bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Did Paul Plan To Escape From Prison? (Philippians 1:19–26)
Authors: Keown Mark J.
Published: May 2022

Philippians 1:19–26 is a difficult passage in which Paul appears simultaneously to have genuine concern for his potential death (1:20–21, 23a), the capacity to choose his fate and to withhold disclosing this choice in writing (1:22c), and yet utter certainty of release (1:25). This article proposes a fresh solution for Paul's situation, namely, that at the time of writing, Paul, with help from friends at his point of incarceration (1:13; 4:22), was considering escape from prison dependent on the outcome of his forthcoming trial. To make this case, I first explicate the dilemma the text poses. Then, I discuss other possible solutions, noting that all have limitations. I then outline the elements of a possible escape plan, demonstrating how it fulfils the requirements of Philippians, the historical setting in which escape was not uncommon, and Paul's thought and mission that includes his previous escape (2 Cor 11:32). I finally counter possible objections to the idea, arguing that none of them are terminal. I argue not that Paul necessarily used escape to leave his imprisonment but that escape is a plausible suggestion to be considered alongside a range of others by students of Paul and Philippians.
The Object of the Law is Realized in Christ: Romans 10:4 and Paul's Justification Teaching
Authors: Irons Charles Lee
Published: May 2022

The meaning of telos nomou in Rom 10:4 (“Christ is telos nomou for righteousness to everyone who believes”) has been highly contested, with interpretations falling into two main camps, depending on whether telos is interpreted temporally or teleologically. A taxonomy of interpretations is set forth and a version of the teleological interpretation is defended. It is argued that Paul presupposed that the object of the law was righteousness. The law demanded righteousness (as personal obedience to God's moral will) and offered righteousness (as a status before God) and life to those who kept it. By affirming that Christ is telos nomou, Paul was saying that Christ has realized the object of the law, namely, righteousness. How he did so (by his obedience to the point of death) is not explicitly stated in this text but can be teased out from other Pauline texts. Christ's realization of the object of the law, which he accomplishes as the believer's representative, results in a status of righteousness that is enjoyed by all who believe in him. In addition, Christ's being the telos of the law is intimately related to the concept of “the righteousness of God.” Believers are not righteous by doing the law personally but by receiving the gift of righteousness, the righteousness of God constituted by Christ crucified and risen as their representative. Connections with related justification passages strengthen this interpretation and highlight the notion that righteousness is “reckoned” to believers by a gracious divine act.
Paul and Judaism
Authors: Blackwell Ben C.
Published: May 2022

Over the last century, Pauline scholarship has shifted from a largely negative to a largely positive evaluation and appropriation of Judaism. This essay documents key figures who helped shape that shift and explains the diversity of ways of framing the Paul/Judaism relationship found in contemporary Pauline scholarship. Based on this shift, the question as it stands now is not whether Paul is Jewish but how Paul is Jewish. After highlighting the shift as it progressed historically, this essay then explains five key influences which spurred on this transition: (1) the Holocaust, (2) the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, (3) reaction to the outcomes of the Judaism/Hellenism divide, (4) critique of the Judaism/Hellenism divide, and (5) the postmodern turn. None of these five influences alone accounts for the wider shift, but they interact with and support one another in ways that compound the wider effects.
“So Shall Your Seed Be”: Paul's Use of Genesis 15:5 in Romans 4:18 in Light of Early Jewish Deification Traditions
Authors: Burnett David A.
Published: May 2022

In Rom 4:18, Paul cites the “promise” to Abraham in LXX Gen 15:5, “so shall your seed be” (οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου) in relation to what it means to “become the father of many nations” from Gen 17:5. Modern scholars have traditionally understood the relationship Paul sees between these two texts quantitatively, as promising a multitude of descendants made up of Jews and Gentiles. Conversely, some early Jewish interpreters of Gen 15:5 (and related texts such as Gen 22:17; 26:4) such as Philo, Sirach, and the author(s) of the Apocalypse of Abraham understood the promise qualitatively, as speaking not only of multiplication but of transformation into the likeness of the stars and assumption of their power. Reading Paul's use of Gen 15:5 in light of this qualitative interpretation places him within the context of already well-established deification or angelomorphic traditions in early Judaism that see the destiny of Abraham's seed as replacing the stars as the divine or angelic inheritors of the nations. This tradition may provide a more fitting explanation of the relationship Paul sees between Gen 17:5 and 15:5 in the wider context of the argument of Rom 4. This reading could illuminate the relationship between a complex nexus of ideas that Paul sees implicit in the one promise to Abraham in Gen 15:5. The promise of becoming as the stars of heaven would encompass the inheritance of the cosmos, becoming a father of many nations, and the resurrection from the dead.
Psalm 16:10 and the Resurrection of Jesus “on the Third Day” (1 Corinthians 15:4)
Authors: Poirier John C.
Published: May 2022

