bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Present Age in the Eschatology of the Pastoral Epistles
Authors: Towner P. H.
Published: February 2009

Recent attempts to explain the theology of the Pastoral Epistles are generally agreed that the present age looms large in the thought of the author. But there is less concord regarding the significance of this leitmotif for the message of these letters as a whole, and none have shown in detail the factors which go into the formulation of this theme. As to the first matter, it is usually noted that the present age is the age of salvation. But can a partial understanding of how the author portrays this present age guarantee a clear picture of his full conception of the nature of salvation? For example, Dibelius and Conzelmann ostensibly suggest that the stress on the present age is a concomitant to the delay of the parousia, which more or less required the church to reconcile herself to a long stay in the world. At the same time, the epiphany schema, which plays a part in directing attention to the present age, leads them to what may be generally termed an ‘early catholic’ explanation of salvation which locates salvation almost wholly in the past Christ event: ‘… salvation in the future appears to be nothing but the shadow of this past epiphany’. But there is more to be considered than just the epiphany schema if the author's understanding of the present age and the salvation connected with it are to be perceived aright. Equally, the almost foregone conclusion in some quarters that the delay of the parousia led to a removal of any vivid expectancy of the event in the mind of our author requires a fresh and balanced reappraisal, especially in view of the potential role it could play within the theological structure of his thought. In short, the kind of approach and explanation of Dibelius and Conzelmann and others seems to centre on a conspicuously slender portion of the evidence, and is therefore rightfully challenged.
Das Leidensverstandnis Bei Paulus und Ignatius von Antiochien
Authors: Rebell Walter
Published: February 2009

Zur Theologie des Paulus ist nur dann ein Zugang zu gewinnen, wenn Paulus von seinem Leiden und der theologischen Bewältigung seines Leidens her verstanden wird. In einer Reihe von Peristasenkatalogen1und an vielen Einzelstellen2gibt Paulus Einblicke in seine Leidens-Existenz. Es herrscht in der Exegese Einigkeit darüber, daβ Paulus nicht übertreibt, sondern in der Tat ein von Leid- und Grenzerfahrungen gezeichneter Mann war.3Seine ‘Theologie der Schwachheit’ ist nicht ein Strang seines Denkens neben anderen, sondern unterliegt konstitutiv seinem ganzen theologischen Ansatz. Mit E. Güttgemanns können die ‘“Leiden des Apostels” … dasjenige Theologumenon genannt werden …, das uns das Wesen der paulinischen Theologie überhaupt aufdeckt.’4Wie Paulus ist auch Ignatius von Antiochien nur von seinem Leiden und der theologischen Wertung seines Leidens her zu verstehen. Seine sieben Briefe schrieb er als Gefangener auf dem Weg von Antiochien nach Rom, wo ihn der Märtyrertod erwartete. ‘Sein Denken und Sprechen … ist … so sehr durch die Situation des Märtyrers bestimmt, daβ es ohne deren Berücksichtigung kaum voll ver-standen werden kann.’5
The Central Structure of Johannine Christology
Authors: Loader W. R. G.
Published: February 2009

Where does the gospel of John fit into the picture of early Christianity? The present paper is an attempt to make a contribution towards the solution of this puzzle by focussing on the author's christology. It attempts a delineation of the central structure, then goes on to investigate its relationship with major clusters of Johannine christological tradition.
‘Letter’ and ‘Spirit’: the Foundation of Pauline Ethics
Authors: Westerholm Stephen
Published: February 2009

The letter-spirit antithesis occurs in only three verses in the Pauline corpus: in Rom. 2. 29 (but note also v. 27), 7. 6, and 2 Cor. 3. 6. Nonetheless, it has traditionally been assigned a significance out of all proportion to its meagre textual base. Nor is this tendency difficult to account for: in terms so concise and memorable that they have passed into common speech, the antithesis captures a principle of manifest importance. Furthermore, those terms are sufficiently ambiguous (especially when separated from their original context) to allow thinkers of widely different views1 to see in them an expression of favourite themes of their own, and thus to lend to the latter the sanction of St Paul. Naturally, this leaves the exegete with the thankless task of remarking, ‘Very interesting – but not exactly what the apostle had in mind!’
The Cults of Thessalonica and the Thessalonian Correspondence
Authors: Donfried Karl P.
Published: February 2009

Despite the relative brevity of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, there is little scholarly consensus today concerning their interpretation. Whether the issue is the integrity of 1 Thess 2. 13–16 or the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians, whether the problem involves the interpretation of the so-called ‘apology’ in 1 Thess 2. 1–12 or that ofτὸ κατέχονof 2 Thessalonians, whether the question deals with the eschatology of 1 Thess 4. 13–5. 11 or of 2 Thessalonians, or whether the query involves the form-critical analysis of either document, there is little agreement among contemporary New Testament scholars.
Aspects of Early Christian-Jewish Polemic and Apologetic
Authors: Stanton G. N.
Published: February 2009

Writing about 177 AD Celsus claimed that Christians and Jews quarrel with one another very foolishly. ‘Their wrangle with one another about Christ is no different from that called in the proverb a fight about the shadow of an ass.’ Celsus continues: ‘There is nothing worthy of attention in the dispute of Jews and Christians with one another.’
Apocalyptic Antinomies in Paul's Letter to the Galatians
Authors: Martyn J. Louis
Published: February 2009

At several junctures in the history of its interpretation Paul's letter to the Galatians has been seen as the embarrassing member of the Pauline letter-family, the one refusing to be brought into line with the others, and even, in some regards, the one threatening the unity and good-natured comradery of the family. Luther, to be sure, called on the familial image in an entirely positive sense, when he confessed himself to be happily betrothed to the letter. Others have considered that betrothal the prelude to an unfortunate marriage, in which Luther was led astray, or led further astray, by this intractable and regrettable letter.
The Twelve and the Phylarchs
Authors: Horbury W.
Published: February 2009

Constitutional questions are posed in much recent study of Christian origins. What was the significance of the ministry of Jesus for the contemporary Jewish polity, and the subsequent growth of the Christian ecclesia? The differing emphases of the answers can be roughly labelled ecclesiastical, for example in B. F. Meyer, or national, for example in G. B. Caird and E. P. Sanders. Despite such differences, the twelve must needs be central in the subject-matter (as in B. F. Meyer, 134; Sanders, 326). Can one go further towards determining the constitutional significance of a body of twelve for a Jew of the first century A.D.?

