2 New Greek Books, 1 Book on Paul: Thanks To Zondervan & Baker

Merry Christmas
To: Michael
From: Zondervan & Baker

I want to offer up a big "Thank you!" to the gifts from Zondervan & Baker that have recently been sent along to me. I also want to encourage others to check out the resources I mention below (just click on the links).

The first book I want to mention is Beale, Brendsel, and Ross's An Interpretive Lexicon of the New Testament. This is a Zondervan publication and is, for all intents and purposes, a compact dictionary to NT particles. There are some interpretive helps but the real value, in my opinion, is to be found in the "quick-reference" aspect of it. Unlike with BDAG, which this book is based on, users do not have to carry around a huge book nor do they have to flip through thousands of pages. By the same token, they don't have to wade through long dictionary entries. No, this book is lightweight, user-friendly, and a real time saver. Each entry typically cross-references to the works of Wallace or others, which can also be helpful at times. This book does not function in such a way that it adds tons of new insights to the field. As I said, it's real value is found in its quick-reference features. I would commend this work to anyone interested in particles, you know, those tiny Greek words that so often give shape to an entire phrase, clause, or sentence. You can pick up your copy from Zondervan HERE in ebook ($9.99) or print form ($15.99).

Interpretive Lexicon of NT Greek

The next book I want to mention, also from Zondervan, which showed up in hardback form, is Studies in the Pauline Epistles: Essays in Honor of Douglas J. Moo. This book includes essays by big-hitters such as G.K. Beale, Craig Blomberg, James D.G. Dunn, Grant Osborne, Thomas Schreiner, and N.T. Wright, among others. It is divided into three sections: Exegeting Paul, Paul's Use of Scripture and the Jesus Tradition, and Pauline Scholarship and His Contemporary Significance. Within these sections there are essays covering numerous topics such as the Old/New Perspective on Paul, eschatology, Greek grammar and translation, etc. Weighing in at over 300 pages, this book is a bit more up the scale in price ($49.99). You can pick up your copy HERE.

Studies in the Pauline Epistles

The Last work I want to mention in this post is one sent along by Baker: Reading Koine Greek: An Introduction and Integrated Workbook, by the late Rod Decker. This book, clocking in at over 700 pages, is simply beautiful...it is one of the nicest Greek grammars I've seen. My copy is in hardback form. The layout is superb, easy on the eyes, and the information is, as with all of Decker's work, top-notch. For years I have only really been promoting David Alan Black's book, which I will continue to do, but this one has rightly found its place alongside that recommendation. With this Greek grammar I finally feel like I can tell me students "Get this!" without hesitating and without saying, "But be cautious about this..." I appreciate the fact that Decker offered the Koine Era Pronunciation (which I use at CKI and which is historically accurate) and I certainly appreciate his views on the Middle Voice and so-called Passive Voice (if you're not up to speed on that conversation, this might be a good place to start!). As I said, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Greek grammar(s). You can pick up your copy HERE. Many thanks to Baker for sending this along!

Reading Koine Greek (Decker)

If you're looking to buy the scholar in your life something for Christmas (or if you are a scholar wanting to give some gifts to yourself), consider these works. Merry Christmas y'all!

My New Book: "Give Me That Book"

Just a quick note to let you know about my latest publication, this one with Seedbed, which is titled Give Me That Book: A Primer for the Practice of Inductive Bible Study. You can read the intro for free HERE and, if you buy it today, you will get a 25% discount HERE.

"Kingdom Rhetoric" Book Included in New Testament Abstracts

The academic journal New Testament Abstracts recently featured an overview/abstract of Kingdom Rhetoric, a publication I edited and contributed to last year. Check out the entry below.

An Interview About My Book "Entering The Fray"

Hi Friends, I just wanted to point you in the direction of a recent interview I did about my book Entering the Fray. Thanks to Matt Montonini for doing the interview on his "New Testament Perspectives" blog and encouraging others to dig into the book. Check it out HERE. If you'd like to get a print or digital copy of the book you can do so on Amazon.com.

New Book On Sale Today!

I'm pleased to announce today that my newest book, Ποῦ Οἱ Σταφυλῖνοι  Εἰσιν; (Where Are The Carrots?) is on sale for $7.65 HERE at Amazon.com.  Ποῦ Οἱ Σταφυλῖνοι  Εἰσιν; is a short story written in Koine Greek by Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and some of his family members. The story revolves around two horses and their missing carrots. Where did the carrots go? Did someone take them? Read and/or listen this fun tale to find out!

