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The Christadelphian eJournal of Biblical Interpretation

The Christadelphian Ejournal is an online magazine published quarterly and intended to be a forum for articles written in an analytical style. It is a vehicle for exegetical and expositional articles, it engages in academic biblical studies that originate in other Christian confessions, it defends the Biblical principles summarised in the common Christadelphian statement of faith and subject published articles to peer review and amendment.

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      • Six years of the Ejournal

      This issue begins a sixth year for the EJournal. As there are no costs involved in producing the EJournal for circulation in PDF form by e-mail (except the small charge we bear for web-hosting), it will continue to be a …

      Luke-Acts and Hellenistic Historiography: What features do they share?

      Introduction

      In this supplement we discuss those features that Luke shares with typical Hellenistic histories. We then discuss dissonant features that may support an alternative genre classification.

      Scholars determine the characteristics of Hellenistic history from both the historical works themselves …

      What is archaeological ‘minimalism’?

      ‘Minimalism’ is the view that archaeology provides little or no support for the Biblical history.[1] The best known adherents are OT scholars Philip Davies, Lester Grabbe, Niels Lemche, Thomas Thompson, and Keith Whitelam. However, Israel Finkelstein and Neil …

      Arius (Part 4) – Arianism after Nicea

      Introduction

      In previous instalments we saw that the Arians could trace their Christology through a long tradition held by prominent church elders in good standing. But appeals to the past were becoming difficult to justify as innovation gathered apace. Some …

      Isaiah 36-39 – Saying What You See

      There used to be a TV quiz programme in the UK called “Catchphrase”; it required contestants to look at cartoon pictures representing well-known catchphrases and proverbs and guess them from the picture. The cartoons were sometimes animated; so, for example, …

      Psalm 30 – a Psalm-Song of Dedication

      Introduction

      This psalm-song’s title tells us that it speaks of a glorious thing, of the dedication of the house of the Lord, of the dedication of the place where the incomparable God who cannot be contained by the heaven of …

      The Unusual Features of Matthew’s Genealogy

      Introduction

      The genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 contains many unusual features. It is considered by some to be inaccurate, with some names “missing” but as was noted in a previous study, it will not do to simply harmonise away any …

      Temple Imagery and Liturgy in the Apocalypse

      Introduction

      Despite prolific Temple imagery/liturgy occurring in the Apocalypse the impact has been marginal on interpretive approaches and the topos is barely noted in commentaries. Recently this neglect has been addressed by studies from R. A. Brigg, A. & A. …

      The Holy Spirit in Isaiah

      Introduction

      The purpose of this article is to answer the question: who or what is the holy Spirit mentioned in Isaiah 63? The proposals that can be found in the commentaries are as follows: the psyche of the Deity; the …

      The Decline of Analytical Exegetical Writing

      Analytical exegetical writing that leads to exposition has declined in the last twenty-five years in the community, both in terms of quality and quantity. There was also greater critical engagement with scholarship in previous generations. Instead, there has been a …

      Duck-Rabbit Pictures and Habits of Bible Study

      Duck-rabbit pictures are illustrations that look like a duck and/or a rabbit. A person can be seeing the picture as a duck and nothing else and then, all of a sudden, s/he sees it as a rabbit, especially when prompted …

      New Book: “God is Judge: A Commentary on Daniel” by Paul Wyns

      I opened the introduction of my commentary with a question – why is it necessary to have yet another commentary on Daniel?  Surely the subject has received sufficient treatment by various commentators both Christadelphian and otherwise?  Unfortunately this is not …

      Isaiah 7-8: Who is Immanuel?

      Introduction

      Who is Immanuel? It is not sufficient to interpret the Immanuel prophecy as messianic; it is clearly that, but it also has contemporary application. Does it refer to Hezekiah? H. A. Whittaker says in his commentary on Isaiah that …

      The Unknown God of Exodus 6:3—Did Abraham know Yahweh?

      Introduction

      I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (El Shadday), but by My name Lord (Yahweh) I was not known (yd’) to them” Exod 6:3 (NKJV)

      Some of the weight of the documentary hypothesis has …

      Kosmokrator and the Passover Metaphor in Ephesians 6

      Introduction

      For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers () of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:12

      Ephesians 6 presents many …

      The Seventy Week Prophecy (Part 2) – Daniel 9

      Introduction

      In the first article we examined the critical interpretation of the Seventy Week prophecy, which attempts to interpret the prophecy in the light of the Maccabean revolt with particular emphasis on the figure of Onias III.  We saw that …

      Exhortation from the theme of Oil through the Scriptures

      Introduction

      We read in Ephesians:

      Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. …

      Theology, the “Queen of Sciences”

      Theology was traditionally called the “Queen of the Sciences”. It is arguably the most challenging of the degree disciplines in a university. The argument is that it is a broad subject with many disparate skills and knowledge-bases (unlike other degrees). …

      Reflections on Christadelphians and Biblical Studies

      I think it would be fair to say that many Christadelphians, probably the majority, are sceptical and wary of academic study, particularly within the field of Biblical Studies. It has been my own experience, and the experience of other young …

      Report on the Society of Old Testament Studies for Winter 2011

      The Society of Old Testament Studies (SOTS) met in Collingwood College, Durham University from Jan 4th to Jan 6th; about a hundred and fifty persons listened to lectures and presentations on various topics. SOTS is the premier Old Testament society …

      Dating the Deliverance of Jerusalem

      Introduction

      The scholarly consensus is that the third campaign of Sennacherib’s reign (in Phoenicia, Philistia and Judah) happened in 701 and that he left after a successful campaign towards the end of the year. What is the evidence and does …

      Passover Deliverance in March/April 701

      Introduction

      The deliverance of Jerusalem from the hand of Assyria and the recovery of Hezekiah coincided with the feast of Passover. This possibility is not considered in scholarly circles because it is regarded as too specific. E. T. Mullen describes …

      2 Peter 1:21 and Prophetic Inspiration

      For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Pet 1:21 (KJV)

      Some time ago an email correspondent wrote to me, …

      Teachings of Arius (Part 1) – The Arian Controversy

      Introduction

      During the years AD 318 and 319, a Libyan presbyter was found to profess a controversial definition of the pre-existent Christ and his relation to God the Father. His name was Arius, a priest whose theological formation had been …