Scriptor Ignotus’s Reviews > The Jewish Annotated New Testament > Status Update
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"Christ" is the state of being infused with and deified by God, who is spirit (Jn 4:24). The spirit anointed ("christened") the prophets, kings, and judges of old, but Jesus is the first mortal to have been transformed and immortalized by it, gaining intercessory power to spiritualize the rest of us. Even the lordship of Jesus is to be shared by the saints, who will judge the world and the angels (1Cor 6:2-3).
— Sep 01, 2024 10:09PM
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Scriptor Ignotus’s Previous Updates
Scriptor Ignotus
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Revelation's references to a "synagogue of satan" have inspired reams of anti-Jewish bile over the centuries. But in context, John is scorning gentile (Pauline?) Jesus-followers who have assumed a Judaic identity but practice what John views as a watered-down halakhah. For him, salvation is not effected by repentance or even by Christ per se, but only by a strict, quasi-Qumranic priestly, filial, and sexual purity.
— Dec 13, 2024 12:36AM
Scriptor Ignotus
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"Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
James 1:19-20
Wisdom for our time.
— Nov 20, 2024 09:45PM
James 1:19-20
Wisdom for our time.
Scriptor Ignotus
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Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
Eph. 5:14: Possibly quoting an early Christian hymn adapted from Isaiah (51:17, 60:1, etc.)
— Oct 03, 2024 10:23PM
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
Eph. 5:14: Possibly quoting an early Christian hymn adapted from Isaiah (51:17, 60:1, etc.)
Scriptor Ignotus
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Paul envisions a radical co-equality between Jesus and the saints. The spirit of God which raised Jesus into the heavens is the same "spirit of adoption" which makes the saints into children and "joint heirs" of God with Jesus (Rom 8:14-15, 17). Jesus is "firstborn among many brothers [and sisters]" (Rom. 8:29): he's our big brother in God's spiritual family.
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— Sep 01, 2024 09:48PM
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Scriptor Ignotus
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In Acts 19, a group of Jewish exorcists attempts to expel a demon in Jesus's name, only for the demon to mock and attack them. The commentary claims it was common for non-Christians to invoke Jesus in magical rites, citing the Greek Magical Papyri from Egypt. I looked it up and, sure enough, a famous magician named Pibechis ("the falcon") had a charm for exorcisms: "I conjure you by the god of the Hebrews, Jesus..."
— Jul 16, 2024 05:38PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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Luke's Jesus tells anyone who would follow him to "take up his cross daily" (9:23), adding that last word to the parallel statements in Mark and Matthew. This is perhaps a nod to Roman Stoics like Seneca, who advised their students to practice dying every day. As C. Kavin Rowe observes, Luke and Paul are more attuned to the Roman philosophical consciousness than any other New Testament writers.
— Apr 10, 2024 06:32PM
Scriptor Ignotus
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Mark's Gospel ends ironically: throughout, Jesus has warned witnesses of his works to "tell no one," yet they unfailingly tell people anyway. At the end, the three women at the tomb are instructed to tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and is heading to Galilee, yet out of fear they tell no one.
Mark 16:18 was the basis for the Appalachian snake handling phenomenon, but it wasn't originally part of the Gospel.
— Mar 20, 2024 10:30PM
Mark 16:18 was the basis for the Appalachian snake handling phenomenon, but it wasn't originally part of the Gospel.
Scriptor Ignotus
is starting
The story of the Gerasene demoniac and the "legion" of unclean spirits (Mk 5:1-20) is more mysterious than it seems:
"This story opens several questions without providing answers: Do the swine represent the expulsion (“gerash”) of unclean animals or the Roman armies? Are the Gerasenes angry over the loss of their herds? What is the significance of a Gentile asking to follow Jesus? Why is there no messianic secret?"
— Feb 25, 2024 11:00PM
"This story opens several questions without providing answers: Do the swine represent the expulsion (“gerash”) of unclean animals or the Roman armies? Are the Gerasenes angry over the loss of their herds? What is the significance of a Gentile asking to follow Jesus? Why is there no messianic secret?"
Scriptor Ignotus
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"Judas’ death invokes the story of David’s servant Ahithophel, who hanged himself after betraying King David, after whom Jesus is patterned (2 Sam 17.23– 24). Rabbinic sources report that Ahithophel repented for his treachery and thereby interpret the suicide as a redemptive act that would have allowed him entrance into the world to come (b. Sanh. 104b– 105a)."
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— Feb 11, 2024 01:26PM
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Scriptor Ignotus
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In discussions on universalism, the fate of Judas is a major point of contention. From the commentary:
"According to Jewish law, one guilty of bearing false witness must face the same penalty that was meant for the one betrayed . . . Judas’ tragic choice to end his life by hanging — to hang on a cross or to hang from a tree are cognate terms in Greek — is also unique to Matthew (contrast Acts 1.16– 20). . . ."
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— Feb 11, 2024 01:26PM
"According to Jewish law, one guilty of bearing false witness must face the same penalty that was meant for the one betrayed . . . Judas’ tragic choice to end his life by hanging — to hang on a cross or to hang from a tree are cognate terms in Greek — is also unique to Matthew (contrast Acts 1.16– 20). . . ."
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Sep 02, 2024 12:51PM
Have you been pleased with this so far? I'm taking a class at a Great Books college this fall on the Bible and looking for an edition. I'm using the Alter for the OT, and have thought about using the DBH translation for the NT, but this caught my eye.
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Hunter wrote: "Have you been pleased with this so far? I'm taking a class at a Great Books college this fall on the Bible and looking for an edition. I'm using the Alter for the OT, and have thought about using t..."I'm very pleased with it. It's the best edition for serious study that I've encountered. The commentary draws parallels between the New Testament and contemporaneous Jewish and pagan texts, as well as the Tanakh. It provides historical and cultural context. It's not afraid to point out discrepancies within the NT. It even offers alternative translations of certain controversial passages. It also has a ton of essays on various themes and concepts, each written by a reputable scholar. It really treats you like a grownup, which I find refreshing. The only weakness is that it uses the NRSV translation, which, while not terrible, is not the best either.
DBH's translation is a more faithful representation of the ambiguities within the text itself, but like most one-man efforts it's fairly sparse on commentary.
This sounds excellent. I read DBH a few years back and enjoyed his translation a lot, and I've never been an NRSV fan, but I think I'll grab this for comparison with DBH. The textual apparatus seems wonderful.
