My Lessons from ETS…Finally…

I know I am about a week late, but I have been enjoying time with my family and catching up on class work and grading Greek papers this week, but here is what I learned at ETS:

Well, first the books:

ZIBBCOT ed. John Walton – Only $100 so I could not resist. Dictionary of the Old Testament – Pentateuch, Dictionary of the Old Testament – Historical Books, Dictionary of the Old Testament – Wisdom Poetry and Writings – I had all the NT volumes so with discounts I was able to get all the OT volumes as well. OT Pseudepigraha V. 1 and OT Pseudepigrapha V. 2 – Hedrickson is producing a softcover version of these so I thought it would be nice to add to electronic version I have.

OK now what I learned…

1. Go to the papers that where the topic involves your area of research or expertise. – I went to an excellent paper by Dr. Albin Huss of Calvary Baptist Seminary on Paul’s use of Isaiah.  He had an excellent discussion on how PAul uses Isaiah 59-60 in Ephesians 6.  This is directly applicable to my current research.

2. Go to papers by the Big Names. – The other excellent sessions I went to were John Walton’s talk about demonology in the OT, Daniel Block’s discussion of the Decalogue (or more Deuteronomy) throughout the OT, Bruce Waltke, Willem VanGemeran and Hassel Bullock on the Psalms, and the Synoptics group with Ben Witherington III, Robert Stein, Joel Willets, Darrel Bock and others.

3. Being cheap is great. – I drove to New Orleans with 3 other guys and we stayed in the dorms at NOBTS for $10.50 per night.  So the whole trip cost us only about $100.

4. The atmosphere is cool. – It was just fun to be around all the great scholars we all love.

5. I’m not that smart. – Not only because I was humbled by being around all the great scholars, but I also did not get to go SBL.  There were so many papers I wanted to stay for, but my traveling partners needed to get for their church responsibilities.  For some reason I did not realize I could have flown back by myself until Friday night when the flights were really expensive, so…I guess I’m not as smart as I thought I was.

 

New Blog – Gospel and Theology in Context

One of my best friends and fellow TEDS student, Justin, has finally started a blog: Gospel and Theology in Context.  Justin is a really sharp guy who can get to the heart of issues of theology and ministry better than almost anyone I know.  He has great vision for missions and Biblical and theological education on a global scale.  Much of my intellectual and spiritual maturity over the last 4 years is thanks in part to late night and early morning discussions with Justin and a few other friends we talk with.  So check him out and add him to your reader.

 

Calvin Commentaries Giveaway…For a Good Cause

From Bryan Lopez:

 

“This can be yours. It’s pretty simple. My wife and I started a company called Baby Zoowon. We are about orphans and adoption, the idea is nothing fancy, but you can make a difference. For every blanket, set of bibs, set of burp cloths, or gift sets that you buy we will donate a blanket to a child in need, AND a portion of every sale goes to helping families (like ours) with their adoption.

Here’s a little bit about us:

Our Mission: Baby Zoowon is committed to orphan care. For each blanket purchased Baby Zoowon will donate a blanket to a child in need. Baby Zoowon also donates a portion of every sale to help families with the overwhelming cost of adoption.

Our Story: Baby Zoowon was created by a stay at home mom. While raising three children and in the process of adopting from Ethopia it became increasingly obvious that there is an incredible need. With 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone making a difference seemed impossible. Owner Sherry Lopez realized that this is not a “one person job,” but with your help Baby Zoowon will make a difference in the life of a child – one purchase at a time.

Baby Zoo-what? The Lopez family is currently in the processes of adoption from Ethiopia. Zoowon is the Amharic word for Elephant. We all know that an elephant never forgets so we thought it’s the perfect animal to represent us remembering those that have been forgotten.

Why baby blankets? “Research and experience have shown that a favorite blanket can be a soothing and comforting transitional object as children face changes early in life and can actually help them develop emotionally,” said Judith Jerald, MSW and Early Childhood Advisor to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. “Children born into poverty often face a higher level of stress and more anxiety-producing situations than those from more affluent families, making their trusted blanket all the more important.

All you have to do is repost this post and email me at bryan[at]bryanlopez.com with a link OR become our friend on Facebook, recommend some friends then email me.”

Winner will be chosen Friday of next week!

 

Major Theological Lectures Page Update and New Biblical Studies on iTunes Page

Well I probably should have been reading or studying this weekend but I finally updated the Theological Lectures page, and it was a major update.  Some of the links were broken, so I removed those, but I also added over 100 new lectures, so please enjoy.

Also I added a new page with links to Biblical Studies resources on iTunes.  As always, with both pages, if you know of any resources I do not have listed please leave a comment (I am looking for more academic oriented audio resources over sermons).

 

I Almost Forgot…October Bible Giveaway

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

 

Review of Paul & His Letters by John B. Polhill

Polhill, John B. Paul & His Letters. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holdman, 1999.

