bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge: The Role of Esthetics in Ancient and Modern Interpretations of Paul
Authors: Glass William 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACTS
This article explores the effect of basic hermeneutical commitments on biblical interpretation, both historical-critical and theological. First, it examines a recent and controversial historical-critical reading of Rom 1, found in Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God, by placing it in conversation with St. Augustine's own exegesis of the same passage in De Trinitate. Campbell sees Paul to be enacting in the opening chapters of Romans a parody of an opponent's preaching and performing a Socratic reduction to absurdity of the argument, clearing the way for his own message. Although many critiques of Campbell's reading note its novelty with some frustration, I suggest that the complex of interpretive moves St. Augustine performs on Rom 1:18–32, and especially on 1:20, constitute a weighty recognition from tradition in support of Campbell's thesis that the passage is ripe for rereading. Campbell's unintentional sympathy with Augustine is found owing to a similarity in approach between Campbell's Polanyist hermeneutic and Augustine's fides quaerens intellectum, both of which admit the effect of readers' own commitments on a text while preserving a meaningful way to arbitrate between competing readings. For both readers, I suggest, competing construals of a text depend for their validity on their ability to negotiate all the features of a text on multiple interpretive planes with simplicity and ease, an admittedly esthetic criterion that ancient theologians would call "fittingness." I conclude that esthetic modes of inquiry may be especially fruitful in discovering other sympathies such as those of Campbell and Augustine.
"You Shall Be Holy, For I Am Holy": Theosis in 1 Peter
Authors: Barbarick Clifford A. 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
In recent years, NT scholars have recognized the idea of "theosis" or "deification" within the pages of various NT writings. To date, however, little to nothing has been written about theosis in 1 Peter. This article seeks to fill the lacuna. For the author of 1 Peter, conformity to the holiness of God is the telos of the Christian community. The community is called to fulfill the purposes of Israel by embodying God's holiness and, thereby, leading the nations to worship God. For the author of 1 Peter, however, the content of God's holiness is defined by the pattern of Christ. In other words, the community will be conformed to the image of God by imitating Christ's example. As in Pauline theology, Christosis is theosis. The author also affirms that conformity to God's holiness is accomplished corporately by means of divine enablement. It is as Israel, not as individuals, that they fulfill their telos. And it is only because they have been regenerated and continually nourished by the "living and enduring word of God" (1:23) that the community can be conformed into the image of God revealed through Christ.
Habakkuk and the Problem of Suffering: Theodicy Deferred
Authors: Whitehead Philip 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
A theological reading of the book of Habakkuk offers insight into the problem of suffering. Approaching the text canonically, this study aims to explore Habakkuk's theological response to suffering and the potential to relate this to Christian and classically theistic attempts to articulate a theodicy. Although Habakkuk puts forward no theological objection to the idea that the suffering experienced by God's people is, in some sense, deserved, he nonetheless questions the extent of the suffering and the justice of the God who permits it from a perspective of faith and eschatological hope. The answers to the questions posed by evil and suffering are apparently deferred by Habakkuk, who persists in faith despite the present lack of resolution to these questions. This sort of reading lends support to models of theodicy that prioritize the practical dimensions of suffering, and challenges accounts that would insist on satisfactory explanations for suffering as a condition for faith.
When Considering Creation, Simply Follow the Rule (of Faith): Patristic Exegesis of Romans 8:19–22 and the Theological Interpretation of Scripture
Authors: Tyra Steven W. 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
Romans 8:19–22 and its "groaning creation" have long provoked lively discussion and disagreement among commentators. Alongside more traditional historical criticism, the passage has recently been the subject of theologically driven interpretation in a particular vein. Commentators responding to the "ecological crisis" have utilized the text to explore the intersection of biblical studies and environmental concerns. This study seeks to enter these wider interpretive discussions with historical perspective. In this article, I trace Patristic exegesis of the text through the fourth century, with special attention to the "Rule of Faith" and its fruitfulness as an ancient–and perhaps contemporary—hermeneutic. Figures that I analyze in detail include Irenaeus, Ambrosiaster, Origen, and Augustine. The study concludes by suggesting that the early church's Rule was indeed an effective interpretive tool in regard to Rom 8:19–22—but only under certain conditions.
I, the Fool: A "Canonical" Reading of Proverbs 26:4–5
Authors: Schwáb Zoltán 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
Although Prov 26:4 says that one should not answer a fool, the immediately following verse advises the opposite. This article suggests that if one thinks through all of the different aspects of the issue raised by these two verses and their immediate context, the logical solution is to follow v. 5 and answer the fool. This is not only good for the fool but also benefits the whole society. This does not mean, however, that v. 4 is mistaken when it claims that by answering a fool one becomes a fool. Nonetheless, becoming a fool is not an entirely negative development. It serves the spiritual needs of the one who answers a(nother) fool. The second half of this article compares this interpretation with the postbiblical "fool for Christ" tradition, then discusses some hermeneutical questions raised by the interpretation.
