Showing papers in "New Testament Studies in 2002"
TL;DR: The metaphor of a boundary as that which separates "us" from "the other" is central in modern discussion of identity as constructed, yet it is also recognized that such boundaries both articulate power and are permeable as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The metaphor of a boundary as that which separates ‘us’ from ‘the other’ is central in modern discussion of identity as constructed, yet it is also recognized that such boundaries both articulate power and are permeable. The model is readily applicable to the Greco-Roman world where kinship, history, language, customs, and the gods supposedly separated ‘us’ from barbarians, but also enabled interaction; Jews and Christians engaged in the same strategies. At the textual level it is the different ways in which boundaries are constructed, particularly using diet and sexuality, that invite attention. This may offer a way of addressing questions of unity and diversity, of Judaism versus Judaisms, and of how ‘Christianity’ emerges as separate from ‘Judaism’.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that Matthew employs the phrase "kingdom of heaven" as a circumlocution for the divine name to reaffirm the readers' identity as the true people of God.
Abstract: Many current Matthean scholars argue that Matthew employs the phrase ‘kingdom of heaven’ as a circumlocution for the divine name. However, by analysing the author's rhetorical and sociological strategies one finds that ‘kingdom of heaven’ combines with other ‘heavenly’ language (especially ‘Father in heaven’) to reaffirm the readers' identity as the true people of God. This language defends Jesus as a Davidic messiah, showing that he came to establish a heavenly, not earthly, kingdom. Furthermore, the ‘heavenly’ language reinforces the disciples' commitment to Jesus in the midst of persecution, reminding them that their identity, affirmation, and goal are in heaven.
15 citations
TL;DR: The authors place the sacrificial metaphors of the Last Supper tradition within the broader ancient Jewish effort to channel the temple's sanctity into various non-sacrificial practices, such as eating and praying.
Abstract: Some scholars view the Last Supper as a symbolic action, one that articulates a rejection of the Jewish temple. This essay presents an alternative approach. The Last Supper traditions are more subtle than is generally recognized. Also, a good deal of evidence demonstrates that the temple remained an important institution in early Christian practice and thought. Therefore it is necessary to drop the problematic practice of describing sacrificial metaphors as ‘spiritualizations’ of the cult. Rather, we should place the sacrificial metaphors of the Last Supper tradition within the broader ancient Jewish effort to channel the temple's sanctity into various non-sacrificial practices, such as eating and praying.
14 citations
TL;DR: The importance of purity legislation and the "separateness" that it implied within Second Temple Judaism confirms the significance of the renewed interest in purity issues in "historical Jesus" research as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The importance of purity legislation and the "separateness" that it implied within Second Temple Judaism confirms the significance of the renewed interest in purity issues in "historical Jesus" research. The relevance of John the Baptist's "baptism" is less clear than at first appears. But that Jesus himself shared at least some purity priorities is implied by Mark 1.44 and by his "cleansing of the Temple". Yet he also sat loose to the purity "halakhoth" regarding clean and unclean and table-fellowship, which suggests that Jesus did not regard such concerns as central to the definition of Israel and its practice.
13 citations
TL;DR: The evidence suggests that Epiphanius's references to the Gospel of the Ebionites are not excerpted from Luke, but rather from a Greek translation of the elusive Hebrew Gospel attested by a number of church fathers, and thus one of the sources of Luke mentioned in the prologue of his Gospel as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Scholarly consensus generally assumes that the Gospel of the Ebionites as preserved by Epiphanius is either a harmony of the Synoptic Gospels or excerpted mainly from Matthew. A synopsis of the texts, however, demonstrates that the Epiphanius quotations show stronger affinity with Luke than with Matthew or Mark. Indeed, the evidence suggests that Epiphanius's references to the Gospel of the Ebionites are not excerpted from Luke, but rather from a Greek translation of the elusive Hebrew Gospel attested by a number of church fathers, and thus one of the sources of Luke mentioned in the prologue of his Gospel.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of Galatians' explicit and implicit references to Paul's original preaching shows that there he had initially ignored the Law, and probably had little to say about community order and conduct.
