Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

I read this passage today in Adrian Goldsworthy's Caesar: A Life Of Colossus and thought it was a great (albeit basic) description of the ancient patronage system, a system in full-force during the days of Jesus. Moreover, this system can be detected in many of the NT stories, as Malina, Pilch & others have repeatedly pointed out. As you read the following paragraph, do any specific biblical stories come to mind? "Informal ties of favour and obligation bound Roman society together in a system known as patronage. The patron was the man with wealth, influence and power, to whom the less well off (or clients) came to ask for help, which might take the form of securing a position, winning a contract, assistance in business or legal disputes, or even at its most basic level gifts of food. In return the client had duties to assist his patron in various ways. Most would come to greet him formally each morning. The number of clients a man had added to his prestige, especially if...

Here is another learning module that I have created and am offering for free!!! This module deals with German nouns and offers tips for spotting nouns that are masculine in gender. The interface is straightforward and easy-to-use, it has two sections for extra vocabulary (common & theological) and best of all, it is free. This module is to be used in conjunction with, other, forthcoming ones. So, check back often to see if the new ones have been created. To download "Getting German" (Masc. Nouns), click the icon below. *Note, this has also been added to the "My Free Resources" page. A link to that page can be found in the page tabs above.

While I am quite comfortable with the decisions I've made concerning the beginning of Mark's Gospel, the end has left me in a rather enigmatic state. Lately, I've been wondering if it might be the case that Mark's beginning helps us make sense of his ending? Here's what I've been thinking (and two papers at SBL helped me clarify some issues surrounding this matter, notably, those of Eve-Marie Becker and James McGrath): If Mark's beginning is "Isaianic", that is, drawing on and shaped by Isaiah, then this affects how we understand whether or not 16.9-16 were originally included or not. So, for instance, when Mark quotes Isa. 40.3 at the start of his text, he is surely being purposeful about it. But what is the purpose? My thinking is that, if one goes back to Isa. 40.3 (and the surrounding texts), they will see that Isaiah is concerned with "the sin of the people being paid for", a comforting message, "the glory of the Lord revealed...

I just wanted to wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Also, thank you for reading Pisteuomen and interacting with me (and other readers). This site has become, and is continuing to become, a great place of critical thinking, biblical discussion and Christian community. Yesterday I wrote my 700th post and surpassed 40,000 visits; I am repeatedly impressed with the gains this site is making and I hope that it can become something of a mainstay in the bible blogging world. So, thanks again for reading and have a blessed holiday! Now, go eat some Turkey!!!

Look, I'm not into mudslinging; that's just not who I am or what I'm about (I hate politics for that very reason!). I do, however, enjoy debating as well as having good, civil arguments. I also enjoy a good sense of humor. When I first came across Chris Rosebrough's site, A Little Leaven , I thoroughly enjoyed it because of some of these things. But as time has worn on, now, I just can't help but think that his constant beating up on well-meaning Churches and ministers, his belittling of women in the ministry and his ability to be able to label others heretics is nothing but a little leaven itself. Now, I'm not suggesting here that Mr. Rosebrough or any others who might contribute to the site are heretics. Indeed, the site often does a good job of calling out some of the trite practices of Christianity today. But all of the name-calling, labelling, judging, etc. has just become too much. Not only am I taking this blog off of my page reader, I am done visiting it...

If everyone who attended SBL were rating their "bests", of course, they'd all be different. Regardless, here are my "SBL Bests". If you attended, why not share your bests too. If you do this, let me know so I can add a link to your post here. Best Overall Session: Diversity In Earliest Christianity (James Dunn, Jeffrey Peterson, Marcus Bockmuehl, Jerry Sumney, Jennifer Knust) Best Paper (content): Jerry Sumney "The Death of Christ & Paul's Opponents in Earliest Christianity" Best Paper (presenter): James McGrath: "Mark's Missing Ending" Best / Most Memorable Quote: "We must remember that Paul didn't invent Christ-centered faith but rather, he entered it." Best Place To Eat: Dillon's Can you think of any other topics or items you'd add to the list?

