I just received news that Dr. Martin Hengel, Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at the University of Tübingen, passed away on July 2, 2009. He was 82.

I just put the finishing touches on a new note for Joshua 8:18 in the NET Bible because of the input of some faithful readers. They had noticed that our translation of this verse differed from many other translations, and they wondered why. Our current text in the first edition reads as follows:

I am just about finished reading a biography of Albert Schweitzer by James Brabazon. Schweitzer has always fascinated me. Many know him from his missionary work as a medical doctor at Lambarene in Gabon, Africa, but most New Testament scholars know him from his academic work on the Historical Jesus, most notably his book The Quest of the Historical Jesus.

I am presently working through a dissertation on the topic of Matthean posteriority, which is an unusual take on this topic. The issue is in what order the Gospels were written, and who then borrowed from whom. Of the different permutations which scholars advance, rarely is Matthew placed last. This is an examination of the scholars who hold this position and the evidence they use to advance the argument. Interesting stuff!

Dallas Theological Seminary has an online page where people can leave a written tribute to Dr. Hoehner. I encourage you to read the posts there, as they show the many ways Dr. Hoehner served students and loved his Lord.

A recent issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education contained an article entitled "Wake Up and Smell the New Epistemology." (Unfortunately the full text is only available to subscribers.) In this piece the author makes a strong case that recent generations of students in higher education have an entirely different way of viewing the world in general and education in particular.

Since I teach beginning Greek frequently, using BibleWorks 8 to help students learn is important to me. One simple feature that pays a wealth of dividends is the vocabulary module. Memorizing vocabulary is hard, and perhaps a little tedious, but it is absolutely essential if one is going to read the New Testament with any proficiency.

I am a big fan of bible software, and as a PC user I have long enjoyed BibleWorks. (I even moonlight for them as a regional trainer here on campus, teaching training seminars for our students about twice a year.) At the end of 2008 they released version 8. I recently installed it, and really like what I see so far. There has not been any type of facelift to the interface, but there are a lot of modifications both under the hood and on the surface which make it a worthwhile investment

I participated in a faculty forum in chapel this morning at DTS. Four professors discussed current issues in the academy and the church. John Grassmick, the Academic Dean at DTS, moderated the discussion. We each had about five minutes to discuss an issue we thought relevant for both arenas. Here's the run down:

Dr. John Hilber, Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, discussed how monotheism is in crisis in OT studies. Just as now many people argue for early Christianities (plural), many in OT studies are arguing for multiform monotheisms in Israel.