bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Le ‘Commencement’ de l'Économie Chrétienne d'après He II. 3–4; Mc 1.1 et Ac I. 1–2
Authors: Feuillet A.
Published: February 2009

Le titre donné à la présente étude s'explique ainsi: les trois textes que nous avons l'intention d'examiner (He ii. 3–4; Mc i.1 et Ac i. 1–2) ont ceci de commun qu'il y est question de ‘commencement’ sans qu'on perçoive avec netteté au premier abord ce qu'est ce commencement. La brève enquête que nous entreprenons permettra, croyons-nous, de le préciser. Nous préférons cependant adopter comme titre cette formule vague susceptible d'un sens très large: le commencement de l'économie chrétienne.
A Syriac Fragment of Mar Epheraem's Commentary on the Diatessaron
Authors: Baarda T J.
Published: February 2009

In 1869 Monoseigneur David then rural bishop of Mosul, came to Europe and brought along with him, among others, an inteesting manuscript which had been copiedon his initiative from an old exemplar in the Monastery of Rabban Hormizd at Alqosh near Mosul. First this manuscript was placed in the Museo Bortiano di Propaganda at Rome, where it was catalogued as K VI 4.1 Renowned orientalists such as I. Guide, O. Braun and J.-B. Chabot publised many parts of it an Syriac or in translation.2 In 1899 the Syriac manuscripts of Museo Borgiano were tranferred to the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, where students had easier access to it. Our manuscript was listed as Borgia Syriaca 82.3
Complexio Oppositorum: sur les Formules de I Cor. xii. 13; Gal. iii. 26–8; Col. iii. 10, 11
Authors: Bouttier Michel
Published: February 2009

‘Qui se ressemble s'assemble’: le proverbe exprime bien les forces d'attirance et de convenance mutuelles qui agglomèrent peuples, sociétés et communautés. Ces forces sont bien connues des sociologues dont la science consiste précisément à analyser les lois de cohésion ou de répulsion qui régissent les groupes, à identifier intérêts, idéaux, totems ou principes qui aimantent les assemblages. Sur ce point la Novi Testamenti Societas n'échappe pas à la règle.
Die beiden Messias Aarons und Israels
Authors: Kuhn Karl Georg
Published: February 2009

Die einzige Stelle, an der in den bis jetzt veröffentlichten Texten der neuen Höhlenfunde vom Toten Meer vom Messias gesprochen wird, ist Sekt. 9, 10–11. Es heißt da: ‘Und sie (die Mitglieder der essenischen Gemeinde) sollen sich richten lassen durch die fruheren Rechtssatzungen, durch die die Leute der Gemeinde (schon) von Anfang an sich zurechtweisen ließen, bis zum Kommen eines Prop heten und der Cesaib ten (Messias) Aarons und Israels’ () Über das ‘Kommen eines Propheten’ wird weiter unten noch zu sprechen sein. Das Auffälligste an diesem Satz ist aber, dαβ das (eindeutig lesbare) Wort im Plural cstr. ‘die Gesalbten’ erscheint. Einige Übersetzer haben diesen Plural einfach als Schreibfehler erklärt und durch Streichung des Jod zum Singular emendiert. Aber es ist natürlich höchst bedenklich, die lectio difficillima des Plural so in den geläufigen Begriff ‘des Messias’ im Singular zu verwandeln. Auch der Vorschlag, das Jod als sog. Jod compaginis zu erklären, wie es gelegentlich im A.T. vorkommt, und auf diese Weise das singularische Verständnis zu erreichen, ist sprachlich nicht moglich. Denn es gibt in den neu gefundenen Texten sonst keiner Beleg fur ein solches Jod compaginis. Die Lesung des Wortes als Plural ‘die Gesalbten Aarons und Israels’ ist sprachlich nicht zu umgehen.
The Two-Source Theory at an Impasse
Authors: Boismard M.-E.
Published: February 2009

Twenty years ago we could assume that the Two-Source theory, as the decisive solution to the synoptic problem, had won the day. An unassailable dogma in Germany, on the front lines in Louvain, well positioned in England and the United States, it had little to fear from the last spasms of its opponents, and could view them as the final stand of the rearguard. But times have changed. Aged Griesbach turns in his grave, refusing to stay defeated. After two centuries he has returned to the field in the persons of Dom Butler of England and, especially, of W. R. Farmer of the United States, who has succeeded in mustering a force of young and dynamic researchers. Even in Germany the enemy has gained a foothold. Already in 1971 A. Fuchs saw that a large number of the Matthew/Luke agreements against Mark could not be explained in terms of the Two-Source theory. More recently, H. H. Stoldt has affirmed his preference for the Griesbach theory.
The Use of Tradition in John 12. 44–50
Authors: Borgen Peder
Published: February 2009

The point of departure for this study is the hypothesis that the Johannine discourses are composed from oral (and written) traditions. Accordingly, they do not presuppose one or more comprehensive written sources which run throughout the Gospel. The general problem to be analysed can be formulated in this way: How was a unit of tradition used? There is a wide range of possibilities, from a verbatim and complete quotation to the use of small fragments, even just one word. In this paper we shall attempt to distinguish between a ‘quote’, where a self-contained unit of tradition is repeated, and a paraphrastic use, where small fragments, a phrase or a word, are paraphrased into new sentences.
Zur Ethik Der neutestamentlichen Haustafeln
Authors: Schrage Wolfgang
Published: February 2009

