Pauline Corpus Research Articles

Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul by Simon Gathercole

Reviewed by: Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul by Simon Gathercole Ty Kieser Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul by Simon Gathercole (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015), 128 pp. Simon Gathercole, senior lecturer in New Testament studies at the University of Cambridge, has previously written on the "new perspective" on Paul, the Christology of the Synoptic Gospels, and gnostic gospel writings. His expertise in soteriology, Christology, and biblical literature is brought together in Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul. Gathercole provides the reader with a brief (a mere 128 pages) biblical defense of the concept of "substitutionary atonement" from the Pauline corpus. In this book, Gathercole argues that Christ's death "for our sins in our place, instead of us, is a vital ingredient in the biblical … understanding of the atonement" (14). Christ ought to, therefore, be seen as a substitute for us and for our sins. He states that this does not exclude or supplant other concepts in atonement (i.e., representation or participation), but he believes that substitution can "coexist" along them (14). He underlines the importance of this central claim by stating that a right understanding of Christ's death as a substitution-ary act is integral to the "Christian's relationship with God and their communication of the gospel" (14). Gathercole begins the book with an introduction that helpfully defines and distinguishes his terms. He defines "substitutionary atonement" as "Christ's death in our place, instead of us." This means that, in his death, Christ "did something, underwent something, so that we did not and would never have to do so" (15). He carefully nuances this definition of substitution from related—and [End Page 1015] often conflated—concepts. In each case, Gathercole argues for and provides examples of "penalty," "representation," "propitiation," and "satisfaction" as concepts separate from substitution. In distinguishing "penalty" and "substitution," for example, he says non-penal substitution exists in the live scapegoat of Leviticus 16:21, which was sent into the wilderness as a substitute for the people (but not put to death). Herein, the sins of Israel are borne away in the goat, not punished. These distinctions, therefore, are not meant to present any one concept as superior to another, but to present the concept of substitution—as distinct from the above concepts—as a viable motif in our understanding of the atonement apart from the complexities of these other concepts. Gathercole also shows awareness of various theological, ethical, and philosophical objections to this doctrine. He introduces and briefly addresses the objections that substitution implies a legal fiction and that it advocates for "divine child abuse," as well as Kant's objection that guilt is too personal to be taken upon another. Yet, for Gathercole, the "most important" criticism of substitutionary atonement is actually that it is unbiblical (28). His response to this final and most important objection constitutes the substance of this book. In chapter 1, rather than immediately developing a positive account of substitution, Gathercole begins by explicating three of the most compelling explanations of non-substitutionary approaches to the atonement. He aims to show not that these are totally wrong, but that they are mistaken in denying substitution. The first approach (which he associates with Germany) is the Tübingen view propounded by Hartmut Gese and Otfried Hofius. On their account, atonement is undertaken by Christ as the representative of the people. Through Christ's identification with corrupted people, he opens up to them fellowship with God. Second, (associated with Britain) is Morna Hooker's "interchange in Christ": Christ does not swap places with his people, but rather "goes to the place where they are and takes them from there to salvation" (39). Finally, he surveys the model of "apocalyptic deliverance," which is "gaining currency … in North America" (42) through the theology of J. Louis Martyn. For Martyn, humanity's plight does not consist of sins that need forensic forgiveness, but of slavery that requires deliverance and liberation, a deliverance and liberation that Christ provides. While he gives at least three evaluative comments to each proposal, Gathercole notes that they all share in minimizing "sins" (individual transgressions of the divine...

Galatians 3 and the Redefinition of the Criteria of Covenant Membership in the New Faith-Era in Christ

This article firstly evaluates the Radical New Perspective on Paul and the Messianic Judaist approach to the letter to the Galatians, which can be seen as similar approaches. In these approaches, the rhetoric in the letter to the Galatians is perceived to be directed to gentile believers only, which converges with the view that a continuing distinction between gentile and Judaean believers is upheld in the Pauline corpus. This evaluation involves testing this kind of approach in terms of its methodology and implications, with a specific focus on Paul's use of the first person singular and first person plural in the letter. Secondly, in answer to the above evaluation, the criteria for identity and covenant membership are pursued by focusing on Gal 3. The Spirit-flesh contrast, which converges with the faith-works contrast, as well as the contrast between the new era in Christ and the eschatologically old era under the Law, is argued to be the controlling paradigm for determining identity and covenant membership in the letter. Although this new identity stands in continuity with the promise to Abraham, it is understood in a redrawn and renewed way. Believers' position toward the Law and Paul's rhetorical aims in Gal 3 are reconsidered in light of the above.

