Bock's Blog

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Ehrman Chapter 5 On Conflicts with Jews and Pagans (revised)

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 00:00

This post will not be that long. The textual issues Ehrman takes up here are not that debated across the theological spectrum. But some points are still worth noting.

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Ehrman Chapter 4: Agreement But More Nuancing Is Necessary and Crucial

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 00:00

In chapter 4, Ehrman deals with the issue of how pseudonymity was understood in the ancient world. He then works through the ways such practices were seen and how a secretary functioned. (The technical term for this role is an amanuensis).

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A Secular Bible?

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 00:00

This blog is courtesy of my wife, who said I should comment on the Secular Bible reported about in CNN.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/11/leading-atheist-publishes-secul...

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Oh, By the Way, About Jesus' Nails

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 00:00

Ah, yes, it is Easter season. Time for all the strange theories about Jesus to surface and get their 15 seconds of fame. This year it is the claim we have found the nails that Jesus was crucified with, courtesy of Simon Jacobvichi, who last supposedly found Jesus' tomb.

The story is here, thanks again to CNN.

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Ehrman on Paul, Part 1 Pastorals and 2 Thessalonians

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 00:00

I am splitting this chapter into two parts. In this entry, I will look at Ehrman's handling of Paul, especially the Pastorals and 2 Thessalonians. Ephesians and Colossians will come separately.

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Ehrman on Paul, Part 2 Ephesians and Colossians

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 00:00

 

I turn my attention now to Ehrman’s claims that Paul did not write Ephesians and Colossians. I have skipped the section on why Paul’s letters were forged, because if such deception did take place it is clear people were trying to take advantage of Paul’s authority to make their point.

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Ehrman Chapter 2- Forgeries and the Name of Peter: Apples, Oranges, and Scripture

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 00:00

Forged has a lot of useful information on many extra-biblical books that circulated among the wide range of Christian communities in the second century AD and beyond. So when Ehrman summarizes works like the Gospel of Peter or Peter's Epistle to Titus, he nicely encapsulates what these works are about.

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Issues of Ancient Composition, Thucydides, and Ehrman

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 00:00

My review will not proceed chapter by chapter always, but will stop and focus on a key issue here and there.

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And a Look at Forged (Chapter 1) by Bart Ehrman and Another NT Blog Recommendation, Ben Witherington's Site

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Sat, 04/09/2011 - 00:00

I am turning my attention now to look at Bart Ehrman's new book, Forged. I will do this in a series as I did with Rob Bell. However I want to let you know that Ben Witherington has solid reviews of both Bell and Ehrman on his site at:

http://www.patheos.com/community/bibleandculture

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In Conclusion: Rob Bell on Love, Jesus, and Judgment

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 00:00

Rob Bell's final chapter is on the love of Jesus and an invitation to enter into the same love he has experienced since he was a young boy. This chapter is simple, short, and well said. 

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On Jordan Find: It Is Too Early To Say Anything, Updated April 3, 2011

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 00:00

It is April Fools Day, but this is a serious post. I am seeing numerous posts picking up on the BBC story about a Dead Sea Scrolls level find in Jordan involving supposed early Christian texts. This is the third one of these kind of events this decade: the James Ossuary and the Gospel of Judas come to mind.

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Rob Bell on Hell, Part 2, and the Gospel

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 00:00

This chapter rooted in the story of the Prodigal Son, the Elder Brother and the Compassionate Father of Luke 15 typifies the entire book well. It discusses hell and the gospel. One topic is handled very well, the other very poorly. Let's look at the divide.

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Bell on Inclusivity and Jesus

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 00:00

Rocks everywhere. That is chapter 6. It is on Jesus and inclusivity. It is the poorest chapter so far.

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Rob Bell on the Cross, Part 1

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 00:00

This is Rob Bell's best chapter (chapter 5) yet, though there are still some issues.

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Rob Bell-- More about Judgment

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 00:00

This morning deals with Bell's take on why judgment is a bad story. Here we have less Scripture and more opinion. Bell does not like an angry God and says God does not get what he wants when he judges.

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Rob Bell on Hell, Part 1

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 00:00

I am now in Sweden for the day. I get to read as we are in the car on my Kindle. Technology is really something.

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Rob Bell on Heaven

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 00:00

I am currently in Denmark, but have been keeping an eye on the blogs about Rob Bell's Love Wins. I will review the book one chapter at a time since the discussion is an important one. The questions Bell raises are not his alone. Many ask or think them. They need to be engaged openly.  

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Middle East Trip

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Sun, 03/06/2011 - 00:00

Just back from Jordan and Israel. I spent two weeks in Amman and a few days in Jerusalem. Of course, the talk is about what has happened in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East. The events in Libya were unexpected and welcome.

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Claim of Oldest Written Find in Jerusalem

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 00:00

A quick note before I leave to teach in Jordan and Jerusalem for three weeks. Archaeologists claim to have found the oldest written document in Jerusalem.  It is said to come from the 14th century BC. Here is the URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx66Rmadqr8

Check it out.

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A Book Recommendation on Moral Formation and Religious Life in the USA

Submitted by Darrell L. Bock on Tue, 02/08/2011 - 00:00

I have been reading on biblical ethics and moral formation for some time. I find it amazing that seminary currricula rarely require a class that focuses on this topic (That includes where I teach!. We tend to think it can or is just absorbed in one way or another. (But that is another topic for another day)

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