Theological Emphases Research Articles

Proclaiming the jubilee year for undocumented migrants: anti-immigration biopolitics and a Christian theopolitical response

President Obama announced a major executive action on immigration policy on November 20, 2014, which will protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Obama's executive order, however, outraged Republicans in Congress, who argue that the president does not have the authority to delay deportations in such magnitude. On December 3, 2014, a coalition of 17 U.S. states led by Texas Governor-elect Greg Abbott sued the Obama administration to stop it from protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation. The purpose of this paper is to respond to the current political (d)evolvement with a new theological appropriation of the biblical concept of “jubilee.” I argue in this paper that Christian churches and communities should adopt a new theopolitical paradigm modeled after jubilee in engaging the political process to promote justice and peace for many undocumented people. The strength of this new model lies in its theological emphasis on the Christian ideal of forgiveness, and a key theological insight we can draw on from the concept of jubilee is that no humans should be kept under permanent indebted, enslaved, or illegal status.

Cyprian’s Use of Philippians

Cyprian’s appropriation of Scripture and his theological emphases are closely connected with the circumstances of his congregation. As a case study in Cyprian’s biblical interpretation, this article considers all his quotations of and allusions to Philippians through the lens of his pastoral concerns: the unity of the Church; care for the poor and captive; discipline and repentance; and divine truth and eternal glory. The reading strategies Cyprian uses can be categorized as contextual exegesis, model, image, direct application, and prophetic fulfilment. The study provides a fresh perspective on patronage and almsgiving in Cyprian, deepens our understanding of the reception of Paul, and elucidates the interplay of text, context and theology in an important exponent of early Latin exegesis.

The monstrosity of the multitude: unredeeming radical theology

AbstractIf its power comes from the very value held so dear by neoliberalism—that of productivity—can the “multitude” as conceived by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri ever fully resist the neoliberal Empire? Engaging the Autonomous Marxism of Franco “Bifo” Berardi, I argue that continued philosophical and theological emphases on productivity resonate with a soteriological narrative embedded in neoliberalism’s promise that work is redemptive. As both counter and supplement to such emphases, this essay offers an alternate reading of Hardt and Negri’s multitude through the lens of crip (disability) theory. In Sex and Disability crip theorists Anna Mollow and Robert McRuer argue that counter to Joseph Conrad’s assertion that “ ‘A man is a worker. If he is not then he is nothing,’ ” a crip politics says, “fuck employability: I’m too sick to work” (25). To embrace the stigma of sickness is to question the demands of productive labour on offer by society. A similar crip politics, one that tells the Empire it is too sick to work and too slow to be efficient, might loose the multitude from its redeployment in the very technologies of power Hardt and Negri hope to counter. Looking to figures of monstrosity, I argue that productivist tendencies within radical theology betray the field’s crip potential. Ultimately, this essay seeks to recover the multitude’s monstrosity from within Hardt and Negri’s corpus. A return to its monstrosity returns the multitude to its unproductive potency, that which wanders away from demands of social cohesion, and thus resists redemptive wholeness. This article is published as part of a collection dedicated to radical theologies.

Tobit's Context and Contacts in the Qumran Aramaic Anthology

The debate over Tobit's compositional language was invigorated by the discovery of Aramaic and Hebrew copies of the work in Qumran cave four. The growing position among scholars, however, is that Tobit's literary-linguistic makeup is best accounted for by its origination in the Aramaic language. The now widened collection of some thirty Aramaic texts available from among the Qumran collection provides a fresh opportunity to re-read Tobit with an eye for aspects of the book's message and outlook that come into sharper relief when contrasted and compared with its closest counterparts in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls. This exploratory study details the central theological emphases and literary motifs that Tobit shares with a core group of Aramaic writings including, but not limited to, 1 Enoch, Genesis Apocryphon, Aramaic Levi Document, Testament of Qahat, Visions of Amram, and New Jerusalem. Five points of correspondence with the aforementioned writings will be described: (1) the preference for first-person voices, (2) ancestral instruction on Israelite religious duties and observance, (3) insistence on endogamous marriages, (4) eschatological outlooks of a ‘new’ Jerusalem, and (5) the awareness of idioms and motifs drawn from dream-vision traditions. Tobit may be viewed as an important representative of the Aramaic heritage of ancient Judaism, since in it we find the confluence of several key components of the thought world of the broader Aramaic collection, of which Tobit was an essential part.

