Thursday, December 31, 2015

Hebrews Highlights December 2015

Ken Schenck gives his musings about Jon Laansma's opening essay, "Hebrews: Yesterday, Today, and Future" in his co-edited volume Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews: Profiles from the History of Interpretation.

Jonathan gives his thoughts about the Date of Hebrews.

Wayne Slusser has done a four-part series on The Gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ, based on Hebrews. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

An Apology

I have been wondering why I have not been getting comments on my posts. Well, this evening I discovered that about a dozen comments were awaiting moderation on the blogger dashboard. In the past I have gotten notifications of comments through my email. I have now hopefully corrected this oversight. Your comments have now been posted and I have responded to some of them. I apologize for the oversight. I have not been ignoring you.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

New Hebrews Article in ZNW

I have recently been made aware of this article on Hebrews which appeared earlier this year: 

Filtvedt, Ole Jakob. “Creation and Salvation in Hebrews.” Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 106.2 (2015): 280–303.

Abstract:
 "Der Aufsatz sucht die Ansicht infrage zu stellen, dass der Hebräerbrief eine negative Sicht auf die Schöpfung habe. Zunächst wird das Verhältnis zwischen Jesu Rolle als Mitschöpfer aller Dinge und seiner Stellung als eschatologischer Erbe aller Dinge untersucht. Sodann wird die Tatsache in den Blick genommen, dass sich der Hebräerbrief auf die Schöpfungserzählung der Genesis bezieht, um eines seiner eschatologischen Hauptthemen zu entwickeln, nämlich die Vorstellung, dass Gottes Volk immer noch eine Sabbatruhe erwartet. In einem weiteren Schritt wendet sich der Aufsatz der kultischen Interpretation des Christusgeschehens zu und fragt, ob der im Hebräerbrief für das Christusgeschehen angenommene räumliche Kontext voraussetzt, dass Christus die Schöpfung verlässt, um einen unerschaffenen oder immateriellen Bereich zu betreten. Schließlich fragt der Beitrag nach dem zukünftigen Schicksal der Schöpfung." 

My crude translation:
"This essay seeks to call into question the view that Hebrews has a negative view of the creation. First, the relationship between Jesus' role as co-creator of all things and his position as eschatological heir of all things will be examined. Then it will take into consideration the fact that Hebrews refers to the creation narrative of Genesis in order to develop one of its chief eschatological themes, namely the notion that God's people still await a Sabbath rest. In a further step, the essay turns to the cultic interpretation of the Christ event and asks whether the assumed spatial context in Hebrews for the Christ event presupposes that Christ left the creation in order to enter into an uncreated or immaterial realm. Finally, the article asks about the future destiny of creation."

HT: Bobby Jamieson

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Naselli Interviews Compton

Andy Naselli interviews Jared Compton about his new book, Psalm 110 and the Logic of Hebrews.


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

My newest acquisition

I was pleased to get the following book in the mail:

Paolo Garuti. Alle origini dell'omiletica cristiana: La lettera agli Ebrei. Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press, 1995.












I have been looking for this book for some time and managed to find a used copy in excellent condition for a fairly decent price. It engages in one of the most detailed treatments of the rhetoric of Hebrews. However, I don't agree with his conclusion that there are redactional layers in Hebrews.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Reformation Heritage Bible Commentary on Hebrews

Another new commentary on Hebrews is by Steven Mueller for the Reformation Heritage Bible Commentary published by Concordia Publishing House. A preview of the book is available on the website.

Description of the volume and series from the website:

"About this Volume
This commentary on Hebrews helps us see how the Old Testament finds its completion in Jesus. Our Lord fulfilled the Old Testament covenant and provides everything needed by His people. By His gracious work, He now calls us His brothers and sisters.

About the Series
The great reformers’ influence upon the Bible’s interpretation and application could not help but revitalize the Church. This is as true today as it was five hundred years ago. The reformers taught with special insight due to their constant reading, study, translating, and preaching of the Sacred Scriptures. This commentary series shares with readers today insights from the reformers and faithful commentary that stems from their heritage.

Similar to the NIV People’s Bible Commentary Series, this lay-level commentary allows readers to study the Word in a deep and meaningful way with devotional warmth and readability.

The Reformation Heritage Bible Commentary Series provides readers with an insightful New Testament commentary in the English Standard Version translation. This new series is perfect for church workers, Bible class teachers, or anyone interested in learning more about the Bible.

The series’ unique layout features both the English Standard Version and King James Version; the complimentary versions and parallel format allow readers to see both the classic and modern translations side by side.

Starting with the Pauline epistles, two volumes of the series will be released per year. Each commentary will feature introductions, notes, charts, maps, applications, articles, and quotes from ancient, medieval, and evangelical Church Fathers.
Through both broad contexts and specific verses, these historical, cultural, and doctrinal insights will surely lead readers to a sound interpretation and application of the biblical text."

Wisdom Commentary on Hebrews

Liturgical Press is launching a new commentary series called the Wisdom Commentary, which will feature "a detailed feminist interpretation of every book of the Bible." One of the first books to come out in the series is the volume on Hebrews by Mary Ann Beavis and HyeRan Kim-Cragg.

Description:
"Hebrews seems like unpromising material for feminist interpretation, although it is the only New Testament writing for which female authorship has been seriously posited. Mary Ann Beavis and HyeRan Kim-Cragg highlight the similarities between Hebrews and the book of Wisdom/Sophia, which share cosmological, ethical, historical, and sapiential themes, revealing that Hebrews is in fact a submerged tradition of Sophia-Wisdom. They also tackle the sacrificial Christology of Hebrews, concluding that in its ancient context, far from symbolizing suffering and abjection, sacrifice was understood as celebratory and relational. Contributions from Filipina (Maricel and Marilou Ibita), Jewish (Justin Jaron Lewis), historical (Nancy Calvert-Koyzis), and First Nations (Marie Annharte Baker) perspectives bring additional scholarly, cultural, religious, and experiential wisdom to the commentary."


Kennedy Reviews Schreiner's Commentary on Hebrews

Lindsay Kennedy briefly reviews Thomas Schreiner's commentary on Hebrews in the Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation series.


The Locus of the Atonement in Hebrews

In contrast to David Moffitt's argument that the resurrection is the key for understanding atonement in Hebrews, Mike Skinner argues that the locus of atonement in Hebrews is the ascension.