Interview with David Allen

Charles Savelle has a brief interview with David Allen about the upcoming Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop featuring the book of Hebrews.

New Articles Added

The following articles have been added to the electronic articles page:

Redden, Lester. "Hebrews a Petrine Document." Bibliotheca sacra 68.272 (1911): 684-92.

Riley, I. Woodbridge. "The Letters of Junius and the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Comparative Study in Higher Criticism." Bibliotheca sacra 58 (1901): 607-31.

Review of Lloyd Kim, Polemic in the Book of Hebrews

Review of Biblical Literature has added a new review on:

Lloyd Kim. Polemic in the Book of Hebrews: Anti-Judaism, Anti-Semitism, Supersessionism? Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf & Stock, 2006.

The review is by Lars Kierspel

New Article in NTS

New article on Hebrews:

Joshua W. Jipp. "The Son's Entrance into the Heavenly World: The Soteriological Necessity of the Scriptural Catena in Hebrews 1:5-14." New Testament Studies 56 (2010): 557-75.

Abstract

Hebrews 1.5-14 has proved difficult to integrate within the author's larger literary project. More recent scholarship has emphasized rightly that the catena centers upon the Son of God's royal enthronement, but the question as to why the author should begin his argument this way has yet to be answered. In this essay I argue that the event which the catena describes, namely the Son's enthronement to the heavenly world, is critical for the entire logic of the author's argument regarding how humanity's salvation is accomplished. The likelihood of this conclusion is bolstered by the rarely recognized inclusio between 1.5-14 and 12.18-29. Finally, I briefly examine four texts which suggest that the author envisions the Son's narrative, particularly his entrance into God's heavenly realm as described in 1.5-14, as a soteriological necessity, and pattern, for humanity.

The Son's Entrance into the Heavenly World: The Soteriological Necessity of the Scriptural Catena in Hebrews 1.5-14

Joshua W. Jipp (2010).

New Testament Studies, Volume 56, Issue 04, October 2010 pp 557-575

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=7889762

Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop On Hebrews

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will be hosting an Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop featuring the book of Hebrews.

Thinking about attending ...

HT: Charles Savelle

SBL 2010 Annual Meeting

I received my SBL annual meeting guidebook today, so I thought it was a good time to mention the papers on Hebrews that will be given at this year's annual meeting (click on the links for the abstracts):

S20-221 
Hebrews
11/20/2010
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Room TBD - Hotel TBDEkkehard Stegemann, Presiding

Fritz Graf, Ohio State University
“You Have Become Dull of Hearing”: Hebrews 5:11 and the Rhetoric of Conversion (30 min)
Pamela Eisenbaum, Iliff School of Theology, Respondent (10 min)
Discussion (10 min)

David M. Allen, Queen's Foundation, Birmingham
Faithfulness in the Things before God: Caleb Typology in the Letter to the Hebrews (30 min)
Gabriella Gelardini, University of Basel, Respondent (10 min)
Discussion (10 min)

James W. Thompson, Abilene Christian University
Strangers on the Earth: Philosophical Perspective on the Promise of God (30 min)
Kenneth Schenck, Respondent (10 min)
Discussion (10 min)

S21-116 
Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism
11/21/2010
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Hanover Hall F - Hyatt RegencyTheme: Possible Provenances of Merkavah Mysticism

Silviu Bunta, University of Dayton
The Convergence of Adamic and Merkabah Traditions in the Christology of Hebrews (25 min)
Discussion (10 min)

S21-139 
Sabbath in Text, Tradition, and Theology
11/21/2010
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: A705 - Marriott MarquisTheme: The Sabbath in the First and Second Century

Michael Allen, Knox Theological Seminary
Is Hebrews a Supersessionist Text? Sabbath Theology in 3:7-4:13 as Test Case (30 min)

S21-320 
Hebrews
11/21/2010
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Hanover Hall E - Hyatt RegencyTheme: Emerging Studies
Kenneth Schenck, Presiding

Matthew D. Larsen, Church of the Incarnation (Episcopal), Dallas, TX, USA and Michael Svigel, Dallas Theological Seminary
The First Century Two Ways Catechesis as the Background of Hebrews 6.1–6 (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)

David M. Moffitt, Duke University
Blood, Life, and Purification: Reassessing Hebrews’ Christological Appropriation of Yom Kippur (20 min)
Break (5 min)

