepreneurship and full employment, than it does the marginalizing
reality of itinerancy or underemployment
in the ancient world."
Jesus as Teacher of Happiness "
The
ever-impressive Luke Timothy Johnson explores Matthew's portrait of Jesus as
teacher in this lecture. LTJ sets Jesus' view of happiness in conversation with
other ancient philosophers."
John the Baptist Evoking the Sodom and Gomorrah Memory I find the kerygma of
John the Baptist to be rather interesting. He is in the same region at the
Sodom and Gomorrah incident. He preaches repentance and the coming wrath which
will, coincidentally, involve a judgment with fire, just like the fires of
judgment mentioned in Genesis 19. John tells his audience that they should not
presume that their relationship to Abraham would grant them immunity in the
coming judgment, as it did with Lot. No, they should produce fruit worthy of
repentance.
Jesus as the Primary Actor "I suggest Jesus believes
God has abandoned Israel and therefore acts to take within himself the chaos of
a God-abandoned cosmos. I arrive at this conclusion by reading the narrative of
Jesus through the lens of the Roman poet Lucan and his work, Pharsalia —
focusing especially on his characterization of Cato the Younger. What emerges
is an image not of a sacrifice whereby Jesus was a willing victim of God, but a
“divine man” and “hero” who freely chooses to die in order to save an Israel
abandoned by God."
Mark’s Ending "
Can
we really say that everyone throughout church history has found Mark's short
ending a problem? I don't think so."
Gospel of Luke
Jesus, Clobber Texts and the Centurion’s ‘Companion’ "It’s not unusual for
words to have such very different meanings. Think of the many ways we use the
word 'companion.' Strictly speaking, it just means someone with whom one
travels or with whom one spends a lot of time. It’s thus a common term for
personal assistants — people in an economic relationship with an employer who
would, in a more class-candid culture, be referred to as 'servants.' So we
might say, for instance, that 'Adrian Monk arrived at the crime scene
accompanied by his companion, Natalie Teeger,' and it would be a mistake to
infer anything more intimate or romantic implied by the term."
Rossano Gospels: The Good Samaritan "The Rossano Gospels
depict two parables: the Good Samaritan and the Wise and Foolish Virgins. The
depiction of the Good Samaritan is placed in the cycle of pictures that depict
the Passion of Jesus—between Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and healing
of two blind men on one side and Jesus’ trial before Pilate on the other. Its
placement in the cycle indicates its connection to the death of Jesus,
spiritual conversion (symbolized by the healing of the blind), and redemption
(through the Passion of Jesus)."
Gospel of John
The Pericope Adulterae Conference "Why am I telling you all
this? Well, in my original argument in
my 2009 book, I described the
katagrapho/grapho
reading as the "majority" reading several times. I was wrong on this point (I was soon to find
out), and for my life I cannot remember what made me think this was the case."
Against Theodicy "But the problem is that
to even try to answer the question of theodicy is, it seems to me, to take the
Gospel backwards."
Historical Jesus
Questioning a Common Assumption "Why should this be taken
as some kind of threat to the theological legitimacy of traditional Christian
faith? Why should the clever Deist
tactic of the 18th century continue to be treated as a self-evident truth and
the basis for apologists and critics of Christian faith in their continuing
wrangles and debates? The fundamental
theological basis given in the NT for treating Jesus in the “high” terms
advocated is a theo-centric one: God’s
actions form the basis of the responding christological claims and devotional
practices. Considering this might be a
really helpful move for all sides in any theological debate."
Sending Language and the Origins of Jesus "Too often interpreters
of the Bible read the various statements which depict Jesus as having been
“sent from God” with such wooden literalness. They assume that, since God is in
heaven and Jesus was on earth, then Jesus must have literally descended from
the location of the one who sent him (heaven). I contend that the language of
sending needs to first be placed into its wider context before making an
assessment of its meaning in regard to Jesus and his place of origin."
Did Jesus Identify with the Poor or Was He Poor? "Within New Testament
scholarship, Jesus’ experience of poverty and homelessness is often presented
as a lifestyle choice; i.e. he wasn’t actually poor, but he readily chose to
identify with the destitute and downtrodden in his society as part of his
God-ordained mission. This is an assumption that easily takes root within the
middle-class mindsets of most biblical scholars who themselves are not usually
poor, but recognize the importance of helping those less fortunate. The
assumption is then read back into the biblical text. Jesus is in some sense
regarded as separate from and economically superior to those among him and to
whom he ministers."