Roger Ascham's Defence of the Lord's Supper

This article explores a little-known Latin tract on the Eucharist entitled “A defence of the Lord's Supper” (Apologia pro Caena Dominica). The Apologia is a treatise of 1547 which vigorously denounced the Mass, its sacrifice, and priests. It was written by Roger Ascham as a direct response to a series of religious debates held at Cambridge University at the start of Edward VI's reign. The work's evident aim to direct government discussion on the best way to restore the Lord's Supper in England raises interesting questions about the relationship between University and State during this reign. It also offers fresh insights into the evolution of Edwardine Protestantism, not least because the orientation of the Apologia's theology was distinctly Lutheran. It may be possible to make the case that Luther's writings and theological emphases had a greater impact on Edwardine religious debates about the Eucharist than scholars had assumed. Lastly, the work provides a welcome opportunity for a reappraisal of Ascham himself, both his confessional identity, and the precise nature of his role in the religious conflicts of the Reformation.

The Collects of the Roman Missals: A Comparative Study of the Sundays in Proper Seasons before and after the Second Vatican Council by Lauren Pristas

Antiphon 18.1 (2014) 106–109 Book Review Lauren Pristas The Collects of the Roman Missals: A Comparative Study of the Sundays in Proper Seasons before and after the Second Vatican Council T&T Clark Studies in Fundamental Liturgy Series New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2013 xiv+250 pages. Paperback. $49.95. Critical studies of the post-Vatican II liturgical reform are in many cases old news, the sort of thing that has been brought up since the “Ottaviani Intervention.” But Lauren Pristas, a professor of theology at Caldwell College in New Jersey, has made it her business over the last decade to look more deeply than most other scholars at the original Latin texts of the revised Roman Rite liturgy . Specifically, she has undertaken a non-polemical study of the theological principles and policies of revision that underpin the propers of the Mass. Her monograph, The Collects of the Roman Missals, which culls and augments her previous research, is a comparative study of the collects assigned to the Sundays and major feasts of proper seasons in the missal of 1962 (the last of the Tridentine missals) and the missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 (or, in its most recent typical edition, 2002). Its objective is threefold: to determine whether the pre- and post-Vatican II missals “emphasize the same truths of faith and the same aspects of Christian life, whether Catholics who worship by means of the revised rites are shaped by their worship in the same way that earlier generations were shaped by theirs, and if the answer to either of the preceding questions is no, to determine the nature and significance of the differences” (1). The book consists of eight chapters (Introduction and Background ; Resources; Advent; Christmas; Septuagesima; Lent; Paschaltide ; Summary and Conclusion), an extensive bibliography and three indices: prayers, Scripture citations, and general. Drawing on published and archive material, Pristas presents the relevant discussions and decisions of the Consilium, the body charged with revising the liturgical books according to the prescriptions of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy , Sacrosanctum Concilium. Beginning with the First Sunday of 107 Book review Advent and ending with Pentecost Sunday, she carefully examines the Latin collects of the two missals in relation both to each other and to their respective source texts—a researcher’s nightmare , given that the Consilium eliminated or relocated many of the old orations and removed many of the features of the traditional Proper of the Seasons (gone are the Ember Days, the season of Septuagesima, Passiontide and, while not pertinent to the present study nonetheless noteworthy, the Octave of Pentecost). We need not wait for Christmas to arrive before we find that the 1970 missal introduced significant changes of theological emphasis and spiritual outlook. For example, the 1962 Advent Sunday collects express the absolute necessity of grace for every salutary act “unambiguously in the somewhat subtle, non-expository manner proper to orations,” whereas the new prayers, while not explicitly contradicting Catholic teaching on grace, invite misunderstanding because they “neither articulate it nor, more worrisomely , seem to assume it” (59). The traditional Advent collects, moreover, “rest upon the logical assumption or, more accurately, the firm belief that divine assistance is the actual presence of Christ” (61); by contrast, the new collects seek goods which “do not reduce, as it were, to the simple presence of Christ or of God himself” and consequently “portray God as standing further off and acting toward us in a less personal and more extrinsic manner ” (61–62). More striking was the complete overhaul of the corpus of Lenten collects. In the Tridentine missals these prayers emphasize “the interdependence between body and soul and of the necessity of both divine grace and graced human effort” (154). The revisers rephrased or replaced all of these collects, except the one for Palm Sunday, by texts which are “materially quite different” (127). It might be claimed that Sacrosanctum Concilium no. 109, which directs that the season’s “twofold character” (penitential and pre-baptismal) be given greater prominence in the liturgy, justifies a revision of the Lenten formularies; but that makes all the more “surprising...the absence of the baptismal elements” from all of...

