tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649240711778750372023-11-16T14:06:07.665+00:00Tyndale Bulletin ArticlesContents of Tyndale Bulletin - a peer-review journal for Biblical Studies and related disciplines.Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-15311551482583793582019-12-04T12:47:00.000+00:002019-12-04T12:46:00.066+00:00Articles in TynBul 70.2 (Nov. 2019)<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">p.161<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Dodging the Question? The Rhetorical Function of the<br> <span lang="HE" dir="RTL">מה־זאת עשׂית</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> Formula in the Book of Genesis <br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Geoff Harper and Alex C. H. Lee (Sydney Missionary & Bible College)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Building on recent research that demonstrates a rhetorical movement in Genesis from fratricide (Cain and Abel) to forgiveness (Joseph and his brothers), this article considers the function of a repeated question utilised throughout the patriarchal narratives. On eight occasions, variations of <span lang="HE" dir="RTL">מַה־זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> ('What is this you have done?') are used to confront wrongdoers. The typical response is to mitigate culpability; the outcomes are generally negative. However, the final instance of the question in chapter 44 is markedly different. This subversion of expectation works powerfully as a rhetorical tool to instruct readers regarding a right response to the uncovering of sin.<br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.185<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">A Theology of Facing Persecution in the Gospel of John<br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Chee-Chiew Lee (Singapore Bible College)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">This article examines how John crafts the narratives and discourses to address the issue of fear and secrecy and to guide his audience/readers on how to face persecution. It is proposed that: first, John uses dualistic language with the rhetorical purpose of bringing across ironies, exposing underlying motives of characters, and heightening the impossibility of a middle ground; second, he deliberately portrays a few characters ambiguously to reflect the complexities of life—one cannot and should not easily classify everyone neatly into dualistic categories; and, third, John has a distinctive emphasis on divine providence with regard to facing persecution.<br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.205<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Acts 27–28: The Cerebral Scars of Shipwreck<br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Luuk van de Weghe (University of Aberdeen)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Conclusions drawn from recent studies on memory and trauma shed light on the vividness and immediacy of Acts 27:1–28:15. First, trauma catalyses enduring recollection. Subsequent memories can be visualised as 'cerebral scars' left by first-hand traumatic experiences. Second, shipwreck survival creates a plausible scenario for the formation of such memories. After analysing four possible approaches to Acts 27:1–28:15, this article concludes that the passage captures the cerebral scars of an eyewitness experience and ought to be approached accordingly.<br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.221<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Negotiating Hostility Through Beneficial Deeds <br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Sean du Toit (Alphacrucis College, New Zealand)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">In this article we have surveyed the concept of ἀγαθοποιέω. It has been argued that this refers to various kinds of beneficial deeds, either for a community or individuals. At times the purpose of these good works is to neutralise hostility and convert an enemy into a friend. This strategy of benefiting an enemy is seen in both Graeco-Roman, Jewish, and early Christian writings. This provides an important context within which to understand and interpret 1 Peter. Contrary to Williams' proposal, good works are not to be understood as exclusively Jewish and Christian practices that were used to subvert hegemonic power structures within the Graeco-Roman world. Rather, in keeping with the educational concerns of early Christianity, what we see in 1 Peter is an effort to communicate clearly to a Gentile audience using familiar topoi. The purpose of benefitting others, including outsiders, is to provide an opportunity to allay pagan concerns that these Christians were a dangerous community. Peter's strategy is that by demonstrating that Christians were people who benefit others, the hope is that this will both alleviate ignorance and provide an opportunity for ethical witness. <br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.245<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The Role of Semitic Catchwords in Interpreting the Epistle of James<br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Daniel K. Eng (University of Cambridge)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">This article examines the arrangement of the Epistle of James in light of Semitic documents that display catchword association. James shows evidence of being a compilation, with adjacent sections frequently connected by a common cognate. After identifying patterns of catchword association in the Hebrew Bible, LXX, and Qumran, the article identifies instances of catchword association in the Epistle of James. Finally, some conclusions are drawn for James, including recommendations about the study of its genre, provenance, structure, and interpretation.<br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.269<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Epistolary Greetings in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri<br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Peter M. Head (Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">This paper examines the function of greetings in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri by focusing on vocabulary, how individuals and groups of people are described, questions relating to format and presentation, differences in format, particularly when greetings are interrupted, and the function of greetings in consolidating and maintaining connections between writers and extended communities. It offers conclusions concerning the placement of greetings, the normal epistolary practice of Graeco-Roman antiquity, and the flexibility in the relationship between the greetings, the situation and main purpose of the letter. Included is a list of the 74 letters studied and the text of their greetings.<br> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.291<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Luther, Heidegger, and the Hiddenness of God <br> </span></b><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Mark Norman (George Whitefield College, Cape Town)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">This paper seeks to trace how certain Lutheran themes, particularly the tendency towards fideism evidenced in the Lutheran 'Deus absconditus', were later adopted by Heidegger, and then misappropriated by certain 'post-theological' thinkers of the continental tradition in the late twentieth century. In what follows, the early Luther and his theology of the Cross will be firstly placed into its late medieval nominalist context, after which Heidegger's employment of the Lutheran 'hidden God' in his formulation of the question of 'being' will be discussed. Finally, I will propose that the appreciation of Luther's legacy and his relevance for philosophy lies not in popular 'Heideggerian' revisionist readings of the reformer but, alternatively, through integrating the Deus absconditus theme into the rest of his theological thought, including his historical context.<br> </span></p> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><br> p.317<br> </span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The Tradition of the Apostles: The Relationship Between Apostolic Authority and the Earliest Tradition of the Church <br> </span></b><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Ádám Szabados (Károli Gáspár University, Budapest)<br> <br> </span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I had two questions in mind when I began my research on the relationship between apostolic authority and the earliest tradition of the church: is it historically justified to talk about a normative tradition, and, if yes, how can we demarcate it? <br> It was my initial hypothesis that the existence of a normative tradition is both warranted and demarcated by apostolic authority. I also presumed that apostolic authority on the one hand meant an authentic representation and embodiment of the tradition received from Jesus; on the other hand, it meant a legitimacy for authoritatively defining this tradition. If this latter hypothesis is true, apostolic authority was both ministerial authority (submitted to the earliest tradition given by Jesus) and magisterial authority (the only legitimate definition of this tradition) at the same time.<br> The goal of my doctoral thesis was to test these hypotheses in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the dynamics between apostolic authority and the earliest tradition of the church.<br> <br> </span><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><dl></dl></blockquote></div></div></div> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-90147324516966680532019-08-20T13:11:00.000+01:002019-08-20T13:10:47.088+01:00Articles in TynBul 70.1 (May 2019)<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>p.1<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Sacrifice and Centralisation in the Pentateuch: Is Exodus 20:24-26 Really at Odds with Deuteronomy? <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Benjamin Foreman (IBEX, Israel)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Many scholars believe Exodus 20:24-–26 and Deuteronomy 12:1-–28 present contradictory regulations on how and where to sacrifice. Exodus 20:24-–26 seems to imply that sacrificial altars can be built at any location throughout the country, while Deuteronomy appears to prohibit all sacrifice outside of the central place of worship. Scholars have dealt with this discrepancy in various ways. In this paper I show how none of these explanations hold up to closer scrutiny and argue that both texts simply address different types of sacrifices permitted in ancient Israel.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.23<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Faith and Narrative: A Two-Level Reading of Belief in the Gospel of John<br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Christopher Seglenieks (Bible College of South Australia)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>The question of who truly believes according to John's Gospel can be unclear, complicated by characters who display contradictory evidence, both portrayed positively yet also reflecting imperfections. A solution to the confusion lies in attending to the overt narration of the Gospel, which creates a distinction between events within the story and the presentation to the reader. Positive expressions of faith within the story can be identified as 'acceptable belief', involving commitment to Jesus but with a limited understanding of his identity and mission. Only after the cross is 'genuine belief', (which includes greater under¬standing), possible.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.41<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>The Pools of Siloam: Biblical and Post-Biblical Traces<br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Elaine A. Phillips (Gordon College, MA)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Scholars celebrated the 2004 discovery of a large first- century pool at the southern end of Jerusalem's City of David. That pool and the related complex of underground conduits are archaeological echoes of biblical texts from both First and Second Temple periods. Potential identifications of and connections among these vital water sources are already evident in language employed in biblical and post-biblical texts, are reflected in centuries of travellers' reports, and appear in nineteenth- and twentieth- century maps. Data from each of these categories contribute to our comprehensive understanding of the water systems that served Jerusalem through the millennia.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.55<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Why Derbe? An Unlikely Lycaonian City for Paul's Ministry<br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Bob Wagner (Tacoma, Washington) and Mark Wilson (Stellenbosch University)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>This article discusses Paul's visit to Derbe contextually within the first journey as well as his subsequent visits to this minor Lycaonian city. It reviews the difficulty of earlier travellers and scholars such as Davis, Sterrett, and Ramsay to localise the site. The discovery of two inscriptions naming Derbe have more precisely situated the site, yet some ambiguity remains. Paul's projected routes between Lystra and Derbe as presented in maps and atlases are reviewed. The authors' autopsy of this area provides fresh insights into Paul's route between the two cities. The article closes with a suggested reason why Paul visited Derbe on his first journey and thereby founded a community of believers there.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.85<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Colossians 1:23: A Case for Translating ἐπιμένετε (Continue) as Imperative, not Indicative<br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Vicky Balabanski (Flinders University of South Australia)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>This paper presents a morphological observation about a verbal form in Colossians 1:23 that potentially has several significant implications. The paper is, first, a foray into an important new methodological approach, namely the study of the divisions displayed in the earliest Greek manuscript witnesses. Second, it is an exploration of the meaning of εἴ γε (traditionally translated here as 'provided that' or 'if indeed'), and whether in this context the particle γε modalises εἰ in such a way that the meaning of this composite form is 'if so', or 'this being the case', or 'accordingly', followed by the imperative. Third, the paper argues that interpreting ἐπιμένετε (continue) as imperative, not indicative, is a less problematic way of reading Colossians 1:23, both linguistically and theologically, than the traditional reading.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.95<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>The Coherence of Penal Substitution: An Edwardsean Defence<br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Christopher Woznicki (Fuller Theological Seminary)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Among recent evaluations of penal substitutionary atonement one significant critique is that given the necessary and sufficient conditions for punishment the doctrine is incoherent. In this essay I defend the coherence of penal substitution by providing an account of Christ's relationship to humanity such that it is conceptually possible to meet the necessary and sufficient conditions for punishment. In order to do this, I turn to Jonathan Edwards's understanding of creation and identity. I show that a view called 'Edwardsean Anti-Criterialism' provides the metaphysics necessary for a coherent account of penal substitution.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.117<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Congregational Membership, Church Purity, and Presbyterian and Congregationalist Polemics During the Puritan Revolution <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Youngkwon Chung (Sejong University)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>During the revolutionary decade of the 1640s, intra-Puritan conflict over ecclesiology, or the theological issue of church government, dominated the ecclesiastical landscape of England. Owing to the leading Puritans' lack of support for complete separatism as an ecclesiological alternative, the conflict pitted mainly the Presbyterians against the Congregationalists. This divergence of opinion over ecclesiastical system of governance has fascinated historians. Yet what this article finds is that, somewhat surprisingly, church purity, which was an issue closely linked to church system of governance and emerged as another highly contested theme vis-à-vis ecclesiology among contemporary polemicists, has not received the attention it deserves. Both Presbyterian and Congregationalist polemicists discoursed at length about the imperative of setting up pure churches, safeguarding the purity of churches from spiritual contamination, and maintaining the religious integrity of both its members and divine ordinances; yet, in many important ways, they differed over the precise means and mechanisms to achieve such a state of purity and integrity for the life of the church. It is hoped that a detailed examination of this theme of church purity as discoursed and debated by the Presbyterians and Congregationalists will add fresh perspectives on earlier works on religious conflict amongst the Puritans as it unfolded over the course of the revolutionary decade of the 1640s as well as the subsequent decade.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.145<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Dissertation summary: The Persuasive Intent of the Book of Leviticus <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Katherine M. Smith (Trinity College Bristol)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Although Pentateuchal scholarship has tended to approach Leviticus as two corpora in order to explore the historical situation behind each source, recent studies have explored the literary artistry and rhetoric of Leviticus. However, very little argument has been articulated about how Leviticus is rhetoric. To address this lacuna, this thesis demonstrates how a rhetorical strategy shapes Leviticus's arrangement to achieve a particular effect. To this end, this study adopts a four-step rhetorical-critical framework for the overarching argument.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.149<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Dissertation summary: The Re-Presentation of David in Psalms 140–143 <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Jill Firth (Ridley College Melbourne)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>It is counterintuitive to find individual laments like Psalms 140–143 near the end of the Psalter, as the arc of the Book of Psalms is often described as from lament to praise and from psalms of the individual to psalms of the community. The placement of these psalms is intriguing, as many commentators see Books IV–V as an 'answer' to the disaster of the fall of Jerusalem and loss of Davidic kingship in Psalm 89, and the last collection of <span lang=HE dir=RTL>לדוד</span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span> (<i>ledavid</i>) psalms (Pss 138–145) as an 'answer' to the communal lament of Psalm 137.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.153<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Dissertation summary:</span></b><span style='color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Revealing the Name: An Investigation of the Divine Character Through a Conversation Analysis of the Dialogues Between God and Moses in the Book of Exodus <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Mark Arnold (University of Gloucestershire)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>For much of the last century scholarly discussion of YHWH's statement to Moses <span lang=HE dir=RTL>אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה</span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span><span dir=LTR></span> has related to matters of etymology, or history of religion, or the precise grammar of the text. However, more recently there has been renewed interest in understanding the statement in its present context as part of the book of Exodus, in particular its role in the call of Moses. In this thesis I seek to deepen our understanding through a close reading of the dialogues between Moses and YHWH.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br>p.156<br></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Dissertation summary: Septuagint Lexicography and Language Change in Greek Judges <br></span></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>William A. Ross (Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge)<br> <br></span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>The language of the Septuagint has a mixed reputation. Although many explanations could be offered for this state of affairs, at a fundamental level the matter is one of perspective. With such a diverse corpus of texts traditionally falling under the rubric of 'the Septuagint,', scholars understandably differ over which aspects of the data to emphasisze in their analysis as well as the standards with which to carry out that analysis. The prevailing tradition in scholarship typically views the degree of word-for-word correspondence between the Greek and Hebrew texts under analysis as the data fundamental to evaluating the language of the Septuagint. From this perspective, it is the supposed Hebrew or Aramaic Vorlage that provides a default standard of analysis. Other scholars frame the discussion in different terms, however, preferring to address the language of the Septuagint first of all in light of contemporary conventions, such that the Greek linguistic milieu provides both the controlling standards and data for analysis.<br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><br><br></span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-372850806569429822018-12-20T13:17:00.000+00:002018-12-20T13:16:29.083+00:00Articles in TynBul 69.2 (Nov 2018)<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>p.161<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>'Mosaic Covenant' as a Possible Referent for Νομοσ in Paul <br></span></b><i>Matthew B. Leighton (IBSTE, Barcelona)<br> <br></i>Any serious enquiry into Paul's view of the law must include lexical considerations regarding the meaning of νόμος ('law') itself. A general consensus has emerged that νόμος predominantly refers to Mosaic legislation. A few scholars, however, have suggested that νόμος should sometimes be taken as a synecdoche for the Mosaic covenant administration. This article attempts to substantiate the plausibility of that referent by appealing to precursors for it in the OT and intertestamental literature, examples of a few of Paul's uses of νόμος, and linguistic considerations related to word choice. <br> <br>p.183<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Moral Transformation Through Mimesis in the Johannine Tradition <br></span></b><i>Cor Bennema (Union School of Theology)<br> <br></i>Johannine ethics is a problematic area for scholarship but recently there has been a breakthrough. In this new era of exploring Johannine ethics, the present study examines the concept of moral transformation through mimesis. The argument is that when people live in God's world, their character and conduct are shaped in accordance with the moral beliefs, values, and norms of the divine reality, and that mimesis proves to be instrumental in this process of moral transformation. The study also explores how Johannine Christians in the late first century could imitate an 'absent' Jesus and what they were seeking to imitate. <br> <br>p.205<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>'King of Kings' in Other Words: Colossians 1:15a as a Designation of Authority Rather Than Revelation<br></span></b><i>Christopher S. Northcott (Lincoln Road Bible Chapel, Auckland)<br></i> <br>Colossians 1:15a is typically understood to designate Jesus as the way in which the otherwise unknowable God can be known by human beings. Support for this conclusion is drawn from Hellenistic Judaism, Greek philosophy, and theology merely inferred from the 'image of God' concept in Genesis 1:26-28. However, a more satisfactory reading of this verse sees in it a presentation of Jesus as Yahweh's representative ruler of the earth. There are several supports for this reading: (1) the explicit development of the 'image of God' concept in Genesis; (2) parallel uses of the 'image of God' concept in ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman sources; (3) the modification made to the preposition in Colossians 1:15a; (4) an alternative reading of the word 'invisible'; and (5) the subsequent phrase in Colossians 1:15b, 'firstborn of all creation'. By describing Jesus in such a way, he is presented as the legitimate ruler of the world, potentially in deliberate contrast to the world rulers of that day: the emperors of Rome, who were thus viewed by the merit of their special relationship with their gods. <br> <br>p.225<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Hebrews 12:18-24: Apocalyptic Typology or Platonic Dualism?<br></span></b><i>Gareth Lee Cockerill (Sierra Leone, West Africa)<br></i> <br>Those who have approached Hebrews either from the point of view of apocalyptic eschatology or from the perspective of neoplatonism have often misinterpreted the two 'mountains' in Hebrews 12:18-24. The first understand these 'mountains' as representing the Old and New Covenants; the second, the earthly and heavenly worlds. This paper argues that the two 'mountains' represent two present possibilities. The first is the present state and future destiny of the disobedient who are excluded from fellowship with God; the second, the present state and future destiny of the faithful who enter into that fellowship. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> This interpretation is substantiated by a careful examination of the text and confirmed by the way this interpretation fits with Hebrews' rhetorical strategy and use of the Old Testament. Crucial to the argument is the total lack of continuity between the two mountains that would be essential to substantiate either of the traditional interpretations.<br> <br>p.241<br><b><i><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>'Tantum in Domino'</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>: Tertullian's Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7 in His Ad Uxorem <br></span></b><i>Coleman Ford (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville)<br></i> <br>Tertullian of Carthage (c. AD 155–240) is most remembered for his adherence to the Montanist sect and subsequent moral rigidity. While various opinions exist as to the Montanist influence upon his writings, signs of such adherence are evident from an early period. This is true of his treatise <i>Ad uxorem</i>, written in the early third century. His views of marriage, specifically in light of the Pauline injunctive from 1 Corinthains 7:39, provide readers with an early, and relatively unexplored, perspective on Christian marriage. This essay examines this early treatise from Tertullian, and his interpretation of Paul, in order to better understand the complexities of Tertullian's early view of marriage. Addressing the work of Elizabeth Clark on this topic, this essay presents the <i>tantum in Domino</i> ('only in the Lord') phrase as pivotal for understanding Tertullian's view of marriage (and subsequent remarriage) as a created good. <br> <br>p.259<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The <i>Pactum Salutis</i>: A Scriptural Concept or Scholastic Mythology?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>Paul R. Williamson (Moore Theological College, Sydney)<br></i> <br>One of the three foundational covenants Reformed/Covenant theology is built upon is the <i>Pactum Salutis</i> or covenant of redemption. This refers to an intratrinitarian covenantal agreement, purportedly made before the creation of the world, to secure the salvation of God's elect. The theological rationale and exegetical support for such a pre-temporal covenant is set out and examined, and it is argued that there are serious exegetical problems with the alleged biblical foundations for such a theological construct. <br> <br>p.283<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Justification by Faith 1517–2017: What Has Changed?<br></span></b><i>Anthony N. S. Lane (London School of Theology)<br></i> <br>Justification was a key issue at the Reformation, and Protestants and Catholics have polarised over it. There was a brief moment of agreement at the Regensburg Colloquy in 1541, but this was swept away by the Council of Trent, whose Decree on Justification (1547) took care to demarcate itself from Protestantism. Hans Küng initiated a new approach, seeking points of agreement rather than difference. That approach eventually gave birth to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999). This does not pretend that no differences remain but claims that they are acceptable. It is fruitful to consider the differing concerns of each side.<span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>The focus of this paper is what may or may not have changed in Protestant–Catholic relations on justification, not the changing picture of modern biblical studies. In particular, I will not be looking at the New Perspectives (plural) on Paul nor at John Barclay's recent magnum (if not maximum) opus. <br> <br> <br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Dissertation Summaries<br></span></b> <br>p.305<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The Process of Producing the Standard Inscription of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud/Kalḫu <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>J. Caleb Howard (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore)<br></i> <br>In spite of the fact that the Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions have been known and read for a century and a half, the mechanics of their production are still poorly understood. Studies thus far have relied mainly on references to production in Neo-Assyrian letters and inferences from the final forms of Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions. Textual variation between manuscripts of the same composition and the formats and execution of the inscriptions are largely untapped sources of information for the mechanics of production.