Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to the Biblioblog Carnival roundup for April 2016 - a collection of blog posts, videos, podcasts and tweets relevant to the broad field of biblical studies posted last month. These may not have been the BEST of ALL possible blog posts, videos, podcasts and tweets, but they are ones that caught my eye and captured my interest. I've hosted the biblioblog in the past, and now as then, I've utilized a more-is-more, throw the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks kind of approach. Jim West at Zwinglius Redivivus will, no doubt, be much more selective in his own version of the Carnival.
Sweaty Old Testamenty StuffTo be merciful means to grow in a love which is courageous, generous and real.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 2, 2016
It seems as though God’s voice – the lion’s roar – may be a
much more central theme in the book than I had initially thought. The cutting
of the lines of communication comes up again and again as both Israel and God
do it. It is this cutting of contact that warrants Israel’s punishment, and it
is also the punishment itself. Amos’s role as intercessor in Amos 7 becomes so
much more important, because it is through the prophets that Israel might “seek
the Lord and live. As we move through the book, we find that God’s voice is
linked to sin, punishment, and even salvation.
*Ben at Remythologized got rather snarky as he described 10 Ways Answers in Genesis Misinterprets the Bible: How to Theologize with a Hammer.
You might as well be writing feminist interpretations of an
Ikea assembly manual if you’re going to publish astrophysical papers on the
Psalms.
*Christopher Rollston posted the first of a series of
articles on gender-based violence in the bible: Jacob’s Daughter Dinah.
… although in the recent past (e.g., just a few decades ago) violence against women was not the subject of international attention or concern, it has now “come to be recognized as a legitimate human rights issue and as a significant threat to women’s health and well-being.” The fact that there is now much more focus on gender-based violence is such a good thing, so right, so important. Of course, the witness of Scripture (and this is one of the reasons for recounting Dinah’s story here) is that gender-based violence is a very old problem.
Apocryphal,
Pseudographical, Intertestamental and other Weirdo Type Stuff… although in the recent past (e.g., just a few decades ago) violence against women was not the subject of international attention or concern, it has now “come to be recognized as a legitimate human rights issue and as a significant threat to women’s health and well-being.” The fact that there is now much more focus on gender-based violence is such a good thing, so right, so important. Of course, the witness of Scripture (and this is one of the reasons for recounting Dinah’s story here) is that gender-based violence is a very old problem.
*Deane at Remnant of Giants shared a post about literacy rates in ancient Judah: Judah’s Military Correspondence From ca. 600 BCE: Evidence of Widespread Literacy but not Evidence of the Bible
The strength of the article lies in its identification of the extent of literacy in far-flung reaches of Judea, among various ranking members of the military and military administration. It would be not too rash to say that, given the literacy levels in the military establishment, we would expect that scribal literacy would be competent to produce more literary works of the forms which we find in the Hebrew Bible/Tanach. Indeed, the Tell Deir ‘Alla plaster inscription, written in a Hebrew dialect and located bang in the middle of Israelite territory during the period of its hegemony in the region, dates some two centuries before this. So scribes would be capable of the literary forms found in the Hebrew Bible. This doesn’t really tell us about the general literacy in the wider population, as the article implies it does. But more important is the question of literacy among the elites, which the article provides reasonable evidence for.
*And, if you'll forgive me, one of my own Biblical Limericks: That's Certainly Coitus Interrupted
The strength of the article lies in its identification of the extent of literacy in far-flung reaches of Judea, among various ranking members of the military and military administration. It would be not too rash to say that, given the literacy levels in the military establishment, we would expect that scribal literacy would be competent to produce more literary works of the forms which we find in the Hebrew Bible/Tanach. Indeed, the Tell Deir ‘Alla plaster inscription, written in a Hebrew dialect and located bang in the middle of Israelite territory during the period of its hegemony in the region, dates some two centuries before this. So scribes would be capable of the literary forms found in the Hebrew Bible. This doesn’t really tell us about the general literacy in the wider population, as the article implies it does. But more important is the question of literacy among the elites, which the article provides reasonable evidence for.