John Pohill is Professor on New Testament at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has also authored the NAC Acts volume.  Polhill’s introduction to Paul takes its place as a mid-level work on the apostle.  It is not as technical or thorough as high level Pauline theologies, (Dunn, Schriener, Ridderboss) but comes in line with Bruce’s classic work, Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free.

The approach of this volume is to give the reader an introduction to the entirety of the witness from and to Paul in the New Testament, and the structure follows suit.  The book follows a chronological structure with the chapters concerning Paul in Acts interspersed with chapters discussing his letters.  The first seven chapters discuss Paul’s life as seen in the book of Acts.  The first two chapters detail the background of Paul’s situation, he is both a learned Hellenistic Jew, “A Citizen of two Cities” and a devout Jewish Pharisee, “Hebrew of Hebrews”.  Next Pohill offers an account of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus “Seized by Christ” and how that event effected him to become an apostle to the Gentiles “Speaking to Greeks Also.”  In the first, Polhill discusses Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ own teaching, while in the second Paul’s earliest mission work on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and a chronology are determined. Before turning to Paul’s early letters, Paul’s first Asian mission is explained “The First Mission” and the conflict in Antioch and the Jerusalem council is broken down.

The chapters chronicling Paul’s letters start with a short general introduction to the letter then the how and when the church was established and background on the city.  Issues involved in interpreting the letter are then explained, such as authorship or the unity of a letter.  An outline of the letter is then given with the argument of the letter.  Finally, a selected list of commentaries is suggested.  As noted earlier, the letters are treated in chronological order as Polhill understands: Galatians, Philippians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Corinthians, Romans, Colossians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Titus and 2 Timothy.  After the chapter on Thessalonians there is another chapter concerning the Acts material, here detailing Paul’s work in the urban centers of Greece.  In the same way, after Romans, is a discussion of Paul’s collection for the Jerusalem poor and his final trip to the city.  The final chapter while explaining 2 Timothy also describes his second Roman imprisonment and martyrdom.

This mid-level work on Paul is best suited for lay level readers looking for a introduction to studying Paul’s life and letters.  I say this because as much as much as there is a careful explanation of the argument each letter, there is less than adequate discussions of issues involved in interpretations.  In Galatians and Romans, there is no real mention of the New Perspective and the authorship debate on the Pastorals is only given one paragraph.  Because this volume does little to interact with recent scholarship, I do not see it as having much advantage over Apostle of the Heart Set Free.

 

Review of Theology of the New Testament by Frank Thielman

Thielman, Frank. Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, MI, 2005.

Frank Thielman is Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School.  His other works include Paul and the Law: A Contextual Approach, Philippians NIVAC, and the Ephesians chapter in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament.  In recent years the Evangelical world has had a number of new New Testament theologies, including Thielman’s, Thomas Schreiner’s and I. Howard Marshall’s.  Schreiner’s as well as Ladd’s classic work treat the theology of the New Testament topically, while Thielman and Marshall’s treat each book individually.  In addition to his book by book approach, Thielman is clear that he is writing to present a theology of the New Testament itself, and not early Christianity.  This does not preclude his use of historical and cultural exegesis, but does plant him in, as Waltke’s OT volume did, in the Evangelical and broadly reformed tradition.

In the Introduction, Thielman provides an less than adequate history of the discipline from its development through modern interpreters such as Gabler, Wrede and Raisanen.  In addition, two smaller sections on the role of theological unity and another on history’s role in the theology of the New Testament complete the first section.

The following sections are divided into the standard corpra of the New Testament: “Gospels and Acts”, “The Pauline Letters” and “The Non-Pauline Letters and the Revelation to John.”  Before the individual Gospels, there is a good chapter on the problem and importance of four different witnesses and a concluding chapter discussing their combined witness.  I am glad to see Thielman work through Luke and Acts together.  I have said many times before, that in my understanding one is not finished reading Luke until they have also read Acts and to read Acts without Luke is to read the conclusion of a mystery novel without knowing the characters or plot.  Thielman seems to agree and offers a good treatment of Luke and Acts together.  In each book a standard treatment of the Gospel’s main theme and devices are explained with relative clarity.

As with the Gospels, the section concerned with the Pauline corpus begins and ends with a summary chapter with each book receiving not only a topical theological discussion, but a well crafted explanation of the each letter’s argument.  In the opening chapter “The Coherence and Center of Paul’s Theology”, Thielman falls victim to the trap of looking for a “center” of Paul’s theology.  Many have pointed out before that such a task will either be reductionistic or so abstract that it does little to distinguish itself much from the center of the NT or the Bible as a whole.  With his “God’s graciousness towards his weak and sinful creatures” (232), Thielman is firmly in the later.

The final section on Catholic or General letters, again follows suit with opening and closing summary chapters and a good discussion of theology and argument throughout each book.  I found the two summarizing chapters here to be the most helpful and informative with the first searching for a theological unity between nine different letters authored by five very different men.

