From the December Archives
(avg. read time: 3–7 mins.)
December of 2021 was mostly occupied with the series on when Jesus was born. Though I obviously think you should read the whole series, here are the ones I want to briefly comment on:
When Was Jesus Born? Part 2: Herod’s Reign, Death, and Succession
This data point is the key reason why Jesus’s birth has recently been typically dated to 6–4 BCE. I argue that the date of Herod’s death has been placed too early, and it happened in 1 BCE.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 5: Zechariah’s Service in the Temple
The data point that potentially makes a December 25 date probable is this one, but it is not straightforward.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 6: A Census of Caesar Augustus
The reference to a census does not really help with precision, but the texts we have from this era indicate that Augustus was taking multiple censuses at the turn of the eras, and he had good reason to do so, since keeping the peace and keeping his soldiers happy was an expensive venture.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 7: The Quirinius Question
This entry is more important for the problems that have been raised about Luke’s reference to Quirinius.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 8: The Shepherds in the Field
The main reason that people claim Jesus could not have been born on December 25 is the fact of the shepherds being out in the field at night. Despite how ubiquitously this point is made, I argue here that it does not have the force it is often claimed to have. It really does not tell us anything about the time of year.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 10: The 15th Year of Tiberius
When Was Jesus Born? Part 11: When Jesus Was “About” 30 Years Old
These data points have proven most problematic for claims of assigning Jesus’s birth to a year before 4 BCE. The way they are dealt with is not accurate on either count, as Tiberius’s fifteenth year cannot, as far as the many sources we have for the time of his reign show, be dated significantly earlier so as to allow for Jesus to be born in 6 (or even 7) BCE, and Jesus being “about” 30 years old does not mean he could be anywhere from 26–34.
When Was Jesus Born? Part 12: Final Analysis
If you’re someone who likes to skip to the ends of arguments, here you go, lazy person.
My Thoughts on the Tolkien Biopic, Part 1: Introduction and General Observations
My first review on this site was for the movie Tolkien. And no sir, I did not like it. This is an overly long, three-part review on why I do not think it was a good biopic, including a long third part on the movie’s most fundamental failing in conveying Tolkien’s Christian faith.
Learning God’s Will, Part 1: God’s General Will
This one is on the shorter side, but it provides reflections on something that I think gets too often overlooked in questions about God’s will for “my” life. What is most important to attend to for each and everyone of us is God’s general will that he has declared for all of us.
Jesus and the Festival of Dedication/Hanukkah (John 10:22–39) (NT, John, the Trinity, Second Temple Judaism)
This reflects on the significance of the only reference to Hanukkah in the NT. It is particularly significant in John for how it fits themes of messianic hope and of Jesus’s relation to the festivals and observances of Judaism.
Christmas in Jewish Context, Part 1: Genealogies and OT Texts
Christmas in Jewish Context, Part 4: Typology in Christmas
These four posts explore how the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke link to the Jewish contexts of the Christmas story. That includes their many links to the OT, of course. But it also includes how they resonate with Second Temple Jewish texts.
Why Is Christmas on December 25? Part 1: Scope, Stakes, and Saturnalia (History, Early Church, Christmas)
Yes, I have a few series related to Christmas. This one is based on another paper I wrote for fun about the titular question. The rest of the series can be accessed from this post. There are plenty of myths to address, and the truth is more complicated than any popular theory suggests.
An Adaptational Review of The Hobbit, Part 1: General Thoughts
Before I got around to posting my reviews of LOTR, I had to be significantly less positive about Jackson and co.’s Hobbit movies. But in the interest of being fair, I had to be thorough. There was plenty of good things about these movies … for one good movie. But instead, that butter was scraped over too much bread to make three movies out of a book that was shorter than any individual volumes from LOTR.
Review of Resurrection: Texts and Interpretation, Experience and Theology
Review of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
These books on resurrection are rather different. The first one is aimed towards a scholarly audience, while the second one is aimed towards a popular audience. My reviews of both are ultimately positive, but they each have their issues as well.
The Holy Spirit and the “Already” of the Kingdom
This was based on a paper I did for a class on Pneumatology I had with Dr. Roger Olson. It explores how the NT described the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in eschatological terms as one of the major indicators that the kingdom is already here, even though it not yet consummated.
The Glories of the Nations in Revelation
This is more of a meditative post on a curious statement in ch. 21 that the nations will bring their riches into the new Jerusalem.
I have posted each of my published articles in some capacity or another. I have also posted articles that were never approved for publication. And some, like this one, are ones that I did not think could be made into a proper published article. The focus is on the prepositional phrase attached to various declarations about resurrection in the NT and early Christian literature (since this does appear to have been a peculiarly Christian phrase for resurrection) and what significance it has in its many usages.
Resurrection in the Dictionaries of Paul and His Letters
In commemoration of the release of the updated Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, I decided to compare the entries on resurrection in the first and second editions.
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 1: Matthew 1
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 2: Matthew 2
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 3: Luke 1
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 4: Luke 2
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 5: John 1
Christmas in Christian Context, Part 6: Revelation 12
This series examines the Christmas texts in their NT contexts, particularly as they connect to the rest of their respective texts. Of course, the Revelation text necessitates dealing with the OT context for the imagery and how that imagery is used in this new covenant context.
An Adaptational Review of The Lord of the Rings, Part 4: The Return of the King
I have only referenced this entry in the series for this month because it is the most extensive one. Indeed, it is the longest post on this entire Substack. This is my favorite movie I have ever seen, and I have a lot to say about it. Of course, from an adaptational perspective, not all of it is positive. In fact, this movie has what I regard to be the worst adaptational change in the entire trilogy.
Review of Why Believe in Jesus’ Resurrection?
I was sorely disappointed in this book by the late James Dunn. If you want a good answer to the titular question, this is not the book to find it in. For as short as it is, it is too distracted by other things to make the case it is supposed to be making.