*And, if you'll forgive me, one of my own Biblical Limericks: That's Certainly Coitus Interrupted
*James Hamrick at The Ancient Bookshelf has a reading/vocabulary guide for Ethiopic Jubilees available for you to download. Ethiopic Jubilees Reading Guide: The Creation, Part 1
*Presidential Candidate Donald Trump told us his favorite bible verse.
*I'm sorry. I can't help myself. It's compulsive- Biblical Limericks: The Nothingness of a Man
*Presidential Candidate Donald Trump told us his favorite bible verse.
*Ancient-Reformed Worship spoke to Hughes Oliphant about the Odes of Solomon
The Odes cast a spell. Something beautiful is happening here. It has a literary integrity I think that’s very important. The Odes are very unusual in the different imagery that they come up with. But that imagery is used again and again. One place where the Odes seem to have mined this imagery is the Book of Psalms. And Rendel Harris, the great scholar who really brought the Odes to the attention of the modern world, refers to these Odes as Psalm pendants. It’s as though the congregation might have sung a particular Psalm, and then, the Odes would’ve been sung as a response to it. And so many of the Odes when one reads through them one realizes that the imagery of Psalm 45 is being used or Psalm 63 is being used. And that’s one of the beautiful things about these Odes is that they’re so close to scripture.
The Odes cast a spell. Something beautiful is happening here. It has a literary integrity I think that’s very important. The Odes are very unusual in the different imagery that they come up with. But that imagery is used again and again. One place where the Odes seem to have mined this imagery is the Book of Psalms. And Rendel Harris, the great scholar who really brought the Odes to the attention of the modern world, refers to these Odes as Psalm pendants. It’s as though the congregation might have sung a particular Psalm, and then, the Odes would’ve been sung as a response to it. And so many of the Odes when one reads through them one realizes that the imagery of Psalm 45 is being used or Psalm 63 is being used. And that’s one of the beautiful things about these Odes is that they’re so close to scripture.
Although the
Testament of Moses is cut off half-way through the manuscript, it is
nonetheless helpful in reconstructing ideologies and worldviews from the Levant
in the 1st century C.E., and even earlier if we assume the text had previous
written and oral traditions preceding it’s composition. The testament claims to
be “the prophecy which was made by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy”; however,
while it takes up a similar tone, the testament incorporates material relevant
to the Maccabean Period, indicative of the late date of the text.
Based on the
previous information, it is evident that we should read the Testament of Moses
as its own piece of literary work, self-sustaining and independent. What we
will consider today is Moses’ role as a divinator in the Testament of Moses.
*I'm sorry. I can't help myself. It's compulsive- Biblical Limericks: The Nothingness of a Man
New Intestines
*James McGrath is trying to find a balance between naive credulity and extreme skepticism with respect to the Gospels and other early Christian sources in description of Jesus’ death in Philippians 2: 6 – 11. Philippians 2 and the Historical Jesus
It is striking to turn in light of this to Philippians 2:6-11. If Paul is there quoting a hymn, then this might be our earliest source of information about the death of Jesus, as well as about how Christians understood it. In that passage, Jesus’ death is nothing else but the culmination of his obedience, leading to his exaltation.
*Scott McKnight at Jesus Creed wrote about theMessianic Divine Secret of Jesus in the gospel of Mark.
I had the privilege of attending last night’s debate on “Did Jesus Exist?” between two well-versed debaters – Dr. Craig Evans and Dr. Richard Carrier. When I learned of this debate, I wanted to take advantage of listening to Carrier, who is probably the world’s foremost mythicist scholar. In other words, I felt that this debate would expose me to the best arguments scholars could put forth suggesting Jesus was simply made up in history. Now I took plenty of apologetic classes in my undergraduate and graduate studies to become convinced of the overwhelming evidence regarding Jesus’ existence, but I could not pass up the chance to listen to Richard Carrier live. So I piled up my car with a few of my bright students and we took off to witness the debate. Here are some of my observations of last night’s event:
I know that might not seem very reverent, especially since Romans is often thought of as the primo example of Paul at his difficult yet nevertheless logically consistent best, where he once and for all lays out the basics of the gospel for all to hear and for all time. Not that Romans is a jumbled mess—may it never be (see what I did there?)—but to me Romans reads more like Paul is in creative-problem-solving mode for Roman Christians facing a pressing problem (how Jews and Gentiles make up one people of God) than Paul sitting in his study writing a theological treatise intended for wider publication.
