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New NIGTC Romans Commentary

26/4/2016

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The long awaited commentary by Richard Longenecker on Romans under the NIGTC series is now finally published by Eerdmans. Longenecker earlier on in 2011 published a 500-page volume just on the introductory issues to Romans, and this has certainly heightened the expectation of the full commentary. I must say this is one commentary on Romans that is high on my anticipation list after learning much from Robert Jewett's massive commentary of the same book in the Hermeneia series. 

I will be making my order for the commentary soon and will be looking forward to interacting with Longenecker and also benefitting from his wisdom and insights on Romans. I am certain Longenecker's exegesis will challenge some of my own understanding and interpretation of Romans. Much of what I will learn from this commentary will certainly make its way to the course on Romans I will be offering at the Bible College of Malaysia later this year and at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia next year. 

As a teaser, Eerdmans publishes Longenecker's 6 major theses for Romans, and I have taken the liberty to reproduce the summary here below:

Thesis 1
Believers in Jesus at Rome in Paul’s Day Looked to the Mother Church at Jerusalem for their Christian theology, piety, and ethics.

Thesis 2:
Paul had at least five purposes in writing to the believers in Jesus at Rome: To give to the believers in Jesus at Rome what he calls in 1:11 his “spiritual gift.”; To seek the assistance of the Christians at Rome for the extension of his Gentile mission to Spain (cf. 1:13; 15:24);  To defend himself against certain criticisms of his person and various misrepresentations of his message that the Christians at Rome seem to have heard from others (and possibly somewhat believed); To counsel regarding a certain dispute that had arisen among the Christians at Rome, who evidently, on one side of the dispute, called themselves “the Strong,” while on the other side of this dispute there were other Christians who were being called “the Weak”; To counsel regarding certain attitudes of the Christians at Rome with respect to the city’s governmental authorities and the responsibilities of believers in Jesus to pay their city’s taxes and revenues. 

Thesis 3:
Paul writes to the Christians at Rome in a manner that rather closely corresponds to a “Logos Protreptikos” form of ancient philosophical letter writing (that is, a “Word [or, ‘Speech’] of Exhortation”).

Thesis 4:
Paul sets out for his readers (1) three major “Body Middle” Sections (i.e., 2:16–4:25; 5:1–8:39; 9:1–11:36), each of which sets out the Gospel for three somewhat different types of people (Jews, pagan Gentiles, and a body of Jewish and Gentile believers) all of which is followed by (2) a fourth major “Body Middle” Section (i.e., 12:1–15:33) consisting of general Christian ethical exhortations that the apostle had evidently proclaimed in his earlier Christian mission to pagan Gentiles — together with a further section of exhortations having to do with how believers in Jesus should live together in their respective Christian congregations.

​Thesis 5:
In the four sections of the apostle’s “Word/Speech of Exhortation” in the “Body Middle” of Romans 1:16-4:25, 5:1-8:39, 9:1-11:36, and 12:1-15:33 Paul uses material that he had previously preached (1) to Jews (in 1:16–4:25), (2) to Gentiles without any Jewish contacts or instruction (in 5:1–8:39), and (3) to mixed congregations of both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds at Syrian Antioch (in 9:1–11:36) — as well as in the fourth ethical section of the letter (I.e., 12:1–15:33) he contextualizes the Christian Gospel both generally and then quite specifically.

Thesis 6:
​In these contextualizations of the apostle’s letter to first century Christians at Rome, Paul is both (1) encouraging believers in Jesus today to do likewise in their Christian thinking, lives, and ministries, and (2) setting out paradigms for our doing similar in our own philosophical and cultural situations today.
I think the 6 theses are enough to whet my appetite for now until I hold the commentary in my hands. I hope Amazon will not disappoint in the speed of delivery!
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Will Eerdmans Commentary Club Be Made Available for Malaysians?

12/4/2016

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​The long awaited commentary on Romans in the New International Greek New Testament series (NIGTC) by Richard Longenecker is now published. This is one of the most eagerly waited commentaries for me, and I am hoping to engage Longnecker and to harvest the fruits of his labour for my upcoming course on Romans. 

Eerdmans, the publisher for the NIGTC commentary series and other excellent series such as the Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC) and New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), offers excellent discount on selected commentaries through its Eerdmans Commentary Club. Most of the discounts ranges from 30-40% for selected titles. For example, Longenecker’s Romans commentary was recently offered 30% discount for subscribers including free shipping, but only valid for the US only. International Club members will be able to enjoy such discounts soon when stock is available in their respective regions. However, Eerdmans’ offer for the international market though its Commentary Club is only limited to the UK, Europe and Australia, but not any parts of the world at the moment. 
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​This is where I am envious of my friends in the Western world who could enjoy such benefits and yet scholars from Majority World are often left out. Books are expensive for us, and more so with the unfavourable exchange rate. For example, based on today’s exchange rate of US$1 = RM4.00, I would have to fork out RM248 for Longenecker’s Romans commentary (if I were to purchase it from Amazon.com including the shipping cost) or RM312 (if I were to purchase it through Bookdepository). How many of us could afford paying such a high price for a commentary (which is almost equivalent to 1/3 of our minimum monthly wage in Malaysia)? If those in the West could lament that the price of US$50-60 for a commentary like this is expensive, how much more expensive it is for us in the Majority World who are drawing a much lower income level!

Perhaps it is time book retailers in Malaysia and publishers like Eerdmans could work together and offer such benefits to those of us in the Majority World. My dream is that scholars, pastors, and seminarians in Malaysia would be able to build their personal library with excellent commentaries and other references and use them effectively in their teaching and preaching ministry. Until then, I shall continue to dream that Eerdmans Commentary Club will be a reality for the Malaysian market.
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Target Achieved in Less Than 24 hours

11/4/2016

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In less than 24 hours, we have achieved our target of meeting the matching grant of US$1,000 proposed by Ron Choong to establish a fund to assist Malaysian scholars to write and publish at the academic level. To all who have pledged towards this cause, I want to say a big thank you for believing in and standing behind what we do as biblical scholars/theologians. Thank you for assuring and affirming us that you stand alongside us and that our journey in pursuing the calling and vocation that God has placed in our life need not be a lonely one. We are indeed grateful to all of you and your generosity.

We are now in the process of setting up the logistics of the fund including the terms and conditions. A Board of Trustees has been initiated and the first meeting has been scheduled to be held within this week. 

More details on how you can contribute and pledge towards this fund will be announced.

While we may have met our initial target in less than 24 hour, we will continue to accept pledges until 30 April 2016. Please drop me a note if you wish to contribute. 
​
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Let us Deprive Ron Choong of his US$1,000!

10/4/2016

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In one of my recent Facebook posts, I lamented that there were those who complained that the suggested donation of RM300 (US$75 only) for a 3-credit hour Theological Education by Extension course was way too expensive. I also noted that there were also others who grumbled that a registration fee of RM10-20 (US$2.50-5.00) for a half-day Christian Education seminar in a local church was too exorbitant. Instead, some felt strongly that all these teachings should be offered free of charge. This post has generated quite a fair bit of response. 

Dr Ron Choong, a dear friend, commented the following: 

​I have been reading about this complaint and the voices of support for years, yet there seems to be no practical solution.

This is a really important moral and economic issue. 

Books are very accessible here in the West, both in borrowing privileges and in cost, let alone the abundance of used books. But there is a serious need to address the matter of theological access to non-western scholars. 

One of them is licensing to local on-demand printing. 

I always worry that my own books may be unaffordable to readers in countries that cannot afford them. So I choose to personally hold all copyrights. Now I can legally authorize academic readers in many countries who are unable to afford them (Africa, S America and parts of Asia) to photocopy at will. 

I refer to this as COPYLEFT. Some generous souls in Malaysia itself have in the past made sacrificial contributions to my COPYLEFT project. It flies in the face of Western notions of academic publishing but I do this because I myself was born in Malaysia and only by the grace of God do I enjoy unheard of access to data in my own interdisciplinary field research. Why should my colleagues in the non-Western world be deprived? It's is unconscionable for this situation to persist.

In my COPYLEFT project, I even distribute FREE copies of my own work.

This is not a long term solution. It is merely a token of my awareness of how uneven the playing field is for those of us enjoying the economic privileges in the West. How then do I fund my own research? I go out (shamelessly) and seek financial sponsors to underwrite my books in order to give away copyrights. 

Note: I do not receive any royalty from my books so that there are no conflicts of interest - because my writings often directly challenge the status quo of every doctrine from every Christian denomination I can think of. Ouch...yeah.

If I were writing on standard orthodox/safe Christian theology and biblical studies, I will expect legitimate royalty for my labors, So this is not a critique of anyone receiving their rightful due as authors. 