This is the first story in the new διήγημα ἐν τῇ Κοινή διαλέκτῳ (A Story in Koine) series, which is part of the "Conversational Track" in GlossaHouse's "AGROS" curriculum suite.  In addition to the print version of the book a listen-along audio file is also available for purchase below.  The audio file contains a 6-year old female child  reading the story and also an adult male reading the story.  

In addition, there is a watch-along video (in an animated flip-book/page-turn style) of the book available for purchase below. Purchase the audio and video files together an save (see below)!

The print version of the book is sold separately from audio/video companion files.	The print version can be purchased HERE (Amazon) or HERE.
Audio Only ($5.99)
Video Only ($7.99)
Audio + Video ($11.99)

Now Available: "Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations..."

Hello friends, I just wanted to let you know that Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations in Honor of Ben Witherington III is now available for purchase in print.  I think the digital copy will be ready within the next 2-4 weeks.  You can read more about and purchase the book on the publisher's site HERE or get it on Amazon HERE.  Also, it is worth reminding folks that 100% of the authors' proceeds go to the Christy Witherington Scholarship fund at Asbury Theological Seminary.

New Book: "Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations..."

Hello friends.  Today I am pleased to announce the publication and release of a new volume I have edited titled Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations in Honor of Ben Witherington III.  The book will likely be available for purchase some time this week.  I believe there are plans for an ebook version as well.  I'll share those details when they become available.  So, what is Kingdom Rhetoric about?  Well, as the subtitle indicates, it consists of ten explorations (essays) which span the breadth of the New Testament.  Maybe I should just share what's written on the back cover, so, here it is:

"This book, written to honor Ben Witherington III, is a collaborative effort from the New Testament department at Asbury Theological Seminary.  Essays are offered by five New Testament faculty and five New Testament students who have completed or are currently in the process of completing the PhD program.  it is our hope that readers of this volume, which is divided into five sections and covers the breadth of the New Testament canon, will be encouraged in their own explorations and research of the New Testament, much as Ben has encouraged us. 

For those who know Ben, they will know the last year or so has been quite a difficult one for him and his family.  On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, Christy Ann, the daughter of Ben and Ann, passed on unexpectedly.  Today, there exists a scholarship fund in Christy's name, The Christy Ann Witherington Scholarship Fund, at Asbury Theological Seminary, and readers should be aware that 100 percent of the proceeds from this book will go to that scholarship fund to assist female students in Asbury's biblical studies program."

Contributors to the volume include:  David R. Bauer, Joseph R. Dongell, T. Michael W. Halcomb, Craig S. Keener, Robert Brian Kidwell, Susann Liubinskas, Fredrick J. Long, Jason A. Myers, Judith Odor, and Ruth Anne Reese.

JSNT Review of My Book "Entering the Fray"

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, when perusing the latest issue of JSNT (Journal for the Study of the New Testament), 35/1 (Aug., 2013): 3, to find that my book Entering the Fray: A Primer on New Testament Issues for the Church and Academy was reviewed. The reviewer, Dr. Peter Doble of the University of Leeds, gave a very favorable review of the book. Here's a portion of what he wrote:  

"In his interesting contribution to narrowing the gap between church and academy, Halcomb aims to explain Biblical Studies to non-specialists...Only use will disclose how effective Halcomb’s approach is. His book reads as an informed, fair and readable contribution to bridge-building by a real person—his briefly introducing each issue makes for personal engagement. He knows both constituencies. Halcomb’s rich contribution lies in making accessible what is often rejected or neglected...I commend this volume warmly to ‘congregants, pastors and students’ (p. xii)."

I'm grateful for the positive review and hope that others will be encouraged by it as well. You can get your copy of the print version HERE, the Kindle version HERE, the audio book version HERE, and visit the companion website HERE.

Fall 2013 - Greek 1 Registration Open

Today I'm pleased to announce that registration for the Greek 1 class (Fall 2013) with the Conversational Koine Institue is now open to all. Check out the flyer below for more details. You can get more details on classes HERE and inquire about or register for classes HERE. Feel free to download (but not modify), print and/or share the flyer with others.

