bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Need for the "Historical Jesus" A Response to Jacob Neusner's Review of Crossan and Meier
Authors: EVANS CRAIG A. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Jacob Neusner's review of John Dominic Crossan's The Historical Jesus and John P. Meier's A Marginal Jew is insightful and helpful at many points. Although Neusner is not himself a Jesus scholar, his work in rabbinica qualifies him for meaningful participation in what is a technical and difficult field of study. Neusner rightly criticizes Crossan's uncritical use of apocryphal gospels, especially with respect to Morton Smith's Secret Gospel of Mark. But Neusner infers too much from this particular controversy; Jesus research is not in a state of chaos, nor has the discipline been unable to defend itself from hucksters and sensationalists. Neusner claims too much when he accuses Crossan and Meier of defending their work on "blatantly theological grounds." Both discuss the implications that their research has for Christian faith, but the work itself is not defended on theological grounds. It is concluded that historical Jesus research is credible and necessary.
Belshazzar's Feast and the Cult of the Moon God Sîn
Authors: WOLTERS AL 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Beaulieu has recently suggested that the festival which ancient sources connect with the fall of Babylon in 539 BC may have been an akītu festival in honor of the moon god Sîn. This proposal can be supported by two additional arguments. First, the dates of the festival (the 16th and 17th of Tašritu) would always have come immediately after the Harvest Moon or Hunter's Moon. Second, a Mesopotamian akītu festival celebrated in Tašritu and dedicated to the moon god appears to be the background of the Aramaic liturgy preserved in Papyrus Amherst 63. Given the religious politics of Nabonidus' last years, in which Sîn was promoted at the expense of Marduk, it is likely that a similar akītu festival took place in Babylon at the time of its fall.
Tasks of New Testament Scholarship
Authors: HENGEL MARTIN 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
New Testament scholarship must move beyond its current preoccupation with faddish methods (as evidenced by several variations of the so-called new literary criticism) and return to a solid grounding in history, primary source materials, archaeology, and competence in the pertinent languages. This also entails familiarity with early Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, and early patristics. The exemplary contributions of major biblical scholars of the last century are reviewed.
The Children of God and the Glory That John 1:14 Saw
Authors: KIRCHHEVEL GORDON D. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
After John 1:1–3 described the Word (compare Tg. Isa 45:12) and John 1:4–10 described the light (compare Isa 60:1–2), John 1:11–13 described the unbelievers and believers as perceived in Aramaic tradition related to Isa 53:1–2a, and John 1:14 described the unique and glorious Messiah predicted in the tradition related to Isa 53:2b. He that cometh was identified as Jesus Messiah in John 1:15–17, and v. 18 asserted that the unique Son, the Father's beloved, governed for the unseen God. "Like the sucker" in Isa 53:2a was taken to refer to the believer(s), and the ambiguous simile was interpreted as like a seed sprouting (Mark 4:26–27) and as like a little child (10:15). Aramaic tradition interpreted the sucker as "the righteous," and Rom 1:16–17 argued that God's righteousness is revealed in those who "believe" the "good news," interpreting "faith" in Hab 2:4 in accordance with the faith perceived in Isa 53:1.
Jesus as Rabbi in the Fourth Gospel
Authors: KÖSTENBERGER ANDREAS J. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractStudies of John's portrayal of Jesus usually focus on the Fourth Gospel's high Christology. The presentation of Jesus as rabbi tends to be attributed to the Synoptics. This trend prevails all the more since John is customarily viewed as less concerned about the historical aspects of Jesus' life than the Synoptic writers. The present study, while not contending that rabbi is the primary or exclusive designation of Jesus in John's Gospel, sets out to correct these stereotypes. It is argued that the Fourth Gospel shows that Jesus was perceived by his contemporaries primarily as a rabbi.
