IVP - Addenda & Errata

Donald J. Wiseman (1918-2010)

On February 2 Donald J. Wiseman, editor of IVP’s Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series and New Bible Dictionary, died. An email notice from Tyndale House (Cambridge, U.K.) included the following piece by Alan Millard and some further information about his remarkable experiences during World War 2.

Moments of Speechlessness

Lately I’ve been experiencing moments of speechlessness. Over the years it’s been a recurring condition for me.

It’s triggered by comments—sometimes from church folk, no less—who mention that, of course, we now know that there were many Gospels—such as the Gospel of Thomas—which were just as early as, if not earlier than, the four Gospels but didn’t make it into the New Testament. Or that the early church soon exchanged following Jesus for beliefs about Christ. Or that the Sermon on the Mount was forsaken for a catechism or a confession. Or that Constantine held absolute sway over the bishops at Nicea and shaped its creed for political ends. And that the shape of our New Testament is the result of one ecclesiastical party suppressing and winning over lesser parties (with Constantine a key player again). And all this was reinforced by the heavy-handed measures of the church during the Middle Ages. And so forth.

The Next C. S. Lewis!

Would the next C. S. Lewis please stand up? I’d like to meet you and sign you up for your next book or ten.

A number of years ago a theologian friend of mine was hailed as “the next C. S. Lewis” (or some such wording) in a review of one of his books in a prestigious religious journal.

My Great Unfinished Books of 2009

Some of my friends like to record all the books they read in the past year and blog about them. I could do that too, and you might be impressed. But since my New Year’s resolution is to become the most humble reader on the face of the earth—and the most transparent too!—here’s my list of unfinished books of 2009.

I Once Was (Not) Lost But Was Found.

It must be incredibly sweet to be lost, to know you are lost, beyond hope of saving yourself, and to be found and rescued, saved as if from death. It’s not quite so sweet not to be lost, in fact quite healthily content, but presumed to be lost, and then to be found. Let me explain, and beg your indulgence as I relate some memories triggered by the current tragedy unfolding on Oregon’s Mt. Hood. These news items always have a back story. Let me tell you one.

They Asked for a Publisher's Perspective (Continued)

In the past decade or more the need for theological commentaries has become increasingly apparent. Nevertheless, as I have tried to follow the literature and debate surrounding theological interpretation of Scripture, one thing has become apparent: there seems to be a lack of consensus regarding what theological interpretation should optimally look like. Witness, for example, the opening words of Walter Moberly’s recent article in the Journal of Theological Interpretation entitled “What Is Theological Interpretation of Scripture”:

I must start with a confession. I have found this a difficult paper to write. There are many ways in which the topic could be treated. Also, on more than one occasion when I started to write, I got bogged down in attempts to do justice to the burgeoning and multifarious literature on the subject of theological interpretation. (JTI, 3.2 [2009], p. 161)