Tag Archives: New Testament Studies

Learning and church structures: a stimulating book by Claire S. Smith

17 March 2014 by Steve Walton
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This book addresses a really important topic, the ‘learning’ nature of the Pauline communities (especially in Corinth, Ephesus and Crete)—although the title is technical rather than inviting—and it’s stimulated me to write about a particular point arising from it. In general, I’ve enjoyed reading Claire Smith’s book and a full review (I wrote almost 2500 words) will appear on the excellent Review of Biblical Literature in due course (I’ll post here when the time comes). The particular point that I want to note here is Continue reading →

Judy Redman on the parable of the wheat and weeds (tares)

11 March 2014 by Steve Walton
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Here’s a great piece by Judy Redman from her blog about the parable of the wheat and weeds (tares) in Matthew 13:24-30—well worth reading. I’m particularly struck by the way she uses her training in agriculture to inform her reading of this parable and to show how much sense it makes in the first century, where agricultural practices were different to day. I love the fact that there was a law against people spreading darnel seed among wheat seed, which suggests that Jesus’ scenario in Continue reading →

Two scintillating links

5 February 2014 by Steve Walton
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Here are two scintillatingly good links to pieces I’ve really enjoyed watching (the video) and reading (Joel Green’s article). The video is a short (12 mins) talk by Ian McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary, one of the most interesting books of recent times. McGilchrist is a neuroscientist who reflects seriously, and non-superficially, about the relation of the two hemispheres of the brain, and rejects the popular ‘left brain = rational, right brain = creative’ approach. He draws fascinating implications for the dominance of Continue reading →

Library of NT Studies latest

13 January 2014 by Steve Walton
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Mark Goodacre, the series editor, blogs here about the newest volumes in the excellent Library of New Testament Studies series, published by T. & T. Clark/Bloomsbury. I’m delighted that the volume A Scriptural Theology of Eucharistic Blessings by my student Susan Bubbers (who blogs here) is among them—this is a revised version of her excellent PhD thesis. In the interests of full disclosure, I’m on the Editorial Board of this fine series.