La teología de la reconciliación en las cartas de san Pablo by Juan Manuel Granados Rojas

Reviewed by: La teología de la reconciliación en las cartas de san Pablo by Juan Manuel Granados Rojas Thomas E. Phillips juan manuel granados rojas, La teología de la reconciliación en las cartas de san Pablo (EstBib 57; Estella: Verbo Divino, 2016). Pp. 174. Paper €16. Granados Rojas, Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, has given us a very good book on an important topic. The volume's well-conceived and well-written introduction and five chapters argue for the centrality of reconciliation to Pauline thought and analyze four key reconciliation texts in the Pauline corpus before offering broader theological reflections on the implications of this study for understanding Pauline soteriology, christology, and ecclesiology. In the introduction, G.R. asserts that Paul took the essentially secular Greco-Roman principle of reconciliation (between two warring parties) and blended it with the concept of expiation from the LXX to create a new and unprecedented theological construction that centered on Christ and his death as the reconciler of all things. G.R. seeks to demonstrate the validity of this thesis by detailed examinations of two authentic Pauline texts (Rom 5:1-11; 2 Cor 5:18-21) and two disputed Pauline texts (Eph 2:14-16; Col 1:20-23). In the first chapter, G.R. interprets Romans 5 as the introduction to Romans 6–8. According to G.R., Romans 1–4 discusses the how and when of justification, Romans 6–8 discusses the consequences of justification, and Romans 5 provides the christological link that demonstrates how the universal justice of God is distributed to all persons—through the death of Christ, the universal meditator between God and humanity. All persons, Jew and gentile, are reconciled to God in Christ. Chapter 2 opens its examination of 2 Corinthians 5 by noting that Paul's use of reconciliation terminology has significantly altered the Greco-Roman usage by inserting a [End Page 334] divine meditator, Christ. Hostilities are brought to an end as the hostile parties are brought together in Christ. Paul's discourse in 2 Corinthians 5 demonstrates the divine initiative to reconcile persons together in Christ. In chap. 3, G.R. interprets the theme of reconciliation in Ephesians 5 as a sophisticated development of the thought in Paul's authentic letters. He argues that the reconciliation themes in Ephesians must be understood in light of the embodied language in Ephesians. In Ephesians, God has taken the initiative to create a new body with Christ as its head. All those who participate in the body are reconciled with God and with one another by being part of one body with one head, Christ. Enmities, but not enemies, are overcome through the creation of a body. In chap. 4, G.R.'s reading of Colossians 1, he argues that the development of Pauline thought in Ephesians is extended further to make the creation of the new body a present reality that incorporates all of the existing creation into a new creation. This new creation, brought forth by Christ's death and resurrection, experiences complete reconciliation with God as a new creation. In the final chapter, G.R. draws together the threads of his previous analyses and explains that Pauline thought regarding reconciliation shares one unifying principle: "Reconciliation in the Pauline letters is understood as transformation" (p. 129; my translation). In Paul's authentic letters, this transformation results from divine action that is accomplished through Christ. The language of justification is adopted as a subservient metaphor to describe this transformation from enemies into offspring, ambassadors, and ministers. In Ephesians and Colossians, the language of creation is adopted to image this transformation as the creation of one new body with one head (Christ). In these later letters, the means of God's reconciliation (transformation) is made clear. This divine transformation occurs through a new creation, the body of Christ, which—in its inherent unity under one head—eliminates all need for imposed unity. Reconciliation in these later letters, therefore, is not the blending of two separate groups—Jews and gentiles, or some conflicting parties—but rather the creation of a new entity that incorporates all creation under...

The Evangelists in Clement’s Hypotyposes

Excerpts from Clement of Alexandria’s lost Hypotyposes recounting the scribal activities of the evangelists Mark, Luke, and John puzzlingly differ despite overlapping in content. Actually, what little Clement said of the writing of Mark’s Gospel and of Hebrews is preserved in the Adumbrations, while Eusebius of Caesarea knew the Hypotyposes only through an intermediary given to embellishing paraphrase; furthermore, the claim by John of Scythopolis that Clement ascribed the Dialogue of Papiscus and Jason to Luke arose from a misplaced note on Hebrews. An additional point in the Hypotyposes is hypothesized ascribing the compilation of the Pauline corpus to Luke.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 as Paradigm of the Apostle Paul’s Legacy

