• I notice that seven months have elapsed since my last post. We've been through a lot of transition at my church since I ceased to function as an interim pastor myself on July 1, and this has taken a great deal of energy for me -- an appointed pastor who decided to take early retirement after three months here, another interim who wasn't me (but was a great guy), and now another new appointed pastor as of January 1. Nevertheless, I have recently completed a draft of "A Week in the Life of Ephesus" for InterVarsity Press, the seventh and probably last installment in their "Week in the Life of" series. The "week" I have chosen starts on September 23 in the year 89, one month before the inauguration of the great Temple of Domitian in Ephesus that won for the city its first imperial "neokorate," the honor of hosting a province-wide temple of the imperial cult. We follow the scenes and pressures largely upon two people -- an Ephesian elite who is also a Christian and host of a house church and an Ephesian merchant who is a Christian and host of a smaller house church -- so as to navigate the two world of cult and commerce, the pressures and temptations Christians face in both, all in the service of creating a plausible reconstruction of one "reading scenario" for Revelation. It was great fun thinking about the story and how to bring the archaeological, epigraphic, and literary witnesses to life in Roman Ephesus to life for a week. This week I've started in earnest filling in the gaps in my research on Revelation for the purpose of trying to bring about "Discovering Revelation: Content, Interpretation, and Reception" to draft form by the end of September for SPCK and Eerdmans. I think that the goal of the series is to provide an orientation to a particular book of the Bible suitable for an upper-level college course or a pastor preparing for a Bible study or preaching series. In the meanwhile, Lexham Press has been kind enough to accept from me a collection of the sermons I preached during my interim pastorate. Those sermons were about all I was able to write during that nine-month stint (which fortunately coincided with the church year from All Saints through Trinity!), and I'm grateful to have found a publisher for them. "In Season and Out: Sermons for the Church Year" is expected to be released in digital and print form in September. During this past Fall, I also gave attention to some resource more immediately appropriate for general use in the church -- a revised and updated version of Bruce Metzger's study of Revelation, "Breaking the Code," which should be released by Abingdon in May along with a DVD, and "Galatians" for the One Book: Daily/Weekly series published by Seedbed, the publishing arm of Asbury Theological Seminary, also with a DVD. Glad to have opportunities like that to leaven personal and group reflection on the Scriptures in our congregation!

  •  — Edited

    I am delighted to be able to report that my commentary on Galatians in the NICNT has finally been published. Monday (9/18) is the official release date. I hope that Amazon and CBD will begin distributing the books then. I am grateful to Faithlife for jumping on the preparation of a digital edition of the same for use within the Logos ecosystem. A few sentences from the preface that give something of the theological flavor of the work: "I find in Paul’s response to the situation in Galatia the following theological convictions and interests: (1) Paul—like the rival teachers and like the Galatians themselves—is deeply interested in the God-given means to attaining righteousness, which all parties would agree to be prerequisite to acquittal on the last day. (2) Paul—unlike the rival teachers—lays great emphasis on the importance of the Holy Spirit (essentially the promised inheritance that Christ died to secure for Jew and gentile alike) as that means. (3) The 'faith' that Paul regards as the response to God that leads to acquittal is far more than a 'belief that.' It is a reliance upon Jesus and upon what Jesus has gained for his own at such great cost to himself, namely, the Holy Spirit; it is a single-hearted and consistent investment of oneself in the life that the Holy Spirit seeks to bring about within and among the believers, which is nothing less than Christ living in and through them. It is a faith that invests itself in loving action and that, consequently, leads to righteousness, all by the Spirit’s guiding and empowering intervention."
    The Letter to the Galatians (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)): David A. deSilva: 9780802830555: Amazon.com: Books
    The Letter to the Galatians (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)) [David A. deSilva] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV><P><I>New volume in a favorite Bible commentary series</I></P><P>Writing a commentary on Galatians is a daunting task. Despite its relative brevity
    www.amazon.com

  • At Ps 46.9 in LLXXI, there is a very helpful note ("(TR) The MT varies considerably from the LXX. .... ). But it seems to only show up with the full interlinear displayed. It would be very helpful and useful to have it displayed in the base greek text (wo interlinear turned on) so that the reader who is not using the interlinear could see it. Could the asterisk that is attached to "Mighty Ones" (English of interlinear) also be attached to g:krataioi in the base text? I'm aware that the note shows up with a hover over g:krataioi but there is no way to know that unless the reader were to hover over every word looking for notes, which is not a great reading strategy. Thank you!

