Leviticus is a difficult book. The Levitical land is littered with detailed and verbose laws concerning cleanliness and uncleanliness, priestly garments, proper and improper food, bodily discharges, and the proper way to kill an animal. What’s more, scattered across the landscape are bodies of well meaning poor souls who resolved to read the Bible in a year. As difficult as the Bible can be at times, I am a firm believer that the books that demand a little more patience and hard work from their readers are always rewarding. Such is the case with Leviticus, a book that – along with 1 Maccabees – is often the punchline response to, “hey, what are you preaching from this Sunday?”. However, as with many foreign lands, Leviticus is in fact a rich and beautiful place once you begin to understand the accent and customs. L. Michael Morales has journeyed long in Leviticus and lived to tell the tale, and he has written a guide for us interested travelers through this treacherous terrain. This book is Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? (hereafter Who Shall Ascend) in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series; a series that is as excellent as its covers are bland.
Tag: SPCK (page 1 of 2)
Believe it or not, I’m still (a year later) slogging through Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Fans of G.K. Beale may know that he “famously” read Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God while brushing his teeth. Well, I’m not at all competitive, but I’m reading PFG on my iPhone! I know this is sacrilege for bibliophiles, but it seems to be working for me right now. Basically, I squeeze in a few pages here and there.
» Read the entire post: Monotheism Freshly Revealed in Jesus (Wright’s PFG) »
I’m continuing my walk through Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God and for the sections on religion and Rome I have nothing really to say. The chapters were very good and I have much to think about, just nothing really to report. So I will leave you with some choice quotes.
As a blogger in the UK, I’ve had the unique adventure of tracking down which UK companies serve as distributors for US publishers. When I first started blogging I would sheepishly ask the US publisher if they would post all the way to the UK, or I would simply load up on books whenever we visited Tasha’s family in Washington. Then I began to discover that there are distributors in the UK who can issue review copies too; imagine my pleasure at this discovery!
» Read the entire post: US Publishers and UK Distributors for Christian Academic Books »
Sometimes we Christians will forget just how different our worldview can be to one on the outside looking in. Not only do we use unusual phrases, but we see everything differently. The created world has structure, order and even purpose that have all been disturbed by our sin and rebellion against our Creator. The actions of mankind are not merely personal, nor do they only affect others, but they are ultimately judged by an absolute moral standard. However, forgiveness and transformation is available for those who place their trust in Jesus the Messiah. It’s claimed that these ideas have been consistently held by the first Christians such as the apostle Paul. However, reading one of Paul’s letters may feel at times like entering another world filled with unusual and unexplained concepts. Stephen Westerholm understands and appreciates this culture shock that many experience when reading Paul, and so he has provided Understanding Paul as a “preface to his thought that addresses the gap between his horizons and [our] own (p11). Westerholm chooses to introduce Paul to his readers by way of tracing the flow of thought in Paul’s letter to the Romans.
» Read the entire post: Review: Understanding Paul by Stephen Westerholm »
Review: Thomas Schreiner, Romans (BECNT)
» Read the entire post: Review: Thomas Schreiner, Romans (BECNT) »