Divided by a common history

I am gathering together some extra bibliography at the moment to lend a hand to students on my Historical Jesus class, some of whom are writing about particular Historical Jesus scholars, and I read a highly complimentary review of Sanders by Fredriksen, which begins with this quotable passage:

Americans and the British, the old joke goes, are divided by a common language. Jews and Christians —alas, no joke —are divided by a common history. I refer not to the history of contempt, coercion and abuse that has characterized prevailing Christian attitudes toward and treatment of Jews and Judaism from the second century through (at least) the twentieth. That shameful story is well known. I have in mind, rather, the history of late Second Temple Judaism in Roman Judea, and more specifically the history of the mission and message of Jesus of Nazareth. That is the history that continues to divide Christians and Jews. But, no less, it is a history that binds them, because they share it. And when it is better understood, I am convinced, it is a history that can also unite them.

Paula Fredriksen, Review of E. P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus in Review & Expositor 103/1 (Winter 2006): 234-236 (234).

Simcha Jacobovici Responds to His Critics

Last week I posted here a statement signed by several participants at a recent conference in Jerusalem on the Talpiot Tomb, The Talpiot Tomb Controversy Revisited, a statement that also appeared on our Department of Religion blog here at Duke. Simcha Jacobovici has now issued a statement in which he responds to his critics, posted on the Biblical Archaeology Review website:

Simcha Jacobovici Responds to His Critics

Regular readers here may have noticed that I have refrained from posting on the recent news stories, perhaps surprising in the light of my extensive blogging on the controversy last March and April (gathered under the label Talpiot Tomb). The reason for this is twofold. First, I have little fresh to say about the subject at this point, and I was not present in Jerusalem for the conference, and second, my desk has been overflowing with work over the last couple of weeks and my time has been limited. However, I would like to publish a round-up blog of some of the recent developments in due course, and I would like to revisit some of the questions I raised last March and April.

Oxford Synoptic Conference, April 2008

I have previously posted on the forthcoming Oxford Synoptic Problem conference and I have received this message today from Andrew Gregory:

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Some places are still available at the Oxford Conference on the Synoptic Problem, which will take place at Lincoln College, Oxford, 7-10 April 2008. Since participants are required to pay at the time of booking, anyone who wishes to attend should contact Dr Andrew Gregory (andrew.gregory@theology.ox.ac.uk) before submitting a booking form and payment.

More information about the conference is available here:

Oxford Conference in the Synoptic Problem (MS Word)
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Groningen Qumran Institute Symposium 2008

This is in from Mladen Popović:
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Honoring Professor Florentino García Martínez’s great achievements for the Groningen Qumran Institute and Dead Sea Scrolls studies and initiating a new series of biennial conferences, the Qumran Institute announces

The Authoritativeness of Scriptures in Ancient Judaism:
The Contribution of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature

A Symposium at the Groningen Qumran Institute, 28–29 April 2008
Organization: Mladen Popović (m.popovic@rug.nl)

Program

Monday, 28 April 2008

9.15-9.30 Opening

9.30-10.15 Ed Noort (University of Groningen): The Need of Authority: From Joshua the Successor to the Joshua Apocryphon

10.15-11.00 Julio Trebolle Barrera (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain): Authoritative Scripture as Reflected in the Textual Transmission of the Biblical Books

11.00-11.30 Break

11.30-12.15 Arie van der Kooij (University of Leiden): Authoritative Scriptures and Scribal Culture

12.15-13.00 Émile Puech (École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem, Israel): Quelques observations sur le canon des Écrits

13.15-14.15 Lunch

14.30-15.15 George van Kooten (University of Groningen): The Authority of David and Christ’s Davidic Lineage in Paul (Romans 1.3, 4.6, 11.9)

15.15-16.00 Tobias Nicklas (Universität Regensburg, Germany): “The words of the book of this prophecy” (Rev 22.19): Playing with Authority in the Book of Revelation

16.00-16.30 Break

16.30-17.15 Michael Knibb (King’s College, London, UK): “The Mosaic Torah is Conspicuously Absent in the Early Enochic Literature”: Reflections on the Status of 1 Enoch

17.15-18.00 Hindy Najman (University of Toronto, Canada): Exile, Exemplarity and Revelation in 4 Ezra

18.00-19.00 George Brooke (University of Manchester, UK): The Apocalyptic Community and Rewriting Scripture

