Book Review: Exegetical Guide To The Greek New Testament - Ephesians

B&H Academic has a collection of Exegetical commentaries called: Exegetical Guide To The Greek New Testament. I was privileged to receive a review copy of Ephesians and I have to say upfront, this is an amazing commentary. If the rest of the series is anything like the Ephesians version I'll be getting them all.

               The commentary is based on the Greek New Testament which means that for a person to get the most out of these guides they must have, at least, a working knowledge of the language. The guides will still be of some limited use to those who do not know the language, especially for the preacher because each section contains suggested Homiletical outlines. These outlines can be used to help prepare sermons or Bible studies.
               The commentary begins with a short introduction which discusses things like authorship and date. There is also an outline and a section of recommended commentaries. The introduction is not extensive but is simply a condensed summary. The person interested in more material covering those introductory topics will need to refer to one or more of the recommended commentaries or a Bible Dictionary/Encyclopedia.
               The main text dealing with the scriptures proper are composed of a number of sections: "structure", a grammatical diagram of the relevant verses being discussed followed by a verse by verse discussion of the Greek text. The body of the guide is devoted to the lexical, grammatical, and translational issues. At the end of each section there's a subsection called "For Further Study" which lists resources that are helpful for studying topics that have arisen in those verses just commented on followed by the "Homiletical" outline section.

               The guide is actually quite small in size, but is so dense. This book will be at my side as I study the book of Ephesians. It doesn't give me everything but does a great job summarizing the material and pointing me in the right direction for further study.
               If you are a preacher, I think you would do well picking these guides up, especially Ephesians. If you are not a minister but have a working knowledge of the language this too is a great resource for you. All others will more than likely find frustration and very little help due to the fact that these guides are extremely technical and deal with an ancient language.

 Get your copy Here or Here

 

A quick summary of some short books I've recently read

A Christmas Carol
• I've known the basic story from watching different versions of it on TV. The Disney cartoon version and other movie versions.
• I do have to say that the book was much more detailed especially when the ghost of Christmas present was on the scene
• I also think this is a great story of redemption. You have a man who has become bitter in his old age. He is rich but stingy and unhappy. After he is taken on a trip through Christmas past, present, and the future he has a major change of heart and sees how not only his life, but the lives of others are effected by how he lives.

She Stoops to Conquer
• An interesting play. The play is a comedy that all takes place in one evening.
• The characters are all, in some way, trying to get their own way while at the same time trying to trip up others.
• Different people are presented as other than who they really are. Some people are shocked by the way they are treated because they are misidentified. The father is thought to be an innkeeper and is treated as such. Demands are made of him as if he was simply a servant.
• One person wants to run away with another man's fiancé. The husband to be doesn't want to marry the woman and she doesn't want to marry him. This is an arranged marriage. They scheme and plot and plan in order to deceive those who are arranging this marriage.
• In the end after all the ups and downs and major errors and all the deception it all works out. How convenient.
• Certainly not a realistic story, but is comedic in the modern sense of causing laughter.

Bartleby, the scrivener
• Here is a story about a man who has three employees and ends up needing another because business is so good. So he hires Bartleby to help. Bartleby is a copyist. He copies boring law documents all day long. But after he gets hired it isn't long before he begins to act strange. Bartleby won't do anything but copy. He won't help check his work, go to the post office, nothing. He simply say "I prefer not to" do whatever he has been asked to do.
• Finally Bartleby stops working all together. He won't even copy. The employer doesn't know what to do with him. He tries to get him to work, to do something, anything. After a long time Bartleby still hasn't done anything and now the towns people begin to talk about this odd fellow. The employer finally tries to fire Bartleby, but he won't leave.
• Finally the employer just moves his office to another building. Bartleby stays behind, but the new occupants can't get him to do anything either and they can't get him to leave. Bartleby is, in the end, put in prison where he eventually dies.
• Some have suggested that this is a work discussing the idea of people becoming "Cogs" in the machine of life/business. One "Cog" simply stops working, quits and eventually dies. He is then replaced.
• What is the moral or proper interpretation of the story? I don't really know. It was an interesting little story that's for sure.

