Biblical Studies Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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- Jewish Studies, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Late Antiquity
- by Jaco Gericke
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, Philosophy Of Religion, Comparative Philosophy

This article examines how currents of renewal, particularly the
charismatic movement, have been leading to new patterns of Christian
formation within the Roman Catholic Church. I will look first at the
overall context; secondly, at the first stage of reform and renewal in
Catholic formation (1965-85) This article examines how currents of renewal, particularly the charismatic movement, have been leading to new patterns of Christian formation within the Roman Catholic Church. I will look first at the overall context; secondly, at the first stage of reform and renewal in Catholic formation

- by Peter Kovalev
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- Archaeology, Biblical Studies

Ps 13 contains a so-called »change of mood« (»Stimmungsumschwung«) between vv.2–5 and v.6, a phenomenon that occurs in individual laments and petitions.
Since the hitherto widely accepted explanation, according to which a priestly oracle of salvation is the cause for the »change of mood«, is now highly disputed, a new evaluation is presented that is based solely on the text of the Psalm. Despite the caesura, there are interrelationships between vv.2–5 and v.6, The expression בחסדך (with Beth causae: »because of your mercy«) in 6a shows what makes possible a new beginning. By the phrase »But I …« ( ואני ) a
new, liberated »I« is introduced that is different from the suffering »I« of the previous verses. Because of the mercy that is granted by God to the one who prays, he is able to express trust (not without recalling previous experiences of mercy). The mode is changing in v.6b, where a jussive is used. Presumably, God’s re-established presence of salvation is expressed proleptically, here. V.6c continues v.6b, and the praise of the heart exits the mouth. A future song is announced, the beginning of the Song of the Sea (Ex 15:1) is intonated and reshaped as an individual thanksgiving song. Finally, the gain of this study is summarized in 9 theses. Accordingly, one can perceive a process of prayer, in which the experiences of distress are not excluded but interwoven in the Psalm. Actual distress has not changed in the present speech of the Psalm, but
the latter expresses confidence in God’s response and anticipates the thanksgiving that is to offer after the petitioner has been rescued. The fact that the present Psalm has been preserved and transmitted may lead us to the conclusion that the words of the Psalm have been heard and answered for salvation and that they had an effect on many of those who prayed by them.

- by Beat Weber
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- Biblical Studies, Biblical Exegesis, Psalms studies, Psalms
- by Beat Weber
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- Biblical Studies, Biblical Exegesis, Psalms studies, Psalms

Dopo l'edizione di M. Simonetti 1 , gli studi sul De opere et eleemosynis si sono concentrati per la maggior parte sul contenuto dell'opera e sulle circostanze storiche cui essa accenna, lasciando in secondo piano gli aspetti più propriamente testuali. L'edizione di M. Poirier, pubblicata in Francia nel 1999 e tradotta in italiano nel 2009 2 , mette in evidenza vari problemi relativi a questo testo, alcuni dei quali sono oggetto della presente indagine.

- by Alessandro Capone
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- Philology, Latin Literature, Patristics, History of Christianity

In order to accept this Student Recruiter agreement with the College of Mental Health Counselling, you must believe in and agree with the value of learning about counselling through the online course described at www.ctihalifax.com, and you must act in good faith accepting that the College will remunerate you as per the terms of this agreement in #5 below. Because a Student Recruiter must communicate the following, therefore completing the below steps is considered a Skill Test in order to qualify. When the College receives full tuition from your first referral, you will be considered a Student Recruiter.

- by Daniel M Keeran MSW
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- Creative Writing, Marketing, Christianity, Buddhism

This article examines the incongruity between most modern translations of Jonah 3:3 and ancient textual and archaeological evidence concerning the size of Nineveh. Every modern solution intended to reconcile a literal rendering of the description in Jonah 3:3 with ancient evidence fails. However, reading Jonah 3:3 as a ﬁgure of speech perfectly conveys the author’s intention of representing Nineveh as a very large city.

This document (accepted by the Board of Ordained Ministry in 2020) includes some revisions, making it more accessible to the laity. In addition, it may provide some direction for certified candidates in the UMC seeking to be commissioned... more

- by Benjamin J. Aich
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- Biblical Studies, Christology, Pneumatology, Biblical Theology

Every speaker, teacher, or preacher has on some occasion encountered an audience that was either unreceptive to or unsympathetic with what he or she had to say. One dominant response to this communication breakdown given by both the Old Testament prophets and New Testament authors was to declare that "they have hardened their hearts to the message" or "God has hardened them." What is this hardness of heart phenomena? Who became hardened and why? Was it “compensation” for some “deficiency” in communication? What were the consequences of such a disposition? Of what does this unreceptivity consist? Was there any hope for a “change of heart”? The implications of such a study are not only significant for understanding key issues in biblical criticism and theology, but are relevant for anyone concerned with (a) communication issues between an addresser and addressees and (b) for understanding the oppositional behavior and the psychology of resistance.