In 1 Cor 15:4, Paul apparently views the timing of the resurrection “on the third day” as a fulfillment of Scripture, but nowhere in the Old Testament is the resurrection of an individual associated with a third day. The reigning explanations for Paul's reference include a creative reading of Hos 6:2, a suggestion that Paul refers to a pattern of third-day deliverances within Scripture, and a denial that Paul's fulfillment formula was intended to include the reference to “on the third day.” These explanations all have their weaknesses, and it is worth reconsidering a solution offered by Douglas Hill in 1967. Hill argued that Paul refers to Ps 16:10, with its reference (in the septuagintal wording) to a “holy one” being preserved from (bodily) “corruption.” Although such a reference might seem cryptic to modern readers, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Paul's contemporaries associated the onset of bodily decay with the third day after the spirit leaves the body. Thus, Paul's original readers would have understood a promise that someone would “not see decay” as a promise to be raised within three days.
Paul's "Anti-Christology" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–12 in Canonical Context
Authors: Johnson Andy
Published: May 2022

In the church's reception of 2 Thess 2:3–12 the "man of lawlessness" has traditionally been identified with the figure of "Antichrist" as part of an "anti-Christology" often characterized by the development of a strict parallelism between Christ and Antichrist, where one is the reverse replica of the other. Irenaeus develops this parallelism using a basic interpretive framework of double recapitulation. The purpose of this article is to show that certain textual features of 2 Thess 2:3–4, when situated within the larger Pauline corpus and interpreted in light of an intertextual OT trajectory that epitomizes human arrogance as it is embodied by archetypal kings (e.g., Ezek 28), suggest that this basic interpretive pattern of double recapitulation is on the mark. More specifically, the article demonstrates that there is indeed a canonical logic, a Pauline narrative and conceptual pattern (seen particularly in comparing 2 Thess 2:3–4 to Phil 2:6–11 and to passages from Romans), that reveals that the man of lawlessness represents the pinnacle of what Christ reverses. On that basis, the man of lawlessness is appropriately referred to as "Antichrist" in spite of the reluctance of some modern commentators to do so. As such, he is thereby also antihuman, anti-God, and antiholiness.
"To Us, the Word": The Double-λόγος of Hebrews 4:12–13
Authors: Eklund Rebekah
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACTS

The last five words of Heb 4:12–13 are curiously enigmatic: πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος. Interpreters throughout history do not agree on the meaning of the short clause. Most modern English renderings treat it as a nod to human responsibility, the necessity of giving an account of ourselves back to God ("to whom we must give an account"). Although this interpretation has a long and venerable history, which can be traced back to Athanasius of Alexandria and Chrysostom, it is forced to treat the nominative ὁ λόγος as an object, and it mutes the repetition of the double-λόγος, which brackets 4:12–13 and forms a neat chiasm obscured by most English translations. Instead, I propose that the most satisfactory reading of the clause in 4:13b hears in the λόγος a multilayered reference both to divine speech and to the incarnate Logos, an interpretation that allows 4:12–13 to be a true bridge in its context, because the previous verses are primarily about God's message in Ps 95, and the following verses discuss Christ as the great high priest. Thus, possible translations are "concerning which, this word is spoken to us" or "with whom, the Word is for us," both of which cohere with the overall message of Hebrews. The ambiguous grammar of the clause itself, and Hebrews's own view of the word of God as a living and active Word that continues to speak to us today, give us room to imagine both possibilities.
The Old Testament and the Church after Christendom
Authors: Chapman Stephen B.
Published: May 2022

The situation of today's "post-Constantinian" church invites new approaches to biblical theology, particularly with regard to the OT and its political witness. John Howard Yoder's "Jeremianic turn" provides a compelling model for an "exilic" hermeneutic, but it requires reframing as a canonical rather than history-of-religions proposal. Also needed is more appreciative engagement with the OT's Mosaic and Davidic traditions, which remain foundational for any biblically based political theology. The church "after Christendom" will not only be "landless" but "placed," not only tradition-observant but eschatologically oriented, not only a NT community but part heir to the OT's vision of a people of God.
Christophanic Exegesis and the Problem of Symbolization: Daniel 3 (the Fiery Furnace) as a Test Case
Authors: Bucur Bogdan G.
Published: May 2022

Aside from other strands in its rich history of interpretation, the episode of the three youths in the fiery furnace (Dan 3) was interpreted by early Christians as a theophany (or rather, more specifically, a manifestation of the Logos-to-be-incarnate, a "Christophany"), as a foreshadowing of the mystery of the incarnation, and, especially in Byzantine hymns about "the three youths equal in number to the Trinity," as an allusion to the Trinitarian God. The current scholarly concepts, however, fail to distinguish properly between the various types of exegesis involved in each of these cases and obscure the importance of the earliest and most enduring Christian exegesis of OT theophanies.
The Message to the Merchants in James 4:13–17 and Its Relevance for Today
Authors: Garrett Thomas More
Published: May 2022

