The Death of Margaret Thrall

Another sad news. Many of the giants of biblical studies in the UK has passed on in the past few years. Today, I received news from the BNTS list that the Revd. Dr. Margaret E. Thrall has passed away at a home for the elderly on the island of Anglesey in North Wales.

"Dr. Margaret Thrall was the first doctoral student of Professor C.F.D. Moule at Cambridge University, and, between 1962 and 1996, she had a distinguished career in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Wales, Bangor. She was associate editor of New Testament Studies, and Editor of the SNTS monograph series (1991-6). She published numerous books and articles during her career, including Greek Particles in the New Testament: Linguistic and Exegetical Studies (1962) and her magisterial two-volume commentary on 2 Corinthians in the International Critical Commentary series (1994, 2000). In recognition of Dr. Thrall’s significant contribution to Pauline scholarship, she was awarded the Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies by the British Academy in 1997 and a Festschrift to mark her seventy-fifth birthday was published in 2003.

Dr. Thrall’s first monograph was The Ordination of Women to the Priesthood (1958), and in 1997 she was among the first women to be ordained to the priesthood in the Church in Wales. She was a member of the Church in Wales Doctrine Commission (1983-92) and served as Canon Theologian at Bangor Cathedral (1994-7).

Margaret Thrall’s funeral was held on Monday, 11 October in Bangor Cathedral."

Dr Thrall's commentary on 2 Corinthians in the ICC series was very instrumental in my doctoral research. May her soul rest in peace.

Review of my Book in JSNT 32/5 (2010)

Below is a very generous review of my book, as published in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament 32/5 (August 2010): 97.

‘The Sufferings of Christ are Abundant in us’: A Narrative Dynamics Investigation of Paul’s Sufferings in 2 Corinthians
Kar Yong Lim
LNTS 399; London: T&T Clark, 2009, 978-0-567-10728-2, £65.00, xvi + 240 hb
Reviewed by Grant Macaskill

Kar Yong Lim seeks to bring recent scholarship on Pauline narrative dynamics, generally focused on Romans and Galatians, to bear on 2 Corinthians, and specifically on the theme of suffering that runs through the letter. After surveying the history of research on the theme, the author notes that such research has often focused on individual sections of the text in isolation from the wider letter and has, rather surprisingly, neglected both the scriptural background to these texts and the narrative of the cross in relation to them. His own study, therefore, seeks to address this by examining all of the major passages on suffering in 2 Corinthians, and the mainstream historical research on these, in conversation with studies of narrative dynamics elsewhere in the Pauline corpus.

The result is a rewarding study of 2 Corinthians. Often, the author offers insights that are only subtly different from those offered by other scholars, but the integration of these into the wider context (and, indeed, into the broad sweep of Pauline theology) makes for a satisfying study. Significantly, the adoption of a narrative dynamics approach does not displace meticulous attention to traditional historical spadework, resulting in a well-rounded study that ought to feature prominently in future discussion of the passages in question.

Reading the Grand Narrative of Salvation: A Narrative of Fulfilment in Luke-Acts

This is an article that I wrote recently for a local magazine.

“… an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us…” (Luke 1:1)

The Gospel of Luke begins with an impressive statement anchoring the author’s work within the literary tradition of the Greco-Roman world (Luke 1:1-4). In this prologue, Luke makes a bold claim that the “orderly account” (Luke 1:3) he is narrating is not simply a collection of random historical events, but selective events demonstrating that the life and ministry of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the grand narrative of the salvation of God that is rooted in the story of Israel. In his sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s narrative of the expansion of the early church and the mission to the Gentiles further displays the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan for the nations. As such, the fulfillment terminology in Luke-Acts focuses on how the divine plan of salvation is being accomplished through the fulfillment of Old Testament, climaxed in the person and ministry of Jesus the Messiah and, realized in the preaching of the gospel to the nations.


The Story of Salvation as Fulfillment in Luke

Apart from the prologue where the motif of fulfillment signals Luke’s intention of his narrative, this terminology is extensively used in the infancy narratives of Jesus (see Luke 1:20, 45, 46-55; 2:6, 21, 22, 39, 43). By weaving the language of fulfilment into these accounts, Luke draws attention to the story that the salvation plan of God does not begins with the coming of Jesus. The story of the gospel is a continuation of the story of Israel, with godly characters proclaiming the realisation of the hope of Israel as witnessed in the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19-20) and Jesus the Messiah (Luke 1:31-33; 45-55; 2:1-7).