This study aims to demonstrate that, in the New Testament, the second letter to Timothy moulds the figure of Paul as one of the most influential figures in early Christianity. By doing so, the epistle would have the potential to shape Paul’s figure on the whole Corpus Paulinum. The originality of this paper lies in the consideration of the Pastorals as a differentiated unity that offers to analyse 2 Tim without 1 Tim and Titus, as a fictive Pauline farewell discourse. Using intertextuality, it compares 2 Tim with Phil, a Proto-Pauline letter, in order to emphasise the shift from Pauline to Deutero-Pauline literature. The first one considering Paul’s death as an upcoming event, whereas the latter considers Paul's work from a seemingly a posteriori stand point. On the one hand, Phil depicts Paul as a potential perfect follower of Jesus. On the other hand, 2 Tim moulds the figure of Paul as the one and only apostle, building, with the literary genre of farewell discourse, Pauline “orthodoxy”. Thus, the purpose of 2 Tim and the Deutero-Pauline letters seem to be to fill a gap in the description of Paul’s legacy. Hence, the particular interest of this paper is to consider the possible influence of 2 Tim in the entire Pauline literature.

Attitudes Towards Sexuality in Song of Songs and in the Corpus Paulinum: A Comparison

Throughout history Song of Songs has been read and interpreted from various perspectives. Popular and academic Jewish and Christian publications allegorise and metaphorise the meaning of the words and images in Song of Songs. The focus of this research is on a literary-didactic reading as proposed by Turner, which seems to be the most obvious interpretation of Song of Songs. The research on the sexuality perspective communicated in the Song is then compared with the Pauline attitude to sex and marriage in order to find out whether Paul’s attitude to sex differs from or corresponds with what we find in Song of Songs. The corpus Paulinum and Song of Songs should both be read with their cultural contexts in mind. While Song of Songs focuses on the erotic love between two lovers, the corpus Paulinum focuses on sexual immorality

THE RELATION OF GODS MISSION AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IN EPHESIANS

Abstract A separation between the mission of God and mission of the church occurred post Willingren 1952 through an introduction of the term and concept missio Dei . In the Pauline corpus the letter to the Ephesians makes an invaluable contribution to mission. In the time period 1811-1950 central to the theologies of mission that emerged was the relation of the mission of God and the mission of the church. The mission of God and the mission of the church are interrelated and developed in terms of two concepts in Ephesians, ????????? (1:9-10; 3:2, 9-10) and ??????? (1:20-23; 3:19; 4:10, 13). Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-TW AR-SA /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Vas electionis: el Apóstol Pablo en el comentario de Santo Tomás a la Carta Ad Romanos

The article focuses on various texts of Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans: on the one hand, the prologue, which concerns the whole Corpus Paulinum and contains a portrait of the Apostle based on the biblical metaphor vas electionis ; on the other hand, the commentary of Aquinas on some parts of Romans where Paul speaks about himself referring to his own life and mission. Both types of texts differ in their literary genre and modes of biblical interpretation, but coincide in presenting the personality of Paul: in the prologue, as the portrait of a saint, whereas the commentary of the selected texts points to Paul’s life on earth with his virtues in fieri , which in the prologue are shown as perfectly achieved.

Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry W. Hurtado

Reviewed by: Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry W. Hurtado Najeeb Haddad larry w. hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016). Pp. xiv + 290. $29.95. For Larry Hurtado, what seems to be normal “religion” to us now is not what was normal during the first centuries of Christianity’s inception. Ultimately, H. is seeking to “address our cultural amnesia” (p. 1). His argument is twofold: first, he contends, by means of historical inquiry, that early Christian worship was distinct from other Greco-Roman religious and philosophical cults. He does not deny that the early Jesus movement resembles its Greco-Roman environment, arguing rather that early Christianity avoids being completely alien while maintaining its distinctiveness. Second, H. claims that what we now consider “religion” or “religious” is a result of Christian influence and was not true of Roman-era Christianity. In five chapters, he methodically demonstrates how Roman-era Christianity was radically different, not only in its approach to worship but also in its ethics. In chap. 1, H. discusses how Roman-era Christianity was a distinct religious phenomenon by examining Jewish and pagan criticism of the early Jesus movement. For a Jewish response to the early Jesus movement, H. appeals to the letters of Paul. I think this aspect of Paul is often overlooked, but H. makes excellent use of what we find in the Pauline corpus. H. then appeals to non-Christian Greco-Romans like Pliny “the younger,” Galen, Marcus Aurelius, Lucian, Celsus, as well as others. He suggests that their negative responses to Christianity were partly due to Christian withdrawal from cultic worship, which may have had negative ramifications, both social and economic (pp. 23–24). Furthermore, because Christians, unlike their Jewish counterparts, were actively trying to dissuade Greco-Romans from their gods, they were understood to be a threat to the Greco-Roman religious establishment. H. concludes that Roman-era pagans saw Christians as being very different from themselves. In chap. 2, H. shows how Christianity represents a “new kind of faith.” It was the Christians’ monotheism, their refusal of Greco-Roman cultic worship, and their denial of the existence of the Greco-Roman gods that made Christianity culturally odd. Indeed, Christianity lacked those things that were typical of ancient cults: “no altar, no cult-image, no priesthood, no sacrifices, and no shrines” (p. 43). H. emphasizes an exclusivity found in Christianity that is unparalleled in other Greco-Roman cults, for example, the cult of Isis or that of Mithras. Unlike the voluntary associations of the Greco-Roman world, Christianity demanded an exclusive devotion to the faith. In chap. 3, H. highlights Christianity as a shared faith, not by means of ethnicity as in Judaism but by means of belief and practice. He draws on the example of Jewish proselytization: Greeks who became Jewish would give up their Greek identity (ethnos) in exchange for a Jewish identity (ethnos), but Christian converts would remain Greeks, or Romans, or Jews. Their identity (ethnos) would not change, but instead their religious practice and way of life would become the defining aspects of their new religion. Chapters 4 and 5 shift from Christianity as distinctive in religious identity to distinctive in practice. H. suggests that early Christianity was a “bookish” religion, meaning that there was a great focus on Christianity’s efforts to make “reading, writing, copying, and dissemination of texts” common among its adherents (p. 105). For example, H. draws on the tradition that Pauline letters, though written to a specific community, were shared trans-locally [End Page 714] and read aloud (p. 112). Christianity also popularized and preferred the codex to the widely used scroll. H. points to the codex as an example of Christians deliberately trying to accommodate a larger body of documents, which shows that they were actively copying texts and sharing them. In summary, Christianity was uniquely text oriented “in the context of the varied religious environment of the time” (p. 141). In chap. 5, H. highlights Christianity’s distinctive ethic. Contrary to their Greco-Roman neighbors, Christians engaged in certain practices that made them unique, including...

A New Heaven, A New Earth: The Bible and Catholicity by Dianne Bergant

Reviewed by: A New Heaven, A New Earth: The Bible and Catholicity by Dianne Bergant Christopher Hrynkow dianne bergant, A New Heaven, A New Earth: The Bible and Catholicity (Catholicity in an Evolving Universe; Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2016). Pp. 200. $25. In this book, Dianne Bergant employs an ecologically literate hermeneutical lens to read some key biblical passages. B.'s lens is informed by two closely related concepts. The first, "catholicity," denotes universal reading in the cosmos-centric sense. The second concept is "ecojustice," as developed by Norman Habel and his collaborators on the Earth Bible Project. The accompanying six principles, applied to the Earth community, are intrinsic worth, interconnectedness, voice, purpose, mutual custodianship, and resistance. These terms pepper B.'s analysis. Each of her chapters includes a survey of relevant biblical scholarship, B.'s Catholic exegesis of multiple narratives, and a discussion of selected insights emerging from the application of her method in light of one or more of the ecojustice principles. In chap. 1, B. discusses water, revisiting stories such as the Israelite exodus out of Egypt from a less anthropocentric and more Earth-centered perspective. While the Earth Bible team's take on ecojustice has been criticized for downplaying social justice, B. here shows how the two articulations of justice are related, for example, by invoking the story of Hagar at the well to show both the intrinsic worth of springs and the importance of drinking water being accessible to all. The next two chapters examine the conditional nature of the Israelites' gift of the promised land from God. Calling on concepts of divine ownership, B. cogently suggests that the best way to understand the ancient Israelites' view of this land "is as an entitlement or right to property, rather than as the actual property itself" (p. 45). She continues that, if the Israelites do not live up to their obligations to their neighbors, to those living in poverty, or to God, then the land will become inhospitable—hence the need to foster spaces for all members of the Earth community to contribute to the land's fruitfulness. In this regard, B. upholds the importance for ecojustice of practices such as the Jubilee Sabbath for the land and the reserving of space for gleaners and nonhuman animals, as laid out in the Hebrew Scriptures. In that same light, she also problematizes the view that God's favor to the Israelites included the mobilization of the natural world to spite the chosen people's enemies through phenomena such as swarms of locusts and earthquakes. B.'s approach here is twofold, demonstrating how biblical miracles can have naturalistic explanations and affirming the importance of questioning the continuing revelatory significance of such verses that deny the intrinsic worth of both the indigenous Canaanites and the nonhuman members of the larger Earth community. Her efforts at demythologization in this sense are supported with reference to the contextual necessity of mutual custodianship, which allows God to work through all members of the Earth community in a manner that not only preserves but enhances their subjectivity. This expansive rendering of subjectivity is lent further support in chap. 5 by a recasting of the wisdom tradition in light of the natural world's teaching abilities. In the next three chapters, B. applies her hermeneutical lens to the NT. Therein, Jesus, Paul, and the writer of the Book of Revelation are shown to uphold the ecojustice principles in terms of offering paths of dialogue and action for people to recognize more fully the intrinsic worth of all members of the Earth community. Thus, for example, B. demonstrates how both the Pauline corpus and the Book of Revelation support the notion that Jesus' transformative power is active for all creation and not something that will allow redeemed people to somehow leave behind the nonhuman elements of the natural world. [End Page 331] In crafting this book, B. has offered a gripping, timely, and accessible treatment of her subject matter. Here the strengths and weaknesses of her approach are intertwined. With little explicit situating of the subtler points of B.'s present work within contemporary biblical scholarship and few notes, the specialist may be left wanting...

Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ by Cynthia Long Westfall

Reviewed by: Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ by Cynthia Long Westfall Gail P. Streete cynthia long westfall, Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016). Pp. ix + 348. Paper $32.99. As anyone who wants to decipher the tangle of the canonical writings of the apostle Paul knows, there are cryptic sayings, confusing responses to questions or problems that do not themselves appear in the texts, and an overall challenge to understand Paul both in his context and against his context. Paul is not our contemporary, yet his writings have shaped contemporary Christian views of Jesus, the church, and the human person. For some, particularly evangelical scholars, the challenge is to understand Paul in such a way that he is responsive to his context but not constrained by it, a challenge particularly difficult in reading those passages that appear offensive to modern sensibilities, especially regarding sexuality and gender. As Westfall notes, “The practice of a rigid hierarchy based on gender in the church and the home is not consistent with the cultural move to a democratic worldview and its privileges” (p. 313). Westfall aims both to explain “those Pauline passages that concern gender” and to “move toward a canon-based Pauline theology of gender” (p. ix). She has five priorities that inform this movement: fidelity to the “texts and contexts of the Pauline corpus,” interpretations that attempt “to be intelligible within a reconstruction of the narrative of Paul’s life,” interpretations that seek to be “understandable within the context of language, culture, and situation” of the texts, interpretations that “strive to be coherent” within the context of Pauline theology, and contemporary applications that are “consistent and coherent” with the “biblical worldview” of the contemporary interpreter (p. ix). Thus, her work is both commentary and theology, as she takes the reader through a wide-ranging exegesis of the Pauline material in nine chapters: “Culture,” “Stereotypes,” “Creation,” “The Fall,” “Eschatology,” “The Body,” “Calling,” and “Authority,” with a special chapter on “1 Timothy 2:11–15.” She urges evangelical scholars to “trust the text” (p. 314), meaning that cherished interpretations, theologies, and theories should not stand in the way of a close rereading of the Pauline canon. Yet even the idea of a Pauline canon is an interpretation. W. assumes that all the letters attributed to Paul in the NT canon are in fact written by him and need to be interpreted as parts of a whole corpus. What that means for her argument is that she is does not have the luxury of rejecting such passages as 1 Cor 14:33–35, Eph 5:23, or 1 Tim 2:12 and the like as being “inauthentic” or later interpolations into the “genuine” letters of Paul. She interprets them in such a way as to make them cohere with the entirety of Pauline theology, even if they appear to be inconsistent or contradictory. She does this in part by extensive contextualization, reading “Paul” both within and against his contemporary contexts, in understandings of the social order, most importantly marriage, family, and the client–patron system. This contextualizing sometimes results in a piling-on of examples (such as the meaning of “head” in several places, pp. 37–42, 62, 63, 79–105, 233), so that the text becomes extremely dense at times. Westfall’s work seems relatively uninfluenced by some major contemporary theoretical discussions. Although this is consistent with her aim to grapple primarily with texts, it does leave some puzzling gaps from works on gender in the Pauline literature, excluding any insights from queer theory, for example. A startling omission is Dale B. Martin’s The Corinthian Body (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995), especially when it addresses [End Page 722] the vexed issue of “veiling” in 1 Cor 11:3–16, which occurs several times in W.’s book. The topic of men and gender, which is often overlooked in contemporary discussions, is an important contribution by W. to the discussion of Paul and gender. She ignores questions of both male and female homosexuality, alluding to Rom 1:18–32 only in...