*Biblical Studies Online shared two lectures from David Noel Freedman: “Jesus as a Disciple” (April 23, 1993) and “The Role of Human Beings in the Bible” (April 20, 1993)
*Ronald V. Huggins refuted the idea that Judas didn’t actually exist: Did Judas Exist? A Friendly Critique of Dennis R. MacDonald's Easter Time Blog
*I need help. I know it: Biblical Limericks: The Four Horsemen
*James McGrath is trying to find a balance between naive credulity and extreme skepticism with respect to the Gospels and other early Christian sources in description of Jesus’ death in Philippians 2: 6 – 11. Philippians 2 and the Historical Jesus
It is striking to turn in light of this to Philippians 2:6-11. If Paul is there quoting a hymn, then this might be our earliest source of information about the death of Jesus, as well as about how Christians understood it. In that passage, Jesus’ death is nothing else but the culmination of his obedience, leading to his exaltation.
*Richard Beck at Experimental Theology wrote about the tragedy in violence- Put Away the Sword: Tragedy and Eschatology
That's what upsets me about crowds cheering and thrilling to
calls to bomb ISIS, so-called "Christians" who are viewing violence triumphalistically rather than tragically. Because Jesus said "put
your sword away" Christians can never cheer violence. We must only grieve
it.
*Scott McKnight at Jesus Creed wrote about the
...if Jesus silenced confession of him as Messiah how
much more would have silenced for strategical reasons any suggestions of his
deity. I find the logic solid, if not compelling.
*Phil Long at Reading Acts has been working his way though the Apocalypse of John – Heavenly Throne Rooms in Apocalyptic Literature
Revelation 4-5 is built first on the foundation of the
Hebrew Bible. There are several texts which describe God as enthroned, such as
Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1-2. In both of these passages the prophet sees a vision
of God enthroned in heaven surrounded by otherworldly angelic creatures
(seraphim in Isaiah, cherubim in Ezekiel). In both cases the prophet is stunned
by the vision and eventually commissioned to a prophetic office. In Revelation
4 there is a central throne, angelic beings, but John is not a prophet as much
as an observer of the impending judgment contained in the scroll given to the
Lamb to open.
*Dustin R. Smith at The Dustin Martyr Blog attended the “Did Jesus Exist” debate between Craig Evans and Richard Carrier:
I had the privilege of attending last night’s debate on “Did Jesus Exist?” between two well-versed debaters – Dr. Craig Evans and Dr. Richard Carrier. When I learned of this debate, I wanted to take advantage of listening to Carrier, who is probably the world’s foremost mythicist scholar. In other words, I felt that this debate would expose me to the best arguments scholars could put forth suggesting Jesus was simply made up in history. Now I took plenty of apologetic classes in my undergraduate and graduate studies to become convinced of the overwhelming evidence regarding Jesus’ existence, but I could not pass up the chance to listen to Richard Carrier live. So I piled up my car with a few of my bright students and we took off to witness the debate. Here are some of my observations of last night’s event:
*Pete Enns thinks that Paul was just “winging it.”
I know that might not seem very reverent, especially since Romans is often thought of as the primo example of Paul at his difficult yet nevertheless logically consistent best, where he once and for all lays out the basics of the gospel for all to hear and for all time. Not that Romans is a jumbled mess—may it never be (see what I did there?)—but to me Romans reads more like Paul is in creative-problem-solving mode for Roman Christians facing a pressing problem (how Jews and Gentiles make up one people of God) than Paul sitting in his study writing a theological treatise intended for wider publication.
*Biblical Studies Online shared two lectures from David Noel Freedman: “Jesus as a Disciple” (April 23, 1993) and “The Role of Human Beings in the Bible” (April 20, 1993)
*Ronald V. Huggins refuted the idea that Judas didn’t actually exist: Did Judas Exist? A Friendly Critique of Dennis R. MacDonald's Easter Time Blog
*I need help. I know it: Biblical Limericks: The Four Horsemen
Gnostical
*James McGrath at Exploring our Matrix appeared on the online talk show: Talk Gnosis to speak about the historical Jesus and mythicism.