Abstract: How did Paul preach during his initial missionary visits? An analysis of Galatians' explicit and implicit references to Paul's original preaching shows that there he had initially ignored the Law, and probably had little to say about community order and conduct. The analysis also sheds some light on subsequent events. Apparently the Jewish Christian missionaries who followed Paul compromised on their own observance of the Law, joining the Gentile Christians at meals (as Peter had done at Antioch); they did not understand Paul's position on the Law and did not attack him directly.
11 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that Matthew drew his scene of risen saints from 1 Enoch 93.6, where "visions of the Holy Ones" accompany the gift of the Torah, and used this motif from the Mosaic era not to infuse Jesus' death with eschatological significance, but to provoke the centurion's acclamation of Jesus as ‘son of God" as the climax of the crucifixion narrative.
Abstract: This report of opened tombs and risen saints is conventionally deemed to mark Jesus’ death as the dawn of the new age. However, this understanding obscures Matthew's studied climax in v. 54. Defending the theory that vv. 51b–54 are a Matthean creation, it is argued here that Matthew drew his scene of risen saints from 1 Enoch 93.6, where ‘visions of the Holy Ones’ accompany the gift of the Torah. Matthew utilized this motif from the Mosaic era not to infuse Jesus’ death with eschatological significance, but to provoke the centurion's acclamation of Jesus as ‘son of God’ as the climax of the crucifixion narrative.
10 citations
TL;DR: The Thessalonians' grief about the dead believers and their anxiety about the date of the parousia arose mainly out of their inadequate understanding of the eschatological sayings of Jesus which Paul had delivered to them as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Thessalonians' grief about the dead believers and their anxiety about the date of the parousia arose mainly out of their inadequate understanding of the eschatological sayings of Jesus which Paul had delivered to them. Therefore, in 1 Thess 4.13–5.11 Paul seeks to resolve the problems by helping them understand those sayings properly in the light of the fundamental saving event of Christ's death and resurrection.
7 citations
TL;DR: The significant differences on geographical matters between the Synoptics with their sources and John with its sources, especially the question of Jesus' "place" as mentioned in this paper, should not be resolved simply in favour of Mark.
Abstract: The significant differences on geographical matters between the Synoptics with their sources and John with its sources – especially the question of Jesus' ‘place’ – should not be resolved simply in favour of Mark. Cana as a place in John is almost as significant as Capernaum in Mark; this is the case in the first century, the gospel narratives and the pilgrim tradition. Both Cana and Capernaum show the continuing vitality of Jewish and Christian communities into the Byzantine period, so that the archaeological investigation of Khirbet Qana will be increasingly significant for historical questions.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the problem is not so much an attraction back into Judaism, but a failure to leave it sufficiently in the first place, i.e., to make a clean break from Judaism both in understanding and in practice.
Abstract: Heb 13.9–14 envisages a situation where Christians of a Jewish background are still defining themselves too much by their Levitical heritage. They are still interacting with the synagogue, including participating in religious meals. Hebrews urges the readers to go outside the camp/gate, to sever the ties with Jerusalem, that is, to make a clean break from Judaism both in understanding and in practice. Such a parting may bring abuse, but this is only to follow the way of Jesus. The problem then is not so much an attraction back into Judaism, but a failure to leave it sufficiently in the first place.
7 citations
TL;DR: The presence or absence of references to Paul's collection can be a valuable aid in determining the relative chronology of the various Pauline letters as discussed by the authors, particularly in Galatians if recent commentaries are correct in seeing no evidence in Gal 2.10.
Abstract: The presence or absence of references to Paul's collection can be a valuable aid in determining the relative chronology of the various Pauline letters. This is particularly true of Galatians if recent commentaries are correct in seeing no evidence in Gal 2.10 that Paul was then actually engaged in raising the collection, and if that agreement did not lead directly to his collection. Also suggestive, but puzzling, are the varied references to the churches taking part in the collection at different points in time, which seem to reflect the often turbulent relations between Paul and his churches.
