Logos version 9, Six Months in and Still Loving It!

I was asked to give a review and impression of Logos 9 6 months after release, and has very happy to do so. Any excuse to show off Logos! Check out the video, I hope you enjoy.

Should you like to purchase a base package, you can get 10% off with this link.

Christmas @ Logos 2019!

Most who know me or read this blog know that I’m an avid Logos user. I plan in the new year to start posting a bit more about Logos in the form of video, as I’m now an official Logos partner.

Christmas is always a great time of year for Logos users because of all of the Christmas specials. So if you’re like me and like to buy yourself Christmas gifts, I’d encourage you to check out the sales. I want to highlight a few in particular as items that I’d recommend in particular.

Base Packages are on Sale

Of course, if you don’t have a base package, then this is often the best, though priciest, place to start. Given the cost, it is not always easy to decide which to purchase if choosing for the first time, but now is a good time as they are on sale. My typical recommendation is to ensure that you have the full Logos feature set, which is included with all the base packages at the Silver level and above include the full feature set. At Silver you also get a good starter set of commentaries. If commentaries are more what you are looking for, then I’d say go for the Gold, and even more technical (i.e. those dealing even more with the primary languages) are included at the Platinum level.

Study the Incarnation with N. T. Wright

One of this year’s Christmas special is some more concise books by the renowned New Testament scholar N. T. Wright. Advent for Everyone is 3 volumes focusing on the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke, as well as the teachings from elsewhere in the NT on the incarnation.

Lexham Geographic Commentaries

Some of my favorite items in this year’s Christmas sale are featured in the “12 days of Logos” promotion. The first is the Lexham Geographic commentaries. The two NT volumes are now out, with the 3 OT volumes forthcoming. These are unique contributions to the Bible commentary space, focusing specifically on geography in a way that no other contextual-type commentaries have. A great addition to anyone’s Logos collection!

Expositor’s Bible Commentary

The final sale I want to mention is another resource featured in the “12 days of Logos” promotion. The EBC is a very fine commentary series in the evangelical tradition. I often get asked about what my favorite commentaries are, or what I recommend. There is no one series that I think is the absolute best, but additionally it is often students who are on a budget that ask me. When cost is a factor, the EBC is often my recommendation. the EBC is 12 volumes and covers the entire Bible with 8,400+ pages of commentary and 700+ pages of introductory article material. So do not let the 12 volumes fool you, these are substantive commentaries.

Merry Christmas everyone!

My 2019 Presentations on the Bible and Ecology

I had a pretty eventful summer which included two presentations on a similar theme of eco theology. It is a topic I have been interested in for a long time, and I have been able to spend some focused time to research, write, and present on the topic. My thoughts continue to be refined as I continue the process. Several essays will come out in the next two years related to the topic. In doing this work, I have consciously tried to read the scripture in conversation with my indigeneity. The result, I hope, is an intercultural reading of the text that is more faithful to the meaning than common western understandings.

NAIITS Symposium

The first presentation was at the 2019 NAIITS symposium at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto on June 8. It was the final plenary session, and was titled GraceLand: The Land as Relational Gift in the Bible. The abstract for the paper was as follows:

The Mosaic covenant recognized and affirmed a triangulation of relationship between Deity, the land, and the community. This triangulation was not a new invention, but rather the lived reality of ancient peoples. The focus of the covenant was 1) who occupied the place of deity within the triangulation, and 2) how the occupant of the place of deity would reorder the relationships within the triangulation. The resulting covenant was one which recognized these relationships as reciprocal and the land as the gracious gift from Yahweh. The reciprocity of relationships within the triangulation involved responsibilities from each member of the triangulation to one another. Within this triangulation, the land often occupies the median place, such that to honor the land was to honor Yahweh, and the blessing of the land by Yahweh was to bless the covenant community. This triangulation construct is not dissolved in the New Testament, but is assumed in a variety of ways. First, the widespread Jewish belief that Israel was still in exile was predicated upon their relationship to the land, namely that they have not yet been gifted once again with the proper relationship to the land – some Jewish groups believed it would be the messiah who would do this work. Second, the concept of the good news of Jesus as grace-gift for all nations as nations brings with it the Old Testament triangulation, showing that part of the work of the good news is for Christ-as-Creator to fill the deity space within the triangulation and thus re-order and re-orient peoples to himself and to their place of inhabitance. In this way, Israel’s relationship in the triangulation as it was meant to be is both fulfilled in Jesus and serves as a model for all the nations of the world as they re-orient their triangulated relationship with Christ-the-Creator in the deity’s space.

I mostly hit the target of the abstract, though I ended up focusing less on the latter half of the abstract. You can watch the entirety of the presentation below and purchase the journal volume here.

Summit Presentation

The next presentation was a plenary session at an annual summit. The theme was “All Nature Sings.”

The other reason that I really enjoyed this presentation is that I got to tag-team with Terry LeBlanc. Terry is special friend and mentor, and is a widely sought-after speaker and teacher. It was a privilege to share the stage. The title of the presentation was The Land Takes Care of Us.

Modern Chronologies of Paul

Two biographies of the apostle Paul came out last year with two highly influential and respected interpreters of Paul. One biography is by N. T. Wright, Paul: A Biography, and the other is by Douglas Campbell, Paul: An Apostle’s Journey. Campbell’s complete chronological picture is filled out in his 2014 Framing Paul: an Epistolary Biography. Given this recent work, I was interested to see any new thoughts on Paul’s chronology. In comparing Wright’s chronology to the chronology of Paul presented in the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, Wright follows a fairly standard chronology for Paul. Campbell’s chronology, though, is quite different. The main difference is that Campbell’s chronology is based on Paul’s epistles, with the information from Acts playing second fiddle. In addition to my table below, this external blog post outlines Campbell’s chronology.

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Is It Worth Updating to Logos 8? (you can probably guess my answer!)

Logos 8 dropped last week, as most Logos users would know because of promotional emails. And if you follow Logos on social media, you may have caught some of the live release where they discussed many of the new features (you can watch the release here).

I’m sure all readers will be shocked to hear me say that I give a resounding “yes” to the question. There are a number of stellar new features in Logos 8 that make it well worth the upgrade. And Logos has made it possible to upgrade the features of the application without having to necessarily upgrade your resource library. Do keep in mind, though, that the more quality sources you have in your library the more useful and powerful Logos and all of the application features become. So my recommendation is to at least upgrade to the Full Feature Upgrade. See this Logos blog post to explain all of your upgrade options.

I want to in particular recommend the upgrade for those who might still be running version 6 of Logos. There was, in my mind, a very significant leap that began with version 6 to many outstanding datasets and features that are only available as Logos features (i.e. they are not standalone books or sources). You can see my review of Logos 7’s features in an earlier blog post, or see all of my Logos related posts here.

Let me briefly run down some of the new features of Logos 8 and why I think they may be useful for you:

Performance and UI

Let’s face it, Logos has always been seen as a bit of a resource hog. In fact, this tends to be the number one complaint of my students (the second complaint of “I don’t know how to use it I address with my Logos video course). Given the power and utility of Logos, it is a sacrifice we users make. But Logos 8 brings some speed improvements in the app and a UI refresh. Included in the UI refresh is an improved way to sort through the menus and library, utilizing filters. The next speed improvement I hope Logos tackles is the amount of time the beast takes to index!

Workflows

My favorite new features is Workflows. Workflows move from the bare presentation of information (which the Guides do) to providing instruction AND a workspace for your research. Logos 8 comes with some stellar pre-built workflows for users, or users can create their own workflow and even share it with all Logos users. As a teacher I love this feature. Our seminary utilizes the Duvall & Hays Interpretive Journey approach, and I’m currently creating a Workflow for this to share. Workflows really does make it possible to go from passage right to the completion of a sermon (complete with slides and sermon notes, handouts, etc). To learn more about Workflows, see here.

Notes

Part of the UI improvements includes an update to how Notes work. I really love the new features of Notes, including the filtering ability as well as the ability to see and utilize notes within each resource via the new menu button. For those who utilize Notes a lot in Logos, this will be welcome. My only complaint, which I’m confident will be rectified soon, is that some previous features of notes have been temporarily lost in Logos 8, but they will be returning soon (see this page for details of missing or deprecated features). This is probably my biggest complaint about Logos 8 – I would have rather waited a few more weeks so that I didn’t lose something like moving to the next annotation in my Locator bar, as it is something I use regularly.

Theology Guide

In version 7 (or perhaps it was features I received because of my FaithLife connect subscription) Logos had begun to do more concentrated work in the area of theology – things like the systematic theology explorer, and the new components of the Passage Guide like Biblical Theologies and Systematic Theologies. The new Theology Guide continues to build on this by utilizing the excellent Lexham Survey of Theology. Using the standard systematic categories and creating a variety of sub-sections within the categories, users can gain an overview and be presented with relevant scripture passages, relevant resources or sections of resources already owned, as well as important works outside of the Logos ecosystem.

Canvas

I was (pleasantly) surprised to see this new feature within Logos. On one hand it seems a little outside the scope of a Bible software to have quite a competent layout editor built in. I have done and continue to do some graphic design in the past with apps like Keynote and OmniGraffle. While OmniGraffle is very powerful and Keynote very easy, Canvas does a superb job at being both intuitive and powerful. And because the text is central, Canvas in fact exceeds the ability of other graphic design apps in working with and manipulating passages that a person inserts. The simple little image in this blog post was created in about 2 minutes with Canvas. To learn more about it, see here.

But I Need Some Help Learning How to Use It !

Well, I got you covered! As many know, I created a Logos tutorial course to help people learn how to master Logos Bible Software to supercharge your Bible study. I’m happy to say that on the weekend I updated the course to accommodate users of Logos 8. So whether you are a brand new user of version 8, or you are still using version 5, 6, or 7 and need some help, my course covers them all. I’d love to have you join the course!

How To Create a Scripture Index for Your Publication

This is a post for my fellow academics involved in book publication. Back in my days as a TA for Craig Evans I had to do a scripture index for a number of his books. It is a beast of a job that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Seeing a friend working on a scripture index for his book reminded me of a tutorial I made a number of years ago. If you find yourself in the same position now, this tutorial may be of benefit to you.

After doing a few indexes, I discovered a quicker way to do a scripture index utilizing some Mac applications. Below is the explanation. Be aware that it sounds (and is)  complicated, but once you get going, it makes more sense. And despite it being a complicated process, it will save you a lot of time in the process.