    1. Hello David, First, let me tell you how much I have enjoyed several of your MobEd courses; you teach clearly so it is easy to understand the scriptures, bible history, and the points you make; it is clear that you love the LORD God with all your heart. His Blessings be on you. I have a question regarding the repeated phrase in Genesis 1 "There was evening, there was morning, the 'insert number' day." There are various ways to View interpretation of the word Day in Genesis as listed in the FSB: Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. my Question: Would the Ancient Hebrews read the Words of Genesis chapter 1 and think in terms of a 24 hour day for each of the creation sequences? I am positive that Almighty YHWH indeed could create the universe in any number of hours, days, years, nanoseconds, etc. which He would choose. I always think of YHWH as being outside of time [therefore time means little to Him - I'm thinking He created time for the benefit of Humankind] The sun & moon, made to be for signs, seasons, days & years and to rule over the day & night, weren't created until Day 4. This makes me wonder if YHWH didn't use the "numbered Day" phrase for each creation sequence to provide ordering of creation information for the sake of humankind's understanding of His creation story. Am I off the beam, thinking that we shouldn't try to put YHWH in any particular "time" box of one kind or another in Genesis 1? I am very willing to accept the "whatever/how ever" that YHWH wills [and not know His exact answer to my feeble questions] even in the face of feeling pressured in my Bible study group to believe a certain way about the "day" language in Gen 1. Again, how would the ancient Hebrews read Genesis "day" language? Thanks, Edie

      1. Greetings, Edith. Genesis 1 is an area of specialty for OTHER people, but I have tended to read it as a statement of God's orderly and rational process of creation that says most when it is heard in contrast to other ancient Near East creation stories (some of which speak of facets of creation coming about as a result of violence between warring deities -- like Marduk fashioning the ground and the firmament by beaten out the two pieces of Tiamat's corpse into nice thin membranes!). Genesis 1 says a lot about the genuine God and God's relationship to creation in such a cultural context. And, yes, the absence of sun (the primary cosmic ticker of the 24-hour block) in days 1-3 should say something about the figurative nature of the "days" in creation. That's all I've got.

      2. Thank you so much for your answer. It helps me to relax regarding this topic (and others like it), giving others the space to make up their own minds about the topic, and focus on keeping the "main thing the main thing"... YHWH's reclamation plan for human beings and the rest of creation. I have studied Genesis with Dr. John Walton's MobEd & one of his books which has also helped. Learning about the culture of the ancients is important. The study has been very good for me in helping gain insights that I've not had before. YHWH is Great!

    2. David, I am using your material on the Seven Cities of Revelation while teaching through Revelation. The timing of it being released was perfect, at least for my uses. It really helps to bring to life, for the folks attending, that these are real cities with real issues at the time. Thank you.

      2. Hello Dear, With Respect, Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I expect that this mail will not come to you as a surprise, since we have not yet known or written before. Upon the receipt of this mail kindly contact me on my private Email contact below: ( elyse.francky@yahoo.com ) I am Miss. Elyse Francky the Only Daughter of late Mr. Brown Francky. Before the death of my late father, He called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $5.500,000.00 Million USD in a financial Bank here. Deposited in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan Ivory Coast that he used my name for the next of kin in depositing of the fund. I will need your assistance as follows: 1) To assist me in retriving this money from the bank. 2) To serve as the guardian of this fund. 3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your countryto further my education and to secure a residential permit in your country. Moreover, I am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/input after the successful transfer of this fund to your nominated account overseas. For more details Reply to my private e-mail box below: ( elyse.francky@yahoo.com ) Awaiting your urgent reply. Regards, Miss. Elyse

      3. The most sophisticated Bible software developer on the face of the planet and there's no way to filter out spam/phishing posts? LOL!

      4. I agree that is amazingly surprising. I contacted tech help several weeks ago about these posts and they said 2 Things: 1] they can't prevent people from signing up for an account and 2] that if we click on the the "more" button and select "flag as inappropriate" the tech folks would be alerted and would remove it. So, I'm going to do that after I post this. We'll see if it works. ;-)

    3. You are such a HUGE blessing! Thank you, Jesus, for all you do to conquer the goliaths out there in many minds and heart through this beloved David of yours! Blessings!

