Gordon Johnston | Dallas Theological Seminary (original) (raw)

Papers by Gordon Johnston

Daniel Block, ed. et al., "Write That They May Read: Studies in Literacy and Textualization in the Ancient Near East and in the Hebrew Scriptures: Essays in Honour of Professor Alan R. Millard" (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2020) pp. 71-99

E G M compared the Sinai covenant to mid-secondmillennium Hittite treaties, conservative scholars... more E G M compared the Sinai covenant to mid-secondmillennium Hittite treaties, conservative scholars have argued that the Sinai covenant was modelled a er the Hittite paradigm. Yet a question remained, "How could Moses have been in uenced by a Hittite form, when the Hebrews were languishing in Egypt, + miles away from Anatolia?" So this essay asks, "Is it possible to nd a viable vehicle of unique historical connection between the Hittite treaties and the Hebrew covenant?" I suggest that a viable candidate may be found in the so-called Silver Treaty Tablet (CTH), which was sent from Hattusili III to Ramesses II and arrived in Pi-Ramesses in ca. BC. A er putting it on display in the Heliopolis temple, Ramesses commissioned public display copies to be engraved on the walls of the temples at Karnak and ebes for the sake of public reading (KRI .). Ramesses also commissioned the public reading of the treaty to the people of Egypt (CTH ,). us this study o ers a possible mechanism by which the scribal activities of two cultures (Hittite and Egyptian) might have in uenced the literary form of the Hebrew covenant inaugurated at Sinai in the mid-thirteenth century BC. 1. is essay represents a revision of a previously unpublished paper, "What Biblicists Need to Know about Hittite Treaties" presented to the OT Backgrounds/ANE Study Group at the National Meeting of the Evangelical eological Society in San Antonio, Texas, on November. It is a privilege to contribute this essay to a Festschri honoring the lifetime accomplishments of Professor Alan R. Millard, who has modelled the ideals of the biblical scholar and Christian gentleman throughout his career. His thorough research, meticulous attention to detail, even handed weighing of evidence, as well as cautious conclusions have provided an example to younger scholars who can only hope to continue his legacy.

Michael Grisanti and David Howard, eds. "Giving the Sense: Understanding and Using Old Testament Historical Texts" (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003) pp. 380-406, 2003

Unpublished Paper Presented at the National Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2003

Does God sometimes do things in response to our prayers that He otherwise would not have done? Do... more Does God sometimes do things in response to our prayers that He otherwise would not have done? Does He sometimes do things because we pray or do we pray because He foreordained that He would do something? Does God really respond to our prayers or does it only seem that way? Does prayer sometimes change things or does it really only change us?

Bibliotheca Sacra, 2009

various approaches to the literary structure of the Song of Songs. 1 Having been alerted to the p... more various approaches to the literary structure of the Song of Songs. 1 Having been alerted to the pitfalls of past misadventures and heartened by the promises of contemporary literary approaches, the way is now clear to reconsider the enigma of this labyrinth from a fresh perspective. The purpose of this article is to examine afresh two features that provide a roadmap to the literary structure of the Song, namely, its poetic refrains and its parallel panels. THE REFRAIN IN HEBREW POETRY AND THE SONG OF SONGS Scholars have shown interest in the refrain in Hebrew poetry throughout the twentieth century. 2 Recent studies that have focused on the so-called refrain-poems in Psalms have made a sig-Gordon «. Johnston is Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas. Nature of the refrain. Preminger's definition of the refrain is generally deemed the classic one: "A line, lines, or part of a line repeated verbatim at intervals throughout a poem, usually at regular intervals, and most often at the end of a stanza." 4 Adapting Preminger's definition to account for the unique nature of Hebrew poetry, van der Lugt writes, "I define a refrain as follows: a repetition of an unbroken series of words, roughly in the same sequence and encompassing at least a colon, with a framing function on the level of the macrostructure of a poem." 5 Function of refrains. Literary studies universally agree that the refrain plays an important role as a structuring device that determines the framework of poems in which it occurs. Watson notes that ancient Near Eastern and biblical Hebrew poets used refrains to segment poems. 6 Commenting on refrain-psalms, Raabe notes, "The refrains mark the stanza divisions of these poems." 7 Length of refrains. Refrains may vary in length from one to five cola, encompassing from as little as one-half a verseline to as Pieter van der Lugt, Strofische structuren in de Bijbels-Hebreeuwse poëzie (Kampen: Kok, 1980); idem, "The Form and Function of the Refrains in Job 28," in The Structural Analysis of Biblical and Canaanite Poetry, ed. W. van der Meer and J. C. de Moor, JSOT Supplement (Sheffield: JSOT, 1988), 265-93; idem, Rhetorical Criticism and the Poetry of the Book of Job, Oudtestamentische Studien (Leiden: Brill, 1995); idem, Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: With Special Reference to the First Book of the Psalter, Oudtestamentische Studien (Leiden: Brill, 2006); Paul Raabe, Psalm Structures: A Study of Psalms with Refrains, JSOT Supplement (Sheffield: JSOT, 1990).

