Testament Studies Research Articles

Mapping recent developments in Old Testament theology

This article provides the readers with an overview of the history of the study of the Old Testament, highlighting major turning points especially during the 20th and 21st centuries. It is argued that the approaches of Eichrodt, Von Rad, Childs and Brueggemann mark the major innovative developments in Old Testament theology during the 20th and 21st centuries. The article concludes with a number of conclusions based on the overview of developments in the field. The postmodern turn represented in especially the Old Testament theologies of Brueggemann and Gerstenberger is pointed out together with other trends that can be detected from recent developments in the field.

Historical Jesus and Qumran Literature

이 논문은 역사적 예수와 쿰란 문헌에 관한 연구다. 오늘날 역사적 예수는 단지 학자들만의 관심이 아니라 다양한 대중적 논란의 중심에 있다. 최근 이루어진 제2성전 시대 유다이즘에 대한 활발한 연구는 역사적 예수 연구에 있어 새로운 접근 방식과 방향을 제시하였다. 쿰란과 예수라는 주제에 접근하는 우리의 방법론적 접근 방식은 쿰란 사본과 역사적 예수 사이의 공통점과 차이점을 객관적으로 분석함으로써 이 둘 사이의 상호 관련성을 규명하는 것이다. 특히 쿰란 사본은 예수가 살았던 당시의 팔레스티나 유다이즘을 재구성하는 데 결정적인 도움을 제공할 뿐만 아니라, 역사적 예수의 가르침과 행동의 의미와 배경을 이해하는 데 중요한 실마리를 제공한다. 왜냐하면 쿰란 사본은 신약성경과 초대 그리스도교의 모태가 된 제2성전 시대의 팔레스티나 유다이즘 연구를 위 해 직접적인 사료가 되기 때문이다. 역사적 예수와 그의 제자들이 살았던 기원후 1세기의 팔레스티나에 살았던 유다인들의 사상, 생활, 조직을 증언하는 쿰란 사본은 신약성경 연구에 새로운 지평을 제시하고 있다. 쿰란의 메시아사상의 특성과 독창성을 연구함으로써 발견할 수 있는 해석학 과정은 역사적인 예수를 메시아로 해석하는 신약 성경의 해석학적 모티브를 더 잘 이해할 수 있도록 도움을 준다. 다시 말해 쿰란 메시아사상의 독창성은 초기 그리스도교 공동체의 그리스도론적 연구를 이해하는 데 하나의 실마리를 제공한다.This article is a study of the historical Jesus and Qumran literature. Today the historical Jesus is at the center of various popular debates, not only of the interest of scholars. The recent study of Judaism in the Second Temple period suggested a new approach and direction in the study of the historical Jesus. Our methodological approach to the subject of Qumran and Jesus is to objectively analyze the commonalities and differences between the Qumran Scrolls and the historical Jesus, thus identifying the interrelationships between them. In particular, the Qumran literature provides important clues to understanding the meaning and context of the teachings and actions of the historical Jesus, as well as crucial assistance for the reconstruction of Palestinian Judaism at the time of Jesus. Because the Qumran Scrolls are the direct source for the study of Palestinian Judaism in the Second Temple period, which became the cradle of the New Testament and of the Early Christianity. The Qumran Scrolls, which wit-ness the ideas, life, and organization of the Jews who lived in Pales-tine at the time of Jesus and his disciples, presents a new horizon in the study of the New Testament. The hermeneutic process that can be found by studying the characteristics and originality of Qumran messianism helps to better under-stand the hermeneutical motif of the New Testament, which interprets the historical Jesus as the Messiah. In other words, the originality of Qumranian messianism provides a clue to understanding the early Christological studies of the Christian community.

