Book Details:
Author: Tim Dowley
Illustrator: John Rabou
Publisher: Candle Books / Kregel Publications (2011)
Binding: Hardcover
Page count: 16
ISBN: 9781859858233

Recommendation:
Review Date: 11/18/2011 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating: Recommended

Review:
Look Inside the Bible: The Life of Jesus helps readers to learn more about the life of Jesus through wonderful illustrations of key places in the life of Jesus. The book includes illustrations of:

* Nazareth
* Bethlehem
* Capernaum
* Sea of Galilee
* Jerusalem

For each of the places listed above, there is a brief narrative explaining how the place was important in the life of Jesus. Following the narrative there is an illustrated fold-out map of sorts, showing different events in Jesus’ life that took place in that location. Accompanying each of these illustrated maps is a series of questions inviting you and your children to ‘look closer’ and find many of the events of Jesus life that have been hidden in the map / picture. Finally, each section closes with a series of suggested Bible verses that will help you to learn more about that particular place.

Parents will especially find Look Inside the Bible: The Life of Jesus useful for teaching their children about they key events and places that are a part of the life of Jesus as recounted in the gospels. While younger children ages 2-3 will certainly be able to enjoy the pictures, I feel this work would be most appropriate for parents to share with their children ages 4-12. With the wonderful illustrations and interactive format, I expect that Look Inside the Bible: The Life of Jesus will become a fast favorite with my children.

Author Information:
Tim Dowley (ph.D. in church history, University of Manchester) has been at the forefront of writing and editing for a new generation of resources on biblical studies and church history.

Illustrator Information:
John Rabou spent two years at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch Academy of Art and Design, Holland. He then built his portfolio and landed his first commission: illustrations for a full-colour edition of Moby Dick. For 30 years, John has worked for educational publishers in Holland, Germany and the UK, also serving as chief artist for the Dutch family theme park, Het Land van Ooit. John is particularly interested in history and has recently received the Certificate of Merit of the American Society of Illustrators.

Where to Buy:

• Kregel Publications
• Amazon.com

Related Media:

• Excerpt – LINK

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Kregel Publications for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Many thanks to the kind folks at Kregel Publications for sending along a review copy of Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence, which is the inaugural volume of The Text and Canon of the New Testament series, edited by Daniel B. Wallace. The book is comprised of six chapters, they are:

• Chapter 1 – Lost in Transmission: How Badly Did the Scribes Corrupt the New Testament Text? – Daniel B. Wallace
• Chapter 2 – The Least Orthodox Reading is to be Preferred: A New Canon for New Testament Textual Criticism? – Philip M. Miller
• Chapter 3 – The Legacy of a Letter: Sabellianism or Scribal Blunder in John 1.1c? – Matthew P. Morgan
• Chapter 4 – Patristic Theology and Recension in Matthew 24.36: An Evaluation of Ehrman’s Text-Critical Methodology – Adam G. Messer
• Chapter 5 – Tracking Thomas: A Text-Critical Look at the Transmission of the Gospel of Thomas – Tim Ricchuiti
• Chapter 6 – Jesus as THEOS: A Textual Examination – Brian J. Wright

Here’s a brief description of this new volume from Kregel’s web site:

This first volume focuses on issues in textual criticism—in particular, to what degree did the scribes, who copied their exemplars by hand, corrupt the autographs‌ All but one of the chapters deals specifically with New Testament textual criticism. The other addresses textual issues related to an early apocryphal work, the Gospel of Thomas.

