• Bible Films Blog

    Looking at film interpretations of the stories in the Bible - past, present and future, as well as preparation for a future work on Straub/Huillet's Moses und Aron and a few bits and pieces on biblical studies.


    Name:
    Matt Page

    Location:
    U.K.












    Sunday, May 08, 2011

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Apr. 2011

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Where does the time go? It barely seems like a fortnight since I realised I was late posting the last Biblical Studies carnival and now here I am being late posting this one.

    Anyway Jim Linville has done a great job with April's Biblical Studies Carnival, adding a generous (and most welcome) dash of his typically irreverent humour, not to mention so many links that it could possibly take more than a month to read. Towards the end - where he finally gets onto what is really, lets face it, the most important stuff - there are a couple of extra links to reviews on last month's BBC series The Bible's Buried Secrets.

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    Thursday, April 07, 2011

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Mar. 2011

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Dreadfully late with this one, partly because it took me a while to find, and partly because I wasn't sure whether to post this here or on my Facebook channel. In the end I decided that seeing as the carnival is about blogs, I should keep it here.

    Anyway Darrell Pursiful of the Dr. Platypus blog has posted March 2011's Biblical Studies Carnival. He's given it a basketball theme - a sport I used to be half-decent at mainly due to my height, but a lot of the terms fly, er, over my head. Nevertheless, it's a fun theme and it's nice to be mentioned.

    Next month it will be the turn of Dr. Jim’s Thinking Shop & Tea Room to host the carnival. I do occasionally peruse Jim Linville's blog so it will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

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    Tuesday, March 01, 2011

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Feb. 2011

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Matthew Crowe has posted February's Biblical Studies Carnival up at his A Fistful of Farthings blog. There were times in the past when I pondered whether I should offer to host one of these but no more. How anyone finds enough spare time to read, digest and create the links for one of these mega carnivals is beyond me. So full credit to Matthew for all his efforts.

    The Top 10 (by vote) and Top 50 (by Alexa ranking) have also been posted.

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    Tuesday, January 04, 2011

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Dec. 2010

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Joseph Kelly has posted a massive Biblical Studies Carnival for December 2010. It contains a link to one key post on The Nativity, which I had missed - an article by Helen Bond who acted as historical consultant for the programme.

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    Saturday, December 04, 2010

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Nov. 2010

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Never quite got around to posting the link to last month's Biblical Studies Carnival and now November's is upon us. (I never know whether they should be named after the month which they review or the month when they are published. Ever since they went on a temporary hiatus the numbers seemed to have stopped!). Deane Galbraith has compiled a very thorough summary of the month's news including some coverage of the SBL Conference. Thanks to him for all his work.

    In a twist to the usual procedure he has also compiled a top 30 list of Biblioblogs based on quality rather than traffic. (And no, I don't make that one either...)

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    Friday, October 08, 2010

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Sept. 2010

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Most people have probably seen this by now, but I like to post links to the Biblical Studies Carnival so here it is. This month's offering has been put together by Steven Demmler. Demmler runs You Can't Mean That! and has done a great job with this month's Carnival despite only three emails of nominations. In my own defence I am reading very few Biblioblogs at the moment, but I should at least try and nominate the odd post at least.

    The latest Biblioblog Top 50 is up as well.

    Thanks to all involved in pulling together both the Carnival and the Biblioblog chart.

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    Thursday, September 02, 2010

    Biblical Studies Carnival: Aug. 2010

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    It's been a while since I reported on the Biblical Studies Carnivals, in part because they seemed to die a bit of a death in the early part of the year.

    Thankfully Jim West has resurrected them. I believe he started last month with a look at July's blog posts, and now he has posted the August 2010 Biblical Studies Carnival. Jim very kindly mentions this blog twice, once for the 1000th post, and once for my Gospel Comparison of the Disciples. Thanks Jim.

    The latest Top 50 Biblical Studies related blogs has also been posted.

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    Saturday, January 02, 2010

    Dr Jim's Slinky Bible Babes, Part II

    Well Happy New Year and I hope everyone had a good Christmas.

    There's no sign of Tyler William's Biblical Studies Carnival 49 over at Codex yet, so in the meantime I'm linking to Jim Linville's alternative carnival Slinky Bible Babes, Part II. This time around Jim 'checks out', Ruth, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Sarah, Rebecca, the Queen of Heaven and the Whore of Babylon. As with part 1 there are some kind words about this blog which are much appreciated thanks Jim.

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    Tuesday, December 01, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 48

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Doug Chaplain of Clayboy has posted the 48th Biblical Studies Carnival. I've not got time to make many comments at this stage, but it's a great entry in the series, and starts with a useful round-up of media resources.

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    Thursday, November 12, 2009

    Carnival for the Complainers aka Dr Jim's 'Carnival of Slinky Bible Babes'

    Stirred by his omission from the latest Biblical Studies Carnival Jim Linville of Dr Jim's Thinking Shop has channelled his energies into making his own carnival for the complainers, or a "Carnival of Slinky Bible Babes". Given that I did complain a bit after (though not about) the last Biblical Studies Carnival, and that I also didn't get an entry, I thought this sounded like a good idea. And it turns out that not only did I get a mention (twice!), but also it's all about the female stars of various Bible films.

    This is only part one, so other names will follow, but for starters there are photos of Ulla Bergryd as Eve from the 1966 film The Bible, Pauline Frederick as Potiphar’s wife from circa 1910, Joan Collins in Land of the Pharaohs from 1955, Gina Lolabrigida from Solomon and Sheba, Hedy Lamarr from 1949's Samson and Delilah and Paulette Goddard (among others) from Sins of Jezebel. Great stuff Jim. Suffice to say I'm looking forward to part 2.

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    Wednesday, November 04, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 47

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    It's that time in the month when the latest of the Biblical Studies Carnivals is posted and Kevin Scull has done a fine job over at Paul of Tarsus. Most welcome is the "Audio and Video resources" section which I hope future carnivals will also include. There are a growing number of these and I only regret that my Jesus films podcast has been put to one side for the present (although there may be new episodes coming shortly).

    One piece that I was disappointed to read was the news that biblioblogs.com, run by Brandon Wason and John Hobbins, has decided to exclude bloggers who are not part of an institution, regardless of the quality and relevance of their work.

    Whilst biblioblogs.com has never, to my knowledge, claimed to be an officially representative body, they do carry a certain weight, and it's rather depressing to think that their definition might begin to be taken up in other circles such as the Biblical Studies Carnivals or the Top 50 Biblioblogs site (whose latest list has also just been published by the way).

    If my subject is considered too tangential, or my work is deemed to be of insufficient quality then it is absolutely fair enough if it's excluded or just overlooked, but it's a wholly different thing to be excluded on the basis of affiliation.

    I'm not sure whether the decision has been made simply to narrow what is, admittedly, a very extensive field or whether it's an attempt to demonstrate legitimacy to those in academic circles who are critical of the biblioblogging movement. Either way it seems to demonstrate a lack of understanding of web culture. Only the other day I was reading an article by Gary Hamel, (another academic - former professor at Harvard Business School) describing key aspects of the emerging web culture, and his first two points were as follows:
    1. All ideas compete on an equal footing.
    On the Web, every idea has the chance to gain a following—or not, and no one has the power to kill off a subversive idea or squelch an embarrassing debate. Ideas gain traction based on their perceived merits, rather than on the political power of their sponsors.

    2. Contribution counts for more than credentials.
    When you post a video to YouTube, no one asks you if you went to film school. When you write a blog, no one cares whether you have a journalism degree. Position, title, and academic degrees—none of the usual status differentiators carry much weight online. On the Web, what counts is not your resume, but what you can contribute.
    Perhaps this is just sour grapes from me because I fear being excluded from something I have been a part of for the last few years. And sure they can argue that's it's my "choice" not to be an academic. Unfortuately I, and no doubt others like me, only discovered that this is what we would have liked to do once any realistic chance of actually doing so had already passed.

    Finally, it's nice to see that next month's carnival will be hosted by fellow Brit Doug Chaplin, a great blogger who is also facing the chop, and whose cause is far more worthy than my own.

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    Friday, October 02, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 46

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Daniel and Tonya of the Hebrew and Greek Reader have posted Biblical Studies Carnival XLVI. The latest Biblioblogs chart is also up. I've just crept back into the top 100.

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    Wednesday, September 02, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 45

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Over at The Golden Rule Michael Kok has posted the 45th Biblical Studies Carnival. It's a got a Simpson's-esque theme and mentions my piece on Elisha, God and the Bears.

    And according to the Biblical Studies Carnival website, Biblical Studies Carnival XLVI will be compiled by Daniel & Tonya of the Hebrew and Greek Reader - October 2009).

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    Monday, August 03, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 44

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Jim West has posted the 44th Biblical Studies Carnival covering posts from July. The latest list of Top 50 Bibliobloggers is also posted which, in actual fact, now goes all the way down to 232. I'm down at 88 and wondering how I ever made it to number 20. I'm very curious to know how a list firmly based on hard data varies so much from month to month. Will I ever get to number 20 again? And where do I really deserve to be? It would be interesting to see the list compiled over a 12-month period rather than month by month. Or at least for there to be web banner that says "I'm a top 50 Biblioblogger (occasionally)".

    Oh and I love NT Wrong's pretence that it's Jim West being played by one of my comedy heroes David Mitchell in this wonderful sketch. NT/Mitchell devotees will also appreciate Mitchell and Webb's take on the Good Samaritan.

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    Friday, July 03, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 43

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Pat McCullough of kata ta biblia has posted the 43rd Biblical Studies carnival in the style of a recently found apocalyptic text. Those who read some of the other biblioblogs out there will enjoy trying to decipher McCullough's apocalyptic literature-style names.

    June's list of Top 50 Bibliobloggers has also been posted and yet again Jim West is at number 1. Jim will be compiling next month's Biblical Studies carnival.

    For more information on these carnivals, including where to submit pieces visit the Biblical Studies Carnival Homepage.

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    Monday, June 15, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 42

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Whilst I was off line, Jim Getz published the 42nd Biblical Studies Carnival and gave it an appropriately "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" theme. It's briefer than most, but I have to say that's probably a good thing. It's not that I don't appreciate the hours of work some of the recent carnival hosts must have put in to produce their summaries: I very much do. It's just that I think that there are probably only a handful of the biblioblogging community who are quite that committed, and those few seem to be doing it more and more frequently, which may not be that sustainable. So good on you Jim. Hopefully a few more of us will volunteer to take on a shorter carnival.

    May's list of Top 50 Bibliobloggers has also been posted (and I'm up to number 32).

    For more information on these carnivals, including where to submit pieces visit the Biblical Studies Carnival Homepage.

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    Tuesday, May 05, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 41

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Over at Exploring our Matrix, James McGrath has posted the 41st Biblical Studies Carnival. As is often the case, it highlighted to me a number of the interesting biblioblog posts that I had missed, but I particularly enjoyed the way it was written, and the play on the 'carnival' metaphor. The sideshow idea, where James lists posts that were submitted but could not really be classified as biblical studies, is inspired, although it's good to know a large enough number of posts are nominated these days to make this necessary. Thanks also to James for the three links to this blog. I'm not sure that has happened before.

    April list of Top 50 Bibliobloggers has also been posted (and I'm up to number 32). Thanks to the anonymous compiler(s) of that site for all their work.

    Next month's Biblical Studies Carnival will be parading through the streets of Jim Getz's Ketuvium. For more information on these carnivals, including where to submit pieces visit the Biblical Studies Carnival Homepage.

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    Tuesday, March 03, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnival 39

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Darrell Pursiful at his blog Dr Platypus has posted the thirty ninth Biblical Studies Carnival. It's one of the (many) Biblioblogs that I was previously unfamiliar with and it's always nice to encounter someone else's work for the first time.

    Next month's carnival will be compiled by James Gregory.

    There's also a new Top 50 Bibliobloggers, although unfortunately yours truly here seems to have dropped 27 plus places. I can't be anymore specific as I'm now out of the Top 50 altogether. Still no idea how it's calculated though...

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    Tuesday, February 10, 2009

    Biblical Studies Carnivals 37 and 38

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Thanks to NT Wrong and Judy Redman for the latest Biblical Studies Carnivals. Between them they highlight a number of interesting posts, covering a multitude of blogs that I simply never get to read.

    Next month’s carnival will be hosted by Darrell Pursiful at his blog Dr Platypus.

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    Tuesday, December 02, 2008

    Biblical Studies Carnival XXXVI

    Photo by Tim Parkinson, used under a Creative Commons Licence

    Jim West has posted a light hearted 36th Biblical Studies Carnival. Obviously last month's SBL conference in Boston gets the most attention, but there's plenty of interest all round.

    According to the Biblical Studies Carnival homepage no-one is lined up to take on the first carnival of the New Year. I'd be tempted to have a go myself if my spare time over Christmas wasn't already filled up with worrying about our non-selling house during trips between Derby Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary. Hopefully some willing volunteer will step into the breach.

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