Which Version of the Twelve Prophets Should Christians Read? A Case for Reading the LXX Twelve Prophets

Abstract The question of which Bible to read continues to be fundamental to the exegetical and theological task. Recent research into the Twelve Prophets has demonstrated that individual books ought to be read in light of their placement within the collection. In the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, the order of the Twelve Prophets differs, resulting in varying theologies between the versions. The question for Christian interpreters is which text they should read. Scholars have largely favored the MT version of the Twelve and questioned the integrity of a LXX Twelve collection. In this essay, I argue that, as Christian Scripture, books within the Twelve ought to be read in light of their function within both Hebrew and Greek versions. This view rests on a broader theological understanding of canon, as well as recent research on the Twelve Prophets among historical critics. The books of the LXX Twelve consistently appear in the same order in the ancient manuscripts, which suggests that their sequence functioned in a normative manner. LXX Twelve possesses its own catchwords and thematic development that unify the collection and contribute to its distinct theological emphasis. If the Holy Spirit sanctifies the canonical process from composition to reception, then a more expansive canon can include both versions. In addition, if ecclesiastical tradition ought to be consulted in canonical decisions, the exegetical practices of Augustine and Jerome provide a precedent for using both versions for Christian theological interpretation.

Which Version of the Twelve Prophets Should Christians Read? A Case for Reading the LXX Twelve Prophets

Abstract The question of which Bible to read continues to be fundamental to the exegetical and theological task. Recent research into the Twelve Prophets has demonstrated that individual books ought to be read in light of their placement within the collection. In the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, the order of the Twelve Prophets differs, resulting in varying theologies between the versions. The question for Christian interpreters is which text they should read. Scholars have largely favored the MT version of the Twelve and questioned the integrity of a LXX Twelve collection. In this essay, I argue that, as Christian Scripture, books within the Twelve ought to be read in light of their function within both Hebrew and Greek versions. This view rests on a broader theological understanding of canon, as well as recent research on the Twelve Prophets among historical critics. The books of the LXX Twelve consistently appear in the same order in the ancient manuscripts, which suggests that their sequence functioned in a normative manner. LXX Twelve possesses its own catchwords and thematic development that unify the collection and contribute to its distinct theological emphasis. If the Holy Spirit sanctifies the canonical process from composition to reception, then a more expansive canon can include both versions. In addition, if ecclesiastical tradition ought to be consulted in canonical decisions, the exegetical practices of Augustine and Jerome provide a precedent for using both versions for Christian theological interpretation.

Deciding how to live: Theological reflections on the School of Life

This article is an extended review of six recent short non-theological works from the School of Life, a London-based practical philosophy initiative. The article distils from the works their dominant themes with a view to assessing what Christian theology might learn about necessary theological emphases today. Four themes are discerned – body, inner life, concern for others, action. It is suggested that through these emphases the works indicate the importance of working on contemporary formulations of doctrines of incarnation, Spirit, kingdom of God and salvation which connect with the themes identified.

