Ancient Hebrew Poetry

Point and Counterpoint: The Meaning of Canon

So far as I can see, Bernard Levinson’s definition of canon (see below) is correct as far as it goes. In this post, I nonetheless counterpoint his assertions.

The Interpretation of Conflict and the Conflict of Interpretations in the Bible

Does it take a philosopher to note that the Bible is a complexio oppositorum,¹ the locus of conflits des interprétations et interprétation des conflits²? Perhaps it only takes an honest reader.

Genre identifications in the ZIBBC (Part 3)

Anthony Tomasino's discussion of genre-identification with respect to the book of Esther in ZIBBC is a model of clarity. Here is how Tomasino begins (3:471-72):

Dinner Invitation

Biblioblogs.com is throwing a dinner/charity event/book signing on Monday November 23rd, 7-9 pm at the Deutsches Haus in New Orleans, a mile away from the SBL meeting. Michael V. Fox, author of the AYB Proverbs commentary, has agreed to be on hand to sign copies of volume 2 published this summer. Raymond van Leeuwen of Eastern University has agreed to introduce Fox and the second volume, in a light-hearted and engaging fashion. Fox will respond and take questions.

Draft criteria for inclusion in biblioblogs.com blogrolls

Brandon Wason and I have been working on draft criteria for inclusion in biblioblogs.com blogrolls. In this post, we outline our proposals and a draft set of blogroll categories. Comments are welcome.

A Biblioblogs.com Reboot

Brandon Wason and I have been pondering changes to the biblioblogs.com site for the past few months. In this post, we outline a first set of ideas we have been bouncing around. We would like to roll out these changes before SBL-New Orleans.

Genre identifications in the ZIBBC (Part 2)

The discussions of genres in the book of Daniel by Ernest Lucas in NIBBC are fresh, dynamic, and sufficiently poised to be found acceptable by readers who bring very different assumptions to the biblical text.

Genre identifications in the ZIBBC (Part 1)

Genre identification of biblical texts remains a delicate subject, as it perforce must be if the truth claims of the Bible are not a matter of indifference. Nonetheless, among biblical scholars of all backgrounds, the momentum is strong in the direction of greater dexterity in the identification of a variety of genres specific to the ancient world in the biblical corpus. A few quotes from the recently issued ZIBBC, authored by a team of “confessionally orthodox” evangelical scholars, will serve to illustrate my point. This post is the first in a multi-part series. 

Misgav, Maeir, Yardeni, Ahituv, and Schniedewind on the Qeiyafa Inscription

Below the fold, text, translation and commentary on the Qeiyafa inscription, based on the judgments of Misgav, Yardeni, Ahituv, and Schniedewind reported or expressed on Aren Maeir’s blog here and here, as well as my own. The contents of the inscription, and more especially, its estimated date and secure provenance, make it an extremely important find.

It’s in the Bible: Barack Obama is Satan in disguise

It’s not that hard to figure out. All you have to know is a little Hebrew. I am ashamed of the narrator of this video (HT: Daniel Wallace). He does not go far enough. In this post, I prove that Barack Obama is not the Antichrist, but Satan himself, and a hologram of Lilith, the one hand maid. The arguments are very suggestive.