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A selection of articles and essays by Doug Bookman. Check back often for additions!


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Book Notes A selection of articles and essays by Doug Bookman. Check back often for additions! Some Thoughts on Polygamy in the Old Testament Abstract: I am working through 1 Samuel for a Bible Study Series, and of course early on in the narrative I encountered the issue of polygamy. I needed a resource to which I could direct the teachers to help them prepare for that discussion and I was a bit frustrated in the effort. So I put together some thoughts, knowing that the issue is a bit sensitive. (more....) Just How Old Was Saul? Abstract: I would like to suggest an understanding of an Old Testament passage which is dependent upon a discussion in an earlier blog entry which can be found here. Quite simply, that discussion considered a peculiar Hebrew idiom, the most familiar expression of which is the numerical proverbs found occasionally in the book of Proverbs. It is my persuasion that this idiosyncratic literary device – foreign to the modern reader and thus easily overlooked – is very probably the key to one of the most cryptic verses in the Old Testament. That verse is 1 Samuel 13:1. It is almost universally concluded that the verse as it stands is incoherent, that in order to make sense of the verse some digits must be added. That conclusion is drawn not on the basis of textual evidence but of “content analysis.” Could it be that the problem arises from missing a nuance familiar and important to the Hebrew reader, but all too foreign to the modern reader. The possibility is explored here. The Paralytic Abstract: Recently a friend posed a question relating to the story of the palsied man lowered through the roof in Capernaum (Mt 9:1-8), and specifically to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness in that pericope. Basically, the question had to do with the apparent incongruity of a man offering forgiveness. (more...) Jacob Neusner on the Quest for the Historical Jesus Abstract: From every quarter of late, and by voices compelled by various agenda, the point is made that the understanding of Second Temple Judaism that has prevailed for centuries has been found wanting, that recent (re)readings of the literature born of that era have issued in a very different and much less censorious picture. (more...) (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open Book Notes. If you don't have it, click here for the free download.) Bookman and His Books I certainly don’t count myself any great authority on the universe of books. Indeed, I could wish that I could read faster and remember longer. But I do love to read, my life has been shaped by books, and I’m often asked what books I would recommend. So I have determined to use this space to share some thoughts concerning some books which have been enduringly meaningful to me. Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God, by Alva J. McClain (BMH Books, 1959) Although I am entirely convinced that the canon of Scripture is closed, if a plebiscite were held as to the possibility of admitting this book, I would be momentarily torn! (Okay, I’m only kidding to make a point!) McClain was the founder (1937) and first president of (-1962) – as well as the long-time systematic theology professor at – Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, IN. He projected a series of seven volumes on theology, but completed only this seminal work. (And we, his beneficiaries, can be glad that God in His providence enabled him to do that.) Though I would take some little umbrage with his treatment of this passage or that issue, the value of the work is to be found in the way he traces the progressive and organic development of the kingdom concept throughout the whole of God’s written revelation. Indeed, this is a case study in progressive revelation, and it honors the reality that God’s revelation is always a progression from truth to greater truth. (This as opposed to the flawed notion that God’s revelation has progressed from error to truth, God having once spoken what He knew could only be understood to mean one thing and then later revealing that He meant something entirely contrary to the plain words which His spokesmen had used when He spoke unto the fathers by those prophets.) The notion sometimes witlessly obtains that the concept of a literal kingdom on earth, a culminating era toward which God is inexorably moving human history for His own glory, is a function of one passage late in the Bible, that absent Revelation 20 no careful student of Scripture would have ever conceived such an idea. Such a notion is most certainly refuted by carefully and exhaustively tracing the idea of that glorious and God-glorifying kingdom through all the stages of sacred history as recorded in the Scriptures. I know of no work that does that as effectively as McClain’s Greatness. Thus it might be fairly said that this book is pre-millennialism proclaimed with full throat. In a day when much of the evangelical world seems to be in full flight from premillennialism, and when theological arguments are employed to the woeful neglect of exegesis, I would strongly encourage the careful study of this magisterial work. Indeed, I think it could be averred that there is no real integrity in rejecting pre-millennialism if you have not done so. And by the same token, there may not be much chance of rejecting pre-millennialism if you have done so. Life of Christ and Related Topics Books which Focus upon a historical Reconstruction of the Life of Christ Days of His Flesh, by David Smith The best I've found. Smith has critical tendencies, but it doesn't often affect his treatment of the passages. Very well written, good historical research, especially good on the trials of Jesus during the Passion Week. This is a good place to start in a careful study of the life of Christ because it is at once remarkably devotional and thoroughly researched. Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by Alfred Edersheim Certainly a classic. A compendium of information, especially good on the Jewish/rabbinic background to the life of Christ. Edersheim has fallen into disuse among scholars today, but he doesn’t deserve such treatment. Very good indexes make it an accessible tool. He’s better with background than with handling the significance of the individual events. But very good with the events of the Passion. The Life of our Lord upon the Earth, by Samuel Andrews Excellent study, very devotional, well said. I haven’t used Andrews as much as I have others, but I have always found him to be tremendously insightful. Although somewhat dated, his interaction with the literature of his day on various issues and difficulties (e.g., was Judas in the upper room when the Lord’s Supper was introduced) is extensive, well presented, and very helpful. Life of Christ, by Robert Duncan Culver Very brief, will disappoint you if you use it as a reference. Culver does a very helpful job in tracing the developing emphases of Jesus’ life. His treatment of the first six months of the last year of Jesus’ ministry is very helpful, more so than any other source I’ve found. Words and Works of Christ, by J. Dwight Pentecost JDP taught the course at Dallas Seminary for decades; he’s a legend and he deserves to be. This book was much anticipated, but critically reviewed. The main issue: long quotes from other works, one right after another. (I have required students to read a section from the book simply because it is an easy way to get familiar with much of the basic literature on the life of Jesus!) With that, the book is very valuable. The appendices are worth the investment alone. I have one primary criticism. Dr. Pentecost sees the latter months of the ministry of Christ – especially after the initial unpardonable sin incident – as designed by Jesus to introduce His disciples (and thus the modern reader) to the fact that the Gospel will soon go to the Gentiles. This has become the prevailing way to read the final year of Jesus’ ministry, but I think it is flawed. Supplement Pentecost with Culver at this point. The Life of Jesus Christ, by James Stalker Devotional, follows the classic breakdown of chronology and emphasis (which I regard as somewhat flawed). But very readable, some helpful insights. The Life of Christ, by F. W. Farrar Farrar was a devotee of liberal ideas (denied eternal punishment, suggested Darwin be buried in Westminster Abbey, etc.), and some of those ideas show up in the book. But it is nonetheless a helpful tome. Some good insights into the possible motives behind some of Jesus’ actions. Books which focus upon some particular aspect of the Life of Christ Chronological Aspects of the Life of the Lord, by Harold Hoehner Just what the title indicates. Peerless in its research and argumentation. You can’t go anywhere without establishing some chronological data, and Hoehner’s book is where you ought to start–and probably to finish–in that regard. One caveat: he has the triumphal entry on Monday of the Passion Week (as I asked him, “Who ever heard of Palm Monday?”), only because he is off-put by the idea of a silent Wednesday. On the other hand, it is my persuasion that it’s very difficult to make sense of the week without that Wednesday. Other than that, take everything in this book to the bank. The Training of the Twelve, by A. B. Bruce Focuses on Jesus as a Teacher. Very extensive (yea verily, cumbersome) treatment of various incidents, but can be helpful. The Crises of the Christ, by G. Campbell Morgan Focuses on 7 specific incidents in Jesus’ life/ministry: birth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension. Typical Gabelein. Written in heavy prose, but worth slugging through. The sections can be read individually, which makes it good for research. A Harmony of the Gospels, by Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry A very good harmony, well annotated. Greatest problem: holds to AD 30 crucifixion. The essays at the end of the volume are very helpful. I prefer the way A. T. Robertson harmonizes the final year. Books that are helpful, but deal with Christology rather than Life of Christ The Presence and the Power, by Gerald F. Hawthorne Subtitle: “The Significance of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus.” I found this book very helpful, especially with reference to the issue of the genuine humanity of Jesus. Hawthorne (retired as professor at Wheaton College) finds the Holy Spirit in a couple of passages where I would take the reference to be to Jesus’ inner spirit (lower case), but even if you take these away his case is very strong. One of the most overlooked truths of the NT: Jesus’ dependence on the Holy Spirit. Once that relationship is acknowledged and appreciated, the narrative of Jesus’ life/ministry will take upon itself a new dynamic. He Walked Among Us, by Josh McDowell and Bill Wilson Subtitle: “Evidence for the Historical Jesus.” Helpful in most of its parts. Written as an apologetic, and in response to the Quest movement. But much of the historical background is helpful. A couple of weak points, so be careful. The Word Became Flesh: A Contemporary Incarnational Christology. by Millard J. Erickson Well arranged; quite exhaustive; more helpful in some spots than others; tends toward a philosophical (rather than exegetical) frame of reference. Challenges divine impassibility (appropriately, in my mind). Chapter (21) on the logic of the incarnation is helpful. More helpful as a catalog of legitimate questions and problems than as a sourcebook of dependable answers to those problems. Jesus, Human and Divine, by H. D. McDonald Helpful on some of the finer points of the biblical doctrine of the person of Jesus. Suggests sources for further reading on each sub-point.
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I am working through 1 Samuel for a Bible Study Series, and of course early on in the narrative I encountered the issue of polygamy. I needed a resource to which I could direct the teachers to help them prepare for that discussion and I was a bit frustrated in the effort. So I put together some thoughts, knowing that the issue is a bit sensitive. (more....)