(please note that I created the following tutorial a number of years ago, so the images below are a little dated and don't reflect the UI of the applications as they are now)

How To Create a Scripture Index For Your Publication (on a Mac)

Step 1: Download Skim (PDF reader for Mac) and open your PDF proof in Skim

• When you begin to work, be sure to hit Save frequently.
• In the View menu, choose “Show Notes Pane”. This will show you everything you are highlighting.
• Turn on the highlight mode. Now, whenever you highlight something with your cursor, it will be highlighted in yellow with Skim.

• Take note, when saving your PDF, Skim will make a .skim file with the same name as your PDF in the same folder. DO NOT trash this file, as it holds the highlighting notes.

Step 2: Highlight all references in Skim

• Be sure that all items are separate.  For instance look at a string of references like this:  Gen 1:1; 3:5, 7, 9.  This is 4 separate references and should be highlighted as for separate items  (1) Gen 1:1   (2) 3:5  (3)  7  (4)  9  — I’ll explain how this is later fixed :-)
• Once all items are highlighted in Skim and saved, export the highlights you have made from Skim. Choose File>Export.  Choose for the File Format, “Notes as RTF”.

Step 3: Open the resulting .rtf file in TextEdit

• Choose “• Highlight, page “  and replace it with nothing by hitting Replace All

• Place a tab mark at the very beginning of the text.
• Now choose the paragraph mark and copy it into the Find. (DO NOT hit Replace All yet)

• Then choose the Tab mark and copy it into the Replace with field.  Now hit Replace All.

• Remove the very first tab with a paragraph break (hit Return)
• Copy the two Tab marks and place into the Find field

• Copy the paragraph mark and place it into the Replace with. Hit Replace All. 

• Hit Save. The result is the  pg.# [tab] scripture citation.

Step 5: Fix Partial Quotations

• Now we will fix all of the partial quotations. Open your PDF in Skim on the left side of your screen, and move the .RTF in TextEdit to the right side. As you can see, your Skim highlights are in the same order as your text file.

• Scan through your text file and add book names (be consistent, use abbreviations or full book names) and any missing chapters.
  • To jump right to a Skim highlight, double-click on the page number in the highlight
• In the image below, all of the bottom items need the book abbreviation added.  I add “1 Sam[tab]” before the citations.  I add the chapters to the bottom three as well.
  • When you come upon any book name, you also need to do a quick Find and Replace. example:
    • Find “1 Samuel “  and Replace it with “1 Sam[tab]”
      • Also Find “1 Sam ” (your book may have used a period after an abbrev., so “1 Sam.”) and Replace it with “1 Sam[tab]”
  • Do this every time you come across a new book— Do a Find and Replace for the full book name and the abbreviation type used in the proof.

• The Result of the above image is tab separation

• You need to be diligent all through this.  All of the book name abbreviations need to be consistent.
• While filling in the missing info, you need to also make note of citations that are in footnotes.  AFTER the citation put  [tab]n.6.
• Hit Save every once in a while as you go through this second major process.

• Final Find and Replaces— If your citations used colons (eg. Gen 1:1), replace all colons with periods.  Also replace en dashes and em dashes with a regular dash. (**note** this must be done, even if you are going to use colons between the chapter and verse)
• You now have a large .RTF text file that has the pdf pg# [tab] book [tab] citation

Step 6: Move to Spreadsheet software

• Highlight your whole text file and paste it into your spreadsheet. (This may take a while for your system to do, as it is a lot of text you are pasting). The result is a 3-columned spreadsheet like below.

• Move column A (the page number) to the right side, with one blank column after column C.

• Now in the first field of the blank column, you must make an equation to fix the page numbering  (in case you didn’t notice, the page numbers are the page of the PDF, NOT the page number of your proofs).
  • Look at your first item page number, and compare it to the actual proof page number.  You will likely need to subtract 20+ pages. Your equation should look like this. (in the brackets corrects the page number,  the “&” sign will add the footnote column to the column).  Drag down the equation to fill that column all the way through your spreadsheet (grab the bottom corner and drag down).
• The result is this:

• The first 3 columns are the info for your index. Now sort things alphabetically by column A and B.

• This will alphabetize your index by book name, with ascending chapter and verse items. Hit Save.

• NOTE: spreadsheets don’t understand the dash (-) sign. These will need to be placed properly in your final edit.

Step 7: Move Index Info into Document file

• You need a plain .txt file to be a middleman between your spreadsheet and your word processor (to strip out invisible formatting.
  • In your spreadsheet app, export your file to .txt or csv on your Desktop.
  • If you just made a .csv file, replace the .csv with .txt.
  • Open the resulting file in TextEdit and delete everything (we did the last few steps just to get a blank file).

Okay, the final tedious part.

• pen your word processor and create your index file.  (Pages or MS Word)
• Book by Book, cut (CUT not copy) and paste the first 3 columns of info from your spreadsheet into the blank .txt file (i.e. TextEdit), and then cut and paste from TextEdit into your word processor.
• Once you do the cut and paste, hold down your alt/option key and drag your mouse to highlight all of the redundant book abbreviation names. Then just put the book name once at the top.

• Go through what you have just pasted. With a careful eye:
  • Put any duplicates on the same line (eg.  Gen 1:1 [tab]  6, 35, 109). They will all be grouped together, so do quick deletes and comma additions to bring them together.
  • Citations that had dashes for verse ranges will be out of sequence. Cut and paste the whole line into the correct position.
  • Repeat for each book.  Add Major Headings as per the convention you are following, and sub-headings for each book.

There you have it!

What if the Roman Empire in Jesus' Day Was 100 People?

With various helpful videos in the internet about helping us understand the modern world by asking "what if the world were 100 people," I have had in my mind to make something similar for my own discipline, namely what would the Roman Empire look like if it were 100 people during Jesus' day.

This isn't an easy task, as ancient demography and statistics is tricky business that we hold to lightly. That said, I hope people find this video helpful and I hope it will spark some interest into the New Testament world. Many thanks go to my wonderful super–TA Christine Welles who did a ton of research to help me bring this to fruition (and upon whom all future TAs shall be measured!!). Below the video is the transcript, along with a bibliography. If you liked the video, please do share it on social media.

Transcript

What would the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus look like if it were 100 people?

Attempting to paint this portrait immediately runs into numerous complications. As organized as the Roman Empire was and even with the remains we have, it is very difficult to pin down precise numbers and percentages. Ancient historians hold these things lightly, recognizing that what we hold is often based on data from different centuries, and that some things are the best guesses of experts in the field. Bearing this in mind, the 100 people represent approximately 55 million people.

In terms of status or class, we immediately run into a problem with the choice of 100. The top of the upper class, the senatorial class had the most power and wealth concentration. When Rome was a republic, the Senatorial class was understood as 300 families and later expanded to 600, or perhaps even 900, families. From this group the actual ruling Senate, the governing body in the Roman Republic and the counseling body in the Roman Empire, was drawn. This represents such a miniscule amount of the population that I will represent them at just the very top of the head, and even this is proportionally generous.

The next class of people in the Empire was the Equestrian class. The upper classes were based on the amount of wealth owned, usually in the form of property. The Senatorian class had wealth holdings of 1,000,000 sesterces (1 sesterces is worth 4 denarii, and a denarius was roughly a labor’s day wage). There was no set number of Equestrians – one could be appointed if one was a free-born citizen and one’s wealth exceeded 400,000 sesterces. A range of population numbers are offered for this, from 10,000 to 40,000 families. Using 30,000, and recognizing that the average family size in the Roman Empire was around 4, this represents a very miniscule amount, about .02% of the population. I’ll represent this class with the remainder of the head.

The last of the upper class is the Decurion rank. With this group we at last move outside of Italy, where the Senatorial and Equestrian classes were largely confined. The majority of the ruling elites throughout the Empire were from the Decurion class. The wealth holdings of these provincial aristocrats was a minimum of 100,000 sesterces. Again, we have a range of numbers offered by scholars, from around 100,000 to 400,000 and beyond. It seems that at most this group represented .7% of the population, the remainder of the first person.

It is this one person who represents the upper class of Roman society. They were normally born into their status and held much of the private land and held nearly all of the political power. As we move to the remainder, keep in mind that there was a definite divide between this group and everyone else.

The next grouping goes by various names in the research. Sometimes called the "other wealthy,” the "respectable populace" or the "middling" class. It is a mistake, though, to think of this group as today’s middle-class, because in the Roman empire there really was only the Upper classes (our first person) and the rest. This middling group is far more spread out, representing wealthy citizens and freedmen, small landholders, the Augustales order of priests, and other wealthy artisans. In some regions, this group may have represented up to 30% of a local population. I will take as an estimate 10% of the total population. But even within this "middling" population, there was a concentration of wealth held by 50,000 to 200,000 families, with many of them being wealthier than Decurions.

Let’s complete the understanding of wealth distribution. I'll represent the wealth of the Roman Empire with $10. The Senatorial class controlled about $1.00, the equestrian class $1, the decurion class .50¢, the respectable populace $2.50, and the remaining population $5.00.

The last 89 people comprised the bulk of the lower class, representing a wide variety of jobs and life circumstances. There were anywhere from 400,000 to 1 million military men, most of them ordinary soldiers, but an elite few of the highest being centurions and legion commanders drawn from the upper classes.     There have been attempts to understand how many slaves there were in the Roman Empire, but it has been difficult to determine an accurate percentage. It seems that upwards of 40% of Italy's 7.5 million residents were slaves. But this is where most of the wealthy lived, and we should not assume that Italy accurately represented the entire Empire. A safe guess is perhaps 10% of the population, but it may have been higher. You will notice that two slaves have been placed at the very bottom. These represent the farm slaves, mining slaves, and slaves living in other very difficult circumstances, considered by the society to be the lowest in status and living well below subsistence level. The remaining slaves are higher up in the ranks. The reality for many slaves is that they were in the home or in the servitude of wealthier people. The wealthier the owner was, the more likely a slave was to have a stable life, possibly education, upwards mobility, and the prospect of being released from slavery later. In terms of freedom and social power, many of these slaves lived in a better state than the remaining population. A number of those in the middling class, soldiers, free poor and even some in the upper class were freedmen, former slaves or descendants of former slaves.

The remainder of the population are the free poor: artisans selling their wares and produce in the markets, day laborers working for whomever would hire them, tenant farmers working for a single landowner most of their lives, or those entirely dependent on patrons for their day to day living. A lucky few may have had small plots of land from which to grow their food. An estimated 10-20% percent of the population were "destitute"— the ill, widows, and orphans. The were considered destitute during that time not only because of their inability to work, but also because in a patriarchal society, the widows and orphans were unconnected to a patriarch. For the Free Poor population, most lived day to day with starvation always a real possibility.

Despite repeated claims by some of a 10% Jewish population in the Empire, this is inaccurate. The best estimate for Palestine was 1 to 1.5 million, and perhaps there were that many outside of Palestine as well, mostly in urban settings. If this is the case, that would be about 3% of the population.

