The Oldest Book Now In My Collection

This book arrived today from France. It is now the oldest book I have in my collection. Note the date:

My Newest Acquisition

I just got in the mail today this rare copy of a dissertation that I had not known about previously:

Ngoupa, Hans Ejengele. “La perfection dans l’Épître aux Hébreux.” Ph.D. diss., Institute Protestant de Théologie, Montpellier, 1982.

My Newest Acquisition

This book just came in the mail today, all the way from Italy:

Michael Tait. Too Many Priests? Melchizedek and the Others in Hebrews.

Some Recent Acquistions of Note

I continue to add to my collection of all things Hebrews. Some of the books are on the more popular level, but a couple of books are of particular interest:

Di Giovambattista, Fulvio. Il giorno dell’espiazione nella Lettera agli Ebrei. Tesi Gregoriana, Serie Teologia 61. Rome: Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 2000.

This first book is a monograph on "the Day of Atonement in the Letter to the Hebrews." Here is a description of the book with the help of Google translate:

"The present study aims to highlight the affinities, the allusions, the references, the contacts with the feast of the Day of Atonement, which are more or less explicitly present in the Letter to the Hebrews.
     First we examine the biblical texts concerning the complex ritual of solemnity (Lv 16; 23.26-32; 25.9; Num 29.7-11; Ex 30.10), for whose penetration various Excursus on various aspects of the ancient cult (the Conference Tent and the Temple, the priestly vestments, the sacrifices' ōlâ, "holocaust", and ḥaţţā't, "sacrifice for sin"). The texts of ancient Jewish literature are then analyzed , from which it appears that the Day of Atonement at the time of the NT was celebrated in a form that only reflected the biblical data in its essential lines.
     Then we move on to consider the Letter to the Hebrews, in an attempt to show how in this paper the peculiar rituals of the feast are taken up in relation to the saving work of Christ. In addition to the analysis of the passages in which explicit reference is made to the Day of Atonement (eg, Heb. 9: 7-14), formulations present in different passages of the Letter are highlighted, which in a certain way might suggest a some more or less veiled contact with it. We also propose a solution to the noted crux interpretum by χρυσούν θυμιατήριον (Heb 9,4).
     Finally, the final part of the research is dedicated to the effects of the Day of Atonement according to the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, undoubtedly a fundamental theological theme, although very complex and delicate."

Kennard, Douglas W. A Biblical Theology of Hebrews. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018.

This book appears to be a semi-popular treatment of the biblical theology of Hebrews, although there is obvious scholarship behind it. Here is the description of the book from the website:

" Using a biblical theology method, this book reflects the content of the epistle of Hebrews within its Jewish-Christian context. Within Jewish monotheism, a Two Powers Christology is championed to float a simple missional Trinitarianism. Jesus Christ is also presented as a superior prophet, Davidic king, and Melchizedek priest. Christ initiates the new covenant with his very Jewish atonement in the Day of Atonement pattern, ultimately perfecting believers’ conscience (as an Edwardsian Religious Affection) and providing everlasting forgiveness. This provision initiates the believer on a new exodus toward the celestial city within a two-way soteriological framework. To make it to that heavenly goal, the believer must continue in faith. Those who are faithful already begin to experience rest in this life as a foretaste of the kingdom rest to come, when Christ brings in eschatological salvation."

Newly Arrived from France

My newest acquisition. I just received a nice copy of this book from France:

Antoine Guggenheim. Jésus Christ, grand prêtre de l'ancienne et de la nouvelle Alliance Etude théologique et herméneutique du commentaire de saint Thomas d'Aquin sur l'Epître aux Hébreux. Parole et Silence, 2004; reprint 2011.