The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry is introduced with the reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue of Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19). This is followed by the Jesus’ bold declaration that “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). This pronouncement points to Jesus as the eschatological prophet, fulfilling what the Old Testament discloses about God’s redemptive plan. This direct quotation of Isaiah 61:1-2 subsequently becomes the paradigm of the ministry of Jesus – preaching the good news, proclaiming freedom to the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, releasing the oppressed. In the person and ministry of Jesus, the year of the Lord’s favour spoken of in Isaiah is now inaugurated. Further allusion to Isaiah 61:1-2 is seen in the response of Jesus to the disciples of John the Baptist who asked him whether he was indeed the Messiah (Luke 7:18-23). The reply of Jesus not only echoes this Isaianic passage but also anchors his ministry as the anticipated eschatological prophet fulfilling God’s divine plan.

The climax of the ministry of Jesus the Messiah is in the revelation that he “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Luke 9:21. See also 9:31; 18:31-32; 22:15-22, 37). Closely related to Jesus’ Passion prediction is the Transfiguration of Jesus where Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and spoke about Jesus’ “departure”, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The subsequent voice from heaven not only confirms the identity of Jesus as the Son of God but also expresses the need of the disciples to listen to Jesus unfolding his passion and death (Luke 9:35). The events that followed the Transfiguration that led to the betrayal, sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus are foreordained in God’s drama of salvation, only to be fulfilled as Scripture directs and as Jesus himself outlines (see Luke 18:31, 22:22, 37; 24:25-27, 44-46). Jesus himself declares that “everything that is written by the prophets about of the Son of Man will be fulfilled” (Luke 18:31).

The post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the two disciples on the Emmaus Road is also narrated in the language of fulfilment. By “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27) by revealing himself as the suffering Messiah (Luke 24:26). Subsequently, Jesus also told the eleven disciples, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). Jesus’ conversation with these disciples reveals a grand narrative of God’s plan that is rooted in the Old Testament and how an understanding of the Old Testament and its promises is a necessary prelude for grasping the redemptive and eschatological plan and purpose of God (see Luke 24:25-27, 44-49). The ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus is once again interpreted in the light of Scripture, as clearly declared by the Messiah himself towards the closing of Luke’s Gospel, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).


The Story of Salvation as Fulfillment in Acts

The opening statement of Acts recalls the emphasis of Luke 24 of the plan of God in blessing the nations/Gentiles through the witness of the apostles. This divine plan of salvation will be fulfilled through the preaching of the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 2-7), Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-11) and to the ends of the earth (Acts 13-28) as outlined in Acts 1:8.

The language of fulfilment in Acts is chiefly found in the numerous speeches recorded. Peter is the first to use this motif in his speech, declaring that the Scripture had to be fulfilled in Judas’ punishment for the betrayal of Jesus and the appointment of Matthias in replacing Judas by quoting Psalms 69:25 and 109:8 respectively (Acts 1:20). Peter’s subsequent speech on Pentecost is couched in the language of fulfilment, announcing God’s great plan of salvation (Acts 2:14-39). The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is declared as the fulfilment of Joel 2:28-32 while the resurrection and ascension of Christ are proclaimed as the fulfilment of Psalms 16:8-11 and 110:1 respectively. Peter’s subsequent address in the temple precinct makes another significant claim about the fulfilment of Scriptures where Christ’s rejection and sufferings are referenced to Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and Genesis 22:18; 26:4. In addition, this sermon of Peter also introduces a theological overview of God’s narrative of redemption as rooted in the story of Israel, beginning from the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the story of Moses, and finally, the story of Israel.

Paul’s first recorded Sabbath speech in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch focuses on God’s promises in bringing a Saviour in the line of King David (Acts 13:16-41). In his speech, the language of fulfilment appears three times. First, in condemning Jesus to death, “the people of Jerusalem and their rulers…fulfilled the words of the prophets” (Acts 13:27). Secondly, whey they had fulfilled all that was written about Jesus, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb (Acts 13:29). Thirdly, the resurrection of Jesus is now proclaimed as what “God promised our fathers, he has fulfilled for us, their children” (Acts 13:32). And this resurrection of Jesus is now the good news Paul proclaimed. However, in the following Sabbath, some Jews obstructed Paul and he turned his attention to the Gentiles by evoking Isaiah 49:6 as justification for this move. As such in Acts 13, two major fulfilments of God’s divine salvation plan are unfolded: God’s intention in the death and resurrection of the Messiah and the divine plan in bringing the salvation to the Gentiles.

