In this excerpt from the introduction to Always Reforming, Channing L. Crisler outlines Martin Luther’s approach to reading and interpreting scripture, and how his hermeneutic can inform scholarship today. “Comfort yourself with the Word of God, the pre-eminent consolation.” In this way, Martin Luther consoled a father and husband suffering the loss of both his
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Signs of the Messiah: An Interview with Andreas Köstenberger
John’s Gospel is written to inspire faith in Jesus. In Signs of the Messiah, Andreas J. Köstenberger—veteran New Testament scholar and expert on the Gospel of John—guides readers through John and highlights its plot and message. By keeping the Gospel’s big picture in view, readers will see Jesus’ mighty signs and be compelled to trust
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The Death and Resurrection Motifs of Joseph’s Narrative
In this excerpt from Figuring Resurrection, Jeffrey Pulse explains how death-and-resurrection motifs play a critical role in understanding Joseph’s story in the book of Genesis. Many scholars over the centuries have engaged with Joseph and his story, and their efforts have often borne useful fruit. One aspect of Joseph’s story, however, has been somewhat neglected.
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Who Was the “Disciple Whom Jesus Loved”?
Formally, like all the Gospels, John’s Gospel is anonymous. Unlike the New Testament letters, it doesn’t start out by saying, for example, “I, the apostle John, wrote this Gospel.” That’s because a Gospel is not person-to-person or person-to-group communication like an epistle is. Rather, as Richard Bauckham and others have argued in The Gospels for
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How Does Genesis Define Evil?
Evil is predominantly found to refer to anything that departs from God and his good ways established in creation and in covenant. The shortest definition of evil is a violation of divine design. However, this does not fully account for covenant, the broad range of meaning of the lexeme רע (evil), or the role of
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Suffering and Wisdom in the Book of Job
The book of Job is regularly called a theodicy. Yet if by “theodicy” one means an answer to that age-old dilemma, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” then the label does not fit very well. The answer to human suffering is glaringly absent. But if it is taken to mean the vindication of
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Does the Historicity of the Book of Daniel Matter?
Daniel is one of the most disputed books in the Hebrew Bible. To most theological conservatives, the book of Daniel gives historically reliable accounts of Daniel and his friends and contains genuine, detailed, and remarkably fulfilled prophecies. To critical scholars it is a work of fiction with many historical errors and prophecies that are only
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The Hidden Covenant in the Garden of Eden
While Genesis 1 establishes Yahweh as the sovereign Creator and enthroned King, Genesis 2–3 lays the cornerstone of how Yahweh is the covenantal Lord of the Hebrews. These chapters connect the work of God done for Israel in the exodus to God’s work with Adam and Eve. They link Israel’s story with that of the
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Exegesis Meets Biblical Theology in These New Commentaries
The Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) series reveals how every passage in the Bible fits into God’s drama of redemption—and the role you play in his story today. Scholarly exegesis, biblical theology, and life application come together in a new commentary series on every book of the Bible. The first four volumes in the EBTC
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Watch This New Interview with Nijay Gupta
For many beginning students of the New Testament, looking for a commentary seems like a simple process: identify the book you’re studying, search for a commentary, and pick one. However, the reality is far from simple. With new commentaries being published every year on every book of the Bible, the student of Scripture can quickly
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