Christian Bible Research Articles

Designing the Holy Bible: Arguing the Text Through the Form

Over the centuries printers and artists have created new designs for the Christian Bible. Essentially by reframing the visual presentation of ancient and revered sacred scriptures, they have attempted to have an impact on the perspectives with which readers receive the text. One could say the act of redesigning the bible is ideology through the use of the conventions of type and page layout. This article explores how design features of selected editions of the bible can be seen as conveying different shades of meaning and significance to the traditional text.

The God of Abraham and Exceptional States, or The Early Modern Rise of the Whig/Liberal Bible

At a time when considerable attention is being paid to the exceptional, the state of emergency, and the relationship between sovereignty and law, this article uses a late seventeenth-century appeal to the law-suspending God of Abraham in the lawcourts to probe the Christian and theological roots of the sovereign veto/the dispensing power. It attempts to retrieve deep histories that have been missed because seventeenth-century historians do not generally read Giorgio Agamben, while biblical scholars rarely enter the domains of “secular” history and law. The article also explores some of the crucial watersheds that have been passed on the way to modernity. These mean, among other things, that President Bush cannot say, as James II/VII said in 1686, “as the God of Abraham can dispense with his own law, so I, the King/President am able to dispense with the laws that I have made, for all the laws of the constitution are in the gift of the single person of the President/the King”—which is not to say that modern democracies cannot achieve similar effects by different means. A key transition explored in the article is the gradual replacement of the Absolute Monarchical or Patriarchal Bible with the Whig or Liberal Bible: a Bible of fairly recent invention that is non-exceptional and non-arbitrary and defined by its willingness to devolve absolute power to consensus and law. In looking at changing understandings of the political intentions of the Christian God and Bible, this article attempts to go beyond numerous histories of Bible versions and translations into a new analysis of the changing weight of the Bible in public (political, legal) discourse.

Faith, Politics, and American Culture

In January 2004, before a black church congregation in New Orleans, President George W. Bush commemorated Martin Luther King's birthday with a spirited promotion of his initiatives. Appropriating slain Civil Rights leader's profession of faith, Bush proclaimed his ultimate purpose was to change America one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. He emphasized voluntary action by citizens (four times he extolled them as the social entrepreneurs) and he consistently denigrated role of government but for one critical function: providing billions of dollars to social-service groups. Proclaiming values of Christian Bible as a universal handbook, president preached for he was in pulpit that day -that faith-based programs only conform to one set of rules, and do not take inspiration . . . from bureaucracy. Insisting that this policy was no threat to Constitutional separation of church and state, Bush criticized Congress for its fear [of] programs that interface and save lives.

Biblical theology and/or theological interpretation of scripture?

Abstract‘Biblical theology’ has long influenced modern theological method, especially Protestant, as both boon and bane. Its role has been seen as either pivotal or problematic in the attempt to construe the Christian Bible as scripture with unified teaching for the contemporary church. The attempt to unfold biblical teaching as having organic unity, related to an internal structure of theological concepts, is frequently perceived as a failure, a has-been that leaves us only with fragmentation – between parts of the Bible, between academy and church, church and world, clergy and laity, and between various theological disciplines. Today a new movement is afoot, often labelled ‘theological interpretation of scripture’. Some of its adherents define this practice as distinct from, even opposed to, biblical theology. Others treat the two practices as virtually coterminous, while perhaps contesting what ‘biblical theology’ is typically taken to be in favour of new theological hermeneutics. Much of the difficulty in defining the relationship, then, stems from lingering debates about what biblical theology can or should be. The rest of the difficulty is perhaps rooted in the dilemma of any interdisciplinary efforts: how to breach unhelpful sections of disciplinary boundaries without redefining territory so nebulously that no one knows where they are.

The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority (review)

