Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

So, my schedule here in Jerusalem is very full and intense, which means that blogging is difficult to get around to.  With so many photos and video clips taken, I thought that I'd be selective here and offer just a few shots of the Wailing Wall (or Western Wall or Solomon's Wall) within the Old City (the term "Old City" is used to refer to ancient Jerusalem, which was a walled city and which is different, of course, than modern Jerusalem, which surrounds it).  So, here are some photos and a videos with brief descriptions. (This is a picture from near the old German hospital looking diagonally towards the Wailing Wall. The Wall is located just below the Muslim Dome of the Rock, which is related to the near Al Aqsa Mosque (which would be just off to the right of this picture). The Wall is known as the Western Wall as it is located on the Western portion of the temple mount in 2nd Temple / King Solomon period. It is nick-named the Wailing Wall because Jews can of...

So, it's after 3am here in Jerusalem and I find myself awake and flipping through photos and writing a blog post...go figure.  I spent all day Wednesday hiking through the Old City exploring the sites, taking in the culture,  snapping photos and letting my imagination run wild.  As evening rolled around I attended orientation for the class I'm taking and then, headed over to Hebrew University with my host to hear a lecture on life during the Ottoman Empire, which was overseen by the renowned Dr. Shimon Gibson.  It was a very full day.  In about 5 hours, my class sessions will begin and they will run from around 8:30am - 4:00/5:00pm every day; it is going to be quite intense!  If I'm not completely exhausted, I hope to post some more photos, videos and even explanations of what's going on in my brief time of study here.  Yesterday alone I snapped a few hundred photos but of course, I have not had time to upload them all or post anything significant as ...

So, I arrived in Israel last night and as soon as I exited the airport, I caught a "Sherut" (Shared Taxi) to Jerusalem. My short stay here has me in East Talpiot, home to the Talpiot Tomb (which I hope to see today, at least its location anyway). It's a little after 5:15am. I slept about 6 hours and pretty much went right to bed once I arrived at my hosts' home. I will head out to see some of the old city today before attending an orientation in the evening for my class. I am glad that I have internet access, so, I will be able to blog and post some while I'm here. I don't have much so far but here are some pics I took of the Middle-Eastern sunset (click on the image to make it larger). Enjoy!

So, as I write this, I'm sitting in the airport about to head to Israel, where I'm enrolled to take part in a Koine Greek fluency workshop.  As you can imagine, I'm quite excited.  Beyond this Christmastime trip, however, my Christmas has been a rather Greek one.  Here are some of the gifts I got, which range from basic to advanced within the Greek language: Bill Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek , DVD Lectures Richard Young, Intermediate New Testament Greek: A Linguistic and Exegetical Approach Joseph Smith & Maximilian Zerwick, Biblical Greek: Illustrated with Examples (SPIB) Stephen Levinsohn, Discourse Features of New Testament Greek: A Coursebrook on the Information Structure of New Testament Greek David Alan Black, Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek: A Survey of Basic Concepts and Applications Gerald Stevens, New Testament Greek Intermediate: From Morphology to Translation Merry Christmas everyone!

Earlier today I noted that I would soon be releasing another Greek reading app. I didn't think that I'd have time to get around to it today, but I did. So, I went ahead and made it available. This is my 15th app and my 9th in the "Getting Greek" family of apps that I've created; it is called "Getting Greek: Reading Jude". You can get it by scanning the QR Code to the left or clicking HERE . The app is incredibly user-friendly and best of all, is only .99¢. You can see screenshots and a video of the app in action HERE . To see all of my apps, you can click HERE . For those of you who don't know, here are the 9 "Getting Greek" apps I've created so far, click each to get them: 1) Getting Greek: Grammar Glossary   2) Getting Greek: Paradigms Charts   3) Getting Greek: Reading Philemon   4) Getting Greek: Reading 2 & 3 Jn   5) Getting Greek: Reading Jude   6) Getting Greek: Every NT Word   7) Getting Greek: Koine...