One possible model for the twelve, the group of tribal princes, seems to be relatively neglected. In what follows attention will be drawn to it, and an attempt will be made to characterize its interpretation in ancient Judaism. Finally, against this background, brief comment will be offered on the place of the twelve in early church order and in the ministry of Jesus.
The Prophecy of Christ and his Witnesses according to the Discourses of Acts
Authors: Dillon Richard J.
Published: February 2009

Let us draw familiar battle lines at the outset by adhering to some ofttested propositions concerning the speeches of Acts: that they are mainly conceptions and instruments of Lucan historiography; that they therefore argue the case of the author as historian, not the ostensible cause of the speaker in the situation recounted; that their audiences are fictitious representations of the stages of the Christian mission programmed in Acts 1. 8; finally that, like other Lucan repetitions, the speeches have a complementary and mutually explanatory function in the author's sustained dialogue with his reader.
The Form of the Bartimaeus Narrative (Mark 10.46–52)
Authors: Steinhauser Michael G.
Published: February 2009

Opinions differ concerning the form of the Bartimaeus narrative in Mark 10. 46–52. M. Dibelius considered it to be a ‘less pure type’ of paradigm, although in the first edition of his work he analysed it as a ‘Personal Legend’. R. Bultmann thought the story showed secondary characteristics and the close interlacing of the story into the Marcan context betrayed the ‘late formulation’ of the present form. He believed, however, that it is hardly possible to recognize a stylistically proper miracle narrative at the basis of this passage. Since R. Bultmann, most authors classify the Bartimaeus narrative as a miracle story but some hasten to point out how the story lacks certain formal elements of a miracle story.
Die Kompositionsmetapher ‘Evangelium Jesu Christi, des Sohnes Gottes’ Mk 1.1. Ihre Theologische und Literarische Aufgabe in der Jesus-Biographie des Markus
Authors: Dormeyer Detlev
Published: February 2009

Es ist zu beobachten, daß Untersuchungen zum theologischen Begriff Evangelium neben Untersuchungen zur literarischen Gattung Evangelium weitgehend unverbunden herlaufen.
Exégèse Scientifique et idéologie: de l'école de Tubingue aux Historiens Français des origines chrétiennes
Authors: Trocmé Étienne
Published: February 2009

Engeance pacifique, les spécialistes du Nouveau Testament et des origines chrétiennes sont souvent irrités par le grand retentissement que connaissent des théories tapageuses présentées au public par des personnes plus ou moins qualifiées. Nous avons quelque peine à admettre que des travaux aussi contestables monopolisent l'attention d'un grand nombre de lecteurs et leur dissimulent les recherches scientifiques sérieuses dont les auteurs ne visent ni au scandale ni à un succès facile. Toutefois, il est relativement aisé de traiter ces phénomènes déplaisants par l'indifférence ou, le cas échéant, par l'ironie.
Paul's ‘Robust Conscience’ Re-Examined
Authors: Espy John M.
Published: February 2009

For centuries most Protestant churches, true to the Reformers' understanding of man and the Law, have preached the Christian message by presenting first the Law, so that the hearer would come to recognize his or her sinfulness, and then the Gospel, that the hearer might be brought to hope, and eventually to faith, in Jesus Christ. As the New Testament begins with the stern exhortations of John the Baptist, so, it has been argued, the Christian proclamation should always and everywhere commence with God's command. But now, in seminaries and churches, some have seized upon new expositions of the Law and used them to oppose this preaching scheme as unworkable, since not all will have any sins against the Law to recognize; and even as wrong, on the grounds that this approach inevitably lapses into trying to make people ‘feel guilty’. The result is that many of the new generation of ministers are learning to preach only consolation, or, at most, the judgment upon certain social orders pronounced by popularized liberation theology. It is with this homilectical situation in mind that I offer the following remarks on Paul's understanding of man's relationship to the Law, and through the Law to sin.
The Spirit and the Dove
Authors: Keck Leander E.
Published: February 2009

Probably no detail of the account of Jesus' baptism has evoked so diverse a range of suggestions as has the dove. That the critics did not invent the problem is shown by the ancient texts themselves. (a) Mark's report is ambiguous: (Jesus) είδεν…τό πνε⋯μα ώσ περιστεράν καταβαῖνον ε;ἰσ αὐτόν, for ‘as a dove’ could modify either the noun that precedes it or the participle that follows. (b) Matthew has not completely removed the ambiguity: ειδεν πνε⋯μα Φεο⋯ καταβαῑνον ὡσε⋯ περισερ⋯ν έρχòμενον έπʾ αὐτν (c) But Luke is more explicit: καταβ⋯ναι τò πνε⋯μα τò ἃγιον σωματικῷ εἲδει ὡσ περιστερ⋯ν ⋯π’ αὐτòν. ((d) According to the Fourth Gospel, the Baptist reports that he saw the Spirit καταβαῑνον ὡσ περιστερ⋯ν ⋯ξ οὐρανο⋯ κα⋯ ἔμεινεν ⋯π’ αὐτν and that previously he had been alerted to expect such a phenomenon (though the dove is not mentioned in the report of what God had previously said). (e) The Ebionite Gospel says Jesus saw τò πνε⋯μα τò ἂγιον ⋯ν εἴδι περιδτρ⋯σ κατελθοὑσησ κασ εἰσ αὐτòν, thereby answering the question of what happened to it. (f) However, the Gospel according to the Hebrews (Nazarene Gospel) has no dove at all but instead speaks of ‘the whole fount of the Holy Spirit’:descendit fons omnis Spiritus Sancti et requievit super eum, etc. These ancient variations, and the diverse textual readings, reveal that there is no single tradition of the dove, and that its meaning was problematic from the start. Nor has modern scholarship, equipped with tools and collected data, been persuasive in its understandings. Nevertheless, the history of interpretation can close doors to unfruitful hypotheses and move the discussion of Jesus' baptism forward.
Der irdische und der himmlische Zeuge: eine Auslegung von Joh 3. 22–36
Authors: Klaiber Walter
Published: February 2009

