The NIV and tNIV translation committee sits every year to work on minor revisions. This view from the inside shows that a committee really can work well, and sometimes have fun too.
"Not lost in translation"
The NIV and tNIV translation committee sits every year to work on minor revisions. This view from the inside shows that a committee really can work well, and sometimes have fun too.
"Evangelical Separation Anxiety: What the Bible says about Divorce"
The Wall Street Journal is interested in theology when Evangelicals suddenly stop rejecting Presidential Candidates who are divorced.
"Rabbinic Writings in New Testament Research"
The value of rabbinic writings for interpreting the NT is limited by the difficulty of dating them. Halakhic traditions are the easiest to date, because even anonymous traditions can show historical development from case laws which led up to them and other which resulted from them. Agadic traditions can sometimes be dated - eg the charge sheet against Jesus which appears to have survived against all odds. Parables are common but only a couple can be dated before 70 CE - including one which gives an insight into true Jewish motives for obeying the Law. Targums are the most tantalising traditions and the hardest to date, but these too can sometimes be dated by relating them to other datable teaching.
"On the Representation of Sahidic within the Apparatus of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece"
I consider a limited number of examples of the representation of Sahidic Coptic in the apparatus of the Greek New Testament, concluding that sometimes the editors have been too ready to suppose that a particular Greek was the basis for the Sahidic translation.
"`The Lilies of the Field` Reconsidered: Codex Sinaiticus and the Gospel of Thomas," .
Years ago it was noted that the original reading of Codex Sinaiticus in Mat 6:28 (erased and rewritten by a corrector) reflects the Greek Gospel of Thomas (the particular reading is absent from the Coptic translation of Thomas). Some have suggested that both Sinaiticus and Thomas go back to the source that underlies all the other manuscripts. However, it may be that Sinaiticus here, as also in a number of other places, reflects non-biblical literature and is dependant on Thomas rather than on a shared source.
"One Codex, Three Scribes, and Many Books: Struggles with Space in Codex Sinaiticus,".
If more than one scribe are working simultaneously on different part of the same manuscripts, how do they fit the pieces together? In Sinaiticus the scribes calculated how much space each scribe would need, so that the next part could be started. This calculation went sometimes wrong with the result that the scribes had to do all sorts of things to cover up their error.
"The Scandal of Equality in Jesus' Ethical Teaching"
If we asked anachronistically whether Jesus was egalitarian or complementarian, we could look at his teaching on polygamy, divorce and singleness. In each case he took what could be regarded as an egalitarian stance - he rejected polygamy as unequal, forbade the men-only no-fault divorce, and allowed both men and women to remain single. His own singleness was a scandal in a society where procreation was regarded as a divine command. He was probably unable to marry because he was an unofficial mamzer (illegitimate), so no decent girl would be allowed to marry him.
‘A Newly Discovered Manuscript of Luke’s Gospel ( de Hamel MS 386; Gregory-Aland 0312)’
A discussion of the palaeography, codicology and text of an important new manuscript of Luke (discovered right here at Tyndale House).
"What God has Joined Together"
A summary of Divorce and Remarriage in the Church.
‘Is P4, P64 and P67 the Oldest Manuscript of the Four Gospels? A Response to T.C. Skeat’
This paper argues that Skeat was quite wrong to think that P4, P64 and P67 were once part of a four-gospel codex. Probes problems in Skeat's method and argument. For further follow-up see Scott Charlesworth's article in a more recent issue of NTS.
‘P. Bodmer II (P66): Three Fragments Identified’
This paper discusses three fragments of P66 which had never been identified (not in the whole history of mankind). Significant for the geek factor. Also because I made a mistake on one of these and some colleagues helped with a follow-up: (with D.M. Wheeler & W. Willker), �P. Bodmer II (P66): Three Fragments Identified: A Correction� Novum Testamentum 50/1 (2008), 78-80.
"An Unidentified Theological Fragment from the Fifth Century in a Private Collection in Cambridge (De Hamel Ms 373)"
Fame and fortune awaits the person who can identify this mysterious piece.
