Bibliography: Second Half of 2019

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2019. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Children's books also generally not included!) I read a lot of RPG and online material and was busy with other things these six months, so a lot fewer entries are showing up this time!

Nonfiction

Bates, Matthew, Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King.
Enns, Peter, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament.
Joslin, Barry, Hebrews, Christ, and the Law: The Theology of the Mosaic Law in Hebrews 7:1-10:18.
Miller, Robert, The Dragon, the Mountain, and the Nations: An Old Testament Myth, Its Origins, and Its Afterlives.
Moser, Paul, ed., Jesus and Philosophy.
Von Rad, Gerhard, Old Testament Theology, Vol 1: The Theology of Israel's Historical Traditions.
Von Rad, Gerhard, Old Testament Theology, Vol 2: The Theology of Israel's Prophetic Traditions.

Fiction

Laws, Robin, New Tales of the Yellow Sign.

Miles, Julian, Stars of Black: Contemplations Upon the Pale King.

Snyder, Lucy, While the Black Stars Burn.

Tyrer, D.J., The Yellow House.

Tyrer, D.J., and Joseph Bouthiette Jr., eds., A Terrible Thing.

Bibliography: First Half of 2019

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2019. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Children's books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Albertz, Rainer, Family and Household Religion in Ancient Israel and the Levant.
Allen, Spencer, The Splintered Divine: A Study of Ištar, Baal, and Yahweh Divine Names and Divine Multiplicity in the Ancient Near East.
Bell, Catherine, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice.
Clifford, Richard J., The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament.
Clifford, Richard J., Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and in the Bible.
Collins, C. John, Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11.
Doak, Brian, The Last of the Rephaim: Conquest and Cataclysm in the Heroic Ages of Ancient Israel.
Forsyth, Neil, The Old Enemy: Satan and the Combat Myth.
Garr, W. Randall, In His Own Image and Likeness: Humanity, Divinity, and Monotheism.
Gooch, Paul W., Partial Knowledge: Philosophical Studies in Paul.
Greer, Jonathan S., John W. Hilber, and John H. Walton, eds., Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts.
Hagner, Donald A., How New is the New Testament? First Century Judaism and the Emergence of Christianity.
Healy, Mary, and Robin Parry, eds., The Bible and Epistemology: Biblical Soundings on the Knowledge of God.
Hess, Richard S., and David Toshio Tsumura, eds., I Studied Inscriptions from Before the Flood: Ancient Near Eastern Literary and Linguistic Approaches to Genesis 1-11.
Johnson, Dru, Biblical Knowing: A Scriptural Epistemology of Error.
Johnson, Dru, Epistemology and Biblical Theology: From the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel.
Johnson, Dru, Knowledge by Ritual: A Biblical Prolegomenon to Sacramental Theology.
Kennard, Douglas W., Epistemology and Logic in the New Testament: Early Jewish Context and Biblical Theology Mechanisms that Fit Within Some Contemporary Ways of Knowing.
Kreeft, Peter, The Philosophy of Jesus.
Longman, III, Tremper, and John H. Walton, The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate.
Longman, III, Tremper, Confronting Old Testament Controversies: Pressing Questions about Evolution, Sexuality, History, and Violence.
Middleton, J. Richard, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1.
Miller, Patrick D., The Religion of Ancient Israel.
Morales, L. Michael, The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus.
Morales, L. Michael, ed., Cult and Cosmos: Tilting Toward a Temple-Centered Theology.
O'Dowd, Ryan, The Wisdom of Torah: Epistemology in Deuteronomy and the Wisdom Literature.
Scott, Ian W., Paul's Way of Knowing: Story, Experience, and the Spirit.
Seitz, Christopher, The Elder Testament: Canon, Theology, Trinity.
Smith, Mark S., The Priestly Vision of Genesis 1.
Smith, Mark S., The Genesis of Good and Evil: The Fall(out) and Original Sin in the Bible.
Van der Toorn, Karel, Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria and Israel: Continuity and Change in the Forms of Religious Life.
Walton, John H. and J. Harvey Walton, The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context.
Wright, Archie T., The Origin of Evil Spirits: The Reception of Genesis 6:1-4 in Early Jewish Literature. Revised edition.
Wyatt, N., The Mythic Mind: Essays on Cosmology and Religion in Ugaritic and Old Testament Literature.
Zevit, Ziony, The Religions of Ancient Israel: A Synthesis of Parallactic Approaches.

Fiction

Kipling, Rudyard, The Jungle Book.
Kipling, Rudyard, The Second Jungle Book.
Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Bibliography: Second Half of 2018

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2018. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Children's books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Albertz, Rainer, A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, Volume I: From the Beginnings to the End of the Monarchy.
Albertz, Rainer, A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, Volume II: From the Exile to the Maccabees.
Anderson, Jeff S., The Blessing and the Curse: Trajectories in the Theology of the Old Testament.
Balentine, Samuel, Prayer in the Hebrew Bible: The Drama of Divine-Human Dialogue.
Batto, Bernard F., Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition.
Block, Daniel, ed., Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention?
Cowan, Steven, and Terry Wilder, eds., In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture.
Cross, Frank Moore, Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel.
Day, John, Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan.
Dever, William G., Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?
Dever, William G., Beyond the Texts: An Archaeological Portrait of Ancient Israel and Judah.
Dick, Michael B., ed., Born in Heaven, Made on Earth: The Making of the Cult Image in the Ancient Near East.
Gericke, Jaco, What is a God?: Philosophical Perspectives on Divine Essence in the Hebrew Bible.
Goldsworthy, Graeme, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles.
Gottwald, Norman K., The Tribes of Yahweh: A Sociology of the Religion of Liberated Israel, 1250-1050 B.C.E.
Hamori, Esther, When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature.
Heiser, Michael, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ.
Heiser, Michael, Angels: What The Bible Really Says About God's Heavenly Host.
Hendel, Ronald, and Jan Joosten, How Old is the Hebrew Bible?: A Linguistic, Textual, and Historical Study.
Kitchen, Kenneth, On the Reliability of the Old Testament.
Kitz, Anne Marie, Cursed are You!: The Phenomenology of Cursing in Cuneiform and Hebrew Texts. 
Mitchell, Christopher Wright, The Meaning of BRK "To Bless" in the Old Testament.

Mullen, Jr., E. Theodore, The Assembly of the Gods: The Divine Council in Canaanite and Early Hebrew Literature.

Patrick, Dale, The Rendering of God in the Old Testament.

Patrick, Dale, The Rhetoric of Revelation in the Hebrew Bible.
Provan, Iain, V. Philips Long, and Tremper Longman III, A Biblical History of Israel, Second Edition.
Segal, Alan F., Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism.
Smith, Mark S., The Early History of God:Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, Second Edition.
Smith, Mark S., The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts.
Smith, Mark S., The Memoirs of God: History, Memory, and the Experience of the Divine.
Smith, Mark S., God in Translation: Deities in Cross-cultural Discourse in the Biblical World.
Smith, Mark S., How Human is God?: Seven Questions about God and Humanity in the Bible.
Smith, Mark S., Where the Gods Are: Spatial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World.
Sommer, Benjamin, The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel.
Van De Mieroop, Marc, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 BC, Third Edition.
Van De Mieroop, Marc, A History of Ancient Egypt.
Westermann, Claus, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church.
White, Ellen, Yahweh's Council: Its Structure and Membership.
Wood, Alice, Of Wings and Wheels: A Synthetic Study of the Biblical Cherubim.