Der Abschnitt Joh 3. 22–36 gehört wirkungsgeschichtlich nicht zu den Schwerpunkten des Evangeliums. Die vorausgehende Perikope, Jesu Gespräch mit Nikodemus, hat weitaus mehr Aufmerksamkeit auf sich gezogen. Für die neuere Auslegung jedoch hielt der Text zwei attraktive Probleme bereit: Die Frage nach der Historizität der Nachricht von Jesu Tauftätigkeit neben Johannes dem Täufer und die rätselhafte Stellung der V. 31–36 als Schluß einer Täuferrede. Beide Probleme werden uns auch bei unserer Auslegung beschäftigen, sollen uns aber nicht völlig in ihren Bann schlagen. Angestrebt ist eine Auslegungsskizze, die die theologische Aussage der Perikope als ganze ins Auge faßt. Doch geben uns die genannten Fragestellungen die Gelegenheit, uns exemplarisch mit zwei wichtigen methodischen Grundfragen johanneischer Exegese zu beschäftigen: 1. die Bedeutung des historiographischen und topographischen ‘Sonderguts’ des Johannesevangeliums, wobei uns weniger seine historische Zuverlässigkeit, als vielmehr seine theologische Bedeutung für die Botschaft des Evangeliums interessieren wird; 2. die Verarbeitung literarisch disparater Traditionsstücke zu einem Ganzen in den johanneischen ‘Reden’.
Oral and Written Sources in Mark 4.1–34
Authors: Sellew Philip
Published: February 2009

When scholars discuss the compositional processes of the Gospel of Mark, one of the important questions is the extent to which the evangelist drew on earlier sources. Mark seems to have collected and reordered a great amount of disparate material and given it his own stamp in order to produce something new. But the details of this process of collection, redaction, and composition are not at all clear. To what extent were those traditions already gathered or collected before Mark? Were the pre-Marcan materials transmitted in oral or written form? What degree of freedom did the gospel writer employ in taking over, adapting, or rewriting earlier sources?
Phraseology and The Reliability of Acts
Authors: Baugh Steven M.
Published: February 2009

The speeches in Acts continue to arouse a variety of opinions; however, there is almost universal agreement that the style of the speeches belongs to Luke rather than to the persons to whom the speeches are attributed. This seems like a reasonable enough position given the convention among ancient historians to provide a précis of speeches rather than a verbatim transcription. However, Dibelius in his seminal essay on the speeches took Lukan style to be an indication of his unreliability: ‘Admittedly the speeches do, on the whole, reflect his (Luke's) style as regards vocabulary and phraseology; and it is this very fact which must constantly lead us to doubt their authenticity.’
The Forty-Fourth General Meeting, Dublin, July 1989
Authors: Tuckett C. M.
Published: February 2009

The Forty-fourth General Meeting of the Society was held at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, during 24–28 July under the Presidency of Professor F. Neirynck. About 270 members, spouses and guests were present.
The Old Testament Background of Reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5–7 and its Bearing on the Literary Problem of 2 Corinthians 6.14–7.1
Authors: Beale G. K
Published: February 2009

Few scholars have proposed that there is anypreciseOT background for Paul's view of reconciliation, even though there has been much discussion about the formulation of the doctrine. There is no Hebrew word for ‘reconciliation’ in the OT; there is general agreement that Paul obtained this word from not only the Jewish but also the Greco-Roman world. The καταλλάσσω–διαλλάσσομαι word group is found in the Septuagint (rarely), 2 and 4 Maccabees and Josephus as well as in classical, hellenistic andkoinewritings. The use of the word group in these writings has been well documented.
The Language of the Apocalypse in Recent Discussion
Authors: Porter Stanley E.
Published: February 2009

Since the first significant studies of Semitic influence on the NT published by Wyss, Pasor and Trom in the mid 17th century, there has not been a lack of interest in the topic of the language of the Greek Bible. Treatments of Semitic influence on the Greek of the NT usually concentrate on two issues: the current languages of lst-century Palestine, and various theories regarding the nature of the Greek of the NT. Whatever answers might be posited for the other books of the NT, few scholars have been completely satisfied with estimations given concerning the Apocalypse. Here most acutely the question of the languages used in Palestine during the 1st century overlaps with, if it is not dependent upon, the question of the nature of the Greek of the NT.
The Beginnings of Church Discipline: 1 Corinthians 5
Authors: Harris Gerald
Published: February 2009

Since the rise of the interdisciplinary approach to the study of Christian origins in the 1970s, little attention has been given to the problem of social control within the early church. This is true although control issues arose early in the Christian movement and have continued throughout Christian history. Before 1970 scholars treated the problem historically and theologically under the topic of discipline. Among scholars who utilize the social sciences in their approach to Christian origins, there are some scattered materials on internal social control but little direct, sustained investigation.
Judgement and 1 Corinthians 6
Authors: Derrett J. Duncan M.
Published: February 2009