Acts of the Apostles
The Politics of an Unknown God "Paul’s message at the
Areopagus received a lukewarm response. His declaration of a God who lays claim
to us in Jesus Christ—his revealed and appointed agent of blessing and
judgment—cut entirely against the grain of speculative and superstitious
religion. The listless Athenian preoccupation with hearing something new was
answered with a demand for absolute commitment. The darkness of superstition
was scattered by the dazzling light of divine revelation. The council desiring
to cast judgment on a new religion found itself called to account before the
bar of heaven. It is this same message that we are called to declare to the
powers of our own age."
Mars Hill Mistake? "Yesterday in Sunday
school, someone suggested that Paul in Athens, as described in Acts 17, had
tried to reach people by adapting his message to his audience, and being
philosophical and rational in his approach. The result, the person claimed, was
disappointingly ineffective, and so Paul never did it again."
Three years ago today
(May 21), radio evangelist Harold Camping and his followers awaited the end of
the world. It didn’t come that day, or in October as part of a revised doomsday
timeline, and Camping died last December at age 92."
Jürgen Moltmann on the Gnostic Escapism in Left Behind "Moltmann’s eschatology
focuses on
the Christian hope of
resurrection not on speculative theories that piece together various
biblical passages into a timeline of the future."
Patristics / Gnostics / Talmud
The Problem of Evangelicals in and with Patristics "Evangelicals value the
Bible, and get trained in the Historical Critical method, and then at their
worse think that Patristics is negligible because they were all bad exegetes
who got their Doctrine wrong. Furthermore, they are prone to hear the
unfortunate apologetic claims of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches
saying "these are our Fathers" which makes Evangelicals suspicious,
and see church Fathers as dangerous/other/possibly a temptation to depart from
Evangelicalism..."
St. Hippolytus’ Careers Christians Should Never Have "
The Apostolic Tradition, a third-century text attributed to St. Hippolytus of Rome, has its own list of unacceptable careers for prospective candidates for baptism. While a few—prostitute, brothel keeper, and garment trimmer—seem unlikely to feature in anyone’s second-grade “what I want to be when I grow up” masterpiece, there are other professions forbidden by church fathers that are routinely glamorized by the secular media."
“Gnosticism” and Religious Rivalry in Early Christianity (part 1) "This week on the
Inquisitive Minds Podcast, we will examine how scholars explain
"Gnosticism" and the related idea of "Gnosis" (knowledge or
insight). If Gnosticism is not a viable category as some scholars argue, should
we not simply drop the expression? Is there any evidence of Gnosticism at the
the turn of the first century CE or prior to that time period? Which ancient
religious texts can be considered as Gnostic? How was Gnosis understood by
philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle?"
Did Christianity Influence the Development of the Talmud?
News
Defeating Satan at Harvard "The reason Satan is so
dangerous is not because Satan is a mythical figure with horns and a
pitch-fork. Satan is so dangerous because Satan represents an anthropological
reality. Satan has no independent existence outside of humanity. Humans provide
oxygen for Satan’s survival whenever we accuse others and exclude them from our
community. Following Girard’s use of Satan’s titles, Satan is the
anthropological principle that 'tempts' us to unite in 'accusation' against a
scapegoat, or a common enemy. Satan is the 'prince of this world' and the 'prince of darkness' because the world runs on accusations. Whenever we
experience accusations against us, we respond with accusations of our own. This
leads us down a dark path of mimicking verbal and physical violence against one
another."
NRB Forces Out WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers Over Sister Imprint's 'Gay Christian' Book "I believe that
Multnomah is in serious danger of crashing its brand in terms of evangelical
trust…I am quite certain that a host of evangelical authors share this deep
concern."
Pope, Netanyahu Spar Over Jesus' Native Language "'Jesus was here, in
this land. He spoke Hebrew,' Netanyahu told Francis, at a public meeting
in Jerusalem in which the Israeli leader cited a strong connection between
Judaism and Christianity."
In Remembrance: Maya Angelou "My fruitless effort to
hold back tears was proven vain as I made my way into the bowels of a D.C.