Die Hausoder Pflichttafeln des Neuen Testaments erhalten heute in der kritischen Exegese üblicherweise schlechte theologische Zensuren. Wo mansich über die historischen und religionsgeschichtlichen Fragen hinaus theologisch mit ihnen auseinandersetzt, ist ‘Verbürgerlichung’ noch eines der harm-losesten Urteile, das über sie gefällt wird. Schon K. Weidinger urteilte, man müsse gegenüber dem ‘heißen Atem der ersten Epoche’ des Urchristentums von einem ‘Rückschritt’ sprechen, denn die Haustafeln seien moralisch und arbeiteten mit ‘schwachen, gelaüufigen Motiven’. S. Schulz findet in ihnen eine verhängnisvolle ‘frühkatholische Weltanpassung’, die ‘die herrschende Ordnung als gottgewollte Schöpfungsordnung religiös paraphrasierte und christlich überhöhte’ hier werde ‘widerspruchslose Einfügung in die bestehende Welt der sozialen Instanzen verlangt’ und ‘die damaligen sozialen Verhältnisse nicht nur für zeitlos gültig deklariert, sondern auf den Willen des Schöpfergottes zurückgeführt’. Daß solche und ähnliche Urteile von pamphlethafter Literatur begierig aufgegriffen und zugespitzt werden, versteht sich von selbst, und so heißt es denn in einer dieser Attacken, das ‘Klima der Menschenverachtung’, das das gesamte Neue Testament durchziehe, manifestiere sich vor allem in den Haustafeln, die das Urchristentum als ‘Agentur einer repressiven Gesellschaft’ überführen und ‘vor-gegebene Machtestablishments…mit göttlicher Glorie’ umhüllen sollen.
L'Importance des Médiations dans Le Projet Théologique de Luc
Authors: Bovon François
Published: February 2009

Pour situer théologiquement le problème qui va nous occuper ici, je débuterai par une incursion dans le domaine de l'histoire ecclésiastique. Parmi les nombreux points de divergence qui opposèrent au XVIe siècle Kaspar von Schwenkfeld aux luthériens, l'un d'eux touchait à la manière dont Dieu intervient. Schwenkfeld prétendait que 1'Écriture Sainte ne sait rien des moyens (en allemandMittel) et parle uniquement du Christ et de sa grâace qu'il distribue librement en Esprit. Les luthériens ripostèrent dans le deuxième épitome de laFormule de Concorde(1580): ‘Reiicimus etiam damnamusque Enthusiastarum errorem, qui fingunt Deum immediate [en allemand,ohne Mittel], absque verbi Dei auditu et sine sacramentorum usu, homines ad se trahere, illuminare, iustificare et salvare.’
Synoptic Parousia Parables and the Apocalypse
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: February 2009

In the continuing discussion of the possible role of Christian prophets in the formation of the tradition of the words of Jesus, reference continues to be made to the relevance or irrelevance of the words of the exalted Christ transmitted by the prophet John in the Apocalypse. They remain the only un-disputed example from the first century of prophetic utterances made in the name of Christ in the first person, and for advocates of the creative activity of the Christian prophets they are therefore invaluable evidence that such utterances could be made. Their use as evidence for the role of prophecy in the formation of the Synoptic tradition involves, admittedly, additional assumptions not easily demonstrable. We must suppose that John's prophecy is typical of the content of early Christian prophecy in general, and also that this late first-century work is faithfully representative of the earlier prophets whom alone we can suppose to have been responsible for originating logia which actually entered the Synoptic tradition. The uniqueness of John's prophetic status vis-à-vis that of the church prophets has been cogently argued by D. Hill, and it seems that at least we cannot infer otherwise un-attested characteristics of early Christian prophecy in general from the contents of the Apocalypse alone. In any case the Apocalypse is surely untypical in being a lengthy and closely integrated literary composition, with its own distinctive stylistic traits. Partly for this reason the words of Christ reported in it are for the most part quite unsuitable for transference to the lips of the Jesus of the Synoptic tradition, at least without substantial adaptation.
A Neglected Feature of the Christology of the Fourth Gospel
Authors: Mastin B. A.
Published: February 2009

Because the term θεóς is used so infrequently of Jesus in the New Testament, it is not surprising to find that there are relatively few discussions of it as a christological title. However, it may be of value to investigate the way in which the Fourth Gospel speaks of Jesus as ‘God’ since its usage differs somewhat from that of the rest of the New Testament. First, the extent to which the New Testament describes Jesus as God will be surveyed, and this will be contrasted in general terms with the approach of the Fourth Evangelist. Then the passages in the Fourth Gospel which may call Jesus ‘God’ will be examined in more detail, and an attempt will be made to establish the way in which this designation is used by the evangelist. Next it will be asked how the distinctive usage of the Fourth Gospel came to be adopted. Finally the view that the word θεóς expresses a functional christology will be considered.
Re-Enter the Apocalyptic Son of Man
Authors: Lindars Barnabas
Published: February 2009

In 1972 Ragnar Leivestad published an article under the title ‘Exit the Apocalyptic Son of Man’. Since then we must assume that the Son of Man has been off stage for a while. Leivestad himself evidently hoped that he had been banished from the boards altogether. He has indeed received encouragement in this hope from the work of Geza Vermes, who has reached rather similar conclusions. There has been a growing feeling among scholars that the perennial debate about the Son of Man can never be brought to a convincing conclusion, because it has been conducted all along on false pre-suppositions. It was assumed that ‘the Son of Man’ was current in the Judaism of New Testament times as the title of a distinct figure of apocalyptic expectation, who should be the victor in the coming eschatological struggle and glorified as the head of the messianic kingdom.
The Didache's Quotations and the Synoptic Gospels
Authors: Glover Richard
Published: February 2009

