Biblical scholars love to read commentaries.  That is just true.  We love to buy the one’s by our favorite authors.  We like to have them lining our shelves.  We pride ourselves in getting them cheap when we can.

But…sometimes we get bored of commentaries.  Nothing new under the sun kinda thing.  Same old issues rehashed.  Same format and style.  Same conclusions.

Well, be prepared for a breath of fresh air with Joel Green’s work on 1 Peter.  It is a whole different kind of commentary.  In the first place, it is not aiming at in-depth exegesis.  I will send you to Elliott and Achtemeier for that.  No, this is about theological reflection, and Green is the perfect man for the job (though I am looking forward to Scott Hafemann’s contribution).

The ‘commentary’ section of the book is quite short - only about 186 pages - which leaves another 100 pages for theological engagement.

On the basic preliminary issues, Green does not wish to dwell.  On audience, he observes (correctly I think) that we simply cannot say with any real amount of confidence exactly what the makeup of the audiences was.  But, as you progress through the book, it appears he pushes for a mostly-Gentile audience presuming that the few Jews among them would help them with Scriptural allusions and the deliverers of the letter would ‘perform’ it in such a way as to communicate it effectively (see R. Richards on letter-writing).

On authorship, he offers a stunning approach - why could not Peter have really been involved?  This is a tide-turning sort of move, because he disarms the traditional arguments.  DO we know enough about Peter’s ‘theological’ interests to create a profile stable enough to compare 1 Peter to?  We can’t use 2 Peter because of its dubious authorship.  We can’t use the Gospels (like Mark).  What is really stopping us from treating 1 Peter as ‘authentic’?  He does not want to die on the hill of Petrine authorship, but he does not feel like he is forsaking all historical reasonability by presuming it.  I think this is a worthwhile approach.

But, Green is not as interested in these issues.  He wants to plumb the depths of 1 Peter, not in order to discover the ‘theology of 1 Peter’, but to catch a glimpse of how 1 Peter ‘does theology’.  He wants to look at the mechanics of the letter - its literary-theological strategy.  This is a dynamic approach to theology, not a static one.

In particular, he is interested in how Peter perceives the problems among his readers and attempts to shape their identity through a re-narration of their past, a re-situating of their present and a theo-centric vision of their future in Christ.  Many scholars talk about identity, but Green does us the service of actually research what identity is and how it is shaped and influenced.  This methodology and theoretical discourse takes place especially in the last 100 pages where he notes the significance of stories/narratives for how we perceive ourselves and how we form and remember memories.

He deals with a host of important themes in 1 Peter that are also found in Paul and throughout the NT epistles - honor and shame, suffering and glory, judgment, holiness, hope, faithfulness, elect/chosen.  He makes a point of noting the significance of metaphors in 1 Peter.  Whereas scholars in the past have spent much time discussing what metaphors say and what they mean, there is a new interest in what metaphors do in discourse - how they shape and support an argument, they are contribution to the transformation of identity.

This is a worthwhile book the read (cover-to-cover) even if you have no specific interest in 1 Peter, because Green discusses a new agenda among scholars called ‘theological hermeneutics’.  As Green is at the forefront of this clan of biblical scholars (such as Fowl, Gaventa, Hays, Moberly), it is helpful to get an idea of this approach is and why it is helpful for NT studies.

I highly recommend this commentary, especially as a seminary-level textbook to gain a grasp of 1 Peter and its theological import.

Through the ‘wordpress’ analysis functions I can see what people search on google (or whatever) in order to eventually make it to my blog.  I noticed that today someone found their way to my blog simply by typing in the words ‘wise scholar’ into a search engine.  Whoever you are…thank you…

Inspired by a recent post by Chris Tilling on ‘20 enjoyable books to read’, I thought another approach would be naming the scholars who have been most influential to me (and which books are especially good). This is not an exhaustive list nor is it in any special order.

Let’s start with the Durham posse

1. James D.G. Dunn - why? The New Perspective, of course! But, also his work on the Holy Spirit. In terms of commentaries, his Romans (WBC) is fantastic, but I am also very pleased with his Galatians (BNTC) and Colossians (NIGTC). Where to start? His new The New Perspective on Paul (Eerdmans 2008).  Also, I will never be the same after reading his ‘Paul’s Understanding of the Death of Jesus’ in the FS for Leon Morris entitled Reconcilation and Hope (1974).