Approaches to and Images of Biblical Authority for the Postmodern Mind
Authors: LARKIN WILLIAM J. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Biblical authority is unintelligible, if not inimical, to the postmodern mind. Deconstructive, analytical postmodernists are hostile to any "privileging" of a text. Playful postmoderns, many persons in the broader culture, though technologically sophisticated, live "surface" lives indifferent to authority, biblical or otherwise. Constructivist postmoderns promote "Scripture free" paradigms for constructive living. Through reflection on the Bible as "sword" and "grand mural," "mirror" and "CD-ROM," "light for the path" and "map for the journey," this article seeks to commend Scripture to the postmodern mind of whatever stripe.
The State of the New Testament Canon in the Second Century: Putting Tatian's "Diatessaron" in Perspective
Authors: ALLERT CRAIG D. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn contemporary discussions of the NT canon, focus has been on its polemical aspects, that is, when it was closed. By so doing the idea of a canonical process suffers. In attempting to understand Tatian's Diatessaron in this process it is argued here that the very existence of the harmony testifies against a closed fourfold Gospel canon in the mid–second century. A proper distinction between canon and scripture is foundational in this understanding. Discussions about the closed NT canon belong to a day far removed from Tatian's. By placing Tatian's Diatessaron in the perspective of process we are less tempted to view his use of the four Gospels as proving their canonicity, a view which is anachronistic and inaccurate.
Intertextual Echoes in the Matthean Baptismal Narrative
Authors: CAPES DAVID B. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Matthew's story of Jesus' baptism provides evidence of an "Immanuel" ("God with us") Christology. In particular the first evangelist redacts Mark's account and envisages Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet according to the order of Ezekiel. Moreover, the opening of the heavens and descent of the Spirit echo Isaiah 63–64 and portray Jesus as God's answer to the petition longing for his presence and redemption. The dove image appears to have two intertextual functions: (1) to construe Jesus' baptism as the end of judgment and the beginning of new creation through the recollection of Noah's deliverance, and (2) to signal Jesus' role as sufferer through a lesserknown image of the dove as a symbol for God's suffering people.
The Preliminary Edition of the First Numbers Scroll from Naḥal Ḥever
Authors: FLINT PETER W. , ALVAREZ ANDREA E. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
This article begins with the discovery of the biblical scrolls from Naḥal Ḥever near the western shore of the Dead Sea and then offers an overview of the manuscripts of the book of Numbers in all the Dead Sea Scrolls. The main section contains the preliminary edition of the first Numbers scrolls from Naḥal Ḥever, abbreviated 5/6Ḥev/Numa. The edition is in three parts: contents and physical description; palaeography and other features; and a transcription (including notes). The article closes with a complete index of all the Ṇumbers passages in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
2 Kings 3: History or Historical Fiction?
Authors: SPRINKLE JOE M. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
It has become fashionable in recent decades for biblical scholars, sometimes termed "biblical minimalists," to deny thoroughly the historicity of virtually all biblical narratives. 2 Kings 3 has not escaped this trend to repudiate reconstructions that harmonize the biblical account with extrabiblical data, in this case with the Mesha Inscription (Moabite Stone). Rather, such minimalists label 2 Kings 3 "historical fiction" with the emphasis on fiction and see little genuine history in the chapter. This paper examines the arguments of biblical minimalists concerning 2 Kings 3 in comparison with the Mesha Inscription and presents what can be termed a "historical maximalist" response for this story, evaluating the arguments of the minimalists while providing a positive historical reconstruction of this period on "maximalist" assumptions. It is concluded that a reconstruction that takes both 2 Kings 3 and the Mesha Inscription as essentially accurate history is possible, and that the objections raised by historical minimalists to such a reconstruction, though not without weight, are by no means conclusive. Hence, historical maximalism for 2 Kings 3 appears to be a viable option.