Around 10-12% of the population are urban dwellers, and 20% of the total population lived in Italy. Around 10% are Roman citizens. And finally, the estimated literacy rate for the Roman empire is 10-15% but perhaps even higher. This would represent people with formal education, those lucky enough to learn from a parent, and slaves educated in order to serve as educators of children. Outside of this formal education, there was throughout the empire a spectrum of sub-literacy, with many people equipped to conduct basic business, read signage, and read and create graffitti.

It is into this world that Jesus of Nazareth entered and the early church grew and spread.

Bibliography

Afoldy, Geza. The Social History of Rome. Translated by Croom Helm. Totowa, NJ: Barnes &
            Noble, 1985.

Bowes, Kim. “Rural Poverty in the Roman Empire.” University of Pensylvania. Accessed
            February 2, 2018, https://u.osu.edu/osuchr/files/2017/08/bowes-rural-poor-243zk6w.pdf

De Ligt, Luuk. Peasants, Citizens and Soldiers: Studies in the Demographic History of Roman
            Italy 225 BC – AD 100. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Goldsmith, Raymond W. “An Estimate of the Size and Structure of the National Product of the Early Roman Empire,” Review of Income and Wealth, 30/3 (1984): 263-88.

Hartland, Philip A. “The Economy of First Century Palestine: State of the Scholarly Discussion,”
            In Handbook of Early Christianity: A Social Science Approach, edited by Anthony J.
            Blasi, Jean Duhaime and Paul-Andre Turcotte, 511-527. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira
            Press, 2002.

Hezser, Catherine. Jewish Literacy in Roman Palestine. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2001.

Jeffers, James S. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background
            of Early Christianity. Downers Grove, Il: Intervarsity Press, 1999.

Jongman, Willem. “The Early Roman Empire: Consumption,” In The Cambridge Economic
            History of the Greco-Roman World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and Richard
            Saller, 592-618. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Kehoe, Dennis P. “The Early Roman Empire: Production,” In The Cambridge Economic History
            of the Greco-Roman World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and Richard Saller,
            543-569. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Lo Cascio, Elio. “The Early Roman Empire: The State and The Economy,” In The Cambridge
            Economic History of the Greco-Roman World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and
            Richard Saller, 619-647. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

----. “The Size of the Roman Population: Beloch and the Meaning of the Augustan Census
            Figures,” The Journal of Roman Studies 84 (1994): 23-40.

McGing, Brian. “Population and Proselytism: How Many Jews were there in the Ancient
            World?” In Jews in the Hellenistic and Roman Cities, edited by John R. Bartlett, 88-106.
            London: Routledge, 2002.

McGinn, Thomas A. J. “Widows, Orphans, and Social History,” Journal of Roman Archeology
            12 (1999): 617-632.

Morley, Neville. “The Early Roman Empire: Distribution,” In The Cambridge Economic History
            of the Greco-Roman World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and Richard Saller,
            570-591. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Saller, Richard P. “Household and Gender.” In The Cambridge Economic History
            of the Greco-Roman World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and Richard Saller,
            87-112. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Scheidel, Walter. “Demography,” In The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman
            World, edited by Walter Scheidel, Ian Morris and Richard Saller, 38-86. Cambridge:
            Cambridge University Press, 2007.

----“Population and Demography,” Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version 1.0.
            Stanford University, 2006.

----. “Slavery in the Roman Economy,” Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version
            1.0. Stanford University, 2010.

----. “The Roman Slave Supply,” Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version 1.0.
            Stanford University, 2007.

Scheidel, Walter and Steven J. Friesen. “The Size of the Economy and the Distribution of
            Income in the Roman Empire,” Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version
            2.0. Stanford University and University of Texas, 2009.

Wasserstein, A. “The Number and Provenance of Jews in Graeco-Roman Antiquity: A Note on
            Population Statistics,” In Classical Studies in Honor of David Sohlberg, edited by Ranon
            Katzoff, 307-317. Ramat Gan, Israel: Bar-Ilan University Press, 1996.

Devotional Art: Bringing Color to Your Time with God

Over the last two years or so I noticed with appreciation some artwork done by students at Acadia Divinity College. But it was not simply paintings or drawings, but artwork done in their Bibles. I appreciated the images not only because I am a terrible artist, but because it displayed a wonderful integration of the arts with Christian devotion. So much of Church instruction on devotional time is simply "read and pray" or "use this new devotional book." But on display here was a practice that I think beautifully integrates using one's gifts as worship to God and using one's gifts to express devotion. As Creator and Designer of the universe — the one who stretched out the neck of the giraffe, made the rolly face of the Manatee, put a duck-bill on a Platypus, and put the brilliant colors in the skyline — I have no doubt that God delights in beautiful and artistic expression of His Word.

In this post I interviewed my two ADC students who regularly share their devotional art on social media. At the bottom you will find some examples of their work as well. Thanks Samyi and Susan for sharing!

First, what is it you call what you do. Bible Art? Devotional art?

Susan: Either of those terms work, but I generally refer to it as Bible journaling.

Samyi: I prefer calling it Bible Journalling because I do not see my work as big masterpieces. Most of my ‘work’, so to speak, are little pictures, colourful bible verses, notes from a sermon, quotes, prayers, special dates, and they all are there to help Scripture come to life for me.

How long have you been doing it for? Who introduced you to it?

Susan: I started Bible journaling in September of 2016. I used to be the type of person who would not even underline something in my Bible. Over the summer of 2016, Samyi showed me her own journaling Bible, and I was intrigued. That September I ordered a fancy Bible specifically for the purpose of drawing, writing, painting, etc in it. Since then it has been my favourite and most rewarding (in terms of connecting with God) form of devotion.

Samyi: I have been Bible Journalling for over a year now. No one really ‘introduced’ me to it. I was looking for a more reader-friendly bible that I could write notes in, and I found out that there was the NLT Inspire Bible on pre-order through Amazon. I pre-ordered it a few months before it came out. In the waiting time, I got my markers and pens from Michael’s and Walmart. I did not really know what I was going to be doing, so I did a lot of things through trial-and-error.

When someone first sees a page of your Bible with artwork in it, what kind of responses do you get?

Susan: I will start off by saying my Bible is filled with entries that I would never show anyone. I treat it very much like a journal that I share with God. There are notes and prayers included on some pages that are just between God and me. The artwork that turns out pretty terrible—it happens!—also doesn’t get shown. The pages that I do show I think look at least somewhat nice and have minimal wording that is not obviously personal. With all that said, the responses I usually get are positive in some way or another. People will either like the art itself, or they will be intrigued by the fact that I am “decorating” my Bible—much like I was first intrigued when Samyi first introduced me to it. Some people are genuinely surprised that there is so much I can actually do to a thin Bible page, and it will lead to discussions about supplies and techniques. (Unfortunately no conversations have led to discussion about faith yet.)

Samyi: I get a lot of “Wow! Did you colour/draw this?” Most people are really interested and intrigued by the creativity and how fun it looks. I was concerned people were going to think I was crazy for drawing in a bible, but I have never had someone dislike it.

While devotions and Bible reading are (or should be) a regular habit of Christians, you have taken this habit and practice it in a very different (and beautiful) way. How do you explain what you do and why you do it?

Susan: The reason I ultimately chose to dive into Bible journaling is because, as a new Christian at the time (only about half a year at that point), I wanted to increase my prayer life, but I have a very difficult time focusing. My prayers always get derailed just like most of my other thoughts, and I felt like this was preventing me from growing spiritually. When I Bible journal, I will either search out a passage on something that I need to pray about, or I will come across something as I flip through the pages (or as I am gradually reading front to back) and it will stand out to me. Once I start reading it and praying over it, even if my thoughts stray, the prayer stays in my heart as I am concentrating on the art for the passage. This is the only way I have discovered thus far that I am able to truly focus in prayer and devotion.

Samyi: Like I stated earlier, it makes scripture come to life. When I draw a picture, it most likely is something I pictured while reading a passage, so I draw it as a way of really solidifying what I read. It could be as small as my drawing of a cartoon house beside Hebrews 3:6 that says “And we are God’s house” (NLT), or as big as my drawing of an angel wing beside Psalm 34 because it says "For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him." (Ps.34:7). I write important dates beside certain passages, like my engagement ring has Matthew 19:4-6 inscribed inside of it, so by that passage I have the date Chris proposed to me. I will write quotes from a chapel service or sermon in my Bible and then draw clouds around it to make it pop out, or draw clouds or scrolls around passages to make them pop out because it popped out at me while listening or reading. I do all of this because I know God speaks to me through Scripture in a way that I will listen. Bible journalling is my love language, and God speaks it fluently.

Can you give an example or two of a time when the processing of drawing illuminated the meaning of a passage for you?

Susan: This has not really happened for me during the process. There have been times when a passage would be illuminated somehow in my mind (through personal reading or study or an aha moment, in a lecture, through a sermon, etc), and then afterword I would journal it. There have been times, however, when I realized either during or shortly thereafter that God was using the content of the passage to speak to me about something. It was through Bible journaling that I began learning how to listen to God. 

Samyi: One example is my drawing where I have a hand reaching down the page [see image below] with the verse that stood out to me, "He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (Psalm 18:16). Of course, I am not David, I do not have Saul and his army chasing after me, but there have been times where I, like David, feel like I am in ‘deep waters’. David knew that God was there with him, God was the one who rescued him from Saul and his enemies. On that particular day, I pictured God reaching His hand down from heaven, very gently and slowly. He takes great care in lifting me out of deep waters. I knew I had to draw it, so I did. Now, every time I go over that psalm, which, being one of my favorites means I go over it often, that picture of God lifting me up and holding me in His hand always comes back. It is a wonderful reminder that God is always with me.

For others who are interested in transforming their devotional time like this, is there a process you’d recommend?

Susan: It’s such a simple process, and you can jump in as much or as little as you want. My art supplies have grown quite a bit since September, but you can start out with just a package of coloured pencils. Any Bible can be used, but if it is not a journaling Bible (NIV example), there is far less room for expression in the margins. 

Samyi: When it comes to Bible Journalling, you cannot sit in front of your bible and think “What now am I going to colour? What will I draw today?” It is still Scripture, it is still God’s Word sitting right in front of you. Take time to pray, asking God to speak to you through His Word, through the pictures that pop up as you read Scripture, and pray that He will help you listen. 

Second tip is to read slowly. We live in a busy world, we are always on the go, and sometimes that gets into our Bible reading time. We are so quick to get the reading plan we have done that we take nothing in. Read slowly, even if it means not finishing all of what your “Read the Bible In 90 Days” plan recommends for the day, because reading slowly gives you a better chance of being able to listen and understand. 

