Biblical Studies – Page 2

Do Near-Death Experiences Conflict with the Biblical Notion of the Final Judgment?

Aug 26, 2024

A near-death experience (NDE) is generally defined as what people experience after they have been pronounced clinically dead, that is, with no brain waves or heart function, and who are later resuscitated. It is important to note here that Jesus did not resuscitate, but resurrected. He is the only one in human history to have done so. All those who experience NDE’s come back to their earthly bodies and later die. Jesus died fully, but...

Modern Genre Theory with Rev. Dr. Andrew Judd (Podcast)

Aug 21, 2024

In this episode we’re joined by Rev. Dr. Andrew Judd, who is Deputy Principal and Lecturer in Old Testament at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia, and the author of the book we’re discussing in this episode, Modern Genre Theory: An Introduction for Biblical Studies (published by Zondervan Academic). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Judd talks with us about the weird ways that scholars in biblical studies talk about genre, which is not often...

Postscript to an Article on the Judgment Seat of Christ in 2 Cor. 5:10

Aug 9, 2024

In response to my full article on a new reading of 2 Corinthians 5.10 (which you can read here in full), Dr. Garland wrote: “Tom rightly points [out] that one’s unexamined presuppositions about what the text says tends to predetermine the reading of the Greek grammar. If one assumes the interpretation is correct, one is less likely to probe as exhaustively as Tom has done [on] the grammatical complications” (his full reply to the short...

Jeannine K. Brown, Embedded Genres in the New Testament: Understanding Their Impact for Interpretation (Reflections for 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Jul 15, 2024

Dr. Jeannine Brown’s new book, Embedded Genres in the New Testament: Understanding Their Impact for Interpretation (Baker), was a delight to read and should benefit both scholar and lay Christian alike. What intrigued me the most was the preliminary matter of attempting to identify and sort through various subgenres within larger works, and then how to go about analyzing their interrelationships. As I read the book, I couldn’t help thinking about its potential relevance to...

The Christmaker with Professor James McGrath (Podcast)

Jul 10, 2024

In this episode we’re joined by Prof. James McGrath, who is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University and the author of the book that we’re discussing here, Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about biographical details that we can glean about John the Baptist, whether and how Mandaean literature can fill out our knowledge of...

The Judgment Seat of Christ Revisited (2 Corinthians 5.10) – Full Exegetical Article

Jun 28, 2024

ABSTRACT: This paper argues that the subordinate clause in 2 Corinthians 5:10 should be translated “so that each of us may receive through the body what is due us for what we have done,” instead of the traditional translation: “so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body” (NIV and similar texts). This note rejects various efforts to defend the conventional translation, including by classifying...

Prelude To An Article On The Judgment Seat Of Christ In 2 Corinthians 5:10

Jun 27, 2024

The article that I’ve written, which will be posted in full on The Two Cities tomorrow, offers a fresh perspective on the timing, venue, and nature of Christ’s judgment of believers (i.e., the Judgment Seat of Christ taken from 2 Cor. 5:10). The article suggests that this evaluation does not take place in some post-death apocalyptic venue as is commonly believed, but rather is an ongoing process undertaken in the earthly life of believers. It...

The Qu’ran in Conversation with the Bible with Prof. David Pechansky (Podcast)

Jun 12, 2024

In this episode we’re joined by Prof. David Pechansky, who is Professor Emeritus at the University of St. Thomas, and the author of the book we’re discussing in this episode, Solomon and the Ant: The Qu’ran in Conversation with the Bible (published with Cascade). Over the course of our conversation we talk about various thematic parallels that emerge when the Bible is intentionally juxtaposed with the Qu’ran. Team members on the episode from The Two...

Paul and the Resurrection of Israel with Dr. Jason Staples (Podcast)

May 1, 2024

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jason Staples, who is Asst Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University, and the author of The Idea of Israel (CUP) as well as the more recent book that we’re discussing in this episode, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel (also with CUP). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about the imprecision in how we often use the...

Gospel Media with Dr. Nicholas Elder (Podcast)

Apr 24, 2024

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Nicholas Elder, who is Associate Professor of New Testament at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and the author of the book that we discuss in this episode, Gospel Media: Reading, Writing, and Circulating Jesus Traditions (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Elder talks about some major myths that are perpetuated in scholarship regarding reading, writing, circulating, and publishing texts in antiquity and how...