Articles in TynBul 56.1 (May.2005)

The Finger of God and theForming of a Nation: The Origin and Purpose of the Decalogue
David L. Baker (Tyndale House, Cambridge)

Summary:

The problem of the origin of the Decalogue is often expressed in terms of whether or not it is Mosaic or developed from a form that originated in the Mosaic period. Many scholars have argued for one or other of these positions, though recently some have suggested that the Decalogue was formulated much later in Israel's history, during or even after the Exile. However none of these views engages seriously with the claim of the biblical text that the Decalogue was spoken directly by God to the people of Israel at Sinai and written by 'the finger of God' on the two stone tablets. In this article I will endeavour to do that, before considering the audience to whom the Decalogue was addressed, what it was intended to be for them, and the motives and sanctions which were stated or implied. I shall argue that this document was instrumental in the forming of Israel as a nation, indeed as the people of God, and that it contains the essential principles which underlie the detailed laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Prediction and Foreknowledge in Ezekiel's Prophecy against Tyre
Kris J. Udd (Grace University, Omaha)

Summary:

Ezekiel's prophecy that Tyre would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar was not fulfilled in the manner predicted by the prophet. This is demonstrated from extra-biblical literature, supported by archaeological evidence, and acknowledged by Ezekiel himself in a later prophecy. As a result, it is argued that the passage supports a world-view in which God is sometimes willing to adjust his plan from what he initially declared. This supports a relational view over the conventional deterministic view of divine foreknowledge, and it helps ease the tension between the test of a true prophet and a true prophet whose prediction is not fully realized.

'Son of Man', 'Pitiable Man', 'Rejected Man': Equivalent Expressions in the Old Greek of Daniel
Eugene E. Lemcio (School of Theology, Seattle Pacific University)

Summary:

Far from being a generalized synonym for 'man' or 'human', 'son of man' in the Old Greek of Daniel bears the sense of 'frail' or 'vulnerable human'. It becomes apparent when this expression and the dynamics of chapter 7 are compared with those of 'rejected man', 'son of man', and 'pitiable man' in chapters 4, 8, and 10.

Identifying the Talents: Contextual Clues for the Interpretation of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
Ben Chenoweth (SIL, St. Petersburg)

Summary:

The parable of the Talents contains some elements that were intended to be interpreted allegorically. The master represents the Son of Man; the servants represent the disciples. But what about the talents? Some say the talents represent gifts and abilities; others, that they do not represent anything specific but are necessary only to demonstrate faithful stewardship. However, this article proposes that Matthew did have a specific referent in mind. By means of an extended verbal repetition (Matt. 13:12 and 25:29) Matthew intended the talents to refer to 'the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven'. In other words, the disciples have been given inside information about the kingdom – they were given the interpretation of Jesus' parables unlike the crowds who only heard the parables – and therefore they must make use of this knowledge to bring about a profit for Jesus. Those who do will be rewarded; failure to do so will result in punishment. Furthermore, this appies just as much to the readers of Matthew's gospel. Support for this view is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.

The Descent of the Eschatological Temple in the Form of the Spirit at Pentecost: Part 1: The Clearest Evidence
G. K. Beale (Wheaton College Graduate School)

Summary:

This article argues that certain OT and early Jewish references to a temple (usually a heavenly or latter-day temple) have been formative for the depiction of the Spirit appearing as fire and for other associated features in Acts 2. The conclusion drawn from this is that the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost is a description of the inaugurated eschatological descent to earth of the heavenly temple to establish God's end-time people as a part of this temple.

The Roman Base of Paul's Mission
E. A. Judge (Macquarie University, Sydney)

Summary:

One third of those around St Paul bear Latin names, ten times more than we should expect.  The types of name used suggest that most of these should have held Roman citizenship or the preliminary rank of Junian Latin.  In the Greek-speaking cities of the Roman East, however, most Romans or Latins kept the Greek names they or their ancestors had used before their enfranchisement or manumission.  For day-to-day purposes the Greek names alone were cited, though technically now cognomina ('associated names') to the Latin praenomina ('first names') andnomina gentilicia ('family names') required by Roman usage.  It is therefore likely that over half of Paul's associates ranked as Roman.  If so, the view that Acts has only made Paul himself a Roman citizen as window-dressing becomes pointless.  Instead we should assume that he linked himself with other Romans used to travelling on business or able to offer hospitality to him and his mission.