When a passage does pop out at you, or you picture an image that you want to draw, or you hear God say something to you while reading, do not be shy to start journalling. I am no artist, despite what people see on Instagram. I drew out that hand on scrap paper about 4 or 5 times before I was satisfied enough to then draw it in my Bible. I do Google images to find one close to what I saw, and use those as guidelines to look at while I draw. It is 100% okay to do those things, as long as you keep it as a time of listening to God, rather than drawing something amazing for the world to see. 

Lastly, I want to state that, just because you journal in your bible, does not mean you have to share it with the world. Many people in the bible art/bible journalling community do share their creativity and how they do things with others, but you do not have to. There are many things I have not shared online because it is either a prayer I wrote or something very personal to my heart. I actually wrestled with whether or not I should share my journalling online, and I came to the conclusion that I have a tool that could inspire others with Scripture, so I share some of my journalling when I feel like maybe someone, even just one person, might need some Scripture that day. If there ever is a time that you feel you are journalling to make a post, I would say you should sit and wrestle with that a while before continuing. 

Finally, for those same people, is there a particular Bible or Bibles you recommend, and perhaps particular types of pens or pencils?

Susan: I prefer the ESV single column journaling Bible (the translation doesn’t mean so much to me; the key words here are “single column” and “journaling Bible”). Some journaling Bibles have some artwork already on certain pages that the person can then colour in. I chose not to go this route because I wanted the freedom to put whatever I wanted on every single page. For people who find that daunting though or they just like colouring, those other Bibles are great too.

 For writing, my favourite pens are Gelly Roll pens that can be bought as sets or individually. These will ghost through (meaning that you can see them slightly from the other side of the paper), but they flow so beautifully that I think it is worth it. Regular ballpoint pens are fine too, and they cause less ghosting. I never journal in pencil unless I am colouring with coloured pencils or drawing something that will eventually be coloured over. I just use regular mechanical pencils for that. For coloured pencils, I prefer Crayola Twistables (they are never sharpened, so they are never overly pointy on the delicate paper). A lot of it is trial and error. 
     It does not need to be an expensive endeavour at all, or anything elaborate. If you do move beyond pens and coloured pencils, however, it is trial and error. Crayola watercolour paints, for example, bleed through the pages terribly, even if you prep the page with gesso. I only know this because I’ve tried it myself. Other watercolours (still cheap!) don’t require page prep at all. Trial and error is part of the fun of it. Because it is a devotion and prayer between the person and God, my advice is to not worry about perfection and attempting to make a masterpiece. I stopped being disappointed long ago when something bled through my pages. In my opinion, someone Bible journaling shouldn’t be going into the experience with the mindset that they are creating art. I go in each and every time with the mindset that, if something doesn’t turn out the way I have pictured in my mind (which happens often!), that is okay because the purpose of the devotional period was actually not to create art but to grow in my relationship with God. The art is just a means to an end.

Samyi: Of course, I want to recommend the NLT Inspire Bible as a starter. It has pre-printed scriptures and pictures for you to colour in, but has plenty of room for your own creativity! If you are looking for a more literal translation of Scripture, I would recommend the ESV single column journalling bible. When it comes to pens or pencils, I always use mechanical pencils (doesn’t matter the brand) because I find them easier to draw with. I use Sharpie fine tip pens for most of my colouring, but I have also used pencil crayons and markers, which I use Crayola. I personally would invest in PIGMA Micron pens because the few times I have used them, they worked amazing and did not bleed. When it comes to using markers, paints, and pens that bleed through thin bible pages, you will need to put a layer of white gesso on your page, which you can buy at Michael’s or any other art’s store. I am not sure if this happens with others while using gesso, but it tends to fade the writing on the page, even with the thinest layer, so I tend to stick to using things that do not bleed.

Thanks so much Samyi and Susan! I hope this inspires others to engage God and His Word in creative ways too! And check out some of their pages below!

Quality Bible Study Resources for $0

As a teacher and a scholar of the New Testament, I’m passionate about good resources for Bible study. The reality is that most of the best resources cost something, particularly the more in-depth resources. But, the good news is that there are still a number of great resources that don’t cost a dime, though you will need to jump around a bit on the internet to get at the best stuff. The unfortunate part is that the good resources are often drowned out by the amount of old and outdated resources on the internet (like all of the commentaries you find on biblehub.com and blueletterbible.org). This post highlights some high quality and FREE resources that I recommend. These are the kind of free resources that I would be content with my students using in assignments.

After recommending my number one resource, I’ll break down the resources by type rather than by website.

Faithlife Study Bible

The Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) is an incredible free resource from Faithlife (the makers of Logos Bible Software). After you sign up for the FSB on the site, the best way to access it is through the app, especially a tablet. But if you don't have a smart device, the Faithlife resources can be accessed through your web browser here, or you can download and install the free engine of Logos Bible Software to access your FSB resources.

Especially if you are a novice, the FSB will significantly increase the caliber of your study. The following resources are part of the FSB:

1. Translations. The FSB comes with some very good Bible translations, including two of my personal favorites, the Lexham English Bible (Faithlife's own word-for-word translation) and the NRSV. Also included is the ESV, KJV, NKJV, NASB, and the NIV.
2. Lexham Bible Dictionary. This is what continues to make the FSB stand out for me. Bible Dictionaries are amazing resources for learning more about the Bible, but there is no up-to-date Bible encyclopedia that is free online. Furthermore, the Lexham Bible Dictionary is comprehensive and written by top-notch scholars (and schmucks like me who wrote a few articles as well). This resource alone is worth the effort to sign up for the FSB.
3. Study Bible Notes. Almost everyone has a Study Bible with notes at the bottom of the page. The FSB is the largest and most up-to-date collection of study bible notes that are often multi-layered. These notes are excellent, and often link back to the Lexham Bible Dictionary for further information. The study bible notes will also link to media to further enrich your study.
4. FSB Media. Yet another thing that makes the FSB shine is all of the media included. There are stellar infographics, photos, and videos.
5. Search and Take Notes. The FSB enables you to search the Bible and take your own notes.

Commentaries

Unless I am missing something (and please let me know) there are no up-to-date commentaries worth your time that are free on the internet. You can find plenty of dated resources like Matthew Henry's commentary online. But these are severely dated and largely devotional commentaries that do not engage in any of the critical issues surrounding the text.

The closest we do get to commentaries online are study bible notes. I have already mentioned the excellent study bible notes in the FSB above, but another group of very good study bible notes is from the NET Bible. The NET Bible is connected with the excellent Bible.org website, and can be accessed through their online Lumina Bible reader. Their study bible notes are those that are tagged as "sn" (study note).

Greek Lexicons

Many people who don't really know the original languages will tend to use whichever Greek or Hebrew lexicon that happens to be on the site they are looking on (bible gateway, biblehub, etc). Unfortunately, many of these are simply the Strong's dictionary entry, which are both dated and very slim.

Fortunately, there is a good Greek lexicon, the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek lexicon (LSJ). This is available through the Step Bible. Find the word in the English translation, click on the word, and it will show you the Greek word and the LSJ entry. Alternatively, you can look up the LSJ entry directly using the 2 Letter Lookup website.

Although it is older and not as good as the LSJ, Thayer's Greek lexicon is okay as well. This can be accessed through Biblehub. Go to your verse and access the interlinear. Above the word will be a little number (the Strongs number) – click on that to find the Thayer entry on the word.

Hebrew Lexicons

Unlike the LSJ which is still considered a standard Greek lexicon, none of the standard Hebrew lexicons are online. Fortunately, there are a few good ones with valuable information that are online. The first one is the Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) lexicon. Like the Thayer lexicon, this one can be accessed through the interlinear on Biblehub. Two other alternatives, available through 2 Letter Lookup is Gesenius's Hebrew Lexicon and Jastrow's Hebrew lexicon. 

Text Critical Notes

For those interested in text critical issues (issues related the manuscripts and variants), the NET study bible includes text critical notes. These type of notes are almost nevery part of study bible notes, which makes these NET notes quite unique and valuable. Like the NET study bible notes, these can be accessed through the Lumina Bible reader. All of the notes tagged as "tn" (textual note) are text-critical notes.

Into Academic Waters – Journal Articles Online

For those that want to delve deeper into the academic study of the Bible and want to stay in the free realm can access many free journal articles online. A great spot to find these is the comprehensive biblicalstudies.org.uk. Use the menu to find the relevant Bible book or topic and see what articles you can find.
 

To close, I want to reiterate that a sizeable portion of Bible Study resources on the internet are dated. And if you are serious about Bible study, you should dive in with Logos Bible Software. If I missed anything good, let me know in the comments!

There Was No InnKeeper — and There Was No Inn Either! Some Christmas Reflections

Since the Christmas season is upon us, and I had the great pleasure of participating in my church's Live Nativity this past weekend, I thought I would blog some reflections on Luke 2.

Those of us who truly celebrate Christmas and its remembrance of the birth of Jesus are well familiar with the story. Mary, close to being full term, travels with Joseph her betrothed to Bethlehem, as there is a census that requires he return to his hometown. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, the InnKeeper breaks the news to them there is no open room, but they are offered a stable. Here is Luke 2:1–7 (LEB):

Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire. (This first registration took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to be registered, each one to his own town. So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered together with Mary, who was legally promised in marriage to him and was pregnant. And it happened that while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Notice the unfortunate words of the InnKeeper — oh wait, there is no InnKeeper! It is a small point, but it a simple reminder that we often read back into the Bible what isn't there. I have heard New Testament scholars talk about the InnKeeper on televised specials! This character is so fixed into the Christmas story in our mind that we assume his presence. The InnKeeper is a great additional character for the Nativity plays in our churches each year, but let's make sure we understand what we are adding to the story.

Now what about the Inn itself? On this point I will need to do a little more explanation because almost every English translation uses the word "Inn" to [mis]translate the Greek word katalyma (κατάλυμα). Unfortunately, most of our English translations are doing us a disservice in continuing the translation of the KJV for this word as "Inn" – the NIV is an exception. When modern readers hear this word, we think of hotels. This is anachronistic and inaccurate. Let's hope that English translations going forward correct this mistake.

Our Greek word here occurs only 3 times in the NT, once here, and the other two are Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11. In both of those instances, it is the "guest room," or simply "room," in which Jesus and his disciples will eat the Passover meal together. So katalyma is a room in a regular house — not a specially designated building. The study of this Greek word and its proper understanding in Luke has been best argued most recently by an NT scholar named Stephen Carlson. You can find the article here, or a summary of it here.