<br> <br>p.309<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The Gospel of Matthew in a Sixth-Century Manuscript Family Scribal Habits in the Purple Codices 022, 023 and 042 <br></span></b><i>Elijah Hixson (University of Edinburgh)<br></i> <br>The past fifty years have seen a number of studies devoted to scribal habits. This line of research begins with E. C. Colwell, who proposed a method to determine scribal habits in the 1960s in order to attempt to quantify the types of claims Westcott and Hort made about what scribes would have been more likely or less likely to do. James R. Royse refined the method in his 1981 dissertation on P<sup>45</sup>, P<sup>46</sup>, P<sup>47</sup>, P<sup>66</sup>, P<sup>72</sup>, and P<sup>75</sup>, finally published in 2008. A number of other studies in scribal habits have appeared along the way, mainly focused on manuscripts dated to the third, fourth, and fifth centuries. <br> <br>p.313<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>'A Table in the Wilderness?': The Rhetorical Function of Food Language in Psalm 78 <br></span></b><i>Michelle A. Stinson (Trinity College, Bristol)<br></i> <br>Across time and cultures, the daily need to eat and drink has ordered and consumed human life. It is not surprising that this preoccupation with food is also reflected in the biblical text. While scholars have shown a far-reaching and protracted interest in food and meals in the New Testament, little attention has been directed to this topic in the Hebrew Bible (HB). Food texts in the Psalter remain largely untouched. <br> <br>p.317<br><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Where Is God in the Megilloth?: A Dialogue on the Ambiguity of Divine Presence and Absence <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>Brittany N. Melton (University of Cambridge)<br></i> <br>The Introduction begins with observation of apparent divine absence in each of the Megilloth (Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther) based on the facts that God never appears or speaks in any of these books and that there is a lack of divine mention in two. This theme spurs the question: Where is God in the Megilloth? However, answering this question is complicated by the complexity of conceptualising divine presence and absence in the Hebrew Bible. <br> <b><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>---<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-37668763212890339662018-11-08T14:12:00.001+00:002018-11-08T14:12:50.757+00:00Articles in TynBul 69.2 (Nov 2018)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mk7R6vRVuujUY82k7aGweX1PMjfvzXia-5tIlJ7i9Wy0XEz6G3mcHYSSPdouyMMlqRcGUnxhRCd7f2aIZLKEOjbt5N0ykmjIyAcikspa53i4-oCbZ4nDegwjWqwytXDC_CDeqOEm-GNc/s1600/image001-770780.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mk7R6vRVuujUY82k7aGweX1PMjfvzXia-5tIlJ7i9Wy0XEz6G3mcHYSSPdouyMMlqRcGUnxhRCd7f2aIZLKEOjbt5N0ykmjIyAcikspa53i4-oCbZ4nDegwjWqwytXDC_CDeqOEm-GNc/s320/image001-770780.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6621492542023297026" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <v:background id="_x0000_s1025" o:bwmode="white" o:targetscreensize="1024,768"> <v:fill src="cid:image001.gif@01D47768.FE2838E0" o:title="background_arctic" type="frame" /> </v:background></xml><![endif]--> <div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal">p.161<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">'Mosaic Covenant' as a Possible Referent for Νομοσ in Paul <br> </span></b><i>Matthew B. Leighton (IBSTE, Barcelona)<br> <br> </i>Any serious enquiry into Paul's view of the law must include lexical considerations regarding the meaning of νόμος ('law') itself. A general consensus has emerged that νόμος predominantly refers to Mosaic legislation. A few scholars, however, have suggested that νόμος should sometimes be taken as a synecdoche for the Mosaic covenant administration. This article attempts to substantiate the plausibility of that referent by appealing to precursors for it in the OT and intertestamental literature, examples of a few of Paul's uses of νόμος, and linguistic considerations related to word choice. <br> <br> p.183<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Moral Transformation Through Mimesis in the Johannine Tradition <br> </span></b><i>Cor Bennema (Union School of Theology)<br> <br> </i>Johannine ethics is a problematic area for scholarship but recently there has been a breakthrough. In this new era of exploring Johannine ethics, the present study examines the concept of moral transformation through mimesis. The argument is that when people live in God's world, their character and conduct are shaped in accordance with the moral beliefs, values, and norms of the divine reality, and that mimesis proves to be instrumental in this process of moral transformation. The study also explores how Johannine Christians in the late first century could imitate an 'absent' Jesus and what they were seeking to imitate. <br> <br> p.205<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">'King of Kings' in Other Words: Colossians 1:15a as a Designation of Authority Rather Than Revelation<br> </span></b><i>Christopher S. Northcott (Lincoln Road Bible Chapel, Auckland)<br> </i> <br> Colossians 1:15a is typically understood to designate Jesus as the way in which the otherwise unknowable God can be known by human beings. Support for this conclusion is drawn from Hellenistic Judaism, Greek philosophy, and theology merely inferred from the 'image of God' concept in Genesis 1:26-28. However, a more satisfactory reading of this verse sees in it a presentation of Jesus as Yahweh's representative ruler of the earth. There are several supports for this reading: (1) the explicit development of the 'image of God' concept in Genesis; (2) parallel uses of the 'image of God' concept in ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman sources; (3) the modification made to the preposition in Colossians 1:15a; (4) an alternative reading of the word 'invisible'; and (5) the subsequent phrase in Colossians 1:15b, 'firstborn of all creation'. By describing Jesus in such a way, he is presented as the legitimate ruler of the world, potentially in deliberate contrast to the world rulers of that day: the emperors of Rome, who were thus viewed by the merit of their special relationship with their gods. <br> <br> p.225<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Hebrews 12:18-24: Apocalyptic Typology or Platonic Dualism?<br> </span></b><i>Gareth Lee Cockerill (Sierra Leone, West Africa)<br> </i> <br> Those who have approached Hebrews either from the point of view of apocalyptic eschatology or from the perspective of neoplatonism have often misinterpreted the two 'mountains' in Hebrews 12:18-24. The first understand these 'mountains' as representing the Old and New Covenants; the second, the earthly and heavenly worlds. This paper argues that the two 'mountains' represent two present possibilities. The first is the present state and future destiny of the disobedient who are excluded from fellowship with God; the second, the present state and future destiny of the faithful who enter into that fellowship. <span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> This interpretation is substantiated by a careful examination of the text and confirmed by the way this interpretation fits with Hebrews' rhetorical strategy and use of the Old Testament. Crucial to the argument is the total lack of continuity between the two mountains that would be essential to substantiate either of the traditional interpretations.<br> <br> p.241<br> <b><i><span style="font-size:13.5pt">'Tantum in Domino'</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">: Tertullian's Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7 in His Ad Uxorem <br> </span></b><i>Coleman Ford (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville)<br> </i> <br> Tertullian of Carthage (c. AD 155–240) is most remembered for his adherence to the Montanist sect and subsequent moral rigidity. While various opinions exist as to the Montanist influence upon his writings, signs of such adherence are evident from an early period. This is true of his treatise <i>Ad uxorem</i>, written in the early third century. His views of marriage, specifically in light of the Pauline injunctive from 1 Corinthains 7:39, provide readers with an early, and relatively unexplored, perspective on Christian marriage. This essay examines this early treatise from Tertullian, and his interpretation of Paul, in order to better understand the complexities of Tertullian's early view of marriage. Addressing the work of Elizabeth Clark on this topic, this essay presents the <i>tantum in Domino</i> ('only in the Lord') phrase as pivotal for understanding Tertullian's view of marriage (and subsequent remarriage) as a created good. <br> <br> p.259<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">The <i>Pactum Salutis</i>: A Scriptural Concept or Scholastic Mythology?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Paul R. Williamson (Moore Theological College, Sydney)<br> </i> <br> One of the three foundational covenants Reformed/Covenant theology is built upon is the <i>Pactum Salutis</i> or covenant of redemption. This refers to an intratrinitarian covenantal agreement, purportedly made before the creation of the world, to secure the salvation of God's elect. The theological rationale and exegetical support for such a pre-temporal covenant is set out and examined, and it is argued that there are serious exegetical problems with the alleged biblical foundations for such a theological construct. <br> <br> p.283<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Justification by Faith 1517–2017: What Has Changed?<br> </span></b><i>Anthony N. S. Lane (London School of Theology)<br> </i> <br> Justification was a key issue at the Reformation, and Protestants and Catholics have polarised over it. There was a brief moment of agreement at the Regensburg Colloquy in 1541, but this was swept away by the Council of Trent, whose Decree on Justification (1547) took care to demarcate itself from Protestantism. Hans Küng initiated a new approach, seeking points of agreement rather than difference. That approach eventually gave birth to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999). This does not pretend that no differences remain but claims that they are acceptable. It is fruitful to consider the differing concerns of each side.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The focus of this paper is what may or may not have changed in Protestant–Catholic relations on justification, not the changing picture of modern biblical studies. In particular, I will not be looking at the New Perspectives (plural) on Paul nor at John Barclay's recent magnum (if not maximum) opus. <br> <br> <br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Dissertation Summaries<br> </span></b> <br> p.305<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">The Process of Producing the Standard Inscription of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud/Kal</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">ḫ</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">u <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>J. Caleb Howard (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore)<br> </i> <br> In spite of the fact that the Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions have been known and read for a century and a half, the mechanics of their production are still poorly understood. Studies thus far have relied mainly on references to production in Neo-Assyrian letters and inferences from the final forms of Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions. Textual variation between manuscripts of the same composition and the formats and execution of the inscriptions are largely untapped sources of information for the mechanics of production.<br> <br> p.309<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">The Gospel of Matthew in a Sixth-Century Manuscript Family Scribal Habits in the Purple Codices 022, 023 and 042 <br> </span></b><i>Elijah Hixson (University of Edinburgh)<br> </i> <br> The past fifty years have seen a number of studies devoted to scribal habits. This line of research begins with E. C. Colwell, who proposed a method to determine scribal habits in the 1960s in order to attempt to quantify the types of claims Westcott and Hort made about what scribes would have been more likely or less likely to do. James R. Royse refined the method in his 1981 dissertation on P<sup>45</sup>, P<sup>46</sup>, P<sup>47</sup>, P<sup>66</sup>, P<sup>72</sup>, and P<sup>75</sup>, finally published in 2008. A number of other studies in scribal habits have appeared along the way, mainly focused on manuscripts dated to the third, fourth, and fifth centuries. <br> <br> p.313<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">'A Table in the Wilderness?': The Rhetorical Function of Food Language in Psalm 78 <br> </span></b><i>Michelle A. Stinson (Trinity College, Bristol)<br> </i> <br> Across time and cultures, the daily need to eat and drink has ordered and consumed human life. It is not surprising that this preoccupation with food is also reflected in the biblical text. While scholars have shown a far-reaching and protracted interest in food and meals in the New Testament, little attention has been directed to this topic in the Hebrew Bible (HB). Food texts in the Psalter remain largely untouched. <br> <br> p.317<br> <b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Where Is God in the Megilloth?: A Dialogue on the Ambiguity of Divine Presence and Absence <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Brittany N. Melton (University of Cambridge)<br> </i> <br> The Introduction begins with observation of apparent divine absence in each of the Megilloth (Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther) based on the facts that God never appears or speaks in any of these books and that there is a lack of divine mention in two. This theme spurs the question: Where is God in the Megilloth? However, answering this question is complicated by the complexity of conceptualising divine presence and absence in the Hebrew Bible. <br> <br> <span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-69356425785656097172018-05-02T12:24:00.000+01:002018-05-02T12:25:29.122+01:00Articles in TynBul 69.1 (May 2018)p.1<br> <font size=4><b>Covenant, Typology, and the Story of Joseph <br> </b></font><i>Samuel Emadi (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)<br> <br> </i>Critical scholars traditionally assert that the Joseph story (Genesis 3750) does not develop any of the covenantal themes prominent in Genesis 136. By considering Joseph's relationship to the kingship, seed, land, and blessing promises of the Abrahamic covenant, this article concludes that the Joseph story provides a significant development of the Abrahamic covenant. Joseph is an anticipatory fulfilment of the covenant and thus provides literary and redemptive-historical resolution to the Genesis narrative. Joseph also points forward to a more complete fulfilment of the patriarchal hopes expressed in the Abrahamic covenant. These observations provide evidence from within Genesis itself that the author intends Joseph to be read typologically, anticipating God's eschatological work through the Messiah. <br> <br> p.25<br> <font size=4><b>Hosea's Marriage Reconsidered <br> </b></font><i>Robin Routledge (Mattersey Hall College)<br> <br> </i>Whilst there is general agreement that Hosea 13 contains prophetic sign-acts, biographical information is sparse, and some argue that it is unwise to try to reconstruct details of Hosea's marriage(s). This article argues from the premise that the historical context of sign-acts, insofar as it may be discerned, is significant for interpretation, and seeks to re-examine proposed historical scenarios and present a partial reconstruction. Issues include the interpretation of (<i>'eshet zenunim</i>), translated 'wife of whoredom', in 1:2, and the identity of the unnamed woman in 3:1. The article concludes that <i>'eshet zenunim</i> is best understood, proleptically, to relate to Gomer's adultery after her marriage to Hosea, and that 3:1-5 points to the restoration of their earlier relationship. This view best fits the text and the parallel with Israel's spiritual adultery, forgiveness, and restoration by her divine husband. <br> <br> p.43<br> <font size=4><b>A Possible Scriptural Precedent for Paul's Teaching on Divorce (and Remarriage?) in 1 Corinthians 7:10-15 <br> </b></font><i>Brian Peterson (Lee University)<br> </i> <br> This paper argues that in the same way Jesus' and the Pharisees' positions on divorce were rooted in the Torah, so, too, Paul, a man steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures, may have been influenced by the Torah when formulating his own teaching on a believer's freedom to remarry when abandoned by an unbelieving spouse. Here it is argued that Paul may have drawn upon the marital life of Moses, who appears to have remarried a Cushite woman after being abandoned by his wife Zipporah due to his Abrahamic faith. <br> <br> p.63<br> <font size=4><b>'He Shall Be Called a Nazarene': The Non-Citation of Matthew 2:23<br> </b></font><i>Jared M. August (Baptist Bible Seminary)<br> </i> <br> Numerous scholars have sought to identify the OT quotation to which Matthew 2:23 alludes. However, when the grammatical details of each of Matthew's fourteen formula-citations are considered, it is apparent that Matthew did not intend to allude to any specific OT passage in 2:23. On the contrary, Matthew simply sought to develop the general OT expectation that the Messiah would come from humble origins, a reality consistent with Jesus' upbringing in Nazareth. This thesis is demonstrated through an analysis and comparison of the fourteen formula-citations in Matthew's Gospel. It is concluded that the formula-citations can be divided into two groups: (1) those which cite an OT passage (1:22; 2:15, 17; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:14, 35; 21:4; 27:9) and (2) those which develop an OT theme or expectation (2:23; 5:17; 26:54, 56).<br> <br> p.75<br> <font size=4><b>Detaching the Census: An Alternative Reading of Luke 2:1-7 <br> </b></font><i>David J. Armitage (Leicester)<br> </i> <br> This paper offers an alternative approach to Luke 2:1-7, assuming for argument's sake that Luke's presumed chronology agreed with modern reconstructions in placing Quirinius' census some years after Herod's death. It is proposed that, on this basis, a coherent reading of the text is feasible in which the reference to Quirinius marks 2:1-5 as a digression, bounded by distinct transition markers, describing events several years after Jesus' birth. This digression, which claims that Joseph and Mary registered in Bethlehem in AD 6, despite having resided in Nazareth for several years, emphasises the family connection to Bethlehem and therefore to David. <br> <br> p.97<br> <font size=4><b><i>Mê ekloumenoi </i>in Galatians 6:9 <br> </b></font><i>Aaron Michael Jensen (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary)<br> </i> <br> The final phrase of Galatians 6:9, <i>mê ekloumenoi</i>, is today almost universally understood as a conditional participle, placing a strong warning on the end of Paul's encouragement to persist in doing good. This article argues on grammatical, contextual, and historical grounds that the participle would be better understood as having a 'manner' shading and as expressing the ceaseless nature of the eschatological harvest as an exhortation to ceaseless service in the present. <br> <br> p.111<br> <font size=4><b>Ethics and <i>Imitatio Christi</i> in 1 John: A Jewish Perspective<br> </b></font><i>Mavis M. Leung (Evangel Seminary, Hong Kong)<br> </i> <br> This paper focuses on one of the ethical features of 1 John, namely 'the imitation of Christ'. It argues that this ethical feature is related to the believers' identity and vocation as the people of God. Just as in the OT Israel is obliged to reflect God's nature in everyday life, the believers must take on Jesus' character as their character and follow in his footsteps to surrender one's own life for the benefits of others. The result of this paper indicates that the weight of the Jewish ethical thoughts in the formation of Johannine ethics is more important than often acknowledged. <br> <br> p.133<br> <font size=4><b>Construct a Fortress Against the Devil: John Chrysostom's Plea to Build Churches in the Countryside<br> </b></font><i>Michael Strickland (Amridge University)<br> </i> <br> Given Chrysostom's famous concern for the poor, it is perhaps surprising that he made multiple appeals to rich, land-owning Christians to build churches in the countryside. In fact, Chrysostom preferred that the poor be helped by building churches for them rather than giving them gifts directly. However, it is clear that he was less concerned with architecture and aesthetics and more with evangelisation. Chrysostom saw church buildings, with 'full-time' ministers, as a way not only to bless the poor of the countryside, but as a means for Christian instruction. Thus, he appealed to rich Christians by challenging them to build more churches. Rather than building baths, or taverns, or hosting markets, why not build churches to establish an eternal legacy, constructing 'a fortress against the devil, for that is what the church is'? <br> <br> <br> <font size=4><b>Dissertation Summaries<br> </b></font> <br> p.149<br> <font size=4><b>Retribution in the Canonical Psalter <br> </b></font><i>Steffen G. Jenkins (Union School of Theology)<br> </i> <br> Prayers against enemies have caused concern to readers of the Psalms since earliest times. This dissertation approaches such prayers in their context within the Psalter as a book, paying attention to the shape and structure of the whole Psalter, and asks whether such an approach can shed light on a close reading of prayers for retribution.<br> <br> p.153<br> <font size=4><b>Pauline Language and the Pastoral Epistles <br> </b></font><i>Jermo van Nes (Evangelische Theologische Faculteit)<br> </i> <br> After a short introduction explaining the highly disputed status of the Pastoral Epistles (PE or Pastorals) in New Testament studies, Part I ('The Linguistic Problem of the Pastoral Epistles') serves as a history of research on the so-called linguistic problem of the PE. Tracing its roots, Chapter 1 ('Origins of the Problem: Founding Figures') discusses some of the key figures in the emerging debate over the peculiar language of the PE in relation to the question of their authorship. <br> <br> p.157<br> <font size=4><b>Paul's Use of Jewish Traditions <br> </b></font><i>Stefan Bosman (University of Aberdeen)<br> </i> <br> Despite the common practice of appealing to Jewish texts to inform a historic reading of passages in the Pauline <i>Hauptbriefe</i>, close in-depth tradition-historical studies have been limited. Furthermore, even among these tradition-historical studies, one finds a great diversity of approaches. Differences of opinion exist in terms of: (1) whether post-Pauline Jewish texts should even be considered as instructive; (2) what constitutes an entity that may be compared, e.g. mere traditions or initially only whole documents; and (3) when one can speak of a tradition having influenced a particular text. <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-86797704969184529682017-10-16T17:06:00.000+01:002017-10-16T17:07:03.632+01:00Articles in TynBul 68.2 (Nov. 2017)p.161<br> <font size=4><b>The Challenge of the Canaanites<br> </b></font><i>William Ford (Belfast Bible College)<br> <br> </i>The negative biblical portrayal of the Canaanites appears to contrast sharply with the wider portrayal of YHWH's relationship with humanity and with Israel in particular, raising a challenge for reading these parts of the Bible as Scripture. This article considers this portrayal by drawing together key biblical references to the Canaanites into two sections: Canaanites as a whole, and as individuals. Four potential images are evaluated as possible summaries of the biblical portrayal of the Canaanites: sinners, danger, warning, and challenge, with the last being the most appropriate. The Canaanites' proximity to Israel, both geographic and moral, raises both a negative and positive challenge. Israelites can become Canaanites and vice versa, depending on their response to YHWH.<br> <br> p.185<br> <font size=4><b>Form and Experience Dwelling in Unity: A Cognitive Reading of the Metaphors of Psalm 133<br> </b></font><i>Wen-Pin Leow (University of Aberdeen)<br> <br> </i>This article uses the cognitive approach to analyse the metaphors of Psalm 133 while concurrently using a study of the remaining Psalms of Ascents to understand the underlying world-view that Psalm 133's metaphors are based on. Such an approach reveals that the subjects of the metaphors of Psalm 133 are connected at a deeper conceptual level. This conceptual relationship allows the psalmist to both describe the blessings of brotherly unity and to provide a literary parallel of the experience of those blessings through the psalm's form.<br> <br> p.203<br> <font size=4><b>Diagnosing Religious Experience in Romans 8<br> </b></font><i>Mark Wreford (University of Nottingham)<br> </i> <br> In this article, I consider Paul's use of adoption language in Romans 8 and argue that religious experience played an important role in its development. By looking closely at what Paul says about adoption and life in the Spirit, I try to identify what kind of experience this language might be articulating. Further, I suggest that it is necessary to consider how biblical scholars can best ensure they take account of religious experience when performing exegesis, offering a heuristic definition of religious experience which moves beyond the language of the NT itself, but is not conceptually anachronistic, to address a lack in the literature.<br> <br> p.223<br> <font size=4><b>The Meaning of <i>Cheirographon</i> in Colossians 2:14 Revisited<br> </b></font><i>Kyu Seop Kim (Chongshin University)<br> </i> <br> In this article we explore the uses of <i>cheirographon</i> in ancient papyri and ostraca and conclude that <i>cheirographon</i> does not refer to a debt certificate, contrary to scholars' consensus (except for Peter Arzt-Grabner). Instead, <i>cheirographon</i> was used to express various handwritten declarations including receipts, loans, contracts, and records of oath in ancient Greek papyri. In particular, <i>cheirographon</i> and its cognate words are used in the formula of declaration and with the expression of oath in Colossians 2:14 can be interpreted in this context. Declaration or oath on the observance of religious regulations was significant in ancient paganism and Judaism. Thus, <i>cheirographon tois dogmasin </i>in Colossians 2:14 can be read as the handwritten document which contains the declaration or oath with regard to the observance of religious regulation.<br> <br> p.241<br> <font size=4><b>1 Timothy 2:5-6 as a Christological Reworking of the Shema<br> </b></font><i>Martin Feltham (Macquarie University)<br> </i> <br> This article draws upon Richard B. Hays's observations regarding the way in which an 'allusive echo' can signal a broad intertextual interplay with a precursor text. I argue that the affirmation in 1 Timothy 2:5 that 'there is one God' is an 'allusive echo' of the Shema which points the attentive reader to an extended and carefully crafted intertextual interplay with the Shema and its Deuteronomic setting. I trace the way that 1 Timothy 2:5-6 reworks the Shema in the light of the story of Jesus Christ to affect the christologically driven opening up of God's people to all nation.<br> <br> p.261<br> <font size=4><b>Reassessing Jude's Use of Enochic Traditions (with Notes on their Later Reception History)<br> </b></font><i>Peter J. Gentry (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary); Andrew M. Fountain (Toronto)<br> </i> <br> A particular reference in the book of Jude to Enoch is commonly claimed to indicate canonical status for 1 Enoch. The origins and textual transmission of the Enochic traditions are described and reassessed for non-specialists and correlated with claims for inspiration made before, during, and after the period of Second Temple Judaism. The function of Jude's use of Enoch is interpreted within the literary structure of his work and the context of the NT, with implications for the later history of Christianity and Islam<br> <br> p.287<br> <font size=4><b>Knowing the Divine and Divine Knowledge in Greco-Roman Religion<br> </b></font><i>Eckhard J. Schnabel (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)<br> </i> <br> In his 2007 Tyndale Biblical Theology lecture, Brian Rosner has shown that the notion of being known by God is an important, albeit neglected, theme in the Old and New Testament. He explored the three relation notions of belonging to God, being loved or chosen by God, and being a child or son of God. After a concise survey of relevant biblical data in the Old and New Testament, he described the value of 'being known by God' in terms of warning, humility, comfort, and security. The following paper explores Greek and Roman religious texts with a view to establishing whether the notion of 'being known by God' surfaces in the context in which the early Christian movement engaged in missionary work, seeking to win polytheists for faith in the one true God and in Jesus Messiah. New Testament scholars do not seem to have explored the subject of the Greek and Roman gods 'knowing' human beings. Similar to Rosner's biblical theological essay, which surveyed texts without in-depth discussion of exegetical details and historical context, the following essay is wide-ranging, considering primary texts written over a large span of time, from Homer's epics (which continued to be read in the first century), the Homeric Hymns, Xenophanes' fragments, Callimachus' Hymn to Demeter, Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus, Hesiod's Theogony, Cicero's De natura deorum, and Plutarch's religious texts to the Greek Hymns in the Furley/Bremer collection and the Lydian confession inscriptions. <br> <br> <br> <font size=4><b>Dissertation Summaries<br> </b></font> <br> p.313<br> <font size=4><b>Discourse Markers in the Septuagint and Early Koine Greek with Special Reference to the Twelve <br> </b></font><i>Christopher James Fresch (Bible College of South Australia)<br> </i> <br> Discourse markers (e.g. <i>de</i>, <i>alla</i>) comprise a functional category. They narrow or explicate discourse relations, instructing the reader on how to process the discourse and build a mental representation of it. In so doing, they aid the reader in the comprehension task, reducing cognitive effort and facilitating successful communication. Unfortunately, these considerations rarely feature in discussions on Greek discourse markers. Instead, their functions are often conflated with the semantics of their surrounding contexts of use and with the functions of their translational glosses. This often results in less precision in one's comprehension of the flow and structure of the discourse.<br><br> <br> p.317<br> <font size=4><b>A Critical Examination of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method in the Catholic Epistles<br> </b></font><i>Peter J. Gurry (Phoenix Seminary) <br> </i> <br> The present research provides the first sustained study of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM), a computerised tool developed by Gerd Mink which has become an 'essential tool' to the editors of the most widely used critical editions of the Greek New Testament (NA28/UBS5). Its main use has been on the Editio Critica Maior (ECM) for the Catholic Epistles, which now forms the basis of the NA and UBS editions. The ECM volume on Acts was published in 2017 and plans are underway to apply the CBGM to the entire New Testament. However, because it was designed to address the problems of textual contamination and coincidental agreement, the CBGM has significance far beyond the confines of biblical studies. The overarching purpose of the method is to improve our understanding of the text's history and to help reconstruct the text's starting point, or the 'initial text'. Both of these goals are subjected to close scrutiny in this thesis. <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-63123542404199763852017-06-19T14:32:00.000+01:002017-08-17T12:10:47.364+01:00Articles in TynBul 68.1 (May. 2017)p.1<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A New Codex from the Scribe behind the Leningrad Codex: L17 <br /> </b></span><i>Kim Phillips (Tyndale House, Cambridge)<br /> <br /> </i>Samuel b. Jacob was the scribe responsible for the production of the so-called Leningrad Codex (Firkowich B19a), currently our earliest complete Masoretic Bible codex. This article demonstrates that another codex from the Firkowich Collection, containing the Former Prophets only, is also the work of Samuel b. Jacob, despite the lack of a colophon to this effect. The argument is based on a combination of eleven textual and para-textual features shared between these two manuscripts, and other manuscripts known to have been produced by the same scribe.<br />