Hello everyone, I just wanted to make a brief note here on Pisteuomen about the release of my newest app, which is titled Getting Greek: Reading 1 & 2 Jn .  It is a simple, user-friendly app that allows you to read and hear the Greek texts of 2 & 3 Jn simultaneously.  Best of all, it is only  ¢  .99 cents!  You can see the app in action by way of video by clicking HERE .  Of course, this app is part of the "Getting Greek" family of resources that I've created, so, when you're done checking this one out, give the others a look.  You can get the Android app by scanning the QR Code to the left or clicking HERE .  You can see my other apps in the Android Market by clicking HERE .  Visit my Getting Greek site HERE and my Theological Languages Portal HERE .  Be on the lookout for another Greek audio app soon!

I'm a Christian. But I'm a Christian who, to be quite frank, is just incredibly sick and tired of a lot the public antics of other so-called Christians. Or, maybe it's just the idiocy or ignorance of them that really gets me. Either way, I just wish these folks would get their heads out of the clouds and come back to reality. I say this right now because at perhaps no other time during the year are these types of people more arrogant and ignorant than during the Christmas season. I am ashamed that people within the church, people who perceive themselves as pious and devout and knowledgeable are none of these. It just makes every Christian look bad AND stupid! I'm thinking in particular here of the notion of "The War on Christmas". Lots of church-folk have been led to believe that saying anything but "Merry Christmas" during this season is borderline if not fully heretical. So, in what they believe to be a litmus test of faith, they ...

This is a post I put on Pisteuomen last Advent season.  I hope you find it thought-provoking and helpful.  Happy Advent! The question posed in the title of this post is an interesting one. Many times, when people ponder this question, they are also asking something like "How do I tell my kids the truth about Santa?" or "Is it wrong for my Christian kids to celebrate a Christmas that has Santa included in it?" For me, however, I think the question raised in this post's title is a good starting place for all such questions. This year at Christmastime, my daughter is 3 and 1/2 years old. For the first time, she's beginning to associate Santa with the holiday. Just as well, my wife and I have already started to tell her the truth about Santa. The truth is: Santa was real but no longer exists! However, the truth is, a man named Saint Nicholas, the person on whom our modern day Santa Claus is really based, did exist at one time and to be sure, was r...

Here's a brief snippet of my "Letter to the Editor" that appeared in yesterday's issue of my local newspaper.  You can click HERE to read the rest: Schools Guilty of Unsportsmanlike Conduct As a Jessamine County resident, I am embarrassed by our school officials and students. Recently, I attended two boys’ high-school basketball games and on both accounts regretted those choices. As an educator, sports official and parent, I was taken aback by the disrespect the student sections at East and West showed toward visiting players and referees. It is one thing to do an about face or raise a newspaper when players from the opposing team have their lineup called, but it is another thing to chant slurs and profanities at them for the duration of a game...(Click HERE for the rest of the article)

I just got word that my paper titled From Ancient Apocalypse to Modern Tongue-Twists: Mixing-Down Hip Hop & Christian Scripture was just accepted for the 2012 annual meeting of the Midwest Society of Biblical Literature.  Very cool.  With other stuff I have going on, this means that I'm on track to make my 40th conference appearance/paper presentation this spring!  

I'm a BIG Ron Paul fan! He's got my vote, no bones about it! Even so, this video is hilarious! Check it out!!!

In yesterday's review (Pt. 1) of The Audio Greek New Testament , I mentioned that I would provide a snippet of audio from this great resource and also make some comments about it. So, here is a short clip from the salutation of Paul's letter to the Galatians (1-5). As you can hear, The Audio Greek New Testament uses an American Erasmian pronunciation. This, of course, will not suit everyone's preferences but for me personally, I quite like it. As an alternative to the pronunciation schemas used by Randall Buth and Christophe Rico among others, this is the pronunciation system that I was taught and therefore, I am right at home with it. One of the more difficult challenges I find with this product is that it can be tough to listen to in large chunks. That is because it is read with little inflection (emotion, etc.) and as a result, can have something of a monotone feel to it. To be sure, it is well produced and the audio is crisp and clear, yet a listener su...