There are problems with the text and interpretation of 1 Cor 6. 1–11 which call for a reappraisal of Paul's injunctions regarding the maintenance of discipline at Corinth. Doubts as to the meaning of words, even the punctuation, can be solved if one undertakes the unexpected, and places the problem at 1 Cor 5 along with that at 6. 1–11 (not neglecting ch. 7), and takes seriously words hitherto glossed over in the interests of a much more familiar conception of Paul's intentions. First we should consider the situation in which they all were, and finally we shall look into the risks Paul has obviously taken.
Johanneische Ekklesiologie
Authors: Schnelle Udo
Published: February 2009

In der Johannesexegese ist die Ekklesiologie nur ein Randthema. Wo die Erwähnungen von Taufe und Abendmahl in Joh 3. 5; 6. 51c–58; 19. 34b–35 für literarisch sekundär erklärt werden, stellt sich die theologische Sachfrage nach der Gestalt der johanneischen Ekklesiologie letztlich nicht mehr umfassend. Aber auch dort, wo die extensive Literarkritik nicht das theologische Denken bestimmt, gelten die ekklesiologisch relevanten Texte des Johannesevangeliums nicht als zentraler Ausdruck johanneischer Christologie, so daβ ihnen nur eine uneigentliche Funktion zugebilligt wird. Sie sind für die Erhellung des ‘eigentlichen’ johanneischen Denkens ohne Bedeutung. Beide Ansätze werden dem Jetzttext des Johannesevangeliums, der Theologie des 4. Evangelisten und der johanneischen Gemeinderealität kaum gerecht. Sie resultieren aus literarkritischen und theologischen Vorentscheidungen, die zumindest sehr anfechtbar sind.
Galatians 2. 7–9 and the Recognition of Paul's Apostolic Status at the Jerusalem Conference: a Critique of G. Luedemann's Solution
Authors: McLean Bradley H.
Published: February 2009

There can be no doubt that Paul considered himself an apostle at the point of his conversion. In the words of Ferdinand Hahn, Paul's ‘concept of apostleship is characterized by the fact of his being simultaneously converted, entrusted with the gospel, and sent out to the Gentiles’ When we say that Paul considered himself an ‘apostle’ we must clarify at the beginning what is meant by this term since it is susceptible of two interpretations. It could be used loosely to refer to any missionary who was ‘sent out’, as it is commonly used in the Didache. Indeed Paul occasionally used the word in this sense (e.g. 2 Cor 8. 23). However as John Knox observes, Paul's customary use of the term ‘apostle’ means ‘one who saw the Lord and was commissioned directly by him. Certainly when Paul saw himself as an “apostle”, he invariably has this higher meaning in mind.’
Jude's use of Pseudepigraphical Source-Material as Part of a Literary Strategy
Authors: Charles J. Daryl
Published: February 2009

The message and world of the epistle of Jude are strangely unfamiliar to the modern reader. Even among students of the NT this unfamiliarity is conspicuous. One is hard-pressed to find a single monograph which deals with exegetical or theological problems raised by the letter. The general neglect of the book is doubtless due, at least in part, to a lack of understanding regarding the epistle's historical setting.
The Text of Matthew 13. 21a and Parallels in the Syriac Tradition
Authors: Joosten Jan
Published: February 2009

Christian Orientalists have always been fascinated by the fact that the Greek text of the canonical Gospels is in some way secondary to a Semitic tradition. Indeed, even if we accept that all four Gospels were written in Greek, we must allow, somewhere in the chain of tradition from the teaching of Jesus to the Gospel-writers, for a transition from Aramaic to Greek. Consequently, a fruitful exegetical approach to the Gospel text has been the attempt to go beyond the Greek text-form to the more original Aramaic wording and to understand this wording in its proper setting in Palestinian Judaism of the 1st century AD. Several methods have been applied within this approach. G. Dalman championed the retroversion of significant New Testament terms into Palestinian Jewish Aramaic (and Hebrew), and investigated the use of the retroverted terms in Jewish texts of the first centuries. J. Wellhausen, and others, searched for anomalies in the Greek Gospel-text which might be explained as mistaken translations of Aramaic expressions. The history of research on this question up to 1946 is discussed and evaluated by M. Black in hisAramaic Approach to the Gospels.
The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Parable and the Parallels
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: February 2009

The interpretation of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16. 19–31) shows both how misleading extra-biblical parallels to biblical motifs can be when misused, and also how enlightening they can be when correctly used. The parable makes use of two major narrative motifs which can be paralleled in other ancient literature: (1) a reversal of fortunes experienced by a rich man and a poor man after death; (2) a dead person's return from the dead with a message for the living. Since Gressmann's monograph drew attention to one important example of (1) – the Egyptian story of Setme and Si-Osiris (together with later Jewish stories derived from it) – much discussion of the parable has been dominated by this one parallel. Both the way in which this parallel has been used in the interpretation of the parable and the restriction of interest to this one parallel have had unfortunate consequences.
La Parole de Jésus sur la fin du Temple
Authors: Schlosser Jacques
Published: February 2009

Compte non tenu de la tradition attestéee en Q (Lc 13. 35 par.) sur la ‘maison’ abandonnéee,1 des propos relatifs à la mine du Temple sont attribuées à Jéesus en divers lieux: au début du discours apocalyptique de la triple tradition (Me 13.1–2 par.); lors de la comparution de Jéesus devant le Sanhedrin (Me 14. 58 par.); pendant la scèene de la déerision des passants (Me 15. 29 par.); dans le réecit johannique de la ‘purification’ du Temple (Jn 2.19), enfin lors du proces d'Etienne (Ac 6.14).2
A Metaphor in Distress a Reading of NHΠIOI in 1 Thessalonians 2.7
Authors: Fowl Stephen
Published: February 2009

