Exegetical Perspective Research Articles

Az 1Móz 2,24 értelmezése Jézusnál és az értelmezés mai tendenciái

This short lecture will explore how Genesis 2:24 (“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”) has received non-traditional interpretation in Genesis commentaries over the last hundred years. Jesus referred to this text as the basis for marriage (Mk 10:7, 8; Mt 19:5), as traditional theological thought has viewed it the same way. According to contemporary commentaries on Genesis, however, Genesis 2:24 is not “The Magna Carta” of the institution of marriage but a passage about the elemental attraction of man and woman to each other, which is the result of their creation. This presentation will try to reveal the background of this new exegetical perspective.

The God who is Love and the Life of Humans

The Gospel of John claims that in this work, in its presentation of the story of Jesus’ ministry and death, there is the ultimate revelation of God’s nature. Jesus’ death “for the life of the world” is seen as an expression of God’s ultimate love. Less clear, however, is how this interpretation affects the human relationships, community ethos, and social action of Jesus’ followers in the world. Does the Johannine worldview lead to sectarian separation from the world, or does it encourage active involvement in social action? What are the images and patterns that shape the practical lives of the children of the loving God? And how can the idea of God’s love inspire human love for others and reconciling activity in the church and in the wider context of the world? The article addresses these questions from an exegetical perspective and finally places them within the horizon of global theology.

Exegetical perspectives of Deuteronomy 19:15–21 on jungle justice in Nigeria

Considering the large number of mob killings, especially the case of two suspected thieves who were burnt alive in the Enugu metropolis, a more exegetical approach to the issue of jungle justice becomes imperative to assuage mob and hasty killing. The article employed a rhetorical approach to studying Deuteronomy 19:15–21 to provide lucid exegetical findings on the issue of jungle justice. The article discovered that the major cause of jungle justice is the failure of the masses to engage more than one witness in order to ascertain the actual situation. Suspected cases are to be taken to appropriate legal institutions and not handled on the street. Also, judges are supposed to make diligent inquiries to ensure justice and attenuate jungle justice. This article did not engage life experience as the former study has provided evidence of Jungle Justice in Nigeria.Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The strategic response to this phenomenon discussed in the article are legal examples exemplified in Deuteronomy 19:15–21 and Jungle Justice. Therefore, the article promotes interdisciplinary knowledge because it developed a new theology between religion and civil rights. Also, it promotes education and enlightenment.

Revisiting Tafsir Hukmi: Unraveling the Legal Interpretation of the Quran and Its Historical Evolution

This paper aims to delve deeper into legal interpretation (Tafsir Hukmi) by examining the history of the emergence of legal approaches in the interpretation of the Quran, defining the scope of the term, exploring debates among scholars, and providing examples of Quranic exegesis books adopting legal approaches. The research methodology used is a literature-based descriptive analysis with a historical and exegetical perspective. The results of the study show that legal interpretation (Tafsir Hukmi) is one of the Quranic interpretation styles that employ legal theories and approaches. This approach has its roots dating back to the time of Prophet Muhammad and continued to evolve with the emergence of the school of jurisprudence (Imam Madzhab) scholars who had varying interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence. The scope of the term “Tafsir Hukmi” encompasses discussions related to the Islamic legal laws in the Quran. Quranic exegesis books following the legal approach can be found within various schools of thought, including Shia Imamiyah, Shia Zaidiyah, Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafi'i, and Zahiri.

Simul: Inquiries into Luther's Experience of the Christian Life ed. by Robert Kolb, Torbjörn Johansson, and Daniel Johansson