TL;DR: Based on an integrated reading of the social and sacramental dimensions of 1 Cor 11.17-34, the authors suggests that, rather than denoting the private homes of the wealthy, Paul's use of οικια/οικος refers to the domain of the Corinthian church's gathering.
Abstract: Based on an integrated reading of the social and sacramental dimensions of 1 Cor 11.17–34, this study suggests that, rather than denoting the private homes of the wealthy, Paul's use of οικια/οικος (11.22, 34) refers to the domain of the Corinthian church's gathering. As a result, his exhortation in these verses entails not a tacit endorsement of stratified resources but a concerted argument for the feeding of the hungry in the community's shared meal (δeιπνον), a meal he hopes will imitate Jesus' pattern of self-sacrifice and so will become a meal that is ‘of the Lord (κυριακον δeιπνον)’.
TL;DR: There is no adequate evidence of a 'Son of Man' concept in Jesus' time, nor of a common Aramaism for'man' (misunderstood by Aramaic-speaking evangelists).
Abstract: There is no adequate evidence of a ‘Son of Man’ concept in Jesus’ time, nor of a common Aramaism for ‘man’ (misunderstood by Aramaic-speaking evangelists). Ps 8.6 was widely used to explain the delay in Christians’ resurrection: the υιος ανθρωπου to whom all would be subjected in time was Jesus. Heb 2.8–9 makes this explicit, proving Jesus’ incarnation (‘briefly inferior to angels’), cross and resurrection (‘crowned . . . because of the suffering of death’). Mark exploits the title: Jesus was the Son of Man, prophesied to come, to die and to rise; and the similar phrase in Dan 7.13 suggests his parousia and authority.
TL;DR: The difference in view could be explained by the fact that Paul in Rom 5.18-19 is using the mythical concept of participation and that he is focusing on the effects of Christ's reconciling act rather than on how the reconciling word is brought to human beings as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Rom 5.18–19 summarises Paul's view of condemnation in Adam and salvation in Christ. Since Paul believes that all human beings participate in Adam's sin and in Christ's ‘righteous act’, a universal salvation is affirmed. This view is clearly at variance with other parts of Romans (not to mention his other extant works). The difference in view could be explained by the fact that Paul in Rom 5.18–19 is using the mythical concept of participation and that he is focusing on the effects of Christ's reconciling act rather than on how the reconciling word is brought to human beings.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose to use l'analyse narrative for analyzing the personnification of Judas in the séquence narrative of Lc 22.1-62.
Abstract: Les données lucaniennes viennent remettre en question les lectures du personnage de Judas qui cherchent à le déculpabiliser, voire à le déresponsabiliser, pour en faire un ami de Jésus. Le présent article se propose d'utiliser l'analyse narrative pour étudier la personnification de Judas dans la séquence narrative de Lc 22.1–62, en lisant notamment Lc 22.21–2 dans son contexte. Il en résulte la mise en évidence de la dimension symbolique du personnage de Judas: cette dimension ouvre à la perception d'une anthropologie ouverte et risquée dans l'œuvre de Luc.
TL;DR: The Untersuchung des ‘bildspendenden Bereichs’ des Jungfrauengleichnisses as discussed by the authors gezeigt, dass einzelne Motive des Brautigams als Elemente zeitgenossischer Hochzeitsbrauche erklart werden konnen.
Abstract: Die Untersuchung des ‘bildspendenden Bereichs’ des Jungfrauengleichnisses hat gezeigt, dass einzelne Motive des Gleichnisses als Elemente zeitgenossischer Hochzeitsbrauche erklart werden konnen: So muss die nachtliche Ankunft des Brautigams nicht allegorisch auf die Parusieverzogerung gedeutet werden, sondern entspricht dem griechischen Ritus, nach dem der Brautigam erst spat am Abend die Braut in sein Elternhaus geleitet, nachdem zuvor im Haus der Braut das Hochzeitsmahl gefeiert wurde. Die Jungfrauen konnten Magde aus dem Haus des Brautigams sein, die auf die nachtliche Ruckkehr ihres Herrn warten und die Brautleute nach ihrer Ankunft mit Gefasfackeln ins Brautgemach begleiten, bevor die Tur zu demselben verschlossen wird.
