The October Carnival: The Minimalist Edition

This month’s Carnival circumambulates around minimalism.  But not in the sense that you’re thinking.  Come, and see…

Hebrew Bible In Brief

One of the Wipf and Stock guys chatted up biblical cosmology.  But it’s not strictly speaking cosmology it’s theology.  The bible isn’t interested in describing the world, it’s interested in talking about God.  Ken Schenck had a piece on the ways the writers of the NT used the OT.  Unfortunately he falls into the category of the majority who believe that the writers of the NT took the OT ‘out of context’.  This is not the case.  The writers of the NT weren’t ignorant nor did they lack theological sense.  They knew what they were doing and the fact is, they were very fine theologians who were doing just that, theology- with an eye to the ancient context.

Claude Mariottini discusses Moses’ crocodile…  And Brandon Vogt discussed the always interesting question, did God command genocide?  David Lamb asks whether it was David’s fault or Bathsheba’s when that thing they did happened.  Just so you know, it’s completely David’s fault.  Completely.

Bryan Bibb’s post on biblical literalism is spot on.  Give it a read even if you skip everything else in the carnival.

New Testament in Brief

Tony LeDonne tells us that someone ‘discovered’ a ‘new’ Coptic fragment of John at Yale.  Two things- it hasn’t been discovered, it’s been found.  And second, if it’s new it’s useless.  Chad Chambers is all about some apocalyptic chatter.  Tim Henderson talks about Papias and Goodacre and Farrer in a post that is probably pretty good but since I am, at this very moment, exhausted to the point of incoherence, who knows.  I guess you’ll just have to read it for yourself.  If you dare.  Some guy talked about authorial intent.  I’m glad someone still thinks writers have something in mind when they write.  Meanwhile, Bill Mounce talked about ‘real Jews’.

Peter Kirby had a really engaging post on Paul.  Don’t miss it.  Just don’t.  If you want to skip something, skip this ‘analysis’ of Mike Licona’s discussion of the resurrection of Jesus.

Phil Long did a great study of gluttony and drunkenness.  He’s clearly got a good grasp of the subject through his friendship with the Methodist Watts.  And Chris Brady had a nice one on Revelation and the future.  Don’t worry, he doesn’t say RevelationS.  If he did…. well let’s just say there’d be trouble.

Chris Tilling offered a helpful post which centered on some very good reasons you should avoid NT Wright’s new book on Paul.

And David Lincicum had some thoughts on that scoundrel FC Baur.  (And, FYI, Käsemann was wrong about Baur being greater than Bultmann.  Crazy talk that).

Archaeology in Brief

Doug Knight lectured on Jezebel…  And David Meadows offered some really excellent guidance for spotting bogus and nonsensical historical claims.  Meanwhile, George Athas had a great essay on the ASOR Blog about newly discovered inscriptions.  Antonio Lombatti revealed the discovery of a curse tablet from the City of David.

Bob Cargill writes

I’m pleased to announce that a new documentary series will begin airing on History beginning Monday, November 11, 2013 at 10:00pm / 9:00 Central.

The series is entitled, Bible Secrets Revealed, and is produced by Prometheus Entertainment for the History channel.

Sounds like a lot of fun doesn’t it.  It’s got a good assembly of talking heads.  Though how they left Chris Tilling and Niels Peter Lemche off I do not know.  I suppose it has something to do with what Hollywood calls ‘the appeal factor’.  And if ‘Prometheus’ entertainment is related to Prometheus publishing (a self avowed atheist/agnostic publishing house) then bias is on the agenda.  And, given that it’s the History Channel (which has been widely disdained by academics in the past) and that channel hasn’t done a very good job with Bible themed programs…. well…. we shall see, because I shall certainly be watching.

Dead Sea Scrolls in Brief

Larry Schiffman had another part in his ongoing series on purity and impurity in the DSS and sin in the DSS.  Cliff Kvidahl cited a DSS.  Yes, I’m mentioning it.  He cited it.  It’s that miraculous.

Though not a blog, Bible and Interpretation has a neat piece by Greg Doudna on the scrolls folk might enjoy.

The Orion Center is looking for qualified scholars to take part in their research program.  All the details are available here.  Perhaps most importantly, the University of Groningen is doing scrolls research and it needs your help.  Please see the announcement here.

Miscellaneous Items in Brief

The big news of the month, of course, was the goings-on at the Changing Perspectives Conference in Copenhagen.  You can find descriptions of sessions, photos, and other fun stuff here under the ‘Copenhagen’ tag. or under the #cpc2013 tag.  SBL is looming now and Brian LePort is looking to organize a biblioblogger gathering.  Maybe you can offer him some words of wisdom (or better- a helping hand).

Oddly, James M. wants to include the creepy weirdos from AAR in the get -together!  Gross.  AAR folk are unwashed, unshaven, smelly, stinky, crusty, nasty, unorganized, whiny, weird, tactless, bizarre, unpleasant, foul, and icky.  Why would we want to include them in the fun?  And WHY are they meeting in combination with SBL again?  I liked it when they stayed on their side of the street.  Nothing good has ever come from AAR.

And- again on SBL- the meeting app is available.  There’s also, speaking of apps, a very cool app for Latin and Greek – told about to us by – believe it or nay- Joel Watts.

Abraham K. James reviewed the new combo LXX/NA28.  Doing, admittedly, a relatively decent job of it.  Mark Kortez had a fun piece on being a book addict and the signs thereof.  Phil Harland offered readers a guide to the abbreviations widely used in the study of papyri.

Chris Le Keith likes Bibleworks more than he likes Joel Watts.  Well, seriously, who doesn’t like a decomposing rat more than they like Joel?

And so there you have it- biblioblogging minimalistically.  Next month’s carnival will have another theme, doubtless having to do with SBL (and not mentioning AAR unless it’s disparagingly because AAR is just weird).

I suppose if you are looking for the ‘official’ Carnival, check it out at Brian’s (whenever he posts it, if he does…).  Go ahead, get your dose of propriety.  Be uplifted!

Finally, as the last bits of this are being put together on 31 October, and it’s ‘Reformation Day’ (only for those poor souls who don’t know any better and who think there was only one manifestation of Reformation and one Reformer), and this Carnival goes live on All Saints Day, I’ll quote from the greatest of the Reformers:

…as the starving stomach rejoices when food comes into it, wherewith the used-up breath and heat and strength are replenished, so the starving soul, when God discloses Himself to it, leaps for joy, and daily grows and increases in strength more and more, being transformed into the likeness of God until it develops into the perfect man.  — H. Zwingli

Happy All Saints Day!