Johannine Corpus Research Articles

On Docetic Christology in Early Christianity. Pt. 3.1

According to the doctrine of the so-called docetic Christology, the earthly Jesus and the heavenly Christ were two different persons; it was Jesus who suffered on the cross, whereas Christ just entered Jesus body for a while and abandoned it before his death on the cross; consequently, the suffering of Christ was mere appearance. Based on some passages from Gnostic texts containing examples of docetic Christology, the author attempts here to trace the origin of that concept, starting with the New Testament (Pt. 1: Synoptic Gospels); in previous parts of the article (Pt. 2.1; 2.2; 2.3; 2.4), he analyzed such Pauls passages as Rom. 1.34, Gal. 4.47, 1Cor 8.46, Phlp. 2.511, Col 1.1520; in this part he is dealing with the writings of the so-called Johannine corpus, i.e., John and 12 John. To be continued.

Studies on the Intersection of Text, Paratext, and Reception: A Festschrift in Honor of Charles E. Hill by Gregory R. Lanier and J. Nicholas Reid

Reviewed by: Studies on the Intersection of Text, Paratext, and Reception: A Festschrift in Honor of Charles E. Hill by Gregory R. Lanier and J. Nicholas Reid Chris S. Stevens gregory r. lanier and j. nicholas reid, Studies on the Intersection of Text, Paratext, and Reception: A Festschrift in Honor of Charles E. Hill (Texts and Editions for New Testament Study 15; Leiden: Brill, 2021). Pp. xxvii + 414. €124. On the occasion of Charles E. Hill's turning sixty-five and retiring from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, thirteen contributors from around the globe have produced a great collection of articles. As Dr. Hill has contributed scholarly works on a breadth of topics, this volume seeks to interact with his interests in scribal culture, paratext, and canonicity. The chapters in the volume include: Peter M. Head, "Punctuation and Paragraphs in P66 (P.Bod. II): Insights into Scribal Behavior" (pp. 3–29); Gregory R. Lanier and Moses Han, "The Text and Paratext of Minuscule GA 1424: Initial Observations" (pp. 30–59); Peter Malik, "Marginal Paratexts in GA 2323: A Thirteenth-Century Witness to the Medieval Reception of Revelation" (pp. 60–96); J. Nicholas Reid, "Writing and Writers in Ancient Mesopotamia: A Brief Sketch for New Testament Scholars" (pp. 97–121); Peter J. Gurry, "On Not Preferring the Shorter Reading: Matthew as a Test Case" (pp. 122–41); Jennifer Knust and Tommy Wasserman, "Codex Bezae as Repository" (pp. 142–74); Stanley E. Porter, "What Is a Text? The Linguistic Turn and Its Implications for New Testament Studies" (pp. 175–98); Michael J. Kruger, "Second Peter 3:2, the Apostolate, and a Bi-covenantal Canon" (pp. 201–31); Peter J. Gentry, "MasPsa and the Early History of the Hebrew Psalter: Notes on Canon and Text" (pp. 232–58); Peter J. Williams, "Problems with the Explicit Marking of Quotations in Translations and Scholarly Editions of the New Testament" (pp. 259–78); Paul Foster, "Polycarp's Teaching: The Reception and Development of Theology" (pp. 279–313); Richard Bauckham, "A Neglected Reference to John the Elder as Bishop of Ephesus (Const. ap. 7.46.7)" (pp. 314–39); and James W. Barker, "The Acts of John within the Johannine Corpus" (pp. 340–80). A short review cannot address details in a volume of this size and breadth; therefore, attention is given to areas of particular note within Dr. Hill's area of major contribution. Reid looks at the paratextual features in Mesopotamian tablets. While not often incorporated into NT textual criticism, Reid demonstrates some intriguing facets of the sociohistorical literary world behind NT scribal culture. Gurry does something that Hill is quite good at, reexamining the evidence to question entrenched assumptions. Gurry evaluates the default preference for the originality of the shorter reading in NT textual criticism. He highlights the untenability of the assumption and concludes that the length of a variant should not be a controlling factor. Instead, attention should be given to explaining why a variant occurs. [End Page 373] Knust and Wasserman provide a fine model for how to work with paratextual annotations. Kruger continues canonicity research that Hill and he have co-authored. Moving beyond external reception history methodologies, Kruger asks if the NT speaks about canonicity. He proposes an intracorpus canon consciousness. Beginning with 2 Pet 3:2 and the phrase, "Prophets and Apostles," Kruger contends that this phrase serves to equate the NT apostolic authority with the OT prophets and, more importantly, reveals an acknowledged twofold canon. Kruger traces the prophet-apostle pattern through various NT passages and patristic writings. Williams addresses a small, overlooked matter—whether quotation marks are helpful or harmful to readers of modern print editions. After addressing the history of ancient and modern punctuation, Williams notes instances where modern quotation marks are inconsistent, errantly separate quotations, and are exegetically indefensible. Most notably, modern punctuation, barely more than a century old, does not cohere with ancient paratextual features and often contradicts them. Therefore, consistent with his argument but nonetheless quite provocatively, Williams concludes that the quotation marks in modern Bibles should be abandoned (p. 277). Foster builds and expands on previous work by Hill on Polycarp. Addressing modern scholarship that seeks to downplay Polycarp, Foster admirably...

