Pauline Texts Research Articles

Agency as a Theory of Action: A Conversation in Pauline Studies and Analytic Philosophy

Abstract The 2006 publication of Human and Divine Agency in Paul and His Cultural Environment, edited by John M. G. Barclay and Simon J. Gathercole, has renewed scholarly attention to questions about agency. In connection with these recent developments in Pauline studies, this article argues, first, that the concept of “agency” remains unperfected among biblical scholars. Second, we engage with the action theories of G. E. M. Anscombe and Donald Davidson. Here we propose that their focus on two concepts—intention and reasons for actions—will contribute to critical analyses of agency as expressed in biblical texts. Third, we bring analytic philosophy into conversation with Troels Engberg-Pedersen’s I-X-S model and J. Louis Martyn’s agent-centered perspective. Fourth, we apply our theoretical model of agency to biblical exegesis by interacting with a selected Pauline text, Rom 7:7–25.

Holy Tradition: An Essay in Reparation by Robert F. Slesinski

Reviewed by: Holy Tradition: An Essay in Reparation by Robert F. Slesinski Thomas M. Kocik Robert F. Slesinski Holy Tradition: An Essay in Reparation Fairfax, VA: Eastern Christian Publications, 2018 50 pages. Paperback. $10.00. As we pray, so we believe, and as we believe, so we live. The lex orandi, the lex credendi, and the lex vivendi are so closely interrelated that to compromise one of them is to compromise all. The clerical sexual abuse scandals of recent times are existential proof of this. Moral depravity, failure to preach the Catholic faith in its entirety (including its teachings, in all particulars, on sexual morality), and corruption of liturgical practice are all symptoms of the same malady: infidelity; one might even say, in many cases, apostasy. The antidote, as the late Father Richard John Neuhaus was fond of saying, is “Fidelity, fidelity, fidelity.” Enter Holy Tradition, the eighth (albeit unnumbered) volume in a series of mystagogical catecheses in the Byzantine tradition by Father Robert Slesinski, a priest of the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Passaic who holds a doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and specializes in Russian religious philosophy (the series’ most recent volume, The Holy Decalogue, was published in 2020). Aware of the damage the scandals have caused to the faith of many Catholics, Slesinski wrote this “Essay in Reparation” (the book’s subtitle) to “reaffirm the verve of the faithful, their daring to love God and their fellow human beings” by recovering “our ‘inner self’ as it has been nourished, however subtly, however implicitly, by the Holy Tradition of the Church” (12). The first chapter presents an etymology of “tradition.” This enormously rich and complex word comes from the Latin traditio, and before that from the past participle of the verb tradere, “to deliver” or “to hand down” something. But it also means “to surrender” or “to betray.” Thus, while the word consistently refers to the act of transmitting, it can convey more than one sense of the concept: not only “hand down” but also “hand over.” Slesinski [End Page 305] explains in personalist terms that Christian Tradition is not simply a transmission or handing down of revealed truths from one generation to the next within the Church, but a living Person, the continuation of divine truth and life present in Jesus Christ. The traditum, the great heritage to be passed on, is the Son who reveals the Father and is ever present to us through the Holy Spirit. The author then takes up Tradition’s relation to Scripture (chapter 2) and the Church’s catechetical teaching (chapter 3). Since this is not dogmatic theology, there is no discussion of the formation of the biblical canon, the development of doctrine, or the debate (now overcome) over the “sources” of revelation. Instead, Slesinski highlights particular Pauline texts (e.g., 1 Cor 11:23–26) to illustrate that Tradition was being preached and lived before the New Testament writings came into existence. When St. Paul and the early Christian teachers referred to the receiving or transmitting of the gospel message, they did not have specifically in mind the books later known as the New Testament, but rather the apostolic testimony as expressed in the Church’s day-to-day preaching, sacramental life, catechetics, and ways of Christian living. While Paul often refers to traditions (plural) to signify the whole Christian revelation (2 Thes 2:15), he also acknowledges merely human traditions (Gal 1:14; Col 2:8) that can and, in his case, did prove deleterious. Slesinski recalls Christ’s reprimand of the Pharisees who used the “traditions of the ancients” as a device for nullifying the word of God (Mt 15:1–9; Mk 7:1–15)—or, we could say, for distorting the true Old Testament Tradition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church distinguishes Tradition, which together with Scripture carries the Word of God, the sole source of divine revelation, from traditions (small “t”), in the sense of ecclesiastical institutions, disciplines, theological formulations, devotional practices, and modes of living to be preserved, modified, or even abandoned. These individual traditions are all involved in the living transmission of the Tradition, though not all of them can be...

