Articles in TynBul 61.2 (November 2010)

The Literary Quality of Scripture as Seen by the Early Church

Michael Graves (Wheaton College, IL) p.161

Christians in the first five centuries of the church lived in an environment that placed a high value on literary and rhetorical expression. Within this context, cultured critics of Christianity often disparaged the literary style of the Christian Bible in its Greek and Latin forms. The most common response in the first Christian centuries was to concede Scripture’s simple style but to assert the superiority of its divine content. But eventually Christians began to suggest paradigms for seeing artistic crafting in the biblical text. One stream of thought, exemplified by Jerome, looked to the original language of the Old Testament to discover the literary quality of Scripture. Another stream of thought, developed by Augustine, explored the literary quality of Scripture by reflecting on the relationship between human conventions and divine inspiration.

Relating Prayer and Pain:
Psychological Analysis and Lamentations Research

Heath Aaron Thomas (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Paideia Centre for Public Theology) p.183

Psychological approaches to biblical texts have gained currency, particularly in lament literature. One notes, however, an increasing interest in the intersections between Lamentations and psychological analysis as well. Upon a survey of literature, one quickly realises no singular methodology prevails: scholars have applied to Lamentations the insights of Kübler-Ross’ grief process as well as the insights of John Archer, Yorick Spiegel, Sigmund Freud and the perspectives of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Whilst useful in identifying and assessing pain in the poetry, these approaches undervalue the crucial indicators of prayer in Lamentations. These indicators press research to the fecund field of the psychology of prayer. This essay exposes diverse applications of psychological approaches to the book, presents an analysis of both the benefits and limitations of this research and then relates prayer and pain in its poetry by exploring the connections between Lamentations and the psychology of prayer.

Which Hebrew Bible?

Review of Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Hebrew University Bible, Oxford Hebrew Bible, and Other Modern Editions
David L. Baker (Trinity Theological College, Perth) p.209

Three major critical editions of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament are in preparation at present: Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ), the Hebrew University Bible (HUB), and the Oxford Hebrew Bible (OHB). This article is a comparative review of these three editions, followed by a briefer review of six other modern editions: British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, Jewish Publication Society (JPS), Jerusalem Crown (JC), Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia (BHL), and the Reader’s Hebrew Bible (RHB). Finally, there is a brief discussion of implicit editions and electronic editions, followed by concluding remarks on the usefulness of the various editions.

Manasseh and the Punishment Narrative

Andrew Taehang Ohm (Korean Bible Baptist Fellowship) p.237

This paper examines the nature of the Manasseh account (2 Kgs 21:1-18) in the macrostructure of the Deuteronomistic literature, especially the books of Samuel and Kings, in which remarkably similar narrative schemes are embedded. They consist of ‘sin description’, ‘sin develop¬ment’, ‘reminder’, ‘response’, and ‘punishment’. I call this unique literary genre ‘punishment narrative’. In the punishment itself several distinctive common devices (destruction of a cultic place, end of family/dynasty line, and a death of an innocent family group member) are employed to show a fulfilment of prophecy. A number of allusions and similarities between the death of Saul and the anonymous prophet in 1 Kings 13 and between the death of Abijah, Jeroboam’s son (1 Kgs 14:1-18) and Josiah (2 Kgs 23:28-30) are discussed as well. Thereby I put the Manasseh narrative in this category. A close reading shows that the Manasseh and Josiah narratives are not independent but, in effect, two different parts of one punishment narrative. This paper also suggests that these punishment narratives overarch one another in Samuel-Kings from the beginning to the end. Finally, it concludes that the work of Samuel-Kings was woven with different materials but woven into one narrative thread.

Malevolent or Mysterious?
God’s Character in the Prologue of Job

Martin A. Shields (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, University of Sydney) p.255

Readers of the Book of Job often believe that the prologue reveals the entire reason for Job’s loss and suffering and so the full background for all that transpires throughout the remainder of the work. Many readers find that this raises significant problems about God’s character as depicted in the book. There are, however, subtle indications both in the structure of the prologue and the content of the entire book which suggest that the exchanges between Yahweh and the Satan do not offer to the reader the complete rationale for Job’s suffering. Furthermore, it appears that the author of Job has deliberately created a riddle which, left unsolved, traps the reader into believing—as Job’s friends believe—that a full reason for Job’s suffering is at hand. Solving the riddle, however, entwines the reader in Job’s ignorance and thus the book’s insistence that there is some wisdom only Yahweh holds.