19.30 Dinner

Tuesday, 29 April 2008

9.15-10.00 Jacques van Ruiten (University of Groningen): Rewritten Bible and the Authoritativeness of Scriptures

10.00-10.45 Emanuel Tov (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel): From 4QReworked Pentateuch to 4QPentateuch

10.45-11.15 Break

11.15-12.00 Mladen Popović (Qumran Institute, University of Groningen): Ezekiel and Pseudo-Ezekiel in the Dead Sea Scrolls

12.00-12.45 Eibert Tigchelaar (Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA): Aramaic Texts from Qumran and the Authoritativeness of Hebrew Scripture

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.15-15.00 Charlotte Hempel (University of Birmingham, UK): Pluralism and Authoritativeness: The Case of the S Tradition

15.00-15.45 John Collins (Yale University, New Haven, USA): Prophecy and the Authority of History in the Pesharim

15.45-16.30 Jan Bremmer (University of Groningen): How Holy are Holy Books? A Comparison of Greece, Rome, Early Judaism and Early Christianity

16.30-17.00 Break

17.00-18.15 Keynote address: Florentino García Martínez (University of Groningen/Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium): Rethinking the Bible: Sixty Years of Dead Sea Scrolls Research and Beyond

18.15 Reception

19.30 Dinner
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BBC Passion Latest

Over on Bible Films, Matt Page is still on top of things when it comes to The Passion, the BBC / HBO co-production to air this coming Easter. As regular readers will know, I have been a consultant on the series. I have watched the whole series in several different edits now and am really delighted with the production. Matt now reports that the Churches Media Council has a dedicated section of its website on the production and that the official première is taking place on the 28th February in London. Wish I could be there.

Update (2 February): I am happy to say that I think I now have everything in place so that I can, after all, be at the première!

Review of Biblical Literature Latest

This is a catch-up Review of Biblical Literature post, incorporating the last two updates, all those under the New Testament and related heading. I am particularly pleased to see strong reviews for a couple of books in the Library of New Testament Studies series:

John M. G. Barclay, trans.
Flavius Josephus: Against Apion
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5844
Reviewed by René Bloch

Jeannine K. Brown
Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5915
Reviewed by Tony Costa

Philip F. Esler and Ronald A. Piper
Lazarus, Mary and Martha: A Social-Scientific and Theological Reading of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5948
Reviewed by Peter Phillips

Thomas R. Hatina, ed.
Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels: Vol. 1: The Gospel of Mark
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5480
Reviewed by David du Toit

Christine Helmer, ed.
The Multivalence of Biblical Texts and Theological Meanings
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5580
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke

Dan Jaffé
Le Talmud et les origines juives du christianisme: Jésus, Paul et les judéo-chrétiens dans la littérature talmudique
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6057
Reviewed by Bogdan G. Bucur

Robert Tannehill
The Shape of Luke's Story: Essays on Luke-Acts
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5723
Reviewed by Robert F. O'Toole

Stephen Voorwinde
Jesus' Emotions in the Fourth Gospel: Human or Divine?
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5120
Reviewed by William R. G. Loader

Young S. Chae
Jesus as the Eschatological Davidic Shepherd: Studies in the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and in the Gospel of Matthew
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5605
Reviewed by Daniel M. Gurtner

Craig Cooper, ed.
Politics of Orality: (Orality and Literacy in Ancient Greece, Vol. 6)
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5821
Reviewed by Jonathan A. Draper

John Paul Heil
Ephesians: Empowerment to Walk in Love for the Unity of All in Christ
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5930
Reviewed by Gosnell L. Yorke

George H. van Kooten, ed.
The Revelation of the Name YHWH to Moses: Perspectives from Judaism, the Pagan Graeco-Roman World, and Early Christianity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5697
Reviewed by Sabrina Inowlocki

Jerome Murphy-O'Connor
Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5975
Reviewed by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J.

Grant R. Osborne
The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5731
Reviewed by Oda Wischmeyer

Rosemary Radford Ruether, ed.
Feminist Theologies: Legacy and Prospect
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5858
Reviewed by Mary L. Coloe

Megan Hale Williams
The Monk and the Book: Jerome and the Making of Christian Scholarship
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5676
Reviewed by Jonathan Yates

Alexandrian Personae Conference

Thanks to Ben White for sending this over:

Alexandrian Personae:
Scholarly Culture and Religious Traditions in Ancient Alexandria (1st ct. BCE - 3rd ct. CE)
February 23-24, 2008

The conference is hosted by the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in collaboration with the Department of Theology at the University of Göttingen, and details are at the link above.

