On important occasions we will post non-eschatological articles from time to time that are germane to the Christian faith.
By now you have heard some news’ outlets report that “a Canadian documentary filmmaker… has strong evidence a group of burial boxes unearthed in Jerusalem belonged to Jesus Christ and his family.”
The following are links from the noted Evangelical apologist, James White. He is known for his robust instructive responses to these type of “Da Vinci Code” attempts to undermine the Christian faith.
I will also update this post with other beneficial instructive linked articles that refute the latest “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” story.
The Lost Tomb of Jesus
Oh Brother, Here We Go Again–or Do We?
Addenda:
More Outlandish Discovery Channel Claims
What to Say
Live Blogging Larry King
If There Was Ever An Unfair Fight, This Is It
Today on the DL (Dividing Line Radio Show)
Hollywood Hype: The Oscars and Jesus
Here is a little exercise. Read the following verse from two different versions and look for a different meaning between the two in the sequence of events:
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1Th 4:17a NIV)
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1Th 4:17a ASV)
We are informed earlier that the dead in Christ are raised first. But in verse 17 do they meet Christ first in the clouds before those who are alive meet Christ?
Notice that in the first version (NIV) it suggests that the dead in Christ are already in the clouds with Christ and those who are alive follow after to meet Christ in the clouds.
The second version (ASV) suggests that the alive and the dead in Christ unite together first, and both at the same time then are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord.
Which rendering is better?
In this text, Paul is more concerned with the sequence of events than he is in other discussions of the Coming (e.g. 1Cor. 15). He states in verse 16 that the dead in Christ will rise “first” (pro
As I will be posting articles on Thessalonians from time to time on the blog over the course of the year, I thought some of you may be interested in a bibliography on Thessalonians for any future study that you may want to embark on.
If you have any questions on this bibliography or other studies on Thessalonians, feel free to write me.
The Letters to the Thessalonians by G. Green (Pillar; Grand Rapids: Eardmans, 2002.)
If there is only one commentary that should be read, it is this one. It is one of the more recent standard commentaries. Green is a specialist in the background of the Thessalonian epistles. But his commentary is not only excellent in that area, but in the exegesis and thematic discussions as well. The Pillar commentary series is an all-around excellent series.
For those interested in the history and archeology of Thessalonica, take the time to view Green’s photos.
The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians by E. Best (2nd ed.; BNTC; Peabody: Hendricksen, 1986)
1 and 2 Thessalonians by I.H. Marshal (NCBC; London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1983; reprint: Vancouver: Regent College, 2002).
These latter two commentaries have been standard for the past two to three decades. They are both a bit more brief than Green’s commentary, but you cannot go wrong with them.
From Hope to Despair in Thessalonica: Situating 1& 2 Thessalonians by C. R. Nicholl (SNTSMS; Cambridge University Press, 2004).
If you are very serious about Thessalonians study, then this work is a must have for your library. It is not a commentary per se; it is a monograph which comprises various discussions and research of subjects of recent scholarship.
Nicholl’s appendix of his work contains his breakthrough article on his thesis of the identification of the “Restrainer” as Michael the archangel.
Further, you can find his thesis as well in an article in the Journal of Theological Studies 51 (2000): 27-53; Nicholl, C. R. ‘Michael, the Restrainer Removed (2 Thess. 2:607).’
I trust that this bibliography will be sufficient. There are voluminous books, articles, etc., on the Thessalonian epistles, but the above is what I recommend for a comprehensive introduction to the letters.
This is the first installment of what will be an in-depth study into the Thessalonian epistles. It will not be a verse-by-verse series per se, nor will it be simply a topical study. It will be both. At times I will discuss particular verses or small units of text, and at other times, there will be thematic discussion.
Some of the articles will be relevant to the Prewrath position, and some will deal with other theological, apologetic, devotional, and “critical” matters. For example, were you aware that the shortest verse in the New Testament is not “Jesus wept“? Ok…it is the shortest in the English Bible, but not in the Greek Bible. The shortest Greek verse is found in Thessalonians–and though it is very short, it is one of the most difficult teachings to apply to the Christian life. What is this verse you ask? You will have to be patience until that time!
For more of a sampling of what is to come this year in this series:
1) The traditional interpretation of the “idle” persons in 2Thess 3 is an eschatological explanation. But there is a more compelling reason that is due to a particular social dynamic in the Thessalonian church that causes some to be idle.
2) There are many who deny the concept of a “rapture” in 1Thess 4:17, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