REDEEMING PAUL? DISRUPTIVE MASCULINITY, SEXUAL AUTONOMY, AND SEXUAL FREEDOM IN 1 CORINTHIANS 7

Sex and gender ethical norms, especially those found in Pauline texts, continue to inform sexual and reproductive choices of contemporary Christians because Christians understand Scripture to be regulative for their day-to-day living in the present-day society, despite the temporal and cultural separation of our world from the world of the New Testament. To avoid the impasse created by the temporal and cultural separation, people often resort to “but it was a different time and context” argument. However, what if Paul was actually being counter-cultural and counter-temporal, offering more radical perspectives than those that have been promoted as the norm through simple and face-value interpretations. This essay suggests precisely that – that a deeper investigation of the rhetorical performance of Paul’s instructions to, and his relationship with the Corinthians, could produce transgressive and possibly transforming interpretations. What seems on the surface to be Paul’s views on sexual autonomy (via singleness), sexual purity (via marriage), and gender hierarchy (through reinscribing masculine roles) can all actually be regarded as subverted in 1 Corinthians 7. Drawing on a sociorhetorical gendered analytic to read these texts, I will demonstrate that Paul’s views on sex reflect an implicit gendered argument that plays a role in constructing and representing (un)masculinity, sexual autonomy, and perhaps even sexual freedom. This reading certainly offers a departure from traditional Pauline readings and calls for a discernment regarding who the real Paul may have actually been – perhaps even calling “for the real Paul to ‘please, stand up!’”

Christ Is King: Paul's Royal Ideology by Joshua Jipp

Reviewed by: Christ Is King: Paul's Royal Ideology by Joshua Jipp Julien Smith joshua jipp, Christ Is King: Paul's Royal Ideology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015). Pp. 388. Paper $40. Why does Paul, having insisted that the Galatian believers not submit to Torah, nevertheless exhort them to fulfill the "law of Christ" (Gal 6:2)? Within what historical-religious framework did the early church come to venerate Jesus alongside Israel's God? What historical-religious antecedents underlie Paul's understanding of participation in Christ? How can one understand Paul's righteousness language while taking seriously his assertion that God's righteousness has been revealed in the resurrection and enthronement of the Messiah (Rom 1:3-4)? Joshua Jipp contends that these disparate scholarly conundrums find solutions when we place Paul's Christ-language in the larger context of ancient political discourse surrounding the reign of the good king. In the first chapter, J. sketches the contours of ancient kingship discourse, drawing from a vast and diverse array of Classical Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Jewish texts. The author's intent, however, is not merely to claim that such patterns of thinking were ubiquitous and therefore determined Paul's conception of Christ. Rather, he aims to provide a historical-religious conceptual reservoir which Paul plausibly could have both drawn from and adapted in his own presentation of Christ. The success of J.'s argument then depends on his close reading of a selection of Pauline texts, which unfolds in chaps. 2–5. Paul's command to bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the "law of Christ" (Gal 6:2) [End Page 320] must be understood against the backdrop of the good king's relationship to the law more broadly in antiquity (chap. 2). The ideal king was thought to be superior in virtue as a consequence of having internalized the law. Just as laws were understood to inculcate virtue, so the king, an "animate law," was able to transform his subjects through his virtuous rule. This was especially true of Israel's ideal king, who through his love of and internalization of Torah bestowed harmony upon his subjects. J. thus argues that Paul, in Gal 6:2 and Rom 13:8–15:13, understands Christ to fulfill precisely this royal function: fulfilling, in his life and death, the Torah as exemplified by love of neighbor (Lev 19:18), and enabling his followers to do the same by uniting them to himself. Early Christian hymns addressed to Christ "as to a god" draw from the conceptual reservoir of ancient royal encomia that praised the king as the vicegerent of the god(s), whose reign sustained his subjects and communicated to them royal benefits (chap. 3). Kings received divine honors when their subjects believed they had achieved what was expected of the gods, most especially for bringing peace and creating or recreating a new world order. This tradition illuminates Col 1:15-20, a panegyric to Christ the Davidic vicegerent who creates, sustains, and rules over creation, and whose reign establishes peace among his people. While Christ's cosmic reconciliation is consistent with what J. Rufus Fears has termed the Roman "theology of victory," no ancient parallel is to be found for a king who achieves this "through the blood of his cross" (Col 1:20) (J. Rufus Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome: Approaches and Problems," ANRW 2.17.2 [1981] 736-825). Thus J. argues, largely on the basis of Phil 2:6-11, that the cross, emblematic of Christ's refusal to exploit divine status, is for Paul the royal act that in fact redefines royal power and thus makes Christ worthy of worship. Indeed, "the journey to Nicaea where Jesus is confessed as one substance with God and yet fully human must traverse through kingship discourse" (p. 137). Throughout his letters, Paul deploys the language from these transformed scripts of royal praise in order to socialize the church into a world in which Christ is sovereign, and in whose reign it participates (chap. 4). To make this argument, J. draws on a variety of ancient sources that present the king as bridging the chasm between the gods...