So, if you're reading this, I'm probably en route to MI right now from Boston. SBL is over and now, it's back to family, work, etc. It's also time to read. In addition to the other books that I picked up at SBL, on my way out yesterday, I picked up a terribly unique book on the Gospel of Mark. I've never seen anything like this. It's Steve Ross's Marked . This book is insane! It is a comic book retelling of Mark's story, kind of arranged in a modern setting (see an example of a page to the left). I'm already a few pages in (and trying to adjust to this type of reading, which I have never been fond of!) but I like it...in an odd way. I hope to post a bit more about it in the near future. Anyway, SBL was good and I hope to post some more on that soon too. Blessings to everyone!

We had a great time at the bible bloggers dinner last night. Here are the names, site names and urls of those who attended; we had 23 in attendance. Thanks to Dillon's for hosting us and being so accomodating. Check out the blogs listed below, some new, some mainstays. Blessings! * Ken Brown - Christian Orthodoxy (c-orthodoxy.blogspot.com) * Charles Halton - Awilum (awilum.com) * John Hobbins - Ancient Hebrew poetry * James McGrath - Exploring Out Matrix (exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com) * April DeConick - Forbidden Gospels (forbiddengospels.blogspot.com) * Jared Calaway - Antiquitopia (antiquitopia.blogspot.com) * Ben Blackwell - Dunelm Road (dunelm.wordpress.com) * Matthew Montonini - NT Perspectives (newtestamentperspectives.blogspot.com) * Jim Getz - Ketuvim (jimgetz.org) * Mandy Park - The Floppy Hat (thefloppyhat.com) * Calvin Park - The Floppy Hat (thefloppyhat.com) * Patrick Gardella (an avid blog reader without a blog) * Tonya Hall - Hebrew & Greek Reader (hebrewandgre...

So, I've decided to take it easy on book shopping this year but I have picked up 3 good buys...each of them Markan, of course: * Mary Healy: Mark (Catholic Commentary Series) * Robert Stein: Mark (Baker Exegetical Commentary Series) * Eric Stewart: Gathered Around Jesus (Matrix Commentary Series) I've had my eye on the Zondervan Grk & Heb readers but I think I'll hold off. Anyway, hope everyone at SBL is enjoying it. Hopefully, after tonights blogger's dinner, there'll be some posting about it on other blogs (I won't be able to post until tomorrow). Blessings to all!

*Note: My computer has run into some issues here at SBL, so, unfortunately, I can't really post updates. That siad, here are the updated plans for the Sunday night dinner gathering for Bible / Theology Bloggers (mainly, I updated names to the list; I posted them in the order in which they came, so, hopefully, there will be room for everyone at the dinner. I will call and ask them to add a few spots to the reservation but I can't promise anything. The original reservation was for 15.). Time: 7pm Location: Plaza Level: In Front of Exhibition Hall B Doors ( click here for map ) Attendees: * Michael Halcomb , * James McGrath , * Nijay Gupta , * Josh McManaway , * Ken Brown , * Douglas Mangum , * Eric Sowell ,* Donald Kim ,* P. Gardella , * James Leonard , * Chris Brady , * Tarcizio Carvalho, Brandon Wasson, John Hobbins, Calvin Park, Mandy Park, Chris Weimer Restaurant: Dillon's (955 Boylston St. - click here for site , click here for menu ) Dillon's is about a one mi...