Ecclesial Churchy Stuff
*Alexandria at Women in Theology wrote about masculine vs feminine church in Between the Binary: Is “Effeminacy”Really an Issue in Evangelical Church Culture?
*James McGrath at Exploring our Matrix appeared on the online talk show: Talk Gnosis to speak about the historical Jesus and mythicism.
*Jesus Facepalmed -Part 2 of James McGrath’s
Conversation with Talk Gnosis at Gnostic Wisdom-
Is there a vast international conspiracy to convince you that Jesus was a real person? Well, not really. It’s a game of probabilities. Scholars say that, given the evidence we have, it’s more likely than not that there was an actual dude named Jesus walking around in the desert 2000 years ago. Of course, you are free to draw your own conclusions, and a belief in Gnosticism certainly does not need to include a belief in a historical Jesus.
Is there a vast international conspiracy to convince you that Jesus was a real person? Well, not really. It’s a game of probabilities. Scholars say that, given the evidence we have, it’s more likely than not that there was an actual dude named Jesus walking around in the desert 2000 years ago. Of course, you are free to draw your own conclusions, and a belief in Gnosticism certainly does not need to include a belief in a historical Jesus.
Ecclesial Churchy Stuff
*Alexandria at Women in Theology wrote about masculine vs feminine church in Between the Binary: Is “Effeminacy”Really an Issue in Evangelical Church Culture?
Too often, Christian writers and
commentators assume (or do not question) an equivalency between femininity and
the female; therefore, the mere presence of female bodies within a church’s
congregation is believed to engender an effeminate style of Christianity. Evangelicalism’s
enduring phobia of “liberal” feminism is largely to blame, and has made its
members ignorant of even the most innocuous principles of basic gender theory:
namely, that there is a distinction between biological sex and gender identity,
that humans are responsible for creating culturally contingent gender roles
(not God), and that both men and women hardly ever conform completely to their
prescribed roles.
*Pope Francis released an apostolic exhortation entitled Amoris Laetitia, Latin for “The Joy of
Love.” You can read the whole 256 page document here.
*Mary E. Hunt at Religion Dispatches wasn’t impressed – Pope Francis’ Love Letter Is an Opportunity Lost
If you are heterosexual, married, divorced, and remarried
with an understanding parish priest, you have reason to be hopeful that your
“irregular situation” can be fixed. If you use most forms of effective birth
control, have an abortion, or are a sexually active LGBTIQ Catholic, you might
as well read Dante and/or seek another denomination if you expect to be treated
with equality, dignity, and respect. ... The “Joy Love Club” is members-only.
*Members of a recent Vatican council have called for Pope Francis to reject the “Just War” theory and to issue and encyclical on
nonviolence
Too often the 'just war theory' has been used to
endorse rather than prevent or limit war," they continue. "Suggesting
that a 'just war' is possible also undermines the moral imperative to develop
tools and capacities for nonviolent transformation of conflict…We need a new
framework that is consistent with Gospel nonviolence," say the
participants, noting that Francis and his four predecessors have all spoken out
against war often. "We propose that the Catholic Church develop and
consider shifting to a Just Peace approach based on Gospel nonviolence.
Of course, even if Christians did engage in
contextualization—expressing their message and worship in the language or forms
of the local people—that in no way implies doctrinal compromise. Christians
around the world have sought to redeem the local culture for Christ while
purging it of practices antithetical to biblical norms. After all, Christians
speak of "Good Friday," but they are in no way honoring the worship
of the Norse/Germanic queen of the gods Freya by doing so.
But, in fact, in the case of Easter the evidence suggests
otherwise: that neither the commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection
nor its name are derived from paganism.
*Joel Watts at Unsettled Christianity wrote about the time that Lucifer split the church by refusing grace.
More patristic amazingness from Hans Urs von Balthsar - one long sentence on the theology of Pseudo-Dionysius pic.twitter.com/VvnnMEGYMS— Ben Myers (@FaithTheology) April 3, 2016
Philosofical, Theologicalic Things
*The good folks at Jesus Jazz and Buddhism think that Everything We See is Past and they have diagrams and videos about Process Theology, Alfred Whitehead and light cones.
