Scriptural Story Research Articles

종교의 영향에 의한 태평양 지역 거주민의 모국과 민족성의 재창조

This article analyzes a case in which homeland and ethnicity were simultaneously re-conceived due to the influence of religion— the case of Polynesian Mormons. Through religious conversion, these Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were assigned and came to accept new claims about their ethnic origin and homeland. In particular, through the Book of Mormon scriptural story they came to believe their ancestors had “House of Israel” heritage via an American-continent homeland. The paper reviews both religious place-making and homeland concepts within cultural geography, arguing that the mutual constitution of ethnicity and homeland deserves more attention. It contextualizes this case of homeland/ethnicity creation in relation to examples from the Pacific Islands and around the world. It then uses historical and discourse analysis to show how the new homeland narrative was created for (and partly along with) Polynesian Mormons, as well as how the central church sought to sustain the narrative for more than 100 years. It concludes by assessing the implications of this case and pointing to resonances with the place-centric nature of many of Korea’s new religions.

Thomas R. Schreiner. Hebrews

Thomas R. Schreiner. <i>Hebrews</i>

The rule of faith

Both Irenaeus and Tertullian address the issue of “the rule of faith” in a context where they fight adversaries or heretics. The argument of both writers reaches a climax when they point out how cento-writers composed new stories or texts by lifting lines verbatim from classical epics. Thus, they kept the words (verba) and altered the stories (res or sensus). This article takes this analogy as point of departure in a way not yet done, and finds that ancient rhetoric, with ideals of literary composition, arrangement and order, is decisive for how both Irenaeus and Tertullian present the rule of faith. This applies to both terminology and the illustrations they use. The rule of faith is the intended story of Scripture, which is naturally discerned from there in a way analogous to how historians were expected to arrange their stories. Lucian of Samosata and Dionysius of Halicarnassus provide helpful analogies.

Loving the Immigrant as the Premier Jewish and Christian Ethic

The modern term “immigrant” does not appear in the original Jewish and Christian scriptures. While concepts of nations, borders, and formal immigration did not develop until long after Biblical times, several Hebrew words existed for foreigners. An analysis of the words gēr, nēkār, rēa, zār, and tôšāb reveals how foreign strangers were regarded by the Jewish people. The established covenant commanded Jewish people to “love your neighbor (rēa) as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). This commandment, located in the middle of Leviticus and the middle of the Holiness Code, is considered by many to be the highest development of ethics in scripture. Still, a concentrated debate about passages in both Testaments continues among academics and religious leaders, especially about the Christian obligation to follow the laws of the land, but dissent if the laws are unjust. An examination of Jewish and Christian texts, world views, and contemporary scholarship is needed to determine how, if at all, believers should respond to the present immigration crisis in the United States. This paper shares some of the many stories in scripture about migration, concluding that the story of Jewish and Christian scripture, and indeed, the story of mankind, is one of migration.

Putting “Theological Interpretation” in Its Place: Three Models and Their Limits

Putting “Theological Interpretation” in Its Place: Three Models and Their Limits

Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum, Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ

Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum, <i>Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ</i>

Book Review: INFLUENTIAL OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGIES

Recently, on Facebook, an editor asked some biblical scholars to share what books got us interested in biblical studies. As I look back, what really got me excited were books that invited me into knowing God more through the Old Testament in light of the bigger story of Scripture. In this reflection, I will share about three such books. None of these books would qualify as “Old Testament theologies,” yet I reckon that they have had a far greater theological impact upon me than anything I have read in the field of Old Testament theology.

Christ or Adam: The Ground for Understanding Humanity

ABSTRACT A common axiom of theological anthropology is that Jesus Christ is the revelation of true humanity and the ground for understanding humanity in general. This claim, however, is never stated outright in Scripture and arguably runs counter to the biblical narrative since the scriptural story begins with Adam and seems to present Adam as the model for humanity. In this study, I will argue that one does find in Paul a theological anthropology that begins with Christ, not Adam, or the Genesis creation narratives. This thesis will be demonstrated by tracing how Paul contrasts Adam and Christ and his discussion of who is the image of God.

