The bloggers who show up in “the canon” at biblioblogs.com, as everyone knows, are
but a tiny subset of those who blog, among other things, about the Bible. In
this post, I list dozens of blogs I didn’t know about until I did some
systematic searching. The list, of course, is still woefully incomplete.
Tens of thousands of people who keep a blog
or who once kept a blog, according to a conservative estimate, have written
insightfully about the Bible on one or more occasions. What moves them to write
about the least-read and least-understood book on the bookshelf of almost everyone
who reads at all?
Could it be that this iconic best-seller of
all best-sellers, read around the globe in hundreds of languages, in homes,
schools, universities, synagogues, and churches – could it be that the Bible,
now no less than in the past, serves as a compass in the storm of life for many,
lettered and unlettered alike? Do others find its contents abnormally
interesting even as they choose to take their coordinates in life from sources
of another kind?
The “hopes and fears of all the years” are
found in biblical literature. “God” and the devil or surrogates thereof in all
religions function as semiotic sinks for human fears and human love and human
hate. The Bible talks a lot about God and the gods. The Bible is a dump-site of
humankind’s most audacious wish-projections and most horrifying nightmares.
There is no telling what one might find in there. Maybe even a record of an
encounter with a transcendent Being.
No wonder the Bible’s language and tropes
permeate literature, film, and art in more ways than meets the eye. It’s a safe
bet that the Bible – irrespective of how its core and outer limits are defined
– will continue to be used and abused until heaven and earth pass away.
In other words, those who blog about the
Bible find themselves in the thick of a conversation that shows no signs of
going away.
The classification scheme I use to map the
world of Bible blogdom is not fool-proof. Bloggers often might be put in more
than one pigeon-hole. For example, it is not always easy to tell if someone
belongs among “Very Insightful Laypeople” or “Scholars who are otherwise
gainfully employed.” If someone self-identifies as having an advanced degree in
which they should have received a firm foundation in biblical studies, I list
them as a “scholar” unless they are clergy. Bloggers who write under a pen name
were difficult to classify.
I refer to a blog by whatever appears as the
title on the blog’s masthead. The good people who keep the canon at biblioblogs.com normally, but not
consistently, do likewise.
A first observation: there is no Boss Tweed
of the biblioblogosphere. A second: the map is constantly changing. The map
provided is a snapshot of a subset of reality at the moment. A year from now,
things will have changed, perhaps dramatically.
A final observation: I am keenly aware of how
many blogs I have left unmentioned. Virtually every day I surf, I come upon
bloggers new to me who are posting interesting stuff. This list is a work in
progress.
Very insightful laypeople
Aantekeningen bij de Bijbel
(J. P. van de Giessen)
A lectionary beyond belief
(Scott Gray)
Believing is Knowing (David Guttmann)
Better Bibles (Suzanne McCarthy,
Mike Sangrey, and David Lang)
BibleDudes Blog (Cleopatra and
Methuselah)
Bible Films Blog (Matt Page)
Bible Shockers! (Bill Ross)
BiblicalStudies.org.uk
(Rob Bradshaw)
Bob’s Log (Bob MacDonald)
Connected Christianity (Stuart,
Jerome, and Caleb)
The Dilettante Exegete (Rick
Sumner)
dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos
(Richard Anderson)
he is sufficient (ElShaddai Edwards)
Hypotyposeis (Stephen Carlson
and Andrew Criddle)
Iambic Admonit (Sorina Higgins)
Mayfly (Kyle Covett)
On the Main Line (Mississippi Fred MacDowell)
primal subversion (Sean and
Eddie)
Scripture Zealot (Jeff)
Sufficiency (Bob MacDonald)
The Books of the Bible
Blog (Paul and Glenn)
The Busybody (Loren Rosson III)
The Lesser of Two Weevils (Talmida)
Talmudic Questionings
(Jeff Wild)
Thoughts on Antiquity (Ben C. Smith,
Roger Pearse)
Students
Aedificium (Jay Larson)
Ancient Mediterranean Musings
(Jason von Ehrenkrook)
A New Testament Student (Josh
McManaway)
Aristotle’s Feminist Subject (J.
