Biblical Studies Carnival #227 for June 2025

It is summertime, and as the song says, the living is easy. Once the calendar hits June, academics head out to do whatever academics do in the summer. I like to find a comfortable chair and a good book (which is no different from any other time of the year). Most biblical scholars engage in reading, research, and finishing writing projects that are several months overdue. This summer, I travelled to China for two weeks, and since then, I have been working hard on an overdue manuscript. My blog posts have been scarce over the last two or three months, and for this, I apologize. I have some plans for the fall, but for now, I have a book to finish.

Last month, Jim West did the May 2025 Carnival, and it was a blast from the past: he repeated the 2013 carnival. Many biblio-bloggers have been busy in June, so here is a curated collection of links to the best biblical and theological posts in June 2025. Did I miss your post? Let me know about your blog, and I will try to include it in a future carnival.

As I always say, I am seeking hosts for the remainder of 2025. Contact me via email at plong42@gmail.com if you would like to discuss hosting a Bible Studies Carnival on your blog. I would love to have a host who is more into podcasts than I am.

Old Testament

Naama Yahalom-Mack at Torah.com, The History of Iron in Ancient Israel.

John Squires, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha (2 Kings 2).

Heather Anne Thiessen studies Genesis 28:10-22, then offers a thoughtful reflection on the text.

Michael W. Wilson comments on Salvation in the Old Testament (Yeshûw˓âh, יְשׁוּעָה)

Marek Dospěl on The Egyptian Journey of Jeremiah in the Bible.

Prof. Rabbi Herbert Basser on Septuagint Variants in Midrash and the Haggadah.

Alice Mandell has an excellent eight-part series on the Armana Letters at Torah.com

Archaeology

Here are two posts on ancient coins at Bible History Daily: Roman Coins and the Last Great Jewish Revolt and The Bronze Lion Heads of Roman Judea: Unique bronze lions unearthed near Tel Aviv.

Nathan Steinmeyer asks, “Was the Cave of Salome for Jesus’s Disciple or a Herodian Princess?”

New Testament

Michael W. Wilson is one of the most consistent bloggers out there. He recently posted on The Mind of Jesus (Philippians 2) and The Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Root of David (Revelation 5).  Take the time to scroll through his blog and check out his other posts this month.

John Nelson, Can We Really Know What Jesus Said?  Spoiler:  “The words of Jesus were lost. But not entirely.” John also has a good post on why the question “Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?” is so difficult to answer.

Jay at Biblical Scholarship has been working through Mark.  See these posts on Mark 2:1-12, Mark 2:13-17; Mark 2:18-22; Mark 2:23-28, and Mark 3:1-6.

B. J. Oropeza on Ananias: A Minor Character in Acts with a Big Role. He also asks, “Which Letters of Paul did Paul Really Write?”  (Spoiler: Hebrews did not make the cut.) Part of this post discusses a survey distributed at SBL in 2025 in which 153 scholars offered their views (here is a summary of the results). I took the survey, but I promise I was not the one who voted twice.

Iain Paul posted links to his video Bible study on Faith and law in Galatians 3, Freedom, flesh, and the Spirit in Galatians 5, and Mutual accountability in Galatians 6.

John Drummond searches for Paul’s mysterious affliction.

Marg Mowczko on “Real Examples of “Titus 2 Women” in the Roman World. In the introduction, she says, “In this article, I quote from several inscriptions that celebrate virtuous Roman women and which contain identical and similar words to those used in Titus 2:4-5. These words are about real women who lived in Roman society about 2000 years ago, and none of them appear to have been Christians.” Great article, gathering the right data to understand Paul’s language in Titus 2 (this should be published as a journal article). Read the whole thing.

Theology and Church History

Peter Goeman offers a concise explanation of dispensationalism. This is an excellent explanation, and it is concise.

Be Not a Christmonger! Ancient Wisdom from the Didache, by Michael Bird.

Anxious Bencher Adam Renberg, Ancient Church Discipline: On Sin and Rehabilitation.

Early Copy of Infancy Gospel of Thomas Identified (Nathan Steinmeyer, at Bible History Daily)

Book Reviews

J. Daniel Hays, The Ichthus Christogram and Other Early Christian Symbols (Kregel, 2025). Reviewed by Jim West.

Liv Ingeborg Lied & Brent Nongbri, Working with Manuscripts: A Guide for Textual Scholars (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2025. Reviewed by Peter M. Head.

Longenecker, Shively, and Lang, eds. Behind the Scenes of the New Testament (Baker Academic, 2024). Reviewed by Spencer Robinson.

Andrea Gondos & Leore Sachs-Shmueli, The Life of the Soul: Jewish Perspectives on the Reincarnation from the Middle Ages to the Modern Period. SUNY Press, 2025. Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein. Reuven also reviewed The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel (Exodus).

Guy de la Bédoyère, Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2024. Reviewed by Andrew Steck.

Culture

Paul Thompson, Evangelicals, CRT, and the Genetic Fallacy.

Nijay Gupta offers Five Tips for Protecting Yourself from Christian Deception. “You should be able to trust your leaders and lower your guard at church, but it does no one any good to be naïve.”

Joey Cochran, Trump’s God-Gilded Realpolitik Ended the 12-Day War.