Paul’s trail speeches in Acts 23:6; 24:10-21 and 26:2-23 further underscores the language of fulfilment. Israel’s hope is fulfilled in the resurrection of the Messiah. Paul’s defence of his apostolic calling to be an apostle to the Gentiles is flashed out in this declaration: ‘I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen – that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23). For Paul, everything occurred in accordance with God’s divine plan of salvation.

The ending of Acts again showcases the declaration of the fulfilment of the Scripture in the recording of the events (Acts 28:23-28). This final scene shows Paul trying to persuade people about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets and in which Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted as reason for taking the gospel to the Gentiles. With this, Luke second volume ends where he begins, with a declaration of the fulfilment of God’s progressive self-revelation initially through the work of the Prophets and finally revealed in his Son. This redemptive story is now being proclaimed by the apostles to both the Jews and the Gentiles. The worldwide expansion of the Gentile mission as disclosed in the Old Testament is now finally being fulfilled.


Concluding Remarks

From the two-volume work of Luke, past history is not simply a recollection of a series of events but a clear expression of the purpose of God. Divine control of history as unfolded in the story of Israel finds its climatic fulfilment in the story of Jesus Christ in Luke’s writings. Together with references to the plan of God (Luke 7:30; Acts 2:23; 4:28; 5:38-39; 13:36; 20:27), the will of God (Luke 11:2; 22:42; Acts 21:14; 22:14) and to the sovereignty of God (Luke 22:22; Acts 1:7; 10:42; 17:31; 22:14; 26:16), all these point to the story that Luke sees the gospel of Christ not as detached, but as the climax and fulfilment of the redemptive plans of God rooted in the story of Israel. The necessity of Jesus’ rejection and suffering was not an accident in history but part of God’s drama of redemption as revealed in the scripture and promises of God in the Old Testament.

Reading the Earliest Sacred Texts in the UK and Ireland - Codex Sinaiticus

I still remember during my first trip to London many years ago, I decided to give the Changing the Guards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace a miss (and until today, after numerous trips to London, I still have yet to witness this Ceremony, and friends have been telling me I don't know what I miss).


But for me, there was something else that was far more important to see. I would rather exchange the Changing the Guard Ceremony for a visit to the British Library. The reason was simple - I wanted to have a look at the Codex Sinaiticus and other sacred texts that are on display at the Sir John Ritblat Gallery that showcases the treasures of British Library. As an NT scholar, I would not give a visit to have a peek at this very important Codex a miss.

Over the years, I still make return visits to the British Library. This current trip to England is no exception. I was at the British Library recently, and I remained speechless and overwhelmed with a sense of awe when I stood before the display of the Codex Sinaiticus. This important Codex, discovered at St Catherine Monastery at the foot of Mt Sinai (hence the name, Codex Sinaiticus), contains the earliest copy of the complete New Testament dated back to the 4th century. On display is the final section of John 21, including John 21:25. Also on display are the portions of the Old Testament in Greek as well, and one can view portions of Psalms. It is interesting that the layout format for the NT text and OT text is slightly different. The NT was written in four columns format (see the image above) while the Psalms were written in two column format.

Displayed next to the Codex Sinaiticus is another important manuscript dated to the 5th century known as the Codex Alexandrinus. Numerous important Bibles such as the Lindisfarne Gospels dated back to the 7th century, the Wycliffe Bible dated late 14th century and Parc Abbey Bible dated 12th century are also on display.

I have always told my friends that we need to know the heritage and tradition of our faith and our scripture. If you are planning for a visit to London, make a tour to the British Library a priority. Perhaps like me, the Changing the Guards Ceremony and visit to Buckingham Palace can wait. And the best is, a visit to the gallery that houses the treasures of our sacred texts does not charge any admission fees!

By the way, as an evidence for my love for scripture, I even bought a poster of the Codex Sinaitucus that is now nicely framed and proudly on display in my office.

My Book Available for Review at RBL

I've just noted that my book is now available for review at Review of Biblical Literature.

Any interested takers? If interested, please log in to the site of Review of Biblical Literature (if you are a member of the Society of Biblical Literature) and volunteer to review it.

New Journal: Early Christianity - Free Sample

The inaugural issue of the new journal, Early Christianity, is now available for free online. Please click here to download the free sample.

Contents of this issue include the following:

Michael Wolter, Die Entwicklung des paulinischen Christentums von einer Bekehrungsreligion zu einer Traditionsreligion.

Judith M. Lieu, “As much my apostle as Christ is mine”: The dispute over Paul between Tertullian and Marcion.