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible , written by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel HaysLiving God’s Word: Discovering Our Place in the Great Story of Scripture , written by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible , written by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel HaysLiving God’s Word: Discovering Our Place in the Great Story of Scripture , written by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

Book Review: The Fall Reconsidered: A Literary Synthesis of the Primeval Sin Narratives against the Backdrop of the History of Exegesis

The Fall Reconsidered: A Literary Synthesis of Primeval Sin Narratives against Backdrop of History of Exegesis. By Igal German. Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick Publications, 2016. xv + 135 pp. $36.00 (cloth); $21.00 (paper).The Christian theological tradition typically looks to Adam and Eve narrative for entrance of sin into story of scripture. This monograph, a revision of Igal German's doctoral dissertation, uncovers various exegetical currents in Jewish and Christian tradition that resist this theological tendency. Many ancient interpreters understood account of human failure before God introduced in Genesis 3 as extending to Cain and Abel narrative in Genesis 4. The connection between these two narratives is subject that The Fall Reconsidered explores.In this work, German seeks to demonstrate how Genesis 3 and 4 can be read as a unified family saga through a combination of literary analysis and recourse to history of interpretation. Three neatly organized chapters incorporate an introductory review of modem scholarship on Genesis (chapter 1), a survey of significant contributions from history of interpretation (chapter 2), and Germans own argument for literary cohesion of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel accounts (chapter 3).Chapter 1 presents complex character of modem scholarship on Genesis 3 and 4 from nineteenth century to present. Historicalcritical scholars, who are concerned with text's literary development and its historical background, tend to isolate accounts of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel, whether assigning them to different literary sources (Christian Dillmann) or attributing their origins to different social situations, such as tribal conflict in case of Cain and Abel narrative (Hermann Gunkel).Although familiar with historical-critical approaches, German himself identifies with method of narrative criticism which looks to the world within text as primary hermeneutical locus of meaning (pp. 28, 32). Practitioners of this approach, such as Gordon Wenham and Michael Fishbane, attend closely to interweaving storyline that one encounters in present form of Genesis and underline textual markers of unity (p. 28) that connect narratives in Genesis 3 and 4.Grounding these textual markers of unity in Jewish and Christian tradition is concern of chapter 2, which incorporates texts from Second Temple Judaism, New Testament, and church fathers, in addition to a short section (four pages) on Martin Luther and John Calvin. …

Recovering the Female Voice in Islamic Scripture

The absence of women’s voices from the scriptures of the major world religionshas been the subject of feminist theologians’ inquiry, especially duringthe past three decades. Georgina Jardim’s work in feminist scholarship andwomen’s study is impressive. This book provides a fine synopsis of some ofthe important works in Islamic hermeneutical tradition while set in a comparative framework. As such, it is a great contribution to the comparative feministhermeneutics of scripture. The author makes good use of works by AminaWadud, Barbara Stowasser, Asma Barlas, and other feminists who have workedon the Qur’an or on paradigms of Muslim women in the Islamic textual tradition.She weaves their ideas and theories with those of Annemarie Schimmel,Sachiko Murata, Denise A. Spellberg, W. Montgomery Watt, RichardBell, Ashley M. Walker, Michael Sells, and others. In addition, she draws fromChristian and Jewish feminist thought as well as that of secular philosophersor theoreticians in juxtaposition with Muslim interpretations. As the title suggests,she focuses on women’s speech by emphasizing voice rather than silence.The author concludes that women not only have a voice in Islamicscripture, but that in the Abrahamic scriptures as a whole they break silencein order to invoke social justice.The book’s predominant theme, the Qur’anic account of “the womanwho disputes,” is juxtaposed with similar stories in the Jewish and Christianscriptures, which makes it an interesting exploration in Abrahamic interfeministinterreligious dialogue. Her use of scriptural reasoning to bringAbrahamic and secular voices in conversation on this topic is original.Among the few works with a comparative hermeneutic approach to womenin religion are Murata’s The Tao of Islam (1992), a sourcebook on genderrelations in Islamic discourse with references and analogies to the yin andyang elements, and Yvonne Yazbek Haddad and John L. Esposito’s Daughtersof Abraham (2002). Jardim’s book is distinct in that it compares bothfeminist methodologies as well as a parallel scriptural story in these threetraditions ...

The Hegemony of the Biblical in the Study of Second Temple Literature

Despite growing recognition that early Jewish culture was far broader than the Bible, the biblical retains its hegemony in the study of early Jewish literature. Often, non-biblical materials are read either as proto-biblical, para-biblical, or biblical interpretation, assimilated into an evolutionary narrative with Bible as the telos. But ancient Jewish literature and culture are far more than proto-biblical. Through a case study of psalmic texts and Davidic traditions, this article illustrates how removing biblical lenses reveals a more vibrant picture of the resources and interests of early Jews. First, it discusses evidence showing that despite a common perception about its popularity, the “Book of Psalms” was not a concrete entity or well-defined concept in Second Temple times. Instead, we find different genres of psalm collection with widely varied purposes and contents, and a cultural consciousness of psalms as an amorphous tradition. Second, it demonstrates how David was remembered as an instructor and founder of temple and liturgy, rather than a biblical author, a notion that, despite common assumptions, is not actually attested in Hellenistic and early Roman sources. Third, it reconsiders two Hellenistic texts, 4QMMT and 2 Maccabees, key sources in the study of the canonical process that both mention writings linked with David. While their value to the study of the canon has been challenged, the assumption that they use “David” to mean “the Psalms” has remained largely unquestioned. But when we read without assuming a biblical reference, we see a new David, and the possibility that the ancient writers were alluding to other discourses associated with him – namely, his exemplary, liturgical, and calendrical legacy – that better fit their purposes. Early Jews were not marching toward the biblical finish line, but lived in a culture with diverse other traditions and concerns that cannot always be assimilated into the story of scripture. Recognizing this fact allow us to see Second Temple literature more clearly on its own terms.

LIVING IN THREE WORLDS: A RELATIONAL HERMENEUTIC FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTEXTUAL PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL APPROACH TOWARDS A MISSIONAL ECCLESIOLOGY

This article argues for an integrated paradigmatic approach to conducting practical theological research. This integration is prompted by the researcher’s experience as theologian in a culturally diverse community where theologies from different perspectives share the same ecclesial landscape. Three primary thought paradigms are discussed as a frame of reference for this integration. These are the pre-modern paradigm, the modern paradigm and the postmodern paradigm. A relational hermeneutic is proposed that utilises the story of Scripture as told through the centuries and strives to share God’s mission to the world. This relational hermeneutic could serve as the integrational focal point of ministry practice that spans theological viewpoints.

Pictorial Versions of the Mulian Story in East Asia (Tenth–Seventeenth Centuries): On the Connections of Religious Painting and Storytelling

In this paper, I analyze pictorial representations of the Buddhist story of Mulian rescuing his mother in China, Japan, and Korea in the pre-modern and early modern periods. I have collected several pictorial versions of the Mulian story in these countries, and comparison shows close proximity of several such works. All of them are related to the narrative texts that represent elaboration of the originally scriptural story (it originated in the apocryphal Buddhist scripture that circulated in China) in vernacular languages. Images of the Mulian story in the countries of East Asia had diverse nature: they could appear as separate scenes in devotional religious paintings, multi-scene handscrolls, and illustrations in the manuscripts and editions. I argue that the subject of Mulian rescuing his mother was of primary importance in the popularization of Buddhist ideas among different layers of society. The related images were used for both storytelling and reading practices and helped different audiences to comprehend the Mulian story.

Growing Up to Save the World: Christ and the Fantasies of Boyhood

Abstract This paper explores the intricate link between the story of Christ and the contemporary constructions of adolescence boyhood through a careful study of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Though the success of the series can be seen in terms of the general trend of the resurfacing of religion in the current world order, the paper argues that the series attempts to revise and reconfigure the scriptural narrative by integrating the themes of boyhood and bringing in contemporary cultural and secular concerns. The story of boy-to-man transition echoes the story of Christ: his life, the temptations, the ordeals, and ultimately the sacrifice and resurrection. Linked with discourses of adolescent angst and defiance, the scriptural story acquires a potential for active political and social intervention.

