As I shared with you all the other day - I got a gift card from Amazon from my brother and his wife. Oh man what to do? I can only get a couple books, three at most. In contrast to others, it’s taken me some time to figure out what I want or would like to have - I want something different but I don’t want junk - I want something that will be helpful to me either in ministry or in my own spiritual life. So how has my search gone so far? Here is what I have so far with some alternative selections:
Definitely getting:
I. Howard Marshall. Aspects of the Atonement: Cross and Resurrection in the Reconciling of God and Humanity. Paternoster, 2008.
Abraham Heschel. The Prophets. Hendrickson, 2007.
Thinking about getting only one of the following:
George Eldon Ladd. Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God. Eerdmans, 1959.
Phillip Jenkins. God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe’s Religious Crisis. Oxford University Press, 2007.
Clark H. Pinnock and Barry L. Callen. The Scripture Principle: Reclaiming the Full Authority of the Bible. Baker Academic; 2 edition, 2006.
T. D. Alexander. From Paradise to the Promised Land,: An Introduction to the Pentateuch. Baker Academic; 2 edition, 2002.
Richard B. Hays. The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul As Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture. Eerdmans, 2005.
Moises Silva. Biblical Words and Their Meaning. Zondervan, 1995.
Robert Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. Kregel, 2007.
I am open to other suggestions but this is the list so far.
May 13, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I’ve heard nothing but great things about Silva’s Biblical Words and Their Meaning, but I haven’t read it. Putting Jesus in His Place will definitely benefit your ministry if ever you decide to take up teaching the deity of Christ to your congregation. The information in the books isn’t anything that students of Christology aren’t already familiar with, but the way in which it is presented is unlike anything I’ve ever come across. It’s a teacher’s dream!
I’d wish you luck with making your choices, but, I don’t believe in luck.
May 14, 2008 at 8:38 am
Guess which one I would suggest…
May 14, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Well, its either Silva or another book called How Biblical Languages Work. Going back and forth on that and Barr’s Semantics of Biblical Language - what to do? I like working in the languages and I know one of these would please me! Oh, what to do?
May 14, 2008 at 2:35 pm
The only one on that list that I’ve even heard of and want to read is Silva.
May 14, 2008 at 7:34 pm
The Jenkins book looks really good as does the Pinnock book.
I recently got Hays’ book and Silva’s book but haven’t started reading them yet.
The Bowman book looks like it would be a useful book for you in your pastoral ministry.
Bryan
May 14, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I made my decision and will let you all know soon enough, you know at least two of them, even though I want all of them
Bryan, Jenkins agrees with you that radical Islam isn’t going to fare well in Europe - the dominant religion in Europe is still overwhelmingly Christian and will probably stay that way = and he notes there are already signs of Islam in Europe opening up to tolerate other groups.
May 16, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Did I say that before? On my blog? I mean I believe it but I don’t remember saying it. I want to get all of Jenkins books. They sound great.
BTW I thought of a book that you could put on your list if you don’t already have it. Richard Hays’ Moral Vision of the New Testament. All that I’ve read of it I’ve absolutely loved. Do you have all of Wright’s big books? If you didn’t I would get one of those.
May 17, 2008 at 7:35 pm
sorry for the late reply…I’d go with Silva over Barr. Barr’s book is good, but its old. The best more current discussions of Greek semantic are Louw’s two books (one with Nida and one by himself), Silva’ book and then also Cottrell and Turner’s Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation.
so, yes, Silva is what I would suggest.
May 18, 2008 at 6:37 am
Well, I screwed up the order so I won’t be getting the Silva book just yet, if I can fix it, we’ll see. You know tow of the one’s I am getting the third is still a mystery!
ps. I got the books on super saver shipping (free) and they still have not sent them off yet.
May 19, 2008 at 9:21 pm
just so you know, Silva is a difficult read too. When you do get it, take his advice in the preface and read the chapters in the order he suggests first. And then go back and read the whole thing straight through.
May 19, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Well, I messed up on the order so I won’t be getting silva just yet - look forward to it though.