Phillip J. Long is professor of Biblical Studies at Grace Christian University (formerly Grace Bible College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has taught since 1998.He has served as the chair of the Midwest Evangelical Theological Society, 2013-2014. His published work includes Jesus the Bridegroom (Pickwick, 2012), Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019) and A Beginners Guide to 1 Enoch (Rockridge, 2022)
He regularly contributes to Reading Acts (readingacts.com), a blog dedicated to New Testament studies. Address: Grand Rapids, Michigan
The goal of this book is to help readers make sense of 1 Enoch. This is not a new translation of ... more The goal of this book is to help readers make sense of 1 Enoch. This is not a new translation of the book, but a summary and commentary on 1 Enoch designed for the nonspecialist. Some introductions to 1 Enoch focus only on the first thirty-six chapters, which is known as the Book of the Watchers. This is understandable, since, for many, this is the most interesting section. However, in this book I will look at all five sections of 1 Enoch, since each contributes uniquely to our understanding of early Judaism and Christianity. I want to help readers hear the various voices and set the historical
Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first document... more Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first documents written by Christians in the first century. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with the first real controversy in the early church: the status of Jews and gentiles in this present age and the application of the Law of Moses to gentiles. Paul argues passionately that gentiles are not "converting" to Judaism and therefore should not be expected to keep the Law. Gentiles who accept Jesus as Savior are "free in Christ," not under the bondage of the Law. Galatians also deals with an important pastoral issue in the early church as well. If gentiles are not "under the Law," are they free to behave any way they like? Does Paul's gospel mean that gentiles can continue to live like pagans and still be right with God? For Paul, the believer's status as an adopted child of God enables them to serve God freely as dearly loved children.
Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul's letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.
Frequently New Testament commentaries will state that the image of a banquet, or more specificall... more Frequently New Testament commentaries will state that the image of a banquet, or more specifically, a wedding banquet, was a common messianic image in the first century. However, other than Isa 25:6-8, sources for the image of a banquet for the messianic age in the Hebrew Bible are sparse, and there is very little to support the view that a wedding banquet was a widespread image of the messianic age in Second Temple period Judaism. Many scholars therefore doubt the symbolic value of the messianic banquet as a wedding celebration in the first century.
Yet the image of a banquet clearly appears in the Synoptic Gospels in both the actions of Jesus as well as his teaching. In his table fellowship Jesus invites all people to eat and drink with him (Matt 8:11-12). In his teaching through parables Jesus describes his ministry as an invitation to a feast. Those who respond to this invitation are participating in the banquet, but those who do not respond will never be admitted to the banquet (Matt 22:1-14, Matt 25:1-12). This ongoing banquet is described as a wedding feast and Jesus himself claims to be the bridegroom (Mark 2:19-20). Because the metaphor of a wedding banquet is not found in the literature of the Second Temple Period, scholars frequently assume that this sort of language was created by the Gospel writers and that Jesus himself did not claim to be a bridegroom.
In the preface to the first edition of Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen and David Gushee express dism... more In the preface to the first edition of Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen and David Gushee express dismay at the lack of interest in the Sermon on the Mount for doing Christian ethics. The “way of Jesus’s discipleship is thinned down, marginalized or avoided” (xvi). For Stassen and Gushee, the “rock” on which Christian ethics is to be built is the teaching and practice of Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount is the foundational text in the New Testament for Jesus’s teaching. If we hope to find social ethics in the teaching of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount is therefore the most likely place to start.
In Romans 9:19-21 Paul alludes to Isaiah 29:16 in order to answer a potential objection to his us... more In Romans 9:19-21 Paul alludes to Isaiah 29:16 in order to answer a potential objection to his use of Pharaoh as an illustration of God’s determinism. Most scholars agree Paul alludes to LXX Isaiah 29:16 “Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (NRSV), although most recognize a possible allusion to Isaiah 45:9 as well. The source of the allusion seems clear, but there is little consensus on function of Paul’s use of Isaiah 29:16 in the overall argument of Romans 9. C. H. Dodd claimed the potter and clay saying was a “well-worn illustration” and is “the weakest point in the whole epistle. . . [Paul] is embarrassed by the position he has taken up.” On the other hand, even though Douglas Moo considers the lines “something of a parenthesis,” he argues the citation “contributes significantly to our conception of God.”
There is an ongoing discussion among scholars concerning how much respect for context a New Testament writer has when citing or alluding to the Hebrew Bible. In a pair of recent monographs on Paul’s intertextual theological exegesis in Romans 9:1-18, Brian J. Abasciano argues Paul uses the Old Testament in accord with the original context. If this is the case, how does the context of Isaiah 29:16 contribute to our understanding of Romans 9? How much of the context of Isaiah 29 does Paul have in mind when he alludes to one line from the chapter? Or is he simply using a common metaphor to express the sovereignty of God?