Bibliotheca Sacra, 2009

A THREE-PART SERIES on the genre and literary structure of the Song of Songs. Along with the firs... more A THREE-PART SERIES on the genre and literary structure of the Song of Songs. Along with the first in the series, this article surveys various approaches in an attempt to determine the most promising directions, highlighting classic representatives, and offering brief evaluations. The third article will examine important features of the Song itself in an effort to ascertain its genre and literary structure. CANTICLES AS HISTORICAL ALLEGORY REPRESENTATIVE Although individual passages in the Song had been construed in allegorical fashion since the days of Akiba (ca. A.D. 135), the first full-fledged treatment of Canticles as historical allegory was introduced by the Aramaic Tar gum (ca. A.D. 650). 1 It traced the history Gordon H. Johnston is Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

Bibliotheca Sacra, 2008

Many studies note the similarities between Ugaritic myths and the Bible (e.g., L. Fisher, "Creati... more Many studies note the similarities between Ugaritic myths and the Bible (e.g., L. Fisher, "Creation at Ugarit and in the Old Testament," Vetus Testamentum 15 [1965]: 313-24; Richard J. Clifford, "Cosmogonies in the Ugaritic Texts and in the Bible," Orientalia 53 [1984]: 202-19; J. C. L. Gibson, "The Theology of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle," Orientalia 53 [1984]: 203-19; and J. H. Groenbaek, "Baal's Battle with Yam: A Canaanite Creation Fight," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 33 [1985]: 27-44). While some Ugaritic texts were cosmological in nature (i.e., describing the operation or structure of the universe in a mythic manner), it is debatable if any were cosmogonie (i.e., explaning the origin of the universe). See B. Margalit, "The Ugaritic Creation Myth: Fact or Fiction?" Ugarit-Forschungen 13 (1981): 137-45; and Marvin H. Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts (Leiden: Brill, 1955).

Drafts by Gordon Johnston

Unpublished Paper Presented to the Solomonic/Wisdom Literature Study Group, National Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (Providence, Rhode Island: November 19, 2008)

Unpublished Paper Presented to the Hebrew Scriptures and Cognate Literature Section, Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, 2010

Unpublished Paper Presented to the Old Testament and Ancient Near East Study Group, Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2011

Unpublished Paper Delivered to the Old Testament Narrative Literature Study Group, Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2011

Gordon%H.%Johnston,%Professor%of%Hebrew%Studies% Old%Testament%Department,%Dallas%Theological%Sem... more Gordon%H.%Johnston,%Professor%of%Hebrew%Studies% Old%Testament%Department,%Dallas%Theological%Seminary%

Unpublished Paper Presented to the Pentateuch Study Group, Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, 2010

Unpublished Paper Presented to the Jeremiah and Ezekiel Study Group, National Meeting of Evangelical Theological Society, 2010

Unpublished Plenary Paper 4 Delivered at Southwest Regional Meeting of Evangelical Theological Society, 2007

Unpublished Plenary Paper 3 Delivered at Midwest Regional Meeting of Evangelical Theological Society, 2007