from Biblioblogs this June

Once again, this isn't a carnival.  Just my own picks - in semi-chronological order.  Do the same, fellow bloggers, and maybe someone will give us all blue ribbons!  (Translation:  these are some key items you would have seen if you'd searched through my Google Reader's Shared Items feature, for the past 30 days.)

On June 1st, Frank Viola got everyone under the sun to blurb his new book Jesus Manifesto.  I bought one June 1st.  Might even read it soon, too.  Meanwhile, several bibliobloggers noted the SBL Program Book for Atlanta is now online.  I'll check that out by Halloween, for sure.  If you've not heard, there's a Biblical blogging session.  The details are here.

While the ever diligent Roger Pearse felt grateful realizing that many books lost from antiquity probably deserved to be lost, Jona Lendering pointed out how happy rich tourists must feel in Jerusalem when their guides spin the hokey tale about "the needle's eye" being a camel-sized gate.  Clever guides.

Michael Barber talked about un-making sausages.  Yummy.  Tim Bulkeley talked about word breaks in ancient texts, or the lack thereof, and how different kinds of formatting can affect silent reading.  Mike Bird had a great post called The Heresy of Orthodoxy. It's so deeply ironic, it's like... something funny from that ironic song.  I'll just let this Dunn quote I found at Ari's Blog of Awesome be that one spoon for your 10,000 knives.  I mean, those 10,000 other posts debating diversity... when all you need is the Christ!

Charles felt refreshed that a non-Evangelical wouldn't automatically think Galatians 2 = Acts 15.  I'll feel refreshed when Evangelical scholars quit gerrymandering Pauline Chronology to explain away James 2 seeming so opposed to Galatians.

On the issue of believers and unbelievers conferencing about the Bible together, a chorus of saner voices responded to two from the extremes.  Of course, this falls into the category of 'if you don't already know what I'm talking about, you probably shouldn't care'.  But here's more, if you do.

Ben Blackwell revived discussion of Wright v. Hayes focusing on Story, History and post-something-isms.  Please, Ben, can I have a lot more?  Elsewhere on Ben's island, Fergus Millar was knighted.  (H/T RC, natch.)  Meanwhile, half-a-world away, in more ways than one, Daniel Kirk apparently did some yoga while giving a sermon, on the beach.  Ah, California.  He did give a pretty cool talk, though.

Mike Fox (and others) discussed the big waves from Samuelson's reconsideration of Roman Crucifixion.  I'm still trying to figure out what the big deal is.  So the cross might not have looked 100% like a crucifix?  I thought that was old news.  And the pole (or tree?) might not have had a cross beam?  Yawn.  Somebody wake me up if another shoe drops.

Todd B. described a great way to have the perfect study day.  James McGrath chose a QOTD that shows why he's really the best kind of 'skeptic'.  I am proud to have friends in Team Liberal.  No sooner did James do that, however, than Daniel came out sounding similar, in an even better way.  And then Alan Knox described the flip side of that coin (re: ecclesiology) in a post called Problems with Questions.  Talkin 'bout my g-g-generation...

Phillip J. Long very helpfully reviewed a variety of Bible Atlases.  I think publishers blur the lines too much between 'Atlas' and 'Dictionary', but these all look pretty good.  (Hey, Phillip, check out the The Barrington also.)  Nick Norelli was the only blogger I saw mention the Father on Father's Day.  Wphew!  I'm glad one of us said it.  And Stephen Smuts guaranteed himself a place on my favorites list by embedding this RSAnimation video about the SIX ways human beings relate to TIME.  Fascinating.

Dan Wallace opined about why Christians do or don't need to learn ancient languages.  Scot McKnight offered yet another response to the still ongoing responses to his April piece on "the Historical Jesus enterprise". With that, I responded again.  Ain't blogging grand?  Incidently, another McKnight has something intriguing on Jesus, historically, here, that I've still got tagged but unread.  Go see if I'm going to like it.  Willya?

Nearer the end of the month, Joel Hoffman discussed re-verbing the love chapter (1Cor13).  Rick Wadholm announced he is done with the Christian life.  Aw, man.  Again?  Celucien Joseph re-blurbed about a new book on Matthew's Gospel.  I blogged about that here on Tuesday.  And finally, James has just promised to take us through IVP's recent Five Views book.  But I commented on that first post yesterday.

Happy July, Bloggers & Readers.  Try to stay cool.  And don't forget groovy.