K. Gayle)
Awilum
(Charles Halton)
Biblical Ruminations
(Chris Peterson)
Chrisendom (Chris
Tilling)
Confessional Reformed Contemplations
(Andrew Compton)
Confessions of a Bible Junkie
(Matthew Burgess)
Conversational Theology
(Ros Clarke)
Daily Hebrew (H. H. Hardy)
Davar Akher (Simon Holloway)
Deinde
(Danny Zacharias)
Dunelm Road (Ben Blackwell)
Early Christianity and Social-Scientific
Interpretation (J. Coleman Baker)
ἐν εφέσω:
Thoughts and Meditations (Mike Aubrey)
Exegetisk Teologi (Stefan
Green)
Faith and Theology (Benjamin
Myers)
Hermeneutically
Speaking (Simon Jooste)
Imaginary Grace (Angela Erisman Roskop)
In The Corner With Matt (Matthew
Barnes)
James’ Thought and Musings
(James Bradford Pate)
Jesus, Paul, and Luke (Nick
Meyer)
Judy’s research blog (Judy Redman)
kata ta biblia (Patrick George
McCullough)
Ketuvim
(Jim Getz)
Metalepsis (Bryan Lee)
Metanoia (David Nyström)
Narrative and Ontology
(Phil Sumpter)
New Testament and Faith
(Jacob Paul Breeze)
Novum Testamentum Blog (Brandon Wason,
Anthony Rogers, Cliff Kvidahl, J. Coleman Baker, Jason Bethel, and Kevin Scull)
Occasional Publications
(Daniel Driver)
Parableman (Jeremy Pierce)
Reception of the Bible
(John Lyons)
Rhetorical Response (Karen Kovaka)
Sibylline Leaves (Gordon Lyn
Watley)
The Iconic Books Blog (Dorina
Miller Parmenter, Shawn Krause-Loner, Cordell Waldron, Jay Larson)
The Uncredible Hallq (Chris
Hallquist)
the new testament roundtable (Mark
Owens)
Theological Musings
(Clifford Kvidahl)
This Lamp . . .
and that’s all I need (Rick Mansfield)
Thoughts on Antiquity (Chris
Zeichmann; Chris Weimer, Walter Shandruck)
Tolle lege (Dave Beldman)
Velveteen Rabbi (Rachel
Barenblat)
you say “goodbye” and I say
“hello” (Jenelle)
Rabbis, priests, pastors,
friars, and nuns
Ancient Hebrew Poetry (John
Hobbins)
Bibbiablog (Sergio Rotasperti, Andherson
Franklin Lustoza de Souza, Luca Buccheri, Iveta Strenkova, Gianni Gualtieri, Flavio
Gillio, Michal Wilk, John Hobbins)
Bible Software Review Weblog (Rubén
Gómez)
Emerging From Babel (Stephen)
Green Baggins (Lane
Kiester)
Menachem Mendel (Michael Pitkowsky)
Metacatholic (Doug Chaplin)
Pisteuomen (T. Michael W.
Halcomb)
Revelation is Real (Tony Siew)
Theologie und Gemeinschaft (Jim West)
Theology, life, and faith in the
UK (Maggie Dawn)
Until Translucent (Beth)
Agaphseis (Zephyr)
Better Bibles (Wayne Leman, Peter
Kirk, Dan Sindlinger)
Gentle Wisdom (Peter Kirk)
Kouya
Chronicle (Eddie and Sue Arthur)
Lingamish (David Ker)
Scholars who are otherwise
gainfully employed
Abnormal Interests (Duane Smith)
The BibleWorks Blog (Michael
Hanel and James Darlack)
Biblicalia (Kevin Edgecomb)
Blogos (Sean Boisen)
Blue Cord (Kevin Wilson)
Christ, My Righteousness (Celucien L.
