Rules of Engagement

On 6 October 2012 By Daniel B. WallaceIn Uncategorized5 Comments

If you want to post a comment on this blogsite, there are a few rules you will need to follow. I won’t post your comments if they are outside the bounds of the rules of engagement.

1. You need to be civil. No ad hominem, personal attacks, or character assassination, please!
2. Keep your comments brief. No lengthy diatribes.
3. Keep on topic. A little wandering is OK, but debates between two people who are getting way off topic are not helpful to others.
4. That’s about it. Let’s have some good discussions, folks!

Update on Erasmian Pronunciation

On 6 October 201229 November 2012 By Daniel B. WallaceIn Greek Grammar2 Comments

Kit Bogan has even outdone himself! He not only put the Chalcedonian Definition to music using Erasmian Pronunciation, but also provided the English translation in a Youtube video. Go here to see the video.

See-Saw on HTR’s publishing of Prof King’s article

On 26 September 201229 November 2012 By Daniel B. WallaceIn Early Christianity1 Comment

Here’s the latest news; Brian LePort seems to have a good bead on things: http://nearemmaus.com/2012/09/26/the-harvard-theological-journal-the-gospel-of-jesus-wife-and-karen-l-kings-rejected-or-not-rejected-paper/

HTR not rejecting the Jesus’ Wife fragment now?

On 26 September 201229 November 2012 By Daniel B. WallaceIn Early Christianity6 Comments

It seems like the we’re witnessing a see-saw battle concerning the authenticity of this fragment as well as whether it’s going to be published in Harvard Theological Review. After I posted the news which I received from Dr. Craig Evans that HTR was not going to publish the fragment because it had been judged to be a fake, I then got news that HTR was going to publish it. Here’s the link that gives the data: http://www.religionnews.com/faith/beliefs/harvard-theological-review-gospel-of-jesus-wife-not-rejected

One wonders what’s going on here. It seems like we have three good possibilities: (a) my source was wrong that HTR had rejected the piece; (b) the report that HTR was going to publish it is incorrect; or (c) both are right: HTR editors changed their mind about rejecting the article. I have no doubts about Dr. Evans’s integrity so I’m ruling out the first option. This leaves b or c.

This is how news is reported these days: down to the nanosecond! The cultural implications of all this are both fascinating and disturbing. I would advise that we all have a wait and see attitude, as I advocated originally.

Jesus’ Wife fragment judged a fake

On 26 September 201229 November 2012 By Daniel B. WallaceIn Early Christianity52 Comments

“News flash: Harvard Theological Review has decided not to publish Karen King¹s paper on the Coptic papyrus fragment on the grounds that the fragment is probably a fake.” This from an email Dr. Craig Evans, the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia University and Divinity College, sent to me earlier today. He said that Helmut Koester (Harvard University), Bentley Layton (Yale University), Stephen Emmel (University of Münster), and Gesine Robinson (Claremont Graduate School)–all first-rate scholars in Coptic studies–have weighed in and have found the fragment wanting. No doubt Francis Watson’s comprehensive work showing the fragment’s dependence on the Gospel of Thomas was a contributing factor for this judgment, as well as the rather odd look of the Coptic that already raised several questions as to its authenticity.