Reviewed by: Simul: Inquiries into Luther's Experience of the Christian Life ed. by Robert Kolb, Torbjörn Johansson, and Daniel Johansson Ronald K. Rittgers Simul: Inquiries into Luther's Experience of the Christian Life. Edited by Robert Kolb, Torbjörn Johansson, and Daniel Johansson. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2021. 270 pp. The central argument of this volume is that "simul grasps the essence of Luther's theology, at the same time as it broadens the perspective and goes beyond the traditional solas. Simul takes you directly to the heart of Lutheran theology, justification by faith alone, at the same time as the concept constitutes a thought pattern which is a characteristic feature of much of Lutheran theology" (9). The volume grew out of four annual conferences at the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden that addressed the theme of simul as part of its preparations for the celebration of the Reformation's 500th anniversary. The conference organizers were especially interested in showing how simul "unites systematic-theological, historical, and exegetical perspectives" (9). After an introduction by the editors, the volume is divided into three sections: Luther, The Lutheran Tradition, and Exegetical Perspectives. In the "Luther" section, Oswald Bayer argues that while Luther likely coined the phrase simul iustus et peccator, he never saw it as central to his Reformation discovery. In fact, the phrase was not accorded this central status until the twentieth century. Still, Bayer affirms the phrase's importance for Luther's theology, arguing that it was part of the Reformer's larger move away from Scholastic substance-theology to Reformation relationship- and promissio-theology. Erik Herrmann argues that the "geistige Welt" of the Old Testament profoundly shaped Luther's theology—he was not simply a Paulinist. According to Herrmann, "in the Old Testament Luther found the paradoxical simul of his theology" (53) and thus preached most frequently on the Old Testament because he saw "the simul of human existence" as its great theme (60). Robert Kolb shows how Romans 7 was the locus classicus for Luther's simul-thinking, arguing that it directly informed his pastoral care of despairing Christians. The reformer urged such Christians to trust "in the priority of God's re-creative Word" to find consolation in their sinner-saint existence (68). [End Page 92] Roland Ziegler discusses the importance of the simul-formula for Luther's theology of the Lord's Supper, showing how multiple simultaneities inform this theology: bread and wine are also body and blood, both spiritual and oral eating take place, and both past and future are joined in the sacrament, which itself is based on the simul of Christ's human and divine natures. Mark Mattes revisits his important argument in Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty (2017), arguing that "Christians are not only simultaneously righteous and sinful, but also beautiful and ugly at the same time" (104). Christians' beauty, however, is a received beauty, a gift of God's beauty, that is always hidden under its opposite in cross and suffering. In the "Lutheran Theology" section, Timothy Wengert demonstrates the importance of the simul-formula for Melanchthon, persuasively arguing that it was "the lynchpin of his theology throughout his life," and that it directly informed his opposition to the controversial soteriologies of Johannes Brenz and Andreas Osiander (126). Jakob Valdemar Olsen discusses the influence of Luther's simul-thinking on Søren Kierkegaard, especially on the latter's view of human existence as defined by paradox and contradiction. For Kierkegaard, "a human being is seen as a relational being full of tensions" (158), something Olsen connects to Luther. Harald Jung explores how the simul contributed to social and economic theory in post-World War II Germany and how it can do the same today, helping societies avoid both utopian and quietistic impulses. Bernd Wannenwetsch seeks to recover the simul of Luther's two regiments teaching for contemporary use, rescuing it from distortions in the modern period, especially under the Nazis. In the "Exegetical Perspectives" section, Tim Saleska draws on Luther-style paradox to interpret Exodus 34:6–7, arguing that this approach allows one to deal honestly with the contradiction it contains—God is merciful and...

The Federal Theology of Jonathan Edwards: An Exegetical Perspective. By Gilsun Ryu. Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lanham Academic, 2021. xvi + 352pp. $29.99 paper.

The Federal Theology of Jonathan Edwards: An Exegetical Perspective. By Gilsun Ryu. Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lanham Academic, 2021. xvi + 352pp. $29.99 paper. - Volume 91 Issue 3

Tayyib from the Perspective of Qur’anic Thematic Analysis: Proposing the Divine Insights as the Best Practice for Global Halal Industry

Halal standards, derived from the Muslim dietary law and spelt out in various halal regulations and procedures, have been globally accepted among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Although the Malaysian halal standard has been widely acknowledged and accepted, it generally governs only the physical aspects, such as, hygiene, safety and quality assurance, raw material, processing, and logistic activities. What it is still lacking in is a few critical elements of “tayyib” as typically offered by the commentators of the Qur’an. Scattered within 51 verses throughout 14 major topics in the Qur’anic, the term “tayyib” (or its derivatives) has to be revisited and reconsidered as it covers other criteria not previously contemplated, such as, the natural and the organic, or those pertaining to the halal food-supply chain or the supply chain management. This article aims to explore and extract the notions of “tayyib” from the thematic exegetical perspective of the Qur’an so that such notions will in turn provide the extended platform necessary for industrial standards and practices. The qualitative research methodology is used in this study through the thematic analysis of the Qur’an.