      1. hi

    4. A year ago I accused myself of being "the world's worst blogger, poster, and author group host." I return today to prove my earlier claim. :) It has been, however, a wonderfully productive year. I look forward to the second edition of my INTRODUCING THE APOCRYPHA: MESSAGE, CONTEXT, AND SIGNIFICANCE coming out with Baker Academic at the end of this month. I spent about three months revising the text, bringing it in line with my own thinking on various issues since 2002 and bringing it up to date with the face of "Apocrypha scholarship" through about 2016. I finally finished my manuscript -- and, at this point, all the editing and proofing -- for my contribution on THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS for the NICNT series published by Eerdmans. I anticipate this to appear in late August. Finally, I took another three or four months to update my best-selling book (not that it's a "best seller" by any stretch, but among my books it sells best!), AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT: CONTEXTS, METHODS, & MINISTRY FORMATION. Along with a rather thorough revision of about half of the chapters (and light revision of the other half -- but I've admittedly not done a lot of thinking about John's Gospel, for example, since 2003!), it will also feature mostly new, and perhaps more judiciously selected, photographs from my own travels throughout the lands of the NT. I'm grateful to my partners at Baker, Eerdmans, and IVP for allowing me these great opportunities to contribute to people's thinking about what I consider to be some matters of the greatest importance. In early October, I was given a "field promotion" to interim pastor at the church I had been serving (and continue to serve) as director of music and organist. This, as the pastors among my readership well know, spells the end for writing for a while, save for a few shorter pieces that, being contributions to collaborative ventures, I can't fail to produce and, of course, a steady stream of sermons. If any of you are at all interested in what it looks like when this NT scholar tries to proclaim the word to a congregation, you are welcome to read the transcripts of any of my sermons on my blog: https://apocryphalwritings.wordpress.com/. I anticipate that this "gig" will continue through June. Thanks to all of you who have not left the group in disgust over my lack of posts! :)
      Apocryphal Writings
      Musings outside my published canon
      apocryphalwritings.wordpress.com

      2. One can even vote here:
        David A. deSilva's The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
        Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (October 8, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0195329007 ISBN-13: 978-0195329001 https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Teachers-Jesus-James-Jude/dp/0195329007/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1517511847&sr=8-13&keywords=david+desilva
        suggestbooks.uservoice.com

      3. These are two ways FL has given one a voice on what to pursue! I'd say if it garners much attention, the request would be honored!

      4. I have placed a number of resources here for one to vote on and comment support in hopes of seeing them published including several volumes by a wonderful scholar named David A. deSilva! Go check it out and add a few of your own!

    5. L.O.V.E. your work sir. Please keep it up. One of your best books is missing from Logos. Can you please inform them of this terrible oversight???
      The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: David A. deSilva: 9780195329001: Amazon.com: Books
      The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha [David A. deSilva] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Jews have sometimes been reluctant to claim Jesus as one of their own; Christians have often been reluctant to acknowledge the degree to which Jesus' message and mission were at home amidst
      smile.amazon.com

      1. YES! I was just about to purchase that book via Kindle. I would much prefer it in Logos.

    6. Do humans have a special capacity designed to foster experiences of God? What role do specific bodily actions or emotions play in the cultivation of a divine experience? Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra and John’s Apocalypse: Emotion, Empathy, and Engagement with God explores these questions in a systematic study of the emotions in two apocalyptic texts. The book of 4 Ezra, an ancient Jewish apocalypse, and the book of Revelation, an ancient Christian Apocalypse written by John, are examined with a focus on the emotional language of the prayers and prayer preludes contained in this literature. Get the book at
      Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra and John's Apocalypse: Emotions, Empathy, and Engagement with God: David Seal: 9780761869252: Amazon.com: Books
      Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra and John's Apocalypse: Emotions, Empathy, and Engagement with God [David Seal] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <span><span>Do humans have a special capacity designed to foster experiences of God? What role do specific bodily actions or emotions play in the cultivation of a divine experience? Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra and John’s Apocalypse: Emotion
      www.amazon.com

      1. Hello Dear, With Respect, Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I expect that this mail will not come to you as a surprise, since we have not yet known or written before. Upon the receipt of this mail kindly contact me on my private Email contact below: ( elyse.francky@yahoo.com ) I am Miss. Elyse Francky the Only Daughter of late Mr. Brown Francky. Before the death of my late father, He called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $5.500,000.00 Million USD in a financial Bank here. Deposited in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan Ivory Coast that he used my name for the next of kin in depositing of the fund. I will need your assistance as follows: 1) To assist me in retriving this money from the bank. 2) To serve as the guardian of this fund. 3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your countryto further my education and to secure a residential permit in your country. Moreover, I am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/input after the successful transfer of this fund to your nominated account overseas. For more details Reply to my private e-mail box below: ( elyse.francky@yahoo.com ) Awaiting your urgent reply. Regards, Miss. Elyse

    7. Prepare your heart for Christmas with David deSilva #12daysofchristmas #verymerrymobileedchristmas