Matthias Konradt, Die Christonomie der Freiheit. Zu Paulus’ Entfaltung seines ethischen Ansatzes in Gal 5,13-6,10.

John M.G. Barclay, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy”: The Golden Calf and Divine Mercy in Romans 9-11 and Second Temple Judaism.

Jonathan A. Linebaugh, Debating Diagonal Δικαιοσύνη: The Epistle of Enoch and Paul in Theological Conversatio

N T Wright Moving to St Andrews

The University of St Andrews announces the appointment of the Right Reverend Dr Nicholas Thomas Wright, presently the Bishop of Durham, to be Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. According to the announcement, Professor Wright will take up post in the School of Divinity at St Andrews from September 1st 2010. Will there be a surge of postgraduate students in St Andrews?

Read the news announcement here and here.

Two Articles for Publication

Time flies - next week marks the final week of class for the seminary. In terms of my personal research,I managed to squeeze in some time over the past few weeks to get two articles ready for publication . I am glad that the articles are now out of my way, and I can move on to other research project.

The first article is on "Paul's Use of Temple Imagery in the Corinthian Correspondence: The Creation of Christian Identity" that will form a compendium of essays to be published by T&T Clark, hopefully in time for SBL Annual Meeting in November. In this article, I argue that Paul creatively draws on the symbolic universe of the Christ-community by employing the temple imagery in the Corinthian correspondence. By doing so, Paul uses the temple imagery powerfully in his appeal to realign the community to the ethos of the gospel of Christ in the formation of a distinct Christian identity. What emerges then from a the use of the temple imagery is a vivid and extraordinary image that holds together a number of different notions such as community identity, the building up of community, and the appearance of the community to the outsiders.

The other is a short article on "οἵτινες καταγγέλλουσιν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν σωτηρίας (Acts 16:17): Is Paul Proclaiming The Way or A Way of Salvation?" This article argues that the absence of the article before the phrase ὁδὸν σωτηρίας should be taken seriously. Such construction can be taken to indicate either a definite or an indefinites nuance, as suggested by the Apollonius' Canon. A close examination of how the word ὁδός and σωτηρίας are used in Acts demonstrates that the phrase ὁδὸν σωτηρίας should rightly be translated as "a way of salvation" and not "the way of salvation" (as translated in the many English translations such as the ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NIV, NKJV, and RSV, amongst others). Seen from this perspective, I argue that the slave girl was in fact proclaiming in her shouts that Paul was merely preaching a way of salvation, and NOT the way of salvation. This would have been confusing and misleading, to say the least, to the hearers. It is tantamount to a complete distortion of the content of Paul's message. As such, Paul has no choice but to perform exorcism on her. As such, Paul was not merely deeply troubled by the source of the proclamation which is from Satan, as understood by most commentators. Rather, Paul was deeply troubled over the content of the message of the slave girl that directly challenged the gospel and thereby caused confusion among the hearers.

New Journal: Early Christianity

Mohr Siebeck announces the inaugural issue of Early Christianity will be published in May 2010. According to the publisher, this journal "is concerned with early Christianity as a historical phenomenon. Thereby, “Early Christianity” aims to overcome certain limitations which have hindered the development of the discipline, including the concept of the “New Testament” itself. The journal, then, is taken to cover not only the first Christian century but also the second."

"This journal will not, however, give any special prominence to reception-history or to the second century. The total phenomenon called "early Christianity" comprises a kaleidoscopic range of individual phenomena, including communal structures, social norms, discursive practices, points of conflict, material remains, and much else – far more than just the production and reception of texts. This journal will strive to reflect this multiplicity of contexts, in the expectation of new light on our subject-matter from a variety of angles."

"Early Christianity" will appear four times a year.

Articles for the first issue include the following:

Michael Wolter, Die Entwicklung des paulinischen Christentums von einer Bekehrungsreligion zu einer Traditionsreligion.

Judith M. Lieu, “As much my apostle as Christ is mine”: The dispute over Paul between Tertullian and Marcion.

Matthias Konradt, Die Christonomie der Freiheit. Zu Paulus’ Entfaltung seines ethischen Ansatzes in Gal 5,13-6,10.

John M.G. Barclay, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy”: The Golden Calf and Divine Mercy in Romans 9-11 and Second Temple Judaism.

Jonathan A. Linebaugh, Debating Diagonal Δικαιοσύνη: The Epistle of Enoch and Paul in Theological Conversation.

Special Offer: Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 Volumes

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible that was published in 1975 has now been completely revised and updated. ChristianBook.com now offers the revised Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 volumes, at a very special discounted price of US$99.99 (before shipping), a whopping 64% discount from the retail price of US$279.99 that saves you US$180.00. This special offer is only valid from now till 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, 29 March.