The book begins with the full transcription of Wallace’s presentation at the Fourth Annual Greer-Heard Forum, in which he and Bart Ehrman debated over the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts. Adam Messer looks at the patristic evidence of “nor the Son” in Matthew 24:36 in a quest to determine whether the excision of these words was influenced by orthodox Fathers. Philip Miller wrestles with whether the “least orthodox reading” should be a valid principle for determining the autographic text. Matthew Morgan focuses attention on the only two Greek manuscripts that have a potentially Sabellian reading in John 1:1c. Timothy Ricchuiti tackles the textual history of the Gospel of Thomas, examining the Coptic text and the three Greek fragments, using internal evidence in order to determine the earliest stratum of Thomas. Brian Wright thoroughly examines the textual reliability of the passages in which Jesus appears to be called God, concluding that “the textual proof of the designation THEOS as applied to Jesus in the NT merely confirms what other grounds have already established.”

Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament will be a valuable resource for those working in textual criticism, early Christianity, New Testament apocrypha, and patristics.

About the Editor:
Daniel B. Wallace (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, and senior New Testament editor of the NET Bible. He has written Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan, 1997).

The kind folks at Kregel Publications have sent along some new books for review.  They are:

Interpreting the Pentateuch: An Exegetical Handbook by Peter T. Vogt

• Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional
• Publication Date: November 2009
• Binding: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• ISBN: 0825427622
• List Price: $21.99
• Purchase Options: Amazon, Kregel Publications

Publishers Description:
“In this latest addition to the Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis series, Peter T. Vogt continues the tradition of excellence established by previous volumes. Divided into three parts, Interpreting the Pentateuch first provides an overview of the major themes of the Pentateuch. In the second part, Vogt offers resources and strategies for interpreting and understanding the first five books of the Bible by exploring its genres-law and narrative. Finally, Vogt shows that, although the Pentateuch is a collection of ancient texts, it still has contemporary significance. Vogt also includes two samples-one from law and one from narrative-of exegesis, giving students a start-to-finish example of the techniques he has illustrated for effective exegesis.”

The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan

• Publisher: Kregel Publications
• Publication Date: July 2009
• Binding: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• ISBN: 0825424267
• List Price: $13.99
• Purchase Options: Amazon, Kregel publications

Publishers Description:
“More historically and biblically accurate than The DaVinci Code and just as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, The Sacred Cipher combines action and mystery to draw readers into a world of ancient secrets and international escapades.

When an ancient scroll appears in a secret room of the Bowery Mission in New York City, Tom Bohannon is both stunned and intrigued. The enigma of the scroll’s contents will send Bohannon and his team ricocheting around the world, drawing the heat of both Jewish and Muslim militaries, and bringing the Middle East to the brink of nuclear war in this heart-pounding adventure of historical proportions. The Sacred Cipher is a riveting, fact-based tale of mystery and suspense.”

Binding:  Paperback
Pages:  352
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Publication Date:  July 1, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082542426
List Price:  $13.99
Rating:  5 Stars

Many thanks to my good friend Bob Hayton (www.fundamentallyreformed.com) for lending me his copy of The Sacred Cipher.

Renovations were underway at the historic Bowery Mission in New York City and by chance, the construction workers came across a hidden room behind the organ pipes of the chapel.  Tom Bohannan, executive director of the mission quickly realizes that what they’ve discovered is the office of Dr. Louis Klopsch, the first president of the Bowery mission.  While the office has the traditional furnishings you’d expect, the one piece of furniture that stands out is a large ornate safe.  After a bit of searching through Klopsch’s desk and file cabinets, Tom discovers the safe’s combination.  Much to his surprise, the safe is filled to the brim with books, scrolls, manuscripts, and the like.  The most unique item in the safe is an ornate mezuzah containing a five by twenty four inch scroll.  The writing on the scroll is in a script that Bohannan and his brother-in-law do not recognize.  Accompanying the mezuzah was a letter from Charles Spurgeon to Dr. Klopsch warning that there are men who will kill to posses the very scroll that they held in their hands.  Their curiosity peaked, Bonannan and his brother-in-law Joe Rodrigurez embark on a journey to uncover the meaning of this mysterious scroll.  The deeper they dig, the more dangerous things will get.  Their journey will take them from the streets of New York City all way around the world to the city of Jerusalem.  What they uncover could be the greatest archaeological discovery of all time.  However, it may also be the last straw in the constant struggle between the warring factions in the Middle East.

