becoming

Well, consider Jesus and the Eyewitnesses was received on Dec 1 of last year, it has been over 3 months since my last major book purchase. What am I getting this time? Take a look at the list below. And if you are smart enough, you might be able to guess what I am trying to do next!

1. Rob Bell, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality And Spirituality
• I've read the pdf version of the first chapter, as well as the review from BW3. Seems like he is really going somewhere with this.
2. Craig A. Evans, Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies
• This is to further my study on Jesus as compare to other "Messiahs", "Sages" and "Teachers" in Second Temple Judaism. It is important to understand our Lord by compare and contrast with his contemporaries.
  
3. Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul
• As my Galatians class is drawing to a close, I feel more and more compel to do a full survey on Paul's Pneumatology. I think this is another MAJOR aspect of studies which is so unfortunately ignored by Chinese churches due of its Charismatic tendency.
4. Gordon D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study
• No need to explain. Just because it is a major publication!
  
5. Marc Weissbluth, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• Cc told me this book was recommended by Dr. Philemon Choi in one of his parenting workshops. It is something which we are hoping to help Jocelyn develop.

Michael Bird of Euangelion has a new book coming out called The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2007). Looking at the endorsements from all camps, it seems to be a very interesting read, especially for those who are so confused about what NPP (and its criticisms) is all about.

Also, as mentioned before, Gordon Fee's Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study is out as well (sample chapter here). A must-read!

幾則關於新書的消息：

1. 美國麥種傳道會翻譯了著名新約學者I. Howard Marshall於2004的重頭之作New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel 。洋洋七百多頁中（中文版比英文少十多頁），Marshall逐卷逐段分析新約內容並它們的神學重點。
• 「新約神學基本上就是宣教的神學。」這本久所企盼的新約神學，是作者浸淫新約研究領域數十年的集大成，顯露出作者對新約文獻的嫻熟、清晰的思路、流暢的表達，不時透過現代人熟悉的比喻，將新約真理做出淺顯易懂的介紹。
• 現代的趨勢強調新約聖經各書卷之間的差異性是無法調和的，但本書並未屈從於這樣的趨勢，反而主張確實可能存在綜合的新約神學。從福音書與使徒行傳開始，繼 之以保羅的每一卷書信，然後焦點轉向約翰著作，最後查考希伯來書和其他的一般書信，馬歇爾不斷停下來比較各組書卷之間的異同，評估各種的觀點。從而逐漸建 立起綜合性的新約神學，歸納出整本新約聖經的中心論題。
• 在這個研究的過程中，作者清楚地凸顯出新約書卷個別的見證。每一卷書，作者都逐段而精簡扼要地介紹重點，然後是該卷書主要的中心論題，以及這個論題是如何 鋪陳的。因此，這本書也可以作為新約聖經的導論，是個人研經不可多得的工具書。英文版問世以來，已經迅速成為神學院與教會成人主日學標準的教科書，適用於 新約導論、新約神學、與新約信息等課程。
• 試讀本可按這裡。我只能說，2004年尾的新書能在2006年出中文版，麥種的效率真利害！
2. 香港明道社與劍橋大學出版社合作，取得 New Cambridge Bible Commentary這套聖經註釋叢書的中文版翻譯及出版權，正物色到合適的翻譯人才，將原著的精髓帶給中文讀者。
• 英文版編輯包括： Bill T. Arnold, James D. G. Dunn, Michael V. Fox, Robert P. Gordon, Judith M. Gundry-Volf, Ben Witherington III
• NCBC系列的釋經書相當注重近代研究的成果。 當中包括「修辭鑑別學」（rhetorical criticism）、社會學上對經文的分析（social scientific study）, 敘事體鑑別學（narrative criticism）。系列中Keener所寫的《林前》、《林後》亦是我常用的參考。
3. 英文方面，叫人引頸期待的當然是前Regent榮休新約教授Gordon Fee 的 Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study[Jan 2007]。以思路清晰、有系統和極仔細的釋經見稱的Fee，這次討論保羅的基督論，肯定會是繼他十多年前討論保羅的聖靈論後又一份量之作！
4. 另外，個人最期待的首推是Richard Bauckham的Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony[Nov 2006]。這部將要逆轉西方新約神學研究的重要研究，是要推翻「福音書是個別地方教會信仰描述的結果」的講法，而力陳福音書是目擊證人的見證。【若你以為這是不證自明的話，你是錯過了整個近代新約研究的假設和共識】。你要明白，在西方聖經研究界中，我可以斷言，若不是他是Richard Bauckham，所寫的這個題目是根本沒有學術界的聽眾的：它就是如此大膽的一個題目。而若然Bauckham的立論是正確的話，整個新約研究方向可能會有一重要的paradigm shift！