The Quest for Mark’s Sources: An Exploration of the Case for Mark’s Use of First Corinthians by Thomas P. Nelligan

Reviewed by: The Quest for Mark’s Sources: An Exploration of the Case for Mark’s Use of First Corinthians by Thomas P. Nelligan Laura Sweat Holmes thomas p. nelligan, The Quest for Mark’s Sources: An Exploration of the Case for Mark’s Use of First Corinthians (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2015). Pp. xvi + 169. Paper $22. This revision of Nelligan’s dissertation (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2011) seeks to reopen the question of the Gospel of Mark’s relationship to the Pauline letters, examining whether there is any literary relationship between the two. This slim volume begins by surveying Greco-Roman and Jewish rhetorical patterns of using sources, adopting those developed by Dennis R. MacDonald (chap. 1), and it establishes a newly revised set of criteria for determining literary dependence after analyzing those of Richard B. Hays, Thomas L. Brodie, MacDonald, Dale C. Allison, and Outi Leppä (chap. 2). Through this overview, N. determines three types of criteria that must be assessed in considering source texts. First, external criteria must be satisfied; essentially, the text must be from a particular setting that makes its use a reasonable possibility. Second, N. highlights internal criteria, which include basic similarities (context, theme, plot, order, completeness), vocabulary, literary conventions, and the intelligibility or “interpretability” of the differences between the texts. Third, N. considers “probing criteria” that are used to determine if the overlap in material might be explained a different way. In chap. 3, N. briefly surveys scholarship that has described the relationship between Mark’s Gospel and Paul’s letters, from Gustav Volkmar (1857 and 1870) to a two-volume collection of essays published in 2014 (Mark and Paul: Comparative Essays Part II: For and Against Pauline Influence on Mark [ed. Eve-Marie Becker, Troels Engberg Pedersen, and Mogens Müller; BZNW 199; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2014]). This overview of the field indicates a scholarly lacuna (considering Paul’s letters a literary source for Mark’s Gospel) and notes recent scholarly interest in the topic. In order to limit his study, N. chooses to focus on 1 Corinthians among the Pauline corpus primarily on account of its early date and its undisputed authorship, as well as some sympathy between themes (e.g., food, ethics, and the Eucharist). In chaps. 4–7, N. concentrates on three case studies, comparing 1 Corinthians 1–2 to Mark 1:1–28 (chap. 5), 1 Corinthians 5 to Mark 6:14–29 (chap. 6), and 1 Cor 11:2–34 to Mark 14:1–25 (chap. 7). These texts move from the not-obviously-related (chap. 5) to those that share at least a common tradition (chap. 7). In each chapter, N. proceeds through the criteria listed in chap. 2 in order to determine whether Mark used 1 Corinthians as source [End Page 149] material in writing his Gospel. In addition to the internal criteria examined for every several verses, N. also covers other sources (usually OT/NT, sometimes classical) that might account for Mark’s information. Nelligan’s diagnosis of this lacuna in Marcan scholarship seems wise: for the past few decades (and more), scholars have talked of affinities between Mark’s Gospel and Paul’s letters, but few have gone further. At the same time, filling that scholarly gap seems to be the only motivating feature of this study. Assuming that 1 Corinthians is proven to be a source for Mark, what does this tell us? Indeed, N. does not let his audience know the value of this search for sources. This omission seems important particularly in Marcan studies, which, overall, has been fairly resistant to hypothesizing sources for the past two or three decades. Furthermore, although N. is careful with the evidence to ensure that he follows the criteria he has established, one wonders if by working with such small sections of text he loses sight of how the context of the whole shapes interpretation. For example, N. seems intrigued by the fact that a moderately rare Greek verb, katartizō, occurs in both 1 Cor 1:10 (Paul asks the factions to “mend themselves”) and Mark 1:19 (mending nets), and that the term adelphos is used in both contexts. These lexical...

Intertextuality and Methodological Bias: Prolegomena to the Evaluation of Source Materials in 1 Peter

The similarities between 1 Peter and certain New Testament epistles (e.g., Romans, Ephesians) have long been recognized. According to the modern consensus, these affinities developed out of shared oral traditions which circulated within early Christianity and not through any direct literary borrowing. What has been overlooked in this discussion, however, is that the methods used to assess the linguistic and thematic parallels, by their very nature, have (virtually) excluded literary dependence as a potential explanation, and thus the denial of a literary relationship has been (essentially) guaranteed from the start. While not seeking to resolve the question of 1 Peter’s dependence on the Pauline corpus, this article attempts to expose some of the methodological problems surrounding the consensus view and to establish reliable criteria which can be used to determine literary relationships. The conclusions – while focused on 1 Peter – are applicable to the discussion of intertextuality more broadly.