After a short section in intertextual method, I will examine context of Isaiah 29:16 in order to argue Paul alluded the potter saying to evoke a particular period of Israel’s history when Judah rejected God’s clear revelation and were therefore facing God’s judgment at the hand of the Assyrian Empire. As in Isaiah 6:9-10, the nation is blind and deaf and cannot respond properly to the words of the prophet. But as Isaiah 29 stands in the canonical text, Israel’s failure is not final. Although their eyes have been blinded (29:9-10) they will once again see “in that day” (29:18).
A paper read at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society 2015, Atlanta, Georgia ... more A paper read at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society 2015, Atlanta, Georgia
I propose Luke intentionally modeled the story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison after his denial of Christ in Luke 22:54-62 and the surrounding context. Luke intended Acts 12 as a “restoration” of Peter similar to John 21:15-23. Several lexical and thematic elements indicate an intra-textual relationship between Luke’s two narratives, demonstrating the unity of Luke-Acts. By observing the relationship between the two stories, I will argue Peter’s rescue from prison is an overlooked literary connection between Luke and Acts which serve to unify the two works.
The commentary begins with a twenty-one-page introduction. This seems brief, especially consideri... more The commentary begins with a twenty-one-page introduction. This seems brief, especially considering this includes an outline of the book and major commentaries. For comparison, Keener's introduction is forty-five pages, and deSilva's is one hundred-eight. The rest of the book is about the same length as these recent major commentaries. There is little doubt that Paul is the original author, and this news is never seriously challenged. Unlike authorship, there is more controversy concerning the recipients, date, and relationship to the Book of Acts. After surveying the options, he concludes that Acts 11:27-30 is the meeting described in Galatians 2:1-10. (See this post for my views on Galatians and Acts.)This meeting sets in motion the tensions that culminated in the Jerusalem conference. In the book of Galatians, these tensions are not yet settled. Burer prefers the South Galatians theory, so Galatians is written on the eve of the Jerusalem Council, approximately A.D. 49. The recipients are the churches Paul established on his first missionary journey, the city and Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Debre. "the bubbling tension surrounding full gentile inclusion in the people of God on no bases other than faith forces Paul to write these churches to clarify what he preached to them before and it's outworking in their relationships" (9).
Garrett's new commentary on Job in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary is a highly anticipated ... more Garrett's new commentary on Job in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary is a highly anticipated contribution to the study of the Hebrew text of Job.
In his fifty-four-page introduction, Garrett observes that Job is anonymous. There is no single Jewish tradition for authorship, and dates range from Abraham’s time to the Hellenistic era. “Evangelical scholarship has abandoned a pre-Israelite date for the book’s composition” (4). Linguistic data does not help much since both Aramaic and Ugaritic parallels are inconclusive. Historical, geographical, and ethnic data lean toward a neo-Babylon. More helpful is the theology of the book, such as the reference to Satan in the prologue. Since the only other use of the word Satan is in Chronicles, the word implied a postexilic date. Intertextuality may help since many scholars detect illusions to Psalms, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. But Garrett suggests Job shares a common way of speaking with the Hebrew Bible. There are words, concepts, and even phrases that appear without applying literary dependence. Garrett surveys a long list of possible allusions and then narrows his list of suggested textual connections to just a few possible literary illusions, such as the creation story and Job 7: in the body of the commentary, he argues that this passage is a parody of Psalm 8:4–8 and was therefore written after it (14).
McGrath makes some rather bold claims in this popular-level book on John the Baptist. For example... more McGrath makes some rather bold claims in this popular-level book on John the Baptist. For example, "What became Christianity was an offshoot of the Baptist movement" (124). Jesus was a disciple or apostle of John (93), and "Jesus's teaching was the gist of John's message" (74). Christmaker challenges much of what most Bible readers think they know about John the Baptist.
Nogalski begins his forty-three-page introduction by observing that Micah originated in the eight... more Nogalski begins his forty-three-page introduction by observing that Micah originated in the eighth century B.C. but reflects editorial activity after 586 BC to clarify the blame for the destruction of Jerusalem. Chapters 1-3 are the “early core,” concerned with the Assyrian invasion of 701 B.C. and the reign of Hezekiah (although there is not much on Hezekiah’s positive contributions). Micah is from Moresheth-Gath, a village in the Shephelah affected by the Assyrian invasion. Nogalski suggests the oppression described in Micah 2-3 reflects unethical means of obtaining land during King Hezekiah’s defensive building before 701 B.C.
