Latest Issue of NTS (or My Scholarly Debut)

The October issue of New Testament Studies is available online. There are several interesting articles in this issue. I’m particularly looking forward to reading Francis Watson’s piece on Q, Joel Marcus‘ essay on the Birkat-Ha-Minim, and (of course) the article by Mike Bird and Michael Whitenton (that’s me!) on new patristic evidence in the πίστις Χριστοῦ debate.

(I feel like a grasshopper in the land…)

Do check out these articles, especially the last one!

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1.Q as Hypothesis: A Study in Methodology (Francis Watson)

2. Hellenistic παιδα and Luke’s Education: A Critique of Recent Approaches (Osvaldo Padilla)

3. The Burden of Ambiguity: Nicodemus and the Social Identity of the Johannine Christians (Raimo Hakola)

4. The Idea of Fellowship in 1 Corinthians 10.14–22 (Harm W. Hollander)

5. The Route of Paul’s First Journey to Pisidian Antioch (Mark Wilson)

6. Neither Gold nor Braided Hair (1 Timothy 2.9; 1 Peter 3.3): Adornment, Gender and Honour in Antiquity (Alicia J. Batten)

7. The Themes of 1 Peter: Insights from the Earliest Manuscripts (the Crosby-Schøyen Codex ms 193 and the Bodmer Miscellaneous Codex containing P⁷²) (David G. Horrell)

8. Birkat Ha-Minim Revisited (Joel Marcus)

9. The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Hippolytus’s De Christo et Antichristo: Overlooked Patristic Evidence in the Πστις Χριστο Debate (Michael F. Bird and Michael R. Whitenton)

August’s BiblioblogTop50 is out!

Right here. Congrats to the big movers and shakers this month. Here’s what the ineffable ones at the Top 50 had to say about them:

In a burst of zealotry, Jeff Oien (Scripture Zealot) leaped 36 places to third place this month, while Daniel and Tonya (Hebrew and Greek Reader) rose 8 places to fourth. Josh Mann (For the Sake of Truth) rose 42 places to No. 16, and Douglas Mangum (Biblia Hebraica), who has being trying to stay away from the biblioblogosphere but just couldn’t do it, rose 57 places to No. 29. The highest new entry was The Dunedin School’s group blog at No. 30, while Daniel L. McClellan’s new URL for Maklelan registered its first Top 50 place, at No. 34.

Congrats are also due to John Anderson, moving up to #19 and Brandon Wason at #15. Well done, gentlemen.

As for me, I dropped a few to #14, happily next to Brandon.

Thanks to all of you who made this possible… *sobs and clambers off the podium*

Of course, all ultimate glory goes to Jim West who has decimated everyone, subjecting them under his feet. Six months at the top. Way to go, Jim!

New in Bible and Interpretation

My friend, Mike Bird, has an essay in the latest Bible and Interpretation, “The Messianic Jesus Makes a Comeback.” Do check it out!

Paul, Subordination, and Trinity Once More

A month ago today I finished up a set of posts that seemed to set biblioblogdom on fire (at least that’s what some have said). Here are all their posts in their chronological glory:

Paul and Monotheism

1 Cor 3.23: Our Subordination to Christ; Christ’s to God (Monotheism in 1 Corinthians, 1)

Well now, that’s an excellent question!

Implications of Subordinationism in Paul for Trinitarianism Today

How exactly did Paul think of Jesus? (Paul and Monotheism, Part 2)

Over the past month I have some time to think through things, and re-read my posts. What has become apparent to me is that I probably could have been more clear about what I believe about Paul’s Christology and Trinitarianism. And because I know that all of you, my beloved readers, have been gnawing at the bit, dying to know what I think about the topic, I thought I would offer a few closing thoughts on the topic. If you are a wicked reprobate who has no interest in my theological leanings, then read no further. (you know who you are)

(Thanks to those who have continued reading.)