<br />
p.31<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>'We Really Should Stop Translating <i>nir</i> in Kings as "Light" Or "Lamp"': A Response<br /> </b></span><i>David B. Schreiner (Wesley Biblical Seminary)<br /> <br /> </i>This essay responds to Deuk-il Shin's recently published 'The Translation of the Hebrew Term NI?R: "David's Yoke"?' I contend that Shin's argument does not do enough to counteract Douglas Stuart's call to stop translating <i>nir</i> in Kings as 'light' or 'lamp'. Among other things, Shin does not consider important contributions to the discussion, which therefore renders his argumentation deficient. All things considered, Ehud Ben Zvi's suggestion of territorial dominion is most appropriate.<br />
<br />
p.39<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>'Behold, There Were Twins in Her Womb' (Gen. 25:24-26; 38:27-30): Medical Science and the Twin Births in Genesis<br /> </b></span><i>John Makujina (Erskine College, Washington)<br /> </i><br />
Eran Viezel claims that the book of Genesis is ignorant of the fundamentals of childbirth, particularly the presenting foetal member. While the head normally emerges first, Genesis mistakenly thinks that the hands present, as they do in livestock deliveries. Therefore, the veracity of the twin births in Genesis 25:24-26 and 38:27-30, where a hand exits the womb first (Jacob and Zerah), should be rejected. The present article, however, exposes significant inaccuracies and unsupported assumptions on Viezel's part. Moreover, while maintaining that both births are anomalous, this article proposes medically realistic scenarios for the parturitions of the twins in Genesis.<br />
<br />
p.59<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grant Slaves Equality: Re-Examining the Translation of Colossians 4:1<br /> </b></span><i>Murray Vasser (Asbury Theological Seminary)<br /> </i><br />
This essay offers a fresh challenge to the widely accepted translation of Colossians 4:1. Though <i>isotes</i> normally means 'equality', most scholars insist that in Colossians 4:1 the term must instead mean 'fairness', for the author evidently assumes the continuation of slavery in the Christian community. Thus English versions render the command 'Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly' (RSV). In support of this translation, scholars routinely cite a handful of texts that are purported to demonstrate that the term <i>isotes</i> could mean 'fairness' instead of 'equality'. In this essay, I challenge such an interpretation of these texts. Furthermore, by demonstrating that a first-century moralist could exhort masters to treat their slaves as equals without thereby recommending the abolition of slavery, I challenge the assertion that the context of Colossians 4:1 requires a meaning of <i>isotes</i> other than the one well attested in the extant Greek literature. I conclude that Colossians 4:1 should be rendered as follows: 'Masters, grant slaves justice and equality.' This conclusion has important implications not only for Bible translators, but also for scholars attempting to reconstruct the situation at Colossae or describe early Christian attitudes towards slavery.<br />
<br />
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6gyD0TmMBY for a short introductory video.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B6gyD0TmMBY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6gyD0TmMBY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
p.73<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Motif-Semantic Differences in Paul?: A Question to Advocates of the Pastorals' Plural Authorship in Dialogue with Michaela Engelmann<br /> </b></span><i>Jermo van Nes (Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven) and Harro Koning (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg)<br /> </i><br />
New Testament scholarship is witnessing a growing number of studies advocating the plural authorship of the Pastoral Epistles (PE) on the basis of their mutual differences. Among them is the recent study by Michaela Engelmann highlighting 'motif-semantic' differences between the PE in terms of their Christology/soteriology, ecclesiology, heresiology, and image of Paul. While Engelmann and others challenging the common authorship of the PE offer significant contributions to the study of the PE's origins, their overall approach also raises methodological questions. By way of illustration, 1 Thessalonians and Philippians are studied in a way similar to that of Engelmann. Both letters are shown to exhibit a good number of motif-semantic differences, which might bring into question their explanatory power.<br />
<br />
p.95<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The State and Marriage: Cut the Connection<br /> </b></span><i>Daniel Hill (University of Liverpool)<br /> </i><br />
I argue that the connection between the state and the institution of marriage should be cut. More precisely, I argue that the state should not (i) solemnise or purport to solemnise any marriages, (ii) register any marriages and (iii) make any laws, civil or criminal, respecting marriage. I advance several arguments for this thesis, and then respond to many possible objections. I do not argue for any change in any of the typical Western laws respecting sexual intercourse; in particular, I do not argue for any change in the laws regarding rape, the age of consent to intercourse or intercourse with a minor.<br />
<br />
p.121<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Could Marriage Be Disestablished?<br /> </b></span><i>Julian Rivers (University of Bristol Law School)<br /> </i><br />
In this paper, I respond to Dr Daniel Hill's argument that English law should cease to recognise marriage. Rather than focusing on general arguments of political theory for and against such a proposal I consider practical arguments based on the development of the law in response to injustice in family relations. A law of marriage of some sort seems inevitable. This conclusion is reinforced by the arguments of libertarian and feminist writers who seek to 'abolish' marriage. Looked at more closely, they do nothing of the sort; they redefine it. Finally, I discuss the problem of unregistered marriages among British Muslims as an already existing example of marriage without the state. I conclude that law has to respond to existing social forms according to an idea of justice in domestic relations, and for that reason marriage cannot simply be 'disestablished'. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dissertation Summaries<br /> </b></span><br />
p.153<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Ethics in the Gospel of John: Discipleship as Moral Progress <br /> </b></span><i>Sookgoo Shin (University of Cambridge)<br /> </i><br />
This study seeks to challenge the dominant scholarly view of John's ethics as an ineffective and unhelpful companion for moral formation. The Gospel of John has been an unwelcome outsider when it comes to the discussion of ethics since it has been accused of being morally bankrupt, not ethical enough to be included in New Testament ethics, and a puzzling book indeed, a major challenge for ethical enquiry. No one has been, however, more sceptical about the value of John's ethics than Wayne Meeks, whose criticisms have contributed significantly to this negative view. In order to demonstrate the inadequacy of such claims, this study aims to identify the undergirding ethical dynamic that shapes John's moral structure by bringing out the implicit ethical elements that are embedded throughout John's narratives, and thus suggests a way to read the whole Gospel ethically and appreciatively of its literary characteristics.<br />
<br />
<br />
p.157<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Studies in P.Beatty III (P47): The Codex, Its Scribe, and Its Text <br /> </b></span><i>Peter Malik (University of Cambridge) <br /> </i><br />
The importance of papyri in NT textual criticism, if properly understood, is difficult to overestimate. Despite their state of preservation, they allowed the critics to move beyond the fourth-century 'barrier' of the Constantinian period, in which the earliest 'Great majuscules' were produced. The early papyri thus provided a venue for revisiting previous theories concerning transmission history and even some of the 'canons' of textual criticism. And perhaps of equal significance is the fact that the early papyri have provided the historians with valuable evidence of early Christian material culture and worship. Although to varying degrees this applies to all the papyri from the pre-Constantinian time, it is particularly true of those from Chester Beatty (P45-47) and Bodmer (P66, 72, 75) collections. Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-64265550047597638532017-03-02T13:07:00.000+00:002017-03-02T15:15:25.756+00:00Articles in TynBul 67.2 (Nov. 2016)<html> <body> p.161<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Abram as Israel, Israel as Abram: Literary Analogy as Macro-Structural Strategy in the Torah<br /> </b></span><i>Seth D. Postell (Israel College of the Bible)<br /> </i><br /> The argument is made that through the use of literary devices, the individual stories of the Abram narrative (Genesis 1115) were strategically arranged to correspond with Israel's story as told in the Book of Exodus. Although previous commentators have observed some parallels between these two stories, this article asserts that the reach of this literary analogy extends further than a few identifiable similarities, and reveals an overarching compositional strategy. Potential meanings of this analogy vis-à-vis its similarities and differences are explored, and the use of this extended literary analogy is considered as a framework for appreciating the NT's figural interpretation of some Pentateuchal narratives.<br /> <br /> p.183<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Counting Witnesses for the Angry Jesus in Mark 1:41: Interdependence and Insularity in the Latin Tradition<br /> </b></span><i>Peter E. Lorenz (Universität Münster)<br /> </i><br /> A survey of recent literature on the remarkable reading in Mark 1:41, depicting Jesus's anger at a leper who approaches him to be healed supported by just Codex Bezae, a segment of the Old Latin version, and perhaps the Syriac Commentary on the Diatessaron, attributed to Ephrem reveals a tendency to ascribe the acceptance of the alternative reading depicting Jesus's compassion to the overwhelming preponderance of its support. It is clear though that the UBS<sup>3</sup> and UBS<sup>4</sup> committee preferred this reading on the basis of the 'diversity and character' of its evidence. The present article examines the implications of the predominantly Latin support for the reading that depicts Jesus's anger in light of the question of textual diversity, considering palaeographical, codicological, and textual evidence of a northern-Italian provenance for its manuscripts and text forms, while arguing that the insular character of the tradition raises serious doubts regarding the independence of its testimony when it differs distinctively in relation to the Greek tradition. <br /> <br /> p.217<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Route of Paul's Second Journey in Asia Minor: In the Steps of Robert Jewett and Beyond<br /> </b></span><i>Glen L. Thompson (Asia Lutheran Seminary, Hong Kong) and Mark Wilson (Stellenbosch University)<br /> </i><br /> Robert Jewett, in his 1997 article on Paul's second journey, explored the geographical dimensions of Paul's travel in north-west Asia Minor as described in Acts 16:6-8. His focus was to investigate thoroughly the road 'down to Troas' mentioned in verse 8. This study will not only renew that investigation from Dorylaeum where Jewett began it, but will also look at the earlier stages of the journey that began at Antioch on the Orontes. In so doing, it will examine the textual and material evidence that provides knowledge of the region's road system. Regarding this route, Johnson observes: 'Although endless scholarly discussion has been devoted to determining the precise route Paul took it is in fact unsolvable.' Despite such a pessimistic perspective, hodological research in north-west Asia Minor in recent decades has provided fresh data to aid in evaluating alternative proposals for Paul's route. To this end, milestones and inscriptions will be noted especially. Relevant finds from archaeological excavations in the area of the journey will also be mentioned. Lastly, we will review publications since 1997 that have interacted with Jewett's important study and then suggest other alternatives to his thesis. The authors wish to thank Professor Jewett for his innovative work on this subject. His model of doing on-site investigation has inspired us to take up this study, which owes much to his pioneering spirit and example. <br /> <br /> p.247<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Name Giving by Paul and the Destination of Acts <br /> </b></span><i>Richard G. Fellows (Vancouver, Canada)<br /> </i><br /> It is proposed that Paul gave new names to the most courageous and prominent founding members of his churches. Crispus, Jason, Lydia, and Titius Justus seem to have received the names Sosthenes, Aristarchus, Euodia, and Stephanas respectively. Epaenetus and Theophilus may also be new names. The names have meanings that reflect leadership roles and a similar cluster of leadership names in Third Corinthians witnesses to the renaming phenomenon. Acts may have been written for the Aegean believers, who already knew that Crispus was Sosthenes and that Jason was Aristarchus.<br /> <br /> p.269<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Hebrews 1:10-12 and the Renewal of the Cosmos<br /> </b></span><i>Philip Church (Laidlaw College, Auckland NZ)<br /> </i><br /> The suggestion that the author of Hebrews is indebted to Philo sometimes leads to the assertion that he has a negative bias against the creation. One text where scholars have detected this bias is Hebrews 1:10-12, quoting Psalm 102:25-27, seemingly to predict the dissolution of the cosmos. The text is part of a Psalm that predicts the restoration of Zion and the gathering of the nations there to worship, and expresses the confidence that the descendants of the servants of Yahweh will live securely in Yahweh's presence. This makes it unlikely that verses 25-26 predict the dissolution of the cosmos, and exegesis of the verses in question indicates not dissolution, but renewal after the destruction resulting from the exile. Attention to the context of the quotation in Hebrews indicates that dissolution there is also unlikely. The text supports the claim that the exalted Son upholds all things (Heb. 1:3) and sits alongside a discussion of the dominion of humanity over the world to come (2:5-9). A more remote co-text refers to the gathering of the nations to Zion (12:22-24), itself a further echo of the Psalm. The Psalm quotation functions to predict not the dissolution, but the renewal of the decaying cosmos.<br /> <br /> p.287<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Masora Magna of Two Biblical Fragments from the Cairo Genizah, and the Unusual Practice of the Scribe behind the Leningrad Codex<br /> </b></span><i>Kim Phillips (Tyndale House, Cambridge)<br /> </i><br /> As a rule, no two Tiberian Bibles are alike when it comes to their masoretic notes. Indeed, the masora magna notes can be thought of as part of the unique fingerprint of each individual manuscript. Notwithstanding, this study presents the first evidence of two Pentateuch codices containing identical masora magna, and explores how these codices relate to one another. Both these codices were the work of Samuel b. Jacob, the scribe who wrote the Leningrad Codex. Thus this study contributes to our understanding of the scribal habits of this important figure.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dissertation Summaries<br /> </b></span><br /> p.309<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Death and Divine Judgement in Ecclesiastes <br /> </b></span><i>Kumiko Takeuchi (St John's College, Durham)<br /> </i><br /> Ecclesiastes among the OT books is an anomaly, but not without its significance. After all, it has survived inquiries about its questionable content and remains a part of canonical Scripture. The unusual content of Ecclesiastes may be related to certain historical circumstances when it was written. As there is little internal or external evidence, however, it is no easy task to assign the book's date to any particular period. Premised on the current consensus regarding its plausible dating between the 6th and 3rd centuries, albeit mainly based on linguistic evidence, one may well ask: what is the book of Ecclesiastes doing, if it appeared on the cusp of the PersianHellenistic transition period, when the traditional idea of theodicy was perhaps becoming a serious issue in Israelite society before full-blown apocalyptic eschatology surfaced? This thesis probes that question. <br /> <br /> p.313<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Eating and Drinking in the Resurrection Body <br /> </b></span><i>F. S. Mulder (Winchester University) <br /> </i><br /> This thesis tests the claims that a reception history approach within New Testament studies can assist in i) evaluating and judging interpretations; ii) identifying unresolved problems; iii) asking fresh, new, penetrating questions, and ultimately; iv) providing the materials that help us journey on the continuous quest for theological truth. Can a new reception history spanning from the early church until modern times contribute towards better understanding and providing new insights into debates over pluriformity and coherence in relation to the resurrection of Jesus and believers in Paul and the canonical Easter narratives?<br /> <br /> p.317<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Christ-Story of Philippians 2:6-11: Narrative Shape and Paraenetic Purpose in Paul's Letter to Philippi<br /> </b></span><i>Richard J. Weymouth (PTEE, Amman, Jordan)<br /> <br /> </i>This thesis argues the case that Philippians 2:6-11 represents a Pauline prose narrative (and is <i>not</i> a pre-Pauline hymn), which may be called the Christ-story, and should therefore be interpreted as prose narrative in terms of its form, function, and content; and that doing this provides fresh insights into a much studied and debated passage, some of which have hitherto remained unnoticed (or at least unreported), while providing a framework that now allows some previous major contributions to the study of this passage to be brought together in order to form a comprehensive overall interpretation. <br /> </body> </html> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-8287025744282547332016-07-14T16:13:00.000+01:002016-07-14T16:25:48.583+01:00Articles in TynBul 67.1 (May 2016)p.1<br> <font face="Segoe UI" size=4><b>An Unpublished Fragment of Deuteronomy: Chester Beatty Papyrus VI, Folio 105, Fragment 2, Recto </font><font size=4> <br> </b></font><i>An Unpublished Fragment of Deuteronomy: Chester Beatty Papyrus VI, Folio 105, Fragment 2, Recto <br> Matthew Hamilton (Sydney, Australia)<br><br> </i>A previously unpublished transcript and reconstruction of Chester Beatty Papyrus VI folio 105 fragment 2 recto column 1 as Deuteronomy 32:5-11.<br><br> p.7<br> <font size=4><b>The Translation of the Hebrew Term <i>Nir</i>: 'David's Yoke?'<br> </b></font><i>Deuk-il Shin (Kosin University)<br><br> </i>The purpose of this article is to query the viability of Douglas K. Stuart's recent suggestion that the Hebrew form <i>nir </i>'lamp' should be translated as etymologically related to the Akkadian <i>niru </i>'yoke, domination' on the basis of Paul D. Hanson's statement. The study is particularly interested in the phrase 'lamp of David'. The author insists that the traditional interpretation of the Hebrew nir as 'lamp' be maintained, thus rejecting the relevance of the Akkadian <i>niru </i>'yoke'.<br><br> <br> p.23<br> <font size=4><b>The Curious Incident of the Boys and the Bears: 2 Kings 2 and the Prophetic Authority of Elisha<br> </b></font><i>Brian P. Irwin (Knox College, University of Toronto)<br><br> </i>A view of 2 Kings 2 that is commonly encountered regards the cursing of the children of Bethel as a meaningless act that is beneath the dignity of the prophet. This paper argues that the curse uttered by Elisha in 2 Kings 2:24 is a covenant curse based on Leviticus 26:22 and is intended to warn Israel of what lies in store if it disregards the prophetic word. In this it complements the story of the healing of the waters of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22) which establishes the corollary principle. The events of 2 Kings 38 then illustrate this principle in a variety of contexts both nationally and internationally.<x-tab> </x-tab><br><br> <br> p.37<br> <font size=4><b>Nahum's Prophetic Name <br> </b></font><i>Gregory Cook (West Virginia)<br><br> </i>While Nahum commentators correctly acknowledge that the prophet Nahum's name derives from the Hebrew root for 'comfort', they incorrectly interpret the significance of his name for the prophecy. Commentators usually argue that the name does not fit Nahum's violent vision or they state that the name fits precisely, as YHWH's vengeance brings comfort to his afflicted people. This article contends that the first two verses of Nahum allude to Isaiah 1:24, which indicates that YHWH receives comfort by being avenged. Therefore, Nahum's name indicates that the primary purpose of the book is to bring comfort to YHWH, not his adulterous people.<br><br> <br> p.41<br> <font size=4><b>The Word of God Has Not Failed: God's Faithfulness and Israel's Salvation in Tobit 14:3-7 and Romans 911<br> </b></font><i>John K. Goodrich (Moody Bible Institute)<br><br> </i>Tobit 14:3-7 and Romans 911 share several striking verbal and conceptual parallels that invite detailed comparison. Most notably, both Tobit and Paul (1) deny the failure of God's word (Tob. 14:4a; Rom. 9:6a); (2) proceed to unveil a three-phase redemptive history for Israel (exile => partial restoration => full restoration); and (3) utilise their respective storylines to assure their readers in phase 2 that God will bring phase 3 to completion. These and other parallels show not only that Tobit and Paul share a common eschatological perspective, but that they deploy and develop almost identical thesis statements, thereby further demonstrating the proximity of Paul's discourse to contemporary Jewish modes of thought and argumentation.<x-tab> </x-tab> <br><br> p.63<br> <font size=4><b>The Erasure of Distinction: Paul and the Politics of Dishonour <br> </b></font><i>J. R. Harrison (Sydney College of Divinity)<br><br> </i>The article investigates the deliberate erasure of inscriptional honours of two individuals in the first century: Augustus's 'friend', the infamous Gaius Cornelius Gallus, and the famous orator of Isthmia, Nikias. The public dishonouring of rivals by their enemies was common in antiquity. The author explores how this phenomenon illuminates Paul's conception of glory in Romans and his attack on boasting in oratorical performance in the Corinthian epistles. Paul sets forth a different understanding of honour based on the shame of the cross, God's election of the socially despised, and the elevation of the dishonoured in the Body of Christ.<x-tab> </x-tab><br><br> p.87<br> <font size=4><b>Spiritual Warfare and the Church's Mission According to Ephesians 6:10-17 <br> </b></font><i>Mark D. Owens (Cedarville University)<br><br> </i>Ephesians 6:10-17 is typically understood as either a call to engage in spiritual warfare with the 'powers' or as a plea for ethical living. While these two interpretations are not necessarily incorrect, they are likely incomplete. More specifically, they do not account for the author's use of Isaiah in verses 14-15 and 17 and how this text summarises the whole of Ephesians. When one considers these two factors, it becomes reasonable to conclude that this text portrays the church as a community of 'divine-warriors' who continue Christ's mission by extending the new creation inaugurated by His sacrificial death and resurrection.<x-tab> </x-tab><br><br> <br> p.105<br> <font size=4><b><i>Imitatio Christianorum</i>: The Function of Believers as Examples in Philippians<br> </b></font><i>Paul S. Cable (Wheaton College, Illinois)<br><br> </i>In Philippians, Paul has pastoral, paraenetic aims: the Philippians are to adopt a Christian <i>phronesis </i> a way of thought and life determined by their relationship to the crucified, humiliated, and risen Christ consisting specifically, in Philippians, of (1) an others-focused mindset; and (2) an attendant boldness and willingness to accept suffering and the burdens of others on behalf of the progress of the gospel. These paraenetic emphases are then embodied and illustrated by multiple examples: Christ is the ultimate exemplar and the source of the content of the exhortation. Paul himself is also one who embodies these qualities, though imperfectly. Timothy especially exemplifies others-focus, and Epaphroditus the willingness to suffer in the service of Christ. Euodia and Syntyche, finally, serve Christ boldly but lack the others-focus and unity that Paul exhorts. We conclude, then, that Paul understands the provision of such Christ-like examples and the imitation of those examples by those in Christ within Christian communities to be an important means by which the community progresses in holiness, that is, to be increasingly conformed to Christ.<br><br> <br><br> p.127<br> <font size=4><b>Better Than the Blood of Abel?: Some Remarks on Abel in Hebrews 12:24<br> </b></font><i>Kyu Seop Kim (Daeshin University and Chongshin University)<br><br> </i>The sudden mention of Abel in Hebrews 12:24 has elicited a multiplicity of interpretations, but despite its significance, the meaning of 'Abel' has not attracted the careful attention that it deserves. This study argues that 'Abel' in Hebrews 12:24 refers to Abel as an example who speaks to us through his right observation of the cult. Accordingly, Hebrews 12:24b means that Christ's cult is superior to the Jewish ritual. This interpretation fits exactly with the adjacent context contrasting Sinai and Zion symbols.<br><br> <br> p.137<br> <font size=4><b>The Translation of <i>Ho Proagoon</i> in 2 John 9<br> </b></font><i>Terry Griffith (Spurgeon's College, London)<br><br> </i>A little known Old Latin variant of 2 John 9 (<i>'qui recedit</i>' for <i>ho proagoon</i>) provides an interpretive clue that has been overlooked in the translation and exegesis of this verse. After a survey of modern translations (which tend to over-interpret this verb) and a look at ancient variants, new lexical evidence is adduced to show how <i>ho proagoon</i> functions in the Elder's statement. Finally, a more neutral translation is offered: 'Anyone who goes forth [or leaves] and who does not remain in the teaching of the Messiah does not possess God.'<br><br> <br><br> p.145<br> <font size=4><b>Ancient Rome's Daily News Publication with Some Likely Implications for Early Christian Studies<br> </b></font><i>Brian J. Wright (Ridley College, Melbourne)<br><br> </i>A detailed study on ancient Rome's daily news publication is currently absent in early Christian studies. This article seeks to begin filling this lacuna by surveying the history of this Roman news bulletin and highlighting the sorts of data that must be taken into account in order to determine the publication's subject matter, scope of distribution, and possible relevance for early Christian studies.<br><br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-11780245308256058822016-01-05T16:25:00.000+00:002016-01-05T16:25:06.126+00:00Articles in TynBul 66.1 (November 2015)<br />
p.161<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Did Paul Invent Justification by Faith?<br /> </b></span><i>Hanna Stettler (Tübingen University)<br /><br /> </i>
Many researchers consider Paul’s doctrine of justification a unique teaching, which he developed comparatively late, in his debate with judaising opponents of his Gentile mission. This article seeks to show that justification by faith without works can already be found in Paul’s early writings and that Paul is by no means the first to teach it. Jesus, in his parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector found in Luke 18:9-14, taught it long before Paul, albeit in the shape of a story. The sentences Paul quotes in Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:28 are not random remarks, but carefully phrased slogans which were handed down to Paul by those who were Christians before him. These sentences show an amazing verbal and conceptual congruity with the parable in Luke 18 and may well have been formulated on the basis of that parable. This seems all the more likely if we take into account that the parable was originally formulated in Aramaic and has a strong claim to authenticity.