The Background of the "Son of God" Text
Authors: COLLINS JOHN J. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
E. M. Cook has proposed that the background of 4Q246 is to be found in Akkadian prophecies (BBR 5 [1995] 43–66). This interesting suggestion has the merit of expanding the horizons of the discussions, but it is not ultimately persuasive. 4Q246 has far closer parallels, both in its visionary genre and in actual phraseology, in the Book of Daniel. The argument that the "son of God" should be understood as a negative figure is in no way corroborated by the alleged Akkadian parallels. The argument still depends on the assumption that there is a single turning point in the text, and that everything before it is negative. This assumption is not warranted by comparison with other apocalyptic texts. By far the closest parallel to the language of 4Q246 about the "son of God" is found in the Gospel of Luke, where the "son of God" is associated with "the throne of David his father" and so is explicitly messianic.
Greco-Roman Textuality and the Gospel of Mark: A Critical Assessment of Werner Kelber's "The Oral and the Written Gospel"
Authors: HURTADO L. W. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractWerner Kelber's The Oral and the Written Gospel set forth an ambitious and bold thesis concerning the Gospel of Mark as the revolutionary document that subverted the "orality" of the pre-Markan Jesus tradition and replaced it with "textuality." However, his characterizations of the nature of orality and textuality are not appropriate for the Greco-Roman setting of Mark and his proposal cannot, therefore, serve us well in understanding the appearance of the written Gospels and the intentions behind them. In this essay two main matters not given enough attention in previous assessments of Kelber's study are discussed: (1) the nature of Greco-Roman literacy, and (2) several relevant aspects of textuality in the Greco-Roman period, with particular reference to the Gospel of Mark.
Comparing the Traditions: New Testament and Rabbinic Literature
Authors: SALDARINI ANTHONY J. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractData from Rabbinic Literature have often been used to illuminate details of New Testament thought and the realia of the texts. Arguments over the proper method for interpreting and using Rabbinic Literature in New Testament study have gradually forced New Testament scholars to take Judaism seriously in its synchronic and diachronic diversity. The increasingly critical and full historical picture of Second Temple and early Rabbinic Judaism and of the Jesus movement and early Christianity emerging from Judaism invites interpreters to read the texts valued by each tradition in the light of one another. This requires recognizing the sharp theological and polemical boundaries erected by thinkers in each tradition as significant claims to truth and authenticity which gave shape to their communities. Equally, we must recognize that such boundaries, with their conflicting theological, ideological, and historical claims, reflect human ideals, needs, and conflicts that emerged from a more homogeneous and shared tradition of thought and practice. Reading texts from both the Rabbinic and early Christian tradition together, with full attention to the integrity of each, does justice to the shared context and valued particularities of each.
Circumcision in the Hebrew Bible and Targums: Theology, Rhetoric, and the Handling of Metaphor
Authors: DEROUCHIE JASON S. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
In the Hebrew Bible, circumcision terminology is often used figuratively for anything that is opposed to Israel's God. Because Israel alone among all the peoples of the ancient world amputated the foreskin during the rite, prophetic rhetoric could characterize any hostility to the Lord with "foreskin" language. In rendering the Hebrew, the official targums were quick to substitute nonliteral, more concrete equivalents for the metaphorical circumcision terminology. Consequently, while the targums generally capture the voice and perspective of their parent text, they at times miss the full theological substance and cutting rhetorical jab contained therein.
"The Disciple Jesus Loved": Witness, Author, Apostle — A Response to Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses
Authors: KÖSTENBERGER ANDREAS J. , STOUT STEPHEN O. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006) makes a persuasive argument that the Gospels display eyewitness testimony and thus renews the quest for the identity of the Beloved Disciple as the author of the Fourth Gospel. While Bauckham attributes this Gospel to "the presbyter John" mentioned by Papias, the authors of this study show that the patristic evidence more likely seems to support the authorship of John the apostle and that the literary device of inclusio in the Fourth Gospel, astutely observed by Bauckham, also favors the authorship of John the son of Zebedee.
