Monday, September 26, 2011

Belief Commentary on Hebrews

Apparently, D. Stephen Long's commentary on Hebrews in the Belief series is now available.

From the website:

"The book of Hebrews is a fascinating extended sermon which has nurtured and challenged the church for centuries. It stands in tension with our sensibilities but provides guidance for the church's life and for individual Christians. In this theological commentary, D. Stephen Long explores this captivating book. He finds Hebrews extremely relevant for today since it integrates doctrine, ethics, and politics while helping faithful Christians find their ways through troubled times. It invites us into a robust world beyond the assumptions of today's scientific worldviews. Hebrews also helps us understand how to read Scripture after the triumph of Jesus Christ. Long's expert theological guidance helps us understand Hebrews and hear its message for our contemporary world.

The volumes in Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible from Westminster John Knox Press offer a fresh and invigorating approach to all the books of the Bible. Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies, the history of theology, the church's liturgical and musical traditions, contemporary culture, and the Christian tradition, noted scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the texts. This series is an invaluable resource for those who want to probe beyond the backgrounds and words of biblical texts to their deep theological and ethical meanings for the church today."

Reformation Commentary on Scripture

I read on Charles Savelle's blog that InterVarsity Press has started a new commentary series, Reformation Commentary on Scripture.  For the interests of this blog, I note that Ron Rittgers is editing the volume on Hebrews and James. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

New Articles Added

The number of articles available online continues to grow.  I have recently added links to three new articles:

Campbell, Kenneth M. "Covenant or Testament?: Heb. 9:16, 17 Reconsidered." Evangelical Quarterly, 44.2 (1972): 107-11.

Ounsworth, Richard. "What Are They Saying about the Letter to the Hebrews?" Scripture Bulletin 39.2 (2009): 76-90. 

Worden, T. "Before Reading the Epistle to the Hebrews." Scripture 14 (1962): 48-57.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

JSTOR Articles Now Available

JSTOR has now made articles dating before 1923 available for the public.  The following articles have been added to the Articles page:

Bruce, Alexander Balmain Bruce. "Four Types of Christian Thought III. The Epistle to the Hebrews." Biblical World 7.2 (Feb 1896): 94-104.

Burbridge, A. T. "Faith as an Effort of the Soul (Heb. 11.1.)." Biblical World 18.3 (Sep. 1901): 185-93.

Burton, Ernest De Witt. "The Biblical Doctrine of Atonement: XI. The Teaching of the First Epistle of Peter and of the Epistle to the Hebrews." Biblical World 32.5 (Nov. 1908): 336-48.

Cobet, C. G. "Pauli Apostoli locus in Epistola ad hebraeos XI. 4. tentatus." Mnemosyne 9 (1860): 308-14.

Crosby, Howard. "Heb. X. 26-27." Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 7.2 (Dec. 1887): 1-2.

Gardiner, Frederic. “The Language of the Epistle to the Hebrews as Bearing upon Its Authorship.” Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 7 (June 1887): 1–27.

Gardiner, Frederic. "On διαθήκη in Heb. ix. 16, 17." Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 5 (1885): 8-19.

Gilbert, George Holley. “The Greek Element in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” American Journal of Theology 14 (1910): 521–32.

Goodwin, D. R. “On the Use of και in Hebrews x. 38.” Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 5 (1885): 84–85.

Hayes, D. A. "Jesus the Perfecter of Faith (Heb. 12:2)." Biblical World 20.4 (Oct 1902): 278-87.

Hayes, D. A. "The Practical Outcome of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 10:19-25)." Biblical World 24.6 (Dec 1904): 443-47.

Johnston, R. P. "A Message for Times of Transition: A Study in the Epistle to the Hebrews." Biblical World. 28.4 (Oct 1906): 251-60.

Lewis, Wm. M. "St. Paul's Defense before King Agrippa in Relation to the Epistle to the Hebrews." Biblical World 13.4 (Apr. 1899): 244-48.

Marshall, J. T. "The Epistle to the Hebrews." Biblical World 7.5 (May 1896): 359-65.

Penick, Daniel A. "Paul's Epistles Compared with One Another and with the Epistle to the Hebrews." American Journal of Philology 42.1 (1921): 58-72.

Schiele, Friedrich Michael. "Harnack's 'Probabilia' concerning the Address and the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews." American Journal of Theology 9.2 (Apr. 1905): 290-308.

Scott, E. F. “The Epistle to the Hebrews and Roman Christianity.” Harvard Theological Review 13 (1920): 205–19.

Williams, Clarence Russell. “A Word-Study of Hebrews 13.” Journal of Biblical Literature 30 (1911): 129–36.

Gert Steyn's New Book on Hebrews

It seems that Gert J. Steyn's book is also out: A Quest for the Assumed LXX Vorlage of the Explicit Quotations in Hebrews. Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments. (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht)

Synopsis: The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.
The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date – despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews‘ own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the »Testimony Book«, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author‘s own creative hand.

David Moffitt's New Book on Hebrews

Apparently, David M. Moffitt's book Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Brill) has also been published.  Trust me, this one is worth taking a look at.

Synopsis: Scholars often explain Hebrews' relative silence regarding Jesus' resurrection by emphasizing the author's appeal to Yom Kippur's two key moments the sacrificial slaughter and the high priest's presentation of blood in the holy of holies in his distinctive portrayal of Jesus' death and heavenly exaltation. The writer's depiction of Jesus as the high priest whose blood effected ultimate atonement appears to be modeled upon these two moments. Such a typology discourages discrete reflection on Jesus' resurrection. Drawing on contemporary studies of Jewish sacrifice (which note that blood represents life, not death), parallels in Jewish apocalyptic literature, and fresh exegetical insights, this volume demonstrates that Jesus' embodied, resurrected life is crucial for the high-priestly Christology and sacrificial soteriology developed in Hebrews.

The Use of Exodus in Hebrews

A new book on Hebrews has recently come to my attention:

King L. She. The Use of Exodus in Hebrews. Studies in Biblical Literature 142. New York: Peter Lang, 2011.

Synopsis: The Use of Exodus in Hebrews illustrates how traditions and hermeneutics have significantly determined people's valuations of the relationship between the Old and New Covenants in Hebrews. By showing how the author of Hebrews uses the canonical revelation from Exodus to argue rhetorically, ontologically, and hermeneutically that Jesus Christ is the New Covenant priest in the heavenly tabernacle, this book offers an epistemological lens from Exodus to identify the correct view of the relationship between the Old and New Covenants.

HT: Clifford Kvidahl who promises a review.