Joseph)
Connected Christianity (Darrell
Pursiful)
DovBear et al (DovBear, The Bray of
Fundie, etc.)
Dr.
Platypus (Darrell Pursiful)
Gospel of the Living Dead (Kim
Paffenroth)
Hirhurim
Musings (Gil Student)
idle musings of a bookseller (James
Spinti)
katagrapho
(D. Christopher Spinks)
L’chaim (Heather Goodman)
Levellers (Michael
Westmoreland-White)
Mode of Expression (Jeff Reimer)
Old in the New (James Darlack)
PastoralEpistles.com (Rick Brannan,
Lloyd Pieterson)
Ralph the Sacred River (Edward Cook)
Resurgence Greek Project (Zach Hubert)
Ricoblog (Rick
Brannan)
Theological French/Français théologique
(Celucien L. Joseph)
The Voice of Stefan (Esteban Vázquez)
Threads from Henry’s Web
(Henry Neufeld)
Virtual Qumran (Robert Cargill)
Professors
AKMA’s Random Thoughts (A. K. M. Adam)
Apocryphicity
(Tony Chartrand-Burke)
Better Bibles (Richard Rhodes)
BibleDudes Blog (Michael M. Homan and
Jeffrey C. Geoghegan)
Bible Places Blog (Todd Bolen)
Biblical Foundations (Andreas
Köstenberger
Biblical Studies and Technological
Tools (Mark Vitalis Hoffman)
Biblical Theology (Matt Harmon
Biblische Ausbildung (Stephen Cook)
Bock’s blog (Darrell Bock)
Café Apocalypsis (Alan S. Bandy)
Codex (Tyler Williams)
Crossings (Bruce N.
Fisk)
Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor
of Old Testament
earliest christian history
(James Crossley)
ἐν
χριστῳ (Ekaputra Tupamahu)
Euangelion (Michael F. Bird and
Joel Willitts)
Evangelical Textual Criticism
(Tommy Wasserman, Peter Head, Dirk Jongkind, Peter J. Williams, Michael F.
Bird, Simon Gathercole, Randall Buth, to name only those on the teams whose
posts I remember reading)
Exploring Our Matrix (James
F. McGrath
Faith Matters (Mark Alterman)
Fence Posts
(Lawson Stone)
Ger va-Toshav (David Miller)
Higgaion (Christopher Heard)
Jesus Creed (Scot McKnight)
Leithart.com (Peter J. Leithart)
NT Gateway Weblog (Mark Goodacre)
NT Resources Blog (Rod Decker)
Observatorio biblico (Airton
José da Silva)
old testament passion
(Anthony Loke)
Paleojudaica (James Davila)
PastoralEpistles.com (Ray Van
Neste, Perry L. Stepp)
Philo of Alexandria Blog (Torrey
Seland and Kåre Fuglseth)
Religions of the Ancient
Mediterranean (Philip A. Harland)
Research Notes on 1 Peter (Torrey
Seland)
Sansblogue (Tim Bulkeley)
Sean the Baptist
(Sean Winter)
Sibboleth (Daniel Kirk)
Singing In The Reign (Michael
Barber, Brant Pitre)
Syneidon (Richard Goode)
Targuman (Christian Brady)
Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavations Official (and
Unofficial) Weblog (Aren Maeir)
The Forbidden Gospels Blog
(April DeConick)
The Iconic Books Blog (Jim Watts)
The Jesus Dynasty Blog (James
Tabor)
Theological German/Theologisches Deutsch
(Mark Alterman)
The Stuff of Earth (Michael Pahl)
Company blogs
Accordance Bible Software Blog (David Lang)
Addenda & Errata
(IVP)
Publication Blogs
Theolog
(Christian Century)
Complete List in Alphabetical Order
Accordance Bible Software Blog
Biblical Studies and Technological
Tools
Confessional Reformed Contemplations
dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos
Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor
of Old Testament
Early Christianity and Social-Scientific
Interpretation
ἐν εφέσω:
Thoughts and Meditations
Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavations Official (and
Unofficial) Weblog
Theological French/Français théologique
Theological German/Theologisches Deutsch
Theology, life, and faith in the
UK
This Lamp . . .