(My New Book) 800 Words and Images: A New Testament Greek Vocabulary Builder

Dear friends, I am pleased today to announce the release of my sixth book which is titled 800 Words and Images: A New Testament Greek Vocabulary Builder. Along with audio companion files, this work was printed in color with GlossaHouse and is perfect for anyone wanting to build their New Testament Greek vocabulary.  The book has received a number of good reviews already, including one from Bill Mounce, who says the following:

"All language teachers know that a key to learning vocabulary is to use as many of our senses as possible. 800 Words and Images succeeds at using visual and auditory as well as semantic grouping to help students master their Koine vocabulary. I heartily salute this project." 

William Mounce, Ph.D. - BiblicalTraining.org

You can get your print copy HERE right now.  The audio files are available HERE.  A digital version for Kindle is in the works and I'll post on it when it becomes available.  But if you would, keep reading and let me go ahead and share a little bit more about the book.  Here's the aim of 800 Words and Images:

An essential aspect of successfully navigating any foreign language is vocabulary acquisition. Acquiring the ability to comprehend, recall, and use vocabulary takes time and practice. As a vocabulary-building resource, 800 Words and Images is strategically arranged to assist students in gaining competency and fluency in Koine Greek. Divided into ten sections, this work links together nearly eight hundred words from the New Testament with helpful visuals. In addition, audio files for each section have been created so that students can listen while interacting with the book. Research from the fields of cognitive linguistics, neurosciences, and mental representation theory show that when images and sounds are combined in the process of vocabulary learning, retention is dramatically increased. 800 Words and Images utilizes this research for the purpose of helping and encouraging Koine Greek students. All learners, whether autodidacts or participants in a classroom, can use this work to bolster their New Testament Greek vocabularies. Dr. Richard Heyduck and several students also had great things to say about the book:

"Whether you're a beginner or a long time student of New Testament Greek, you will recognize the need to build and maintain a strong vocabulary base. In this work Michael Halcomb has given us a tool to do exactly that. Since this book is image based, it works well for multiple ages and does not require initial English fluency."

Richard Heyduck, Ph.D. - Wiley College

"Michael Halcomb has created just what you need to dramatically improve your ability to read the New Testament in its original language. Utilizing images and audio together with lists of vocabulary organized into semantic domains, this holistic resource will increase the fruitfulness of your studies by engaging multiple senses at once. Halcomb's method immerses students of biblical Greek into the language of the New Testament like never before."

Matt O'Reilly, Ph.D. Candidate - University of Gloucestershire

"800 Words and Images implements recent linguistic research, which suggests that vocabulary retention is substantially increased with the coupling of the visual and auditory senses. If 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' then Halcomb has captured that each word is worth a picture. This first-of-its-kind work will help any Greek student (beginner or advanced) build and retain vocabulary."

Cole Bodkin, M.Div. - SermonSleuth.com

"People of the Book" is a Featured Title at W&S

Hi friends, I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that People of the Book: Inviting Communities Into Biblical Interpretation is currently a featured title over at Wipf & Stock.  Head on over there, check it out, and get your copy today!  You can see People of the Book as a featured title HERE.  Also, for some current reviews, click HERE.  To see the companion site click HERE.  In addition, if you'd prefer a digital print over a traditional print/bound book, you can certainly get your digital copy today - RIGHT HERE.  Thanks for your support.  Happy Reading!

"Entering the Fray" for Kindle

Hello everyone, I am happy to announce today that my book Entering the Fray: A Primer on New Testament Issues for the Church & Academy was released in Kindle format today.  Best of all, the prices is less than $10.00!  That's right, you can get Entering the Fray for $9.99 in Kindle format.  That's over 300 pages of New Testament research and history for $9.99.  I will say, while I am pleased that the Kindle format has finally been released, I was a little displeased that they modified the "callout boxes" throughout the book if but then again, it may have been the case that had they not done that, the book would have never been released for Kindle.   Regardless, the content of the book stays the same but the format/layout changes just a bit.  Anyway, if you would, head on over to Amazon and check out the Kindle version of Entering the Fray by clicking HERE.  Or, if that doesn't suit your tastes, order a hard copy HERE.  Or, you have another option of ordering the audio book version HERE.  And after you've done that, check out Entering the Fray's companion site HERE.