Blurb from website:
"Le Commentaire de saint Thomas d'Aquin sur l'Épître aux Hébreux, qui n'a encore jamais été étudié de manière aussi ample, ouvre un nouvel accès à sa théologie de l'histoire. Il enrichit la réflexion contemporaine par l'unité constamment maintenue des catégories historique et ontologique, ou spirituelle. Il donne à réfléchir sur le lien qui unit la personne du Christ et son Acte sacerdotal au régime de salut qu'Il accomplit et à celui qu'Il inaugure et, en ce sens, il invite à scruter les relations de Jésus et d'Israël. Les commentaires d'œuvres philosophiques ou théologiques, et d'abord de l'Écriture Sainte elle-même, ont constamment nourri la réflexion systématique de saint Thomas. L'argumentation théologique est, par excellence, comme il le dit lui-même, le fruit de l'étude des Livres saints. Étudier l'herméneutique philosophique et théologique qu'il met en œuvre dans sa « lecture » de l'Épître aux Hébreux nous permet donc, d'une part, de mieux apprécier l'ensemble de sa théologie et, d'autre part, de réfléchir à la tâche de l'exégèse aujourd'hui."

My Newest Acquisition

This just came in the mail today:

Markus-Liborius Hermann. Die "hermeutische Stunde" des Hebräerbriefs: Schriftauslegung in Spannungsfeldern. Herders Biblische Studien 72. Freiburg: Herder, 2013.

My Newest Acquisition

I only recently became aware of this work and have managed to find a used copy from Germany:

 Winter, Aloysius. Die überzeitliche Einmaligkeit des Heils im “Heute”: Zur theologie des Hebräerbriefes. Neuried: Ars Una, 2002.

Blurb translated from the back cover:

"The author examines the meaning of the words 'hapax' and 'ephapax' in Hebrews, which are usually translated as 'once for all' and understands them on the basis of their origin and context in the sense of 'once finally' and 'at once finally', which is of considerable importance for sacramental theology. It has been shown that, according to the Platonic-Philonic model, the symbolism of the last 'day' in the pointedly used 'today' presupposes a Greek understanding of time, which was abolished by the God-human act of salvation in the eternal today of God. Thus, the final uniqueness of the 'perfection' effected by Christ is clarified, which is accomplished in 'sanctification' by means of baptism, Eucharist, and other ways, by direct and common participation in the sacrifice which has happened historically and at the same time exists in his person."

New French Commentary on Hebrews!

I am pretty psyched about getting this new French commentary on Hebrews in the mail:

Jean Massonnet. L'épître aux Hébreux. Commentaire biblique: Nouveau Testament 15. Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 2016. Pp. 493. Paperback.

Jean Massonnet, a priest of the diocese of Lyon, is a graduate of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and professor emeritus of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Lyon where he was director of the Christian Center for the Study of Judaism from 1990 to 2005.

This is a pretty substantial commentary. The layout of the commentary is as follows. After the forward and abbreviation page, there is a general bibliography consisting of commentaries, studies on Hebrews, and other studies. The thirty-page introduction covers authorship and canonicity, recipients, date of the writing, literary genre, structure and movement, the milieu of Hebrews, the message of Hebrews, and the text.

In the commentary proper, each pericope begins with a translation followed by text-critical and translation notes and a brief bibliography. The interpretation proceeds on a verse-by-verse basis. Additional notes and occasional excurses round out each section. End matter includes indices on modern authors, primary sources, and topics; a list of excurses; and a table of contents (typically at the back of the book as is standard practice in French books). My only qualm with the book so far is that Greek is transliterated in the interpretation (but Greek is used in the more technical notes).

This is the first major commentary to appear in French since Samuel Bénétreau's two-volume commentary came out in 1989–1990! It doesn't surpass Ceslas Spicq's magisterial two-volume commentary, but Spicq's commentary, which came out in 1952–1953 is quite dated.

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.

Latest Acquisition

Arriving in the mail today, Knut Backhaus' commentary was the last major commentary on Hebrews missing from my library. I managed to find a pretty good price (under $40) for a brand new copy.

New Book Received

Thanks to Chris Cowan with B & H Publishing Group for a copy of Thomas Schreiner's new commentary on Hebrews. It's in the queue for review.

My First Book in Catalan!

Many thanks to Jordi Cervera for sending me a copy of his book, Jesús en la Carta als Hebreus: Una cristologia de matriu jueva. It is my first book in Catalan!

New Book on Key Themes in Hebrews

I received in the mail today this little book on some key themes in Hebrews:

Jonathan Griffiths, ed. The Perfect Saviour: Key Themes in Hebrews. Inter-Varsity Press, 2012.