So, even though I am en route to Boston right now and SBL hasn't officially started for me (it will about 5pm this evening), I figured I'd go ahead and let you in on the lectures that are available for download (.pdf and .doc files). Most of the papers are NT oriented and center around The Gospels, The Paulines, Biblical Law and other things. By following the provided links below, you will have access to over 30 papers from this year's conference and over 60 from past conferences. Enjoy! * Contextual Biblical Interpretation * Romans * Cross, Ressurection & Diversity in Earliest Christianity * Biblical Law Update: Here is Ben Witherington's paper that I heard him deliver a little bit ago; it was good. Enjoy! * Ben Witherington: The Rhetorical Character of Hebrews

Well, I'm getting ready for SBL and it seems like I'm just rushing to get the things done that I need to before I leave. Looking ahead though, I'm excited to get to see some of my old professors (Jerry Sumney, Ben Witherington, etc.) present papers, meet up with some old friends, catch up with bible bloggers and meet new folk. Hopefully, I'll get to see some of the town this year as I didn't see any of San Diego last year. Anyway, I don't have much time to blog right now but as long as there's web access in Boston, I'll post some stuff about SBL periodically. If you're traveling to Boston this weekend, be blessed and travel safe!

I was reading a book review today and was reminded of the teaching that spiritual gifts have ceased (cessationism). I hadn't thought of this view in some time but I found myself dwelling on it for a while after this reading. In my view, how one views "spiritual gifts" is actually--in anthropological terms--shaped by the culture or culture that one is a part of and whether or not that worldview embraces or adopts such practices. Still, I'm wondering what you think about the matter? Are spiritual gifts part of your spiritual culture? Are they part of your worldview? Are they legitimate? Have they ceased? Do Christians today have the same spiritual gifts as those in antiquity?

Check out this new message-esque Bible translation called "The Voice". It's very non-literal, of course, but is highly artistic. For instance, the first few verses of Jn. 1 read: " 1 Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God. 2 This celestial Voice remained ever present with the Creator; 3 His speech shaped the entire cosmos. Immersed in the practice of creating, all things that exist were birthed in Him. 4 His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light. 5 Light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazing through murky bottoms. It cannot, and will not, be quenched." I tend to shy away from translations like this, which is not to say they have no value, they do, but sometimes they take artistic licensing way too far. Anyway, check it out for yourself. To download the entire text of Jn., click here: The Voice: John .

From time-to-time I like checking out what Google has compiled about my blog, so, I go to my webmaster acct. and give things a look. However, not everyone has a webmaster account, so, they cannot do that. Yet, there are some ways to see what Google is saying about and doing with your blog posts. Go to google.com and in the search bar, type in some of the following things and check out the results: site:michaelhalcomb.blogspot.com (replace my site name with your own each time) link:michaelhalcomb.blogspot.com cache:michaelhalcomb.blogspot.com info:michaelhalcomb.blogspot.com related:michaelhalcomb.blogspot.com The "site" tool allows you to search your site. The "link" tool allows you to see what other sites link to yours. The "cache" tool allows you to see your site's cache or history. The "info" tool provides info about your site. The "related" tool shows sites that are similar to yours. Pretty nifty!

As any well-rounded guitarist knows, a capo is not only a handy tool to have but using it is also a resource needed for learning how to become a better musician. A capo is a handy tool for changing the pitch and key of a guitar. Think of it this way: If you play an "A-chord" without a capo (e.g. in the "open" position) you get an "A-sound". However, if you were to put a capo on the first fret and play an "A-chord", no longer would you have an "A-sound", now you would have a "G#-sound". Pretty cool eh? Or, is it confusing? Well, whichever it is to you, take note that I have created a capo converting program and am offering it for free here on Pisteuomen. It's very user-friendly and helpful. It's called the "Pisteuomen Capo Converter 1.0". You can download the program by clicking the package icon below. Enjoy!!! Oh, and if you use it, why not let me know what you think? I'll try to add this to the "fre...

Yesterday during our worship gathering, I was talking to a gentleman who just so happens to be from Boston. I told him that I was going there for four or five days to a conference and he proceeded to tell me about all sorts of things in the area. Eventually, he just wrote up a short list of great places to visit that are within walking distance of the Hynes center. Here's the list: 1. Fenway Park 2. Public Garden & Boston Commons 3. John Hancock Building 4. Prudential Center (revolving restaurant) 5. Christian Science Church World Headquarters 6. Trinity Church / Copley Square 7. Fanuel Hall 8. Old North Church (Think "Paul Revere") 9. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (arts) Within a short driving distance, he noted that one could also visit MIT as well as Harvard Square / University. Just thought I'd pass the information along. By the way, I know that SBL is incredibly fast-paced and that from sun up to sun down there's always something going on. But if anyone...

