New Books In Biblical Studies

Was Paul silent on the affairs and injustices of the Roman Empire? Or have his letters just been misread? In The Apostle and the Empire: Paul’s Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome (Eerdmans, 2023), Christoph Heilig returns to the active research scene on Paul’s perspective toward Roman imperial ideology with a fresh contribution arguing that the Apostle’s critiques were not encoded or hidden within the subtext of his letters, but rather expressed openly when Paul saw reason to air his unease or discontent with emperors and governing logics of the Roman state. Heilig contends that scholars have previously overlooked passages that openly denounce the empire—for instance, the “triumphal procession” in 2 Corinthians 2:14, which he discusses in detail by drawing on a variety of historical, literary, and archaeological data. His capable discourse with a range of other scholars suggests that the search for Paul’s perspective on Rome may be trending beyond the reliance on coded critiques within the “hidden transc

Paul's Epistle to the Romans is one of the most familiar New Testament books among Christians, and yet a major theme within the opening three chapters has largely gone unnoticed. Join us as we speak with Marcus A. Mininger who, developing a new approach, has unearthed the theme of revelation running through Paul's argument in Romans 1-3. We discuss his book Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16-3:26: Discovering a New Approach to Paul's Argument (Mohr Siebeck, 2017). Dr. Marcus Mininger is Professor of New Testament Studies and Director of Institutional Assessment at Mid-American Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. He earned his PhD at Westminster Theological Seminary in 2017. He has taught courses at Princeton Theological Seminary, St. Joseph’s University, and Westminster Theological Seminary, and has delivered papers at various scholarly conferences and contributed articles to both popular and scholarly periodicals, and was appointed co-editor of the Mid-America Journal of Theology. Michael Mora

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the “consciousness of sin” is a present problem for the recipients as a stain that causes dread, timidity, and restricted access, and it is also a “cosmic” problem, with the heavenly tabernacle needing to be purged of defilement. Join us as we speak with Joshua Bloor about his recent book: Purifying the Consciousness in Hebrews: Cult, Defilement, and the Perpetual Heavenly Blood of Jesus (T&T Clark, 2023). Hebrews, he explains, distinguishes between what Jesus achieves on earth and what he achieves in heaven. Bloor further offers an understanding of the motif of “consciousness of sin” and its role within Hebrews' cultic argumentation.  Joshua Bloor is Visiting Lecturer at Nazarene Theological College, UK. He is a pastor in Manchester, UK, and is the Leadership Programme Director for the UK Pioneer Network of Churches. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideo

Jonathan Fessenden, theologian and editor of Missio Dei, and I discussed this ancient and supremely interesting book on his podcast. The Book of Job is one of the oldest poems in our tradition. It is a joy to read and a puzzle to wonder about: why does God allow—even provoke—the Accuser to destroy Job’s life and test his faith? What does it mean for us when things are not going the way we hope? What is this troubled world, this vale of tears, for in the first place? The video of our discussion of The Book of Job on the Missio Dei website and on YouTube Jonathan Fessenden’s bio on Missio Dei The Book of Job on the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) webpage The Book of Job (NABRE) on Bible Gateway Professor Wesley Morrison, “God’s Answer to Job” (Cambridge University Press, 1996) Bishop Barron’s sermon “Why Is Life So Full of Suffering” (2022) Professors Sommers and Pizarro discussion on Job, “How Do You Solve a Problem like Theodicy?” on Very Bad Wizards (2019) Jonathan Fessenden’s, on Alm

There has been a dearth of study in Lukan scholarship on the transfiguration account and the enigmatic statement about Jesus' "exodus" in Jerusalem. Now Gil Shin has provided a model of new exodus based on the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15, illuminating along the way how the motifs of Moses and David are conjoined within a larger drama of the (new) exodus and the subsequent establishment of Israel's (eschatological) worship space. Join us as we speak with Gil Shin about his recent book, The "Exodus" in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31): A Lukan Form of Israel's Restoration Hope (Brill, 2022). W. Gil Shin earned his PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he is Affiliate Professor of New Testament. He has published books and articles, including CEB Gospel Parallels (2012). Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A