Today I received a wonderful package in the mail from the fine folks over at Hendrickson . It is a DVD titled The Audio Greek New Testament , which is performed by John Scwandt, who is a Fellow of Classical Languages at New Saint Andrew's College and the founder of the Institute of Biblical Greek ( BiblicalGreek.org ). I want to do at least a two-part review on this resource. In this first and very brief review, I just want to draw attention to some of the features. In the next part, I will build on this and also provide a snippet of audio to whet your appetite. To begin, this DVD is in Mp3 format, which means that you can transfer the audio to your smartphone, iPod, computer, Mp3 Player, etc. This means that you can essentially listen to the text wherever you go. The only discernable drawback here is that it is in DVD format, so, you will not be able to play it in your automobile. However, you can transfer it to your computer and put it on a car-compatible CD. One of t...

I could hardly believe it when I heard it, that is, that Joel Osteen has signed with the most prolific "Reality TV" producer in all off television: Mark Brunett! As you probably know, Brunett is famous for hit shows like Survivor , Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, Shark Tank , Bully Beatdown , etc. Now he has tapped into the religious mainstream and h as teamed-up with Joel and Victoria Osteen to produce a television reality show about his mega Lakewood Church in Texas . The show has no title as of yet, but the concept will fall along the lines of following Osteen and his church members around the world as they "do missions". While I am one who has an interest in reality television, I'm not so sure about this one. Perhaps it is a little too close to home.  Osteen has taken his "Prosperity Gospel" far enough and this show will inevitably just be an extension of that. The mullet-donning motivational speaker of Lakewood has already foo...

Here's the second screencast of my review of Rick Brannan's new The Apostolic Father's Greek-English Interlinear . In this second review, I focus more on the textual and "interlinear" features that are available with this work in Logos.  Anyway, you can pick up your copy of the book  HERE . Enjoy! (Note: To make the screencast larger, click the "tv" icon in the bottom-right corner of the video.) Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

Here's the first of at least two screencasts where I review Rick Brannan's new The Apostolic Father's Greek-English Interlinear . In this first review, I don't really focus on the "interlinear" aspect of the work as much as I do some of the viewing features that are available with this text in Logos; the interlinear aspects will come into play in the next review!  Anyway, you can pick up your copy HERE . Enjoy! (Note: To make the screencast larger, click the "tv" icon in the bottom-right corner of the video.) Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

I just wanted to remind folks of the call for papers for this year's "Mark's Gospel in Mediterranean Context" meeting, which will take place at the annual SCJC.  We still have a couple of open spots for papers, so, if you or anyone you know might be interested in submitting a title + abstract, please, forward this link or flyer on to them.  

Recently, those within the Asbury Theological Seminary community have stood alongside one of our own as they've been forced to grieve a deep loss.  Certainly, some have been more closely and intimately involved than others, but breathing room and space are always needed.  The fact is, even for those indirectly involved, our hearts break for the Holloway family.  Suffering is never easy.  Loss is never easy.  Pain is never easy.  Grieving is never easy.  Making sense of life's wounds is often scarring and traumatic, it is never easy.  Yet, within the Christian faith there is always hope.  Having said that, I should also say that nothing that I have read recently has been so powerful or moving as THIS POST that Asbury's own Gabe Holloway has written about experiencing the loss of his newborn daughter, Annie Elizabeth Holloway (in the picture above), only hours after she was born.  This writing is just God-saturated!  So, please, g...

Today, the video below has been floating all over the internet. It is a moving and on the surface, quite compelling speech that this young man gives. However, my friend Chris Van Allsburg gives us reason for pause. He suggests that there is a very logical mistake being made in the celebration of this young man's highly emotive rhetoric. Well, enough of me, I'll let him speak for himself. In this Guest Post, his article is provided in-full below and please, check out his site HERE . The video shared on the net and primarily through facebook about the fine, young man raised by two lesbians is being used to show that it is indeed possible for a person to be raised as a responsible, educated, and industrious citizen without the aid of a male/female parentage, the latter vision of which so often appears in the minds of people when the term "traditional marriage" is invoked as a cultural norm. After all, we must ask ourselves, is it not better, indeed--far b...