Hear Ye the Word continues the project of The Lost World of Scripture by calling attention to the... more Hear Ye the Word continues the project of The Lost World of Scripture by calling attention to the oral culture in which Scripture was produced. Since modern Christians are accustomed to reading Scripture privately, oral culture is indeed a “lost world.”
In this book, Sandy begins with the observation that reading the Bible requires effort because readers are crossing a cultural gap. The biblical world was an oral culture: people spoke, and people listened. Today, most people prefer written text over an oral report. However, this was not the case in the ancient world. Sandy quotes Papias, “I do not believe that things out of books are as beneficial to me as things from a living and enduring voice” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.4). Citing his earlier book, ancient culture was a “text-possible-yet-hearing prevalent society.” Therefore, Sandy concludes we ought to do our best to understand scripture as it was originally heard (11).
According to Dodson, this view is impossible based on reading the rest of Paul’s letters. In Roma... more According to Dodson, this view is impossible based on reading the rest of Paul’s letters. In Romans, Paul argues that the Holy Spirit enables believers to overcome sin. Romans 8:27 seems clear: believers are “more than conquerors in Christ.” Any interpretation that understands the wretched man as referring to Paul himself clashes with the context of Romans 7:24. Dodson considers this view a “blunt and clumsy popular view that leads believers to think that they are impotent before sin and powerless to do good” (xviii). To read Romans 7:24 this way is a “flip it surrender to sin,” which sounds like Emily Dickinson: “The heart wants what it wants, or else it doesn’t care” (7). Unfortunately, this will lead to a learned helplessness in the Christian life. “A person persuaded she will always be defeated by sin likely will be. People rarely win battles they have are convinced they have already lost” (127). This “learned helplessness” completely ignores Romans 6 and Romans 8.
The goal of this book is to help readers make sense of 1 Enoch. This is not a new translation of ... more The goal of this book is to help readers make sense of 1 Enoch. This is not a new translation of the book, but a summary and commentary on 1 Enoch designed for the nonspecialist. Some introductions to 1 Enoch focus only on the first thirty-six chapters, which is known as the Book of the Watchers. This is understandable, since, for many, this is the most interesting section. However, in this book I will look at all five sections of 1 Enoch, since each contributes uniquely to our understanding of early Judaism and Christianity. I want to help readers hear the various voices and set the historical
Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first document... more Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first documents written by Christians in the first century. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with the first real controversy in the early church: the status of Jews and gentiles in this present age and the application of the Law of Moses to gentiles. Paul argues passionately that gentiles are not "converting" to Judaism and therefore should not be expected to keep the Law. Gentiles who accept Jesus as Savior are "free in Christ," not under the bondage of the Law. Galatians also deals with an important pastoral issue in the early church as well. If gentiles are not "under the Law," are they free to behave any way they like? Does Paul's gospel mean that gentiles can continue to live like pagans and still be right with God? For Paul, the believer's status as an adopted child of God enables them to serve God freely as dearly loved children.
Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul's letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.
Frequently New Testament commentaries will state that the image of a banquet, or more specificall... more Frequently New Testament commentaries will state that the image of a banquet, or more specifically, a wedding banquet, was a common messianic image in the first century. However, other than Isa 25:6-8, sources for the image of a banquet for the messianic age in the Hebrew Bible are sparse, and there is very little to support the view that a wedding banquet was a widespread image of the messianic age in Second Temple period Judaism. Many scholars therefore doubt the symbolic value of the messianic banquet as a wedding celebration in the first century.
Yet the image of a banquet clearly appears in the Synoptic Gospels in both the actions of Jesus as well as his teaching. In his table fellowship Jesus invites all people to eat and drink with him (Matt 8:11-12). In his teaching through parables Jesus describes his ministry as an invitation to a feast. Those who respond to this invitation are participating in the banquet, but those who do not respond will never be admitted to the banquet (Matt 22:1-14, Matt 25:1-12). This ongoing banquet is described as a wedding feast and Jesus himself claims to be the bridegroom (Mark 2:19-20). Because the metaphor of a wedding banquet is not found in the literature of the Second Temple Period, scholars frequently assume that this sort of language was created by the Gospel writers and that Jesus himself did not claim to be a bridegroom.
In the preface to the first edition of Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen and David Gushee express dism... more In the preface to the first edition of Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen and David Gushee express dismay at the lack of interest in the Sermon on the Mount for doing Christian ethics. The “way of Jesus’s discipleship is thinned down, marginalized or avoided” (xvi). For Stassen and Gushee, the “rock” on which Christian ethics is to be built is the teaching and practice of Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount is the foundational text in the New Testament for Jesus’s teaching. If we hope to find social ethics in the teaching of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount is therefore the most likely place to start.