Samuel David Luzzatto (1800-1865), known by his Hebrew acronym, Shadal, was the leading Italian Jewish scholar of the 19th century. Now, for the first time, an all-English version of Shadal's text translation and unabridged commentary of the book of Numbers, Bemidbar, is available through Kodesh Press. Luzzatto's work was translated and edited by Daniel A. Klein, who also offers copious explanatory notes as well as two appendices, offering translations of Shadal's poetry and letters. Tune in as we speak with Daniel Klein about his recent publication, Shadal on Numbers: Samuel David Luzzatto's Interpretation of the Book of Bemidbar (2023). Daniel A. Klein is an attorney and legal writer, and a graduate of Yeshiva University and New York University School of Law. His study of Italian as a youthful hobby led to a fascination with Italian Jewish culture and, in particular, the works of Shadal (Samuel David Luzzatto).He and his wife live in Rochester, New York, where he has taught Judaic studies at elementary, hig

The third quest for the historical Jesus has reached an impasse. But a fourth quest is underway--one that draws from a heretofore largely neglected source: John's Gospel. In Jesus the Purifier: John's Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus (Baker Academic, 2023), renowned New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg advances the idea that John is a viable and valuable source for studying the historical Jesus. The data from John should be integrated with that of the Synoptics, which will yield additional insights into Jesus's emphases and ministry. Blomberg begins by reviewing the first three quests, reassessing both their contributions and their shortcomings. He then discusses the emerging consensus regarding demonstrably historical portions of John, which are more numerous than usually assumed. Peeling back the layers, we discover in Jesus's ministry an emphasis on purity and purification. The Synoptics corroborate this discovery, specifically in Jesus's meals with sinners. Blomberg then explores the p

A New York Times bestselling Biblical scholar, reveals why our popular understanding of the Apocalypse is all wrong—and why that matters. You’ll find nearly everything the Bible has to say about the end in the Book of Revelation: a mystifying prophecy filled with bizarre symbolism, violent imagery, mangled syntax, confounding contradictions, and very firm ideas about the horrors that await us all. But whether you understand the book as a literal description of what will soon come to pass, interpret it as a metaphorical expression of hope for those suffering now, or only recognize its highlights from pop culture, what you think Revelation reveals…is almost certainly wrong. In Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End (Simon and Schuster, 2023), acclaimed New Testament authority Bart D. Ehrman delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, exploring the horrifying social and political consequences of expecting an imminent apocalypse and offering a fascinating to

Before There Was a Bible: Authorities in Early Christianity (T&T Clark, 2023) is a natural outgrowth from McDonald’s significant and ongoing work in the field of canon studies, which traces the development of the Christian Old and New Testaments as we know them today. Given that McDonald holds, as is now common in canon scholarship, that the biblical canon does not begin its formation until the fourth century CE, Before There Was a Bible examines the sources of authority that existed in the early, pre-canonical Christian centuries. Among these are the revered words of Jesus, early preferences for the Hebrew Scriptures that inspired Jesus’s ministry, and the different weights and values placed at times on the texts that would become accepted as part of the New Testament, the apostolic leadership of the churches, and the successors of the apostles, such as the bishops who maintained core traditions, creeds, hymnody, lectionaries, and other checks and balances on the spiritual sources for their churches. McDonal

The vast and vibrant world of biblical commentary has, over the generations, shaped not only our understanding of the Tanakh, but Judaism's worldview and values as well. The biblical commentator - or parshan - is a spiritual seeker, proposing answers to the theological and existential questions raised by the text and serving as mediator between Tanakh and the reader. Keenly aware of their contemporary reality, biblical exegetes search for the Torah's answers to both timeless human issues and to the most crucial questions of their time.  The widely hailed work, Great Biblical Commentators: Biographies, Methodologies, and Contributions (Maggid, 2023) by Dr. Avigail Rock (of blessed memory), is a groundbreaking study that surveys over twenty of the greatest biblical exegetes in the course of Jewish history, beginning with Onkelos,continuing with leading medieval commentators such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban, and Aharonim such as Malbim and Netziv, and ending with influential twentieth-century commentators. It