This article highlights the contemporary significance of Jas 4:13–17 to business and commercial pursuits. The first part summarizes modern biblical and theological scholarship on the scriptural passage. The discussion highlights areas of convergence within different Christian traditions by examining the work of commentators writing from a variety of Christian backgrounds. The second part offers a treatment of the passage within the wider context of the epistle. Drawing from modern commentary, this part of the essay also elaborates on the relationship between faith and secular pursuits envisioned by the James text. Particular focus is directed toward concerns pertaining to the separation of faith from commercial affairs expressed in two recent Roman Catholic magisterial works, Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace document titled Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection. The third part extends the discussion in the second part by tracing some further parallels between Jas 4:13–17 and portions of Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate.
Theological Interpretation and the Bible as Public Text
Authors: Paddison Angus
Published: May 2022

This essay proposes that theological interpretation would have much to learn from a constructive engagement with the concerns and interests of public theology. Although theological interpretation of Scripture has made great advances in a number of areas, there remains theological work to be done in probing the relationship between the Bible and the world. Were greater attention to be paid to this relationship some of the ecclesiocentric strains of recent contributions in theological interpretation could be tempered. Following from the introduction, the essay has three key parts, in each of which Rev 21–22:5 is present as an imaginative stimulus. In the first part, five "marks" of public theology are set out and elaborated. Making further appeal to Rev 21–22:5, the second part of the essay disrupts ecclesial strains in theological interpretation of Scripture. Robert W. Jenson is cited and interrogated as an influential representative of ecclesial accounts of Scripture, its authority and interpretation. The third part of the essay makes some constructive proposals for how a more meaningful engagement with public theology might reshape our vision of the church, mission, and the world. In the process, theological interpretation can be redirected and taken in new directions.
The Sacramental Reading of Nicene Theology: Athanasius and Gregory of Nyssa on Proverbs 8
Authors: Boersma Hans
Published: May 2022

Both Arian and pro-Nicene theologians saw in the Wisdom of Prov 8 a reference to Christ. This agreement, however, did not produce unanimity about the manner of Christological exegesis. Theologians such as Eusebius of Caesarea and Eunomius of Cyzicus tried to determine the "plain" or "literal" meaning of the text. As a result, they saw in the passage references to a shadowy figure, called "Wisdom," whom God had "created," "established," or "begotten" (Prov 8) long before time began—a figure that became incarnate in Jesus Christ. By contrast, the reading strategy of Marcellus of Ancyra, Athanasius of Alexandria, and Gregory of Nyssa was grounded in the sacramental conviction that the genre of the book of Proverbs demands that we recognize a "hidden" meaning, one that becomes clear to us only in and through God's economic self-revelation in Jesus Christ. A strictly literal, nonsacramental reading of Prov 8 was problematic, according to the pro-Nicene theologians, in that it fails to note the sacramental reality (res) of Christ and his church as really present in the Wisdom passages of the book of Proverbs. By refusing to allegorize, the Arian tradition was unable to discern within the book of Proverbs the doctrinal truth of God's full self-disclosure in Jesus Christ.
Theological Thinking and the Reading of Scripture: An Auseinandersetzung with Susannah Ticciati
Authors: Moberly R. W. L.
Published: May 2022

This article considers the relationship between the Bible and theology via the work of Susannah Ticciati, who works with the Bible from the perspective of theology. An exposition of Ticciati's account of election and divine jealousy in Rom 9–11 and Deut 32 highlights the role that a postbiblical understanding of creation ex nihilo plays in Ticciati's readings of Scripture. Questions are raised about criteria whereby this sort of theological perspective can be recognized to illuminate, or to skew, a reading of the biblical text. The understanding of clean and unclean in relation to Israel's election in Lev 20 and Acts 10 is proposed as an issue that may pose difficulties for Ticciati's reading of election. Ticciati's work is seen to pose issues of theological hermeneutics in an unusually clear and interesting form.
A Survey and Analysis of Recent "Canonical" Methods (2000–2015)
Authors: Haydon Ron
Published: May 2022

By surveying proposals on canonical interpretation submitted in the last 15 years, we can trace a gradual rift between the proposals that theologians submit and the proposals that biblical scholars submit. In particular, we will identify an old but largely unrecognized distinction between hypermaterial and nonmaterial forms of canonical reading. The hypermaterial reading—often adopted by biblical scholars—fuses how the canon functions with how the canon was formed. The second type of reading, a nonmaterial reading, focuses on canonical unity and tends to be a position held by theologians. These proponents do not completely abandon the physical features of canon but claim that the unity of the canon comes from the outside—through the lens of theological (and a theocentric) cohesion. Given these two extremes, either a third option or a bridge that closes the gap is necessary.
Exodus 3 after the Hellenization Thesis
Authors: Allen Michael
Published: May 2022

