Showing papers on "Exegesis published in 2013"

The politics of female supplication in the book of Esther

Abstract: An analysis of Esther's role as suppliant in scriptural exegesis and early modern reinterpretations

The Book of Genesis in Late Antiquity: Encounters between Jewish and Christian Exegesis

Abstract: Introduction IN PARADISE: ADAM FROM CREATION TO RESURRECITON Rabbinic Traditions Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained: The Christian Approach The Exegetical Encounter CAIN AND ABEL Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Tradition The Exegetical Encounter THE FLOOD STORY Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Tradition The Exegetical Encounter ABRAHAM AND MELCHIZEDEK Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Tradition The Exegetical Encounter HAGAR AND ISHMAEL The Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Tradition The Exegetical Encounter JACOB'S LADDER Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Tradition The Exegetical Encounter JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR Rabbinic Traditions The Christian Approach The Exegetical Encounter THE BLESSING ON JUDAH Rabbinic Traditions Jacob's Blessing on Judah: The Christian Approach The Exegetical Encounter CONCLUSIONS

Contextualising biblical exegesis: What is the African biblical hermeneutic approach?

Abstract: This article responded to the question about the right methodology needed for the reconstruction of a viable African Christian theology. It equally contributed an answer to earlier concerns by Appiah-Kubi, Stinton and Nyiawung, who had grappled with an African response to the question of Jesus’ identity: ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Lk 9:20). It also attended to Aben’s remark that Africans contribute minimally to biblical theology especially in the domain of biblical exegesis. Finally, it proposed an African biblical hermeneutic approach, a shift of paradigm from the text, its author as well as its context to the context of the subject of exegesis as a contextual approach of biblical criticism. Three main conclusions emerged from the article, namely, (1) the African context contains enormous potentials that can enhance the understanding and interpretation of biblical texts; (2) from the perspective of biblical interpretation, there is no superior context or culture; and (3) the African biblical hermeneutic approach is a possible route to the development of an authentic African Christian theology.

Augustine and the Primeval Language in Early Modern Exegesis and Philology

Abstract: In his influential work City of God — De civitate Dei — Augustine identifies Hebrew as the original, or primeval, language of mankind, and more accurately as the language that survived the confusion of languages at Babel in the house or family of Heber, a descendant of Noah in the fifth generation. This article surveys (1) how this claim is related to ideas about this topic in ancient Jewish and Christian sources before and after Augustine, (2) demonstrates how Augustine’s interpretation of biblical primeval history and his concept of history is interconnected with his view on the primordial language, and (3) explores how early modern exegesis and philology adopted this specific Augustinian model with regard to the topic in question. This study is both descriptive and analytical. It is based on primary sources which modern scholarship of the history of linguistic thought hitherto to a great extent has either failed to pay attention to or misrepresented.

Circumcision of the Spirit in the soteriology of Cyril of Alexandria

Abstract: CIRCUMCISION OF THE SPIRIT IN THE SOTERIOLOGY OF CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Jonathan S. Morgan, B.S., M.A. Marquette University, 2013 In this dissertation I argue that Cyril of Alexandria’s interpretation of “spiritual circumcision” provides invaluable insight into his complex doctrine of salvation. Spiritual Circumcision – or Circumcision by the Spirit -is a recurring theme throughout his extensive body of exegetical literature, which was written before the Nestorian controversy (428). When Cyril considers the meaning and scope of circumcision, he recognizes it as a type that can describe a range of salvific effects. For him, circumcision functions as a unifying concept that ties together various aspects of salvation such as purification, sanctification, participation, and freedom. Soteriology, however, can only be understood in relation to other doctrines. Thus, Cyril’s discussions of circumcision often include correlative areas of theology such as hamartiology and Trinitarian thought. In this way, Cyril’s discussions on circumcision convey what we are saved from, as well as the Trinitarian agency of our salvation. Cyril’s typological interpretation of circumcision also sheds light upon his biblical exegesis. In this study I demonstrate that what Cyril does with circumcision substantiates the thesis that his Scriptural interpretation was shaped, in part, by his relationship with Judaism. Throughout his biblical commentaries, Cyril goes to great lengths to demonstrate that Jewish theology and practice is founded upon the “types and shadows” of the Old Testament instead of the spiritual realities that are fulfilled in Christ and to which they point. A number of scholars have recognized this significant feature of Cyril’s exegesis, and have explored the various “typereality” relationships present in Cyril’s writings. However, very little attention has been given to the way Cyril’s typological exegesis of circumcision in particular clarifies this aspect of his biblical interpretation. Therefore, my aim is to demonstrate that Cyril’s understanding of true circumcision functions in his exegetical literature as a spiritual symbol that unites his multifaceted soteriology, and to further strengthen the thesis that Cyril’s treatment of circumcision underscores his “type-reality” hermeneutic.

