Welcome message

Dear friends,

Welcome to my blog. I am honored to have you visit. I hope you'll find my articles a blessing. I welcome your input and especially comments and questions.

I write as a Christian from Jerusalem, Israel about Biblical subjects.

I am particularly interested in the subjects of children, families, women's issues, corporal punishment, science and nature as these subjects relate to the Holy Scriptures.

For more information, see my website: www.biblechild.com

With every good wish - Samuel Martin

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Enjoying the William Webb book

Enjoying the William Webb book - One of the most powerful points of this book are the people who are endorsing it, especially the highly esteemed New Testament scholar, I. Howard Marshall, who wrote the foreword. Will be having much more to say on this one. https://shop.ivpress.com/epages/IVP.storefront/en/addtobasket/0-8308-2761-7


William Webb confronts those often avoided biblical passages that call for the corporal punishment of children, slaves and wrongdoers. How should we understand and apply them today? Are we obligated to replicate those injunctions today? Or does the proper interpretation of them point in a differe...

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians

Can't not mention the Kenneth Bailey galley I also received from Inter Varsity Press. In a very quick review of this manuscript, anyone who has ever struggled with I Corinthians and some of its statements, get ready to rejoice and to be absolutely blown away by this amazing book. 
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New articles coming out soon

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