In Romans 9:19-21 Paul alludes to Isaiah 29:16 in order to answer a potential objection to his us... more In Romans 9:19-21 Paul alludes to Isaiah 29:16 in order to answer a potential objection to his use of Pharaoh as an illustration of God’s determinism. Most scholars agree Paul alludes to LXX Isaiah 29:16 “Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (NRSV), although most recognize a possible allusion to Isaiah 45:9 as well. The source of the allusion seems clear, but there is little consensus on function of Paul’s use of Isaiah 29:16 in the overall argument of Romans 9. C. H. Dodd claimed the potter and clay saying was a “well-worn illustration” and is “the weakest point in the whole epistle. . . [Paul] is embarrassed by the position he has taken up.” On the other hand, even though Douglas Moo considers the lines “something of a parenthesis,” he argues the citation “contributes significantly to our conception of God.”
There is an ongoing discussion among scholars concerning how much respect for context a New Testament writer has when citing or alluding to the Hebrew Bible. In a pair of recent monographs on Paul’s intertextual theological exegesis in Romans 9:1-18, Brian J. Abasciano argues Paul uses the Old Testament in accord with the original context. If this is the case, how does the context of Isaiah 29:16 contribute to our understanding of Romans 9? How much of the context of Isaiah 29 does Paul have in mind when he alludes to one line from the chapter? Or is he simply using a common metaphor to express the sovereignty of God?
After a short section in intertextual method, I will examine context of Isaiah 29:16 in order to argue Paul alluded the potter saying to evoke a particular period of Israel’s history when Judah rejected God’s clear revelation and were therefore facing God’s judgment at the hand of the Assyrian Empire. As in Isaiah 6:9-10, the nation is blind and deaf and cannot respond properly to the words of the prophet. But as Isaiah 29 stands in the canonical text, Israel’s failure is not final. Although their eyes have been blinded (29:9-10) they will once again see “in that day” (29:18).
A paper read at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society 2015, Atlanta, Georgia ... more A paper read at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society 2015, Atlanta, Georgia
I propose Luke intentionally modeled the story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison after his denial of Christ in Luke 22:54-62 and the surrounding context. Luke intended Acts 12 as a “restoration” of Peter similar to John 21:15-23. Several lexical and thematic elements indicate an intra-textual relationship between Luke’s two narratives, demonstrating the unity of Luke-Acts. By observing the relationship between the two stories, I will argue Peter’s rescue from prison is an overlooked literary connection between Luke and Acts which serve to unify the two works.
The commentary begins with a twenty-one-page introduction. This seems brief, especially consideri... more The commentary begins with a twenty-one-page introduction. This seems brief, especially considering this includes an outline of the book and major commentaries. For comparison, Keener's introduction is forty-five pages, and deSilva's is one hundred-eight. The rest of the book is about the same length as these recent major commentaries. There is little doubt that Paul is the original author, and this news is never seriously challenged. Unlike authorship, there is more controversy concerning the recipients, date, and relationship to the Book of Acts. After surveying the options, he concludes that Acts 11:27-30 is the meeting described in Galatians 2:1-10. (See this post for my views on Galatians and Acts.)This meeting sets in motion the tensions that culminated in the Jerusalem conference. In the book of Galatians, these tensions are not yet settled. Burer prefers the South Galatians theory, so Galatians is written on the eve of the Jerusalem Council, approximately A.D. 49. The recipients are the churches Paul established on his first missionary journey, the city and Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Debre. "the bubbling tension surrounding full gentile inclusion in the people of God on no bases other than faith forces Paul to write these churches to clarify what he preached to them before and it's outworking in their relationships" (9).
Garrett's new commentary on Job in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary is a highly anticipated ... more Garrett's new commentary on Job in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary is a highly anticipated contribution to the study of the Hebrew text of Job.
In his fifty-four-page introduction, Garrett observes that Job is anonymous. There is no single Jewish tradition for authorship, and dates range from Abraham’s time to the Hellenistic era. “Evangelical scholarship has abandoned a pre-Israelite date for the book’s composition” (4). Linguistic data does not help much since both Aramaic and Ugaritic parallels are inconclusive. Historical, geographical, and ethnic data lean toward a neo-Babylon. More helpful is the theology of the book, such as the reference to Satan in the prologue. Since the only other use of the word Satan is in Chronicles, the word implied a postexilic date. Intertextuality may help since many scholars detect illusions to Psalms, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. But Garrett suggests Job shares a common way of speaking with the Hebrew Bible. There are words, concepts, and even phrases that appear without applying literary dependence. Garrett surveys a long list of possible allusions and then narrows his list of suggested textual connections to just a few possible literary illusions, such as the creation story and Job 7: in the body of the commentary, he argues that this passage is a parody of Psalm 8:4–8 and was therefore written after it (14).
