/pdf/greetings-i-am-an-immortal-god-reading-imagination-and-590x4m6s5p.pdf

“greetings, i am an immortal god!”: reading, imagination, and personal divinity in late antiquity, 2nd – 5th centuries ce

This dissertation maps the functions of spirit language, rituals, and myths in the Hebrew Bible and in Second Temple Jewish literature. Most studies of these phenomena aim to decode them using modern categories (e.g., mental health, symbolization of oppression, demonization of the ‘other’). In contrast, this project applies models from cultural anthropology and ethnography on possession, trance, and other similar practices from around the world in order to reveal functions not usually associated with spirit texts (e.g., “technologies of the self,” social commentary, therapeutic self-othering, a means to reembody the past). It argues that this literature was a crucial component for constructing conceptions of the self in early Judaism and Christianity. Further, it demonstrates how the problematization of the self in biblical literature led to the enigmatic conceptions of spirit possession and exorcism found in Second Temple Jewish Literature. Chapter one, “Unfamiliar Spirits,” positions this project at the intersection of two contemporary scholarly discussions in biblical studies that have often proceeded separately (studies on conceptions of “the self” and of “evil”). Chapter two, “What are Spirit Phenomena?” defines the terms “possession” and “spirit phenomena” as they are used in the project and lays out the underlying investigative method of the dissertation. Chapter three provides an overview of previous scholarship on spirit phenomena in both biblical studies and the study of religion. Chapter four, “The Spirit and the Self,” demonstrates how spirit-language is a common mode for

Possession and Other Spirit Phenomena in Biblical Literature

Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus

/pdf/john-the-baptist-and-the-jewish-setting-of-matthew-j0qvzx6b67.pdf

John the Baptist and the Jewish Setting of Matthew

CHRIST THE WARRIOR KING: A BIBLICAL, HISTORICAL, AND THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DIVINE WARRIOR THEME IN CHRISTOLOGY Phillip Ross Bethancourt Doctor of Philosophy The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011 Supervisor: Russell D. Moore Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation’s thesis, highlights its methodology and establishes its goals. This dissertation argues that the divine warrior theme is a central Christological feature in both biblical and historical theology, which carries significant implications for contemporary issues in systematic theology. This chapter also sets the argument within the contemporary context of various approaches to theme of warfare in Scripture. Chapter 2 offers a historical analysis of treatments of the divine warrior theme in Christology. It reveals that prominent theologians throughout church history have recognized Christ as warrior king, particularly through their understanding of the atonement as victory. Chapter 3 explores how the divine warrior theme is a central feature in the messianic expectation of the Old Testament. It highlights how a biblical theology of warfare interplays with the Old Testament’s emphasis on the unfolding kingdom of God. Chapter 4 argues that the New Testament presents Christ as a warrior king in its messianic fulfillment. The New Testament’s treatment of the person and work of Christ presents him as a conquering messianic warrior. In addition, both the inaugurated and consummated dimensions of eschatology center on Christ the warrior king’s victory. Chapter 5 demonstrates how the divine warrior theme in biblical theology yields beneficial insights into contemporary issues in systematic theology. It examines how a divine warrior Christology contributes to evangelical theology in the areas of the atonement, salvation, eschatology, and providence. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation by offering a summary of arguments and considering areas for further research related to the subject. It suggests that evangelical theology could benefit significantly from further exploration of the divine warrior theme in Christology. VITA Phillip Ross Bethancourt PERSONAL Born: January 8, 1982, Freeport, Texas Parents: John and Debbie Bethancourt Married: Cami Lynn Lawhon, January 8, 2005 Children: Nathan Ross, born January 28, 2009 Lawson James, born July 13, 2010 EDUCATIONAL Diploma, Memorial High School, Houston, Texas, 2000 B.B.A., Texas A&M University, 2005 M.S., Texas A&M University, 2005 M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008 MINISTERIAL Associate College Minister, Central Baptist Church, College Station, Texas, 2004-2006 ACADEMIC Garrett Fellow, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008-2010 Director of Academic Advising – School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008 Director of Research Doctoral Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2009 Director of Academic Advising and Research Doctoral Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2009-2011 Adjunct Instructor, Boyce College, 2010 Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Academic Administration, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011 Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Instructor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011ORGANIZATIONAL Evangelical Theological Society

Christ the Warrior King: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Analysis of the Divine Warrior Theme in Christology

Jesus the Exorcist: A Contribution to the Study of the Historical Jesus

Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical and Theological Study

Notes on contributors List of abbreviations Introduction: miracle in an age of diversity Graham Twelftree Part I. Fundamental Issues: 1. What is a miracle? David Basinger 2. Meanings of miracles Robert Larmer Part II. Miracles in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: 3. The Hebrew Bible R. Walter L. Moberly 4. Classical culture to the Romans Robert Garland 5. Second Temple and early Rabbinic Judaism Lidija Novakovic 6. Jesus Barry L. Blackburn 7. Miracle in early Christianity James Carleton Paget 8. The Middle Ages Benedicta Ward Part III. Miracles and Major Religions: 9. Traditional religions Fiona Bowie 10. Hinduism Gavin Flood 11. Islam David Thomas 12. Buddhism Rupert Gethin 13. Christianity Ralph Del Colle 14. Judaism Kenneth Seeskin Part IV. Miracle Today: 15. A history of the debates on miracle Colin Brown 16. Philosophers on miracle Michael P. Levine 17. Patient belief in miraculous healing - positive or negative coping resource Niels Christian Hvidt.

The Cambridge Companion to Miracles

Defining the miraculous, the adequacy of the Western mindset to comprehend human experience, and the ability of the historian to establish the occurrence of a miracle, are issues threaded through study of the miraculous. Current work draws attention to our lack of understanding of the miraculous in the period. So far, research on Jesus has not explained his interest in miracles, their meaning, or how they relate to his other work and self-perception. Also, the nature miracles remain a problem, and a critical study of Jesus remains to be written that takes full account of the evidence of his miracles. More work needs to be done on Paul’s understanding of the miraculous. Further, despite studies on individual stories, insufficient work has been done on the miraculous from the perspective of the Gospel writers. Finally, how far early Christianity can be understood without due regard for the miraculous is open to question.

Graham H. Twelftree

Papers

Jesus the Exorcist: A Contribution to the Study of the Historical Jesus

Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical and Theological Study

The Cambridge Companion to Miracles

The Miraculous in the New Testament: Current Research and Issues

In the Name of Jesus: Exorcism among Early Christians