Metamorphosis
• This is a very strange story about a man who wakes up one day to find that he has been changed into a bug. He tries to figure out how he can continue to go about his daily life (work, ect.) and at the same time he has to adjust to being a bug (he can't move properly, ect.).
• Over time his family comes to cope with the change and they pretty much leave him along, keeping him locked in his room.
• More time passes and he becomes more bug like and accustomed to him new bug body. He is able to move around and eat, ect.
• The family has to all get jobs because the son, who is now a bug, was the sole bread winner.
• After a long period of time the bug man gets injured, stops eating, and then dies.
• The family takes the day off from work and goes for a nice ride in the sun. The bug is gone from the home, life goes on.
• When I first read this I thought it might be a way of discussing what happens when a member of the family gets sick with a terminal illness. At first everyone tries to do what they have always done and not make much fuss. Over time the family becomes burdened and the person who is sick has less and less interaction with the family.
• Finally the family has had enough of all the stress and desires the sick person to leave/get better/be less of a burden. Eventually the sick person dies. Everyone is now able to move on.
• But I have heard that this story is about being so much a part of the system that you wake up one day feeling like you're an animal (or bug), just going along with the flow.
• I have also heard one interpretation that it may have to do with going from puberty or adolescence to adulthood. Changes of your body and feeling misunderstood by parents, ect.
• Whatever the true interpretation, if there is one, it is a strange story.

 

Book review: The Story of Philosophy

I just finished reading The Story of Philosophy by Bryan Magee. What a great introductory survey of the great philosophers of the world. This book does a wonderful job of surveying and discussing those major philosophers who have had an impact upon our view of the world around us including how we see and understand ourselves.

            The book is broken up into nine main chapters dealing with a specific period of time or philosophic point of view. For example, the book starts off with The Greeks And Their World, there are also chapters on The Great Rationalists, The Great Empiricists, and 20th Century-Philosophy.

            The book is 240 pages long with lots of pictures and small snippets of extra information scattered throughout. At the end there is an index, glossary, and a section on further reading, which lists major philosophers and their major works.

            This book is great for those new to "The Great Conversation" or those looking to be reminded of major figures and major philosophical ideas. Well worth reading.

Get a copy here.

Book Review: Divorce in the Bible

Divorce in the Bible by Michael S. Sayen is a 65 page booklet on a very important subject. If the statistics are accurate, we are told that the rates of divorce are almost identical in the secular world as they are in Christendom. So, I was excited to get this booklet and see what the author had to say and if maybe he had any new insights.
               First let me say that the author's ideas are intriguing. I'm not sure that I agree with his conclusions, but he certainly gave me a lot to think about. I always find it enjoyable to try and see things from a new perspective and this book certainly did that for me.
               The problem I had with this booklet was the way it was written. It's only 65 pages long, so I should have finished it in a very short time, but I just couldn't get through it. I would pick it up and read a paragraph or two and feel exhausted. The style is just hard to get into. It also suffers from some grammatical errors. I really feel like this booklet could be much better if it had an editor go through it.
               Ultimately, I simply cannot recommend this book until it gets rewritten. Again I'm not complaining about the fact that (I think) I disagree with the author, but rather my complaint is with the writing style and the grammatical errors.

You can buy a copy here.

 

This was a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through the Book Crash program.

Biblical Typology

What is "Biblical Typology "and is it biblical to use it as a method for interpreting the Bible? Typology is defined as a "Branch of biblical interpretation in which an element found in the OT prefigures one found in the NT."^[1] Dr. Warren Gage makes the point that the primary task of theology is typology.[2] He shows that the New Testament writers along with Jesus himself understood the Old Testament to contain typology.[3] Jesus, speaking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, showed them that the Old Testament spoke of his life and sufferings.[4] He also says to his disciples on another occasion "'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead...'"[5]