Spirit and Word: Dual Testimony in Paul, John and Luke by Timothy Wiarda

Reviewed by: Spirit and Word: Dual Testimony in Paul, John and Luke by Timothy Wiarda Luke Macnamara timothy wiarda, Spirit and Word: Dual Testimony in Paul, John and Luke (LNTS 565; London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017). Pp. ix + 269. $108. Timothy Wiarda, recently retired professor of New Testament Studies at Golden Gate Seminary, examines how various NT writers conceive of the respective roles of the Spirit and gospel preaching in evangelization. Among the key issues that arise are the mode of action of the Spirit; the specific locus of its action (the preacher, the believer, internal or external) and the temporal relationship of this action to the word (prior, contemporaneous, or posterior). The bulk of the volume contains a careful exegesis of the thirty or so passages where this dual testimony is present. In the introduction, W. announces four goals. The first (comprising ten chapters) involves a careful and detailed exegesis of the most significant NT dual-testimony passages to identify the best of the many interpretations in each case. The second is to determine how Paul, Luke, and John, the three NT writers who employ this pattern most frequently, conceive of the dual testimony, while the third goal proposes to compare Paul, Luke, and John with each other in order to have an overview of dual testimony in the NT and of the consequent theology. Finally, a historical question arises from the more exegetical and theological reflection as to the origins and development of the dual-testimony passages. Although the volume intends to heed each passage's "native context," it clearly also adopts a "cross-section" approach, which regroups the relevant passages in order to compare and contrast how the different NT writers employ the dual-testimony pattern. Of the ten chapters dedicated to the exegesis of dual-witness passages, five cover Paul, four John, and one Luke. The passages are concentrated in specific writings for Paul (1 Thessalonians, the Corinthian correspondence, Romans, and Ephesians) and for Luke (Acts). Pauline passages that resemble each other in their approach to the dual-witness pattern are treated together, resulting in the dispersal of passages from individual letters over several chapters. Given that every passage receives a very detailed exegesis, including close attention to syntax and grammar, it is regrettable that the Greek text for the verses is not included in the volume. W. assesses received positions of standard North American and European commentaries and monographs from the last half century on the Spirit and Gospel witness, which leads him to the most probable interpretation. The cumulative positions assessed can at times read like inventories. In chap. 12, W. helpfully summarizes and compares the results of the exegesis for each [End Page 347] NT writer. All three biblical writers exhibit a dual action in which Word and Spirit operate distinctively but collaboratively. While the Word is proclaimed, the action of the Spirit facilitates the reception of the Word and the subsequent transformation of the hearers. There is an interdependence of the Word, which operates outwardly on the human level, and the Spirit, which works within. While the Spirit, especially in Paul and Luke, confirms apostolic preaching, the Word serves as a criterion for discerning the activity of the Spirit. Wiarda's incisive exegetical analysis is stimulating, but at times the focus appears to switch excessively toward reviewing the literature. The quantity of contrasting opinions surveyed in rapid succession risks overwhelming readers. Pauline scholars might lament the fact that many passages from the same letter are treated separately, while others might rightly express disappointment at the limited treatment of the motif in the Lucan corpus. Wiarda succeeds in demonstrating the prominence of the multifaceted dual-witness motif in three major NT writers. The shifts in the motif within and between the individual writers give a broad and deep set of theological reflections on the respective roles of Spirit and Word in evangelization. The Spirit is shown to be at work before, during, and after the time of preaching both in speakers and especially in hearers of the Word. The internal action of the Spirit joins with the outwardly proclaimed Word centered on Jesus. These conclusions have been anticipated by many of the...