<br />
<br />
p.197<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What about the Gibeonites? <br /> </b></span><i>William Ford (Belfast Bible College)<br /></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This article considers the story of the Gibeonites
in Joshua 9–10 in the context of modern theological questions about the
conquest of Canaan. It looks at the portrayal and perspectives of the four main
groups in the story (kings, Gibeonites, Israel, and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Yhwh</span>) and argues that reading Joshua 9 and 10 together shows
that the Gibeonites were exempted from <i>h</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Cardo",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">̣</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">erem (destruction) because of their response to <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Yhwh</span> and Israel. Combined with the story
of Rahab, this story suggests that the Canaanites as a whole are not doomed to
destruction, but that their response to <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Yhwh</span>
makes a difference.</span><br />
<br />
p.217<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Rubrication of the Psalms in Codex Sinaiticus<br /> </b></span><i>Mark Randall James (University of Virginia)<br /><br /> </i>
This article examines the use of red ink (‘rubrication’) in the Psalms of Codex Sinaiticus. Building on Dirk Jongkind’s important study, Scribal Habits of Codex Sinaiticus, I offer an overview of the ancient practice of rubrication, a careful description of the scribal habits displayed in the rubrication in the Psalms of Sinaiticus, and a catalogue of probable scribal errors that occur in the rubrication. I offer three corrections or additions to Jongkind’s study: 1) scribe D’s omission of ΕΙΣ TO ΤΕΛΟΣ in the title of Psalm 87 was probably not a copying error, despite being a singular reading; 2) scribe A squeezed three lines of the text of the title to Psalm 100 into two because he forgot that he had left himself a third line at the bottom of the previous column; and 3) the ΔΙΑΨΑΛΜΑ at Psalm 139:9 was probably omitted by scribe A and added by a later hand, perhaps scribe D. This implies that A’s rubrication was checked and corrected.
<br />
<br />
p.231<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Interpreting Scripture with Satan?: The Devil’s Use of Scripture in Luke’s Temptation Narrative<br /> </b></span><i>David B. Sloan (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)<br /><br /> </i>
This article considers Luke’s evaluation of the devil’s interpretation of Psalm 91 in Luke 4:9-11 and offers four lessons regarding Biblical interpretation that can be drawn out of the text: 1) context is key; 2) the dawn of the messianic era enables a greater experience of the Scriptures than was previously the case; 3) the promises of Scripture should not be taken to mean that every experience on earth will match the promise made; and 4) if we use the locutionary meaning of Scripture to produce perlocutionary acts that oppose the intended perlocution of the text, we misuse the text.
<br />
<br />
p.251<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Does Πίστις Mean ‘Faith(Fulness)’ in Paul?<br /> </b></span><i>Kevin W. McFadden (Cairn University)<br /><br /> </i>
This article argues that ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’ are two distinct meanings of πίστις in Paul. Many Pauline scholars write as if πίστις means ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’ at the same time, using glosses like ‘faith(fulness)’ and ‘faith/faithfulness’. But I argue that a distinction between the active meaning of πίστις (faith) and its passive meaning (faithfulness) is evident in Paul. The main pieces of evidence supporting this distinction are contexts in which Paul uses πίστις interchangeably or in parallel with the verb πιστεύω and contexts in which Paul uses πίστις with an object of faith indicated by a prepositional phrase. I conclude that Pauline scholars should not use the gloss ‘faith(fulness)’ for the word πίστις.
<br />
<br />
p.271<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Infant Baptism in the First-Century Presupposition Pool<br /> </b></span><i>Steven A. Nicoletti (Faith Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, WA)<br /><br /> </i>
The debate over infant baptism in the apostolic church was classically captured in the exchanges between Joachim Jeremias and Kurt Aland. Most debates have focussed on ‘reading between the lines’ of first-century Christian texts, and have yielded little resolution of the New Testament’s silence. Such studies often fail to address the significance of the silence itself, within its original context. In this paper I examine the practices of first-century Judaism and Graeco-Roman religions regarding infant initiation and participation in their parents’ religion, including the Graeco-Roman practice of the dies lustricus and the involvement of children in Graeco-Roman worship. Using Theo Vennemann’s concept of presupposition pools, I will ask how the early church’s silence should be interpreted in light of the original audiences’ presuppositions. I will argue that since the New Testament and other surviving works of the early church do not address their audiences’ presupposition that their infants would be initiated into their religion, it indicates that they shared rather than challenged this widely held assumption. The New Testament’s silence is therefore best interpreted as indicating the practice of infant baptism.
<br />
<br />
p.293<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Triune Beauty and the Ugly Cross: Towards a Theological Aesthetic<br /> </b></span><i>John-Mark Hart (Christ Community Church, Oklahoma City)<br /><br /> </i>
God’s triune beauty is most fully revealed in the ugly spectacle of the cross, and the close connection between the concepts of beauty and glory in scripture reveals how a cruciform theological aesthetic can illuminate our understanding of God, humanity, and salvation. Moreover, Christian discipleship calls for counter-cultural ways of seeing beauty and being beautiful in the midst of a broken world. This cruciform aesthetic also informs the limited but powerful role that the arts may play in the human vocation to behold, delight in, and reflect the beauty of God by the power of the Spirit.<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.8px;">Dissertation Summaries: </b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></b>
p.313<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Covenant Continuity and Fidelity: Inner-Biblical Allusion and Exegesis in Malachi<br /> </b></span><i>Jonathan Gibson (Girton College, University of Cambridge)<br /><br /> </i>
This thesis investigates how Malachi’s inner-biblical interpretation of ear¬lier source texts in the Hebrew Bible informs and shapes his central theme of covenant. While scholars generally acknowledge the im¬portance of covenant in Malachi, to date, only a few studies have been de¬voted to this theme in the book. This study seeks to redress the im¬balance in Malachian scholarship, by contributing a comprehensive ana¬lysis of covenant throughout the prophetic oracle. The core of Ma¬lachi’s covenantal imagination is shaped by his reflection on an authoritative collection of texts. The mention of people, nations and places, Deuteronomic terminology, and rare words and unique word/ root combinations exclusive to Malachi and only a few other texts encourages the book to be read in the context of received biblical texts.
<br />
<br />
p.317<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Private Confession of Sin in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer<br /> </b></span><i>Nicola Wilkes (Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge)<br /></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In the thesis I argue that private confession of
sin plays a significant role in Bonhoeffer’s theology from his earliest writings
onwards and that it is the vehicle through which he envisages the
reinvigoration of the church. On Bonhoeffer’s account, private confession of
sin is a moment of concrete encounter with the present Christ in which the one
who confesses comes out of self and into Christ and thereby into the
church-community; namely, into Christ existing as church-community.<sup> </sup>In
so doing the confessant displaces self as the pseudo-creator, and stands before
Christ in order both to speak out truth and to hear truth; that is, she comes
out of self in order to be addressed by Christ. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-25269971320567509272015-07-14T13:06:00.000+01:002015-07-14T13:27:19.201+01:00Articles in TynBul 66.1 (May 2015)p.1<br> <font size=4><b>On Exaggerating Creation's Role in Biblical Law and Ethics <br> </b></font><i>Richard Neville (Laidlaw College, New Zealand)<br><br> </i>Recent claims that creation theology is the broad horizon of Old Testament theology carry with them the potential for making easy connections between creation and ethics in biblical law. This potential is beginning to be realised in assertions that creation has an implied presence in Israel's law and that Israel's economic life was carried out within a worldview shaped by creation principles. These kinds of statements make it possible for the reader to discover creation at any point in the law that modern sensibilities would wish it. And yet the evidence presented here suggests that this will lead to the misreading of Israel's law. Care needs to be taken that the marginalisation of creation theology in the twentieth century does not give way to a twenty-first century misrepresentation of creation's role in Israel's faith.<br><br> p.19<br> <font size=4><b>The Nephilim: a Tall Story? Who Were the Nephilim and How Did They Survive the Flood?<br> </b></font><i>Robin Routledge (Mattersey Hall, UK)<br><br> </i>The <i>Nephilim </i>figure prominently in some popular literature. Their portrayal is speculative, but also based on Second Temple texts, which portray the <i>Nephilim </i>as the giant offspring of angels and human women who were responsible for the corruption that resulted in the flood. The OT includes few direct references to the <i>Nephilim </i>(Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33; possibly Ezek. 32:27), though they have been generally linked with giant pre-conquest inhabitants of Canaan, particularly Anakites and <i>Rephaim</i>. The lack of detail in the OT suggests the existence of underlying extra-biblical traditions, though substantial differences appear to rule out Second Temple texts as a source for OT writers. Because the OT appears to include references to the <i>Nephilim </i>existing both before and after the flood, an important question is whether (or how) they survived the deluge. This article argues that the <i>Nephilim </i>in the OT are associated, primarily, with the antediluvian era; though are, intentially, linked with postdiluvian 'heroes' to highlight the perversity of the pre-flood generation, who, in seeking liaisons with heavenly beings, seek to overcome their mortality. How they survived the flood does not appear to be of interest to the OT writers.<br><br> <br> p.41<br> <font size=4><b>What's Wrong with 'Playing the Harlot'? The Meaning of ??? in Judges 19:2<br> </b></font><i>Isabelle Hamley (St John's College, Nottingham)<br><br> </i>The story of the Levite's concubine in Judges 19 arouses horror and very mixed scholarly interpretations. The silent concubine is cast in many shades, from silent victim to shady character on a par with the morally troubled Levite. Characterisation hinges on understanding the nature of the concubine's actions in verse 2. Was she unfaithful, literally or metaphorically? Or simply angry, as in the Greek text? Despite a long tradition of exonerating the concubine from sexual misconduct, the debate has been reopened, unexpectedly, by feminist critics asking why we should automatically assume she is innocent of all wrongdoing, in a text where virtually all characters are morally ambiguous at best. This paper will argue that the Masoretic Text offers the best reading of the story, consistent with subtle narration and moral complexity.<br><br> <br> p.63<br> <font size=4><b>The King and the Reader: Hermeneutical Reflections on 1 Kings 20-21<br> </b></font><i>T.S. Hadjiev (Queen's University Belfast)<br><br> </i>1 Kings 2021 offers a critical portrayal of Ahab as a king who practices neither mercy, nor justice in his dealings with his subjects but who strives to present a public image of himself as a king of mercy and justice. His character would have been seen by the exilic/post-exilic readership of the book of Kings as prefiguring their own experience of judgement and providing them with a model of repentance in the face of inevitable doom. <br><br> p.75<br> <font size=4><b>The Elihu Speeches: Their Place and Sense in the Book of Job<br> </b></font><i>Ragnar Andersen (Tune in Östfold, Norway)<br><br> </i>The different opinions about the Elihu speeches (Job 3237) contribute greatly to confusion in research on the book of Job. In this paper I discuss whether the Elihu speeches are later interpolations or original to the writing, and I defend the latter position. Furthermore, I critically analyse current views on the speeches' role in the book as a whole and argue that Elihu is an inspired wisdom teacher who paves the way for Job's encounter with God. Elihu does not merely repeat the claims of Job's three friends.<br><br> p.95<br> <font size=4><b>A New LXX Fragment Containing Job 7:3-4 and 7:9 <br> </b></font><i>Lincoln H. Blumell (Brigham Young University)<br><br> </i>This article presents an edition of a papyrus fragment from LXX Job that is housed in the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan. The fragment likely dates to the sixth century A.D.AD and comes from a codex. On the recto the fragment contains Job 7:3-4 and on the verso Job 7:9. <br><br> p.103<br> <font size=4><b>'He Was Raised on the Third Day According to the Scriptures' (1 Corinthians 15:4): A Typological Interpretation Based on the Cultic Calendar in Leviticus 23<br> </b></font><i>Joel White (Freie Theologische Hochschule, Gießen)<br><br> </i>According to one of the earliest creedal statements in the NT, which Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 15:4, the Messiah 'was raised on the third day according to the scriptures'. Scholarly analysis has centred on determining which scriptures are in view, rarely differentiating between the creed's perspective and Paul's. One can only speculate about the former, but with regard to the latter there are contextual clues in 1 Corinthians 15 that Paul sought to draw attention to the typological significance of the sheaf of firstfruits which, according to the Leviticus 23:10-11, was to be waved before the Lord on the day after the Sabbath after Passover, the very day that Jesus rose from the dead.<br><br> <br> p.121<br> <font size=4><b>Human Dignity and Human Justice: Thinking with Calvin About the Imago Dei<br> </b></font><i>Joan Lockwood O'Donovan (School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh)<br><br> </i>This article explores Calvin's theological treatment of the Biblical doctrine of humankind's creation in and restoration to 'the image of God', and draws out the critical implications of his treatment for the contemporary elaboration of an 'inherent human dignity' in terms of 'human (subjective) rights' as the moral foundation of a public justice of secular, egalitarian rights. The argument is that Calvin locates the created and restored 'image' in active Trinitarian and Christological relations of divine and human knowing and loving, and not in any immanent or self-standing human structure, quality, or capacity, and in so doing renders theologically problematic an elaboration of 'inherent human dignity' in terms of subjective rights. Moreover, his account of public justice, being rooted in, ordered to, and limited by these divine-human relationships, is incompatible with a secular rights polity.<br><br> <br> p.137<br> <font size=4><b>Satan as Adversary and Ally in the Process of Ecclesial Discipline: The Use of the Prologue to Job in 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20<br> </b></font><i>Dillon T. Thornton (University of Otago)<br><br> </i>Twice in the NT Paul refers to delivering someone to Satan. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, the apostle tells the Corinthian believers to hand a man living in sexual immorality over to Satan (<i>paradounai ton toiouton tw satana</i>). In 1 Timothy 1:20, Paul tells Timothy that he handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan (<i>paredwka tw satana</i>). Paul's language is strikingly similar to language contained in the prologue to Job. In Job 1:6-12, Satan disputes the blamelessness of Job and seeks Yahweh's permission to test Job's integrity. First, Yahweh allows Satan to attack Job's most prized possessions (Job 1:12). After the first attack fails, Satan asks for Yahweh's permission to assault Job physically. Then in Job 2:6 LXX, the LORD says to Satan, 'Behold, I deliver him to you' (<i>Idou paradidwmi soi auton</i>). In this paper, I argue that in both 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20 Paul draws from the prologue to Job, and he portrays Satan as an enemy of God who nevertheless can play the part of an ally in the process of church discipline.<br><br> <br> <font size=4><b>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> </b></font>p.153<br> <font size=4><b>Repetition in Hebrews<br> </b></font><i>Nicholas J. Moore (Stranton All Saints, Hartlepool)<br><br> </i>The phrase 'vaine repeticions' indicts medieval Roman Catholic worship in Cranmer's preface to the 1549 prayer book, and recurs in the Geneva and King James Bibles to describe the prattling prayers of the Gentiles in Matthew 6:7. These examples indicate both the bad press repetition has had in certain streams of theological tradition, and the ambivalence of such a reception: Cranmer's liturgy was to be repeated daily throughout England, and Matthew 6:7 forms part of the introduction to the most repeated petition in Christian history, the Lord's Prayer. This reception has in part been caused by and has in turn affected readings of the Letter to the Hebrews, which speaks of repetition in ways unique in the NT and has often been assumed to denigrate repetition as negative, ineffective, and ritualistic. This study challenges this reading, demonstrating that repetition functions in a multivalent way in the letter. The study thus rehabilitates our understanding of repetition in Hebrews, and thereby lays foundations for the theological development and deployment of this theme in other contexts.<br><br> <br> p.157<br> <font size=4><b>Participation and Creation in Augustine and Aquinas <br> </b></font><i>Yonghua Ge (Jesus College, Cambridge)<br><br> </i>'The One and the Many' names one of the most ancient debates in philosophyit enquires whether reality is ultimately a unity or a plurality and how the two relate if we admit to both. For most people today, this topic seems too archaic to have any relevance. However, in his Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford in 1992, <i>The One, the Three and the Many</i>, Colin Gunton sought to analyze the ills of modernityexcessive secularism and radical fragmentationin the frame of the One and the Many. He argued that the dominant mode of the Western philosophical and theological tradition tended to prioritize unity over plurality and as a result led to the revolt of the Many against the One in modern thought. On this interpretation, the origin of the modern problem lies in the failure of classical Western theologians, such as Augustine and Aquinas, in offering an adequate Christian solution to the problem of 'the One and the Many'. <br><br> <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-28204587046550170952014-12-03T11:58:00.000+00:002014-12-03T12:03:19.624+00:00Articles in TynBul 65.2 (Nov 2014)p.1<br> <font size=4><b>'My Name Will Be Great among the Nations': The Missio Dei in the Book of the Twelve<br> </b></font>Jerry Hwang (Singapore Bible College)<br><br> Recent OT scholarship has increasingly recognised that the Minor Prophets were compiled by Hebrew scribes to be read as a cohesive anthology. While acknowledging that each book of the Minor Prophets exhibits a distinctive individuality, scholars continue to debate how to interpret the collection as a coherent whole. In this vein, I propose that the major themes of the Minor Prophets-land, kingship, the move from judgement to salvation, and the relationship of Israel to the nations-find a unifying link in the <i>missio Dei. </i>The plan of God to redeem his entire creation is progressively unfolded in the Minor Prophets, in that the apostasy of God's people in God's land (Hosea; Joel) is but the first step in a history of redemption which culminates with the recognition by all nations that YHWH alone is worthy: 'For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations' (Mal. 1:11). As such, the <i>missio Dei</i> in the Minor Prophets not only provides a reading strategy for interpreting the collection as a unified Book of the Twelve; it also shows how the Minor Prophets make a unique contribution to an OT theology of mission.<br><br> p.181<br> <font size=4><b>The End of the Bible?: The Position of Chronicles in the Canon<br> </b></font>Edmon L. Gallagher (Heritage Christian University)<br><br> Scholars have argued for the originality of the position of Chronicles at the end of the canon based on both external and internal considerations. As for the latter, various 'closure phenomena' allegedly indicate that Chronicles either was written for the purpose of concluding the scriptural canon or was redacted for that purpose. The external evidence includes the Talmudic order of books (b. Bava Batra 14b), various Masoretic manuscripts, and a passage from the Gospels (Matt. 23:35 // Luke 11:51). This paper argues that while Chronicles surely forms an appropriate conclusion to the Bible, the evidence to hand does not demonstrate that it actually took up its place at the end of the Bible before the rabbinic period. <br><br> <br> p.201<br> <font size=4><b>Testimony in John's Gospel: The Puzzle of 5:31 and 8:14<br> </b></font>Thomas W. Simpson (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University)<br><br> Testimony is a central theme in John's Gospel and he has a developed view on how it works. This paper makes two contributions. First, I show the complexity and sophistication with which John handles different kinds of testimony in his narrative; this constitutes a category of evidence for the centrality of testimony not noted hitherto. Second, I address the central puzzle, namely the <i>prima facie </i>contradiction between 5:31 and 8:14. At issue is whether Jesus' testimony about himself requires corroborating testimony for it rationally to be believed. I argue that 8:14 has interpretative priority: according to John, no such corroboration is required.<br><br> <br> p.219<br> <font size=4><b>The Letters of Claudius Terentianus and the New Testament: Insights and Observations on Epistolary Themes<br> </b></font>Peter M. Head (Tyndale House, Cambridge)<br><br> Eleven papyrus letters from the early second century (P. Mich. 467-480 & inv. 5395) are studied in relation to parallel interests expressed within NT letters, on the topics of physical layout and formatting, discussions of health, the desire for news and the role of greetings, the role of the letter carrier and the use of letters of recommendation.<br><br> p.247<br> <font size=4><b>Paul's Conflicting Statements on Female Public Speaking (1 Cor. 11:5) and Silence (1 Cor. 14:34-35): A New Suggestion<br> </b></font>Armin D. Baum (Freie Theologische Hochschule, Giessen)<br><br> How could in 1 Corinthians women at the same time be permitted to prophesy (1 Cor. 11:5) and prohibited from asking questions (1 Cor. 14:34-35)? Read against their ancient cultural background the two texts reveal a common basic principle which lies behind both of them. According to Paul, female public speaking without male consent was unacceptable (1 Cor. 14:34-35) whereas female public speaking with male consent was tolerable if female chastity was preserved (1 Cor. 11:5). <br><br> p.275<br> <font size=4><b>Galatians 1-2 without a Mirror: Reflections on Paul's Conflict with the Agitators<br> </b></font>Justin K. Hardin (Palm Beach Atlantic University)<br><br> Despite its dangers and pitfalls as an interpretive technique, mirror reading continues to enjoy pride of place as the preferred method for reconstructing the situation in Galatians. But does reflecting back the opposite of the text aid our understanding of Paul's letter, or does it merely distort the picture? In this essay, we will discuss Paul's conflict with the agitators in Galatians to reveal the inherent methodological problems of mirror reading this letter. Specifically, we will address the question whether the agitators in Galatia were questioning Paul's credentials, prompting Paul to write his lengthy narrative in Galatians 1-2. We will then evaluate recent scholars who have sought to retire the mirror in their interpretation of Paul's narrative, before ourselves providing a fresh reading of Paul's aims in Galatians 1-2. We will suggest that Paul was not defending himself (or his gospel or anything else) in Galatians. Rather, Paul was constructing a self-contrast with the agitators in an effort to persuade the Galatians to turn back to the one true gospel and to reject the judaising tactics of the agitators.<br><br> <br> <font size=4><b>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> </b></font>p.305<br> <font size=4><b>Canonical Interpretations of the Song of Songs<br> </b></font>Rosalind S. Clarke (Stafford)<br><br> Traditional interpretations of the Song have recognised many allusions to the wider canon, which have been used as the basis for various kinds of allegorical readings. With the rise of alternative interpretations and a recent shift in focus towards methodological issues and ideological approaches to the Song, these canonical allusions have frequently been overlooked. Without advocating a return to allegorical interpretation, this thesis develops a canonical approach to the book, giving due attention to its literary, theological and ecclesiological nature. The Song proves to be a valuable test case for canonical interpretation since it is found in three distinct canonical contexts in the Hebrew Bible, the Greek Septuagint, and modern Christian Bibles.<br><br> <br> p.309<br> <font size=4><b>Everything in Common?: The Theology and Practice of the Sharing of Possessions in Community in the New Testament with Particular Reference to Jesus and His Disciples, the Earliest Christians, and Paul.<br> </b></font> Fiona Jane Robertson Gregson (London School of Theology)<br><br> This study examines the practice and theology of sharing possessions in community in the NT by examining six diverse NT examples of sharing. The texts are chosen from across the Gospels, Acts and the Pauline Epistles in order to provide a range of examples of different kinds of sharing including variety in terms of: what is shared; the distance over which sharing happens; the geographical locations that sharing happens in; and practice. Each example is considered in its historical and cultural context before being compared with one or more non-Christian comparator examples to identify similarities and differences. These comparators are examples which show similar situations and practice, and which are likely to be known by or familiar to the community in the NT example (or which were used by others at the time as comparators). Having examined the NT examples and compared them with the non-Christian comparators, the thesis identifies common characteristics across the NT examples and consistent distinctives in how the early church shared possessions compared with the surrounding cultures.