Ancient Christian care for prisoners: first and second centuries

This study deals with the question as to whether first- and second-century sources reflect ancient Christian practices of care for prisoners and in how far these sources help clarify the reasons why Christians cared for prisoners in different contexts. The study explores material not only from the New Testament Gospels (Matt. 25; Luke 4) and Acts, but also from the Pauline Corpus and extra-canonical literature such as Ignatius of Antioch’s Epistles , later Acts of the Apostles , Martyrdom literature and even a passage from Lucian of Samosata’s Life of Peregrinus . The article concludes that the evidence for Christian care for prisoners is earlier and more widespread than usually assumed. While some sources do not reflect on reasons for this practice, others put it into wider horizons: Matthew links care for prisoners with the notion that actions toward people in need are actions toward Christ, the judge himself – an innovative view that is certainly tied to the special circumstances of early Christians. Luke, however, borrows Isaianic motifs, linking freedom for captives with the Messianic Age.

Paul, Samson Occom, and the Constraints of Boasting: A Comparative Rereading of 2 Corinthians 10–13

Few texts in the Pauline corpus have been subjected to such extensive and varied comparative analysis as 2 Cor 10–13. Since Hans Windisch's influential designation of the passage as aNarrenrede(“fool's speech”), wherein Paul apes the boastful fool (ὁ ἀλαζών) of the Greek mime, exegetes have assembled a remarkable array of additional comparanda: theperistasisor hardship catalogues of Cynic and Stoic philosophers; Augustus'sRes gestae; apologies epistolary, forensic, and Socratic; conventions forperiautologia(self-praise) as attested by Quintilian and Plutarch and as demonstrated by Demosthenes; conventions forsynkrisis(comparison) as preserved in theProgymnasmata. Despite the diversity of the evidence adduced, methodologically these studies have much in common. In general, their explanatory mode is formal and genealogical—that is, they elucidate the characteristics of Paul's boasting by identifying and describing the literary or rhetorical forms to which he is indebted.

Inhabiting the “Resurrectiform” God: Death and Life as Theological Headline in Paul

Scholarly evaluations of how Paul interpreted the ‘Christ event’ within his arguments routinely compartmentalize the crucifixion and the resurrection, placing the weight of emphasis on the former. Whilst never explicitly denying the critical significance of the resurrection, the appraisals of certain commentators often seem to limit the import of the event to a vindication of Jesus’ ministry, in view of its seemingly ignominious climax. The Pauline lexicon of revivification, however, makes the validity of such a stance questionable and opens the possibility that both elements of the Christ event influenced Pauline thought in ways obscured by the tendency to undervalue the implications of Jesus’ resurrection. A consideration of the distribution and functionality of the ‘death and life’ language in the Pauline corpus, illustrates the weightiness which the apostle attaches to the concept of death reversed by life. By applying such an understanding to 2 Corinthians, this paper will consider how readings of Paul might be enhanced by reassessing the impact of death and new life operating in tandem.

The use of οἰκονομία for missions in Ephesians

The concern which prompted the letter and the author�s digression in Ephesians 3:2�12 represents a lacuna in Ephesians scholarship. Its function within the wider discourse remains uncertain. The term οἰκονομία is prominent in the discourse and has been interpreted as an administrative office or activity in the Pauline corpus. This article shows that the term has a missional nuance in Ephesians. It is used for the role of Christ in the execution of the plan of God (Eph 1:10) and the role of Paul in the implementation of the plan (Eph 3:2). The author of Ephesians acknowledges the role Paul played in the mission�s movement of the gospel itself, �I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ� (Eph 3:1, 7). He is identified as the person to whom �the stewardship of the grace of God has been given� (Eph 3:2). The οἰκονομία of the gospel is committed by Paul to the church, marking a new phase in the development of the mission of the church.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article suggests that in Ephesians 3:10, which is a crux interpretum, that the missional nuance of the term οἰκονομία indicates in Ephesians 3:10 the role of the Church in the execution of the plan of God and the missio Dei is implied.Keywords: oikonomia; missions; Ephesians

Does the New Testament support Christian Zionism?

This article evaluates Christian Zionism in light of the New Testament, with a focus on the Pauline corpus. In spite of the fact that the New Testament never mentions the promise of the land in terms of an outstanding promise of territorial inheritance for Israel, the land, which includes Jerusalem and the temple, is incorporated in God’s kingdom in the new era in Christ in a way that fulfils but transcends the original territorial form of the promise. In the New Testament, the land is spiritualised, universalised and eschatologised. The deeper criteria of being God’s people in the New Testament – faith and the indwelling Spirit – cohere with the understanding that historical Israel cannot be seen as continuing as God’s people in the New Testament era, or as still having a valid claim on God’s promises.