Presidential Address

Presidential Address Brian K. Blount Good evening, colleagues, and especially to you, Brian. It is indeed a special honor and pleasure to introduce you to the members of this illustrious guild. I was fortunate to read a blog by your brother, Jeffrey Blount, himself an award-winning author and television director. His blog, titled "The First of His Kind," was about you: how your father, a farmer, and mother, a kindergarten teacher, worked hard to give you and your brothers the higher education that had eluded them in the segregated South and the segregated public schools of Philadelphia. How your brother at eighteen was sitting with your mother, father, and oldest brother on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. How it was the spring of 1978. How he and your family were the only black people among whites in an elegant and historic room at the College. How your brother felt ashamed and intimidated when a white woman kept stealing disbelieving and angry glances at him and your family. How she was perhaps thinking that your brother was one of the help or that your mother was a "mammy" for one of the white honorees of the Phi Beta Kappa Society who were being awarded that day. How, dating back to 1776, Phi Beta Kappa was the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States. How you, Brian, were the first to lead these honoree graduates forth, the only black William and Mary graduate awarded in that room that day. How one of the Phi Beta Kappa officers told the assembly, "We want you to know that Brian is the first of his kind in the history of the college to receive this honor." The first of his kind… The first of his kind… How even though this officer awkwardly did not seem to know how to refer to you and your family, you all were regarded as intellectual equals. How for your brother Jeffrey this occasion was a transformative experience at the age of eighteen, stirring within him the confidence to continue his own dreams of success in college and beyond. How you yourself, Brian, graduating with a double major in religion and psychology and as a Phi Beta Kappa honoree, continued on and did not look back. And what a journey [End Page 3] it was! You were ordained in 1980 in the Baptist Church but were called to the Presbyterian Church in 1982, where you have been ever since. Also in 1982, you received your Master of Divinity degree in New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. You received your PhD in New Testament from Emory University in 1992, and from there you entered into various stages of professorship at Princeton Theological Seminary, ultimately becoming the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament Interpretation at PTS in 2004. In 2007 you embarked on a new phase of your professional journey by becoming the President and Professor of New Testament in the Walter W. Moore and Charles E. S. Kraemer Presidential Chairs of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Recognition of your gifts has graced your professional career. You received a fellowship from the Lilly Foundation in 2003, a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2004 from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University, an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Presbyterian College in 2010, another honorary doctorate from Hampden-Sydney College in 2011, and just this year another Distinguished Alumnus Award from Princeton Theological Seminary. Brian, you have become a world-renowned biblical scholar with twelve books to your credit along with many essay contributions. What impressed me most while reading your academic works was that you infused your scholarship with your deep pastoral commitments to and advocacy for the African American church. Indeed, your commentary on the book of Revelation was named by the Academy of Parish Clergy as the best reference book of 2009.1 Your Invasion of the Dead: Reading Resurrection through the Lens of Apocalyptic Eschatology was included in the Academy of Parish Clergy's Top Ten Books for 2014.2 Canvassing your former students, I received enthusiastic reports from those...

Early Christianity in Lycaonia and Adjacent Areas: From Paul to Amphilochius of Iconium by Cilliers Breytenbach and Christiane Zimmermann

Reviewed by: Early Christianity in Lycaonia and Adjacent Areas: From Paul to Amphilochius of Iconium by Cilliers Breytenbach and Christiane Zimmermann Sabine R. Huebner Cilliers Breytenbach and Christiane Zimmermann Early Christianity in Lycaonia and Adjacent Areas: From Paul to Amphilochius of Iconium Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, Vol. 101; Early Christianity in Asia Minor Leiden: Brill, 2017 Pp. xxx + 977. eBook: $314.00; Hardcover: $345.00. This is a book about early Christians, however, not about the usual martyrs, saints, or bishops in the great centers of the ancient world, but ordinary Christians in a backwater province of the Roman Empire. In a history from below, crossing the disciplines between New Testament studies, church history, social history, and Greek epigraphy, Breytenbach and Zimmermann are investigating the spread and expansion of Christianity in Lycaonia. Lycaonia was a rough, infertile, and mountainous region in the interior of Asia Minor on the Anatolian plateau. It was visited by the apostle Paul probably traveling along the great highroad across Anatolia, the Via Sebaste. There he is said to have founded the first congregations of Christians. Over the next century, Lycaonia became one of the first strongholds of Christianity, with the earliest inscriptions referring to Christians dating to the second century c.e. The book carries a hefty price tag with EUR €299.00 or USD $345.00 for the hardcover version, but its nearly 1,000 pages with thirteen maps and sixty-five figures are packed with detailed original scholarship of great interest for both an academic audience and the general reader, as the information is always presented in an accessible manner. The impressive volume offering a regional approach to the early expansion of Christianity is coauthored by two internationally leading experts in the field: Cilliers Breytenbach, who is Professor of literature, history, and religion of Early Christianity at Humboldt-Universität Berlin and Christiane Zimmermann, Professor of history, theology, and literature of the New Testament at Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel. For many years, Breytenbach devoted his research to the earliest testimonies of Christianity among the epigraphic evidence from Asia Minor. Zimmermann's research focuses on the expansion of Christianity in the first Christian centuries on the basis of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources. Both joined forces several years ago in the Berlin Excellence Cluster 264 TOPOI; their subproject (B-III-2) "The organization of diversity in the ecclesiastic [End Page 325] space of antiquity" also created a database of early Christian inscriptions from Asia Minor and Greece (http://repository.edition-topoi.org/collection/ICG). The result of their collaboration is an impressive achievement, the first detailed survey of the rise and expansion of Christianity in ancient Lycaonia and adjacent areas, from Paul the apostle to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Following in the footsteps of Ramsay, Harnack, and Calder, Breytenbach and Zimmermann map the expansion of Christianity in the region of Lycaonia. The study is mainly based on the epigraphic evidence, above all, hundreds of funerary inscriptions from Lycaonia and adjacent areas, as the literary and archaeological sources are sparse. It shifts the focus away from the imperial elites to ordinary people, local city councilors, clergy men and women, craftsmen, and peasants who proclaimed their Christian identity (among many other identities) on their tombstones for posterity. The first chapter discusses previous scholarship, followed by a presentation of the sources for the spread of Christianity covering the literary, epigraphic, and archeological evidence. Space is also devoted to discussing the pervasive difficulties that every scholar of early Christianity is acutely aware of: how to identify Christians especially then when these Christians were embedded into a socio-cultural setting from which their customs differed very little. The second chapter is devoted to the political and administrative landscape of the province of Roman Lycaonia, and the history of events from the age of Augustus to the mid-fifth century c.e. Chapter Three treats the apostle Paul's travels through Lycaonia and his potential impact on the rise of Christianity, as well as Christian naming practices in this region. Chapter Four sets out the expansion of Christianity in Lycaonia, grouping the evidence geographically (as far as this is possible, as many stones were not found...