Drawing Ethical Principles from the Process of the Jerusalem Council: A New Approach to Acts 15:4-29

Hyung Dae Park (Chongshin Theological Seminary) p.271

This study proposes that the main ethical points found in the decision of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:4-29 should include the council members’ attitudes of trusting each other, respecting God and his Word, and answering with some conceded responses to the others, rather than just the four prohibitions. To argue this proposal, first of all, the situation of the council is described in terms of the historical background and the narrative flow. The three lists of the four restrictions in 15:20, 29 and 21:25 are then compared, and the characteristics of the decision of the council are examined. The council’s list differs from James’ and has the perspective of worship and covenant rather than of ritual.

James, Soteriology, and Synergism

Alexander Stewart (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) p.293

The history of interpretation of James has often focused on what James teaches concerning salvation in 2:14-26, and has neglected other soteriological language in the book. This study will begin by investigating the soteriological synergism of faith and works in James 2:14-26, but will proceed by examining several other ways James describes the necessary, human response to God’s saving initiative throughout the book: repentance and humility, love and mercy, and perseverance and patience.

An Alternative Explanation for the Alleged ‘Imperatival’ Participles of Romans 12:9-21

Jeffrey S. Lamp (Oral Roberts University) p.311

The participles of Romans 12:9-21 have occasioned much discussion among grammarians and commentators. The primary debate concerns whether the participles are functioning imperativally or whether they might be connected with a finite verb in the context of the passage. This article suggests that the participles might indeed be connected with a finite verb, but one that is unexpressed in the passage.

Dissertation Summaries

Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel

Kathleen M. Rochester (St John’s College, Durham) p.317

This study seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of Old Testament prophetic ministry by offering a close comparison of selected texts from two quite different, yet related, prophetic books: Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Both prophets focus on the fall of Jerusalem, and use many similar motifs in their messages. They portray overlapping historical contexts, yet their geographical settings are different. This mix of features in common with aspects that are quite dissimilar provides fertile ground for fruitful comparative study.

Articles in TynBul 61.2 (Nov. 2010)

The Literary Quality of Scripture as Seen by the Early Church
Michael Graves (Wheaton College, IL)
p. 161

Christians in the first five centuries of the church lived in an environment that placed a high value on literary and rhetorical expression. Within this context, cultured critics of Christianity often disparaged the literary style of the Christian Bible in its Greek and Latin forms. The most common response in the first Christian centuries was to concede Scripture's simple style but to assert the superiority of its divine content. But eventually Christians began to suggest paradigms for seeing artistic crafting in the biblical text. One stream of thought, exemplified by Jerome, looked to the original language of the Old Testament to discover the literary quality of Scripture. Another stream of thought, developed by Augustine, explored the literary quality of Scripture by reflecting on the relationship between human conventions and divine inspiration.

Relating Prayer and Pain:
Psychological Analysis and Lamentations Research
Heath Aaron Thomas (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Paideia Centre for Public Theology)
p. 183

Psychological approaches to biblical texts have gained currency, particularly in lament literature.  One notes, however, an increasing interest in the intersections between Lamentations and psychological analysis as well. Upon a survey of literature, one quickly realises no singular methodology prevails: scholars have applied to Lamentations the insights of Kübler-Ross' grief process as well as the insights of John Archer, Yorick Spiegel, Sigmund Freud and the perspectives of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Whilst useful in identifying and assessing pain in the poetry, these approaches undervalue the crucial indicators of prayer in Lamentations. These indicators press research to the fecund field of the psychology of prayer. This essay exposes diverse applications of psychological approaches to the book, presents an analysis of both the benefits and limitations of this research and then relates prayer and pain in its poetry by exploring the connections between Lamentations and the psychology of prayer.