There is a well known textual problem in 1 Thess 2. 7. The problem occurs in the second clause of the verse and concerns whether the text should read ν⋯πιοι (infants) or ἤπιοι (gentle). My aim in this short note is to argue that there are neither sufficient text-critical reasons, nor sufficient contextual reasons for preferring ἤπιοι to ν⋯πιοι. This argument swims against the tide of contemporary scholarly opinion. Almost all of the major commentators on this text read ἤπιοι, gentle. Further, all the standard English translations read ‘gentle’.
If We Do Not Cut the Parables out of Their Frames
Authors: Gerhardsson Birger
Published: February 2009

The New Testament discipline is a rather odd bird within the university. The object of our research is small, a book we can have in our pocket. And the learned work with this book has been carried out for a long time: acute theologians have studied it for almost two millennia and critical scholars for two centuries; there is hardly any counterpart. The secondary literature is as the grains of sand on the sea-shore.
Liturgical Dialogue as a Literary Form in the Book of Revelation
Authors: Vanni Ugo
Published: February 2009

The introduction to the book of Revelation (1.1–3) shows a typical literary development, moving from the overall presentation of the book (ὰποκάλυψις … $$$σα ἐ$$$δἐν: 1.1–2) to the solemn form of a proclaimed beatitude or ‘macarism’:
The Functions of Peter's Mission Speeches in the Narrative of Acts
Authors: Tannehill Robert C.
Published: February 2009

The repeated elements in the mission speeches of Acts have attracted considerable attention. Some scholars believe that these repeated elements reflect a pattern of early Christian preaching; 1 others see in them a pattern of Lukan theology.2 Narrative criticism, the study of biblical narratives in light of literary theories of narrative,3 suggests that past study should be balanced by a different approach. It suggests that we should investigate the functions of the individual speeches within their narrative settings. Despite the repeated themes, the speeches differ significantly in emphasis and function. These differences relate to the narrative setting in which each speech is found, and the setting influences the speech more profoundly than is commonly recognized. It is illuminating to think of each of the speeches as an action in the unfolding narrative plot. In speaking, Peter acts to influence a particular audience at a particular point in the plot. This action and the hearers’ decision about how to respond will determine
The Importance of Joseph and Aseneth for the Study of the New Testament: A General Survey and a Fresh Look at the Lord's Supper
Authors: Burchard Ahristoph
Published: February 2009

In 1859 Friedrich Düsterdieck, then Director of Studies at thePrediger-seminarin the Monastery of Loccum near Hannover, published a commentary on the Revelation of John. It was his contribution to the series inaugurated in 1829 by another Hanoverian cleric, Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer. Commenting upon the description in Rev 14. 4 of the 144,000 elect, οῡτοί είσιν οί μετὰ γυναικην ούκ έμολύνθησαν παρθένοι γάρ είσιν, Düsterdieck wrote:

‘παρθένοι) Das Prädicat wird nicht selten auch Männern gegeben. Vgl.Fabricius, Cod. apocr. vet. Test. II, p. 92.98 (wo Joseph ein άνὴρ παρθένος heisst),Kypke, Observ. sacr. ad h.1. (παρθένον υα, ausNonnusad Joh. 19,26),Suidas, s.v. ‘Άβελ.’
‘Spiritual’ Gifts in the Pauline Community
Authors: Ellis E. Earle
Published: February 2009

The role of St Paul's co-workers may be inferred in some measure from the designations or ‘titles’ given to them. When used of colleagues in the Christian mission, the term ‘brothers’ often means preachers although it may include travelling companions (συνεκδήμοι) and others who are not necessarily engaged in ‘religious’ functions. ‘Co-worker’ (συνεργός) also appears to have a rather broad connotation. But it refers most frequently to teachers and preachers, those who are deserving of esteem and of financial support. The designation διάκονος (‘minister’) emphasizes these functions even more. Some of the terms or their cognates – άπόστολος, διακονία – are specifically mentioned by Paul as charisms, gifts from the risen Christ.. In brief, Paul's co-workers were charismatically endowed persons. This kind of authorization was, of course, the presupposition of leadership in the early church quite apart from the meaning of the ‘titles’. However, with reference to the co-workers engaged in preaching and teaching, one may be more specific. They appear to belong to a category that the Apostle calls πνευματικοί, spiritual ones.
The Criterion of Coherence and the Randomness of Charisma: Poring Through Some Aporias in The Jesus Tradition
Authors: Sanders Jack T.
Published: February 2009

Many scholars employ a different kind of criterion of coherence from the standard, i.e., the criterion that Jesus’ authentic sayings hold together in a coherent whole; yet Jesus scholars differ regarding the nature of this coherence. When we then understand that Jesus was a charismatic leader of a new religious movement, and when we examine how such persons in general behave, we see the importance of randomness for charismatic leadership, and we understand that we cannot expect systematic coherence among the sayings of Jesus. Jesus may have said things that appear contradictory, but they will have enhanced his charismatic authority.
An Analysis of Aland's Teststellen in 1 John
Authors: Richards W. Larry
Published: February 2009

Under the direction of Professor Kurt Aland, the Institute of NT Textual Research developed a system for classifying Greek manuscripts without having to do a full collation.On the basis of 98 selected test passages, all extant manuscripts for the Catholic Epistles were classified. In order to determine the accuracy of the test passages for classification purposes, 112 fully collated manuscripts of 1 John from the files of Andrews University were used to compare classifications based on test passages and full collations. Classifications based on full collations of 1 John confirmed 83 per cent. of the Institute's classifications for the Catholic Epistles.
Fatigue in the Synoptics
Authors: Goodacre Mark
Published: February 2009