According to the "Hellenization thesis," Augustine and other classical figures were theologians who largely compromised the narratival particularity of revelation by uncritically embracing various Greek philosophical tenets. After describing this interpretive hypothesis, I test its validity by focusing on one figure, Augustine, and one key text, Exod 3, as it appears throughout his corpus. Investigation shows this hypothesis inadequate to account for the doctrinal implications he gleans from Exod 3, perhaps the key text for patristic theological ontology, by analyzing all his references to this passage. Indeed, Augustine interprets Exod 3 as an endorsement of apophatic theology, divine transcendence and simplicity, and narrative theology. Contrary to the "Hellenization thesis," Augustine's exegesis of Exod 3 might be very similar to that of many modern critical scholars.
"The Sennacherib Error" in Theodore of Mopsuestia's Commentary on the Twelve Prophets: Light from the History of Interpretation
Authors: Gregory Bradley C.
Published: May 2022

This essay seeks to explain why in his Commentary on the Twelve Prophets Theodore of Mopsuestia incorrectly attributes the Exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to Sennacherib. It is argued that theological and typological interpretations of Sennacherib developed in the Second Temple period that resulted in the portrayal of him as the paradigmatic Assyrian enemy. This development created an exegetical tradition that Sennacherib exiled the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This tradition can be found in both Christian and Jewish sources of late antiquity.
Speech Act Theory, Dual Authorship, and Canonical Hermeneutics: Making Sense of "Sensus Plenior"
Authors: Barker Kit
Published: May 2022

The divine authorship of Scripture has been a much-debated topic throughout history, particularly in the modern and postmodern eras. Those who continue to hold to such a conviction have often wrestled with its hermeneutical implications. Hermeneutic realists who employ forms of authorial discourse interpretation have realized that their presuppositions regarding the divine authorship of Scripture pose significant hermeneutical challenges. In particular, it is often believed that the divine author may intend to communicate something different from what the human author of the text intended. This belief has led many to employ what became known as a sensus plenior hermeneutic, a hermeneutic that has generated criticism from both hermeneutic realists and non-realists alike. Recent years have witnessed renewed interest in understanding Scripture as divine communication. 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 an insightful analysis of the anatomy of communication and, in particular, authorial intention. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how speech act theory highlights the problems related to a dual-authorship hermeneutic and with sensus plenior approaches in particular. At the same time, speech act theory is shown to be a valuable tool that can clarify interpretive goals and enable a greater appreciation of the divine authorship of Scripture at both canonical and intracanonical levels.
Israel and the Old Testament Story in Irenaeus's Presentation of the Rule of Faith
Authors: MacDonald Nathan
Published: May 2022

In recent years, it has become common to point to the early church's Rule of Faith as evidence for the reading of Scripture as an overarching story. Appeal is typically made to Irenaeus's accounts of the Rule of Faith with particular importance being attached to the rehearsal of the Rule in the Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching. It has been argued that in Irenaeus's Demonstration the lacuna between the statement about God the Creator and the salvific events of the life of Christ are filled out with the story of God's dealings with Israel. This article reexamines Irenaeus's understanding of the Rule of Faith and argues that accounts of this sort are mistaken and involve a misreading of the Demonstration. Irenaeus does not present a metanarrative that stretches from creation to consummation; rather, he works with a two-part OT canon and shows how both parts prefigure and predict salvation in Jesus Christ. The article concludes with a reconsideration of the relationship between narrative and the Rule of Faith and how Israel is to be figured into Christian faith.
Athens and Jerusalem Once More: What the Turn to Virtue Means for Theological Exegesis
Authors: Pardue Stephen T.
Published: May 2022

This essay aims to explore the concept of interpretive virtue and to elucidate its significance for contemporary exegetes. Although several recent works have referenced the importance of the virtues in renewing biblical interpretation, a concise account of the options, benefits, and challenges associated with such a move remains elusive. To sketch this account, this essay explores virtue epistemology as an analogous (but not identical) trend in a sister discipline. Two models of virtue epistemology—the first from Linda Zagzebski, and the second from Robert C. Roberts and W. Jay Wood—offer several insights that should inform appropriations of virtue ethics in biblical interpretation. While there are surely important differences between epistemology and exegesis, Roberts and Wood in particular demonstrate the great potential that lies in a virtues approach to biblical interpretation that aims at improving the intellectual life by forming habits conducive to the acquisition of various interpretive goods. Though this approach is unlikely to provide a way of adjudicating interpretive disputes, it can significantly enrich our understanding of biblical exegesis by delineating its goals more clearly while also helping teachers to train students more effectively. While this reorientation must not be overhyped—virtue theory does not offer a complete picture of what makes good biblical interpretation—it holds significant promise. Finally, the essay addresses three common objections to virtue theory: that it represents a poor fit with the biblical witness, that it yields no substantial contribution to hermeneutics, and that it ineluctably results in problematic forms of relativism.
P. T. Forsyth, Scripture, and the Crisis of the Gospel
Authors: Paddison Angus
Published: May 2022

