Threads from Henry's Web

Category: Bible Study Tools

  • Dave Black: Ten Best Books for Studying New Testament Greek

    David Alan Black has posted a new essay, Ten Best Books for Studying New Testament Greek.  The majority are books I have read and/or are on my shelves, but there are a couple that are just on my “need to read this list” and a couple more I’m going to add.

    I note that when I teach Greek classes locally, usually to a couple of people at a time, I use the #1 and #2 books on his list.  I know that as one of his publishers I should perhaps use one of his books as my text, but I will plead historical reasons–I picked the textbooks before I was his publisher!

    If I might underline a couple of books on his list:  #5. Peter Cotterell and Max Turner, Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation, and Dave’s related book, Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek: A Survey of Basic Concepts and Applications. I take a small risk in recommending books I haven’t personally read. My introduction to linguistics started with my graduate advisor, Dr. Leona Running at Andrews University, and continued with some graduate work in linguistics at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle. Those linguistics classes did more for my understanding of translation and exegesis than did many of my exegesis classes.

    I always spend time talking about linguistics with my Greek or Hebrew students.  It makes a great deal of difference to how valuable one’s technical language knowledge will be.  When I studied Greek, I found that even syntax was neglected to some extent.

    Finally, #10. Rodney Decker, Koine Greek Reader: Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers.  In particular note the “Septuagint” and “Early Christian Writers.”  In my opinion, if your reading is limited to the New Testament, you cannot claim to really understand New Testament Greek.  I include the LXX in my regular reading, and I’m including more and more literature from the early church.  It will be well worth your while to do so.

  • Received: James, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

    I registered in time for the blog tour for the Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, and I received my copy of the commentary on James by Craig Blomberg and Miriam J. Kamell today.  I’ll be reading it through and posting my comments here during the week of the blog tour, Dec. 15-22.

    I am already pleased to note that my pastor, Wesley Wachob (First United Methodist Church, Pensacola), is cited in the book.

    And no, I won’t be stopping by series of notes from 1 & 2 Chronicles, working from the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary volume.

  • 1 Chronicles 1-9 in the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

    I previously gave an overview of the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on 1-2 Chronicles, but I’ve been spending more time with it since, reading the Hebrew text along with the commentary. While I do appreciate the NLT text on which the commentary is based, I’m not reading this for the NLT text, but rather for the commentary.

    I just completed chapter 9 which gets me to the start of the narrative portion of the book. In the genealogies especially, it’s hard to properly represent the Hebrew text in English translation. There are many ambiguities, name variants, and textual variants, especially in the versions. In several cases when I went to the NLT after reading the Hebrew I found that the reading I had chosen as I went through was in the NLT margin. That’s not a negative comment on the translation–it’s just very difficult to render this sort of text both clearly and accurately. Clarity is often purchased at the price of accuracy.

    My impression of the commentary on this section is very positive. Author Mark Boda focuses on structural issues and the way in which the structure of the genealogies sets the shape for the narrative of the remainder of the book. One can derive timing, sources, and the purpose of the author from the way the genealogies are named. This commentary tends to emphasize a key point about studying the Old Testament: Genealogies aren’t some sort of appendix or footnote, but are rather of great, even central importance to the writers.

    Within the limits of space (1 Chronicles 1-9 occupies pages 25-102), and the purpose of the commentary, which is for serious lay students or pastors, and not so much for scholars, the coverage is excellent. Boda includes a discussion of sources wherever they are used. It would be interesting to see more discussion of the implications of the way these sources are used, but what is provided is excellent.

    Connections with historical events are covered, including references to place or personal names in other ancient near eastern sources are covered. What is absent is any extended effort to deal with the historicity of either these chapters or their sources. The author presents options but doesn’t really push any particular approach. I think that’s a positive thing. With the number of rough edges involved, such a discussion could easily occupy the whole book.

    Overall, the commentary on these first nine chapters presents a structure that sees the post-exilic community built around the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but with the Levites placed at the center of national religious life. The other tribes are included in such a way as to make a statement that they are part of the restored Israel as well. In some ways you can see Israel reinventing itself post-exile.

    I’ll post further notes as I study further.

  • Review – Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1-2 Chronicles

    I previously reviewed the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy on my book blog and have posted a number of notes about it on this blog.  So when I had an opportunity to review the volume in the same series on 1 & 2 Chronicles, I jumped at it.  I would say many of the same things I said about that previous volume with regard to this one, so if you want my thoughts on the series in general, read that previous review.