Heidegger e Paulo. Contração da temporalidade e religiosidade “escatológica” na situação do hos me paulino (1 Cor 7, 29-31)

O artigo destaca a noção de temporalidade com base na interpretação fenomenológica do texto paulino de 1 Cor 7,29-31 na segunda parte da preleção friburgense do semestre de inverno de 1920/1921 intitulada “Introdução à Fenomenologia da Religião (GA 60, 119-121). Heidegger volta-se para o que unicamente faz do cristianismo um evento originariamente histórico, a saber: a fé cristã. Dentre os três fenômenos temporalmente eminentes presentes na segunda parte do curso (o ter-se-tornado [Gewordensein], o “como se não” [alsobnicht, hōsmē] e a espera da parusia) destacamos a partícula grega hōs mē de 1 Cor 7,29-31 como atuação autêntica do presente: a fórmula hōs mē não tem somente um sentido negativo, mas para Paulo o “como se não” significa que o comportamento induzido pelo viver “como se não” não exclui o engajamento no mundo circundante (Umwelt) e mais precisamente contra ele. Explicitar esse “retorno” à situação fática que caracteriza a vida cristã tal como Paulo a viveu através da escrita de suas epístolas implica examinar, sucessivamente, os dois momentos fundamentais da fenomenologia do jovem Heidegger (1), o texto paulino a partir da relação entre concentração e tensão escatológicas (2), a fórmula hōs mē e o complexo realizador da vida cristã com base no horizonte escatológico (3) e, a guisa de conclusão, a relação entre “concepção prévia” e facticidade cristã com base na coesão estrutural entre religiosidade cristã originária, experiência fática da vida e temporalidade(4).

Paul’s ‘Works of the Law’ in the Perspective of Second Century Reception

Over the last four decades, debates over “new” and “old” perspectives on Paul, and the meaning of “Law” and “works of the Law,” have focused on Paul’s texts in Romans and Galatians, at least, the character of first-century Judaism(s), and the theological implications of what all of this entails. Now comes Matthew Thomas’s investigation into the manner in which Paul’s expressions were received by second century interpreters, with two aims: first, he “attempts to identify how the phenomena of works of the law were understood in early patristic sources up to the time of Irenaeus in the late second century” (p. 4). Second, he evaluates “how these second century perspectives relate to the conceptions put forward by the old and new perspectives in New Testament debates” (p. 4).Methodologically, Thomas analyzes second-century writings in which matters of law and works are under discussion and that are similar to Paul’s statements in Romans and Galatians (p. 11). Further, he organizes the evidence under three categories. Under “direct evidence,” he analyzes discussions similar to Paul’s that “demonstrate usage of Romans and/or Galatians” (p. 11). “Supporting evidence” includes discussions that are similar to Paul’s but do not explicitly make reference to “works of the Law” or refer directly to Paul’s texts (p. 12). And “circumstantial evidence” are discussions that are similar to Paul’s but only minimally indicate allusion to Paul’s influence (p. 12).Part 2 of Thomas’s work contains two chapters summarizing the old and new perspectives. He surveys Luther, Calvin, Bultmann, and Moo to demonstrate that they view, with some differences, Paul’s negative statements regarding “works of the Law,” while having the torah immediately in view, as a rejection of works in general. That is, Paul’s target is “human efforts or works in general, with the Mosaic law’s practices representing a subset of a broader category of good works, and the law in question being God’s requirements more generally” (p. 38). Surveying the contributions of Sanders, Dunn, and Wright, Thomas concludes that new-perspective interpreters read Paul as having in view the Jewish torah specifically when writing about “works of the Law,” especially “circumcision, laws regarding food, and the observance of Sabbath,” rather than good works in general (pp. 59–60).In part 3, Thomas analyzes a range of early Christian writers in chronological order and organizes them according to the aforementioned schema. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus are the two figures that draw upon Paul’s discussions explicitly, while other sources make less-direct use of Pauline texts and expressions. Thomas finds that these sources consistently have in mind the Jewish torah, the Jewish way of life, and the Mosaic legislation when they argue with reference to the significance of works and law (pp. 215–16).His conclusion is striking. Thomas imagines alternative contemporary discussions among both “old” and “new” perspective interpreters regarding “works” and “works of the Law.” The former discussion stresses the attempt to secure salvation through the pursuit of good works, while the latter refers specifically to Jewish works that indicate identity as a Jew, such as circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath observance. If patristic figures were to overhear each discussion, Thomas claims that they would be mystified by “old” perspective proponents—“perplexed, as if the participants were standing on their heads” (p. 219). What we now call the “new perspective” would be a discussion recognizable to them, while the “viewpoint called the ‘old perspective’ would correspond with an idea that none of them had ever heard of” (p. 220). Because of this, Thomas claims that the “new perspective” is actually quite old, while the “old perspective” “represents a genuine theological novum in relation to early Christian tradition” (p. 226).Thomas’s work on second-century interpreters is a significant contribution to reception or effective-history in general and certainly will have a transformative effect on the character of contemporary interpretation of Paul’s texts.