Which Hebrew Bible?
Review of Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Hebrew University Bible, Oxford Hebrew Bible, and Other Modern Editions
David L. Baker (Trinity Theological College, Perth)
p. 209

Three major critical editions of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament are in preparation at present: Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ), the Hebrew University Bible (HUB), and the Oxford Hebrew Bible (OHB). This article is a comparative review of these three editions, followed by a briefer review of six other modern editions: British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, Jewish Publication Society (JPS), Jerusalem Crown (JC), Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia (BHL), and the Reader's Hebrew Bible (RHB). Finally, there is a brief discussion of implicit editions and electronic editions, followed by concluding remarks on the usefulness of the various editions.

Manasseh and the Punishment Narrative
Andrew Taehang Ohm (Korean Bible Baptist Fellowship)
p. 237

This paper examines the nature of the Manasseh account (2 Kgs 21:1-18) in the macrostructure of the Deuteronomistic literature, especially the books of Samuel and Kings, in which remarkably similar narrative schemes are embedded. They consist of 'sin description', 'sin develop­ment', 'reminder', 'response', and 'punishment'. I call this unique literary genre 'punishment narrative'. In the punishment itself several distinctive common devices (destruction of a cultic place, end of family/dynasty line, and a death of an innocent family group member) are employed to show a fulfilment of prophecy. A number of allusions and similarities between the death of Saul and the anonymous prophet in 1 Kings 13 and between the death of Abijah, Jeroboam's son (1 Kgs 14:1-18) and Josiah (2 Kgs 23:28-30) are discussed as well. Thereby I put the Manasseh narrative in this category. A close reading shows that the Manasseh and Josiah narratives are not independent but, in effect, two different parts of one punishment narrative. This paper also suggests that these punishment narratives overarch one another in Samuel-Kings from the beginning to the end. Finally, it concludes that the work of Samuel-Kings was woven with different materials but woven into one narrative thread.

Malevolent or Mysterious?
God's Character in the Prologue of Job
Martin A. Shields (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, University of Sydney)
p. 255

Readers of the Book of Job often believe that the prologue reveals the entire reason for Job's loss and suffering and so the full background for all that transpires throughout the remainder of the work. Many readers find that this raises significant problems about God's character as depicted in the book. There are, however, subtle indications both in the structure of the prologue and the content of the entire book which suggest that the exchanges between Yahweh and the Satan do not offer to the reader the complete rationale for Job's suffering. Furthermore, it appears that the author of Job has deliberately created a riddle which, left unsolved, traps the reader into believing­as Job's friends believe­that a full reason for Job's suffering is at hand. Solving the riddle, however, entwines the reader in Job's ignorance and thus the book's insistence that there is some wisdom only Yahweh holds.

Drawing Ethical Principles from the Process of the Jerusalem Council:  A New Approach to Acts 15:4-29
Hyung Dae Park (Chongshin Theological Seminary)
p. 271

This study proposes that the main ethical points found in the decision of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:4-29 should include the council members' attitudes of trusting each other, respecting God and his Word, and answering with some conceded responses to the others, rather than just the four prohibitions. To argue this proposal, first of all, the situation of the council is described in terms of the historical background and the narrative flow. The three lists of the four restrictions in 15:20, 29 and 21:25 are then compared, and the characteristics of the decision of the council are examined. The council's list differs from James' and has the perspective of worship and covenant rather than of ritual.

James, Soteriology, and Synergism
Alexander Stewart (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)
p. 293

The history of interpretation of James has often focused on what James teaches concerning salvation in 2:14-26, and has neglected other soteriological language in the book. This study will begin by investigating the soteriological synergism of faith and works in James 2:14-26, but will proceed by examining several other ways James describes the necessary, human response to God's saving initiative throughout the book: repentance and humility, love and mercy, and perseverance and patience.

An Alternative Explanation for the Alleged 'Imperatival' Participles of Romans 12:9-21
Jeffrey S. Lamp (Oral Roberts University)
p. 311

The participles of Romans 12:9-21 have occasioned much discussion among grammarians and commentators. The primary debate concerns whether the participles are functioning imperativally or whether they might be connected with a finite verb in the context of the passage. This article suggests that the participles might indeed be connected with a finite verb, but one that is unexpressed in the passage.

