Having identified that Luke shows interest in three major motifs from the servant discourse of Isaiah (in our January column), it is now possible to explore how he crafts them into his own narrative episode, complete with their own ‘songs’ …
This article continues the assessment of sources outside the New Testament which are commonly cited as witnesses for the historicity of Jesus. They are not all of equal value, and some of them do not contribute very useful historical data.
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Comparing and contrasting Genesis with ANE creation myths and cosmology is an exercise influenced by the initial stance a scholar has towards the biblical text. A fundamentalist stance will produce a different result to that of a historian with …
John J. Pilch immerses us in the world of the Ancient Near East (hereafter ‘ANE’), inviting us to view Scripture through the eyes of the text’s original audience. Making excellent use of recent sociological and anthropological research he carefully explains …
Below are some of the key words employed in Genesis 1, although the primary meaning has been placed behind the Hebrew (for ease of reference), the semantic range of each of these words is obviously larger. Rather than use the …
It is instructive to note the absolute unique character of the account in Genesis from an ANE (Ancient Near East) reader’s perspective. The nation of Israel came out of Egypt, where the universe was …
Equality has a defined meaning but without a common standard of comparison it is impossible to measure. Biblically, equality is not a large theme, but the idea of ‘levelling’ is used in word pictures showing that moral parity is …
Christadelphian exegesis is currently under threat from two competing schools of thought. Both are subjective, anti-intellectual, and opposed to the practices of our pioneers.
The first is distinctly fideistic; its advocates claim that simply opening the Bible and praying for …
Scholarship on Job is extensive, as is the case with most areas of study of the Hebrew Bible; though perhaps more so with Job.[1] It is broadly similar except for the work of a few commentators and …
It is regrettable when believers leave fellowship after publicly declaring a giving up of their faith because it is no longer convincing. Unfortunately, the reaction to such a sad event (from our point of view) can be too dismissive.
Instead …
There are many verbal connections between 1 Corinthians 11 and 14. The ‘decently and in order’ text is a close link. The word for ‘decently’ () is rare (3x) and includes the idea of ‘behaving yourself’. Paul uses the word …
The KJV and modern versions differ in this verse:
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (KJV)
He said, …
Generally speaking, the word ‘elohim’ takes a singular form of the verb although it itself has a plural form. For example, ‘And God said…’ uses the third person singular form of the verb ‘to say’. However, there are exceptions to …
Those who have read The Language of the Cross will know that Jackman writes with consideration and clarity, though never simplistically. The same is true of his latest book, Re-reading Romans in Context. As the title suggests it is an …
Anyone familiar with the Bible will understand the desire to re-order the text chronologically. Whilst Genesis to Kings roughly follow a linear historical narrative, other books of the Bible fall outside that framework and often neighbouring books come from very …
Wyns has previously commented on the appearance of new scholarly approaches to the analysis of the Psalter[1].
In his article he draws attention to Psalm 2 and posits the use made of it by Hezekiah. Wyns suggests …
On the threshold of the Promised Land, Moses revealed how his work would continue. His role as the spokesman of God would not disappear with him; rather,
“the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like …
This year, our column will focus on Luke’s Gospel. Our first few columns will consider the Servant prophecies of the book of Isaiah and Luke.
Isaiah’s servant figure is a significant piece in Luke’s Christology. The story of Philip …
Some readers may be surprised or shocked that many books and essays—by my count, over one hundred—in the past two hundred years have fervently denied the very existence of Jesus. Contemporary New Testament scholars have typically viewed their arguments as …
It seems incongruous that Luke does not place the wilderness temptation in immediate proximity to the declaration of sonship at Christ’s baptism. Instead, the two are separated in Luke by an extraordinary digression of 15 verses which apparently describe …
The canonical gospels approach the birth of Jesus in different ways. Luke records much about Mary’s pregnancy and the events leading up to the birth, whereas Matthew is almost silent on these matters and focuses on the slaughter of …
In Gen 3:16 the woman is told,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (ESV).
The word for …
Wright writes[1] as one from within the paedobaptist tradition, from a national church that practises widespread if not indiscriminate baptism, and he is highly critical of this tradition. This makes his criticism all the more powerful as …
The bar diagram below sets out various theological ‘theories of the judgment’, i.e. theories that thinkers have devised to answer the question: On what basis is a person saved or assessed at the judgment seat. The table is offered without …
Several notable scholars have recently questioned the theology of Hell, including John Wenham, Stephen Travis, Clark Pinnock, John Stott, Philip Hughes, Michael Green and Edward Fudge. Fudge’s work has become definitive for the annihilationist argument, and although it has …
Recent Lucan scholarship has been concerned with whether the Spirit has a soteriological function (initiating or maintaining the individual Christian life), or whether the Spirit has solely a missiological purpose.[1] This paper seeks to redress this balance …
In order to progress in a scholarly career an individual must publish in scholarly journals. There are not enough journals to satisfy the demand of authors who need to publish. As a result, many scholars put their work in progress …