Fiction

Lewis, C.S., Out of the Silent Planet.

Lewis, C.S., Perelandra.

Lewis, C.S., That Hideous Strength.

Bibliography: First Half of 2018

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2018. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Anderson, Gary, Sin: A History.
Balentine, Samuel, The Hidden God: The Hidden Face of God in the Old Testament.
Barr, James, The Semantics of Biblical Language.
Barr, James, Biblical Faith and Natural Theology.
Barr, James, The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality
Barton, John, Reading the Old Testament: Method in Biblical Studies, Revised and Enlarged.
Barton, John, The Nature of Biblical Criticism.
Beale, G. K., and Benjamin L. Gladd, Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery.
Beilby, James K., and Paul Rhodes Eddy, eds., Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views.
Berlin, Adele, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism, Revised and Expanded.
Boyd, Gregory, God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict.
Boyd, Gregory, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament's Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross, Volume 1: The Cruciform Hermeneutic
Boyd, Gregory, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament's Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross, Volume 2: The Cruciform Thesis.
Brown, William P., ed., Character and Scripture: Moral Formation, Community, and Biblical Interpretation.
Carasik, Michael, Theologies of the Mind in Biblical Israel.
Carson, D.A., Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension.
Carson, D.A., Exegetical Fallacies, Second Edition.
Childs, Brevard S., Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christian Bible.
Crenshaw, James, Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil.
Eichrodt, Walther, Theology of the Old Testament, Volume One.
Eichrodt, Walther, Theology of the Old Testament, Volume Two.
Fishbane, Michael, Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel.
Fretheim, Terence, The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective.
Fretheim, Terence, Creation Untamed: The Bible, God, and Natural Disasters.
Gericke, Jaco, The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion.
Gibson, Arthur, Biblical Semantic Logic: A Preliminary Analysis.
Goldingay, John, Theological Diversity and the Authority of the Old Testament.
Goldingay, John, Key Questions about Christian Faith: Old Testament Answers.
Goldingay, John, Key Questions about Biblical Interpretation: Old Testament Answers.
Goldingay, John, Do We Need the New Testament?: Letting the Old Testament Speak for Itself.
Goldingay, John, Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures.
Gunkel, Hermann, The Influence of the Holy Spirit: The Popular View of the Apostolic Age and the Teaching of the Apostle Paul: A Biblical-Theological Study.
Habel, Norman, The Land is Mine: Six Biblical Land Ideologies.
Hazony, Yoram, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture.
Heiser, Michael, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible.
Hoffmeier, James, and Dennis Magary, eds., Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture.
Humphrey, Edith, Scripture and Tradition: What the Bible Really Says.
Johnson, Aubrey, The One and the Many in the Israelite Conception of God.
Kaminsky, Joel, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible.
Kaminsky, Joel, Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election.
Levenson, Jon D., Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence.
Levison, John, Filled with the Spirit.
Lindström, Fredrik, God and the Origin of Evil: A Contextual Analysis of Alleged Monistic Evidence in the Old Testament.
Lohr, Joel, Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-Christian Interpretation.
MacDonald, Neil, Metaphysics and the God of Israel: Systematic Theology of the Old and New Testaments.
Mettinger, Tryggve, The Eden Narrative: A Literary and Religio-Historical Study of Genesis 2-3.
Niditch, Susan, War in the Hebrew Bible: A Study in the Ethics of Violence.
Pelikan, Jaroslav, The Vindication of Tradition.
Plantinga, Jr., Cornelius, Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin.
Ramage, Matthew, Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Robinson, H. Wheeler, Corporate Personality in Ancient Israel.
Roy, Steven, How Much Does God Foreknow?: A Comprehensive Biblical Study.
Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob, Faithfulness in Action: Loyalty in Biblical Perspective.
Sanders, James A., Torah and Canon. Second Edition.
Seitz, Christopher, The Character of Christian Scripture: The Significance of a Two-Testament Bible.
Silva, Moisés, Biblical Words and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics, Revised and Expanded Edition.
Smith, Christian, The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture.
Smith-Christopher, Daniel, A Biblical Theology of Exile.
Sparks, Kenton, God's Word in Human Words: An Evangelical Appropriation of Critical Biblical Scholarship.
Sparks, Kenton, Sacred Word, Broken Word: Biblical Authority & the Dark Side of Scripture.
Stark, Thom, The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It).
Stark, Thom, Is God a Moral Compromiser?: A Critical Review of Paul Copan's "Is God a Moral Monster?" Second Edition.
Thomas, Heath, et al., eds., Holy War in the Bible: Christian Morality and an Old Testament Problem.
Tov, Emanuel, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded.
Walton, John H., Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible, Second Edition.
Wright, G. Ernest, God Who Acts: Biblical Theology as Recital.


Fiction

Alexander, Lloyd, The Book of Three.
De Balzac, Honoré, Short Stories.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, Tales and Sketches.
Ligotti, Thomas, Death Poems.
Miller, Jr., Walter, A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Some Notes on Greg Boyd's Crucifixion of the Warrior God Volume 2

Pretty much the same thing as my last post, just on Volume 2. Maybe I should note that these are just stream-of-consciousness initial reactions and hence won't be very polished and might seem too negative to some. But that should have been obvious from the previous installment! In any case, I actually really liked this volume as well, despite the numerous concerns listed below. Notes (again, mostly not very understandable without consulting the book at the same time):

General notes:
-Both volumes have been riddled with innumerable typos - spelling errors, incorrect words, missing words or letters, etc. The endorsements in the first volume contained a number of errors and it just went on from there. I don't know if anyone actually proofread the book or they just didn't care, but it makes it look very unprofessional and this book certainly deserves better than the distinct lack of care it received in this area.
-It's funny that Boyd doesn't seem to often like others using philosophical considerations to determine certain things unless they are his own and for his own conclusions.
-Still demands other interpretations "bear witness" to the cross, whatever that might mean.
-A real question: Non-violence. What is meant by "violence"? What is the scope of this non-violence supposed to be? Is the principle only supposed to apply between humans or are humans supposed to treat other livings non-violently as well? But which other living things? What about plants, fungi, or microbes? Some animals or all? If violence is simply doing harm to or killing a living organism, then we and Jesus would all be violent by necessity since this happens just be living.
-I'm still not entirely sure what "deep literalism" or the "Conservative Hermeneutic" from last volume are supposed to be. Especially when applied to stories when they are thought of as fictional/fables/etc.
-Boyd doesn't seem to see that non-order comes in two varieties - simply not-yet ordered and positively anti-order. So he tends to interpret all OT imagery of non-order as anti-order and associates it with Satan.

On specific pages:
647-648 - Moves way too fast. Generally could be clearer. It seems like the crucifixion itself is being identified as identical with various other aspects of salvation or things normally thought of as consequences of it. So I'm not sure what's going on here or why. It's really hard to follow the line of thought.
650 - 'we must understand every divine accommodation to be a reflection of the self-emptying agape-love of the eternal triune God.' It's not clear what "self-emptying" means here, but is this principle so because every divine action is to be understood in this way? Or is this some special principle here? If the latter, why? If the former, it's not clear what use is going to necessarily follow without smuggling in one's own assumptions here. We'll see.
652-682 - Almost all of this is useless and irrelevant - just a chance to grind an axe against non-open theists.
652-663 - Why is this here? It doesn't deal with defenses of classical theism or responses to his "this is not enough" objection, etc. Also doesn't deal with views that only take parts of classical theism on board. For instance, transcending time and immutable yet also immanent in time, relational, and passible (since immutability and impassibility are definitely not the same thing nor is temporal change required for God to have a real relationship with us or be passible - x affecting y and x changing y are distinct in that changing is one way of being affected but not the only one). On another point, knowledge or experience of God is filtered not simply through Israel's moral beliefs but also its religious or metaphysical ones as well. Hence God's frequent modelling by Israel as a pagan god (that is, using pictures of models of God as used by ANE for gods in general). So accommodation in that sense pretty much guaranteed.
666 - A bit question-begging here it looks like...
667 - Boyd says we must "ground all our thinking about God from start to finish in the revelation of God in the crucified Christ as witnessed to in Scripture." Ground in what sense? Why? What about natural revelation? Similarly for "anchored". If we did this, he asks, would we ever think God was immutable? Sure - why not? Humans suffer and change. Christ was/is human - so he can too. In that sense, so can God. But God can still be immutable in his divinity. A lot of rhetorical, perhaps question-begging, questions here with not too much argument. Seems to confuse ordinary language with metaphysical interpretations thereof (specifically, Boyd's metaphysical interpretations, based on his own prior philosophical convictions - not coming directly from Scripture, despite his own insistence).
668 - Doesn't taking on a human nature mean a change? No, except in the creation.
671 - Not clear what "simple" means here. Looks like it should be more than "lack of parts" but this isn't explained. Also, not clear why an unchanging God "bridging the 'ground of being' with the contingent and ever-changing world" is supposed to be unintelligible. What's supposed to be so especially nonsensical about it? What does this "bridging" even mean anyway?
672 - 1st sentence. The "then" doesn't follow from the "if"!
673 - You can get about everything Boyd wants without jettisoning immutability.
674 - According to Boyd, the Bible is more interested in God's moral qualities than metaphysical, which makes the previous discussions even stranger.
680 - Again, confusing various issues with the issue of power.
686-687 - Some question-begging here, it looks like.
693-696 - Girard. I would like to sometime see some real evidence in favor of his stuff. Is it true?
722-725 - Parts of this seem a bit off. Partly because of a reliance on a bad translation of Galatians 3:24.
731-734 - I don't really see what the biblical evidence is that all these laws of passages were meant to be mere object lessons. Boyd quotes from a bunch of people who agree with him, but there isn't really any biblical evidence of convincing depth on display here. So why accept this as opposed to just saying "I don't know why this is here"? I guess relying on that mistranslation again? Other explanations seem to fit actual biblical evidence better. It seems right for some stories, though...
739 - "It follows that" - no, it really doesn't.
772 - The argument vs. immutability in terms of Jesus' feeling divine abandonment isn't very good. It wrongly associates it with Nestorianism (though, since Boyd seems to be leaning into monophysitism, I guess a more central orthodox view would seem more Nestorian). More unnecessary swipes at non-open theists, in other words.
894 - Confused - if the future exists and God knows it from eternity there is no fact of what they will choose eternally preceding it. That fact, if facts exist and have any location at all, is going to be located in my actually performing that action, not as some prior thing constraining or forcing it. Boyd treats such facts as if they were mere programs that somehow the universe is being made to run, which is completely baseless. What he's doing is, in a sense, smuggling his own views of the future into opponents' views and getting the obvious results from that. Why is this here?
908 - Says God restrains, takes options away, but this is supposed to be somehow non-coercive and not violating free will. That sounds good, but doesn't really elaborate enough to see whether what he says is in fact true. How God does this matters, but Boyd doesn't really say how. But we need to know how in order to be able to assess whether it is really noncoercive,etc. or not. He says his view is clear but it isn't - at least not here. Doesn't really address the objection, I think.
923 - Whether we can imagine something and whether it is true or false are two different things.
936-938 - Not really relevant. Guilt-by-association/appeal to supposed consequences not really pertinent. Issue is whether it's true.
965-968 - Argues based on different sources, ignoring his earlier dictum that he was going to deal with the final form of the text. The question is not what sources were like or meant but what does it mean as it is in fact now? What is the meaning with these put together as they are now? Literal hornet  argument not very plausible. No evidence that there was going to be a hornet annoying them so much they would leave of their own accord.
976 - Something's been bugging me and at this point it became clear. Despite his protestations that he is bracketing out historical-critical stuff and focusing on the story itself, he seems to me at least to be confusing the two. He wants to say the conquest was not God's idea. But that's a statement about what really happened - that there was a conquest and that God wanted something and that the Israelites misunderstood. But Boyd is saying he isn't talking about real life, just the story. In the story itself, however, Boyd wants to say it really was God's idea. But he's supposed to be talking about the story. But he's not. That's a bit disorienting.
979-980 - What God said vs. what was heard. Better, I think, and more in tune with inspiration is to distinguish what God said (which is something filtered through culture, etc.) vs. what God meant. Maybe he said "kill" (because that is the word the human author chose in rendering God's will) and meant something other than kill. So it's not that God didn't say that but his less violent meaning was communicated through a more violent human filter.
1001 - "I trust my treatment ...has demonstrated how..." No, not really.
1013-1014 - The identification of Job's accuser and the chaotic force of Sea is not completely convincing - he doesn't seem to appear as the foe here that Boyd thinks of him as.
1061 - Boyd says the "Aikido-like manner" God won on the cross "clarifies both how and why Jesus was punished for the sins of humanity." Maybe it does that with the causal "how", but otherwise I don't really see where Boyd's explained this.
1062 - Says Jesus submitted to being killed by powers/humans and this defeats the "kingdom of darkness" because it "manifested" God's love. How does that work? This isn't really explained - the connection is unclear. Further on, concerning subverting "the myth of redemptive violence", it isn't clear how this is relevant. Again, the issue is whether it is true that is relevant, subversion or no.
1063 - "I trust it is now clear" - no, not really. Nor is the line of thought in the next sentence. At the bottom, the "then" doesn't follow from the "If so", at all.
1067 - Seems to be saying that people who disagree with him about divine violence haven't "yielded to the Spirit." Ouch.
1069 - I'm not sure all these expressions really refer to Satan.
1072 - Not again...
1087 - Again, it's truth that's relevant here, not this stuff.
1157 - Agreed that Carson is "biased in a deterministic direction" in his interpretations, but it's also just as true that Boyd himself is also but in a non-deterministic direction. Actually, though Carson is clearly biased, of course, I think it's not as strong as Boyd thinks it is.
1158 - "I cannot help but see this 'tension' as a blatant contradiction" - well, of course. That's because of your philosophical views. It's not a formal contradiction. There are a lot of statements here about what Boyd cannot do. Surely the question is about the truth of what Carson is saying, not Boyd's personal inability to agree with, understand, or imagine something. It isn't clear how any of Boyd's inabilities here actually support his historical theories.
1211 - I see no reason to think we can't "be genuinely tempted" by something we believe we cannot do. It depends on what it is and why we think we cannot do it (whether it is prevented by our character but we are physically able vs. we are physically unable to do it, for instance). I might genuinely believe it is impossible for me to kill someone but then really want to kill in a certain situation and be sorely tempted by it, even while still thinking that I ultimately won't succumb. This is different from, say, being tempted to fly when I know I don't have the wings for it. One inability is present within my "action-producing system", the other without.

Some Notes on Greg Boyd's Crucifixion of the Warrior God Volume 1

I like reading Greg Boyd but it's a bit of a love-hate relationship with his books that I have - they are generally good reads, very interesting, full of insight and creativity, clarity and faithfulness, but at the same time bad arguments, questionable assumptions, irrelevancies, and similar flaws. I'm now reading his massive two-volume Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament's Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross. I've just finished Volume 1: The Cruciform Hermeneutic. Through my reading, I've been taking notes of some (not all) of my questions or concerns as I go along. (So, to be clear, a question or concern at one point in the text doesn't mean it isn't answered later in the work - I mostly haven't seen this yet, but am hoping more get addressed in volume two). It's pretty much what I would have expected given my first sentence above and includes many (not so successful, in my opinion) seemingly needless attempts at connecting his open theism with the discussion. I should also note that there was a lot I did agree with, even sometimes when the arguments for what I agreed with were not good (a lack of good arguments doesn't always mean the conclusion isn't right). So without further ado, here are the notes I made on Volume 1 (unfortunately, this won't be very understandable without consulting the book yourself!):

General notes:
-There are way too many irrelevant accusations that various pieces of incorrect (or supposedly incorrect) theology are due in origin to classical theism.
-Much of the "proof" for some of Boyd's assertions in this book amounts to quoting other theologians. More biblical support would be nice.
-It's still not fully clear how the cruciform hermeneutic really is supposed to work. It looks suspiciously like it involves inventing meanings for texts you don't like rather than discovering the meanings they already have. But then the relevant passages would look like they are being retained in the canon in name only, contrary to what Boyd seems to want.
-It seems like in treating the cross as the center of his hermeneutic he is in fact choosing one aspect interpreted in exactly that way that can get the pacifist conclusion he wants, making it absolute, completely exhaustive without any room for further information or truths or contexts, etc. and can only be applied directly in the exact way he wants it to be. There are many weak links here.
-Claims often that opponents' views or methods "can't disclose how the Old Testament's violent divine portraits bear witness to the crucified Christ." But it's not clear what Boyd is demanding here, why we should think his particular demand (as opposed to other potential interpretations of such a principle) is the absolutely correct one, or what meeting it is even supposed to look like.

On specific pages:
70-74+ - Seems to treat the lex talionis as an interpersonal principle - that is, how as a private individual to treat someone who harms you. So he thinks Jesus repudiates the lex talionis in the Sermon on the Mount. But the lex talionis in the OT is actually a principle of legal/judicial action, not of how to respond when someone hurts you. That's part of Jesus' point - whatever might be commanded here, don't take vengeance! But that's not a repudiation of the law itself at all! Boyd doesn't really say anything to argue that the lex talionis really was intended be a principle of personal vengeance, so this section seems to fail. A lot of what follows tends to rest on the success of this, so that's not great for his argument in the larger section. (What's really weird and cuts against what he says here is his agreement that Jesus is not interested in talking about political/legal/judicial stuff)
74-75 - Weirdly, Boyd rests his case against capital punishment or killing of any kind on a story about Jesus that he doesn't think is even canonical. (Later he keeps relying on this as if it was!) I'm not sure how that's supposed to actually support him argument-wise...
150-151 - A bad anti-predestination argument (where by "predestination" I mean the Augustinian-Calvinist variety). There are better arguments than this one on offer, so I'm not sure why he feels the need to offer this seemingly rather poor one. 1) relies on a certain criteria of meaningfulness for a concept such that in order for a concept to be meaningful, those using it have to have something to contrast it with (in some sense of "contrast" not fully explained); 2) assumes that the only possible contrast with the concept of divine love must be some kind of action; 3) assumes without argument that predestination to damnation must of necessity be included in any such contrast or there is no contrast at all; 4) so he concludes that if predestination happened, then the love of God is a meaningless concept. Each of his assumptions in 1-3 are open to serious question!
161-167 - The unity of Christ's life stressed here makes it harder, not easier (contrary to Boyd) to single out the cross as the single defining event. If they're all so interrelated and mutually dependent, etc. this becomes a much more difficult task.
167-170 - Says that the resurrection is not the center since it must be understood in light of the cross. But we could just as easily argue in the opposite direction - that the cross must be understood in light of the resurrection. The atonement must be understood in light of the new creation - means in terms of ends! The resurrection is what justifies the crucifixion. So again, not a great argument here.
chapter 5 - Claims that there are no exceptions to Jesus' commands of nonviolence. But does not give proof that Jesus was speaking about things like official administration of justice within a proper legal/judicial system, etc. After all, Boyd explicitly says elsewhere that Jesus wasn't generally concerned to speak of or to such systems!
226 - Claims that if God ever acted violently that would be hypocritical. But why? Government officials can say not to confine people but are not hypocritical when they put criminals in jail nor are parents hypocritical when they tell their kids that the kids are not allowed to drive the car. Differences in context, authority, position, attributes, etc. do make relevant moral differences!
269-273 - Assumes without any argument at all that issues of divine control and of divine power are pretty much the same. But why?
274 - Not clear what is meant by "wisdom" - weird, unconvincing argument.
384-385 - Odd reasoning in favor of applying the label "Might Makes Right" to the view that divine violence is correct even if we can't see it. The argument is really nonsensical, smuggling in divine power for no apparent relevant reason and making huge, unargued and unwarranted assumptions just to be able to stick a silly label on opponents. What on earth is this even in the book for?
386-387 - Another poor argument against the same view - this time that it would make "good" unintelligible. As if "good" was a purely descriptive word, where the description is what we happen to apply it to in our own human cases (de dicto, not de re) such that any deviation would upend it. But this is pretty implausible (and this sort of argument has been ably refuted elsewhere, so there isn't really much more to add here).
387-388 - Makes claims about competing views that are both unargued and unfair (and inaccurate for many opponents). Also doesn't distinguish between instrumental and non-instrumental value. For instance, sticking a needle in someone is bad in itself but can in some cases be instrumentally good (giving medicine, for instance). Additionally, here and throughout Boyd doesn't really seem to get that there is a distinction between good and right and also between evil and wrong. An intrinsically bad action (sticking needles) can be right in some contexts, for instance. In the same pages, doesn't distinguish between God intentionally hard-wiring our brains a certain way and them being that way through some other explanation (which is odd given that his own theological views actually require such a distinction).
389 - Confuses intuitions in favor of moral rules with intuitions for the exceptionlessness of them. My points just above likely apply here as well - intuition in favor of something always being bad is easily confused with intuition in favor of something always being wrong, for instance. Is it arrogant to think we can perfectly grasp every possible reason or kind of reason such that we can rule out all of them as even possibly justifying an action contrary to a certain moral rule (and carried out by a being very different in position, authority, context, etc. from us)? There is also here an irrelevant objection relating to the supposed "consequences" of opponents' views (as if views have consequences of any kind in and of themselves!).
389-390 - Confuses analogy with qualitative identity. Seems to think we can and do know all the relevant circumstances.
390-392 - More questionable historical diagnoses of unclear relevance. Again, confuses opponents' positions as having something to do with power or the use of it.
404-406 - Thinks that the progressive revelation view which features accommodation to engaging in violence is committed to the cross not being the ultimate revelation. But isn't that rather the point of the view - that the cross is the ultimate revelation and hence the progress and accommodation for earlier violence? That is, that the earlier is merely an accommodation, not ultimately revealing? Further on, Boyd thinks character itself is only how we will or act, which seems to me wrong (character produces will and action - it isn't reducible to it). That's fine if you're a behaviorist, but otherwise it doesn't work well.
406-408 - Assumes progressive revelation can only proceed from falsehood to truth. Why not some truth, then more? Or some ambiguity or unclarity to less? None of these require falsehood and it's weird that he mentions these and then seems to ignore those options.
497ish - Seems to sometimes be saying that it is only via the cross that we can uncover revelation in many OT passages. If so, how then were these passages revelation for its original audience before the cross? If not, what is being said here? What was the nature of OT believers' access to the revelation in the OT in these places?
498-502 - The "Indirect" vs. "Direct" revelation analogy between the cross and the Bible seems a bit strained - they don't seem very analogous here at all. To me, anyway, this seems to confuse rather than clarify.
504-509 - Wants an analogy between proposed exegesis and "prosopological" exegesis which is supposedly in the NT. But it's not clear whether such a thing is even present in the NT as opposed to something similar which uses Scripture in a related way but without it being an exegesis of it.

Bibliography: Second Half of 2017

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2017. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Adeyemi, Femi, The New Covenant Torah in Jeremiah and the Law of Christ in Paul.
Arand, Charles, et al., Perspectives on the Sabbath: 4 Views.
Bahnsen,  Greg, et al., Five Views on Law and Gospel.
Baker, David L., Two Testaments, One Bible: The Theological Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments, Third Edition.
Baker, David L., The Decalogue: Living as the People of God.
Barr, James, The Concept of Biblical Theology: An Old Testament Perspective.
Benin, Stephen, The Footprints of God: Divine Accommodation in Jewish and Christian Thought.
Blaising, Craig, and Darrell Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism.
Burge, Gary, Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to "Holy Land" Theology.
Carson, D.A., ed., From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation.
Church, Philip, et al., eds., The Gospel and the Land of Promise: Christian Approaches to the Land of the Bible.
Das, A. Andrew, Paul and the Jews.
Davies, W.D., Paul and Rabbinic Judaism: Some Rabbinic Elements in Pauline Theology.
Davies, W.D.,  The Gospel and the Land: Early Christianity and Jewish Territorial Doctrine.
Dunn, James D.G., Jesus, Paul, and the Law: Studies in Mark and Galatians.
Dunn, James D.G., The New Perspective on Paul.
Dunn, James D.G., ed., Paul and the Mosaic Law.
Feinberg, John, ed., Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments: Essays in Honor of S. Lewis Johnson, Jr.
Fuller, Daniel, Gospel and Law: Contrast or Continuum? The Hermeneutics of Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology.
Gane, Roy, Old Testament Law for Christians: Original Context and Enduring Application.
Gaston, Lloyd, Paul and the Torah.
Gentry, Peter, and Stephen Wellum, Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants.
Goldingay, John, Approaches to Old Testament Interpretation.
Gräbe, Petrus, New Covenant, New Community: The Significance of Biblical and Patristic Covenant Theology for Contemporary Understanding.
Green, Bradley, Covenant and Commandment: Works, Obedience and Faithfulness in the Christian Life.
Hamilton, James M., Jr., God's Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments.
Hamilton, James M., Jr., God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology.
Heschel, Abraham, The Sabbath.
Hübner, Hans, Law in Paul's Thought: A Contribution to the Development of Pauline Theology.
Ladd, George E., Crucial Questions About the Kingdom of God.
Martin, Oren, Bound for the Promised Land: The Land Promise in God's Redemptive Plan.
Meyer, Jason, The End of the Law: Mosaic Covenant in Pauline Theology.
Pate, C. Marvin, The Reverse of the Curse: Paul, Wisdom, and Law.
Perrin, Nicholas, Jesus the Temple.
Poythress, Vern, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses.
Räisänen, Heikki, Paul and the Law, Second Edition.
Rapa, Robert Keith, The Meaning of "Works of the Law" in Galatians and Romans.
Rosner, Brian, Paul and the Law: Keeping the Commandments of God.
Ryrie, Charles, Dispensationalism, Revised and Expanded.
Sanders, E.P., Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion.
Sanders, E.P., Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People.
Schnabel, Eckhard, Law and Wisdom from Ben Sira to Paul: A Tradition Historical Enquiry into the Relation of Law, Wisdom, and Ethics.
Schreiner, Thomas, The Law and Its Fulfillment: A Pauline Theology of Law.
Sparks, Kenton, Ethnicity and Identity in Ancient Israel: Prolegomena to the Study of Ethnic Sentiments and Their Expression in the Hebrew Bible.
Sprinkle, Joe, Biblical Law and Its Relevance: A Christian Understanding and Ethical Application for Today of the Mosaic Regulations.
Thielman, Frank, From Plight to Solution: A Jewish Framework for Understanding Paul's View of the Law in Galatians and Romans.
Thielman, Frank, Paul and the Law: A Contextual Approach.
Thielman, Frank, The Law and the New Testament: The Question of Continuity.
Thurén, Lauri, Derhetorizing Paul: A Dynamic Perspective on Pauline Theology and the Law.
Todd, III, James M., Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community.
Tomson, Peter, Paul and the Jewish Law: Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Vern, Poythress, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses.
Vlachos, Chris, The Law and the Knowledge of Good and Evil: The Edenic Background of the Catalytic Operation of the Law in Paul.
Vos, Geerhardus, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments.
Walker, P.W.L., Jesus and the Holy City: New Testament Perspectives on Jerusalem.
Walton, John H., and Andrew E. Hill, Old Testament Today: A Journey from Ancient Context to Contemporary Relevance, Second Edition.
Walton, John H., and J. Harvey Walton, The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest: Covenant, Retribution, and the Fate of the Canaanites.
Walton, John H., Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.
Watson, Francis, Paul, Judaism, and the Gentiles: Beyond the New Perspective.
Wellum, Stephen, and Brent Parker, eds., Progressive Covenantalism: Charting a Course Between Dispensational and Covenantal Theologies.

Winger, Michael, By What Law? The Meaning of Νόμος in the Letters of Paul.

Fiction

Brontë, Emily, Wuthering Heights.
Bulwer-Lytton, Edward, Zanoni.
Twain, Mark, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Wells, H.G., War of the Worlds.

Bibliography: First Half of 2017

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2017. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Morales, L. Michael, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus.
Morrow, William S., An Introduction to Biblical Law.

Fiction

Anonymous, The String of Pearls.
Beraud, Henri, Lazarus.
Brush, Michael and S. G. Mulholland, eds., Challenger Unbound.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Warlord of Mars.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Thuvia, Maid of Mars.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Chessmen of Mars.
Campbell, J. R., and Charles Prepolec, eds., Professor Challenger: New Worlds, Lost Places.
Davidson, Brett, Anima.
De Balzac, Honore, The Magic Skin.
De la Mare, Walter, On the Edge.
De la Mare, Walter, The Wind Blows Over.
De la Mare, Walter,  A Beginning and Other Stories.
De la Mare, Walter, Broomsticks and Other Tales.
De la Mare, Walter, The Lord Fish.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Poison Belt.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Land of Mist.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, Professor Challenger stories.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The Marble Faun.
Hichens, Robert, The Dweller on the Threshold.
Hodgson, William Hope,  The Boats of the Glen Carrig.
Hodgson, William Hope, The Ghost Pirates.
Hodgson, William Hope, The House on the Borderlands.
Hodgson, William Hope, The Casebook of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder.
Hodgson, William Hope, The Night Land.
Kidd, A.F. and Rick Kennett, No. 472 Cheyne Walk: Carnacki, the Untold Stories.
Kipling, Rudyard, Just-So Stories.
Kipling, Rudyard, The Jungle Book.
Kipling, Rudyard, The Second Jungle Book.
London, Jack, The Scarlet Plague.
MacDonald, George, The Princess and Curdie.
Meikle, William, Professor Challenger: The Kew Growths and Other Stories.
Meikle, William, Professor Challenger: The Island of Terror.
Pain, Barry, An Exchange of Souls.
Pain, Barry, The Undying Thing and Others.
Robertson, Andy, ed., William Hope Hodgson's Nightlands, Volume I: Eternal Love.
Robertson, Andy, ed., William Hope Hodgson's Nightlands, Volume II: Nightmares of the Fall.
Robertson, Andy, ed., other Night Land stories.
Shiel, M. P., The House of Sounds and Others.
Tolkien, J. R. R., The Hobbit.
Wells, H.G., The Time Machine.
Wells, H.G., The Island of Doctor Moreau.
Wright, John C., Awake in the Night Land.

Bibliography: Second Half of 2016

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2016. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Geisler, Norman, Christian Apologetics: Second Edition.
Gignilliat, Mark, A Brief History of Old Testament Criticism: From Benedict Spinoza to Brevard Childs.
Hays, Christopher and Christopher Ansberry, eds., Evangelical Faith and the Challenge of Historical Criticism.
Joshi, S.T., Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction, 1: From Gilgamesh to the End of the Nineteenth Century.
Joshi, S.T., Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction, 2: The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.
Lovecraft, H.P., The Annotated Supernatural Horror in Literature.

Fiction

Anonymous, Njal's Saga.
Anonymous, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki.
Anonymous, Sir Orfeo.
Barras, Glynn Owen, ed., In the Court of the Yellow King.
Blackwood, Algernon, Incredible Adventures.
Bulwer-Lytton, Edward, The Haunted and the Haunters, or, The House and the Brain.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, A Princess of Mars.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Gods of Mars.
Chambers, Robert, The Yellow Sign and Other Stories: The Complete Weird Tales of Robert W. Chambers.
Chambers, Robert, The King in Yellow.
Chambers, Robert, In Search of the Unknown.
Chambers, Robert, Police!!!
De La Mare, Walter, The Riddle and Other Stories.
De La Mare, Walter, Ding Dong Bell.
De La Mare, Walter, The Connoisseur and Other Stories.
De La Mare, Walter, Uncollected Stories.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Lost World.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan,  The Maracot Deep.
Erckmann, Emile and Louis Chatrian, The Man-Wolf and Other Tales.
Feval, Paul, The Vampire.
Feval, Paul, Knightshade.
Feval, Paul, Vampire City.
Gautier, Theophile, One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances.
Gautier, Theophile, Avatar.
Gautier, Theophile, Jettatura.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The House of the Seven Gables.
Hogg, James, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
Jewett, Sarah Orne, Lady Ferry and Other Uncanny People.
Jones, Stephen, ed., H. P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural.
Kafka, Franz, The Metamorphosis and Other Stories.
MacDonald, George, The Princess and the Goblin.
Merimee, Prosper, Carmen and Other Stories.
Morris, William, The Water of the Wondrous Isles.
Morrow, W. C., The Monster Maker and Other Stories.
Prata, Nicholas, Angels in Iron.
Price, Robert, ed., The Hastur Cycle.
Pulver, Joseph, Sr., ed., A Season in Carcosa.
Pulver, Joseph, Sr., ed., Cassilda's Song.
Pulver, Joseph, Sr., The King in Yellow Tales, Vol.1.
Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur, The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.
Robinson, R. L., No Light in August: Tales from Carcosa & the Borderland.
Stoker, Bram, Dracula.
Valentine, Mark, ed., The Werewolf Pack.
Various, The Sagas of Icelanders.
Verne, Jules, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Worthy, Peter, ed., Rehearsals for Oblivion: Act I.

Bibliography: First Half of 2016

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2016. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also generally not included!)

Nonfiction

Chesterton, G.K., Orthodoxy.
De Lubac, Henri, The Discovery of God.
Lucian of Samosata, Instructions for Writing History.
Newman, John Henry, An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent.
Orr, James, The Christian View of God and the World.

Fiction

Abbott, Edwin, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.
Anderson, Douglas, ed., Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Anderson, Douglas, ed., Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy.
Anonymous, The Unseen Hand: Supernatural and Weird Fiction by Unknown Authors.
Baldick, Chris, ed., The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales.
Beckford, William, Vathek.
Beckford, William, The Episodes of Vathek.
Bierce, Ambrose, Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce.
Bierce, Ambrose, The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce.
Blackwood, Algernon, Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories.
Blackwood, Algernon, Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood.
Blackwood, Algernon, The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories.
Blackwood, Algernon, The Listener and Other Stories.
Blackwood, Algernon, The Lost Valley and Other Stories.
Blackwood, Algernon, Pan's Garden: A Volume of Nature Stories.
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth, The Face in the Glass and Other Gothic Tales.
Broughton, Rhoda, Twilight Stories.
Cavendish, Margaret, The Blazing World.
Collins, Wilkie, The Haunted Hotel & Other Stories.
Cox, Michael and R. A. Gilbert, eds., The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories.
Cox, Michael and R. A. Gilbert, eds., The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories.
De Balzac, Honore, Selected Short Stories.
De Bergerac, Cyrano, A Voyage to the Moon.
De Bergerac, Cyrano, A Voyage to the Sun.
De Maupassant, Guy, The Weird Fiction of Guy De Maupassant.
Dickens, Charles, Complete Ghost Stories.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, Tales of Unease.
Edwards, Amelia B., Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction.
Freeman, Mary Wilkins, The Wind in the Rose-Bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural.
Gaskell, Elizabeth, Gothic Tales.
Godwin, Francis, The Man in the Moone.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, Tales and Sketches.
Hoffmann, E.T.A., The Best Tales of Hoffmann.
Irving, Washington, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories.
Jacobs, W.W., The Monkey's Paw and Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre.
James, Henry, Ghost Stories of Henry James.
James, M.R., Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories.
James, M.R., The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories.
Kepler, Johannes, Somnium.
Kipling, Rudyard, Strange Tales.
Lear, David, ed., Micromegas and Other Early Science Fiction Tales.
Lee, Vernon, Hauntings and Other Fantastic Tales.
LeFanu, Joseph Sheridan, Best Ghost Stories.
Lewis, Matthew, The Monk.
London, Jack, Before Adam and Other Stories.
London, Jack, The Iron Heel and Other Stories.
London, Jack, The Star Rover and Other Stories.
Lord Dunsany, Gods of Pegana.
Lord Dunsany, The Gods and Time.
MacDonald, George, Lilith.
Machen, Arthur, The White People and Other Weird Stories.
Machen, Arthur, House of Souls.
Malory, Sir Thomas, Le Morte D'Arthur.
Maturin, Charles Robert, Melmoth the Wanderer.
Morris, William, The Well at the World's End.
Nesbit, Edith, The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror.
O'Brien, Fitz-James, The Best Weird Fiction and Ghost Stories of Fitz-James O'Brien.
O'Donnell, Elliott, The Screaming Skulls and Other Ghosts.
Onions, Oliver, The Dead of Night: The Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions.
Peattie, Elia Wilkinson, The Shape of Fear and Other Ghostly Tales.
Radcliffe, Emily, The Mysteries of Udolpho.
Riddell, J. H., Night Shivers.
Shelley, Mary, Collected Tales and Stories.
Shelley, Mary, The Last Man.
Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels.
Verne, Jules, Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Walpole, Horace, The Castle of Otranto.
Wells, H. G., The Red Room and Other Horrors.
Wells, H. G., The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents.
Wells, H. G., The Plattner Story and Others.
Wells, H. G., Tales of Space and Time.
Wells, H. G., Twelve Stories and a Dream.
Wells, H. G., The Door in the Wall and Other Stories.
Wells, H. G., Uncollected Stories.
Wraight, Chris,  Parting of the Ways (audio).

