Win a Copy of The Biblical Canon Lists by John Meade

Next up in our Faculty Book Giveaway is the co-authored book by John Meade, The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity: Texts and Analysis published by Oxford University Press. In this one book are all the earliest lists that show which books early Christians acknowledged as canonical. See the description below and read more about canon lists from an earlier post by Dr. Meade.

Canon Lists book on a shelf

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About the Book

The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity provides an accessible presentation of these early canon lists. With a focus on the first four centuries, the volume supplies the full text of the canon lists in English translation alongside the original text, usually Greek or Latin, occasionally Hebrew or Syriac. Edmon L. Gallagher and John D. Meade orient readers to each list with brief introductions and helpful notes, and they point readers to the most significant scholarly discussions. The book begins with a substantial overview of the history of the biblical canon, and an entire chapter is devoted to the evidence of biblical manuscripts from the first millennium. This authoritative work is an indispensable guide for students and scholars of biblical studies and church history.

Reviews

"The major benefit of this book is that, for each list included, the authors give a brief introduction, and the actual text in the original language and with an English translation, plus copious notes.  In one handy volume, you have pretty much all the key evidence, which makes this volume a unique contribution."

—Larry Hurtado, former Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, University of Edinburgh

"I think the volume is completely worth the reader’s time. ... Fortunately, here, readers find all the essential lists in one location and don’t have to waste a lot of time trying to track them down in various places and volumes.  For that alone our authors are to be thanked."

—Jim West, Lecturer in Biblical and Reformation Studies, Ming Hua Theological College / Charles Stuart University

About John Meade

Dr. John Meade joined the Phoenix Seminary Faculty in 2012. He teaches courses in Hebrew Language and Old Testament Literature. He also teaches elective courses on the Septuagint, the Apocrypha, the Canon of Scripture, and Biblical Theology. You can learn more about him at his faculty page.

Win a Copy of A New Approach to Textual Criticism by Peter Gurry

Next up in our Faculty Book Giveaway is a book co-authored by Dr. Peter Gurry, A New Approach to Textual Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence Based Genealogical Method. This book introduces a new method of New Testament textual criticism that is influencing the text of our Greek New Testament. Read more about it in Dr. Gurry's blog post or watch the video from our Night with the Professors.

A New Approach to Textual Criticism by Peter Gurry and Tommy Wasserman on a bookshelf

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About the Book

With the publication of the widely used twenty-eighth edition of Nestle-Aland's Novum Testamentum Graece and the fifth edition of the United Bible Society Greek New Testament, a computer-assisted method known as the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM) was used for the first time to determine the most valuable witnesses and establish the initial text. This book offers the first full-length, student-friendly introduction to this important new method. After setting out the method's history, separate chapters clarify its key concepts such as genealogical coherence, textual flow diagrams, and the global stemma. Examples from across the New Testament are used to show how the method works in practice. The result is an essential introduction that will be of interest to students, translators, commentators, and anyone else who studies the Greek New Testament.

Reviews

"For anybody who cares about the text of the New Testament, there will be few books published in biblical studies over the next decade that will be more important than this one. Tommy Wasserman and Peter Gurry describe some of the tectonic shifts that are currently occurring in the way that New Testament text critics are reconstructing the earliest recoverable form of the Greek text of the New Testament. With great care and clarity, the authors explain the intricacies of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in ways that both scholars and non-specialists can readily understand. For anybody who wishes to know how the text of latest printed scholarly editions of the Greek New Testament has been determined, and why it differs from earlier editions then this is the book to read."

—Prof. Paul Foster, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh

“Writing an introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method for the uninitiated must be akin to trying to teach the Amish how to drive a Ferrari. CBGM is a complex method that Wasserman and Gurry have simplified with a rather humane writing style, but this does not mean that those who have minimal exposure to this method will jump at the chance to understand it. They should, and Wasserman and Gurry are the right guides to gently bring them into the realm of 21st century NT textual criticism. This book is a welcome addition to the library of anyone (not just the neophyte) who wants to understand this arcane, yet foundational, discipline that has grown in intricacies and subtleties in recent years.”

