From the January Archives
(avg. read time: 2–5 mins.)
My first post on Revelation was an attempt to convey how a book that is too often ignored (outside of certain contexts) actually has a lot of resonance today beyond those few texts that are typically preached from.
Will There Be Animals in the New Creation? Will Our Pets Be in the New Creation?
I phrase the titular questions this way rather than about whether they will be “in heaven” because it is more biblically sound to describe our eschatological hope in those terms.
Old Testament Textual Criticism: An Orientation and Demonstration
I have another introductory post on NT textual criticism, but there are enough corrections, clarifications, and additions that I would want to make to it that I do not tend to promote the current edition. This post on OT textual criticism is a different story, as I am currently fine with it as it is, and I think the added demonstration from a case study of Zechariah 14 is helpful. Minus the tables, it models how I approach OT textual criticism when the matter arises in my other posts.
An Exercise in NT Textual Criticism: The Case of 1 Cor 15:49
This is based on an article I have published in Biblica. And yes, this is a time when I side with the reading favored by Nestle-Aland/UBS against the majority of manuscripts.
Notes on Medieval Biblical Studies, Part 1: The Value of Preservation
One of my more niche series examines a neglected era of biblical scholarship and the contributions it made. This part has links to the other three parts.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s Theology of Sub-creation, Part 1: Mythopoeia
This begins a three-part series on what we can discern of Tolkien’s theological reflection on his sub-creative project—and on sub-creation more generally—from his major works on the subject: his poem “Mythopoeia,” his essay “On Fairy-Stories,” and various letters. Updated versions of these posts will also be featured in my upcoming book on The Lord of the Rings.
Appraising the Case for Wisdom Christology in John’s Prologue
This came from an article of mine that was never published. Parallels between John’s Prologue and Second Temple Jewish statements about personified Wisdom have often been noted, so that scholars often describe John’s christological presentation here as being a Wisdom Christology as well as a Word Christology. I appraise the case for and against these theological links.
The Perseverance of the Suffering Faithful in the NT, Part 1: Gospels and Acts
Surprisingly, this might be the series I have referenced more often than any other because of how pervasive and pertinent the theme is. All other parts are linked here.
Christology and Discipleship in the Gospels and Acts, Part 1: Foundations
Christology and Discipleship in the Gospels and Acts, Part 3: Matthew on “God with Us”
Christology and Discipleship in the Gospels and Acts, Part 4: Luke and “What Is Mine Is Yours”
Christology and Discipleship in the Gospels and Acts, Part 5: John and “The Abiding Word of God”
I have linked all the parts of this series here because it is not as interconnected as other series. This is based on something I wrote for W. Hulitt Gloer’s class on Discipleship in the NT. These also serve as examples of how theological ethics works in the NT.
An Adaptational Review of The Hobbit, Part 4: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit trilogy saved the worst for last. While I have tried to identify positives in every movie of this series in order to demonstrate that there is enough material for one good movie, the quality is at its most diluted here. This is so in part because of a poorly paced, poorly constructed, and over-extended battle sequence that makes up so much of the movie.
This introductory series is the fruit of previous research I have done on parables. This part has links to the other two parts on how parables work and why Jesus used parables.
I am among those who do not believe that there was ever a source document for Matthew and Luke corresponding to what is today called “Q.” Even if there was, we could never be confident about what it said for reasons I outline here.
Against “Editorial Fatigue”: A Critique of Mark Goodacre’s Seminal Article
Mark Goodacre composed this as what has become an influential argument for Markan priority. Whether or not Mark was the first Gospel written, I argue here that Goodacre’s notion of “editorial fatigue” does not serve as indicative evidence of this.
Did the Gospels Copy Each Other? A Response to ReligionForBreakfast (with tables that are exclusive to paid subscribers)
The short answer is “no.” But, of course, we need to go point-by-point to demonstrate this against the claims in the video supporting supposed copying. This is not to say that there is no textual relationship between the Gospels, but it is to say that the relationship is not best described as “copying.”
This is the best overall book on Tolkien’s theology I have read to date.
The Significance of John for the Synoptic Puzzle (with tables that are exclusive to paid subscribers)
The Synoptic Puzzle (or Synoptic Problem) naturally focuses on the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But John’s commonalities with the Gospels, as well as his differentiations from them where they parallel, can potentially help illuminate how these texts relate to each other. And again, this relationship is not best described as “copying.”