The Salvation of “All Israel” in Romans 11:25–27 as the Salvation of Inner-Elect, Historical Israel in Christ

In this article, prevalent interpretations of Romans 11:25–27, which envision Israel as a separate entity apart from the church or understand Israel ecclesiologically, are criticised on the basis of (1) the anachronistic relationship of current Judaism with the Ἰουδαῖοι/Ἰσραήλ in Paul, (2) the constraints posed by the connotations inherent to these designations in the time of the Second Temple, and (3) Paul’s thought on Israel and the identity in Christ outside of Romans 9–11. The terms Paul uses and the grammar he utilises in Romans 11:25–27 are re-examined in respect of the context of the letter to the Romans and the larger context of the Pauline corpus. The salvation of “all Israel” (Rom 11:26) is interpreted as the salvation of ancient, inner-elect Israel, in distinction from national Israel (outer-elect), who lived before the Christ-event.

James: Diaspora Rhetoric of a Friend of God. An Introduction and Study Guide by Margaret Aymer

Reviewed by: James: Diaspora Rhetoric of a Friend of God. An Introduction and Study Guide by Margaret Aymer Annemarie de Kock-Malan Aymer, Margaret. 2017. James: Diaspora Rhetoric of a Friend of God. An Introduction and Study Guide. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark. Paperback. ISBN 978-1350008830. Pp. 112. $20.95. This book is part of a study guide series on the NT. Aymer starts with the appropriate introductory questions that one would expect from this type of book and calls them “questions of identity.” These introductory questions, she acknowledges, have been considered to be enigmatic by many scholars. She gives various arguments about the possible author of James, emphasising the prominence of figures with the name “James” in the early church. Also the question of James being a pseudonymous writing comes to the fore. This is followed by questions surrounding the type of Greek used in the letter, as well as the acceptance of it in the early church. The relationship to the Pauline corpus in the NT is also discussed. The dating and genre type of James are discussed, also by means of different arguments from scholars. Although Aymer is compelled, especially as part of a study guide series, to survey different arguments in terms of the introductory questions of James, she also makes her own voice heard in this regard: James is an ancient epistolary sermon or homiletic letter, an encyclical from James the Just, the head of the early Christian church in Jerusalem to communities that were, for the most part, Jews who had come to believe in the messianic claims of Jesus of Nazareth and part of the early Christian movement. These communities were … in diaspora … James assumed they knew who he was … James wrote to these sisters and brothers … to call them to a pattern of faith and life. (p. 18) [End Page 531] According to Martin Dibelius, the structure and argument of James are unstructured paraenesis. Aymer rightly acknowledges that this hypothesis has endured, because James starts as an ancient letter but it does not follow the structure of an ancient letter. Aymer then argues that James has the structure of an ancient speech. She continues to analyse the argument of James by means of the rules of ancient rhetoric, namely: exordium, propositio, probatio, and peroratio. By using this method, Aymer gives a brief but efficient summary of the content of James. “Listening to James” taps into the oral culture of the first century and correctly places the emphasis on the rhetoric and rhetorical strategies in the letter. The third introductory aspect that Aymer addresses is the theology and ethics of James. The portrayal of God, the first audience’s relationship with God, familial and economic metaphors used by the author regarding God, Jesus Christ, the eschatological emphasis in James, and the nature of the community are discussed. Aymer argues that the author of James did not necessarily develop a theology that is doctrinal as such, but it addresses the ethical living out of the Christian faith, especially when facing challenges. James in particular stresses that faith without works is dead. Aymer makes a deeper enquiry into this ethical living out of the faith by focusing in the next step of her argument on the world in which the first addressees lived. She does this by analysing the relationship between James and “kyriarchy” (a term coined by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza to describe the rule of the emperor, lord, slave master, and husband over all wo/men regarded as subordinate to them). Aymer makes the argument that James critiques kyriarchy when it comes to class and economic issues. James stands against this type of kyriarchy of the day and also calls his audience to “live in active critique” of this exploitive system(55). In contrast with James’s critique of the system’s exploitation of the poor and vulnerable, Aymer criticises James for not following the same pattern of critique when it comes to gender and sex in his day and age. Aymer argues, rightfully, that this letter is a product of its time, especially regarding gender and sex issues, for it seems to mirror the treatment of gender and sex in the...