Posts by Gary Manning Jr

Gary Manning Jr

Gary Manning is passionate about helping leaders in the church interpret and teach the Scriptures more faithfully and more powerfully. He is a professor of New Testament languages and literatures and the director of the Master of Divinity program at Talbot School of Theology. Gary studied at Talbot and Fuller, and focuses his studies on the Gospel of John, the Synoptic Gospels, and the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament. He is the author of Echoes of a Prophet: The Use of Ezekiel in the Gospel of John and in Literature of the Second Temple Period (T&T Clark, 2004). Gary has been involved in various kinds of Christian ministry for over thirty years, including youth ministry, church planting, and teaching ministry, and still maintains active ministry in the church. At home, Gary spends his time with his wife Barbara and their ten children.

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The Good Book Blog
Herod, the King of the Jews
Gary Manning Jr — December 23, 2024
When the magi showed up in Bethlehem, they asked “Where is he who was born King of the Jews?” (Matt 2:2). Why did this question cause Herod to...
Talbot Magazine
Best of the Blog: Fall 2022
“Paid in Full”? The Meaning of τετέλεσται (Tetelestai) in Jesus’ Final Words
Gary Manning Jr — December 14, 2022
There are a lot of interesting claims about historical background to the New Testament that float around, especially on social media. I tell my...
The Good Book Blog
“Paid in Full”? The Meaning of τετέλεσται (Tetelestai) in Jesus’ Final Words
Gary Manning Jr — April 20, 2022
There are a lot of interesting claims about historical background to the New Testament that float around, especially on social media. I tell my...
The Good Book Blog
More Skubala: Did the Apostle Paul use Swear Words?
Gary Manning Jr — March 24, 2022
In a previous post, Did the Apostle Paul Use Profanity?, I debunked the claim that σκύβαλα (skubala, rubbish or waste), a word used by Paul in...
The Good Book Blog
What are Swaddling Clothes?
Gary Manning Jr — December 20, 2021
Luke tells us that Mary “gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes” (Luke 2:7). Later, the angel told the shepherds...
Talbot Magazine
New Program Roundup: Summer 2021
An introduction to the latest programs arriving this summer and fall.
Eddie Byun, Brandon Cash, Dave Keehn, Gary Manning Jr — June 16, 2021
Master of Divinity Now Offered Fully Online Talbot School of Theology is launching its widely respected Master of Divinity in a fully online...
Talbot Magazine
Best of the Blog: Summer 2021
New Dead Sea Scroll Discovery: A Closer Look
Gary Manning Jr — June 16, 2021
You may have seen one of the many articles about some new fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) that were recently discovered. Fascinating stuff!...
The Good Book Blog
New Dead Sea Scroll Discovery: A Closer Look
Gary Manning Jr — March 17, 2021
You may have seen one of the many articles about some new fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) that were recently discovered. Fascinating stuff!...
The Good Book Blog
Can you read "Peter Rabbit" in Greek?
Gary Manning Jr — November 13, 2020
I am happy to announce the publication of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories in Koine Greek with GlossaHouse. It includes three of Beatrix Potter’s...
Talbot Magazine
Best of the Blog
Paul's Name Change
Gary Manning Jr — June 04, 2019
Did Saul change his name to Paul when he became a follower of Jesus? This seems to be a common opinion among Christians. Shortly before the movie ...
The Good Book Blog
Paul’s Name Change
Gary Manning Jr — February 06, 2019
Did Saul change his name to Paul when he became a follower of Jesus? This seems to be a common opinion among Christians. Shortly before the movie “...
The Good Book Blog
Solving Interpretational Problems
Gary Manning Jr — January 02, 2019
When you are trying to make sense of a passage of Scripture – that is, a full scene or paragraph –you often need to decide between two competing...
Talbot Magazine
Streamlining Seminary
Innovative New B.A. + M.A. Program Prepares Students to Enter Pastoral Ministry More Quickly
Gary Manning Jr — November 13, 2017
Several students have taken advantage of one of Talbot’s newest programs, an innovative combination of two degrees: a bachelor’s degree in biblical and theological studies with a concentration in preaching and pastoral ministry (B.A. PPM), and a master’s degree in Christian ministry and leadership with a specialization in preaching and pastoral ministry (M.A. PPM).
The Good Book Blog
Problem Passages in The Message
Gary Manning Jr — November 29, 2016
My friend Ken Berding wrote a recent blog post explaining his concerns about using The Message. As he pointed out, people often treat it as a Bible translation, when it is actually a very loose paraphrase. One of Ken’s observations is that The Message routinely adds meaning to or subtracts meaning from the original Greek and Hebrew text. While doing detailed work in the Greek New Testament and in several English translations, I have repeatedly found this to be true.
The Good Book Blog
Misinterpreting the Thief (John 10:10)
Gary Manning Jr — April 28, 2016
In Jesus’ Shepherd Discourse in John 10, Jesus contrasts himself with “the thief.” “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it in abundance.” If you hear this verse quoted in a sermon, or see how people use this verse online, you will usually hear that the thief is Satan. But is that what Jesus meant?
The Good Book Blog
Did the Apostle Paul Use Profanity?
Gary Manning Jr — October 01, 2015
In Philippians 3:8, the apostle Paul compares his religious credentials to knowing Jesus. The difference could hardly be more emphatic: “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” is of “surpassing value,” but Paul’s past success is like σκύβαλα (skubala). σκύβαλα is commonly translated as rubbish, refuse, or garbage, but sometimes more strongly as dung, in both ancient and modern translations (Vulgate, Tyndale, KJV, NET). Some have suggested another four-letter translation, stronger than dung. While teaching Greek, I used to say that σκύβαλα is the closest thing to a swear word you can find in the New Testament - and I was repeating something that I had heard or read quite a few times. C. Spicq's Greek lexicon even suggests that σκύβαλα should be rendered crap. But is it true? Is σκύβαλα a swear word, or maybe a rude word? Or is it unobjectionable?
The Good Book Blog
Does "I Am" always refer to God in the Gospel of John?
Gary Manning Jr — September 21, 2015
It is commonly claimed that when Jesus used the phrase “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι, ego eimi), he was making a direct reference to the name of God in the Old Testament, YHWH. There is some truth to this, but I want to suggest three important caveats to this claim: “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι), by itself, is not a code for the name of God; “I am” is only intended to refer to deity in some of Jesus’ sayings; Paying too much attention to the “I am” part of the sentence distracts readers from paying attention to the rest of the sentence.
The Good Book Blog
I am the Very Model of a Doctor of New Testament
Gary Manning Jr — May 13, 2015
I am the very model of a Doctor of New Testament, I exegete pericopae in weather fine or inclement, I know the difference between a codex and a Chester B, and even if a manuscript is Byzantine or Westerly.
The Good Book Blog
New Claims Regarding the “Family of Jesus” Tomb
Gary Manning Jr — April 13, 2015
“Geologist claims Jesus was married… and had a SON: Expert says he has proof son of God was buried in 'family tomb' along with wife Mary and his brother” screams the headline. The sensational headline, along with the release date on Easter weekend, should be our first warning to take the announcement with a grain of salt. To understand what these claims are, we need to go back to a (widely discredited) documentary, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” released by documentarist Simcha Jacobovichi in 2007.
The Good Book Blog
Three Days and Three Nights
Gary Manning Jr — April 01, 2015
The message of Easter is much more important than its chronology. Still, people often ask me questions about chronology in the Gospels. In my earlier post, I answered questions related to the date of Easter and the apparent difference between the chronology found in John and in the Synoptic Gospels. Today, I answer a few questions related to the "three days and three nights."
The Good Book Blog
Chronology of Easter in John and the Synoptic Gospels
Gary Manning Jr — March 30, 2015
The exact chronology of Easter is not the most important thing to think about during Easter week, but students often ask me questions about chronological issues in the Gospels. Here are two common questions: What is the probable date of Jesus’ crucifixion? In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus dies the day after Passover. But in John, it seems like he dies on the Passover. Can these be reconciled?
The Good Book Blog
Christmas in November?
Gary Manning Jr — November 18, 2014
Merry Christmas! Today, November 18, is Jesus' birthday, according to a few ancient sources. A few years ago, I came across an interesting article about the date of Jesus' birth by Paul Meier, a prominent New Testament scholar. Here is a summary: We celebrate Jesus' birthday on December 25, but it is quite unlikely that he was born on that day. That date was picked out in the fourth century, possibly as a replacement celebration for the winter solstice or other pagan holidays. Paul Meier suggests a birthday in November. This is based on two pieces of data....
The Good Book Blog
Snatched Up For a Meeting
Gary Manning Jr — October 16, 2014
The release of the movie Left Behind has again drawn attention to the Christian belief in the rapture. The movie tries to portray the chaos in the world as millions of Christians suddenly disappear. This image has interested Christians for quite a while. I recall watching the Thief in the Night series of movies back in the 1970s (the Antichrist had sideburns!). But I am interested in a question that is often overlooked: what is the point of the rapture in the Bible?
The Good Book Blog
The Parable of the Foolish Weightlifter
Gary Manning Jr — February 18, 2014
1The teacher said, “Hear now the parable of the foolish weightlifter. 2A certain man wished to become stronger and to run and not grow weary. So he went to the gymnasium, paying the gymnasium-master three obols.a 3The man began lifting bars with weights upon them, first one talent,b then two. But he was not able to lift three talents. 4So the man said to himself, “Soul, your arms are very sore. You are not able to lift so many talents.”
The Good Book Blog
A Response to Zealot by Reza Aslan
Gary Manning Jr — August 04, 2013
Reza Aslan’s new book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (Random House, 2013), is in most ways a typical attempt to paint a new picture of Jesus. Because so many hundreds of books of this type have been published, Aslan’s book would most likely not have received significant attention at all, except for two factors. First, a botched interview of the author on Fox News caused a huge surge of interest, making his book an overnight best seller. And second, Aslan is a very good writer. His primary teaching role, after all, is as a professor of creative writing at UC Riverside. Aslan is able to take a lot of important historical background and present it in a riveting manner, accessible to most readers.