Biblical Studies
There is very little in the history of Christianity about which one may find unbroken consensus. And yet for at least fifteen hundred years, Christians agreed almost without exception that the Song of Songs spoke principally not of love between human beings but of the relationship between God and God’s people. At first blush, such […]
Seeing by the Light: Illumination in Augustine’s and Barth’s Readings of JohnBy Ike MillerIVP Academic, 2020248 pages (paperback), $35.00 If one has read only the Institutes of John Calvin, it may come as a surprise when Calvin writes in his commentary on the Gospel of John that in his exegesis “Augustine . . . is […]
“Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1–3” by Vern S. Poythress
Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1–3 by Vern S. Poythress Crossway, 2019 400 pages (paperback), $32.99 The opening chapters of Genesis have long been grist for the exegetical mill and remain a source of debate even for those within the same tradition. In Interpreting Eden, Vern Poythress has written a […]
There are three letters by John in the New Testament. Their titles, which indicate common authorship and order of composition, are only traceable to early church tradition and are not part of the sacred text. Even so, a strong argument has been mounted for their apostolic authorship because of their similar words and truths.1 So […]
Essential Writings of Meredith G. Kline Introduction by Jonathan G. Kline Biographical Sketch by Meredith M. Kline Hendrickson, 2017 330 pages (hardcover), $29.95 In a festschrift for Professor Moshe Greenberg, Tehillah le-Moshe (Eisenbrauns, 1997), the editors’ appreciation honored the scholar in the following manner: “His life-work is a demonstration that the study of ancient texts […]
Life beyond death? It’s a bold claim. Granted, it’s a doctrine confessed without much hesitation each week by Christians worldwide. And even the spiritual but not religious crowd often appeals to our deceased loved ones going to a better place. This is because many of us want to believe that we don’t go into oblivion […]
When thinking about the crucifixion, many people assume that since the Romans were in charge, Jesus was most likely taken to a Roman execution site somewhere outside the city wall of Jerusalem. But in John 19, we’re told that Pilate delivered Jesus over to the chief priests and that they were the ones who led […]
The Bible is a text of unparalleled power—its narrative line is breathtaking, its scope vast. Much of it is drama, and even those sections that are not (e.g., the lengthy poems and letters) were originally intended to be read at a single sitting. So why do many of us stop after a page or two? […]
A “Lord of the Rings” Biblical Theology: “Supernatural” and “The Unseen Realm” by Michael S. Heiser
Seemingly from nowhere, SupernaturalandThe Unseen Realm have found themselves atop Amazon’s best-selling Kindle books list. They are what your neighbors are reading (evangelical neighbors especially). The author, Michael S. Heiser, is a credentialed and peer-reviewed scholar in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages, as well as scholar-in-residence at Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software; […]
One of the treasures of worship in the Christian church is the Psalter: one hundred and fifty inspired songs, many of them written by David. But is it appropriate to sing all of the psalms? The ones I have in mind are the “imprecatory” psalms—the ones calling down God’s judgment on our enemies. Here are […]
Just weeks before, their hopes had been dashed. Now everything had changed. Back then, two of them had sadly explained to a fellow traveler that their teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, a mighty prophet, had been repudiated by the leaders of Judaism and crucified by Roman authorities. “But we had hoped that he was the one […]
The Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28 and in Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ post-resurrection teaching in his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles foretells the global expansion of the reign of God under the scepter of the exalted Messiah. In Matthew’s narrative Jesus declares, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given […]
In our first study in Acts (Modern Reformation, January/February 2011) we observed that the title “Acts of the Apostles,” which became attached to this book by the end of the second century, is only partly accurate. From the opening lines of this theological history, Luke sent the signal that Jesus, the exalted Lord, would be […]
Following the four Gospels within our Bibles is the ‘Acts of the Apostles,’ in which the New Testament shifts from the accounts of God, present among us in the person and work of Jesus the Son, to the Son’s presence among us’with the Holy Spirit’in the persons and works of the church. Sorely neglected (save […]
Zack Eswine does for biblical commentary what Red Smith did for sports journalism: he makes it better. Recovering Eden is not a dry, predictable, warmed-over treatment of Ecclesiastes. Rather, it is compelling, challenging, and prophetic. Eswine writes as someone you can tell has wrestled with Ecclesiastes and been changed in the process. In Recovering Eden, […]
