tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11829149605629621552024-03-13T09:36:09.296-07:00The Burial of JesusJames F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-49408268293185141332013-01-08T07:20:00.001-08:002013-01-08T07:20:36.841-08:00Two Recent Posts on the Book ElsewhereTwo posts over on <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/">my main blog, Exploring Our Matrix</a>, have focused on <i>The Burial of Jesus</i>. <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2013/01/on-the-burial-of-jesus.html">One is a quote from a reader expressing their appreciation for the book</a>. <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2013/01/why-did-early-christians-improve-the-burial-of-jesus.html">The other is links to an online review on a friend's blog, which ends with an interesting question about why early Christians developed the tradition in the way that they did</a>. Click through the links embedded in this post to read them!James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-25579165756682566772012-07-17T07:59:00.000-07:002012-07-17T07:59:15.966-07:00Popular Highlights in the Burial of JesusOne nice feature of Kindle ebooks, such as my own <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU">The Burial of Jesus: What Does History Have to Do with Faith?</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em>, is the fact that data can be collected about what readers highlight in the text. Amazon shares such information anonymously on the book's page.
Here are the three most popularly highlighted quotes from that book:
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignright" height="128" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0077SP5SU&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" style="border: 0px;" width="80" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />For some, religion is about confidently knowing; for others, it is about meekly acknowledging the inadequacy of our human knowledge. </blockquote>
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it was, in fact, primarily the Romans who wanted Jesus apprehended, and the Jewish authorities were taking preemptive action to hand Jesus over to them, lest the Romans send their troops in and there be more bloodshed and loss of life. </div>
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The Bible also challenges those who believe in God to be open to new information, to new experiences, even though such new data may require that one revise one’s theology and indeed one’s whole worldview.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU">Click through to see what else readers of the book have highlighted.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> And if you have read it or read it in the future, or read other Kindle ebooks, keep in mind that there might be another reason than just your own benefit to highlight a sentence or passage that speaks to you.<br />
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I'm also interested to hear from readers of Kindle ebooks about this feature. How does the fact that books now read you, and not just vice versa, affect the way you read, if at all? And how do you feel about the way such technology is automatically turning reading into a communal process?James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-36256590893068382892012-02-14T12:38:00.000-08:002012-02-14T12:38:37.529-08:00The Burial of Jesus: Second Edition Published!<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignleft" height="160" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0077SP5SU&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" width="100" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2012/02/the-burial-of-jesus-second-edition-published.html">I am happy to finally be able to announce</a> that the second edition of my book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU">The Burial of Jesus: What Does History Have to Do with Faith?</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em> has now been released by Patheos Press and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SP5SU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SP5SU">is now available for purchase in Kindle format on Amazon.com</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0077SP5SU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
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Versions in Nook and iBooks format are planned for the near future.<br />
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The price on Amazon.com is $2.99, and this is indeed a revised and improved edition, and so even if you previously purchased the first edition of <em>The Burial of Jesus</em> you will presumably still have an interest in this one.<br />
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I'll be getting in touch with some other bloggers about reviewing the book, and there will be some op-eds and videos that I'll be writing/recording in the coming days and weeks, on topics that the book touches on. If you are a blogger interested in the possibility of reviewing the book, do get in touch via e-mail or some other means of private messaging to indicate your interest, and let me know your daily pageview statistics.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-51835829696447387892011-03-28T11:39:00.000-07:002011-03-28T11:39:37.260-07:00Articles of Related Interest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Two articles by me of related interest have been published in <i>The Bible and Interpretation</i>. One, on <a href="http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/burjes358023.shtml">the burial of Jesus and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher</a>, is based on material from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burial-Jesus-History-Faith/dp/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Burial of Jesus</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439210179" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>. The other, on <a href="http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/mcg.shtml">the ending of Mark's Gospel</a>, is also relevant to the subject of that book.<br />
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</div>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-72115997262330493802010-10-07T12:39:00.000-07:002010-10-07T12:39:46.043-07:00Coming Soon: "Burial of Jesus" in The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its ReceptionWhen the relevant volume of the <span id="btAsinTitle"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Bible-Its-Reception-Christology/dp/3110183722?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception </em></a><em><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=3110183722" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em>becomes available in the not-too-distant future, part of the article on "Burial of Jesus" was contributed by me. I have not read the other sections of the article, and so am looking forward to reading them, in addition to having my own contribution made available.</span>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-70389430218402096402010-10-07T12:37:00.000-07:002010-10-07T12:37:14.091-07:00The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Gospel of MarkThe Gospel of Mark, when not read through the lens of later Gospels, suggests that Jesus was not given an honorable burial: Jesus is buried in accordance with the Law and placed in "a tomb," without anointing or other niceties that were the norm when someone was buried honorably by their family. The use of a linen shroud may suggest that it was possible to be buried even more dishonorably - but not much (<a href="http://biu.academia.edu/NahumBenYehuda/Papers/181160/Shrouds-for-the-Deceased---in-Talmudic-Literature">Nahum ben Yehuda has a collection of rabbinic references to burial shrouds</a>).<br />
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A new <a href="http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/burial357907.shtml#sdfootnote17sym">article in <em>The Bible and Interpretation</em> by Eldad Keynan</a> (HT <a href="http://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/eldad-keynans-fascinating-piece-on-burial/">Jim West</a>) the customs of Jewish burial in the time of Jesus are explained. In addition, we get the important information that "the tomb beneath the Holy Sepulcher has no niches but only a shelf, and it is smaller compared to regular family tombs." This leads Keynan to suggest that this was probably the site used by the Jerusalem court for burial of criminals. It was used for preliminary burial, not being intended for final burial.<br />
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It is striking that the traditional site for the burial of Jesus<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439210179" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (hidden for a while by a temple of Aphrodite) and the details of Mark's Gospel (obscured or even contradicted by later authors) converge in agreement on this point.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-90154926210047385932010-03-13T18:19:00.000-08:002010-03-13T18:19:19.568-08:00Triangulations On The Burial of JesusSabio Lantz has begun blogging through <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burial-Jesus-History-Faith/dp/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Burial of Jesus: History and Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439210179" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em> - for which I am very grateful!<br />
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He has created a <a href="http://triangulations.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/the-burial-of-jesus-a-review/">start page</a> for the review, and will link to individual posts reflecting on the book as he reads through it. The first substantive post is called <a href="http://triangulations.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/mcgraths-faith/">McGrath's Faith</a>.<br />
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If you've never visited Sabio's blog Triangulations before, be sure not to miss the list of ingredients in the sidebar!James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-91325563838702041972009-11-02T10:34:00.000-08:002009-11-02T10:35:00.210-08:00Review in InterpretationThe latest issue of the journal <em>Interpretation</em>, 63.4 (Oct 2009), includes a review of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1439210179">The Burial of Jesus: History and Faith</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1439210179" width="1" border="0" /> </em>(on p.426).<br /><br />If your library has a subscription to either the <a href="http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C7%29mcgrath%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C6%29burial%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C5%29jesus%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28JN%2CNone%2C14%29Interpretation%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&searchId=R4&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=butleru&docId=A210118681&docType=IAC&contentSet=IAC-Documents#">Gale Group database</a> or <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1879127511.html">Highbeam</a>, you can probably read the review already. If not, you may have to wait until it makes it into other databases or until the print copy gets processed and appears on the shelf.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-20410367371219864912009-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:002009-05-19T07:24:20.315-07:00Spirit Cry reviewCameron Horsburgh at the <a href="http://spiritcry.wordpress.com/">Spirit Cry</a> blog has written <a href="http://spiritcry.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/the-burial-of-jesus-a-review/">a review of <em>The Burial of Jesus</em></a>.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-91009397859510241352009-04-11T13:37:00.000-07:002009-04-11T13:38:16.069-07:00Dead and Buried<a href="http://www.shuckandjive.org/2009/04/dead-and-buried.html">John Shuck has kindly offered a short review</a> of my book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439210179?tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1439210179&adid=0ZQEZJ50BG83ZBHJNTDM&">The Burial of Jesus</a></em>,<em> </em>over on his blog. What more appropriate day could there be for this than today?James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-59933624427950966882009-03-18T10:27:00.000-07:002009-03-18T10:28:36.360-07:00Craig Evans on Jesus' Dishonorable Burial<a href="http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/bookcovers/978-0-281-06039-9.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px" alt="" src="http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/bookcovers/978-0-281-06039-9.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>I've been reading mainly the second chapter of the recent <a href="http://rdtwot.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/jesus-the-final-days-what-really-happened/">book</a> by Craig Evans and Tom Wright, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0664233597?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0664233597">Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0664233597" width="1" border="0" /></em>. One chapter each is devoted to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. While the volume is not without its shortcomings, I am appreciateive of Evans' articulation of a persuasive argument for the likelihood of Jesus having been buried (with appropriate citation of evidence for the importance of burial in the Judaism of this time), and the likelihood that the burial was in a tomb reserved for executed criminals, i.e. a place of dishonorable burial (p.64). I make a similar argument in <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1439210179">The Burial of Jesus: History and Faith</a></em>. </div>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-7558633654555223262009-02-09T15:52:00.001-08:002009-02-09T15:52:51.994-08:00The Clever Badger on The Burial of JesusAn extended <a href="http://www.cleverbadger.net/?p=123">review</a> of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439210179?tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1439210179&adid=01K7BKQZMBQTN7QVV9DF&">The Burial of Jesus</a></em> has been posted at <a href="http://www.cleverbadger.net/?p=123">The Clever Badger</a> blog. Do take a look!James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-28022448617794492442008-12-04T09:38:00.001-08:002008-12-04T18:50:20.686-08:00The Burial of Jesus: Now Available Through EisenbraunsThe book has been <a href="http://www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~MCGBURIAL">listed on Eisenbrauns</a>.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~MCGBURIAL" target="_blank"><b><i>The Burial of Jesus:</i></b></a> <b>History and Faith</b><br />by James F. McGrath<br />BookSurge, 2008<br />142 pages, English<br />Paper<br />ISBN: 9781439210178<br />Your Price: $0.00<br /><a href="http://www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~MCGBURIAL" target="_blank">www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~MCGBURIAL</a><!--Copyright (c) 2006-2008 Eisenbrauns, Inc. You may modify this code to suit your layout, provided that the link still point to Eisenbrauns.--></p>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-31831043096184225672008-11-18T06:21:00.000-08:002008-11-18T06:23:09.757-08:00An Excellent Starting PointThere's a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RNB9SEMB2OK69/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm">new review of <em>The Burial of Jesus</em> by J. A. Kidwell</a> posted on Amazon.com.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-42346209193432931252008-10-27T09:35:00.000-07:002008-10-27T09:42:25.298-07:00Review by Stephen BarkleyStephen Barkley has posted a review of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1439210179">The Burial of Jesus</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1439210179" width="1" border="0" /> </em>on <a href="http://stephenbarkley.com/2008/10/27/the-burial-of-jesus-james-f-mcgrath/">his blog</a> and on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R3OX629CY9I6HS/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm">Amazon.com</a>.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-74366071211310769182008-10-24T20:26:00.000-07:002008-10-24T20:28:04.170-07:00Black Belt LibrarianBrad Matthies carries his discussion of my book a step further at his new blog, <a href="http://blackbeltlibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/the-burial-of-jesus-by-james-mcgrath">Black Belt Librarian</a>.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-57039373752639427682008-10-24T10:59:00.000-07:002008-10-24T11:02:41.749-07:00Aristotle's Feminist Subject<em>The Burial of Jesus</em> gets a mention on<a href="http://speakeristic.blogspot.com/2008/10/anne-carson-and-anne-lamott-on.html"> J. K. Gayle's blog <em>Aristotle's Feminist Subject</em></a>.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-51752687567728681022008-10-24T09:19:00.001-07:002008-10-24T09:21:38.381-07:00Amazon Top 100<em>The Burial of Jesus</em> made it into the top 100 on Amazon today, hitting <strong>#76</strong> in the category<br />Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > Criticism & Interpretation > New TestamentJames F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-11395879515144128652008-10-24T08:55:00.000-07:002008-10-24T08:57:35.920-07:00How Dishonorable Was Jesus' Burial?I received a question from someone who is reading my book, asking the following:<br /><br /><blockquote>I'm just curious if you've read two <a href="http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?articleId=640">articles</a> that argue against McCane's thesis of a dishonorable burial. William Lane Craig ("Was Jesus Buried in Shame: Reflections on B. McCane's Proposal," <em><a href="http://ext.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/115/12/404">Expository Times</a></em>, 115, 2004, 404-409 ) argues against McCane directly, and <a href="http://www.telecomtally.com/blog/2007/03/once_more_into.html">Jodi Magness </a>("Ossuaries and the Burials of Jesus and James" <em><a href="http://www.salvationhistory.com/library/scripture/JBL%20Gen9.pdf">JBL</a></em>, 124, 2005) 121-54 argues that if Jesus was buried in a criminal burial area he would have been buried in the ground, and a tomb like Joseph's would only have been a private tomb.</blockquote>Here's what I wrote in reply:<br /><br />Having decided to write the book for a general audience and not include footnotes, I ended up not interacting with some of the possible objections that could be (and have been) raised. The point that a dishonorable burial would more likely have constituted burial in a trench/dirt grave is an important one. I'd say we don't know quite as much as we'd like about burial practices, as <a href="http://www.doxa.ws/Jesus_pages/Resurrection/Tomb_res.html">Raymond Brown</a> points out (it was <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/FR91103.TXT">Brown</a> who persuaded me that Mark depicts a dishonorable burial, even before I encountered McCane's work on the subject).