The poet and classicist Anne Carson speaks of reading and writing as a painful separation from the world, a shutting down. A person who reads and writes learns "to close or inhibit the input of his senses, to inhibit or control the responses of his body, so as to train energy and thought upon the written words. He resists the environment outside him by distinguishing and controlling the one inside him. This constitutes at first a laborious and painful effort for the individual, psychologists and sociologists tell us. In making the effort he becomes aware of the interior self as an entity separable from the environment and its input, controllable by his own mental action." (Anne Carson, Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay, 63). But I have been luckier. I have never felt alone in my writing nor do I feel as resisting the world around me. And as I write these words now I am deeply aware of those in my life that have made reading, thinking and writing possible for me. My intellectual home and alma mater is Tel Aviv University. I have seen Jewish Studies in Tel Aviv University grow from strength to strength and become a truly unique place of Torah. In a deep sense it is where I learned to read. My work has been encouraged and supported by several TAU grants over the years of my PhD, and mainly, a generous scholarship from the School of Jewish Studies that allowed me to dedicate myself to my research. My deepest gratitude goes to my mentors. Prof. Ishay Rosen-Zvi's commitment to my success, growth and learning has proven to be endless. Ishay taught me how to ask our ancient texts questions and what to listen for when they answer. In a way, I always think and write in conversation with Ishay. His intellectual energy and optimism saw me 3 through all the rough patches I met on this road, and I am privileged to have him as a mentor and friend. Prof. Paula Fredriksen taught me to read critically and write deliberately. She has opened my world to the possibilities and impossibilities of Paul scholarship, and I cannot imagine reading Paul and writing about him without her.

- by Yael Fisch
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- New Testament, Biblical Studies, Midrash, Rabbinic Literature

This dissertation explores a process of cross-cultural communication that spans centuries of time between two different cultures, that of the Hebrew speaking Israelites of the seventh-century a.C. and the Susu people of Guinea West Africa today. The question is how, given that the two groups operate with completely different worldviews and historical backgrounds, might one translate a Hebrew religious hortatory discourse into Susu in such a way that it would be understood and appreciated as a relevant message to their culture.
The author attempts to do this beginning with an analysis of the Hebrew discourse, first from a rhetorical perspective (Chapter 2), and then from a textual perspective (Chapter 3). The presentation of the message employs a rhetoric dependant upon an understanding of the historical background of the audience. The author crafts the message not only with rhetorical nuances, but also with a textual artistry designed to enhance the overall impact of the presentation.
The author then procedes to use the same process on an analogous discourse from the Susu target culture. Since the Hebrew book of Zephaniah consists of religious hortatory, the same genre was utilized from the Susu culture, a Muslim Xutuba (Friday sermon). Again, the analysis covers the rhetorical component of the communication (Chapter 4) and then the textual structure component (Chapter 5). Having completed an analysis of the rhetoric and the textual discourse structure of a discourse both in the source language and in the target language, the author delves into two possible approaches to the translation of the Hebrew discourse.
The first, “a documentary translation,” focuses on the forms used in Hebrew to express the message in such a way to have a rhetorical and structural communicative impact (Chapter 6). The second, “an instrumental translation,” shifts the focus to forms used in the target language, with the express purpose of communicating the same message with rhetorical and structural devices that would have a communicative impact on the Susu people.
Ultimately, the preferred translation approach depends upon the scopos of the translator. If the objective is to present an ancient document to highlight the “foreign” forms used in the original communication, the documentary approach works well. However, if the objective is to present the message of said document in such a way as to transfer the relevancy of the message to the target culture, an instrumental approach is advantageous.

Despite John's distinctive and theological character, however, it still renders an independent memory of Jesus of Nazareth deserving full consideration in any effectively critical quest for the historical Jesus. The question is how do to so adequately, given the unique origin and development of the Johannine tradition. If John represents a self-standing Jesus tradition with its own points to make, however, differences with Mark and the Synoptics might contribute to a sense of history rather than diminishing it.