Two pictures below show what ancient houses would look like. This first picture is the same as that found in the wonderful book The Epic of Eden, which first introduced me to ancient housing styles.

I have no rights to this photo. Please click the image to find the source page.

Another image, somewhat different but still similar, is supplied by Logos Bible Software's infographics:

Part of the free Faithlife Study Bible infographics.

In both of these cases, the animals, including the feeding trough (commonly translated as "manger") which the baby Jesus was placed in is part of the house. Animals were not usually far separated from the living quarters. Having a barn far from the living quarters was susceptible to wild animals and thieves. Their livestock was some of their most prized and important possessions, so they kept them close.

What does this all mean? The traditional Nativity that plays out in the movies of our mind is almost certainly incorrect. In the popular retelling of the story, the heavily-pregnant or in labor Mary, on the back of a donkey being led by Joseph, comes to an Inn and desperately asks for a room. The InnKeeper tells them there are no available rooms, but knowing their desperation, he tells them there is a stable somewhere behind the Inn. Joseph hurriedly brings Mary to the stable, pushes some hay together, and with a stable full of animals, Mary, with just Joseph there to help her, gives birth to Jesus.

In reality, the picture that Luke paints is different. Joseph and Mary, coming close to term, traveled to Bethlehem. It is highly unlikely that they traveled alone, as traveling alone would be dangerous. Also, it may have been in their mind to go to Bethlehem at this time not just because of the census, but because they had some family support that could help Mary with the birth and to support her afterward. Mary and Joseph arrive at either a public house (an ancient type of hostel), or more likely to a family home of Joseph, either his father's or an extended family member's house. It does seem that Mary must have been in the throws of labor, as it was urgent enough that they had to choose the lower level of the home to give birth. There were some animals around, but there were also people close by in the same home, with other women very likely being there to assist, including those that likely traveled with them.

So in closing, I would suggest that this is a more accurate translation of Luke 2:7:

And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was not enough space for them in the guest room.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments! 

Who is the Beloved Disciple? The Contenders

I am teaching for the first time a class on the Gospel of John, and having a great time doing so. One of the first things I tackled in the class was authorship – namely, who is the Beloved Disciple, the author of the Gospel? While church tradition has always pointed to the apostle John, son of Zebedee, there have been other scholarly opinions that have gained traction. As with all of the canonical Gospels, they are written anonymously. In this post I want to very briefly summarize the current positions on Johannine authorship, as well as point readers to further scholarly work on the options.

Contender 1: John the Apostle

The strengths of the traditional position are still quite strong in my opinion. John the son of Zebedee is one of the seven "acknowledged" apostles in John (see John 21:2), but is not specifically named (unlike Peter, Philip, Thomas, Judas, and Judas Iscariot). This leaves him known but anonymous. From the synoptic Gospels we that Peter, James, and John composed an inner circle of disciples, and in the Gospel of John it is the beloved disciple and Peter that are sometimes paired together. I think it is likely that early readers who knew of the synoptic gospels would have been predisposed to see John as the beloved disciple. Outside of the canon, the early church is for the most part unanimous in their attribution to John, though there are some interesting "quirks" in the early church discussion about John (mentioned below). Part of this early tradition is the early manuscript tradition in the form of the title: all evidence and manuscript evidence we have points to this gospel always being called "According to John."

Against the traditional position, we may look to the same verse above (John 21:2). If the epithet "beloved disciple" was meant to be anonymous, why mention the sons of Zebedee at all? And if the beloved disciple was John, and his brother James was by now martyred, why completely remove him from the entire Gospel? James is never mentioned by name. Furthermore, as the inner circle of disciples, we know from the other gospels that John was privy to several unique events: the transfiguration, the raising of Jairus's daughter, and Gethsemane. All of these are absent from the Gospel of John. Finally, in John 18:15 it seems clear that the beloved disciple was known by the Jerusalem leadership, yet John the apostle was a Galilean fisherman, and it seems odd that John would be known by the leadership. Finally, the "testimony" of the beloved disciple is a very important theme in John. It seems somewhat odd that this defense for the beloved disciple would need to be made if he were John of Zebedee.

Andreas Köstenberger, who is one of the finest Johannine scholars today, has argued in numerous writings on John for John the apostle as the author. See his 2004 commentary in the BECNT.

 

Contender 2: John the Elder

Many Christians don't realize that early church testimony, specifically from Papias (via Eusebius) tells us about two other apostles, Aristion and John the Elder. He was called "the Elder" because he was, well, old. He was a long-lived disciple, with Papias indicating that he out-lived the other disciples. If this is the case, then it would make sense of John 21:22-23, as this passage indicates that the beloved disciple had in fact died by the time John 21 was added as an epilogue. Identifying John the Elder as the author would for some help to tie in the Johannine letters as well, as 2 John and 3 John both state that they are from "the Elder," quite possibly indicating that these written by John the Elder. If John the Elder were the beloved disciple, the integrity of the title of the Gospel is maintained. It could also help to explain the weaknesses of contender 1 – perhaps John the Elder did hail from Jerusalem and was known by the leadership, perhaps even being a priest at some point. (This would possibly explain Polycrates's reference to John wearing the sacerdotal plate. cf. Eusebius, Church History, 5.24.2-3)

The weaknesses of this position are precisely the strength of arguments for contender 1. An addition weakness is the presence of the beloved disciple at Jesus' final meal with his disciples. While Mark is unspecific enough to allow for other disciples beyond the twelve, Luke (with his use of "apostle") and especially Matthew 26:20-21 restrict that meal to Jesus and the twelve. While John the Elder (and Aristion) may have been disciples of Jesus, they certainly were not part of the 12.

For those interested in this position, I encourage you to see the excellent book by Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.

Contender 3: Lazarus

Beyond being a fun option to consider, there is some decent internal evidence for seeing Lazarus as the beloved disciple. The main champion of this position has been Ben Witherington III, with a good blog post defending the position here. The biggest point in favor of this, in my opinion, is chapter 11 of the Gospel of John. Specifically, it is Lazarus (John 11:3) and his sisters who are the first people that Jesus "loves" in the gospel (John 11:5). Later, when Lazarus is sick, the sisters call for Jesus saying "the one whom you love is sick" (John 11:3) and later the love Jesus has for Lazarus is mentioned (John 11:36). It is not until after this episode that the "beloved disciple" is so-named (John 13:23). Based on internal evidence, it is not hard to make the move from chapter 11 to then identifying the beloved disciple as Lazarus. In addition, John 12:2 has Lazarus reclining with Jesus at a meal. The first mention of the Beloved disciple in John 13:23 has him reclining at a meal with Jesus (same Greek word ἀνάκειμαι used). Lazarus and his sisters live nearby Jerusalem, which may explain the focus on Jesus' Judean ministry, as well as how Lazarus was known by the Jerusalem leadership (John 19:27). Furthermore, if Lazarus were the beloved disciple, it may explain how the rumor that the beloved disciple would not die came about (John 21:23): Lazarus had been raised from the dead by Jesus. Perhaps the earliest followers believed he would just go on living!

As with all of the positions, there are difficulties with Lazarus as well. As far as the internal evidence goes, readers need to note that John 11:3 uses the Greek word φιλέω rather than ἀγαπάω in reference to Lazarus, but the "disciple whom Jesus loved" is always ἀγαπάω. As with Contender 2, the presence of Lazarus at the final meal is also potentially problematic. While the titles of the Gospels were not original to the first copy, they are still very early tradition that cannot be easily dismissed. As mentioned previously, church tradition has quite uniformly pointed to John the apostle as well.

For those more interested in this position, I point you towards Witherington. But I also want to point to a very fine MA thesis recently written by one of our grads at ADC. Dwight Crowell wrote on the authorship of John and defended Lazarus. Within the thesis, Dwight also did some very good work on the early church traditions surrounding John's authorship. You can access the thesis online here.

 

Contender 4: The Johannine Community

More than any other gospel, John has been connected with a Johannine community in academic discussion. Not only do we find "we" passages in the final epilogue chapter (John 21:24), but "we" is present in the prologue (John 1:14, 16) and at various spots through the gospel as well (John 3:11, 4:22, 9:4). The majority of Johannine scholars recognize some literary puzzles, with internal evidence of source usage and rough transitions (See John 1:18-19; 2:11, 4:54; 3:22; 7:3-5; 7:53-8:11; 11:2; 14:31; 16:5; 19:5, 9, 13; 20:30-31). This has led some to see the gospel as a community-compiled document, with much of the source material perhaps originating with John the apostle, but perhaps not. Most scholars of John see at least some sort of evolution, with stages or editions, to the Gospel of John (though see Stan Porter's article The Ending of John's Gospel)

The strength of this is the "we" passages. As mentioned, the literary seams in the Gospel seem to at least indicate multiple editions or a multi-stage composition. The weakness of a community-author idea is the frequent emphasis on the testimony of the beloved disciple. The gospel of John wants the reader to know that the testimony comes from this person, and I find it hard to believe that we ought to see the beloved disciple as a literary creation that is symbolic of a group.

 

Contender 5: The Gospel of "Johns"

I must admit that through my research in preparation for this course, I have become a fan-boy of the Johannine scholar Paul Anderson. I think Anderson has provided a strong-case for the Gospel of John to be understood as the Gospel of "Johns." Anderson agrees with most scholars that there was stages in the writing process, in his case he argues for two. He also agrees with the recent trend in scholarship to reclaim John as a source for the historical Jesus. At the same time, he recognizes the "community voice" that is sometimes heard in the Gospel.

The result is his two-stage edition hypothesis. It looks like this:

1. 1st Edition, 80-85 CE. John the Apostle composes a short gospel, as a response/augmentation of Mark, in order to supplement the church with Jesus' ministry in Judea and other teaching. This first edition ended at John 20:31, and begun with John the Baptist (just like Mark).

2. interim period, 85-95 CE. John the apostle and his community of disciples, which included John the Elder, continue preaching and ministering. During this time, the 3 letters of John are written by John the Elder, and John the apostle dies.

3. Final edition, 100 CE (or so). After the death of John the apostle, John the Elder compiles the gospel that we now have, adding the prologue (John 1:1-18), inserts chapter 6, inserts additional teachings of Jesus (chs. 15-17), inserts some other material to highlight the eyewitness material (John 13:23; 19:26, 34–35; 20:2) as well as added the chapter 21 prologue.

I see this theory as quite unifying and worthy of serious consideration. It has the advantage of taking seriously the above evidence for contenders 1, 2, and 4 and incorporates them together, along with helping to capture the relationship between the Gospel and the letters of John. The theory also maintains the integrity of the title and church tradition, while cogently responding to literary puzzles of John and incorporating the community aspect. Perhaps the greatest weakness is that it is a little complicated, but John is a complicated beast!

