Thursday, November 30, 2017

Hebrews Highlights November 2017

Mike Heiser continues his podcast series on Hebrews. Episode 184 is on Hebrews 5:1–6:20. Episode 185 is on Hebrews 7.

David deSilva preaches a sermon on Hebrews 12:1–3: Who's Watching You Run?

Spencer Robinson comments on The "Firstborn" Enrolled in Mount Zion with the Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:18–29).


Thursday, November 23, 2017

Jesus' Indestructible Life

A new article has appeared which discusses Jesus' indestructible life:

Kibbe, Michael. “‘You are a Priest Forever!’ Jesus’ Indestructible Life in Hebrews 7:16.” Horizons in Biblical Theology 39.2 (2017): 134–55.

Abstract:
"Hebrews 7:16 suggests that Jesus entered the priesthood by virtue of his “indestructible life.” But what sort of life is that? How and when did he obtain it? If it pertains to his resurrected-human life, was he therefore not a priest prior to that moment (including, in particular, during his death on the cross)? If it pertains to his divine life (thus he possesses it always), in what sense could the man Jesus have actually died? I suggest that the author has neither deity nor resurrection in view as the source of Jesus’ indestructible life; rather, the point is merely that Jesus’ perpetual existence undergirds the oath that immediately follows in 7:17. However, Hebrews as a whole requires that we envision that existence in relation to both Jesus’ deity and his resurrection, and I argue, furthermore, that the two cohere via the divine Son’s agency in his own resurrection."

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

New Books and Essays on Hebrews

Having recently returned from the annual SBL conference, I came across a few new resources on Hebrews.

First, Concordia has come out with a commentary on Hebrews by John Kleinig:

"This commentary is built on the common agreement that this book is a written sermon by an unknown speaker. John Kleinig, the author of this Concordia Commentary, proposes an interpretation of the text that uses a new kind of liturgical rhetoric, a new method of discourse analysis, and a new consideration of the context and purpose of the homily."

Second, InterVarsity Press has come out with the latest installment in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series with its volume on Hebrews-James by Ronald Rittgers:

"In this volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, church historian and theologian Ronald K. Rittgers guides readers through a diversity of early modern commentary on both Hebrews and James. Readers will hear from familiar voices as well as lesser-known figures from a variety of theological traditions, including Lutherans, Reformed, Radicals, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics.

Drawing on a variety of resources—including commentaries, sermons, treatises, and confessions—much of which appears here for the first time in English, this volume provides resources for contemporary preachers, enables scholars to better understand the depth and breadth of Reformation commentary, and helps all who seek the assurance and conviction that is found in Christ alone."







Third, GlossaHouse has produced a festschrift for Donald Hagner, entitled Treasures New & Old. It contains a couple of essays on Hebrews:

Schreiner, Thomas R. "Another Look at the Warnings in Hebrews: A Response to Critics." Pages 231–48.

Mackie, Scott D. "Experiential Cultic Soteriology and the Origins of Hebrews' High Priest Christology." Pages 249–67.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Hebrews at SBL

The annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature will be held on November 18–21, 2017 in Boston, MA. The following are sessions relevant to the book of Hebrews.

P17-204

Institute for Biblical Research
11/17/2017
1:00 PM to 3:15 PM
Room: Back Bay C (Second Level) - Sheraton Boston Hotel (SB)Theme: Scripture and Doctrine Seminar
The Scripture and Doctrine Seminar (SADS) focuses on the intersection of Scripture and Doctrine. It explores how Scripture leads to the formulation of doctrine and how doctrine illuminates our reading of the Bible. For further information contact the chair, Benjamin Quinn (bquinn@sebts.edu) and see http://www.stgeorgesonline.com/centre/sads/ and https://www.ibr-bbr.org/ (Click on Research Groups). The Seminar is a joint venture between the St. George’s Centre for Biblical and Public Theology and the St. Paul Centre for Biblical Theology.
Benjamin Quinn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Presiding
Benjamin Quinn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Welcome (10 min)
Steve Harris, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Hebrews in Historical Theology: The Contours (20 min)
Craig Bartholomew, KLICE, Tyndale House, Cambridge
Creation, the Ongoing Priesthood of Jesus, and Divine Action in Hebrews (15 min)
Gareth Cockerill, Wesley Biblical Seminary
The Present Priesthood of the Son of God (15 min)
Break (3 min)
Luke Stamps, Anderson University
"No One Greater": Hebrews and Classical Christian Theism (15 min)
Scott Hahn, Franciscan University of Steubenville
Covenant, Sacrifice, and Divine Action in Hebrews (15 min)
Break (2 min)
Q & A Panel with Presenters
Discussion (40 min)
Q & A Additional Panelists
Michael Rhodes, Memphis Center for Urban Theological Studies, Panelist
Amy Peeler, Wheaton College, Panelist
Closing Prayer

S18-247

Space, Place, and Lived Experience in Antiquity
11/18/2017
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Tufts (Third Level) - Boston Marriott Copley Place (MCP)Theme: Sanctuary, Space, and Place in Antiquity
Perspectives on sanctuary, space, and place in antiquity.

