I was having a conversation with my Old Testament colleague Bill Arnold, and I asked him, “Is God ever called ‘life’ in the Old Testament?” His answer was telling: “Nothing comes to mind. But that may be because of frequency of usage, since the noun ‘life’ (ḥayyâ) is relatively rare, whereas the adjective ‘living’ (ḥay)
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Paul’s Gateway to the West
We often think of Paul as a theologian and writer—as the apostle whose letters established key teachings of the Christian faith. But Paul did much more than think and write. In the decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul planted churches throughout the northeastern Mediterranean region. His missionary work led to countless Christian converts, and
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The Ninth Word and Social Media
The Ninth Word is a fitting word for our mediated age. We’re spun by a whirlpool of rumor, innuendo, false accusation, slander, libel. People are tried and condemned by online lynch mobs. We like or share Tweets and Facebook posts even though we can’t possibly confirm their accuracy. Luther said that the Ninth Word requires
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Follow the Life and Ministry of Paul in This New Visual Guide
The Apostle Paul is one of the most important figures in the early church. He is a main character in the narrative woven through the book of Acts and his thirteen letters make up a significant portion of the New Testament canon. Because Acts and his letters appear as discrete books in Scripture, it can
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Can a Samaritan Be Good?
“Good Samaritan Helps Family Stranded on Side of Road” “Good Samaritan Funds Children’s Hospital”“Woman Saved from Burning House by Good Samaritan” How many times have you seen headlines like this? Stories about people who are selfless and sacrificial are wonderful and uplifting. They take us out of our doldrums and cynicism and remind us that
Read moreWhy Is Counting the Ten Commandments so Difficult?
We know there are Ten Words. Yahweh wrote them with his finger on two tablets of stone (Exod 31:18; 34:1). But the church has never agreed on how to count to ten. The Bible doesn’t give a decisive answer. There are twelve negative imperatives in Exodus 20:1–17, and one of the ten (“Honor thy father
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What Goes Into Making a Cover Beautiful?
Have you ever wondered what goes into designing a book cover? It’s not an easy process and the final product is the result of a collaboration between designers, editors, and marketers. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we created the cover for the brand new Lexham English Septuagint (LES). The first step is an initial
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Understanding Deuteronomy with A. J. Culp
Deuteronomy can be an intimidating book. However, in Invited to Know God, A. J. Culp invites readers to see the gospel of Jesus in unlikely places. In this interview, we asked Culp to explain how to read Deuteronomy as good news. Lexham Press: Tell us a little about yourself and the story of how this
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Why Translate a New Edition of the Septuagint?
The collection of compositions commonly known as the Septuagint is an ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Jewish Scriptures, into Greek. Although there are many English translations of the Bible, only a few English translations of the Septuagint exist. Most English translations of what Protestant Christians call the “Old Testament” are translations from Hebrew
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Rome in the Biblical Story
For all its importance as the center of empire throughout the New Testament period, the physical spaces of Rome intersect disproportionately rarely with the biblical story. It emerges as Paul’s destiny late in Acts as a result of his appealing his case to be heard in the highest courts of the empire (Acts 25:11–12), which
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