‘It’s all red ink’: The interpretation of biblical metaphor among Evangelical Christian YouTube users:

Abstract: Among Evangelical Christians on the popular video-sharing site YouTube, the Bible is an important resource for justifying and challenging specific words and actions Such justifications and challenges provide researchers with an opportunity to study how authoritative text is interpreted in social interaction To that end, this article presents analysis of a single debate – an episode of what YouTube users call ‘drama’ – around one Evangelical Christian’s controversial use of a passage from the Bible to justify calling others ‘human garbage’ This analysis shows first, that conflicting interpretations and use of the Bible’s moral authority led to the development of ‘drama’ because users evidenced differing beliefs about the development of biblical metaphorical language; and second, that users appropriated the Bible’s words to their own discourse activity through exegesis and metaphor development This article thus provides both an empirical case study in the interpretation of figurative language and a chal

The Culmination of Tradition-based Tafsīr: The Qurʼān Exegesis al-Durr al-manthūr of al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505)

Abstract: This is a study of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī’s al-Durr al-manthūr fi-l-tafsīr bi-lma’thur (The scattered pearls of tradition-based exegesis), hereinafter al-Durr. In the present study, the distinctiveness of al-Durr becomes evident in comparison with the tafsīrs of ala arī (d. 310/923) and I n Kathīr (d. 774/1373). Al-Suyūṭī surpassed these exegetes by relying entirely on ḥadīth (tradition). Al-Suyūṭī rarely offers a comment of his own. Thus, in terms of its formal features, al-Durr is the culmination of traditionbased exegesis (tafsīr bi-l-ma’thūr). This study also shows that al-Suyūṭī intended in al-Durr to subtly challenge the traditionased hermeneutics of I n Taymīyah (d. 728/1328). According to Ibn Taymīyah, the true, unified, interpretation of the Qurʼān must be sought in the Qurʼān

Richard Wagner's Jesus von Nazareth

Abstract: .........................................................................................................v Introduction.....................................................................................................1 Part I: Religion and Revolution: Historical Contextualization..........................................5 Chapter 1: Broad Influences ........................................................................6 The Passion in Drama and Music................................................6 Martin Luther, Protestantism, and Catholicism...............................15 Chapter 2: Wagner’s Internal Development.....................................................23 Wagner’s Revolutionary Mentality..............................................23 Speech to the Vaterslandsverein................................................24 Volksblätter Articles..............................................................28 Die Kunst und die Revolution....................................................................32 “Künstlerthum der Zukunft”......................................................................37 Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft.......................................................................38 “The Unbeauty of Civilization”.................................................41 Das Judenthum in der Musik....................................................42 Das Liebesmahl der Apostel.....................................................44 Rienzi..........................................................................................................48 Tannhäuser and Lohengrin........................................................................49 Chapter 3: Contemporary Intellectual Influences.............................................52 Hegel, Schelling, and Fichte.....................................................52 Feuerbach...........................................................................62 Bauer................................................................................72 Stirner...............................................................................74 Ruge.................................................................................76 Strauss..............................................................................77 Weitling.............................................................................80 Junges Deutschland and Saint-Simone..........................................83 Bakunin.............................................................................88 Röckel..............................................................................92 Proudhon...........................................................................94 Lamennais and Lamartine........................................................98 Part II: Jesus von Nazareth................................................................................102 Chapter 4: General Outline of the Work........................................................102 Historiography...................................................................102 Structure..........................................................................112 Plot Summary....................................................................117 Analysis of the Drama..........................................................120 Wagner’s Exegetical Framework.............................................128 Chapter 5: Scriptural Citations and Theoretical Underpinning..............................132 Wagner’s Relative Understanding of Greek.................................134 Love...............................................................................136

On “Exegetical Function” in Rewritten Scripture: Inner-Biblical Exegesis and the Abram/Ravens Narrative in Jubilees