Wet en Profeten vervullen: een dubbelthema met een apostolische dubbelrol

Where fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets is a leading theme in Matthew, Scripture itself can be considered as Jesus’ ‘Sender’, thereby providing a key to reading Jesus’ first and last words. The fulfilment of ‘all righteousness’ (Matt. 3.15) primarily refers to therighteousness of Scripture, and the concluding Mission Commandment refers to the fulfilment of Law and Prophets. This theological double theme argues for a double role for the apostles who are called righteous ones and prophets, a role which might function as a new, meaningful exegetical perspective on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, where Jesus’ disciples are blessed as righteous and prophets.

Ecology in Books XI, XII and XIII of Augustine’s Confessiones

The last Books of Augustine’s Confessions (XI-XIII) have been studied from different points of view, particularly from a philosophical or exegetical perspective, but not, taken as a whole and with detail, from an ecological point of view. For that reason, the article deals with the ideas about Creation in the three last Books of Confessions, as a point of departure to talk about ecology. Then the article presents the ideas about Ecology that Saint Augustine develops within the three last Books of his Confessions, underlining the spiritual and ecological consequences of the insights of the Bishop of Hippo. The article also discusses the relationship of the Document Laudato Si’ with the ideas that St. Augustine develops in the last book of his Confessions (Books XI-XIII).

تفسير سورة الفاتحة للجماهير: بديع الزمان سعيد النورسي والحاج محمد سعيد بن عمر

Purpose: This article considers exegetical perspectives on the best known Sūra of the Qur’ān from two exegetes who lived in diverse contexts in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Caliphate. Bediüzzaman Said Nursi is arguably the most influential theologian to emerge from in Ottoman Turkey in its long history. Haji Muḥammad Saʿīd bin ʿUmar, by contrast, enjoys a local reputation as a scholar in the Malay-Indonesian region but is unknown outside of that area. Methodology: This research is based on a comparative analysis of the exegesis of both scholars on Sūra al-Fātiḥa, exploring the techniques they used to reach ordinary Muslims with their exegesis, not just highly educated Muslims. Findings: Said Nursi and Muḥammad Saʿīd bin ʿUmar came from quite different backgrounds and contexts. Moreover, their exegetical styles were fundamentally different, with the former’s being more thematic and the latter’s being more literalist. Nevertheless, each succeeded in producing exegesis that reached the masses, thereby meeting their overall goals of reinforcing the commitment to faith and dynamic spirit of Muslims in their respective contexts. Originality: This research is original in various ways. First, comparative studies of Said Nursi and Malay-language exegetes are few in number. Second, the identification of similarities in the results of studies on exegesis despite the use of different methods requires greater scholarly attention. This article should stimulate interest in further studies on the matter.

Translations of Stylistic Variations in the Noble Qur’an into English: Stylistic and Exegetical Perspectives

ABSTRACT Stylistic variation is one of the prominent features of Qur’anic discourse, which deals with similar linguistic elements but varies stylistically and semantically. Translation of stylistic variations creates insurmountable challenges during comprehension and rendition into the target language, although they do not receive due attention in translation studies. To bridge this gap, the stylistic variations in seven prominent translations of the Noble Qur’an (Al-Hilali and Khan, 1996; Ali, 1934; Arberry, 1955; Pickthall, 1930; Sahih International, 1997; Sarwar, 1981; Shakir, 1999) that are taken from The Qur’anic Arabic Corpus are studied. Integrated exegetical and stylistic analyses of translations of stylistic variations are employed, highlighting many Qur’anic stylistic challenges. Findings revealed deviant translations and translation loss in some of the data, untranslatability of stylistic features and the relative possibility of rendering the meanings of untranslatable features into English. The implication of the results of stylistic variation has been discussed.