The christocentric character of Herman Bavinck's thought has long been acknowledged, but an analysis of Bavinck's christocentrism has not been forthcoming. The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentrism in Herman Bavinck (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020) redresses this situation, offering a comprehensive study of Bavinck's concept of a christocentric theological system. Building on the more recent secondary literature, Bruce Pass draws attention to many unexplored avenues in Bavinck's writings. In particular, Pass sheds light on the intimate connection between Bavinck's christocentrism and his organicism. Delving deeply into Bavinck's appropriation of Reformed Orthodoxy and German Idealism, Pass presents a compelling account of this thinker's attempt to establish Neo-Calvinism as a modern orthodoxy. By way of conclusion, pertinent ways in which Bavinck's christocentrism may prove a useful resource for contemporary projects of theological retrieval are explored in a comparison of Bavinck and John Webster

In The Secret Gospel of Mark: A Controversial Scholar, a Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, and the Fierce Debate Over Its Authenticity (Yale University Press, 2023), Geoffrey S. Smith and Brent C. Landau present the background and historical context to a groundbreaking account of the Secret Gospel of Mark, one of the most hotly debated documents in Christian history.  In 1958, at the ancient Christian monastery of Mar Saba just outside Jerusalem, Columbia University scholar Morton Smith claimed to have unearthed a letter written by the Christian philosopher Clement of Alexandria and containing an excerpt from a previously unknown version of the canonical Gospel of Mark. This excerpt recounts a story of Jesus's apparent sexual encounter with a young, resurrected disciple. In recent years, an influential group of researchers has alleged that no Secret Gospel or letter of Clement existed in antiquity, and that the manuscript that Morton Smith "found" was a modern forgery--created by none other than Smith himself.  Smi

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most fascinating texts in the New Testament, having arguably the highest Christology, the most comprehensive soteriology and realized eschatology. Hebrews is also shrouded in mystery, whether related to its unknown author or to the enigmatic figure of Melchizedek. Here to help is Scott Mackie. In The Letter to the Hebrews: Critical Readings (T&T Clark, 2018), he has collected together numerous classic and groundbreaking essays, from an array of scholars, to provide a comprehensive entry into the study of Hebrews.  Join us as we speak with Scott Mackie about his edited work, The Letter to the Hebrews: Critical Readings. Scott D. Mackie has taught at Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, and Fuller Seminary. He is also the author of Eschatology and Exhortation in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in

Would you like to learn about the Pentateuch from a Jewish point of view, digging deep into the plain meaning of the Bible's stories and commandments? To Know Torah is an enlightening encounter between a contemporary interpreter and the celebrated tradition of Torah commentary throughout the ages. Tune in as we speak with Ephraim Chamiel about his five volumes, To Know Torah. Dr Ephraim Chamiel obtained his education at Midrashiat Noam, Yeshivat Kerem Beyavne and the Hebrew University. His personal website may be accessed here. Chamiel's Amazon author page, where all his books can be found, is here. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus(IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gp

Pastors, thoughtful Christians, and students of Scripture must learn how to carefully read and understand the Bible, but it can be difficult to know where to start. In this clear, logical guide, Andreas J. Kostenberger and Gregory Goswell explain how to interpret Scripture from three effective viewpoints: canonical, thematic, and ethical. Biblical Theology: A Canonical, Thematic, and Ethical Approach (Crossway, 2023) is arranged book by book from the Old Testament (using the Hebrew order) through the New Testament. For each text, Kostenberger and Goswell analyze key biblical-theological themes, discussing the book’s place in the overall storyline of Scripture. Next, they focus on the ethical component, showing how God seeks to transform the lives of his people through the inspired text. Following this technique, readers will better understand the theology of each book and its author. Zach McCulley (@zamccull) is a historian of religion and literary cultures in early modern England and PhD candidate in History