My New Book: "Entering the Fray"

Today, I am pleased to announce the release of my latest book, which is titled Entering the Fray: A Primer on New Testament Issues for the Church and Academy. The book consists of 12 info-packed chapters that survey major New Testament issues that have shaped both the church and the academy in the last four hundred or so years.  Those issues, traced from their origins in modern scholarship up to the present are, as the table of contents reveals: How the New Testament Canon Came to Be, Methods Used to Study the New Testament, How We Got From Paul's Letters to Gospel Accounts, The Synoptic Problem, The Messianic Secret, The Historical Jesus, The Historical Reliability of Acts, The Disputed vs. Undisputed Letters of Paul, The Pistis Christou Debate, The New Perspective on Paul, 12 Major Archaeological Finds (From Peter's House, to James's Tomb and Beyond), and  How to Approach Revelation.  At the end of each chapter there is a "Taking Action" section that further shows how and why these issues are important to and related to the every day life of every Christian.

Clocking in at nearly 350 pages, the volume also consists of a "scholarly sketches" of all modern scholars mentioned throughout the work. At the end, there is also a nice timeline. In addition, I have created a highly interactive companion website for the book, which contains an interactive timeline of modern New Testament scholarship (of those scholars mentioned in the "scholarly sketches" in the book), videos, reviews, and more. The site compliments the book well. You can visit the companion site HERE. You can purchase the book by following the appropriate links on that page, or by clicking HERE. In addition, I have made an audio version of the book, which is less expensive than the print version, and can be purchased by clicking the appropriate link on the companion site.  While you're at it, please "like" the book on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Some Good Books

Today, I found some great deals on some great books that are now part of my personal library. How great of a deal? Well, $39 for all of the following 15 books. That's pretty amazing since the brand new set of The Encyclopedia of Judaism I picked up for $22 is currently selling for around $650.00 on Amazon. So, I guess I'll just consider these a happy 9th anniversary gift to myself! Here they are:

The Message and the Kingdom : How Jesus and Paul Ignited a Revolution and Transformed the Ancient World (R.A. Horsley & N.A. Silberman)







Rudolf Bultmann: Interpreting Faith for the Modern Era (R. Johnson)







The Jesus Controversy: Perspectives in Conflict (J.D. Crossan, L.T. Johnson, and W.H. Kelber)







A History of the Synoptic Problem: The Canon, the Text, the Composition, and the Interpretation of the Gospels (D.L. Dungan)







The Encyclopedia of Judaism, Vols. 1-3 (J. Neusner, A.J. Avery-Peck, and W.S. Green)







Daily Life in Ancient Rome: The People and the City at the Height of the Empire (J. Carcopino)







Greece and Rome: Builders of Our World (P.L. MacKendrick)







In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire (A. Goldsworthy)







Greek People (R.B. Kebric)








Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt (R. David)







The Harper Collins Dictionary: Sociology (D. Jary and J. Jary)







And on a more popular scale:
The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (P. Jenkins)







Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality (R. Bell)

People of the Book Featured on the Asbury Website

Hello friends, I just wanted to drop a note that provides a link to a write up on my recent work People of the Book. It is featured on the Asbury Theological Seminary website, which you can access HERE. Here is a brief blurb from the Asbury posting, click the link to read the rest:

Halcomb says that People of the Book is deeply rooted in the IBS (Inductive Bible Study) tradition, which features so prominently at Asbury Seminary. He readily admits that he is especially indebted to Drs. David Bauer, Lawson Stone, and Fred Long for repeatedly showing him what good IBS looks like. He notes, “For several years it has been one of my passions to bring IBS to the church level, that is, to the pastor, to the average lay person, to youth ministers and to Bible study leaders. That’s what this book does! However, it does not bring each of them to the interpretive process alone. Instead, People of the Book invites communities to take a walk through the interpretive process together in a live, on-the-spot fashion.”

You can find out more about the book by visiting the Companion Website HERE, liking the Facebook Page HERE, and visiting Wipf & Stock (where you ca also purchase your copy) HERE. Or, you can scan the QR Code to the right with your phone to get your copy. Thanks for the support!

My New Book: Get Your Copy Now!