            So we have ample evidence pointing to the fact that the New Testament authors all saw typology as an acceptable method for understanding the Old Testament.
            Some of the merits of this method are, as already pointed out, that Jesus taught this along with Paul and other New Testament writers. See for example Paul's discussion of Hagar and Sarah in Galatians 4:21-31.
            This method of hermeneutics helps us to see God as being in control. He is pointing us to Christ throughout the Old Testament. One example given by Dr. Gage is found in Genesis chapter two with the creation of Eve. Dr. Gage shows us how Adam is a type of Christ and Eve is a type of the church.[6] When God was ready to make Eve, he has Adam sleep a sleep likened to death. This is before sin, so Adam is innocent. He wounds Adam in the side to give life to his bride. Adam awakes and is brought to a garden where he sees his wife and calls her Eve. Jesus is innocent and he sleeps the sleep of death on the cross. He is then wounded in the side and by his wounds the church is given life. He awakes in the garden where he meets Mary, the one who, symbolically, represents the church, and calls here woman.
             Here we see a picture of Christ and his bride at the very beginning of human history. That points to the fact that God is in control and Jesus' sacrifice is the pinnacle of all human history. I can see clearly that God is in control and not a passive watcher of history. The crucifixion was planned and purposed by God from eternity past and if we have eyes to see, we will see Christ and his suffering proclaimed all over the Old Testament.
            But, one of the problems with this method is that if we aren't careful we will find Jesus in even the most minute and remote places. Joshua E. Williams in a blog post says this, "One of the dangers to avoid is finding Christ under every rock or tree in the Old Testament. This type of mistake is often found in allegorical treatments of Old Testament passages."[7] An example of this is found in the classic hymn "Rose of Sharron"[8] where Jesus is said to be the rose of Sharron which is taken from the Song of Solomon 2:1. The problem is that the woman is called a "rose of Sharon" in that passage and not the husband. Another hymn that takes typology too far is "The lily of the valley"[9] that says "He's (speaking of Jesus) the lily of the valley...". Again the problem with that statement is that, that phrase "lily of the valley" comes from the Song of Solomon 2:1 and again is speaking of the woman. This kind of hermeneutic can lead to all kinds of wild speculative theology.
            Often what is taught in conservative circles today is the historical-grammatical method of biblical hermeneutics . This method "is a 'literal' method of interpretation. It seeks to understand what the original author intended to convey and how the original audience understood that message."[10] This method has many benefits, one is that it keeps the exegete grounded in the historical setting of the text. As was noted above, one of the dangers associated with the typological method of hermeneutics is that it can often lead to wild speculations. Simply saying "this reminds me of something in the New Testament" can be grounds for seeing typology by some.  
            While reading Dr. Gage's book "Joseph and Judah" I came across this statement "Our goal in this study is to help to recover something that has largely been lost, by learning to read the Bible not only as a scientist, but also as an art lover. We recognize, of course, that both the scientist and the art lover have much to offer us. The best artists are technically precise, and the best scientists must be gifted with an artist’s imagination."^[11] The point he is trying to make is that we have often read the bible from the point of view of the scientist (Historical-Grammatical-Literal method) while neglecting the art lover's view (Typological, Allegorical method). I completely agree with Dr. Gage's overall point that we need both aspects to more fully understand the scriptures.

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^[1] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2109.

[2] Dr. Gage. CC502, Lesson 38.

[3] Dr. Gage. OT602, Lesson 5.

[4] ESV. Luke 24:27

[5] ESV. Luke 24:44–47

[6] Dr. Gage. OT602, Lesson 5.

[7] Christ in the Old Testament. by Joshua E. Williams. Accessed on 4-4-14. The blog of Joshua E. Williams. http://joshuaewilliams.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/christ%c2%a0in%c2%a0old%c2%a0testament/

[8] Guirey, Ida A. Jesus, Rose of Sharon, 1921.

[9] Fry, Charles W. Lily of the valley, 1881.

[10] Examining The Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic. September 7, 2011. Accessed on 4-4-14. http://www.armchair-theology.net/bible-study/examining-the-grammatical-historical-hermeneutic/

^[11] Warren Austin Gage and Christopher D. Barber, The Story of Joseph and Judah (Ft. Lauderdale, FL: St. Andrews House, 2005), 8.

Jesus: the "Beginning" of God's Creation

            In Revelation 3:14 we are introduced to a great truth concerning Jesus Christ. The text says, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.".^[1] As I have read and reread this text in its larger context over the years I have become intrigued by how Jesus is described. He is said to be the "Amen, the faithful and true witness" as well as "the beginning of God's creation".^[2]
            This text is one that comes up when talking to Jehovah's Witnesses. They see in this text a proof that Jesus was the first creation of God. In order to properly understand who Jesus is according to this text we must understand the words in context. To do this we must do what is called a "word study". This means we look at the underlying Greek (or Hebrew) text and work to discover the proper translation based on lexical, contextual, and cultural considerations.
      William Mounce lays out the process for doing proper word studies in Chapter 24 of his book (Greek for the rest of us). He says, "Sometimes a verse will 'hang' on a word. It is a word that is central to the meaning of the verse...".[3] Mounce also says, "As you compare translations, you may find a significant word that is translated differently among the different translations.".[4] If we compare multiple translations, we will find that the word "beginning" is indeed translated differently at times. For example the ESV, as noted above, says "beginning" while the NIV 1984 version says "ruler"^[5] and the NET bible says, "originator". ^[6]              
            The underlying Greek word is "ἀρχή". If we search the ESV reverse interlinear we will find that the ESV translates this word sometimes as "rulers, beginning, basic, authority" and a few other ways. This helps us see the semantic range. If we also consult the Louw and Nida Lexicon we find out that this word can mean "one who or that which constitutes an initial cause—‘first cause, origin.’ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ‘the origin of what God has created’ Re 3:14. It is also possible to understand ἀρχή in Re 3:14 as meaning ‘ruler’ (see 37.56)".^[7] Reviewing the immediate context as well as the context of the book of Revelation we find that this word is used two other times (Revelation 21:6; 22:13) which helps to shed light on how John uses "ἀρχή". It seems clear that this text is teaching that Jesus is the source of the creation (John 1:1-3).
            If a person doesn't use the immediate context as well as understand the way an author uses a word in their writings, they might make the mistake of seeing this verse teach that Jesus was the "first created thing" by God, instead of seeing that Jesus is the originator.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Re 3:14.

