Category: Bible
The Gospel to the Phillipians
One of my other pet pseudo-academic theories that I occasionally like to argue is that Phillipians–not Ephesians, not Romans–is actually at the core of Paul’s theology. It’s a crazy thesis, and no NT scholar that I know would ever make...
Stephen Colbert and Bart Ehrman
Ehrman of revisionist fame, of course. And Colbert of late-night comedy show cynicism fame. Best line? “What’s the son of a duck? It’s a duck.” Runner up? “Isn’t it just possible that you’re missing the point, and that Jesus is...
Is the Bible Monotheistic?
Job 38:1-7: “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me… Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding…. Whereupon are the foundations...
A Biblical Dilemma
Spending ten hours a week in discussion with high school students presents some universal truths about human nature. One such universal truth is that human beings do not like to change (even for the better), and so require some strong...
A Profile in Christian Courage: JP Moreland at ETS
JP Moreland isn’t afraid to engage in controversy, or even to start one himself. Two years ago, while addressing the plenary session of the Evangelical Theological Society on the topic of post-modernism, he offered this analysis: In what follows, I...
The Anthropology of Romans Four: Conclusion and Footnotes
VIII. Conclusion My initial move was to outline interpretations of two exegetical issues, namely anthropology and justification, pointing out that a fundamental tension exists within exegesis of both issues, namely which paradigm has primacy in Paul’s thought, the individual or...
The Anthropology of Romans Four: Romans 4 with Respect to 5-8
VII. Romans 4 with Reference to 5-8 In the preceding section I argued that the thematic similarities between Romans 4 and Joseph and Aseneth support my argument that “new creation” is at work in Romans 4. However, this is clearly...
The Anthropology of Romans Four: The Anthropology of Romans Four
(Warning: because this is the heart of the argument, a lengthy post follows). VI. The Anthropology of Romans 4 It is perhaps easiest to begin outside of Paul’s writings to highlight two traditions that Paul may have been aware of,...
The Anthropology of Romans Four: Continuing with Romans Four
Romans 4.9-12 In this section of Romans 4, Paul engages either in actual dialogue or in a bit of dialectical rhetoric with an imaginary interlocutor. Moxnes thinks the former, arguing that Paul is addressing conflict within the contemporary situation in...
The Anthropology of Romans Four: The Turn to Romans Four
V. Romans 4 Paul has just finished arguing that a man is only justified by faith, and not by “works of the law.” In Romans 4, Paul turns to Abraham as an example of this. Moo identifies two reasons for...