If you’re a fan of archaeological fiction, you need to read The Sacred Cipher.  Terry Brennan’s engaging style will keep you on the edge of your seat as you work your way through all of this book’s 352 pages.  This well researched work of fiction will be enjoyable for the both the academic reader as well as the armchair archaeologist.  This book was truly a pleasure to read and deserves a rating of five out of five stars.

Terry Brennan has had an extensive career in journalism, winning several awards, including the Valley Forge Award for editorial writing from the Freedoms Foundation.  Terry served eleven years as the vice president of operations for the Bowery Mission in New York City and is currently a management consultant.  You can learn more about Terry and his writing at terrybrennan.blogspot.com.

Be sure to check out the book trailer below:

I received the Kregel Academic & Professional 2010 New Resource Catalog in the mail yesterday.  Here are a few of the titles that caught my eye:

Binding:  Paperback
Pages:  224
Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional
Publication Date:  November 30, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825427622
ISBN-13: 978-0825427626
List Price:  $21.99

Binding:Paperback
Pages: 272
Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional
Publication Date:  April 16, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825425891
ISBN-13: 978-0825425899
List Price:  $19.99

You can access the entire catalog online via Scribd.

Academic Catalog 09-10

I got notice yesterday that Kregel’s Fall & Winter catalogs are now available online.  At a quick glance, I’m interested in taking a look at Interpreting the Pentateuch:  An Exegetical Handbook.  I’m also curious to find out if any Greek or Hebrew students have found the iVocab software useful.

Kregel Publications Fall 2009 Catalog

Kregel Winter 09-10 Announcement Catalog

Author:  Michael H. Burer
Author:  Jeffrey E. Miller
Format: Hardcover
Page Count:  512
Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional
Publication Date:  October 29, 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10:  0825420091

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to Leslie Paladino at Kregel Publications for furnishing me with a review copy of A New Reader’s Lexicon of the Greek New Testament by Michael H. Burer and Jeffrey E. Miller.

This title caught my eye when I was browsing Kregel’s list of upcoming releases earlier this fall.  If you were to take a look at the bookshelves in my office, you’d probably come to the conclusion that I certainly don’t need another lexicon.  Chances are you’d be right.  Normally, I’d quickly skim the description of a forthcoming lexicon and move on.  However, there were two things that piqued my interest.  First, I was drawn to the beautiful image of codex 2882 (courtesy of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts) on the cover.  Second, I noticed that the foreword was written by Daniel B. Wallace.  Dr. Wallace’s contribution to the study of New Testament Greek in the past few decades is envious and commendable.  The fact that he wrote the forward for this new lexicon told me it deserved more than just a cursory glance.

The commendations from various Bible scholars in the front of the book and on the back cover have two common themes.  First, the majority of them describe this work as a much needed update and improvement on a similar work by Sakae Kubo published by Zondervan.   Second, they are very pleased that the vast majority of the contextual definitions come from BDAG.   In the forward, Daniel Wallace touches on the two themes mentioned by the other scholars.  He also mentions the importance of the three-fold tagging of word frequency in this volume, noting it will be of great value to the beginning and intermediate Greek student as well as the experienced exegete.   Dr. Wallace has great hopes for this new work, which is expressed best in the following quote from the end of the foreword, “What Kubo did for the last generation, Burer and Miller’s NRL will do for the next.”

The student, pastor, and serious layperson will appreciate the layout and features of the entries in this lexicon.  Every word, including proper names and place names, that occur fewer than fifty times in the New Testament are defined in context.  The word frequency statistics based on the NA27/USB4 Greek New Testament are computer generated.  You can see an example of the word frequency tagging layout in this entry for Romans 9:22:

You will also encounter cross references for some entries. See an example below in this entry for Luke 9:60:

As you can see from the examples above, there is a wealth of information in each entry.