Metro station — tears streaming. I felt silly."
Megachurch Methods: Pastor Fired Because He Wouldn’t Sign Non-Compete Clause "This is essentially a
non-compete clause but one which Poirier rejected. I call it a non-compete
clause because Mars Hill appears to view churches within a ten mile radius as a
competing church."
Nicea III in 2025? "We agreed to leave as a legacy to
ourselves and our successors a gathering in Nicaea in 2025, to celebrate
together, after 17 centuries, the first truly ecumenical synod, where the Creed
was first promulgated."
Book Reviews
What is Relational Theology? "
It
is a theology that emphasizes God‘s interaction with humanity and creation, as
well as the Creator’s capacity to be affected by the creation. In this
theology, the passage, “God is love,” is invoked repeatedly. Nothing is predetermined or foreordained in
this perspective, and both the divine and humanity have more or less,
libertarian free will, but for the sake of community."
Bart Ehrman’s – How Jesus Became God: Introduction "I've decided to walk
through Ehrman's book as well. I'm also working through Bird's response book,
but I don't want to compare the two books. I want to read through Ehrman's book
as if I were a "none" who is not particularly interested in religion
or as if I were a Christian who has never encountered ideas like Ehrman's
before. My goal is thus not to write an apologetics piece like Bird but more to
play the role of a consultant of sorts, thinking through it with the person for
whom these are pretty much new ideas."
The Watchers in Jewish and Christian Traditions "Anyone familiar with
Second Temple and New Testament studies will probably be aware of the
proliferation of traditions associated with angels that were floating about.
This collection of essays probes into the traditions associated with the fallen
angels that arose from Gen. 6:1-4. These traditions elaborate upon this passage
of Scripture by detailing what the angels (the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6,
later to be called the “Watchers” in 1 Enoch) actually did, who they were, what
resulted from their actions, and what their punishment was."
Early Arabic Contributions to Trinitarian Theology "It looks at the way
Qur'anic concepts of "Word" and "Spirit" were used to
explain the unity of the triune God. The later chapters explore theories of
divine attributes, predication, and analogy. The book focuses especially on the
strategic use of Aristotelian concepts, since Aristotelian philosophy was a
shared authority among Christians and Muslims. Another major theme is the
delicate way these Arabic Christians utilised scripture in their arguments, at
times restricting themselves to those parts of scripture that Islamic teaching
did not view as corrupted."
Review of God and the Gay Christian "It is written by a
conservative Christian who is gay. It accepts the authority of Scripture. And
it makes a convincing case within that framework that what the Bible says does
not provide a basis for disapproving of same-sex marriage. Although Vines is not
a scholar, by drawing on scholarship and carefully investigating the subject,
he comes up with interpretations of the relevant Biblical texts, against the
backdrop of their cultural setting, that are thoroughly persuasive."
Archaeology and Antiquities
Barabbas and the Crucified "One also needs to
consider the possibility of borrowing from or interference between a historical
story about a Hasmonean who is crucified and denied honorable burial and
subsequently given a burial in a borrowed grave, and the story of something
similar happening to Jesus. But it is also possible that this sort of thing
happened more than once, and that it would not have been unexpected for Jesus’
followers to have sought to recover his remains and give them a proper burial
with the honor they felt he deserved."
The Brephos Papyrus: Fetal Assault "So how do we make sense
of this? Obviously, if you are trying to hurt someone, throwing a fetus at them
probably won’t do too much harm. Instead, scholars agree that what we have here
is a case of a fetus being used as part of a magical spell."
Creating Replicas of Biblical Artifacts: An Interview with ‘Biblical Reproductions’ "All of us have had,
these past few years, our attention drawn to numerous artifacts purporting to
be ancient and so it has set me to wondering about the legitimate business of
creating replicas of ancient stuff. I contacted
the nice folk at Biblical Reproductions up in Canada and they have been kind
enough to ‘sit down’ for an interview."
Ever Thought about Plastering the Skulls of your Dead Loved Ones? "The funerary practices
witnessed here may at first appear to be very different from our own
experiences. One example of this is the plastering of skulls. The dead would
initially be buried beneath house floors. But then the skull (or cranium) would
be retrieved some time later, once the head had skeletonised and no flesh
remained. Then, a face would then be skillfully built on the skull, using mud,
lime or gypsum plasters."