The Theological Presuppositions of Ancient Christian Exegesis: G. K. Beale and Henri de Lubac in Conversation
Authors: Moscicke Hans 
Published: May 2022

ABSTRACT
The appropriation of the theological presuppositions of ancient Christian exegesis is a matter of debate in the discipline of theological interpretation. In recent years, G. K. Beale has become a leading expert in the NT use of the OT, having conducted extensive research on the NT authors' exegetical methods and addressing the question of the theological presuppositions underlying these methods. Beale proposes that modern Christian readers of the Bible ought to pattern their exegesis after that of the apostles. I wish to bring Beale into conversation with the Catholic, ressourcement theologian, Henri de Lubac, who has had a significant influence on the contemporary retrieval of spiritual exegesis and has provided profound insight into the reading strategies of patristic and medieval exegesis. I hope to demonstrate that de Lubac's exposition of the fourfold sense of Scripture finds certain profound resonances with Beale's understanding of the NT writers' presuppositions. Furthermore, de Lubac's theological categories, the Fact of Christ and the mystery of Christ, and his understanding of tropology, offer two points of constructive insight for proponents of Beale's project, while Beale's emphasis on the hermeneutical continuity between the Testaments offers an important corrective for proponents of spiritual exegesis. In bringing these two different scholars into conversation, I hope to clear a pathway for an "ecumenical hermeneutic" that addresses certain concerns of both Protestants and Catholics. I also suggest several ways both scholars' projects can work together to address constructively the question which presuppositions modern Christians should appropriate in a theological interpretation of Scripture.
A Short Note toward a Theology of Abiding in John's Gospel
Authors: Latz Andrew Brower 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This essay aims to show that "abiding" or "remaining" (μένω and its cognates) is a major theme of John's Gospel and therefore deserves more attention than commentators usually afford it. It tries to show that abiding is John's preferred and primary way to characterize discipleship and that, as this abiding is based on the relations between Jesus and the Spirit and the Father, John in some way gestures toward a Trinitarian logic. Further, the theme emerges in connection with John's pneumatology and sacramental theology.
The "Imago Dei" Once Again: Stanley Grenz's Journey toward a Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1:26–27
Authors: Sexton Jason S. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
While engaged in his own construction of systematic theology, Stanley J. Grenz looked increasingly to the imago Dei as the major motif for his project. Having previously seen the theme carrying some weight for both ethics and theology, as his project progressed in the Matrix of Christian Theology series in the new millennium, Grenz came to understand this biblical motif as a unifying agent. This significant biblical theme, run through the coherence test of the theological loci and sufficiently able to unite the systematic categories, became for Grenz a lens for reading all of Scripture, and for understanding God, humanity, and all reality. Within the imago Dei Grenz found a way to bring a relational model of the Trinity to bear on the systematic discipline, which also gave him a unified approach to reading and interpreting the Bible in light of this Trinitarian framework flowing from the earliest part of the canonical narrative. As such, his approach offers a helpful model for consideration in the ongoing conversation of theological interpretation of Scripture.
Reading for the Subject: The Paradox of Power in Romans 14:1–15:6
Authors: Gaventa Beverly Roberts 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Reading for "the subject," in Barth's terms, requires close attention to the details of Scripture. Here, Rom 14:1–15:6, which is usually neglected in studies of Paul's theology, offers a test case. Claims about God's power in vv. 1–12 are not rhetorical maneuvers; they actually prepare for his warnings about human power in vv. 13–23 and his redefinition of strength in 15:1–6. This passage asks Roman Christians not merely to tolerate differences but to acknowledge together ("with one mouth," 15:6) that their only strength comes from and continues to reside in God. There is also a warning that the new life in Jesus Christ is not beyond the temptation to hubris. It continues as new life only as God causes human beings to continue to stand (14:4) and not of its own power or out of its own "reflexive faith" (14:22).
Romans: The First Christian Treatise on Theosis
Authors: Gorman Michael J. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Building on renewed interest in theosis generally, and particularly with respect to Paul, this essay argues that Romans is the first Christian treatise on theosis, an elaboration of the embryonic passages about theosis, including the "interchange" (Morna Hooker) texts, found in 2 Corinthians. Earlier work on theosis in Paul suggests that it means transformative participation in the kenotic, cruciform character of God through Spirit-enabled conformity to the incarnate, crucified, and resurrected/glorified Christ. This essay traces Paul's soteriology of restoring human dikaiosynē and doxa—fundamental elements of theosis—in Romans. For Paul, this restoration is accomplished by participation in the death and resurrection of the obedient and faithful Son. It is manifested in "righteoused," cruciform communities of Christlike Godlikeness in which Gentiles and Jews glorify God together as a partial and proleptic foreshadowing of the final glory of God and, at least implicitly, as a counterpoint to the pseudo-glory of Rome.