Eric F. Mason, Judson University
Hebrews and Second Temple Jewish Traditions on the Origins of Angels (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)

Scott D. Mackie, Independent Scholar
Early Christian Eschatological Experience in the Warnings and Exhortations of Hebrews (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)

D. Jeffrey Bingham, Dallas Theological Seminary
Irenaeus and Hebrews (20 min)
Discussion (5 min)
Discussion (25 min)

S23-113 
Ecological Hermeneutics
11/23/2010
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Room TBD - Hotel TBDTheme: Ecology and the New Testament

Jeffrey S. Lamp, Oral Roberts University
"We Have an Altar" (Hebrews 13:10): The Reclamation of Reinterpreted Liturgy for Ecological Responsibility (30 min)

Hebrews Carnival August 2010

For this month's carnival two themes have emerged. First, I will introduce two blogs of fellow Baylor colleagues who had brief posts on Hebrews:

Scott Rushing, a Ph.D. candidate in theology with a specialization in Patristics, has a lectionary reflection on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.

Keith Reich, with his newly-minted Ph.D. in New Testament, has a newly-minted blog on the Rhetoric and the NT. He identifies the rhetorical figures in Hebrews 1:1-4.

The other major theme that emerged this month is the issue of authorship of Hebrews:

Derek Ouellette has an Interview with Ruth Hoppin, Author of Priscilla's Letter. Ruth Hoppin also has a guest post on Hebrews 11:32, the controversial passage often used to dismiss the possibility of a female author for the book. You can read my critique of her argument and our subsequent exchange there.

Derek Ouellette also has a review of David L. Allen's book, Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.

Christianbook.com is doing a Read In for Allen's new book:
Part 1: the Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.
Part 2: Whose [sic] Your Author?.
Part 2 Supplemental.
Linguistics and the Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.
Part 2: Linguistics and the Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.
Stenography in Hebrews?
Allen's "Independent" Hypothesis and Lukan Methodology.
Some Reflections

General posts:

Michael Bird considers some Central Themes in Hebrews.

Steven Coxhead proposes that the Perfecting of Jesus as High Priest took place upon the cross.

Alan Knox has a brief post on the translation of Hebrews 10:24.

Dave Spotts has posted a couple of sermons on Hebrews 11:1-16 and Hebrews 13:1-17.

Helps from Hebrews

I have just added the following book to the electronic books listing:

Boatman, Don Earl. Helps from Hebrews: A New Commentary, Workbook, Teaching Manual. 1960.

Boatman was the President of Ozark Bible College in Joplin, Mo.

HT: Joel

New Commentary on Hebrews by David L. Allen

Today I found a surprise package on my doorstep. Broadman & Holman sent me a complimentary review copy of David L. Allen's commentary on Hebrews. I am thrilled! I want to thank Jim Baird from B & H for the review copy.

Currently, I am working my way through about 65 commentaries or so on Hebrews for my dissertation (all lined up in one long row on my tables in my home office), so the arrival of this commentary is quite timely. In due course I will post a thorough review of this commentary. I also plan to post my recommendations on the best commentaries on Hebrews once I have worked my way through them sometime in the future.

I currently teach a Sunday school class at my local church and we are working our way through the historical books of the OT. I have been generally impressed with the quality of the commentaries in the New American Commentary series. They are readable and thorough in their comments, so they are ideal for pastors to use, yet they are scholarly enough that scholars can benefit from them too. In my estimation it is one of the best overall series on the OT there is (and I have been using commentaries from other series like the AB, OTL, WBC, Interpretation, Tyndale etc.), perhaps matched only by the NICOT. Other series may be more thorough in technical matters, but for preparation for teaching and preaching, this series is tops. So, I expect some good things from this commentary.

The book weighs in at 671 pages so it is quite meaty. The 72-page introduction includes topics on the nature of the book, historical circumstances (authorship, recipients, location, date), purpose, theology, use of the OT, and an outline and structure of the book. The author is dean of the School of Theology, professor of preaching, and director of the Center for Biblical Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. I have heard him speak and he is quite an engaging speaker so I hope his commentary will be equally engaging.

Typology and the Message of Hebrews

The following article is now available online:

Jeffrey R. Sharp. "Typology and the Message of Hebrews." East Asia Journal of Theology 4.2 (1986): 95-103.

