Following up on my earlier post on the topic of inerrancy, Darrell Pursiful has recently posted on the topic and I, since I largely agree with his position, I encourage you to read it. To expand briefly on my thinking on the topic, some formulations of the doctrine of the Inerrancy of Scripture state that…
Category: bible
the prayer of job?
Andrew Barry has suggested that Job 42:7, which reads: חרה אפי בך ובשני רעיך כי לא דברתם אלי נכונה כעבדי איוב ought to be rendered thus: My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken to me what is right, as my servant Job has. The significant difference to…
does the story of job reflect a national tragedy?
The book of Job contains no explicit dating information and so determining its precise historical context is difficult. Although the implied date of the story is widely acknowledged to be in patriarchal times (when wealth was measured in goods and chattels, where people reputedly lived well past 100 years of age, and where there was…
of mustard seeds and inerrancy
I recently came across Wayne Grudem’s attempt to reconcile his doctrine of inerrancy with NT report of Jesus’ claim that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds (Matt 13:31–32; Mark 4:31–32). It is part of a larger series of three talks he gave on the subject of the doctrine of inerrancy which are…
speaking tenderly — or not?
I have an abiding interest in the significance of the historical, social, cultural, and linguistic context of biblical literature for understanding its meaning. As such, I was compelled to grab a copy of The Social Sciences and Biblical Translation (SBL, 2008) (available from many places, including Eisenbrauns). There’s much of interest in the slender volume,…
preaching and prophecy
There has been something of a tendency among some to equate prophecy and preaching or evangelism. Two prominent Sydney Anglicans, Phillip Jensen and Kel Richards, make a passing comment indicating that they approve of this equation in this talk (something like 160MB which could’ve been a 6MB MP3 file had they been more considerate). Ironically…
washington on the end of wisdom
A new review of The End of Wisdom has recently appeared in RBL. I felt that the review, by Harold C. Washington, warranted a few comments. Washington’s words are block-quoted and italicised, followed by my own comments. The “end” of wisdom in the book’s title signifies not wisdom’s aim but its demise. This is not…
ambiguity, inference, and judges 1:19
Christopher Heard recently posted a brief discussion of Judges 1:19. Here’s that verse from the NRSV: The Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain, because they had chariots of iron. The point under discussion is whether this verse is restricting…
job 42:3 — too marvellous or too difficult?
In English translations, Job 42:3 is usually rendered as follows: “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?” Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. The reference to “things too wonderful for me” appears to be a little odd given the context, following…
why is there no marriage in the resurrection?
In Matthew 22:23ff, Jesus reveals to the Sadducees that there is no marriage in the resurrection. Specifically, he says in verse 30: ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἄγγελοι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ εἰσιν. For at the time of the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like…