Jeremy Thompson

Category: Biblical Studies

  • Blenkinsopp Introduction to Ezra-Nehemiah

    The entire introduction from Blenkinsopp’s commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah is available for free through limited preview at Google Books.  Even though you cannot view the entire commentary the introduction alone is very helpful.  Check it out HERE.

  • Younger Sons who Rise to Prominence in the Bible

    I am currently reading The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity by Jon D. Levenson.  I’m about halfway through and it is easily one of the best books I have read in a long time.  He covers some similar issues in this VIDEO which I have…

  • "An Ancient of Days" or "The Ancient of Days": Does it Really Matter?

    The Old Testament lectionary reading today is from Daniel 7.  This is probably one of the most interesting chapters in the entire Bible, but the lectionary reading is only a part of it.  Do yourself a favor and go back and read the part about the beasts.  My blog is not really a place to…

  • Suzanne McCarthy on the Gender Neutral Bible Controversy

    Thanks to Suzanne McCarthy over at Suzanne’s Bookshelf for this POST on the gender neutral Bible controversy.  She links to a helpful article by Ann Nyland addressing the generic use of the Greek word aner.  Now, I am not one who would advocate gender inclusive language simply for the sake of being gender inclusive.  In…

  • Haggai 1.2 – The Historical Context

    “The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.”  These are the words that are placed in the mouths of the people of Israel in Haggai 1.2.  So, what’s the big deal?  What many do not realize is that the people have been back in the land for nearly twenty years. …

  • Haggai Introductions

    Today’s Old Testament reading is from Haggai.  And, when I am reading and studying a passage one of my favorite things to do is go over to Google Books and see what Commentaries I can read for free in limited previews.  Sometimes I can view really good commentaries for passages that I am studying, though…

  • Interesting Posts Today

    No time to write on my own yet.  Maybe later this evening, but here are some interesting posts I’ve read today: John Hobbins – Why believers must complain about and criticize biblical texts Chris Brady – Want a date? Deny the existence of God Doug Chaplin – The wrong question: James McGrath on Jesus as…

  • A Feature I Like in English Textual Notes

    I was reading in Jeremiah 1 today, and I noticed a feature that I like in my Hebrew-English Tanakh. Word plays are often marked in notes.  For instance, there is a word play between shaqed “almond tree” and shoqed “watchful” (their translation) in Jeremiah 1.11 & 12 that is marked.  So, I looked ahead into…

  • Harriet A. Harris on Fundamentalism and Evangelicals

    Recently, I posted pointed out what I felt was an instance of fundamentalism on the Desiring God blog. And, after a bit of conversation on FaceBook I think it might be helpful to explain the way that I use the term fundamentalism. For this term, I follow the approach of Harriet A. Harris who has…