The City in the Hebrew Bible: Critical, Literary and Exegetical Approaches

The City in the Hebrew Bible: Critical, Literary and Exegetical Approaches

Funkce výrazu παρρησία a charakteristické příklady jeho uplatnění v homiliích Jana Chrýsostoma na Skutky apoštolů

The article consists of two parts. In the first one, it surveys usage of the word παρρησία and its verbal derivatives from the beginning in the late 5th century BC to the New Testament times. It deals with the political function of the expression in the Athenian democracy, with its subsequent shift to the private sphere and its value in the Hellenistic philosophy, and finally, with its satiric dimension. Then, it indicates some modification of its usage in the Septuagint and other works of Hellenistic Judaism and examines the meanings of the word in individual works of the New Testament. In the second part, the article illustrates how John Chrysostom used the expression in his 55 homilies on the Acts of the Apostles. It concentrates on the instances where the commentator exploited the classical meaning of the word, which refers to the frankness of public speech as well as to the use of frank speech in admonishing ethical discourse. These occurrences exemplify the in u- ence of Chrysostom’s secular rhetorical education to his exegetical perspective.

Introduction and General

Introduction and General Christopher T. Begg, John Thomas Willis, J. Harold Ellens, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Andrew E. Steinmann, Isaac M. Alderman, and Todd R. Hanneken 2023. Anna Angelini et al. (compilers), Bulletin de Bibliographie biblique [BiBIL] 24 (2016). Pp. xii + 774. Paper ISSN 1421-2994. This comprehensive bibliography of current books and articles on the Bible (OT and NT) in its various dimensions is organized under the following seven main headings (each of which has its component subheadings): (1) Study of the Bible as a Whole; (2) Old Testament; (3) Books of the Old Testament; (4) New Testament Milieu; (5) New Testament; (6) Books of the New Testament; and (7) Ancient Christianity. It lists as well studies of particular topics ("vedettes libres"), and of Hebrew and Greek words. In some cases, summaries of a given book or article are included, along with indications where the item may be found on-line.—C.T.B. 2024. William P. Brown, A Handbook to Old Testament Exegesis (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017). Pp. xv + 363. Paper $35. ISBN 978-0-664-25993-8. B.'s handbook opens with a segment called "preface and place" that provides an orientation to its presentation of various exegetical perspectives and approaches. It then continues with four major parts, each of these consisting of one or more chapters, with an "interlude" (chap. 14, "From Text to Table," between the 2nd and 3rd parts). Part I: Getting Started comprises three chapters: (1) A Hermeneutical Adventure; (2) Self-Exegesis; and (3) First Impressions. Part II: Analytical Approaches features 10 chapters: (4) Translation; (5) Text-critical Analysis; (6) Stylistic Analysis I: Poetry; (7) Stylistic Analysis II: Narrative; (8) Structural Analysis; (9) Compositional Analysis; (10) Comparative Analysis; (11) Literary Analysis; (12) Historical Analysis; and (13) Canonical Analysis. Part III: Readings in Place comprises: (15) Science; (16) Ecology; (17) Gender I; (18) Gender II; (19) Empire; (20) Minority; (21) Disability; and (22) Theology. Part IV: Communication is made up a single chapter: (23) Retelling the Text. The volume's end-matter includes [End Page 661] a glossary of exegetical terms, and indexes of Scripture and other ancient sources and of subjects and names.—C.T.B. 2025. Douglas S. Earl, Reading Old Testament Narrative as Christian Scripture (JTISup 17; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2017). Pp. xiv + 369. Paper $39.95. ISBN 078-1-57406-758-2. E. sets out a fresh perspective on understanding what is involved in reading OT narrative as Christian Scripture. In so doing, he considers various narratives as examples that model different challenges in the form of exegetical, ethical, historical, metaphysical, and theological difficulties. Using these examples, he explores the significance of interpretative approaches focused on, e.g., authorial intention, history of composition, canonical context, reception history, and reading context in conjunction with spiritual, literary, structuralist, existential, historical-critical, and ethical-critical approaches. On this basis, E. shows that Christian interpretation of Scripture as Scripture is an inherently ad hoc enterprise, understood as a rule-governed practice in L. Wittgenstein's sense: an established, goal-directed activity for which no method, hermeneutical principle, or critical perspective discovers "meaning" or generates good interpretation. Good interpretation rather involves exploration of various construals of "the world of the text" using "hermeneutics of tradition" and "critique of ideology" (P. Ricoeur). The interpreter's task is to discern faithful readings and develop their significance in a given intellectual or cultural context. The interpretation of Scripture and its appropriation is further seen to involve wisdom in forming judgments on a case-by-case basis, something that is learned through examples and experience, on what constitutes good interpretation and use. E. likewise shows how traditional hermeneutics and contemporary critical resources suggest that history, ethics, and theology can rarely be "read off" OT narrative, but also how Christians can appropriate ethically and historically problematic books such as Joshua, faithfully adopt a "minimalist" approach to 1 and 2 Samuel, and embrace a Trinitarian reading of Genesis 1. The volume comprises a Prologue and an Epilogue ("Reading Old Testament Narrative as Christian Scripture as a Task Best Left Jagged") that frame a series of nine chapters: Genesis 34: Analysis of Why an Old...