Dissertation Summaries

Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Kathleen M. Rochester (St John's College, Durham)
p. 317

This study seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of Old Testament prophetic ministry by offering a close comparison of selected texts from two quite different, yet related, prophetic books: Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Both prophets focus on the fall of Jerusalem, and use many similar motifs in their messages. They portray overlapping historical contexts, yet their geographical settings are different. This mix of features in common with aspects that are quite dissimilar provides fertile ground for fruitful comparative study.

Articles in TynBul 61.1 (March 2010)

The Origins of Jesus-Devotion: A Response to Crispin Fletcher-Louis.

Larry W. Hurtado (University of Edinburgh)

The critique of my work on Jesus-devotion by Dr. Fletcher-Louis (in a previous issue of this journal) combines an essentially correct brief summary of some broad contours of my views and a few interesting points for further discussion; but, unfortunately, the main criticisms are often directed against over-simplified or exaggerated portrayals of my views, and also involve at least one serious red herring. In this brief response, therefore, I try to correct and clarify some key matters in the hope of promoting a more productive discussion of the remarkable devotion to Jesus that characterised earliest Christianity.

Continuity, Discontinuity, and Hope: The Contribution of New Testament Eschatology to a Distinctively Christian Environmental Ethos.

Jonathan Moo (Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St Edmund's College, Cambridge)

This article focuses on the interpretation of three texts­Romans 8, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation 21–22­to develop the exegetical basis for a distinctively Christian perspective of the future that has important implications for how we understand our task in and for the created world. I propose that the diverse ways in which the NT portrays the future of the earth, taken together, provide an indispensable resource for the development of a Christian environmental ethos. I argue that this resource is not rendered more valuable by well-intentioned attempts to collapse the different emphases that emerge from, say 2 Peter 3 and Romans 8, into one version or the other. Nonetheless, I also argue that the contradiction that is often felt to exist between these different portraits of creation's future is not so acute that we cannot identify vital strands of continuity between them; and, most importantly, that the ecological ethos that emerges from serious reflection on the implications of these visions is as radical as it is consistent with the OT prophets in their stern calls for righteousness and justice to be realised on earth.

On Generating Categories in Theological Ethics: Barth, Genesis and the Ständelehre.

Brian Brock (University of Aberdeen)

Though the doctrine of creation is often invoked in Christian ethics, its relation to the book of Genesis remains obscure. The dominance of an ethics of principles among Christian ethicists and exegetes provides one reason for this obscurity in methodologically oversimplifying Scripture in order to make it more accessible for a specific type of modernist ethical methodology. The main emphasis of the article is to investigate the linkages Karl Barth drew between the book of Genesis and the doctrines of Christology and creation in his Church Dogmatics vol. III. While Barth makes important methodological advances on a Christian ethic of principles, his treatment of the doctrine of creation is found to underplay the distinctive thought structures of Genesis 1–4. A brief final section suggests that Luther's doctrine of the three estates comprehends Barth's best methodological insights, and in addition, was explicitly formulated as a reading of the biblical text of Genesis. Drawing on the work of Hans Ulrich, I conclude that an updated version of the Ständelehre addresses the systematic problems noted in a Christian ethic of principles and Barth's doctrine of creation, so yielding a more biblically faithful framework within which a Christian ethic of creation can be developed.

Did God Create Chaos?  Unresolved Tension in Genesis 1:1-2.

Robin Routledge (Mattersey Hall)

OT writers appear to use imagery found in other Ancient Near Eastern texts and portray creation as God's victory over, and transformation of, 'chaos'. This is sometimes associated with the expression tohu wabohu, translated 'formless and empty', in Genesis 1:2 (NIV). Recent interpretations of Genesis 1:1-2 imply that this chaos existed before God began his creative work. A more traditional view is that Genesis 1:1 implies that the cosmos was created out of nothing. This paper argues that Genesis 1 does point to God as the originator of all things, and also to creation as an ordering of chaos, with little attempt to resolve that tension. More important is the theological significance of holding these ideas side by side. One points to the transcendence, power and pre-existence of God. The other understands creation as a process, in which chaos, not unbeing, is the opposite of creation. This allows the possibility that chaos may return as a result of human sin (e.g. in the flood), and that new life and hope may be brought to desperate situations such as the exile (also portrayed as a return to chaos­e.g. in Jeremiah 4:23).