Matthew and Luke sometimes write versions of Marcan pericopae in which they make initial changes, only to lapse into the thought or wording of the original. Clear examples are Matt 14.1–12 ∥Mark 6.14–29 (Death of John); Matt 8.1–4 ∥ Mark 1.40–5 (Leper); Matt 12.46–50 ∥ Mark 3.31–5 (Mother and Brothers); Luke 8.4–15 ∥ Mark 4.1–20 (Sower); Luke 5.17–26 ∥ Mark 2.1–12 (Paralytic) and Luke 9.10–17 ∥ Mark 6.30–44 (Five Thousand), all of which make good sense on the theory of Marcan Priority. ‘Fatigue’ may also suggest a solution to the problem of double tradition material: Luke 9.1–6 (cf. Matt 10.5–15, Mission Charge) and Luke 19.11–27 ∥ Matt 25.14–30 (Talents) both make good sense on the theory of Luke’s use of Matthew.
Die Zerstörung Jerusalems Bei Matthäus Und Den Rabbinen
Authors: Becker Hans-Jurgen
Published: February 2009

Der siebte matthäische Weheruf gegen ‘Schriftgelehrte und Pharisäer’ (Mt 23.32–6), der zu Jesu Wehklage über Jerusalem (23.37–9), seinem Auszug aus dem Tempel (24.1) und der Ankündigung der Tempelzerstörung (24.2) überleitet, vermittelt eine polemisch geprägte christliche Auβenansicht der Ereignisse des Jahres 70 n.Chr. Vom Blickwinkel der Rabbinen her, die dieselben Ereignisse auf derselben biblischen Grundlage reflektieren, wird die Besonderheit der matthäischen Deutung ebenso sichtbar wie ihre Verwurzelung in jüdisch-schriftgelehrtem Denken. Insbesondere die rabbinische Aggada vom Blut des Sacharja läβt erkennen, daβ sich die Mt-Redaktion einer beiden Parteien gemeinsamen ‘Familiensprache’ bedient, die in der Forschung noch keineswegs hinreichend entschlüsselt ist.
Civic Pride at Philippi the Text-Critical Problem of Acts 16.12
Authors: Ascough Richard S.
Published: February 2009

The text of Acts 16.12 in the UBS4/NA27designates Philippi as πρώτηςμερίδος τῆς Μαĸεδονίας πόλις, despite almost negligible manuscript evidence. The most widely attested reading of πρώτη τῆς μερίδος Μαĸεδονίας πόλις, is rejected by most scholars because it is not factually correct. However, an understanding of civic pride in Greco-Roman antiquity provides a context in which to better understand this latter reading, suggesting that it should be retained in the text of Acts 16.12.
Papias, der Vorzug derViva Voxund die Evangelienschriften
Authors: Baum Armin Daniel
Published: February 2009

Der hierapolitanische Bischof Papias formulierte im Proömium seinerAuslegung von Herrenspriichenein bemerkenswertes Arbeitsprinzip: ‘Ich nahm nicht an, daβ die (Nachrichten) aus den Büchern mir soviel nützen wie die von einer lebendigen und bleibenden Stimme (mitgeteilten Nachrichten)(ού γὰρ τὰἐĸ τῶν βιβλίων τοσοῦτόν με ώφελεῖν ύπελάμβανον ὄσον τὰ παρὰ ζώσης φωνῆς ĸαì μενούσης). ’1 Aus dieser Aussage des Papias über den Vorzug derviva voxhat man recht weitgehende kanongeschichtliche Schlüsse gezogen. Da Papias der mündlichen gegenüber der schriftlichen Überlieferung grundsätzlich den Vorzug einraume, könne nach seinem Urteil die Normativität der Herrenworte noch nicht auf die sie verzeichnenden Evangelienschriften übergegangen sein. Darum könne Papias die (ihm bekannten) schriftlichen Evangelien noch nicht als ‘endgültige oder kanonische Form der Jesus-Überlieferung’ angesehen haben.2Die in seiner Aussage reflektierte Vorliebe der kleinasiatischen Gemeinden für die mundliche Tradition habe die Entstehung eines schriftlichen Kanons verzögert.3Andere Forscher haben dieser Folgerung entgegengehalten, das Prinzip von der Überlegenheit derviva voxsei in den Augen des Papias nicht von allgemeiner Gültigkeit gewesen und von ihm gar nicht auf die Evangelien bezogen worden. Es sei deswegen auch nicht von kanongeschichtlicher Relevanz.4
Noch ein Blick auf den erste apokalyptische Reiter (von Apk 6.1–2)
Authors: Bachmann Michael
Published: February 2009

Anders als früher wird der erste apokalyptische Reiter (s. Apk 6.1–2) in unserem Jahrhundert (u.a.: W. Bousset; M. Rissi; A. Kerkeslager) oft als negative Gestalt begriffen (I). Wichtige Argumente sprechen gegen diese jüngere und für die ältere Sicht. Synchron (II) ist zunächst das Vokabular geltend zu machen, nämlich zumal das intransitive ṿιкόλεụкό ς; auβer-dem unterscheidet sich das zu diesem Reiter Ausgeführte auch struk-turell erheblich von den Formulierungen hinsichtlich der folgenden Pferde (vgl. bes. 6.2,4 mit der Entgegensetzung in 12.1,3). Überdies gilt diachron (III): Apk 6.1–8 weist deutliche Entsprechungen zu Theo-phanieschilderungen auf, und da hat haufig der positive Aspekt des Erscheinens Gottes vor negativen Phänomenen seinen Platz (s. z.B. Hab 3LXX; äthHen 87–9).
Sur l'articulation des béatitudes matthéennes (Mt 5.3–12): une proposition
Authors: Gourgues Michel
Published: February 2009