Jewish Opposition to Christians in Asia Minor in the First Century
Authors: SCHNABEL ECKHARD J. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
This study examines the reasons for the opposition of the Jews of Roman Asia Minor to the Jewish Christian missionaries and their teaching. It will be seen that while theological convictions played a significant role, the opposition in the local synagogues cannot be explained only with reference to the Jews' zeal for the law and for the purity of the Jewish community. The available evidence, particularly of Josephus, suggests that the Jews of Asia Minor were concerned to preserve the social and political rights and privileges that they had enjoyed since Julius Caesar, which had come under pressure in different places at different times and which would be threatened if pagans joined the community without being asked to submit to circumcision and to other Jewish traditions such as the food laws. Concerns about the financial viability of the local Jewish community and about the relationship with the Jewish commonwealth in Judea may have played a role as well.
The Purpose and Preservation of the Jesus Tradition: Moderate Evidence for a Conserving Force in Its Transmission
Authors: Bird Michael F. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
An important preface to historical Jesus research involves formulating a theory of the transmission of the traditions underlying the Gospels. Scholarship frequently exhibits either an inherent skepticism toward trying to uncover how this tradition was handled or else is saturated with multiple proposals concerning the means of its formation. In any event, important questions to be asked include what purpose the Jesus tradition had in early Christian circles and what factors or controls may have enabled that tradition to be preserved effectively. In this study I address questions of this sort and, with careful qualification, contend that the Jesus tradition probably had a variety of functions in the early church, and there were several reasons why the words and deeds of Jesus may have been consciously preserved.
The Kingdom of Heaven in Kindred Systems, Judaic and Christian
Authors: NEUSNER JACOB 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
"Kingdom of Heaven" figures prominently in one Judaic system, forms part of the background of another, and plays no role whatsoever in a third, which makes possible the comparison and contrast of Judaisms. What is at stake in this exercise is how and whether "Kingdomk of Heaven" functions as a category-formation in the Aggadic theology as it does in the Evangelists' account of Jesus' teaching adn the media framed to bear that message. In Aggadic and Halakic contexts, by contrast, the theme of God's rule pervades, but the particularization of that theme as "Kingdom of Heaven" forms no more than an inert category-formation, one that figures as part of the background of ideas that everywhere inhere but nowhere take an active, generative role.
"God So Near": An Examination of the Ancient Near Eastern Setting for Deuteronomy 4:7 and קרבים
Authors: BRICKER DANIEL P. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
According to Deut 4:7, Israel has a deity who is "near." While most studies that include this passage address other matters, almost none of them explore the meaning or background of the concept of "nearness" (קרבים). The purpose of this article is to examine the Hebrew root קרב, the ancient Near Eastern background of the "nearness" of the deities, and the interpretation of Deut 4:7 as a result of these findings and to explore what made or brought God "near."
The Great Commission as the Climax of Matthew's Mountain Scenes
Authors: ROGERS TRENT 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Many have attempted an explanation of the mountain setting of the Great Commission, but existing proposals fail to account for both the situation of the Matthean community and the use of mountain scenes in the Gospel. This article reads Matthew's Gospel in light of Jewish opposition to the community's proclamation of Jesus, an opposition that likely reasserted the preeminence of Moses' authority and teaching. The mountain of the Great Commission serves as the culmination of the convergence of the Son of God and Moses themes throughout the Gospel in which Matthew argues that Jesus, Son of God is the only one to whom the community owes worship and obedience.
Desiring God: The Blood of the Covenant in Exodus 24
Authors: PEELER AMY L. B. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The ritual depicted in Exod 24 stands as one of the most unusual in Israel's Scriptures. Moses tosses sacrificial blood on the entire congregation in the midst of confirming God's covenant with them. Multiple theories have arisen for the possible meaning or function of this striking ritual act. This essay argues for the use of a narrative method to understand this event better in light of the events that precede and follow it. When viewed in the context of Exodus as a whole, the application of the blood on the congregation does serve to seal the covenant and consecrate the people, as others have argued. In light of the use of blood in Israel and other ancient Near Eastern cultures, however, the application of blood also serves to create an expectation and desire for the immediate nearness of God.