La hora en las epístolas juánicas

The study of the subject “hour” in the Johannine Epistles, allows us to deepen into pericope content, in its historical context and in the diachronic and dynamic relation with other texts that include the subject “hour” in the Johannine corpus.

Methodological approaches for comparative theological research on St. Augustine of Hippo and The Gospel of John

This review article concerns Augustine of Hippo’s (354-430 A.D.) specific and sustained reception of John’s gospel. Here, the author summarizes and evaluates a series of research methods for contextualizing core elements of the bishop of Hippo’s theological points of departure and exegetical practice. Section one identifies the twin theoretical considerations of this retrospective account, including the nature of 4th-century African Christianity and late antique emergence of Pauline commentaries in Latin. Section two then identifies the central advances in methodology of the research, further identifying and reconsidering both textual and theological elements that contribute to Augustine’s Johannine commentary. Section three explores primary results for both theological lines of approach of already completed research: in particular, the author determines aspects of an Augustinian view of Christ and the Church, the ecclesial reality of passing controversy and biblical interpretation, as well as openings for further research on human emotion and eschatology. The result exercises renewed attention toward Augustine’s reading on John and the Johannine corpus, with implications for works of his corpus to include not only the Tractatus in euangelium Iohannis (“Tractates on the Gospel of John”) but also various popular sermons, other biblical commentaries, polemical and doctrinal works.

Studies on the Intersection of Text, Paratext, and Reception: A Festschrift in Honor of Charles E. Hill

Studies on the Intersection of Text, Paratext, and Reception: A Festschrift in Honor of Charles E. Hill

B. Estrada – L. G. Sarasa (dirs.), El Evangelio de Juan. Origen, contenido y perspectivas

This work edits the papers of the meeting of biblical scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean, members of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), which took place immediately before the 71st SNTS General Meeting. It was held in Montreal (Canada), from August 2 to 5, 2016, and was dedicated to the writings of John. The meeting was coordinated by Robert L. Brawley and Albert G. McGaw, and was attended by professors of recognized authority in the field of the Johannine corpus, among them Paul N. Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University (Newberg, Oregon), and Johannes Beutler, emeritus of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome). The presence of Armand Puig Tàrrech and Santiago Guijarro Oporto in the discussions was also of special relevance of the contributions of various Latin American and Caribbean teachers. In the Introduction, the editors express the hope of offering a contribution to the study of John's writings and a stimulus for exegetes of the area in Latin Americaand the Caribbean.

