Articles in TynBul 54.1 (May.2003)

P52 (P. Rylands Gk. 457) and the Nomina Sacra: Method and Probability
L.W. HURTADO (University of Edinburgh)

This article responds to the recent proposal (by Chris Tuckett) that space considerations suggest that P52, our earliest NT manuscript, would have written out the name of Jesus in full. This would have implications for the study of the nomina sacra, abbreviations used for divine names (and some other terms) in all our other NT manuscripts. The main emphasis of this article is the importance of taking account of all scribal features of manuscripts in attempting to establish probabilities for lacunae. Careful attention to method and to all the scribal features of P52 suggests that the use of an abbreviated form of the name 'Jesus' is more probable than not, and that P52 is not an early exception to the rule that all NT manuscripts use nomina sacra.

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Cilicia: The First Christian Churches in Anatolia
Mark WILSON (Regent University, Vancouver)

This article explores the origin of the Christian church in Anatolia. While individual believers undoubtedly entered Anatolia during the 30s after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9–10), the book of Acts suggests that it was not until the following decade that the first church was organized. For it was at Antioch, the capital of the Roman province of Syria, that the first Christians appeared (Acts 11:20–26). Yet two obscure references in Acts point to the organization of churches in Cilicia at an earlier date. Among the addressees of the letter drafted by the Jerusalem council were the churches in Cilicia (Acts 15:23). Later Paul visited these same churches at the beginning of his second ministry journey (Acts 15:41). Paul's relationship to these churches points to this apostle as their founder. Since his home was the Cilician city of Tarsus, to which he returned after his conversion (Gal. 1:21; Acts 9:30), Paul was apparently active in church planting during his so-called 'silent years'. The core of these churches undoubtedly consisted of Diaspora Jews who, like Paul's family, lived in the region. Jews from Cilicia were members of a Synagogue of the Freedmen in Jerusalem, to which Paul was associated during his time in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9). Antiochus IV (175–164 bc) hellenized and urbanized Cilicia during his reign; the Romans around 39 bc added Cilicia Pedias to the province of Syria. Four cities along with Tarsus, located along or near the Pilgrim Road that transects Anatolia, constitute the most likely sites for the Cilician churches. The evidence, though incomplete, points to Cilicia as the location of the first Christian churches in Anatolia.

 

Popular Religion in Old Testament Research: Past, Present & Future
Jules GOMES (Selwyn College, Cambridge)

The heightened interest in the study of popular religion in various disciplines has led to scholars giving it consideration in the field of biblical studies. The 'popular religion movement', if one can so call recent developments, has, up to now, had no voice within traditional biblical criticism that makes little room for the 'religion of the marginalised'. Even more complex are the issues of definition, scope, and method from which scholars of popular religion struggle to extricate themselves. Nevertheless, given the cross-fertilisation with ancillary disciplines and the rise of new perspectives on scripture from different continents, such a pursuit does offer surprises that can contribute to mainstream critical thought. This paper examines the history of the 'popular religion movement' and negotiates methodological possibilities for the future.

 

What Shall We Call Each Other? Part Two: The Issue of Self-designation in the Johannine Letters and Revelation
Paul TREBILCO (University of Otago, New Zealand)

This paper discusses the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the Johannine Letters and Revelation. The key terms used in the Johannine Letters are 'brother and sister' and 'children of God' and in Revelation 'saints' and 'servants'. It is argued that in the case of the Pastorals (drawing on our earlier discussion in Part One) and the Johannine Letters these designations are also being used by the readers, whereas the 'world-shaping' nature of John's work means that we cannot say that the key terms that he adopts in order to refer to his readers were currently being used by them. Following these discussions, conclusions are reached with regard to early Christian communities and how they perceived their identity.

 

Galatians 3:16: What Kind of Exegete Was Paul?
C. John COLLINS (Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis, MO)

This article aims to understand Paul's argument about 'seeds' and 'seed' in Galatians 3:16 ­ first, by discerning which text of Genesis lies behind it; and secondly, by using recent grammatical work on 'seed' in Hebrew to discern whether the Hebrew is collective or singular. The article concludes that Paul was using Genesis 22:18, which speaks of an individual offspring, and that he properly applied it to Jesus as a Messianic text.

 

The Two Asses of Zechariah 9:9 in Matthew 21
David INSTONE-BREWER (Tyndale House, Cambridge)

Matthew appears to depart from the Synoptics, Johannine tradition and from common sense when he gives Jesus two asses to ride on for his grand entrance into Jerusalem. Most commentators have assumed that Matthew misunderstood the meaning of the parallelism in Zechariah 9:9, which caused him to create another animal to enable Jesus to fulfil the prophecy. It will be suggested here that Matthew understood the concept of parallelism, but that he did not believe that Scripture should be interpreted in that way. This is in line with rabbinic thought of the first century which rejected the concept of parallelism in Scripture.

