A new book on baptism

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

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 →

My commentary on Acts 2:42-47

As many of my readers will know, I’m working on the Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) on Acts. My friend Andrew Roberts recently asked me to contribute to his Holy Habits blog on Acts 2:42-47, and I gave him the ‘Explanation’ section of my commentary on that passage—that’s the part of the WBC which focuses on pulling the threads of a passage together to give an overall interpretation of it. Here’s a link to that blog—you’ll find lots of other good stuff there too! Comments and Continue reading →

Who was Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1)? A podcast interview

While I was in Houston, Texas at the Lanier Theological Library during May, David Capes recorded a second podcast interview with me, this time for the Exegetically Speaking podcast which Wheaton College and the Lanier Theological Library jointly sponsor. This one focused on the identity of Theophilus, the addressee of Luke and Acts. You can access it directly here or (as they say) wherever you usually get podcasts (Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, YouTube). It’s a touch under 10 minutes. In case you missed the first Continue reading →