In recent weeks I’ve been spending a good deal of my free time reading the book of Isaiah and some of its commentaries. It has been quite an illuminating experience, and looking at the book as a whole has made it somewhat less daunting than I’d always imagined it. Today I noticed a connection that I thought was quite interesting that I’d like to share with you.
In the Gospel of Luke there is a scene where Jesus opens up the scroll of Isaiah and tells those in the synagogue that the Scripture he read was being fulfilled in their midst. What he read was from Isaiah 61.1-3, Read more... (851 words, estimated 3:24 mins reading time)
I was reading through Kings recently and found this text, which I thought was quite interesting for our understanding of how Scripture outside the Torah may have been authoritative for the ancient Israelites. The text is from 2 Kings 17.9-13, and it appears in the context of the exile of Israel in the ninth year of Hoshea because of their idolatry: Read more... (257 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)
For the past few Christmases I have posted a little note about the season, influenced by what I’ve learned over the last year. This year, I have spent a lot of time in the Psalter, a book which begins with a lot of complaining, but in the end calls us to a posture of praise. In a time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our King, we must come to terms with the fact that his birth meant the death of other children born around the same time he was, from the same town, with a life much like his own. His birth meant that everything was going to change. His birth meant that there would be change, but not right away – not soon enough for a lot of folks. Was it soon enough for those parents who had their little children murdered by Herod? Was it soon enough for the leprous who would die a few years before a grown Jesus would be able to heal them? When would the peace come? When would the “good will to all men” actually come? Read more... (854 words, estimated 3:25 mins reading time)
I know this post is a turn from some of the normal theological posts, but I wanted to let you guys know what I’ve been doing with PhD applications. I’ve been working hard at them, and I’m currently sitting in a hotel room in Toronto writing this post as I visit the University of Toronto and the Toronto School of Theology (TST). I’ve never been to Toronto before, and am really enjoying my time in the town. The weather isn’t what I’ve dreamed about, but the weather’s not everything. Read more... (152 words, estimated 36 secs reading time)
Head over to http://meaningofpentateuch.blogspot.com
We started our online forum discussion today. Hope you can join the conversation.
I picked up several interesting looking books at ETS this year and have begun to sit down and get into them. Today I started reading To the Jew First: The Case for Jewish Evangelism in Scripture and History (Kregel, 2008; ISBN:0825436583), which was edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser. Several very prominent scholars have contributed to this volume of articles that cover biblical, theological, and missional topics related to Jewish evangelism in the 21st century. I’m both curious and eager to read through it. One of the reasons is that Walter Kaiser, Jr., wrote one of the best forewords to a book that I’ve ever read. I wanted to share a little excerpt to whet your tongue for more. He said: Read more... (427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)
Tonight will be the final class of the class I am teaching at Peters Creek Baptist on the Book of Genesis. We’ve spent ten weeks going over the book, and I have been encouraged by both the questions asked and the reception of the message from the book. As a way to preserve the class, I have been posting audio recordings of the sessions, as well as the class notes and several handouts I prepared to better appreciate the text. These are available to all you if you are interested. Just hover you mouse over the “Salt and Light” tab above and click on “Genesis” to be taken to the page. You’ll also notice a “Psalms” link as well. That will take you to the material from a class I taught this summer, also at PCBC. Read more... (226 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)
In the first post about Seitz’ new book, I summarized the main argument of the book as follows: Read more... (3026 words, estimated 12:06 mins reading time)
The book under review is:
Seitz, Christopher R. The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets: The Achievement of Association in Canon Formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009. 136 pp.
Dr. Christopher Seitz is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Wycliffe College of the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada. For years he has been a leading scholar in areas of biblical hermeneutics and interpretation, especially in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, and more particularly, the Book of Isaiah and the Twelve (or, Minor Prophets). He is also a leading figure in the more recent subject of canon, following on the heels of great scholars such as Brevard Childs and Rolf Rendtorff. This present book is no exception. It builds off of the research done in Prophecy and Hermeneutics (Baker Academic, 2007), helping the author better define and develop the “great achievement of association” in the formation of both the New and Old Testaments. Read more... (800 words, estimated 3:12 mins reading time)
For some time I’ve pondered over 1 Peter 1.10-12. It seems to be one of those key passages which helps us understand the relationship between the Prophets (OT) and the apostolic preaching of Jesus Christ (which would eventually become the NT). The passage has been debated in recent years. Some use it (as I will below) to show that the human prophets in the OT knew exactly what their prophecies meant. In other words, the two authors (God and the prophet) meant the same thing in the text. Others use the passage (IMO, erroneously) to support the idea that God’s intention was somewhat hidden from the prophets, and that they wrote down their prophecies not knowing exactly what to make of them. It wouldn’t be until the first-century that any sense could really be made with them. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what gives sense to these ancient words. In support of the former interpretation, I hope to show that this passage shows us that the prophets, though ignorant of parts of the prophecy, were not ignorant of the essential substance of their message. Read more... (952 words, estimated 3:48 mins reading time)
Your Responses