<br><br> <br> p.313<br> <font size=4><b>Paul and Empire: A Reframing of Romans 13:1-7 in the Context of the New Exodus<br> </b></font>Ovidiu Hanc (Queen's University of Belfast)<br><br> In Romans 13:1-7, Paul wrote the most emphatic New Testament passage on relations with civil authority. The primary aim of this dissertation has been to propose a rereading of this passage on civil authority by framing it in the context of Paul's rabbinic education, his high view of Scripture, his own self-understanding, and especially in the larger New Exodus paradigm that is present in Romans as the archetype of salvation.<br><br> <br> p.317<br> <font size=4><b>Thomas Aquinas on Hebrews: The Excellence of Christ<br> </b></font>Dana Benesh (Baylor University)<br><br> Due to the influence of his two great <i>Summae</i>, Thomas Aquinas' reputation as a 'systematic' theologian far surpasses his reputation as a biblical exegete. Yet his commentaries merit attention due to Thomas' ability to explicate Scripture, his contributions to the development of exegesis, and the fact that his commentaries reflect the same doctrinal and theological concerns as his better-known works. An examination of Thomas Aquinas' commentary on Hebrews is worthwhile, given the growing interest in pre-modern exegesis as well as the priority that Thomas assigned to the epistle. Organizing the entire corpus of Scripture according to the purposes of God, Thomas orders the Old Testament books in regard to God as king or Father and the New Testament books in regard to Christ and the church. In Thomas' scheme, Hebrews comes immediately after the four gospels. Among all the epistles, Hebrews is preeminent, according to Thomas, because it reveals the power of the grace of Christ as head of the church. The aim of this dissertation is to understand and appreciate Thomas' exposition of Hebrews in the context of his theological works and in the context of medieval exegesis.<br><br> <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-67356426368660583222014-07-01T16:00:00.000+01:002014-07-01T16:05:01.574+01:00Articles in TynBul 65.1 (May 2014)p.1<br> <font size=4><b>A Fake Coptic John and Its Implications for the 'Gospel of Jesus's Wife'<br> </b></font>Christian Askeland (Indiana Wesleyan University)<br><br> The recent revelation of a Coptic Gospel of John fragment from the same source as the so-called 'Gospel of Jesus's Wife' has decisively altered the discussion concerning the authenticity of the 'Gospel of Jesus's Wife' fragment. The Coptic John fragment is a crude copy from Herbert Thompson's 1924 edition of the 'Qau codex' and is a product of the same modern writing event as the 'Gospel of Jesus's Wife' fragment. Both texts are modern forgeries written on genuinely ancient fragments of papyrus. <br><br> p.11<br> <font size=4><b>The Deliverance of Rahab (Joshua 2, 6) as the Gentile Exodus <br> </b></font>Nicholas P. Lunn (Wycliffe Bible Translators, UK)<br><br> This short article argues for an intertextual interpretation of the Rahab narratives in the book of Joshua in the light of the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt as recorded in the book of Exodus. The presence of a range of different verbal and thematic correspondences supports such a notion. This is further confirmed once a structural parallelism between the two portions of text is identified. Suggestions are given as to what the relationship was designed to indicate. <br><br> <br> p.21<br> <font size=4><b>Then David Wrote a Letter (2 Sam. 11:14) He Himself or Was It His Secretary? A Study of the Criteria for Handling the 'Semantic Causative'<br> </b></font>Andreas Käser (Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell)<br><br> One often speaks of important people as if they did everything on their own. 'Caesar beat the Gauls', thus reads a verse in a poem by Bertolt Brecht. In the following line he makes the point: 'Did he not even have a cook with him?' This way of speaking about kings and lords, rulers and commanders, is a very common literary device used not only in many ancient but also in contemporary languages. In speech it is usually used unconsciouslyand even decoded unconsciously. But it is at least noticeable, because sometimes the translators of the Old Testament use a causative in its place. As a result of this usually unnoticed decoding, this characteristic has rarely been explicitly described as a literary phenomenon. The only exception I know of is to be found in Hermann Menge's book about Latin syntax and stylistics, where it is referred to as a 'causative active'. Because it is grammatically an 'active' voice which is to be semantically decoded functionally as a 'causative', I would like to suggest calling this literary device a 'semantic causative'. Now, if this 'semantic causative' is a common form used when speaking about important people, it raises the question: are there criteria which enable us to determine which of the acts are carried out by themselves and which are delegated to others. In my opinion there are indeed certain criteria which can be used to exclude the one or other scenario, but oftentimes a grey area of uncertainty seems to remain. So, did David write this letter himself or was it written by a secretary? In the following I intend to investigate the question of whether a definite answer can be found. <br><br> <br> p.37<br> <font size=4><b>Mothers of Offspring in 12 Kings: A Messianic Hope in David's Line?<br> </b></font>Jesse R. Scheumann (Bethlehem College and Seminary, Minneapolis)<br><br> In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, the mothers of Judaean kings are given a unique focus in being mentioned. Historically-minded scholars, neglecting a more message-minded approach, have not sufficiently explored why this is the case. However, when viewed as an allusion to Genesis 3:15, the focus on mothers reveals a literary marking of each Judaean king as an offspring of the woman, maintaining messianic hope within a dark period of Judah's history.<br><br> p.57<br> <font size=4><b>Death-Dealing Witchcraft in the Bible? Notes on the Condemnation of the 'Daughters' in Ezekiel 13:1723<br> </b></font>John F. Evans (Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology)<br><br> The essay proposes a new reading of Ezekiel 13:1723, drawing on ancient Near Eastern materials to argue that the exiled 'daughters' were likely not practising the binding magic of the <i>kaaptu </i>(Akk.) 'witch' but a defensive, even therapeutic, binding magic similar to that of the Babylonian aipu 'exorcist'. Through their magic-bands Ezekiel's female opponents are said to bring 'death' (v. 19), but this is best explained as either the women's prophetic declaration of who was to live or die, or as the judgement of YHWH upon those in the community who believed their 'lies' and 'false visions', refusing to heed Ezekiel's warnings. Deception by unauthorised prophecy, divination, and magic is the key issue.. <br><br> p.85<br> <font size=4><b>Monotheism and the Language of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls<br> </b></font>Michael S. Heiser (Bellingham, WA)<br><br> Most Hebrew Bible scholars believe that Israelite religion evolved from polytheism to monotheism, an evolution in which the biblical writers participated. The dominant version of this consensus is that this religious evolution culminated by the end of the exile or shortly thereafter. A minority perspective places the evolutionary end point later. At issue is the presence of the language of divine plurality, positive references to other gods ( or ) under YHWH's authority, in Jewish religious texts composed during and after the Second Temple period. This article surveys the language of divine plurality in the Hebrew Bible and the sectarian literature at Qumran to show its conceptual continuity and longevity, and rejects the notion that it is incongruent with a belief in the uniqueness of YHWH.<br><br> p.85<br> <font size=4><b>Testimony in John's Gospel: The Puzzle of 5:31 and 8:14<br> </b></font>Thomas W. Simpson (Blavatnik School, University of Oxford)<x-tab> </x-tab>101<br><br> Testimony is a central theme in John's Gospel and John has a developed view on how it works. This paper makes two contributions. First, I show the complexity and sophistication with which John handles different kinds of testimony in his narrative; this constitutes a category of evidence for the centrality of testimony not noted hitherto. Second, I address the central puzzle, namely the prima facie contradiction between 5:31 and 8:14. At issue is whether Jesus' testimony about himself requires corroborating testimony for it rationally to be believed. I argue that 8:14 has interpretative priority: according to John, no such corroboration is required.<br><br> <br> p.119<br> <font size=4><b>The Interpretation of <i>Pros</i> in Romans 3:26<br> </b></font>David Hall (Stamford Bridge, York)<br><br> In an article published in 1980, Richard Hays argued that Romans 3 should be seen as a unity. The whole chapter is an assertion of God's integritythat God is . Verses 2126 'close the circle by answering the objections raised in verses 17'. Hays's thesis has been largely rejected. S. K. Stowers stated in 1984 that Hays was 'almost alone' in stressing the internal coherence of the argument in Romans 3, and subsequent scholarship has largely concentrated on the analysis of specific sections of the chapter rather than on the chapter as a whole. My aim in this article is to support Hays's thesis by examining verse 26, and in particular Paul's use of the preposition in that verse.<br><br> <br> p.125<br> <font size=4><b>'Interpreting Homer from Homer': Aristarchus of Samothrace and the Notion of Scriptural Authorship in the New Testament<br> </b></font>Benjamin Sargent (Bransgore, Hampshire)<br><br> This study attempts to explore certain exegetical arguments within the New Testament that operate upon the basis of an assumption that a scriptural text's meaning is in some way contingent upon its author. The exegetical and text-critical Homeric scholarship of Aristarchus of Samothrace is examined as a possible parallel to this assumption of authorial contingency. Aristarchus makes exegetical and text-critical decisions about the Iliad by means of a conception of Homer as the perfect writer. Whilst it is unlikely that any New Testament writer was aware of Aristarchus' work, Aristarchus undoubtedly represents more widespread Greek thought about authorship and meaning that may have been shared by certain New Testament writers.<br><br> <br> p.141<br> <font size=4><b>Very Early Trinitarian Expressions<br> </b></font>Very Early Trinitarian Expressions<br> Stuart E. Parsons (Trinity College of Florida)<br><br> While older scholarship identified the earliest use of Trinitarian terminology near the end of the second century in the work of Theophilus of Antioch, some recent studies have challenged this view. However, while affirming certain insights of these newer studies, it is necessary to revisit them in light of the historical setting of the second-century apologists. In reality, Theophilus and other early apologists evidenced a certain implicit Trinitarianism by affirming unity, distinction, eternal pre-existence and economic subordination in the Godhead. Studies of early Trinitarian terminology must look beyond explicit descriptions of the Godhead. They must consider also broad patterns of implicit Trinitarianism.<br><br> <br> <font size=4>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> </font>p.153<br> <font size=4><b>Codex Schøyen 2650<br> </b></font>James M. Leonard (St Edmund's, Cambridge)<br><br> Codex Schøyen 2650 (hereafter, mae2) is a fragmentary yet substantial manuscript of Matthew's Gospel. It was written in a rare dialect of Coptic (Middle Egyptian). This thesis is the first substantial text-critical assessment of its implied underlying Greek text. Mae2 is significant for multiple reasons. First, it is often cited as having an early Fourth Century date, and as such, eleven of its chapters in their entirety, and a large number of verses elsewhere, may be the earliest witnesses to those respective parts of Matthew's Gospel. Secondly, it provides substantial attestation of a minor Coptic dialect which was hardly known until the second half of the Twentieth Century. Thirdly, its subdialect is hitherto unattested. Fourthly, it is independent from all other Coptic versions of Matthew. Fifthly, the text of mae2 is probably one of the earliest Middle Egyptian Coptic translations, and thus from it one might infer the boundaries early translators may have had in translation technique. Finally, as I have argued, when translational phenomena are identified and accounted for, mae2's strong alliance with both Sinaiticus and Vaticanus is evident, and this has implications for establishing the initial text of Matthew's Gospel and its early transmission history.<br><br> <br> p.157<br> <font size=4><b>The Verb and the Paragraph in Biblical Hebrew: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach<br> </b></font>Elizabeth Robar (Tyndale House)<br><br> The last few decades have witnessed a continual stream of publications on the biblical Hebrew verbal system, arguing whether it is fundamentally about aspect, or tense, or mood, or discourse pragmatics; or whether it is best understood synchronically, diachronically, or panchronically. In admittedly another work on the verbal system, this thesis constructs a theoretical framework that goes beyond postulating an additional possibility: it comprehensively includes the other views and explains how they relate to each other, including what value each has to offer. Within this framework, the thesis also suggests a new analysis of the <i>waw</i>-prefixed forms, the paragogic suffixes (including energic <i>nun</i>), and the semantic analysis of <i>qatal </i>and <i>yiqtol</i>.<br><br> <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-24596151526898274112013-11-05T17:22:00.000+00:002013-11-05T18:29:11.161+00:00Articles in TynBul 64.2 (Nov 2013)p.161<br> <font size=4><b>These Are the Days of the Prophets: A Literary Analysis of Ezra 16 <br> </b></font>Christopher R. Lortie (Saskatoon, Canada)<br><br> This study outlines a plot structure for Ezra 16 based upon the<i> ('lh)</i> imperative and <i>(bnh)</i> imperative given in the decree by Cyrus (Ezra 1:2-4) and argues that they provide a clear framework for the narrative. The Judaean people are able to accomplish the <i>('lh)</i> imperative without conflict, but the <i>(bnh)</i> imperative is not completed as easily. The temple rebuilding project reaches a standstill in Ezra 4:24. At this point the prophets Haggai and Zechariah intervene and become the catalyst for the resolution of the <i>(bnh)</i> imperative and the narrative as a whole (5:1; 6:14). The narrative is structured to demonstrate that Yhwh is the one who enables the temple rebuilding project to succeed through the action of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah over against the Persian kings. <br><br> p.171<br> <font size=4><b>The Early Messianic 'Afterlife' of the Tree Metaphor in Ezekiel 17:22-24 <br> </b></font>William R. Osborne (College of the Ozarks)<br><br> This article discusses the royal associations of tree imagery in the ancient Near East before examining four early messianic interpretations of the tree symbolism in Ezekiel 17:22-24, namely those of 4QEzekiel<sup>a</sup>, the Septuagint, Targum Ezekiel, and <i>The Shepherd of Hermas</i>. <br><br> p.189<br> <font size=4><b>Undercurrents in Jonah<br> </b></font>James Robson (Wycliffe Hall, Oxford)<br><br> On the surface, the book of Jonah is marked by a certain literary simplicity and apparent artlessness. This is evident in at least three ways: its <i>style</i>, with few adjectives, action-oriented narrative, repetition of words and phrases, sound-plays and personifications; its <i>plot</i>, with extreme scenarios and a binary view of the world; its <i>structure</i>, with significant substantial correspondence. Yet it is often in the very places of apparent artlessness that there are hidden depths. A survey of these undercurrents suggests that the book of Jonah is best understood as an engaging exploration of how credal confessions relate to the complexities of lived experience. <br><br> p.217<br> <font size=4><b>The Parable of the Prodigal Father: An Interpretative Key to the Third Gospel (Luke 15:11-32)<br> </b></font>Trevor J. Burke (Moody Bible Institute, Chicago) <br><br> Agreement on a title for the parable in Luke 15:11-32 has proved problematic for interpreters: is this primarily a story about the 'son' or 'sons' or a 'family'? While such descriptions are viable, they are insufficient and the view taken in this essay, along with that of an increasing number of scholarsnot discounting the role of the two sonsis to approach the story from a paternal perspective. Moreover, this parable is about a '<i>prodigal </i>father' for his extravagant generosity and liberality is highly unusual and unexpected. Such conduct, however, is no less a part of the evangelist's wider agenda of 'prodigality' in the third Gospel, where the same munificence and largesse are characteristics consonant with those who belong in the kingdom of God. It is concluded that if the father is representative of God in his reckless beneficence then another legitimate designation for this narrative should be 'The Parable of the Prodigal Father' <br><br> p.239<br> <font size=4><b>Gender Versus Marital Concerns: Does 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 Address the Issues of Male/Female or Husband/Wife? <br> </b></font>Preston T. Massey (Indiana Wesleyan University)<br><br> This study proposes an alternative for interpreting the background to 1 Corinthians 1114. The investigation will focus on the following three issues: 1) the issue of married women versus any woman; 2) the matter of a married woman's talking in a public setting; and 3) the nature of the church as the family of God meeting in a house for public worship. The combination of these factors will lead to the conclusion that Paul is addressing marital issues. <br><br> p.257<br> <font size=4><b>'The Root' in Paul's Olive Tree Metaphor (Romans 11:16-24)<br> </b></font>Svetlana Khobnya (Nazarene Theological College, Manchester)<br><br> In Romans 11:16-24 Paul addresses the subject of the Jewish and Gentile inclusion in the people of God using the illustration of the olive tree. How this description fits Paul's argument in Romans or what precisely Paul communicates by this comparison remains unclear. This essay suggests that Paul's awareness of living in the time when scripture is being fulfilled in Christ determines how we should read the olive tree metaphor. It proposes that the olive tree and the whole process of its rejuvenation pictures the restoration of Israel and the addition of the Gentiles into God's people on the basis of the fulfilment of God's promises in Christ, the very root of the tree. In this light the olive tree metaphor becomes lucid and fits Paul's overall discussion in Romans. <br><br> p.275<br> <font size=4><b>The Adam-Christ Typology in Paul and Its Development in the Early Church Fathers<br> </b></font>John VanMaaren (McMaster University)<br><br> This article examines the development of the Adam-Christ typology in the early church. It begins by outlining the characteristics of typology and considering Paul's use of the Adam-Christ typology. It then looks at the Adam-Christ typology in Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Origen, Methodius, Augustine and Cyril of Alexandria. Each of these is compared with Paul. For Paul, it is Christ's death and resurrection that correspond to Adam's sin. The church fathers expand Paul's typology and these expansions eventually come to overshadow the main point of correspondence for Paul, Christ's death and resurrection.<br><br> <br> p.299<br> <font size=4><b>Praying to the Holy Spirit in Early Christianity<br> </b></font>Boris Paschke (Evangelische Theologische Faculteit Leuven, Research Foundation Flanders)<br><br> This article studies praying to the Holy Spirit in early Christianity of the first three centuries AD. The relevant primary sources are presented and interpreted. While the New Testament remains silent on the topic, some early Christian texts from the Second and Third Centuries AD (<i>i.e.</i> writings of Tertullian and Origen as well as the Acts of John and Acts of Thomas) testify that the idea and practice of addressing the Holy Spirit in prayer (either alone or together with Jesus Christ) existed in early Christianity. However, the paucity of express early Christian quotations of or references to prayers to the Holy Spirit suggests that praying to the Holy Spirit was not widespread but rather remained an exception in early Christianity. <br><br> <br> <font size=4>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> </font>p.317<br> <font size=4><b>Responding to a Puzzled Scribe: The Barberini Version of Habakkuk 3 Analysed in the Light of the Other Greek Versions <br> </b></font>Joshua Harper (Houston, Texas)<br><br> This anonymous version of Habakkuk 3 cannot be identified with any of the other known Greek versions of Habakkuk or the Twelve Prophets. It is only found in six Septuagint manuscripts, and has come to be known as the Barberini version of Habakkuk 3 after one of the best witnesses, which was formerly in the library of the Barberini family in Rome. The goal of my thesis is to describe the Barberini version and the translator responsible for itto give the <i>who</i>, <i>what</i>, <i>where</i>, <i>when</i>, <i>why</i>, and <i>how</i> of its creation in so far as this can be determined by comparing the Barberini Greek version with the other Greek and Hebrew versions of the chapter. <br><br> <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-71065078130467590832013-05-23T12:40:00.000+01:002013-05-23T12:43:16.795+01:00Articles in TynBul 64.1 (May 2013)p.1<br> <font size=4><b>The Condemnation of Jephthah <br> </b></font>Tamie S. Davis (Dodoma, Tanzania)<br><br> This paper argues that literary context, commonly used by evangelicals, and intertextuality, often championed by feminist scholars, are complementary tools for understanding the story of Jephthah and his daughter in Judges 11:29-40. The lack of comment from the narrator on the morality of the story has perplexed many readers but, when viewed together, these approaches build a compelling case for Jephthah's condemnation. The literary context gives warrant to the feminist horror at the events of Judges 11:29-40. Intertextual contrast relating to gender can alert the reader to other differences between the stories which then present Jephthah as an inversion of Abraham: unfaithful and abhorrent to YHWH.<br><br> p.17<br> <font size=4><b>'May the Lord Make the Woman like Rachel': Comparing Michal and Rachel <br> </b></font>John Dekker (Melbourne)<br><br> The portrayal of Michal in the book of Samuel is similar to that of Rachel in the book of Genesis. Both have an older sister who is their rival for the affections of their husband. Both have an erratic father who pursues their husband. Both possess household idols called teraphim, which features in the story of their deceiving their father. Both have at least a period of barrenness. Yet there are also differences between the two women, which can be explained in terms of the portrayal of Michal as an even more tragic figure than Rachel. Careful consideration of the points of similarity and difference yields the conclusion that the allusions to the Rachel story in the book of Samuel are intentional.<br><br> p.33<br> <font size=4><b>'I Will Save My People from Their Sins': The Influence of Ezekiel 36:28b-29a; 37:23b on Matthew 1:21<br> </b></font>Nicholas G. Piotrowski (Crossroads Bible College, Indianapolis)<br><br> Matthean scholars are nearly unanimous that LXX Psalm 129:8 [MT 130:8] is the allusive background to Matthew 1:21 notwithstanding formidable semantic differences. Ezekiel 36:28b-29a; 37:23b, however, provides a more convincing and more fruitful conceptual background for Matthew's programmatic verse. Semantic and thematic considerations bear this out. The result of reading Matthew 1:21 through the lens of Ezekiel 36:28b-29a; 37:23b is the selection of frames for reading the rest of the gospel in terms of the prophet's vision for Israel's restoration from exile.<br><br> p.55<br> <font size=4><b>Review Article: The Deliverance of God: an Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul by Douglas A. Campbell<br> </b></font>Bruce Clark (Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge)<br><br> Campbell launches a sustained attack against traditional theological conceptions of justification and aims to free Romans 14 (on which these conceptions seemingly rest) from a widespread rationalistic, contractual, individualistic (mis)reading, which gains its plausibility only by the modernistic theological superstructure forced upon it. Campbell then presents an in-depth re-reading of Romans 14 (as well as parts of chs. 911, Gal. 23, Phil. 3), in which Paul engages in a highly complex, 'subtle' polemic, creatively employing 'speech-in-character' as a means of subverting a Jewish Christian 'Teacher' whose visit to Rome threatens to undermine the Roman Christians' assurance of salvation. Campbell argues that justification is participatory and liberative: Christ's death and resurrection constitute the 'righteousness/deliverance of God', by which he justifies, or delivers, an enslaved humanity from the power of sin. This article concentrates primarily on Campbell's own exegesis, concluding that, while important aspects of Campbell's critique of both "justification theory" and traditional readings of Romans 14 must be carefully considered, his own exegesis is not only ingenious, asking too much of Paul and the letter's auditors, but altogether untenable at key points.<br><br> p.89<br> <font size=4><b>Jewish Pilgrim Festivals and Calendar in Paul's Ministry with the Gentile Churches <br> </b></font>Jin K. Hwang (Fuller Theological Seminary)<br><br> It is quite remarkable that Paul explicitly mentions two of the Jewish pilgrim festivals, namely, the Passover and Pentecost in 1 Corinthians (5:7-8; 16:8). This study argues that such festivals played a key role not only in providing Paul with the biblical foundations for his exhortations in 1 Corinthians (as indicated in ch. 5) but also in shaping his ministry with the Gentile churches at Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, and Macedonia, and his collection project in particular, which entails the pilgrimage to Jerusalem by representatives from his Gentile churches, most likely during a Jewish festival (as indicated in ch. 16).<br><br> p.109<br> <font size=4><b>The Temple in the Apocalypse of Weeks and in Hebrews<br> </b></font>Philip Church (Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand<br><br> Several Second Temple texts make no explicit mention of the temple, but it cannot be assumed that this silence indicates a lack of interest. While the Apocalypse of Weeks reveres Solomon's temple and describes it in ways that indicate that it anticipates the eschatological temple, the Second Temple is ignored, implying a strong polemic against it. Hebrews makes no explicit mention of the Second Temple, but several texts reflect a critique of temple, priesthood, and sacrificial system. Hebrews claims that the temple and its associated rituals were a symbolic foreshadowing of the eschatological dwelling of God with his people in the last days, now come with the exaltation of Christ. Since the reality has now come, the readers can no longer be occupied with the symbols.<br><br> p.129<br> <font size=4><b>Lexicography and New Testament Categories of Church Discipline <br> </b></font>Andrew D. Clarke (University of Aberdeen)<br><br> A range of circumstances, which were formative in the crises prompting the Protestant Reformation, resulted in heightened emphasis on ecclesiastical discipline, with some Reformation Confessions elevating discipline 'according to the Word of God' to one of three significant 'marks' of the 'true church'. However, the Bible prompted no similar consensus among either the Reformers or the Reformation Confessions as to how, when, by or to whom such discipline should be exercised. Although the New Testament has no dominant vocabulary for 'discipline', the fixing on this term in the Sixteenth Century and subsequently nonetheless became a controlling principle in identifying and interpreting certain New Testament passages as 'disciplinary' in focus. Latin lexical roots pose an additional disjunction between first-century and post-Reformation legacy understandings of 'discipline'. Revisiting New Testament categories of discipleship, education and Christian formation may offer a constructively holistic approach that reaches beyond now traditional views of church discipline.<br><br> <br> <font size=4>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> </font>p.153<br> <font size=4><b>Israel and the Universal Mission in the Gospel of Matthew <br> </b></font>Tae Sub Kim (Seoul National University)<br><br> This study investigates the relationship between Israel and the universal mission in the Gospel of Matthew. The previous views of scholars deal with this relationship unilaterally proceeding 'from Israel to the Gentile (or the universal) mission' alone, but the relationship in the other direction has not yet been discussed. Thus, while introducing new perspectives aiming for a fuller understanding of the reciprocal relationship between Israel and the universal mission in the First Gospel, this study attempts to demonstrate how the completion of the universal mission is associated with the re-establishment of Israel in the Gospel of Matthew.<br><br> p.157<br> <font size=4><b>The Greek Perfect Active System: 200 BC AD 150 <br> </b></font>Robert Crellin (Greek Bible College, Athens)<br><br> What does the ancient Greek perfect stem (covering both perfect and pluperfect forms) mean? This has proved a controversial question for at least a century, as it has been recognised that traditional accounts leave the form performing functions associated with present and past tenses in certain other European languages. Thus to say 'I know' and 'I stand', both present forms in English, a perfect is used in Greek. By contrast, the sentiment 'I have made' also corresponds to a perfect in Greek. In addition to this aspectual problem the perfect is also involved in a transitivity problem: some perfect actives in Greek are functionally passive. For example, the active perfect 'apolola' means 'I am lost', and not 'I have lost (something)' which might be expected.<br><br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-32942844691100305542012-11-06T15:12:00.000+00:002012-11-06T15:36:53.312+00:00Articles in TynBul 63.2 (November 2012)<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Could God Have Commanded the Slaughter of the Canaanites?<br /> </b></span>Stephen N. Williams (Union Theological College, Belfast) <br />