Typology of Types: Typology in Dialogue
Authors: Ribbens Benjamin J. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Figural reading is reemerging as an approach to theological interpretation of Scripture. As a result, biblical scholars are beginning to speak of figural reading where they once talked about typology. Typology has been a contentious matter among biblical scholars, and a firm definition of it has eluded them. For that very reason, scholars would be remiss to discard typology too quickly, before determining how to define it in the first place and how the typological debates might inform current discussions of figural reading. The debates concerning the definition of typology (a study of types) are essentially debates concerning how to define a type. This article defines a type broadly as ikonic mimēsis, which denotes a correspondence in both fact and significance between persons, events, institutions, and so on. Within this broad definition, (at least) three subcategories, each with its own characteristics, can be identified: Christological, tropological, and analogical types. By defining types broadly as ikonic mimēsis and by delineating three subcategories of types, this article establishes categories that will allow for a more transparent discussion concerning typology and its relationship to figural reading.
Scripture as Semiotic System: Theological Interpretation and the Multiple Senses of Scripture
Authors: Toffelmire Colin M. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This paper argues for the appropriation of interpretation of the Scriptures according to the spritual sense as a helpful and acceptable way of engaging in constructive theology. Grounded to a degree in the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas, and drawing significantly on Paul Ricoeur's suggestions regarding figurative language and speculative discourse, the primary thesis of the paper is that when interpreting according to the spiritual sense, the content of Scripture itself functions as a semiotic system allowing the interpreter to press beyond the semantic capabilities of literal language in an attempt to speak meaningfully about God.
Docetism, Käsemann, and Christology: Can Historical Criticism Help Christological Orthodoxy (and Other Theology) After All?
Authors: Strawn Brent A. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Thinking theology and history together is a difficult task and a longstanding problem. While in prior centuries history has typically dominated the dyad, recent progress in the theological interpretation of Scripture has begun to reverse this trend, often at the expense of the historical-critical method. A case study of both of these points may be found in the work of Ernst Käsemann and, particularly, in A. K. M. Adam's recent critique thereof—especially Käsemann's comment that historical criticism protects against docetism. Looking closely at Adam's article and Käsemann's work on the historical Jesus, the present study concludes that, while several of Adam's points against historical criticism writ large may well be correct, his direct attack on Käsemann is misplaced. An analysis of Käsemann's positions on the uniqueness of the Gospel genre and the importance of the historical Jesus to the earliest kerygma reveals that, far from a simplistic commendation of historical criticism, Käsemann offers something of a via media between theology and history. Perhaps better, Käsemann's work represents a theological use of history. If such a theological use of history (or of historical criticism) is permitted, Käsemann's work not only eludes Adam's criticism, it actually becomes a partner in support of, not an adversary to, his larger argument regarding the limited usefulness of "mere history." Käsemann's synthesis of the historical and the theological thus shows itself to be a viable option in the theology-history nexus—one that retains its usefulness in a way that Adam's critique has not yet obviated.
A View from the Retail Market: The Promise of Theological Interpretation of Scripture for Preaching
Authors: Willson Patrick J. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
The stimulating academic conversations regarding the theological interpretation of Scripture notwithstanding, theological interpretation occurs regularly in the "retail market" of local congregations as the Scriptures are preached and taught. No less than the academic community, congregations need to be reminded of the theological nature and thrust of Scripture and, consequently, of the theological ground and goal of interpretation. Contemporary homiletics has yearned after imaginative and creative resources of all sorts while often overlooking the creative, imaginative character of Scripture itself which could fund lively preaching. The parish's demands for weekly sermons and lessons can subtly shape the preacher/teacher/exegete into a consumer of usable texts, an understandable occupational hazard, but the faithful reader is invited to "abide" in the text as one who listens patiently before rushing into production with marketable meanings. The word that needs be spoken need not be wrested from Scripture; that word was and is addressed to local worshipping communities. Like every other human enterprise, theological interpretation is meant for the glorification and enjoyment of God.
