Tavis Bohlinger“Curiosity.”
~Helen Bond, Professor in Christian Origins with Specialisation in New Testament and Director of Research, School of Divinity, Edinburgh University
Have the courage to go wherever the texts and the evidence lead you.
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...
This article, originally presented orally to a group of Langham-funded Junior Scholars at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, in September 2017, was contributed by Mark W. Elliott, Professor of Historical and Biblical Theology, University of St. Andrews.
I would say that a biblical scholar is only as good as her resources. A good library or equivalent access to primary texts, lexica, etc. make or break our work.
~Clare K. Rothschild, Professor of Theology, Lewis University
This is a good question. I think the best biblical scholars and theologians make bold propositions while being meticulous in their argumentation.
Always be willing to see your own weaknesses and strengths and know when to seek help. Always be willing, hoping, to have your argument proved false, but don’t give up. Reconsider, redesign, and rediscover. ~Karen Langton, Postgraduate Researcher...
The Mohr Siebeck Interviews are a chance to hear from some of the most influential authors in Pauline studies of the past few decades. In this short series, we will be hearing from a number of outstanding scholars, including Marvin Pate, Seyoon Kim...
The kind of biblical scholar that I admire is someone who has a contagious passion for understanding the text in all of its facets, a calling from God that compels them, and the desire and ability to contribute in meaningful ways to both the academy...
Today, Alan Garrow has now responded to Mark Goodacre in the “$1,000 Bart Ehrman Wager.” We’ve been covering the recent exchange between Bart Ehrman and a mysterious commenter on his blog, “Evan,” who posed a $1,000...
Mark Goodacre has responded to the mysterious commenter, “Evan,” who posed a $1,000 wager to Bart Ehrman if he wasn’t convinced that Alan Garrow had decisively disproved the existence of Q in this series of videos.
The key element to any theologian’s lasting success is the ability to approach their task with the wonder and awe of a beginner. Humble curiosity is the lifeblood of all our teaching, research, and writing. Without it we slowly die — and worse...
A Willingness to Cross Borders and Boundaries Theology and biblical studies are fields of study formally practiced within institutional frameworks and disciplinary boundaries that tend to hedge off their wider collective impact from faith...
A few things come to mind for biblical students who want to be scholars and teachers:
A good biblical scholar or theologian knows well the primary literature and the original languages.
~Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University
We are part of a common guild, so to be a good scholar in this sense is to be committed to the content of the guild but also the community of the guild. Regarding the content, every scholar brings their individual strengths to the mix so it would be...
The following paper by Stephen Chan was presented at the “Internationale Konferenz über Moltmanns Denken und Sino-Theologie”, held at Chung Yuan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Introduction In his early article on the philosophy of hope, Paul Ricoeur...
I would say something different for biblical scholar and theologian (the two are not always the same), but for biblical scholar: Attention to detail combined with breadth of interest. ~ John M. G. Barclay, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, The...
I always tell my students, “Context is everything!” Without understanding the historical and literary contexts, it is impossible to interpret the passage well. Words have different meanings in different contexts, and it is very difficult...
We’ve had him on theLAB before, but here is Matthew Bates again, this time as part of our series asking, “What makes a good biblical scholar or theologian?” I think some of our best biblical scholars—Hays, Barclay, Wright, and...
We continue our series on the qualities and practices of good biblical scholar with the esteemed Grant Macaskill of Aberdeen University. I’m sensitive to a number of things on the back of the intellectual humility work I’ve done recently, and...
Craig Bartholomew, H. Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy at Redeemer University College, was recently interviewed by Faithlife TV, where he laid down the gauntlet for Christian academics. His message: make your research speak to today’s...
I’ve been asking biblical scholars at every level the following question: “What makes a good biblical scholar or theologian?” Over the next few years (or longer, perhaps), I’ll be posting their responses every Monday...
Atonement: Sin, Sacrifice, and Salvation in Jewish and Christian Antiquity The St. Andrews Symposium is never one to be missed. This conference always draw in an excellent mix of scholars of all ranks, and there are plentiful opportunities for...
Charles C. Helmer IVKarl Barth’s Church Dogmatics (CD) is arguably the most important product of twentieth-century theology. It is difficult to describe adequately its enduring influence on academic theology. What Barth called his opus imperfectum never came to...
How does Philo, the ancient Jewish philosopher, conceive of the origin of evil in each individual person compared to the Stoic understanding in which he operated? A excellent point of comparison is Philo’s use of a “double trunk” or “double branch”...
Just recently, Eerdmans released some very exciting news for their exceptional commentary series, the NIGTC.
Jonathan WatsonWhen I began my journey into theological territory, one name kept popping up among friends and acquaintances who take the study of Scripture seriously. I asked questions about this person and his work, and eventually purchased several volumes of his...
Update: in a rare move, Logos has dropped the Pre-Pub price on the Oxford History of the Christian Church collection! Read about it on the Logos Talk blog, and pre-order it while this price lasts. Church history has a remarkable impact on Christian...
Today’s guest post is from Dr. Steve Runge, a scholar-in-residence at Logos Bible Software and author of the Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament, the Lexham High Definition New Testament, and the Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament:...