This article examines P. T. Forsyth's theological interpretation of Scripture. Scripture for P. T. Forsyth (1848–1921) is a sacramental agent of the gospel, and the NT writings are decisively incorporated within the redemptive activity of God in Christ. Forsyth's location of authority in the gospel conveyed by Scripture allows him considerable flexibility in relation to two alternative sources of authority: biblical scholarship and biblical infallibility. An ecclesial reading of Scripture is beholden neither to the rationalism of the academy nor to mechanical theories of verbal inspiration. A church resourced by what Forsyth termed the "positive gospel" will read Scripture with decisiveness and litheness, giving space for the lively activity of the Spirit upon the Word. Moreover, the cross is the one superhistoric principle capable of interpreting all history and human action. The essay then turns to the Jesus that Forsyth encounters in his preaching of John 12 and John 16. Forsyth's powerful reading of the NT reinvigorates John's language of judgment, conviction, and sin. The holiness of the Son moving through the world and dying on the cross is the crisis of the world and accomplishes the sinful world's reconciliation with the holy Father. Forsyth's consistently theological interpretation demonstrates the potential of a theologian's immersing herself in Scripture and concentrating on the resources of the gospel.
The "New Creation," the Crucified and Risen Christ, and the Temple: A Pauline Audience for Mark
Authors: Johnson Andy
Published: May 2022

In the wake of the debate on Gospel audiences, this article illustrates one way of engaging in an explicitly theological interpretation of a Gospel, constrained and enriched by canonical and historical considerations. Building on the arguments of scholars who see "new exodus/new creation" concepts implicitly underlying much of Mark, it asks how portions of this narrative (1:1–11, 15:33–16:8) might be heard if we construe the audience as having been shaped by Paul's theology of "new creation" that underlies 1 Corinthians. This interpretive move assumes that Mark is an attempt to articulate the significance of Jesus within a scriptural matrix, that is, within Isaiah's "conversation" with Genesis and Exodus. This 1 Corinthians audience is an intracanonical, hermeneutical construct intended to further Mark's attempt to articulate the significance of Jesus within a broader scriptural matrix. The reading of Mark that emerges contends that Jesus proleptically baptizes with the Spirit as he forges a new creation throughout the Gospel; at the crucifixion, the Spirit moves from Jesus into the temple (a microcosm of the old order/cosmos) to split the outer curtain signifying its end; and the Spirit continues Jesus' work by raising him from the dead as a microcosm of the new creation.
Humans in the Image of God and Other Things Genesis Does Not Make Clear
Authors: Briggs Richard S.
Published: May 2022

This paper explores the nature and function of the opening chapters of Genesis by way of a focused case study concerning the hermeneutical function of "image of God" language in its canonical setting in Genesis. It pursues a canonically oriented argument that the book of Genesis uses the language of "the image of God" as a relatively under-determined place-holder for something that can only be more clearly defined by seeing how the canonical narrative develops, beyond Genesis, and indeed beyond the OT. The discussion will look first at hermeneutical frameworks for reading the image of God and second at how the language functions canonically as a part of Gen 1–11. A third section explores briefly other substantive issues in Gen 1–11 that might best be understood in this canonical perspective.
What if Martin Luther Had Read the Dead Sea Scrolls? Historical Particularity and Theological Interpretation in Pauline Theology: Galatians as a Test Case
Authors: Bird Michael F.
Published: May 2022

This study argues that a more attentive focus on the sociohistorical context of Paul's letters can lead to a fruitful theological exploration of Paul's theology that approximates fairly closely some of the key emphases of the Reformed/Lutheran tradition. Though the Reformation tradition of exegeting Paul's letters has properly grasped many of the central themes of Paul's theology, it has often lacked attention to historical particularity and social realism. Yet, a better grasp of the particulars can lead to a richer theological paradigm. As an example, this study examines Gal 2:11–21 with specific attention given to "works of law," "faith of Christ," and "righteousness" in order to demonstrate how one might shift from historical criticism to a theological interpretation within the Reformed/Lutheran tradition.
Spirit, Church, Resurrection: The Third Article of the Creed as Hermeneutical Lens for Reading Romans
Authors: Hays Richard B.
Published: May 2022

Recent focus on the theological interpretation of Scripture has encouraged exegetes to explore the church's doctrinal confessions as constructive hermeneutical resources for reading Scripture. Taking its cue from this suggestion, this essay places Paul's letter to the Romans in dialogue with the third article of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in order to discern both how the creed might illuminate important but oftneglected themes in Paul's theology, as well as how Romans might in turn clarify, deepen, and even transform our reading of the creed. Among the various insights to emerge from this dialogue are (1) a renewed emphasis on the importance of pneumatology, ecclesiology, baptism, and resurrection in Paul's theology in Romans and (2) the salutary (supplemental?) nature of Paul's Israel-shaped theology vis-à-vis the creed's inattention to Israel's election.
Fusion-Point Hermeneutics: A Theological Interpretation of Saul's Rejection in Light of the Shema as the Rule of Faith
Authors: Ko Ming Him
Published: May 2022