Every serious student of New Testament Greek should consider adding this lexicon to their library. Coming in at just under thirty dollars, the reasonable price makes this book accessible to even those with the smallest of book budgets. This book will become a mainstay on my desk and I’m confident it will enhance my study of the Greek New Testament. I agree with Dr. Wallace, that A New Reader’s Lexicon of the Greek New Testament will have a great impact on this next generation of aspiring Greek scholars.

Michael H. Burer is assistant professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he received his Ph.D. He has published a number of scholarly works and contributed as an editor to the New English Translation—Novum Testamentum Graece New Testament.

Jeffrey E. Miller earned his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and is senior pastor at Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, Texas. He has published both scholarly and popular works.

You may download a PDF of this review here: 

Buy this book on Amazon: A New Reader’s Lexicon of the Greek New Testament

These past few weeks have been rather busy around here, but I’m finally starting to get through the stacks of mail in my office.  I’m happy to report that there are a number of new titles that have graced my doorstep over the past few weeks.  Thanks are in order to my friends a Kregel for the following review titles:

Author:  Meg Wilson
Format: Paperback
Page Count:  160
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Publication Date:  2007
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9780825439353

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to Leslie Paladino at Kregel Publications for furnishing me with a review copy of Meg Wilson’s Hope after Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades Your Marriage.

Sexual addiction is a problem that runs rampant in the society of our day.  There are an increasingly large number of books available on this subject, but many of these have looked at sexual addiction from the man / husband’s perspective.  This book was of interest to me because it looks at sexual addiction from the perspective of the woman / wife who has been betrayed.  Hope After Betrayal shares the stories of four women whose lives have been forever changed by their husband’s secret sexual addiction finally coming to light.  Over the course of ten chapters we learn of the journey Meg (the author), Tammy, Stephanie, and Renee have undertaken to find hope and healing from their husband’s betrayal.  The chapters progress as follows:

• Chapter 1 – Blackout (Brutal betrayal)
• Chapter 2 – Shrouded (Waiting for direction)
• Chapter 3 – First Shimmers (Seeing the obstacles)
• Chapter 4 – Lanterns (Safe people)
• Chapter 5 – Laser (Friend of foe)
• Chapter 6 – Shadowlands (Avoiding the dark)
• Chapter 7 – Glowworms (Absorbing and applying grace)
• Chapter 8 – Firefly (The glowworm with wings)
• Chapter 9 – Prisms (Accepting God’s design)
• Chapter 10 – Path Lights (The road ahead)

Two important features to note at the end of each chapter are Path Lights and Journaling.  Path Lights has between three to six scripture references that will be an encouragement to women who are walking through each stage of their own journey.  The Journaling portion contained in each chapter is an important feature of this book.  Meg encourages women to keep a personal journal as they walk through each milestone of their journey towards hope and healing.  Journaling is not something that comes easily for everyone.  Fortunately this section has questions, ideas for prayer, and scripture meditation that should help readers to start writing in their journals.

There are actually eleven chapters in this book.  Chapter eleven is titled Refraction (My Husband’s Perspective).  What sets this chapter apart from the previous ten is that it’s written by Meg’s husband.  He answers many of the common questions women have about their husband’s sexual addiction.  Following chapter eleven there are two appendices.  Appendix A talks more about the practice of journaling.  Appendix B lists additional resources (books, web sites, computer filters / monitoring) for coping with the fallout that comes from sexual addiction.

Many thanks to Meg Wilson, her husband, and the other women who have shared their stories in this book.  Throughout its entirety, this book focuses on the importance of relying on Jesus Christ, who is able to bring true hope and healing to the process of recovery from sexual addiction.  I would highly recommend this book to any pastor, counselor, or layperson who works with those recovering from or affected by sexual addiction.  For the men who are on the road to recovery from sexual addiction, this book will help you to better comprehend what your wife is going through.  For the women who are on their own journey towards hope and healing from betrayal, this book is written with you in mind.  The format of this book makes it very usable in a small group setting, but it will be just as practical for the individual.  While I don’t normally give star ratings to books, I give this book five stars.  Meg Wilson has presented one of the most practical and Christ-centered approaches to hope and healing from the betrayal of sexual addiction I’ve seen to date.