For those interested in this argument, I encourage you to check out Paul Anderson's book, The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel.

Conclusion

You can probably tell that I think Contender 5 is the best and has the most explanatory power. The authorship of John and the identity of the Beloved Disciple is a fun topic, and I hope I've peaked your interest in not only this topic, but this masterful text that we call John.

Logos 7: Here is a Sampling of its Awesomeness

It has been two weeks since Faithlife launched Logos version 7, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it! But given my love for the software, you can bet that you'll be hearing more in the days to come.

The truth is that I don't get quite as excited as I used to, because I subscribe to Logos Now – so all of the shiny new features of Logos 7 have been released to me in six week cycles over the past 2 years. But it is still exciting, and I'm excited to talk to you about some of the new features in Logos 7. It is chalk full of awesomeness. Why do I say that?

Increased Access to Rich Data

Logos has spent many years adding rich data to the biblical text, but up until recently it hasn't always been that easy to access. This really started to change in Logos 6, and the trend continues in Logos 7. Faithlife has created so many awesome in-house resources that are available to users (like the Parallel Passages in the Pauline Letters that I helped create!). This is typified in the new interactive resources that are plentiful in Logos. Below shows off the new Bible Browser, as well as the Miracles in the Bible and the Speaking to God interactive resources. This video, by the way, is one of a number of new videos being added to my Logos Video Course that trains students on how to make full use of Logos, and I'm proud to say that it is still the best AND most affordable Logos training available.

Logos as a Learning Lab

Logos has always been a great place to turn for learning more about the Bible, but Logos 7 has really brought this to a whole new level. Two areas in particular highlight how Logos has really become a learning lab for users, guiding them into new knowledge and insight. The first spot is the new Courses feature. Here users will find a library of both video based courses (like Mobile Ed. courses) as well as text-based courses, where the student is guided through readings on a topic. While I know that Logos is pushing the mobile ed courses, I love the idea of a "guided reading" course, and I hope that Logos will continue to add to this section in the future. The second area which is focused specifically on teaching are some of the new interactive resources. Logos 6 introduced interactive resources like Who Killed Goliath and Counting the Ten Commandments. Logos 7 brings some great new teaching interactives like An Empty Tomb, Exploring Biblical Manuscripts, and Ancient Inscriptions.

Love for the Pastor and Scholar

Logos continues to keep both the pastor and the scholar in mind. The focus on media rich resources for pastors, as well as continuing to equip the Guides (passage guide and exegetical guide) with new features is great to see. I'm also excited to see the new Sermon Builder, and intend to write my next sermon with it so I can give a full review. and new datasets like the NT Manuscript Explorer, LXX Manuscript Explorer, Hebrew Bible Manuscript Explorer, and the Dead Sea Scrolls Interlinear Bible are awesome resources for scholars.

Have you had a chance to explore Logos 7? What's got you excited? Let me know in the comments.

Arguments for a pre-70 CE Dating of Matthew's Gospel

During my time of study under Craig Evans, he flirted with the idea of a pre-70 CE dating of Matthew's gospel at various times in class or in conversation. During my undergrad, I had for the most part come to follow the standard post-70 CE dating for most of the Gospels, with Mark being the only serious consideration of a pre-70 CE Gospel. During my dissertation work, I ran into this issue anew, particularly in the excellent Matthew commentaries by John Nolland (who was my external advisor) and Richard France. France in particular puts forth his case in his book Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, which he regards as the fuller introduction to his NICNT commentary. Anyone who appreciates France's Matthew commentary should really have this prelude volume.

In reading the work of these scholars, I have become more persuaded that Matthew may indeed have been written before the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. This has important ramifications for the dating of at least Mark, pushing it perhaps to the 50s or even the 40s (as Crossley has argued). In addition, I have in the last few months stumbled upon the work of Alan Garrow, who puts together an excellent case for what he called the Matthew Conflator Hypothesis. Garrow argues that Matthew was the last of the synoptics written, utilizing Mark, Luke, and Q. I highly encourage you to watch his video presentations on his website. If both of these things are true (Matthew is pre-70 CE and is the last synoptic gospel written), this pushes Luke into the 60s as well. But that is an issue for another day!

 

A Survey of Recent NT intros and Matthew Commentaries

When discussing the dating of Matthew, it is good to get a sense of what modern scholarship is saying on the subject. The following introductions & Bible dictionaries date Matthew as follows:

• W. D. Davies (1969): 85 CE
• Ralph Martin (1975): 80-90 CE
• Ancho Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): 80-90 CE
• McDonald & Porter (2000): 80-90 CE
• Lea & Black (2003): pre-70 CE
• DeSilva (2004): post-70 CE
• Drane (2001): 80-100 CE
• Ehrman (2008): 80-85 CE
• Elwell & Yarbrough (2013): pre-70 CE
• Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed. (2013): non-commital

A survey of the major commentaries on Matthew reveals similar diversity:

• Carson (1984): 60s CE
• Harrington (1991): 70s CE
• Morris (1992): 50s-60s CE
• Blomberg (1992): 58-69 CE
• Gundry (1994): 65-67 CE
• Hagner (1998): pre-70 CE
• Davies & Allison (1998): 80-95 CE
• Nolland (2005): pre-70 CE
• France (2007): pre-70 CE
• Luz (2007): early 80s CE
• Turner (2008): 80s-90s CE
• Keener (2009): late 70s CE
• Evans (2012): 66-69 CE

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This itself is interesting in that the NT introductory textbooks lean more to a late dating, with a majority of the commentaries leaning to an early dating. Obviously this is a sampling and not exhaustive lists. But I think it provides a solid sample of current discussion on the issue. Davies and Allison provide a thorough list of some of the older commentaries, and can be seen by clicking the image to the right.

Arguments for a Late Date

Without being too reductionistic, the main arguments for a late date of Matthew fall into 3 main points:

1. The date of Mark's gospel being 65-70 CE. Because Matthew used Mark, we need to allow for some time to pass.
2. Jewish-Christian Relations. The tension found in Matthew is thought to reflect a time closer to Jamnia (85-90 CE) and the  birkat ha-minim, a clause in the Eighteen Benedictions, attributed to the rabbis at the Jamnia council: “Let Nazarenes and heretics perish in a moment, let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous.” The counter this is, of course, the rest of the NT - namely Paul and the book of Acts. Tensions developed early on – there is no reason to push what we see in Matthew to after the temple's destruction.
3. More Developed Theology. Matthew seemingly contains more developed theology that better fits into a later time period. The areas most mentioned are christology (Matt 24:29-31, Matt 25:31-46), Ecclesiology (Matt 16:18, Matt 18:17), and the trinitarian formula of Matt 28:19. The counter to this is again the apostle Paul. Christology developed early, as evidenced by Paul (like Phil 2:1-11), and we have a trinitarian formula in Paul as well (2 Cor 13:14; Tit 3:4-6; 1 Pet 1:2)
4. Matthew 22:7: “the king was angry and sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city”. Scholars who argue for a late date point to this Matthean addition to the parable (compare Luke 14) as being reflective of the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. In my opinion, this is a poor argument, as it would therefore equates the king of the parable with Caesar, when it is very clearly God. There is a simple alternative: It is punitive military language drawn from the OT and similar to other Jewish literature.
5. Olivet Discourse?? Notable by its relative absence in arguments for a late dating is Matthew's Olivet Discourse. If the destruction of the temple were to leave any residue on the text, surely it would be here. Hagner states: “Matthew’s redaction of the Markan eschatological discourse makes no attempt to disentangle the references to the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the age (chap. 24). Luke very deliberately does so in his redaction of Mark 13, and we might expect Matthew to do the same had it been written after 70.” (Hagner 1998, lxxiv)

Arguments for an Early Date

There are a number strong arguments from internal evidence that Matthew was written prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. In this list, I will put them in the order of strongest to weakest arguments.

1. Approving of the Temple Tax. Jesus in Matthew approves of the temple tax in Matt 17:24-27. While it is of course conceivable that Matthew is simply passing on Jesus tradition faithfully, the issue is that the temple tax after 70 CE became a tax for the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome. Bob Gundry states: “The distinctive passage 17:24 – 27 teaches that Jewish Christians should not contribute to their fellow Jews rejection of the gospel by refusing to pay the Temple tax. This exhortation not only shows Matthews concern to win Jews. It specifically favors a date of writing before AD 70; for after the destruction of God’s temple in Jerusalem the Romans shifted the tax to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome (Josephus J.W. 7.6.6 §218; Dio Cassius 65.7; Suetonius Dom. 12), and m. Šeqal. 8.8 says that the laws concerning “the Shekel dues … apply only such time as the Temple stands.”  Surely Matthew does not include this passage to support upkeep of a pagan temple, for then the argument implies that the disciples are sons of the pagan god! Nor can we suppose that Matthew is urging Jewish Christians to support the school of pharisaical rabbis that formed in jam yet during the aftermath of the Jewish rebellion, for he excoriates the Pharisees throughout his Gospel. The argument from 17:24 – 27 for an early date gains further cogency from the evidence that Matthew himself composed the passage.” (Gundry 1994, 606).
2. Swearing by the Temple. In a section unique to Matthew, Matt 23:16-22 talks about swearing by the altar and sanctuary. While again this may be a faithful passing on of Jesus material, it nonetheless becomes antiquated post-70 CE, and if Matthew was the composer, it would make even less sense.
3. Gift at the Altar. Like the previous passage, Matt 5:23-24 is unique to Matthew and would be teaching of Jesus that could no longer be followed if it was passed on, and make little sense for Matthew to compose after 70 CE if he composed it.
4. Den of Robbers. Matt 21:13 is a passage used from Mark 11:17, and paralleled in Luke 19:46. What is interesting about Matthew's version is that he makes a verb change to a present for the verb "saying,", making it a Historic Present that stands out. He then also edits Mark's verb "turning" to a present tense as well: "you are turning it into a den of robbers." This change to a historic present main verb and switch to a present in the reported speech may be to highlight the current situation - i.e. that the temple is still standing.
5. Jewish Persecution. If Matt 23:34 is reflecting current Jewish persecution of Christians by the synagogue, the verse implies an authority to punish that Jewish leaders did not likely have after the temple destruction.
6. Fleeing on the Sabbath. Jesus in Matt 24:20-21 tells his hearers that he hopes their flight in 70 CE won't be on a sabbath or in winter. Yet if Eusebius is trustworthy, we know what happened: “the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella. And when those that believed in Christ had come thither from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men.” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.5.3). If Matthew wrote after 70 CE, we could perhaps expect some revision to the words of Jesus to conform to historical reality.