Reading Writing Right: Essays Presented in Honour of Prof Elna Mouton ed. by Jeremy Punt and Marius J. Nel

Reviewed by: Reading Writing Right: Essays Presented in Honour of Prof Elna Mouton ed. by Jeremy Punt and Marius J. Nel Annelie van der Bank Punt, Jeremy, and Marius J. Nel, eds. 2018. Reading Writing Right: Essays Presented in Honour of Prof Elna Mouton. Stellenbosch: African Sun Media. ISBN 978-1928480006. Pp. 289. R260. Reading Writing Right represents a collection of essays aimed to celebrate the academic contributions and research activity of Prof. Elna Mouton, who retired from Stellenbosch University's NT department in 2017. It says quite a lot about your legacy when a group of academics are so keen to produce a whole volume of essays (seventeen) to express their appreciation of your contribution to their own lives and to the world of theological education, within only one year of your retirement. I met Prof. Mouton for the first time at the 2018 annual meeting of the New Testament Society of Southern Africa and was immediately keen to read the volume of essays. The book is divided into three sections. The first section, titled "Right Reading," consists of seven chapters that are concerned with Mouton's insistence on the importance of reading responsibly and accepting responsibility in one's academic and "other" dimensions of being. The second section, titled "Reading Writings," consists of six chapters that focus on specific texts, providing a contextual interpretation of these from different perspectives. The third section, titled "Readings and Writings," consists of four chapters in which the focus is on Mouton's influence on their particular spheres of interest. According to Dirk J. Smit (32), Mouton's "right reading" is not to "strive for simple solutions and for harmony; she prefers to stay on the thresholds, she looks from all sides, she observes, listens, smells, tastes, feels, enjoys, celebrates, delights." Perhaps that is why Bernard C. Lategan (ch. 2) lauded her for escaping the narrow-mindedness found in a lopsided or one-sided type of reading, by remaining at the margins. In chapter 12, by Angelique Havenga, the reader can gain a glimpse of the well-roundedness of Mouton's notions about her lived spirituality, which is "very much tied up with our embodied lives on earth; and, in fact, has to do with how we see, interpret and understand the world around us" (204; italics original). In chapter 13, Marius J. Nel links the milestone event of Mouton's inaugural lecture, as the first female professor in NT studies at Stellenbosch University, to his interpretation of Matt 18:15–20, inspired by Mouton's [End Page 591] reshaping of "the pathos of New Testament Studies to be life-affirming for all" (229). Nico Koopman's essay (ch. 15) combines two notions that we tend to place at opposites, namely those of vulnerability and leadership. In a sense, the idea of retirement is often viewed with trepidation by many, yet as Denise M. Ackermann's essay (ch. 14) also affirms, "where there is a constructive response to vulnerability, anxiety and arrogance are overcome … life and leadership are exercised in humble assertiveness" (253). I did find some of the chapters somewhat difficult to connect to the primary aim of the book, which was to honour the contribution Mouton made to the academic world and especially that of NT Studies. However, one may also view these same chapters from the perspective that Mouton's particular openness to a multiplicity of approaches and angles provided inspiration for her peers, colleagues and students to be conscious of the creative possibilities in blurring the conventional boundaries of structured reading. All in all, I found the volume of essays insightful and would suggest that one should not underestimate the contribution of this well-polished book, edited by two of Mouton's colleagues at the time of her retirement. Annelie van der Bank University of South Africa annelie.vanderbank@gmail.com Copyright © 2019 The New Testament Society of Southern Africa (NTSSA)