    Chronicles as a whole is not a staple of Christian teaching.  We use a number of individual passages, especially the various prayers, but as a whole, the method is a bit foreign.  From a historical point of view Samuel-Kings is closer to the events it relates as an historical source, while the emphasis on genealogy in Chronicles goes against the grain of our western minds.

    In this commentary, author Mark J. Boda has managed to continue the quality commentary that I expect from this series.  My personal tendency is to criticize a commentary such as this one for not including enough comment on issues of biblical criticism, the language, and translation issues.  But those are not the primary focus here.  This commentary is designed to be read by the non-theologian and people who do not read Hebrew.

    At the same time it does have considerable information on the structure of the book and on the language.  I found the introduction to the genalogies (pp. 25-31) particularly helpful, because it takes on issues such as the purpose of the genealogies and why they are included in the way that they are.  I’ve previously written about the importance of genealogies and why they should not be neglected.  These pages make many of those points and a number more as well.

    In the section on 1 Chronicles 1-9, the commentary section follows a consistent structure that differs from what it follows in the rest of the book.  The first portion discusses sources.  Chronicles is one of those sections of the Bible where we have source explicitly referenced and easily discernible.  The second portion discusses structure and content.  While most readers will probably be going more directly for content, the excellent discussion of structure is one of the strong points of this commentary.  Finally, there is a section on significance, particularly important because we are dealing with genealogies.

    The whole commentary is 449 pages, including the text of the NLT.  The remainder of the commentary starting with 1 Chronicles 10 is follows the more standard format of comment on short passages in succession.  The discussion is thorough.  References to Hebrew are transliterated and explained adequately for someone who does not know the language.  (Those who do read Hebrew will, or at least should, want to know more.)

    I would like to have an index in a book like this.  I realize that people generally read commentaries by going to the section on a passage in which they have an interest.  I would like to be able to follow some themes, such as prayer, through the commentary, and an index would be extremely helpful.

    The bibliography occupies 13 pages, and will prove useful.  I don’t have enough knowledge of the literature in this area to criticize the content, but it looks quite good in general.

    I’m delighted to be studying these two books using this commentary.  I personally want more comments on the language, but that is something I can get from other commentaries.  This one is accessible and useful especially to the pastor or teaching in the church.

  • Biblioblogger Carnival and Rankings

    The carnival is up at You Can’t Mean That, and the Biblioblogger rankings, from which I have fallen in disgrace due to lack of blogging (I would guess-no blogging=no traffic!) are up at Free Old Testament Audio.

  • August 2010 Biblical Studies Carnival Posted

    … at Zwinglius Redivivus.  It does not include me, but I can’t think of anything I wrote recently that I would have nominated, so I can’t complain.  Also, I won’t be quoting John Calvin favorably, so this may not be remedied in the immediate future.

    (If you don’t get the Calvin thing, go and actually read the carnival!)

  • Spong vs Mohler

    I found this video interesting, even though I don’t consider Spong one of the better advocates of a liberal approach to the Bible.  From my perspective he’s slipped off the far edge of the map.  I would suggest there is a position that does not affirm biblical inerrancy, yet maintains biblical authority.

    (HT: Exploring Our Matrix)

    Michael Dowd, also debating with Dr. Mohler (who seems to be keeping busy!) claims that biblical Christianity is bankrupt. I intend to respond from my “passionate moderate” viewpoint a bit later. For now I would just note that I see problems with the definition of “biblical Christianity.”

    (Another HT to: Exploring Our Matrix)

  • List of Online Lexicons

    Polycarp has a very useful list of online lexicons.

  • Reading Genealogies

    I discuss why I think we should pay attention on the World Prayr blog today.

  • Alden Thompson – Jesus Solves All the Problems in Your Bible

    I located this video today, and while I’m not blogging much these days, I wanted to share it.  Alden was one of my teachers at Walla Walla College when I was in the Biblical Languages program there.  I now publish his book Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God?, now in it’s fourth edition.

    There will be some references to specifically Seventh-day Adventist events and issues, but the majority of the material here relates to controversies that will be familiar to all of us.

    And no, I didn’t post this just because he mentions me and says a couple of nice things about me.