"The historical Jesus among the rabbis : prayer, divorce and earthly rewards"
Some examples of how rabbinic traditions enlighten our understanding of Gospel traditions.
Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament (TRENT), vol.1 Prayer and Agriculture
A lengthy introduction shows the methods for dating early rabbinic traditions, as well as the potential inaccuracies involved. This volume covers the first Order of Mishnah which deals with regular prayers such as the Shema and Eighteen Benedictions and the various aspects of tithing and growing crops. All the traditions which can arguably originate before 70 CE are analysed, dated and related to the NT where appropriate.
"The Linguistic Background to Jesus` Dereliction Cry (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)"
The forms of the dereliction cry in Matthew and Mark ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?') are different. This article proposes a historical model that can account for the precise differences in the Aramaic wording between the two gospels and attribute the differences to eyewitness report.
"Comparing Neusner's and Guggenheimer's Translations of the Jerusalem Talmud"
Guggenheimer has started to publish a new translation of the Jerusalem Talmud which till now has only been translated into English by Jacob Neusner. A detailed comparison of a few portions shows that they have very different styles. Guggenheimer's translation uses more flowing English and assumes knowledge of Jewish background by the reader, while Neusner tends to translate literally and explains things which a non-expert may not understand.
"James as a Sermon on the Trials of Abraham"
The epistle of James appears unstructured with a confusing mixture of OT allusions, until it is viewed as a sermon on the theme of the Trials of Abraham. This theme, which was a commonplace in first century Judaism, was a catalogue of ten temptations which Abraham faced and triumphed over. These trials, which included a temptation by Satan similar to Job's, were to test Abraham's self-control and to see whether his faith was matched by his works.
‘The Temple in Luke’s Gospel’
A discussion of the role and place of the temple in Luke's Gospel. Doing the research for this paper made me lose my faith ... in redaction criticism.
‘Singular Readings in the Early Fragmentary Papyri of John: Some Observations on the Habits of New Testament Copyists’
A follow up to my earlier study on the Synoptic texts (see either above or below - I really am not sure how this blog is being read). Continues the important work which is discussed appreciatively in James R. Royse, Scribal Habits in Early Greek New Testament Papyri (NTTS 36; Leiden: Brill, 2008), 720-723.
‘Papyrological Perspectives on Luke’s Predecessors (Luke 1.1)’
This paper, presented in a Festschrift to Bruce Winter, uses papyrological resources to consider three words in Luke 1.1. It offers an important corrective to Loveday Alexander's work on Luke's prologue and demonstrates how papyrological material can be integrated with other aspects of our knowledge of the ancient world in order to illuminate the NT text. (with thanks to Bruce for his constant encouragement to do just that)
‘The Nazi Quest for an Aryan Jesus’
I know that educationalists worry about the Nazification of history; and internet users worry about Godwin's rule, but this article (although yes it does quote from Hitler) tackles an extremely neglected area of historical Jesus studies and raises broader questions about the relationship of theological presuppositions and historical research. Originally presented as a paper to the Jesus Seminar.
Early Syriac Translation Technique and the Textual Criticism of the Greek Gospels
There has been a longstanding assumption by scholars that the Vorlage or text behind a translation can be reconstructed easily and in the case of the Syriac gospels scholars have been very quick to conclude that a particular form of Greek wording has stood behind the Syriac text even though they have not investigated systematically precisely how the translation deals with its Vorlage. This practice has led to a number of incorrect notes concerning the Vorlage of the Syriac being present in the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece. Here, for the first time, many phenomena are investigated in a systmatic way. Investigations are made of various phenomena, including the use of personal proper nouns, pronominal objects, particles, and formulae introducing speech. It is shown that a better appreciation of the way a translation was made can lead to significantly different conclusions as regards the textual support for specific readings.