Meg Wilson is a regular speaker to women’s groups, Bible studies, and conferences.  Five years ago she founded the Healing hearts Ministry to offer help and hope to women whose husbands are caught in the web of sexual addiction.  Learn more at www.hopeafterbetrayal.com.

You may download a PDF of this review here: 

Kregel Publications has a few sample pages from chapter 2 availalbe here: 

Be sure to vist the web site dedicated to the book at:  www.hopeafterbetrayal.com.

Author: Charles Foster
Format: Paperback
Page Count:  256
Publisher: Monarch Books
Publication Date:  2007
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9780825461521

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to Leslie Paladino at Kregel Publications for furnishing me with a review copy of Charles Foster’s Tracking the Ark of the Covenant:  By camel, foot and ancient Ford in search of antiquity’s greatest treasure.  I’m somewhat of an armchair archaeologist.  One of my pet subject areas is the tabernacle, especially anything related to the ark of the covenant.  As I was paging through the Kregel Publications catalog earlier this year, this new title caught my eye.  I’m excited to have the opportunity to review it.

Tracking the Ark of the Covenant is my first encounter with Charles Foster.  He sounds like a man who wears many professional hats.  According to the brief bio in the back of the book, he’s a writer, barrister, tutor at the University of Oxford, and a Visiting Fellow of Green College, Oxford.  Perhaps he should add “itinerant detective of biblical intrigue and mystery” to the list as well.

The ark of the covenant is perhaps the most intriguing and baffling of the Israelite cultic objects described in the old testament.  Charles Foster invites the reader to join him on a journey that retraces the steps of the ark as it has emerged to us today from the pages history, legend, and in some cases fantasy.  The early part of this journey takes us to modern day Egypt, Jordan, and Israel as Charles traces the path of the ark from its creation at Mount Sinai to its intended permanent home in the temple built by King Solomon.  The latter part of the journey explores the legend and folklore surrounding the ark after it seemingly vanished from the stage of world history.  Those who are unfamiliar with this part of the ark’s story will be surprised that this leg of the journey not only includes places like modern day Israel, but also Ethiopia, Ireland, and even the United Kingdom.

Having read widely on the stories and legends surrounding the ark of the covenant, I was hopeful, but wasn’t sure if I’d find anything new in this work.  To my delight, I found a gem in chapter three.  Charles describes the experiences one can expect to have during an extended stay in the desert, in this case Sinai.  I was most impressed with the clarity in which he describes the physical, mental, and emotional strains of life in the desert.  It was as if he opened a window that allowed me to see the many stresses that contributed to the Israelites’ complaints during their sojourn in the wilderness.  For some reason, this part of the book resonated with me.  The next time I read of Israel’s forty years of wandering in the wilderness, it will be through “new eyes”.

Charles Foster has delivered a most enjoyable book that is sure to please both the armchair archaeologist and the biblical history enthusiast alike.  He unfolds the story of the Ark’s beginnings at Mt. Sinai and its journey into modern day legend and mystery with a style that is both informative and entertaining.  Tracing the Ark of the Covenant will make a great addition to your winter reading list.  Be sure to order your copy today!

Charles Foster is a writer, barrister, a tutor at the University of Oxford and a Visiting Fellow at Green College Oxford.  He has written, edited or contributed to 24 books.  Another of his works published by Monarch back in 2006 is The Jesus Inquest – an enquiry into the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus.  You can learn more about Charles and his written works at his web site, which can be found at:  www.charlesfoster.co.uk.

You may download a PDF of this review here: