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theLAB

The Logos Academic Blog

This World Is Our Home: John’s Use of σκηνόω in Revelation

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Photo by Pars Sahin on Unsplash

by Luke Nagy

We’ve all heard the saying, “this world is not my home; I’m just a passing thro’.” The words are from a hymn penned in 1919, and arranged in 1937. It reflects a popular attitude among Christians in America at the time, and currently. A world ravaged by the Great War and the Spanish Flu looked pretty dismal. This notion, that the present world is not the Christian’s home, seemed to be very comforting at the time, and it’s holding sway in our current economic and political climate. Pew Research in 2015 found that 72% of Americans believe in Heaven, which was defined as “where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded.”1 Thus it is fair to say that “This world is not my home” is the predominant view.

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Invite Students to Choose Their Own Adventure: Heutagogy and Teaching Genesis 1–11

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The Creation by Ori Sherman, 1986-88

Dustin Burlet | Peace River Bible Institute

T. Desmond Alexander once stated, with respect to teaching the Old Testament, that it is “difficult to think of any other academic subject that covers such a wide range of fields. How does one do justice to all the various areas that contribute in their distinct way to our understanding and appreciation of the Bible?”1 This assertation resonates deeply with me, as few of my “classroom conundrums” have required more circumspection and pastoral sensitivity than dealing with those matters that concern science, creation, and the Bible (history, literature, and theology), particularly with respect to the first eleven chapters of Genesis.2

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New Directions in Memory Studies

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LISSA M. WRAY BEAL | PROVIDENCE UNIVERSITY

The Old Testament speaks of the importance of memory. For instance, Deuteronomy repeatedly calls for remembrance (5:15; 7:18; 8:18 et passim), Israel recounts its history in Psalms (105, 106), and failure to remember precipitates apostasy (Isa 17:10; Jer 17:2; cf. 2:2–8; Ezek 16:22, 43). 

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The OUP Handbook Interviews: Timothy Lim on the Dead Sea Scrolls

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The Oxford University Press Handbooks are renowned as go-to volumes for students and scholars alike when embarking on research in new topics, or for seasoned scholars who desire efficiency when seeking to grasp the essential bibliographies for any number of issues within biblical and religious studies.

The second interview in our series is with Timothy Lim, Professor of Hebrew Bible & Second Temple Judaism at the University of Edinburgh, and editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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African Hermeneutics: Extensive Interview with Elizabeth Mburu

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I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Elizabeth Mburu about her fascinating book on biblical interpretation, African Hermeneutics (Hippo Books/Langham Publications). In this groundbreaking work, she lays out a fresh interpretive methodology, rooted in the rich soil of the African experience. I highly recommend our readers get a hold of this book and digest it slowly, even as the work is a delight to read thanks to her considerate prose.

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The Cliffs of דֹּבֵר: Steep Interpretive Differences in the Book of Jonah

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by Philip Morrow

Many of us know Jonah as the story of a rebellious prophet and a repentant people. We know its protagonist is no hero, acting in defiance of God’s will. Looking closer, even the pagan characters appear more devoted to Israel’s God than His own messenger. But each reader of this story will walk away with a different impression of just how stark these contrasts are. There are just enough gaps in the story to make it a dangerous one, as the interpreter is tempted to retell it with commentary on Jonah’s psychology. For many, Jonah seems to rebel in fear (1:3), repent under distress (2:2–9), and eventually relapse into unjust anger (4:1). For others, he is obstinately merciless all the way through (4:2–3) and even the sincerity of his prayer is questionable (2:10).1

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How to Get an Advanced Bible Degree for Free

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by Ryan Lytton

Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Proverbs 4:5.

Wisdom and understanding are everywhere available but are nevertheless ostensibly rarely found. A student of the Word must be diligent in their search but there are least two problems in their way:

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Demons, DSS, and Jesus: Psalm 91 and the Need for Text Critical Pastors

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by Donald McIntyre

Textual criticism is a hot topic among biblical scholars. The views on the discipline’s profitability span the extremes of being of crucial importance for serious scholarship and the opposing view of being hostile towards the revered doctrines of inerrancy and the sufficiency of Scripture.

Textual criticism of the Old Testament is perhaps a greater challenge than that of the New Testament due to the distance between the manuscripts extant and the proposed dates of authorship. However, this article seeks to show why text criticism is important for biblical scholars and exegetes of all persuasions.

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Hearing the Scripture Reader’s Voice: Biblical Performance Criticism in the Classroom

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Biblical performance criticism is a methodology based on the assumption that much of the literature collected in the Bible represents oral performances that were at one time either told from memory or presented as prepared readings before audiences.1 The performance critic studies the biblical writings as oral performances with the aim to uncover certain conventions of orally performed texts—features often neglected when employing other biblical critical methodologies.

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Academic Jobs in Biblical Studies and Theology: Mar 23 – Apr 21, 2020

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Image source: Pinterest

This past month (yes, it’s been that long) has been consumed by worries about the pandemic and hours spend indoors resisting the temptation to binge on Netflix. Yet there are still jobs being advertised around the world for those in biblical studies and theology. So take heart, friends, and look at the list below as a sign of hope and human resilience. Happy hunting.

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