It is especially challenging when many new discoveries and insights make most academic books out of date within 3-5 years, the length of time it takes to research and write a book.

My own recent Biblical Guide to the Metropolitan Museum's ANE Gallery was published last year. Already I am under pressure to announce a revision or a second edition. This is a burden to students of science and theology. So I am looking into online addenda to reduce the cost of scholarship.

I call upon all believers who have more stable income and wealth to share your blessings. Set up a special trust fund to encourage academic research by sponsoring book projects, even if the amount is modest, because it brightens up even the gloomiest writing day.

Except for a few weirdo-aliens of blessed memory like CS Lewis, writing is one of the hardest and loneliest tasks in the world. It is sheer self-imposed isolation. Agonies from self-critique can be crippling. 

Even after you secure funding, the pressure is on and the deadline looms. Last year, I secure an unrestricted grant from a Bible Society of US$10,000 to assist in the underwriting of a Christian Guide to the American Museum of Natural History. I have been burdened by it ever since as the 1 year deadline looms - June 30. However, the confidence it gave me was and still is deeply more satisfying than the dollar amount is worth.

If anyone in Malaysia is willing to set up such a fund and appoint trustees to monitor and disburse tokens of encouragement for writers for the Church, I will be honored to kickstart the project with a matching grant of US$1000 of my personal savings.

I am not rich or even economically comfortably by any means and I myself do not draw a regular salary. But I feel strongly that the economics of publishing is killing an entire generation of Christian thinkers who do not write popular books which sell better.

Come on, people, GIVE, and take my money, to encourage FULL-TIME thinkers and writers for the Church. 

Do not lose a generation of Christian academics in Malaysia, it may never recover. 

If 20 people reading this forks up US$50 each, your can happily take up my offer and deprive me of my money. I will eat taugeh for a month, and EACH of you will orang me a dish of HOKKIEN MEE.

​I applaud Ron for his thoughtful response for the suggestion in setting up a fund for Malaysian writers and his generosity for the initial matching grant of US$1,000. 

As a scholar from the Majority World, I find it extremely difficult for us to research and write. It often costs us dearly in the pursuit of our passion. Oftentimes, many think that we earn huge sum of royalty. I can testify that nothing is further away from the truth. As an author myself, the royalty we receive for our publication is almost negligible. The royalty cannot even come close to cover our cost in publication where we need to pay for the services of proofreader and editor to help us in our writing, not to mention the time and money spent in our research. 

We do not have generous sabbaticals like our counterparts in the Western world. Many of us may only have one or two sabbaticals of a semester each in our entire teaching career.  Where do we find the time to research and write when most of us are also engaged in church ministry? Some of us even take unpaid leave or a period of unemployment so that we could fulfil our passion and calling in research and writing.

Our access to excellent libraries and books is limited. Books are way too expensive for us in Malaysia taking into account the unfavourable exchange rate. While Society of Biblical Literature has initiated an excellent project through its International Cooperation Initiative where books by selected publishers are made available in full text to scholars of the Majority World, there are many other crucial books priced beyond our means that we simply do not have access to. Some publishers offer discount for readers. For example, Sheffield Phoenix Press, an academic publisher specialising in biblical studies, offers 50% discount on hardback books to all bona fide scholars, but the sad news is that it has ceased publishing new books since the beginning of this year. Another publisher, Eerdmans, offers excellent discount up to 40% through its Eerdmans Commentary Club. Eerdmans publishes standard commentaries both scholars and students of the bible consult. However, in reality, Eerdmans’ offers are only limited to those from North America, Europe and Australasia and this excludes scholars from the Majority World who genuinely need these books at discounted prices.

So why do we still pursue our passion in publication despite these challenges? We write because we are passionate in what we do. We write because we do have a voice. We write because we believe we could make meaningful contribution to biblical scholarship. We write because this is one of the means in which we could improve ourselves, so that we could be better teachers, scholars, and preachers, and we hope that we could bring the fruit of our labour to the church for her benefits. 

If anyone out there is keen to deprive Ron of his US$1,000 matching grant to initiate a fund to assist scholars in Malaysia towards publication, please respond and drop me a note. We need some volunteers to kick start this, and we hope this will, in some small ways, encourage our local scholars.
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    Lecturer in New Testament Studies at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia. You can find out more about me by clicking here. 


    Blog

    My engagement in conversation with issues, reflections, and concerns related to my vocation as a seminary lecturer and theological education in general. Opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my personal views and do not represent the official position of the seminary


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