Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

Yesterday I started reading a book that I'm reviewing for a journal, a book that I'm already finding quite interesting.  This new (2013) work by Michael J. Thate is published by Mohr Siebeck in their WUNT series and is titled Remembrance of Things Past?: Albert Schweitzer, the Anxiety of Influence, and the Untidy Jesus of Markan Memory .  What I've read thus far is very well-written and thought-provoking.  I am keen to continue reading the rest of the volume. Before I get to Thate's thoughts on Chris Keith's work (as well as those who contributed to the anti- or post-criteria work he edited ), two things should be mentioned.  First, the end-goal of Thate's work should be noted.  He says that this volume of his attempts "to (re)situate the historische Jesu Frage within the wider discussion of secularization both in terms of its history of interpretation as well as its contemporary constructions" (14).  Further, it is an "experimental critiqu...

This week I made it into chapter 1 of Colossians Remixed and I must say, it was a bit more amenable to me than the preface.  Here, the authors do some of what they forecasted in the preface with regards to allowing the types of persons/students they engage to raise questions, particularly about Christianity and more specifically about the Bible.  The chapter is bracketed between the beginning and ending of a narrative about a fellow named William, a thorough-going postmodernist.  Although this book is a over a decade old and some have declared that we are currently in a Post-postmodern era (or metamodern, pseudo-modern, etc.), Walsh and Keesmaat offer an inviting overview and foray into the concept of postmodernism.  In fact, I was quite a bit surprised by the fact that they critiqued it as they did. For example, they describe postmodernism’s “grand tale of progress” as a “myth that requires faith,” whose “story’s foundational assumptions themselves require ...

A number of years ago I came across a book by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat titled Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire . At the time, I didn't pick it up or give it much thought. Recently, however, I was invited to be part of a very small reading/discussion group that plans to read through this work. So, now I have the volume and am reading it and I plan to blog my way through it as far as time allows. I will strive do this in a way that comports with the schedule of our group's meetings, that is, once a week toward the end of every week. This morning we had our first meeting and we just spent a little bit of time discussing the preface, thus, that's where I begin my review. The preface of this book, which spans only five pages, raised a number of questions for me. Walsh and Keesmaat, who are spouses, begin by exploring the idea of a "remix," which is a word used in the main title. They consider "remixing" to be, at its best, a ...

At some point in the next couple of weeks or so, I hope to post a review of a recent book I received from Baker titled New Testament Greek: A Beginning and Intermediate Grammar . The volume is co-written by James A. Hewett, C. Michael Robbins, and Steven R. Johnson. I really like the clean feel of the book, and am eager to check out the CD that accompanies it. For now, however, I'm going to be working through the book and taking some notes. I would like to say "Thank you!" to Baker for the complimentary book. You can pick up your copy at the Baker site HERE , or at Amazon HERE .

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.

For some odd reason, a few months back the thought crossed my mind:  Humans don’t eat humans (for the most part), so, isn’t it weird that animals eat animals?  In the end, I guess it’s not all that odd but the initial though kind of made me pause and ponder the concept for a few minutes.  Now, this may be a very crude analogy, but it is something that helps me understand the concept of “Metacomments” (denoted by the symbol V ) which Runge talks about in Pt 2/Ch 5.  Runge defines a metacomment as the occasion “When speakers stop saying what they are saying in order to comment on what is going to be said, speaking abstractly about it” (101).  In other words, it is the act of commenting on a forthcoming comment.  So, how does my analogy above relate?  Well, like metalanguage, which is using language to describe language (an act of turning language in on itself) and metacomments, which is using comments to describe comments (an act of turning comm...

Building on the previous discussion concerning how connectives function in relation to one another, Pt 2/Ch 4 is concerned with what Runge calls Point/Counterpoint sets and how they are related to propositions.   A “counterpoint” is indicated by the symbol B , while a point is marked with A .   While Runge refers to B as the proverbial first “shoe to drop” (73) and A as the shoe drop to follow, personally, I like to think of it as a 1-2 punch routine.   That is, B marks the initial, setup punch, which also prepares the way for a second punch ( A ) to follow.   In short, the writer hits the reader with a combination pattern; the first punch not only catches the reader’s/hearer’s attention, it also telegraphs an impending second hit/point to follow!   You may find it helpful to develop your own analogy!   I have found that even in just attempting to rethink such matters, whether I end up coming up with a different analogy in the end or not, is often he...

