The noted Bible software Accordance is bringing a seminar to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on April 1, 2010. I use Accordance in my teaching at Midwestern and recommend it to the serious Bible student using a Mac computer. I don’t want to start a debate over which Bible software system is better. Perhaps we will post some on this issue because my other two colleagues are using PC based software at the moment. However, I suggest that if you want to learn more about the potential of this software, you consider attending this seminar. Come and stay for the Ehrman-Evans debate and the Dead Sea Scrolls workshop following the seminar. For more on the seminar see below. (more…)
As a courtesy I am posting here for my students the web address listing the three required textbooks for the Scrolls and Scripture class. The syllabus is now on the Student Portal and on the left Sidebar. Please note that students are free to purchase their textbooks wherever they choose. However, if you would like help out our blog and learn about several more recommended and useful books please check out the link below:
Required and Recommended Textbooks for the MBTS Scrolls and Scripture Workshop.
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri will host a conference April 1-3 on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Scripture that will feature a debate on the resurrection of Jesus between Bart Ehrman and Craig Evans. Admission is free to the public. Students will also be able to earn two hours of academic credit at a reduced rate of $100 for the class. Please note that students are free to purchase their textbooks wherever they choose. However, if you would like help out our blog and learn about several more recommended and useful books please check out the link below:
Required and Recommended Textbooks for the MBTS Scrolls and Scripture Workshop.
The debate on Thursday night between Ehrman and Evans would be worth the price of the class, but other significant scholars will be speaking on Friday and Saturday on the reliability of the Scriptures. The debate is free, but individuals attending must register by calling the Seminary at 816-414-3700. Seating will be at a premium. Overflow seating will be available.
002.23.10 Recommended Books on Genesis
From time to time pastors and Sunday school teachers ask me to recommend helpful commentaries or exegetical works on various books of the Old Testament. I usually suggest a few and the pastor or teacher thanks me and we end the conversation. Afterwards, I inevitably remember a great commentary or book that would have been very helpful but which I forgot to mention. I usually plan to call the individual back up to tell them about this other resource they could use. But you know what happens. I forget, or get distracted, or misplaced their telephone number (if I got it in the first place).
Just this happened to me last semester. A local pastor emailed me to ask about some recommendations on Genesis. He planned to preach a series of messages to his congregation on the first book of the Bible. I happened to be teaching a seminar to the OT PhD students on Genesis, so I was really pumped up and excited to suggest some good books on the subject. Well, I gave him a few ideas and then promptly forget to add some other good commentaries. I remember suggesting three good commentaries, a text on preaching from Genesis, and one dictionary as very helpful. (more…)
Biblia Hebraic Stuttgartensia.
Until 1929 available texts of the Hebrew Bible were essentially reprints or edited versions of Jacob ben Hayyim’s Second Rabbinic Bible, first published by Daniel Bomberg in Venice in 1524/25. Ben Hayyim based his work on late medieval manuscripts and other earlier printed editions. This text served as the textus receptus behind all early Old Testament translations, such as that of Luther and the King James Version.
Beginning in 1929, Rudolf Kittel decided to jettison the later eclectic ben Hayyim text and adopt in its place the earlier text of the Leningrad manuscript B 19A (L; dated AD 1008) as a base for the new edition of his internationally acclaimed scholarly work known as the Biblia Hebraica (first published 1906). Kittel died in 1929, but ten years later Albrecht Alt and Otto Eissfeldt were able to revise and publish the edited fascicles in the third edition of the Biblia Hebraica (Stuttgart: Württembergische Biblelanstalt, 1937). Although Kittel edited only five of the twenty-one fascicles, the work has commonly become known as Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica (BHK). BHK has been criticized for its frequent willingness to correct and emend the B 19A text based on conjecture. BHK has served as the base text behind the Revised Standard Version and other translations of the Old Testament of the same period. (more…)
001.28.10 Dr. Hearson’s First Blog
For my first blog entry on this site, I can think of no better introduction than some thoughts on the necessity of the need for a biblical worldview.
Recently several politicians have drawn a proverbial line in the sand between their personal religious beliefs and their actions in political office. The message, whether intended or not, is that personal belief is a private, internal matter that has little to no effect on behavior. This fragmented view of reality allows them to support popular opinion on an issue with their vote even though they may stand personally opposed to the issue. This approach to life is typically described as postmodernism and is not limited to the realm of politics. It also occurs in the circles of academia. I experienced this first-hand in college. (more…)
011.04.09 Thanksgiving (Psalm 100)
THANKSGIVING (PSALM 100)[i]
Dr. Steve Andrews
How do you say “thank you” in Hebrew? Most tourists who visit Israel easily learn to say tôdâ to express their appreciation for kindness or good service. Modern Hebrew borrowed tôdâ, which means “thanks,” from Biblical Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew, however, uses tôdâ and its verbal root yādâ in a very different way.
Giving Thanks
The verb yādâ occurs 111 times in the Old Testament with almost two-thirds of these found in the Psalms. English Bibles translate yādâ in several ways. For example, the New International Version (NIV) renders the verb in the majority of cases as “praise” (44 times), “give thanks” (35 times), and “confess” (10 times). (more…)
109.04.09 Dereliction of Duty
I haven’t added a post in quite a while. I want to defend myself against any charge of dereliction of duty. I have been writing some articles for the Baker Dictionary of the Bible due out soon. I know some of the editors and contributors. This will be a very good and useful dictionary for students, pastors, and laypeople. I promise two things. First, I will keep you posted on the Baker Dictionary. When it is published I will let you know on this blog. Second, I promise to post quite a few goodies on the blog in September and October. Be on the lookout for a major development for the blog in the coming months.
Blessings,
Steve
A not so well known resource for biblical and archaeological studies is the quarterly magazine Biblical Illustrator published by LifeWay Christian Resources. This is a shame because the articles are written by experts in the field and provide good background material for the Bible and its world.
I have written several articles for the magazine, including one on Gilgal that will appear in next summer’s edition. Go to the link to order a personal subscription or one for your church and Bible study teachers. The articles coincide with the Bible study curriculum of LifeWay, but they are very useful for personal study.
LifeWay has several downloadable indexes to the Biblical Illustrator based on topic, scripture, and article title, etc. Biblical Illustrator is also indexed online in the Southern Baptist Periodical Index. Subscription rates for the SBPI are available, but check with your library; it may already carry the Index.
The editor, G. B. Howell does a great job in organizing each issue. The photographs, charts and illustrations are superb. I had the opportunity to serve as an archaeological consultant with G. B. on an extensive trip to Israel and Jordan. He ran me ragged searching for all of the out-of-the-way places, not normally mentioned or often visited.
LifeWay also sells the magazine on a CD-Rom called the Biblical Illustrator Plus. The CD includes the current issue in PDF format plus 200 pages of addtional material, including 50-70 articles from their archives. The CD is an excellent resource as well.
Although I don’t know him personally, Rick Mansfield wrote up his view on the Biblical Illustrator in his blog back in 2006. The links on his page are old and do not work.
Holman Reference just came out with Volume 6 of their OT commentary on I & II Samuel. The volume was co-authored by me and Bob Bergen. This series is primarily a help for pastors and lay Bible teachers and is based on the NIV text. I had a great time writing the commentary on I Samuel (Bob Bergen wrote II Samuel). As we get started on this blog you may want to take a look at this commentary and the other volumes in the series. If you are planning to teach and preach on I & II Samuel, I believe you will find this very helpful. There are some great illustrations here. Stay tuned for more posts!