—Daniel B. Wallace, Executive Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

About Peter Gurry

Peter Gurry joined the Phoenix Seminary faculty in 2017. He teaches courses in Greek Language and New Testament literature. His research interests range across Greek grammar, New Testament textual criticism, the General Epistles, and the history of Biblical scholarship. Learn more about Peter at his faculty page.

Dr. Wayne Grudem on His New Book Christian Ethics

The Phoenix Seminary faculty work to produce helpful resources for students, pastors, and many others in ministry. Today we are pleased to announce our newest faculty publication, an introduction to Christian ethics by our research professor, Dr. Wayne Grudem.

Christian Ethics cover

I wrote my new book Christian Ethics for Christians who want to understand what the Bible teaches about how to obey God faithfully in their daily lives. I hope the book will be useful not only for college and seminary students who take classes in Christian ethics, but also for all other Christians who seek, before God, to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” with the result that they will live “in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9–10).

But the book also contains a challenge. I am concerned that teaching about ethics has been neglected in many evangelical churches today—partly because the issues seem complex, partly because pastors do not want to be accused of sounding “legalistic,” and partly because the surrounding non-Christian culture is hostile to Christian moral values, so anyone who teaches biblical ethics is likely to be criticized by unbelievers. Therefore, I hope this book will help to meet a need among Christians today for more biblical ethical understanding. And I hope the book will challenge Christians to live lives of personal holiness in the midst of a secular culture.

This book is similar in its method to my earlier book Systematic Theology, because both books seek to explain “what the whole Bible teaches” about various specific top­ics. However, Systematic Theology dealt with theological topics such as the Trinity, the person of Christ, the atonement, and salvation, while this book deals with ethical top­ics such as lying and telling the truth, war, abortion, euthanasia, racial discrimination, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, stewardship of money, wise use of the environ­ment, and many other topics.

I hope it will be useful for all Christians who seek to experience the great blessing of God that comes from walking daily in paths of obedience, knowing more of the joy of God’s presence, and experiencing his favor on our lives.

The full table of contents is available on the publisher's website.

About the Author

Wayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary. He is a former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and has published over 20 books. Learn more on his faculty page and website.

Win a Copy of Theistic Evolution edited by Wayne Grudem

First up in our Faculty Book Giveaway is a book co-edited by our own Wayne Grudem. It's a substantial critique of theistic evolution with contributions from theologians, Biblical scholars, scientists, and philosophers. See below for details on how to enter and for more info on the book.

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About the Book

Many prominent Christians insist that the church must yield to contemporary evolutionary theory and therefore modify traditional biblical ideas about the creation of life. They argue that God used—albeit in an undetectable way—evolutionary mechanisms to produce all forms of life. Featuring two dozen highly credentialed scientists, philosophers, and theologians from Europe and North America, this volume contests this proposal, documenting evidential, logical, and theological problems with theistic evolution—making it the most comprehensive critique of theistic evolution yet produced.

Reviews

“This volume fills a wide and expanding gap for Christians who continue to struggle with the relationship of evangelical Christianity to the claims of science. Specifically, for those who have rightly rejected the claims of unguided evolution, this book takes on the similar challenge of the possibility of theistic evolution. Scholarly, informative, well-researched, and well-argued, this will be the best place to begin to ferret out reasons for conflict among Christians who take science seriously. I highly recommend this resource.”
—K. Scott Oliphint, Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology and Dean of Faculty, Westminster Theological Seminary

“Theistic evolution means different things to different people. This book carefully identifies, and thoroughly debunks, an insidious, all-too-commonly accepted sense of the phrase even among Christians: that there is no physical reason to suspect life was designed, and that evolution proceeded in the unguided, unplanned manner Darwin himself championed.”
—Michael J. Behe, professor of biological sciences, Lehigh University; author, Darwin’s Black Box and The Edge of Evolution

About Wayne Grudem

Dr. Grudem has been Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary since 2001 and has served as the President of the Evangelical Theological Society (1999) and as a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible. Learn more about Dr. Grudem on his faculty page

 

Phoenix Seminary Faculty Book Giveaway

With the weather warming up, it's time for vacations, cookouts, and making summer reading lists. Whether you're in seminary or not, summer is a great time to catch up on books that you wanted to read but just couldn't find the time. At Phoenix Seminary, we want to help with our Faculty Book Giveaway.