If you are a regular reader of Pisteuomen, you know that in more ways than one, Africa has a special place in my heart. At the moment, my wife and I are in the process of adopting a son from Ethiopia which we are incredibly excited about. Also, one of my college soccer buddies, Daren Wendell, whom I've mentioned repeatedly on Pisteuomen, has become a great voice for African relief/aid. You can read more about his "walk around the world" HERE but I just want to take a moment and thank him for what he's already accomplished. In the last few months, Daren has raised so much awareness for the blood & water crises in Africa. He's also raised a lot of money, upwards of $10,000. Just last week, he spoke at a youth conference in IL and recieved a huge response. After taking a short hiatus from walking to do speaking events, documentaries, conferences, etc., Daren is hitting the road again tomorrow. Please, pray for him, encourage him and check out his cause. Click th...

Recently, I wrote a post venting some of my frustration about people who are always saying "God spoke to me and said..." At the time, I found it uncanny how many people I had heard say this. The thing is, people can rarely ever prove that God spoke, it's like, well, you just have to take their word for it. For instance, someone recently told a family member of mine: "I think the Lord is telling me to try to date so and so (another family member)." Clearly, this person was being manipulative. But then, I really think that there are legitimate instances where God speaks to people. So, I guess I'm wondering, are there any bloggers out there to whom God has spoken or speaks? If so, how does it happen and how do you know?

As we all know, when it comes to Mark's Gospel, scores of great resources exist. Indeed, even I have enough books and journal articles on Mk. to fill numerous bookshelves. I have vocalized my opinion more than once on Pisteuomen regarding these resources. I have said, for example, that finding a commentary on Mk. that makes new contributions to the field and offers fresh insights, etc. is tough. Having read nearly every major English commentary on Mk., I can honestly say that for the most part, it is all regurgitated information--every commentary sounds pretty much the same. Not only is this problematic in the way of commentaries but when one consults homiletical texts concerning Mk., they find the same things (e.g. the authors of the homiletics books were, of course, drawing knowledge from the commentaries). It is more than clear to me that if you want to find anything new in Markan studies, journal articles (and occasionally monographs) are the way to go. Having said that, I want...

Here are the updated plans for the Sunday night dinner gathering for Bible / Theology Bloggers. Time: 7pm Location: Plaza Level: In Front of Exhibition Hall B Doors ( click here for map ) Attendees: * Michael Halcomb , * James McGrath , * Nijay Gupta , * Josh McManaway , * Ken Brown , * Douglas Mangum , * Eric Sowell ,* Donald Kim ,* P. Gardella , * James Leonard , * Chris Brady , * Tarcizio Carvalho Restaurant: Dillon's (955 Boylston St. - click here for site , click here for menu ) Dillon's is about a one minute walk from the conference center, the restaurant was very willing to accomodate us and they have a menu with much variety, which is a good thing anytime a group is dining together. If you want to be part of this, please, let me know as soon as possible. Again, all are welcome, even those of you who have just begun blogging or are seriously considering it. Or, you may be an avid blog reader but not writer, well, you're welcome too. I have made reservations for...

If there are no delays regarding my flight times for SBL, as it stands, I'll be arriving at Logan Intl. Airport on Friday the 25th between 3-4pm (arrv. time says 3:39pm). I'll be traveling from Logan to the Sheraton, next to the convention center. If anybody is arriving around the same time and is traveling downtown and wants to share a cab, let me know. (Public transit, which I mentioned HERE , is not going to work out for me.) On the flip side, I'll be heading back to the airport on Tuesday the 25th around 4-4:30am because my flight heads out around 6:30am. If anyone wants to split a cab to the airport, I'd be more than glad to do that as well. Drop me a note here and we'll work something out.

