Gen 6:1 .When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 6:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
Who were these ‘sons of God’?
(a) Angels or demons?
The view of many interpreters, ancient (e.g. Josephus) and modern (e.g. Wenham,) is that these are (fallen) angels, cf. 1 Pet 3:19-20; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6.…
16:18 “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
The interpretation of this saying has far-reaching implications for church government, apostolic succession, and the role of the pope.
1. The rock is Peter himself, along with his Roman successors
In support of this interpretation is the fact that what Jesus says is in the singular, and must have been addressed to Peter himself (even if it also had a wider application). …
Gal 3:17 – ‘The law, introduced 430 years later…’
In this passage, Paul seems to be saying that the law was given 430 years the Abrahamic covenant.
The figure assigned in Gen 15:13 is 400 years, whereas 430 years is the figure assigned in Ex 12:40 (MT) to the length of stay in Egypt.
MT: The length of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.
LXX: The length of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt and Canaan was 430 years.…
Gal 6:16 ‘And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.’
Summary
The question is whether Paul is referring to one group of people (‘on them, that is, on the Israel of God’) or two groups (‘on them, and also on the Israel of God’). The first interpretation is to be favoured.
In detail
I think that the meaning implied in the NIV and most other modern translations, is probably correct. …
Galatians 6:2 ‘Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.’
See also Gal 5:14; 1 Cor 9:21, and James 2:8 (which refers to ‘the royal law’).
Meaning
This difficult but important phrase has been variously understood as:
(a) the law of love (so most interpreters, including Brown, Bruce, Stott, Fung). ‘The ‘law of Christ’ is to love one another as He loves us; that was the new commandment which He gave (Jn.…
Mt 1:24f ‘He took his wife, but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.’
Mt 12:46–50 — While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.” 48 To the one who had said this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”…
According to John 2:12-22, Jesus cleansed the Temple near the beginning of his public ministry. The Synoptists, however, record a cleansing during the last week of his earthly ministry (Mt 21:10–17; Mk 11:15–19; Lk 19:45–46).
So, was there one cleansing (and, if so, was it at the beginning or the close of his ministry)? Or were there two cleansings?
Here are the main alternatives:-
(a) Some think that John’s chronology is correct. The Synoptic writers could not include the account earlier, because they do not record Jesus’ earlier visits to Jerusalem, and only mention the Passover during which he was crucified.…
John 2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2:2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 2:4 Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.” 2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”…
John 1:1 ‘…and the Word was God’ (NIV)
The New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses translates this verse idiosyncratically: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”
…‘Their explanation for this is that in the Greek there is no definite article before ‘God’, whereas if God (theos) were meant in the full and absolute sense it should be ho theos: ‘God’ with the definite article.
Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15
For N.T. Wright (Jesus and the Victory of God), this parable ‘tells the story of Israel, particularly the return from exile, with a paradoxical conclusion, and it tells the story of Jesus’ ministry, as the fulfilment of that larger story, with a paradoxical outcome.’ Wright notes
(a) the similarity in form to Dan 2:31-45, where the different parts of a statue represent the various stages of earthly kingdoms. …