『구역』과 『개역』 한글 성경의 비교 및 평가 - 바울서신의 번역을 중심으로 -

『구역』과 『개역』 한글 성경의 비교 및 평가 - 바울서신의 번역을 중심으로 -

Ecclesia and Ethics: Moral Formation and the Church

The present volume is a collection of 13 papers presented at the inaugural Ecclesia and Ethics conference, a global webinar held in May 2013 organized by (then) Ph.D. students from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Those responsible for organizing the conference also serve as the editors of this publication. The chosen essays evince an array of approaches that attempt to address the problem how the ethical reasoning of Scripture informs ethical decisions of the present-day community of faith, and each makes a pointed effort to demonstrate both cogent exegesis and application to the church.The essays are organized into three parts along methodological lines. Part one collects essays that treat broad “Biblical-Theological Foundations” for ecclesial ethics. For example, Dennis P. Hollinger explores the implications of the creation narrative of Gen 1–2 for ecclesial ethics, concluding that an increased focus on this narrative adds an aspect to ethics in which the church seeks to dignify God’s creation. Part two focuses on implications of virtue ethics for ecclesial ethics, with papers from both Stanley Hauerwas and N. T. Wright. Hauerwas’s essay introduces the reader to the concept of virtue ethics through readings of Aristotle and Aquinas, drawing out how habit forms virtue and how true virtue forms Christian life. Part three contains exegetical essays focused on specific texts and contexts for application. For instance, S. Min Chun reads the story of Gideon-Abimelech for its implications for the context of the Korean church. Chun’s reading of this story against the backdrop of a “church-growth” model of ministry will find application in other, similar contexts as well.Several essays focus on Paul and his ethical teaching. The selective treatment that follows demonstrates the variety of approaches found in the book and how these approaches treat a single scriptural figure. In his chapter, Michael Gorman outlines the centrality of the cross to Paul’s ethic. Gorman reads Phil 2:6–11, rightly, as not only a theological recounting of the Christ event but also an exemplary ethical model in which Christ followers are called to “have the same mind as Christ.” Gorman carries his reading into other Pauline texts (2 Cor 5; Rom 5; 1 Cor 6), demonstrating how the cross, for Paul, models the Christian moral life, namely, in reconciliation. In his own essay, Mark D. Baker utilizes a current method from the field of missiology, the study of bounded, fuzzy, and centered groups, to study the Antioch incident recounted in Gal 2. Bounded groups focus on keeping out persons who pollute the group. Fuzzy groups, on the other hand, remove boundaries from consideration but in the process often remove group identity. Paul, in Gal 2, evinces an approach that maintains a centered identity in Christ, which falls neither into judgementalism nor into relativism.Nijay Gupta takes up the question how Paul thinks of discipleship. Paul does not use the terminology of disciple/discipleship. Instead, Gupta demonstrates, Paul consistently utilizes a doulos-ethic that uses the language of slavery when describing the relation of obedience between the believer and Christ. Gupta offers that a doulos-ethic reading of Paul can be used to nuance, with an increased emphasis on obedience, the discipleship paradigm that is current in many churches today. In perhaps the most thought-provoking essay of the volume, John Frederick couples Paul’s cruciform ethic with his ideology of powers and principalities in Colossians and applies it to the sphere of social media. Arguing effectively for the internet as a power/principality of our age, Frederick uses his reading of Colossians to form a litmus test for Christian attitude and activity in the online world.This volume introduces the reader to major conceptual frameworks from major scholars; it exemplifies direct application to the context of the reader; and it demonstrates careful exegesis of the biblical text. It thus should enjoy a broad readership in both church and academy. The volume is well-edited, and each essay is sure to provoke thought and conversation among its readers.

“Nascido de Mulher” (Gl 4,4)

O texto bíblico de Gl 4,4 é o único texto paulino no qual encontramos uma menção de Paulo à mãe do Filho de Deus, no contexto da unidade literária da perícope Gl 4,1-7, onde o Apóstolo faz sua demonstração bíblica da nossa filiação divina pela fé em Cristo Jesus, demarcando o “coração” desta pequena unidade literária. Paulo toca na temática da encarnação de Cristo e de nossa adoção filial. Ao afirmar que Cristo “nasceu de mulher” Paulo quer dizer que Cristo é plenamente homem. Mais ainda, quando afirma que “nasceu sob a lei”, ele quer dizer que Cristo pertencia ao povo judeu, com toda a sua tradição judaica em termos religiosos, políticos, sociais e culturais. Embora seja uma passagem difícil, vale a pena analisar alguns detalhes deste texto. Ademais, sendo a única menção paulina sobre a mãe do Filho de Deus, este texto tem suscitado muitas discussões, visto que a formulação paulina não é tão clara como nos Evangelhos, onde encontramos o nome desta mulher: Maria, e que ela era virgem. Enfim, um estudo sobre a Mãe do Filho de Deus no Novo Testamento, para ser completo, não pode ignorar o texto paulino de Gl 4,4.