p.161<br />
<br />
This article is a slightly revised version of the Tyndale Lecture in Christian Ethics, delivered in 2010. It deals not with the narrowly historical question of the slaughter of the Canaanites, but with the theological question of the possibility of God’s having commanded it. Its argument is that we should not conceive it as a possible divine command, unless we regard it as sorrowfully commanded, a commandment accommodated to conditions of human violence for which humans are responsible. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>But Ruth Clung to Her: Textual Constraints on Ambiguity in Ruth 1:14<br /> </b></span>Scott N. Callaham (Houston, Texas) <br />
p.179<br />
<br />
Researchers commonly assert that deliberately ambiguous language in Ruth 3 kindles sexual tension in the depiction of Ruth’s nocturnal encounter with Boaz upon his threshing floor. Perhaps inspired by the literary artistry of the author of Ruth, some recent interpreters have also averred that an erotic undercurrent flows through words they deem intertextually suggestive and allusively ambiguous in Ruth 1:14 as the text reads, ‘but Ruth clung to her’. The present study critically examines this proposal in light of interrelated semantic, syntactic, and intertextual literary evidence. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>‘And How Much Do You Owe …? Take Your Bill, Sit Down Quickly, and Write …’ (Luke 16:5-6)<br /> </b></span>Marulli (Adventist University of France, Collonges-sous-Salève) <br />
p.199<br />
<br />
The parable found in Luke 16:1-8a has very often puzzled Christian commentators. The history of its interpretation shows that only a few fathers accepted the challenge to interpret it (mostly allegorically). Today we are all the more aware of the benefit of understanding the socio-economic backdrop of such an unsettling story. This essay is an attempt to shed light on the meaning of the parable in the context of debt contracts and rates of interest in first-century Palestine. We shall start by a short description of the pyramidal social structure, the relational function of honour/shame values, and debt reduction dynamics in first-century Roman Palestine. The second part of this article will review some biblical, rabbinical and non-literary papyri sources on the topic of loans and debts in order to shed light on the practice of lending/borrowing money and goods, as well as some practical aspects referred to in the parable of the shrewd steward, such as the possible contractors, the rates of interest, the steward’s share, and the documents used in the context of ancient loans.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grace Tasted Death for All: Thomas Aquinas on Hebrews 2:9<br /> </b></span>Lee Gatiss (Peterhouse, Cambridge) <br />
p. 217<br />
<br />
This article examines the biblical interpretation of Thomas Aquinas, which has until recently been relatively neglected amongst the many works of this leading medieval theologian. Looking particularly at ‘by the grace of God Christ tasted death for all’ (Hebrews 2:9), a key phrase which throws up several exegetical and theological puzzles, it concludes that Aquinas’s approach to it is a prime example of medieval commentating both at its best and its worst. It shows how his lack of knowledge of Greek led him astray, notes his neglect of textual criticism, and examines his reliance on tradition, especially the Hebrews commentary of Peter Lombard. It places his use of the theological formula ‘sufficient for all, efficacious for the elect alone’ when expounding the words ‘for all’ into historical context, surveying exegetical discussion of the extent of the atonement from Origen to Gottschalk to John Owen. Aquinas’s use of the scholastic ‘division of the text’ methodology to identify a melodic line centring on this verse’s theme of ‘grace’ within both Hebrews and Paul (the assumed author) is uncovered, along with other interpretative tactics and a reflective piety which jar against the presuppositions of modern academic biblical studies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Heaven Opened: Intertextuality and Meaning in John 1:51<br /> </b></span>David R. Kirk (Highland Theological College) <br />
p. 237<br />
<br />
John 1:51 presents unique interpretational challenges at a theological level. In this study, the allusion to Jacob’s encounter with the LORD at Bethel is the point of departure for an approach which brings together this background with a consideration both of the title Son of Man, and the function of the verse within the gospel. A re-examination of the Bethel narrative casts doubt on the stairway being an image of communication. A Jesus-Jacob nexus arises from a natural reading of John 1:51, and is the interpretational key which unlocks the meaning of the verse. This nexus gives a representative emphasis to the gospel’s first Son of Man saying, and the theological connection to the patriarchal promises leads to a conclusion about the identity of the ‘greater things’ which are promised.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Foreignising Bible Translation: Retaining Foreign Origins when Rendering Scripture<br /> </b></span>Andy Cheung (King’s Evangelical Divinity School) <br />
p. 257<br />
<br />
This article considers the notion of foreignisation with respect to Bible translation, a concept originating with Schleiermacher but re-popularised in the 1990s by Lawrence Venuti. ‘Foreignising translation’ aims to relocate the reader in the world of the source text and attempts to make obvious the alien origins of the original text. It therefore differs from ‘domesticating translation’ which seeks to create a target text with expressions and style more in keeping with target readers’ receptor world conventions. Although foreignisation has long been established as a recognised translation strategy in ‘secular’ translation studies, it is less commonly considered with respect to Bible translation. This article discusses the benefits of foreignising translation in the task of rendering Scripture, albeit within a framework known among translation theorists as ‘skopos theory’, whereby multiple translation styles are permissible, depending on their usage and function in a target community.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sitting on Two Asses?: Second Thoughts on the Two-Animal Interpretation of Matthew 21:7<br /> </b></span>Wayne Coppins (University of Georgia) <br />
p. 275<br />
<br />
The main thesis of this article is that the ‘two-animal’ interpretation of Matthew 21:7, according to which Matthew speaks of Jesus as sitting on two animals, can be shown to be more probable than the ‘multiple-garments’ interpretation, according to which Jesus is understood to be sitting on multiple garments on a single animal. Prior to my analysis of Matthew 21:7 I discuss the related question of why Matthew’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem involves two animals rather than one, arguing that the ‘history conformed to Scripture interpretation’ is more probable than the ‘Scripture conformed to history’ interpretation. Following it, I advance a more tentative interpretation of the surprising outcome of Matthew’s interaction with Scripture.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Eschatological Interdependence of Jews and Gentiles in Galatians <br /> </b></span>John W. Taylor (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) <br />
p. 291<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Agitators in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Galatia</st1:country-region> insisted that law observance for
Gentiles was essential, because the eschatological blessing promised to the
heirs of Abraham is only to be found within <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. But in three key passages
(3:13-14; 3:25-26; 4:4-7), which are frequently misunderstood because
pronominal shifts are set aside, Paul makes the blessing of Jews and Gentiles
in Christ mutually interdependent, in a theological sense. Gentiles are blessed
with the blessing of Abraham because Jews are set free by Christ from the curse
of the law. Because the Gentiles are blessed, and have become sons of God,
Jewish believers receive the Spirit. Thus Gentile inclusion in Christ is not
subsidiary to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
eschatological status, and does not require law observance.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Dissertation Summaries: </span></h4>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b>My Psalm Has Turned into Weeping: The Dialogical Intertextuality of Allusions to the Psalms in Job<br /> </b></span>Will Kynes (University of Oxford) <br />
p. 317<br />
<br />
The ‘bitter parody’ of Psalm 8:5 in Job 7:17-18 has long been recognised but its hermeneutical implications have not been fully explored. The repetition of the phrase ש$מה־אנו (‘What are human beings?’), the common structure of both passages, and the recurrence of the verb פקד set in a context which reverses its meaning, have led to a nearly unanimous consensus that Job is intentionally twisting the meaning of the psalm from a hymn of praise for God’s watchful care to a complaint against his overbearing attention. Rarely, however, has the question which naturally follows been pursued: if the author of Job interacted with Psalm 8 in such a knowing and sophisticated way, what other allusions to the Psalms may likewise make significant contributions to the dialogue between Job, his friends, and God? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-48829531284155352162012-04-17T13:21:00.000+01:002012-04-17T13:28:30.243+01:00Articles in TynBul 63.1 (May 2012)<br> <font size=4><b>The Definition of the Term 'Canon': Exclusive Or Multi-Dimensional?<br> </b></font>Michael J. Kruger (Reformed Theological Seminary) <br> p.1<br><br> There has been an ongoing debate amongst biblical scholars about how to define the term 'canon'. In recent years, one particular definitionthat canon can only be used to refer to books in a fixed, final, closed listhas emerged as the dominant one. Moreover, some scholars have argued that this is the only legitimate definition that can be used. This essay suggests that a single definition fails to capture the depth and breadth of canon and may end up bringing more distortion than clarification. Instead, the complexities of canon are best captured through using multiple definitions in a complementary and integrative manner. <br><br> <br> <font size=4><b>Heptadic Verbal Patterns in the Solomon Narrative of 1 Kings 111<br> </b></font>John A.Davies (Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney) <br> p.21<br><br> The narrative in 1 Kings 111 makes use of the literary device of sevenfold lists of items and sevenfold recurrences of Hebrew words and phrases. These heptadic patterns may contribute to the cohesion and sense of completeness of both the constituent pericopes and the narrative as a whole, enhancing the readerly experience. They may also serve to reinforce the creational symbolism of the Solomon narrative and in particular that of the description of the temple and its dedication. <br><br> <font size=4><b>'Certainly this Man was Righteous': Highlighting a Messianic Reading of the Centurion's Confession in Luke 23:47<br> </b></font>Matthew C. Easter (University of Otago) <br> p.35<br><br> This essay expands on common readings of the centurion's confession of Jesus as <i>dikaios </i>('righteous', 'innocent') in Luke 23:47. Many interpreters take the centurion's words in Luke as his recognition of Jesus' political innocence. While not denying a Lukan insistence on Jesus' innocence, this essay argues for a fuller reading of the centurion's words that accounts for the christological potential in his calling Jesus <i>dikaios</i>. Whether historically-speaking he knew it or not, this centurion in Luke's narrative world stands as one of the first people to recognise the crucified Jesus as the Christ. <br><br> <font size=4><b>The Manumission of Slaves in Jubilee and Sabbath Years<br> </b></font>Michael A. Harbin (Taylor University, Upland IN) <br> p. 53<br><br> Debt in the Old Testament economy was problematic, and our understanding of it is even more problematic, especially with respect to debt slavery. It is suggested that several common misunderstandings have contributed greatly to the problem. First, the Hebrew word <i>'ebed</i> can be translated servant or slave and in the latter case it can denote both debt slave and chattel slave. In many cases there is a failure to make these distinctions. Second, there is a tendency to categorise all debt the same, regardless of the size. Third, a misunderstanding of the purpose of the jubilee has led to confusion regarding its role with respect to slavery and the manumission of slaves. Specifically, while the sabbath year guidelines included debt slavery, the jubilee by its nature did not involve slavery at all. Because the land 'sale' was really a land-lease, there was no debt involved, and the Israelite who 'sold' his land was not enslaved. It is then suggested that one option for the Israelite who 'bought' the land was to employ the 'seller' to work the land as a hired hand, which would explain the admonition that he was not be viewed as a slave. <br><br> <font size=4><b>Pistis Christou in Galatians: The Connection to Habakkuk 2:4<br> </b></font>Debbie Hunn (Dallas Theological Seminary) <br> p. 75<br><br> The coherence of Paul's argument in Galatians 2:153:14 depends upon strong links among the phrases. Therefore the reader who understands a single use of in the passage can correctly infer basic aspects of the others. Therefore <i>ek pistews </i>in Habakkuk 2:4, because it is cited in Galatians 3:11, informs the discussion about <i>pistis Christou </i>in Galatians 2:16, 20; and an Old Testament prophet speaks in a present-day controversy. Habakkuk, by using <i>ek pistews </i>to refer to the faith of Gentiles, testifies that <i>pistis Christou </i>in Galatians refers to human faith as well. <br><br> <font size=4><b>Early Christian Eschatological Experience in the Warnings and Exhortations of the Epistle to the Hebrews<br> </b></font>Scott D. Mackie (Venice, CA) or (Venice, Calif.) <br> p. 93<br><br> This essay examines the characteristics and rhetorical function of the many eschatological experiences found in Hebrews' warnings against apostasy and exhortations to persevere. In these two contexts we see the vital connection of the author's hortatory effort to the community's eschatological experiences. Warnings of the dire consequences of forsaking the community are often substantiated by appeals to the community's eschatological experiences, both past and present. Similarly, exhortations to persevere are frequently supported by reminders of past and present supernatural experiences. The primary experiential motif found in these exhortations pertains to the community's identity as the family of God. This essay concludes with the novel claim that the author's Christological doctrine, hortatory effort, and the community's eschatological experiences are mutually interdependent.<br><br> <br> <font size=4><b>The Affective Directives of the Book of Revelation<br> </b></font>Andy Harker (Nairobi, Kenya) <br> p. 115<br><br> In contemporary study of the Johannine Apocalypse both at the academic and popular levels there continues to be a strong bias towards questions of hermeneutics and semantics. This is true despite the calls of many commentators and pastors over the last two millennia to receive the prophecy as pictures to move the heart rather than puzzles to tease the mind. This paper adds volume and clarity to their call. The approach here is an emic oneHow does the text itself invite the recipient to engage with its words? Picking up on J.-P. Ruiz's suggestion that Revelation is punctuated by 'hermeneutical imperatives' (sc. Rev. 1:3; 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9-10, 18; 17:9; 22:7, 18-19), this article argues that these texts are just as much, if not more, 'affective imperatives' or better 'affective directives'. Thus to read the book in line with its own explicit directions is much more a matter of being moved at the level of the heart and will than of solving a hermeneutical conundrum. <br><br> <font size=4><b>Back Under Authority: Towards an Evangelical Postcolonial Hermeneutic<br> </b></font>Peter H. W. Lau (Seminari Theoloji Malaysia) <br> p. 131<br><br> A postcolonial approach is gaining acceptance by many scholars as a fruitful way of interpreting the Bible. Yet a postcolonial approach raises issues for those who hold a 'high' view of Scripture. Five issues will be demonstrated through an analysis of Mary Donaldson's reading of the book of Ruth, with the outcome being that the authority of Scripture is decentred. Nonetheless, a postcolonial approach can still be usefully adapted by those with a 'high' view of Scripture. This article will present an alternative postcolonial reading of the book of Ruth that uses biblical theology to help maintain the central authority of the biblical text. <br><br> <br> <font size=4>Dissertation Summaries: <br><br> <b>Affirming the Resurrection of the Incarnate Christ: A Reading of 1 John<br> </b></font>Matthew D. Jensen (Sydney, Australia) <br> p. 145<br><br> It is often claimed that 1 John contains no references to Jesus' resurrection. However, for this claim to hold, a possible allusion to the resurrection in the opening verse of 1 John needs to be denied. There are three reasons given to discard this allusion. First, under the influence of the historical reconstructions that dominate the interpretation of 1 John, the opening verses of 1 John are often understood to affirm the incarnation and not the resurrection. Second, the allusion to the resurrection is rejected because of the similarity between the prologues of the Gospel of John and 1 John. Since John 1:1-18 affirms the incarnation, so too must 1 John 1:1-4. Third, the allusion to the resurrection is dismissed due to the apparent lack of other references to the resurrection in 1 John. The thesis proposes that 1 John affirms the resurrection of the incarnate Christ in the context of an intra-Jewish disagreement over Jesus' identity. The thesis presents a reading of 1 John that flows from understanding the opening verses of the book to be affirming the resurrection of the incarnate Christ. <br><br> <font size=4><b>An Exploration of Early Christian Communities as 'Scholastic Communities' <br> </b></font>Claire Smith (Sydney, Australia). <br> p. 149<br><br> In 1960, Edwin Judge described the early Christian communities as 'scholastic communities'. Since then, he has continued to explore this aspect of early Christian communities. However, while his pioneering work in this field has become a standard point of departure for the socio-historical study of the early Christian movement, his 'scholastic communities' description has received scant attention. By contrast, scholarship on the formation and social character of early Christian communities is dominated by the search for antecedents, influences, and analogies or models from antiquity, none of which adequately accounts for the Christian communities, or recognises the priority of educational activities reflected in Judge's characterisation. Moreover, the approach of these studies is problematic, because without a prior description of early Christian communities on their own terms, comparative approaches risk overlooking, distorting or misunderstanding aspects of early Christian communities that are not repeated in other social phenomena.<br> <br><br> <font size=4><b>Lexical Dependence and Intertextual Allusion in the Septuagint of the Twelve Prophets: Studies in Hosea, Amos and Micah<br> </b></font>Myrto Theocharous (Greek Bible College, Athens) <br> p. 153<br><br> As the Septuagint is becoming increasingly important in studies of Second Temple Judaism, the interest of scholars is shifting away from the mere use of the version as an adjunct to the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible. The process of sifting secondary readings in order to arrive at the 'pure' form of the Hebrew text has been the main preoccupation of textual critics for centuries. LXX readings were commonly retroverted into Hebrew in order to offer more pristine readings than have survived in the MT. Other ways of explaining deviations (e.g. translational factors, influence of late Hebrew/ Aramaic) were generally neglected and a different Hebrew <i>Vorlage</i> behind the LXX was commonly assumed. <br><br> <font size=4><b>Text, Context and the Johannine Community: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Johannine Writings<br> </b></font>David A. Lamb (University of Manchester) <br> p. 157<br><br> This thesis examines the social context of the Johannine writings from the perspective of sociolinguistic theory of register. In particular, it considers the validity of the <i>Johannine Community </i>model. The idea of a distinct Johannine community lying behind the production of the Gospel and Epistles of John has become, to use Thomas Kuhn's terminology, a paradigm within Johannine scholarship over the past fifty years. The key works in establishing this paradigm were the two large Anchor Bible commentaries on the gospel published by Raymond Brown in 1966 and 1970, and the slim volume published by J. Louis Martyn in 1968, <i>History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel</i>. Other scholars, from Wayne Meeks and his 1972 essay 'The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism' onwards, have used sociological insights to depict the Johannine community as a sectarian group, opposed both to wider Jewish society and to other Christian groups.<br><br> <br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-51740629676081371252011-11-15T18:12:00.001+00:002012-11-06T15:15:00.752+00:00Articles in TynBul 62.2 (November 2011)<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Incongruity in the Gospel Parables<br />
</b></span>David Seccombe (North-West University, Potchefstroom & George Whitefield College, Cape Town) <br />
p.161<br />
<br />
Evidence is given of deliberate use of incongruity and the outright bizarre in some of the gospel sayings and parables. This is sometimes smoothed away by translators and commentators, who appear uncomfortable with it. Yet it has the marks of being one of Jesus' characteristic teaching devices, the tendency of the transmission being to smooth out discordancies. With this in mind the parable of the leaven is re-examined, and it is argued that it contains three incongruities which strongly suggest its authenticity and could have made it a startling piece of communication for its original listeners. The results gained are employed to clear the way for a correct approach to the parable of the ten minas.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>God's Love According to Hosea and Deuteronomy: A Prophetic Reworking of a Deuteronomic Concept?</b></span></h3>
Carsten Vang (Lutheran School of Theology in Aarhus, Denmark) <br />
p.173<br />
<br />
One of the most evident shared themes between the books of Hosea and Deuteronomy is the theme of God's love for Israel. The usual scholarly explanation goes that Hosea fathered this notion which later was taken up in the Deuteronomy tradition. A close scrutiny of this theme in Hosea and Deuteronomy establishes that the lexical and structural agreements in the theme are considerable. However, it also reveals some major differences within the thematic parallel. The simplest solution seems to be that Hosea has reused an available Deuteronomic concept.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Getting Romans to the Right Romans: Phoebe and the Delivery of Paul's Letter<br />
</i></b></span>Allan Chapple (Trinity Theological College, Perth) <br />
p.195<br />
<br />
How did Romans reach the people for whom it was intended? There is widespread agreement that Phoebe was the bearer of the letter (Rom. 16:1-2), but little investigation of or agreement about the exact nature of her responsibilities. By exploring the data available to us, especially tha found in Romans 16, this essay provides a reconstruction of the events surrounding the transport and delivery of the letter to the Roman Christians. In particular, it proposes the following:<br />
· Phoebe conveyed the letter to Rome, probably by sea;<br />
· the church in Rome at this time consisted of house-churches;<br />
· Phoebe was to deliver the letter first to Prisca and Aquila and their house-church;<br />
· Prisca and Aquila were to convene an assembly of the whole Christian community, the first for some time, at which Romans was to be received and read;<br />
· Prisca and Aquila were to be asked to arrange for copies of Romans to be made;<br />
· Phoebe was to deliver these copies to other house-churches; and<br />
· Phoebe was to read Romans in the way that Paul had coached her at each of the gatherings to which she took it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Form and Meaning: Multi-Layered Balanced Thought Structures in Psalm 24:4<br />
</i></b></span>Rodney K. Duke (Appalachian State University) <br />
p. 215<br />
<br />
The complex literary artistry of Psalm 24:4 reveals it to be the focal point of this song of procession to worship. Standing in a catechism-like section, this verse provides the answer to the question about those qualified to approach God. This text exemplifies how artistic form was used to set this verse apart, complement the content, and highlight its theological message. It employs four levels of balanced thought structures that emphasizise the total purity that is expected from one who would draw close to God. . Theologically this verse functions as a call to holiness in response to God''s grace.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Isaiah 1:26: A Neglected Text on Kingship<br />