Ever since its publication by Bryennios in 1883 the Didache has been welcomed as a witness to our gospels. ‘We are surprised at the amount of testimony…. that it bears to the Canon’, wrote Bishop Lightfoot in 1885. Forty years later B. H. Streeter hesitated to claim it as a witness to Luke, but insisted that its author seemed ‘not only to have read Matthew, but also, like Ignatius, to refer to it under the title of “The Gospel”’. More positively still in 1957 Philip Carrington described it as ‘an appendix to Matthew, to which [its] readers…are explicitly referred no less than four times’.
The Form Critical Study of Paul's Letters. I Thessalonians as a Case Study
Authors: Boers Hendrikus
Published: February 2009

The current profusion of form critical studies of the Pauline letter received its impetus from the work of Paul Schubert on the thanksgiving section.1 Suggestions were made earlier, especially by Martin Dibelius,2 but they remained largely unheeded. Also Schubert's work did not receive an immediate response, but now work is fully under way.3
A Comparison of the Parables of The Gospel According to Thomas and of the Synoptinc Gospels
Authors: Montefiore Hugh
Published: February 2009

However interesting ‘The Gospel According to Thomas’1may be to students of the primitive Church, it seems at first sight highly improbable that this strange farrago of sayings will make any contribution to our knowledge of Jesus' teaching. And yet to the New Testament scholar the Gospel according to Thomas is perhaps the most interesting of all the manuscripts found near Nag Hammadi in 1945, inasmuch as some of its contents have affinities with the sayings and parables of Jesus which are found in the canonical gospels. A comparison of the parables and similitudes found in Thomas with parallel material in the synoptic gospels2raises fascinating and fundamental problems of higher criticism.
Tradition et rédaction Dans I Th. V. 1–10
Authors: Rigaux B.
Published: February 2009

Les ‘addresses’ présidentielles de mes honorables prédépré cesseurs ont imposé à ce genre littéraire un certain esprit auquel je voudrais rester fidéle. Elles n'ont pas la pr'tention de présenter un programme ou d'imposer une méethode. Elles usent largement de la liberté de choix touchant les matiéres traitées. Elles évitent d'aborder des sujets trop techniquement spécialisés sans se diluer en considérations générales. Parfois elles n'hésitent pas ` déboucher sur des conclusions touchant de larges ensembles. Elles sont en tout cas des points d'aboutissement d'etudes antérieures autant que des ouvertures sur de nouveaux horizons. M'inspirant, selon mes moyens, de cette tradition déjà longue, je voudrais revenir vers cette église de Thessalonique, une des premiéres communautés européennes évangélisée par l' Apôtre, qui a occupé plusieurs années de ma pensée et ne l'a jamais quittée totalement. Tout en abordant une péricope bien délimitée, je compte marquer la distance qui sépare une exégése vieille de vingt ans des perspectives actuelles.
Diversity and Development in John
Authors: Smalley Stephen S.
Published: February 2009

A major impetus for investigating Christian origins from the viewpoint of unity and diversity has been provided recently by the publication of a second edition of Walter Bauer's monograph,Rechtgläubigkeit und Ketzerei im ältesten Christentum. When this book first appeared, in 1934, its importance was hardly recognized. But this second edition coincides with a growing awareness of the significance of Bauer's thesis, especially in the light of the Nag Hammadi discoveries, and also with a fast-developing literature on the whole subject of the relation between orthodoxy and heresy in the early church.
The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen: A Test of Synoptic Relationships
Authors: Robinson J. A. T.
Published: February 2009

The unfreezing of the Synoptic problem in recent years, for which we must be particularly grateful to Professor W. R. Farmer's survey, has been a healthy, if painful, experience. It is far too early yet to predict what new patterns, or modifications to previous patterns, will establish themselves. It is a time for rigorous testing out of suggestions that have disturbed, if not shaken, the critical consensus. What follows is but a small sample dip into the mass of material that needs to be looked at afresh. The passage selected – what is commonly known as the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen – merits attention for several reasons. It is as securely grounded in the tradition of Jesus's life and teaching as any other. It is among those listed by Farmer where the verbal agreement between the three Synoptists is so greatas to make some theory of literary interrelationship inescapable. It has the advantage now of a ‘fourth dimension’ in a close but in all probability independent parallel in the Gospel of Thomas. Yet, rather surprisingly, it is not discussed by Farmer either in his new ‘redaction ofthe Synoptic tradition in Mark’, though he analyses at length the incidents on either side of it, or in his survey of the parables as important historical evidence for the manhood of Jesus. So, despite the many previous treatments it has received, it may be justifiable to look at it once again for what light it may shed on the elusive solution to the oldest problem confronting Gospel critics.
Existentiale Interpretation der Paulinischen ‘Gerechtigkeit Gottes’
Authors: Hübner Hans
Published: February 2009

Was δικαιοσύνη θεο⋯ bei Paulus besagt, ist immer noch umstritten. Bis in die jüngste Zeit hinein blieb dieser Begriff kontrovers. Aus der Fülle der Veröffentlichungen über diese Thematik sei nur auf die Monographien von Peter Stuhlmacher, Karl Kertelge, J. A. Ziesler und Elke Plutta-Messerschmidt hingewiesen. Doch sollen uns diese neueren Publikationen höchstens am Rande beschäftigen. Im Mittelpunkt unserer Überlegungen steht vielmehr der soeben erschienene Römerbriefkommentar Ernst Käsemanns. In ihm ist zusammengefaßt, was dieser Schüler Bultmanns im Laufe der letzten Jahrzehnte über Paulus und speziell über die δ.θ. gesagt hat. Es ist bekannt, daß Bultmann und Käsemanns in diesem Punkte differieren. Daß es aber gerade zwei der angesehensten und profiliertesten Neutestamentler sind, die eine Kontroverse über einen so zentralen Begriff der biblischen Verkündigung führen, macht wieder einmal deutlich, wie sehr Theologie immer wieder von neuem ihre Mitte bedenken muß; macht deutlich, wie wenig Theologie ein vorhandenes Etwas ist, das man sich als völlig Begriffenes in einem Akte aneignen kann. Theologie ist ja niemals statischer Besitz, Theologie ist immer wieder je neuer Vollzug, je neues Engagement, je neues Wagnis, je neues Sich-selbst-in-Frage-stellen. Deshalb lohnt sich der wissenschaftliche Streit um ihr Zentrum. Gerade hier sollte das Wort von Albert Einstein gelten: ‘Richtig streiten kann man nur mit seinen Brüdern und nahen Freunden; die andern sind einem zu fremd.’ Der notwendige theologische Streit um die δ.θ. verbindet allein schon dadurch, daß der Theologe als Theologe nur dann von ihr verantwortlich sprechen kann, wenn er es im Bewußtsein darum tut, ihr seine Existenz zu verdanken.
Le récit lucanien de l'agonie de Gethsémani (Lc xxii. 39–46)
Authors: Feuillet A.
Published: February 2009