Over the next twelve weeks, we'll be giving away free copies of seven of our faculty's newest books! We will announce each one right here on the seminary blog as well as on Facebook and Twitter. So, follow along for a chance to win some great books from our fantastic faculty. Here's a peek at what we'll be giving away. Good luck!

Summer Seminary book giveaway from Phoenix Seminary

Books and Authors

  1. Theistic Evolution (Crossway) edited by Wayne Grudem and others.
  2. Cyprian of Carthage (Christian Focus) by Brian Arnold
  3. A New Approach to Textual Criticism (SBL) by Tommy Wasserman and Peter Gurry
  4. The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity (OUP) by Edmon Gallagher and John Meade
  5. Engaging Ephesians (GlossaHouse) by John DelHousaye
  6. Justification in the Second Century (Baylor) by Brian Arnold
  7. Christian Ethics (Crossway) by Wayne Grudem

Dr. John DelHousaye's New Book Engaging Ephesians

The Phoenix Seminary faculty work to produce a range of helpful resources for students, pastors, and many others in ministry. Today we are pleased to announce our newest faculty publication, an exegetical guide to the Greek text of Ephesians by Dr. John DelHousaye.

Engaging EphesiansI originally wrote Engaging Ephesians: An Intermediate Reader and Exegetical Guide for our students, specifically their third semester of New Testament Greek, but the project fit well as a tier three (intermediate) resource in the AGROS (Greek for “field”) series published by GlossaHouse. I worked very closely with Dr. Fredrick Long, my counterpart at Asbury Seminary and one of the editors for the series. He is preparing a commentary on Ephesians, so that his input greatly improved the work. I love GlossaHouse’s vision to offer affordable resources for students around the world.

Anyone who has worked through a first-year Greek primer can use this resource for deeper exegesis into Ephesians, a beautiful, almost poetic, distillation of Paul’s understanding of the gospel. (We find salvation by grace but for good works, personal reconciliation with God but also between people historically hostile to one another.) Despite the long sentences, a quality of Asiatic rhetoric that the apostle’s first readers anticipated, many find Ephesians (and its sister letter Colossians) to be the most accessible for a second-year Greek student. It is also a helpful resource for anyone wanting to get back into the Greek text after taking a break.

Engaging Ephesians explains the phenomena of the text of Ephesians in a way that allows readers to work through and understand it on their own. It is different from a commentary, which conveys the interpretation of the author. To this end, I note ambiguities and appropriate voices from several traditions. (Readers may find themselves agreeing with Calvin in some places but disagreeing in others. And this may be the only book in the world that compares the mystical Jesus Prayer from the Eastern Orthodox Church to the evangelism of Billy Graham.) I discuss most of the variants listed in the twenty-eighth edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, finding a general preference for Codex Sinaiticus (although noting copying errors in it), but also several from the Byzantine tradition that were not mentioned.

The book is divided into fourteen sections, which allows it to correspond perfectly with the length of a semester and be adopted as a course textbook. Of course, independent readers may go at their own pace. At the head of each weekly section, significant individuals and key terms are listed and expounded upon in subsequent commentary. In addition, each chapter has a vocabulary list for all words that occur fifty times or less in the Greek New Testament. Also helpful are discussions on matters such as literary structure, rhetoric, semantics, and syntax. This reader-friendly guide allows readers to engage Ephesians in a deep, profound, and faithful manner.

This project was a decade in the making, but I thank the Lord for allowing it to reach completion. I pray it encourages other brothers and sisters to read Scripture richly for the long journey of faith.

About the Author

Dr. John DelHousaye joined the faculty of Phoenix Seminary in 2001 and predominantly teaches the books and language of the New Testament. Learn more about him, his ministry, and research interests at his faculty page.