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that current readings of Rom 1.1315 are based on inaccurate punctuation and syntax, and a different punctuation of the passage is suggested, upon which a more plausible reading is based.
Abstract: Although scholars have long been aware of syntactical difficulties in Rom 1.1315, few have approached the problem by challenging the established punctuation. Readings of the text by some earlier interpreters, e.g. Origen of Alexandria, indicate that there may be good reasons to do so. In this article it is argued that current readings of Rom 1.1315 are based on inaccurate punctuation and syntax. A different punctuation of the passage is suggested, upon which a more plausible reading is based. This reading may, in turn, have some significance for the interpretation of Romans as a whole.
TL;DR: In the much-studied ethical thinking of Paul, one aspect has been overlooked: the impact of role thinking as discussed by the authors, which reinforces and broadens the motivational basis for his ethics, and introduces elements which in important ways shape both its character and its content.
Abstract: In the much-studied ethical thinking of Paul one aspect has been overlooked: the impact of role thinking. In his letters Paul assigns to the Christians several roles taken from social life, among which the sibling (brother/sister) role has a central position. Paul's frequent and often pointed use of sibling terminology shows that he employs ideas generally associated with social/biological siblingship in order to characterise and influence his co-Christians' attitudes and actions. By doing this, he reinforces and broadens the motivational basis for his ethics, and introduces elements which in important ways shape both its character and its content.
TL;DR: The widespread assumption that Paul's letter to the Galatians can be analyzed in terms derived from the classical Greek and Roman rhetoric theorists has increasingly become doubtful as discussed by the authors, which is challenged by the fact that the ancient theorists themselves made a clear distinction between oral speech and epistolography.
Abstract: The widespread assumption that Paul's letter to the Galatians can be analysed in terms derived from the classical Greek and Roman rhetoric theorists has increasingly become doubtful. Above all it is challenged by the fact that the ancient theorists themselves made a clear distinction between oral speech and epistolography. However, the principal value of the rhetorical approach must not totally be denied. The absence of the addressees forced Paul to develop a strategy of argumentation based on elementary advices of rhetoric rules with which he was acquainted. Thus he tried to affirm the threatened state of the Galatian churches as eκκλησιαι and to prevent them from turning to a different gospel proclaimed by his opponents.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the last section of 1 Peter (4.12ff), which since Perdelwitz has been identified as a concluding ‘Trostwort’, develops at length the popular consolatory topos "nihil inopinati accidisse" ( ‘nothing unexpected has happened’), which was common in contemporary Greco-Roman philosophical consolation.
Abstract: 1 Peter was written for the dual purpose of exhortation and consolation. Recent studies have focused on the former of these purposes (exhortation); this article attends to the latter (consolation). It argues that the last section of 1 Peter (4.12ff.), which since Perdelwitz has been identified as a concluding ‘Trostwort’, develops at length the popular consolatory topos ‘nihil inopinati accidisse’ (‘nothing unexpected has happened’). This topos was common in contemporary Greco-Roman philosophical consolation. It also appears in Philo and in the genuine letters of Paul and the Gospel of John.
TL;DR: In this paper, the question of why Paul says so little about Jesus in his letters is addressed in the light of a socio-historical perspective, and the study seeks to elucidate how Paul mitigates Jesus' seemingly radical remarks over ethical issues on marriage and the requirements of inheriting the kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians (6.9−10 and 7.10−11).
Abstract: The article seeks to provide an answer to the question of why Paul says so little about Jesus in his letters. Paul's relative silence on Jesus' words is dealt with in the light of a socio-historical perspective. The study seeks to elucidate how Paul mitigates Jesus' seemingly radical remarks over ethical issues on marriage and the requirements of inheriting the kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians (6.9–10 and 7.10–11), so that his teaching may fit into the new Sitz im Leben of the Corinthian Christian community.
