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how to tell the biblical story in a way that makes a difference

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It’s a while since we’ve had a diagram about theology and history

Andrew replied to Arthur Davis A nice comment, Arthur. Thank you. I might come back to it, but a few quick thoughts for now. As a broad generalisation I would say that most of critical New Testament scholarship since E.P. Sanders... (17 July, 2019 - 11:17)
Arthur Davis Thanks for this, Andrew. A question perhaps for a future post: who else do you consider to be working in a narrative-historical space or on a related trajectory? I’m not interested in the full... (16 July, 2019 - 23:38)

The gospel for Jews and Gentiles according to Romans: a summary

Andrew replied to peter wilkinson But pursue this too far, and you end up with something Jesus was not saying, such as that AD 70 was an expression of God’s kingdom.My argument about the coming of the kingdom of God, keeping it to... (15 July, 2019 - 20:55)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. If you go for a strictly historical understanding of what Jesus in particular meant by “kingdom”, then yes, it has a distinct meaning in relation to forthcoming events in the 1st century and... (15 July, 2019 - 17:08)
Phil L. replied to peter wilkinson When it comes to kingdom, new creation, and present experience, I’m not sure I’d describe either my or Andrew’s portrayal as a “sharp binary,” although I can see how certain... (15 July, 2019 - 15:20)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. Thanks Phil. I’m not wanting to find disagreement where there is none, but I think while a case can be made for the NT authors focusing on more proximate historical events, I still think that... (14 July, 2019 - 19:36)
Phil L. replied to peter wilkinson I think where we differ is that I see more than AD70 and the ultimate downfall of Rome in the coming of Jesus and how he was understood by the NT authors. I don’t think we differ in that... (14 July, 2019 - 17:25)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. Thanks Phil. Your passion and perception of how a thoroughgoing historical reading of the NT works is noted. I’d be interested to know what the great things are that you have seen when this... (14 July, 2019 - 15:44)
davo replied to Phil L. Great linked article Phil… thanks (8 July, 2019 - 05:19)
Phil L. replied to Samuel Conner Hey Samuel, Yes, I have considered that. When I started the blog, the whole project was a very big change for me, and I wanted to write freely without any regard for how people might react... (8 July, 2019 - 01:14)
Phil L. replied to peter wilkinson Yeah. I thought for a long time about how I might talk about this, and I just ended up writing a blog post about it: http://tinyurl.com/y62794tx I don’t know that you’ll be totally... (7 July, 2019 - 19:45)
Samuel Conner replied to Samuel Conner A not entirely tongue-in-cheek observation: Comparison of the experiences of AD26-30, 66-73 and 132-135 suggests that the least destructive-to-Israel way to deal with a crisis of popular... (2 July, 2019 - 13:49)
peter wilkinson replied to Phil L. A very indirect question. I think for Israel history was probably largely edited to serve the needs of the present - which was exile in Babylon and immediately following. (1 July, 2019 - 23:56)
Samuel Conner replied to Phil L. I’m glad that you are getting some “traction” in your relationships. Mine are a bit different and I need to tread cautiously to avoid harm. My current sense of the matter is that the most... (1 July, 2019 - 20:57)
Phil L. replied to Samuel Conner Thank you for bumping my readership up to four! Actually, most of my readership comes from Southeast Asia. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s hackers trying to bring down the... (1 July, 2019 - 16:32)
Samuel Conner replied to Phil L. Thanks, Phil. I have been visiting your ‘blog occasionally since I discovered it here. Just paid a visit to Alex’s too, for the first time, and encountered a post that was very helpful, another... (1 July, 2019 - 16:20)
Andrew replied to peter wilkinson It’s already clear that he is not using the extracts from Psalms in a way that takes full account of their context in the Psalms, where the wicked are juxtaposed with “my people” and “the righteous... (1 July, 2019 - 16:19)
Andrew replied to peter wilkinson The direct address to the Jew probably finishes in 2:27, with a transition in 28-29. Paul continues to speak of the Jew in the third person, switching to first person plural in 3:5 and again in the... (1 July, 2019 - 16:04)

Does the historical interpretation of the parousia really make historical sense?

Andrew replied to Josh Roach Hi Josh. Thanks.I’ve listed a few posts below which may help.There are two parts to the question, I think.First, from the point of view of first century Jewish-Christian apocalyptic thought it made... (14 July, 2019 - 09:15)
Josh Roach Hey Andrew, Thanks for writing this. You write, “It would be three centuries before the fall of Babylon the great could be declared and the martyrs raised in a first resurrection of the... (14 July, 2019 - 07:36)
Andrew replied to Samuel Conner But since history is always and consistently imperfect, I think we just have to take it as it is—and was. If the aim of the apostles was to win the Greek-Roman world for YHWH, it’s hard to see... (13 July, 2019 - 15:02)
Samuel Conner The thought has occurred to me frequently in the months since I have been reading this ‘blog that the Church lost a great deal when the Jewish Christian part of the movement faded away. I imagine... (13 July, 2019 - 03:14)
Alex My assumption is that [Paul] foresaw judgment on the Jews followed not long after by judgment on the Greek-Roman world. This single “mistake” seems to go a lot of the way in explaining why the... (11 July, 2019 - 18:48)

Getting saved in the Gospels

Andrew replied to David King David, you have given no justification for allegorically interpreting “the nations” / “Gentiles” (ta ethnē) as a reference to the ten tribes. All you have done here is superimpose it on the text of... (12 July, 2019 - 11:08)
Phil L. replied to David King I wouldn’t say we’re ignoring that narrative so much as hardly anyone would agree that “Gentiles” means “descendents of ten of the tribes of Israel.” (12 July, 2019 - 02:13)
David King Regarding John’s section: But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man... (12 July, 2019 - 00:53)

Why won’t there be marriage in the resurrection?

Matt replied to Eric Breaux This is a surprising reading, since the Sadducces are in fact asking a question about existing marriages and not about marriages that might be conducted in the age to come. The pressing issue is... (8 July, 2019 - 03:16)

The Bible Project New Testament Overview: story and history

Andrew replied to Daniel Lowe Thank you, Daniel. 1. This may just be a matter of personal preference. Because “narrative” is the more “technical” term (to my ear), I’m inclined to give it the “wider meaning making” sense,... (5 July, 2019 - 23:01)
Daniel Lowe Dude this is awesome! I’ve been looking for something like your narrative-historical theology. It really captures a lot of the different ways I’ve been thinking about scripture in the... (5 July, 2019 - 22:07)

The subversion of the Jewish “hell” in the teaching of Jesus

Paola replied to Jake Hello. Not an intellectual here. No certificates or diplomas. Just a lady who has been googling and reading to answer some questions for myself. I came across this article and the back and forth. In... (5 July, 2019 - 16:35)