Testament Scholarship Research Articles

The Third Commandment: Lifting the LORD’s name

The original context and meaning of the Third Commandment within the Decalogue is debated among Old Testament scholars, with no firm consensus as to whether oath-taking, the use of God’s name for magic purposes or for proper worship, lies behind the prohibition. Key words that are used in a variety of ways in other contexts add to the uncertainty. Recognition that even within Scripture the Third Commandment has been improvised for new settings gives a freedom to explore its meaning and relevance for the Church in the world today. When God’s name is used by individuals, communities, or nations in support of any type of injustice, it is being used wrongfully. Equally, God’s name is honored by those who live and work for truth, peace, and justice.

You will know them by their fruits:-Soteriology of the reformed New Testament Scholar Hoon-Taek Chung-

You will know them by their fruits:-Soteriology of the reformed New Testament Scholar Hoon-Taek Chung-

The goal of maturity in Ephesians 4:13-16

In this article, I argue that, in Ephesians 4:1-16, the author underscores spiritual maturity as the bridge between the new identity of the Christian (Eph. 1-3) and the moral code of the Christian life commensurate with the new identity (Eph. 4:17-6:20). 1 I interpret Ephesians 4:13 to obtain the meaning of maturity. I critique the most notable interpretations and views in relation to Ephesians 4:13, after which, by way of structural analysis of Ephesians 4:13, I delineate the meaning of maturity and determine that, from its essence, maturity is essential for the Christian. This article provides the modern church an alternative way to view the theme and structure of Ephesians and an interpretation of Ephesians 4:13-16. New Testament scholars as well as church leaders, decision-makers in church work, generally, and Christian education planners will find this article quite engaging.

The Unsettled Debates about Mark 1:1 and the Central Role of the Verse in Understanding the Gospel

“하느님의 아들이신 예수 그리스도의 복음의 시작”이라는 마르코 복음 1장 1절의 말씀은 지난 두 세기 동안 수많은 토론의 주제가 되어 왔다. 마르코 복음의 시작 구절에 대한 토론들은 마르코 연구에 있어서 흥미진진한 논의를 발생시켜 왔는데, 논의에서는 주로 구문론, 문법 그리고 텍스트 비평의 제 문제들이 다루어지고 있다. 따라서, 1장 1절의 해석과 그 1장 1절이 전체 복음서에서 기능하는 역할에 대한 해석은 마르코 복음 연구가들과 신약 학자들에게는 특별한 관심사가 되어 왔다. 본 논고는 “하느님의 아들”이라는 구절을 포함하는 마르코 복음의 서두 텍스트의 보다 긴 버전을 지지하고, 또한 마르코 복음 1장 1절이 전체 복음의 주제 구절로 채택되어야 한다고 지지하는 바다. 이를 근거로, 이 주제 구절이 복음의 신학적 궤적을 간단명료하고도 응축적으로 제시하는 것으로 받아들여져야 하고, 마르코 복음 1장 1절의 올바른 이해와 해석은 전체 복음 이해에 중대 하다고 주장하는 바다. 이 구절에 내재되어 있는 가장 식별 가능한 주제는 예수 정체성의 중요성과 부활 후 당신 사명을 계속하신다는 중요한 사실이다. 이들 주제는 그리스도를 따르는 사람들에게 근본적으로 함의하는 바가 크다.“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God”, the first verse of the gospel according to Mark, has been the subject of numerous debates within the last two centuries. These debates on the opening verse of Mark that have given rise to exciting discussions in the study of Mark primarily touch on issues of syntax, function and questions of textual criticism. Consequently, the interpretation of the verse and the role it plays in relation to the entire gospel narrative has been of particular interest to Markan and New Testament scholars. This article both supports the longer version of the text of the opening verse of Mark that includes the phrase “Son of God” and also strongly advocates that Mark 1:1 should be taken as the title-verse for the entire gospel. On that basis, it is argued that this title-verse is intended to be a succinct and condensed presentation of the theological trajectory of the gospel and that the correct understanding and interpretation of Mark 1:1 is crucial for the understanding the whole gospel. Some of the most discernable themes inherent in the verse are the centrality of the identity of Jesus and the importance of the continuation of his mission after his resurrecttion. These themes have fundamental implications for the followers of Christ.

Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects

This article traces the contours of the past century of discourse surrounding the underlying textual form of allusions embedded in the book of Revelation. Special attention is paid to the rapid developments on this issue in the past thirty years, a period in which New Testament scholarship has grappled with the textual complexity of the Hebrew Bible presented by the scrolls from the Judaean Desert. The question of textual form is of foundational importance for analysing the reuse or interpretation of Scripture in the book of Revelation. Despite this reality, it is common to find assumptions or misconceptions in recent studies that obfuscate the textual reality of the Hebrew Bible and its early Greek versions the first century ce. The appraisal of scholarship on this issue allows scholars to better contextualize their own approaches to the text of allusions in the light of previous research. This analysis also highlights the changing methods and approaches by which scholars analyse the text of allusions and suggests some avenues for future research on the allusions embedded in the Apocalypse.

Book Review: If you Call Yourself a Jew: Reappraising Paul's Letter to the Romans

If You Call Yourself a Jew: Reappraising Paul's Letter to the Romans. By Rafael Rodriguez. Eugene, Ore.: Cascade Books, 2014. 317 pp. $62.00 (cloth); $37.00 (paper).Considering the abundance of Romans commentaries, why consider buying this one? In short: this brief reappraisal (rather than full-length commentary) develops a promising minority perspective of which we should not be uninformed. In fact, predict this work may propel this interesting perspective discussed among specialists into a mainstream, popularly accessible approach.Appreciation for classical rhetoric has moved to the forefront of Pauline scholarship. Rafael Rodriguez is no exception to that trend. Like virtually all contemporary New Testament scholars, he builds on the insights of the New Perspective on Paul (Sanders, Dunn, Wright, for example). Rodriguez differs, however, in identifying Paul's audience. He joins a small but important minority of arguing Paul wrote exclusively to gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah in Rome (p. 7). Paul explicitly identifies this audience in four places (1:5-6, 1:13, 11:13, 15:15-16) and nowhere points to another. The suggestion strikes me as refreshing. Paul says he is writing to gentiles. From this and other letters, we know him as the apostle to the gentiles, distinguished from the Twelve and their mission among the Jews. Whether or not we ultimately agree, the approach is remarkably reasonable and not easy to dismiss.Rodriguez pushes the thesis further (as have Thorsteinsson, Stowers, and Thiessen). He begins with a simple thought experiment: I decided to read Paul's diatribe as a dialogue with a gentile proselyte to Judaism-a 'Judaizer'-simply to see what effect if would have on my reading of Romans as a whole. . . . After all, how much difference could it make whether Paul imagined himself in dialogue with an actual Jew or a gentile who calls himself a Jew? (p. ix). Quite a bit, he discovered.Rodriguez's handling of chapter seven highlights how reading Romans this way helps solve some challenging interpretive problems. Popular, devotional readings of Romans 7 see it as dramatically introspective: Paul is showing that even saintly apostles share the inner psychological angst at the enormity of God's righteous requirements (p. 139). Yet despite being common in American pulpits and Bible studies, this interpretation cannot make sense of the text. Reading 7:7-25 as direct statements from Paul would unravel... the coherence of the letter as a whole (p. 133), since Paul had already contradicted many of the arguments put forward there.Almost no biblical scholars holds to that view. These contradictory statements, Rodriguez explains, suggest that Paul is not speaking in his own, authorial voice (p. …

Book Review: A Lot of the Way Trees Were Walking: Poems from the Gospel of Mark

A Lot of Way Trees Were Walking: Poems from Gospel of Mark. By Cynthia Briggs Kittredge. Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2015. xvi + 100 pp. $15.00 (paper).Dean, president, and professor of New Testament at Seminary of Southwest in Austin, Texas, as well as a New Testament scholar, Cynthia Briggs Kittredge leaves erudition behind to confront Mark's Gospel as a seeker aim baggage. In other words, as a complex woman. The result, and what I found most impressive, was a remarkable freedom of movement, evident in poet's willingness to range through Gospel: a cn de coeur here, a comment there, a koan elsewhere.Kittredge wrote these poems during a semester in which she was teaching Gospel of Mark. To enjoy book, readers either need Mark's Gospel open as a constant reference point or a more detailed knowledge of text than I have. Some poems stand alone, but many lose their nuance without specifics of Mark's text at hand. Every now and then, as a reader, I caught thrill of their evolution, but shifting points of view made access difficult at times. My breakthrough into understanding poems came when I realized spiritual and artistic freedom Kittredge was appropriating for herself and when I began to read poems with spiritual strategies of lectio divina in mind, or maybe I should say scriptio divina.A time-honored tool of Christian spiritual practice, lectio divina provides a method for deep engagement or reading of scripture through four stages: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (praying), and contemplate (contemplation). Yet, applying this process to a scriptural passage and reaping benefits of such profound immersion are not readily understood or imagined by most of us. In poems from Gospel of Mark, Kittredge shows us not the way, but her way to do so.The book is divided into eight sections, with each section identifying scriptural chapters and verses referenced by poems. There are no other citations. Some of poems draw on highly familiar material, so that this absence does not matter, as in wonderful poem Translate, which is easily recognizable.Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani?Does it need translation?.... . . you have heard thator you have made that sentence in your own gulletand know what it means, (p. S3)The Markan verses that some other poems reference are not as readily identified, such as in Abstract, Tear, Wisdom, and Amos Niven Wilder.The book's greatest delight for me was permission Kittredge gave herself to be honest, to engage with Mark wholeheartedly, with concomitant invitation to readers to do same. And so, in addition to reading parallel passages in Mark, I read book again, trying to enter it as deeply as possible by considering poems in terms of lectio divina. …