The Crucified Apostle: Essays on Peter and Paul

The Crucified Apostle: Essays on Peter and Paul

Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Alleluia, Amen: Xenolalia, Glossolalia, and Neurophysiology

This article puts forward the proposition that the twin phenomena of ecstatic language identified in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 should not be conflated into a single behavior: speaking in tongues. It is argued the two NT accounts describe two distinct practices: xenolalia (Acts 2) and glossolalia (1 Corinthians 14). Furthermore, when their differences are recognized, this distinction is supported by evidence from neuroscience that different cognitive and neural functions are involved in the two phenomena as depicted: neurophysiological research confirms the difference between the Pentecost experience described in Acts, and the spiritual gifts of the Pauline texts.

Kvinnelige ledere i kirken

Female Leadership in the Church. A Pentecostal Perspective 
 This study discusses the question of whether women may lead on every level in a Christian church, from a Pentecostal hermeneutical perspective. It offers a short historical introduction to how female leadership has been understood and practiced in the Pentecostal movement, with a particular focus on the Norwegian context. The study argues that a theological debate regarding female leadership is still both necessary and fruitful for both sociological and theological reasons. The authors suggest that in general, a Pentecostal hermeneutic should not only accentuate propositional theology but also give weight to narrative theology, including paradigmatic experiences that may be identified in the biblical stories. Through an examination of female leaders in the biblical narratives, it is demonstrated that female leadership is both described and encouraged. The study also discusses objections to female leadership based on certain Pauline texts and concludes that these texts do not represent a general rejection of female leadership in the church.

The chiastic inversion in the argument of Romans 2:1−3:9 and the identity of the interlocutor in Romans 2:17−29

This article intends to understand the identity of the interlocutor in Romans 2:17–29 by analysing Paul’s argument design of Romans 2:1–3:9. Specifically, this work will focus on the identity of the interlocutor in Romans 2:17–29. This study detects Paul’s elaborate chiastic structure in Romans 2:1–3:9, and we argue that the identity of the interlocutor should be considered in this structural context. Through our structural analysis, we will more clearly understand the intention of the author regarding the interlocutor. Contrary to the view of Thorsteinsson and Thiessen, it can be inferred that the identity of the interlocutor is not the Jewish proselytes but the Jews on the basis of our structural analysis. In Romans 2:17–29, the identity of the people of God is redefined in terms of the transformation of mind (i.e. the circumcision of the heart), and the discussions on the historical context of the transformation of the mind. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This work challenges the previous understanding of the structural design of the Pauline texts, adding fresh insights on the identity of the interlocutor in Romans 2:17–29. It is expected that studies on the authorial design and its semantic implications are further developed through this work.

Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology by Nicholas A. Meyer

Reviewed by: Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology by Nicholas A. Meyer Jason Maston nicholas a. meyer, Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology (NovTSup 168; Leiden: Brill, 2016). Pp. vii + 291. Paper $138. This study addresses how the hymnists of the Hodayot and Paul interpreted the creation accounts of humanity in Genesis 1–3. Paul and the Hodayot offer similar pessimistic accounts of humanity and prioritize divine action, which makes them fruitful dialogue partners. Meyer’s study is careful and creative as he provides close readings of the relevant texts. The volume is a revised version of a Ph.D. dissertation submitted to McMaster University (supervised by Stephen Westerholm, co-supervised by Eileen Schuller). In a lengthy treatment of the Hodayot (chap. 2), M. argues that the Hodayot juxtapose two traditions: Adam as a creature from dust (Gen 2:6–7) and an exalted humanity depicted in texts like Gen 1:26–27 and Psalm 8. Reading these creation statements through the lens of other texts, particularly Job, the hymnists present the human dilemma as resulting from [End Page 533] the nature of creatureliness. Three themes stand out in the hymnists’ assessment of humanity’s creatureliness: “finitude, sinfulness, and impurity” (p. 34), the latter expressed especially with sexual imagery. M. contends that the propensity toward sinfulness and impurity is, for the hymnists, part of God’s plan. Humanity is drawn beyond the inherent weaknesses of creatureliness by attaining the glory of Adam. The Hodayot present a duality of sorts as the earthiness of Adam is set in contrast to a heavenly experience. M. stresses that this is not merely a return to some pre-fallen Adamic existence. Crucial to M.’s project is a challenge to the creation–fall–redemption paradigm. He argues instead for the pattern of “intention–creation–history–fruition” (p. 78). Meyer argues that the Hodayot are not an isolated account of humanity; rather, other Dead Sea Scrolls share similar perspectives. In particular he draws strong parallels with the Two Spirits Treatise in 1QS 3.13–4.26 and the Self-Glorification Psalm, which is found in some copies of the Hodayot but also exists as a separate text. Chapters 3–5 form the heart of this study as M. discusses a range of Pauline texts dealing with creation motifs. In chap. 3, he addresses texts outside of Romans, and in chap. 4 he treats the letter to the Romans. Chapter 5 is a brief summary of the two previous chapters. Much of the discussion in chap. 3 deals with the “image of God.” This particular idea is found in Romans, which provides a fuller account of Paul’s view of Adam and Jesus with a particular focus on the moral implications of the deeds of these figures. Adam represents the earthly image, which is passed to all of Adam’s descendants by birth, while Christ is the heavenly image after which Adam was created and into which believers are being transformed. By becoming human, Christ accomplishes the human project by completing the task of ruling over creation. He thus succeeds where Adam failed. Yet Adam’s failure was the result not of a transgression but of the limitations of his earthly existence. M. contends that Paul operates with a duality between earth and heaven, not a creation–fall–redemption model. Meyer’s project addresses some of the most disputed Pauline texts so there will be points at which readers will disagree with his exegetical decisions. His thesis does not stand or fall with any single text, and in many instances his arguments are persuasive. The study would have benefited from more discussion about how the Hodayot and Paul intersect. The study has the feel at points of being two separate projects. Nevertheless, this should not distract from the value of this fine study. M.’s work deserves careful assessment and further discussion. Jason Maston Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX 77047 Copyright © 2018 The Catholic Biblical Association of America