The Hebrew Bible is filled with narrative doubling, which can be a challenge to interpret. Through an interdisciplinary model, Joshua Berman offers new insights into how battle reports may serve as oblique commentary and metaphors for the non-battle accounts that immediately precede them. Battle scenes are revealed to stand in metaphoric analogy with accounts of a trial, a rape, a drinking feast, and a court deliberation, among others. Join us as we speak with Joshua Berman about his book Narrative Analogy in the Hebrew Bible: Battle Stories and Their Equivalent Non-battle Narratives (Brill, 2004). Joshua A. Berman is a Lecturer in the Department of Bible at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. His other books include The Temple: Its Symbolism and Meaning Then and Now, also Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought, and Ani Maamin, a book on biblical criticism. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre

In the early twentieth century, a new, American scripture appeared on the scene. It was the product of a school of theological thinking known as Dispensationalism, which offered a striking new way of reading the Bible, one that focused attention squarely on the end-times. That scripture, The Scofield Reference Bible, would become the ur-text of American apocalyptic evangelicalism, and later, a core text of America's white Christian nationalism. In The Americanization of the Apocalypse: Creating America's Own Bible (Oxford UP. 2023), Donald Harman Akenson examines the creation and spread of Dispensationalism. The story is a transnational one: created in southern Ireland by evangelical Anglicans, who were terrified by the rise of Catholicism, then transferred to England, where it was expanded upon and next carried to British North America by "Brethren" missionaries and then subsequently embraced by American evangelicals. Akenson combines a respect for individual human agency with an equal recognition of the com

After their expulsion from Spain in 1492, Sephardi Jews such as Isaac Abravanel, Abraham Saba, and Isaac Arama wrote biblical commentaries that stressed the significance of land. They interpreted Judaism as a tradition whose best expression and ultimate fulfillment took place away from cities and in rural settings. Iberian-Jewish authors rooted their moral teachings in an ethical treatment of the natural world, elucidating ancient agricultural laws and scrutinizing the physical context and built environments of Bible stories. The Land Is Mine: Sephardi Jews and Bible Commentary in the Renaissance (U Pennsylvania Press, 2022) asks what inspired this and suggests that the answer lies not in timeless exegetical or theological trends, but in the material realities of late medieval and early modern Iberia, during a period of drastic changes in land use. The book uses a highly traditional source base in a decidedly untraditional way. In Jewish Studies, Andrew D. Berns observes, biblical commentary is typically stud

Jews and Christians alike have made Psalm 91 one of the most commonly used and cited parts of the Bible. For over two thousand years, the psalm has played a pivotal role in discussions of theology and politics, of medicine and mysticism. In He Will Save You from the Deadly Pestilence: The Many Lives of Psalm 91 (Oxford UP, 2022), acclaimed religion scholar Philip Jenkins illustrates how the evolving uses of Psalm 91 map developing ideas about religion and the supernatural. Depending on the era, Psalm 91 is protective; it is triumphalist; it is messianic; it is millenarian and apocalyptic; it is therapeutic. It has shaped theories of politics and government. In different ages, it has borne many different names: the Song of Evil Spirits, the Soldier's Psalm, and most broadly, the Protection Psalm. As the Song of Plagues, it has gained a whole new relevance in an age of global pandemic. In the New Testament, Satan himself quotes the psalm, and ever since, that text has both reflected and shaped changing concepts

In the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, characters acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, and Lord. Such a high Christology, however, appears incongruous with the body of the Gospel where human characters seem ignorant of Jesus’ divinity, at least until his resurrection. Here to resolve a long-standing scholarly puzzle is Caleb Friedeman—we’ll be talking about his recent monograph, The Revelation of the Messiah: The Christological Mystery of Luke 1-2 and Its Unveiling in Luke-Acts (Cambridge UP, 2023). Caleb Friedeman (PhD, Wheaton College) holds the David A. Case Chair of Theology and Ministry and is Associate Professor of New Testament at Ohio Christian University. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus (Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus(IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical