Your Grace is Enough?

Galatians, IlluminatedThis last year my family has had the privilege of living in a winter rental on Wingaersheek Beach. We were just a two block walk from Coffins Beach, a shoreline that if you follow, takes you to the beautiful Essex Bay.

Last week I was running along Coffins Beach at dusk, and I saw three people huddled together on a blanket, looking at the ocean. Well, actually, I could see that at least two of them were looking at their phones. As I approached them and then passed them, I was struck that these 4 or 5 inch screens had somehow won the focus of these beach-sitters, with the vast ocean in front of them and the orange tint of sun on the horizon.

Paul asks in Galatians 1 whether the Gospel of Jesus is enough? If the work that God has done on our behalf, by sending his son Jesus to rescue us from our sins—is that enough? When we think about who we are, our identity, our security in life—is Christ’s death and resurrection sufficient for us?

It didn’t seem to have been enough for the churches in Galatia.

Some teachers had come among the Galatian Christians, seeking to undermine Paul’s authority and the content of his teaching. They were telling the Galatians that this Gospel of Jesus—that Jesus rescued us from our sins (v. 4)—was not enough to save you. Yes, these teachers taught, the Galatian churches needed Jesus, but they also needed to observe all of the customs and regulations and laws that were a part of 1st century Judaism. In other words, they have to believe in Jesus and fulfill all the requirements of the law to be accepted by God, to find his favor, to be right with him.

When I read the Bible, there seems to be something of a recurring pattern. I read a passage like this, perhaps looking ahead to Galatians 3 where Paul says, “You foolish Galatians!” and say to myself—yeah, those foolish Galatians! Who would buy such garbage; who would believe the lies they are believing? Paul says, “Who has bewitched you?” And I think—really! Who has bewitched you, Galatians?

And then I sit with the passage a little bit longer. And I think about myself. And… I start to see myself as part of Paul’s audience. I know that I believe that the Gospel of Jesus—”Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”—I believe that that Gospel is enough. But do I always act like it is?

Am I confident in the sufficiency of the Gospel of Jesus, or do I look elsewhere to supplement it? Can I just rest in my identity as God’s much-loved child, or do I still find myself doing things to try to boost my standing in God’s eyes? Tim Keller says, “We love to be our own saviors… so we find messages of self-salvation extremely attractive.”

This grace, this undeserved favor from God is so present, and yet how often do we think it’s great, but not really enough? “I’ll take it from here, God!” Are we at times too quick to gloss over the grace that is all around us? Just as we see ourselves as part of Paul’s audience, perhaps we also see ourselves in those people on Coffins Beach that I ran past last week. They had a majestic ocean sunset in front of them and yet were glued to their tiny screens.

That is no gospel. The true Gospel of Jesus–the grace that God offers–is enough. And the call in the first part of Galatians is to accept the gift of God’s grace. We receive it. Paul talks about this Gospel of grace (in verse 9) as something that the Galatians once received. In verse 12 he talks about this Gospel of grace as something that he received from Jesus.

The grace of God in Christ is something to be received, accepted, arms held open, palms facing upward.

The Revised Common Lectionary is going through Galatians in six weeks. Last week (June 2) was the first Sunday, covering Galatians 1:1-12. This week (June 9) overlaps the last two verses of that reading and covers Galatians 1:11-24. The above is excerpted from the sermon I preached on Galatians 1:1-12.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 27=Isaiah 34:1-35:5

Prophet IsaiahThis week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 34:1-35:5. Here are the readings for each day:

Monday, June 03, 2013=Isa 34:1–4

Tuesday, June 04, 2013=Isa 34:5–8

Wednesday, June 05, 2013=Isa 34:9–12

Thursday, June 06, 2013=Isa 34:13–17

Friday, June 07, 2013=Isa 35:1–5

Below is the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

34 1 Προσαγάγετε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἀκούσατε, ἄρχοντες· ἀκουσάτω ἡ γῆ καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἐν αὐτῇ. 2 διότι θυμὸς Κυρίου ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτοὺς καὶ παραδοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς σφαγήν. 3 οἱ δὲ τραυματίαι αὐτῶν ῥιφήσονται καὶ οἱ νεκροί, καὶ ἀναβήσεται αὐτῶν ἡ ὀσμή, καὶ βραχήσεται τὰ ὄρη ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῶν. 4 καὶ ἑλιγήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς ὡς βιβλίον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄστρα πεσεῖται ὡς φύλλα ἐξ ἀμπέλου, καὶ ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ συκῆς. 5 ἐμεθύσθη ἡ μάχαιρά μου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν καταβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τῆς ἀπωλείας μετὰ κρίσεως. 6 ἡ μάχαιρα Κυρίου ἐνεπλήσθη αἵματος, ἐπαχύνθη ἀπὸ στέατος ἀρνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ στέατος τράγων καὶ κριῶν. ὅτι θυσία Κυρίῳ ἐν γῇ Βόσορ, καὶ σφαγὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῇ Ἰδουμαία, 7 καὶ συνπεσοῦνται οἱ ἁδροὶ μετʼ αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ κριοὶ καὶ οἱ ταῦροι, καὶ μεθυσθήσεται ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στέατος αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθήσεται. 8 ἡμέρα γὰρ κρίσεως Κυρίου, καὶ ἐνιαυτὸς ἀνταποδόσεως κρίσεως Σιών. 9 καὶ στραφήσονται αὐτῆς αἱ φάραγγες εἰς πίσσαν, καὶ ἡ γῆ αὐτῆς εἰς θεῖον· καὶ ἔσται αὐτῆς ἡ γῆ καιομένη ὡς πίσσα 10 νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐ σβεσθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ὁ καπνὸς αὐτῆς ἄνω, εἰς γενεὰς ἐρημωθήσεται. 11 καὶ κατοικήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ ὄρνεα καὶ ἐχῖνοι καὶ ἴβεις καὶ κόρακες· καὶ ἐπιβληθήσεται ἐπʼ αὐτῇ σπαρτίον γεωμετρίας ἐρήμου, καὶ ὀνοκένταυροι οἰκήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ. 12 οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς οὐκ ἔσονται· οἱ γὰρ βασιλεῖς αὐτῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτῆς ἔσονται εἰς ἀπώλειαν. 13 καὶ ἀναφύσει εἰς τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν ἄκανθα, καὶ εἰς τὰ ὀχυρώματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔσται ἐπαύλεις σειρήνων καὶ αὐλὴ στρουθῶν· 14 καὶ συναντήσουσιν δαιμόνια ὀνοκενταύροις, καὶ βοήσονται ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον· ἐκεῖ ἀναπαύσονται ὀνοκένταυροι, εὗρον γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀνάπαυσιν. 15 ἐκεῖ ἐνόσσευσεν ἐχῖνος, καὶ ἔσωσεν ἡ γῆ τὰ παιδία αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀσφαλείας· ἐκεῖ ἔλαφοι συνήντησαν καὶ ἴδον τὰ πρόσωπα ἀλλήλων· 16 ἀριθμῷ παρῆλθον, καὶ μία αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀπώλετο, ἑτέρα τὴν ἑτέραν οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν, ὅτι Κύριος ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ συνήγαγεν αὐτάς. 17 καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιβαλεῖ αὐτοῖς κλήρους, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ διεμέρισεν βόσκεσθαι· εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον κληρονομήσατε, εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν ἀναπαύσονται ἐπʼ αὐτῆς.

35 1 Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος ἡ διψῶσα, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον, 2 καὶ ἐξανθήσει καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου· καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμήλου, καὶ ὁ λαός μου ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου καὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ θεοῦ. 3 ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα. 4 παρακαλέσατε, οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι τῇ διανοίᾳ· ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδώσει καὶ ἀνταποδώσει, αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς. 5 τότε ἀνοιχθήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

(Life Update) I Am Pastoring Now

ChurchExciting news: I’ve accepted a call to be pastor at a great church in a seaside community in the Greater Boston area. My first Sunday was June 2.

My “About” page has been updated accordingly:

In my current capacity as pastor, I seek to support, encourage, and equip the congregation, connect with people in local and global communities, preach and help lead services weekly, and minister with the congregation in a variety of other ways.

I am grateful to God for the privilege of serving the congregation, and look forward to our weeks, months, and years of ministry together.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 26=Isaiah 33

isaiah lxxThis week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers/covered Isaiah 33 (which is 24 verses). Here are the readings for each day:

Mon., 5/27/13:  Isa 33:1–4

Tues., 5/28/13:  Isa 33:5–9

Wed., 5/29/13:  Isa 33:10–14

Thurs., 5/30/13:  Isa 33:15–19

Fri., 5/31/13:  Isa 33:20–24

Below is the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

33 1 Οὐαὶ τοῖς ταλαιπωροῦσιν ὑμᾶς, ὑμᾶς δὲ οὐδεὶς ποιεῖ ταλαιπώρους, καὶ ὁ ἀθετῶν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἀθετεῖ· ἁλώσονται οἱ ἀθετοῦντες καὶ παραδοθήσονται, καὶ ὡς σὴς ἐπὶ ἱματίου οὕτως ἡττηθήσονται. 2 Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, ἐπὶ σοὶ γὰρ πεποίθαμεν· ἐγενήθη τὸ σπέρμα τῶν ἀπειθούντων εἰς ἀπώλειαν, ἡ δὲ σωτηρία ἡμῶν ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως. 3 διὰ φωνὴν τοῦ φόβου σου ἐξέστησαν λαοὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου καὶ διεσπάρησαν τὰ ἔθνη. 4 νῦν δὲ συναχθήσεται τὰ σκῦλα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ μικροῦ καὶ μεγάλου· ὃν τρόπον ἐάν τις συναγάγῃ ἀκρίδας, οὕτως ἐμπαίξονται ὑμῖν. 5 ἅγιος ὁ θεὸς ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, ἐνεπλήσθη Σιὼν κρίσεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης. 6 ἐν νόμῳ παραδοθήσονται, ἐν θησαυροῖς ἡ σωτηρία ἡμῶν, ἐκεῖ σοφία καὶ ἐπιστήμη καὶ εὐσέβεια πρὸς τὸν κύριον· οὗτοί εἰσιν θησαυροὶ δικαιοσύνης. 7 Ἰδοὺ δὴ ἐν τῷ φόβῳ ὑμῶν αὐτοὶ φοβηθήσονται· οὓς ἐφοβεῖσθε, φοβηθήσονται ἀφʼ ὑμῶν· ἄγγελοι γὰρ ἀποσταλήσονται ἀξιοῦντες εἰρήνην, πικρῶς κλαίοντες, παρακαλοῦντες εἰρήνην. 8 ἐρημωθήσονται γὰρ αἱ τούτων ὁδοί· πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ φόβος τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἡ πρὸς τούτους διαθήκη αἴρεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ λογίσησθε αὐτοὺς ἀνθρώπους. 9 ἐπένθησεν ἡ γῆ, ᾐσχύνθη ὁ Λίβανος, ἕλη ἐγένετο ὁ Σαρών· φανερὰ ἔσται ἡ Γαλιλαία καὶ ὁ Κάρμηλος. 10 νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, λέγει Κύριος, νῦν δοξασθήσομαι, νῦν ὑψωθήσομαι. 11 νῦν ὄψεσθε, νῦν αἰσχυνθήσεσθε· ματαία ἔσται ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν, πῦρ ὑμᾶς κατέδεται, 12 καὶ ἔσονται ἔθνη κατακεκαυμένα ὡς ἄκανθα ἐν ἀγρῷ ἐρριμμένη καὶ κατακεκαυμένη. 13 Ἀκούσονται οἱ πόρρωθεν ἃ ἐποίησα, γνώσονται οἱ ἐγγίζοντες τὴν ἰσχύν μου. 14 ἀπέστησαν οἱ ἐν Σιὼν ἄνομοι, λήμψεται τρόμος τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς· τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν ὅτι πῦρ καίεται; τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν τὸν τόπον τὸν αἰώνιον; 15 πορευόμενος ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, λαλῶν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν, μισῶν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἀδικίαν, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀποσειόμενος ἀπὸ δώρων, βαρύνων τὰ ὦτα ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃ κρίσιν αἵματος, καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ ἀδικίαν, 16 οὗτος οἰκήσει ἐν ὑψηλῷ σπηλαίῳ πέτρας ὀχυρᾶς· ἄρτος αὐτῷ δοθήσεται, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτοῦ πιστόν. 17 βασιλέα μετὰ δόξης ὄψεσθε, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν ὄψονται γῆν πόρρωθεν· 18 ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν μελετήσει φόβον Κυρίου. ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ γραμματικοί; ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ συμβουλεύοντες; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ἀριθμῶν τοὺς συστρεφομένους; 19 μικρὸν καὶ μέγαν λαόν, ᾧ οὐ συνεβούλευσαν, οὐδὲ ᾔδει· βαθύφωνον, ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι· λαὸς πεφαυλισμένος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν τῷ ἀκούοντι σύνεσις. 20 ἰδοὺ Σιὼν ἡ πόλις, τὸ σωτήριον ἡμῶν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται Ἰερουσαλήμ, πόλις πλουσία, σκηναὶ αἳ οὐ μὴ σεισθῶσιν, οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ κινηθῶσιν οἱ πάσσαλοι τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτῆς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, οὐδὲ τὰ σχοινία αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ διαρραγῶσιν· 21 ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου μέγα ἐστίν. τόπος ὑμῖν ἔσται, ποταμοὶ καὶ διώρυγες πλατεῖς καὶ εὐρύχωροι· οὐ πορεύσῃ ταύτην τὴν ὁδόν, οὐδὲ πορεύσεται πλοῖον ἐλαῦνον. 22 ὁ γὰρ θεός μου μέγας ἐστίν· οὐ παρελεύσεταί με, Κύριος πατήρ, Κύριος κριτὴς ἡμῶν, Κύριος ἄρχων ἡμῶν, Κύριος βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν, Κύριος οὗτος ἡμᾶς σώσει. 23 ἐρράγησαν τὰ σχοινία σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνίσχυσεν· ὁ ἱστός σου ἔκλινεν, οὐ χαλάσει τὰ ἱστία, οὐκ ἀρεῖ σημεῖον, ἕως οὗ παραδοθῇ εἰς προνομήν· τοίνυν πολλοὶ χωλοὶ προνομὴν ποιήσουσιν. 24 καὶ οὐ μὴ εἴπῃ Κοπιῶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἐνοικῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἀφέθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἁμαρτία.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

Real Hebrew Bathtub Letters This Time

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my five-year-old son is learning Hebrew, using the materials from Sarah and David. Part of his learning process was to re-shape his English bathtub letters into Hebrew ones, as noted and pictured here. Now (thanks, Diana!) he has real ones:

Letters

And he’s pretty happy about them, too:

Son with Letters

More updates on our Hebrew learning adventures soon!

Seven Events that Shaped the New Testament World, reviewed

PrintWhat was the world–or, better, what were the worlds–in which early Christians lived?

Seven Events that Shaped the New Testament World answers that question by highlighting seven key “events” in the seven or so centuries surrounding Jesus. Here, from the table of contents, is what the book covers:

1. The Death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE)
2. The Process of Translating Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (ca. 250 BCE)
3. The Rededication of the Jerusalem Temple (164 BCE)
4. The Roman Occupation of Judea (63 BCE)
5. The Crucifixion of Jesus (ca. 30 CE)
6. The Writing of the New Testament Texts (ca. 50-ca. 130 CE)
7. The Process of “Closing” the New Testament Canon (397 CE)

 

Author Warren Carter uses each of the seven “as entry points, as launching pads, to talk about these significant and larger realities.” As one reviewer (whom I read before I read this book) pointed out, these events are not all “events,” per se. Events 2, 6, and 7 above are extended processes. Similarly (as the same reviewer also noted), the writing of the New Testament and the closing of its canon didn’t shape the NT world; they emerged from it.

That’s perhaps just a technicality, though. Carter seeks to be “transparently selective,” using “each event as a focal point for larger cultural dynamics and sociohistorical realities” of New Testament times.

Here is author Warren Carter introducing his book:

 

Carter’s analysis of how historical events shape culture–and how that should influence how we read and understand the New Testament–is incisive and engaging. Early on he writes, “Hellenistic culture did not suddenly replace all other cultures but entangled itself with local cultures to create multicultural worlds.” Given my interest in the Septuagint, I really appreciated his take on that Greek translation as “a way to negotiate a multicultural world.” He deftly explains to readers the intersection between Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures.

Photographs, sidebars, and occasional footnotes contribute to the level of detail Carter provides. And yet his tone is conversational, and his narrative re-tellings engaging. Last summer I wrote about how I wanted to see Mark Wahlberg or Matt Damon in a film adaptation of 1 Maccabees. Carter’s narrative (ch. 3, “The Rededication of the Jerusalem Temple (164 BCE)”) is nearly as engaging as such a movie would be. In addition to telling the narrative, he has a sidebar on “identity markers” that unpacks the role played by boundaries of identity in Jewish and other religious traditions. His explanation of the difference between 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees was easy to follow and illuminating.

The conversational tone at times was a little too conversational for me. There is frequent reference to “the early Jesus movement,” when “early Christianity” would have sufficed. So, too, “Jesus-followers” could just have been called “Christians,” which I would have found less distracting. Of course, a biblical scholar will note that any of these terms are “problematic,” but the more conventional ones would have made for a smoother read, in my view. And I could have done without reference to early Christians as “reading with Jesus-glasses on” and statements like, “Only bad boys were crucified in Rome’s world,” not to mention the description of Alexander the Great as “a macho man, an action figure.”

I also thought that his emphasis on cultural backdrops was occasionally too strong. For example, comparing Jesus to Alexander, he writes, “In many ways, this presentation of Jesus as the man with great power who rules everything imitates and competes with the presentation of manliness that we have seen with Alexander, the world conqueror.” To speak about Jesus in terms of degrees of “manliness” is perhaps a category mistake. Carter’s mention of Philippians 2 and Jesus’ self-emptying is spot on, of course–I’m just not sure that Paul has imperial powers and the social construction of “manliness” in mind when he writes to Philippi.

Theologically conservative/evangelical readers will bristle a little bit at Carter’s statement about the New Testament that readers today “need to discern when to read against the grain” when it comes to groups that the NT seems to exclude. I don’t read Paul and the NT as “not always gracious to women,” as Carter does, and don’t think he somehow needs to be explained away in this manner. Of course, not all who read this review will agree with me either!

Those criticisms being present, Carter succeeds in the book’s aim: “The seven chapters of this book provide an orientation to some important aspects of the early Jesus movement and the New Testament. Reading it will enlighten you about the beginnings of the Christian movement and help your understanding of the New Testament.”

Though I did not agree with Carter on all his assessments, his description of seven key “events” (as well which events he chose to highlight) has enhanced my understanding of and appreciation for the context into which Jesus came and in which the church was born. As long as one reads critically (as one should always do), Carter provides a wealth of helpful information that is accessible to just about any student of the Bible.

Thanks to Baker and NetGalley for the e-galley to review. The book is on Amazon here. Its Baker product page is here. You can download a sample pdf of the book here. There is also a helpful interview with Carter here.

Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 25=Isaiah 31:5-32:20

isaiah lxx

This week in Greek Isaiah in a Year covers Isaiah 31:5-32:20.

Here are the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, May 20: Isa 31:5–9

5 ὡς ὄρνεα πετόμενα, οὕτως ὑπερασπιεῖ Κύριος ὑπὲρ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐξελεῖται καὶ περιποιήσεται καὶ σώσει. 6 ἐπιστράφητε, οἱ τὴν βαθεῖαν βουλὴν βουλευσάμενοι καὶ ἄνομον. 7 ὅτι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀπαρνηθήσονται οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῶν τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χρυσᾶ ἃ ἐποίησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτῶν. 8 καὶ πεσεῖται Ἀσσούρ· οὐ μάχαιρα ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲ μάχαιρα ἀνθρώπου καταφάγεται αὐτόν, καὶ φεύξεται οὐκ ἀπὸ προσώπου διώκοντος· οἱ δὲ νεανίσκοι ἔσονται εἰς ἥττημα, 9 πέτρᾳ γὰρ περιλημφθήσονται ὡς χάρακι καὶ ἡττηθήσονται, ὁ δὲ φεύγων ἁλώσεται. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Μακάριος ὃς ἔχει ἐν Σιὼν σπέρμα καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ.

Tuesday, May 21: Isa 32:1–4

32 1 Ἰδοὺ γὰρ βασιλεὺς δίκαιος βασιλεύσει, καὶ ἄρχοντες μετὰ κρίσεως ἄρξουσιν· 2 καὶ ἔσται ὁ ἄνθρωπος κρύπτων τοὺς λόγους τούτους, καὶ κρυβήσεται ὡς ἀφʼ ὕδατος φερομένου· καὶ φανήσεται ἐν Σιὼν ὡς ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἔνδοξος ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ. 3 καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσονται πεποιθότες ἐπʼ ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὦτα δώσουσιν ἀκούειν· 4 καὶ ἡ καρδία τῶν ἀσθενῶν προσέξει τοῦ ἀκούειν, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αἱ ψελλίζουσαι ταχὺ μαθήσονται λαλεῖν εἰρήνην·