and that’s all I need
Dang, that's disappointing. I was hoping, when I saw the post title, that you had actually managed somehow or other to create an actual world map with bloggers locations marked. This isn't a map. It's a list.
Posted by: Jim | November 01, 2007 at 07:20 AM
Thank you for all the great links. That is very helpful.
Posted by: Matt Dabbs | November 01, 2007 at 07:21 AM
Jim, it is disappointing.
I began to compile geographical, confessional, frequency of posting, and other numbers, but ran out of time. Plus, I don't know the first thing about graphics.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 08:38 AM
Honoured as I am to be listed as a professor, I am but a humble amateur.
Posted by: Roger Pearse | November 01, 2007 at 08:53 AM
Well, Roger, would that we were all amateurs of your caliber.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 09:01 AM
you could add www.philgons.com to the list...
Posted by: Mike | November 01, 2007 at 09:23 AM
Sure will, Mike. As soon as I posted the list, excellent bloggers I failed to mention started to come to mind.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 09:33 AM
A very useful post - I will be using it next time I update my blogrolls.
Posted by: Rob Bradshaw | November 01, 2007 at 09:38 AM
The mother of all biblioblogrolls. Whoawa.
I'll wait patiently for the spinning globe with little color-coded lights hyperlinked to blogs.
Posted by: Lingamish | November 01, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Rob, I just want to thank you for your great site. It is a treasure trove.
I wish I knew how to do what you're waiting for, Lingamish.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 11:03 AM
Thanks for adding us to the list! We've posted about your endeavor and added the list to our links.
Posted by: Burke | November 01, 2007 at 12:15 PM
What a great list!!! Thanks for all the work.
Posted by: Chip Hardy | November 01, 2007 at 12:55 PM
Kyrie! Boy, that's quite a list! Thanks for all that work, John. You've given us a whole bunch of reading for the weekend. I'd say at least half of them are ones I've never seen before. Fun!
Posted by: Kevin P. Edgecomb | November 01, 2007 at 01:35 PM
I'm honored to be a part of your list. And, thanks so much for your kind words a few posts ago. I think we have a common love for Roma. Bless her. Bless you.
Posted by: Jenelle | November 01, 2007 at 02:01 PM
John,
Great list. You mentioned several blogs that were unknown to me. In the future, I am planning to visit the new blogs and read some of their posts. You always learn new things from people who love the Bible as much as we do.
Great work.
Claude Mariottini
Posted by: Claude Mariottini | November 01, 2007 at 02:33 PM
Stephen Carlson should also have his status upgraded from layman to student, as he recently started attending Duke. And many thanks for the honor of mention. Kudos for such a fine list.
Chris Weimer
Posted by: Chris Weimer | November 01, 2007 at 03:26 PM
Will do, Chris. I plan to revise the list and make corrections tomorrow.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 04:32 PM
Torrey Seland had a facility linked to his blog which located the commentator on a map of the world. Perhaps Brandon Wason at Biblioblogs could provide a similar link. Great work with the posts John.
Posted by: Peter Nathan | November 01, 2007 at 05:46 PM
My goodness, Peter, you have been metablogging at a fast and furious pace, haven't you?
I will update and link to your work on the main carnival post. Thanks for all you do.