 

'Apokavluyi~ 'Ihsou` Cristou` (Rev. 1:1): The Climax of John's Prophecy?
Marko JAUHIAINEN (Wolfson College, Cambridge)

This' article argues that interpreters of the book of Revelation have not paid sufficient attention to the way the introductory phrase 'Apokavluyi~ 'Ihsou' Cristou' is qualified in 1:1: the ajpokavluyi~ concerns 'what must take place soon', as 'shown' to John by an angel. A critique of the traditional position is followed by an evaluation of Richard Bauckham's proposal that ajpokavluyi~ refers to the contents of the little scroll in ch. 10. The article ends with an alternative reading of the data: the clues provided by John in 1:1 regarding theajpokavluyi~ suggest that it is primarily found in the climax of the book, i.e., the visions of the destruction of Babylon and her replacement by the New Jerusalem (17:1–19:10; 21:9–22:9).

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Q Review
Peter M. HEAD and P.J. WILLIAMS (Tyndale House, Cambridge)

This review article focuses on recent treatments of Q, the sayings source widely believed to stand behind the common material in Matthew and Luke (the double tradition). We begin with some recent works against the Q hypothesis, before examining the work of theInternational Q Project, including their Critical Edition of Q and Kloppenborg Verbin'sExcavating Q. We then turn to a more detailed treatment of Casey's Aramaic Approach to Q, which seeks to reconstruct the original Aramaic text of material common to Matthew and Luke. Discussion of these works suggests that contrary to the claims implicit in several studies it is not possible to reconstruct the actual wording of Q in either Greek or Aramaic with any confidence.

Hamsukkan in Isaiah 40:20: Some Reflections
S.J. SHERWIN (St Edmund's College, Cambridge)

Hamsukk n in Isaiah 40:20 has been linked with Akkadian musukkannu, a type of wood. This article examines the geographical spread of the wood in antiquity in order to determine what implications the acceptance of this reading has for the dating of the text.

 

Dissertation Summaries

An Eternal Planting, A House of Holiness: The Self-Understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls Community
Paul N.W. Swarup (Clare College, Cambridge)

This dissertation is a study of two metaphors, 'an eternal planting' and 'a house of holiness', which were used extensively by the DSS community in expression of their self-understanding. The sectarian writings and non-sectarian writings used by the community have been examined in order to bring out the theology behind these two metaphors. Fourteen different text excerpts have been examined, each treated initially as an individual, discrete passage and then placed within the framework of the document in which it is found, and finally within the Qumran corpus as a whole. Each passage is compared and contrasted primarily with the Hebrew Bible to see how the text has been reworked or nuanced to suit its new context. Once this is done, the theology underlying the two metaphors is discussed. It is concluded that these two metaphors express the deep yearning of the DSS community for a complete restoration of Israel, for a return to Edenic conditions as before the Fall, and for a temple which was pure.

Matthew's Portrait of Jesus the Judge with Special Reference to Matthew 21-25
Alistair I. Wilson (Highland Theological College, Dingwall)

The argument of this thesis is that a study of Jesus as Judge, as presented in chapters 21–25 of the gospel of Matthew, leads to conclusions which are incompatible with either the image of the apocalyptic prophet of imminent catastrophe (as proposed by J. Weiss and A. Schweitzer) or the 'non-eschatological Jesus' of M. Borg. Rather, Matthew's Jesus makes authoritative declarations of judgement on his contemporaries, drawing deeply from the Jewish Wisdom and prophetic traditions in both form and content, yet does so with an eschatological perspective which perceives ultimate judgement to lie in a climactic event at an undefined point in the future in which he will play a dominant role. This image of Jesus as he appeared to Matthew must be seriously taken into account in attempts to rediscover the 'historical Jesus'.

Articles in TynBul 53.2 (Nov.2002)

Where Was Ancient Zion?
Peter J. LEITHART (New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho)

Summary:

It is commonly assumed that 'Zion' refers to the temple mount or to the city of Jerusalem as a whole. By examining texts in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, the article demonstrates that 'Zion' in the historical books of the OT always refers to a specific area of Jerusalem, namely, the fortress that David conquered and named the 'City of David'. This shows a continuity of usage across several centuries, and raises the possibility that the Psalms and prophets sometimes use 'Zion' to refer to the Davidic city and its institutions. The article ends with a brief examination of some of these texts, and argues that the specifically Davidic understanding of 'Zion' offers fresh insight into the meaning of these passages.