Ces temps derniers, sans parler des commentaires généraux des Évangiles, de nombreuses recherches ont été consacrées aux récits synoptiques de l'agonie de Gethsémani. Mentionnons notamment celles de G. Kuhn, Th. Lescow, E. Linnemann, R. S. Barbour, W. H. Kelber, W. Mohn.

Deux ouvrages considérables dûs respectivement á M. Galizzi et á J. Warren Holleran ont été rédigés sur ce même sujet. Tous les deux étudient séparément les trois récits de Marc, Matthieu et Luc et s'efforcent de mettre en évidence ce qui caractérise chacun d'entre eux. L'un et l'autre sont admirablement informés. Celui de J. Warren Holleran est plus analytique, celui de M. Galizzi plus synthétique et, semble-t-il, plus personnel.
Neutestamentliche Haustafeln und Antike Ökonomie
Authors: Lührmann Dieter
Published: February 2009

Die Interpretation der neutestamentlichen Haustafeln ist bis heute bestimmt durch die von Martin Dibelius begründete und von seinem Schüler Karl Weidinger ausgeführte These, die Haustafeln seien in der Tradition der Pflichtentafeln vor allem der stoischen Philosophie zu interpretieren. Der klassische Text, der seither in kaum einer Äußerung zum Thema fehlt, ist Epiktet, diss. 17, 31: ‘Ich will als Frommer und als Philosoph und als umsichtiger Mensch wissen, was meine Pflicht gegenüber den Göttern ist, was gegenüber den Eltern, was gegenüber den Brüdern, was gegenüber dem Vaterland, was gegenüber Fremden.’ Wichtig ist hier auch das von K. Praechter aus verschiedenen Stobaios-Exzerpten rekonstruierte Werk des Stoikers Hierokies – spätere Textfunde haben Praechters Rekonstruktion glänzend bestätigt. Die Aufnahme solchen traditionellen ethischen Guts geschah nach Dibelius unter Vermittlung durch das hellenistische Judentum, was er und Weidinger mit Josephus, Philo und PsPhokylides belegen.
A Straussian Question to ‘New Testament Theology’
Authors: Morgan Robert C.
Published: February 2009

David Friedrich Strauss died on 8 February 1874. HisLeben Jesuof 1835 was said by Albert Schweitzer to be ‘no mere destroyer of untenable solutions, but also the prophet of a coming advance in knowledge’, namely eschatology. The claims that it ‘has a different significance for modern theology from that which it had for his contemporaries’ and that it ‘marked out the ground which is now occupied by modern critical study’ appear even more true in the light of subsequent history of religions and form-critical research than Schweitzer himself realized. But as well as marking an epoch in the historical critical study of the New Testament, this book, and with it the fate of its author, remains a symbol of something else: the tension between historical research and the formation of a systematic or doctrinal theological position. Ecclesiastical authorities have in the meantime learned to live with theological pluralism and become more tolerant, but the problem itself has not disappeared. The investigation and development of Strauss' generally unappreciated contribution is perhaps an appropriate centenary celebration.
Justified by Faith; judged by Works – an Antinomy?
Authors: Watson Nigel M.
Published: February 2009

Over the centuries the doctrine of justification by faith, itself first forged in controversy, has given rise to many controversies. One of these has to do with the coexistence in Paul's letters of the two themes: justified by faith, judged by works. Throughout Galatians and Romans Paul maintains that we are justified by faith, yet in these same letters, and indeed in all the major letters commonly acknowledged as Pauline, he affirms that we will be judged by our works.
Der Römerbrief Als Friedensmemorandum
Authors: Haacker Klaus
Published: February 2009

Zu den Vorarbeiten für einen Kommentar zum Römerbrief gehört der Versuch, über den Zweck und den Gesamtcharakter dieses Apostelschreibens Klarheit zu gewinnen. Darum gibt es von Ulrich Wilckens einen ‘Aufsatz Über Abfassungszweck und Aufbau des Römerbriefs’, vier Jahre vor dem ersten Band seines Kommentars erschienen,2 und von Peter Stuhlmacher einen Vortrag ‘Der Abfassungszweck des Römerbriefs’,3 erwachsen aus der Vorarbeit für seinen Römerbrief-Kommentar im ‘Neuen Testament Deutsch’, mit dessen Erscheinen bald zu rechnen ist. Einen ähnlichen Stellenwert und Sinn hat für mich das folgende Referat im Blick auf die Kommentierung des Römerbriefs im Theologischen Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament, die mir übertragen worden ist. Dabei freue ich mich besonders, diesen Vortrag in eben dem kirchlich-gesellschaftlichen Raum halten zu können, in dem auch der Kommentar in erster Linie seinen Beitrag zum Verständnis und zur Wirkung des Neuen Testaments leisten soil. Daraus könnte eine Diskussion erwachsen, die meine Arbeit an der Auslegung des Briefes durch neue Gesichtspunkte anregt und vorantreibt.
Luke 9.7–62 and the Prophetic Role of Jesus
Authors: Ravens D. A. S.
Published: February 2009