McGrath makes some rather bold claims in this popular-level book on John the Baptist. For example... more McGrath makes some rather bold claims in this popular-level book on John the Baptist. For example, "What became Christianity was an offshoot of the Baptist movement" (124). Jesus was a disciple or apostle of John (93), and "Jesus's teaching was the gist of John's message" (74). Christmaker challenges much of what most Bible readers think they know about John the Baptist.
Nogalski begins his forty-three-page introduction by observing that Micah originated in the eight... more Nogalski begins his forty-three-page introduction by observing that Micah originated in the eighth century B.C. but reflects editorial activity after 586 BC to clarify the blame for the destruction of Jerusalem. Chapters 1-3 are the “early core,” concerned with the Assyrian invasion of 701 B.C. and the reign of Hezekiah (although there is not much on Hezekiah’s positive contributions). Micah is from Moresheth-Gath, a village in the Shephelah affected by the Assyrian invasion. Nogalski suggests the oppression described in Micah 2-3 reflects unethical means of obtaining land during King Hezekiah’s defensive building before 701 B.C.
Hear Ye the Word continues the project of The Lost World of Scripture by calling attention to the... more Hear Ye the Word continues the project of The Lost World of Scripture by calling attention to the oral culture in which Scripture was produced. Since modern Christians are accustomed to reading Scripture privately, oral culture is indeed a “lost world.”
In this book, Sandy begins with the observation that reading the Bible requires effort because readers are crossing a cultural gap. The biblical world was an oral culture: people spoke, and people listened. Today, most people prefer written text over an oral report. However, this was not the case in the ancient world. Sandy quotes Papias, “I do not believe that things out of books are as beneficial to me as things from a living and enduring voice” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.4). Citing his earlier book, ancient culture was a “text-possible-yet-hearing prevalent society.” Therefore, Sandy concludes we ought to do our best to understand scripture as it was originally heard (11).
According to Dodson, this view is impossible based on reading the rest of Paul’s letters. In Roma... more According to Dodson, this view is impossible based on reading the rest of Paul’s letters. In Romans, Paul argues that the Holy Spirit enables believers to overcome sin. Romans 8:27 seems clear: believers are “more than conquerors in Christ.” Any interpretation that understands the wretched man as referring to Paul himself clashes with the context of Romans 7:24. Dodson considers this view a “blunt and clumsy popular view that leads believers to think that they are impotent before sin and powerless to do good” (xviii). To read Romans 7:24 this way is a “flip it surrender to sin,” which sounds like Emily Dickinson: “The heart wants what it wants, or else it doesn’t care” (7). Unfortunately, this will lead to a learned helplessness in the Christian life. “A person persuaded she will always be defeated by sin likely will be. People rarely win battles they have are convinced they have already lost” (127). This “learned helplessness” completely ignores Romans 6 and Romans 8.
That I May Dwell Among Them carefully examines a theme from the Old Testament that is related to ... more That I May Dwell Among Them carefully examines a theme from the Old Testament that is related to later Christian theology. Rather than start with incarnation and atonement in the New Testament and then “salvage” the Tabernacle narrative, Anderson starts with the Old Testament text. He develops what the Tabernacle narrative says about God dwelling with his people and providing atonement before he moves forward to the New Testament and Christian theology. Throughout the book, Anderson is guided by Brevard Child’s canonical method, which enables him to see connections between Leviticus and the creation story
In his Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions (Hendrickson Academic, 2020), Burnett hope... more In his Studying the New Testament through Inscriptions (Hendrickson Academic, 2020), Burnett hoped that "one day more New Testament students who use inscriptions in their interpretation of his documents and the historical reconstructions of early Christianity" (p. 165). Paul and Imperial Divine Honors is his first step toward reaching that goal.