Don't miss this offer if you are looking for a solid Bible dictionary that you could use for years to come.

Watch the promotional video below:

Here is the product description:
One of the most reliable Bible encyclopedias has been thoroughly revised and extensively expanded! Backed by current archaeological research, this comprehensive edition features over 7,500 thorough, updated, alphabetically arranged articles ranging across the spectrum of biblical studies, including historical, literary, and theological topics; in-depth introductions to each book of the Bible; hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, illustrations, charts, graphs, and maps; pronunciation guides for all biblical names; current bibliographies for further reading; and thousands of cross-references. Diverse viewpoints from 250 international scholars provide well-rounded perspectives on significant issues relating to doctrines, themes, and biblical interpretation. A must-have resource for pastors, teachers, students, and anybody seeking to dig deeper into God's Word. Approx. 5000 pages total, five slipcased hardcovers.

Click here for sample pages of the Encyclopedia.

JSNT 32/3 Now Available

The March issue of the Journal for the Study of New Testament Vol 32.3 is now available. In this issue, there is an extensive review on the book, Seeking the Identity of Jesus, by Richard Hays and Robert Gaventa.

Guardians, not Taskmasters: The Cultural Resonances of Paul's Metaphor in Galatians 4.1-2
John K. Goodrich
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 251-284
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/251?etoc


Immortal Glory and the Problem of Death in Romans 3.23
Ben C. Blackwell
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 285-308
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/285?etoc


With Homi Bhabha at the Jerusalem City Gates: A Postcolonial Reading of the 'Triumphant' Entry (Mark 11.1-11)
Hans Leander
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 309-335
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/309?etoc


Review Article: Seeking the Identity of Jesus
Richard Bauckham
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 337-346
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/337?etoc


Review Article: Seeking the Identity of Jesus
John K. Riches
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 347-362
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/347?etoc


Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Rejoinder
Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Richard B. Hays

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 363-370
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/363?etoc

Biblical Studies Carnival LI

Check out the latest Biblical Studies Carnival LI. Pretting interesting stuff there. Find out what others are blogging about biblical studies recently.

Gospel of Mark @ PJEFC

The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God:
The Earliest Narrative

From March 7-28, over a period of 4 Sundays, I will be teaching a course on the Gospel of Mark at Petaling Jaya Evangelical Free Church.

Synopsis:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1): these are the first few words found in the prologue of the Gospel of Mark, often regarded as the earliest eyewitness account of the life and ministry of Jesus in the New Testament. What is this “good news of Jesus Christ” according to Mark? How does Mark tell the unique story of Jesus Christ? What does Mark hope to achieve by telling the story the way he tells it? In this course, we will examine and unpack the structure and major theological themes in Mark’s narrative. We will also discover that Mark’s Gospel still challenges and invites us to a fuller understanding of what it means to be authentic disciples that embody “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1) in our lives.

Dates:

March 7, 14, 21, 28

Time:

11:15am - 12:30pm

The Global Paul: Travel Opportunity by SBL and Nida

SBL announces a travel and lecture opportunity in partnership with the Nida Institute.

According to SBL, this is "a series of academically oriented journeys with lectures and discussions that will attempt to penetrate more deeply the theology of Paul through visitation of the sites at which the Apostle was present together with a more profound study of and interaction with the Graeco Roman world in which he carried out his missionary and pastoral activities. Pre-departure preparatory materials will be available and regional lectures as possible will be announced."

For 2010, the journey will cover Paul's First Journey, visiting places like Damascus, Antioch, Southeastern Turkey and Beyond, with subsequent journeys planned for 2011 and 2012C.

"This academic tour to sites in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Cyprus is intended primarily for faculty and graduate students, as well as for others with appropriate background and scholarly interest on a space available basis. Accompanying this tour will be two well known international Pauline scholars: Karl Donfried and Philip Towner. Dr. Donfried is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Smith College and served as the McCarthy Professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome; Dr. Towner serves as Dean of the Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship at the American Bible Society."

For further information, please visit SBL's website at www.sbl-site.org, or click here for the description and here for the proposed itinerary.

Work Progresses at Tyndale

I was hoping to go full swing yesterday, but I guess the engine needed some time to warm up (especially in the unusually cold November in England!). So I did not manage to get much work done yesterday. But nonetheless, this morning has been rather productive - been reading a number of books on the temple imagery in both the OT and NT. So, this is how my desk currently looks like in Tyndale House.