1, 2 & 3 John by Constantine R. Campbell

Reviewed by: 1, 2 & 3 John by Constantine R. Campbell Cornelia van Deventer Campbell, Constantine R. 2017. 1, 2 & 3 John. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Hardcover. ISBN 978-0310327325. Pp. 246. $29.99. The Story of God Bible Commentary series is a collection of commentaries based on the 2011 New International Version translation, aimed to serve laypersons in their understanding of biblical material. The series covers all the books of the OT and NT (including a separate commentary by McKnight on the Sermon on the Mount), following a similar pattern. The commentaries aim to package the text in such a format that it relates to the "Bible's grand Story" (xii) and informs its readers on how to live in their contexts on the basis of biblical truths. The commentary at hand is written by Constantine Campbell, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Campbell has lectured on a senior level in both NT and Greek and is well known for his publications on Greek verbal aspect. This commentary is Campbell's first book on the Johannine literature. Like most commentaries on the Johannine epistles, most of the book (176 out of 230 pages) revolves around 1 John, with the commentary on 2 and 3 John consisting of a mere 30 and 24 pages each. While the second and third epistles are significantly smaller than the first, Campbell does lament the neglect of these epistles in the scholarly and ecclesial contexts, arguing that underplaying them is "unhelpful and ought to be corrected" (177). He begins the discussion of each epistle with a (short) introduction, wherein he discusses usual matters like authorship, occasion, themes, structure, the relationship to other material in the Johannine corpus and addressees. Campbell affirmatively anchors the first epistle in the Johannine Gospel and argues for authorship by John, the son of Zebedee. By discussing common themes and language, he also attaches the second and third epistles to the first, arguing for the plausibility of 2 John as a cover letter for 1 John. Campbell hints at alternative approaches to authorship, but does not discuss or rebut them. [End Page 169] The discussion of the first epistle is divided into 13 thematic chapters (1 John 1:1–4; 1:5–10; 2:1–6; 2:7–11; 2:12–17; 2:18–27; 2:28–3:10; 3:11–18; 3:19–24; 4:1–6; 4:7–21; 5:1–12; 5:13–21), and the portions on the second and third epistles comprise of 3 chapters each (2 John 1–3; 4–6; 7–13; 3 John 1–4; 5–10; 11–14). Each chapter follows a similar pattern, in which the text is examined from three distinct angles. The first section to each chapter is titled "Listen to the Story." Here, the NIV text is provided, followed by references to biblical (and some extra-biblical) parallels or echoes. This is followed by an introduction that aims to tie the passage into the wider biblical narrative. The second section is titled "Explain the Story." This section discusses the biblical background, historical background, cultural context and theological interpretation(s) of the passage at hand. Finally, each chapter is concluded with a third section titled "Live the Story," comprising a more devotional section discussing the possible application(s) of the theological gist of the discussed portion to the reader's daily life. The commentary series is openly evangelical, something clearly reflected in Campbell's discussions on matters like marriage (120). One also does not have to read between the lines to notice that this is a commentary intended for a wider audience than the scholarly community. McKnight (xii) explicitly states in the foreword that "this is not an academic series." Keeping this in mind, the author does an excellent job of bringing scholarly ideas and technical knowledge into the realm of the layperson. Technical and theological terms are defined, and theological arguments surrounding interpretation are well outlined and explained. Moreover, in difficult passages, Campbell dives into the Greek in an understandable manner. The reader is, for instance, introduced to the difference between the objective and subjective genitive—a distinction that is...

Epiphanius’ Alogi and the Johannine Controversy. A reassessment of early ecclesial opposition to the Johannine Corpus. By T. Scott Manor . (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, 135.) Pp. xi + 253. Leiden–Boston: Brill, 2016. €104. 978 90 04 30938 8; 0920 0623X

Epiphanius’ Alogi and the Johannine Controversy. A reassessment of early ecclesial opposition to the Johannine Corpus. By T. Scott Manor . (Supplements to <i>Vigiliae Christianae</i>, 135.) Pp. xi + 253. Leiden–Boston: Brill, 2016. €104. 978 90 04 30938 8; 0920 0623X

The Spirit Speaks: Pneumatological Innovation in the Scriptural Exegesis of Justin and Tertullian

This paper considers the role of the Spirit within early Christian writers’ use of prosopological exegesis, an interpretive method which seeks to identify various persons (prosopa) as the “true” speakers or addressees of a Scriptural text in which they are otherwise not in view. While scholars are increasingly recognizing that, for some early Christian writers, the Spirit could himself be a speaking agent, there remains no systematic analysis of the texts in which the Spirit speaks from his own prosopon. After making just such an analysis, focusing on key texts in the writings of Tertullian and Justin Martyr, this paper concludes that the need for divine testimony concerning both the Father and the Son was the central motivating factor for assigning ot quotations to the prosopon of the Spirit. In particular, this paper argues that this emphasis on the Spirit’s role as one who testifies is a direct outgrowth of the portrayal of the Spirit in the Johannine corpus and arose in the context of conflict with Judaism concerning the cessation of the Spirit. By making this connection, we have a new means by which to glimpse the theological dynamics at work in the pre-Nicene period that would contribute to the development of a distinctively Trinitarian, and not merely binitarian, view of God.

The Date and Content of P. Antinoopolis 12 (0232)

P. Antinoopolis 12 (Aland 0232), a miniature codex containing remnants of 2 John, was considered by C. H. Roberts to be our earliest copy of this short epistle (third century) and also evidence of an early Johannine corpus. However, upon closer examination, both of these claims appear to be problematic. This article will argue that P.Ant. 12 is most likely a fifth-century codex (not third) and that it was far too small to have carried the entire Johannine corpus. Although there is no combination of books that fits perfectly into this codex, the most plausible suggestion seems to be that P.Ant. 12 originally held the book of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles.