Wednesday, May 22: Isa 32:5–8

5 καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσιν τῷ μωρῷ ἄρχειν, καὶ οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσιν οἱ ὑπηρέται σου Σίγα. 6 ὁ γὰρ μωρὸς μωρὰ λαλήσει, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν μάταια νοήσει, τοῦ συντελεῖν ἄνομα καὶ λαλεῖν πρὸς Κύριον πλάνησιν, τοῦ διαφθεῖραι ψυχὰς πεινώσας, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς διψώσας κενὰς ποιῆσαι. 7 ἡ γὰρ βουλὴ τῶν πονηρῶν ἄνομα βουλεύεται, καταφθεῖραι ταπεινοὺς ἐν λόγοις ἀδίκοις καὶ διασκεδάσαι λογισμοὺς ταπεινῶν ἐν κρίσει. 8 οἱ δὲ εὐσεβεῖς συνετὰ ἐβουλεύσαντο, καὶ αὕτη ἡ βουλὴ μενεῖ.

Thursday, May 23: Isa 32:9–14

9 Γυναῖκες πλούσιαι, ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου· θυγατέρες ἐν ἐλπίδι, ἀκούσατε τοὺς λόγους μου. 10 ἡμέρας ἐνιαυτοῦ μνείαν ποιήσασθε ἐν ὀδύνῃ μετὰ ἐλπίδος· ἀνήλωται ὁ τρυγητός, πέπαυται ὁ σπόρος καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ ἔλθῃ. 11 ἔκστητε, λυπήθητε αἱ πεποιθυῖαι, ἐκδύσασθε, γυμναὶ γένεσθε, περιζώσασθε σάκκους τὰς ὀσφύας, 12 καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μασθῶν κόπτεσθε, περὶ ἀγροῦ ἐπιθυμήματος καὶ ἀμπέλου γενήματος. 13 ἡ γῆ τοῦ λαοῦ μου, ἄκανθα καὶ χόρτος ἀναβήσεται, καὶ ἐκ πάσης οἰκίας εὐφροσύνη ἀρθήσεται· πόλις πλουσία, 14 οἶκοι ἐγκαταλελιμμένοι, πλοῦτον πόλεως καὶ οἴκους ἐπιθυμήτους ἀφήσουσιν· καὶ ἔσονται αἱ κῶμαι σπήλαια ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος, εὐφροσύνη ὄνων ἀγρίων, βοσκήματα ποιμένων,

Friday, May 24: 32:15–20

15 ἕως ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς πνεῦμα ἀφʼ ὑψηλοῦ. καὶ ἔσται ἔρημος ὁ Χερμέλ, καὶ ὁ Χερμὲλ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται. 16 καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ κρίμα, καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ κατοικήσει· 17 καὶ ἔσται τὰ ἔργα τῆς δικαιοσύνης εἰρήνη, καὶ κρατήσει ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἀνάπαυσιν, καὶ πεποιθότες ἔσονται ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος· 18 καὶ κατοικήσει ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλει εἰρήνης, καὶ ἐνοικήσει πεποιθώς, καὶ ἀναπαύσονται μετὰ πλούτου. 19 ἡ δὲ χάλαζα ἐὰν καταβῇ, οὐκ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς ἥξει. καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν τοῖς δρυμοῖς πεποιθότες ὡς οἱ ἐν τῇ πεδινῇ. 20 μακάριοι οἱ σπείροντες ἐπὶ πᾶν ὕδωρ, οὗ βοῦς καὶ ὄνος πατεῖ.

That takes us through 32 chapters so far. See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.

Books for Sale: Hermeneia 38 vol. CD-ROM (Logos), $149, OBO

Hermeneia

I’m looking to sell the Hermeneia CD-ROM set (38 vols., 2006). It’s compatible with Logos/Libronix. $149 (and willing to consider offers). See here and here for details on the set.

If you want to contact me about a possible purchase, feel free to use this form, and we’ll talk. I generally do things through PayPal.

2014 UPDATE: I’ve still got the 38-volume set available to sell (unopened), if you’re interested.

UPDATE 2: It’s now sold.

NA28 Greek New Testament text in Accordance

NA28

The NA28 Greek New Testament is now available for purchase in Accordance Bible Software. The text itself is free here. The Accordance version includes the apparatus, marginalia, and other nice enhancements. Here’s a screencast that shows how you can use the NA28 in Accordance:

More about the Nestle-Aland edition is here. Its Accordance product page is here, with an Accordance blog post about it here.