Abstract: While no consensus obtains among specialists as to what the term “rewritten Bible” (or “rewritten Scripture”) properly denotes—or whether, indeed, it is proper to use at all—most agree that the texts thought to represent this category are basically exegetical in character. That is, they are supposed to have as their aim or goal the interpretation of texts that are now part of the Hebrew Bible. At the same time, it is universally recognized that the authors of so-called rewritten Bible compositions exercised a substantial degree of freedom in their retelling. They clearly had their own interests, motives, and aims, distinct from those of the biblical narrative. These interests (sometimes characterized as “ideological” in nature), in turn, determine the structure or literary shape of their work, including such basic elements as character, plot, scope, and narrative voice. Thus, while it is constitutive for the genre or category that such works mainly follow the sequence and wording of the biblical text, they are not—and cannot be—identical to the latter in compositional form. Every rewritten Bible composition is defined by its own retelling strategy or program.

The Hebrew Bible and/as Second Temple Literature: Methodological Reflections

Abstract: This essay offers methodological reflections on the relationship between studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls and studies of the Hebrew Bible. These reflections center around three main claims: (1) that the Hebrew Bible is Second Temple literature; (2) that the internal development of the Hebrew Bible is, in a specific and important sense, a history of exegesis; and (3) that Second Temple interpretation outside of the scriptural corpus is inseparable from the history of exegesis within it. These claims all point to the problematic and artificial nature of the boundaries between the two disciplines; and they illustrate how both fields require each other in order to understand their respective objects of inquiry in a rigorous and historically appropriate manner.

Writing hegemonic masculinities: 'My Brother's War' and its exegesis

Abstract: v Acknowledgements vii Thesis: My Brother’s War 1 Exegesis: Writing Hegemonic Masculinities: An Exegesis on My Brother’s War 213

Form and Function in the Late Medieval Bible

Abstract: Drawing on expertise in art history, liturgy, exegesis, preaching and manuscript studies, this volume is the first cohesive study of the layout, evolution and use of the Late Medieval Bible, one of the bestsellers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

Saved by Obedience: Matthew 1:21 in Light of Jesus' Teaching on the Torah

Abstract: Recent studies by Warren Carter and Boris Repschinski have argued that the notice in Matt 1:21 that Jesus "will save his people from their sins" signals a major theme to be elaborated the Gospel's subsequent narrative. The standard exegesis of the passage identifies Jesus' function of forgiving sin (Matt 9:2-8), particularly in connection with his death by crucifixion (26:28), as the most significant elaboration of 1:21. Although both Carter and Repschinski make significant advances beyond the "standard view," both fail to define adequately the nature of the "sin" from which Jesus is depicted as saving his people. Following important strands of Second Temple Judaism, "sin" is defined in Matthew as transgression of the stipulations of the Torah. Once this definition is recognized, a mode of salvation from sin suggests itself: Jesus' advocacy of Torah observance. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus is depicted as a proponent of strict obedience to the law (e.g., 5:17-20; 23:1-3; 28:19-20). In terms of the amount of material devoted to its exposition and its placement at important points in the narrative, the Gospel strongly marks Jesus' advocacy of Torah observance as one if its most important themes. The standard view inverts Matthew's own literary and theological priorities: Jesus "saves his people from their sins" not primarily by forgiving sin or by his death on the cross but by exhorting his audience to follow the Torah with perfect obedience.

From Clear Fulfillment to Complex Prophecy: the History of the Adventist Interpretation of Revelation 9, from 1833 to 1957

Abstract: FROM CLEAR FULFILLMENT TO COMPLEX PROPHECY: THE HISTORY OF THE ADVENTIST INTERPRETATION OF REVELATION 9, FROM 1833 TO 1957 by Jon Hjorleifur Stefansson

Classical Exegesis – from Theagenes of Rhegium to Bernard Silvestris

Abstract: This article explores the methods that ancient philosophers and historians devised for the interpretation of Greek myths and examines their development in later ages. With few exceptions, poets were regarded as the authors of myths, with the result that much ancient myth exegesis was directed to authorial intention. Claims that the poets were liars were met with the defence that they wrote allegorically. Interpretation tended to be closely related to the doctrines of the philosophical schools; indeed, it was the authority of the schools that was responsible for spreading ancient methods of interpreting pagan texts to Christian interpretations of the Bible. The article examines the mental operations involved in different hermeneutic methods, with special attention given to differentiating between allegory and symbolism.