The Talpiot Tomb Controversy Revisited

The folllowing statement, which also appears on the Duke University Religion Department Blog, is posted here at the request of my colleague Professor Eric Meyers, and Professor Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the list of signatories. Note: slightly revised on 24 January 2008:

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The Talpiot Tomb Controversy Revisited

A firestorm has broken out in Jerusalem following the conclusion of the “Third Princeton Theological Seminary Symposium on Jewish Views of the Afterlife and Burial Practices in Second Temple Judaism: Evaluating the Talpiot Tomb in Context.” Most negative assessments of archaeologists and other scientists and scholars who attended have been excluded from the final press reports. Instead the media have presented the views of Simcha Jacobovici, who produced the controversial film and book “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” with Hollywood director James Cameron, and who claims that his identification has been vindicated by the conference papers. Nothing further from the truth can be deduced from the discussion and presentations that took place on January 13-17, 2008.

A statistical analysis of the names engraved on the ossuaries leaves no doubt that the probability of the Talpiot tomb belonging to Jesus’ family is virtually nil if the Mariamene named on one of the ossuaries is not Mary Magdalene. Even the reading of the inscribed name as “Mariamene” was contested by epigraphers at the conference. Furthermore, Mary Magdalene is not referred to by the Greek name Mariamene in any literary sources before the late second-third century AD. An expert panel of scholars on the subject of Mary in the early church dismissed out of hand the suggestion that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus, and no traditions refer to a son of Jesus named Judah (another individual named on an ossuary from the Talpiot tomb). Moreover, the DNA evidence from the tomb, which has been used to suggest that Jesus had a wife, was dismissed by the Hebrew University team that devised such procedures and has conducted such research all over the world. The ossuary inscribed with the name “Jesus son of Joseph” is paralleled by a find from another Jerusalem tomb, and at least one speaker said the reading of the name “Jesus” on the Talpiot tomb ossuary is uncertain. Testimony from archaeologists who were involved in the excavation of the Talpiot tomb leaves no doubt that the “missing” tenth ossuary was plain and uninscribed, eliminating any possibility that it is the so-called “James ossuary.”

The identification of the Talpiot tomb as the tomb of Jesus’ family flies in the face of the accounts of Paul and the canonical Gospel, which are the earliest traditions describing Jesus’ death and burial. According to these accounts Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb of a prominent follower named Joseph of Arimathea. Since at least the early fourth century Christians have venerated the site of Jesus’ burial at the spot marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In contrast, not a single tradition, Christian or otherwise, preserves any reference to or recollection of a family tomb of Jesus anywhere in Jerusalem.

The smoking gun at the conference was the surprise appearance of Ruth Gat, the widow of the archaeologist who excavated the tomb in 1980 and has since passed away. Mrs. Gat announced that her husband had known about the identification all along but was afraid to tell anyone because of the possibility of an anti-Semitic reaction. However, Joseph Gat lacked the expertise to read the inscriptions. Jacobovici now says that Mrs. Gat’s statement has vindicated his claims about the tomb.

To conclude, we wish to protest the misrepresentation of the conference proceedings in the media, and make it clear that the majority of scholars in attendance – including all of the archaeologists and epigraphers who presented papers relating to the tomb - either reject the identification of the Talpiot tomb as belonging to Jesus’ family or find this claim highly speculative.

Signed,
Professor Mordechai Aviam, University of Rochester
Professor Ann Graham Brock, Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver
Professor F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Princeton Theological Seminary
Professor C.D. Elledge, Gustavus Adolphus College
Professor Shimon Gibson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Professor Rachel Hachlili, University of Haifa
Professor Amos Kloner, Bar-Ilan University
Professor Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professor Lee McDonald, Arcadia Seminary
Professor Eric M. Meyers, Duke University
Professor Stephen Pfann, University of the Holy Land
Professor Jonathan Price, Tel Aviv University
Professor Christopher Rollston, Emmanuel School of Religion
Professor Alan F. Segal, Barnard College, Columbia University
Professor Choon-Leong Seow, Princeton Theological Seminary
Mr. Joe Zias, Science and Antiquity Group, Jerusalem
Dr. Boaz Zissu, Bar-Ilan University