In this monograph, Averbeck deals with the contentious issue of how Christianity relates to the p... more In this monograph, Averbeck deals with the contentious issue of how Christianity relates to the practice of Old Testament Law. He suggests that a common misconception of the law is that the Christian is “free from the law” (Rom 7:6, Gal 5:13). Averbeck says that although this is true, it does not mean Christians are to pay no attention to the Law. Christians are free from condemnation under the law (Rom 8:1), but just a few verses earlier in Romans, Paul states that the law is holy, righteous, and good (Rom 7:12–14). The believer is under an obligation to fulfill the righteous standards of the law, which Averbeck suggests can be fully done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
In his introduction to the series, Beitzel observes that geography is a legitimate, if overlooked... more In his introduction to the series, Beitzel observes that geography is a legitimate, if overlooked, hermeneutical category. The “where” question is essential for understanding the text. Unlike other great religious texts, biblical history occurs in specific places with many locations mentioned by name. A book like this geographical commentary is even more important since most Bible readers are woefully ignorant of geography. In fact, he suggests that the Pentateuch is a geographical document. Geographical details are found throughout the Pentateuch. Consider Numbers 33, a comprehensive list of locations Israel passed through after leaving Egypt. Why the list is included is an ongoing discussion, but the information was intentionally included for literary and theological reasons.
This is the fourth volume of the Through Old Testament Eyes series, the first since Seth Ehorn jo... more This is the fourth volume of the Through Old Testament Eyes series, the first since Seth Ehorn joined Andrew Le Peau as co-editor. In the series introduction, Le Peau observes that the New Testament writers were Old Testament people. Although this seems obvious, the symbols and literary patterns of the Old Testament are often overlooked in popular preaching and teaching on New Testament books. The TOTE series attempts to bridge the gap by setting the documents of the New Testament in the context of the Old Testament. This commentary is not a detailed intertextual study nor a commentary on how the New Testament uses the Old. The commentary aims to shed light on the Gospel of Matthew by observing various Old Testament texts to provide context. The Old Testament text may or may not be directly quoted or alluded to in Matthew. It is often the overall biblical theology of the Old Testament that is used to illuminate the New Testament.
In This Way We Came to Rome is a commentary on Paul’s travel implied in Acts 28:13–14. Paul arriv... more In This Way We Came to Rome is a commentary on Paul’s travel implied in Acts 28:13–14. Paul arrived in the port city of Puteoli and stayed there for seven days before traveling to Rome. The authors aim to allow readers to travel the road Paul traveled and “see it through his eyes.” Well documented and richly illustrated, Thompson and Wilson succeed in their goal. Readers will follow a suggested route for a seven-day trip from the port city of Puteoli to Rome. Whether Paul took this exact route or not, this book will be an excellent primer for travel in the Roman world.
This new monograph answers "media myths" about the mechanics and sociality of reading, writing, a... more This new monograph answers "media myths" about the mechanics and sociality of reading, writing, and circulating the canonical gospels. Elder surveys Pliny the Younger, Cicero, and Fronto (the tutor for Marcus Aurelius), Greek novels, and some elite letters in order to demonstrate how books were written and read in the ancient world in order to shed light on the production and circulation of the canonical Gospels.
John Goldingay’s commentary on Proverbs joins N. T. Wright's Galatians in the Commentaries for Ch... more John Goldingay’s commentary on Proverbs joins N. T. Wright's Galatians in the Commentaries for Christian Formation series (reviewed here). His commentary intentionally seeks to integrate serving the church through sound theological exegesis to support preaching, teaching, and forming believers in the faith. In the introduction to the series, the editors suggest, "Theology is not the result of exegesis; nor is it one discrete element that is separable from exegesis carried on by other means. Rather, exegesis is itself a way of doing theology" (xiv).
Given the goal of the Kerux series to produce an exegetical commentary with extensive preaching h... more Given the goal of the Kerux series to produce an exegetical commentary with extensive preaching helps, a volume on Numbers presents many challenges. Most pastors or teachers would avoid large sections of the Book of Numbers and possibly even consider it “unpreachable.” As Barker observes in the introduction, many scholars see Numbers as an “unorganized hodgepodge” with a wide variety of genres, such as census lists, that do not make for good preaching texts.
In Women Who Do, Carey argues that “as a whole, the women who followed Jesus were the ones who mo... more In Women Who Do, Carey argues that “as a whole, the women who followed Jesus were the ones who most consistently took action—who quite literally followed Jesus in ways his closest companions failed to do” (8). This active discipleship makes Jesus’s female disciples exemplars for Christians (9). To achieve this goal, she offers a comprehensive survey of female disciples in the Gospels and Acts through a close reading of the text and considering socio-cultural realities and challenges women faced in the first century. She does not select a few examples; she covers all examples, including characters who interact with Jesus and women who are used as hypothetical models (such as women in parables).
In his 104-page introduction, Quarles begins his discussion of the authorship of the first gospel... more In his 104-page introduction, Quarles begins his discussion of the authorship of the first gospel by observing the author was certainly a Jewish Christian, probably from Galilee. The author seems favorable toward Galilee and negative towards Jerusalemites. “Due to early and unanimous testimony supporting Matthean authorship and the lack of internal evidence contrary to this testimony,” he accepts Matthew as the author. He does not argue this from apologetic or theological concerns, but after a “thorough survey of the evidence,” Matthew is simply the best conclusion (12).
