Craig Keener on reading, writing, and biblical scholarship

Craig S. Keener is the F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Miracles and Spirit Hermeneutics. His commentaries include the 4-volume Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, published by Baker Academic, and Revelation in the NIV Application Commentary, among others. He is also co-editor, along with John Walton, of the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

We recently collaborated with Dr. Keener to produce an online course on the book of Revelation. We were able to sit down with Dr. Keener for an extended interview about how he writes and conducts research, what it means for him to be a scholar at this moment in history, his advice to younger scholars, and much more.

Take a look:

Notes

• [0:00]    Devotional reading habits
• [0:34]    How he reads in preparation for his next book
• [0:57]    How he keeps up with the latest scholarship
• [1:20]    Writing the Acts commentary
• [1:43]    Approaching the research process
• [2:40]    Organizing 100,000 index cards before switching to a computer
• [4:14]    Organizing research digitally
• [4:55]    The importance of primary sources
• [5:54]    Examples of using primary sources for understanding the biblical text: letter writing, viticulture, wolves and sheep
• [7:01]    The importance of good secondary sources
• [7:30]    How to choose secondary sources
• [8:01]    E.P. Sanders on writing
• [8:22]    The early writing process and organizing notes into a first draft
• [8:56]    Making the first edit of a manuscript
• [9:09]    Letting a manuscript sit
• [9:27]    The editing process and refining a manuscript
• [10:07]  Writing in stages and the importance of organization
• [10:33]  What a typical day of writing looks like
• [10:52]  How the Acts commentary changed his writing schedule
• [11:38]  The importance of getting enough sleep
• [12:21]  What a writing habit looks like
• [12:40]  Thinking about the audience
• [12:50]  The audience for the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
• [13:12]  Writing books for other scholars
• [13:42]  Writing to please the Lord
• [14:12]  Advice to his younger self
• [14:57]  Researching philosophy of science in preparation for Miracles
• [15:23]  How to read and understand difficult books
• [15:51]  Under-appreciated books in the discipline of biblical studies
• [16:15]  Memory, Jesus, and the Synoptic Gospels, by Robert K. McIver
• [17:39]  How having ADHD has helped him as a scholar
• [18:10]  Having a healthy perspective on strengths and weakness
• [18:55]  The right way to think about scholars more successful than you
• [19:55]  What it means to be a biblical scholar at this time in history

Take a look at the free preview of Craig Keener’s Revelation online course: