I was going to write a post today simply about the site 5minutebible.com, but then I started looking at all of the Biblical Studies work that Tim Bulkeley has been doing online. Most of the work I was aware of, but I had never seen all of the links in one place to really appreciate the extent of it.
I first encountered Tim’s work with Davar Biblical Hebrew vocabularies in work for my dissertation (though I critique that work at points in my thesis, it does receive a more favorable analysis than most other Biblical Hebrew vocabulary materials in one of my dissertation chapters). I have read SansBlogue for some time and have linked to it on a number of occasions (HERE and HERE). I have also linked to PodBible.com (click HERE to see my evaluation), which is another one of Tim’s projects along with a number of other people to whom many audio Bible listeners are indebted.
Then, today I was looking at 5minutebible.com and realized that Tim also has three other projects, one of which I was aware and two of which I was not. So, here’s what I suggest – you need to click through to 5minutebible.com, scroll down, and look in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen at the section titled “about me.” Then, do yourself a favor and take a look at the sites that Tim has put together and at what he is currently working on.
With that said, let me say a few words about 5minutebible.com. This looks another excellent resource in terms of the quality of content as well as the usability of the site. The idea seems to be 5 minute segments related to topics in the areas of Biblical studies, theology, etc. Tim is not afraid to handle difficult topics and also is not afraid to lay his cards on the table in terms of the perspective from which he reads scripture. Because I come from a different tradition, I do not agree with Tim on a number of points. But, the posts are well thought out and would provide those of varying perspectives some good food for thought. For those who would like to check out the site I would recommend perhaps starting with those posts labeled “reading the Bible.” This should give you a good entryway into the site.
I hope you enjoy it. And, thanks to Tim Bulkeley for all the work he puts into Biblical Studies online. This in my mind is so important as it opens up the field not just for academics, but also for interested lay people who have neither the time nor desire to pursue Biblical Studies as an academic discipline yet they want to be informed about the texts their communities consider sacred.