I am a bit more persuaded that Paul's use of the temple imagery in the Corinthian correspondence is not simply sporadic, but constitutes a deliberate attempt in creating Christian identity in Corinth. I will blog more about this when my mind is clearer on this subject matter.

I've just managed to locate an online 2008 PhD thesis done by Timothy Wardle at Duke University on "Continuity and Discontinuity: The Temple and Early Christian Identity". It would be good to interact with Wardle and see how he argues for the use of the temple imagery in the creation of Christian identity.

So it's back to work now!

Biblical Studies Survives at Sheffield

Following massive protests from students and scholars all over the world against the shutting down of the Department of Biblical Studies at Sheffield, I am pleased to read the good news that the Department survives. Here is the statement released from the university:

University of Sheffield Statement on the Department of Biblical Studies

The University of Sheffield has today confirmed its position with regard to the future of the Department of Biblical Studies. In the light of concerns regarding inadequate consultation, as well as feedback from staff and students, the Department of Biblical Studies is no longer under review and a proposal that it should be reconfigured as a Postgraduate Centre has been withdrawn. Instead the University has asked the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to consider, as a matter of urgency, a short, medium and longer term plan for the Department. With regard to the undergraduate intake for 2010, the University can confirm that it will recruit students for this year onto single and dual honours degrees in Biblical Studies. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities are working with colleagues to ensure that these students are appropriately supported, including through the recruitment of additional staff.

Looking to the future, the University recognises the outstanding reputation of the Department of Biblical Studies in Sheffield for scholarship and a superb student experience, and has confidence that all concerned will work together to enhance this for future students.

Professor Mike Braddick
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

See also the report by ChristianityToday by clicking here and follow the development of the protests at the Don't Shut Down Biblical Studies at Sheffield Facebook.

Long live biblical studies!

Closure of Sheffield's Dept of Biblical Studies?

A petition has been going around to appeal for a reconsideration of the decision to close down the undergraduate studies at the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield. Please read the letter of appeal forwarded by the BNTC from Prof Cheryl Exum below which is self-explanatory.

The Department of Biblical Studies is one of its kind in the UK where the emphasis is on biblical studies, unlike other Department of Theology, Department of Religious Studies, or Faculty of Divinity in other universities. Please follow the instruction below if you are moved to join in the appeal.

From BNTC:

Please find below a letter that was forwarded to me from Prof Cheryl Exum as regards the current crisis facing Biblical Studies at Sheffield. Any support that we, as BNTC members, can give staff and students at Sheffield at at this critical time would be so much appreciated. There has been a facebook group been set up ('Dont Shut Down Biblical Studies at Sheffield') which already has over 700 members. Please join this group, or otherwise if you are not a facebook user show your support for the department by e-mailing the VC at Sheffield (see details below).

Many thanks indeed
Louise

-----------------------------------

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing you, in a personal capacity, to ask for your support in preventing the destruction of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield.

In its meeting on 7 October, the Senate of the University of Sheffield was asked to approve the following (copied from the Senate papers):

(a) that the 2009-10 entry to undergraduate programmes involving Biblical Studies should be the last and that the Department should cease to function as a single entity;
(b) that undergraduate programmes involve Biblical Studies should be maintained for existing
students, and that measures should be taken to ensure that they receive the high quality education and student experience which they have been promised;
(c) that the Department’s academic staff should be transferred to the departments in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities most suited to supporting their longer term careers;
(d) that the development of a Biblical Studies research centre be progressed with a view to providing a focus for postgraduate study and research and a continued point of contact and collaboration for academic staff irrespective of their new home departments, thus ensuring the continuation of scholarship in this area.

These proposals were made in the light of a review of the Department, conducted in the spring and summer of this year, for which I would like to give you a brief background. The Department had lost two members of staff (Loveday Alexander to early retirement and Jorunn Økland to a post in Norway), but had been given permission to fill a post with a senior New Testament scholar in 2009-10. Although this meant a change in staffing from 8 to 6, this kind of fluctuation in staffing has been typical in the Department over the years, and we had hopes of additional staff in future years. Difficulties began when the University decided, at the beginning of the 2008-9 academic year, not to make any appointments in the Faculty of Arts until reconsideration of the University’s financial position in the light of the national Research Assessment Exercise. So we were not allowed to proceed with the New Testament appointment. Then, in the second semester, the University decided to review the Department, citing the reduction in staff and the Department’s fluctuating undergraduate numbers and as major concerns (at the same time, deciding to cap the number of new students we could accept at 20). In fact, undergraduate numbers in the Department have always fluctuated, but Level 3 (i.e. final year) classes in the last two years have had the highest numbers ever.