2. John M.G. Barclay - why? Amazing work on ethics in Galatians with insight into the flesh/spirit dichotomy. Also, his Jews in the Med. Diaspora is quite good. Where to begin? Probably with his Obeying the Truth (published thesis on Galatians). Some of his articles/essays are really excellent - check out the interesting interaction and critique of the New Perspective in ‘Neither Jew nor Greek: Multiculturalism and the New Perspective on Paul’ in Ethnicity in the Bible (1996).

3. Stephen Barton - why? He has done some influential work on the use of social-sciences and NT theology. Check out especially his Life Together: Family, Sexuality and Community in the New Testament and Today. He has also written on ethics and NT- good stuff (he is also my primary supervisor). For Gospels, he edited the Cambridge Companion to the Gospels and has written a nice little book The Spirituality of the Gospels.

4. Francis Watson - why? He has done some interesting work on theological hermeneutics, sociological aspects in Paul, ethics, and more. The recent revision of his thesis is fantastic, though he goes down some very unusual roads sometimes with his interpretation. Overall, though, his argument is cogent. Check out Eerdman’s Paul, Judaism, and the Gentiles: Beyond the New Perspective. In person and in this book he convinced me that pistis christou should be read as an objective genitive rather than a subject (whereas I previously leaned towards Hays).

Now on to the other Durham

5. Richard Hays - why? Do I really need to answer this? His work on intertextuality, ethics, and community, of course! Where to begin? Tough one. I would say Conversion of the Imagination and/or Moral Vision of the NT.

The next few have influenced me just through good old-fashioned solid exegesis and clear and reasonable commentary writing

6. Ben Witherington III - check out his Conflict and COmmunity in Corinth. Also, in terms of introductory materials, he is almost unmatched in terms of accessible history of scholarship in both The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest. Also, his NEw Testament History is a fun read and great to use as a textbook for NT intro.

7. Gordon D. Fee - why? Certainly his research on the Spirit, but also see his excellent commentaries on Philippians (NICNT), 1 Corinthians (NICNT), as well as newer work on Galatians. Where to begin? Try his Paul, the Spirit and the People of God. If you are up to the challenge, try his new Pauline Christology - it will probably earn the title ‘magisterial’.

8. I.H. Marshall - why? Good solid scholarship from an evangelical perspective. Where to begin? Try his New Testament Theology. Check out, also, his Beyond the Bible. Did you know he is working on a Romans commentary for the Two Horizons? As a fellow Arminian/Methodist, I am interested in his perspective on Romans. Also see his new Aspects of the Atonement (Paternoster).

Other scholars who have influenced me in smaller ways

9. Markus Bockmuehl - good, critical, but reasonable scholarship. His Philippians commentary (BNTC) is one of the best. Though I read it just recently, his Seeing the Word (about the past and future of NT scholarship) was really impacting. Check out also his work as editor and contributor to the Cambridge Companion to Jesus (he writes on Resurrection).

10. Richard Bauckham - Though his work has been largely in Revelation and the Gospels (especially John), I was very impressed with his work on Christology in God Crucified - a must-read! Also his Theology of the Book of Revelation is the best short intro to that mysterious and fascinating NT text.

11. Beverly Gaventa - her commentary work (on 1-2 Thessalonians, and also on Galatians) is commendable. I would read her Our Mother Saint Paul. She is good on Paul and Apocalyptic.

12. Joel B. Green - excellent work on narrative theology; also his new commentary on 1 Peter is very engaging, eloquent, and takes the discussion beyond stagnant controversies of the past.

13. David Horrell - His work on social aspects in Corinth is commendable. But, his work on ethics in really impressive - check out his Solidarity and Difference.  He is now working in 1 Peter.  I am going to review a new introductory guide to 1 Peter - more to come.

14. Jerome Neyrey - A member of the context group that I admire greatly. His work in honor and shame (especially in Matthew) was very formative for me. ALso, a really nice chap.

15. David deSilva - also has done work on social-sciences. Check out his Hope of Glory and Honor, Kinship & Purity. Also a good exegete with invaluable work on Hebrews. His NT Intro textbook is absolutely the best out there. I would use it in a heartbeat.

