Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Exegesis

Two New NT Books from Baker

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Two worthy additions to your library:

1. Frank Thielman. Ephesians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010. 520 pp.

Doug Moo: “This commentary will join Hoehner and O’Brien as the first references on Ephesians to which I turn.”

2. Craig L. Blomberg with Jennifer Foutz Markley. A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010. 298 pp.

Grant Osborne: “Among the many discussions of the interpretation of Scripture that have appeared lately, this is one of the best and most helpful.” That’s high praise coming from the prof who wrote this.

Dan McCartney on James

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The Spring 2010 issue of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology is available, including a PDF of twelve books reviews that conclude the issue. I contributed this one:

Review of Dan G. McCartney, James [Amazon | WTS Books]. The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 14:1 (Spring 2010): 84–85.

My conclusion:

McCartney evidences a firm handling of the text as well as the secondary literature, and he writes clearly and thoughtfully. His book joins Moo, Bauckham, George H. Guthrie (2006, revised EBC), and Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell (2008, ZECNT) as one of the volumes that preachers, teachers, and students will consult first and with most profit when studying the book of James.

Here are those other four books on James:

Amazon | WTS Books

Amazon | WTS Books

Amazon | WTS Books

Amazon

Update:

  1. Interview with Chris Morgan on the Theology of James
  2. James: The Latest Volume in B&H’s Exegetical Guide to the Greek NT Series

Carson on the Trials of Biblical Studies

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In The Trials of Theology: Becoming a “Proven Worker” in a Dangerous Business (ed. Andrew J. B. Cameron and Brian S. Rosner; Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2010), D. A. Carson contributes a chapter entitled “The Trials of Biblical Studies” (pp. 109–29).

Modern Parables

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Some of Jesus’s parables are so historically remote from us that we don’t naturally feel the emotions and tension that the stories stirred up for the original hearers. These six 15-to-20-minute “Modern Parables” creatively translate the main point of one of Jesus’s parables into our context.

modern

1. Hidden Treasure

2. Samaritan

3. The Shrewd Manager

4. The Widow and the Judge

5. The Sower

6. Prodigal Sons

Here is an abridged version of my thoughts on these parable-films after I watched them in September 2008.

1. General Comments on the Modern Parables

Strengths

  1. Thought-provoking. They encourage a consuming preoccupation with God’s word (i.e., meditation).
  2. Parallel. They are based on common, everyday situations (i.e., typical people and events), which parallels Jesus’ parables.
  3. Quality. They are professionally done. They are simple and executed well.
  4. Variety. They are shot in different genres.
  5. Endorsed by scholars. For example, Craig Blomberg, a parable-scholar, highly recommends them.

Qualifications

  1. Unclear. Most of the application videos are surprisingly weak and unclear. Not recommended. (They don’t appear to be available for free online.)
  2. Limitations. Turning parable-texts into these parable-films has some limitations and potential pitfalls. (1) It changes the genre in a way that does not adequately capture the text’s context. For example, not one of the parable-films adequately captures the immediate context of the parable, let alone the broader context of the section and book in which it occurs. (2) It could be abused as a crutch for exegesis and exposition or as something that is more exciting than the God-breathed text.
  3. Missing the gospel. This is definitely not a stand-alone means of evangelism because the gospel is virtually absent in the films. Those who are biblically illiterate could radically misinterpret the films and completely miss the gospel. The videos are only supplementary illustrations to the text. (But they could be extraordinarily useful when used in the right context.)

2. Specific Comments on Each Parable

  1. Hidden Treasure. Substituting oil for hidden treasure communicates more clearly in our culture. The acting is slapstick.
  2. Samaritan. Sobering and convicting. It leaves some gaps in parallels with the biblical parable.
  3. The Shrewd Manager. The biblical parable probably does not connect well with most people in our culture, but this video does.
  4. The Widow and Judge. Slower pace and more artistic license than the previous ones.
  5. The Sower. This isn’t exactly a story. This film is nowhere near as engaging as the others. Probably the least effective.
  6. Prodigal Sons. By far the best film. Moving.

Introducing the New Testament

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This book should be available in about one month (click the image to enlarge the back cover, spine, and front cover):

Introducing the New Testament

Introducing the New Testament: A Short Guide to Its History and Message. By D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo. Edited by Andrew David Naselli. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

Peter O’Brien on Hebrews

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The latest volume in D. A. Carson’s Pillar New Testament Commentary series will be available in about one month, and you can order it from WTS Books for $27.50 (45% off list price) or Amazon for $31.50:

Peter T. O’Brien. The Letter to the Hebrews. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.

Check out the 77-page PDF that samples the 600-page book.

From Carson’s preface (pp. xi–xii):

With his many years of service as scholar, missionary, and long-time lecturer at Moore Theological College, Peter O’Brien has earned a reputation that is well-nigh unique. It is the combination of virtues that is compelling: great care in handling the Scriptures, fairness in dealing with the views of others, a characteristic understatement combined with a passion for the centrality of the gospel, and, uniting all the rest, a gentleness of spirit that has captured the minds and hearts of colleagues, friends, and several decades of students. In the cutthroat world of scholarship it is difficult to find someone who will say a bad word about Peter O’Brien. [Read more…] about Peter O’Brien on Hebrews

Scandalous

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D. A. Carson’s next book comes out this month: Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

It’s based on five sermons that Carson preached in December 2008:

  1. The Ironies of the Cross (Matthew 27:27–51a)
  2. The Center of the Whole Bible (Romans 3:21–26)
  3. The Strange Triumph of a Slaughtered Lamb (Revelation 12)
  4. A Miracle Full of Surprises (John 11:1–53)
  5. Doubting the Resurrection of Jesus (John 20:24–31)