The latest edition of the Review of Biblical Literature has a number of Hebrew Bible related reviews, as well as some other relevant reviews in the area of hermeneutics and Septuagint studies. Noteworthy are the two reviews of M. Christine Tetley’s The Reconstructed Chronology of the Divided Kingdom. The eight-page review by Andrew Steinmann is quite thorough and uncovers a number of faulty assumptions in Tetley’s work, while Jennifer Singletary’s review also highlights some methodological problems. It appears that the mysterious numbers of the Hebrew kings are still a mystery!

• T. J. Betts, Ezekiel the Priest: Custodian of Tora. Reviewed by Brandon Fredenburg
• Irmtraud Fischer; translated by Linda Maloney, Women Who Wrestled with God: Biblical Stories of Israel’s Beginnings. Reviewed by Yael Shemesh
• M. Christine Tetley, The Reconstructed Chronology of the Divided Kingdom. Reviewed by Jennifer Singletary and Andrew Steinmann
• Josephus; Translated by Étienne Nodet, Les Antiquités Juives: Livres VIII et IX. Reviewed by René Bloch
• William Loader, The Septuagint, Sexuality, and the New Testament: Case Studies on the Impact of the LXX in Philo and the New Testament. Reviewed by Mark McEntire
• Brian K. Blount, Can I Get a Witness?: Reading Revelation through African American Culture. Reviewed by Danielle Sigler
• Brown, Michael Joseph, Blackening the Bible: The Aims of African American Biblical Scholarship. Reviewed by Danielle Sigler

The Da Vinci Code received its highest honour to date when it was featured on Sunday’s episode of Family Guy. The baby, Stewie, stayed up all night and read it — I figured they were going to make more of it, but that was about it! (I was researching my religion & popular culture course while watching, of course!)

Don’t Press the Red Button!!!!.

I warned you… (via Allthings2all)

The latest edition of the ever-serious online Christian news source Larknews has a “news” story on how Bruce Wilkerson’s little book, The Prayer of Jabez, has devastated China’s house church movement. You can read it for yourself and snicker here.

If you want to listen to a more sober and somewhat academic response to Wilkerson’s Prayer of Jabez (as well as The Bible Code), you can listen to the MP3 of the public lecture I gave at Taylor University College entitled, “Jabez and the Hidden Codes of the Bible: The Use of the Old Testament in Popular Culture” October 24, 2002. The lecture is available on the Public Lecture Archive page.

I am relieved to report that biblioblogger Michael Homan is safe and sound. His personal report on his experiences riding out hurricane Katrina and its aftermath is a must read. In another blog entry he also appeals for financial donations to some less-known but worthy charities.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry (“Theological Reflection on Hurricane Katrina“), Canadians can donate to the World Vision Hurricane Katrina response by calling 1 (800) 268-5528 or donating online here, or to the Canadian Red Cross by going here.