16. Stanley Hauerwas - You must read the Hauerwas Reader.

17. Craig Keener - why? Especially good on how and why to use ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources. Also very enlightening on the issue of women in ministry.

18. Richard Longenecker - need I justify? His Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period is a classic; his commentary on Galatians (WBC) is always worthy of consideration in exegesis. He is currently working on a multi-volume commentary on Romans.  I have interacted with him a bit.  Nice chap.

19. Michael Gorman - He is not a prolific author, but his works thus far have been weighty. Where to start? Cruciformity, though his textbook on Paul is the best thing out there for an intro to Paul’s theology.

20.  Oh, where to end?  I guess I will cheat and call it a tie among Stanley Porter (I suspect his new commentary on Romans [Sheffield Phoenix] will be excellent), Craig Evans (his research guide to Ancient Texts of the New Testament is invaluable), Greg Beale (with his work on the book of Revelation and intertextuality; his short commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians is quite good), and Stephen Fowl (try his commentary on Philippians).

It would be fun to hear from other bloggers (on their own websites and/or in the comments below) regarding their favs.

I returned back home to Durham (England) last week from a two week holiday in the US with my family. While in my hometown (Ashland, Ohio) I like to stop in the seminary (Ashland Theological Seminary) and visit with some of the profs there. Strangely enough, some of them I know because I went to high school with their kids! In any case, one of these profs (David Baker, OT scholar) is also the editor of Ashland Theological Journal and allows me to take back a few books in NT to review for the journal. I thought I would share what I am reading. At first I thought posting on ‘what I am reading’ is a bit self-centered, but I thought, (1) this is a blog based my interests and research, so where else would be better?, and (2) I can offer a brief word about these relatively recent books and why I think they are interesting.

Paul: Missionary of Jesus (Paul Barnett): Intro books on the Apostle Paul are rather plentiful (for a short one I like Horrell, for a longer one M. Gorman), but I am always looking for good potential textbooks. Barnett is a good scholar and we have seen good commentary work from him (2 Corinthians, NICNT). He is critical of the New Perspective, so I am interested to see how he treats the subject. The book is endorsed by Hengel and Carson, but that is not too surprising. Also, Barnett tries to draw from both Acts and the Pauline corpus and sometimes this is done well and sometimes not so much. So, I am eager to see how he works out that approach.

Greed as Idolatry (B. Rosner). Rosner is an excellent exegete and also an expert in Pauline ethics. Interest in how metaphors shape reality is increasing interest among theologians and so this is a timely study as well.

Aspects of the Atonement (I.H. Marshall).  This short book engages in the topics of cross, resurrection, and reconciliation.  I have always enjoyed Marshall’s work (his NT Theology is quite good).  This should be a fun read.  As Mike Bird pointed out on his blog, Marshall rightly draws attention to the significance of resurrection as a theme in NT soteriology.

Central Themes in Biblical Theology (Ed. S. Hafemann and P.R. House). An evangelical project, this collection of essays treats subjects such as covenant, commandments/law, atonement, the ’servant of the Lord’, judgment, the people of God, and the history of redemption. Contributing scholars include Frank Thielman and Elmer Martens (as well as pieces by the editors). My mentor from Gordon-Conwell, Roy Ciampa, has an excellent piece on heilsgeschichte. I think, though I will confirm after I read it!, that this might make a good textbook for a ‘whole-Bible’ survey class or an intro to biblical theology.

The New Perspective on Paul (Dunn; revised edition). This collection of older essays and inclusion of some new material was previously published by Mohr Siebeck and was unbearably expensive. Luckily Eerdmans picked it up and now it seems very affordable (though I was lucky to get it free for review!). Interestingly he dedicates it to Tom Wright, ‘friend, co-worker, fellow soldier, and bishop’ (the quote is in Greek). The only new piece chapter/essay is one on Philippians 3 - I am very interested to see what Dunn has to say since I have my own thought on 3.2ff.

As a Christmas present, my father-in-law gave me a gift certificate to Borders and I didn’t have an opportunity to spend it until we went to the US, so I also picked up a couple of books for ‘fun’ reading:

The Hauerwas Reader - I really enjoy reading about theology and ethics.  I have only read the first essay so far, but I was very impressed at how readable he is.

