The New Testament Stumblr

Mellel: Still my word processor of choice

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:49:44 -0400

Way back when I got my first Mac and slowly became a tech ninja master, I adopted two major apps that completely revolutionized my work: Bookends (a bibliography manager) and Mellel (a word processor). Bookends continues to be a fantastic program that I recommend, though I now use a program called Sente. But my word processor choice Mellel has not changed.

I use Mellel for my academic writing. Early on when I made the choice, I chose Mellel because it worked flawlessly with Hebrew unicode—something MS Word STILL DOESN’T DO!! Another reason I chose it is because it is speedy with large documents, whereas Word is like molasses. Finally, while Word is a behemoth because it can do absolutely everything, I don’t 80% of what it can do. Mellel is for the academic. Finally, Mellel has built-in integration with Bookends and Sente (my previous bibliographic manager and my current one).

All of these years later, Mellel still rocks. Yes I use Pages for simple docs, and even Google Docs. But for academic work, nothing beats Mellel.

The Nails in Jesus' hands and feet

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:06:18 -0400

Something I knew, then forgot, and am now pondering as I work on my thesis: Both Matthew and Mark do NOT mention Jesus’ hands and feet being nailed to the cross, nor are they part of the story of the resurrection. Luke mentions them in the resurrection, but doesn’t mention the holes. Only John discusses the holes in Jesus’ hands and side (not feet).

Nailing would have been assumed when discussing crucifixion in the Gospels. My thinking is that as time went on and the resurrection appearances faced skepticism, Luke and especially John made it explicit that they saw the same man who had been crucified…with the holes to prove it.

Ps 22 and the Gospel of Peter

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:57:39 -0400

While working on my dissertation on Matthew I stumbled across this little interesting tidbit from Origen’s hexapla. Origen helps us understand other early Greek translations of the OT.

Anyway, it relates to the Gospel of Peter because in that apocryphal Gospel Jesus cries from the cross “My power, My power, why have you forsaken me?” Seems like an odd change, perhaps hints of gnosticism or dualism right?

Not so. Aquila, an early (and pedantic!) translator of the OT translated Ps 22:2 as “my power, my power.”

I was quick to check with resident NT guru Craig Evans to see if this was already known, and it was :-( (nothing new under the sun!) Still, it is cool to find something new for yourself.

If you want to see for yourself, the information is free online on archive.org. I’ve embedded it below right to the page in question.

iGreek - a reference app for Biblical Greek

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:32:26 -0500

iGreek - a reference app for Biblical Greek:

Very happy to have my latest project live on the app store. Check out iGreek for your iPhone!

50% off ParseGreek and FlashGreek Pro

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 08:34:11 -0500

50% off ParseGreek and FlashGreek Pro:

In celebration of the Christmas season I’m offering 50% off ParseGreek and FlashGreek Pro until Jan 1. Spread the Word!

The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:06:59 -0500

The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library:

If you haven’t seen this new resource on the Dead Sea Scrolls yet, you need to! An unbelievably well done job. Now we need the bible software companies to make these into modules for us!

NTGreekResources.com giveaway

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 13:48:47 -0400

10 iOS apps PLUS The Singing Grammarian. Totally free !

A modest suggestion to all bibliobloggers

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 08:31:20 -0400

I don’t do a ton of biblioblogging anymore, but I do still try and follow, and do post on occasion. The problem, as Mark Goodacre has recently discussed, is that there are so many blogs.

A way forward, possibly, is an increased use of twitter. I find I am actually reading a lot more blog posts than I use to, but I’m almost always going to them via twitter because I follow the reader on twitter. It got me to wondering if the plethora of bibliobloggers could utilize twitter to help people know about their posts. And I think the simple answer is yes…by using a hashtag.

So here is my suggestion: How about all bibliobloggers out there tweet your blog post title after publication with the #biblioblog hashtag? Then people who would like to know what is being written can follow the tag and very quickly see all the posts being written. Well, let’s see if I can start a trend - starting right now!

Hey Daniel, I was wondering if your FlashGreek Pro program included "A New Testament Greek Primer" from S.M. Baugh, and if not, if/when that would be a possibility. I'm in a Greek class over at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and am looking into your app :). Thanks! - Alex

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:15:38 -0400

Hi Alex, thanks for checking out FlashGreek Pro. Yes ! The next update of FlashGreek Pro will support Baugh. I estimate it will be live on the appstore in 2 weeks. There will also be a “Baugh edition” of FlashGreek that is a little cheaper and is specific to Baugh. That will come out around the same time.

