Hebrews Carnival January 2012

The new year has started off with considerable blog activity on the book of Hebrews:

Leon Mauldin illustrates the racing metaphor of Hebrews 12:1 with a picture of the stadium at Aphrodisias.

David Stark offers an interpretation of Melchizedek's Bread and Wine.

Collin Hansen interviews Peter O'Brien about the Warning Passages.  Scot McKnight offers a Brief Response.

William Varner explores the relationship between Hebrews, Angels, and Us.  He also highlights a couple of rhetorical devices that reveal the main message of Hebrews (First; Second).  He also shares about the time he saw the oldest copy of the letter To Hebrews, the Chester Beatty Papyrus, in Dublin.  He provides a picture of the first page of P46.  He also reiterates his argument that Jude is the author of Hebrews.  He then explores the question of the Pauline Authorship of Hebrews.

Justin Mihoc summarizes a paper by Mark Elliott entitled, "The Promise and Threat of  Reception, with Reference to Patristic Interpretation of Texts in Hebrews and Ephesians."

Phillip Long sets forth The Purpose of Hebrews.  He also examines the tradition about Paul as The Author of Hebrews.  He then identifies four things about what we can know about the author.  He also tries to give an explanation as to why the author chose to remain anonymous.  He then discusses Jesus and the Angels in Hebrews 1, Jesus and Moses in Hebrews 3, An Exhortation to Righteousness in Hebrews 3:12-19, Jesus, the Great High Priesthood (Part 1) in Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5:1-10 (Part 2), and Who Melchizedek Was in Hebrews 7:1-3.  He also has a two-part post on Hebrews 6:4-12 (Part 1; Part 2).

Some Book News

Four items of interest pertaining to books on Hebrews came up in the blogs today:

Mike Kibbe provides a brief review on David Moffitt's new book, Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in Hebrews (he will have a more extensive review in an upcoming issue of Themelios).  He raises questions about the implications of Moffitt's thesis on atonement theology in the rest of the NT.  Whether or not Moffitt's book changes views on the atonement in the rest of the NT, it could change the discussion on Hebrews for years to come.  Put simply, if Moffitt is right, then he has solved the long–standing problem in Hebrews' scholarship of when Jesus became high priest.

The T & T Clark blog announces that next month will see the publication of Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews.  Here is the description of the book:

"Christology and Hermeneutics discusses the history of the interpretation of the Letter to the Hebrews. Contributors assess the study and interpretation of Hebrews across the last two millennia. Beginning with the Patristic period, the book goes on to examine the responses of Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, as well as more recent figures such as Karl Barth and contemporary global interpreters.

The premise behind the work is to move study of Hebrews away from the perennial arguments about its authorship and provenance and to instead engage with it from a theological perspective, focusing upon the text's reception history. Consequently the issue of the Christological message in Hebrews is at the forefront and is considered both in terms of the interpreter's context and historical setting. At the end of the book the investigations are summarised and responded to by leading scholar Harold Attridge, providing a fitting conclusion to a radical academic project."

Matthew Miller for the Christianbook.com blog informs us that Eerdmans is planning to discontinue the publication of F. F. Bruce's commentary The Epistle to the Hebrews in the NICNT series and replace it this Spring with the forthcoming commentary of the same name by Gary Cockerill.

Finally, Matthew Montonini announces that Wipf and Stock have just released a festschrift for I. Howard Marshall entitled, New Testament Theology in Light of the Church's Mission.  Here is the description of the book:

"This book offers important new case studies in understanding the theology and praxis of mission in the New Testament and in reading the New Testament for mission. Significant scholars from around the world explore aspects of the missional theology of the Gospels, Acts, Paul, Hebrews, and Revelation. The essays are offered as a fitting tribute to I. Howard Marshall—one of the most outstanding evangelical New Testament scholars of his generation."

Of interest for this blog is the chapter on Hebrews entitled, "Hebrews and the Mission of the Earliest Church" by Jon Laansma.

New Resources Added

In addition to the resources mentioned in the last four posts, I have just added the following resources:

Dissertations/Theses:

Hentschel, Christoph. “Lebendiges Gotteswort: Die Rezeption des Hebräerbriefs im Ersten Clemensbrief und im Hirten des Hermas.” Ph.D. diss., Ludwig-Maximilians University, 2008.

Wilson, Andrew J. "Warnings within the Argument of Hebrews." M.A. thesis, Brunel University, 2005.

Articles:

Haraguchi, Takaaki. “Hebrews 1–2 in the Light of Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (4QShirShabb; 11QShirShabb; MasShirShabb).” Theological Forum 46 (2006): 81–98.

Oestreich, Bernhard. “Volk Gottes im Hebräerbrief.” Spes Christiana 21 (2010): 25–42.

Oestreich, Bernhard. “Worttheologie und Schriftauslegung im Hebräerbrief.” Spes Christiana 7–8 (1996–1997): 70–92.

Wider, David. “Christliche Identität im Hebräerbrief: Beobachtungen zum Aufbau der Paränese.” Theological Studies 50 (2003): 157-70. 

Woude, A. S. van der. “Melchisedek als himmlische Erlösergestalt in den neugefundenen eschatologischen Midraschim aus Qumran Höhle XI.” Pages 354–73 in hk: 1940–1965. Oudtestamentische Studiën: Names het oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap in Nederland 14. Leiden: Brill, 1965.

Ruth Hoppin Article Available Online

Ruth Hoppin's article is now available online:

Hoppin, Ruth. "Priscilla and Plausibility: Responding to Questions about Priscilla as Author of Hebrews." Priscilla Papers 25.2 (Spring 2011): 26-28.

Matthew Easter Dissertation

Matt Easter informed me that he has recently completed his dissertation and it is available online:

Matthew Charles Easter. "'Let Us Go to Him': The Story of Faith and the Faithfulness of Jesus in Hebrews." Ph.D. diss., University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), 2011.

Thanks Matt!

Douglas Moo Sermons

In March 2008 Douglas Moo preached a five-part sermon series on Hebrews entitled, "Call to Faith and Endurance" for the Denver Sound Church in Lakeland, CO.

HT: Matthew Montonini (again!)

Gary Cockerill Lectures

Gary Cockerill gave the Chamberlain Holiness Lectures at Wesley Biblical Seminary in October 2011.  Videos and mp3 files of the lectures can be found as follows:

#1 Such a Great Salvation  (mp3 download)

#2 For We Have Such a High Priest  (mp3 download)

#3 Pioneer and Perfecter of the Faith  (mp3 download)

#4 Gratitude and Godly Fear  (mp3 download)

The four lectures can also be found at the WBS Chapels iTunes webpage.  They give an overview of the book of Hebrews.

HT: Matthew Montonini