Ethnicisation, Marriage and Early Christian Identity: Critical Reflections on 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Peter 3 and Modern New Testament Scholarship

In the discipline of New Testament studies there are particular reasons for critical vigilance concerning the ways in which historical reconstructions can be shaped by a sense of both religious and ethnic or racial superiority. This risk applies specifically to the contrasting depictions of Judaism and Christianity, and it is notable that, despite the changing phases of scholarship, the tendency to replicate a dichotomy between an ethnically particular Judaism and a universal, open, trans-ethnic Christianity persists. As one facet of a critical consideration of this dichotomy, this essay considers two specific texts that contribute to the ethnicisation of early Christian identity: 1 Corinthians 7 and 1 Peter 3. In the former, Paul develops two principles that are significant in the ethnicisation process: endogamy as norm for the contraction of marriage (1 Cor 7.39) and the assumption that children with a Christian parent (even in a so-called ‘mixed marriage’) are part of the Christian community (1 Cor 7.14). The later household codes further develop this idea that the household is a place for the reproduction and generation of Christian identity. In 1 Pet 3.1–6, part of the letter's household code where mixed marriage is again an issue, two features of the text are of particular interest: its focus on a ‘way of life’ (ἀναστροφή) and the connections drawn between conduct and ancestry. In both of these respects, 1 Peter seems to be constructing a form of group-identity that shares features in common with Jewish notions of group-belonging in the period. The ‘ethnicising’ features of these texts raise questions about any categorical contrast between Jewish ethnicity and Christian inclusive trans-ethnicity. Why then is such a depiction of the Christian achievement – which in many ways parallels depictions of modern Western political liberalism – so enduring and appealing within the discipline? It is suggested that the answer must be sought in the religious and ethnic or racial location of that scholarly tradition.

Imitation in faith: enacting Paul’s ambiguous pistis Christou formulations on a Greco-Roman stage

ABSTRACTThere is an ongoing debate in New Testament scholarship on the correct interpretation of Paul’s pistis Christou formulations: are we justified by our own faith/trust in Christ, or by participating in Christ’s faith and faithfulness towards God? This article contributes to the position of purposeful or sustained ambiguity by reading Paul’s imitation – and faith(fulness) – language against the background of Hellenistic-Roman thought on and practice of imitation. In particular, the mimetic chain between teachers and students training for a philosophical disposition, and the philosophical topos of ‘becoming like God’ (homoiōsis theōi) offer material valuable for comparison. Since pistis, fides and cognates are used in these settings as both a quality to imitate and as attitude towards a model, and since, conversely, imitation is very much involved in Paul’s pistis-vocabulary, it makes sense to read pistis Christou as shorthand for a mimetic movement of faith(fulness) via Christ towards God.

New Testament Rhetorical Narratology: An Invitation toward Integration

We are witnessing these days a remarkable rapprochement between the study of rhetoric and the study of narrative. Indeed, these two approaches to New Testament texts are apparently so different that in 2008, Vernon Robbins could lament the “widespread consensus” among scholars that it is “not possible to formulate a systematic rhetorical approach to narrative portions of the Gospels and Acts.” And yet, this bifurcation has been shortsighted. It is not only possible but also necessary and beneficial to bring the resources and insights of narratology into conversation with the resources and insights of rhetorical criticism. This article participates in the move to build bridges across the theoretical crevasses that have divided “New Testament rhetoric” and “New Testament narrative.” First, I take a panoramic view, broadly outlining several reasons that the dividing lines continue to hold currency in New Testament scholarship, and why these views are misguided. I then propose that we reimagine the boundaries of the “New Testament and rhetoric” to include narrative as a mode of persuasion in and of itself, using resources from the literary subfield of rhetorical narratology. Finally, I offer a brief analysis of the uses of speech and silence in Acts 15:1–35 in order to demonstrate how the tools of rhetorical narratology can help us to think in fresh ways about the rhetorical force of New Testament narratives.

