Today, Christians celebrate Palm Sunday — the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to great “Hosanna!” acclaim. But just exactly how did he do it? The stories disagree in a puzzling way… unless you know something about the conventions of biblical Hebrew and that the New Testament writers (Matthew, especially) often looked to the Old Testament, for ways
Palm Sunday confusion? Read More »
Wonderful to see so many people at the Charlottesville Barnes and Noble last Wed eve! As moderator David Bearinger noted, Winn Collier’s Holy Curiosity and my Bible Babel are very different projects, though both concern the Bible. The Virginia Festival of the Book (a Virginia Foundation for the Humanities event) has included panels on religion and spirituality in the past but not
Talkin’ about the Bible Read More »
The Virginia Festival of the Book kicks off today, St. Patty’s Day! I’m on for a Bible Babel book talk tonight — 6pm at the Charlottesville Barnes and Noble on Emmett. If you’re in the area, do come! I had a chance to visit over coffee yesterday with my fellow panelist, Winn Collier, and our
VA Festival of the Book Read More »
Did you know that “Eli” means “my God,” in Hebrew? Yup. In one form, anyway. So, even if you’d missed all the previews, reviews, and commentary in between on the movie “The Book of Eli,” you still might guess that the book in question is the Bible. The English translation King James Version, to be precise.
Book of Eli — My God Read More »
Or “old texts in a new medium.” For a thoughtful blog about ancient Hebrew poetry, with links to some other great resources, too, you may be interested in checking out this one by John Hobbins (just follow the link)!
Old Wine in New Wineskins Read More »
Big game last Saturday — Florida State University against #1 ranked University of Florida, led by quarterback Tim Tebow whose illustrious career will make him the darling of NFL draft picks after he graduates this year. Tebow’s Christianity isn’t news, but the text in his eye black, “Hebrews 12:1-2” had them guessing… at least until they’d located the verses
Tim Tebow Takes the Field, or When Hebrews Meets Football Read More »
It’s a gray day in New Orleans, and rainy. No, not THAT rainy, but enough to keep the biblical scholars to their session… till nighttime, that is. The Society of Biblical Literature is meeting right now in downtown New Orleans, just off the French Quarter. This annual meeting, which gathers in a different place each year, is
Bourbon St. Meets the Bible Read More »
In this time of the proliferation of Bible versions, translations, and packaging, there’s yet another. The Word of Promise Audio Bible (Thomas Nelson) produced over near four years and based on a modern (1982) King James Version is 98 hours long and spans 79 CDs. The real selling point will likely be the stars who lent their voices to
Yet Another Bible on the Block Read More »
I have had the great good fortune to visit recently with some amazing preachers about the challenges posed by general biblical illiteracy, in the course of writing an article on the topic for Christian Century magazine. For all sorts of reasons, it’s tough for people these days to learn even basic information about the Bible, despite its
Preachers Riff on Biblical Illiteracy — Part III: Hold on, a Minute! Read More »
I have had the great good fortune to visit recently with some amazing preachers about the challenges posed by general biblical illiteracy, in the course of writing an article on the topic for Christian Century magazine. For all sorts of reasons, it’s tough for people these days to learn even basic information about the Bible, despite its
Preachers Riff on Biblical Illiteracy — Part II: The Role of Translation(s) Read More »