An Ecclesially Located Exegesis Informed by Augustine's "De Doctrina Christiana"
Authors: Strahan Joshua Marshall 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article opens with an example of what a Christian interpretive paradigm might look like. For help with this, it turns to Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana (DDC), which will be shown to have a hermeneutic with a priori theological convictions. Augustine's ecclesially located exegetical framework results in a hermeneutic that (1) calls for humble, submissive, and virtuous readers; (2) highly values authorial communicative intent; (3) is nonetheless open to polysemy; and (4) delimits interpretations by appealing to the rule of faith, the double love commandment, and clearer canonical texts. Insights from DDC are then brought into conversation with the hermeneutical paradigms of Räisänen and Stendahl. In brief, Augustine's hermeneutic clashes with Räisänen's, because Augustine reads Scripture from the standpoint of Christian faith, whereas Räisänen attempts to read from a so-called neutral standpoint. Regarding Stendahl's exclusive privileging of authorial intent, an ecclesially located theology would seem to challenge Stendahl because of (1) how NT writers often seem to read OT texts beyond the intent of the OT author, and (2) the inability of sola scriptura to determine crucial theological doctrines. The last section of this article notes how Augustine's approach to delimiting polysemic interpretations holds together many of the strengths offered by contemporary theological interpreters, including Max Turner, Richard Hays, Joel Green, Stephen Fowl, A. K. M. Adam, Richard Briggs, and others. The hope is that, by bringing DDC into the conversation, this article can contribute to the elusive task of making room for, while simultaneously bounding, polysemy in biblical interpretation.
The Early "Wirkungsgeschichte" of Daniel 3: Representative Examples
Authors: Tucker W. Dennis 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Early Christian writers made frequent use of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their experience in the fiery furnace. Often, this story was associated with the hope of resurrection (especially when used in iconography), but textually the story was retold in literature related to martyrdom at the hands of the Roman Empire. In the context of early Christianity, questions of loyalty and disloyalty to the state were driven by religious and political commitments in a way that appears analogous to those presented in the book of Daniel. Texts such as Origen's Exhortation to Martyrdom, as well as Hippolytus's commentary on Daniel reflect the association made between Dan 3 and martyrdom. Following the conversion of Constantine, however, the interpretation of Dan 3 shifted in light of changing historical and social circumstances. In the works of Chrysostom and Theodoret of Cyrus, the threat of empire diminishes, with attention focused instead on the virtuous lives of the three youths.
The Quest for the Historical Leviathan: Truth and Method in Biblical Studies
Authors: Van Leeuwen Raymond C. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article sets the problem of historical study of the biblical world in the context of the post-Enlightenment ideological development of scientism and historicism, viewed as basic, contradictory cultural ideals. Employing the literary analyses of Meier Sternberg and aspects of Gadamer's hermeneutics, I argue that the normative "truth claims" that Scripture makes on its readers reside in the text, not in the "facts" behind the text, even when Scripture is explicitly referring to the real world and describing historical events.
Scripture and the Church: A Précis for an Alternative Analogy
Authors: Castelo Daniel , Wall Robert W. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article surveys the popular analogy of thinking of Scripture as "incarnational," that it is both "human" and "divine," and shows how an alternative model, one framed in terms of the church's traditional marks of oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity, can be more theologically coherent in terms of Scripture's nature or ontology. Furthermore, we believe that a shift in analogies can render an approach to Scripture that is more attentive to Scripture's role as a means of grace employed by the triune God to bring about repair and healing among its faithful and God-seeking readers.
On Original Sin and the Scandalous Nature of Existence
Authors: Andrews James A. 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This article interprets the story of Sarah and Hagar in terms of the relative freedom of humanity in creation and the absolute freedom of God for creation. The interpretation follows the narrative flow of the story, pointing out the free decisions of the actors and God's responses to them. It is argued that the figures of Hagar and Ishmael fully represent the unfulfilled status of the promise that God will bless all nations through Abraham's offspring. Their expulsion demonstrates the scandalous nature of existence, one in which people are cast out through no fault of their own. Nonetheless, God still responds to them graciously. This theological interpretation provides a framework for a discussion concerning Augustine's doctrines of original sin and infant baptism as well as Karl Barth's doctrine of election in Christ. The interpretation of the Sarah-Hagar narrative allows one to take insights from both theologians. The article concludes with a statement regarding infant baptism and the church's current location between promise and fulfillment.
What Were the Women Afraid Of? (Mark 16:8)
Authors: Topel John 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
After a survey of exegetes' differing opinions about the silence of the women disciples and the fear that keeps them silent, this article progresses to a deeper analysis of fear in Mark's Gospel and comes to the tentative conclusion that the fear arises from an awed reaction to the divine power manifested in the resurrection of Jesus. Beyond this tentative conclusion exegetes fear to go, and those who do so are really arguing from their own theological perspectives rather than from exegesis. This move (which one can see over and over again in exegetical writing) is not only natural, but required. At this point, the interpreter must access the conversion experience in which she knew herself called to discipleship, and from an understanding of how she has (consciously or subconsciously) thematized that reaction in the theological terms of her tradition, confirm or disprove the tentative conclusion of her exegesis. From within my theological tradition, I argue that the women are afraid not just of the cross but of the disciples' need to surrender to a divine holiness that empowers life in the new age.