God in Galatians – Tendencies in the study of an important theme

Since Nils Dahl’s famous article on God as the most neglected factor in the study of the New Testament, many studies on God in the various corpi of the New Testament have been and are still being published. In this regard, the Pauline Letters have received a fair amount of attention. In this study an overview of studies on God in the Letter to the Galatians is provided. Four such studies are discussed: N.T. Wright’s study, “The Letter to Galatians: Exegesis and theology” (published in 2000), Richard Hays’s “The God of mercy who rescues us from the present evil age” (published in 2002), Jerome Neyrey’s chapter on God in Galatians (in his book, Rendering to God. New Testament understandings of the divine, published in 2004) and Christiane Zimmerman’s book Gott und seine Söhne. Das Gottesbild des Galaterbriefs (published in 2013). Each of these contributions is discussed in detail, after which the contributions of the four studies are compared, and some suggestions are made as to aspects that still need attention.

신학교육기관으로서 ACTS가 지향해야 할 신약학 분과의 성격과 목적에 대한 제언

신학교육기관으로서 ACTS가 지향해야 할 신약학 분과의 성격과 목적에 대한 제언

Paul and the Greco‐roman Philosophical Tradition. Edited by Joseph R.Dodson and Andrew W.Pitts. Library of New Testament Studies, 527. London: Bloomsbury, 2017. Pp. xviii + 300. $114.00.

Paul and the Greco‐roman Philosophical Tradition. Edited by Joseph R.Dodson and Andrew W.Pitts. Library of New Testament Studies, 527. London: Bloomsbury, 2017. Pp. xviii + 300. $114.00.

Swimming in the Sea of Scripture: Paul’s Use of the Old Testament in 2 Corinthians 4.7—13.13. By PaulHan. Library of New Testament Studies, 519. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Pp. vi + 221. $112.00.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 44, Issue 4 p. 475-476 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: Christian Origins Swimming in the Sea of Scripture: Paul’s Use of the Old Testament in 2 Corinthians 4.7—13.13. By Paul Han. Library of New Testament Studies, 519. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Pp. vi + 221. $112.00. J. Brian Tucker, J. Brian Tucker Moody Theological SeminarySearch for more papers by this author J. Brian Tucker, J. Brian Tucker Moody Theological SeminarySearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 December 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.13721Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume44, Issue4Special Issue: Religion and ScienceDecember 2018Pages 475-476 RelatedInformation

Muted Voices of the New Testament: Readings in the Catholic Epistles and Hebrews. Edited by Katherine M. Hockey, Madison N. Pierce, and Francis Watson. Library of New Testament Studies 565. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017. vii + 241 pages. $114.00.

Muted Voices of the New Testament: Readings in the Catholic Epistles and Hebrews. Edited by Katherine M. Hockey, Madison N. Pierce, and Francis Watson. Library of New Testament Studies 565. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017. vii + 241 pages. $114.00.

The "Gutenberg Galaxy" and the Historical Study of the New Testament

The general thesis of this essay states that Gutenberg’s print revolution has been a constitutive factor in the formation of the modern scholarship of the Bible. Specifically, the essay explores the historical-critical study of the New Testament from the angle of the typographic medium. Gutenberg’s print Bible is explained as setting the standards for the technologically-organised typographic space . The bulk of the essay describes both the constructive and the deconstructive impact that the fully rationalised format of the Bible has had on theological, exegetical, and hermeneutical sensibilities. Among the issues illuminated by the typographic examination are: entirely identical biblical texts; a text-centred concept of Christian origins; the spread of a post-Gutenberg intellectualism; the rise of the critical, textual edition; the Protestant principle of sola scriptura ; the diminution of oral, memorial sensibilities; the premise of originality versus derivativeness, and many others. In all, it is argued that the print medium deeply affected the modern academic scholarship of the New Testament, for better and for worse.

