Tavis BohlingerI’ve always valued a quote from Luther: “It’s not reading books that makes a theologian, but living, dying, and being damned”!
~Rev Dr Walter Moberly, Professor of Theology and Biblical Interpretation, University of Durham
One thing that makes a good scholar is the ability to be an original thinker. In one sense, this means the ability to approach problems from new angles. In another, but related, sense, this means the ability to see the edifice of a scholarly...
Collaboration, curiosity, endurance, creativity, passion, courage (willing to challenge stubborn consenses), and dedication. Many of the virtues of a good detective!
Latin is a language that I picked up during my PhD studies, and it has proved useful and enjoyable. I wish that I had learned it as a youth, which is why I’ve begun teaching Latin to my children. But if you’re reading this article, I’m guessing...
A good biblical scholar realizes that others are smarter than he is.
by Alan Taylor Farnes In 2007, James R. Royse published his exceptional study on the scribal habits of six early New Testament papyri. In his work, Royse revolutionized text critics’ understanding of the text-critical canon lectio brevior potior or...
Editor’s note: Crispin Fletcher-Louis has disrupted our normal series on “What makes a good Biblica Scholar or Theologian?” with a title of his own making. We’ll let it slide, because his advice is just that good. Enjoy the...
by Mark Seifrid
I just received the Logos 7 (Deutsch) package. It turns out to be a quite impressive collection, with some nice surprises.
A good biblical scholar is discerning. This discernment is exercised at key points in the research process. First, a good scholar chooses worthwhile research projects to invest time in. Time is a limited commodity, so choosing the right project is...
Editor’s note: Today we honor of the 73rd anniversary of the death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I asked my friend and Durham colleague, Jameson Ross, to write a short piece on the significance of the publication of the critical edition of Bonhoeffer’s...
by Tavis Bohlinger Even though a career in academia will be out of reach for most PhDs in biblical studies, (and theology, church history, etc.), there is no reason that biblical scholarship should be abandoned. Believing scholars of the Bible in...
I had the great honor of interviewing Stephen Chester, Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary, about his new book, Reading Paul with the Reformers: Reconciling Old and New Perspectives (Eerdmans, 2017). In the interview...
Humility: Submit your work on the text and invite the critique and examination of others without defensiveness. Others help to improve your contribution.
Theology is a bit like a spider’s web, in the sense that cutting a single strand of a theological framework can drastically alter the shape of the whole.
What makes a good biblical scholar? Well, many things, of course. But one thing I seek to embody in my own work and to impart to my students is fairness to others, especially when I disagree with them.
If you don’t know who Jacob Neusner is, it’s time to bone up. Apart from his exceptional prolific publishing output (and that’s an understatement; see point one below), he was known both for his highly acerbic nature to some and his deeply...
Although the image of the lone scholar is prominent, it is not really accurate. All of us need other scholars to sharpen our ideas and to gain new viewpoints on the texts. As a result, it is important for scholars to be humble regarding their ideas...
by Christoph Heilig* Introduction Two weeks ago, Tavis Bohlinger wrote a blogpost in which he encouraged students and scholars of the New Testament to focus on the “common dialect,” ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος of the Greek language—that is, the Greek spoken...
A good biblical scholar or theologian thinks through their writing, page by page, from the perspectives of their various types of expected reader, from scholars, to students, to church ministers and, if appropriate, to church members. ~Peter Oakes...
by Vinh T. Nguyen In his recent post Four Reasons to Master Koine (and to Leave Attic Alone), Tavis Bohlinger made a plea to specifically focus on Koine in order to master “this particular type of Greek as thoroughly as possible.” This post...
I’ll never forget the day when I was sitting among other recently admitted post-grads at the University of Aberdeen in the presence of the I. Howard Marshall. Make no mistake about it: although we remained in our chairs, we were sitting at Howard’s...
Learning to read Koine (or biblical) Greek is essential, if you are training for church ministry, an academically focused career in biblical studies, or simply as a means to reading the New Testament in its original language. Even while I was in...
Although missing the first page of most news outlets outside of the England, today was the first of three weeks of strikes at 61 universities in the UK. That number includes Cambridge, Oxford, and Durham, and over a million students from all over...
“Curiosity.”
~Helen Bond, Professor in Christian Origins with Specialisation in New Testament and Director of Research, School of Divinity, Edinburgh University
By Logos Mobile Education Logos Mobile Education is always developing new and helpful ways to use technology to equip the church to grow in the light of the Bible. With over two hundred courses available, education is our major strength. We love...
Have the courage to go wherever the texts and the evidence lead you.
This recent video by the CSCO team at the University of Edinburgh is so timely and useful, that we are pleased to share it on theLAB. Professor Larry Hurtado gives a concise yet insightful breakdown of trends in NT studies (yes, they happen!), and...
by Tavis Bohlinger* Yesterday we celebrated International LXX Day by publishing an essay on The Origin of the LXX. Today we are pleased to present the second half of that essay, because, well, we just love the Septuagint here at Logos (this proves...
by Tavis Bohlinger* The following essay is published in recognition of International LXX Day, celebrated yearly on February 8, and is also a part of our long-form essay series here on theLAB. To celebrate the 12th annual LXX Day, Logos is offering a...
For me personally, a good biblical scholar is someone who enriches the discipline not only, and not even primarily, through his or her publications, but also through the way he or she interacts with colleagues, especially those who do not yet hold...