The Entire Cosmos’ Voluntary and Involuntary Homage to Jesus as Lord. An Investigation into the Scope and Background of Philippians 2.9–11 in Psalm 148 and Isaiah 45.20–5

Before we consider the theological meaning and significance of the early chapters of Genesis, whose use within Christian faith has been enormous, it will be appropriate to say something about the genre of the material. For one cannot put good questions to and expect fruitful answers from a text without a grasp of the kind of material that it is. If one misjudges the genre, then one may produce poor and misguided interpretations. One initial difficulty, however, concerns the problem of finding a good classificatory term. All the common terms – myth, folktale, legend, saga – tend to be used in a wide variety of ways. Especially with usage of “myth,” there is something of a chasm between scholarly understandings and popular pejorative uses. Thus, unless any term is carefully defined, it is unlikely to be helpful. Moreover, argument about the appropriateness of particular terms can easily displace attention to those features of the text that give rise to the use of the term in the first place. I propose, therefore, to eschew the use of any particular classificatory label and to focus rather on an inductive study of indicative features within selected texts. BUILDING ON THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION At the outset it is worth noting something of the history of interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis. Among other things, this history can dispel facile assumptions, especially the assumption that difficulties with the genre of the text are solely the result of the development of modern historical and scientific awareness.

(1993). Lau: A windward perspective. The Journal of Pacific History: Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 159-180.

This essay’s guiding thesis assumes that the Christianization of the Saxons as well as the spatial and legal integration of Saxony into the Frankish realm during the late 8th and 9th centuries was facilitated by the ordering or arrangement of space according to Roman models. These spatial orderings were accompanied and reinforced by historical and eschatological interpretations as well as, were implemented by the, more or less, voluntary acceptance of the new order by the Saxon nobility, who recognized the opportunities associated with the active integration into the Frankish system. Both the meaning of this process and the terms used to describe it are treated in this essay. On the one hand, in order to interpret these events and processes, it is useful – if not necessary – to take a look at the spread of Christianity within the territories of the former Roman Empire up till 800 (i. e., Charlemagne’s coronation as Imperator Augustus), for this development appears to serve as the constructive basis for Charles’ (and that of his contemporaries) interpretation of the course of history. On the other, it is just as important to compare the interpretations of these events (including contemporary perspectives) in order to do justice to the historical significance of Saxony’s integration into the Frankish realm as the successful successor to the Roman Empire.While this contribution primarily treats the historical sources, the title of this essay was decidedly inspired by more contemporary studies: Hans-Dietrich Kahl’s work on the escalation of the Saxon wars, Yitzhak Hen’s analysis »Charlemagne’s jihad« (2006), as well as several other equally influential contemporary works focusing on the eschatological meaning of the year 800 as well as on the continuity of the Roman Empire as a force delaying the Parousia of Christ in the theological debate since the Ascension Day almost two millennia ago.

This study argues that a more attentive focus on the sociohistorical context of Paul's letters can lead to a fruitful theological exploration of Paul's theology that approximates fairly closely some of the key emphases of the Reformed/Lutheran tradition. Though the Reformation tradition of exegeting Paul's letters has properly grasped many of the central themes of Paul's theology, it has often lacked attention to historical particularity and social realism. Yet, a better grasp of the particulars can lead to a richer theological paradigm. As an example, this study examines Gal 2:11–21 with specific attention given to "works of law," "faith of Christ," and "righteousness" in order to demonstrate how one might shift from historical criticism to a theological interpretation within the Reformed/Lutheran tradition.

Theological reflection is increasingly found at the heart of practical theology. However, little attention has been given to the place and function of the Bible in this process. It is important, not least in the light of the resources found in biblical studies, to be engaged with the Bible in depth. The key lies in the incarnational nature of Christian faith. The Bible is the primary witness to the saving events, focused in Christ, as they are found embedded in the history of Israel and the church. Sacramentally, we are brought into an understanding of God and God's purposes in and through the text. Two themes dominate: the midrashic pattern of the Bible's own history and the history of interpretation; and the canonical function of drawing us back, time and again, to the roots of the faith. The pastoral theologian, therefore, has to be able to handle the Bible with competence and skill.

���� � Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has long been admired for its pervasive and sophisticated blending of literary genres and traditions, especially its almost seamless incorporation of Christian doctrine into a hybrid of Celtic myth and Arthurian romance. 1 From its elaborate depictions of Yuletide feasts, to its humorous, sometimes poignant, scenes of temptation and penance, SGGK draws off Christian motifs and iconography, incorporating elements derived from vast and complex interpretive histories of biblical texts. But SGGK’s exegetical poetics, I shall argue, are based upon its intertextual and intercultural engagement with not only Christian but also Jewish exegetical modes. Specifically, the construction and articulation of gender apropos of the “temptation” sequence can be analyzed in relation to both the Vulgate and Hebrew Genesis/Bereshit creation and expulsion sequences, 2 allowing for a deeper understanding of the Gawainpoet’s complex poetics, themselves part of SGGK’s larger interconnected concerns with gender, religion, and language. As we shall see, cultural categories of identity converge in the text’s evocations of biblical gender, allusive sites of reconfiguration that foreground and problematize identity categories and the underlying ideological assumptions that they betray. The Edenic associations of Gawain’s plight are overtly displayed as the beheading game ends and Gawain, confronted with evidence of his own cowardice, briefly forages into misogynistic Christian tradition, seeking the Green Knight’s—and the reader’s—exoneration and understanding. As Gawain observes his own blood glistening against the white surface of the snow-covered ground—“le schene blod ouer his schulderes schot to lOe erlOe. / And quen le burne seZ le blode blenk on lOe snawe. . .” (2313‐14) 3 —he realizes that, having survived the “strok,” he must come to terms with the dishonesty that has textured the Chapel encounter and its discomfiting reflection upon his inner virtue and Christian faith. Having invested his faith in the Lady’s magic girdle—which, as promised, girded a man who was not harmed—rather than in his Christian faith, Gawain expresses contrition for his apostasy and cowardice. These expres

Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study (Studies in Theological Interpretation). By Markus Bockmuehl

Reviewed by: Galatians by N. T. Wright Nina E. Livesey n. t. wright, Galatians (Commentaries for Christian Formation; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2021). Pp. xix + 419. $39.99. N. T. Wright's renown as a highly accomplished exegete and gifted and engaging writer is in clear evidence in his most recent work of biblical interpretation. Unlike commentaries that contain an exhaustive history of interpretation and extensive lexical analysis—often sacrificing the forest for the trees—W.'s commentary reads like a well-connected narrative. Yet, while not allowing them to dominate the overall sense of his study, W. nonetheless treats exegetical conundrums (e.g., the meaning of Ioudaïsmos [Gal 1:13–14, p. 73]; the significance of the Antioch incident [Gal 2:11–14, pp. 109–17]; the translation of pistis Christou [Gal 2:15–18, pp. 131–33]; and interpretive possibilities for "still preaching circumcision" [Gal 5:11, pp. 322–23]). And where necessary, he engages with several of the leading voices of Galatians as a whole and of individual passages (in brief footnotes throughout). According to W., passages such as the incident between Cephas and Paul in Antioch, or the allegory of two women, function importantly to illustrate and reinforce Paul's gospel message, which W. gradually unfolds for his readers. Yet another strength of this commentary is W.'s clear discussion of his understanding of the main arguments of Galatians. In contrast to the Reformation reading—W.'s primary foil throughout the commentary—with its emphasis on "justification by faith" for heavenly salvation, and in reliance in part on the work of Teresa Morgan (Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015]), W. argues that Paul is concerned with an earth-centric "righteousness," one that encourages the "formation and maintenance of a community" (p. 125). Indeed, W.'s earth-centric understanding of righteousness coupled with his other statements, such as, "What mattered for Paul, in the last analysis, was the goodness of God's creation, and the purpose of the kingdom to restore that creation to its proper order, with human beings playing their part within it" (p. 343), have positive implications for environmental ethics. Wright assesses that Paul's gospel is to be understood entirely within a first-century Judean worldview, an event anticipated in Israel's Scriptures (Psalms of Solomon, Daniel 9, 4 Ezra 11–12, Isaiah 53). Paul's message is that of "messianic eschatology" (p. 32; italics original). W. argues that contemporary Christians are to see themselves as made righteous on account of God's actions in sending his Son (p. 26). The righteous are Abraham's "sons" (gentiles and Judeans, p. 190), and they form part of a new covenant constituted on the basis of pistis ("trust," "faith") rather than Torah. According to W., the situation (the "plight") that bears on the new divine economy is that the "Jewish people of Paul's day were living [End Page 515] in a time of waiting, a time of continuing exile" (p. 16). Evidenced by their current existence under pagan rule, Judeans were living in a "long-drawn-out 'curse'" (p. 198). Deuteronomy 27–29 well characterizes their current experience (p. 198). With the Torah unable to aid them due to sin and their own disease (p. 199), Paul's message of the Messiah "dying for our sins" represents their release from exile and from the "present evil age" (Gal 1:4, pp. 25, 33, 37). In W.'s view, Gal 4:1–7 (subtitled, "The New Exodus"), descriptive of the Judean plight, is to be understood as the central passage of the letter (pp. 32, 248). Wright adopts a factual and trusting reading of Galatians. Barring a few instances—the "unkindest cut of all" (Gal 5:12) is to be understood as "heavy irony" (p. 327)—W. takes Paul at his word. He develops a chronology of Paul's activities from the letter (Gal 1:13–2:14) and from Acts (p. 86). While recognizing the problematic of overreliance on mirror reading (pp. 46, 64, 315), he nonetheless deploys this common interpretive method to surmise the thoughts, messages, and objectives...