"Theology of Hermeneutics"
The theology of hermeneutics in Judaism's foundational literature tells us the assumptions with which early Judaism regarded Scripture. The forerunners of the Tannaim (the Pharisees and various named individuals living before 70 CE) followed mainly Nomological assumptions, ie: Scripture is totally self-consistent; every detail in Scripture is significant; Scripture is understood according to its context; Scripture does not have any secondary meaning; there is only one valid text form of Scripture. Hellenistic Judaism (eg Philo and Josephus) and Sectarian Judaism (mainly Qumran) had an inspirational hermeneutic theology, viewing Scripture as though it contains hidden or spiritual meanings which are not obvious to the casual or uninspired reader. Rabbis after 70 CE introduced methods of the inspirational approach to find Scriptural foundations for new rulings.
"A Study on Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Jeremiah"
I present an extensive critical view of Gillian Greenberg, Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Jeremiah (Leiden: Brill, 2002). The particular area of focus of my critique is on Greenberg's attempt to reconstruct a Vorlage to the Peshitta of Jeremiah which is seen as an intermediate stage between the text of the LXX and the Masoretes.
‘A New Manuscript of Jeremiah in Greek according to the Lucianic Recension (de Hamel MS 391; Rahlfs 897) ’
This manuscript, which I identified here in my office at Tyndale House (with some help and encouragement from Leslie McFall and Pete Williams) is the earliest manuscript of the Lucianic type by some four or five hundred years. Only a small portion survives, but as the photo shows, it once was part of a beautiful manuscript of the prophets in Greek.
"Q Review"
A review of the Critical Edition of Q and related publications. This includes a lengthy analysis of Maurice Casey, An Aramaic Approach to Q (Cambridge: CUP, 2002), including an investigation into one of Casey's favourite examples of alleged Aramaic mistranslation in the Gospels.
"Fragments of Six Newly Identified Greek Bible Manuscripts in a Cambridge Collection: A Preliminary Report"
Don't read this anymore. This preliminary report has now been superceded by the final publication in JTS.
"Beginning to Study the Old Testament"
This really does exactly what the title says it does. It looks at how one and when one should begin academic study of the Old Testament. While it is particularly informed by the experience of studying the Old Testament in a British University, it seeks to draw lessons for how Old Testament study is best done. It tackles questions of learning Hebrew, method in discussing Old Testament history, literary and historical criticism of the Old Testament, and a couple of moral objections to the Old Testament. It ends with a discussion of resources for further study.
"The Eighteen Benedictions and the Minim Before 70 CE"
The earliest wording of the 18 Benedictions says God's glory dwells in the Jerusalem Temple, which suggests that at least some of this wording originated before its destruction in 70CE. The curse against the "minim" was probably directed against the Sadducees, replacing the curse against Pharisees (which is referred to but is now lost). The anti-Christian curse against "Natzerines" is referred to by 2nd C Tertullian and Justin Martyr but it is unlikely to be as old as the mutual curses of Sadducees and Pharisees.
"The Two Asses of Zechariah 9:9 in Matthew 21"
Matthew appears to depart from the Synoptics, Johannine tradition and from common sense when he gives Jesus two asses to ride on for his grand entrance into Jerusalem. Most commentators have assumed that Matthew misunderstood the meaning of the parallelism in Zechariah 9:9, which caused him to create another animal to enable Jesus to fulfill the prophecy. This paper suggests that Matthew understood the concept of parallelism, but that he did not believe that Scripture should be interpreted in that way. This is in line with rabbinic thought of the first century which rejected the concept of parallelism in Scripture.
Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities
A summary of the findings in Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible for non-scholars, with the addition of pastoral concerns and Group Study material.
"Divorce for `Any Cause`"
A summary of Jesus' teaching on divorce, as detailed in Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible
"The Difference between the Roots mlt and plt"
People have tended to assume that the roots MLT and PLT are essentially synonyms, and that their distribution is complementary. I demonstrate here that MLT focusses much more on escape from a horizon of danger, and PLT much more on the state of safety reached.
"Israel outside the Land: The Transjordanian Tribes in 1 Chronicles 5"
Information given about the Transjordanian tribes in 1 Chronicles 5 is compared with information about the Transjordan in other biblical texts and in the Mesha Stele. It is found that a prima facie chronological placing of the narratives also produces a historically plausible sequence of events and reveals significant independent coincidences in detail between the narratives.
Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: the social and literary context
This re-examines biblical divorce teaching in the light of discoveries in the Ancient Near East, Jewish documents from 5th C BC to 5th C AD and Graeco-Roman legal documents. The legal terminology in early rabbinic debates about a new form of "Any Cause Divorce" in Dt.24.1 are mirrored in the debates with Jesus who agreed with the Shammaite conclusion that Dt.24.1 refers to "nothing except immorality" so he rejected the Hillelite no-fault divorce for "Any Cause". Judaean Desert and Karaite documents show that the three rights in Ex.21.10-11 (food, clothing and marital love) were grounds for divorce in early Judaism, the details of which are discussed in rabbinic texts. Jesus was not asked about these grounds and said nothing, though Paul is not silent - in 1.Cor.7 he appears to assume these are fundamental rights within marriage. This historical context suggests that both Jesus and Paul affirmed the OT teaching about specific grounds for divorce against the no-fault divorce of Jewish revisionists and Roman law respectively.
"Choosing a Legal System in Early Judaism"
When a Jew wrote a document such as a marriage contract, he (or his scribe) would use the formulae, language and legal concepts of whichever legal system was best suited to his situation, and when a he had a dispute, he would choose whichever court was most likely to rule in his favour. One individual wrote his own marriage contract based on the law of the Sages, and then another for his daughter based on Graeco-Roman law. Even the Sages, who felt that their legal system was divinely ordained, were willing to accept the validity of competing legal systems. This suggests that ordinary Jews were only loosely affiliated to specific religious groups and had an eclectic approach to legal matters.
"Bread and the Peshitta in Matthew 16:11-12 and 12:4"
Scholars have tended to take inadequate notice of the patterns of the target language when considering ancient translations. Here I give examples of where the Nestle-Aland 27th edition of the Greek New Testament wrongly attributes readings to the Syriac (Peshitta) of Matthew by assuming that the plural of the Greek word for 'bread' will be represented by a plural in Syriac. However, Syriac has a natural preference for the singular.
"Corinth in the First Century AD: The Search for Another Class".
The Roman world is sometimes portrayed as being constituted of a small and extremely rich elite and a large mass of poor people. In this article Jongkind takes a look at the archaeological evidence of excavated houses and shows that a wide range of housing was available: not all houses were inhabited by the very poor or very rich - there was truly a large group of people in between.
"The Role of Eyewitnesses in the Formation of the Gospel Tradition: A review article of Samuel Byrskog`s Story as History - History as Story"
This is an article-length review of Samuel Byrskog's book (I guess the subtitle does give that impression); which even Samuel Byrskog seemed to appreciate. Even Richard Bauckham hasn't taken my cautions about the transferability of results from historiography to biography seriously enough (but that is another story). There is some interesting material in the last page or two as well, which no one has yet developed.
Studies in the Syntax of the Peshitta of 1 Kings
This monograph looks at syntax and translation technique in the Peshitta of 1 Kings. The two most extensive chapters are on the various ways of expressing the genitive and on the object marker, but a number of different phenomena are discussed, including the word kl 'all', the conjunction 'and', verb tense equivalences between Hebrew and Syriac, asyndeton, speech formulae, reference to the address in introductions to speech, infinitives, prepositions, demonstratives, and the word commonly rendered 'behold'. I think it contains lots of exciting new discoveries!
"1 Corinthians 7 in the light of the Jewish Greek and Aramaic Marriage and Divorce Papyri"
Comparisons with Jewish marriage and divorce papyri show that the lifestyle and morals that Paul wishes the Corinthians to adopt are based primarily on the Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament. This is illustrated from both Greek Jewish papyri, which show a Judaism thoroughly embedded in the Graeco-Roman world, and Aramaic papyri, which use concepts very closely aligned to Paul's. Ultimately Paul wishes to take them beyond the Jewish models to the teaching of his Lord, and at significant positions Paul is found to stand in contrast to all the contemporary marriage and divorce papyri.