HT: Rob Bradshaw

Hebrews Carnival July 2010

William Varner talks about his experience of seeing the oldest extant manuscript of the book of Hebrews, P46, in the Chester Beatty Papyrus collection. He notes that even in this oldest of manuscripts the title was "To the Hebrews." He gives a picture of it here.

Steven Coxhead has a discussion on The Eternal Nature of the Eternal Covenant in Hebrews.  He has a follow-up discussion on When Jesus Became Our Great High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek.

Zondervan has posted an excerpt of the complete chapter on Hebrews from Carson, Moo, and Naselli, Introducing the New Testament.

Arminian Today has a meditation on Hebrews 7:23-28 entitled, Jesus, My Faithful, Perfect High Priest.

New Swetnam Article

New article on Hebrews:

James Swetnam. "The Crux at Hebrews 2,9 in Its Context." Biblica 91 (2010): 103-11.

Hebrews Carnival June 2010

Jason reflects on Hebrews 6:4-8 and the tensions he finds with his own Calvinistic theology.

William Varner reposts his piece on Jude the Author of Hebrews.

Charles Savelle has a description and table of contents on David L. Allen's book, Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.

Derek Ouellete also reflects on Who Wrote Hebrews?

Peter Head discusses the nomen sacrum at Hebrews 4:8 in P46.

In Memoriam: Robert McLachlan Wilson

I received this email today:

It is with deep regret we report the passing of Prof. emeritus Robert McLachlan Wilson who suffered a major stroke last week and died on Sunday at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. He was 94 years old and hadbeen active virtually up to the end of his life. Prof Wilson had been on the staff at the University of St Andrews between 1954 and 1983, when he retired from the chair of Biblical Criticism. A Fellow of the British Academy, he was also awarded its Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies. In 1981-2 Robin was elected President of SNTS. His scholarship focussed on Nag Hammadi studies, New Testament Apocrypha and the New Testament itself (with his commentary on Colossians & Philemon appearing in 2005!). But equally significant was his work in translation and editing. He was associate editor and then editor of the SNTS Monograph Series and its journal (New Testament Studies) for many years. There were many other significant roles he performed (member of the International Committee for the publication of the Nag Hammadi codices, member of the editorial board of the Nag Hammadi Studies monograph series, and English translator of Hennecke-Schneemelcher's NT Apocrypha).

Wilson also wrote the Hebrews commentary for the New Century Bible Commentary

New Books by Mohr Siebeck

I received the newest catalog from Mohr Siebeck today and noted the following new books relevant to the study of Hebrews:

Marius Heemstra. The Fiscus Judaicus and the Parting of the Ways.

Marius Heemstra argues that the "harsh" administration of the Fiscus Judaicus under the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96) and the reform of the Fiscus under the emperor Nerva (96-98), accelerated the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity, resulting in two separate religions. From 96 CE onwards, Roman authorities used a more pointed definition of "Jew", which made it easier for them to distinguish between Judaism (an accepted religion within the empire) and Christianity (an illegal religious movement). This parting should primarily be interpreted as a break between Jewish Christians and mainstream Judaism. Both parties claimed to be the true representatives of the continuing history of Israel. In this study, the author pays special attention to the Roman and Jewish context of the Book of Revelation, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Gospel of John, including the debate about the birkhat ha-minim.

The book is based on his 2009 Ph.D. dissertation from the University of Groningen.

Christopher A. Richardson. Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith: Jesus' Faith as the Climax of Israel's History in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

By providing a detailed exegetical examination of the references to Jesus' faith in Hebrews, Christopher A. Richardson demonstrates that this epistle makes a profound contribution to our understanding of the early church's christology. Rather than engaging with the pistis Christou debates in Paul, the author reveals that Jesus' own faith in God in terms of theology is most clearly articulated in Hebrews. He argues that the author of Hebrews has integrated Jesus' example of faith throughout the epistle, with Heb. 12.2 being the climactic illustration of his faith; consequently, the reader is compelled to compare Jesus' perfect example of steadfast confidence with the ancestors of faith in Hebrews 11. It is evident that these have been recapitulated in order to amplify the person and work of Christ, and thus to present the former exemplars as true yet imperfect anticipations of the one who perfectly embodied and expressed the virtue of faith.

This book is based on Richardson's 2009 Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Aberdeen.

Expected August 2010.

Getting Copies of PRS

Anyone interested in obtaining the latest issue of Perspectives in Religious Studies can contact the senior editor Scott Nash. As noted in my previous post this most recent issue is a special thematic issue on the book of Hebrews. Copies should be around $10 a piece including shipping.