Kenneth A. Vandergriff, Florida State University
Power, Empire, and Space: Constructing Sanctuary in a First Century CE Church and American Sanctuary Churches (30 min)

S19-124

Intertextuality in the New Testament
11/19/2017
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Republic A (Second Level) - Sheraton Boston Hotel (SB)Theme: Pentateuch in the New Testament

Channing L. Crisler, Anderson University (SC)
Abel as a Protological and Polyvalent Figure in Early Christian Intertextuality (20 min)
Discussion (10 min)


S19-222

Hebrews
11/19/2017
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Beacon H (Third Level) - Sheraton Boston Hotel (SB)Theme: Current Issues in Hebrews
David Moffitt, University of St. Andrews, Presiding
Brad Bitner, Oak Hill College
Dexiosis and the Son in Hebrews 1:3-4: Divine Kingship in Light of Epigraphical and Sculptural Evidence (30 min)
Shawn J. Wilhite, California Baptist University
“To which of the angels did God ever say?”: Filial Language and the Angelic Polemic in Hebrews 1–2 (30 min)
Eyal Regev, Bar-Ilan University
Hebrews' Priestly Christology and the Understanding of the Death of Jesus: Taking the Temple Cult Seriously (30 min)
J. Harrison Duff, University of St. Andrews
A Sacrifice for His Own Sins? Heb 4:15 and 7:27 in the Sixteenth Century and Beyond (30 min)
Paul Middleton, University of Chester
‘It is for discipline that you have to endure’ (Hebrews 12.7a): Persecution as divine chastisement in Hebrews (30 min)

S19-319a

Intertextuality in the New Testament
11/19/2017
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: New Hampshire (Fifth Level) - Boston Marriott Copley Place (MCP)

Caroline Schleier Cutler, McMaster Divinity College
Finding Sophia: The Use of the Book of Wisdom in Hebrews 1:3 and Its Christological Implications (20 min)
Discussion (10 min)

S20-103

African-American Biblical Hermeneutics
11/20/2017
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: Maverick A (Second Level) - Hilton Boston Back Bay (HBB)Theme: Experimental Methods, New Meanings, and New Voices
This is an open session that pushes the field beyond current methodological and interpretive boundaries.

Eric A. Thomas, Drew University
On the PULSE of Mo(u)rning: Reading Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Between Orlando and Charleston (25 min)

S20-218

Hebrews
11/20/2017
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Back Bay A (Second Level) - Sheraton Boston Hotel (SB)Theme: Hebrews as Interpreted in the Reformation
Amy Peeler, Wheaton College (Illinois), Presiding
Presenter withdrew (30 min)
Bruce Gordon, Yale Divinity School
Protestant Reformers and the Priesthood of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:1-10) (30 min)
Peter Opitz, Swiss Reformation Studies Institute, Zurich
Zwingli and Bullinger as Exegetes of Hebrews (30 min)
Jennifer Powell McNutt, Wheaton College
Don’t Do It Yourself: Hermeneutics for Hebrews through the Material History of Sixteenth-Century Reformed Bibles (30 min)

S20-249

Writing Social-Scientific Commentaries of the New Testament
11/20/2017
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Tremont (First Level) - Boston Marriott Copley Place (MCP)Theme: Social Identity Theology Investigations: Critical Advances and Evaluations
Visitors are most welcome to the sessions of the seminar. Papers are distributed beforehand and only summarized in the sessions. If you are interested in participating and receiving the papers, please contact the chairs: Petri.Luomanen@helsinki.fi or Brian.Tucker@moody.edu

Matthew Marohl, Saint Olaf College
Comparing the Faithfulness of a Servant to that of a Son (Hebrews 3:1-6) (10 min)
Discussion (30 min)

Hebrews at ETS

The 69th annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society will be held Wednesday through Friday, November 15-17, 2017 at the Rhode Island Convention Center and the Omni Providence Hotel. The following sessions are relevant to the book of Hebrews.

Wednesday, Novermber 15
2:00 PM – 5:10 PM
Omni – Providence II
Letter to the Hebrews
Moderator: George Guthrie 

(Union University)

2:00 PM – 2:40 PM
Jesse Coyne
(Mercer University)
Tabernacle, Transition, and Turbulence: Hebrews and Numbers in Concert

2:50 PM – 3:30 PM
Todd R. Chipman
(Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Weapons, Wealth and the End of the World: Investigating Hag 2:6 in 1QM and Hebrews 12

3:40 PM – 4:20 PM
Shawn J. Wilhite
(California Baptist University)
“To which of the angels did God ever say?”: Filial Language and the Angelic Polemic in Heb 1–2

4:30 PM – 5:10 PM
Matt Kimbrough
(Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)
‘You Ought to Be Teachers’: Community Obligation in Hebrews 5:12 

Wednesday, November 15
2:00 PM – 5:10 PM
Convention Center – 556
New Testament
General Studies II

4:30 PM – 5:10 PM
Matthew C. Easter
(Missouri Baptist University)
Esau as Prototypical Defector from the Community of Faith in Hebrews 12:16-17

Thursday, November 16
3:00 PM – 6:10 PM
Convention Center – 553 B
Letter to the Hebrews
The Atonement in Hebrews
Moderator: Jon C. Laansma
(Wheaton College and Graduate School)


3:00 PM – 3:40 PM
Michael Allen
(Reformed Theological Seminary)
Living and Active: The Exalted Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews

3:50 PM – 4:30 PM
Gabriella Gelardini*
(Universität Basel)
Faith

4:40 PM – 5:20 PM
David Moffitt*
(University of St. Andrews)
Priesthood

5:30 PM – 6:10 PM
Derek Z. Rishmawy
(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Offered Up through the Eternal Spirit: A Dogmatic Reading of Christ’s Pneumatological Priesthood in Hebrews 9:14

Monday, November 6, 2017

Hebrews Greek Reading Videos

Todd Scacewater has informed me that Exegetical Tools.com is providing a Greek reading video series on Hebrews. The author is Amy Peeler, who is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. She walks you through translating every verse in the epistle to the Hebrews in 48 videos. The $49.95 fee will give you access to all of the online videos. There is a preview video you can look at.