Hey everyone, I mentioned several days ago that I had reviewed Ben Witerington's latest novel, Roman Numerals . Relevant Magazine has published the review. You can start reading it here and to continue click the "More" link. Many times over, Christian author Ben Witherington, III has been called “prolific” by his readers. In some ways, even that descriptor is becoming inadequate for this writer who seems more like a human printing press. In Roman Numerals: The Second Art West Adventure , the Witherington power is doubled as Ben’s wife, Ann, co-writes with him. From the pen of this literary duo... MORE

I just finished reading one of my favorite prof's latest books, that is, Ben Witherington's Roman Numerals: The Second Art West Adventure , which is co-written with his wife Ann. I am writing a review on the book and hope to have it published. If things do not work out (it is tough to find scholarly or even popular venues that allow 1) reviews of novels, and 2) reviews from persons who are non-internal to the organization. This being the case, I am talking with a couple of well known publications who are considering the review.), I may post that review here on Pisteuomen. Either way, I would most certainly recommend this archeological thriller. It's easy to read, follow and get wrapped-up in. You can pick up your copy buy clicking the image-link of the book to the left.

Below is a short review I wrote up that covers Novatian's work "On Jewish Foods." If you want to get an idea of how he did exegesis and thought about the end-goal of biblical interpretation, you may find this review helpful. Enjoy. + + + + + Novatian’s epistle, written to a group of believers with whom he evidently has some cherished relationship, commences much in the same way that we find the New Testament letters beginning. Initiated with a very pastoral tone and several words of encouragement, Novatian, echoing the frequent sentiments of the Apostle Paul, longed to be in contact with those from whom he was separated (1.1). Having already written two letters to this particular group of Christians—one challenging Jewish views of circumcision and another challenging Jewish views of the Sabbath (1.7)—Novatian places in view, here, Jewish ideals regarding foods (1.7). In the exordium, Novatian challenges the believers to hold fast to traditions (1.5) and to be on the defen...

Below is the text of a brief 2 chapter review of the Kugel & Greer book titled Early Biblical Interpretation, which I wrote to present to some of my classmates. If you've had any interaction with this text and would like to share your thoughts, please do. + + + + + Reviewed by T. Michael W. Halcomb. Early Biblical Interpretation (#3 LEC). By James L. Kugel & Rowan A. Greer, ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986. 214 pp. $19.95 (paper). The third installment in a series of books edited by Wayne Meeks, Early Biblical Interpretation is a volume that focuses on “the interpretation of Scripture as practiced in Early Judaism and Christianity” (7). The first two chapters of this work—and the central points of emphasis for this brief review—explore the common backgrounds of early & later forms of biblical exegesis. Thus, the first two chapters of the tome aim to explain what prompted “The Rise of Scripture” (13) and subsequently, “The Need fo...

I just received Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm's book in the mail "Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God" which I will be reviewing for a journal. I've flipped through some of the book already and quite like some of what I've seen. In fact, I absolutely LOVE the opening line of this book: "The power of God is on the loose in the world, and the Gospel of Mark proclaims this startling reality as the good news of Jesus Christ." Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting into this work (along with a handful of others). If I come across anything thought-provoking or worth discussing, I'll post on it here.

In addition to a couple of recent posts where I've mentioned books I'm currently reviewing for journals, here are a couple more, each of which deals with hermeneutics: 1) Henry A. Virkler's Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Interpretation , and 2) Daniel J. Treier's Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Recovering a Christian Practice . I'm looking forward to getting into these books and am wholly expecting to find some thought-provoking and challenging material. If you've read either of these, feel free to share some of your thoughts here.

Currently, I have a couple of books I'm reviewing that will be published in journals next quarter (while a few others should actually be in-print this coming quarter). Here are the one's I'm reading right now, both quite interesting in their own right: 1) Jesus: The Village Psychiatrist , 2) Recovering Paul's Mother Tongue: Language and Theology in Galatians .

I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I stumbled upon my name at the IVP site. I did a book review for a journal a while back and they took a portion of the review and added it to their page. It's listed with the comments of Scott Moreau, I. Howard Marshall, Clinton E. Arnold, Philip H. Towner and Douglas N. Campbell. Kinda fun!!! (Click the photo to go to the page.)