Are there any bloggers out there who plan on blogging SBL? For those who are expecting to blog the event, I thought I'd try to get a short list going here ahead of time so that if people were interested, they'd know who they could follow. Also, I will follow your posts too and once or twice over the course of the conference, update the entire list. Leave a comment if you plan on doing this.

Just a quick note on the Sunday night dinner gathering for Bible Bloggers. I'm working on choosing and contacting a restaurant downtown at this point. As far as the time and metting place as well as attendees, here are some more details: Time: 7pm Location: Plaza Level in Front of Exhibition B Doors Attendees: * Michael Halcomb , * James McGrath , * Nijay Gupta , * Josh McManaway , * Ken Brown , * Douglas Mangum , * Eric Sowell ,* Donald Kim Restaurant: TBA If you want to be part of this, please, let me know as soon as possible so that when I make reservations at a restaurant, I'll know how many seats to tell them to reserve.

Chances are, if you've been through Bible College, Seminary or have taken some kind of Christian Ethics course, you've read or at least heard of Richard Niebhur's famous Christ & Culture book. I think that Niebhur's 5 points are still highly relevant and important for dicussions concering things like evangelism and its relationship to Christianity today. He talked about 5 models or ways that Christians often looked at the world: 1. Christ against culture (e.g. Church versus the world, trying to "save" the world; tend to be exclusivist) 2. Christ of culture (e.g. How the Spirit has worked throughout history; tend to be a culturalist) 3. Christ above culture (e.g. History is preparing us for God's reign; tend to be a synthesist) 4. Christ & Culture in Paradox (e.g. History is tension / "already not yet"; tend to be dualistic) 5. Christ Transforming Culture (e.g. Focus on the present and how God is working in it and what He wants us to do; ...

Last month on Pisteuomen, I mentioned some of the free resources that I have created in the past. Well, since I have created a new tool to browse through some of those resources, I thought I'd go ahead and mention them again. Besides, I've had a number of new readers latch on to Pisteuomen since then, so, if you're one of them, check out some of the free stuff below: (Click the photo to download the free product.)

My last two posts have focused on both the “ time of day ” that Jesus was crucified and the actual “ day ” of His crucifixion. In this post, I want to piggyback on some of my thoughts there and think here, about the religious leaders and two of their hesitancies: 1) Their fear of riots (Mk. 14.2) and, 2) Their fear of not being able to participate in Passover events (Jn. 18.28). It is my contention that if we can square these two passages, the things that I have said so far, become even clearer. Here are the two passages: Mk. 14.2 says: “For they said, ‘But not during the Feast or the crowds may riot.’” Jn. 18.28 says: “…But it was morning and they did not want to enter into the Praetorium in order that they did not become ceremonially unclean (for) they wanted to eat the Passover." In these two passages, the players are the same: the Jewish religious officials. While they have two concerns (mentioned above), these concerns focus on the same thing: Passover Week. Now, I have argue...

I have not updated the Pisteuomen blogroll in a while, so, I thought I'd take some time to do that. I have added 7 sites (to the "blogroll tab" above) that I read quite often. These sites are maintained by: Scott Bailey , Ken Brown , James McGrath , John Hobbins , Doug Mangum , Mark Goodacre and Bill Heroman .

Lately, for some reason, I've come across scores of people--who refer to themselves as Christians--that have all had one thing in common: They keep using the phrase "God spoke to me and said to __________ ." (we could fill in the blank here with any number of things). What is it about people that make them say these kinds of things? I kind of promised myself a long time ago, after hearing this so much and even doing it myself--when I was unsure as to whether or not God had actually said something--that I would never ever presume on God again. In other words, I made a purposeful decision to say "I will never just assume that God was bidding me to do something or that He was saying something." Yes, I know, this seems like I have "little faith" or that I am a "doubting Thomas". Still, I feel safer this way. Sure, I may never know with one hundred percent certainty that God said or did something, I may always question it and wonder but at least I...