How May We Speak of God? A Reconsideration of the Nature of Biblical Theology
R. W. L. MOBERLY (University of Durham)

Summary:

If theological interpretation of Scripture is to be renewed, it is necessary initially to acknowledge the strength of objections to theological interpretation in the 19th century when the modern paradigm of historical criticism was established; Pusey's messianic interpretation of Haggai 2:7 serves as a case study. Late 20th century work in hermeneutics changes the frame of reference within which the task should be conceived, though its potential has not yet been fully utilized by biblical scholars; Preuss's discussion of revelation in his Old Testament Theology serves as a case study. Finally, the divine self-revelation in Exodus 34:6–7 is seen to provide rules for, and constraints upon, truthful speech about God; and if the biblical text itself is to be understood as revelatory then the work of the interpreter needs ultimately to be understood as an act of prayer.

Passover and Last Supper
Robin ROUTLEDGE (Herringthorpe, Rotherham)

Summary:

The Synoptic Gospels present the Last Supper as a Passover meal. Whether this coincided with the actual Passover or, as some suggest, was held a day early, it was viewed by the participants as a Passover meal, and the words and actions of Jesus, including the institution of the Lord's Supper, would have been understood within that context. In order to better appreciate the significance of what happened at the Last Supper, this article looks at the form that the Passover celebration is likely to have taken at the time of Jesus, and notes links with the meal Jesus shared with his disciples.

The Herodians: A Case of Disputed Identity. A Review Article
David J. BRYAN (St Andrew's Church, Haughton-le-Skerne, Darlington)

Summary:

This paper discusses, in two parts, the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the authors of the Pastoral Epistles (here in part one), the Johannine Letters and Revelation (to follow in part two). Different ways in which self-designations might relate to terms coined by outsiders are considered in the introduction. It is argued that the term 'Christian' was an 'outsider-coined' term, which does not seem to have been regularly used for the purposes of self-designation in the literature considered here. The key terms used for self-designation in the Pastoral Epistles are 'brother and sister' and 'the believers', which, it is argued here, are used both by the author and the readers. Reasons why these particular self-designations were used are offered. Comparative conclusions will follow the investigation of self-designation in the Johannine Letters and Revelation in Part Two.

What Shall We Call Each Other? Part One: The Issue of Self-designation in the Pastoral Epistles
Paul TREBILCO (University of Otago, New Zealand)

Summary:

The enigmatic command in Ephesians 5:18, 'be filled by the Spirit', is often understood in terms of the empowerment of individual believers for discipleship and ministry. Such an interpretation leads to difficulties in relating the command to the five participles which follow, and to the argument of the epistle as a whole. Reading the command as directed to the community as a corporate body, and the five participles which follow as participles of means, instead of result, solves a number of problems normally associated with this passage.

Being the Fullness of God in Christ by the Spirit: Ephesians 5:18 in Its Epistolary Setting
Timothy G. GOMBIS (University of St Andrews)

Summary:

James 1:9–11 encourages the poor and warns the rich about their perceived positions. Despite the apparent simplicity of the teaching, scholars have questioned the identity of the rich person, the nature of the boasting, and the relationship that this teaching has to the other teachings within James 1. Hearing a scriptural echo from Jeremiah 9:23–24 [LXX 9:22-23] within James 1:9–11 can contribute to this discussion. When the context of Jeremiah 9:23–24 and its early interpretations within Jewish literature are heard, they can help identify the rich person in James 1:9–11 as a Christian believer, specify the boasting as a heroic boast, and provide connections with this teaching and others within James 1.

Of Rags and Riches: The Benefits of Hearing Jeremiah 9:23-24 Within James 1:9-11
H. H. Drake WILLIAMS, III (Biblical Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania)

Summary:

David Bebbington has published a number of influential works arguing that Evangelicalism was created by the Enlightenment. He claims that the new and distinctively Evangelical activism of the 1730s was only possible because of a novel doctrine of assurance. This doctrine was in turn born of the dependence of John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards on Enlightenment epistemology. The following article questions this claim and thus seeks to re-open the case for the identity of Evangelicalism with the Reformation and Puritanism.

Was Evangelicalism Created by the Enlightenment?
Garry J. WILLIAMS (Oak Hill College, London)

Dissertation Summaries

Acts 17:16-34. An Apologetic Model Then and Now?
Lars DAHLE (Kristiansand, Norway)

First paragraph:

Apologetics has traditionally been described as the rational justification of Christian truth claims over against relevant questions, objections and alternatives. Presupposing such an understanding of apologetics and the need to investigate biblical apologetic foundations, this thesis explores the hypothesis that Acts 17:16–34 is to be seen as an apologetic model 'then' and 'now'. This New Testament passage has not previously been fully developed as a biblical paradigm for apologetics, neither exegetically nor in terms of contemporary apologetics.

The New Testament Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism
John D. LIERMAN (Corpus Christi College, Cambridge)

First paragraph:

This study is an assessment of how the New Testament, set within the context of ancient Judaism, characterizes the functions of Moses in relation to Israel and the Jewish people. Although the study focuses primarily on NT texts, other ancient writings and historical material are consulted so as to situate the NT Moses in the larger milieu of Jewish thought.