- by Paul N Anderson
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- Christianity, History, Historical Archaeology, New Testament
- by Ian Young
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- Biblical Studies

In order to shed light on the meaning of John 1, St. Augustine would turn to “that image which the creature is, that is, to the rational soul for a more careful questioning and consideration” of the procession of the Son from the Father. He would do so by seeing a link between the way the mind “beget[s] its knowledge when it knows itself” and the way the Father begets the Son; in other words, the way a word is spoken by man and the way the Divine Word is ‘spoken’ by the Father. In this essay, I investigate both the way this ‘analogy of the word’ was used by thinkers prior to Augustine and also the thought of the Latin Father himself. I have also added an appendix on the subsequent thought of Aquinas on this point.

- by Ryan J Brady, Ph.D.
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- Patristics, Theological Hermeneutics, Biblical Studies, Augustine

Since the official publication of the editio princeps in 1994, the text now formally known as Miqṣat Ma‛aśe Ha-Torah (Some of the Precepts of the Law), or 4QMMT, has been the subject of a great deal of scholarly energy. 1 The affinities between its legal rulings and that of other texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls were immediately recognized and taken as evidence of a common Jewish halakhic tradition, namely that of the sectarian Qumran community. 2 In particular, the similarity between the legal positions of 4QMMT and the Temple Scroll has generated much discussion hitherto. 3 This paper will focus on these two texts in an attempt to discern the precise nature of their relationship, whether simply that of a common halakhic heritage or that of a more intimate and direct character. Ultimately, I argue for the strong probability of a direct line of literary awareness, if not dependency, of 4QMMT upon the legal rulings found in the text of the Temple Scroll. 4 Furthermore, I will attempt to demonstrate that when 4QMMT employs the word ‫כתוב‬ ("it is written") in order to reinforce its own halakhic positions, there is a strong probability that the appeal is made to the authority of the Temple Scroll, rather than to the traditional texts of the Mosaic Torah. * I would like to thank Professor Steven Fraade for his constructive comments and for elucidating the text of 4QMMT throughout his course in Fall 2010, as well as the anonymous reviewer(s) for their helpful corrections.

- by Phil Sanders
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- Biblical Studies, Theology of Worship

Owen, John (1616-1683)
Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library --
Description: Pneumatologia--or, 'Owen on the Holy Spirit,' as the work has generally been called--is perhaps one of the best known, and most highly esteemed of John Owen's treatises. Pneumatologia is divided into five parts. The first part contains a general and preliminary account of the Holy Spirit. The second part addresses the operations of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. The third part discusses the doctrine of regeneration. The fourth part addresses the doctrine of sanctification, and the role of the Holy Spirit in it. The final part contains arguments extolling the reader to holiness. This is a beloved treatise, as John Newton once wrote to a correspondent: "We are favoured with many excellent books in our tongue, but I with you agree in assigning one of the first places as a teacher to Dr. Owen. I have just finished his discourse on the Holy Spirit which is an epitome, if not the masterpiece of his writings."

- by ERNST R WENDLAND
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- Theology, Systematic Theology, Biblical Studies, Pneumatology
- by Jeffrey Staley
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- Teaching and Learning, Film Studies, New Testament, Biblical Studies

This chapter examines some of the assumptions that are typically employed when dealing with the development of the Hebrew Bible. The first part of the chapter is a critique of the very term "Jewish Bible." It points out some of the problems with the term and make a plaidoyer against being politically correct. The second part focuses on what it means to explain the "development" of the Hebrew Bible and suggests that diachronic analysis alone cannot fully explain its formation. In this author's view, proper understanding of the development of the Bible requires drawing upon intellectual and literary models more commonly associated with the period of the “reception of scripture” than with conventional composition history.

- by Bernard M Levinson
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- Theology, Hebrew Language, Hebrew Bible, Textual Criticism

El Apóstol en 1Cor 7, partiendo de un posible eslogan que circulaba en esta comunidad «bien le está al hombre abstenerse de mujer» (v. 1), desarrolla el tema de la
sexualidad, del matrimonio y también de la renuncia al matrimonio, todo desde la perspectiva del evangelio de Jesús.
La sexualidad y el matrimonio son percibidos como un don de Dios, una gracia, un carisma, es decir, un regalo divino y, por tanto, no cabe una visión pesimista de estas realidades. Son algo bueno, querido por Dios, participan de la bondad de la creación.