This rare mix of academic scholarship and pop culture awareness is on display in his new book, Th... more This rare mix of academic scholarship and pop culture awareness is on display in his new book, The A to Z of the New Testament. The book gathers 26 crucial topics that are the things typically taught in a university introductory course to the New Testament. The chapters are aimed at beginners, whether they go on to take a university course or not. The book is designed to be fun and light-hearted. But this goes much deeper than a "simple answers to simple questions book," and he is not dealing with trivia. These are the sorts of things that New Testament scholars know about the New Testament that anyone interested in taking the New Testament seriously should also know. McGrath invites people into a conversation about important issues for understanding the New Testament in a creative and unique way.
This new volume of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series replaces P. T. O'Brien's 2016 comme... more This new volume of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series replaces P. T. O'Brien's 2016 commentary after the publisher concluded allegations of plagiarism were credible.
Grindheim begins his seventy-one-page introduction to the commentary with the observation that Hebrews is the oldest unabridged Christian sermon that has survived. It is, therefore, a window into how the Old Testament was read and interpreted in the 1st century. The book is "an artistically crafted sermon" (32). The main theme is the high priesthood of Jesus.
Uploads
Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul's letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.
Yet the image of a banquet clearly appears in the Synoptic Gospels in both the actions of Jesus as well as his teaching. In his table fellowship Jesus invites all people to eat and drink with him (Matt 8:11-12). In his teaching through parables Jesus describes his ministry as an invitation to a feast. Those who respond to this invitation are participating in the banquet, but those who do not respond will never be admitted to the banquet (Matt 22:1-14, Matt 25:1-12). This ongoing banquet is described as a wedding feast and Jesus himself claims to be the bridegroom (Mark 2:19-20). Because the metaphor of a wedding banquet is not found in the literature of the Second Temple Period, scholars frequently assume that this sort of language was created by the Gospel writers and that Jesus himself did not claim to be a bridegroom.
There is an ongoing discussion among scholars concerning how much respect for context a New Testament writer has when citing or alluding to the Hebrew Bible. In a pair of recent monographs on Paul’s intertextual theological exegesis in Romans 9:1-18, Brian J. Abasciano argues Paul uses the Old Testament in accord with the original context. If this is the case, how does the context of Isaiah 29:16 contribute to our understanding of Romans 9? How much of the context of Isaiah 29 does Paul have in mind when he alludes to one line from the chapter? Or is he simply using a common metaphor to express the sovereignty of God?
After a short section in intertextual method, I will examine context of Isaiah 29:16 in order to argue Paul alluded the potter saying to evoke a particular period of Israel’s history when Judah rejected God’s clear revelation and were therefore facing God’s judgment at the hand of the Assyrian Empire. As in Isaiah 6:9-10, the nation is blind and deaf and cannot respond properly to the words of the prophet. But as Isaiah 29 stands in the canonical text, Israel’s failure is not final. Although their eyes have been blinded (29:9-10) they will once again see “in that day” (29:18).
I propose Luke intentionally modeled the story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison after his denial of Christ in Luke 22:54-62 and the surrounding context. Luke intended Acts 12 as a “restoration” of Peter similar to John 21:15-23. Several lexical and thematic elements indicate an intra-textual relationship between Luke’s two narratives, demonstrating the unity of Luke-Acts. By observing the relationship between the two stories, I will argue Peter’s rescue from prison is an overlooked literary connection between Luke and Acts which serve to unify the two works.
In his fifty-four-page introduction, Garrett observes that Job is anonymous. There is no single Jewish tradition for authorship, and dates range from Abraham’s time to the Hellenistic era. “Evangelical scholarship has abandoned a pre-Israelite date for the book’s composition” (4). Linguistic data does not help much since both Aramaic and Ugaritic parallels are inconclusive. Historical, geographical, and ethnic data lean toward a neo-Babylon. More helpful is the theology of the book, such as the reference to Satan in the prologue. Since the only other use of the word Satan is in Chronicles, the word implied a postexilic date. Intertextuality may help since many scholars detect illusions to Psalms, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. But Garrett suggests Job shares a common way of speaking with the Hebrew Bible. There are words, concepts, and even phrases that appear without applying literary dependence. Garrett surveys a long list of possible allusions and then narrows his list of suggested textual connections to just a few possible literary illusions, such as the creation story and Job 7: in the body of the commentary, he argues that this passage is a parody of Psalm 8:4–8 and was therefore written after it (14).