Harvard Theological Review latest

The latest Harvard Theological Review is available. There are a couple of NT related articles listed below:

Harvard Theological Review
Volume 101 - Issue 01 - January 2008

Gift-Giving and Friendship: Seneca and Paul in Romans 1–8 on the Logic of God's Χάριs and Its Human Response
Troels Engberg-Pedersen
Harvard Theological Review, Volume 101, Issue 01, January 2008, pp 15 - 44
doi: 10.1017/S0017816008001715 Published online by Cambridge University Press 14 Jan 2008
[ abstract ]

Introducing an Arabic Commentary on the Apocalypse: Ibn Kātib Qaysar on Revelation
Stephen J. Davis
Harvard Theological Review, Volume 101, Issue 01, January 2008, pp 77 - 96
doi: 10.1017/S0017816008001739 Published online by Cambridge University Press 14 Jan 2008
[ abstract ]

Happy Birthday, Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer was born on this day in 1875 and as good planning (or luck?) would have it, today we are looking at his Quest of the Historical Jesus in my Historical Jesus class at Duke. I am planning to show the students a couple of videos to celebrate the day:

First, a short one minute celebration of Schweitzer's life on History.com.

Second, a remarkable French piece featuring a fairly lengthy interview with Schweitzer (in French) from dailymotion.com: Video Docteur Albert Schweitzer, apparently from 1961.

Third, a clip of Eddie Albert meeting Albert Schweitzer, from American television in the 1950s, on Youtube (Schweitzer piece lasts about a minute and begins at about 1:17):



And finally, there is a clip of Schweitzer receiving his honorary degree at Cambridge in 1955 from British Pathe News; you can download this in reasonable quality for free onto your computer, or you can pay for a high resolution version.

Fort Lauderdale Study Program: Anne Killebrew and me

The following has just been announced by the Biblical Archaeology Society:

Insights into the Bible from Archaeology
and
Monarch or Messiah?
The King of Jewish Expectation and the Christ of the New Testament

with Ann E. Killebrew and Mark Goodacre

Learn from two great lecturers as they bring the ancient world to life!

Hampton Inn Downtown/City Center
FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
March 7-8, 2008

In recent years the rapid pace of archaeological discoveries has vastly improved our appreciation of the Bible and the world in which both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament are set. Hear firsthand about many of these key discoveries from an archaeologist who has been closely involved in those discoveries. Supplement those lectures with talks by a leading New Testament scholar on a concept crucial to understanding both Judaism and Christianity—the meaning of “Messiah.”

Full details are available on the web, or you can download the brochure (PDF).

Interpretation Latest Issue

There is a new issue of Interpretation available, and some of the content is available free on the web:

Interpretation Volume 62 Number 1, October 2008

The free material includes a book review by Mark Allan Powell of Amy-Jill Levine, The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006)

Review of Biblical Literature Latest

Latest from the SBL Review of Biblical Literature under the NT and related heading:

Christian Blumenthal
"Es wird aber kommen der Tag des Herrn" : Eine textkritische Studie zu 2Petr 3,10
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5974
Reviewed by Jörg Frey

Catharine Edwards and Greg Woolf, eds.
Rome the Cosmopolis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=3221
Reviewed by Jonathan L. Reed

Mark W. Hamilton, Thomas H. Olbricht, and Jeffrey Peterson, eds.
Renewing Tradition: Studies in Texts and Contexts in Honor of James W. Thompson
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5715
Reviewed by Korinna Zamfir

Ulrich Luz; Helmut Koester, ed.; James Crouch, trans.
Matthew 1-7: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5787
Reviewed by David Sim
Reviewed by Charles L. Quarles

Homepage update

I have completed a full update to my homepage and tried to correct broken links, add new ones, update all the information and so on. These pages just help me to keep track of things like publications, media work and so on. It turns out that it is a year since I last updated everything, so this is not before time.