How To Write A Book Review By: T. Michael W. Halcomb © (This review may not be copied, modified or redistributed without the author’s express written or verbal consent.) Visit: www.michaelhalcomb.blospot.com for more free biblical / scholarly resources. For a .pdf of this article, click the following icon: or click HERE . (This has also been added to the " My Free Bible Resources " Page. Often times, under-grad and graduate students are either bidden to write a book review or have a desire to do so. The nature of a book review is that it is a critical assessment of the numerous aspects of a particular text (perhaps, even, in a particular context). In this article/post, I want to offer some tips on how to write a book review. Keep in mind, as you read that some of the tips offered here might be more “common-sense” or discernable than others. Enjoy. Before I get to the actual writing of the review, I want to offer a few thoughts on how to prepare. Firstly, when you’re reading...

Achtemeir, Paul J. Jesus and the Miracle Tradition . Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2008. Pp. 255. Jesus and the Miracle Tradition , one of P.J. Achtemeier’s latest books is a great contribution to the field of biblical studies. The book, nearly 220 pages in length, is a fresh and timely piece of exegetical work. The point of the book, according to Achtemeier is not to question whether Jesus really performed the miracles, how they happened or whether Jesus was a magician of sorts. Instead, Achtemeier presupposes that they happened and that Jesus did them; this allows him to move past old disputes and on to another, and perhaps, more important issue/queestion: What did the miracles mean? Of course, when asking what the miracles meant, one is really asking how the Gospel writers made them mean, interpreted and understood them or what meaning they infused them with. While I find the whole “community” behind the text approach lacking to a good degree and while I am not convinced that there were mira...

Horsley, Richard A. Performing the Gospel: Orality, Memory, and Mark . Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006. Pp. 239, and Shiner, Whitney. Proclaiming the Gospel: First-Century Performance of Mark . New York, NY: TPI/Continuum, 2003. Pp. 214. In this post, I am going to offer a brief review of two books that shared similar foci: Whitney Shiner’s Proclaiming the Gospel and Richard Horsely’s Performing the Gospel . Probably, of the two, Shiner’s title is the most accurate. In his work, he deals with performance in the ancient world and its myriad elements. However, in each chapter, he ties that in with Mark’s Gospel. For example, in the 9 main chapters, he deals with: Oral Performance, Types of Performances, Emotion, Delivery, Memorization, Gesture/Movement, The Audience, Applause Lines and Including the Audience. Shiner applies each of these to Mark’s work in a creative and detailed manner. That makes this book not only a good resource for Markan studies but also research in ancient th...

Anderson, Janice Capel. Mark & Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies , 2nd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008. Pp. 288. Honestly, I cannot sing enough praises for the second edition of Mark & Method . Edited by Janice Capel Anderson and Stephen D. Moore, this work is first rate. A compilation of scholarly essays, this tome makes an excellent textbook for students of Mark’s Gospel. In fact, I would recommend this book before any others when it comes to getting a firm, introductory grasp on Mark. Imbued with a lengthy list of impressive contributors, this work contains 8 chapters that plummet the depths of hermeneutical issues, perspectives and approaches to the Gospel According to Mark. After a nice, concise history of the interpretation of Mk. in the first chapter, the next seven chapters illustrate the ways in which various hermeneutical methods illumine the text in various ways. The chapters’ titles are: Narrative Criticism, Reader-Response Criticism, Deconstructi...

LaHaye, Tim and Jenkins, Jerry B. The Jesus Chronicles: Mark’s Story . New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s & Sons, 2008. Pp. 308. As one whose scholarly interests are assuredly Markan, I must admit, the new novel by LaHaye and Jenkins, Mark’s Story , is neither incredibly scholarly or novel. In fact, the Left Behind Guys, in this new addition to “The Jesus Chronicles” series, left me very unimpressed. For starters, one-third of the book is, word-for-word, the Gospel According to Mark plus 1 and 2 Peter, all of which they suggest Mark wrote. Reproducing these sections of Scripture in the book was just unnecessary. Secondly, the story takes a fundamentalistic, narrow approach to reconstructing the man Mark’s life (e.g. maximalism to the max). Now, I realize this is a novel and that as with all novels, some liberties must be taken. However, these two seem to push full steam ahead on every maximalist coal they can find; nothing is ever critically questioned (for a good critique of this view, ...