- by Javier Velasco
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- Biblical Studies, Bible, Biblical Exegesis, San Pablo
- by Benjamin Sommer
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- Theology, Biblical Studies, Revelation, Biblical Theology
- by Faly Ravoahangy
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- Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies
- by Steve Henderson
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- Theology, Biblical Studies
- by Andrei Orlov
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- Religion, Jewish Studies, Theology, Jewish Mysticism

Since Charles Darwin made the theory of evolution popular, the church has been faced with the problem of either denying the validity of evolution or finding a way to interpret the Bible that will harmonize with both an old-earth scenario and with the belief that humans evolved from lower forms of life. This article will not deny either of these scientific conclusions. Its purpose will be to discuss some of the proposed interpretations of the Bible's teachings that have been presented for the purpose of harmonizing the Bible and science, showing that some of these have serious problems. But first I will present an alterative view that has both mathematical and exegetical support to undergird it. Two benefits that are inherent in this view are its simplicity and its employment of the historical-grammatical hermeneutic. Also it does not contradict any New Testament teaching, which should be a requirement for any methodology employed to discover the Bible's teaching on human origins. I appreciate all those who have taken in hand to harmonize an inspired view of Scripture with the present views of the science community.

- by Gary T Mayer
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- Evolutionary Biology, Human Evolution, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology

This dissertation argues that memory is a central idea in the two major religions of the Pentateuchdeuteronomic and priestlyand that examination of memory both offers new insights into these religions and their relationship to each other, and lends coherence to, and integrates, various levels of those religions: their terminology; religious programs; textual presentation; theologies and cosmologies. It seeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of memory in the Pentateuch through three kinds of analysis. First, by exploring the language associated with memory in each tradition, it demonstrates that D conceptualizes memory in verbal terms while for P, memory is associated with sensual, mainly visual, experiences. As well, in D, memory is mainly an Israelite activity while in P, God"s memory is most important. Part two relates the respective conceptualizations of memory to the religious programs of each tradition by making use the Divergent Modes of Religiosity model of anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse which correlates the type of memory privileged in a religion with the character of its ritual. The study concludes by considering the relationship between the religious programs devised by the authors of D and P and their respective cosmologies as represented by the two creation accounts which open the Pentateuch. The study also sheds light on particular issues in Pentateuchal scholarship: the debate between proponents of actualization and proponents of practice as the primary focus of deuteronomic religion; the absence of prayer in deuteronomic religion; the significance of creation for a historically oriented religion; the tension embedded in priestly literature between a theology predicated on creation and one predicated on revelation as well as the function of revelation in P; the primacy of P to H; and the identification of a number of passages as either P or H.

- by Barat Ellman
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- Biblical Studies, Deuteronomy, Memory, Biblical Religion

Among the many psalms that refer to creation, Pss 8 and 104 stand out in being entirely devoted to this theme. Whereas Ps 8 highlights the prominent, even exalted, human role in the created order, Ps 104 contextualizes humanity as but one creature among many in a complex intertwined cosmos. Nevertheless, upon closer study, it becomes evident that both psalms share elements of a common worldview, including a remarkably similar view of what constitutes being human, a conception of the world as a cosmic temple, and a rejection of the motif of creation-by-combat against primordial enemies. An exploration of the diversity-in-unity of Pss 8 and 104 yields insights into how their common theological vision may address the human vocation of the use of power in a world understood as a sacred realm over which God is enthroned, yet into which evil has intruded.

- by J Richard Middleton
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- Theology, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Theology, Biblical Studies

For all the debate in the contemporary humanities about the canon, there is little interdisciplinary dialogue on the issue, nor even meaningful input from the perspective of academic biblical studies, the one discipline that specializes in the formation and interpretation of the canon. Seeking to provide such a perspective, this article shows how cultures having a tradition of prestigious or authoritative texts address the problem of literary and legal innovation. Engaging the work of Jonathan Z. Smith on exegetical ingenuity, the study begins with cuneiform law, and then shows how ancient Israel's development of the idea of divine revelation of law creates a cluster of constraints that would be expected to impede legal revision or amendment. As a test-case, the article examines the idea that God punishes sinners transgenerationally, vicariously extending the punishment due them to three or four generations of their progeny. A series of inner-biblical and post-biblical responses to the rule demonstrates, however, that later writers were able to criticize, reject, and replace it with the alternative notion of individual retribution. The conclusions stress the extent to which the formative canon sponsors this kind of critical reflection and intellectual freedom.

- by Bernard M Levinson
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- Canon Law, Literary Criticism, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies

The purpose of this paper is to provide a case for the Exodus mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a historical event. In an academic environment where most people simply ignore certain parts of the Bible due to the so-called "supernatural" aspects, debates like this ultimately go around in circles more than necessary. The first body paragraphs of this paper, therefore, tackle the stigmas which keep the Exodus from being considered as a serious topic from which history can be determined in one way or another, beginning with a supposed lack of archaeological evidence which, ironically, is rather comparable to what is only slightly more available for the Scythians as compared to the Hebrews. The rest of the papers deals in various historical, linguistic, cultural, geographical, and literary contexts from which the historicity of the event in question can be sufficiently determined in either the affirmative or negative. The coherence of the arguments made herein will be left up to all the qualified scholars in related fields to determine.

