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When one reads similar accounts in Samuel-Kings and in Chronicles, the question of their relationship naturally arises. Since W.M.L. de Wette the consensus of OT scholarship has considered Samuel-Kings to be the Vorlage of Chronicles. However, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls required a qualification of this relationship since, as Werner Lemke and others … Read more
The relationship between immigration and Christian ethics is of particular importance in the era of mass migration and debates over border policy, citizenship, societal cohesion, ethnic replacement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Christian interactions with these issues tend to be formulated within a positive but narrow missiological framework that prioritises the potential for evangelism and … Read more
Authenticity is an oft-demanded value and practice today. Though it does, as Carl Trueman has noted, “embody the fashionable piety of the postmodern ethos,” one cannot deny its importance in Christian spirituality. Alister McGrath values authenticity in his definition of Christian spirituality: “Christian spirituality concerns the quest for a fulfilled and authentic Christian existence.” A … Read more
The verb φρονέω (phroneō) is a significant word carefully chosen by Paul to highlight the importance of cultivating Christ-centered thinking in his urgent call for unity in his letter to the Philippians. It is remarkable in both frequency and significance. Despite its importance in the letter, φρονέω is not given enough attention. This paper proposes … Read more
The long eighteenth century brought unprecedented doubt and confusion to the doctrine of the Trinity. Anti-trinitarians sought to discredit the doctrine of the Trinity through historical, philosophical, and biblical arguments. In answer, the Reformed Orthodox sought to defend the doctrine of the Trinity on the same fronts. According to Richard Muller, though their historical and … Read more
Recently, a large amount of academic literature has been devoted to eschatological topics usually focused on a particular millennial view or speculations about the timing of the Parousia, among other topics. However, it seems that little work has focused on the early church’s views of eschatology which subsequently led to its formulation in the Nicene … Read more
In his well-known monograph, Conciliar Christology, Timothy Pawl purports to provide a model of the incarnation that coherently affirms all the declarations of the ecumenical creeds and councils. Recently, Pawl has extended his model to incorporate a version of divine simplicity as well. Unfortunately, Pawl’s accommodation results in both argumentative and metaphysical grounding problems. On … Read more
New Testament scholars commonly viewed Jesus’s so called “antitheses” (Matt 5:21–48) in the Sermon on the Mount as abrogating the Torah (at least in some respects; e.g., 5:38–39). Therefore, it was often assumed Jesus’ programmatic statement on the Torah and the Prophets (Matt 5:17–20) was strategically placed before the antitheses as a hermeneutical aid to … Read more
This paper evaluates eight perspectives on Jesus’s perfection in the Epistle to the Hebrews—moral, cultic, glorification, vocational, definitive attestation, eschatological, unmediated access, and postmortem state—assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each. It also identifies which parameters, not previously addressed within a single framework, a new approach to this topic should encompass. The moral view, advanced … Read more
William Ward (1769-1823) printed the Bible into multiple Indian languages and kept the Serampore Mission organized between 1799-1823. Ward has been praised and maligned for his condemnation of sati (practice of widow burning in India) and his scathing comments on the perversion of motherhood in India evidenced by religiously motivated infanticide. No one has contextually … Read more