A literary figure or patriarchal reality? Reflections on the ‘ēšet hayil in light of depictions of womanhood from selected Yorùbá and Sotho proverbs

In varying Jewish and African contexts (cf. the Yorùbá and Sotho in the present essay), the ‘ēšet hayil is regarded as a historical figure who should serve as a model for women both young and old. As an organic scholar within an African context, I am both fascinated and also challenged by how biblical notions of gender and womanhood, as portrayed in the paean on the ‘ēšet hayil in Proverbs 31:10–31, seem to be at variance with notions of gender and womanhood as depicted in some Yorùbá and Sotho proverbs. Noting the emphasis in Proverbs 31:10–31 on the positive image of the ‘ēšet hayil as the ideal wife, this article shows that overall, in the African proverbs, the woman is depicted positively as a mother, though many proverbs (cf. especially the Yorùbá proverbs) cast the woman as a wife in a negative light. It is argued that the epitome of womanhood, which in Proverbs 31:10–31 is the ideal wife, appears to stand in tension with the image of a good mother and of a bad wife observed in some of the African proverbs. This article therefore focuses on the kind of gender- and family-conscious hermeneutic that may be envisioned when Proverbs 31:10–31 is read in the Yorùbá and Sotho contexts.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research carried out in this article entails Old Testament Studies, Gender Studies and African Languages. Sotho and Yorùbá proverbs on womanhood are used as a hermeneutical lens to interrogate the text of Proverbs 31:10–31, resulting in fresh insights on womanhood. The resultant output makes a needed contribution in challenging patriarchal ideologies and contexts.

Military Forces in Judaea 6–130 ce: Thestatus quaestionisand Relevance for New Testament Studies

The study of the military in the Roman provinces of Judaea is not the most accessible topic. Though the data upon which scholars rely is familiar (e.g., epigraphs, papyri, ancient historians), its study requires significant methodological deviations from biblical studies. This article summarizes key points relevant for scholars of both Jewish antiquity and early Christianity. First, it provides a summary of recent developments in the social history of the Roman army in the Near East, attending especially to the question of the role and function of soldiers in that region. Second, this article provides a brief social history for all military units in Judaea before it was renamed Syria Palaestina in 130 ce (four legions, 14 infantry cohortes, and five cavalry alae), based on the latest discoveries. Finally, the article concludes with a section discussing two issues specific to New Testament studies: the presence of an Italian cohort in Judaea (Acts 10) and the issue of the Augustan cohort in Judaea and Batanaea (Acts 27).

The Alleged Anonymity of the Canonical Gospels

The apparent anonymity of the Gospels is a neglected topic in New Testament studies. The present article offers an investigation of the theme. Initially, there is a survey of the work that has been done specifically on the subject, as well as how it is treated in Gospels scholarship more broadly. The main body of the argument is in two parts. First, anonymity cannot be inferred from an absence of authorial self-reference in the body of the work, and therefore the argument that the Gospels are anonymous because they do not contain the authors’ names is invalid. Secondly, and more positively, while the titles contained in the earliest Gospel manuscripts may well in their present form be secondary, this does not exclude earlier attributions of authorship made in some other way. Practical considerations make the presence of author’s names very likely. Second-century Christian literature is replete with references to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as authors of Gospels, and there is never any sense that the Gospels were anonymous or written by others. The most likely conclusion to be drawn is that the attributions of authorship are original.

