Dr. Craig Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, and Dr. Bill Arnold, Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, received Biblical Foundation Book Awards from the Center for Biblical Studies. Dr. Arnold’s book The World around the Old Testament: The People and Places of the Ancient Near East received first place in the Old Testament category. Dr. Keener’s book Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels received first place in the New Testament category and was also chosen as the Biblical Foundations Book of the Year 2019.

The World around the Old Testament: The People and Places of the Ancient Near East was written by Dr. Bill Arnold and Dr. Brent Strawn, Professor of Old Testament and Professor of Law at Duke Divinity School. Their work explores the ancient Near East, introducing readers to the people and places of the Old Testament. Their writing orients readers to the cultures of these people groups and offers insight into how each groups’ contributions relate to our understanding of Scripture.

Christobiography: Memory, History and the Reliability of the Gospels demonstrates the reliability of the canonical gospels using the genre of biography. Dr. Keener’s book shows how the gospel writers followed the literary practices of writers in their day. His book explores the nature of ancient biography and urges readers to appreciate the writers’ method and degree of accuracy in recounting the ministry of Jesus.

Both books are available for purchase on Amazon.

The vision of the Center for Biblical Studies (CBS) is to engage in biblical scholarship for the church—for pastors and serious students of Scripture committed to the authority of God’s Word. CBS criteria for Biblical Foundation Book Award nominations include quality of scholarship, contribution to the field, doctrinal fidelity, and service to the church.