Sacrifice and Atonement: Psychological Motives and Biblical Patterns by Stephen Finlan

Reviewed by: Sacrifice and Atonement: Psychological Motives and Biblical Patterns by Stephen Finlan Barbara E. Reid stephen finlan, Sacrifice and Atonement: Psychological Motives and Biblical Patterns (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2016). Pp. xx + 234. Paper $39. In the last several decades, a number of theologians and biblical scholars have examined theologies of atonement and the images of God that underlie them and their deleterious effects. Finlan has tackled this topic in two previous volumes: The Background and Content of Paul's Cultic Atonement Metaphors (Academia Biblica 19; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2004) and Problems with Atonement: The Origins of, and Controversy about, the Atonement Doctrine (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2005). Now he explores psychological theories to uncover why atonement is so compelling. He sees a relationship between the way we think about God and the ways we learned to think about our parents: "atonement theology is largely based on childhood strategies for satisfying moody and explosive parents by 'paying for' infractions (or having someone else pay for them)" (p. xvi). In the first two chapters, F. studies the functions of sacrifice in the OT. He then explores psychological theories of attachment and his own theory about payment through suffering. In chaps. 4–6, he turns to Paul and Hebrews, which contain the most material on atonement. The final chapter traces the development of atonement concepts in Christian history. In his conclusion, F. proposes that the way we can understand "Christ died for all humanity" is not that God was "paid off, soothed, or mollified, or that sin was magically cleansed and deported" (p. 185). He "died for us" in the same way he lived for us: healing, teaching, and creating a community of love: "His death was part of his continuous revelation of God" (p. 187). I find much of F.'s work very helpful. He is right to expose the dangers of atonement thinking that extols God's power and goodness while at the same time presenting "a sacrifice-demanding God who is not free to forgive" (p. 188). Further, it is helpful to understand the psychological underpinnings of atonement, although I would not claim to be competent to assess F.'s use of psychology. F.'s exegetical work with the Pauline texts is his strongest section and showcases his area of expertise. His analysis of the OT on sacrifice and purity and his assertions about Jesus's approach to these systems, however, need far more nuance. For instance, F. delineates the functions of ritual and of purity systems: restoring order, solidifying a group and its values, identifying a society and helping to bind it together, and helping the human mind make distinctions and define and enforce boundaries. But then he would seem to regard these functions as completely detrimental and attributes a totally critical attitude to Jesus with statements such as: "the socialized religious mentality is stifling to those who seek justice or truth beyond conventional habits and beliefs. … Jesus seems to have been profoundly ill at ease with purity boundaries as is shown by his arguing with purity rules, and his disrupting the sacrificial trade at the temple" (p. 8). What of the instance where Jesus tells a man he healed of leprosy to show himself to the priest and make an offering for his cleansing (Mark 1:44; similarly the ten lepers in Luke 17:14)? When F. does mention these texts, he curiously remarks that Jesus is never infected by the impurity of the unclean people he heals and that "such recipients of healing would not think of purification as a ritual category so much as a Jesus category, because of what he did for them" (p. 12; italics original). Such an assertion falsely divorces Jesus from Judaism and is unhelpful to F'.s argument. F. rightly refers to important works that have [End Page 333] been done on sacrifice and purity in recent years, but he does not seem to be familiar with the carefully nuanced work of John P. Meier in Law and Love, the fourth volume of his A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus (ABRL [vols. 1–3]; AYBRL [vols. 4–5]; New York: Doubleday, 1991–2008 [vols. 1–3]; New Haven...

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...

Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata

Reviewed by: Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata Troy M. Troftgruben Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." Edited by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata. Lutheran World Federation Studies 2016/3. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlangsanstalt, 2017. 182 pp. This collection of essays originated in a 2015 consultation in Aarhus, Denmark, sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The book is the final volume of a four-part LWF biblical hermeneutics series, all of which have included Lutheran scholars from across the globe addressing topics of biblical interpretation in light of the Reformation. This book raises relevant questions regarding Lutheran interpretation of Paul, addressing them with different [End Page 120] hermeneutical insights, approaches, and reflections from seasoned Lutheran scholars. After the Preface and Introduction, the book includes thirteen essays organized into three sections: (1) Exploring Paul and Pauline Hermeneutics, (2) Reading Pauline Texts and Contexts, and (3) Applying Paul's Theology and Hermeneutics to Church and Society. The essay by Kenneth Mtata (Zimbabwe) characterizes Paul's Gospel as a message of freedom from shame and of new identity, both of which are of increased relevance today. Eve-Marie Becker (Denmark) explores the selective yet "connective" ways Paul engages sacred traditions, showing him to be an intentional but complex transmitter, motivated by his apostolic call as much as anything else. The next two essays propose Paul's legacy calls for ongoing rethinking of conventional Pauline hermeneutics: Oda Wischmeyer (Germany) suggests Paul's focus on the Spirit and freedom justifies a more expansive notion of divine communication, and Magnus Zetterholm (Sweden) uses Paul's positive evaluation of slavery to advocate the "newness" proclaimed by his gospel calls for ongoing reinterpretations of scripture for new circumstances. The next four essays center on interpretation for contemporary contexts. Rospita Deliana Siahaan (Indonesia) explores 1 Corinthians 12–14 and Luther to argue churches should not judge one another's practices (especially charismatic practices), and Roger Marcel Wanke (Brazil) shows the interconnectedness of God's creating and reconciling—as divine works and as calls for human responses today. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow (Norway) uses "intersectional hermeneutics" to encourage further dialogue between Galatians 3–4 and marginalized voices and experiences, and Lubomir Batka (Slovakia) lifts up Paul's notion of "citizenship" in Philippians as a hermeneutical instrument for modern interpretation. The final section features five essays that apply Pauline theological principles to modern issues in church and society. Faustin Mahali (Tanzania) argues further integration of Luther's notion of justification by faith among African Lutherans should foster more holistic practices of inclusion and challenges to injustice. Urmas Nõmmik [End Page 121] entertains questions from an Estonian context regarding Scripture and sexuality, Mercedes L. García Bachmann (Argentina-Uruguay) explores nuances of "holiness" in Paul's Letters, and Hans-Peter Grosshans (Germany) investigates Paul's thinking in Philippians 3:20 in conversation with Luther's notion of vocation in larger society. Bernd Oberdorfer (Germany), finally, shows how Luther creatively rearranged Paul's ethical principles for Luther's cultural context, suggesting we do likewise under Paul's notion of "test everything" to discern the good. The book's most distinctive gifts are the global range of its contributors and their critical reflections on Lutheran interpretation of Paul. Given not only Paul's influence on Luther, but vice-versa (Luther's influence on historic interpretation of Paul), this book raises relevant questions 500 years after the Reformation's birth. The essays are brief, raising questions and reflecting generally more than striving to shift the fulcrum of New Testament scholarship. Still, the authors speak with gravitas from extensive careers of theological research. The finest essays are those that name real quandaries in Lutheran interpretation of Paul (for example, Oberdorfer), propose non-traditional hermeneutics as Pauline (Wischmeyer, Zetterholm), or spotlight some very distinctive contextual challenges today (Mahali, Nõmmik). As this summary shows, the book is more representative than new, more diverse than narrow, and emphasizes more questions than conclusions. Still, for teachers and students engaged in cross-cultural Lutheran dialogue, these essays offer a lovely snapshot of the interpretive questions and challenges most pressing for global Lutheranism today. Troy M. Troftgruben Wartburg Theological...

From ‘Veil’ (καταπέτασμα) Theology to ‘Face’ (πρόσωπον) Christology. Body as a veil concealing divine glory - direct experience and immediate perception (αἴσθησις) of God