Posted by: John Hobbins | November 01, 2007 at 05:57 PM
You might want to add me to your list. I have a blog connected with my new book, "Bible Shockers!" at:
http://bibleshockers.blogspot.com
Thanks,
Bill Ross
Posted by: Bill Ross | November 01, 2007 at 08:57 PM
Considering so called Christian bloggers, or other concerns, I think that first Baptists and other who observe “Christians” in both politics and the pulpit have to consider also this video, a disturbing exploration of the theology of the pastor Paul Washer addressing this issue, in his own words:
“Paul Washer- Is American "Christianity" really Christian? ”
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2977907213395711239
Posted by: a humble (I pray) sinner | November 01, 2007 at 09:20 PM
John, thanks for including the Aedificium in your list here. I noticed some people accessing my site through yours here, and this is a remarkable resource.
I'm also involved in the Iconic Books Blog as well.
Posted by: Jay Larson | November 01, 2007 at 09:51 PM
Nice John, great work!
Posted by: Charles Halton | November 01, 2007 at 10:25 PM
Thank you for this excellent list - and thanks for including us.
Posted by: Ëddie | November 02, 2007 at 06:32 AM
John,
Very nice list! Here are two more who are professors:
Lawson Stone, OT Professor, Asbury Seminary (spotty posting, but alive) http://web.mac.com/lawsonstone1/StonesFence/Blog/Blog.html
Matt Harmon, NT Professor, Grace Theological Seminary http://bibtheo.blogspot.com/
James
Posted by: James | November 02, 2007 at 09:19 AM
tq for listing my blog twice (but under professor? whoa. i am just an OT lecturer as there are no 'professorships' in my seminary).
but thanks for the great list. we'll be surfing a long time on it.
Posted by: reb | November 02, 2007 at 09:39 AM
Hi,
Could you define biblio blog? I have what I would think is a biblio blog but I'm not a student at a seminary, pastor or scholar as listed above.
Posted by: ScriptureZealot | November 02, 2007 at 12:58 PM
Another to add under professors is David Miller's blog:
www.gervatoshav.blogspot.com
Posted by: Nick Meyer | November 02, 2007 at 01:07 PM
Glad to see my infrequently updated blog (katagrapho) in the list. However, it is incorrectly listed under students. I graduated in June 2006. I now work for a publisher, and so would be better placed under 'Scholars who are otherwise gainfully employed.' Thanks.
D. Christopher "Chris" Spinks
Posted by: Chris Spinks | November 02, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Thanks for the mention!
One more to add to professors: David Miller's www.gervatoshav.blogspot.com
Posted by: Nick Meyer | November 02, 2007 at 08:52 PM
John, (very helpful piece of work BTW - Thanks)in your first category you have Dilettante Exeget listed twice (under D and T), but with slightly different author names (the second is wrong I think)
Posted by: Doug Chaplin | November 03, 2007 at 11:25 AM
Thanks, Doug.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 03, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Here are a few other publishers who are maintaining blogs these days (HT to Chris Spinks):
Eisenbrauns: http://anebooks.blogspot.com
IVP: http://www.ivpress.com/blogs/addenda-errata
Oxford University Press (Religion): http://blog.oup.com/category/religion
Posted by: dave b | November 03, 2007 at 01:05 PM
Thanks, Dave. I already have IVP and Eisenbrauns (which I treat as Spinti's own blog, entitled "idle musings of a bookseller").
OUP I'm not sure about. I've read it on occasion. It seems kind of bland, as if put together by an employee, not a human being.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 03, 2007 at 01:10 PM
John,
Great list.
I have actually discontinued my blogging pursuits, so Palimpsest is no more.
But I will continue to follow the blogs.
S.
Posted by: Shawn | November 03, 2007 at 07:41 PM
Shawn,
I will miss your blog. I hope you leave a comment then and again.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 03, 2007 at 08:08 PM
Thanks for all your hard work--this was a great idea for a post. Thanks also for the mention!