누가복음 18:22의 panta hosa echeis poleson 번역에 대한 제안

This article attempts to suggest a revised translation of Luke 18:22. In case of Luke 18:22, Korean versions seem to choose the principle of ‘sense for sense’ in translation. Korean versions are simply translating the phrase π?ντα ?σα ?χ?ι? π?λησου as “sell everything you have (or own)”, thus leaving π?ντα untranslated. There seems to be no big problem in communicating the basic meaning of the phrase in question. According to major Greek-English Lexicons edited by Liddell-Scott and Danker-Bauer, the relative pronoun ?σα can mean ‘everything’ without the aid of π?ντα. Examples from Luke-Acts cited by A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature show that the author of Luke-Acts clearly knew the usages of ?σα.<BR> In this case, questions arise why Luke added π?ντα which might be just redundant. Is it just Luke’s literary style? But redactional comparison of the Gospel of Luke to its source material, the Gospel of Mark, leads us to assume that Luke 18:22 intentionally inserted π?ντα to the Markan parallel text 10:21. A close reading of the Gospel of Luke in comparison to the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew reveals that Luke tends to emphasize and intensify the importance of the right use of possessions. To do this, Luke sometimes radicalizes the extent of giving up one’s possessions as an expression of his/her resolution to follow Jesus. (cf. Luke 5:11; 6:30). In addition, Luke’s special materials, which Luke alone reports independently of other synoptic Gospels, also supports our assumption that Luke thinks very highly of right attitude/right handling toward/of possessions. However, modern translations do not reflect this subtle difference of Luke’s theology, failing to recognize Luke’s intention to insert π?ντα/π?ντι in Luke 5:11 and 6:30.<BR> Thus, if π?ντα in Luke 18:22 is an indication of Luke’s special theological interests, the omission of π?ντα in translation would be problematic. It would result in eclipsing Luke’s true intention, by making the same translation from the two distinctively different texts, Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:22. For this reason, I suggest to translate the phrase π?ντα ?σα ?χ?ι? π?λησου in Luke 18:22 as “sell all your possessions, whatsoever you have.” In this light, I also suggest that we should follow ‘word for word’ principle in translating Synoptic Gospels to avoid inadvertently eclipsing distinctive theological emphases of each Gospel writer.

Intellectual humility and interreligious dialogue between Christians and Muslims

This article addresses the question of whether Christians and Muslims mean the same thing when they speak of humility and the role that attitude might play in Christian–Muslim dialogue. To restrict the focus, current scholarly reflection on humility and its role in dialogue is analyzed in relation to ‘classic’ accounts of the attitude from each tradition, namely Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī's and Bernard of Clairvaux's. On the basis of the analysis and argument, two conclusions are advanced: first, there is an underlying structure common to Christian and Muslim accounts of humility, while there are also differences resulting from theological emphases; second, Christian and Muslim humility have valuable roles to play in Christian–Muslim dialogue, though they are different from the roles envisioned by prominent Christian and Muslim advocates of dialogue. A particular example of confusion in contemporary discussions, it is suggested, is the putative necessary connection between humility and an inclusivist attitude of acceptance toward the religious ‘other’. The article argues that humility can be exemplified by religious exclusivists and that, while it is an aid to better negotiating debates over exclusivism and inclusivism, it cannot resolve them.

Worship in the Spirit: Pentecostal Perspectives on Liturgical Theology and Praxis

A Pentecostal theology of worship is still in the making. Its distinctiveness and common practices are yet to be fully determined or developed. Because of the Pentecostal movement’s roots in the Wesleyan tradition, much of the theological emphasis has been upon holiness and not orthodox, liturgical praxis. However, because of its pneumatological emphases, the Pentecostal movement has much to offer to the church at large as it pertains to liturgy and ritual. This essay suggests some insights for crafting intentionally blended worship that honors orthodoxy and yet remains faithful to the Pentecostal practice and tradition. This essay also reflects upon several scholars’ work from various traditions in convergence with Pentecostal scholarship in order to postulate some innovative ways of envisioning Pentecostal worship and liturgics.