The Horus Heresy series:
The Outcast Dead: The Truth Lies Within.
Wolfhunt (audio).
The Sigillite (audio).
Deliverance Lost: Ghosts of Terra.
Corax: Soulforge: Victory is Vengeance.
Ravenlord: Freedom Bought with Blood.

Various short stories. 

Bibliography: Second Half of 2015

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2015. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also not included!) Starred books are ones I consider particularly outstanding, interesting, important, or otherwise likable.

Nonfiction

Bruce, F.F., The Defense of the Gospel in the New Testament.
*Dulles, Avery Cardinal, A History of Apologetics.
Edgar, William and K. Scott Oliphint, eds., Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader, Volume 1, to 1500.
Edgar, William and K. Scott Oliphint, eds., Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader, Volume 2, from 1500.
Enns, Peter, Ecclesiastes.
Fox, Michael, A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes.
Marcel, Pierre, The Christian Philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd: I. The Transcendental Critique of Theoretical Thought.
*Pascal, Blaise, The Mind on Fire: An Anthology of the Writings of Blaise Pascal.
*Walton, John (with a contribution from N.T. Wright), The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate.

Fiction

McNeill, Graham, Nightbringer.

The Horus Heresy series:
The Imperial Truth.
Cybernetica: Mars Must be Purged. 
Nemesis: War within the Shadows.
The First Heretic: Fall to Chaos.
Aurelian: The Eye Stares Back.
Prospero Burns: The Wolves Unleashed.
Age of Darkness.
Various short stories. 

Bibliography: First Half of 2015

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2015. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also not included!) Starred books are ones I consider particularly outstanding, interesting, important, or otherwise likable.

Bergman, Murray, and Rea, eds., Divine Evil?: The Moral Character of the God of Abraham.
Copan, Paul, and Matthew Flanagan, Did God Really Command Genocide?: Coming to Terms with the Justice of God.
*Copan, Paul, Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God.
*Douglas, Mary, Leviticus as Literature.
Feder, Yitzhak, Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual: Origins, Context and Meaning.
Gundry, Stanley, and Charles Halton, eds., Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither?: Three Views on the Bible's Earliest Chapters.
*Wright, Christopher, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God.
Wright, David, The Disposal of Impurity: Elimination Rites in the Bible and in Hittite and Mesopotamian Literature.

Fiction
The Horus Heresy series:
Fallen Angels
A Thousand Sons

A Song of Ice and Fire:  
A Feast for Crows
A Dance with Dragons  

Bibliography: Second Half of 2014

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers July-December 2014. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also not included!) Starred books are ones I consider particularly outstanding, interesting, important, or otherwise likable.

Follis, Bryan, Truth With Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer.
Kuyper, Abraham, Principles of Sacred Theology.
Oliphint, K. Scott, Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of the Faith.
Schaeffer, Francis, The God Who Is There.
Schaeffer, Francis, Escape from Reason.
Schaeffer, Francis, He Is There and He Is Not Silent.
Schaeffer, Francis, How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture.
Schaeffer, Francis, A Christian Manifesto.
Warfield, B.B., Biblical and Theological Studies.

Fiction
The Horus Heresy series:  
Horus Rising 
False Gods 
Galaxy in Flames 
The Flight of the Eisenstein 
Fulgrim 
Descent of Angels 
Legion
Battle for the Abyss
Mechanicum
Tales of Heresy

A Song of Ice and Fire:  
A Clash of Kings 
A Storm of Swords 

Bibliography: First Half of 2014

A bibliography similar to the previous one. This one covers January-June 2014. Again, it's not necessarily complete and contains only whole books, not articles or primarily reference works. I'm also trying to only include books that are newish - i.e., not on the previous couple lists. (Childrens' books also not included!) Starred books are ones I consider particularly outstanding, interesting, important, or otherwise likable.
 
Bahnsen, Greg, Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith.
Bahnsen, Greg, Presuppositional Apologetics: Stated and Defended.
Bockmuehl, Markus, The Epistle to the Philippians. BNTC.
Clark, Gordon H., Religion, Reason and Revelation.
Clark, Gordon H., Three Types of Religious Philosophy.
Clark, Gordon H., An Introduction to Christian Philosophy.
*Fee, Gordon, Paul's Letter to the Philippians. NICNT.
*Frame, John, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God.
Frame, John, Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction.
*Frame, John, Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought.
Gundry, S., M. Barrett, and A. Caneday, eds., Four Views on the Historical Adam.
*O'Brien, Peter T., The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. NIGTC.
Oliphint, K. Scott, Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology.
Oliphint, K. Scott and Lane G. Tipton, eds., Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Apologetics.
Osborne, Ronald, Death Before the Fall: Biblical Literalism and the Problem of Animal Suffering.
Thielman, Frank, Philippians. NIVAC.
Thompson, Alan, The Acts of the Risen Lord: Luke's Account of God's Unfolding Plan.
Van Til, Cornelius, Christian Theistic Ethics.
Van Til, Cornelius, The Defense of the Faith, Fourth Edition.
Van Til, Cornelius, An Introduction to Systematic Theology: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Revelation, Scripture, and God, Second Edition.
Van Til, Cornelius, Christian Apologetics, Second Edition.
Wright, N.T., Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters.