I would like to suggest an understanding of an Old Testament passage which is dependent upon a discussion in an earlier blog entry which can be found here. Quite simply, that discussion considered a peculiar Hebrew idiom, the most familiar expression of which is the numerical proverbs found occasionally in the book of Proverbs. It is my persuasion that this idiosyncratic literary device – foreign to the modern reader and thus easily overlooked – is very probably the key to one of the most cryptic verses in the Old Testament. That verse is 1 Samuel 13:1. It is almost universally concluded that the verse as it stands is incoherent, that in order to make sense of the verse some digits must be added. That conclusion is drawn not on the basis of textual evidence but of “content analysis.” Could it be that the problem arises from missing a nuance familiar and important to the Hebrew reader, but all too foreign to the modern reader. The possibility is explored here.

Recently a friend posed a question relating to the story of the palsied man lowered through the roof in Capernaum (Mt 9:1-8), and specifically to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness in that pericope. Basically, the question had to do with the apparent incongruity of a man offering forgiveness. (more...)

From every quarter of late, and by voices compelled by various agenda, the point is made that the understanding of Second Temple Judaism that has prevailed for centuries has been found wanting, that recent (re)readings of the literature born of that era have issued in a very different and much less censorious picture. (more...)

I certainly don’t count myself any great authority on the universe of books. Indeed, I could wish that I could read faster and remember longer. But I do love to read, my life has been shaped by books, and I’m often asked what books I would recommend. So I have determined to use this space to share some thoughts concerning some books which have been enduringly meaningful to me.

Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God, by Alva J. McClain (BMH Books, 1959)

Although I am entirely convinced that the canon of Scripture is closed, if a plebiscite were held as to the possibility of admitting this book, I would be momentarily torn! (Okay, I’m only kidding to make a point!)

McClain was the founder (1937) and first president of (-1962) – as well as the long-time systematic theology professor at – Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, IN. He projected a series of seven volumes on theology, but completed only this seminal work. (And we, his beneficiaries, can be glad that God in His providence enabled him to do that.)

Though I would take some little umbrage with his treatment of this passage or that issue, the value of the work is to be found in the way he traces the progressive and organic development of the kingdom concept throughout the whole of God’s written revelation. Indeed, this is a case study in progressive revelation, and it honors the reality that God’s revelation is always a progression from truth to greater truth. (This as opposed to the flawed notion that God’s revelation has progressed from error to truth, God having once spoken what He knew could only be understood to mean one thing and then later revealing that He meant something entirely contrary to the plain words which His spokesmen had used when He spoke unto the fathers by those prophets.)

The notion sometimes witlessly obtains that the concept of a literal kingdom on earth, a culminating era toward which God is inexorably moving human history for His own glory, is a function of one passage late in the Bible, that absent Revelation 20 no careful student of Scripture would have ever conceived such an idea. Such a notion is most certainly refuted by carefully and exhaustively tracing the idea of that glorious and God-glorifying kingdom through all the stages of sacred history as recorded in the Scriptures. I know of no work that does that as effectively as McClain’s Greatness. Thus it might be fairly said that this book is pre-millennialism proclaimed with full throat. In a day when much of the evangelical world seems to be in full flight from premillennialism, and when theological arguments are employed to the woeful neglect of exegesis, I would strongly encourage the careful study of this magisterial work. Indeed, I think it could be averred that there is no real integrity in rejecting pre-millennialism if you have not done so. And by the same token, there may not be much chance of rejecting pre-millennialism if you have done so.

Life of Christ and Related Topics

Books which Focus upon a historical Reconstruction of the Life of Christ

Days of His Flesh, by David Smith
The best I've found. Smith has critical tendencies, but it doesn't often affect his treatment of the passages. Very well written, good historical research, especially good on the trials of Jesus during the Passion Week. This is a good place to start in a careful study of the life of Christ because it is at once remarkably devotional and thoroughly researched.

Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by Alfred Edersheim
Certainly a classic. A compendium of information, especially good on the Jewish/rabbinic background to the life of Christ. Edersheim has fallen into disuse among scholars today, but he doesn’t deserve such treatment. Very good indexes make it an accessible tool. He’s better with background than with handling the significance of the individual events. But very good with the events of the Passion.