</i></b></span>Gregory Goswell (Presbyterian Theological College, Melbourne) <br />
p. 233<br />
<br />
In recent studies of the theme of kingship in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 1:26 has been neglected. This article seeks to demonstrate that this text is relevant to the theme. The future of leadership within the city of Jerusalem-Zion as forecast in Isaiah 1:26 is theocratic in shape, with Davidic kingship notably absent. The judges and counsellors spoken of are leaders appointed by Yhwh the King and act as judicial officers under him. The setting of Isaiah 1:26 in Isaiah 1, the immediate context of the section 1:21-26, the absence of any mention of kings in Isaiah 2–4, and the portrayal in the first half of Isaiah's prophecy of Judaean kingship as a dying institution, all confirm this reading. Isaiah 1:26 is one of a number of texts in the first half of Isaiah that prepare the reader for what would otherwise be a radical shift to an exclusive focus on divine kingship in Isaiah 40–66.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Hebrews 3:6b and 3:14 Revisited<br />
</i></b></span>Andrew J. Wilson (Kings College, London) <br />
p. 247<br />
<br />
Hebrews 3:6b and 3:14 have been central to Reformed interpretations of the warnings in Hebrews for several centuries. Today, however, there is something of an impasse in scholarship: on one side, there are those who see these verses as an interpretive key to the letter, and thus understand the warnings to refer to spurious or false believers; on the other, there are those who argue that since Hebrews warns real believers away from real apostasy, these two verses cannot mean what, at a grammatical level, they appear to mean. In this paper, I appraise the scholarly discussion so far, identify three key issues relating to grammar and context, and then propose a way through the impasse that has not been considered in modern scholarship.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Jesus of Nazareth's Trial in the Uncensored Talmud<br />
</i></b></span>David Instone-Brewer (Tyndale House, Cambridge)<br />
p. 269<br />
<br />
The Munich Talmud manuscript of b.San.43a preserves passages censored out of the printed editions, including the controversial trial of 'Yeshu Notzri'. Chronological analysis of the layers in this tradition suggests that the oldest words are: 'On the Eve of Passover they hung Jesus of Nazareth for sorcery and leading Israel astray.' This paper argues that other words were added to this tradition in order to overcome three difficulties: a trial date during a festival; the unbiblical method of execution; and the charge of 'sorcery'.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Thought in John 1:3c-4<br />
</i></b></span>John Nolland (Trinity College, Bristol) <br />
p. 295<br />
<br />
With a working assumption that the final words of verse 3 belong with verse 4, the article seeks to clarify the thought in the three clauses making up verses 3c-4. It concludes that the thought expressed is this: the mystery of animate life, existing as it does 'in the Logos', shines as a light upon humanity, a light intended to light up the divine presence in the world in that it reveals the presence and working of the Logos. A second alternative is possibly viable: creation is life-giving, and the life it gives acts as a light revealing the Logos.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Royal Promise in Genesis: The Often Underestimated Importance of Genesis 17:6, 17:16 and 35:11<br />
</i></b></span>Daniel S. Diffey (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) <br />
p. 313<br />
<br />
There are three specific instances in which a royal promise is made to an individual in the book of Genesis. Scholarship has largely viewed these as incidental within the larger framework of the major themes found in the book of Genesis. This short note seeks to correct this misunderstanding by demonstrating that the promise that kings will come from Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob is integrally linked with the themes of fruitfulness, seed (offspring), and land. Thus, the theme of kingship is a much more important theme than is often held.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Dissertation Summaries: <br />
<br />
<b><i>Spiritually Called Sodom and Egypt: Getting to the Heart of Early Christian Prophecy through the Apocalypse of John<br />
</i></b></span>Andy Harker (Nairobi, Kenya) <br />
p. 317<br />
<br />
This work engages with and refreshes the debate regarding the nature of early Christian prophecy – a debate that has become somewhat deadlocked and stale – by placing Revelation at the centre of the debate and finding there a <i>tertium quid</i> challenging both sides of the debate. It is argued that Revelation is much more likely to be representative of regular early Christian prophecy than is often assumed and that what constitutes John's prophecy (and potentially early Christian prophecy generally) as prophecy is essentially the way in which the text moves the affections – by a particularly powerful use of allusive metaphor to 'name' features of the contemporary world in such a way that the referent is completely swallowed up by the allusion.Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-1610578459489652562011-05-16T10:33:00.007+01:002011-11-15T18:24:20.594+00:00Articles in TynBul 62.1 (May 2011)<h3><b>The Ostracon from the Days of David Found at Khirbet Qeiyafa</b></h3>Alan Millard (University of Liverpool) p.1<br />
<br />
A newly discovered ostracon at Khirbet Qeiyafa which dates from about 1000 BC is a welcome addition to the meagre examples of writing which survive from that period. The letters are difficult to read and the language may be Hebrew, Canaanite, Phoenician or Moabite. Translations range from a list of names to commands concerning social justice. The simplest explanation is that this is a list of Hebrew and Canaanite names written by someone unused to writing. They help to suggest that writing was practised by non-scribes, so the skill may have been widespread.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Retroactive Re-Evaluation Technique with Pharaoh’s Daughter and the Nature of Solomon’s Corruption in 1 Kings 1–12</b></h3>Yong Ho Jeon (Trinity College, Bristol) p.15<br />
<br />
In the Solomon narrative in Kings (1 Kgs 1–12), Solomon’s faults are explicitly criticised only in 1 Kings 11, in relation to his marriage with foreign women. However, his intermarriage with Pharaoh’s daughter appears in earlier parts of the narrative (1 Kgs 3:1; 7:8; 9:16, 24) without any explicit criticism. Using a ‘reader-sensitive’ approach, which presumes that the author of the narrative tries to exploit the reader’s reading process and prior knowledge, we show that the writer is using a ‘retroactive re-evaluation technique’ in his reference to ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ (the technique means that the author guides his reader to re-evaluate previous passages in light of new information). Additionally, through a theological reading of the narrative, the nature of Solomon’s corruption is revealed as his ‘return to Egypt’. This fits well with the ‘retroactive re-evaluation technique’, explaining why the references to ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ are arranged in the way that they are.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Forked Parallelism in Egyptian, Ugaritic and Hebrew Poetry</b></h3>Richard Abbott (Trinity College, Bristol) p.41<br />
<br />
A particular pattern of tricolon or triplet, sometimes known as forked parallelism, has been identified in Ugaritic and early Hebrew poetry. It has been suggested that it is a characteristic style of Canaanite or ancient Semitic poetry, and noted that in the Hebrew Bible its use declines dramatically outside the archaic and early examples of poetry. Hence it can be seen as a stylistic indicator suggesting authentic early composition of some portions of the Hebrew Bible. This paper shows that the pattern was also used as a regular feature in some genres of Egyptian poetry from the Old Kingdom through to the end of the New Kingdom. At that time it appears to have ceased being a device regularly used by Egyptian poets, in parallel with their counterparts in the Levant. Thus the use, and subsequent decline, of this pattern in Israel is a local reflection of a wider aesthetic choice rather than an isolated phenomenon. The structural uses of this and some other triplet patterns are reviewed, and some clear poetic purposes identified. This review also highlights some differences between the typical poetic use of triplets in Ugaritic, Hebrew and Egyptian. Some typical triplet patterns used in Ugaritic and Hebrew are not found in Egyptian sources.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Lamentations and the Poetic Politics of Prayer </b></h3>Robin Parry (Wipf and Stock Publishers) p.65<br />
<br />
The first half of this paper seeks to make explicit the political dimen¬sions of the text of Lamentations. The poetry vividly depicts the political use of violence in the destruction of a society. Judah is ruined politically, economically, socially, and religiously by the Babylonians for political ends. In the second half of the paper I argue that Lamentations contributes to our theo-political reflections not so much in its provision of new conceptual categories, nor even in its sharpening of categories already in place but rather in its power for shaping the emotional, ethical-political response of its audiences (human and divine). The readers are invited to bring political calamity into God’s presence and to seek salvation; they are encouraged to look with merciful eyes at victims of political violence even if those victims are not ‘innocent’; they are encouraged to see political evil for what it is and to speak its name; they are guided towards becoming honest-to-God lamenters and God-dependent pray-ers who hunger and thirst for righteousness.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Apocalyptic Vision of Jesus According to the Gospel of Matthew: Reading Matthew 3:16–4:11 Intertextually</b></h3>David Mathewson (Gordon College, Massachusetts) p.89<br />
<br />
There has been much discussion on the relationship of Jesus to apocalyptic. What has been missing is a demonstration that Jesus participated in what is at the heart of literature labeled ‘apocalyptic’: a visionary experience of a transcendent reality. This article argues that Jesus’ post-baptismal experience and the temptation narrative that follows, particularly as recorded in Matthew 3:16–4.11, portray Jesus as undergoing such an apocalyptic visionary experience which resembles closely the visionary experience of early Jewish and Christian apocalypses. Thus, with the opening of the heavens to the final temptation, Matthew 3:16–4.11 depicts a third person account of a sustained visionary experience modeled intertextually after classic apocalyptic seers (Ezekiel, Isaiah, Enoch). Jesus’ apocalyptic vision functions to authenticate Jesus’ role as divine spokesperson for God and provides a perspective for the struggle that will ensue in the rest of Matthew.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Paul’s Common Paraenesis (1 Thess. 4–5; Phil. 2–4; and Rom. 12–13): The Correspondence between Romans 1:18-32 and 12:1-2, and the Unity of Romans 12–13</b></h3>Seyoon Kim (Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena) p.109<br />
<br />
First Thessalonians 5:12-24; Romans 12:9-21; and Philippians 4:2-9 show close parallels, while their wider contexts (1 Thess. 4–5; Rom. 12–13; and Phil. 3:17–4:9) also display a substantial parallelism. This observation leads us to affirm Paul’s common paraenesis (cf. 1 Cor. 4:17), and helps us see what he considers the fundamental way of Christian existence (cf. Gal. 5:22-25). Then, this observation helps us also see (a) the correspondence between Romans 1:18-32 and 12:1-2; (b) the unity of Romans 12–13 as a whole, in which Romans 12:1-2 and 13:11-14 form an inclusio, which are, respectively, the thesis statement and the concluding statement about the Daseinsweise of the redeemed in contrast to that of fallen humanity in Romans 1:18-21; and (c) the consistent line of Paul’s thinking in Romans, which is sustained through his Adam-Christ antithesis (5:12-21). Finally, the notion of Paul’s common paraenesis enables us to conduct a comparative study of the paraenetical sections of the various epistles of Paul and to appreciate the distinctive elements in a given epistle (e.g. the extended elaboration of the theme of ‘living peaceably with all’ in Rom. 12:14–13:10) in terms of the particular needs of the recip¬ients of that epistle.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Christology of Titus 2:13 and 1 Timothy 2:5</b></h3>J. Christopher Edwards (University of St Andrews) p.141<br />
<br />
This article makes an acute observation about the strong similarities between Titus 2:11-14 and 1 Timothy 2:1-7. These similarities are significant because they suggest that it is not valid to translate Titus 2:13 as: ‘The glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.’ This traditional translation affirms Jesus’ deity by ascribing to him the title of θεός.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>A Brief Response to ‘The Christology of Titus 2:13 and <br />
1 Tim. 2:5’ by J. Christopher Edwards</b></h3>Murray J. Harris (Cambridge, New Zealand) p.149<br />
<br />
<br />
We can be grateful to Dr Edwards for reminding us of part of the Old Testament background of the ransom logion and for highlighting the similarity of Mark 10:45, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, and Barnabas 14:6.<br />
In its essence, Dr Edwards’ view seems to be that the similarities between 1 Timothy 2:1-7 and Titus 2:11-14 are so great that it is unlikely that their Christologies should not also be identical. Then, since θεός and Χριστὸς ’Ιησοῦς are clearly distinguished in 1 Timothy 2:5, they should also be distinguished in Titus 2:13. So the common translation that ascribes the title ‘our great God and Saviour’ to Jesus Christ ‘is not valid’.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2><b>Dissertation Summaries</b></h2><br />
<h3><b>The Glory of Yhwh in the Old Testament with Special Attention to the Book of Ezekiel</b></h3>Pieter De Vries (University of Amsterdam) p.151<br />
<br />
This study focuses on the use of כָּבוֹד in the Old Testament and especially in the book of Ezekiel. The specific approach of this study is not only to analyse כָּבוֹד itself but also its most important synonyms as well as its main equivalent in Aramaic, יְקָר. Biblical texts are approached from a canonical perspective, and the synchronic approach prevails over the diachronic.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Johannine Discourses and the Teaching of Jesus in the Synoptics: A Comparative Approach to the Authenticity of Jesus’ Words in the Fourth Gospel</b></h3>Philipp Fabian Bartholomä (Landau, Germany) p.155<br />
<br />
The main subject of this dissertation is the correlation between the alleged relationship of the Johannine discourses with the teaching of Jesus in the Synoptics on the one hand and the assessment of the authenticity of Jesus’ words in the Fourth Gospel on the other. Generally speaking, the Johannine discourses have received comparatively little attention as reliable and thus valuable sources for the teaching of the historical Jesus, not least owing to the fact that even a cursory glance at John and the Synoptic Gospels reveals obvious differences between how Jesus’ words are presented. These differences have frequently been perceived as too great to accept the Johannine discourses as authentic representations of Jesus’ teaching, especially when placed alongside Matthew, Mark, and Luke.Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-7032763449556780622010-11-16T10:11:00.002+00:002011-05-16T10:26:15.396+01:00Articles in TynBul 61.2 (November 2010)<h3><b>The Literary Quality of Scripture as Seen by the Early Church</b></h3>Michael Graves (Wheaton College, IL) p.161<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Relating Prayer and Pain:<br />
Psychological Analysis and Lamentations Research</b></h3>Heath Aaron Thomas (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Paideia Centre for Public Theology) p.183<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Which Hebrew Bible? </b></h3>Review of Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Hebrew University Bible, Oxford Hebrew Bible, and Other Modern Editions<br />
David L. Baker (Trinity Theological College, Perth) p.209<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Manasseh and the Punishment Narrative</b></h3>Andrew Taehang Ohm (Korean Bible Baptist Fellowship) p.237<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Malevolent or Mysterious? <br />
God’s Character in the Prologue of Job</b></h3>Martin A. Shields (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, University of Sydney) p.255<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Drawing Ethical Principles from the Process of the Jerusalem Council: A New Approach to Acts 15:4-29 </b></h3>Hyung Dae Park (Chongshin Theological Seminary) p.271<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<h3><b>James, Soteriology, and Synergism</b></h3>Alexander Stewart (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) p.293<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>An Alternative Explanation for the Alleged ‘Imperatival’ Participles of Romans 12:9-21</b></h3>Jeffrey S. Lamp (Oral Roberts University) p.311<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
<h2><b>Dissertation Summaries</b></h2><br />
<h3><b>Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel</b></h3>Kathleen M. Rochester (St John’s College, Durham) p.317 <br />
<br />
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.Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-37265046555538638572010-11-15T18:10:00.000+00:002011-11-15T18:23:42.819+00:00Articles in TynBul 61.2 (Nov. 2010)<font size=4><b><i>The Literary Quality of Scripture as Seen by the Early Church<br />
</i></b></font>Michael Graves (Wheaton College, IL)<br />
p. 161<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>Relating Prayer and Pain:<br />
Psychological Analysis and Lamentations Research<br />
</i></b></font>Heath Aaron Thomas (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Paideia Centre for Public Theology)<br />
p. 183<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>Which Hebrew Bible? <br />
Review of Biblia Hebraica Quinta, Hebrew University Bible, Oxford Hebrew Bible, and Other Modern Editions<br />
</i></b></font>David L. Baker (Trinity Theological College, Perth)<br />
p. 209<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>Manasseh and the Punishment Narrative<br />
</i></b></font>Andrew Taehang Ohm (Korean Bible Baptist Fellowship)<br />
p. 237<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>Malevolent or Mysterious? <br />
God's Character in the Prologue of Job<br />
</i></b></font>Martin A. Shields (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, University of Sydney)<br />
p. 255<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>Drawing Ethical Principles from the Process of the Jerusalem Council: A New Approach to Acts 15:4-29 <br />
</i></b></font>Hyung Dae Park (Chongshin Theological Seminary) <br />
p. 271<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>James, Soteriology, and Synergism<br />
</i></b></font>Alexander Stewart (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) <br />
p. 293<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<font size=4><b><i>An Alternative Explanation for the Alleged 'Imperatival' Participles of Romans 12:9-21<br />
</i></b></font>Jeffrey S. Lamp (Oral Roberts University)<br />
p. 311<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
<h1><font size=4><b>Dissertation Summaries</b></font></h1><b><i>Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel<br />
</i></b>Kathleen M. Rochester (St John's College, Durham)<br />
p. 317<br />
<br />
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.Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-8931992296957654322010-05-27T17:43:00.000+01:002010-05-27T17:47:08.673+01:00Articles in TynBul 61.1 (March 2010)<h3><b>The Origins of Jesus-Devotion: A Response to Crispin Fletcher-Louis.</b></h3>Larry W. Hurtado (University of Edinburgh)<br><br> 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>Continuity, Discontinuity, and Hope: The Contribution of New Testament Eschatology to a Distinctively Christian Environmental Ethos.</b></h3>Jonathan Moo (Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St Edmund's College, Cambridge) <br><br> This article focuses on the interpretation of three textsRomans 8, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation 2122to 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>On Generating Categories in Theological Ethics: Barth, Genesis and the Ständelehre.</b></h3>Brian Brock (University of Aberdeen) <br><br> 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 14. 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>Did God Create Chaos? Unresolved Tension in Genesis 1:1-2.</b></h3>Robin Routledge (Mattersey Hall) <br><br> 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 <i>tohu wabohu</i>, 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).<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>Complete v. Incomplete Conquest: A Re-Examination of Three Passages in Joshua.</b></h3>T. A. Clarke (Westminster Theological College, Australia)<br><br> 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>'Theological Interpretation' and its Contradistinctions.</b></h3>John C. Poirier (Kingswell Theological Seminary, Ohio)<br><br> 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>Forgotten Guardians and Matthew 18:10.</b></h3>Erkki Koskenniemi (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)<br><br> '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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>Editio Critica Maior: An Introduction and Assessment.</b></h3>Peter M. Head (Tyndale House and University of Cambridge) <br><br> A review article on: <i>Novum Testamentum Graecum: Editio Critica Maior Vol. IV Catholic Letters </i>(ed. by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Gerd Mink, Holger Strutwolf, and Klaus Wachtel); Instl. 1: <i>James, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material </i>(Stuttgart 1997; 2nd rev. impr., Stuttgart 1998); Instl. 2: <i>The Letters of Peter, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material </i>(Stuttgart 2000); Instl. 3: <i>The First Letter of John, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material </i>(Stuttgart 2003); Instl. 4: <i>The Second and Third Letter of John. The Letter of Jude, Pt. 1. Text, Pt. 2. Supplementary Material </i>(Stuttgart 2005).<br><br> <br><br> <br><br> <h2><b>Dissertation Summaries<br><br> <br> </b></h2><h3><b>Translation Technique and Theology in the Septuagint of Amos.</b></h3>W. Edward Glenny (Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota)<br><br> 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.<br><br> <br><br> <h3><b>From Fratricide to Forgiveness: The Ethics of Anger in Genesis.</b></h3>Matthew R. Schlimm (University of Dubuque Theological Seminary)<br><br> 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. <br><br> <br><br> Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-4396958790755595302009-11-01T17:15:00.000+00:002010-03-26T19:03:06.721+00:00Articles in TynBul 60.2 (Nov.2009)<h3><b>A New Explanation of Christological Origins: A Review of the Work of Larry W. Hurtado.</b></h3>Crispin H.T. Fletcher-Louis (Westminster Theological Centre) <br />
<br />
Prof. Larry Hurtado's three-volume work on christological origins has advanced understanding in several key respects and his account is simpler than that of his predecessors. However, it remains an evolutionary, multi-stage model and it is historically problematic. He overstates the case for Jewish opposition to Christ-devotion, minimises the ethical particularity of earliest Christianity and the model suffers some serious internal tensions. His claim that religious experiences gave the decisive impetus to Christ-devotion does not reckon adequately with the implications of social-science study, is not supported by the primary texts and conflicts with the important evidence that visionary and mystical practices were frowned upon in some early Christian quarters. Hurtado presents his work as theologically disinterested. However, he endorses Lessing's radical separation of theology and history and this theologically loaded judgement seems to be reflected in the non-incarnational character of the Christology Hurtado describes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Importance of the Noahic Covenant to Biblical Theology.</b></h3>Aaron Chalmers (Tabor Adelaide, South Australia) <br />
<br />
This article seeks to draw attention to the importance of the Noahic covenant to biblical theology. This article suggests that rather than being of only marginal significance, the Noahic covenant is of decisive importance for understanding the broader metanarrative of Scripture. In particular, this covenant establishes the basis or foundation for the story (God's commitment to creation, and in particular, the preservation of life on earth), establishes the parameters of the story (God's activity reaches out to embrace not only humanity, but also the created animals and the earth), and provides an anticipation of the conclusion of the story of redemption (God's judgement on sin, salvation of the righteous, and renewal of creation).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Markan Narrative's use of the Old Greek Text of Jeremiah to Explain Israel's Obduracy.</b></h3>Larry Perkins (Northwest Baptist Seminary) <br />
<br />
A close reading of the Septuagint (LXX) translation of Jeremiah in conjunction with a careful examination of Markan contexts where Jeremiah materials occur reveals that Jeremiah's prophetic message influences the Markan portrayal of Jesus' words and deeds, especially to explain Israel's obduracy. By examining specific contexts in Mark's narrative (chs. 8, 11, 13, 14) where potential intertextual linkages with the Greek version of Jeremiah's prophecy occur I demonstrate the potential contribution of the Greek version of Jeremiah's material to our understanding of Mark's purpose. His use of Jeremiah material seems to focus almost exclusively on aspects of opposition that Jesus experienced. The general theme of Israel's obduracy, illustrated by the temple cleansing incident, the parable of the tenant farmers, and the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple seems to provide the thread that the Markan author finds useful to link with Jeremiah's message.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Identity and Composition of <font face="Cardo" size=4> </font> in the Gospel of John.</b></h3>Cornelis Bennema (SAIACS, India) <br />
<br />
This article examines the referent of the term <font face="Cardo"> </font> <font face="Cardo"> </font> in the Gospel of John. The debate is whether the term refers exclusively to the religious authorities, to a religious party, to the religious authorities and common people, or simply to the Jews in general. This article makes three contributions to the debate. First, Second Temple Judaism already knew of the term <font face="Cardo"> </font> as a broad reference to the adherents of the Judaean religion transcending the earlier ethnic-geographic sense, and John had this particular religious group in mind. Second, <font face="Cardo"> </font> is a composite group with the chief priests rather than the Pharisees as its leaders. Third, within <font face="Cardo"> </font>, John portrays a shift in hostility from a religious-theological conflict with the Pharisees in the middle of Jesus' ministry, towards a religious-political conflict with the chief priests later in Jesus' ministry.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>New Testament Theology Re-Loaded: Integrating Biblical Theology and Christian Origins.</b></h3>Michael F. Bird (Highland Theological College)<br />