Considérées du point de vue de leur signification, les béatitudes, telles qu'elles se présentent dans le texte final de Mt 5.3–12, ne font pas que se suivre selon un ordre plus ou moins arbitraire. Une progression se laisse en effet observer de l'une à l'autre au niveau de la pensée, en particulier entre les trois béatitudes qui concernent la relation à Dieu (les pauvres en esprit, les affamés et assoiffés de justice, les purs de cœur). Des niveaux croissants de profondeur se laissent également observer entre les trois béatitudes qui situent le bonheur en relation avec les autres (les doux, les miséricordieux et ceux qui font la paix). L'article s'attarde davantage à deux béatitudes (les doux et les ‘faiseurs de paix’) dont la signification est davantage discutée et s'efforce de montrer que la première, considérée le plus souvent comme une simple variante de la béatitude des pauvres en esprit, est à comprendre en relation avec le prochain plutôt qu'en relation avec Dieu.
Fact, Fiction and the Genre of Acts
Authors: Alexander Loveday
Published: February 2009

This paper explores the boundaries between fact and fiction in ancient literature. The historians effectively created the concept of ‘fiction’ in Greek literature by defining what could be incontrovertibly established as ‘fact’ by accepted rationalistic criteria. Anything beyond these limits (tales involving distant places, or the distant past, or divine intervention) was widely perceived as belonging to the realm of ‘fiction’. To readers from this background, Acts would fall uncomfortably on the boundary: much of the narrative would sound like fiction, but there is a disturbing undercurrent which suggests that it might after all be intended as fact.
The Cult of Christ and the Cult of the Saints
Authors: Horbury William
Published: February 2009

In ancient apologetic and polemic and in modern scholarship the cult of Christ and the cult of the saints in the early church have both been derived from Greek and Roman veneration of divinities, heroes, and rulers (see section I). Here it is argued that a case for a Jewish factor in the origins of the cult of saints can be made on lines slightly different from those most generally followed, beginning from rich NT material (section II). Ancient Jewish commemoration of biblical and post-biblical saints is discussed, and its potential is underlined by instances of invocation; background conceptions of an assembly of saints are illustrated, and their appearance in legend and vision is noted (section III). The cult of Christ can then be perceived as interconnected with the cult of saints, which provided a favourable setting for its development; both were rooted in the Judaism of the Greek and Roman world (section IV).
TheVorlageof Shem-Tob's ‘Hebrew Matthew’
Authors: Petersen William L.
Published: February 2009

Responding to assertions and evidence in a 1997New Testament Studiesarticle by R. F. Shedinger (and to George Howard, the editor of the text in question), this article demonstrates with fourteen textual examples and circumstantial evidence (Isaac Velasquez's Arabic gospel translation) that the Hebrew Matthew contained in Shem-Tob'sEven Bohan(1) is part of the western harmonized gospel tradition, (2) is especially, often uniquely, related to the traditions which lie behind the Middle Dutch Liège Harmony, and (3) is translated from a medieval LatinVorlage. In no way is it (paceShedinger) related to45or (paceHoward) pre-Johannine.
Jesusbewegung als charismatische Wertrevolution
Authors: Theißen Gerd
Published: February 2009

Hatte die Jesusbewegung revolutionäre Züge? Eine Antwort auf diese Frage hängt davon ab, was wir unter ‘Revolution’ verstehen. Der im folgenden verwandte übertragene Begriff von ‘Revolution’ setzt zwei allgemeine (etwas triviale) Annahmen über die Geschichte voraus:
The Rhetorical Structure of Hebrews
Authors: Lindars Barnabas
Published: February 2009

Hebrews is the most accomplished writing in the New Testament. The unknown author's command of the art of rhetoric is universally recognized. He was evidently well educated by the standards of Hellenistic education of the time. His use of Greek is more cultivated than that of Paul, and he makes greater use of rhetorical devices than Luke. Spicq gives an impressive list of the stylistic features and rhetorical devices that are to be found in Hebrews. But every reader can appreciate the fine style and persuasive power of the author's writing.
Judenchristliche Frömmigkeit im Sondergut des Matthäus
Authors: Klein Hans
Published: February 2009

Die Texte, die etwas näher betrachtet werden sollen, umfassen nicht das gesamte Sondergut des ersten Evangelisten. Ausgeklammert werden von vornherein die Kindheitsgeschichten sowie die Ausschmückungen in dem Passions- und Auferstehungsbericht. Die vielen übrigen, zum Teil ausgeführten, zum Teil sehr kurzen Texte sind sehr verschieden geartet. Es sind darin Kurzgleichnisse wie jenes vom Schatz im Acker oder von der Perle (Mt 13. 44–46), ausgeführte Gleichnisse wie jenes von den Arbeitern im Weinberg (20. 1–15) oder den zehn Jungfrauen (25. 1–13), Gesetzesauslegungen wie die Antithesen (5. 21–22, 27–28, 33–37), Weisungen für die persönliche Frömmigkeit (5. 23–24; 6. 2–4, 16–18), eine Gemeinderegel (18. 15–18), ein Gerichtsgemälde (25. 31–46) und viele Einzellogien enthalten. Sowohl von der Form als auch vom Inhalt her handelt es sich um unterschiedliche Überlieferungen, und es ist kaum zufällig, daß auch die Frage, woher Mt diese Traditionen hat, auf verschiedene Weise beantwortet wurde. Rechnen einige Forscher mindestens partiell mit Sonderüberlieferungen aus mündlicher oder schriftlicher Tradition, so halten andere die Aufnahme eines Teiles derselben in eine erweiterte Q-Fassung für möglich.2 Damit ist das Problem freilich nur etwas verschoben, denn die Frage bleibt, woher sie dann in Q einflossen.
‘Control’ in Pauline Language and Culture: A Study of Rom 6
Authors: Aageson James W.
Published: February 2009