TL;DR: Thematik Verus Israel im Blick auf Paulus zu behandeln, ist schwierig as discussed by the authors, weil er ein solches Syntagma nicht gebraucht, fur den Sachverhalt vielmehr andere Termini verwendet.
Abstract: Die Thematik Verus Israel im Blick auf Paulus zu behandeln, ist schwierig – schon weil er ein solches Syntagma nicht gebraucht, fur den Sachverhalt vielmehr andere Termini verwendet. Auserdem ist der Ausdruck Verus Israel insofern unscharf, als dabei an wirkliche Juden oder (auch) an Nicht-Juden gedacht werden kann. Der Beitrag schlagt eine ‘mengentheoretische’ Neubeschreibung des Befundes vor, die hier deutlich unterscheidet. Dabei zeigt sich: Der Apostel durfte bei der Wortfamilie um 'Ισραηλ, im Unterschied zu anderen Zusammenhangen (‘Jude’; ‘Beschneidung’; Abrahamskindschaft; ‘Volk Gottes’), die Grenze zwischen Juden und Nicht-Juden nicht uberschreiten (auch in Gal 6.16 nicht) – in Ubereinstimmung mit den traditionsgeschichtlichen Daten.
TL;DR: In this paper, an antiker Freundschaftsideale von Gleichheit, Reziprozitat, Gemeinschaft und Seelenverwandtschaft is described.
Abstract: Der Philipperbrief kann auf dem Hintergrund antiker Freundschaftsethik gelesen werden. Ein Beispiel dafur liefert der Abschnitt Phil 2.25–30. Das vertraute Verhaltnis, das Paulus mit der Gemeinde in Philippi teilte, wurde durch die Freundschaft zwischen Paulus und seinem geliebten ‘Bruder’ Epaphroditus gestutzt. Auf der Basis antiker Freundschaftsideale von Gleichheit, Reziprozitat, Gemeinschaft und Seelenverwandtschaft hat sich ein intensives freundschaftliches Verhaltnis entwickelt, das ungebrochene Beziehungen zwischen den Philippern, Paulus und Epaphroditus widerspiegelt. Paulus und sein vertrauter ‘Bruder’ haben ihre Freundschaft in der Not bewahrt. Durch die Teilhabe am Geschick von anderen und die Bereitschaft zur selbstlosen Lebenshingabe fur andere entsprechen beide der hochsten Verpflichtung von Freunden.
TL;DR: Mark 10.42b, δοκουντες αρχειν των εθνων, seems an allusion to Isa 11.10 LXX comparing those seeming to rule the Gentiles now to the prophesied messiah in Isaiah who will rule them in the eschaton.
Abstract: Mark 10.42b, οι δοκουντες αρχειν των εθνων, seems an allusion to Isa 11.10 LXX comparing those seeming to rule the Gentiles now to the prophesied messiah in Isaiah who will rule them in the eschaton. The messianic eschatological significance of Isa 11.10 LXX, evident in its development and prior use, seems continued in Mark 10.42–5, particularly as context for the preparatory, sacrificial Son of Man Christology of Mark 10.45. The allusion also suggests the prophetic applicability of all Isaiah 11 to Mark 10.42–5. The allusion's implied progression between Jesus’ self-sacrifice and his messiahship permits Mark 10.42–5 to function as an independent rhetorical unit applicable to church leadership in the interregnum and as a theologically climactic unit within Mark. Undeveloped by later readers of Mark, this allusion should be highlighted to preserve the passage's eschatological expectation.
TL;DR: Tuckett et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the use of the nomina sacra forms by the scribe of P 52 (PRyl 457) and concluded that the abbreviations were probably not used in P 52.
Abstract: Recently, Christopher M. Tuckett offered in this journal a careful and incisive study of the question whether the scribe of P 52 (PRyl 457) employed the nomina sacra forms. The extant text contains no words that were commonly abbreviated as such, though missing portions of the fragment would have contained three instances (lines 2, 5, 7) of the name ‘Jesus’. Tuckett concluded with C. H. Roberts's original opinion (later changed) that the abbreviations were probably not used in P 52 . Christopher M. Tuckett, ‘P 52 and Nomina Sacra ’, NTS 47 (2001) 544–8. I would like to call attention here to several factors which have a bearing on the question and which I believe balance the issue, or perhaps even tip the scales of probability a bit the other way.