In criticism, I would have liked to have seen a fuller discussion of the history of  interpretation in regards to developing a New Testament theology.  The magisterial work of Ladd that has and still does effect many interpreters understand NT theology was not given a mention.  While I am happy to see Thielman write in the book by book format (as the topical style is well covered by Ladd and Schriener), I would have like to have seen more of a discussion on the continuity and or diversity of the theological themes.  Other than the final concluding chapter, which seems to act a summary of all NT theological themes, the reader may be left wondering: How do Paul and John’s Christologies complement or contrast each?  How does the eschatology of Matthew differ or agree with Paul’s description of the ages?  Without such a discussion the reader is left to try to piece most these together on their own.  Nevertheless, this volume does give a good discussion of theological themes and agendas of each NT author.  Used alongside a more synchronic approach (and here I still prefer Ladd over Schriener), this book would be useful in most evangelical college classrooms and church study groups.  Once I finish Marshall’s volume, I can make a more specific recommendation.

 

Review of An Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke

Well, my reading schedule and paper grading for school has not allowed me to continue reviewing Waltke’s OTT chapter by chapter, but I did finish reading it so I will provide just a single review post.

Waltke, Bruce K., and Charles Yu. An Old Testament Theology: A Exegetical, Canonical and Thematic Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

I would like to thank Jesse Hillman at Zondervan for the gracious provision of this review copy! Waltke’s other works include: Genesis: A Commentary, NICOT Proverbs V. 1 & V. 2, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and A Commentary on Micah.  There are three main sections.  In the “Introduction”, Waltke describes both his approach and methodology in developing a theology of the Old Testament.  He makes it is clear that his work will fall firmly in the evangelical and broadly reformed tradition.  While he is certainly writing for the student and the informed layman, Waltke does not default to this tradition, but explains how he will employ the various tools of exegesis, history and philosophy to develop his theology.  In this section he confidently notes that the main theme of the Bible is that “Israel’s sublime God, whose attributes hold in tension his holiness and mercy, glorifies himself by establishing his universal rule over his volitional creatures on earth through Jesus Christ and his covenant people.” (144).

In the second section, “Primary History”, moves through the primary history of Israel in chronological order.  Instead of primarily treating each book or even each section of the Pentateuch, Waltke keys in on major events that shape the theology of Old Testament describing each as a “Gift”, including “The Gift of Adam“, “The Gift of the Abrahamic Covenant”, “The Gift of the Old Covenant”.  I found the chapter entitled “The Gift of God as Deliverer and Warrior” to stand out amongst the rest.  While this may be due to subject bias, I did feel his synthesis here added the most the current material.  After these first 17 chapters on the Pentateuch, the structure takes a more recognizable approach with a chapter on Joshua, and then tracing out of the theology of land throughout the Old and New Testament, and subsequent chapters for individual books with Chronicles and Esther, and Ezra/Nehemiah being treated together.  The final section, “Other Writings” treats the Prophets and the Wisdom literature in the same way.

The most compelling aspect of this volume is Waltke himself.  The work does not break any new ground per se but approaches the study of Old Testament theology unlike most other works I have read.  Waltke’s desire for the reader to better know and love God by learning about his great acts in history comes out on every page.  It is unlikely this book will be used outside of evangelical institutions because of this approach, something I doubt Waltke would fret.  There is not much theological comparison with other ANE religions (this is not to say that Waltke has not done his work in the exegetical stage), but the depth of the content, prose and reflection on what the covenant God of Israel has done is perfectly oriented for pastors, Bible and seminary students and informed laymen.  If you are looking for a text on the Old Testament that will stir you to love God more and earnestly follow Jesus, Bruce Waltke’s An Old Testament Theology may be your best bet.

 

Bishop Wright…Movie Star

Here is another video from Bishop Wright, this time concerning the atonement.

Noteworthy:

- “The idea of the forces of evil and decay being defeated, if I put that in the middle. it doesn’t rule out the other theories of atonement, it gives them space to make their proper contribution.  I want all the theories of atonement because I think they do ultimately fit together.”

That is an excellent articulation of a comprehensive understanding of the atonement.

- While I agree in principle, in his discussion of his critique of Pierced for Our Transgressions, I think Wright could have been a bit fairer of the authors’ understanding of atonement in the Gospels.  I agree that most of the classical Reformed tradition and POT do not give the witness of the Gospels a proper place in their broad understanding of atonement, but I don’t think that they read the Gospels as a source book for Paul or directly through a Pauline lens as is sometimes claimed.

 

Tom Wright & Jimmy Dunn Video on the New Perspective

This is a great video with Wright and Dunn on their understanding of and contribution to the New Perspective.  Especially see Dunn praise Luther and agree with him while recognizing some shortcomings.

*Note – I still disagree about ergon nomou only being circumcision/food laws/sabbath and not all of the Torah.*