After you purchase, please spread the word for me and rate and review the app for me.

p.s. I’ll also be supporting Baugh in the next update of ParseGreek as well :-)

FlashGreek has arrived!

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:12:00 -0400

The evolution of the flashcard has just landed on the iTunes app store! This app has been in the making for many years and I’m really excited to release it to the world.

FlαshGrεεk puts multimedia Greek flashcards on your iOS device. What do I mean by multimedia?

an image mnemonic
audio
a scripture example
additional info on the word (part of speech, applicable English derivatives, principal parts of verbs)

FlashGreek is packaged in numerous ways. First - there is a unique version of FlashGreek compatible with most of the major intro Greek grammars out there:

David Alan Black, Learn to Read New Testament Greek (2009) [app link]
N. Clayton Croy, Biblical Greek Primer (1999) [app link]
Jeremy Duff, Elements of New Testament Greek (2005) [app link]
James Hewett, New Testament Greek (2009) [app link]
William Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek (2009) [app link]
Gerald Stevens, New Testament Greek Primer (2010) [app link]
(soon!) S. M. Baugh, A New Testament Greek Primer (2009)

All of these are priced at only $5.99. These are ideal for students who are only taking 1 year of Greek. But if you’ll be in Greek for the long haul then….

FlashGreek Pro kicks it up a notch by containing every single word in the Greek New Testament. In addition to being compatible with ALL of the intro grammars mentioned above, FlashGreek Pro users can also study by frequency or by root (a future version will include the ability to study by book chapters of the NT too!). There is also a special Principal Parts mode where intermediate students can drill themselves on principal parts. FlashGreek Pro is only $8.99.

Check out the page for FlashGreek over on NTGreekResources.com (http://tiny.cc/flashgreek)

And in case you are wondering — YES ! FlashGreek (all of the versions) will make their way to Android soon

My guest post on the Jesus Creed blog

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:32:31 -0400

My guest post on the Jesus Creed blog:

Check out my guest post on Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog

Here is the first Logos video tutorial I’ve made to...

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 16:59:14 -0400

Here is the first Logos video tutorial I’ve made to correspond with my intro grammar.

Greek Nouns in Bible Software (by danzac1979)

Update: Someone at RBL please explain this Book Review?!

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:31:00 -0400

Update: thanks to Mark Goodacre for giving me some explanation - its why I love the internet! He said on FB:

“This is the old style JBL book review of a collection — it simply lists the contents with no actual comment or analysis. There were quite a few like that at the time. The same format may still exist but I don’t recall having seen it recently.”

__________

Okay, I hope that there was simply an error in the PDF creation of this book review for Romans and the People of God. If it was simply an error, then no big deal.

BUT….if this recent book review is all that was written, then someone on the RBL review board really needs to provide some rationale. As one of my Facebook friends said, it is “the best/worst book review” he had ever seen!

What is really odd is that it is by a senior scholar in the field - in fact I consider Dale Allison to have few peers. Now again, perhaps there was an error. But perhaps he just didn’t have time to do it so he submitted an abstract. But how is it that it would still be published? I would hope that, whether you are a senior or junior scholar, the RBL would require a little more reviewing to take place in a book review.

Now having said all of that: if RBL has lowered its standards then I’ll start publishing numerous “book reviews” of the same sort right away — It will be a good way to beef up that CV of mine !

ch.2 of my Greek textbook

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:25:36 -0400

For those interested in the unfolding saga of my Greek textbook, ch.2 is embedded below. What do you think?

Ch2 Signs and Sounds of Greek

socio-rhetorical criticism

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:03:22 -0400

I think most NT scholars have been aware that the term “socio-rhetorical” is being used in different ways in the field. Vernon Robbins is the name tied to the origins of socio-rhetorical criticism, and more recently David DeSilva as well. There is a socio-rhetorical SBL group for these like-minded folk.

At the same time we have the prolific Ben Witherington III (I always refer to him by his own self-created initials now, BW3). BW3 has written commentaries that he labels “socio-rhetorical.” Yet the flavor or his work is quite different. he does focus on rhetoric, but I wouldn’t say it is so radically different from other critical commentaries in the field. Reading from the Robbins et al. camp has a different feel.