Pentecostal Theology: Retrospect and Prospect

AbstractDue to its vast geographic and numerical expansion, pentecostalism exhibits many of the contextual complexities of a global religious tradition. Therefore, the topic ‘pentecostal theology’ can easily succumb to death by a thousand qualifications. At the same time, there are concrete historical developments and sufficient theological commonalities that allow for a survey that does not underestimate the many variations of pentecostal theology. First, I trace the developments of the ‘three waves’ of pentecostalism. I briefly discuss some of their respective major figures and theological emphases. While the term ‘three waves’ has become a standard designation for recounting the phases of pentecostal history and theology, the rise of academic theology within first‐wave pentecostalism defies some of the schema’s categorizations. Therefore, I, second, trace this turn to academic theology. From their early creation of Bible schools to their more recent attainment of advanced training in religious studies, first‐wave pentecostals demonstrate an increasing interest in obtaining terminal theological training. Some of the most recent of these scholars are the first within first‐wave pentecostalism to take up systematic/constructive theology. While they have produced a significant amount of literature since the beginning of the 1990s, they have yet to receive extensive scholarly assessment. Therefore, I, third, introduce some major pentecostal systematic/constructive theologians.

Mission is Ministry in the Dimension of Difference: A Definition for the Twenty-First Century

October 2010 Titus Presler is an Episcopal priest and missiologist with experience in India and Zimbabwe. He chaired the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on World Mission and was a researcher for the Global Anglicanism Project. Former president of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, he is the author of Horizons of Mission (Cowley Publications, 2001). —www.tituspresler.com M is ministry in the dimension of difference. This definition of mission assists reflection in a number of ways. It makes explicit the distinctive character of mission that is implicit but unacknowledged in many discussions of mission that focus on particular theological or practical emphases. By articulating an empirical category—difference—rather than theological content, the definition provides a relatively neutral criterion of analysis and comparison in the practice of churches and in mission thought. Yet the criterion of difference has substantial biblical warrant and theological import. Furthermore, the definition provides a measure for assessing and comparing mission emphases across a range of religions. The proposed definition distinguishes mission as a particular kind of ministry and thereby clarifies a common confusion of these two concepts. It is a simple formulation, rather than complex and esoteric. Members of Christian churches readily understand it, for it focuses a commonplace impression about mission, namely, that it concerns engagement with the other. It provides a marker for types of ministry in local and global settings alike, for it applies equally to work around the corner and to work across the world. It applies equally to churches based on all continents in distinguishing their mission work, whether in Caracas or Cameroun, Cambodia or California. In highlighting difference as the marker, it connects missiology with postmodern discourse in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Moby-Dick

This study builds upon my previous treatment of Melville’s Moby-Dick first published as ‘Moby-Dick: Encountering the Leviathan of God’ in my The Old Testament in Fiction and Film: On Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow (1994). The study continues the three-way dialogue set up within that book, with the biblical text, Melville’s novel and cinematic treatments of Moby-Dick being compared and contrasted. In particular, it offers a careful discussion of the most recent full-bodied cinematic adaptation of Melville’s classic tale, namely the film by the British director Franc Roddam. This film was released in 1998 and starred Patrick Stewart in the role of Captain Ahab. The article discusses some of the theological emphases within the film, particularly in the fields of biblical hermeneutics and inter textuality. Comparisons are also made between Roddam’s film and John Huston’s 1956 effort which starred Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab.

Ezekiel: A Commentary (review)

