Dating Luke-Acts: Joe Tyson on Bible and Interpretation

Joe Tyson has another great article at Bible and Interpretation discussing the various implications for dating Luke-Acts, and argues persuasively in my opinion for a late date.  Please do read the article, entitled ‘When and Why Was the Acts of the Apostles Written?‘.  Here are some snippets: The range of proposed dates for Acts is [...]

James McGrath: “Are Some Forms of Mythicism Self-Contradictory?”

See James’ interesting discussion on his blog.  Here is a snippet to get the conversation going: Let me emphasize from the outset that I am talking about a particular brand of mythicism, one well represented in discussions on blogs like Vridar as well as by commenters here at Exploring Our Matrix. It is the type [...]

RBL: Richard I. Pervo’s ‘The Making of Paul’

A review by James Aageson for the RBL of Pervo’s new book The Making of Paul: Constructions of the Apostle in Early Christianity is now available online!  I am anxious to pick up a copy of this volume myself.  I have been waiting for someone to tackle this subject and Pervo’s scholarship is generally as [...]

Lessons in Sumerian Math on Display

Pretty cool! (H/T to ISAW on Facebook! cf. http://www.nyu.edu/isaw/exhibitions/before-pythagoras/) Thirteen of the tablets are on display until Dec. 17 at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, part of New York University. Many are the exercises of students learning to be scribes. Their plight was not to be envied. They were mastering mathematics based [...]

‘The End(s) of Historical Criticism’ by Michael C. Legaspi

I realize I’m a little late in posting this.  Quite an excellent article overall.  I especially enjoyed this bit (also, I agree with and support it, as should you!): Biblical studies is, at present, still a cultural and social project, one that exists principally as an alternative to traditional and confessional modes of biblical interpretation. [...]

Minimalism and Ancient Historiography

In a recent discussion about the esteemed Jim West’s erudite explanation of minimalism over at Bible and Interpretation, J. R. Daniel Kirk wrote the following (towards the end of an excellent blogessay): But before signing up for the guild of biblical minimalists, I’d want to ask if the bifurcation and choosing of sides between historical [...]

Dennis R. MacDonald Defends Mimesis Criticism

He writes: For more than two decades I have been investigating the influence of classical Greek literature on early Christian texts and have published four books and nearly a dozen articles on the topic, especially on the influence of the Homeric epics on the New Testament writings ascribed to Mark and Luke. I call this [...]

Between History and Apologetics: A Response to Craig Keener

Χρὴ εὖ μάλα πολλῶν ἵστορας φιλοσόφους ἄνδρας εἶναι. – Heraclitus First, I’d like to congratulate Craig Keener; it takes a lot of courage to argue a stance on the subject of Jesus, which was considered dated even before the days of Renan, and bring it back into Academia.  It is not easy, I imagine, trying [...]

Of Men and Muses

Well Book 1 is here!  It’s not my monograph, however.  Two more yet to go this year!

The Jesus Project: Offering Another Perspective on the Chilton-Hoffmann-Crossley Exchange

By Thomas Verenna James Crossley recently commented on the exchange between Bruce Chilton and R. Joseph Hoffmann. I would like to weigh in with my own opinions on this recent exchange. I can only hope that my suggestions will prove useful to the Project and continue to generate the sort of dialog we have seen [...]