The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick

Abstract: Philip K. Dick (1928–1982) was a prolific American science-fiction writer, publishing 120 short stories and 44 novels in his lifetime, and a further four novels posthumously. His novel The Man in t...

History, Myth, and Divine Dialogue in Martin Buber's Biblical Commentaries

Abstract: A TENSION between HISTORY and myth links three biblical commentaries written by the German Jewish thinker Martin Buber (1878-1965): Konigtum Gotten Kingship of God, 1933); Torat ha-nevi'im The Prophetic Faith, 1942); and Moshe Moses, 1945). ' Buber wrote extensively on the Bible throughout his life, and I will argue in this essay that his commentaries represent a distinct, late stage in the development of his biblical hermeneutics. Buber's commentaries are argument-driven treatises about the nature of the biblical text, suffused with footnotes.2 They lack the flowery language and vivid imagery associated with the more widely read works in which he first presented his philosophy of dialogue and the pieces of exegesis he wrote while translating the Bible into German with Franz Rosenzweig in the late 1920s. Buber's commentaries offer a different perspective on his life's work and reveal at least one arena in which he moved away from his focus on dialogical philosophy to using techniques of close reading and historical critical analysis to draw theological conclusions from ancient and sacred texts.3 Significantly, Buber's commentaries may also be read as revisions of his philosophy of dialogue.Other biblical critics were largely dismissive of Buber's biblical scholarship. Yehezkel Kaufmann 's review of Torat ha-nevi'im concludes with the comment that the book had merely repeated the problems oi Konigtum Gotte*), namely, evaluating Israelite religion on the basis of "one testimony . . . against the testimony of Scripture as a whole."4 Kaufmann 's assessment is not necessarily one that Buber would have refuted. Gershom Scholem's assessment points to the tension between Buber's historical criticism and his commitment to finding a meaning in the text that would speak to Jews in search of religious meaning in the modern world:Buber's writings on the Bible present themselves [in] the traditional framework of scientific questioning; they are circumscribed - by precise indications of sources and - compared to his other writings - a downright strikingly rich and seemingly ostentatious discussion of scholarly literature on the subject. His exegeses are . . . pneumatic exegeses when it comes to the crunch. But it is pneumatic exegesis with learned notes, which cause its pneumatic character to recede a bit or even blot it out.5Michael Fishbane comments in his assessment oi Mod he that "the isolation of theory from practice, and of so-called objective historical research from the enduring (subjective) teaching of a text, was not his way."6 Scholem and Fishbane recognize that Buber's commentaries were shaped by his seeing the biblical text in two interwoven ways, namely, as a historical artifact to be studied with historicist tools and as a source of transhistorical meaning and guidance for Jews.In this essay, I do not seek to evaluate whether Buber's commentaries stand up to the standards of biblical criticism, either of his day or our own. Instead, I ask why Buber turns to biblical criticism as a tool for uncovering religious meaning in the text and how that choice shapes the sorts of arguments he makes about God and the Jewish people. This perspective allows us to see Buber wrestling with concepts important for historical biblical critics and Jewish thinkers alike, for within his commentaries he presents a rich discussion of history, revelation, and myth. I argue that Buber's aim in the commentaries is to articulate the narrative of what he saw as the "true history" of Judaism, with Judaism understood as a theological tradition developed by individuals in dialogical relationship with God.7 His examination of particular instances of humandivine relationship described in the biblical narrative lends nuance to this understanding .Buber's commentaries develop themes from his earlier works. Buber first discussed biblical myth and history in lectures he delivered between 1909 and 1919, now known in English as his Early Addresses on Judaism. …

Markan Idiolect in the Study of the Greek of the New Testament

Abstract: This chapter examines the Gospel of Mark, but since there are features of the Greek of the text that differ from other parts of the New Testament. The author suggests four major areas that are affected by sorts of data. The chapter comments on more extensively on the first since it is most directly related to the question of the nature of the Greek of the New Testament. First, grammar and exegesis need to take idiolectical considerations into account. Second, a consideration of the idiolect of the New Testament writers is relevant to textual criticism. Third, the author does want to point out that some of the data reflected above is relevant to a discussion of the Synoptic Problem. Fourth, where does John Mark sit on a literary spectrum in the Greek of the New Testament? Keywords:grammar; Greek; John Mark; Markan idiolect; New Testament; textual criticism

Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo

Abstract: In Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo, Lejla Demiri makes Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī’s (d. 716/1316) extraordinary commentary on the Christian scriptures available for the first time in a scholarly edition and English translation, with a full introduction.

Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian andMedieval Commentators

Abstract: To a large extent, patristic and medieval modes of exegesis and interpretation of Scripture remain an unfamiliar and inaccessible world for most faith communities. The Church’s Bible commentary series attempts to change this situation, and is designed “to present Holy Scripture as understood and interpreted during the first millennium of Christian history.” (p. x) As such it wants to disseminate the richness of the Church’s classical tradition of interpretation to a broader church based audience. This objective is commendable, but one might gain the impression that the nature of the book’s content does not quite gel with its supposed audience – particularly since the scope of its supposed audience is not entirely clear. To date this series also includes volumes on The Song of Songs and 1 Corinthians. Apart from the main commentary section, the Isaiah volume also includes rather short introductions to the interpretation of the Old Testament in the early church, as well as the Christian interpretation of Isaiah. Also included is a preface to the commentary section on Isaiah, which entails some excerpts from introductions to ancient commentaries on Isaiah, New Testament passages, and references to Isaiah in early Christian writings. Two appendixes (authors of works excerpted and sources of texts translated), and indexes of names, subjects and Scripture references complete the volume.

Charismatic Fellowship or tradition- bound hierarchy: Studying the roots of Church Government with focus upon the Pauline and the Johannine source material

Abstract: 6 Introduction. 7 Primary sources. 8 Secondary sources: 9 The structure for my thesis: 10 Chapter 1: The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. 11 1.1 Method for textual analysis. 11 1.2 Theory. 12 1.2.1. Authority as a sociological concept. 12 1.2.2. Max Weber 14 1.2.2.1. The Three pure types of legitimate authority 15 1.2.3 Other perspectives on authority. 19 Chapter 2: «Paul as an authority» 20 2.1 Pre-Pauline Christianity and the “origin” of the apostle role 21 2.3 Paul and the Galatians. 24 2.4 Other sources to Paul`s life 27 2.5 Paul in Corinth 28 2.6 Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 28 2.6.1 Paraphrase 28 2.6.2 Exegesis: 29 2.6.3 A detailed exegesis/interpretation of 1.Cor 3:5-9 30 2.7 The Authority of Paul 33 Chapter 3. The Ekklesia and the apostle: Conflicts within the body? 35 3.1 An exegesis of Paul`s first letter to the Corinthians 12:1-31 36 3.1.1 Paraphrase: 36 3.1.2 Exegesis: 36 3.1.3 A detailed exegesis/interpretation of verses 1 to 31. 37 3.2 The Body as a metaphor and Greco-Roman rhetoric’s 42 3.3 Prophets and teachers 46 3.4 A summary 48 Chapter 4.Approaching the Second Century 48 4.1 The Pastoral letters. 52

Muslim exegesis of the Bible in medieval Cairo : Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī's (d. 716/1316) commentary on the Christian scriptures

Abstract: Najm al-Din al-Tufi's (d. 716/1316) extraordinary commentary on the Christian scriptures has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. Illustrating the way in which the Bible was read, interpreted and used as a proof-text in the construction of early 14th century Muslim views of Christianity, his al-Ta'liq 'ala al-Anajil al-arba'a wa-al-ta'liq 'ala al-Tawrah wa-'ala ghayriha min kutub al-anbiya' (Critical Commentary on the Four Gospels, the Torah and other Books of the Prophets) is an invaluable treasure for the study of Muslim-Christian dialogue and its history. In Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo, Lejla Demiri makes this important and unusual work available for the first time in a scholarly edition and English translation, with a full introduction that places Tufi in his intellectual context.

Physica Sacra: Wunder, Naturwissenschaft und historischer Schriftsinn zwischen Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit

Abstract: In Physica Sacra , Bernd Roling explains how medieval and early modern commentators of the Bible were for centuries able to use the natural sciences to demonstrate the historicity of biblical miracles.

Reading the Rabbis

Abstract: In Reading the Rabbis Eva De Visscher examines the level of Hebrew scholarship, programme of literal exegesis, and use of Jewish and Christian Hebraist sources in two commentaries on the Psalms by English polymath Herbert of Bosham (c.1120-c.1194).