One of the words that all Christians agree upon is ‘Amen’. Although many do not know its exact meaning, as informal observations have shown, there is tacit consensus over one of its functions, namely Gospel truth marker. Over the years and following the various developments in the Christian faith, the word has acquired new functions according to the obedience. This paper sets out to investigate the pragmatic functions of ‘Amen’ as used in two different religious trends, namely mainstream Protestant Churches and Pentecostal Churches. The data were collected in one prototypical parish of each trend through participant observation, tape-recording, and field note. Basically, one church service from each trend was randomly selected and transcribed. The analysis of the data revealed that each trend seems to assign different functions to ‘Amen’. In fact, while mainstream Protestant Churches have kept its traditional conclusion and Gospel truth marker illocutionary force, New-Born Churches add to these the phatic communion and power marker among others. The stakes are both communicative and political since the quality of the service, in terms of faithful involvement, may influence the future of both religious trends in the country. This communicative influence spills over the political one as these new functions are slowly but steadily making their way into some traditional churches in the country.

99 looking for insights or who just wish to watch a master of the craft as they refine their own skills. Finally, this book will be of use in undergraduate theology or religious studies classes that discuss the history and principles of Biblical interpretation, as well as those devoted more exclusively to Newman. I think this is particularly true of the first section,“Interpreting Scripture.” That section would fit very nicely into a larger selection of readings illustrating the variety of approaches taken to the interpretation of the Bible in modern times. Gerald D. McCarthy Assumption College,Worcester, Massachusetts After Anti-Catholicism? John Henry Newman and Protestant Britain, 1845–c. 1890. By Erik Sidenvall. New York:T & T Clark, 2005. Pages: xiv + 207. Cloth, $59.95, ISBN 0–567–03076–8. When I was approached to review this book, I jumped at the opportunity because anti-Catholicism has always fascinated me—which is probably why I worked for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the early 1980s. Interestingly enough,as this work demonstrates,not much had really changed between Newman’s era and the following century. Erik Sidenvall’s volume was originally a doctoral dissertation and the revision process from dissertation to book was well executed.The author is Swedish;whether the text was originally in English or Swedish is not clear;in any case,it is an excellent rendition.1 Let’s get the requisite complaints out of the way at the outset. It might have been helpful to know whether or not the author is Catholic. The book is plagued by a pet bugaboo of mine: notes at the end of each chapter. Sidenvall’s definition of “liberalism” is “progressivism”; the Newman aficionado will have to adjust to that understanding. When speaking of making a transition from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism, the author calls the process “secession,” rather than the more usual “conversion.” Admittedly,“conversion” is also an inapt term for movement from one Christian faith tradition to another, which is why post-conciliar Roman Catholicism refers to a person being“received into full communion with the Catholic Church.” Of course, “secession” is preferable to one of the more common expressions of Newman’s day when people spoke of someone “going over to an Italian bishop”! What would they say about going over to a Polish or German bishop? Sidenvall also treats “tolerance” as a positive; but, by book’s end, he seems to withdraw from that assessment. Frankly, I’ve always considered tolerance a negative judgment; or, as we used to joke in the Catholic League, sometimes the liberal press “tolerates” Catholics in the sense that the only really good Catholics are “bad Catholics.” Those