"1 Corinthians 7 in the light of the Graeco-Roman Marriage and Divorce Papyri"
The language and social background of 1 Corinthians 7 are compared with that of the Greek and Latin marriage and divorce papyri. These papyri are ffound to be particularly useful for illuminating the issue of divorce-by-separation, which Paul appears to be combating in vv. 10-15. They also give insights into Paul's unusual use of aphiémi for 'divorce', and the curious absence of teaching about remarriage in this chapter. Paul is found to have a positive approach to marriage, emphasising the commitment it involves, while warning that bringing up a family was difficult at the present time of famine.
"Jesus's Last Passover in the Synoptics and in John"
John says Jesus died on Passover while the Synoptics portray his Last Supper as a Passover meal. Of the various explanations, the best are those of Jeremias (that there was a dispute about when the new moon started the month) and Pickl (that Galileans ate Passover on the 13th), but neither found evidence that this ever happened. Maurice Casey has now highlighted Mishnah Zeb.1.3 which shows that early 2nd C Jews remembered that some people did celebrate Passover on the 13th, but they weren't sure why.
Divorce and remarriage in the 1st and 21st Century
A summary of Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible for busy ministers.
"Some Recently Published NT Papyri from Oxyrhynchus: An Overview and Preliminary Assessment"
Really this was just a survey of recent work, but clearly many many thousands of scholars have found this a valuable survey. Dan Wallace (I think it was) actually published a review-article of my article - so that proves that it was significant. Probably about time for another one which up-dates things again.
"Jesus' Old Testament Basis for Monogamy"
There was a growing consensus against polygamy in 1st century Judaism, as seen by the addition of "two" to Gen.2.24 in all the early versions other than Hebrew, and the exegetical arguments at Qumran based on "male and female" in Gen.1.27 which they called "the foundation of creation". The use of a similar phrase by Jesus to introduce his quotations from Gen.2.24 and Gen.1.27 in Mk.10.6-8 suggests that he is summarising an argument about monogamy which is hearers were already familiar with.
"`According to all` in MT and the Peshitta"
The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia wrongly assumes that the Hebrew phrase k 'according to' followed by kl 'all' ought to be translated literally in the Syriac and frequently refers to the Syriac as if it was based on a variant Hebrew text. In fact when the Syriac is investigated it appears that it does not go back to a variant Hebrew text, but that the Syriac repeatedly avoids representing the phrase literally, preferring a number of forms of paraphrase to do so.
"The Use of Rabbinic Sources in Gospel Studies"
A review article of how three authors have succeeded in using rabbinic background to illustrate the NT: Brad Young on the Parables; Roger Aus on the woman caught in adultery; Maurice Casey's search for the Aramaic behind Mark. They have employed traditional scholarship, historical criticism and literary criticism, but they and similar studies would greatly benefit from the additional use of redaction criticism of rabbinic material, as developed by Neusner.
"Jewish women divorcing their husbands in early Judaism: the background to papyrus Se'elim 13"
A divorce certificate from the Judaean Desert lay unpublished for 50 years, perhaps to hide its unorthodoxy. A recent English translation has emended the lettering in order to show it was authored by a man, but the original lettering clearly shows that a woman hired a scribe to write a divorce certificate against her husband. This concurs with other evidence that first century Jewish women could divorce their husbands, as found in early rabbinic traditions and Mark 10.12.
"Jesus` Resurrection in Pauline Thought: A Study in Romans"
Well, if you don't want to have to wade through Daniel Kirk's fine recent monograph Unlocking Romans: Resurrection and the Justification of God, you can read this brief offering. As Daniel said (footnote 40, page 11): "The pervasive nature of resurrection in Romans has gone largely unrecognized. An exception to this rule is Peter Head, "Jesus' Resurrection in Pauline Thought: A Study in the Epistle of Romans," in Proclaiming the Resurrection: Papers from the First Oak Hill College Annual School of Theology (ed. Peter Head; Carlisle: Paternoster, 1998), 58-80."
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