Welcome to the 206th Biblical Studies Carnival for April 2023. April is a tough month of academics since students actually expect us to grade papers and turn in grades in a timely fashion (the nerve of some people). To complicate things, I am prepping for a student trip to Israel and Jordan starting next week. But there is always time for some Carnival goodness!
Jim West is hosting the Carnival for May (due June 1). Jim announced that he has been blogging at Zwingli Redivivus for 17 years. That is something like two billion posts for Jim. Jim is already calling for submissions. Help Jim out and send him links to the best Biblical Studies Blogs you see (or write) in May 2023.
I am always looking for volunteers to host a carnival. If you are a newer blogger, I would love to talk with you about hosting. I would love to have someone host a carnival who is into podcasts, YouTube, and other social media sources for academic Biblical Studies. Contact me at plong42@gmail.com, and we can schedule a month for you to host. And if you are a long-time blogger, please consider hosting again.
Old Testament and Archaeology
Claude Mariottini had several posts on Exodus in April: Introduction to the Book of Exodus, Exodus: Moses’ Encounter with God, and Exodus: God’s Revelation To Moses.
David Bar-Cohen, on the Tzaraʿat Purification: A Vestige of Demonic Exorcism (Purification from the skin disease tzaraʿat, Leviticus 13–14). .
Lawrence Schiffman casts doubt on the headline “Proof of Biblical Kings of Israel, Judah Deciphered on Jerusalem Rock Inscriptions.” The subtitle read, “Detailed Inscriptions of Eighth-Century BCE Judean King Hezekiah Discovered in Monumental Archaeological Discovery.” The post is brief, but there is a link to his article in Ami Magazine.
Shawna Dolansky, Birkat Kohanim: The Magic of a Blessing. This fascinating article discusses the priestly benediction (birkat hakohanim) from the liturgy, found in Numbers 6:24-26.
Claude Mariottini, The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife – Ezekiel and the Prophetic Office
John D. Meade, Recovering the Resurrection in Isaiah 53: Textual Criticism and Easter (Test & Canon Institute)
Jim Davilla points out, that it has been a year since the press conference announcing a new curse text from Mount Ebal, but nothing has been published. Jim also comments on Pilates’s ring (that isn’t Pilates’s ring).
New Testament
B. J. Oropeza, Having Been ‘Righteoused’ by Faith: Reading Romans 5 Intertextually.
Bible History Daily posted a great summary of the role of synagogues in Jesus’ ministry.
Marg Mowczko, Jesus Called Her “Woman.” She says, “It sounds abrupt, cold, and disrespectful. From everything we know about Jesus, however, we can assume that he wasn’t being rude, especially as “woman” often occurs in statements where he says wonderful things.
The On Script Podcast has Tom Davis on Pauline Archaeology (mostly Cyprus).
Bryan Windle, Weighing the Evidence: Is the James Ossuary Authentic? This is at BAR, so good pictures. The timeline is helpful.
Καταπέτασμα, Allegory of the end: Matthew’s crucifixion apocalypse.
Speaking of Matthew, I posted a few times on Matthew: How did Judas Die? – Matthew 27:1-10; How does Judas Fulfill Prophecy? Matthew 27:9-10; Who is Simon of Cyrene? Matthew 27:32; Mocking Jesus on the Cross – Matthew 27:37-44.
Third-Century Syriac Translation of the Gospel of Matthew Found. Here is a link to the NTS article.
Ian Paul asks, “What does ‘doubting’ Thomas teach us from John 20?” He also has a great post on meeting with Jesus on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 (with a video discussion).
Megan Sauter asks, “Who Was Thecla?” at Bible History Daily.
The Hermeneutrix (Heather Anne Thiessen) studies Acts 1:1-11 and then reflects on Acts 1:1-11.
Over at Scribes of the Kingdom, Silvanus to the church of the Thessalonians: Salvaging Paul’s eschatological legacy.
David Turner, The Passion at Colossae (Colossians 2:6-19).
From Brian Small, Madison Pierce and Max Botner discuss Why We Love Hebrews on the podcast, On the Way.
Benjamin Kantor, The Most Objective Textual Critic You’ll Ever Meet.
Theology
Ansley Quiros, Christ or Moloch?: A Reflection on Nonviolence and the Civil Rights Movement
Erica Mongé-Greer at Scholarly Wanderlust, The O’s Have It Part I: God’s Omniscience in the Bible
Peter Goeman (The Bible Sojourner) asks, Did the Holy Spirit Indwell Old Testament Believers?
Stephan Unthank, Promise: God is Slow to Anger
Book Reviews (and Previews)
Peter Lau, The Book of Ruth (NICOT) (Eerdmans 2023). Reviewed by Jim West. Reviewed by Phillip J. Long. Jim West says “The Commentary by Lau is the EXACT opposite of Block’s horror show vomitorium of a book.”
Ian Paul interviewed Gary Burnett, who just published a short study on the writing and theology of Paul under the title Paul Distilled.
Douglas D. Webster, The Parables: Jesus’s Friendly Subversive Speech (Kregel 2021). Reviewed by Phillip J. Long.
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, Second Edition (IVP Academic, 2023). Reviewed by Phillip J. Long.
Michael B. Shepherd, A Commentary on Jeremiah (KEL) (Kregel 2023). Reviewed by Phillip J. Long.
Matthew Scarborough, The Proverbs of Solomon in Sahidic Coptic (preview from the author at Consulting Philologist)
David Hendin, Guide to Biblical Coins. 6th edition. New York: American Numismatic Society, 2022 (Review by Michaël Girardin at Bryn Mawr Classical Review)
Brandon Scott calls the Everett Fox Translation “A Better Way to Hear the Hebrew Bible”
Brian Small points out a new book on Theology of the High Priest Jesus Christ: Randy de Jesús Soto. Teología del Pontífice Jesucristo: Análisis retórico y semántico de Hebreos 4,15; 7:26 y 9,14. Estudios de Filología Neotestamentaria 8. Córdoba: Ediciones el Almendro, 2006.
Other News
William Ross, In Memoriam: James K. Aitken (1968-2023).
Peter Gurry remembers Ioannis Karavidopoulos (1937–2023).
Roger Olson, Is America Becoming a Failed State?
Ted Peters at Public Theology, Children, Guns, and Abortion.
Make your travel plans now: Berlin’s Pergamon Museum Closes for Major Renovations, Will Fully Reopen in 14 Years. Or, they could give the contents of the museum back to Turkey.
This is cool: The Oldest Photograph of the Acropolis.
Beth Allison Barr reviews her years blogging at the Anxious Bench and announces she is leaving the site. She has moved to Substack: Marginalia with Beth Allison Barr Reflections on Evangelicalism, Medieval History, and Women’s History.
James Tabor, The Waco Tragedy: Looking Back After Thirty Years.
John the Baptist’s Struffoli Recipe (an April 1 post from James McGrath). Brent Nongbri has a post on Ancient Jewish Fish Sauce. Looks like the Biblical Studies Pot Luck is almost complete.
James McGrath has written (maybe) a few posts on Chat-GPT. His observations are valuable, given his interest in classroom technology and science fiction.