So I have wondered on occasion what the original posse of socio-rhetors thought of BW3 and vice versa. I’m pretty certain BW3 is not part of the SBL group on the subject (there is no obligation to be of course), at least he wasn’t there in the sessions I managed to attend. I also noticed that Robbins (and others) names were never really prominent in BW3’s socio-rhetorical commentaries. Again, he is not obligated to engage these texts. But given the narrow classification of “socio-rhetorical” one would think there would be engagement.

All of that to say, most NT scholars have recognized that we have two camps doing their own thing under the same banner of “socio-rhetorical criticism” to mark their camp (one camp happens to be single man tent, or perhaps a 2-man tent with Craig Keener hanging out with BW3 a little). It is annoying and probably contributes to the lack of engagement with this type of criticism at the introductory-textbook level. Reading the Robbins camp, and the fine example by David DeSilva here and here, it is pretty clear what the term means for that camp. For BW3 it seems that there is just more of a focus on rhetoric and social aspects of the text (which are important by the way!)

With the recently published review of BW3’s What’s in the Word: Rethinking the Socio-Rhetorical Character of the New Testament we have a not-so-friendly review by Vernon Robbins that makes it clear that we definitely do have different camps using the same label but meaning very different things. I don’t particularly like the review, It is clear Robbins had an axe to grind and doesn’t like that BW3 is a conservative evangelical. But on another level I can understand - Robbins has spent a lot of his life’s work on developing the official socio-rhetorical method, and BW3 doesn’t seem to care enough to even engage with his work and kind of high-jacked the term. That would bug me too.

Draft 1 of my Greek textbook Introduction

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:46:34 -0400

I’ve finished writing a short introduction to my Greek textbook. If you have time or the interest, read it and let me know what you think!

Greek intro draft 1

New Hermeneutics Textbooks I've Chosen

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:48:49 -0400

I’m teaching hermeneutics at the undergraduate level this fall. I have taught the course once before, two years ago, and have decided to change the textbook.

I inherited the textbook from the previous teacher and it is a decent textbook, but I wanted to change it up a little bit. Previously we had used Grasping God’s Word.

One of the reasons I’ve thought it necessary to change is because I’ve decided to integrate Logos bible software into the course. Students will be required to have Logos and we’ll be working with it pretty quite a bit.

I originally thought I would go with the recently released All Roads Leads to the Text. I was excited when I read about the book and saw the TOC, but in reviewing it more thoroughly I’ve realized that this is a book more for graduate level, and knowledge of the languages is necessary. So I went on the hunt for something else and have found it. It is called Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. There are several reasons I really like this textbook:

It is non-technical (you don’t need to know the languages) while still pushing the reader to learn new concepts and vocabulary
It is a tidy 8 chapters (previous textbook was 22). As we meet only once a week (12 classes total) I prefer less chapters.
It begins with a nice introductory chapter and a history of interpretation chapter
The final 8 chapters have study/exercise questions at the end of each chapter, as well as some exercise questions within the chapters as well
It is available in Logos if students prefer that
The questions are very practical and ministry focused

If you notice my title, I said “textbooks”. The other reason I like the above textbook is because it gives me time not only to do Logos work with the students, but also to review a great little book by Scot McKnight called The Blue Parakeet. I’ll have the last few classes dedicated to discussing this book, and incorporate part of it in the take-home exam. It will provide for some great classroom discussion.

As always, I’m looking forward to teaching with a great textbook.

Well it is getting to that point where I just need to shut up...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:01:05 -0400

Well it is getting to that point where I just need to shut up and do the work, so I thought I’d share the work with the few who are reading. Hear is the first instruction video hot off the presses. Please do let me know what you think—good or bad.

New Testament Greek vowel contraction (by danzac1979)

A new way of teaching Greek pt.5 - Wow factor

Thu, 31 May 2012 14:58:04 -0400

See pt.1 here, pt.2 here, pt.3 here, pt.4 here

It isn’t a stretch to say that we are entering into a new era of publishing. E-books outsell print books now. At the same time, the major Bible software guys have great iPad apps to carry around your library on your tablet device. There are also companies like vook, Inkling, and Apple’s free iBooks Author that make it possible to create eBooks with multimedia content built right in and available to purchase right from tablets! Vook is great because it distributes via Kindle and iBooks store, Inkling is great because of its social media components and its ability to sell each book as a standalone app.

Publishing is changing, and of all of the types of books in the world, I can’t think of a better type of book to embrace these enhancements than textbooks.

