Reflecting on SBL Denver 2022

9 December 2022 by Steve Walton
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I greatly enjoyed being in Denver a couple of weeks ago for the annual SBL meeting. It was a lovely opportunity to reconnect with people, many of whom I’d not seen in person for three years because of covid—I cannot recall a day when I have hugged so many people as the Friday! In particular, it was great to see current and former doctoral students in person again. I went to a bunch of papers, although I found myself generally selecting individual papers in a Continue reading →

A cracking read: Luke Timothy Johnson’s autobiography as a scholar

31 October 2022 by Steve Walton
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Luke Timothy Johnson, The Mind in Another Place: My Life as a ScholarGrand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022. ISBN 978-0-8028-8011-6. I read Luke Timothy Johnson’s book with great appreciation over the weekend. It’s clear, lucid, engaging, and very encouraging and stimulating. I’ve long been an admirer of his work: his published PhD dissertation, The Literary Function of Possessions in Luke-Acts (SBLDS 39; Missoula, MT: Scholars, 1977) was a pioneering ‘narrative’ reading of Luke-Acts which I found very helpful in my own PhD work a few years later, Continue reading →

A new book on baptism

14 October 2022 by Steve Walton
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Pontien Ndagijimana Batibuka, Baptism as an Event of Taking Responsibility: A New Reading of Romans 5:12 to 6:23, Langham Monographs, Carlisle: Langham Publishing, 2022. ISBN 9781839732348. £24.99. Dr Pontien Batibuka has just published a revised version of his fine doctoral study of Romans 5:12–6:23, focusing on the meaning of baptism in that section of the letter. It’s well worth reading. He is a professor of New Testament studies and the Library Director at Shalom University of Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. He co-founded the NGO, Continue reading →

A live performance of Richard Burridge’s new translation of the Gospel of Mark

4 October 2022 by Steve Walton
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My friend the New Testament scholar Richard Burridge has worked on a new English translation of Mark’s Gospel, seeking to be as true as possible to the word order, verb tenses, word-plays and puns in Greek, and the like. I’ve read sections of this and it’s fascinating—at times it sounds rather Yoda-like in its word order, and that helps recognise the strangeness of Mark’s writing in our English-orientated world. Richard is giving a live performance of his translation with Justin Butcher reading the narrator, Andy Continue reading →

Panel discussion on Romans 6–8 with Tom Wright, Foley Beach, Rodney Reeves and Steve Walton

18 July 2022 by Steve Walton
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While in Houston at the wonderful Lanier Theological Library recently, I had the fun of taking part in a panel discussion on Romans 6–8 with a distinguished set of colleagues: (from left to right) the Baptist NT scholar and pastor Rodney Reeves, the amazing NT scholar Tom Wright, me, and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Foley Beach. The panel was moderated by Mark Lanier, the founder of the library, and a fine, forensic attorney. Here’s a link to the recording of Continue reading →