I believe that Paul, in 1 Corinthians, holds that Jesus is ontologically distinct from the God. Here I’m thinking of 1 Cor 3.23; 8.6; 11.3; 15.27-28. However, it seems clear to me for a variety of reasons that Paul’s use of the Carmen Christi betrays a more developed view, viz. that Jesus and God are ontologically equal, that is, they are of the same essence, the same being. They are both God. (Cf. Rom 9.5)

“But, Mike,” you may ask, “how can you say that Paul believed one thing then another?” Friend, my answer is that I think that Paul was wrestling with how to fit Jesus into his monotheistic grid. One sees traces of this in 1 Cor 8.6 with his restructuring of the Shema (or at least his augmenting of it). However, by the time Philippians is composed, Paul seems to have shifted to a view of the God of Israel that incorporates Jesus within the one essence of God. For Paul, to think of God was to think of Jesus and vice versa. Incidentally, this Christology shares a great deal of similarity with Luke’s Christology of divine identity. For both Luke and Paul, Jesus shared in the identity of the one true God, that is, he shared in his very essence.

When one steps outside of the writings of Paul and Luke and looks at the rest of the New Testament, it becomes apparent that John’s Christology is quite similar to that of Paul and Luke. While John’s gospel may differ in the minutia, the Prologue immediately evinces a Christology where the relationship between Jesus and God is such that to speak of one is to refer to the other as well. The rest of John supports this idea. Yet in John Jesus is the “Sent One” from the Father, distinct from God and functionally subordinate (cf., e.g., John 7.28-29; 17.3). How do these seemingly contradictory presentations of Jesus fit together? It seems to me that the best way to fit them together is to understand Jesus as being ontologically equal with God, yet functionally subordinate to God.

“But Mike,” you may ask, “how can you still affirm that Jesus and God are ontologically equal when Paul does not seem to hold such a view in 1 Corinthians?” Again, it is crucial to note the whole of the NT. As a historian, I treat the NT as a set of documents, rigorously subjecting my presuppositions to the evidence at hand and reevaluating them as necessary. Yet, as a Christian, I affirm that the NT is Scripture and that its teaching is one that should be listened to as a whole. Thus, Paul’s voice in 1 Corinthians is eminently important in its own right. There, it seems to me, we see Paul struggling to make since of Jesus, trying to fit him into his Jewish monotheism. Yet, the New Testament is made up of more than just 1 Corinthians. Philippians, Romans, Luke,  and John (to name a few) all evince a view of Jesus that sets Jesus and God as ontological equals. Each expresses this idea in differing ways, but the pith of their Christology is the same.

Not only am I not denying the triunity of God, I am upholding it. Regrettably, I have been misunderstood by a few if not many readers. While I was tempted to leave things as they were, I decided to vindicate my views because – hey! – everyone wants to be understood, right? Those of you who are praying for my soul (and I’m sure you are Legion) may stop. Your concerns were kind, but misguided.

One more comment: if you have followed all these posts carefully then you might notice that I have not been entirely consistent throughout. The reason for this is that I have been wrestling with the evidence at hand, reevaluating conclusions, and rethinking stuff in general. In other words, I have been asking a lot of questions. (Heaven forbid!) And yet it is in the midst of wrestling honestly with the core of what Christians have (just about) always affirmed that one finds that questioning and wrestling with God is itself a sign of fidelity. Faith is not sight. Yet faith that wrestles and questions, but remains true is faith indeed.

(This concludes the vetting of my understanding of Paul, Subordination, and Trinity once more. Normal blogging will now return to its regularly scheduled programming, which should include the new Top 50 and Biblical Studies Carnival anon. You are now free to move about the biblioblogosphere.)

In the mail (Peter Lang edition)

Last week I was delighted to find my review copy of The Time of Salvation: An Analysis of 4QApocryphon of Daniel ar (4Q246), 4QMessianic Apocalypse (4Q521 2), and 4QTime of Righteousness (4Q215a) by Årstein Justnes, who works as Head of Department at Department of Religion, Philosophy and History at the University of Agder (Norway). Many thanks to the good people of Peter Lang.