To this internal evidence we can also add patristic evidence, as Irenaeus in Ag. Her. 3.1 states that Matthew wrote while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome (i.e. in the 60s).

Taken all together, I think there is more evidence for a pre-70 CE dating of Matthew, and as I said, this has implications for the dating of the other synoptic gospels. Have I missed any arguments for the late or early dating? Let me know in the comments!

The Relationship Between John and the Synoptics

In preparation for my first time teaching the Gospel of John at ADC this year in my new role as Professor of New Testament, I have been reading scholarship on the Gospel of John. In particular, I have been enjoying Paul Anderson's work on John. I may be wrong, but a preliminary looks suggests to me that he has published more on John than any living scholar (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Part of his research that has fascinated me is his theory of composition  for John and his theory on the interrelationship between John and the synoptic gospels.

Anderson presents a diagram that he titles Johannine-Synoptic Interfluential Relationships in The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus (pg 126) and The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel (pg 151). I would like to represent this diagram here for your consideration (with some jazzing up), as well as explain the diagram somewhat. You can also read an article by Paul Anderson on this theory in more detail in this article. After the explanation, you will see 3 more diagrams. Anderson's diagram adopts the 2-source theory of the synoptic gospels. I thought I would also create alternative diagrams adopting some other prominent synoptic theories (Farrer-Goodacre, Matthew Conflator Hypothesis, and Holtzmann-Gundry) – you'll find them at the bottom of the post. What I have linked to are some summaries of these theories. I especially commend to you Alan Garrow's page on the Matthew Conflator hypothesis. I'm currently quite taken with Garrow's hypothesis of Matthean posteriority, and his video on the linked page is a great presentation of the argument.

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Paul Anderson rightly critiques the common discussion on the synoptic relationship (a discussion which I enjoy) while leaving John out of the picture. This is a valid critique. Most synoptic discussion assumes no relationship between John and the synoptic gospels, yet numerous scholars believe there is in fact some sort of relationship. Anderson labels this an Interfluential relationship, meaning that at numerous stages in the composition of John, there was mutual influence within the traditions, which ultimately shows itself in the final writings of the Gospels. For the Gospel of John, we do not have a textual relationship as we do the synoptics, but Anderson argues that John nonetheless displays awareness of the other gospels.

In regards to Anderson's understanding of the writing of John (right side of the image), Anderson believes that the early Johannine tradition and the first edition of John is rooted in the Beloved Disciple's work, the disciple John, and is written somewhat in response to the Gospel of Mark. He continued his ministry and tackled false teaching, as evidenced in 1-3 John. After the apostle John's death, John the Elder compiled the Gospel in its final form, adding the Prologue (John 1:1-18), the feeding and sea-crossing (John 6), the discourse material (John 15-17), the additional ending (John 21), and some other scattered material on the beloved disciple (John 13:23, 19:26, 19:34-35, 20:3, 21:7, 21:24). This additional material is what has interfluence with the Gospel of Matthew.

Some final notes on the diagram:

• Anderson's diagram displayed Q as entirely oral. I've added a green outline and lines to indicate that Q shouldn't be seen as only an oral tradition.
• I've also altered Anderson's "interfluence" lines to demarcate textual connection with interfluence connection. This helps to better understand the relationships between the gospels, as the synoptic connections are clearly textual.
• As with most discussion on the dating of the Gospels, the dates are flexible. I personally lean towards a pre-70 CE dating for Matthew (something I'll blog on at some point), which pushes Mark into the 50s or 60s.

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Keeping on Top of New Testament Scholarship

We live in the information age and are continually bombarded by new information. For the majority of people, this information comes through the internet – specifically through content that is essentially curated by our friends (Facebook) or those whom we are interested in (eg. following someone on Twitter). I myself ditched ditched my RSS reader a long time ago in favor of those items that get into my social media feeds.

But there is no social media feed for scholars that apprise us of the latest research and scholarship. Unlike the 140-character world of Twitter and the YouTube hit sensations that are here today and gone tomorrow, scholarship and research is a slow and steady plod. And that is exactly how it should be. Publication and peer-review is where real advances are made in Biblical studies, not on Twitter, blogs, or YouTube.

So how best can scholars stay fresh in their field? I’ll be honest and tell you that I’m not perfect at this, but I’m learning along the way. And I have had several students ask me this very question - this blog is my answer.

Periodicals: General

Peer-reviewed journal articles is where new scholarship sets out and either gets accepted or sinks. The scholarship will then filter into wider scholarship and monographs.
The first and most basic thing someone can do is to at least see the titles of new articles, which can at least alert you to articles that you should read. Almost every journal has email alerts which you can subscribe to. Alternatively you can make use of my journal alerts feed.
More important than simply seeing the titles of new published articles is getting a better sense of the articles. In this regard, New Testament Abstracts and Old Testament Abstracts are essential. The first thing I do when I find a new article for research is grab its abstract from the OTA and NTA online archive. Every July NTA and every April OTA are updated in the online archives. The disadvantage of the online archives is that there is no way to read each issue of NTA or OTA (they are 3 published a year). This is why I recommend subscribing to NTA and/or OTA, this puts the abstracts in your hand 3 times a year and allows you to get a good sense of the ideas being published in your field on a regular basis. Both NTA and OTA also abstract books in the field.

Periodicals: Specific

Unless you are a speed-reader you can’t expect to read every article of every periodical that interests you. But you can be strategic and pluck a few which you will subscribe to. If you have institutional access to articles, then this is just a time commitment. But if you have to pay for your subscription, then you really need to be particular. Because every person’s interests are different, I hesitate to recommend which periodicals to get, but I’ll dip my toe into New Testament studies. If you had to only subscribe to 2 periodicals, I would recommend Journal for the Study of the New Testament and Novum Testamentum. I especially appreciate not only the high quality articles but also the book reviews in these periodicals.
The following is my attempt at a good list of Biblical studies journals. Please let me know what I missed.

• Aramaic Studies
• Biblica
• Biblical Interpretation
• Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture
• Bulletin for Biblical Research
• Currents in Biblical Research
• Dead Sea Discoveries
• Horizons in Biblical Theology
• Journal for the Study of Paul and his Letters
• Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus
• Journal for the Study of the New Testament
• Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
• Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha
• Journal of Biblical Literature
• Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
• Journal of Semitic Studies
• Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies
• Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
• Journal of Theological Interpretation
• Journal of Theological Studies
• Novum Testamentum
• Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses
• The Expository Times
• Themelios
• Tyndale Bulletin
• Vetus Testamentum
• Vigiliae Christianae

Keep an Eye on Published Books

The big danger in keeping an eye on newly published books is the desire to put it on your to-read list, which is perpetually too big (at least mine is). You need to be safeguard that list of to-read books. Keeping an eye on newly published books is to make sure that you see the books you need to read, as well as what is current in your field.
There are several ways you can do this. Each publisher has a newsletter, and several also have email lists specifically  for their new catalog. You can also choose to get the actual catalogs in the mail. I only do this for a few publishers (I feel guilty for wasting the paper).
Another way to keep a (minimalistic) eye on recent releases is to read a “books received” list, the problem with this, though, is that not every publisher contributes to these lists. As a member of IBR I receive Bulletin for Biblical Research, and each issue ends with a list of books received. These are simple lists, but keeps us apprised of recently published books. Below is a list of the main academic publishers for Biblical studies (let me know if I missed any):

• B & H Academic
• Baker Academic
• Bloomsbury
• Brill Academic
• Cambridge University Press
• De Gruyter
• Eerdmans
• Eisenbrauns
• Fortress Press
• Hendrickson
• IVP
• Kregel Academic
• Mohr Siebeck
• Oxford University Press
• SBL Press
• Tyndale Press
• Vandenhoeck & Reprecht
• Westminster John Knox Press
• Wipf & Stock
• Zondervan

Book Reviews

Like most scholars, I love to read and would love to get paid for just reading books. But life doesn’t work like that. This is why book reviews are so valuable, they allow you to get a snapshot of a book to make sure it is worth reading, or to at least get something out of the book if it doesn’t make it on your reading list. Book reviews have already been mentioned, but just in case you missed it, NTA and OTA, as well as the periodicals offer book reviews by scholars. These are more valuable than reading the summary by the publisher, as it offers some critical feedback and interaction on the book. You simply cannot read every book in your field. Be a regular reader of book reviews.

Finally...

Do you need help reading? Well that's why I created my eCourse Reading for Information Extraction. I'd love to see you there!

Example Paper for Seminary and Bible College Students

I'll make a confession on behalf of all professors: we dislike poorly formatted papers. And while students may find it nitpicky, there are actually good reasons for properly formatting an assignment. It allows the professor to focus on your content, rather than getting distracted by the presentation. And most importantly, it helps us to see the ways in which you made use of sources and interacted with them.

Because of this, I spent a chunk of my time last summer creating an example paper for students at Acadia Divinity College. I'm happy now to offer up the paper here for other students, as well as professors who may want to use it as a resource for their own students. Enjoy!

photo credit: (302/365) Q W E R T Y via photopin (license)

Learning From Senior Scholars — What Would You Ask?

Biblical scholars, this one is for you.…

If you could sit down right now with a scholar you deeply respect, what would you ask? Now, before you start firing off theological, biblical, or exegetical questions that you can learn by simply reading their published works – what other questions would you ask? About teaching? About work habits? About writing? Publishing? Educational experience? Writing?

As a young and newly minted PhD, I desire to excel at my job. This means continuing to work at my skills as a teachers, as well as honing my skills as a researcher and writer. For me, this means learning from others. There are plenty of scholars I look up to and appreciate, scholars that I not only learn from but from whom I also desire to model my career after.

So I pose the question to you again: If you could sit down with a scholar whom you admire, what questions would you ask?

Why am I asking? Because I intend to ask these questions on your behalf to some senior scholars through the course of the next year. So I need your help so that I know what questions to ask.

