The function of the psalms of lament in the Gospels, especially in the passion narratives, reflects a righteous sufferer typology.
In 1961 an Italian archaeologist, Antonio Frova, discovered an inscription at Caesarea Maritima on a stone slab which at the time of the discovery was being used as a section of steps leading into the Caesarea theatre. The inscription in Latin contained four lines, three of which are partially readable. Roughly translated they are as follows:-
Tiberium
Pontius Pilate
Prefect of Judea
The inscribed stone was probably used originally in the foundation for a Tiberium (a temple for the worship of the emperor Tiberius) and then reused later in the discovered location. …
In his book Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman lists ten ‘top verses that were not originally in the New Testament’. These are:-
1 John 5:7 There are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.
This is already recognised in modern Bible translations as a very late addition. For example, NIV (1984) states: ‘not found in any Greek manuscript before the sixteenth century’. If, as is possible, the wording of this verse was included in order to bolster the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, then it should be noted that that doctrine had been accepted by the Christian Church for centuries.…
In Mark’s Gospel there are three characters that go unnamed but are later named in John’s Gospel. They are:
(1) the woman who anoints (Mk 14:3) who John reveals as Mary (Jn 12:3);
(2) the man who wields the sword (Mk 14:47) who John reveals as Simon Peter (Jn 18:10);
(3) the servant of the high priest (Mk 14:47) who John reveals as Malchus (Jn 18:10).
These are examples of what Richard Bauckham (Jesus and the Eyewitnesses) calls ‘protective anonymity’ in the earlier accounts: this was not needed in a later account, when fear of embarrassment or reprisals would have partly or wholly disappeared.…
It seems quite fashionable these days for Christian people to insist that the expression ‘the word of God’ can only be applied to Jesus Christ, and not, say, to Scripture. Steve Chalke, for example, writes: ‘the Bible itself is unambiguous: “The word of God” is a person not a book.’
However, the phrase is used in Scripture itself in several ways:-
The Old Testament has laws about all kinds of things – stealing, retaliations, charging interest, homosexual acts, and so on. How can we tell which of these Jesus intended to apply to his followers?
Various answers are given:-
How can we begin to resolve this?…
Ephesians 2:1-10; 3:14-21; Philippians 2:1-18; 2 Timothy 2:1-13; 3:10-17
The following questions were designed for a study in a series on the story-line of the Bible. This particular study was entitled: ‘With God for ever – church expansion and growth: Growing in our relationship with God.’
There is a lot of Scripture here! I’ve suggested one question from each of these five passages. You might want to focus on one or two of the passages, or possibly get people to work in twos and threes.…
Ancient Near Eastern myths appear to have influenced OT thought in a number of ways:-
These include: (a) the voice of God as thunder (2 Sam 22:14); (a) the wind as winged (2 Sam 22:11; Ps. 104:3; Hos. 4:19); (c) the sun as winged (Mal 4:2); (d) a mountain in the north (Isa. 14:13; Ps. 48:2 where the gods assembled; (e) the land “flowing with milk and honey”, which borrows from ancient concepts of paradise; (f) a Book of Fate, which recorded even pre-natal days (Ps.…
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) has attracted a variety of approaches to interpretation:-
1. The Sermon as an ‘Interim Ethic’. This was the view of Schweitzer. Jesus’ sermon sets out a radical ethic to be followed by Jesus’ followers in the light of the imminent end of the age. However, Jesus was mistaken: the end did not arrive. This interpretation has serious weaknesses. The Sermon itself contains no hint of being a short-term ethic. …