Posted by: Michael Barber | November 06, 2007 at 01:32 AM
Does this compendious list include audio blogs? If so please consider my 5 Minute Bible (http://5minutebible.com) in the list.
Posted by: Tim | November 06, 2007 at 05:30 PM
I don't see why not, Tim. I'm happy to add you.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 06, 2007 at 06:33 PM
John, thanks for including me in the list. You have done a good job. I really appreciate it.
Posted by: Ekaputra Tupamahu | November 06, 2007 at 07:56 PM
Thanks for the link!
Posted by: Jeff Reimer | November 06, 2007 at 09:56 PM
I would just like to point out that "otherwise gainfully employed" seems a slightly odd way of categorizing a UCLA graduate student. Incidentally, Robert Cargill's "Virtual Qumran" film has been the object of a crushing review available on the University of Chicago website.
http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/san_diego_virtual_reality_2007.pdf
What troubles me is that Mr. Cargill's gainful employment seems to have kept him from answering any of the allegations contained in the above-cited review. No doubt silence is not an admission of guilt, but it seems to me that either the author of the review is wrong, in which case the allegations should be answered; or he's right, in which case it would be extremely worrisome that such a film is being projected to thousands of people every day in a major museum exhibit, while hundreds of bible blogs stand by without saying a word.
Let's show some responsibility, folks, and call on Mr. Cargill to respond to the allegations.
Posted by: Martin Elderling | November 22, 2007 at 07:56 PM
It's nice to know that Robert Cargill is a grad student. Cargill's film, in any case, is a fine piece of work.
The pars destruens of Norman Golb's argument, on the other hand, rides roughshod over a lot of data. The pars costruens captures some important data, but reads too much into them.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 22, 2007 at 08:48 PM
I take it you referring not to Golb's review of the film, but to his argument about the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls? If so, do Hirschfeld's book Qumran in Context and the official Israel Antiquities Report by Magen and Peleg also ride roughshod over a lot of data? See the Magen and Peleg report at
http://www.antiquities.org.il/images/shop/jsp/JSP6_Qumran_color.pdf
Posted by: Martin Elderling | November 25, 2007 at 08:49 PM
Thanks for the link, Martin. I hope to take a look at it soon.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 26, 2007 at 02:04 AM
Please add the Accordance Blog written mainly by David Lang:
http://www.accordancebible.com/blog
Posted by: Helen Brown | November 27, 2007 at 06:49 AM
Thank you, Helen. I will.
Posted by: JohnFH | November 27, 2007 at 12:41 PM
John, thanks for such a great list. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind updating the URL for kata ta biblia to http://patmccullough.com/?
Thanks so much!
Peace,
Pat
Posted by: Pat McCullough | December 11, 2007 at 02:02 PM
Will do, Pat.
Posted by: JohnFH | December 11, 2007 at 04:53 PM
It's a nice list, but you really don't have to work to attach so much weight, do you?
Aggrandizing the worth of your own belief system is not what your belief system is about. Idolatry, even if the object is the bible, is wrong, according to the bible.
Posted by: Radical Atheist | December 24, 2007 at 03:13 PM
So-called Bible believers have attached so many weights to the Bible, radical atheist, that it would have sunk to the bottom of the sea long ago -
if it were not for its intrinsic qualities.
Posted by: JohnFH | December 24, 2007 at 05:22 PM
Dear John, as per your woefully overlooked proposal here:
PC: "Estaban" should read "Esteban Vázquez". ETC
Posted by: Esteban Vázquez | January 01, 2008 at 09:17 PM
John,
Would you consider listing my blog on your list as well? I'm a PhD student at Fuller Seminary and my blog is about biblical interpretation and Pauline theology.
Thanks!
Posted by: J. Matthew Barnes | January 02, 2008 at 04:36 AM
Esteban and Matthew,
your wish is my command. Matthew, that's one fine blog you have.
Posted by: JohnFH | January 02, 2008 at 10:35 AM