Galen and his treatise on grief

Throughout his career, Fika Janse van Rensburg has rightly insisted on the importance of the socio-historical context in interpreting early Christian literature. Although New Testament scholars have given careful attention to many aspects of this context, they have generally neglected writings by physicians. This neglect includes the numerous works of the philosopher-physician Galen (129-ca. 216 or 217 CE), who was one of the Roman Empire’s most prolific writers. As a corrective, this article focuses on Galen, with attention given to his life and to a recently discovered treatise on distress or grief (lype¯), known as De indolentia [Avoiding Distress or On Freedom from Distress]. Galen discusses grief from both a physiological and philosophical perspective, and his treatment of this emotion and common human experience provides an important context for the statements about lype¯ found in the New Testament and other early Christian documents.

Spiritual formation and the nurturing of creative spirituality: A case study in Proverbs

The article is positioned in the interface between Old Testament scholarship and the discipline of spiritual direction of which spiritual formation is a component. The contribution that a Ricoeurian hermeneutic may make in unlocking the potential which an imaginal engagement with the book of Proverbs may hold for the discipline of spiritual formation was explored. Specifically three aspects of the text of Proverbs illustrated the creative process at work in the text, and how it converges with the concept of spiritual formation and the nurturing of creative spirituality. These aspects were, the development in Lady Wisdom�s discourses, the functional definition of the fear of Yahweh (illustrated from Proverbs 10:1�15:33), and the paradigmatic character of the book of Proverbs.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research is positioned in the interface between Old Testament studies and Practical Theology. The research results in the enhancement of the interdisciplinary dialogue and interchange of resources between the named disciplines with regard to the interest in formation of persons that the biblical book of Proverbs and the discipline of spiritual formation shares.Keywords: Spiritual formation; fear of Yahweh; Proverbs; Wisdom; Hermeneutics; Paul Ricoeur; Symbolic world; Textual reference

Remembering and constructing Israelite identity in postexilic Yehud: Some remarks on the penitential prayer of Nehemiah 9:6�37

That there is a growing focus and elaboration of prayers in the Old Testament scholarship on the postexilic biblical writings suggests that such prayers received an authoritative status in postexilic Yehud. Firstly, this paper argues that not only did the remembrance of the story of Israel confer an authoritative status to Nehemiah 9:6�37, it also served the purpose of casting a hopeful and prophetic imagination of a liberated community in Yehud. Secondly, it is argued in this paper that the prayer of Nehemiah 9:6�37 shaped the identity of the Jews in Yehud amidst socio-economic injustices. This identity was linked to the patriarch Abraham (cf. Neh 9:7�8), to the liberation of the Jews from Pharaoh under the leadership of Moses (cf. Neh 9:9�15, 21), to the possession of the Promised Land (cf. Neh 9:22�25), to the caution about the consequence of disobedience to Yahweh � the exile (cf. Neh 9:16�21, 26�30)- and to the demise of the kingdom in the Babylonian exile (cf. Neh 9:31�37). On the whole, it is argued in this paper that the prayer of Nehemiah 9:6�37 was composed and transmitted with the view to remember and construct the identity of the Jews in postexilic Yehud.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Not only does this article explore the religious aspect of Nehemiah 9:6�37, it equally investigates the socio-economic and political undertones in the text in order to determine the context from which the penitential prayer emerged. It is argued here that in the postexilic Yehud context, Nehemiah 9:6�37 served to remember and construct the identity of the Jews.Keywords: Nehemiah; story of Israel; identity construction; prayer; prophetic imaginations; socio-economic injustice

The drum and its significance for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective: Part one

Recent developments in South Africa opened the doors of opportunity for Old Testament scholars to position themselves in terms of Africa and to allow the African context to play a more explicit role in the interpretation of the Bible. An awareness of the significance of the (South) African context for the interpretation of the Old Testament in South Africa can inform the construction and refinement of the comparative paradigm as a reading strategy. In consequence, it might not only serve the communication of the message, but also facilitate a dialogue between the text and the contemporary reader and imbue the comparative method as a reading strategy. Being aware of the significance of music and its function regarding expression of African religion and spirituality, the article explores aspects of music and its potential to inform a particular �reading�, with specific reference to the drum. (Whilst the focus in Part 1 is more on some hermeneutical aspects as pertaining to a specific reading strategy, Part 2 is to explore the significance of music for the interpretation of the Old Testament with specific reference to Psalm 150).Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The contribution attempts to illustrate that, in our encounters with the biblical text, we need to move beyond a historical descriptiveanalysis of the text or defining its significance in linguistic terms only. In so doing, the �comparative paradigm� is augmented by allowing insights from various disciplines to inform the reader.Keywords: Music; 'Hemeneutics'; 'African Reading' of the Old Testament

Scholarship in service of the church

No abstract available.