Once I complete the textbook and all of its components, I want people to say WOW! Here are the WOW factors:

Wow because I’m hoping to be the first enhanced intro Greek textbook (called enhance eBooks)
Wow because it embraces an entirely new philosophy of teaching Greek.
Wow because it is a textbook that can be used for a single semester or for a traditional 2-semester course.
Wow because while many intro Greek grammars have claimed that they are suited for self-study, instruction videos will be embedded right in this textbook.
Wow because it will include an entirely free PDF workbook and answer key.
Wow because the textbook will have a lot of audio in it. They’ll be able to hear the words being read from the vocabulary lists, sentence examples, etc.
Wow because the user will be receiving Logos training videos embedded right in the text.
Wow because I will leverage some great new multimedia products and apps to complement the learning process [full disclosure: I’m talking about the singing grammarian, ParseGreek, and my yet to be released flashcard app FlashGreek]. I’m even hoping to work out something with Kregel (publisher of the Singing Grammarian) whereby I can embed my songs right into the book.
Wow because after all of this, I still want to respect those who don’t have a tablet by making the book available as a print book, with the video and audio components available on my ntgreekrsources.com site.

I don’t want my textbook to be just another in the field, I want to redefine the field itself. Ambitious, I know. But why not dream big and aim high? Now all I need to do is find a publisher….

A new way of teaching Greek pt.4 - Equipping

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:05:50 -0400

See pt.1 here, pt.2 here, pt.3 here

Most Greek teachers shy away –better yet downright discourage - the use of Bible software in the introductory courses for biblical Greek and biblical Hebrew. I was one of those for quite some time. Now I’m a tech whiz: I use accordance and Logos like a boss, I teach others how to do it, and I regularly get questions from friends, colleagues, students, and people I don’t even know on how to use Bible software. Bible software is amazing! When I stop and think about the seconds it takes me to do masterful searches compared to the time it would’ve taken senior scholars in the field and long since passed away scholars, I always remind myself to be grateful.

But—it is a crutch. It is very easy to just rely on the software to tell you everything. I acknowledge that as a danger but I also want to be realistic. Most pastors who are actually working with the original languages are doing it via Bible software. Our warnings to “keep away lest your mind become lazy” have largely been ignored. And I think they were right to ignore us.

Don’t get me wrong, I have not given up on students who sincerely want to learn how to read Greek unaided. But pastors today need such a wide skill set that, unless they are one of the determined few, they will not be sitting in their church office parsing Greek participles.

So, instead of complaining about how Bible software makes their mind the lack, let’s instead fully engage with Bible software and our students. Let’s make sure they understand all of the information that Bible software gives them fully. Let’s make sure they know how to utilize the program to save them valuable time for ministry, to prepare their sermons with rich and deep content, and to actively engage in exegesis of the original languages. It can be done!

What is needed is a conceptual grammar, like the one that I’ve written and am revising. Rather than focusing on how to recognize noun cases and how to parse them, let’s instead push the students to remember what nominative nouns do, what genitive nouns do, etc. let’s make sure they fully understand the difference between a subjunctive verb and an indicative verb. There is still a ton of learning involved in this process—if you think I am watering down Greek to be a simple course, talking to any one of my students will quickly dissuade you of this notion! I was pushing them to do 9 to 10 hours of homework every week. I just changed the questions.

This year, after my trial year, I recognized the need to work even more with the software and I had. I will now be working with Logos directly in the class and getting the students to work along with me on their own machines. Part of their exercises will be doing work in Logos Bible software as well.

Another thing that I focused on is on how to actually use the lexicon. All throughout my Greek training I was told how important it was to use the lexicon regularly. Yet, no one actually told me how. In my introductory grammar, when we talk about nouns we also talk about nouns in the BDAG lexicon. When we talk about verbs, we talk about their entries in the BDAG lexicon. I do not want lexicons to be gobbledygook, which they are for the vast majority of introductory Greek students. Every major introductory grammar on the market today does NOT teach students how to use the lexicon. Isn’t that ludicrous?! Especially now that they are so easy to access in Bible software.

Another aspect of Logos Bible software are syntax charts. Rather than teaching students how to diagram sentences, they can access syntax charts immediately. I’ll instead spend my time on showing them how to understand the syntax charts and why it’s important to know. Those who go on to the 2nd semester and beyond, those are the students who will earn how to do it on their own.

In my next post I’m going to talk about what I hope my new grammar will be once I am all done with it.