*The good folks at Jesus Jazz and Buddhism think that Everything We See is Past and they have diagrams and videos about Process Theology, Alfred Whitehead and light cones.
*Joseph P. Laycock at The Conversation looked at Why So Many Americans Think They’re #Blessed
Today, America seems divided between those who engage with some version of the prosperity gospel and those who smugly dismiss it as fraudulent and puerile. While there are a number of problems with the gospel, it’s important to look at why this strand of religious thinking evolved in the first place, and why it persists.
*Joel Watts at Unsettled Christianity shared a video contrasting the Orthodox and Protestant Explanations of Salvation.
Archaeologicists
*James Tabor at the Tabor Blog explored the deepening mystery of The Abba Cave, Crucifixion Nails, and the Last Hasmonean King.
*James Tabor at the Tabor Blog explored the deepening mystery of The Abba Cave, Crucifixion Nails, and the Last Hasmonean King.
It was assumed back in the 1970s that these bones were
buried and no longer available for analysis–but it turns out this is not the
case. What is even more intriguing, the victim was arguably none other than
Matitiyahu Antigonus–the last of the Hashmonean kings–who was both beheaded and
crucified by Marc Anthony. in 37 BCE. And even more significant, Greg Doudna
has persuasively argued that this Antigonus is none other than the famed
“Teacher of Righteousness” in the Dead Sea Scrolls,
*Archaeology News Network - Reported that construction workers in Gaza have discovered ancient ruins
that archaeologists say may be part of a Byzantine church dating from around
1,500 years ago, The findings include segments of marble pillars with ornate Corinthian
capitals, one nearly three meters (yards) long, and a 90 cm (35 inch)
foundation stone bearing a Greek symbol for Christ. Fifteen pieces have been
uncovered, with excavations continuing.
According to Dina Avshalom-Gorni, the project’s chief
archaeologist on behalf of the IAA, “the incense shovel that was found is one
of ten others that are known in the country from the Second Temple period. From
early research in the world it was thought that the incense shovel was only
used for ritual purposes, to care for the embers and incense that were burnt in
ritual ceremonies. Over the years, after incense shovels were discovered in a
non-cultic context, it appears they were also used as tools for daily tasks.
The incense shovel and jug found in our excavation were exposed lying next to
each other on the floor in one of the rooms, at the late Second Temple period
storehouses that is located adjacent to the dock of the large Jewish
settlement, on the shore of Sea of Galilee. These implements might have been
saved in the storeroom as heirlooms by a Jewish family living at Migdal, or
they may have been used for daily work as well.”
“I think that people need to worship and believe in GOD regardless of their belief. This is a free country.” pic.twitter.com/VM8sY6dmlt— Bible Students Say.. (@BibleStdntsSay) April 11, 2016
Edumacational
*Michael J. Kruger at Canon Fodder has A Note to Ph.D. Students: Here’s What We Are Really Looking for in a Job Interview
Given that I have sat on both sides of the interview
table–as both candidate looking for a post, and as President or Academic Dean
looking to fill a post–I thought I might offer a few reflections on the
interview process. In particular, I want
to help candidates know what we are really looking for in a potential
professor. I say “really” because I think candidates often misunderstand what
we are looking for. And, due to that misunderstanding, sometimes candidates are
simply heading down an unhelpful path in the interview process.And when I say
“we” I am thinking particularly of those leaders in the world of evangelical
seminaries. Those in university
settings, or those who are not evangelical, are unlikely to offer the same
advice.
*Biblical Studies Online shared an interview with ProfessorStavrakopoulou (University of Exeter) who explains why a lot of what’s in the
Bible isn’t real, but why she loves it anyway.
Movie Reviews, Book Reports, and Musical Events
*Neil Carter (no relation, so far as I know) at Godless in Dixie wrote about the Evangelical Christian desire – need- to be persecuted and the film God's Not Dead 2 -
It’s like they’re ripping off the plot of Miracle on 34th Street. Only this time, it’s set in Arkansas at the state capitol. And instead of trying to establish whether or not Santa Claus is real, now they are trying to determine if Jesus was real. Because that would totally happen in real life in a court of law. And it’s totally relevant to the case at hand.