Wesley for Armchair Theologians (W. Abraham) - Personal confession - I know very little about historical theology.  I have spent so much time specializing in NT that I barely qualify as ‘armchair’!  So, truth be told, this is about where I need to begin.  I have read about 1/3 and this series is really excellent.  Fun for pastors and a really good starting place for committed laypeople.  Plus, a professional cartoonist does illustrations throughout the book and he is excellent.  I would like to read the volume on Barth next, and Aquinas after that.

The Life and Work of Caravaggio.  I love art (especially paintings) and I really like art that portrays biblical scenes.  Caravaggio has quite a number of ‘biblical’ paintings, his Paul on the Road to Damascus being a well-known piece.  I have only read a couple of chapters, but his life is so fascinating.  He was quite a controversial figure - very anti-estabishment, lived on the street, offended everyone - that sort of thing.

So, I have a lot on my plate, but (for me) it is quite an appetizing plate!

Not long ago I had a serious scare - my laptop wouldn’t boot up WIndows XP. I was mortified! But, it did eventually work and I knew that was a clarion call for me to invest in an external hard drive. There are many choices. Dozens and dozens of choices. If you just want some place to ’store data’, then just about anything will be safe. But, if you need more, I have a recommendation. I decided to invest in Seagate FreeAgent Go (160 Gigs) for $95 at Best Buy. Why?

Not only does it store information, it simulates your PC environment so that if you plug the device into another computer, it will replicate your whole windows environment with your own programs, files, and folders in the same places where they are on your personal PC. Anything you do on the PC connected to your external hard drive will be saved only onto the external drive and when you sync it with your personal PC it will update your new work.  That means that when you travel, you don’t need to take your laptop if there is going to be a computer where you are going.  You just plug in the external HD and it was run your personal computer’s whole environment.  It is a virtual PC.

Not convinced?  PCWorld lists a similar Seagate external drive (FreeAgent PRO; a high-capacity version) as 4th of their top 10 on External Hard Drive; see HERE.  I also recommend using GSpace for online storage as additional backup because it is free and easy to use.

In terms of external HDs, others have recommended Maxtor.  Whatever you do, do it now!

I am currently on holiday in America visiting my parents.  While in my hometown, I like to visit with some of the professors at the local seminary (Ashland Theological Seminary).  This week I had the honor of having breakfast with NT scholar David deSilva.  He just finished a year in Germany on the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt fellowship (working on a book on rhetoric).  Whenever I am doing research which corresponds to any of his areas of expertise (and there are several), I consult his work first.  May I recommend some of his works to you?

1. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods
& Ministry Formation (InterVarsity, 2004) - This evangelical introductory textbook, though quite long and bulky, is outstanding.  It has, in my opinion, the right mixture of historical, sociological, literary, rhetorical, and theological elements.  It is written at a relatively basic level so it is accessible to the novice in biblical studies.  If/When I teach a NT survey course, I will not hesitate to use this book.  When I taught a course on Paul and his letters, I had my students read selected portions of this book.

2. Introducing the Apocrypha (Baker Academic, 2000).  As software programs such as Bibleworks become more popular among seminarians, students are able, more and more, to search and engage in relevant texts for NT/OT studies.  But, few students really understand the Apocrypha in terms of these texts history, transmission, provenance, and literary and theological characteristics.  deSilva is able to give a brief, but informative precis of these documents. 

3. Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity (IVP, 2000).  It is becoming quite common for social-scientific models and tools to be integrated into discussions about the NT culture and social structures.  However, where does one begin to learn about these models, theories, studies, etc…?  deSilva offers a sort of ’social-structure of NT world for dummies’ kind of book that excels at showing the relevance and value of this interpretive approach and perspective.  My only reservation is that this book (and others like it) tend to draw examples almost exclusively from Greco-Roman literature and little from the OT/Pseudepigrapha/DSS/Philo/Apocrypha - thought deSilva does better than most.  For instance, in terms of honor/shame, why do we always turn to quotes from Homer to prove it was important to Biblical writers and their original readers?  There are also good examples in Wisdom of Solomon or Philo.  In any case, if you teach NT survey or a class on biblical interpretation, this would also make a good textbook.  ALso check out his The Hope of Glory: Honor Discourse and New Testament
Interpretation (Liturgical Press, 1999).

4. Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle “To the Hebrews”  (Eerdmans, 2001).  I have not read this cover-to-cover, but the portions I have interacted with were very rewarding.  There are few good scholars in Hebrews, but deSilva ranks in the top few.  If I am correct, he also did his PhD research on Hebrews under Luke TImothy Johnson.

I have read several of his articles and he has a clear and delightful writing-style that eschews technical jargon.  He also frequently has in mind topics that seem truly significant to the church in our time. 

 

So, if you have a long commute/walk to work (as I do) you are always looking for something to listen to on the way - especially anything free.  Well, a couple of days ago I stumbled on a goldmine - itunes-University.  If you have itunes (either for Mac or PC; free downloadable program to listen to music), you can click on the iTunes store and find the itunes-U icon on the top left.  What is it?  Several universities have uploaded lectures, classes, chapel messages, university info, special seminars, colloquials, conference recordings, etc.. - and they are almost all free (everything I have looked at has been free).  Though the university selection so far is not massive, it includes: Depaul, Duke, MIT, Northeastern U, Stanford, Texas A & M, UC-Berkeley, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Yale (among others).  Topics include politics, history, business, literature, media, law, philosophy, art, and religion (and more).

For those of you interested in biblical studies, there are some great downloads. I recommend:

-The Carmichael-Walling Lectures from Abilene Christian University which includes lectures by Abraham Malherbe, Wayne Meeks, and Margaret Mitchell.

- The Kenneth W. Clark Lectures from Duke which include a two-part series from Dale Allison Jr. on The Historical Jesus and the Theological Jesus.

- A NT Colloquium from Fuller Theological Seminary which includes lectures by Robert Morgan on ‘Jesus in NT Theology’

-A series of lectures from Reformed Theological Seminary by D.A. Caron on the ‘New Perspective on Paul’

On a more ‘pastoral’ level, I have also enjoyed some material from Seattle Pacific University which includes discussions on biblical ethics from Richards Hays, an engagement on modern Christianity in a ‘post-Christian world’ by William Willimon, and numerous talks on Scripture (and Jesus, experience, church) by Robert Wall.  Duke has chapel messages, some by OT scholar Ellen Davis, others by theologian Stanley Hauerwas.

Did I mention all of this is free?

If others have found good stuff on iTunes U related to NT/biblical studies, please let me know and I will announce it here (and probably download it for myself!).

If you have not already heard, this years BNTS conference will take place at Durham University (September) at St. John’s College. The official website is ntgateway.com/bnts/.

The webpage has recently been revamped (and looks a lot better now!) and the paper titles of the four plenary speakers have been posted:

Professor John M. G. Barclay
‘Two Versions of Grace: Romans 9-11 and the Wisdom of Solomon’

Professor Loveday Alexander
‘The Myth of the Imprisoned God: Classical Intertextualities in the Acts of the Apostles’

Professor Dale Martin
‘Angels, Demons and Paul’

Dr Eddie Adams
‘The Earliest Christian Meeting Places’

_____________________________

These are all very exciting issues and we are privileged to have four speakers since the conference normally has only three.

Also, call for papers is open. Note that, due to the inclusion of a four plenary speaker, there will be no simultaneous short papers. Also, a ‘Catholic Epistles’ seminar group has been added.

In a recent post I mentioned a great used bookstore for theological books in Cambridge (England; Galloway & Porter). A comment was made by Andrew Bourne that I should check out another bookstore for theological books in York (which is not far from Durham where I live). Well, it just happened that I was going to York the very next day, and I did make it to BARBICAN BOOKS (not far from the Shambles). Well, Andrew was right! It had quite a good selection of commentaries and some monographs. The prices were not as attractive as I had hoped, but I did find a good deal. I picked up one book - a commentary on Philippians by A. Plummer (1919) for £2. Not bad! Thanks Andrew!

I am in Cambridge (right now at the Tyndale House) visiting David Nystrom (current PhD student at Cantab; MATR alum of Durham). Yesterday, we went book shopping in the city. After a quick stop at the Cambridge University Press shop (did you know they have the SNTS in paperback?), we went to a very special ship: Galloway & Porter LTD. They have shelves and shelves of clearance price biblical monographs and the like. I picked up three NT monographs for ₤6-8 each! If you are ever in Cambridge, find out where G & P’s is, but be warned - the prices are too good to resist!