In this book, Sandy begins with the observation that reading the Bible requires effort because readers are crossing a cultural gap. The biblical world was an oral culture: people spoke, and people listened. Today, most people prefer written text over an oral report. However, this was not the case in the ancient world. Sandy quotes Papias, “I do not believe that things out of books are as beneficial to me as things from a living and enduring voice” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.4). Citing his earlier book, ancient culture was a “text-possible-yet-hearing prevalent society.” Therefore, Sandy concludes we ought to do our best to understand scripture as it was originally heard (11).
Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul's letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.
Yet the image of a banquet clearly appears in the Synoptic Gospels in both the actions of Jesus as well as his teaching. In his table fellowship Jesus invites all people to eat and drink with him (Matt 8:11-12). In his teaching through parables Jesus describes his ministry as an invitation to a feast. Those who respond to this invitation are participating in the banquet, but those who do not respond will never be admitted to the banquet (Matt 22:1-14, Matt 25:1-12). This ongoing banquet is described as a wedding feast and Jesus himself claims to be the bridegroom (Mark 2:19-20). Because the metaphor of a wedding banquet is not found in the literature of the Second Temple Period, scholars frequently assume that this sort of language was created by the Gospel writers and that Jesus himself did not claim to be a bridegroom.
There is an ongoing discussion among scholars concerning how much respect for context a New Testament writer has when citing or alluding to the Hebrew Bible. In a pair of recent monographs on Paul’s intertextual theological exegesis in Romans 9:1-18, Brian J. Abasciano argues Paul uses the Old Testament in accord with the original context. If this is the case, how does the context of Isaiah 29:16 contribute to our understanding of Romans 9? How much of the context of Isaiah 29 does Paul have in mind when he alludes to one line from the chapter? Or is he simply using a common metaphor to express the sovereignty of God?
After a short section in intertextual method, I will examine context of Isaiah 29:16 in order to argue Paul alluded the potter saying to evoke a particular period of Israel’s history when Judah rejected God’s clear revelation and were therefore facing God’s judgment at the hand of the Assyrian Empire. As in Isaiah 6:9-10, the nation is blind and deaf and cannot respond properly to the words of the prophet. But as Isaiah 29 stands in the canonical text, Israel’s failure is not final. Although their eyes have been blinded (29:9-10) they will once again see “in that day” (29:18).
I propose Luke intentionally modeled the story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison after his denial of Christ in Luke 22:54-62 and the surrounding context. Luke intended Acts 12 as a “restoration” of Peter similar to John 21:15-23. Several lexical and thematic elements indicate an intra-textual relationship between Luke’s two narratives, demonstrating the unity of Luke-Acts. By observing the relationship between the two stories, I will argue Peter’s rescue from prison is an overlooked literary connection between Luke and Acts which serve to unify the two works.
In his fifty-four-page introduction, Garrett observes that Job is anonymous. There is no single Jewish tradition for authorship, and dates range from Abraham’s time to the Hellenistic era. “Evangelical scholarship has abandoned a pre-Israelite date for the book’s composition” (4). Linguistic data does not help much since both Aramaic and Ugaritic parallels are inconclusive. Historical, geographical, and ethnic data lean toward a neo-Babylon. More helpful is the theology of the book, such as the reference to Satan in the prologue. Since the only other use of the word Satan is in Chronicles, the word implied a postexilic date. Intertextuality may help since many scholars detect illusions to Psalms, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. But Garrett suggests Job shares a common way of speaking with the Hebrew Bible. There are words, concepts, and even phrases that appear without applying literary dependence. Garrett surveys a long list of possible allusions and then narrows his list of suggested textual connections to just a few possible literary illusions, such as the creation story and Job 7: in the body of the commentary, he argues that this passage is a parody of Psalm 8:4–8 and was therefore written after it (14).
In this book, Sandy begins with the observation that reading the Bible requires effort because readers are crossing a cultural gap. The biblical world was an oral culture: people spoke, and people listened. Today, most people prefer written text over an oral report. However, this was not the case in the ancient world. Sandy quotes Papias, “I do not believe that things out of books are as beneficial to me as things from a living and enduring voice” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.4). Citing his earlier book, ancient culture was a “text-possible-yet-hearing prevalent society.” Therefore, Sandy concludes we ought to do our best to understand scripture as it was originally heard (11).
Grindheim begins his seventy-one-page introduction to the commentary with the observation that Hebrews is the oldest unabridged Christian sermon that has survived. It is, therefore, a window into how the Old Testament was read and interpreted in the 1st century. The book is "an artistically crafted sermon" (32). The main theme is the high priesthood of Jesus.