- by Zachary Cawley
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- Ancient History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Theology

This new contribution to the Pillar New Testament Commentary series by Robert Yarbrough offers insightful exegesis of these three important but often overlooked letters. As he observes in his introduction, many readers approach the Pastoral Epistles for their detailed descriptions of church leaders. In fact, these letters do contain “valuable counsel not available elsewhere in the New Testament” (1). But the list of qualifications for elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are only one aspect of these letters.

- by Phillip J . Long
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- New Testament, Biblical Studies, Pastoral Epistles
- by Chen Sophia
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- Biblical Studies

Mark's narrative of the cursing of the fig tree has baffled commentators. It has been called the "least attractive of all narratives about Jesus," a "difficult passage," "puzzling." Yet, scholars generally agree: "the fig tree stands for the Temple, Israel or the religious authorities." However, this ignores the indisputable fact that different nations had different arboreal symbols, and the fig tree represented Rome, not Israel or anything Jewish. The palm represented Israel and all things Jewish, the olive Athens, etc. Roman national symbols were never used to represent anything Jewish. Moreover, Mark's gospel is thought to have been written in Rome at the time of Nero's persecutions, and at that time it was widely related that Nero killed the sacred fig tree of Rome. Nero had the Christians of Rome executed in mimic theatrical performances. And, Mark's fig tree story draws on the genre of Roman mime and the obscene myth of Dionysos and the fig. Mark calls the actor in the story "he" rather than "Jesus." "He" mimes Nero killing the Roman fig, which, in turn, mimes the myth of Dionysos and the fig, which, in turn, mimes the ribald story of Alexander's triumphant conquest of India.

- by Andrew Simmonds
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- Biblical Studies

The Pentateuch, or the "Five Books of Moses," is comprised of the Old Testament books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Tradition has long held that Moses authored these texts, with little debate on the issue until as late as the seventeenth century A.D. when the Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, publicly declared his firm conviction that "the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, but by someone who lived after Moses." 1 From that point forward, liberal Protestant theologians began a quest to find the supposed "sources" of the Pentateuch, claiming that those books of Scripture did not date from the time of Moses (either 1400 or 1200 B.C.) but rather from the period after the Babylonian exile (sixth century B.C.). 2 The speculations and hypotheses of these scholars met their apex with the work of nineteenth-century Protestant German biblical scholar, Julius Wellhausen. It was Wellhausen who solidified the so-called "Documentary Hypothesis," which claimed that the Pentateuch and the sacred Jewish law were later, contrived additions to a previously primitive religion. Although Wellhausen and those of his school could cite no factual basis for their theories, their persistence took root in scholarly circles to such an extent that they affect some scholars even to this day, despite archeological and linguistic evidence displaying the falsity of their theories. 3 The Apostolic Fathers and subsequent Ante-Nicene Fathers seemed to have unanimously believed that Moses was the divinely inspired author of the Pentateuch. The

- by Jenny duBay
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- Christianity, History of Christianity, Biblical Studies, Catholic Theology

This essay was published in The Bible and Early Trinitarian Theology, edited by Christopher A. Beeley and Mark E. Weedman, for the CUAP Studies in Early Christianity (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018); this is the uncorrected proofs. Exploring the humanity and divinity of Jesus, the Son's relation to the Father, and the agency of the Holy Spirit, it is one of five essays suggesting Johannine contributions to trinitarian discussions in the early church.

- by Paul N Anderson
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- Critical Theory, Religion, Christianity, Comparative Religion

Who is Jesus? This is the central question in the Gospel of Mark. At various points in the narrative, Jesus is identified as the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Messiah. Yet the disciples-and Mark's readers-have much to learn about Jesus' identity and vocation. In the climax of Mark's story, Jesus stands trial before the religious authorities, and the high priest confronts him with the same question. At long last, Jesus gives his own answer, drawing together these three titles. His immediate fate will be determined by the authorities, but the trial will not conclude until the reader also makes a decision regarding Jesus' identity.

- by Dan Claire
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- Biblical Studies, Gospel of Mark, Son of Man Problem, Son of God

Review of NT Theology by Howard Marshall

- by Alroy Mascrenghe
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- Biblical Studies, NT THEOLOGY

For me, Bernd's great commentary evoked two contradictory sayings. The ancient Alexandrian librarian, Callimachos gave us an epigram that became proverbial, "Mega biblion, mega kakon-Big book, big evil." But Epimenides produced a hexameter line which, when emended, may be used to refute Callimachos' proverb: "Alexandrians are always liars, evil beasts, lazy guts."