In study #76 of my “Studies in Mark” series, I explored some issues surrounding the “time” of Jesus’ crucifixion in the four Gospel accounts. In the main, I gave some thoughts on how time was viewed, understood and used in Mediterranean antiquity and how these factors should be borne in mind when reading the various NT accounts. In the end, I concluded that in the work titled “John” (and the same is true of Luke) the author’s are using temporal approximations—in more simple terms: they were saying “Jesus was crucified at about or around such and such time of day.” John says Jesus was crucified at about Noon while Mark says it was 9am. The fact is, John is clearly approximating when he uses the word “about” (again, Luke does the same). Mark does not offer a specific word that denotes approximation; at first glance he seems to be more specific. However, given the cultural norms of time-telling back then, any seemingly specific time that was given should still be taken lightly. To find o...

I ran across an interesting quote by R. E. Brown recently that stopped me in my tracks--mainly because I was surprised to hear it coming from him. Here it is: "The most crucial difference between McHugh and me may lie in a judgment on whether God's revelation, given to us once and for all in Jesus Christ, had to be understood totally by first-century Christians. I think that it did not and that those Christians wrote the NT with only a partial understanding of the revelation they described. That is why I maintain the need for a church which through the Holy Spirit can enable later generations to see in Christ aspects that first Christians did not see when they wrote their text." -R. E. Brown, Biblical Exegesis & Church Doctrine , 73. I don't know about you but I have a bit of trouble employing this type of theology and reasoning. What thoughts do you have on this?

SBL-goers, if you're flying into Logan Airport in Boston, save yourself some money by not taking a cab! You can hop on the rail, located at the airport and it will take you right downtown. The cost is supposedly much less than hailing a taxi. For more info, click this link which actually allows you to download some transportation maps as .pdf files: From Logan Airport To Downtown Boston . Also, click HERE for an interactive map of downtown.

If you are a biblio / biblica blogger and are attending SBL, you are invited to our annual gathering which, this year, will take place on Sunday evening. Whether you've just started blogging, have been blogging for years or are even considering blogging, you are welcome. We're going to meet up at the convention center and walk to a restaurant from there. A more specific time, restaurant location, etc. will be given soon. Please, if you are coming, leave a comment here so we can reserve seats at the restaurant ahead of time (this will make things go much smoother, give us more time to chat and take a lot of stress off of the restaurant employees. I will make reservations for us beforehand and post those soon enough. ***Update: Here is the list of those who have signed up to attend so far. If you leave a comment noting that you plan to attend, I will add your name to the list. * Michael Halcomb * James McGrath * Nijay Gupta * Josh McManaway * Ken Brown * Douglas Mangum * Eric S...

As many New Testament scholars have pointed out, those from the New Testament era and more specifically, the non-Roman Elite of the NT era, understood “time” differently. Bruce Malina, for instance, has repeatedly shown that while 21st century Americans are predominantly future-oriented people (e.g. retirement funds, savings accounts, planning for education, hoping to get married, waiting to have kids, etc.), those we read of in the NT were quite the opposite—these agricultural and usually lower class personages were present-minded folk. In fact, Malina has argued that no NT personage could have possibly had a future orientation similar to that of a 21st century American. For the sake of argument and belaboring, I will say here that this is a view I, for the most part, share (I say “most part” because I certainly have not done away with the “already, not yet” aspect so apparent in the NT documents). As Cadbury has pointed out, the NT word “hora” (English “hour”) is only attested to one...

So we can go ahead and make some more progress, if you are a Bible blogger and are interested in meeting with others, which of the 3 times would work out best for you: 1) Saturday lunch, 2) Saturday dinner, 3) Sunday lunch, or 4) Sunday dinner? As it stands, Saturday lunch and Sunday dinner seem to be the best options.