Settling in now that I’ve arrived in Brisbane. Conference starts tomorrow, and I have some work to do between now and then, so I will have to make this brief.
Had a great day in Sydney yesterday. Hopefully when I get back I’ll be able to carve out some time before my next event to sit down and really thank all the brothers there in Sydney who worked so hard, and fast, to put those few days together. Really enjoyed my time at Sydney University, Moore College, and last evening at the church in Neutral Bay. David Ould, Duncan Lockard, and Gerard O’Brien put in a lot of time and effort, as well as many miles of driving, to put the entire schedule together, and I am really thankful.
Yesterday I had a great opportunity to visit MacQuarie University and Dr. Don Barker, a papyrologist who oversees the program of study there. Some of you will recall that during my interview with Dan Wallace on the DL just a few weeks ago he mentioned being in Sydney at MacQuarie University to see P91. Well, once I heard that, I contacted David Ould, who knows Don Barker, and immediately our appointment was set up.
I had the opportunity to examine the fragment up close, as you can see. It is from Acts 2:30-37 (recto) and Acts 2:46-3:2 (verso). It is dated to the third century. The larger portion of this page is kept in Milan, Italy. When I get some more time I will give more detail of our visit, and look closely at the fragment, as I was able to obtain relatively high quality (10 megapixel) pictures of this fragment. For the moment I will just say it was a thrill to examine this fragment and to talk with Dr. Barker about papyrological studies, paleography, and related issues. Just as it was wonderful to see P72 back in 1993, so it was to see P91 in Sydney!
We then fought through rush hour traffic (via the drive through at McDonald’s—and let me tell you, portion sizes in Oz are 1/2 of what they are in the US, for more money!) and got back in time for me to speak at the church in Neutral Bay. We had a great turn out for a sermon on the topic of justification and the uniqueness of Jesus. I will, Lord willing, post the video soon, and I thank Tur8inFan for linking to the audio of the presentation below.
Now I need to concentrate on the conference on the atonement this weekend, and hopefully stay healthy for the flight home on Tuesday. Evidently the flu is going around big time here in Brisbane, and the flight home, going East, will be far more difficult to adjust to than the trip over here. So don’t expect much Wednesday through Friday of next week!
Alpha and Omega Ministries is a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. James White, director, is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous schools.