John Calvin’s use of Secondary Sources

David Steinmetz's essay "The Scholastic Calvin" in the book Protestant Scholasticism: Essays in Reassessment (eds. Carl Trueman & R.S. Clark) has always been a favorite of mine.  In working on a book review this morning, I turned to this chapter to confirm a methodological point about how scholastic categories were used differently in parishes and …

Using Extrabiblical Texts in Biblical Study

I (Andrew) did not just move my family across the country, so I have no excuses for my dearth of posts!  (Although I was swamped preparing a lecture/presentation on the history and archaeology of Old Testament Jerusalem, and preparing to host the meetings of Classis Southwest US of the URCNA which were held Sept 17-18 …

Does “after” mean “since”? – A look at אחרי in Gen 41:39

[UPDATE: I've made some edits to this post in light of some good feedback in the comment box.  Of note was the comment of Wedas who reminded me that the English word "since" is not just causal but can also be used temporally.  I think I might have titled the post differently, maybe something like …

The significance of Joseph being killed by a “fierce animal” (חיה רעה) in Gen 37:20 & 33

When Joseph is betrayed by his brothers and sold to the Midianite/Ishmaelite caravan, an interesting lexical item is used.  In Gen 37:20, the brothers plot to kill Joseph and claim that a "fierce animal" (ESV) has killed him.  Jacob too, when he sees Joseph's bloodied garment, is convinced that a "fierce animal" has killed him.  …

The Evolution of a Hebrew Vision Formula?: נשא + עין + ראה + הנה

(Preliminary note: This post got a bit inductive, so if you want to see where I'm going from the get-go, scroll to the bottom: I've bolded & underlined my provisional hypothesis!) Since preaching on Genesis 37 (the sale of Joseph by his brothers), I've been puzzling over the range of use in the Old Testament …