Another problem for the Department arose when the University, in June of 2009, introduced a Voluntary Severance Scheme as a means of coping with the current economic downturn. Three members of staff are leaving. As someone within only two years of retirement, I am one of them; the others are Keith Whitelam and Barry Matlock. This leaves the Department with three permanent members of staff: Hugh Pyper, and Diana Edelman in Hebrew Bible and James Crossley in New Testament. We have also been given a two-year appointment in New Testament, Mark Finney.

These are the events that led to the proposals above. I did not know until today that the transferal of staff to other departments was being proposed, since I have been excluded from any formal discussions of the future of the Department. At the meeting of Senate, the vote on these proposals was postponed thanks to the intervention of the Sheffield University and College Union and the Union of Students. Our students are currently mounting a strong protest and you can find information about this on a number of sites on the web ( try, for example, http://savebiblicalstudies.weebly.com/). As I understand it, the decision has already been made to suspend undergraduate admissions for the coming academic year while the above proposals are being reconsidered. But suspension of the undergraduate programme, in effect, means the end of it. And the notion that there can be any postgraduate ‘centre’ or programme without the existence of an independent Department of Biblical Studies is not wishful thinking, it is a way of subtly dismantling the Department, since the Department and its reputation depends on its distinct identity and its vibrant research culture based on its outstanding undergraduate and
postgraduate programmes.

I am writing to ask you to support the efforts of our students, alumni/ae, colleagues and friends to reverse what could be the end of an outstanding department by writing to the Vice-Chancellor to urge him not to dismantle the Department
(1) by destroying an excellent undergraduate programme, which will inevitably be the effect of a
suspension of admissions for the 20010-11 academic year and
(2) by setting up a Biblical Studies ‘research centre’ that cannot succeed without an undergraduate programme and its contribution to the Department’s research culture, when one appointment of a senior scholar would enable the Department to maintain its strength in
attracting postgraduates.

The Vice-Chancellor is Professor Keith Burnett and his email address is vc@sheffield.ac.uk. Please copy your message to Professor Paul White (P.White@Sheffield.ac.uk), who, I understand, will be in charge of the ongoing review. For those of you who are willing to write on our behalf, I would be grateful if, in order for us to have a record of the level of response to our plight, you could either send me a blind copy of your message (bcc) or simply reply to this email that you have written to the Vice-Chancellor. Please also consider sending a copy of your letter to the website listed above.

If might be helpful for you to know that the Department ranked 6th in the national Research Assessment Exercise (higher, depending on how one reads the figures), quite an achievement for a small department. We achieved the highest mark in the national Teaching Quality Assessment, and our rating in the national Student Satisfaction Survey was, to my knowledge, the highest in the University, well above that of the Faculty of Arts and the University as a whole. We were at the time the review was undertaken (and may still be) also one of the few departments in the Faculty of Arts not in deficit.

I apologise for any cross-listings. I have combined and split various email lists I have in the interest of reaching as many colleagues as possible. Please feel free to forward this letter to anyone you know who might be willing to help.

Thank you for any support you can offer us,

Cheryl

J Cheryl Exum
Professor of Biblical Studies
Director, Sheffield Phoenix Press
www.shef.ac.uk/bibs
www.sheffieldphoenix.com http://www.shef.ac.uk/bibs

Readings in Greek Using Bibleworks

This semester, I offered an elective course on Readings in Greek using Bibleworks. Two M Div students signed up for the course. Throughout this semester, we read portions of Greek text from Acts, John, James, Psalm 2 (LXX), 1 Clement and the Nicene Creed. The primary focus of this reading course is to increase the reading proficiency of Greek, have a better grasp of the command of Greek syntactical analysis, and to explore extra-biblical literature in Greek. At the same, much of our grammatical analysis was carried out using Bibleworks, and this also helped the students to familiarise themselves with the use of the software.


Since this was a small group discussion, we all decided that classes should be held in our favourite coffee place off campus, Starbucks. This provided a very relaxed and condusive environment for discussions, debates, and discovery of Greek grammar and syntax, lexical analysis, and sentence flow and diagramming. In adiditon, extended conversation on theology became part of the menu as well.


One of the requirements of the course was to do a project on some form of analysis of Greek syntax by using Bibleworks. And my two students produced a rather impressive joint project on "A Computer Aided Investigative Study on the Grammatical and Syntactical Usage of the Aorist and Present Imperatives, their Similarities and Distinctiveness in the Epistle According to St James." I look forward to interacting with their paper later this week.