Today, I am pleased to announce the release of my latest book, which is titled People of the Book: Inviting Communities Into Biblical Interpretation. The book comes ready with a companion website, which contains print-outs, handouts, videos, and more. There is also a FREE companion Android app for People of the Book. You can find the link on the website, which is HERE. In addition, you will be able to find purchase links on the website, or you can just click HERE. While the title really captures the aim and heart of the book, here is a brief word about it:

We live in an era when the Bible appears to be less and less relevant to mainstream cultures. Those who do care about the Scriptures tend to derive their interpretations secondhand, from the preacher's pulpit or from generalized study guides written by complete strangers. These approaches overlook the communal and conversational nature of the Bible itself. If we hope to recover the transformative power of these ancient texts, and invite our world to reconsider their significance, we will need to engage whole communities together in the bottom-up task of interpretation. People of the Book was written to offer an organic-holistic approach to communal interpretation, an approach that can work for your community and appeal to your wider culture. Halcomb and McNinch envision the Bible as a conversation we are privileged to enter: listening, questioning, wrestling, reasoning, and responding together as authentic people of the Book.

A Christmas Gift From Greg Boyd

So, I just visited with an old friend and half-way through the meeting, he gave me a surprise gift (thanks Tim), which was actually a gift passed on to him by another friend of mine (thank you CJG!!!), who herself is a great friend with Greg Boyd. The gift was Boyd's new book The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution. You can read more about it HERE. Now, the book itself would have been cool enough. But...it had a personalized note in it from Boyd to me, which only sweetened the deal that much more. So, thank you CJG and you too, Greg! I really look forward to digging into this one.

Free Commentaries: 25,000+ Pages

That's right, College Press has decided to post their entire commentary series free, online. Together, this is over 25,000 pages of research, exegesis and theology. While this certainly isn't the best commentary series on the market, it also isn't something to be totally looked over. Some of my former professors have written in this series and honestly, several of the volumes contain good work. Regardless, they're all free now! The only bad part about downloading these over at the College Press site is that it takes FOREVER; the download time (even with DSL, broadband, etc.) is quite slow. It took me over an hour and a half to download all of these works, plus, clicking one download link for each                                                                              book was not very fun.

So, to spare you all the trouble, I have put all of the books in 1 folder, which I split into 7 downloads. This means that compared to about 70 downloads you now only have to download 7 things. Before you download, however, do the following: 1) Create a folder on your desktop to save the files in, 2) Click the links to download and save the files in the created folder, 3) Once all 7 files are download, highlight them all and right-click, then unzip them all at once in the same folder. If you do not do steps 2 and 3 and save / unzip them to the same place, the pdfs will probably not work. Anyway, here's the contents and the links, enjoy:

* Old Testament Commentaries

* Old Testament Literature

* New Testament Commentaries

* New Testament Literature, History & Theology

+ File 1

+ File 2

+ File 3

+ File 4

+ File 5

+ File 6

+ File 7

Cheap Textbooks

Are you taking classes this fall? If so, why not save some money when buying your textbooks!?! Having just ordered some books, let me just share with you two things I did to find cheaper textbooks: 1) Signed up for the 1-year of free "Prime Shipping" by registering as a student with Amazon.com. All they require is your .edu email and you are good to go. Here are a couple of snapshots, one from the sign-up page and one from the checkout page:

2) In addition, I would highly recommend using Addall.com. On this site, you can enter the author / title / isbn, etc. for any book and it will scour the internet and compare prices for you. Right before I checked out with amazon, I actually remembered to do this and ended up saving about $10 by finding the book at a less expensive price elsewhere. Here is a screenshot of Addall:

If you have tips you'd like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments section of this post. Happy book hunting and have a good semester everyone!!!

Jesus Manifesto

A week or so ago, I received an invitation from Thomas Nelson publishers to get a pre-sale copy of Frank Viola & Leonard Sweet's new book Jesus Manifesto. Not being one to pass up free books, I gladly took the offer. This new book went on sale today over at Amazon.com. Here at Pisteuomen and over at Thomas Nelson, you can preview some of Jesus Manifesto by using the widget above. Here's a brief description of what you'll find in Jesus Manifesto:

"Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, methods, techniques, programs, and formulas have all eclipsed the beauty, the glory, and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. On the whole, the Christian family today is starved for a real experience of the living Christ. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don't know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life. "Jesus Manifesto" presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus as not only Savior and Lord, but as so much more. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him. Read this book and see your Lord like you've never seen Him before.

When/if I get some more time to read through the book (it looks like a very easy read and is pretty thin), I'll probably post a bit about it. In the meantime, go get your copy HERE. And if you want, download the Jesus Manifesto app HERE. Or, you can join the Jesus Manifesto Facebook movement HERE. Not enough? Download the Jesus Manifesto theme song HERE.