According to Pauline theology we are ˜earthen vessels™ (2 Cor. 4:7) till Christ is formed in us (Gal. 4:19). Into the most holy place of our being, in which the very presence of God dwells, He ˜enters within the veil™ (Heb. 6:19) and ˜put in our hearts the light™ (2 Cor. 4:6). So, being ˜clothed in Christ™ (Gal. 3:27) we all are being ˜transformed into his image™ which is the ˜form of God™ a¼I½ I¼I?II†a?‡ I˜IµI?a?¦ (Phil. 2:6). To Saint Ephrem, œThe First-born wrapped himself in a body / as a veil to hide His glory (CNis XLIII,21, LumE 74). He juxtaposes the image of Moses being veiled with Jesus™ veiling on Himself in the Incarnation. Face of Moses shone and he laid veil over his face, just as Lord, from the Womb, entered and put on the veil of the Body (Nativity 73). Also, the veil of the temple was intended by Moses to symbolize the veil of heaven, and both veils together prefigured the flesh of Christ, which enfolded and concealed his divinity. Firstly, we will focus on the analogy between Thabor™s garments and bodies in the water of Baptism (De Epiphania 9, 12), both glory / Light garments of the Son, the œFather Ray (Heb. 1: 3; Sogyatha I 1-2). Secondly, we are interested in St. Ephrem™s interpretation of Matthew 27:50-51 (The Crucifixion IV, 1-12, Comm. Diatess. XXI, 4-6). Here, he combines two Pauline texts (Heb. 6:19 and 2 Cor. 3: 14-18) showing that, in fact, the veil split gave back to the Lord the glory that Jews have rejected. The latters dressed him with veil altar (Azym. V, 6 “ the purple, which was the inner veil of the temple; Katapetesma: a curtain) actually they clothed Him with His symbol of the divine glory presence. The Veil of Light is that who hides the apophatic ˜aesthetics™ of God™s Face. This is the way of concealing the divinity from velum scissum to the eucharistic bread. In this view the Body becomes the ˜Veil of flesh™ (IoI±I„I±I€I­I„I±IƒI¼I±) in accordance with the clothing imagery. This study is about the Biblical, syrian and hesychast perichoretic interweaving of visible (created) and invisible (uncreated). First, the syntagm œWithin the Veil (IoI±I„I±I€I­I„I±IƒI¼I±) is related to the biblical and patristic understanding of salvation as a garment. Thus, the Syrian (nuhrA qaddA«Aia Ephrem™s œea¹£tal Aiuba¸¥a) is nothing less than the reception of Paul (veil of flesh, Heb 10:20) spirituality of divine light (I´IŒI¾I±). Dionysius speaks of his spiritual father, Hierotheos who is œsuffering the mystery of the Incarnation (I€I±I¸a½¼I½ I„a½° I¸Iµa?–I±I½, DN II, 9). So, holy man is œtheophanic, becoming present to the Trinity (DN III, 1) and the hierarchy™s members becomes œspotless mirrors of the primordial light (icons of the divine energies). Theurgic light and deiformity (I¸IµI?IµI¹I´Iµa?–) by union with the rays of the unapproachable light. œSuddenly (a¼I¾I±I¯I†I½I·I‚) vision of Christ in light represents the divine motion as God extended œecs[aes]tetically into immanence. Therefore, the theophany of light (a¼€I€IIŒIƒI¹I„I?I½ I•a?¶I‚) is Imparticipable participable (I„a½° a¼€I¼IµI¸I­IoI„I‰I‚ I¼IµI„IµI‡IŒI¼IµI½I±) and God ad extra. Accordingly, the veil (IoI±I„I±I€I­I„I±IƒI¼I±) theology is the hermeneutical key to reveal by concealing the divine presence, a real point of contact or somatic experience. In a word, God™s self-revelation as concealing presence. Perichoresis of the visible and the invisible (interweaving of the created and the uncreated in biblical, syrian and hesychast clotihing metaphors) becomes possible within the body, understood as a ˜veil™. The biblical theology of clothing, especially the Significance of Clothing Imagery in the Pauline and the Clothing Metaphors, as a Means of Theological Expression in Syriac Tradition are both engaged to understand the late hesychast theology of uncreated light, this vision of God being œveiled unveiling or hidden in his manifestation. The flesh becomes the veil of (IoI±I„I±I€I­I„I±IƒI¼I±) God™s self-revelation (a concealing presence) and the œshining face of both the Desert Fathers, as well as the byzantine hesychasts, during prayer, is the witness of the realism of that communion, being the point of tangency of created (aesthetics) body and uncreated (apophatic) light. Keywords: Veil (IoI±I„I±I€I­I„I±IƒI¼I±), Ephraem the Syrian, robe of glory, Divine Names, Dionysius the Areopagite, Pneumatic bodies, œclothed with Christ, divine ˜Face™, ˜Light™ theophany, Gregory Palamas

History, providence and the apocalyptic Paul

AbstractThe debate concerning the apocalyptic Paul has been narrowly focused on the continuity/discontinuity of historical events in his writings, but if this question is to be considered theologically, it must be seen to concern a specific or localisedpartof God's relationship with creation, as classically understood in terms of ‘providence’. Because it informs all talk of God's involvement with the cosmos, providence establishes necessary linkages between otherwise separate concepts. Relocating the debate within the framework of providence allows the seemingly irreconcilable claims made on each side to be relativised, such that each may be seen as valid when understood to represent distinct areas within a bigger account of the relationship of God and cosmos. At the same time, this recognition necessarily constrains the language with which the claims ought to be made. All of this provides a safeguarded space within which the details of the Pauline texts can be considered without the risk of naïve naturalisation.

‘Dipping Is God’s Appointment’: The Mode of Baptism Among the Early Particular Baptists, with Special Reference to John Norcott (d. 1676)

ABSTRACTCentral to the challenge of being Baptist in seventeenth-century England was the then-controversial practice of immersion of believers. John Norcott’s defence of immersion in his influential and oft-reprinted Baptism Discovered Plainly & Faithfully According to the Word of God (1672) provides an excellent avenue of reflection on how Baptists of this era defended their convictions. Norcott’s defence ran along four lines: an etymological discussion of baptizō, an enquiry into the meaning of baptism through such Pauline texts as Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12, a brief investigation of Galatians 3:27, and an appeal to the New Testament command to baptise, that is, immerse. All of these led Norcott to argue that ‘dipping is God’s appointment’.