<br /><br />It is, ultimately, the account in Mark (and what later Gospels do to it) that persuades me that Jesus was not buried with the honor his followers believed he was due. The reference to being anointed beforehand and to women seeking to do so after the fact seems to me to be sufficient indication that, if nothing else, anointing was left undone. And it seems from both Mark and John (albeit in different ways) that this fact troubled at least some Christians.<br /><br />In short, I think it may be possible that there were even less honorable burials one could be given, but the evidence from the Gospels suggests that Jesus' burial was, at the very least, less honorable and less complete than Christians felt he deserved.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-15002686266407355592008-10-22T20:13:00.000-07:002008-10-22T20:20:35.627-07:00Faith and HistoryThe discussion of the book has spread to <a href="http://www.billheroman.com/2008/10/faith-and-history.html">Bill Heroman's Bible/History blog</a>.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-25847699940893067512008-10-22T11:16:00.000-07:002008-10-22T11:38:41.697-07:00Clarification<em>The Burial of Jesus</em> (and a recent review of it) have been mentioned on <a href="http://lingamish.com/2008/10/22/your-footsteps-were-never-seen/">Lingamish</a>. Just for clarification, the post there says:<br /><br /><blockquote>"his body later dumped in a common grave" - I think that something like this is what happened.<br /><br />"where the disciples then retrieved it and gave it a proper burial" - I am persuaded that the <em>disciples wanted to do this</em> but am also persuaded that they were unable to. Had they been able to, I think they would have told a different story than the one found in Mark. Indeed, the way that later Gospels rewrote the story in Mark shows how much they wished they could have done this.</blockquote>At any rate, if there's one thing that both David and I agree on, it is that there is inevitable <a href="http://sweetmummy.lifewithchrist.org/permalink/43693.html">uncertainty</a> about some things that we wish we could be certain about.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-43083651415515546022008-10-22T06:42:00.000-07:002008-10-22T06:43:15.462-07:00Resurrection and the Gothic TheologianI joined briefly in a discussion on <a href="http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showthread.php?t=119024">Theology Web</a>, and one of the other participants has reposted some things I wrote and his reply on his own blog, <em><a href="http://gothictheology.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-thoughts-on-first-corinthians-15.html">The Gothic Theologian</a></em>. Those interested in talking about 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection, and related subjects, but who may (like me) not be "orthodox" enough for the discussion on Theology Web, may want to pay a visit to the Gothic Theologian instead!James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-72734236617838203222008-10-21T07:58:00.000-07:002008-10-21T08:06:11.962-07:00Review by Nelson Moore on ChrisendomNelson Moore has done a <a href="http://www.christilling.de/blog/2008/10/guest-book-review-nelson-moore-on-james.html">guest post on Chris Tilling's blog Chrisendom, a review of <em>The Burial of Jesus</em></a>. Do take a look! I'll just share his conclusion here, but the whole review provides a nice summary of the book's key points.<br /><br /><blockquote>"<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439210179?tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1439210179&adid=0WDK7H1TEAZGVGHCD94Q&">The Burial of Jesus</a></em> by James McGrath is definitely worth purchasing and reading. For those unfamiliar with how historical work is done in Christian academic contexts, McGrath provides a wonderful primer. If you are a biblical scholar, you may find this book very valuable as a resource to share with friends or students who are looking to understand historical scholarship. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this work." </blockquote>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-60466902663923722332008-10-19T11:15:00.001-07:002008-10-19T11:21:20.481-07:00Comparing Prices<em>The Burial of Jesus</em> is available through a number of online stores, and using services such as <a href="http://www.bookfinder4u.com/IsbnSearch.aspx?isbn=1439210179&mode=direct">BookFinder4U</a> in the United States, or <a href="http://www.gettextbooks.co.uk/search/?isbn=9781439210178">GetTextbooks</a> in the UK, it is possible to compare prices. Assuming one will be paying for shipping, <a href="http://www.ecampus.com/book/9781439210178">eCampus</a> has the best price at the moment, but if you purchase $25 or more on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439210179?ie=UTF8&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1439210179">Amazon</a><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1439210179" width="1" border="0" /> you can avoid paying shipping, and that often works out better.James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1182914960562962155.post-41221010511740675072008-10-13T09:08:00.000-07:002008-10-13T09:11:37.219-07:00Lunchtime Discussion at Butler University October 22nd<div align="center"><strong>Pizza Lunch Discussion</strong> </div><div align="center">Wednesday, October 22nd, 12:00 – 2:00, Jordan Hall 340, </div><div align="center">Butler University<br /><br />What is the relationship between history and faith?<br />In the rush to get from the story of the crucifixion to the story of the resurrection, have readers tended to miss some important details about what happened in between?<br />Has contemporary American Christianity become too focused on the afterlife?<br /><br />Come join us for a discussion of these and other subjects touched on in the new book <em>The Burial of Jesus: History and Faith</em> (BookSurge, 2008) written by Dr. James F. McGrath, associate professor of religion at Butler University.</div><div align="center"><br />Dr. McGrath has a limited number of copies available for those wishing to read the book before the discussion. Copies are available for $10 each from Dr. McGrath or $12.99 each on Amazon.com.<br /><br />Pizza and other refreshments will be provided.</div>James F. McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.com0