Chapter 9 is the pivot of Luke's gospel containing, as it does, the transfiguration as well as marking the transition from the Galilee ministry to the journey to Jerusalem. Not only is it rich in incident, it is also rich in the range of titles given to Jesus. It includes the first recognition, outside the infancy narrative, of Jesus' messianic role (9. 20), the first passion prediction of the Son of Man (9. 22) as well as the first mention of the future Son of Man (9. 26). Furthermore, the chapter contains two titles peculiar to Luke, Master (έπιστάτες, 9. 33, 49) and Chosen One (έκλελγμένος, 9. 35). Luke presents this wealth of christological material in answer to the question posed by Herod, ‘Who is this about whom I hear such things?’ (9. 9). The complexity of the christology in Luke 9 stems not only from the variety of the explicit titles but also from Luke's direct mention of, or allusions to, OT prophets who are used as antetypes for the prophetic role of Jesus. The prophetic ideas in the Lucan writings have been set out by Tiede but the importance of the prophetic element in Luke 9 seems to have been somewhat overlooked in the more detailed studies of this chapter. Ellis, in his essay on the sources of the christology of Luke 9, has noted the Moses typology and possible allusions to Isaiah's servant, although it is doubtful whether the use of κλελεγμέ in 9. 35 (cf κλεκτόζ, Isa 42. 1) and the prediction of Jesus' suffering and rejection are sufficient to make the presence of the servant idea here more than speculative.
Johannine Christianity: Some Reflections on its Character and Delineation
Authors: Smith D. Moody
Published: February 2009

The ever-increasing volume of scholarly publications dealing with Johannine problems encourages the hope that a solution of what Harnack called the Johannine riddle is at last in sight. Yet a survey of the literature may leave the impression that scholars, like so many proverbial horsemen, are riding off in different directions through a trackless morass. Such an impression is not entirely accurate, however, for significant patterns and points of coincidence areemerging from what at first appears to be a complex and rather confused picture. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to point to several well-trodden pathways through the wildernessof Johannine problems which others have hewn out, and by clarification, summary and assessmentof some of the more important evidences bearing upon Johannine origins to suggest why these paths are well chosen and where they may be leading us.
Apostleship since Rengstorf: Towards a Synthesis
Authors: Kirk J. Andrew
Published: February 2009

The appearance of another article on this fascinating and yet controversial subject needs some justification. After all, has not everything already been said? Since the publication of Rengstorf's famous study in Kittel have not the lines been drawn, the varying positions taken up and the evidence minutely sifted for every clue which might help us unravel a complicated New Testament crux interpretum? Is there really anything new to be said?
Strategien konformer Ethic im Neuen Testament am Beispiel von Röm. 13. 1–7
Authors: Heiligenthal Roman
Published: February 2009

Soll im Rahmen einer ‘Politischen Theologie’ nach deren neutestamentlichen Grundlagen gefragt werden, dann ist implizit immer auch nach dem Stellenwert der paulinischen Mahnung zur Unterordnung unter die übergeordneten Gewalten in Röm 13. 1–7 gefragt. Die Relevanz gerade dieses Textes ist vornehmlich auch durch seine ausgeprägte Wirkungsgeschichte mitverursacht. Die Definition der Relation von Gott und weltlicher Obrigkeit mit Hilfe einer Verbindung profaner und theologischer Topoi läßt den Text in der Kirchengeschichte zu einem ‘locus classicus’ der Auseinandersetzung von Staat und Kirche werden. Die differente Rezeption der Textaussagen umreißt den Problemhorizont jeder heutigen Auslegung: Im Sinne der klassischen katholischen Exegese kann der Text als ein Stück natürlicher Theologie interpretiert werden. Aus den die Mahnung zur Unterordnung begriindenden Versen lb–3a kann demzufolge eine Staatslehre mit metaphysischem Gehalt deduziert werden. Diese Auslegungstradition setzt sich als Nebenlinie in dem Interesse konservativ-lutherischer Theologie an einer biblischen Legitimation für die Rekonstituierung der augustinischen Trennung des ‘regnum civile’ von dem ‘regnum Christi’ fort. Beide Interpretationsmodelle werden auch in der heutigen exegetischen Forschung vertreten.
Psalm 42/43 in John's Gospel
Authors: Freed Edwin D.
Published: February 2009

In a learned and thoughtful article with the same title in this journal, Professor Johannes Beutler1makes the points concerning John's use of Psalm 42/43 which are outlined below. Let me express my appreciation for Professor Beutler's work by presenting several alternatives.
The Son of Man in the First Gospel
Authors: Pamment Margaret
Published: February 2009

Perhaps it is foolhardy at present to attempt to understand what the first evangelist means when he uses the term Ό υίòς το άνωρώπου. Scholars are divided about the significance of the term both in Jewish eschatological speculation and as an Aramaic idiom. They are divided over the contribution of Jesus and of the early church to the Son of man sayings in the synoptics. Did Jesus preach about a future Son of man who would play a role in the eschatological drama and the church identify Jesus with that figure? Did Jesus use an Aramaic idiom which was misunderstood by a church interpreting their experience of the resurrection in the light of Daniel 7? Is ‘the Son of man’ a title, and is it a Christological title or a symbol for the saints? It is not surprising that articles are appearing with titles like: Can the Son of man problem be solved?
Synoptic Parousia Parables Again
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: February 2009