<br />
This study examines the problem of balancing the historical and theological components of New Testament Theology. It presents a critique of both Biblical Theology and Christian Origins and finally argues for a 'Theology of the New Covenant' where theology emerges out of the interface of canon and community.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Reading First Peter in the Context of Early Christian Mission</b></h3>Christoph Stenschke (Wiedenest & University of South Africa)<br />
<br />
The present article assesses the relationship of the concept of the Spirit of prophecy in Judaism to Pauline pneumatology. Since the functions and effects of the Spirit of prophecy in Judaism are disputed, the scholarly debate is reviewed, followed by a comparison of the Jewish concept and the Pauline view of the Spirit, demonstrating points of commonality and difference.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Perseverance Within an Ordo Salutis</b></h3>Ján Hen el (Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica) <br />
<br />
Many readers of Ecclesiastes have contrived to discover orthodox meaning for the words of Qohelet. An examination of two such readings reveals the shortcomings of both and paves the way for an alternative understanding of the book. Close analysis of the epilogue reveals that, although partially favourable towards Qohelet himself, the epilogist is unequivocally critical of the sages as a group. It appears that the epilogist may thus have employed Qohelet's words in order to reveal the failure of the sages and warn their prospective students to adhere to the commands of God. The book of Ecclesiastes thus functions as a tract designed to discredit the wisdom movement, using the sage Qohelet's own words in order to do so.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2><b>Dissertation Summaries<br />
<br />
<br />
</b></h2><h3><b>The Spirit and Sonship: Developing Colin Gunton's theology of Particularity</b></h3>David A. Höhne (Moore Theological College, Australia)<br />
<br />
One of the most enduring themes in the theology of the late Professor Colin Gunton was the importance of the particularwhat makes something or someone one thing and not another. Gunton interpreted contemporary thought and practice as either homogenising individuals and things within a social group or going to the other extreme of isolating them from each other. Instead, Gunton proposed that particularity be understood as the eschatological perfecting work of the Spirit in the context of mutually constitutive relationships. That is, persons and things are who and what they are by virtue of their relations with God in the first instance and everyone and everything else in the second. Furthermore, the Spirit previews in the human career of the man Jesus Christ the particularising of everyone and everything in the economy of salvation. This dissertation follows Professor John Webster's general critique of Gunton's work in order to explore, appraise and develop his theology of particularity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Relationship Between Powers of Evil and Idols in 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 and 10:18-22 in the Context of the Pauline Corpus and Early Judaism</b></h3>Rohintan Mody (Christ Church, Virginia Water, Surrey)<br />
<br />
This thesis about the relationship between powers of evil and idols in 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 and 10:18-22 proposes a 'co-optative view' that in these passages evil powers are personal supernatural evil beings. For Paul, idols are the spiritually unreal cult images of the pagan gods and, in some cases, are also the gods as conceived by pagans, who are merely imaginary and fictitious (i.e. Zeus, Sarapis, etc. do not exist).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Holy Spirit and Ethics in Paul: Transformation and Empowering for Religious-Ethical Life</b></h3>Volker Rabens (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)<br />
<br />
This dissertation answers the question how, according to the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit enables religious-ethical life. How does the Spirit transform and empower believers so that they are able to live according to the values set forth by Paul's gospel? In order to answer this question, we look in the first part of the dissertation at an established approach to the ethical work of the Spirit in Paul. We have named this the 'infusion-transformation approach' because it assumes that the Spirit transforms believers substance-ontologically due to its nature as a physical substance. Moral life should be the natural outflow of the transformed nature of the believers which results from this infusion.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Michal, Contradicting Values: Understanding the Moral Dilemma Faced by Saul's Daughter</b></h3>Jonathan Y. Rowe (Seminario Evangélico Unido de Teología)<br />
<br />
Value conflicts owing to cultural differences are an increasingly pressing issue in many societies. Because Old Testament texts hail from a very different milieu to our own they may provide new perspectives upon contemporary conflicts. Michal, Contradicting Values</i> is an interdisciplinary investigation of the value clash in 1 Samuel 19:10-18a that employs insights from Old Testament studies, ethics and anthropology.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Daniel's Son of Man in Mark: A Redefinition of the Earthly Temple and the Formation of a New Temple Community.</b></h3>Robert S. Snow (Ambrose University College, Calgary)<br />
<br />
This study attempts to build upon Professor Morna Hooker's work, The Son of Man in Mark</i>, in which she concludes that 'the authority, necessity for suffering, and confidence in final vindication, which are all expressed in the Marcan [Son of Man] sayings, can all be traced to Dan. 7.' Starting with an analysis of the Son of Man [SM] in Daniel 7, the dissertation focuses on the priestly aspects of the SM and his presentation in the heavenly temple. In light of this particular OT background, Mark's Son of Man redefines the sacred space of the temple around himself. Initially, the SM does so by manifesting the divine presence. However, the temple leaders eventually cause the SM to suffer and die, through which redemption for Jesus' faithful followers is provided and a new temple community is formed. The SM's manifestation of the divine presence and redemptive suffering death finds vindication at the appearance of the exalted priestly SM who comes in the context of a celestial temple.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Idea of Sin-Impurity: The Dead Sea Scrolls in the Light of Leviticus</b></h3>Mila Ginsburskaya (University of Birmingham)<br />
<br />
My doctoral dissertation </i>explores the connection between sin and impurity in the Old Testament and early Judaism. Although in the last twenty years this topic has provoked an increasing amount of academic interest, there is no agreement among scholars about the definition of the concept of sin-impurity and the scope of its application. In my work I delineate criteria for identifying sin-impurity in Leviticus, re-evaluating and integrating the work of those scholars, who have written specifically about the defiling force of sin (e.g., Klawans and Frymer-Kensky), and those, whose discussion is centred on sacrificial atonement (e.g., Milgrom, Sklar, Gane). With insights gained from the analysis of the biblical texts (particularly Leviticus) I then examine the Dead Sea Scrolls and explore how the redefined perception of sin-impurity in biblical texts can reshape our understanding of that concept at Qumran.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Transformative Discourse in Mark's Gospel with Special Reference to Mark 5:1-20</b></h3>Stuart T. Rochester (St John's College, Durham)<br />
<br />
The study investigates Mark's Gospel as a witness to early Christian theological anthropology. It reads the text as an example of 'transformative discourse' in which the rhetoric of the Gospel works in synergy with its anthropology (the view of humanity that is assumed and promoted by it). The theological anthropology is implicit, but recoverable, and dynamic in that it is oriented toward change. Mark communicates with his audience in ways that challenge them and lead them toward transformation. The story of the man with a legion of demons (5:1-20) functions within this discourse primarily as a most dramatic example (symbolic and perhaps paradigmatic) of the kinds of transformation available to people through positive encounters with Jesus.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>The Characterization of the Assyrians in Isaiah: Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives</b></h3>Mary Katherine Y. H. Hom (Cambridge)<br />
<br />
The Characterization of the Assyrians in Isaiah: Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives is a literary analysis of every text in Isaiah in which the Assyrians explicitly or implicitly feature. In addition, a few texts regarded by dominant voices in scholarship as referring to the Assyrians are discussed. The general approach of the dissertation is to assume a literary synchronic reading in order to appreciate the narrative artistry and meaning conveyed by the final form of the text and to establish a standard from which diachronic inquiry may proceed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3><b>Isaiah 24:27: Studies in a Cosmic Polemic</b></h3>William D. Barker (Carthage, Illinois)<br />
<br />
Developments in translation theory have externalised processes used intuitively by translators for centuries. The literature on Bible translation in particular over the last half century is dominated by Eugene A. Nida and his protégés in the United Bible Societies (UBS) and Wycliffe Bible Translators whose work is informed by a wealth of inter-cultural experience.<br />
This thesis is a critique of the Dynamic Equivalence (DE) theory of translation propounded by Nida, exemplified in the Good News Bible (GNB), and promoted in non-Western languages by the UBS.<br />
<br />
Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-15229417899672248072009-05-01T17:18:00.000+01:002010-03-26T19:02:31.747+00:00Articles in TynBul 60.1 (May.2009)<h3><b>Divine Illocutions in Psalm 137: A Critique of Nicholas Wolterstorff's 'Second Hermeneutic'</b></h3>Kit Barker (Wesley Institute, Sydney Australia)<br />
<br />
<dl><dd>Recent years have witnessed renewed interest in understanding Scripture as divine communication, a move which reconnects the academy with ecclesiological concerns. Those involved in theological hermeneutics have drawn upon advances in a wide range of disciplines in order to develop and defend their methodologies. From the fields of communication theory and pragmatics, speech act theory has been proffered by some as providing insightful analysis of the anatomy of communication and, in particular, authorial intention. Nicholas Wolterstorff's, <i>Divine Discourse: Philosophical Reflections on the Claim that God Speaks</i> is representative of such works. Drawing heavily upon speech act theory, Wolterstorff defends a model of interpretation that prioritises authorial intention. Furthermore, Wolterstorff's conviction that Scripture is both human and divine discourse leads him to a two-stage hermeneutic. This paper will offer an explanation and critique of Wolterstorff's move from the first to the second hermeneutic in his interpretation of Psalm 137. It will conclude that while Wolterstorff's method does account for the divine intention in part, it ultimately suffers from both a limited connection to speech act theory and a failure to appreciate the nature of communication at higher (especially generic) levels. In addressing these methodological deficiencies, the paper will present Psalm 137 as an authoritative canonical text by clarifying how it continues to function as divine discourse. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>Jeremiah, Judgement and Creation</b></h3></dd><dd>Hetty Lalleman (Spurgeon's College, London) </dd><dd>Building on a German publication by Helga Weippert, it is argued that the idea of creation can already be found in Jeremiah, not just in Isaiah 40–55. Jeremiah 4–5 has parallels in Genesis 1–2 as well as in Jeremiah 33, and there is insufficient ground to assume that Jeremiah 33 represents a post-Jeremiah development, as Weippert suggests. Jeremiah uses not only the covenant as a framework for his proclamation of judgement and doom but also creation. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>The Magnificat: Cento, Psalm or Imitatio?</b></h3></dd><dd>Robert Simons (Universidad FLET, Bogotá, Colombia) </dd><dd>Scholars have long noted the prominence of LXX words and themes in the Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55). Various attempts have been made to explain this prominence. Some have suggested that the Magnificat is a sort of <i>cento</i>, others that it is modelled upon the OT Psalms. This study will propose that it is an example of what was known in the Graeco-Roman rhetorical tradition as speech in character (<span style="font-family: Cardo;"> </span>) employing the technique of imitatio, and will show that many details in the text of the hymn seem to support this hypothesis. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>Hating Wealth and Wives? An Examination of Discipleship Ethics in the Third Gospel</b></h3></dd><dd>Christopher M. Hays (Wolfson College, Oxford) </dd><dd>The Gospel of Luke often couples instructions on the proper use of wealth with teachings on family relations, sometimes addressing these topics in a tone that smacks of antipathy. The present essay contends that the twin 'hostilities' towards wealth and family in the Gospel of Luke derive from theological roots, specifically, from Luke's endorsement of the imitation of Christ and his teaching on eschatological judgement. To support this thesis, and to delineate certain contours of Lukan ethics, this investigation offers examinations of Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-35; and 17:20-35. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>Jesus' Resurrection and Collective Hallucinations</b></h3></dd><dd>Jake H. O'Connell (Westfield, Massachusetts, US) </dd><dd>This study is divided into two parts. Part I examines modern accounts of collective religious visions. Five factors make it very likely that such visions are collective hallucinations. Part II examines whether the same is true of Jesus' resurrection appearances. The evidence indicates that if the resurrection appearances were collective hallucinations, hallucinations of glorious appearances of Jesus would have occurred alongside hallucinations of non-glorious appearances. Since the Gospels relate only non-glorious appearances of Jesus, hallucinations can only be maintained as an explanation if the original tradition of glorious/non-glorious appearances was changed to a tradition of purely non-glorious appearances. However, there are strong reasons to believe that the early church would have preserved, not eliminated, traditions of glorious appearances, had such existed. The lack of glorious appearances in the Gospels is therefore an indicator that the appearances were originally non-glorious and thus not hallucinations. Thus, collective hallucinations provide an inadequate explanation for the resurrection appearances. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>Reading First Peter in the Context of Early Christian Mission</b></h3></dd><dd>Christoph Stenschke (Wiedenest & University of South Africa) </dd><dd>This paper argues that 1 Peter should be read against the background of early Christian mission. The readers of 1 Peter have a predominantly Gentile background. The letter assures these Gentile Christians that they now share the status and spiritual privileges of Israel. However, this cherished status also includes an existence as exiles and strangers in the world they live in. This experience was hitherto unknown to them. As God's people they have a new task: to share their faith in Christ by conduct and by word. Their experience of slander and persecutions cannot and need not bring their calling into question but is part and parcel of being God's people in the world. </dd></dl><dl><dd><h3><b>Perseverance Within an Ordo Salutis</b></h3></dd><dd>Ján Hen el (Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica) </dd><dd>Even the most exhaustive definitions of distinct elements of salvation cannot provide a comprehensive picture unless they are set in relationship to each other. In the following, we shall seek to put these distinct elements in an order. We shall do that with the initiating elements of the spiritual life, which will then enable us to link them with the progress of the believer's life. That in turn will prepare the ground to redefine the doctrine of the perseverance of believers within such a revised order. </dd></dl><h2><b>Dissertation Summaries<br />
<br />
<br />
</b></h2><dl><dd><h3><b>The Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24:15</b></h3></dd><dd>Michael P. Theophilos (Melbourne, Australia) </dd><dd>The primary research undertaken in this study concerns the meaning of <span style="font-family: Cardo;"> </span> in Matthew 24:15. The significance of this study is to propose a revised model for understanding the enigmatic Matthean phrase through a contextual exegetical approach which gives due weight to Old Testament intertextual prophetic echoes. Because of the primary association of the phrase with Antiochus Epiphanes in the Daniel narrative, commentators have almost exclusively argued for a 'pagan' (contra Jewish) referent in relation to Matthew 24:15 (and synoptic parallels). Alternatively, we argue that within the Matthean narrative, the <span style="font-family: Cardo;"> </span> (abomination) refers to Israel's covenantal infidelity, particularly her rejection of Jesus as Messianic King, and the <span style="font-family: Cardo;"> </span> (desolation), is the natural consequence of her disobedience, in this case Yahweh's punishment of Jerusalem through Roman intervention. In this sense, Matthew has been deliberately structured to reflect a Deuteronomistic framework, in that chapters 5–7 and 23 function as blessings and curses respectively. That Matthew's presentation of Jesus' lament over Jerusalem (23:39) seeks to emphasize Israel's culpability in rejecting her Messianic King, provides the appropriate framework for understanding the Matthean apocalypse (ch. 24), which primarily refers to the destruction of Jerusalem through the advent of the Son of Man. The idea that Jerusalem's destruction was engendered by Israel's infidelity is a common motif in first and second century AD Jewish pseudepigraphical material such as The Apocalypse of Abraham, The Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, 4 Ezra (2 Esdras 3:3-14), The Book of Biblical Antiquities and Josephus. </dd></dl>Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764924071177875037.post-60199545331848188052008-11-01T17:19:00.000+00:002010-03-26T18:56:44.499+00:00Articles in TynBul 59.2 (Nov.2008)The Last Words of Jacob and Joseph: A Rhetorico-Structural Analysis of Genesis 49:29-33 and 50:24-26</b> <br />
Nicholas P. Lunn (Wycliffe Bible Translators, UK)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>This article utilises what is here termed the rhetorico-structural method of analysis with application to the final episodes of Genesis. By means of this approach, the final major section of the book, contrary to what is found in many commentaries, is identified as 49:29–50:26, which is structured in the shape of an inverted parallel pattern. Analysed in this way the pericopae concerning the last words and death of Jacob and the last words and death of Joseph are placed in a corresponding relationship, inviting a comparison between the two. This reveals differences but also an essential unity in the final wishes of each patriarch. Though manifested in different ways their dying requests are governed by a common faith in the future fulfilment of the divine promise to give the offspring of Abraham the land of Canaan. The author's use of a particular literary device to show the appropriateness of Jacob's burial in the cave of Machpelah is identified. Finally, the article offers an explanation for the amount of space the narrative gives to Jacob's burial as contrasted with that of Joseph.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><a name="A2"></a>The Shema and Early Christianity</b><a name="A2"></a> <br />
Kim Huat Tan (Trinity Theological College, Singapore)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>If Christianity emerged from the matrix of Judaism, how it conducted a dialogueif it did at allwith the Jewish confession of its unique faith and praxis is a most interesting question. This essay claims not only did this take place frequently, as evident in the deployment of the Shema in many NT passages, it was also a flashpoint of debate between the Church and the Synagogue in the first century. It became an impetus of early Christian theological development, principally in the understanding of the constitution of the eschatological community and the identity of Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><a name="A3"></a>'Known by God': The Meaning and Value of a Neglected Biblical Concept</b><a name="A3"></a> <br />
Brian S. Rosner (Moore College, Macquarie University, Sydney)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>Despite the fact that being known by God is a critical concept in biblical theology it is sorely neglected in biblical exegesis and theology. This introductory article seeks to revive interest in the doctrine by reflecting on its definition and by considering its pastoral function in the Bible and in early Jewish texts. It argues that being known by God is roughly equivalent to three related notions: belonging to God, being loved or chosen by God, and being a child or son of God. With respect to the use to which it is put in the relevant texts, whereas not being known by God adds severity to dire warnings, being known by God promotes humility and supplies comfort and security. The implications of a biblical doctrine of being known by God for Christology, Anthropology, and Ethics are also briefly considered.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><a name="A4"></a>Tiberius Claudius Dinippus and the Food Shortages in Corinth</b><a name="A4"></a> <br />
Barry N. Danylak (St Edmund's College, Cambridge)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>The question of food shortages in Corinth in the mid-first century AD has special interest for the study of Paul's letters to the Corinthian church. The letters are replete with food vocabulary, and give special attention to several food related issues within the community. A number of recent scholars have proposed that the reference to 'the present distress' ( ) in 1 Corinthians 7:26 is a reference to a food shortage occurring in Corinth around the time of Paul's visit to the city in AD 51. This paper aims to examine all the available epigraphic evidence for the office of curator of the grain supply (curator annonae) in Corinth, and those who served in the office. Special attention will be given to reconstructing the career of Tiberius Claudius Dinippus, who served as curator in the mid-first century, to reassess when and how long he probably served the office. The study confirms that there was a longstanding recurring pattern of food shortage in the city; such a crisis was especially acute in the period around AD 51, when Paul had contact with the city.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><a name="A5"></a>Semantic Variation within the Corpus Paulinum: Linguistic Considerations Concerning the Richer Vocabulary of the Pastoral Epistles</b><a name="A5"></a> <br />
Armin D. Baum (Giessen School of Theology, Germany)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>It is generally conceded that the vocabulary of the Pastoral Epistles is substantially richer than the vocabulary of the other ten Paulines. Still, most of the hapax legomena of the Pastorals are close semantic neighbours to the vocabulary shared with the rest of the Corpus Paulinum. From a strictly linguistic perspective the semantic richness of the Pastorals indicates that in the process of composition their author had more time at his disposal than the author(s) of the other ten Pauline Epistles. Both in terms of syntax and semantics the style of the Pastoral Epistles simply has a greater affinity to written language than that of the rest of the Corpus Paulinum </i>which more closely resembles (conceptual) orality. Therefore the historical question concerning the authorship of the Pastorals cannot be answered primarily on the basis of their stylistic peculiarities. In his often quoted study P. N. Harrison concluded that particularly for stylistic reasons the Pastorals cannot have been written by the same author as the rest of the Pauline epistles. However, in the light of recent linguistic research this conclusion appears to be questionable. Indeed, other criteria must be judged more significant than the semantic (and syntactic) peculiarities of the Pastorals.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><a name="A6"></a>Searching for the Holy Spirit in the Epistle of James: Is 'Wisdom' Equivalent?</b><a name="A6"></a> <br />
William R. Baker (Cincinnati Christian University)<br />
<br />
Summary:<br />
<br />
</b>The search for the Holy Spirit in James often stops with Kirk's article 'The Meaning of Wisdom in James: An Examination of a Hypothesis' published in 1969, which contends that the way in which James uses wisdom 'is more or less interchangeable with that in which other writers of the New Testament use the concept of the Holy Spirit.' This paper examines Kirk's position and arguments closely as a window into the question of whether wisdom in James should be read as equivalent to the Holy Spirit elsewhere in the NT. The basic conclusion is that Kirk (followed by Davids) has made the case for the importance of Jewish wisdom theology to James but his tantalising claims have too often not been read in the light of his sobering conclusions. At times, he has overlooked important correspondence to the Jesus tradition and has made too much of correspondences to Pauline writings. James' orientation toward wisdom is without regard to the Holy Spirit as developed in Paul or elsewhere in the New Testament. It should be read as aligning somewhere between Septuagintal wisdom literature and the Jesus tradition.<br />
<br />
<p></p><p></p><h2><b>Dissertation Summaries</b></h2><a name="D1"></a>No Longer Living as the Gentiles: Differentiation and Shared Ethical Values in Ephesians 4:17-6:9</b><a name="D1"></a> <br />
Daniel K. Darko (University of Scranton, PA)<br />
<br />
First paragraph:<br />
<br />
</b>The starting point of this work is an observed tension in recent scholarly discussion of the ethical content of Ephesians 4:17–6:9. On the one hand, Ephesians 4:17–5:21 has been interpreted as drawing a social or ethical contrast between the addressees and the outside world, and even as encouraging or legitimating social withdrawal or separation from outsiders. On the other hand, the household code in Ephesians 5:21–6:9 has been read as encouraging integration into the wider society in an attempt to curb accusations of social disruptiveness. These social goals seem to be at odds, but rarely are these reflected on or addressed in scholarshiphence this investigative task.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tyndale Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17092767394753981900noreply@blogger.com0