I'm finishing my comments on volume 1 of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (ZIBBC). I hope to post once on each of the other four volumes before leaving for the ETS and SBL meetings in mid-November. I was looking for specific items in the treatments...
Book Recommendations
ZIBBC Volume 1: Pentateuch, Part 1
When you think of background research for understanding the OT, it's natural to think of the books that cover Israel's early history and the worldview of Israel. As Bible students know, it's the Pentateuch that primarily covers that material. The Pentateuch is also...
ZIBBC Volume 2
Volume 2 of the ZIBBC covers the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth and 1-2 Samuel. Like volume 1 (Pentateuch), this volume is a go-to resource for ant pastor and serious Bible student. It is aimed at supplementing a traditional commentary that seeks to pay close attention...
Some Book Reviews of Note for Biblical Studies
The online Journal of Hebrew Scriptures announced a few new book reviews today. Some are noteworthy for material covered on this blog: Michael Hundley, Keeping Heaven on Earth: Safeguarding the Divine Presence in the Priestly Tabernacle (FAT II, 50; Tübingen: Mohr...
ZIBBC Volume 3
In this, my fourth post on the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (ZIBBC), I'll say a few things about Volume 3, which covers 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. I know. You're thinking, "What could anyone possible put into a...
The Talmud, Midrash, and Ramen Noodles
When I was in college and grad school friends and I would often joke about whether books or food were a higher priority. Sure, it was funny, but every once in a while there was something that actually turned the conversation serious. Some of us literally (I speak to...
Kenneth Kitchen’s Ancient Orient and Old Testament Available as Free PDF
This book is an important, though slightly dated, contribution to understanding the OT in its ancient Near Eastern context. It is also quite useful for addressing a range of attacks on the integrity of the OT. Prof. Kitchen was for many years an Egyptologist in the...
Reviews of Scholarly Books in Biblical Studies, Archaeology, and Theology
I don't recall ever having blogged about the RBL site and blog (Review of Biblical Literature). Both the website and blog provide free access to book reviews on scholarly books for biblical studies, archaeology, and theology. The most recent issue showed up in my...
A New Kind of Commentary: The High Definition New Testament (HDNT) Commentary Series
Readers here at Naked Bible recall that I've blogged before about the different types of commentaries. I only recommend commentaries that engage the text. Unfortunately, many commentaries that engage the text are filled with ancient language words and phrase and...
Hebrew, Ugaritic, and ANE Archaeology Titles That Need Some Love
As readers know, every once in a while some items that we're working on at Logos Bible Software are in need of a a little push to get them into production. There are hundreds of such items on the Logos website, but these are near and dear to someone like me. I'm...
Back to Blogging, and Important Books about Biblical Words
Well, I'm finally back from a week on the east coast. That means things will start to return to normal (although I find myself right in the middle of the annual whirlwind of preparing for the annual scholarly meetings I attend - ETS and SBL). I hope to resume looking...
ZIBBC – Exodus
In my judgment, Exodus is one of the more neglected books in the Old Testament. This may sound surprising since there is so much in the book that is familiar to so many: the burning bush, the plagues, the exodus, the ten commandments, the tabernacle, and the ark of...
Books You Should Read in 2019
Okay, it seems everyone is posting their "Top 10 Books of 2018" list this week (I've seen a bunch on Twitter) so I'll get into the act. I listen to audio books while driving around, which allows me to get through a lot of material. What follows is my recommendation...
Frank Viola’s New Book, Insurgence
Some of you may know the name Frank Viola. Frank has published several best-selling books in the wider Christian world. He spent a lot of time reading through and blogging about (very favorably) my own book, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of...
Works of George Wesley Buchanan Available on Logos Platform
Logos is publishing a compilation of George W. Buchanan’s works. Why do I mention this item out of the 3-4,000 items Logos publishes each year? Because I helped put this on the radar. Buchanan is one of the few serious NT scholars who is open to an alternative...