Chrysostom on hunger and famine

This article looked at hunger and famine in Chrysostom’s time. It has always been tragic and ironic that hunger should exist in a world of plenty. This topic has been discussed from an economic, social, theological, philosophical, medical, humanitarian and exegetical perspective. Chrysostom’s statements on this issue are studied, but our concern is only involuntary hunger, whilst voluntary forms of self-denial are being excluded. An attempt is made to define a social construct of poverty and hunger in Chrysostom’s world.

Themes and Variations: Yannai on Exodus 3:1 and Deuteronomy 6:4

Piyyutim—Hebrew liturgical poems—are, with increasing frequency, being recognized as important sources for understanding Jewish culture in Late Antiquity and the history of Jewish biblical interpretation. The length of these poems, however, has meant that passages from these works are presented selectively, as excerpts, with the result that their complex and sophisticated compositional elements are obscured. This article presents annotated translations of two full piyyutim by one of the early masters, Yannai (sixth century, Galilee)—the qedushta'ot embellishing Exodus 3:1 and Deuteronomy 6:4—in order to demonstrate the macro-level rhetorical features of these poems and to suggest how these works can be approached from literary, liturgical, and exegetical perspectives .

Die ontmaskering van die bose: Eksegetiese perspektiewe op geweld in Openbaring 18

Exposure of evil: Exegetical perspectives on violence in Revelation 18
 
 This article investigates violence in Revelation 18 from an exegetical perspective because of its prominent role in contemporary debate on violence in the New Testament. It first discusses the complex meaning of violence in the light of the intricate composition of the book as a whole and this chapter in particular. It argues that, in contrast to what is often said in contemporary research about the incoherence of this passage, Revelation 18 is in fact a carefully composed ring composition in which the constitutive elements determine its meaning decisively and in which violence is a seminal motif. It also discusses how the rest of the text confirms the author’s literary skills and the neat composition of Revelation 18 as a text about a violent city. The article then shows how the different elements in the text ironically delineate the downfall of the violent city of Babylon and the reasons for it. It sketches how the consequences of Babylon’s fall are developed from an earthly and divine perspective. In all these different parts the prevalence of violence is spelled out.

Feminist Interpretations of Augustine: Re-Reading the Canon (review)