Who Wrote the Bible? on Youtube

I've been updating my homepage over the last day or so, spurred on by having to complete my annual report at Duke. While updating the links on my Media Consultancy page, I came across something of possible interest. Back on Christmas Day 2004, Channel 4 broadcast a programme presented by Robert Beckford and entitled Who Wrote the Bible? I featured in one part of the programme, discussing the Gospels, and I recently came across it on Youtube. It's about eight minutes or so long and features the two of us walking around Rome discussing Mark, Matthew, Luke and John in turn:

LNTS volumes on Google Books

I noticed this morning that Google Book Search (formerly Google Books and before that Google Print) has added lots of Library of New Testament Studies (Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series) volumes. This is the series I have been editing for the last four years, which is published by T and T Clark, and which has a legacy going back to the late 1980s when it was established by Sheffield Academic Press. Although, as usual, the amount one can read is limited, it's very useful to have these volumes available for searching. In fact, I was pleased to be able to search my own first book on there this morning. I should add that it is not easy to search for the series en masse because Google Book Search will simply pull out bibliographical references to the series if one tries to search for it, but searching on an individual book title basis seems to work well.

Latest Novum Testamentum

The latest Novum Testamentum is now available to subscribers and subscribing institutions:

Novum Testamentum 50/1 (2008)

The Marcionite Gospel and the Synoptic Problem: A New Suggestion
pp. 1-27(27)
Author: Klinghardt, Matthias

Sinai Ar. N.F. Parchment 8 and 28: Its Contribution to Textual Criticism of the Gospel of Luke
pp. 28-57(30)
Author: Kachouh, Hikmat

Verbal Aspect in the Apocalypse of John: An Analysis of Revelation 5
pp. 58-77(20)
Author: Mathewson, David

P. Bodmer II (P66): Three Fragments Identified. A Correction
pp. 78-80(3)
Authors: Head, Peter M.; Wheeler, Dale M.; Willker, Wieland

Book Reviews

The Formation of the Early Church
pp. 81-85(5)
Author: Stenschke, Christoph

Kontexte des Johannesevangeliums: Das vierte Evangelium in religions- und traditionsgeschichtlicher Perspektive
pp. 86-91(6)
Author: Stenschke, Christoph

In the Beginning: Bibles before the Year 1000: The Freer Biblical Manuscripts: Fresh Studies on an American Treasure Trove: In a Monastery Library: Preserving Codex Sinaiticus and the Greek Written Heritage
pp. 92-96(5)
Author: Elliott, J.K.

Book Notes
pp. 97-100(4)
Author: Elliott, J.K.

Books Received
pp. 101-103(3)

Fourth Annual Ralphies

I am late on it this year, but here are my 2007 Ralphies. Previous Ralphies are at these links: 2004, 2005, 2006. For newcomers, the Ralphies are "the little bit of annual indulgence among bibliobloggers to go outside of Biblical Studies and blog their "best ofs" of the year." This year, it seems like it is only the old guard who are indulging, Ed Cook, the originator, on Ralph the Sacred River, and Jim Davila on Paleojudaica. Perhaps this is a sign that bibliobloggers are now much more inclined than they used to be to post on material of personal rather than professional interest, and so the annual self-indulgence is not so appealing. If you ate Christmas dinners all year, would lunch on 25 December be such a treat? I must admit that the creation of my own personal blog earlier this year makes the annual self-indulgence feel a little less special than it used to, not least since I gush about Doctor Who all I want now on that blog. Nevertheless, the Ralphies are a tradition, and it's one I will still have fun honouring.

Song of the year: I was going to say Silversun Pickups, Lazy Eye, which I first caught on Jools Holland earlier this year. But a glance at Wikipedia shows that it was released in 2006, so I will instead vote for Arctic Monkeys, Fluorescent Adolescent:



Album of the year: well, there was a new album from the Fall this year, so of course it is my album of the year, Reformation Post TLC. I was tempted to name Von Sudenfed, Tromatic Reflexxions.

Gig of the year: we only went to two this year, Hannah Montana in Greensboro and They Might be Giants in Durham. Both were great fun. And yes, They Might be Giants did include in their set one of Jim Davila's favourites of the year, The Mesopotamians (and they were selling t-shirts of the same).

Film of the year: I can think of a lot of stinkers I've seen this year. Nothing bowled me over. I quite liked Ratatouille. I still haven't seen Bourne Ultimatum. I don't think we've been to the cinema or watched enough DVDs in 2007. Must put that right next year. I am definitely not watching enough films.

TV Programme of the Year: Spooks. Only joking. Doctor Who, of course. Series 3 was not as consistently strong as Series 2, but several individual episodes were the strongest ever, especially Human Nature and Family of Blood, which I discussed here (Doctor Who, Human Nature and Kenosis) and received a comment from the writer, Paul Cornell, and Blink. The series also featured the best ever moment in Doctor Who, in the episode Utopia (hilariously enjoyed by these two).