Complete v. Incomplete Conquest: A Re-Examination of Three Passages in Joshua.

T. A. Clarke (Westminster Theological College, Australia)

Most commentaries and articles regarding the book of Joshua take as a starting point an apparent contradiction between a complete and an incomplete conquest. Surprisingly, as Kitchen observes, there has not been a 'careful and close' reading of the passages taken as evidence of a complete conquest (i.e. Josh. 10:40-43; 11:16-23; 21:43-45). This article seeks to fill that gap in the literature. A close reading of these passages suggests that the author carefully describes the extent of the conquest. It seems the apparent contradiction regarding these passages has been overstated.

'Theological Interpretation' and its Contradistinctions.

John C. Poirier (Kingswell Theological Seminary, Ohio)

The label 'theological interpretation' has been used recently as a technical term to denote a certain approach to Scripture. This development is most unfortunate, not least because it implies that other approaches, especially historical criticism, cannot be equally theo­logical in focus. The use of this term in such an artificially narrowed way creates the false impression that anyone wanting to do exegesis in the service of the Church must do so according to the particular practices of the 'theological interpretation' movement. The implied argument is hardly an argument at all, and it promotes a number of poor hermeneutical habits.

Forgotten Guardians and Matthew 18:10.

Erkki Koskenniemi (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)

'See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven' (Matt. 18:10 NIV). Modern commentators have not reached a consen­sus on the context of this verse, nor on the angels mentioned. First, whether those who are guarded are children or ordinary Christians is undecided. Secondly, some scholars deny that single Christians have an individual guardian angel. However, because early Jewish and Christian sources have by no means been thoroughly researched, evidence found thus far can probably help clarify the kind of angels Jesus was referring to. Surprisingly, angels whose mission was to avenge the evil made to children have been widely overlooked by scholars.

Editio Critica Maior: An Introduction and Assessment.

Peter M. Head (Tyndale House and University of Cambridge)

A review article on: Novum Testamentum Graecum: Editio Critica Maior Vol. IV Catholic Letters (ed. by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland†, Gerd Mink, Holger Strutwolf, and Klaus Wachtel); Instl. 1: James, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material (Stuttgart 1997; 2nd rev. impr., Stuttgart 1998); Instl. 2: The Letters of Peter, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material (Stuttgart 2000); Instl. 3: The First Letter of John, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material (Stuttgart 2003); Instl. 4: The Second and Third Letter of John. The Letter of Jude, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material (Stuttgart 2005).

Dissertation Summaries

Translation Technique and Theology in the Septuagint of Amos.

W. Edward Glenny (Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota)

The goal of this dissertation is to describe and analyse as exhaustively as possible the translation technique and exegetical practice of the translator of the Septuagint of Amos. Two other works were especially influential on this study. Jennifer Dines had already done exegetical spadework in LXX-Amos, which was built upon in this work, and James Palmer's study of translation technique in LXX-Zechariah provided a methodology that could be applied to another of the LXX-Twelve to compare the translation technique in LXX-Amos with Palmer's conclusions concerning LXX-Zechariah.The contributions of the present dissertation were possible because it builds on these previous works.

From Fratricide to Forgiveness: The Ethics of Anger in Genesis.

Matthew R. Schlimm (University of Dubuque Theological Seminary)

In the first book of the Bible, every patriarch and many of the matriarchs have significant encounters with anger. However, scholar­ship has largely ignored how Genesis treats this emotion, particularly how Genesis functions as Torah by providing ethical instruction about handling this emotion's perplexities. This dissertation aims to fill this gap in scholarship, showing both how anger functions as a literary motif in Genesis and how this book offers moral guidance for engaging this emotion.