Notes on Acts: Introduction and Chapters 1-2

ACTS

Introduction
A. Author: Luke
     1. Sometimes a companion of Paul
          a) Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24
          b) Probably present with Paul during the “we” passages in Acts
     2. Physician (Colossians 4:14)
B. Audience: Theophilus
     1. Same addressee as Gospel of Luke
     2. An individual or group?
          a) “Theophilus” means “lover of God”
          b) Standard dedication for individuals used
          c) Maybe sent to an individual but meant to be used more widely as
              well
C. Purpose and Core Theme
     1. This is the second volume of Luke’s two-volume project, begun in the
         Gospel of Luke
     2. Purpose: To offer an “orderly account” of “the things that have been
         fulfilled among us”, “so that you may know for certain the things you
         were taught” (Luke 1:1-4)
          a) Luke wants his readers to know for sure how the stories of Jesus
              and the early church fit into Scripture and the story of Israel
          b) Concerned to place Jesus and the church as both the fulfillment of
              the Old Testament promises and the continuation of (and new
              chapters in) the Old Testament story
     3. Concerned throughout with the “kingdom of God”
          a) Reign or rule of God
          b) Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God (for example,
              Luke 4:43; 8:1; 16:16)
          c) The gospel the church preaches is also characterized as the gospel
              “of the kingdom” (Acts 8:12; cf. Luke 9:2, 60; 10:9; Acts 19:8;
               20:25; 28:23, 31)
          d) Brief Old Testament background
               i. Humanity sinful
               ii. Israel called in order to bless humanity (Genesis 12:1-3)
               iii. Israel given the Law but Israel is unfaithful to God
               iv. Israel is cursed and exiled
               v. Prophets proclaim a return from exile, restoration of Israel, and
                   the fulfillment of Israel’s calling (Isaiah 40:1-5; Jeremiah
                   29:10-14)
               vi. A physical return happens, but Israel is still sinful and not
                    restored
               vii. Even those in Jerusalem still see themselves as in some sense
                     “in exile” (Ezra 9:6-9; see also Daniel 9:1-24)
               viii. Restoration and fulfillment are still to come
               ix. “Return from exile” used to describe Israel’s restoration (e.g.,
                    Isaiah 60:1-5)
          e) Two ages:

The Present Age                          The Age to Come/Kingdom of God
Kingdoms of the world/Satan   Kingdom of God/Messiah/Israel
Israel under curse/exile              Israel restored/returned/forgiven
Israel under foreign rule             Rule of Messiah
Israel divided                                 Israel reunited
Enemies of God triumphant      Enemies defeated
Spirit empowers select                Spirit empowers all people of God
Separation from God                  God’s presence
Sin, Israel rebellious                   Faith(fulness), Israel repentant
Death, sickness                            Eternal life, health, resurrection
Israel God’s chosen nation        All nations into God’s family

          f) John the Baptist prepared for the coming kingdom in Christ (e.g.,
              Luke 1:16-17; Luke 3:3-6)
          g) Jesus announced and brought in the kingdom of God in his own
              person, taking on Israel’s calling (Luke 1:25-32; 1:67-79; 2:38;
              7:18-23; 11:20; Acts 15:13-18; see Isaiah 49:3-7; 61:1-6; Amos
              9:11-15), and then throughout the world through his Spirit-
              empowered church (Acts 1:8; see Isaiah 11:10-13; 44:3)
          h) The ages for now overlap: the old age isn’t fully gone or the new
              one fully come (e.g., Luke 17:21)
          i) The finalization or consummation of the defeat of the old age and
              triumph of the kingdom of God awaits Jesus’ return
          j) In the meantime, the church carries on Jesus’ mission (Luke
             24:45-49; Acts 1:6-8; 2:38-39)

1:1-11 Introduction and recap: The coming kingdom/restoration
A. Part two of Luke’s story (1-2)
     1. In the Gospel, Luke discussed “all that Jesus began to do and teach”
         (1)
     2. The Gospel of Luke ends with the Ascension (2)
     3. Acts will now detail further what Jesus continues to do and teach
         through his Spirit-empowered people
B. Jesus teaches about the kingdom (3-8)
     1. “What my Father promised” - Holy Spirit promised in the Old
         Testament (4) and by John the Baptist (Luke 3:16)
     2. “Restoring the kingdom to Israel” (6)
          a) The disciples are wondering if the kingdom of God will now come
              in full and Israel will be restored
          b) Luke uses redemption words always of Israel or Jerusalem - Jesus
              brings the promised restoration/return (Luke 1:68; 2:38; 24:21; cf.
              Acts 3:19-21)
     3. Jesus’ answer (7-8)
          a) The apostles won’t know the time of Jesus’ return and the
              kingdom’s consummation (7; cf. Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:31)
          b) But they will experience the coming of the kingdom - the
              restoration of Israel - soon enough (8)
               i. Jesus is not changing the subject, but still answering their
                  question
               ii. Jesus speaks here of their entrance into the life of the kingdom -
                   their restoration as Israel - through the promised Holy Spirit,
               iii. Of the spread of the gospel that the kingdom has come,
               iv. And the reunification of Israel, as foretold - “Judea and
                   Samaria”
               v. “To the farthest ends of the earth” - a phrase from Isaiah 49:6,
                   predicting inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s people
C. Jesus ascends to the Father (9-11)
     1. Jesus reigns in heaven as Lord and Messiah (see 2:33, 36)
     2. He will send the Holy Spirit from heaven to continue his work on
         earth
          a) As Jesus took on Israel’s mission and calling, so now he continues
              it through his disciples
          b) His power and authority are passed on through the same Spirit
              that empowered Jesus (like Elijah to Elisha following Elijah’s
              ascension)

1:12-26 Preparing for the Spirit
The proper number of apostles to experience the coming of the Spirit = 12. The Twelve represent the redeemed twelve tribes of Israel - the restored people of God. Hence, Judas needed to be replaced so that all Israel might be represented.
Drawing lots (26) - an Old Testament mode of seeking divine guidance in the absence of a Spirit-inspired person. Emphasizes that the time of the kingdom is drawing near and the old time without the Spirit is drawing to a close.

2:1-41 Israel restored/returned
A. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (see 33) and God’s people enter into the kingdom of God (1-4)
B. Jews “from every nation under heaven” present in Jerusalem for Pentecost (5-13)
     1. Peter associates them with “the whole house of Israel” (14, 22, 36)
     2. Echoes of Ezekiel 37:14-25, a prophecy of the restoration of Israel
     3. Will scattered Israel be gathered again into a restored relationship
         with God?
C. Peter proclaims Jesus as Lord and Messiah (14-36)
     1. Quotes (17-21) from a prophecy of the restoration of Israel (Joel
         2:28-32)
          a) Prophecy, visions, dreams - examples of activities of the
              empowering Spirit
          b) Moses’ wish for God’s people (Numbers 11:29) is fulfilled
     2. The crucifixion was not an accident or a defeat but planned by God
         (22-23)
     3. “You executed” (23) - Luke clearly portrays the city of Jerusalem,
         including the pilgrims there for the festivals, to have rejected Jesus
         (see, for example, Luke 23:13-25)
     4. God’s Messiah was the first to experience the resurrection and Israel’s
         restoration (24-32)
     5. Jesus has been enthroned in heaven and reigns as Lord and Messiah
         (33-36)
D. The scattered exiles are indeed gathered again and restored (37-41)
     1. Repentance and forgiveness of sins (38)
          a) In the Old Testament, Israel is restored in the form of a repentant,
              faithful remnant (see especially Isaiah)
          b) “Forgiveness of sins” - Israel’s restoration from the curse/exile is
              here!
          c) Those who repent and join the remnant represented by the
              disciples will experience the gift of the kingdom - the Holy Spirit
     2. “All who are far off” (39)
          a) In Peter’s mouth in this context, would likely refer to scattered
              Jews
          b) In Luke’s writing in the larger context, Luke would likely also want
              us to think of the Gentiles, who live “to the ends of the earth” (see
              8)

2:42-47 New lives in the kingdom as the restored Israel
A. Restored Israel devotes itself to the apostles’ teachings just as it once
    did to Moses’
     1. The apostolic teaching is thus put on par with the Old Testament
         Torah!
     2. This authority ultimately results in our New Testament
B. God’s people are transformed by the Holy Spirit (44-47)