If there is demand, I might consider offering this elective reading course in the future for those who have done Intermediate Greek. But be warned, there is a lot of hard work involved. But to those who are willing to work hard and dig deep into the Scripture, great discovery of treasure awaits them.

New Perspective on Paul and the Jews Academic Seminar

I have just been alerted concerning the Interdisciplinary Academic Seminar on New Perspective on Paul and the Jews that was recently held from Sept 12-14 at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. This seminar is part of the Research Project on Paul and the Jews.

The conference was organised around 8 topics as follows:

1. What nomenclatures best represent the Judaism that Paul was in dialogue with: covenantal nomism, variegated nomism, ethical monotheism, etc.? What are the notions of covenant or works-righteousness that lie behind the use of these terms?
2. Is covenant a central notion in Paul? What are the merits of a semantic domain linkage between diatheke and dikaiosyne? Can one argue for an embedded covenantal framework in Paul’s thought? If so, does this framework supersede the Mosaic covenant (cp. 2 Cor 3:7-18)?
3. What is the relationship between creation and covenant in Paul’s thinking, specifically the motif of kaine diatheke and kaine ktisis (2 Cor 3 and 5 respectively)?
4. Does Paul move away from an Israel kata sarka to a notion of Israel kata pneuma? Is the new reality the ekklesia tou theou? Is this church part of, or distinct from, Israel?
5. Was Paul Torah-observant? Did Paul’s Christ transcend the Law, embody it or something else? Is Paul in continuity or discontinuity with the prophetic reading of the Law? Is Paul an interpreter or manipulator of Israel’s scriptures?
6. What is the relationship between Pauline studies and Jewish-Christian dialogue? Should Pauline studies take into account the post-Shoah context of contemporary ecumenical and interreligious dialogue between Christians and Jews?
7. Are the classical interreligious and soteriological models of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism acceptable or useful for Christian/Jewish dialogue? How do they relate to the typical dialogical positions of single and double covenant schemes? What is the best way forward?
8. Are the religious ends of Christianity and Judaism compatible? Is the church in mission with or in mission to the Jews? How should this apparent tension be portrayed in homiletics, liturgy, catechetics, etc?

My doctoral supervisor, Dr Bill Campbell (pictured above), presented a paper on "Covenant, Creation and Transformation in Paul." All papers presented at the conference are now made available online:

• Michael Bachmann (Germany)
• Michael Bird (UK)
• Thomas Blanton IV (USA)
• William Campbell (UK)
• Philip Cunningham (USA)
• Hans Hermann Henrix (Germany)
• Daniel Langton (UK)
• Mark Nanos (USA)
• John Pawlikowski (USA)
• Hans-Joachim Sander (Austria)
  

With such a prestigious panel of speakers, one can be sure of a very exciting exchange and dialogue. For me, reading the papers will be my diet for the next couple of days.

Spirit and Worship in New Testament

I have been thinking about the relationship between Spirit and Worship in the New Testament. So I thought I would check out Gordon Fee's massive work on God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994). To my surprise, I only found less than 3 pages focusing on this subject matter (pp. 883-886).

Then I decided to check out the work of Gerald Brochert, Worship in the New Testament: Divine Mystery & Human Response (Danvers: Chalice Press, 2008). In this work, Brochert surveys the theme of worship in the Gospels, Pauline letters, Deutero-Pauline Letters and the Catholic Epistles. Then he examines each of the passages and shows how the notion of worship constantly enters the biblical author's writings. But when I checked against the index, unfortunately, I did not find any entry under "Spirit"!

My question is this: Why aren't NT studies that focus on the Spirit also discuss worship? Why aren't studies on worship in the NT talk about the Spirit?

So I thought I would google and see what I would find. Interestingly, I found my answer in the lecture given by Bishop N. T. Wright in the Worship Conference 2008 at Yale University. Titled "Spirit and Worship in the New Testament" and delivered on February 21, 2008, Wright also highlighted the missing dimension in the relationship between Spirit and Worship in New Testament studies (wow....I can even think like Wright!)

Click here to listen to Wright's lecture. It's pretty engaging, and I trust you will not be disappointed!

Check out also the lectures by Maxwell Johnson, Professor of Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame, on The Holy Spirit and Lutheran Worship and James Steven, Tutor in Worship and Doctrine at Trinity College Bristol, on The Spirit in Charismatic Worship, both given during the same Worship Conference 2008.