*James McGrath rather likes Daniel Kirk’s New Book – A Man Attested By God
*Ben Witherington at the Bible and Culture reviewed Richard
Hay’s new book: “Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels.”
And even when the NT writers were transforming the OT text in creative ways,
for example as Paul does in Gal. 4, these improvisations presuppose a stable
text to which one can return again and again, and use in a variety of ways. I
would use the analogy of say John Coltrane’s famous version of the Sound of
Music song ‘My Favorite Things’. ‘Trane was not trying to faithfully ‘exegete’
that song, he was rather using it as a taking off point for a creative
improvisation, but at the same time he was well aware of what playing the tune
straight amounted to and sounded like, and he presupposed that his audience did
as well (they could look at a copy of the original sheet music or put on the
recording of the Sound of Music), so they could appreciate where he was, so to
speak, playing outside the lines on the staff paper. I think, in other words,
that figural interpretation was only one of the tools in the hermeneutical
toolbox of the Gospel writers, and it was not one they always used, certainly
not to the exclusion of other ways of using the OT.
*James McGrath also shared A Service of Sacred Music and Rock Prayers
I am not trying to make the case that no music is sacred. On
the contrary, I am more inclined to make the opposite case and argue that all
music is sacred. Music takes vibrations in the physical world and combines them
in ways that we perceive as beautiful. And so music by definition points
towards transcendence, towards the fact that there is more to life that what
one perspective can do justice to. And since music is a pointer towards God, it
makes sense to use music – any music – as an opportunity to talk about one’s
faith and the things that are important to us.
* Knockin' on Heaven's Door: Bob Dylan and the Gospel - An evening of Gospel and music following the Jewish carpenter who renounced his father's name to sing the blues out on Highway 61.
* Knockin' on Heaven's Door: Bob Dylan and the Gospel - An evening of Gospel and music following the Jewish carpenter who renounced his father's name to sing the blues out on Highway 61.
Ruben Zimmermann’s Puzzling the Parables of Jesus:
Methods and Interpretations is a very fine work. One value of the book is
that it consciously seeks to bring together current German and American
research on the parables. Another important feature is that Zimmermann applies
recent research on historiography and memory to the interpretation of the
parables. This post will highlight a third contribution of the book, namely
Zimmermann’s perceptive discussion of the genre of parable and his convincing
suggestion that there are, in fact, parables in John.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam
*Activist Priest and Vietnam Protester Daniel Berrigan Dies at 94
“Dan was one of the great Catholics of our time, a champion
of social justice and a tireless promoter of peace…His influence on the peace movement,
particularly during the Vietnam War, cannot be overstated, but his aim was not
simply peace in Indochina, but peace everywhere.” Berrigan was one of seven
Catholic priests who used napalm to burn draft cards in 1968 in protest against
the Vietnam War, according to the National Catholic Reporter. As a result, he
was sentenced to three years in prison.
The great Daniel Berrigan, SJ, Jesuit priest, activist, poet and peacemaker, died today. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/SYcdaF2Zqq— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) April 30, 2016
*Poet and Prophet
A literary giant in his own right, Berrigan was best known for his dramatic acts of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. He burned draft files with homemade napalm and later hammered on nuclear weapons to enact the Isaiah prophecy to “beat swords into plowshares.” His actions challenged Americans and Catholics to reexamine their relationship with the state and reject militarism. He constantly asked himself and others: What does the Gospel demand of us?
Future Carnivals
The next several carnivals will be hosted by:
May 2016 (June 1) – Brian Renshaw, @renshaw330
June 2016 (July 1) – Kris Lyle at Old School Script, @KristopherLyle
After that there's nothing - unless you act now. Phil Long at Reading Acts, who organizes these events, would love for you to volunteer as host for upcoming biblioblog carnivals. Contact him PLEASE! (via Twitter @plong42 ) if you're interested.
— PΛVL BLΛΛVW (@pblaauw) April 6, 2016
The church too often peddles tired images of a pristine/photoshopped (white) Jesus - instead of the tortured Christ. pic.twitter.com/bmVJtEH3Am— Jason Chesnut (@crazypastor) April 3, 2016