^[2] Ibid

[3] William Mounce, Greek for the rest of us (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 201.

[4] Ibid

^[5] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Re 3:14–15.

^[6] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Re 3:14.

^[7] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 778.

Water and the Spirit: Baptism prefigured in the Old Testament

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5

 

       When a person desires to follow Christ and to be reconciled to God, we know and understand that they must be baptized, they must be "born of water and the Spirit". Water baptism, for God's own purpose and pleasure, is how one comes into contact with the blood of Jesus and that blood is what cleanses us from all our sins (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:7). But many don't realize that God has used water and the Spirit throughout the Old Testament to bring about life, renewal, and salvation. Many Old Testament events are types or shadows of what was to come in Jesus Christ.

            The Old Testament is full of types and shadows that find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ and his church. Consider what Paul says about those who ate the manna and drank the water that came from the rock: "...and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:3–4). Paul is commenting on events found in Exodus 16:15 and Exodus 17:6 in which he states that those events, in a real way, point us to Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said that he was the bread (manna) from heaven (John 6:31–35). Again, the Old testament is full of types and shadows and one of those types has to do with water baptism.
            In Genesis one we see God creating the heavens and the earth. In verse two the Spirit is found hovering or brooding over the waters of the deep like a bird over its nest. On day three God brings dry land out of the water and only then is life created. Life begins on earth when dry land is created and so out of water God brings life. In the creation account we have water and the Spirit.
            In Genesis chapters six through nine we have the account of Noah's flood. The world at that time had become so wicked that the earth was overflowing with sin. It was so bad that God was grieved that he had created man and planned to wipe out every living thing off the face of the earth. The only bright spot was Noah, a righteous man. God told Noah to build an ark. Once the Ark was built he and his family, enter it and then God brought a huge, worldwide flood upon the earth. The Earth was one again "without form and void", it was back to the way it was in Genesis one, a watery mass of chaos. We should be seeing the echoes of Genesis one in this text. God in a very real way "uncreates" the world and prepares to recreate it. After the rains cease Noah finally sends out a dove and the dove hovers over the surface of the deep, finding no place to rest (Genesis 8:8–9). In a symbolic way this event pictures the Holy Spirit who was hovering over the waters in Genesis one. God, once again, is about to bring dry land out of the water and life will again be possible. God has cleansed the earth of wickedness and sin through water. God brings about a renewed creation by water and the Spirit.
            After the flood we are told about a man named Abraham, who has a son named Isaac. Isaac in turn has a son named Jacob and he has twelve sons. From these twelve sons, God creates the nation of Israel. The Israelites eventually find themselves in Egyptian slavery where they work in bitterness and heartache for years. After a long period of time God leads them out of that slavery. He uses ten plagues to force Pharaoh to let his people go, but once they leave, Pharaoh has a change of heart. He goes out with his army in order to kill the Israelites, but God through Moses opens the Red Sea and the Israelites walk through on dry ground. The Egyptian army that follows them are, in the end, drowned in the sea (Exodus 14:15–31). The Israelites are finally free/ saved from Egyptian slavery when they reach the other side of the Red Sea. God baptized the Israelites in the sea and in the cloud. They were saved through water and guided by God (Exodus 13:21–22).[1]
            Let us now connect the Old Testament with the New and consider two of those New Testament texts that speak about the Spirit and water. In Matthew three Jesus goes out to John and is baptized by him in the Jordan River. As he comes out of the water, the Spirit descends in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16–17). Do you hear the echoes in this text? Genesis one should come to mind where the Spirit was hovering over the waters as well as the symbolic image of the Spirit seen in the dove after Noah's flood? Genesis one describes the creation. Genesis six through nine describes the renewed creation and here, Jesus represents the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17–18).
            In the book of Acts we hear a message preached by Peter that ends with him saying "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."^[2] Again we find water and the Spirit. Of course, there are plenty of other New Testament texts that discuss water baptism, but my main focus in this article was to present some of those Old Testament texts that prefigure New Testament baptism.
             It is clear when we examine the scriptures that the Old Testament pictures and points us to many things that find their ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament, and one of those things is water baptism. Water and the Spirit have had a long and rich history that began back in Genesis and continues to this day. Through water God brought about life, cleansing from sin, and renewal - from creation to new creation.

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[1] See 1 Peter 3:20-22 and 1 Corinthians 10:1-2.

^[2] American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Ac 2:38.