The Life of our Lord upon the Earth, by Samuel Andrews
Excellent study, very devotional, well said. I haven’t used Andrews as much as I have others, but I have always found him to be tremendously insightful. Although somewhat dated, his interaction with the literature of his day on various issues and difficulties (e.g., was Judas in the upper room when the Lord’s Supper was introduced) is extensive, well presented, and very helpful.

Life of Christ, by Robert Duncan Culver
Very brief, will disappoint you if you use it as a reference. Culver does a very helpful job in tracing the developing emphases of Jesus’ life. His treatment of the first six months of the last year of Jesus’ ministry is very helpful, more so than any other source I’ve found.

Words and Works of Christ, by J. Dwight Pentecost
JDP taught the course at Dallas Seminary for decades; he’s a legend and he deserves to be. This book was much anticipated, but critically reviewed. The main issue: long quotes from other works, one right after another. (I have required students to read a section from the book simply because it is an easy way to get familiar with much of the basic literature on the life of Jesus!) With that, the book is very valuable. The appendices are worth the investment alone. I have one primary criticism. Dr. Pentecost sees the latter months of the ministry of Christ – especially after the initial unpardonable sin incident – as designed by Jesus to introduce His disciples (and thus the modern reader) to the fact that the Gospel will soon go to the Gentiles. This has become the prevailing way to read the final year of Jesus’ ministry, but I think it is flawed. Supplement Pentecost with Culver at this point.

The Life of Jesus Christ, by James Stalker
Devotional, follows the classic breakdown of chronology and emphasis (which I regard as somewhat flawed). But very readable, some helpful insights.

The Life of Christ, by F. W. Farrar
Farrar was a devotee of liberal ideas (denied eternal punishment, suggested Darwin be buried in Westminster Abbey, etc.), and some of those ideas show up in the book. But it is nonetheless a helpful tome. Some good insights into the possible motives behind some of Jesus’ actions.

Books which focus upon some particular aspect of the Life of Christ

Chronological Aspects of the Life of the Lord, by Harold Hoehner
Just what the title indicates. Peerless in its research and argumentation. You can’t go anywhere without establishing some chronological data, and Hoehner’s book is where you ought to start–and probably to finish–in that regard. One caveat: he has the triumphal entry on Monday of the Passion Week (as I asked him, “Who ever heard of Palm Monday?”), only because he is off-put by the idea of a silent Wednesday. On the other hand, it is my persuasion that it’s very difficult to make sense of the week without that Wednesday. Other than that, take everything in this book to the bank.

The Training of the Twelve, by A. B. Bruce
Focuses on Jesus as a Teacher. Very extensive (yea verily, cumbersome) treatment of various incidents, but can be helpful.

The Crises of the Christ, by G. Campbell Morgan
Focuses on 7 specific incidents in Jesus’ life/ministry: birth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension. Typical Gabelein. Written in heavy prose, but worth slugging through. The sections can be read individually, which makes it good for research.

A Harmony of the Gospels, by Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry
A very good harmony, well annotated. Greatest problem: holds to AD 30 crucifixion. The essays at the end of the volume are very helpful. I prefer the way A. T. Robertson harmonizes the final year.

Books that are helpful, but deal with Christology rather than Life of Christ

The Presence and the Power, by Gerald F. Hawthorne
Subtitle: “The Significance of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus.” I found this book very helpful, especially with reference to the issue of the genuine humanity of Jesus. Hawthorne (retired as professor at Wheaton College) finds the Holy Spirit in a couple of passages where I would take the reference to be to Jesus’ inner spirit (lower case), but even if you take these away his case is very strong. One of the most overlooked truths of the NT: Jesus’ dependence on the Holy Spirit. Once that relationship is acknowledged and appreciated, the narrative of Jesus’ life/ministry will take upon itself a new dynamic.

He Walked Among Us, by Josh McDowell and Bill Wilson
Subtitle: “Evidence for the Historical Jesus.” Helpful in most of its parts. Written as an apologetic, and in response to the Quest movement. But much of the historical background is helpful. A couple of weak points, so be careful.

The Word Became Flesh: A Contemporary Incarnational Christology. by Millard J. Erickson
Well arranged; quite exhaustive; more helpful in some spots than others; tends toward a philosophical (rather than exegetical) frame of reference. Challenges divine impassibility (appropriately, in my mind). Chapter (21) on the logic of the incarnation is helpful. More helpful as a catalog of legitimate questions and problems than as a sourcebook of dependable answers to those problems.

Jesus, Human and Divine, by H. D. McDonald
Helpful on some of the finer points of the biblical doctrine of the person of Jesus. Suggests sources for further reading on each sub-point.