In a previous article, ‘Synoptic Parousia Parables and the Apocalypse’, I discussed certain features of the tradition-history of three parousia parables: the Thief (Matt. 24. 43 f. par. Luke 12. 39 f.; Gosp. Thomas 21 b, 103), the Watching Servants (Luke 12. 35–38; cf. Matt. 24. 42; Mark 13. 33–37;Gosp. Thomas 21 b, 103), and the Servant in Authority (Matt. 24. 45–51 par. Luke 12. 42–48). In the cases of the Thief and the Watching Servants, there is remarkably good evidence outside the Gospels for the popularity of these parables in the early church (1 Thess. 5. 2; 2 Pet. 3. 10; Rev. 3. 3, 20; 16. 15; Did. 16. 1), and on the basis of this evidence, as well as the Gospels, I suggested that the forms in which these parables and allusions to them occur can best be explained by a process of ‘deparabolization’, in which the narrative form of a parable is partly or wholly replaced by more direct application of the imagery of the parable to the hearers or readers, as metaphor or simile. Both because of their extensive use in early Christian paraenesis and because of their amenable subject-matter, the parables of 130 the Thief and, especially, the Watching Servants were subject to considerable deparabolization.
The Reason for the Cock-Crowings
Authors: Derrett J. Duncan M.
Published: February 2009

In NTS 25/4 (1979), pp. 523–525 John W. Wenham attempts to unravel the formerly obscure variants in Mark 14. 30, 68 and 72. With the use of common sense, and a detective skill with the traces of alternative readings, he finds that the shorter readings are right. At verse 30 one should understand ‘before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me thrice’; at verse 68 no reference to the cock should appear; and at verse 72 we read ‘and the cock crew’ and ‘before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me thrice’. This is, after all, what St John says.
The Post-Resurrection Appearnces in the Light of Festival Pilgrimages
Authors: Moule C. F. D.
Published: February 2009

The purpose of this note is to suggest that a consideration too often forgotten in discussions of the post-resurrection appearances is that of the normal movements of pilgrims to and from the Jerusalem festivals. It is sometimes assumed that the tradition of the disciples' return to Galilee. requires explanation, either in terms of their cowardice (a suggestion justly dismissed as a mere legend of the critics) or in the light of a dominical command. Or again, if the tradition of a journey to Galilee (however explained) is accepted as substantially right, then, by the same token, some special explanation is sought for the Lucan description of the corporate life of the Church as begining in Jerusalem.
The Present Position of New Testament Theology: Retrospect and Prospect
Authors: Wood H. G.
Published: February 2009

New Testament theology is admittedly the most important and the most difficult of New Testament studies. All our other disciplines—textual criticism, the study of the grammar, idiom and vocabulary of Hellenistic Greek, the examination of the literary and historical problems which the literature of the New Testament presents—all derive their interest from their bearing on New Testament theology.
Révélation Des Mystères Et Perfection A Qumran Et Dans Le Nouveau Testament
Authors: Rigaux B.
Published: February 2009

Les problèmes de la gnose et de la connaissance dans le christianisme naissant restent fort obscurs. Les écrits de Qumrân ont paru y apporter quelque éclaircissement.1Toute lumiére, si ténue soit-elle, projetée sur ce domaine capital, semble bienvenue. Ces pages voudraient y contribuer sur un point précis et établir une comparaison entre Qumrân, les écrits pauliniens et l'épître aux Hébreux.
Zum Problem ‘Johannes und die Synoptiker’
Authors: Mendner S.
Published: February 2009

Im Mittelpunkt christlicher Verkündigung steht die ‘frohe Botschaft’ als ein unteilbares Ganzes. Dieser Feststellung widerspricht nicht die Tatsache, daß das Evangelium selbst in vierfacher Gestalt kanonisiert wurde. Mag es sich um kirchlicherseits anerkannte Schriften oder um die sogenannten Apokryphen handeln, sie alle entstammten der gleichen Wurzel und dienten dem gleichen gleichen Ziele. Die Foige war, daß die Gestalt des Meisters von alien Seiten angestrahit und verherrlicht wurde. Damit wuchs ihre Majestät ins Unermeßliche und drohte das einheitliche Bild und den geschichtlichen Urgrund zu verlieren. Besinnung auf das Echte und Wesentliche tat not, besonders als die ersten Angriffe von außen gegen die neue Religion einsetzten. So entstand die Apologetik, die dem Wesen christlicher Lehre fernliegt. Viele Fronten der Abwehr taten sich auf. Einer wurde der Auftrag zuteil, das eigenwillige und mit der Hauptüberlieferung wenig verträgiiche Johannesevangelium um seiner Wunder und seines inneren Gehaites willen in Obhut zu nehrnen und gegen die Umwelt zu verteidigen. Also ‘haben die aitchristlichen Schriftsteller die These aufgesteilt, daß der vierte Evangelist die Synoptiker sowohl nach der stofflichen ais auch der theologischen Seite habe erganzen wollen…. Ihre Krönung haben diese Bemühungen in der Schrift des hl. Augustinus “Dc consensu evangelistarum” gefunden, die im ganzen Mitteiaiter eine starke Wirkung ausgeübt hat.’1
Eine umfassende Genealogie der neutestamentlichen Überlieferung
Authors: Mink Gerd
Published: February 2009