Certainly since the groundbreaking work of Ferdinand de Saus-sure, the social character of language has been axiomatic for most linguists. Saussure writes: ‘The structure of a language is a social product of our language faculty. At the same time, it is also a body of necessary conventions adopted by society to enable members of society to use their language faculty.’ Eugene Nida and Johannes Louw, writing in the supplement to their New Testament lexicon, acknowledge the connection between their treatment of semantics and sociology, but they refrain from specifying what they think the relationship between language and society to be. Nida is somewhat more forthcoming in his study of componential analysis when he writes:

There are analogies between the structure of a culture and the semantic structure of a corresponding language, but there is no set of one-to-one correspondences. A language must be free to describe a variety of possibilities, including those which have not as yet entered the culture. Nevertheless, the language does reflect in certain aspects of its semantic structure those aspects of the culture which for one reason or another have become salient in the lexical contrasts.
Pagan and Judeo-Christian Time-Keeping Schemes in Gal 4.10 and Col 2.16
Authors: Martin Troy
Published: February 2009

Exegetes often cite the list in Gal 4.10 (⋯μέρας κα⋯ μ⋯νας κα⋯ καιροὺς κα⋯ ⋯νιαυτούς days and months and seasons and years) as parallel in content and function to the list in Col 2.16 (⋯ορτ⋯ς ἤ νεομηνίας ἤ σαββάτων a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths). J. B. Lightfoot provides the most extensive explanation of the content and function of these lists, and he reaches two conclusions that permeate the exegetical tradition of these two verses. First, he concludes that the content of the list in Galatians describes a Jewish timekeeping scheme since the list in Colossians clearly does so. His rationale is strengthened by Paul's polemic against the Judaizers in Galatians. Second, he deduces that the Colossian list functions to describe the non-Christian practices of the opponents since the list in Galatians is clearly a non-Christian temporal scheme that should be rejected.
Once Again: The Use of Rabbinic Material
Authors: Silberman Lou H.
Published: February 2009

Sixteen years ago I published a brief study in NTS1 in which I ‘underscore[d] the “tackiness” of using rabbinic material in support of or against an interpretation of NT material’. The present article returns to that subject by means of an examination of the use of a passage in the Babylonian Talmud in the magisterial two volume work by Raymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah.2 It is not, however, intended to be a comment on anything in this massive work other than the discussion on pages 376–7. My attention to the passage was drawn by a comment on an enclosure that came with the volumes: ‘…No one concerned with Jewish-Christian relations should fail to study his deliberate, sensitive and nuanced treatment of the Trial of Jesus.’
Acts 7.3 and Samaritan Chronology
Authors: Litke Wayne
Published: February 2009

The Speech of Stephen in Acts 7 has become a fertile ground for source criticism. It has been argued that because the speech in Acts 7 is so different from the other ones in Acts, it was likely not written by Luke himself. The suggestion that we have in this speech a verbatim account of Stephen's defence has been virtually laid to rest by scholars, with the recognition that the speech does not fit in its context as a defence against the charges levelled at Stephen (Acts 6.13–14). Enough evidence, however, of Lucan redaction has been found in Acts 7 to suggest to a number of scholars that the speech comes essentially from Luke, either as the author of the whole speech, or as the composer of the speech with use of earlier materials.
The Nature and Purpose of I Peter
Authors: Moule C. F. D.
Published: February 2009

This article springs in part from a critical consideration of Professor F. L. Cross's I Peter, a Paschal Liturgy (Mowbray, 1954), and is an attempt, first, to define difficulties which seem to me to stand in the way of accepting his thesis, and then to offer an alternative suggestion. But first of all, I must express my gratitude to Dr Cross for the stimulus of his lecture and my admiration for the skill and brilliance with which he handles the material. My only hope is that my own attempts at a solution of the problem of I Peter are advanced with anything like as much modesty as his: for I have no doubt that they will need the more clemency.
Péchés des Hommes et Péché d'Adam en Rom. v. 12
Authors: Cambier J.
Published: February 2009

L'importance de Rom. v. 12 vient directement de son contenu religieux très riche, indirectement de l'utilisation capitale qu'en a faite la théologie chrétienne; il est naturel que son étude a été souvent reprise: une lecture critique visant à justifier avec précision les formules du verset, et tout particulièrement la fin de celui-ci, aboutira à la présentation d'une exégèse qui n'exclut pas la probabilité d'autres explications, et le champ restera libre pour une recherche ultérieure.
Historical reporting in the Ancient World
Authors: Mosley A. W.
Published: February 2009

When people living in Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece and Rome in the first century A.D. were given reports of events which had happened in the past, were they concerned to ask the question: ‘Did it happen in this way?’
Ontology and Ecclesiology in the Apocalypse
Authors: Minear Paul S.
Published: February 2009

You may be surprised at the first term in my topic: ontology. Should a biblical interpreter deal with such a topic? Is he obliged to clarif the ontological assertions and assumptions of the biblical writers? From our colleagues in other disciplines we hear differing answers to this question. Some philosophers demand from us greater concern with ontology. Others warn us against such concern. Still other philosophers, absorbed in the discoveries of linguistic analysis, repudiate even for themselves the legitimacy of ontological statements. Whether it is encouragement or discouragement that we receive from our academic colleagues, it must be admitted that few biblical scholars are willing to venture into this realm.
The Paraclete in the Fourth Gospel
Authors: Brown Raymond E.
Published: February 2009

In recent years much literature has been devoted to this topic. If still another discussion can be justified, it is on the grounds that many of the best insights have not been brought together and that perhaps now we may be in a position to draw a larger picture that will represent a certain consensus.