Reviewed by: The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority David R. Nienhuis The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority. By Lee Martin McDonald. (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. 2007. Pp. xlii, 546. $29.95 paperback.) Anyone with an interest in the development of the Christian biblical canon is familiar with the work of Lee M. McDonald. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the subject, the most well known of which include Early Christianity and Its Sacred Literature (co-authored by Stanley Porter and published in 2000), and The Canon Debate (co-edited with James A. Sanders and published in 2002). The text currently under review is a thoroughly revised and expanded edition of The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (1995), which was itself a revised and expanded edition of a book by the same name published by Abingdon Press in 1988. Needless to say, the magisterial sweep of the current edition represents the culmination of a lifetime of investigative work on the historical production of the Christian Bible. More than that, it is a sensitive exploration of the manifold hermeneutical and theological concerns such an investigation inevitably raises for people of faith. For both the scholarly wisdom and pastoral insight evident in this current book, we are in the author's debt. This volume attempts to offer a thorough summary of the origin of both testaments of the Christian Bible. The first part identifies the issues at stake in such an exploration, and establishes the working difference between "scripture" and "canon" presumed throughout the book. The second part explores the origins of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Canon, including a helpful survey of the differing collections of scripture maintained by various Jewish communities in the first century B.C., as well as a consideration of the scriptures used by Jesus and earliest Christianity, and (in an excursus by R. Timothy McLay of St. Stephen's University) the use of the Septuagint in the New Testament. The third and final section of the book turns to the New Testament [End Page 888] Canon, tracing the process by which early apostolic writings were received, first as authoritative documents, then as scripture, and finally as canonical texts in their own right. The book concludes with nearly a hundred pages of useful appendices identifying primary sources and questions in canon research, ancient catalogues of canonical collections, citations of and allusions to apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings, and ending with a final essay on the work of Brevard Childs. The unavoidable risk of such a wide-ranging introductory examination, of course, is the need to resort on occasion to unsupported (and therefore potentially inaccurate) summarizing. Despite his stated concern to carefully avoid assumptions that could not be backed up by primary evidence (p. xvi), one often finds that issues of ongoing scholarly debate are summed up in ways that may lead the reader to conclude the matter is settled. To cite but one example, on page 395 one encounters the largely unsubstantiated claim that the letter of James was cited or alluded to by nearly every major early to mid-second-century patristic source, including Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin, and the authors of The Didache, the Letter of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas. While many contemporary James scholars support the possibility that 1 Clement or Hermas is dependent on James, very few would consider the others real possibilities. Given the introductory scope of the work, McDonald is to be forgiven if specialists find particular gaps in what is ultimately a very useful survey. The book is highly recommended for students and scholars alike as an excellent introduction to the central issues at stake in the formation and reception of Christian scripture. David R. Nienhuis Seattle Pacific University Copyright © 2007 The Catholic University of America Press

The Scriptures and the LORD: Formation and Significance of the Christian Biblical Canon: A Study in Text, Ritual and Interpretation. By TOMAS BOKEDAL.

The Scriptures and the LORD: Formation and Significance of the Christian Biblical Canon: A Study in Text, Ritual and Interpretation. By TOMAS BOKEDAL.

Fruits of the Bibles

The sacred writings of three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are contained in the Hebrew Bible (referred to by Christians as the Old Testament), the Christian Bible (New Testament), and the Qur'an (Koran). These writings encompass events occurring over a period of more than two millennia and taken together represent a broad picture of mideastern peoples, describing their interactions with the sweep of events of that era. The writings include the sacred and profane, prose and poetry, history and myth, legend and fable, love songs and proverbs, parables and revelations. The basic agricultural roots of desert people are infused in the texts. Plants, plant products, and agricultural technology are referred to in hundreds of verses. References to fruits are abundant so that these bibles can be read almost as a pomological text in addition to the religious and sacred meanings that still inspire billions of people.

Bush’s Bible as a Liberal Bible

This essay introduces the four articles collected in this issue of Postscripts as a forum on the theme, “Bush’s Bible.” It also argues that Bush’s Bible can be explained as an example of the “Liberal Bible,” a Bible invented in early modernity, though often misunderstood as expressing the Christian Bible’s original, true nature. The recent history of the Liberal Bible needs to be told and analysed in order to understand the fudged religious–secular compromises of modernity. The very vagueness of Bush’s Bible as a loose repository of principles is a symptom of the paradoxical place of the Bible in modern democratic-(Christian) states.

Southeast Asia in 2006: Dé jà vu All Over Again

American former major league baseball player and erstwhile folk philosopher Yogi Berra once, when confronted with a supposedly new but in fact overly familiar event famously uttered the line, "it's d?j? vu all over again". While perhaps not as elegant as the Christian Bible's "what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun", both the former New York Yankees' catcher and the author of Ecclesiastes 1:9 convey the sense of the dominant pattern of politics, policy, and relations in Southeast Asia. The year 2006 was little different from 2005 or the earlier years of the new millennium in that persistent political, economic, and social issues at the nation-state level overshadowed efforts to enhance regionalism at the inter state level represented by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While certainly not an annus horribilis, to use Queen Elizabeth IPs term, it was a year of discontent. It was not just the constancy of man-made problems and issues that characterized the human condition in Southeast Asia. Nature continued to rain Job-like trials on the people of the region only now slowly recovering from the December 2004 tsunami disaster. Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons left hundreds of thousands of Southeast Asians homeless and destitute, sorely testing the already badly strained capabilities of domestic rescue and relief agencies. One of the more bizarre incidents was the Sidoardjo mudflow in East Java forcing thousands from their homes and disrupting the regional economy by destroying road, rail, and energy infrastructure. The hot mud, released from 1,800 metres deep by environmentally dangerous test gas-well drilling, flowed under pressure at 50,000 cubic metres a day, engulfing all it reached as it breached dams hastily thrown up to contain it. The damage has already been totalled at