Im allgemeinen wird eine genealogische Gesamtdarstellung der neutestamentlichen Überlieferung (natürlich jeweils für eine Schrift oder Schriftengruppe) wegen ihrer hochgradigen Kontamination und der groβen Anzahl der Zeugen für unmöglich gehalten. Ich möchte hier einige Überlegungen anstellen, in welchem Sinne und unter welchen Bedingungen eine Genealogie und eine entsprechende stemmatische Darstellung möglich ist. Dazu kann ich hier nur in Grundzügen und in vereinfachter Form eine neue Methode vorstellen.
On the Historicity of Acts: Comparing Acts 9.23–5 with 2 Corinthians 11.32–3
Authors: Harding Mark
Published: February 2009

The death of Colin Hemer in 1987 has deprived the fellowship of New Testament scholars of one who, like his late mentor F. F. Bruce, was able to bring to bear on the study of the text of the New Testament the insights and discipline of one trained in the Classics. Hemer's posthumously publishedThe Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic Historyis an attempt on a large scale to argue the case for the historicity of Acts with respect to attention to matters of detail, and, as a consequence, the trustworthiness of its author. Luke the historian, contends Hemer, deserves to be judged according to the historiographical conventions of his day, the conventions of a venerable historiographical heritage whose great exemplar in the Hellenistic era was Polybius. Hemer's bringing of a vast collection of epigraphical and archaeological evidence to bear on the question of Lukan historicity should shake the presuppositions and conclusions of the sceptical and help NT scholars to appreciate both Lukan accuracy and Acts' ‘topicality’.
Paulus und die urchristliche Jesustradition
Authors: Walter Nikolaus
Published: February 2009

In der Arbeit der Seminargruppe 8 soll nach ‘Paulus und Jesus’ unter dem besonderen Aspekt von ‘Grundproblemen der Beziehungen Pauli zur Jesus-tradition’ gefragt werden.1 Gibt es zu diesem so viel diskutierten Thema noch neue Aspekte, die eine erneute Diskussion lohnen? Vor allem: Was macht das Thema erneut so aktuell, daß sich eine Arbeitsgruppe unserer SNTS gerade ihm widmen will?
Die Hochzeit Zu Kana Und Dionysos
Authors: Linnemann Eta
Published: February 2009

Die Frage nach dem religionsgeschichtlichen Hintergrund der Perikope von der Hochzeit zu Kana ist noch immer nicht zufriedenstellend beantwortet.
The Quest for the Johannine School: The Apocalypse and the Fourth Gospel
Authors: Fiorenza Elisabeth Schussler
Published: February 2009

The subject presents one of those questions in New Testament criticism in which mental bent, apart from the bias of prejudgment, is chiefly influential in deter-mining the conclusions reached.

This statement with which I. T. Beckwith introduced in 1919 his discussion of the authorship of the Apocalypse (Apoc) still proves to be true today. It can be equally applied to the question whether the Apoc should be assigned to the same school or circle that was responsible for the Fourth Gospel (4G) and the Johannine Epistles. The judgement moreover also pertains to the historical and theological interpretation of either the Apoc or the 4G. Mental bent and systematic presuppositions determine the various reconstructions of the history of the Johannine community as well as the theological interpretations of its literary works.
Paul, James and the Apostolic Decree
Authors: Catchpole David R.
Published: February 2009

The problem of the original setting of the Apostolic decree (Acts xv. 20, 29, xxi. 25) is still with us, in spite of the epoch-making and powerfully influential work of M. Dibelius and E. Haenchen on Acts xv as a whole. After analysing that chapter in detail, Dibelius concluded that the Decree stemmed from pre-Lukan documentary tradition but denied that the events described by Paul in Gal. ii. 1–10 could be the setting for the creation of the tradition Haenchen went still further, endorsing Dibelius' reservations about source criticism and veering decisively towards the view that Luke himself, dependent no doubt upon a contemporary and non-literary tradition, was responsible for the material He too disputed any connection with Gal. ii. 1–10 and followed C. von Weizsäcker in tracing the Decree to an attempt to cement together Jewish/Gentile Christian relations, certainly later in time than the controversy in Antioch described in Gal. ii. 11–14. The history of research into this problem during the last few decades has shown a quite remarkable degree of unanimity in accepting two basic conclusions: (I) Lukan theology is quite sufficient to explain the presence of the Decree in the Acts narrative of the so-called Apostolic Council, i.e. Luke's view that Gentile converts participate in that true Judaism set out by Moses and fulfilled in Jesus, provided they respect the law. (2) The Decree is the product of a process of conciliation. While scholars disagree as to whether Jerusalem was involved in the process, it is widely agreed that the conciliation was in time later, not earlier, than the clash in Antioch.
Observance of the Law and Charismatic Activity in Matthew
Authors: Schweizer Eduard
Published: February 2009

The topic of my paper is particularly suitable for a Presidential Address to our Society, because so many of you have contributed, in no inconsiderable way, to the elucidation of its problems. What I shall try to do is simply to bring together some of the results of your work and then to build upon them. We have, in our common research, reached a point where it makes sense to look back on what we have discovered and to put up some signposts to mark our future course. When I say so, it is not merely an act of politeness; it is rather the expression of my appreciation of so many contributions from you without which my understanding of the first Gospel would not have been possible.
Gethsemane in The Tradition of The Passion
Authors: Barbour R. S.
Published: February 2009

The agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (as we usually describe it in English, in typically eclectic fashion, for the agony comes from Luke, the garden from John, and Gethsemane from Mark and Matthew) holds an important place within the Passion narrative. But what is that place? There are strong grounds for holding that the original Passion narrative which lies behind the Marcan and Matthean records began with the arrest of Jesus; the same is probably true of Luke, and very possibly of the Fourth Gospel also. The Gethsemane scene stands outside, or on the fringe of, such primitive Passion narratives, and in certain respects does not accord well with them; it may well be, as Bultmann,2 Kuhn3 and others have supposed, that it was adopted into the Passion narrative at a fairly late stage and inserted between the story of the Last Supper (itself not an integral part of the primitive Passion narrative) and the arrest, If this be so, we must ask to what extent, and in what way, the introduction of the Gethsemane scene into the Passion story and the handling of it within that context reflect the theologies of the evangelists of their immediate predecessors.
Two Texts In I Corinthians
Authors: Albright W. F. , Mann C. S.
Published: February 2009