The present study is a theological exegesis of Saul's rejection in light of the Shema (Deut 6:4–9) as the rule of faith. The Shema has already occupied a central place in the mind of any Jewish and Christian interpreter, so that it can be considered a legitimate prejudgment (Vorurteil) in Gadamer's hermeneutical framework. This proposal is also consistent with the thesis of a Deuteronomistic History, where many traditions in different pre-Deuteronomistic strata have been read within the frame of reference of the Deuteronomistic History other than that envisaged by their original authors in the Deuteronomistic recontextualization. This study suggests that a "fusion-point" interpretation of Saul's rejection by using the Shema as prejudgment can create a frame of reference rich enough to appreciate the relational dynamics between Saul, Samuel, and God, without lapsing into moralism and wooden calculation.
Trust and the Spirit: The Canon's Anticipated Unity
Authors: Helmer Christine
Published: May 2022

How can one talk responsibly and theologically about the biblical canon's unity in a pluralist age? In this article I explore a number of ways in which theological practice both appeals to and constructs the canon's unity. The argument of section one addresses biblical, not canonical, unity. I distinguish between the Bible as a given text composed of multivalent layers, individual texts, genres, and a plurality of content; and the canon as a theological concept, which is analytic with unity. The theological arguments of sections two and three situate the theological construction of the canon's unity in view of biblical multivalence. Some theological issues are at stake in this relation. Biblical multivalence opens up theological, philosophical, and ethical questions concerning how different proposals of the canon's unity can coexist, while each making claims to truth. Truth criteria—for example, coherence and comprehensiveness—can be worked out in order to determine the validity and viability of different theological proposals. A proposal must also be evaluated on the basis of its adequacy to contemporary concerns. The complex process of forming theological judgments about the canon's unity contextualizes the selection of one proposal of unity, among others, in a particular matrix of contemporary concerns. Hence, the unity of the canon is anticipatory in view of the process of articulating theological judgments in various contexts. I conclude by proposing that unity and multivalence can be grasped together in the intersubjective orientation to truth that takes place in trust, established by the Holy Spirit.
Scripture in Pauline Theology: How Far Down Does It Go?
Authors: Watson Francis
Published: May 2022

Paul's scriptural interpretation is fundamentally important for the development of Christian readings of (what would come to be called) the "Old Testament." The question is how important scripture really is for his own theology; a long tradition of Pauline interpreters have regarded its importance as fairly minimal. This essay presents a critique of the "minimalist" case, which argues, first, that scriptural citation is for Paul merely a rhetorical strategy intended to reinforce his own apostolic authority; second, that he cites proof texts with little regard for their original contexts; and third, that his scriptural interpretation is predetermined by his own prior theological convictions. In opposition to these claims, it is argued here that the rhetorical dimension of citation is compatible with issues of theological substance; that individual citations can serve to represent larger blocks of scriptural material; and that Paul's theological convictions are themselves codetermined by his scriptural interpretation. Even as an apostle, Paul learns things from scripture that he would not know without it.
Atonement and the Gospels
Authors: Heider George C.
Published: May 2022

For over 75 years Gustav Aulén's Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Atonement has stimulated reflection on the "models" by which Christians understand the saving work of Jesus Christ. This paper argues that each of the canonical Gospels tends toward and emphasizes a particular model of the atonement, three of which are essentially congruent with the typology constructed by Aulén. I reflect critically on Aulén's work and the scholarship that it has generated, but my primary focus is exegetical. I conclude that Christian theology is well served by the variety of perspectives on the atonement that are found in the Gospels in a way that is analogous to the benefits of the fourfold Gospels' "takes" on Jesus.
Meditations on a Slippery Citation: Paul's Use of Psalm 112:9 in 2 Corinthians 9:9
Authors: Starling David I.
Published: May 2022

A topic of scholarly debate in recent decades among interpreters of Paul's letters has been the degree of interpretive competence and effort that Paul expected of his readers in understanding his letters and (in particular) the meaning of his scriptural citations and allusions. In this article, I begin with some brief reflections on 2 Cor 1:13–14 as an indication of Paul's communicative intentions and expectations in the letter and on the kind of exegesis required for theological interpretation that accords with those intentions and expectations. I then examine Paul's citation of Ps 112:9 in 2 Cor 9:9 as a case study in the possibilities for theological interpretation of an exegesis that reads Paul's letters as communications intended for patient, communal, and intertextual interpretation. The focus of my inquiry is the ambiguous reference of the "he" in the scriptural citation and its rhetorical function within 2 Cor 8–9 and the larger context of canonical 2 Corinthians. I conclude that the surface ambiguity of Paul's language functions within an attentive reading community to provoke an enriched understanding of the relationship between divine and human grace and righteousness, which arises out of the social and intertextual process of resolving the ambiguity. The implications of this reading for theological interpretation of 2 Corinthians include a strengthening of the argument that Paul's description in 2 Cor 5:21 of believers "becom[ing] the righteousness of God" has in view not merely a transformation of status but a transformation of character and conduct.
Linear and Participatory History: Augustine's "City of God"
Authors: Levering Matthew
Published: May 2022