Here is the blurb from the back cover:

"Too often, valuable New Testament scholarship never finds its way to the preacher's or pastor's study because it is presented in a format that is not practically digestible in the time available for sermon preparation.

The motivation for this volume is the desire to bridge the gap between the work of evangelical scholars in universities and colleges and the world of the busy preacher and Bible teacher.  Specifically, it offers a theological introduction to the New Testament book of Hebrews, by way of a set of expositions of some significant themes and difficult questions, by some well-known scholars.

Topics covered are: the new covenant (Peter O'Brien); the word of God (Jonathan Griffiths); the priesthood of Christ (Richard Gaffin, Jr); the tabernacle (David Gooding); warning and assurance (Thomas Schreiner); access and arrival (Peter Walker); perfection (David Peterson); and suffering (Bruce Winter).

These studies are accessible to all serious students of the Bible.  The contributors share the conviction that theological research is ultimately only valuable insofar as it aids the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

All the essays appear to be original and not reprints of articles appearing elsewhere.  The book appears to provide an accessible way for pastors to get at the basic themes of Hebrews in preparation for a sermon series or series of Bible studies on Hebrews.

Newest Acquisition

I have recently returned from the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, where I heard several papers on the book of Hebrews.  Somehow I managed to leave the bookroom without having made a single purchase this year.  However, I did receive one book for free thanks to Bryan Dyer of BakerAcademic:

Harold W. Attridge, Essays on John and Hebrews.

I will post a review of the book once I have managed to dig myself out of the backlog of work that is currently burying me.

In the Mail Today

Today I received in the mail this rather rare title on Hebrews:

Paul Inje. A Two Dimensional Approach: Christ's Sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews and Sacrifice in Gandhian Thought. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation. 2007.

Here is the description from the back cover (and I type it exactly as printed):

"The choice of this theme has a theological and pastoral motivation.  The willingness to dedicate Himself for offering sacrifice and the graciousness of Christ to represent God among human beings, and strengthening the believers in their faith were the inspiring motives behind this study, and these are to a very great extent analysed in the course of this study.  The subject is introduced with a survey of its biblical and theological background, and patristic and reformative views of sacrifice.  They are followed by comprehensive, literary outlook and the theology of the Letter to the Hebrews.  This study is an intriguing question, namely, 'How can one bring a connection between two apparently diverse religious concepts?'  The answer to the problem is attempted at by bringing in Mahatma Gandhi, the father of modern India.  The impeccable strength and sacrifice of Gandhi is diligently brought out through the historical context by introducing the innovative Hindu concept and the development of sacrifice and modern intepretations and implications....."

This book is based on the author's Th.D. dissertation at Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich.

Review on Vanhoye, A Different Priest, Forthcoming

I want to thank Rafael Luciani and Alicia Torres of Convivium Press for a complimentary copy of Albert Vanhoye's book, A Different Priest: The Epistle to the Hebrews.  I will try to post a review of the book in short order.

Here is the blurb from the back cover:

"The first part, which only examines one theme, 'the Name of Christ', offers a general and contemporary Christology.  The next two parts offer a priestly Christology, firstly more general and then more specific.  Finally, the last two parts show the result of this for the Christian life, lived out in faith, hope and charity.  The author of this work, has worked for many years on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and, notably, has taught it at the Biblical Institute and published a great number of specialist articles and Books on it, and now brings one of the most contemporary authoritative commentaries to a wider audience, contributing with the understanding of the unique Priesthood of Jesus Christ for the first Christian communities.  In this work a detailed analysis of the text known as the Epistle to the Hebrews enables us to conclude without a shadow of a doubt that this is the full text of a splendid Christian preaching, which constantly conforms to the rules of Semitic rhetoric, including various genres of parallelism, synonymis [sic], antithesis and complementarity, and obeying a concentrically symmetrical schema."

New Book by Albert Vanhoye

This week I received a book by Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, Old Testament Priests and the New Priest: According to the New Testament.  It is an English translation of a work that originally appeared in French in 1980.  The book has three movements.  Part one focuses on the Old Testament priests.  Part two discusses the new priest, Jesus Christ.  Part three then talks about a priestly people.