LEARNING FROM LAZARUS: THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY LUTHERAN ART OF DYING

The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is the foundation upon which German composers of the seventeenth century experimented with longer musical forms. Composers interpolate new poetic material to a higher degree than with any other scriptural story, apart from the Passion. Additions to the story range from simple funeral songs for Lazarus to elaborate contrapuntal drinking songs for the Rich Man and his five brothers. We would expect the meaning imposed on the story in musical settings to be in line with local theology and exegesis. However, a close look at musical settings reveals how much they diverge from common theological explications. Onto the story of poverty, wealth, mercy and the fate of the soul are welded other topoi of Lutheran theology, including vanitas, penitence and the art of dying (Sterbekunst or ars moriendi), which effectively reinterpret the story in a direction not typically undertaken by writers of sermons and devotional volumes.

Sanctification in Milton's Academy: Reassessing the Purposes in Of Education and the Pedagogy of Paradise Lost

Sanctification in Milton's Academy: Reassessing the Purposes in <i>Of Education</i> and the Pedagogy of <i>Paradise Lost</i>

`On a Cliff's Edge': Actualizing Luke 8:22—39 in an Intentional Christian Community on the North Devon Coast

This article charts an actualization of Luke 8:22—39 in an intentional and international Christian community in North Devon. The scriptural story provided an astute commentary on not only the identity and vision of the community but also their physical and ideological place `on a cliff's edge'.

Interpretation on the Way to Emmaus: Jesus Performs His Story

Abstract Using recent claims that scriptural interpretation is a kind of performance, this article examines the "Walk to Emmaus" in Luke 24. There Jesus is presented as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture, both in his verbal performance on the road and his table performance in Emmaus. Luke's telling of Jesus' performance on the road both claims the Scriptures (soon to become the Christian OT) for Christ and frees the church for Christological readings. Luke's contrast between disheartened disciples and risen Christ reveals Jesus as the one who not only knows but is where the scriptural story is going. At table in Emmaus, the risen Jesus prompts their recognition by performance. He performs his identity by two enacted resemblances to prior meals: taking the role of host and a characteristic fourfold action that is recognizably similar to the feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper. Just as those prior meals were themselves performances of Scripture, both recalling and anticipating God's redemption, so Jesus' breaking of bread in Emmaus performs Scripture fulfilled in his death and resurrection. Refocusing on Jesus' table performance allows a clear connection between those meals, the breaking of bread in Acts, and the later Eucharist, while avoiding anachronistic claims about early Christian practice or Lukan intentionality. Finally, the article displays how "text talk" and table performance enable the two disciples to improvise their own faithful performance of Scripture in Jerusalem.

Interpretation on the Way to Emmaus: Jesus Performs His Story

Abstract Using recent claims that scriptural interpretation is a kind of performance, this article examines the "Walk to Emmaus" in Luke 24. There Jesus is presented as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture, both in his verbal performance on the road and his table performance in Emmaus. Luke's telling of Jesus' performance on the road both claims the Scriptures (soon to become the Christian OT) for Christ and frees the church for Christological readings. Luke's contrast between disheartened disciples and risen Christ reveals Jesus as the one who not only knows but is where the scriptural story is going. At table in Emmaus, the risen Jesus prompts their recognition by performance. He performs his identity by two enacted resemblances to prior meals: taking the role of host and a characteristic fourfold action that is recognizably similar to the feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper. Just as those prior meals were themselves performances of Scripture, both recalling and anticipating God's redemption, so Jesus' breaking of bread in Emmaus performs Scripture fulfilled in his death and resurrection. Refocusing on Jesus' table performance allows a clear connection between those meals, the breaking of bread in Acts, and the later Eucharist, while avoiding anachronistic claims about early Christian practice or Lukan intentionality. Finally, the article displays how "text talk" and table performance enable the two disciples to improvise their own faithful performance of Scripture in Jerusalem.