This post will offer a fresh perspective on the grammar of a much-debated, and theologically loaded, verse in the Hebrew Bible: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד Listen, Israel! YHWH is our God. YHWH is the one. My interpretation is a...
God has a name, and it’s not “God.” However, God’s proper name has come to us “damaged”—linguistically damaged. Sadly, we have inherited this name with consonants, but not vowels. I consider the loss of these vowels as one of the sociological and...
Perhaps you’ve heard it spoken, read it on a T-shirt, or heard it in a song. Jesus wants to be your friend. Jesus is my best friend. What a friend we have in Jesus. In some ways, the idea of friendship with Jesus is appropriate. Jesus taught that...
Is it meaningful to speak of “pets” in the Bible? Some claim “pet” is a purely modern category, so much so that what a modern person would call a “pet” does not exist in the Bible. If so, then to speak of...
We are often told less is more—like when putting on perfume. A little can leave someone wanting just a bit more. A similar principle is applied in science—the principle of simplicity that says that if a simple theory or hypothesis is able to...
There are 211 instances of “the practice of communicating with a deity” in the Bible, according to the Logos Bible app‘s Factbook . Such a list demonstrates the massive undertaking that is the study of prayer. So, when we approach the topic of...
For much of my Christian upbringing, I viewed the Lord’s Supper as just a simple memorial ceremony—a repetitive object lesson the church pulled out every quarter. It was awkward, I thought. I remember spending many communion services feeling...
Names often serve an important rhetorical function in biblical literature. In Genesis 22, a new epithet for God is given, Jehovah Jireh, which is often translated as “the LORD will provide” and, when used as a name, “the LORD my provider” (see ESV...
Jesus Christ, the most profound teacher to ever walk the earth, selected the tiny mustard seed to use as an illustration in his teachings. He did so multiple times and to various effects. In all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus utilized this...
If you came to this site because you couldn’t resist seeing for yourself what Word by Word could possibly have to do with autopsies—gotcha! You will find no cadavers or gory CSI scenes here. All this goes to show that appearances can be deceiving...
Galatians 2:16 reads, “But knowing that a human is not justified from works of the law but through pistis Iesou Christou, we also trusted in Jesus Christ in order that we might be justified from pistis Christou and not from works of the law because...
The Dead Sea Scrolls don’t interest only academics and scholars. Many average Christians have questions, too. Read on for the answers to the most common questions! What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? How were the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered? How...
We asked over 50 scholars and theologians what makes a biblical scholar or theologian. Here's what they said.
Prophetic practices in the Hebrew Bible find parallels in the ANE literature. These parallels are useful for the biblical interpreter, but before jumping into various texts one must ask the essential question: what is prophecy? Defining Prophecy...
Every conference has one. The guy whose cell phone makes him think he’s Ansel Adams. Awards for the most stunning photos await him. He snaps pictures of everything. The building. The building during sunrise. The building at sunset. Everything in the...
Writing a paper on a historically significant event is an excellent way to learn. It trains you to gather information, interpret it, and persuasively present an informed opinion. The researching process itself teaches you a great deal, but it also...
A PhD in biblical and theological studies provides skills that could be used in a variety of nonprofit or parachurch organizations that engage in activities like political activism or pastoral support. Since one of the great challenges for many...
"I am simultaneously free from the perils and pressures of the tenure committee and the publish-or-perish paradigm."
The Mishnah is a third-century Jewish collection that expands upon the legal material and language of the Old Testament and is considered to be “oral Torah.” Mishnah (the Hebrew term מִשְׁנָה means “study by repetition”) is the foundation of all...
Introduction Research papers are one of the best ways to learn in seminary—which is why so many teachers assign them. A research paper trains you in how to gather information, interpret it, and present an informed opinion persuasively. And yet...
Exegesis is the most comprehensive form of Bible study. It gathers together nearly every Bible study task—word studies, translation comparison, research, and more—for a thorough examination of a biblical passage. While there is no singular process...
The Oxford University Press Handbooks are renowned as go-to volumes for students and scholars alike when embarking on research in new topics, or for seasoned scholars who want to know the essential bibliographies for any number of issues in biblical...
"Think of your life on the other side of the pandemic. How will you retroactively judge the decisions you made during lockdown?"
"Reading the Bible in the original languages causes us to be more thoughtful and careful about the actual wording of the text." -- Robert Plummer
This week, in remembrance of his death nearly one year ago, Lexham Press has been honoring the life and work of Larry Hurtado. An accomplished scholar and professor, Dr. Hurtado was the author of many books and articles, notably Honoring the Son...
"Life in lockdown is exhausting." Prof John Barclay
by Prof Steve Walton This list is aimed at providing a starter list for useful journal, book series, sources of book reviews, and online sources for journal articles. It’s not the last word, but hopefully it’s a useful guide into the forest of...
"The reason that the work of Barth on the Word of God is so important for the evangelical church today is because it is essentially (and practically) where it already stands."
by Ryan Lytton Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Proverbs 4:5. Wisdom and understanding are everywhere available but are nevertheless ostensibly rarely found. A student of the Word must be diligent in...
"If Barth is christomonistic in his hermeneutic and understanding of the Scriptures than the same charge could be leveled against the apostles Matthew, Paul, and John as well as Augustine, Luther, and Calvin."
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Kevin Grasso
Austin Surls
Daniel K. Eng
Blake Adams
Joshua Farris
Ryan Lytton
Brad Creech
Donald C. McIntyre
Matthew Everhard
Drew Longacre
Tavis Bohlinger
Joel Thomas
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Justin Eimers