The Odes of Solomon as Apocalyptic Literature

Abstract The Odes of Solomon is generally categorized as early Jewish-Christian apocrypha, particularly as a lyrics-book of early Christian worship songs. They give us a glimpse into earliest Christian worship and Christian understandings of the recent advent of the Messiah. As a matter of genre, they are easily discussed as liturgical texts, poetry, or musical lyrics. This examination reveals that the Odes are filled with themes of apocalyptic literature, far beyond the extent hitherto recognized. These apocalyptic themes situate the Odes in earliest Christian literature, revealing ties to the Johannine corpus, particularly to the Revelation, to “Two Ways” catechetical literature, and to merkabah mysticism. In the Odes, there is revealed a need for a wider understanding of apocalyptic literature. Such recognition of other expressions of an apocalyptic worldview, transcending the boundaries of the formal genre of the apocalypse, would illumine relations among a variety of early Christian texts.

The Legal Precision of the Term ‘πάράkλητος’

The Greek term πάράkλητος has often been loosely translated as ‘advocate’, with the assumption that it possesses a vague forensic quality. Hitherto, however, its precise meaning has been imperfectly understood, and there has been no cohesive legal definition for all of its appearances, especially those in the New Testament. This study examines all of the occurrences of the term πάράαkλητος, including previously overlooked attestations in the papyrological and epigraphical record. It argues that the term is a precise calque for the Latin legal term advocatus, meaning a person of high social standing who speaks on behalf of a defendant in a court of law before a judge. The article concludes by showing how this meaning is appropriate to the five appearances of παράkλητος in the Johannine corpus.

Das Corpus Johanneum bei Irenaus von Lyon: Studien und Kommentar zum dritten Buch von Adversus Haereses. By BERNHARD MUTSCHLER.

This is a corpulent volume, falling only a little short in length of Irenaeus’ compendious ‘refutation of gnosis falsely so-called’; yet it takes for its substrate only the third of five books, and for nourishment only those passages which directly or obliquely look back to some text in the Johannine corpus. Lest we should fear that nothing shorter than Proust could embrace all five books, we are reminded that material for this study is more abundant in book 3 than in any other—as it could hardly fail to be, since this is the book in which Irenaeus defines and vindicates the fourfold gospel canon. The gospel which he attributes to John, son of Zebedee and beloved disciple of Jesus, is to him the most instructive of the four, and he credits the same man with the writing of the Apocalypse and the letters which go under the name of John. Mutschler argues cogently that references to a single epistle of John in Irenaeus do not show that he was ignorant of a distinction between the first and second letters, while his failure to cite the third proves only that this short piece added nothing to his arsenal. Skeat's theory that he relied on an intermediary, and not on his own perusal of the Apocalypse for his interpretation of the four beasts as symbols of the evangelists, is courteously exploded (pp. 64–71); Mutschler also demonstrates, against those who maintain that Irenaeus espoused a certain chronology of the gospels, that the sequence in which they are named in his work most frequently (Matthew, Luke, Mark, John) is not intended to represent the order of composition, but observes the most common arrangement of the texts in Roman codices of the late second century (p. 74).

Book Review: The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church

Book Review: The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church

Charles E. Hill, The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. xiii+531 pp. $150.00 (cloth).

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewCharles E. Hill, The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. xiii+531 pp. $150.00 (cloth).Harold W. Attridge, Harold W. AttridgeYale Divinity School. Search for more articles by this author , Yale Divinity School.PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 85, Number 4October 2005 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/499448 Views: 9Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church

Book Review| April 01 2005 The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church, Charles E. Hill. Kyle Keefer Kyle Keefer Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Journal of Biblical Literature (2005) 124 (1): 187–189. https://doi.org/10.2307/30041006 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Kyle Keefer; The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church. Journal of Biblical Literature 1 January 2005; 124 (1): 187–189. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/30041006 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveSBL PressJournal of Biblical Literature Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Review: The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church

The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church Charles E. Hill xiv + 531 Oxford Oxford University Press 2004 0 19 926458 9

Shalom in the Johannine Corpus

Shalom in the Johannine Corpus

A Grammatical and Contextual Inventory of the use of κόσμος in the Johannine Corpus With Some Implications for a Johannine Cosmic Theology

A Grammatical and Contextual Inventory of the use of κόσμος in the Johannine Corpus With Some Implications for a Johannine Cosmic Theology