Biblical Studies Carnival # 230 – November 2025

Welcome to the November 2025 Biblical Studies Carnival, where we gather some of the best posts from across the biblioblogosphere this month. As always, the goal is to highlight thoughtful, creative, and academically rich contributions in Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, and Archaeology. November proved to be a vibrant month, with excellent work spanning textual criticism, exegesis, historical reflection, and field archaeology. Here are the highlights.

Old Testament / Hebrew Bible

TheTorah.com has published two thematic collections exploring key women in Genesis. The Rebekah Collection examines one of Israel’s matriarchs through multiple scholarly perspectives: “Rebecca, the Hidden Prophetess,” “Rebecca, Excluded from Isaac’s Plans, Makes a Tragic Mistake,” “Rebecca’s Character,” “Rebecca: A Woman of Agency;” “Sarah, Rebecca and Bathsheba Ensure Their Sons’ Successions,” and “A Monogamous Isaac Prays for His Barren Wife.”

The Hagar and Ishmael Collection analyzes Hagar’s complex relationship with Abraham and Sarah: “The Expulsion of Ishmael: Who Is Being Tried?,” “Does Ishmael Molest Isaac?,” “Hagar: An Egyptian Maidservant’s Suffering Is Seen by YHWH,” “Reconciling Hagar and Sarah: Feminist Midrash and National Conflict,” “What Does Sarah’s Expulsion of Hagar Signify for Abraham’s Descendants?,” and “’Take Your Only Son Isaac’—What Happened to Ishmael?”

Claude Mariottini continued his work in Genesis with two engaging studies of Abraham’s recurring crises of faith. His post “Abraham’s First Failure: Egypt and the Wife–Sister Deception” revisits the patriarch’s ethically fraught decision in Genesis 12, and a companion essay, “Abraham’s Second Failure: Abraham and Eliezer”, examines Abraham’s struggle to trust God’s promise of a son.

Mariottini also offered a broader canonical contribution with “An Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel” and a literary/theological reflection on gender in the OT, “Discovering Women’s Agency in Ancient Israel’s Story”.

In her post, “Was the Levite’s Concubine Angry or an Adulterer?”, Marg Mowczko revisits the disturbing story of Judges 19 and questions the widespread assumption that the Levite’s concubine was guilty of adultery.

For textual criticism enthusiasts, UASV Bible published a methodological essay, “Internal Criteria for Variant Evaluation in OT Textual Criticism”—a concise introduction to how scholars weigh internal evidence in Hebrew Bible variants.

At PaleoJudaica, Jim Davila highlighted two fascinating items. “Behemoth in the Book of Job” surveys the debate between mythic and zoological readings of Job 40, while “Hendel on textual criticism” explores Ronald Hendel’s reflections on composition and transmission as an integrated discipline.

New Testament / Early Christianity

Phillip J. Long at Reading Acts offered a rich sequence of exegetical reflections on Paul’s speeches in Acts. He begins with “Meeting Ananias in Damascus – Acts 22:12–16 versus Acts 9”, examining how Luke reframes Paul’s conversion. He continues with “God Sent Paul to the Gentiles – Acts 22:17–21”, and then turns to the crowd’s furious response in “Reaction to Paul’s Prophetic Vision – Acts 22:22–29”. Long concludes the series with “Paul Before the Sanhedrin – Acts 23:1–5”, reflecting on Paul’s good conscience and prophetic boldness under pressure.

Marg Mowczko challenges the popular claim that shepherds in the time of Jesus were despised social outcasts in her post “Were Shepherds Despised Outcasts in Jesus’s time?”

PaleoJudaica added a note of interest for NT textual critics with “TC has moved and has a new volume out (30, 2025)”, marking the publication of the latest issue of TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism.

Church History / Historical Theology

The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary offered a timely meditation for the global church in “The Ancient Words We Need: Why Creeds and Confessions Still Matter for the MENA Church”, highlighting the enduring value of classical doctrinal statements in modern ministry contexts.

For readers who enjoy historical sketches tied to the Christian year, Fr. John Murphy marked the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo with his post and followed with a reflection on the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, tracing the basilica’s history from Constantine to the present.

Ptebo contributed a popular-level but helpful historical overview in “Church History – Constantine and the Council of Nicea (Nov 23, 2025)”. And the ATRI newsletter continued its apologetics series with “The Historic Reliability of Scripture – Part 2”, tying transmission and canon to broader questions of historical trust.

Archaeology / Material Culture

Archaeology was especially active in November. Todd Bolen’s BiblePlaces blog offered two substantial roundups: Weekend Roundup, Part 1 and Part 2, each linking to the latest discoveries, academic articles, and cultural heritage news. The BiblePlaces November 2025 Newsletter expanded this even further with archaeological highlights from Israel, Egypt, and Turkey.

PaleoJudaica posted several archaeology-related notes, including a report on new land expropriations around Sebastia and a follow-up to new materials tests on the Jordanian lead codices. These posts underscore how archaeology, politics, and authenticity debates continue to intersect.

From the field, Aren Maeir reported on Tell es-Safi/Gath activities at the ASOR 2025 Meeting in Boston, summarizing presentations and sharing updates on the forthcoming Early Bronze Age volume: “At the 2025 ASOR Meeting in Boston”.

The Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project, directed by Aren Maeir, is a large-scale excavation of the ancient Philistine city of Gath—biblically known as Goliath’s hometown. The excavations have uncovered monumental fortifications, cultic structures, donkey burials, and inscriptions possibly linked to the name Goliath.

Conclusion

November proved to be a remarkably productive month across the biblioblogosphere. From the deep textual work of OT and NT scholars to rich reflections in church history and lively developments in archaeology, the month brought a wide array of thoughtful contributions. As always, the strength of the discipline is seen in the diversity of voices engaging Scripture, history, and material culture from multiple angles.

If you posted something in November that deserves attention in a future carnival, please reach out—these monthly collections thrive on the breadth of our shared work.

If you want to write a future Biblical Studies Carnival, contact Phil Long at plong42@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading, and may the conversation continue.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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