TL;DR: In this paper, the egô in Rom 7 and all the rhetorical techniques support its non-Christian identity is discussed. But the authors focus on the background of the passage and show that it must be Jewish and Greek, and stress the relevance of such a double background for the anthropology of the pericope.
Abstract: After having briefly dealt with the egô in Rom 7 and stated that all the rhetorical techniques support its non-Christian identity, the article shifts to the background of the passage and shows that it must be Jewish and Greek, and stresses the relevance of such a double background for the anthropology of the pericope.
TL;DR: The story of how the recently crucified and risen Christ meets up with two of his perplexed and despondent disciples as they are walking from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus, how he explains to them as they walk together that it had been foretold long ago by the prophets that Christ would suffer and die as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Luke 24.13–35 narrates the story of how the recently crucified and risen Christ meets up with two of his perplexed and despondent disciples as they are walking from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus, how he explains to them as they walk together that it had been foretold long ago by the prophets that Christ would suffer and die, how he is persuaded by them, when evening has come, to break his journey at their home in Emmaus, how he reveals himself to them at dinner in the breaking of the bread, and, finally, how the two disciples return immediately, even at this late hour, to Jerusalem in order to report these miraculous events to the 11 apostles.
TL;DR: In several NT passages an audience is urged to be ready for the parousia of Christ, which will come upon them "like a thief in the night" as discussed by the authors, which plays upon a common stock of cultural lore regarding the nocturnal activities of house burglars.
Abstract: In several NT passages an audience is urged to be ready for the parousia of Christ, which will come upon them ‘like a thief in the night’ This image plays upon a common stock of cultural lore regarding the nocturnal activities of house burglars A review of the evidence suggests that poor people and women had the most to fear from burglars For them, the idea of Jesus coming ‘like a thief in the night’ might have induced feelings of fear rather than anticipation In the case of women, the image may have functioned as a means of social control
TL;DR: Webb as discussed by the authors examined the relation between 2 Cor 6.14.7.1 and its immediate context (6.11.13 and 7.2.1) and found that the passage originally stood at its present location in 2 Corinthians.
Abstract: New Testament scholars have long debated whether 2 Cor 6.14–7.1 originally stood at its present location in 2 Corinthians and, indeed, whether the passage should even be attributed to Paul. The verses have variously been viewed as (a) composed by Paul specifically for inclusion at their present location, (b) composed by Paul for some other occasionPerhaps as part of the earlier letter mentioned in 1 Cor 5.9–11. but subsequently included at their present location either by Paul or by someone else, (c) composed by someone other than Paul but included at their present location by Paul, or (d) both composed by someone other than Paul and included at their present location by someone other than Paul (not necessarily the same person).For a good summary of scholarship since the Reformation, see William J. Webb, Returning Home: New Covenant and Second Exodus as the Context for 2 Corinthians 6.14–7.1 (JSNTSup 85; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1993) 16–30; see also, e.g., Victor Paul Furnish, II Corinthians: Translated with Introduction, Notes, and Commentary (AB 32A; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984) 375–83. It is not my intention in this brief study to address the question of authorship; rather, I propose simply to look at one aspect of the question whether this passage originally stood at its present location in 2 Corinthians – that is, at the relation between 2 Cor 6.14–7.1 and its immediate context (6.11–13 and 7.2–3).
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the theological significance of the pattern of usage in Codex Bezae which, it is argued, represents an earlier stage of the Gospel than that transmitted by the Alexandrian text.
Abstract: In most MSS of John's Gospel, only the Hellenistic name of ‘Ιεροσολυμα is used. However, there are two variant readings of ’Ιερουσαλημ in Codex Bezae as well as an additional reference to Jerusalem with the Hellenistic spelling. The article examines the theological significance of the pattern of usage in Codex Bezae which, it is argued, represents an earlier stage of the Gospel than that transmitted by the Alexandrian text.