My First Publication!

I wanted to wait until actually seeing it in print before announcing my first publication:

Brian C. Small, "The Use of Rhetorical Topoi in the Characterization of Jesus in the Book of Hebrews." Perspectives in Religious Studies 37.1 (Spring 2010): 53-69.

Here is an abstract of the article:

"This essay examines how the author of Hebrews employs rhetorical topoi to develop the characterization of Jesus. Aelius Theon’s Progymnasmata and Cicero’s De Inventione provide lists of the properties or attributes of persons which can be used in the argumentation of epideictic speeches. By utilizing the rhetorical topoi derived from these lists, a taxonomy is created which helps us organize the author’s conception of the character of Jesus. The author employs these rhetorical topoi to demonstrate Jesus’ excellency and to exalt him above all other human beings. The author urges his audience to adopt his characterization of Jesus so that they could have the confidence and boldness to persevere in their Christian faith."

The article reflects a portion of my dissertation which is examining the characterization of Jesus in Hebrews from a rhetorical and literary perspective. The dissertation of course greatly expands upon what is contained in the article.

I want to publicly thank my advisor, and editor of PRSt, Mikeal Parsons, in whose class I first conceived the topic for this essay; Eric Mason, the editor of this special thematic issue on Hebrews, who accepted my article for publication and made helpful suggestions in editing the article for publication; and Alicia Myers, associate editor of PRSt, who did much of the formatting work to prepare the article for publication.

As noted, this issue of PRSt is a thematic issue on Hebrews. Eric Mason has an introductory essay entitled "Emerging Voices on the Epistle to the Hebrews." Other articles in the issue are:

Eric F. Mason, "The Epistle (Not Necessarily) to the 'Hebrews': A Call to Renunciation of Judaism or Encouragement to Christian Commitment."

Bryan J. Whitfield, "The Three Joshuas of Hebrews 3 and 4."

Amy L. B. Peeler, "The Ethos of God in Hebrews."

David M. Moffitt, "Unveiling Jesus' Flesh: A Fresh Assessment of the Relationship Between the Veil and Jesus' Flesh in Hebrews 10:20."

Mark A. Jennings, "The Veil and the High Priestly Robes of the Incarnation: Understanding the Context of Heb 10:20."

I personally know some of these other people and am proud to have my article appear in the same issue with them.

NT Pod 37 - The Purpose of Hebrews

Mark Goodacre has posted his next installment of the NT Pod:

NT Pod 37: What Is the Purpose of the Epistle to the Hebrews?

What I found most intriguing in his discussion is that he views Hebrews as a kind of circular letter developed out of a sermon. He thinks the exhortations in the book are much too general to be targeted for just one audience. I am not fully persuaded by this as there are places where he appears to know the situation of his audience (e.g., 5:11-12; 10:32-34; 12:4). Also the author expresses a desire to be restored to his readers (13:19) and they have a common acquaintance in Timothy (13:23) and he sends greetings from those from Italy. All this suggests to me that the audience is more specific.

Dunnill Review of The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology

RBC has a new review by John Dunnill on The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, edited by Richard Bauckham, Daniel R. Driver, Trevor A. Hart, and Nathan MacDonald.

Even More Books Added

The following books have been added to the electronic books page:

Bauer, Georg. Der Schlüssel zum rechten und vollen Verständnisse des paulinischen Hebräer-Briefes. 1867.

Blasche, Johann Christian. Systematischer Commentar über den Brief an die Hebräer. Vol. 1. 1782.

Blasche, Johann Christian. Systematischer Commentar über den Brief an die Hebräer. Vol. 2. 1782.

Cannegieter, Tjeerd. Christologie volgens den brief aan de Hebreën. 1869.

Moll, Carolus Bernardus. Christologiae in Epistola ad Hebraeos scripta proposit. 1854.

Palacio, Miguel de. Enarrationes in Epistolam B. Pauli Apostoli ad Hebraeos .... 1590.

Rollock, Robert. Analysis logica in epistolam ad Hebraeos. 1610.

Zachariae, Gotthilf Traugott. Paraphraseische Erklärung des Briefes an die Hebräer. 1771.

Zwingli, Ulrich. Sermones triginta in undecimum caput epistolae ad Hebraeos: in quo de iustificatione per fidem .... 1592.