I noticed on Amazon that a new book by Vanhoye has just come out:  A Different Priest: The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Description:
"The first part, which only examines one theme, the Name of Christ, offers a general and contemporary Christology. The next two parts offer a priestly Christology, firstly more general and then more specific. Finally, the last two parts show the result of this for the Christian life, lived out in faith, hope and charity. The author of this work has worked for many years on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and, notably, has taught it at the Biblical Institute and published a great number of specialist articles and books on it, and now brings one of the most contemporary authoritative commentaries to a wider audience, contributing with the understanding of the unique Priesthood of Jesus Christ for the first Christian communities. In this work, a detailed analysis of the text known as the Epistle to the Hebrews enables us to conclude without a shadow of a doubt that this is the full text of a splendid Christian preaching, which constantly conforms to the rules of Semitic rhetoric, including various genres of parallelism, synonymis, antithesis and complementarity, and obeying a concentrically symmetrical schema."

Vanhoye is one of the most prolific authors on Hebrews.  He is best known for a landmark work on the structure of Hebrews, a work that is still influential today.  His works have appeared in several different languages.

Two New Acquisitions

I took advantage of the Wipf & Stock SBL discount to purchase two books on Hebrews:

Annang Asumang. Unlocking the Book of Hebrews: A Spatial Analysis of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

"While the intensely captivating language of the Epistle to the Hebrews may stir and invigorate modern New Testament readers to renewed spiritual energy, readers often remain clueless as to the book's overall theme and message. Despite the tendency for preachers to use various verses of the book of Hebrews as proof texts, few preachers today systematically expound the passages of Hebrews so that its general thesis is more clearly understood, so that it is practically applied for daily Christian living and witness. The different proposals about the epistle's uniting argument have not resulted in scholarly consensus; neither have they diminished the common impression about the epistle's difficulty. For such an important book of the Bible, given that the book of Hebrews skillfully bridges our understanding of the two testaments into one whole, such a situation is, to say the least, unsatisfactory.

The Epistle to the Hebrews utilizes the language of spaces in its expositions and the language of movement in its exhortations, with powerful rhetorical effects; yet few studies have attempted to analyze the book from this perspective. In this study, Asumang employs models from the interdisciplinary social-science investigative methodology of spatiality to analyze Hebrews. He demonstrates that the author of Hebrews interpreted the migrating camp of the Israelites in the wilderness, depicted in the book of Numbers, through a Christ-tinted lens and that the Hebrews writer applied these lessons to the grave pastoral condition of his congregation. When examined from this perspective, the Epistle to the Hebrews proves to be a most potent recipe for spiritual formation and Christian discipleship today."

Timothy W. Seid. The Second Chance for God's People: Messages from Hebrews.

 "For centuries the New Testament book of Hebrews has been interpreted as though it had been written for Jewish Christians in danger of lapsing back into legalism and religious ceremony. This view is now being challenged by current scholarship. Rather than attacking the Old Testament and Judaism, the author of Hebrews praises the person and work of Jesus through a series of comparisons on which he bases exhortations and warnings to the present people of God. Hebrews urges God's people to learn from past mistakes and failures, and to take up the challenge in difficult times to live faithfully in the new relationship to God through Jesus, God's Son.

In The Second Chance for God's People: Messages from Hebrews, Quaker pastor and professor Timothy W. Seid encourages today's church to respond to the challenge of Hebrews: first individually by progressing in spiritual and moral maturity, and second collectively by being God's faithful people in the world. In the light of ancient Greek language and rhetoric after having extensively researched Hebrews, Seid interprets the text of Hebrews section by section in an accessible and nontechnical way while also illustrating and applying the meaning of the text for the contemporary church."

Newest Acquisition

At SBL I only purchased one book (a new record low): Peter O'Brien's commentary on The Letter to the Hebrews with the Pillar commentary series.  Gary Cockerill told me that he thought it was the best commentary on Hebrews to date (that is, until Dr. Cockerill's commentary is published).  ;-)

New Arrival

I want to thank David Allen, as well as Jim Baird of Broadman & Holman, for a copy of Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.  I will probably work my way through the book during Christmas break and post the review here.