This essay offers an analysis of the structure of Augustine's City of God. Building on Augustine's identification of the five parts of his work (in a letter he wrote to Firmus), I suggest that these five parts show Augustine to be undertaking a transformation of pagan understandings of history and its gods. Whereas the Romans worshiped gods who, like the Romans themselves, sought linear-historical goals such as fame and pleasure, Platonic philosophers rejected linear history and sought instead a participatory ascent to the transcendent God. Neither view of history would do for Augustine, who instead offers in the final three parts of City of God a demonstration of the interconnected linear and participatory aspects of history in relation to the Creator God who calls us to eternal life. This essay provides background to the thesis of my 2008 book Participatory Biblical Exegesis and proposes that contemporary biblical scholars and theologians, rather than grounding their methods in an acceptance of modernity's strictly linear (pagan) view of history, can learn from Augustine how to argue for a linear and participatory understanding of history adequate to Scripture.
Paul Ricoeur and the Hypothesis of the Text in Theological Interpretation
Authors: Bennett Thomas Andrew
Published: May 2022

This essay uses the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur to explain the implicit hermeneutics of recent examples of theological interpretation. Adopting the language of the "hypothesis of the text," Ricoeur's continental literary theory is adapted for Anglo-American theological contexts. In particular, the hypothesis of the text accounts for interpretive plurivocity, constraints on meaning, and the contingent nature of theological interpretations. The hypothesis is shown to afford critics the tools with which to analyze and evaluate individual theological contributions while philosophically grounding the methods various interpreters deploy during interpretive practice. As a demonstration of how this actually functions in evaluative scenarios, recent contributions from Ephraim Radner, R. W. L. Moberly, R. R. Reno, and Stanley Hauerwas are analyzed, with attention being paid to their methodologies, the way their hypotheses project textual worlds, how individual texts can admit multiple hypotheses, the contextual, contingent nature of interpretations, and how an invalid hypothesis is identified and overturned.
What Would Elijah and Elisha Do? Internarrativity in Luke's Story of Jesus
Authors: Huddleston Jonathan
Published: May 2022

This article seeks to discuss the connection between Luke's portrayal of Jesus and the Elijah-Elisha stories from Israel's Scriptures through the category of internarrativity. I define internarrativity as a special category of allusion; unlike intertextuality, which echoes specific source texts, internarrativity resonates within a whole tradition of storytelling witnessed by several texts but exhausted by none of them. Examining Luke's use of the Elijah-Elisha narratives in these terms yields fresh fruit: Luke invites readers to connect Jesus' story with everything they know about Elijah and Elisha, an invitation issued through Luke's strategic allusions. Once accepted, this invitation prompts readers to read Jesus' story with the expectation that he will resemble Elijah and Elisha, an expectation that Jesus' story sometimes confirms and sometimes confounds. Intertextuality allows me to examine three prominent characteristics of Elijah and Elisha (the way in which they perform miraculous signs, confront rulers, and anoint successors) as a template for reading Luke's story of Jesus, and find in it a model for ongoing Christian discipleship.
Theological Interpretation, Presuppositions, and the Role of the Church: Bultmann and Augustine Revisited
Authors: Moberly R. W. L.
Published: May 2022

This essay revisits Bultmann's famous discussion of the role of presuppositions within biblical exegesis. It affirms Bultmann's concern with an interpreter's existential reality while criticizing his silence concerning other things that he also in fact presupposed, most obviously theological preunderstandings (for Bultmann, this was the need to demythologize) and the ascribing of a privileged role to the Bible for encountering the truth about God and humanity. It is argued that the privileged role of the Bible is a corollary of its historic reception and appropriation by the church. The nature of the relationship between Bible and church is then explored via a discussion of Augustine's famous sentence, "In fact I would not believe the gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me." It is suggested that Augustine's understanding of the role of the church is analogous to that of the modern concept of a plausibility structure, whereby significant others enable people to adopt and maintain particular understandings and priorities. The argument offers a way of envisaging the complementarity of Bible and church that has potential to overcome certain historic post-Reformation tendencies to polarize them and their respective authority.
Revelation in the Present Tense: On Rethinking Theological Interpretation in the Light of the Prophetic Office of Jesus Christ
Authors: Holmes Christopher R. J.
Published: May 2022

Revelation is often assumed to be what God does, and interpretation what persons do in response. The latter is a matter of making the former real or relevant in relation to a new situation. But what if revelation, understood as Christ's self-attestation, were present to and active in our interpretation of itself? This article deploys the munus propheticum Jesu Christi in conversation with John's Gospel so as to disrupt the usual construal of the objective/subjective relationship as regards revelation and interpretation. This is undertaken in order to advance an account of revelation in the present tense and thus of interpretation as being a human hearing of and correspondence to what Christ says and does. Such an emphasis strengthens the theological interpretation of Scripture by yielding to the written Word as the locus of Christ's prophetic presence and activity. Interpretation is thus a matter of becoming transparent to the humanizing presence and contemporaneity of the risen One who speaks himself by the power of the Spirit in the prophetic and apostolic writings.
The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart in Christian and Jewish Interpretation
Authors: McGinnis Claire Mathews
Published: May 2022

