Category: Background Info
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A Fresh Look at Old Letters: Socio-Rhetorical Criticism
With this subject, I am taking you along on my own recent learning experience. Socio-rhetorical criticism is a relatively new approach in biblical studies, and I have taken some time to get to know it better. Admittedly, the term “criticism” is unfortunate, because of its negative connotation in everyday language. No such negative bias is…
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How to Study (and Teach) a Big Book
Here is the bottom line right at the start: to successfully study a big book you have to make it a priority and allocate time to it, or it is not going to happen. But don’t worry, this is not a “you ought to… (do this; do that; do more)” kind of letter/post. Instead, I…
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The Emperor’s New Clothes: The Imperial Cult in the Roman Empire
Things I Am Learning from N. T. Wright’s Colossal Book on Paul, Part 1 I started reading Paul and the Faithfulness of God during the Christmas break and now, more than 10 months later, I am still at it. But I am learning a lot on the way, and this month I want to start sharing…
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8 Things I Learned from Living in a Mediterranean Climate
Since I am still in the middle of my reading project, and since the book I am reading has turned out to be rather heavy stuff, I looked for something that is a little lighter for this month’s letter. So I am taking a break from scholarship on the prophets. Instead, I would like to…