Reviewed by: Feminist Interpretations of Augustine: Re-Reading the Canon Roland J. Teske, S.J. Judith Chelius Stark , editor. Feminist Interpretations of Augustine: Re-Reading the Canon. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2007. Pp. x + 326. Paper, $35.00. This present volume is the twenty-ninth in the Re-Reading the Canon series, the title of each of which volumes begins Feminist Interpretations of . . . . Surprisingly, the volume on Augustine has appeared relatively late in the series. The editor has collected eleven essays plus a poem on feminist interpretations of the bishop of Hippo, who has certainly exerted a powerful influence on the view of women in the Western Christian churches of all major denominations. Besides the essays, Stark has provided a substantial introduction to the volume in which she touches upon the principal events of Augustine's life and briefly sketches the main points of each essay. The feminist interpretations of Augustine included in the volume represent a broad spectrum running from quite radical to fairly moderate or even tame approaches. In "Augustine, Sexuality, Gender, and Women," Rosemary Radford Ruether presents a call to critique the views of Augustine from which women and men have suffered for over 1500 years in Western Christianity. Anne-Marie Bowery argues in "Monica: The Feminine Face of Christ" that Augustine's portrait of Monica allows us to "reframe the masculine image of the divinity" (70) that is basic to Western Christianity. In her essay, Felecia McDuffie examines Augustine's rhetoric of the feminine in a literary and historic analysis of the Confessions and concludes that, since Augustine does include some aspects of the feminine, his postmodern daughters may enter into dialogue with him on this subject. "Confessing Monica," the joint work of Virginia Burrus and Catherine Keller, presents the Confessions as a meditation on Monica from a literary and historical and from a theological and exegetical perspective. In "O Mother, Where Art Thou? In Search of Saint Monnica," Rebecca Moore struggles to discover what we can really know about Monnica and comes up with a quite limited view of the facts we can known about Augustine's mother. The other unnamed, but not nameless woman in the Confessions is the topic of Margaret R. Miles's essay, subtitled "The Woman Torn from Augustine's Side." In "Augustine's Letters to Women," Joanne McWilliam surveys Augustine's letters written to women, which fall into the following groups: letters of condolence, letters of advice, letters on religious matters, and finally letters of theological content. She notes that the letters are not condescending or patronizing and even in some cases reveal considerable respect for the talents of the addressee. E. Ann Matter's essay, "De cura feminarum: Augustine the Bishop, North African Women, and the Development of a Theology of Female Nature," a brief essay with so long a title, finds that Augustine's letters to women show kindness and consideration for them and suggests that the women involved in the Pelagian controversy may have contributed to his later more negative views. Stark's essay, "Augustine on Women: In God's Image, but Less So," reviews the texts and current literature on Augustine's view of women as made in God's image in their rational souls, but inferior in terms of their bodies. In "To Remember Self, to Remember God: Augustine on Sexuality, Relationality, and the Trinity," Julie B. Miller attempts to explain his teaching on God and the Self as well as to offer "a feminist psychological critique of Augustine's early relationship with his mother," in an alternate view to that of "traditional non-Freudian analyses" (245). The final essay, "The Evanescence of Masculinity: Deferral in Saint Augustine's Confessions and Some Thoughts on Its Bearing on the Sex/Gender Debate," by Penelope Deutscher, explores "a by-product of the sex/gender debate, namely, [End Page 480] attempts by some authors to maintain a terminological distinction between the terms 'man' and 'masculine' and between 'woman' and 'feminine' (282). She argues that one can understand the opposition of such terms as theologically grounded in a particular sense. The closing poem, "To Aurelius Augustine from the Mother of His Son," by Ann Conrad Lammers...

Leo Strauss on ''German Nihilism'': Learning the Art of Writing

The year Leo Strauss published "Persecution and the Art of Writing" (1941), he prepared a lecture ("German Nihilism") that he never published. An analysis of this lecture shows that Strauss hadn't fully mastered the art of writing he'd discovered in others: his secrets are too exposed. In the context of "German Nihilism," it becomes clear that "Persecution and the Art of Writing" is about liberal persecution of authoritarianism, no the reverse, as liberals would assume. In response to recent apologias presenting Strauss as a liberal who didn't "write between the lines," a Strauss-style reading of "German Nihilism" disproves both claims.

The 'Mind' of Scripture: Theological Readings of the Bible in the Fathers

: This article seeks to describe theological readings of the Bible in the Fathers, and then to consider whether we might learn anything from them. The first section considers the patristic appeal to the overall sense, intent or mind of scripture when confronted with debate about particular texts in doctrinal disputes. The second looks at Cyril of Alexandria's ‘more dogmatic’ exegesis of the Gospel of John. Thus the patristic approach is explored both from a systematic and an exegetical perspective. Then, a number of constructive suggestions are offered, even as it is recognized that modern exegetes and systematic theologians now operate in a very different world.