The Phoenix Seminary Faculty Works

At Phoenix Seminary, we live our motto, “Scholarship with a Shepherd’s Heart.” This means that we have a faculty that trains men and women for gospel-centered ministry for the building up of healthy churches in Phoenix and beyond. In 2017, the faculty has labored in countless ways, but let’s try to enumerate some of them. In addition to teaching, preaching, and service in the local church and the seminary, they have been preparing conference papers to be delivered at the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS; Providence, RI) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL; Boston, MA); researching, writing, and publishing books and articles; going overseas on missions’ work; engaging in local church ministries; and counseling in a clinical setting. By the Lord’s grace, the faculty engages at both the highest ranks of scholarship and in the life of the local church for the glory of God. The accomplishments listed below are only a taste of the Phoenix Seminary faculty, but we should list them in order that we can thank God for his provision of strength to carry out the work.

Brian Arnold

Presentations: ETS. Friday 17, 2017 at 2:40 p.m. “‘He labors because he believes’: Faith and Redemptive Almsgiving in Cyprian of Carthage.”

Publications: (1) Justification in the Second Century, Studies of the Bible and Its Reception 9 (Berlin: DeGruyter, 2017). 221 pages. (2) Cyprian of Carthage: Life and Impact (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, forthcoming 2017).

 

John DelHousaye

Preaching: Dr. DelHousaye has been an active preacher in Phoenix this year, preaching in at least seven different churches.

Conference: Dr. DelHousaye will represent Phoenix Seminary at a Collective for the Spiritual Formation Society of Arizona.

Publications: (1) Engaging Ephesians: An Intermediate Reader and Exegetical Guide (Glossa House, expected Nov. 2017). (2) “Luke’s Baptist in John’s Gospel,” in Early Christianity and its Hellenistic Context 4, edited by Stanley Porter and Andrew Pitts (Leiden: Brill, expected Nov. 2017). (3) Several entries in The Essential Handbook of Denominations and Ministries, edited by George Thomas Kurian and Sarah Claudine Day (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2017). (4) Reviewed Garwood P. Anderson’s, Paul’s New Perspective: Charting a Soteriological Journey, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies in Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies.

 

Wayne Grudem

Presentation: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, at 9:00 a.m.: ETS Panel.
The editors and several other contributors will present and discuss the forthcoming book (see below), Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique, in a 3-hour session. 

Conference: Thursday night-Friday morning Jan. 18-19, 2018 (in Phoenix).
Phoenix Seminary will sponsor a conference to discuss and promote Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique (see below). Three of the editors (Stephen Meyer, J.P. Moreland, and Wayne Grudem) will make presentations and interact with the audience in an extended question-and-answer time.

Publications: (1) Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique, Co-edited with J. P. Moreland, Stephen Meyer, and Chris Shaw (Crossway, due out Nov. 2017). 992 pages. The book has 23 authors and 33 chapters. (2) Redeeming the Life of the Mind: Essays in Honor of Vern Poythress, Co-edited with John Frame and John J. Hughes; Foreword by J. I. Packer (Crossway, due Nov. 2017). 432 pages.

 

Peter Gurry

Presentations: (1) ETS. Friday 17, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. “Growing Up in the Ehrman Era: Retrospect & Prospect on Our Text-Critical Apologetic.”  Peter is also co-chairing this session. See here for more information. (2) SBL. Monday Nov. 20, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “The Byzantine Text as the Initial Text in the CBGM.”

Publications: (1) A Critical Examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in New Testament Textual Criticism, New Testament Studies, Tools and Documents 55 (Leiden: Brill, due out Oct. 2017). (2) A New Approach to Textual Criticism: An Introduction to the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (Atlanta: SBL/Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, expected in 2017). Co-authored with Tommy Wasserman. (3) “Textual Criticism and the Editio Critica Maior (ECM) of James,” in Reading the Epistle of James: A Resource for Students, edited by Eric F. Mason and Darian Lockett, Resources for Biblical Study (Atlanta: SBL Press, forthcoming). Co-authored with Tommy Wasserman.

Blogging: Dr. Gurry blogs frequently at Evangelical Textual Criticism.