The Biblical Tour of Hell By MatthewRyan Hauge. The Library of New Testament Studies, 485. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2013. Pp. xiv + 204. Paper, $29.99.

This book places Luke 16:19–31, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in the context of the ancient Mediterranean tour of the underworld. It is Hauge's stated purpose “to explore the literary relationship between the Homeric descent [of Odysseus into Hades] in Odyssey 11.1–640 and the ensuing tours of hell tradition and the parable.” He concludes that the Lucan story is a direct imitation of the Homeric one, stating “distinctive features” of the parable “can best be explained in the light of the author's mimetic relationship to the Homeric model.” The book has three major sections. Chapter 1 summarizes the treatment of parables in New Testament scholarship, particularly addressing the problem of genre in relation to the Rich Man and Lazarus. Chapter 2 covers Greco-Roman paideia, highlighting the importance and ubiquity of the Homeric epics in the period's educational models. Chapter 3 addresses the parable itself, showing its connections to other Greco-Roman tours of the underworld. The strength of this book is its thorough treatment of the Greek and Latin descensus tradition in relation to the parable, appealing to both philosophical and mythological texts. It shows clearly that the parable is heir to this tradition, helping to identify and refine the cultural context of the Gospel.

Reading Ruth 4 and Leviticus 25:8–55 in the light of the landless and poor women in South Africa: A conversation with Fernando F. Segovia and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara

Recent statistics in South Africa shows that women mostly experience poverty as compared to their male counterparts. In the context of the experience of poverty by women, several Old Testament scholars have convincingly explored the theme of poverty in the Hebrew Bible. In her contextual rereading of the Naomi-Ruth Story, Madipoane Masenya (ngwan’a Mphahlele) links the issue of poverty to the theme of land. Also, from the historical-critical and partly, the contextual approach to ancient texts, Esias E. Meyer argues that Leviticus 25:8–55 holds liberating possibilities for women who are invisible in such a text. Based on the argument made by the preceding scholars, firstly, this article argues that in the context from which the texts of Ruth 4 and Leviticus 25:8–55 emerged, some women were both landless and poor. Secondly, it is argued in this article that the context of these texts carries a striking resemblance to the situation of women in modern South Africa, as many women do not own productive land and are poor. Thirdly, this article poses the question: What implications do the ideologies of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and the hermeneutical approach of Fernando F. Segovia to ancient texts bear on the reading of Ruth 4 and Leviticus 25:8–55 in South Africa?Keywords: Book of Ruth; Leviticus; patriarchy; land; poverty; liberation

Ruminating on Justin S. Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics and its implications for the study of African Biblical Hermeneutics today

In African biblical scholarship, the concept of inculturation hermeneutics has come to be almost, if not always, linked to the late Professor Justin S. Ukpong, the Nigerian New Testament scholar. In inculturation hermeneutics, argued Ukpong, the past of the biblical text is not supposed to be studied as an end in itself, but as a means to an end. Ukpong (2002) could thus argue: ‘Thus in inculturation hermeneutics, the past collapses into the present, and exegesis fuses with hermeneutics’ (p. 18). What does Ukpong’s concept of inculturation hermeneutics actually entail? Which implications does his notion of the fusion of exegesis and hermeneutics have for the theory and praxis of African Biblical Hermeneutics particularly on the African continent today? The preceding questions will be engaged with in this article.

The Uses of ‘New Exodus’ in New Testament Scholarship: Preparing a Way through the Wilderness

Nineteenth-century Isaiah scholarship appears to be responsible for popularizing the term ‘new exodus’, a phrase that underscores how Isaiah’s prophecies of a return from exile link this new saving act of God with the Israelite exodus from Egypt. In the twentieth century, New Testament scholars adopted the term, and in recent years, ‘new exodus’ has been applied to a wide array of biblical and extra-biblical texts. The burgeoning popularity of the phrase ‘new exodus’ has not been matched with equal interest in reflecting on its diverse applications to a variety of ancient texts. This free-wheeling usage has diluted the value of the phrase, and a descriptive term runs the risk of becoming a simple buzzword.

The problem of Christian identities in Ephesians

The article examines the impact of the work of Nils Alstrup Dahl on contemporary New Testament scholarship about early Christian identities. The focus is specifically on the many complex questions related to identity in Ephesians, which include the nature of the document itself. The article draws upon a social constructionist approach in analysing the text, with a particular interest in the use of the language of Israel, emphasis on concepts of citizenship, and concentration upon the household and family life.