Aren Maier – New Light on the Philistines
Endangered Archives Program Opens up Priceless Palestinian Heritage "As with the al-Aqsa
collections, the urgent need to preserve the documents highlights the threat
posed by Israeli aggression and neglect to Palestinian heritage. The Akka
manuscripts, according to the EAP, 'provide a unique insight into centuries of
Arabic culture in Palestine,' and conserving the collection has become a
pressing need due to 'periods of political unrest, and more recently through
vandalism and theft.'"
Temples and Temple Builders at Early Bronze Age Megiddo "Tel Megiddo lies in the
heart of the Jezreel Valley, at the hub of international roads between Egypt
and Syria. Its local importance in all periods of the Bronze and Iron Ages
cannot be understated but while major excavations have taken place at
well-known sites like Megiddo, Jezreel, and Taanach, the valley itself has
received little archaeological and historical attention. The Jezreel Valley
Regional Project (JVRP) is designed to focus attention at the regional level
through long-term, multi-disciplinary survey and excavation."
Khirbet et-Tannur: A New Approach "The Nabatean people
were lost in the sands of the desert for centuries only to recently be lost in
the pages of books. This fascinating and
important culture existed in the ancient Near East, stretching from Arabia,
across Jordan, and into the Negev and the Sinai. They were skillful merchants and vital to the
spice trade. They are best known for their architecture; specifically the cliff
side carved building of Petra."
Theology
Is Kyrios Christology a High Christology? "I suggest that we have
better evidence (if you want to try and dig down to “earliest” layers) for what
I call a
Kyrios Christology – where
Jesus is associated with the identity of Yahweh himself in some special way
(hence “Jesus is
Kyrios” and
maranatha appear to be earliest
creedal/liturgical statements). If this is true, then Jesus could not have been
viewed as a man exalted after his death to divinity, because Yahweh would not
want to share his own title (
Kyrios)
with an exalted man."
How High is Kyrios Christology? "And so the New Testament
kyrios Christology is indeed rightly called a 'high' Christology. It has a
human being exalted to a status second only to God himself, and having bestowed
upon him the very name of God, enabling him to exercise rule over all things on
God’s behalf. Calling such a Christology 'low' would be inaccurate. But so too
would be claiming that these texts depict Jesus as sharing in the divine 'nature.'"
El Shaddai and the Gender of God "But I wanted to add
another element to the debate because, as far as I know, no one has considered
it: the possibility of a feminine name for God in the Hebrew Bible."
Art
What Would Characters from the Bible Have Looked Like? "
Lewis'
"Icons Of The Bible" photo series depicts some of the most famous
characters from the Old and New Testament exclusively as people of color,
including Simon Peter, Elijah, King Solomon and the archangel Gabriel. The
series, which will be fully released in October, features 70 models who
identify as either Asian, Native American, Hispanic, African, Middle Eastern,
Black American and West Indian."
Whatever is Leftover
Animals and Religion "Did you know that
animals engage in what appears to be ritualistic behaviors which appear to show
some awareness of the luminous, if not the spiritual? It’s true. In particular,
a variety of animals have death rituals."
Top 10 Strangest Miracles of the Middle Ages "While most miracles
were typical stories of healing or assistance, there were many unusual ones as
well. Here is our list of the top 10 strangest miracles of the Middle Ages."
40 Maps that Explain the Middle East "Maps can be a powerful
tool for understanding the world, particularly the Middle East, a place in many
ways shaped by changing political borders and demographics. Here are 40 maps
crucial for understanding the Middle East — its history, its present, and some
of the most important stories in the region today."
Recommended Summer Reading “I work at the James P. Boyce Centennial Library, and the staff there are
putting together a suggested summer reading list for students. Here are the
books related to biblical studies I suggested, in no particular order.”
You may also like to check out
Jim West's Avignon Carnival (all Twitter edition).
And just to repeat, here at the end of the carnival, next month's carnival will be hosted by Phil Long at his blog
Reading Acts. You'll want to check it out, I'm sure. And if you're interested in hosting the carnival at your blog please (PLEASE!) contact Phil. He is "semi-desperate..for volunteers for the rest of the year."
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