This essay examines theological responses to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart on the part of Christian and Jewish readers from the patristic period through the Reformation. Readings discussed include those of Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, the Midrash Rabbah, Rambam, and Martin Luther. The concluding section draws on the history of interpretation to suggest ways in which the theological interpreter of our own day might make sense of the portrayal of God as hardening "the heart of whomever he chooses." Included in the discussion are the relative contributions of source-critical analysis of Exod 7–11.
Salvation in a Sentence: Mark 15:39 as Markan Soteriology
Authors: Gamel Brian K.
Published: May 2022

Mark 15:39 has often been mined for its contribution to our understanding of Mark's Christology. Additionally, however, it offers us a compact expression of Mark's soteriology as well; that is, Mark 15:39 demonstrates what salvation means for Mark. Specifically, it shows that for Mark the cross offers eschatological sight, rapprochement between the hostile spheres of humanity and divinity, and the extension of Israel's blessings to the Gentiles. What it means for Jesus' death to be salvific is thus summarized (although not exhausted) by these categories. Mark assumes an anthropology in which humanity is characterized by blindness concerning its understanding of itself and God. Correspondingly, eschatological sight is offered to the centurion who "sees" at the moment of Jesus' death, declaring him to be God's Son. Likewise, God and humanity are presented as estranged throughout the Gospel but at the moment of Jesus' death "this man" is declared to be "God's Son," demonstrating that at the cross God and humanity are no longer hostile spheres but brought together in the same realm. Finally, the fact that this crucial moment is offered to a centurion "who stands opposite" Jesus is significant, for he is an outsider to Israel's heritage and an enemy to God's people. His presence indicates that Israel's blessings are now extended to the Gentiles. In traditional categories, we can say that Mark 15:39 shows that the death of Jesus is salvific because it offers revelation to the blind, reconciliation to the estranged, and redemption to the outsider. In this way it reveals Mark's underlying understanding of the saving significance of the cross.
Jonah and the Imitation of God: Rethinking Evangelism and the Old Testament
Authors: Chapman Stephen B. , Warner Laceye C.
Published: May 2022

The OT continues to be neglected in Christian theological reflection. Recent treatments of evangelism and mission illustrate this tendency. The book of Jonah offers a narrative context for the retrieval of a robust OT witness, not only for practices of evangelism but also for Christian biblical theology. Relating Jonah directly to the topic of Christian vocation confirms "verbal proclamation" to be a reductive account of evangelism. The concept of evangelism should instead be expanded to include the entire missio dei of global reconciliation, particularly through the imitatio dei of God's people in their care for creation and all its creatures. Social justice, peace, and ecological concern are not beyond the scope of evangelism. Moreover, such a reading of Jonah demonstrates that the two testaments are not divided by a fundamental, sequential distinction between centripetal and centrifugal movements of God's people vis-à-vis the world. God sent a prophet of Israel to Nineveh and Jesus' disciples are charged to gather diverse peoples into the unified family of God. While recognizing the existence of discontinuity between the testaments and yet avoiding a supersessionist hermeneutic, Jonah can be read according to a trajectory of divine action that unites all of Scripture and warrants the OT's Christian witness. Throughout Scripture's story, God is the main actor in salvation. Even the recurrent resistance of God's people to a communal life of imitatio dei finally yields to the power of God's love for all.
Salvation History in Galatians and the Making of a Pauline Discourse
Authors: LONGENECKER BRUCE
Published: May 2022

In Paul's Galatian letter, are Gentile Jesus-followers depicted as participating in the ongoing salvation history of the Jewish people? Does the model of ingrafting that Paul employs in his olive tree analogy of Rom 11 undergird Paul's theological discourse in Galatians? This essay (1) overviews the contemporary debate, (2) outlines relevant data from 1 Thessalonians to Romans as a backdrop against which to consider the Galatian letter, and (3) investigates key passages in Paul's letter to Galatian Jesus-followers in a nuanced proposal concerning the salvation-historical dimensions of that letter. Finally, (4) I propose a 13-point reconstruction concerning fluctuations in Paul's salvation-historical discourse between the years 50 (1 Thessalonians) and 57 (Romans).
The Nature of Salvation History in Galatians
Authors: MASTON JASON
Published: May 2022

According to some scholars, Paul's development of an “apocalyptic” theology in Galatians results in a denial of salvation history. Contrary to these claims, this article contends that Paul develops a salvation-historical argument in Galatians 3:15–4:7. Paul, however, does not present God's acts as a linear history of positive redemptive acts. Rather, in light of God's act in Christ, Paul develops a different understanding of salvation history in which the period of the Torah is identified as a period of Unheil. The nature of salvation history in Galatians, therefore, has a strong element of discontinuity.