Learning to Read the Bible with Desire: Teaching the Eros of Exegesis in the Theological Classroom

Abstract. The article begins with two brief theoretical descriptions of a pedagogy of desire vis‐à‐vis the Christian Bible. The first of these is a poem; the second summarizes the conversation constituted by four quite different books: the Confessions by Augustine of Hippo, Freud & Philosophy by Paul Ricoeur, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, and The Ethnography of Reading edited by Jonathan Boyarin. There follows, then, a case in point: an account of my most recent effort to teach the eros of exegesis at Emmanuel College (Toronto), using the Song of Songs. This account includes discussion of the (pre)conception(s) of the (biblical) text that inform(s) this undertaking and of the practice of communal reading as a specific type of bodily activity and social experience. In conclusion, the question of evaluation is addressed. How does one learn to love – when, by, in, with, and under – reading the Bible?

A Christian Bible for Jewish Children

vel, it is an intra-cultural translation, in which the target culture (German Jews) constitutes a sub-culture1 of the (German) source culture. On the linguistic level, the source text (Christian Bible stories) was itself based on a translation (the German Bible); in the work examined, it was adapted (in German) as well as reverse-translated into the original (Hebrew) language. The German adaptation and the Hebrew reverse-translation are printed side by side.2 The text examined is p57o ina,3 biblical stories for Jewish children published in Breslau (then Prussia) in 1837 by the Jewish scholar and teacher David Samose.4 Samose (1789-1864) is known for his Hebrew translations of German children's literature for Jewish children.5 His bilingual German/Hebrew textbook of biblical stories was not the first of its kind; it had been preceded by several Bible stories for Jewish children in the last decades of the eighteenth and the first decades of the nineteenth century in various Jewish communities; numerous other books would follow.6 The remarkable thing about Samosc's book is its

Bible Conference and Christian Education of Women

Bible Conference and Christian Education of Women

It's Not Your Business: A Christian Reflection on Stewardship and Business

This article sets forth an understanding of the purpose and role of business derived from an examination of Christian scriptures. Specifically, the authors identify a ‘stewardship model’ of business that contrasts with both the current shareholder and stakeholder models and is rooted in the three grand themes of the Christian Bible (i.e., creation, fall and redemption). The authors illustrate how locating an understanding of business activities within a particular religious tradition can challenge current business assumptions and infuse the enterprise of business with renewed meaning for its participants.

Comenius, the Conversion of the Turks, and the Muslim-Christian Debate on the Corruption of Scripture

AbstractIn 1666 Comenius wrote a dedicatory epistle, addressed to the Ottoman Sultan, which he intended to be printed with a translation of the Bible into Turkish: in it, he expressed an unusually conciliatory attitude towards Islam, while also defending the Christian Bible against the Muslim accusation that it was a corrupted text. This article prints the text of the epistle and discusses the background to it. Comenius's attitude towards Islam is examined, across the range of his other writings. His belief that the Turks could and would be converted to Christianity is also connected with the apocalyptic anti-Habsburg prophecies of Mikuláš Drabík, which Comenius promoted. And his defence against the charge of textual corruption is located in a tradition of argument which can be traced back, via the Calvinist Johannes Hoornbeeck, to the response made by a Roman Catholic, Filippo Guadagnoli, to an anti-Christian text written by a Persian scholar in 1622.

God and Our Public Life: A Scriptural Wisdom

AbstractThis article recognises both the need for wisdom for the flourishing of public life and the value of the contribution that Christian wisdom, founded on Scripture, has to offer. However, this article also notes that the contemporary world is a complexly religious and secular environment, and hence if Christian wisdom is to realise its potential, there is a need for the creation and nurture of attitudes, groups and institutions within which fruitful dialogue between faiths and ideologies in public life can occur. The article observes that Britain currently has a particular opportunity to work towards this kind of wisdom-embracing religious and secular society, and the practice of scriptural reasoning is explored as an exemplary practice that promotes the kind of inter-faith collegiality, collaboration and friendships that enhance public life. Finally, the article offers some brief reflections on Job and the role of wisdom in an authentic and biblical Christian faith.