I suppose TV really is an area I invest time in. So I don't have anything to say about fictional books, but I have enjoyed a lot of television. Honourable mentions go to Life on Mars, Series 2, which was wonderful, Spooks Series 6, Sarah Jane Adventures, Series 1, Whistleblowers, Series 1. I have enjoyed loads of good BBC4 and Channel 4 documentaries too, too numerous to mention, though Secret Life of the Motorway was a particularly memorable highlight. There have been some good American TV series too. The best newcomer is definitely Chuck, already renewed for 2008. And Viola and I both like the new Bionic Woman in spite of the fact that no one else seems to. We quite enjoy but mainly endure Heroes.

Radio Program of the Year: Jon Ronson on, Series 3, some of which is still available for download. Honourable mentions: I'm Sorry I haven't a clue, still going after 35 years and still hilarious; Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie, which finally dragged me over to listening to Radio 2 for the first time. And just about everything I get the chance to listen on Radio 4. What would life be without it?

Podcast of the year: the Daily Mayo, my happy companion every day on the way back from work. This year has seen something of a podcast surge from the BBC and British expats like me who commute to work are utterly spoilt for choice (BBC Podcast Directory).

Sporting Event of the Year: I'll have to pass on this one; not a great year for English cricket or English football. The cricket World Cup was something of a shambles.

Mark Chancey back in the news

Mark Chancey is back in the Dallas news today:

Professor has faith in religious tolerance
Methodist's lecture series to explain New Testament to Jewish audience
By MARY JACOBS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Typically, Mark Chancey's role is helping Christian audiences better understand Judaism. But for four Tuesdays in January, the SMU associate professor will be doing the opposite: explaining the New Testament to a primarily Jewish audience.

Dr. Chancey is the featured speaker for Temple Emanu-El's annual adult education course, this year titled "The New Testament: First Century Jews, First Century Christians." The course begins Tuesday . . .

. . . . "Much of the New Testament is Jewish literature," he said. "Christianity didn't become a new religion until early Christians began reinterpreting ideas that were originally Jewish.

"But we're starting off with Jewish ideas – a messiah, the temple, sacrifice and law. Even though Christian tradition ultimately went its separate way, the beginnings are Jewish."

Review of Biblical Literature Latest

I am gradually working through the email backlog and have reached Boxing Day, when someone at SBL headquarters was not taking the day off and sent out a list of the latest reviews to be added to the Review of Biblical Literature. Of particular interest, under these NT related titles, is Christopher Tuckett's excellent review of Bauckham (though it contains a typo that needs fixing, "Two main chapters deal with more generally with what Bauckham . . ."):

Paul N. Anderson
The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus: Modern Foundations Reconsidered
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5879
Reviewed by Edward W. Klink III

Richard Bauckham
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5650
Reviewed by Christopher Tuckett

Lukas Bormann
Bibelkunde: Altes und Neues Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5458
Reviewed by Markus Oehler

Philip F. Esler and Ronald A. Piper
Lazarus, Mary and Martha: A Social-Scientific and Theological Reading of John
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5948
Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Barbara Fuß
Neutestamentliches Griechisch: Ein Lernbuch zu Wortschatz und Formenlehre
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5797
Reviewed by G. J. (Gerhard) Swart

David E. Garland and Diana R. Garland
Flawed Families of the Bible: How God's Grace Works through Imperfect Relationships
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5838
Reviewed by Jason B. Hood

Andrew Lincoln
Hebrews: A Guide
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5732
Reviewed by Martin Karrer

John L. Meech
Paul in Israel's Story: Self and Community at the Cross
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5725
Reviewed by Mark Reasoner

Jens-W. Taeger; Dietrich-Alex Koch and David Bienert, eds
Johanneische Perspektiven: Aufsätze zur Johannesapokalypse und zum johanneischen Kreis 1984-2003
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5604
Reviewed by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza

More 2007 Retrospects

Over on The Forbidden Gospels Blog, April DeConick has a helpful and very interesting Forbidden Gospels 2007 Retrospect. The blog is almost a year old and it's been a big hitter; I look forward to more of the same in 2008.

Bibliobloggers offering their Ralphies have been very thin on the ground this year. So far the only ones I have spotted have been Ed Cook, the originator, on Ralph the Sacred River, and Jim Davila on Paleojudaica. I am a bit late with mine this year, having been away over Christmas.

Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism Latest

As Ricoblog has already noted, more articles have been posted at the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, Volume 4 (2007):

4.3 John C. Poirier, The Linguistic Situation in Jewish Palestine in Late Antiquity

4.4 Julie Ann Smith, ‘What Now Lies Before Their Eyes’: The Foundations of Early Pilgrim Visuality in the Holy Land

4.5 David E. Malick, The Contribution of Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis to an Understanding of Women in the Book of Acts

4.6 Justin M. Smith, Genre, Sub-Genre and Questions of Audience: A Proposed Typology for Greco-Roman Biography

Metacatholic's Blogging Year

Speaking of Metacatholic (see previous post), Doug Chaplin has a great post giving "Some bits and pieces by way of a reflection on the last year", and I don't just mention it because he mentions one of my threads (on Mark-Q Overlaps):

2007 -- a backward glance at a blogacious year

If only I could get around to doing something as useful as that kind of year in review. I'd like to see it catching on.

Biblioblogger of the month

for January 2008 is Christian Brady, and not before time. It's an enjoyable interview and I am sure Chris will not be one of those mentioned by Doug Chaplin, where the interview is the final act of a previously happy blogging career.

Bible Films Blog 2007 round-up

Matt Page has a great round up of the year at his Bible Films Blog. Perhaps more of us should consider an annual individual blog summary like this. Here's Matt's useful round-up:

Bible Films Blog Review of 2007

He ends with the note that "2008 looks likely to be equally busy with a host of films in production, the pick of which looks likely to be the BBC's The Passion in partnership with HBO." I am quite excited about the latter and will, of course, be commenting on it regularly here. I have seen the first four episodes in early edits so far and am very impressed indeed. There will be an announcement soon on the new title for the mini-series, which is now in place. The working title of The Passion has been dropped.

Biblical Studies Carnival XXV

Many thanks to Chris Brady at Targuman for the latest roundup of biblioblog highlights:

Biblical Studies Carnival XXV

I continue to be impressed by the excellent work that the carnival editors do each month. While on the topic, I want to add that I think we should not be dismayed if, in 2008, we find that it becomes impossible to sustain the carnivals every month in the way that they have been sustained over the last couple of years. The biblioblogging community is growing all the time, and the business of summarising a month's posts is a tough one and it relies on the editor doing a lot of work, and many making contributions. If we do miss the odd month, as we did recently, I don't think we should worry. We are never going to be completely comprehensive, and if the carnivals have to become a little more occasional, and if there is a rise in ad hoc informal carnivals, then that's fine. I used to have a "Featured Links" section on the New Testament Gateway, and at first I sustained it every month for several years. But as time went on, it became impossible to keep up that level of posting and eventually it became an occasional feature. So I just want to say that it will be fantastic if the carnivals can sustain the current quality and quantity, but let's not be too concerned if we have to go a little more ad hoc and occasional in the long run.

Review of Biblical Literature Latest

Happy New Year from the NTGateway Weblog. I am just back from a most enjoyable if very tiring trip to England over the Christmas period, and I am looking forward to getting back to blogging again in this fifth year of the blog. To start things off, a bread-and-butter post with the latest from the SBL Review of Biblical Literature under the New Testament and related heading:

Greg Carey
Ultimate Things: An Introduction to Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5659
Reviewed by Lorenzo DiTommaso

A. Andrew Das
Solving the Romans Debate
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5772
Reviewed by David J. Downs

Martin Hengel; Claus-Jürgen Thornton, ed.
Studien zur Christologie: Kleine Schriften IV
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5799
Reviewed by Lidija Novakovic

Larry W. Hurtado, ed.
The Freer Biblical Manuscripts: Fresh Studies of an American Treasure Trove
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5716
Reviewed by Juan Hernández Jr.

Victor Matthews
Manners and Customs in the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Daily Life in Bible Times
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5735
Reviewed by Aaron Koller

Santiago Guijarro Oporto
Jesús y sus primeros discípulos
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5851
Reviewed by Ruben Dupertuis

Guy Waters
The End of Deuteronomy in the Epistles of Paul
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5789
Reviewed by Kenneth D. Litwak

Karen Strand Winslow
Early Jewish and Christian Memories of Moses' Wives: Exogamist Marriage and Ethnic Identity
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5726
Reviewed by Amelia Devin Freedman