Part of the European University Studies series, The Time of Salvation offers a detailed analysis, including textual reconstructions, translations, and detailed commentary on 4Q246 (4QApocryphon of Daniel ar), 4Q521 (4QMessianic Apocalypse), and 4Q215a (4QTime of Righteousness). Each of these three texts are exceptionally important for understanding both Second Temple apocalyptic hope and interpretations of early Christian conceptions of Jesus as messiah.

A full review will be posted in due time. But from what I can tell already this book offers an eminent resource for study of these three important texts.

Snow Leopard is out and compatible with…

Accordance 8.2.3, Mellel 2.6.1, and Bookends 10.5.6. (At least, I haven’t had any problems so far.)

Report: Snow Leopard is fast. Really fast. Safari 4 seems faster too.

Jim, now is the time to return from exile and buy a mac.

Evangelical Universalist REVEALED

Right here.

Interview with Brueggemann (via John Anderson)

Do check out John’s interview with OT scholar extraordinaire Walter Brueggemann. Fantastic!

First week back…

Well, the first week has come and gone. I already feel behind. While John is celebrating his first year as a teacher, I’m outside where there is weeping and grinding of teeth among the students.

This semester will be a tough one because it’s full of little tasks and core classes (Most of them English Bible classes [*sigh*]. At least the one covering the prophets features one of my favorite, witty profs at the seminary, whose name, incidentally, is Jim.)

In other news, and perhaps ironically given the aforementioned classes, I’m also beginning Aramaic this semester! This go around I will be learning the “biblical” strata. Then, next semester, comes the targumic variety!

Fun times.

Also, among the pile of work lies several books that I’ll be reviewing right here. Get excited. It should be fun. *claps and cheers*

Review of Biblical Literature (26 August 2009)

Enjoy!

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The following new reviews have been added to the Review of Biblical Literature and listed on the RBL blog (http://rblnewsletter.blogspot.com/):

Richard Bauckham, Daniel Driver, Trevor Hart, and Nathan MacDonald, eds.
A Cloud of Witnesses: The Theology of Hebrews in Its Ancient Contexts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7111
Reviewed by Scott Mackie

Richard H. Bell
Deliver Us from Evil: Interpreting the Redemption from the Power of Satan in New Testament Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6918
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Katharina Bracht and David S. du Toit, eds.
Die Geschichte der Daniel-Auslegung in Judentum, Christentum und Islam: Studien zur Kommentierung des Danielbuches in Literatur und Kunst
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7181
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke

J. Bradley Chance
Acts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6893
Reviewed by Kenneth D. Litwak

Mordechai Cogan
The Raging Torrent: Historical Inscriptions from Assyria and Babylonia Relating to Ancient Israel
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6612
Reviewed by Aren Maeir

R. Alan Culpepper
Mark
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6892
Reviewed by John Painter

Andrew Harker
Loyalty and Dissidence in Roman Egypt: The Case of the Acta Alexandrinorum
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6613
Reviewed by Birger A. Pearson

Thomas R. Hatina, ed.
Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels: Volume 2: The Gospel of Matthew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6954
Reviewed by Daniel Gurtner

Mark A. House, ed.
Compact Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6805
Reviewed by Pierre Johan Jordaan

Steven Leonard Jacobs, ed.
Maven in Blue Jeans: A Festschrift in Honor of Zev Garber
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7045
Reviewed by William H. Krieger

Barry C. Joslin
Hebrews, Christ and the Law: The Theology of the Mosaic Law in Hebrews 7:1-10:18
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7026
Reviewed by David Allen

Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Ellen Bradshaw Aitken, and Jonathan A. Draper, eds.
The Bible in the Public Square: Reading the Signs of the Times
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6813
Reviewed by Holly E. Hearon

Michael Labahn and Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, eds.
A Kind of Magic: Understanding Magic in the New Testament and Its Religious Environment
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6553
Reviewed by Hans-Josef Klauck

Karoline M.Lewis
Rereading the “Shepherd Discourse”: Restoring the Integrity of John 9:39-10:21
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7179
Reviewed by Beate Kowalski

J. G. McConville
God and Earthly Power: An Old Testament Political Theology
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7001
Reviewed by Paul Kissling