New articles coming out soon - Jesus and Quantitative Analysis & The issue of subsidiarity in Biblical Understanding & The "Second" Letters in the New Testament: Why?
I've just returned from a week in Egypt with my family and actually on holiday managed to compose two draft articles on two new subjects which I will be developing more in the coming months. Did lots of thinking on a third.
I've had a lot of inspiration of late from the sociologist Prof. Rodney Stark (www.rodneystark.com) and his work in understanding the socio-cultural/religious environment in the Roman Empire and how this can help us better understand the New Testament. So, now I am applying one of the methodological tools Dr. Stark uses in his analyses: Quantitative Analysis, to the New Testament and the information therein with some interesting conclusions. Look for more on this very soon. Get ready to have long held ideas challenged and hoping for many new insights and much feedback on this one.
I have been fascinated also with the idea of provenance in archaeology and now I am taking it a bit farther and adding the idea of subsidiarity to help us all understand the Bible better. Hoping to make this potentially complex subject simple. Much more to be said on this soon.
Finally, have you ever wondered why in the New Testament we have some churches and people receiving "second" letters and others not? In this new essay, we are going to open up this question for discussion with some possible opportunities for learning more about in particular St. Paul and his teachings.
Hoping to have more news on the conference coming up in Cambridge, England in August as I have contacted many of my institutional partners. Thanks so much for your interest.
July newsletter coming very soon. Exciting new article to be made available from an important scholar here in Israel on corporal punishment. You won't want to miss this.
Samuel Martin
www.biblechild.com
