The Best Scholarship on 2 Corinthians

As I am working my way (chronologically) through Paul’s letters, I just completed 2 Corinthians and have begun on Romans. Thus, it is time to share my thoughts on this very rich, but also very controversial epistle. Where to begin?
Introductions
There are several satisfactory introductory essays or articles to allow one to ‘dip their [...]

What kind of problems did the Roman Christians have?

I am currently studying Romans.  The questions of why Paul wrote the letter (the so-called ‘Romans Debate’) is still wide-open and scholarship is still far from generating a consensus view. There are, though a few very popular theories and one that is continually gaining steam is that the letter is audience-centered with special attention [...]

Advice on Choosing a Research Topic for Doctoral Work in New Testament

When I was applying for PhD programs, I felt that I had a decent overall preparation for further studies…except my research proposal.  I felt like I could tick the boxes under language study, exegetical method, and breadth of knowledge.  When it came to formulating a good creative project I was quite weak.  I suspect that [...]

Bockmuehl on NT Studies

I recently finished reading Markus Bockmuehl’s Seeing the Word – a book that wishes to ‘refocus’ New Testament study.  He surveys the state of the field and finds it bewilderingly fragmented, compartmentalised, methodologically lost, and unclear about what it (the discipline) wishes to study and what it might accomplish.  He suggests that some new directions [...]

How we analyze ancient texts – are we letting the cart pull the horse?

Currently I am studying 2 Corinthians and particularly Paul’s temple language in 6.14-7.1.  Scholars have struggled over this ‘fragment’.  It contains an unusual number of hapax, it seems to use language about separation from (Gentile) unbelievers in a way we wouldn’t expect of Paul.  It does not seem to fit neatly into its literary context [...]