concerns aside, this is a most enjoyable work, making a fine contribution to Newman studies and to a neuralgic aspect of Church history and ecumenical relations. BOOK REVIEW 1 Information about the original dissertation at Lund University (2002) is available at: http://www.lub.lu.se/cgi-bin/show_diss.pl/the_52.html. NEWMAN STUDIES JOURNAL 100 Sidenvall documents with clarity and profusely that, in Newman’s day, the equation was simple—to be an English Protestant was to be anti-Catholic: “AntiCatholic Protestantism had become an integral part of the national (English) culture” (11). One magazine simply said that to be Catholic was to be“un-English.” The union of faith and culture is something we would normally applaud as Catholics, so we should not be too hasty in condemning the phenomenon when it does not suit us. One thinks,for example,of a similar equation today:to be Polish is to be Catholic. Or, to be Greek is to be Orthodox. In many ways, however, the religious and political alliance had more to do with politics than with religion and that was certainly the case with the anti-Roman bigotry: “Anti-Catholicism had a remarkable capacity to unite society” (12). Newman was at the eye of so many storms for so long, indeed, a lightning rod, whether as an Anglican or a Catholic. His “secession” set England on its heels for many reasons, not least of all being his own former anti-Catholicism! Interestingly, while Victorian Protestants could countenance...

Robert Bellarmine, a distinguished Italian Jesuit, was born the son of a noble family in Monte‐pulciano in southeast Tuscany on October 4, 1542, and died of failing health on September 17, 1621. In 1560, he began his studies at the Collegio Romano. He then studied Thomistic theology at the University of Padua. In 1569, Bellarmine taught divinity at the University of Louvain and was ordained priest the following year. In 1576, he was recalled to Italy and assigned the chair of Controversies recently founded at the Collegio Romano (where he originally studied theology). Bellarmine established Thomistic theology as foundational for the Jesuit order and eventually for all theological education of Roman Catholicism (although his doctrine of free will is closer to Molina). The series of lectures delivered at the Collegio Romano became Bellarmine's most influential writings under the title Disputationes de Controversiis Christianae Fidei Adversus Huius Temporis Haereticos (1586–1593; “Disputations Concerning the Controversies of the Christian Faith against the Heretics of this Time”). De Controversiis was an articulate and uncompromising systematization of Roman Catholic doctrine. His work could rightly be considered the most detailed defense of Romanist teaching; it was influential in Europe, and was a serious challenge to Protestantism especially in Germany and England. Bellarmine was a resolute opponent toward Protestantism and quickly became the leading apologist of the Catholic Church during the Counter‐Reformation. As a shrewd controversialist on the side of Rome, he refined the futurist interpretation of Jesuit Francisco Ribera of Salamanca, Spain against the dominant historical interpretation of the Protestant Reformers.

Abstract: This article argues that the polycentric map of World Christianity challenges theologians and scholars of religion in Africa to concentrate on how local processes are reinforcing local idioms in the appropriation of Christian faith in Africa. It proposes some steps in the missional and historical interpretation of African Christianity and the cultural currents that drive Christian expansion in Africa. The essay argues that analyzing and locating the place of African Christianity in World Christianity should begin with showing the eschatological fruits of God's kingdom in African history and how these relate to and are different from versions of Christianity outside the African context. The essay concludes with some proposals on the possible contributions of African Christianity to World Christianity in the development of a theology of cross-cultural friendship needed to meet the challenges of an uncertain world.