Please leave the questions in the comments below. Thanks, Danny.

photo credit: My #AcWri #GetYourManuscriptOut process via photopin (license)

A Reasonable Argument for Believing that Matthew is the Best Gospel

Heads up – this is a completely unbiased post. Yes, I completed a PhD with a thesis on Matthew. Yes, my students often hear me say "Matthew is the best Gospel." But after hearing one of my former PhD advisors mention that Mark is his favorite (I'm talking about you Mike Bird!), I needed to set the record straight for everyone out there. There are many reasons that Matthew is the best Gospel. Here are the reasons, in no particular order:

• Matthew has a nice clear incipit, unlike Mark whose manuscripts couldn't decide if Jesus should be called the Son of God or not.
• The early church liked Matthew best, and the early church was filled with brilliant people and very few heretics.
• Matthew, unlike Luke, mentions women in his genealogy (Luke was evidently too influenced by Paul's writing to Timothy).
• Matthew mentions the Magi in the birth narrative, and they rolled out the red carpet for the coming king!
• Sermon on the Mount!!
• Matthew makes careful use of the OT to show why and how Jesus is the promised messiah.
• Matthew like titles! Son of David, Son of Man, Son of God!
• Matthew is the originator of the Walking Dead! (Matt 27:52-53)
• Matthew's Olivet Discourse talks about the destruction of the temple AND the second coming (take that Mark!)
• Matthew used more sources than Mark (and cleaned Mark's material up)
• Matthew was an apostle (take that Mark and Luke!)
• Matthew helpfully arranges Jesus' teaching into 5 discourses, unlike Luke who scatters it like seed, and Mark who is lighter on teaching and just has Jesus "immediately" running around everywhere.
• John Collins stated that more has been written on Isa 7:14 than any other verse (Collins, “The Sign of Immanuel,” in Prophecy and Prophets in Ancient Israel, 225). We have Matthew 1:23 to thank for that! Matthew 1:23 has literally kept biblical scholars employed!
• Matthew was the first evangelist to say, "good going Mark! You neglected to mention any appearances by the risen Jesus!"
• Matthew loves typology, and there is no funner way to read the OT!
• As that lady from The Office counseled Michael Scott, "secret secrets are no fun, secret secrets hurt someone." Matthew tones down Mark's messianic secret.
• Matthew is the first to tell us that John didn't really want to baptize Jesus.
• No one understands "about the loaves" Mark, but I do know that you neglected to mention that Peter walked on the water a bit too! (Matt 14:28-31; Mark 6:52)
• Matthew (and Mark) mention BOTH large feeding miracles (he did it TWICE John and Luke!)
• We would have never known that Jesus was a trick donkey rider if not for Matthew (Matt 21:7)
• I don't think there is a more convicting passage for Christians than the separating of the sheep and goats – exclusive to Matthew! (Matt 25:31-46)
• We aren't left wondering what happened to Judas (Matt 27:3-10)

There are more, but really – need I go on? It is clear that Matthew is the best Gospel! If you have any addition you would like to add, or if you would like to posit that another Gospel is better, please do so in the comments.

Josephus and New Testament Studies

Josephus is an essential source for our understanding of the world of Jesus. There are a number of important events and figures that we would know little to nothing about apart from his writings.

While it might not be necessary to sit and read through the entire Antiquities, students of the New Testament simply must be familiar with Josephus and recognize where we have significant information and parallels for the New Testament. Readers always ought to bear in mind that Josephus wrote with his own agenda and bias which needs to carefully scrutinized. The sections below will highlight some of the important passages, some essential works on Josephus, and some fantastic web resources for the study of Josephus.

Josephus Parallels, Similarities, or Points of contact with the New Testament

I am shamelessly pulling this list from the Josephus.org page:

1. King Herod: Luke 1:5 and Matt 2:1 // Ant. 17.7.1 191 and War 1.31.8 665
2. The Slaughter of the Innocents: Matt 2:2-16 // Ant. 17.2.4 43
3. Archelaus: Matt 2:22 // Ant. 17.8.1 188
4. The Census of Quirinius: Luke 2:1 // Ant. 18.1.1 1 
5. Jesus at Twelve: Luke 2:42 // Life 1.2 8
6. The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius: Luke 3:1 // Ant. 17.11.4 318, 18.2.2 35, 20.7.1 137; War 2.6.3 94
7. John the Baptist: Mark 6:17-29; Matt 14:1-12; Luke 3:3, 3:19 // Ant. 18.5.2,  18.5.3 136. See more on the Josephus page dedicated to this.
8. Pharisees: Matt 23:1, Luke 14:1-14 // Ant. 13.171-173, 18.1.2-3 11-13; War 2.8.14 162-166
9. Sadducees: Matt 22:23, Mark 12:18, Luke 20:27, Acts 5:17, 23:8// Ant. 18.2.4 16-17, War 2.8.14 162-166
10. All Things in Common: The Essenes: Matt 10:5-14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5, Acts 2:45 // Ant.18.2.5 18-22, War 2.7.4 119-127
11. Samaritans: Luke 9:51 // Ant. 20.6.1 118, War 2.12.3-4 232-235
12. Insurrection in the City under Pilate: Mark 15:7, 27; Luke 13:1, 23:18, 23:32; Matt 27:38 // Ant. 18.3.2 60-62, War 2.9.4 175-177
13. Render to Caesar: Matt 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:19-26 // War 2.8.1 118, Ant. 18.1.1 3
14. Jesus: Ant. 18.3.3 63-64 (for more on the testimonium flavium see the Josephus page on it.
15. James the Brother of Jesus: Mark 6:3, Matt 13:55, Gal 1:19, Acts 15:5-21 // Ant. 20. 9.1 199-203 
16. Theudas, and Judas the Galilean: Acts 5:33-39 // Ant. 20.5.1 97-99, 20.5.2 102
17. The Famine under Claudius: Acts 11:27-28 // Ant. 20.2.5 49-53, 20.5.2 101
18. The Death of Herod Agrippa I: Acts 12:20 // Ant. 19.8.2 343-361 
19. Expulsion of the Jews from Rome: Acts 18:1-2 // Ant. 18.3.5 81-84
20. The Egyptian: Acts 21:37-38 // Ant. 20.8.5 169-172, War 2.13.5 261
21. Ananias the High Priest: Acts 23:2, 24:1 // Ant. 20.5.2 103
22. Felix the Procurator, and his wife Drusilla: Acts 24:24 // Ant. 20.7.1 137-144
23. Festus the Procurator: Acts 24:27-25:2 // Antiquities 20.8.9-10 182-186
24. Agrippa II and Berenice: Acts 25:13, 26:27-28 // Ant.20.7.3 145
25. The Widow's Mite and Sacrifices: Mark 12:32-34, 41-44; Luke 21:2-4 // Ant. 6.7.4 147-149
26. The Circumcision Requirement for Converts: Acts 15:1-20 // Ant. 20.2.3-4 34-48
27. Living as a Pharisee: Acts 26:4-5 // Life 12
28. Inner Temple Forbidden to Foreigners: Acts 21:26 // Ant. 15.11.5 417; War 5.5.2 193-94, War 6.2.4 124-26

 

A Few Important Books for the Study of Josephus

Steve Mason is the scholar I rely most on for Josephus. His book Josephus and the New Testament is excellent. The more important book project that Steve Mason is editing is the new translation and commentary on Josephus. You can see the current list of published books in this series on the Brill page. A number of these volumes are available on Logos, yay!

Important Web Resources for Josephus

The Josephus page that has already been referenced is a great website for Josephus. However, by far the best web resource for Josephus is the work of, again, Steve Mason. The Project of Ancient Cultural Engagement is a website that every NT scholar should have bookmarked. Not only does it have a good bibliography, but it has the Greek text aligned with an English translation (including the Brill translation for some books!!). In addition to being able to access the Greek text and translation, there are textual notes, commentary notes, and bibliography related to the different sections. This is still an expanding project, but is already a very impressive site, and we are indebted to Steve Mason for his lifetime of work on Josephus.

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments?

What You Can Do To Prepare For Your First Year Of Greek or Hebrew Study

I have taught introductory Greek for seven years now, and every year without fail I am asked via email at least once how a student can prepare beforehand. I thought it was about time I made the answer to that question a blog post so that I can point future students to my thoughts, and hopefully help many other students out there who may be asking the same question. So, without further ado, here are things you can do to prepare for your first year of Biblical Greek or Biblical Hebrew.

1. Get refreshed on English Grammar

Quite consistently the students who have the least amount of trouble with learning Greek grammar are students for whom English is a second language. This is because they have learned how English grammar works, so discussions about verbs, nouns, adjectives, dependent clauses, etc., is somewhat fresh in their minds. But native English speakers don't dissect their language as the speak and listen to it, they just do it. A lot of time in your introductory Greek and Hebrew courses will be spent referencing and comparing English grammar, and because grade school teaching of grammar is not up to par, new students are often relearning English grammar AND learning the new grammar of Greek or Hebrew at the same time. To reacquaint yourself with English grammar, I recommend a site like englishgrammar101.com.

If you are continuing to struggle with the grammar during your course, I also recommend some nice companion books. These books are short and connect Greek and Hebrew grammatical concepts with English grammar. The books are English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek and English Grammar to Ace Biblical Hebrew.

2. Get an Overview of How Languages (particularly Biblical Languages) Work

Much like the previous point, students in grade school don't learn much about how languages actually work and why they work that way. Part of understanding how language works is learning some new terminology like "morphology," "phonology," "dialects," etc. Luckily, there is a great book for students who are preparing to study Hebrew and Greek called How Biblical Languages Work. I recommend picking this book up a month prior to starting your first course and read it through. This will be a heavy read for some students, but heavy reading will prepare you for the heavy work that is involved in learning these languages.

3. Get Your Textbook Early and Read (at least) the Introductory Chapters

Because introductory Greek and Hebrew courses have a lot of ground to cover, these courses hit the ground running. You will have assigned homework right in that first week. Too many students get hamstrung by not having the book when the class begins. Have it with you that first day and have at least the introductory chapter read. Even more ideal is reading the first chapter or two.

4. Get the Alphabet Down & Begin Pronouncing Words

Getting your feet wet prior to the course is a good idea, as the scary-factor that hits some students in that first class will be something that you are already passed if you took the time to learn the alphabet and started pronouncing words on your own. I of course recommend my YouTube videos for learning the Greek and Hebrew alphabet.

After that, start working on pronouncing some words. For this, I heartily recommend Logos Bible Software's modules for the Greek and Hebrew pronunciations. You can also practice reading along with some native readers. Again, Logos has a Greek audio Bible, or you can use a resource like Jonathan Pennington's Readings in the Greek New Testament. You can find readings of the Hebrew Bible here. (Would love to see a Hebrew audio Bible in Logos sometime Faithlife!)

5. App it Up!

While I confess that this is a shameless plug for my Greek apps FlashGreek and ParseGreek, I created these apps precisely because mobile devices are so prevalent and we spend so much time on them. FlashGreek will help you learn all that new vocabulary using a multimedia approach. There is no other app like it.  ParseGreek drills you on parsing, something you will be doing a lot of in Greek. And if you happen to not have a mobile device. I do have some other Flashcard options for Greek, and you can check out the desktop app Paradigms Master Pro.

For Hebrew, there is also several flashcard apps, though I confess that I am not familiar with them. As you check them out, make sure that they are compatible with the grammar you are using.

So there is my list! Do you teach Greek or Hebrew and answer this question too? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

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