Problems with Perichoresis
Oliver D. Crisp (University of Notre Dame)

Summary:

The doctrine of perichoresis has been important for a number of contemporary theologians. However, it has been given much less philosophical attention. This essay is a philosophical-theological examination of the doctrine of perichoresis. Whereas most contemporary theologians who write about perichoresis restrict its application to the Holy Trinity, this paper seeks to address the question of its relevance for the hypostatic union in Christology. In order to do this, perichoresis in the Incarnation must be distinguished from the communication of attributes and from the way in which it is applied to the persons of the Godhead. I conclude that perichoresis has an important though often neglected use in Christology, as well as a right use in Trinitarian theology.

Dissertation Summaries

Cultic Prophecy in the Psalms in the Light of Assyrian Prophetic Sources
John W. Hilber (Dallas Theological Seminary)

First paragraph:

Since the early twentieth century, no consensus has been reached regarding the relationship between OT cultic prophecy and psalms, in particular, whether first-person divine speech in psalms originated from cult prophets or by poetic imitation of prophetic speech. Some have argued that spontaneous prophecy is incompatible with a fixed liturgical agenda and that the unified composition of psalms containing divine speech necessitates the composition of the whole prior to performance in worship, without the involvement of actual prophets. Assyrian prophetic sourcesattest to the existence of cult prophets in a culture relatively close to that of the OT, thereby inviting functional, form-critical, and thematic comparisons. Assyrian cult prophets announced divine support for the king, advocated the maintenance of temples and sacrifices, and offered divine response to inquiry and lament. These functions correspond to descriptions of prophets in the OT as voices of divine authority in royal affairs and as intermediaries who sometimes functioned at shrines. One might then expect psalms containing prophetic words that legitimise royal power (Psalms 2; 89; 110; 132), advance cultic orthodoxy and practices (Psalms 50; 68; 81; 95; 132) or address prayers and laments (Psalms 12; 60; 75; 82; 91; 132) to arise from this setting, even as Assyrian cultic prophecy functioned in similar ways.

The Velum Scissum: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus
Daniel M. Gurtner (University of St Andrews, Scotland)

First paragraph:

Paul frequently referred to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1). This title was central to his self-identity as a servant of God (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:1, cf. 1 Cor. 4:9; 9:1, 2, 5; 15:9; 2 Cor. 12:12; Gal. 1:17). He regards his apostolic identity as one he 'acquired' from Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:5; cf. Gal. 1:15), and one to which he was 'called' (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1, 15) 'by the will of God' (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1) when God revealed his Son in him (Gal. 1:15). Paul's readers were/are then faced with a basic interpretive question: What did Paul mean when he identified himself as an apostle? How did Paul portray his apostolic self-identity? Who did Paul think he was?

Paul the Spiritual Guide: A Social Identity Perspective on Paul's Apostolic Self-Identity
Robert Keay (Belfast Bible College, Northern Ireland)

First paragraph:
Paul frequently referred to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1). This title was central to his self-identity as a servant of God (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:1, cf. 1 Cor. 4:9; 9:1, 2, 5; 15:9; 2 Cor. 12:12; Gal. 1:17). He regards his apostolic identity as one he 'acquired' from Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:5; cf. Gal. 1:15), and one to which he was 'called' (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1, 15) 'by the will of God' (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1) when God revealed his Son in him (Gal. 1:15). Paul's readers were/are then faced with a basic interpretive question: What did Paul mean when he identified himself as an apostle? How did Paul portray his apostolic self-identity? Who did Paul think he was?

'Behold, I am Coming': The Use of Zechariah in Revelation
Marko Jauhiainen (Tampere, Finland)

First paragraph:
There is a steady flow of articles and monographs seeking to explore the ways in which the NT authors utilised earlier biblical texts, with no sign that this will soon dry up. Within this flow, the book of Revelation has at last, in recent years, received considerable scholarly attention and is now properly represented within this field of research. However, no thorough study of John's use of Zechariah has been undertaken, although the need for such a study has long been recognised. This study fills the gap by seeking to answer the question of how the book of Revelation uses the book of Zechariah. It examines the links between the two books thoroughly, with an emphasis on those instances where Revelation alludes specifically to Zechariah.