Two weeks ago I wrote that I “am scheduled to defend my dissertation on July 2, 2010 before D. A. Carson (my mentor), Bob Yarbrough (second reader), and Willem VanGemeren (program director).”

After I submitted my dissertation draft to the Academic Doctoral Office last week about a month and a half early, Willem VanGemeren asked me if I’d like to defend it sooner, and my committee moved the date to May 13, 2010 (this morning).

The committee’s verdict: clear pass.

And I’m grateful to God!

The dissertation’s title is “Paul’s Use of Isaiah 40:13 and Job 41:3a (Eng. 41:11a) in Romans 11:34–35.” (I’ll share the abstract in a forthcoming post.)

Here’s what I wrote in the “Acknowledgments”:

This dissertation began as a paper prepared for D. A. Carson’s PhD seminar “The Old Testament in the New” in fall 2006. Carson required each student to write a paper on the use of the OT in a specific NT passage, and I chose Rom 11:34–35 primarily because it is attached to my favorite verse in the Bible: Rom 11:36. I slightly revised the paper and presented it at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 19, 2008. The study was so rewarding that I expanded it into this dissertation.

[Read more…] about Dissertation Defended

My last “personal update” was in June 2008. Once again, I’ve lost track of whom I’ve told what at this transitional time, so this post should fill in some gaps.

1. Family

Jenni is an outstanding homemaker and mom, and she’s loving it! Shepherding Kara Marie, who turns two in June, has taught Jenni and me a lot about God and ourselves. She lives up to her first name by bringing us joy, and we love watching her develop. God has gifted her with a mind that loves to learn: by the time she was twenty months old, she could recognize 1-10, knew the entire alphabet including the sounds of each letter, and was speaking in four- or five-word sentences. We’re probably typical first-time parents, but we think she’s pretty bright.

And I’m almost officially old. I turn thirty in May.

2. School

I defended my first PhD dissertation on July 17, 2006, and two weeks later Jenni and I moved into a one-bedroom apartment on the campus of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School so I could work on a PhD in New Testament. Nearly four years later, we’re still here. The program is rigorous, but by God’s grace I . . . [Read more…] about A Personal Update

I just updated my publications page:

1. I reorganized it. Before it was organized chronologically as a single list, but now it is organized chronologically under three categories: books, articles, and reviews.
2. I uploaded most of the articles and reviews.

Here’s a mid-year update for family and friends on some recent changes in the Naselli home. (I’ve lost track of whom I’ve told what at this transitional time, so this post should fill in the gaps!) God has been so good to us—far better than we deserve!

1. Family

1.1. Kara Marie!

We are grateful to God to announce the birth of our first child: Kara Marie Naselli! She was born on June 8, 2008. (Click here to view a PDF of our birth announcement.) She’s healthy and beautiful! We are so joyful and grateful. (More details and pictures are available on our password-protected family blog.)

1.2. Jenni

Jenni is now a stay-at-home Mom! She has yearned to have her very own children since she was a little girl. She babysat all through high school and college, earned a degree in Early Childhood Education, and then taught young children full-time until three days before Kara Marie was born. She’s been taking care of children belonging to other people for about thirteen years, and she has unselfishly served me by teaching full-time for the first four years of our marriage. She is eager to rear her own children, and I’m so thrilled that she is realizing her godly ambition for the high calling of wife and motherhood! I thank God for my wife.

1.3. CrossWay

We are getting more connected at CrossWay Community Church, a deliberately gospel-centered assembly. We hope to join a care group shortly. I’ve especially enjoyed being part of Mike Bullmore‘s “ministry trajectory group” that meets monthly in his home; his humble wisdom is so edifying.

2. School

2.1. Completed

By God’s grace I’ve completed my coursework that I began in August 2006! So I’ve completed all of the requirements for languages and classes for Trinity’s PhD program, which has been rigorous, enlightening, and edifying.

2.2. Remaining

Next up are comprehensive exams and a dissertation.

• I hope to take my comps in the fall. This consists of a four-day battery of exams covering the spectrum of NT exegesis and theology, including sight-reading the Greek NT and correlating the NT’s historical and literary context with exegesis, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology, with a bit more weight placed on my corpus (Paul’s letters). Who is adequate for these things?! This is probably the most daunting and humbling part of the PhD program!
• The dissertation process begins with a “dissertation proposal hearing,” which I hope to have at the beginning of 2009. Once the project is approved, I become a PhD “candidate.” After writing the long paper, I must successfully pass a “dissertation defense.”

3. Work/Ministry

3.1. Yarbrough, Greek, Trinity Journal

I’m no longer serving as Robert Yarbrough‘s teaching assistant (that was only a two-year arrangement) nor teaching Greek as part-time faculty. I will, however, continue on the editorial board for Trinity Journal (edited by Robert Yarbrough).

3.2. Carson

I’m still serving as D. A. Carson‘s part-time research assistant (I started in August 2006), but the exciting news is that beginning August 4, I will serve as DAC’s first full-time research assistant! This is a long story, but the short version is that the Lord has provided for this job for at least the first year through some generous donors. Ideally, this will be at least a two-year arrangement if funding is available. I’m so grateful to serve the church by serving DAC, leveraging his astonishing productivity just a bit more.

3.3. Themelios

I’ve been serving as administrator and interim managing editor for Themelios since March 2008, and I’ll continue serving as administrator while working full-time for DAC, who is the journal’s new editor. The first issue has been ready for publication since May, and it will be published online with the imminent launch of the new website for The Gospel Coalition. [Update: The first issue is available as a PDF.]

3.4. Editing and Writing

I’ve been doing a bit of part-time copy-editing and working on projects, articles, and reviews. The most time-consuming project at present is editing an abridgment of D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo’s 781-page An Introduction to the New Testament (a project for Zondervan, independent from my work for DAC).

3.5. Scholarship

I’m so grateful to receive the Hansen Fellowship in 2008–09. This may involve a small amount of work for the Henry Center during the school year.

3.6. Preaching

A church about eighty minutes away is without a preaching pastor, and I and three other friends recently began serving as an interim preaching team. (None of us could commit to serving as the sole interim preaching pastor, so we proposed this alternative.) We are currently preaching through 1 Timothy, and the general rhythm is that each of us preaches twice every eight Sundays (two weeks on, six weeks off) until the church finds a pastor.

• “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
• “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; / For His loving-kindness is everlasting” (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1; cf. 106:1; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Ezra 3:11).
• We would be grateful for your prayers, namely, that we would be good stewards of God’s varied grace, serving with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:10).