Robinson on Conversation

by Charles Halton on May 2, 2012

“The only obligation I recognize is to say what I believe to be true [...] and to say it with kindness. I believe that is how a Christian conversation should proceed.” –Marilynne Robinson Well said.

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The Power of Physical Books

by Charles Halton on April 30, 2012

I’m quite an enthusiastic supporter of electronic books in all their iterations. I think that long form writing has a wonderful future ahead of itself and that we’ve only seen the beginning of the benefits (and also destruction) of converting dead trees to atoms. And yet, for the student of ancient texts there is something [...]

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Free Harvard Class on Greek Civ

April 28, 2012

Another free online Harvard class–The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization. Looks really good.

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Pay Attention, Because It’s Really, Really Simple: Writing is a Gift

April 27, 2012

Pay attention, because it’s really, really simple: If in January, you sit there contemplating what you should report and write in order to win a Pulitzer Prize during the coming year — or if you harbor such thoughts at any point during the year – you are hack and a whore and part of the [...]

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When is an Allusion an Allusion?

April 27, 2012

In the previous post many people have proposed instances in which they think other parts of the Old Testament allude to or cite from Genesis. However, I thought it would be worthwhile to think through some criteria for separating a true allusion or citation from the use of a general trope or when an author [...]

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How Important Is Genesis for the OT?

April 25, 2012

My friend Pete Enns has a new book out, Genesis for Normal People (it definitely isn’t for Duane Smith) and in commenting on the book RJS observes (Jesus Creed blog): Genesis is a defining story without which it is hard to make sense of the rest of the Old Testament. Now, as far as I understand [...]

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A Danger of Reading the Bible Theologically

April 25, 2012

It seems that univocal descriptions of God’s character and action were not sufficient for the biblical writers. Instead, they represent God as a complex being who responds in different ways even to similar circumstances. This requires a mature reflection from those who wish to follow him. Instead of perceiving God through the lens of static [...]

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Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel

April 10, 2012

Many people are glowingly describing the new journal, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel (HeBAI) and rightly so since it has a stellar editorial board and an impressive list of scholars contributing to the first issue. Furthermore, it fills an interesting niche in which an entire journal is devoted to looking at the history of Israel [...]

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The Hebrew Scriptures in Judaism and Christianity

April 2, 2012

A free course taught by Shaye Cohen. Here’s the description: In 70CE the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Second Temple Judaism, whose worship consisted of animal sacrifice permitted by biblical command only at the Temple, would have to reinvent itself as Rabbinic Judaism.  Contemporaneously, the authors of the New Testament Gospels were writing about the [...]

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Footnotes & the Tower of Babel

March 24, 2012

Unlike in some academic disciplines (e.g., much philosophy), writers in biblical studies have traditionally demonstrated their right to add their voices to the tradition by way of exhaustive citation of all who have gone before. The result is an ever-taller tower of footnotes, building one upon the other, yet to what end? The demonstration that [...]

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