This article is concerned to demonstrate the possibility that two texts in I Corinthians (xii. 3 and xvi. 22) were at a very early date misunderstood by a copyist unfamiliar with a formula which St Paul was using, and which he changed, perhaps unconsciously and certainly without tendentiousness, to the nearest lettering which would be known to him.
Two Ways of Gathering the Plot to Kill Jesus in John 11.47–53
Authors: Beutler Johannes
Published: February 2009

The Johannine text about the decision of the High Priests and the Pharisees to have Jesus killed has so far attracted mainly historical and text-historical interest. Authors enquire about the relation of the text to its synoptic parallels – as Mark 14.1–2 par. – or about some pre-Johannine source lying behind our textual unit. The gathering of the High Priests and Pharisees, their reasoning, and the answer of Caiaphas are mainly attributed to pre-Johannine material, the reflection of the evangelist at the end to John himself or even a post-Johannine hand. The reason for this kind of literary criticism can be found in the idea of a death of Jesus for the ‘scattered children of God’ which seems to be alien to the earlier synoptic or synoptic-like material. The limitation to investigations of this kind leads to the inconvenience that the ‘making’ of the Johannine text as such does not come into focus. It seems to me that the final text merits our first attention, prior to any source or tradition theories. So I shall begin my short paper with a synchronic investigation into our text, followed by a diachronic approach.
Law in the New Testament: The Parable of the Unjust Judge
Authors: Derrett J. Duncan M.
Published: February 2009

The parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke xviii. 1–8) is invariably explained in one way, namely that the tale of the unscrupulous judge, who gives way out of weariness to the poor widow's plea, shows, by contrast, how much more readily God will hear the prayers of his elect! There are some minor differences of opinion as to the exact point of the parable, what it has to do with prayer in general, and to what degree it was originally bound up with any eschatological expectations. Assuming that eschatology was, from the first, an ingredient, and not an embellishment by the early church, there is a difference of opinion as to what was really meant by έν τάΧει. If it was the church's gloss upon a simile of Jesus, it is still of great interest to try to recover exactly what was meant. There is some doubt what is meant by πíστιν, and even (though it is difficult to see why) whether it could go back to Jesus. It was remarked long ago that the words ύπωπιάzcy;ημε have as many translations as there are versions. But on the whole it is felt that the kernal of the story is so clear and obvious that a lack of sharpness in the details is not a serious loss.
The Son of Man Saying in Stephen's Witnessing: Acts 6.8–8.2
Authors: Doble P.
Published: February 2009

Of all the special-L Son of Man logia, that in the Stephen-unit (Acts 6. 8–8. 2) is the most important for an understanding of Luke's work. The whole account is properly a unity, and the legion's meaning emerges from the meaning of the whole. For reasons which are merely noted at this stage, some interesting features of the unit are ignored in this discussion. For example, in the following paragraphs there is no examination of Luke's sources for his speech. Whatever they once were, the sources have been worked over so thoroughly that they are now linguistically and conceptually indistinguishable from the rest of Lk-Acts. Similarly, whatever form of Christian theology underlay those sources is not now available for the reconstruction of a stage in Christian history. Some writers have detected links between Stephen and the Samaritans, the Qumran writings, the Letter to the Hebrews or the community for which John the Evangelist wrote. None of these is discussed here, because Luke made this unit his own, functioning in the way he intended, achieving his purposes for his age.
The Nature of Paul's Early Eschatology
Authors: Longenecker Richard N.
Published: February 2009

It is fairly common today to explain the development of New Testament thought along the lines of an early fixation on the future and progressive shifts brought about by the parousia's delay. On such a view, it was apocalyptic eschatology that dominated Paul's outlook in his early days, while soteriology, christology, ecclesiology and ethics came to assume importance only later. Few scholars, of course, lay out Paul's thought quite so explicitly as that. Yet it is something like that which has become fairly fixed in the minds of many.
Expressions of Double Meaning and their Function in the Gospel of John
Authors: Richard E.
Published: February 2009

Throughout the history of Johannine studies the fact has been noted repeatedly that John employs numerous ambiguous expressions or terms of double meaning. Nonetheless, this topic has attracted surprisingly little attention, while the function these expressions serve within the gospel has gone virtually unexplored. It will, therefore, be the goal of this study to present a brief list of important contributions to this area, then to explore a substantial number and variety of ‘expressions of double meaning’ in view of understanding their nature, structure, and function, and finally to dwell in summary fashion upon more general considerations: the nature and origin of these expressions, sources, and theology.
The Intention Of The Evangelist, Mark
Authors: Lemcio Eugene E.
Published: February 2009

The aim of this essay is to extend a course charted over twenty years ago by the Reverend Professor C. F. D. Moule. My debt to him extends even to the title, derived as it is from his ‘The Intention of the Evangelists’. But more substantially, it was his independent thesis and insightful method which provided the stimulus for this study. Against the developing consensus, especially among continental scholars in the 1950s, that the gospel was a creative theological work designed to support or correct the beliefs of Christians, i.e. for those who were advanced in the faith, Professor Moule argued that Mark's aim was apologetic and evangelistic, focused upon the outsider who needed to know the essentials of the story. Even if Mark intended his gospel for Christians, it was written for believers engaged in evangelism to remind them of the facts on which the superstructure of their faith stood or fell.