Commentary on Hebrews Thomas R. Schreiner In the first commentary released in the Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation series, Thomas R. Schreiner’s Commentary on Hebrews explores the theology of the New Testament epistle in relation to the biblical canon. “In considering the theological message of the letter, it is important to locate the fundamental purpose of the…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and professor of biblical theology, discusses his new commentary with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: What do you hope will set the Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation series apart from other commentaries? TS: Most commentaries are very good at giving you…
During the height of racial tension in mid-20th century America, one unique experiment near Americus, Georgia, offered the nation a remarkable picture of Christian community in radical contrast to the culture of segregation. The name of this experiment was Koinonia, a 400-acre farm organized in 1942 by Clarence Jordan alongside his wife and like-minded friends…
A Commentary on Exodus Duane A. Garrett Before the 21st century, major Hollywood movies like The Ten Commandments (1954) and The Prince of Egypt (1998) celebrated the redemptive power of the Exodus narrative. Yet in the past decade, films, TV documentaries, and scholarly writings have questioned the historicity of the Exodus account. A new commentary from Duane A. Garrett, John…
Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bryan Loritts, ed. Review by Andrew J.W. Smith Taking up Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during contemporary events like the Ferguson shooting and the Eric Garner case, one is immediately struck by how…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Duane A. Garrett, John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and professor of biblical theology, discusses his new book, A Commentary on Exodus, with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: With the new movie Exodus: Gods and Kings and classics like The Ten Commandments, why do you think our culture is so fascinated with the…
New on display in the James P. Boyce Centennial Library is a numismatic collection featuring actual coins used throughout the Ancient Near East and Roman Empire over a 900-year period. This collection — 256 coins in total — is a recent donation from Kelly E. Blanton Jr., a private collector who wants to share his appreciation…
As an undergraduate student, Bryan Baise was filled with many unanswered questions about Christianity until a friend suggested he read C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. His belief in the Bible had been challenged by liberal college professors and he needed a voice of wisdom to bolster his confidence in the truth. “I knew this [Christianity] was real,…
Deuteronomy Editorial: Reading Deuteronomy for God’s People Today: Stephen J. Wellum 3 Has Any People Heard the Voice of God Speaking … And Survived?: R. Albert Mohler, Jr. 7 The Glory of God in Salvation through Judgment in Deuteronomy: James M. Hamilton, Jr. 19 The Relationship of Deuteronomy to the Covenant at Sinai: Peter J.…
It is difficult to overstate the importance of Deuteronomy in Scripture and God’s unfolding redemptive plan. Positioned strategically at the end of the Pentateuch, concluding the incredible life and ministry of Moses, renewing and expanding the Sinai covenant for the post-wilderness generation, Deuteronomy serves as the covenant instruction (torah) for a new generation posed to…
One of the great touchstone passages in all Scripture appears in Deuteronomy 4. Verse 33 contains a striking question—a rhetorical question, but a very real question: “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?” Just like the Israelites at Mount Sinai,…
The Glory of God in Salvation through Judgment in Deuteronomy ((Taken from God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment by James M. Hamilton Jr. © 2010. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent St., Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.)) The first mention of loving God in the Bible came in Exodus 20:6,…
The Relationship of Deuteronomy to the Covenant at Sinai ((I would like to thank Stephen Dempster for his feedback on this article.)) Differing interpretations of the relationship between the Old Covenant/Testament and the New Covenant/Testament are at the heart of all divisions within the Christian church, both past and present. ((“Testament” is simply the Latin…
Circumcision of the Heart in Leviticus and Deuteronomy: Divine Means for Resolving Curse and Bringing Blessing ((I wish to thank Peter Gentry for reading an earlier draft of this paper. His comments saved me from many errors and stimulated my thinking on this topic in significant ways.)) Introduction Circumcision, both inside and outside the Bible,…
The apostle Paul asserted that the Mosaic or old covenant bore “a ministry of condemnation,” whereas the new covenant in Christ bears “a ministry of righteousness” (2 Cor 3:9). ((Scripture quotations are from the ESV © 2011, unless otherwise noted.)) The author of Hebrews added that Jesus’ new covenant mediation “makes the first one [i.e., the…
Introduction That we might remember his sacrificial death upon the Roman cross in our place the Lord Jesus instituted a simple meal with symbolic bread and wine with instructions to “do this in remembrance of me” and to observe this until he comes (1 Cor 11:24-26). Despite the Lord’s directives concerning this meal, one that…