 

Malcolm Hartnell

Urban Ministry: Exploring a ministry to refugees in the Phoenix area for field education opportunities for seminary students.

Conferences: In September Dr. Hartnell will attend the North American Orality Conference in Colorado Springs sponsored by the International Orality Network.

Writing Project: Dr. Hartnell has begun collaborating with a local Phoenix Seminary alumnus in the development of pastoral training materials that combine traditional content and pedagogy with oral dynamics for a ministry network in Uganda and Kenya.

 

Bingham Hunter

Accreditation: Ten-year extension of Phoenix Seminary’s regional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Continued licensure of the seminary by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education (AZPPSE). Preparation for March 2018 ten-year professional reaccreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

Publication: Roger Ball, W. Bingham Hunter, and Eric vanSonnenberg, “Mentoring in Christian Seminaries: A Survey of the Evangelical Seminary Deans’ Council,” Journal of Research on Christian Education. Forthcoming 2017).

 

Jonathan Logan

Missions: Missions trip to Uganda, East Africa from July 17th through the 29th. While there he will be ministering to around 2,500 pastors and their wives on shepherding, church leadership, conflict resolution, and understanding salvation and family development.

Conference: Local church youth conference on July 8–9 designed to help youth and youth adults understand their calling and opportunities for ministry.

 

John Meade

Presentations: (1) Houston Baptist University. Friday, March 3, 2017, at 12:00 p.m. “The ‘Canon’ Terminology of Epiphanius of Salamis.” Presented at the 2017 Theology Conference “How the Bible Came into Being.” (2) ETS. Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. “The Septuagint and the Biblical Canon.”

Publications: (1) The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity: Texts and Analysis. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, due out Nov. 2017). 352 pages. Co-authored with Edmon Gallagher.  (2) Articles on “Masoretic Text,” “Septuagint,” and “Hexapla” in The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media, edited by Tom Thatcher, Chris Keith, Raymond Person, and Elsie Stern (London: T & T Clark / Bloomsbury, due out Sept. 2017). (3) Several articles on the Hexapla in The Textual History of the Bible, vol. 1, edited by Armin Lange and Emanuel Tov (Leiden: Brill, 2016–2017).

Blogging: Dr. Meade blogs at his own Septuagint Studies and occasionally at Evangelical Textual Criticism.

 

Justin Smith

Clinical Practice: Dr. Smith remains active as a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist. He specializes in working with clergy, missionaries, global workers, couples, and trauma survivors. He is President-Elect of the Arizona Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Presentations: (1) Christian Association for Psychological Studies. March 31, 2017. “Advances and changing ethics and standards of practice in telehealth and technology assisted services: Local and global perspectives.” Co-presented with Chung, K-Y, & Miller, L. (2) Christian Association for Psychological Studies. March 11, 2016. “Healing and Hurting in Relationships: Addressing Violence in Therapy.”

Publications: “Telehealth Practice: Perspectives and Resources.” Member Care Update, 91 (November 2016).

 

Steve Tracy

Presentations: (1) Scottsdale Bible Church, March 23, 2017. “Understanding and Responding to Domestic Violence and Child Sexual Abuse.” Day-long training for Scottsdale Bible Church staff. (2) June 20, 2017, Wheaton College, “Abuse and Shame: How the Cross Transforms Sexual Shame.” Presentation at Honor-Shame Conference. (3) October 14, 2017, ASU West, “A Historical Christian Perspective on Human Life: Valuing the Marginalized.” Presentation at “An Ethical 360 Dialogue about Abortion” forum, sponsored by Arizona State University West Campus.

Missions: In April/May 2017, Dr. Tracy conducted five weeks of ministry in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He led short-term teams conducting trauma ministry conferences for pastors, counselors, and traumatized children. Read about it here.

Parachurch: President of Mending the Soul Ministries, a Christian nonprofit which creates written resources and trainings on trauma, abuse, and sexuality for domestic and global use.

Publications: Caring for the Vulnerable Child: Welcoming Children Who Have Experienced Neglect, Abandonment, & Abuse. Co-authored with Celestia Tracy, forthcoming.