A Brief History of Jerusalem: From the Earliest Settlement to the Destruction of the City in AD 70

Klaus Bieberstein, Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Bamberg (about 130 miles east of Frankfurt, Germany), has written a clear and informative summary of the history of Jerusalem from its earliest settlement to its destruction by the Romans in AD 70. Jerusalem is one of the most excavated sites in the world, and yet only a fraction of its history has been uncovered to date. Bieberstein correctly likens the situation to “a puzzle of which only a fraction of the pieces are known” (preface).It is highly challenging to excavate Jerusalem, as the city has been continuously populated since early times and has a dense population today. Further complicating its archaeological history is the fact that several of the most important breakthroughs from the 1960s to 1980s only have had preliminary reports published (e.g., Kathleen Kenyon [1961–67]; Benjamin Mazar [1968–78]; Yigal Shiloh [1978–85]), with later finds often helping to correct earlier misconceptions from various archaeological discoveries. A book such as this, therefore, is decidedly helpful in sorting through all the significant data.After some preliminary comments in chs. 1 and 2, ch. 3 (“History of Archaeological Research”) nicely orients the reader for the more detailed archaeological descriptions that come later. While few of these earlier excavations were carefully recorded or properly written up, a number of these early visitors made important finds: Edward Robinson (1838, 1852; the Siloam Tunnel; Robinson’s Arch); Charles Wilson (1864, 1867–70; Wilson’s Arch); and Charles Warren (1867–70; Warren’s Shaft).The main section of the book, chs. 4 through 7, provides an overview of the archaeological finds from the first settlement in Jerusalem through the Achaemenid, Hellenistic, and Herodian periods. Little is known about Jerusalem’s earliest visitors, but what little evidence there is suggests that hunters and gatherers used it only for temporary stopovers. The first small settlement appeared during the Early Bronze Age above the Gihon Spring (3700–2500 BC). These dates differ slightly from those of Amihai Mazar, who dates this period to 3300–2300 BC (Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 10,000-568 B.C.E., Anchor Bible Reference Library [New York: Doubleday, 1992], 30), but Bieberstein claims to follow Johanna Regev, Pierre de Miroschedji, et al., “Chronology of the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant: New Analysis for a High Chronology,” Radiocarbon 54 (2012): 525–66. However, it should be noted that there have been significant difficulties in matching up archaeological finds with radiocarbon dating. See, for example, Lily Singer-Avitz, “Archaeological Views: Carbon 14—The Solution to Dating David and Solomon?” BAR 35.3 (2009): 28, 71; Amihai Mazar and C. Bronk Ramsey, “14C Dates and the Iron Age Chronology of Israel: A Response,” Radiocarbon 50 (2008): 159–80; and Manfred Bietak, “Antagonisms in Historical and Radiocarbon Chronology,” in A. J. Shortland and C. Bronk Ramsey, eds., Radiocarbon and the Chronologies of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Oxbow, 2013), 78–110.Particularly helpful in this section are the notations Bieberstein makes of more recent archaeological evidence that help to correct earlier opinions (e.g., pp. 27, 30, 32, 33). Additional maps or pictures to illustrate his descriptions would have been useful, especially when describing the walls and specific archeological finds, but this is not always within the control of the author. Bieberstein adopts a modern historical-critical approach to the biblical text. This is an interesting contrast to his approach to the works of Josephus and the books of Maccabees, which he appears to take at face value. A more balanced view of the biblical text would have been appreciated.An excellent bibliography provides an up-to-date overview of the archaeological excavations and many of the artifacts that have been found over the last century and a half. The wealth of valuable information it provides can serve as a springboard for further research. Overall, this book is easy to use and provides a solid foundation of the history of Jerusalem on which to build further.