Encyclopedia of witchcraft: the Western tradition

The definitive compilation on witchcraft and witch hunting in the early modern era exploring significant people, places, beliefs, and events. Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition is the definitive reference on the age of witch hunting (approximately 1430-1750), its origins, expansion, and ultimate decline. Incorporating a wealth of recent scholarship in four richly illustrated, alphabetically organized volumes, it offers historians and general readers alike the opportunity to explore the realities behind the legends of witchcraft and witchcraft trials. Over 170 contributors from 28 nations provide vivid, documented descriptions and analyses of witchcraft trials and locations, folklore and beliefs, magical practices and deities, influential texts, and the full range of players in this extraordinary drama-witchcraft theorists and theologians; historians and authors; judges, clergy, and rulers; the accused; and their persecutors. Concentrating on Europe and the Americas in the early modern era, the work also covers relevant topics from the ancient Near East (including the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), classical antiquity, and the European Middle Ages. Over 750 A-Z signed entries More than 170 contributors include the most distinguished scholars working in the field of witchcraft studies Illustrations and artwork, including prints, drawings, paintings, and maps Extensive end-of-entry references

Handbook of Patristic Exegesis: The Bible in Ancient Christianity ? Charles Kannengiesser

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 32, Issue 4 p. 267-267 Handbook of Patristic Exegesis: The Bible in Ancient Christianity – Charles Kannengiesser Dennis P. Quinn, Dennis P. Quinn California State Polytechnic UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Dennis P. Quinn, Dennis P. Quinn California State Polytechnic UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 04 January 2007 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0922.2006.00117_7.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume32, Issue4October 2006Pages 267-267 RelatedInformation

Successfully challenging fundamentalist beliefs results in increased death awareness

Terror management theory argues that human understanding of mortality creates an existential anxiety that must be kept under constant control. Defenses—such as beliefs that provide permanence, predictability, and meaning—are erected whose function is in part to keep thoughts about death as far removed from consciousness as possible. The current study investigated the defensive function of Christian fundamentalist belief in managing death-awareness. The general hypothesis of the study is that challenges to such beliefs undermine one’s ability to control cognitions related to mortality. More specifically, it was hypothesized that successful challenges to this form of religious belief would make death-related cognitions more accessible to consciousness. Self-identified Christians, both fundamentalists and non-fundamentalists, encountered material that challenged the fundamentalist belief that the Christian Bible is free of inconsistencies and contradictions. Consistent with expectations, under these conditions higher levels of accessibility of death-related cognition were found among fundamentalist Christians, but not their non-fundamentalist counterparts.

Religion, Ideology & Conflict in Africa

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. The usual conventions regarding capital letters when referring to faith groups and sects are have been adopted, though not without reservation. 2. Most analysts and casual observers seem to take for granted this upsurge in religious adherence and its salience – but there is scant firm evidence. Paradoxically, one much cited recent text (Ellis & Ter Haar, 2004 – reviewed in this issue) that starts by proclaiming ‘the blooming of religious movements’ as a remarkable feature of the late 20th century, intriguingly makes a passing admission that ‘… recent research suggests that more Africans are indifferent to religion today than in the past’ – offering two case study citations in support, but then never mentioning that ‘fact’ again! Perhaps both tendencies are occurring. 3. Pentecostalism refers to the Christian revivalist movement where adherents believe the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ are directly accessible to all as personal spiritual experience, usually through baptism and glossolalia. It is based on the biblical report that on the Jewish day of Pentecost (or harvest) ‘suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind … Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak’ (Christian Bible, Acts 2,2). The Pentecostal movement dates essentially from the early years of the 20th century in the US, has roots in Methodism, and has had considerable appeal to black Americans, before it spread to Africa and elsewhere, especially from the 1970s. Additional informationNotes on contributorsRoy LoveEditor's Note: While the Editorial was substantially written by Roy Love, the advice and editorial comment by the other issue editors – Janet Bujra, Usman Tar and Tunde Zack-Williams – is gratefuly acknowledged. The Prologue and the first two paragraphs which follow it were contributed by Lionel Cliffe.

Notes Announcement: A Study of “Christian Education” Programs in Bible Colleges, Christian Colleges/Universities and Seminaries

Notes Announcement: A Study of “Christian Education” Programs in Bible Colleges, Christian Colleges/Universities and Seminaries