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War in the Bible: an Examination of Biblical Conflict and Violence
The Bible doesn’t flinch at portraying the world’s violence, especially during wartime. And while there is no such thing as a kind and gentle war, you might be surprised to learn t...
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Miracles Do Happen - Mondays with Mounce
Who Condemns? (Romans 8:34)There is a peculiar change in the 2011 NIV. The 1984 says, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more ...
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“You are the one Israel praises” (Psalm 22:3–5): The Artful Hebrew Bible
In the previous post we introduced three basic principles of studying Hebrew poetry: poetic lines, parallelism, and rhythm. Let’s continue l...
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Does anyone say "unto" anymore? (Luke 2:11) - Mondays with Mounce
Every once in a while I come across a phrase that makes no sense in English, even in the NIV. I expect it more with translations like the NA...
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More Words Than Differences among the New Testament Manuscripts. Part 1.
Prof Bart Ehrman is famous for his rhetorically powerful statement that there are more differences among the Greek manuscripts of the New Te...
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God's Gracious Gift of Suffering (Phil 1:29) - Mondays with Mounce
I heard a popular preacher the other day say that he will not accept any theology that allows for suffering. All suffering, he says, is outs...
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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1–2): The Artful Hebrew Bible
Being able to read Hebrew or even to use Bible study tools allows a person to observe patterns in the Hebrew Bible that cannot be replicated...
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Was Jesus “Begotten” or Unique? - Mondays with Mounce
“Begotten” is the KJV translation of μονογενής in John 3:16. It describes the unique relationship of Jesus to the Father. However, the KJV ...
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How can I be Perfect? (Matthew 5:48) - Mondays with Mounce
Jesus asserts that unless a person’s righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes, they will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mat...
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Biblical Contradictions: Jesus' Genealogy - Mondays with Mounce
Matthew and Luke have two different genealogies for Jesus, not even agreeing on the name of his grandfather. Is this a contradiction? I will...
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Concordance or Meaning? (Matt 7:13–14) - Mondays with Mounce
When the biblical writer sets a parallel structure, I think it is important to try and keep that parallelism in translation. But there are t...
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Developing a Definition for Evangelism
In Evangelism in a Skeptical World, Sam Chan offers tools to equip Christians to share the gospel in a world growing increasingly suspicious...
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Greek Word Order and Nuance (Eph 2:8–9) - Mondays with Mounce
There is meaning in Greek word order, but it is normally so nuanced that it can’t come out in translation. Ephesians 2:8–9 is one of the rar...
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Life after Death: the Afterlife in Greco-Roman Antiquity
The New Testament arises from a specific cultural context. Since we live in a post-New Testament world, it can be difficult to imagine that ...
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Phoebe: Deacon and Sister in the Early Church
Phoebe gets a lot of attention in discussions about New Testament gender roles. As the woman tasked with delivering Paul’s letter to the Rom...
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Jewish Sects During the Time of Jesus: The Revolutionary Movements
One mistake we make when approaching the New Testament is to assume that the culture in Israel was monolithic. At the time of Jesus, Israel ...
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Ruth and Boaz: A Cute Little Love Story or Much More?
In the second chapter of Ruth, we’re introduced to Boaz, a wealthy landowner and relative of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz treats Ruth with ten...
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