Hebrew Studies 50 (2009) 409 Reviews EZEKIEL: A COMMENTARY. By Paul M. Joyce. LHBOTS 482. Pp. xi + 307. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Cloth, $140.00. In this relatively short commentary, Paul Joyce—noted Ezekiel scholar and chair of the Society of Biblical Literature’s section on “Theological Perspectives on the Book of Ezekiel”—has given readers an eminently readable , balanced, and useful study of what is arguably the Hebrew Bible’s most disturbing and perplexing prophetic book. To be sure, Joyce’s commentary does not contain the detail and breadth of discussion found in some previous major commentaries, such as the multi-volume works by M. Greenberg (1983, 1997), W. Zimmerli (1979, 1983), K.-F. Pohlmann (1996, 2001), or D. I. Block (1997, 1998), but scholars seeking the most in-depth treatments available of any given passage in Ezekiel will no doubt consult all of these sources anyway. Rather, Joyce sets out to combine a number of techniques, such as close literary readings, sensitive theological analysis, and historical reconstruction, and he does so in such a way as to provide both a solid base of information for the novice as well as some more rigorous commentary for advanced scholars; thus, the book will prove to be just as at home on the shelves of graduate students and clergy as it will be on the shelves of seminary professors and seasoned theologians. Specifically, Joyce’s book exhibits several strengths that set it apart from previous efforts. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the commentary is its introduction (pp. 1–62), wherein Joyce deftly weaves his way through many topics, summarizing and explaining the most important historical and theological issues in the book and providing a fascinating summary of over two millennia of interpretive efforts. The introduction is both succinct and (at least relatively) comprehensive at the same time, a difficult and noteworthy achievement, and is worth the price of the book (if indeed one can find a copy of it for under $140.00). For example, the section on theological themes (pp. 17–32) is a very thorough and compelling introduction to Ezekiel’s theology. Here, Joyce takes issue with several longstanding (but now mostly abandoned) attempts at characterizing Ezekiel as a champion of individual responsibility and harbinger of the demise of the antiquated concept of “group identity”; rather, Joyce views Ezekiel’s statements on the topic as “typical of the Hebrew Bible as a whole” (p. 25), that is, Ezekiel sees a place both for corporate and individual responsibility. The son may not be doomed to suffer for the sins of the father (Ezek 18:20), but Joyce is surely correct to point out (pp. 25–26) that the vision of the sword wielding deity in Ezek 21:6–10 (who will destroy “both the righteous and the wicked”!) is less than encouraging in terms of the “individual responsibility” theme (or any theme) (see also Joyce’s brief discussion on p. 156). Hebrew Studies 50 (2009) 410 Reviews Following Zimmerli, Joyce’s most persistent theological emphasis involves a recognition of the motif of “radical theocentricity” in Ezekiel, best exemplified by Ezekiel’s frequently used “recognition formula” (with variations ), “and you (or they) shall know that I am YHWH” (pp. 27–29). YHWH fears his name has been tainted, and must act out of “divine selfinterest ” (p. 29) to correct the misconception; the deity does this for his own reasons, superseding all human attempts at either righteousness or infidelity. At other points, Joyce introduces new theological possibilities, such as in his brief discussion of “grace” as a key (even if only implicit) concept of Ezekiel’s vision of YHWH’s actions (pp. 26–27, 57). On the historical level, Joyce is mostly content to defend the authenticity of the book of Ezekiel as the product of a sixth century, Babylonian prophet Ezekiel; while he is not reluctant to allow certain facets of editorial activity (p. 10), and he is willing to acknowledge the circularity inherent in the attribution of certain dates (p. 12), Joyce clearly defers to the idea of a primarily authentic collection of oracles attributed to the man Ezekiel himself (p. 6). While this may be less than satisfying...

A recepção de Agostinho de Hipona em Martinho Lutero

The article analyzes the reception of Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in Martin Luther's theology (1483¬1518), starting from the african Doctor's influence in the writings, teachings and theological emphasis of the German Protestant Reformer. From the entrance in the Convent of black Augustines of Erfurt, Luther welcomes his influence in the neoplatonism, in the theology of sin and grace, in the scholastic nominalistic, and through of Bernard of Clairvaux mystic. He was based in Of the Spirit and of the letter in Heidelberg’s Debate and in the fight against the pelagianism. He past from the enthusiasm to the disenchantment, without leaving of using his theological arguments.

Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, and the aesthetic of revelation

With his mastery of modernist technique and his depictions of characters obsessed with the past, Nobel laureate William Faulkner raised the bar for southern fiction writers. But the work of two later authors shows that the aesthetic of memory is not enough: Confederate thunder fades into a comic echo as they turn to an explicitly religious source of meaning. According to John Sykes, the fiction of Flannery O'Connor and Walker Percy provides occasions for divine revelation. He traces their work from its common roots in midcentury southern and Catholic intellectual life to show how the two adopted different theological emphases and rhetorical strategies - O'Connor building to climactic images, Percy striving for dialogue with the reader - as a means of uncovering the sacramental foundation of the created order. Sykes sets O'Connor and Percy against the background of the Southern Renaissance from which they emerged, showing not only how they shared a distinctly Christian notion of art that led them to see fiction as revelatory but also how their methods of revelation took them in different directions. Yet, despite their differences in strategy and emphasis, he argues that the two are united in their conception of the artist as God's sharp-eyed witness, and he connects them with the philosophers and critics, both Christian and non-Christian, who had a meaningful influence on their work. Through sustained readings of key texts - particularly such O'Connor stories as The Artificial Nigger and The Geranium and Percy's novels Love in the Ruins and The Second Coming - Sykes focuses on the intertwined themes of revelation, sacrament, and community. He views their work in relation to the theological difficulties that they were not able to overcome concerning community. For both writers, the question of community is further complicated by the changing nature of the South as the Lost Cause and segregation lose their holds and a new form of prosperity arises. By disclosing how O'Connor and Percy made aesthetic choices based on their Catholicism and their belief that fiction by its very nature is revelatory, Sykes demonstrates that their work cannot be seen as merely a continuation of the historical aesthetic that dominated southern literature for so long. Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, and the Aesthetic of Revelation is theoretically sophisticated without being esoteric and is accessible to any reader with a serious interest in these writers, brimming with fresh insights about both that clarify their approaches to art and enrich our understanding of their work.

A Looser "Canon"? Relating William Abraham's "Canon and Criterion in Christian Theology" to Biblical Interpretation

Abstract In his important book, William Abraham criticizes "a long-standing misinterpretation of ecclesial canons as epistemic criteria." He also defines "canon" in such a way that Scripture is not the canon but rather one entity in a network of "materials, persons, and practices officially or semi-officially identified and set apart as a means of grace and salvation by the Christian community." This paper discerns and evaluates the entailments of Abraham's viewpoint for biblical interpretation. Although Abraham's approach offers the opportunity to explore a more classic and even Eastern Orthodox perspective, biblical and historical considerations should moderate his critique of the Western heritage. His theological emphasis on means of grace is a helpful corrective. Yet we must avoid false dichotomies between soteriology and epistemology: Regulating the church's dogmatic and ethical teaching is a crucial way in which biblical texts mediate grace. A brief example from Eccl 12:9–14 enables us to see more clearly what it means to read Scripture "canonically": one of Scripture's gracious functions is goading us to read soteriologically, yet we do so in light of the pressure exerted by the received wisdom teaching that is passed on to us through biblical texts.

A Looser "Canon"? Relating William Abraham's "Canon and Criterion in Christian Theology" to Biblical Interpretation

Abstract In his important book, William Abraham criticizes "a long-standing misinterpretation of ecclesial canons as epistemic criteria." He also defines "canon" in such a way that Scripture is not the canon but rather one entity in a network of "materials, persons, and practices officially or semi-officially identified and set apart as a means of grace and salvation by the Christian community." This paper discerns and evaluates the entailments of Abraham's viewpoint for biblical interpretation. Although Abraham's approach offers the opportunity to explore a more classic and even Eastern Orthodox perspective, biblical and historical considerations should moderate his critique of the Western heritage. His theological emphasis on means of grace is a helpful corrective. Yet we must avoid false dichotomies between soteriology and epistemology: Regulating the church's dogmatic and ethical teaching is a crucial way in which biblical texts mediate grace. A brief example from Eccl 12:9–14 enables us to see more clearly what it means to read Scripture "canonically": one of Scripture's gracious functions is goading us to read soteriologically, yet we do so in light of the pressure exerted by the received wisdom teaching that is passed on to us through biblical texts.