A Passionate Prophet: Reading Emotions in the Book of Malachi
Authors: CLENDENEN E. RAY 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
This article examines evidence of Malachi's interest in uncovering the audience's emotional state and of using various strategies to affect those emotions. One effect of this "emotional reading" is to dig deeper into motives and to get a fuller picture of the original situation than is usually obtained. It also demonstrates the author was aware of the close, even overlapping relationship between thought, emotions, attitudes, and behavior.
Reconsidering the Authorship of Colossians
Authors: PASCUZZI MARIA A. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The dispute over the authorship of Colossians only began in the 19th century with the modern critical investigation of its language and style. Since then, further objections have been raised against the letter's authenticity, and today at least 50 percent of NT scholars consider the letter pseudonymous. Although it cannot be disproved that Colossians is pseudonymous, various considerations set forth in this essay converge to suggest that the argument for Colossians' authenticity has greater plausibility.
The Spiritual Powers of Ephesians 6:10–18 in the Light of African Pentecostal Spirituality
Authors: Adewuya J. Ayodeji 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Ephesians 6:10–18 remains one of the most important passages in the Pauline corpus that deals with the issue of spiritual warfare. Yet the referents of the spiritual powers remain somewhat unclear due to the differences in the continental world views of various interpreters. This article, in addition to reviewing some current hermeneutical approaches, suggests there is a shared understanding of the African Pentecostal world view of spirits with that of Eph 6:10–18. It cautions against an uncritical application of Paul's teaching.
Anticipatory Effects around Proposed Regulation: Evidence from Basel III
Authors: Hendricks Bradley E. , Neilson Jed J. , Shakespeare Catherine , Williams Christopher D. 
Published: April 2022

ABSTRACT
Regulation is often proposed, developed, and finalized over a lengthy rule-making period prior to its adoption. We examine the period over which banking authorities discussed, adopted, and implemented Basel III to understand how firms respond to proposed regulation. We find evidence to suggest that affected banks not only lobbied rule-makers against it but also made strategic financial reporting changes and altered their business models in ways that reduced their exposure to the proposed rule prior to rule-makers finalizing the regulation. Further, our results indicate a sequential response, with banks responding through lobbying and strategic financial reporting prior to making business model changes. These findings highlight the interplay among firms’ financial reporting, business model, and political choices in response to proposed regulation and indicate that the appropriate date for an event study may be the regulation’s announcement date rather than its adoption or implementation dates.
JEL Classifications: G14; G21; G28; M41; M48.
Survival Rate of CAD–CAM Endocrowns Performed by Undergraduate Students
Authors: Munoz-Sanchez ML , Bessadet M , Lance C , Bonnet G , Veyrune JL , Nicolas E , Hennequin M , Decerle N 
Published: April 2022

SUMMARY
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the success of computer-aided design–computer-aided manufacturing (CAD–CAM) endocrown restorations of endodontically treated teeth (ETT) performed by supervised undergraduate students. The study also intended to identify possible factors that may lead to failures.
Methods and Materials: This observational open cohort study was based on clinical data from endocrown restorations performed by residents and undergraduate students in their 4th, 5th, and 6th year from July 2011 to May 2018. The presence of a tooth with an endocrown on the arch was the main criteria used to calculate the survival rate of restored teeth. The quality of the remaining endocrowns was evaluated referring to the FDI criteria. The cases of failure were categorized into either favorable or unfavorable.
Results: A total of 343 ETT were restored with endocrowns in 315 patients. Among them, 199 patients encompassing 225 endocrowns were followed during a 56 ± 26 month period. The survival rate of restored teeth was found to be 81.8%, the estimated Kaplan–Meier survival rate being 71.8% at 9 years. Among the 41 failed cases, 32 were favorable (debonding and/or ceramic fractures) and 9 were unfavorable.
Conclusion: Endocrown restorations of posterior ETT using CAD–CAM technologies could be carried out by undergraduates with a low risk of failure. Teacher supervision could be reinforced, covering all steps of each endocrown procedure in order to avoid failures due to insufficient thickness or loss of retention.