General

I was very excited to get my hands on what was promising to be a magnificent and extremely helpfulHandbook of Rhetorical Studies, and my expectations were matched – and exceeded! This handbook contains no less than sixty contributions written by eminent experts and is divided into six parts. Each section opens with a brief orientation essay, tracing the development of rhetoric in a specific period, and is followed by individual chapters which are organized thematically. Part I contains eleven chapters on ‘Greek Rhetoric’, and the areas covered are law, politics, historiography, pedagogy, poetics, tragedy, Old Comedy, Plato, Aristotle, and closing with the Sophists. Part II contains thirteen chapters on ‘Ancient Roman Rhetoric’, which similarly covers law, politics, historiography, pedagogy, and the Second Sophistic, and adds Stoic philosophy, epic, lyric address, declamation, fiction, music and the arts, and Augustine to the list of topics. Part III, on ‘Medieval Rhetoric’, covers politics, literary criticism, poetics, and comedy; Part IV, on the Renaissance contains chapters on politics, law, pedagogy, science, poetics, theatre, and the visual arts. Part V consists of seven essays on the early modern and Enlightenment periods and is decidedly Britano-centric: politics, gender in British literature, architecture, origins of British Enlightenment rhetoric, philosophy (mostly British, too), science, and the elocutionary movement in Britain. With Chapter 45 we arrive at the modern age section (Part VI), with two chapters on feminism, one on race, and three on the standard topics (law, political theory, science), grouped together with those on presidential politics, New Testament studies, argumentation, semiotics, psychoanalysis, deconstruction, social epistemology, and environment, and closing with digital media. The volume also contains a glossary of Greek and Latin rhetorical terms. As the editor states in his Introduction, the aim of the volume is not only to provide a comprehensive history of rhetoric, but also to enable those interested in the role of rhetoric in specific disciplines or genres, such as law or theatre and performance, to easily find those sections in respective parts of the book and thus explore the intersection of rhetoric with one specific field in a chronological sequence.

The Rest of Her Offspring

Abstract This paper demonstrates that a number of striking similarities between the expansion of Gen 3:15 found in the Palestinian Targums and the drama of Revelation 12 indicates that both are derived from the same Jewish tradition that interprets Gen 3:15 messianically. The implications of such a study are threefold. First, the primary intertext for Revelation 12 should be understood as Gen 3:15. Second, such a relationship between the New Testament and the Targumic traditions indicates that the Palestinian Targums should not be neglected in New Testament studies, as has been the recent trend. Finally, the so-called protoevangelium is ultimately a Christian adaptation of a Jewish messianic interpretation of Gen 3:15.

Critical bibliography practices: integrating the KTA biblical studies in the European theological research context (the second half of the 19th – early 20th ct.)

In this article, the author explores one of the avenues through which the experiences of the European biblical studies were implemented in the Kyiv Theological Academy (КТА) in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. For the first time, the critical bibliographic reviews of biblical research works written by foreign scholars are being examined as a genre. In the comments and reviews made by the KTA professors, we observe a critical analysis of the experiences related to rationalistic and orthodox apologetic trends as represented in foreign biblical studies, as well as a quest for conceptual and methodological allies in support of the Orthodox biblical apologetic perspective. These critical reviews represent a valuable asset indicating that the Kyiv theological academic studies had been incorporated in the global dimension of academic biblical studies. The broad range of subjects addressed in the reviews as well as their regularity and frequency testify to intensive professional communication within the theological academic community. In addition, the texts demonstrate the degree the Kyiv academics perceived the global issues and trends, the responses of scholars to methodological and conceptual challenges, and their perception of various hermeneutical models. The article specifies the stages in which the genre of review evolved from 1860s to early 1900s. From the key structural elements of the entire body of reviews and critical articles, the author distinguishes reviews of the Old Testament and New Testament studies in such thematic areas as isagogics, theology, exegesis, historical criticism, textual criticism, study of biblical languages, geography, archeology, history, chronology, and comparative studies of religion and culture. The subject areas of the reviews and critical articles specifically indicate significant development in the European biblical studies.Article received 22.02.2018

Isaiah 5: A prophetic critique of economic proportion

The text of Isaiah 5 describes a rapidly changing society in 8th-century BCE Judah. This shift is driven by forces such as increased international trade, the clash of urbanisation and agrarianism, and the rise of the urban elites. These changes have direct correlation with the transforming economic environment of that period. Yet scholars have paid little attention to the economic realities reflected in the message of the prophet Isaiah. This article explores the context of Isaiah 5 through an engagement with economic theory. While recognising the dilemmas in the adoption of tools from contemporary economic theory to analyse an ancient society, this article utilises game theory to shed light on the historical and cultural background to the text. By applying the ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ it explores the ‘deal’ being offered by the prophet to the Judahite leaders in Isaiah 5: 8–24. In particular, the article looks at rational choice and the self-interested basis of decision-making to draw insights from the text by highlighting the conflicts of interest for the wealthy elite of Isaiah 5.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research relates to the disciplines of Old Testament Studies and Economic Theory. The focus is applying economic theory to the biblical text of Isaiah 5.