Yahweh's coming of age /
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In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the deity YHWH is often portrayed as an old man. One of the epithets used of YHWH in the Hebrew Bible, the Ancient of Days, is a source for this depiction of God as elderly. Yet, when we look closely at the early traditions of biblical Israel, we see a different picture : God is relatively youthful, a warrior who defends his people. This book is an examination of the question: How did God become old? The transformation from young deity to Ancient of Days took place at the intersection of two trajectories in the traditions of Israel. One trajectory is reflected in the way that apocalyptic traditions found in the book of Daniel recast the old Canaanite mythic imagery seen in the Ugaritic and early biblical texts. This trajectory allows YHWH to take on qualities, such as old age, that were not associated with him during most of Israel's history but were associated with El in the Canaanite traditions. The second trajectory, a depiction of Israel's God as elderly, is connected with the development of the idea of YHWH as father. The more comfortable the biblical tradents became with portraying YHWH as a father a metaphor that was not embraced in the early traditions the easier it became for the people of Israel to think of YHWH as occupying a stage of the human life cycle.
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vii, 163 pages ; 24 cm :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
1575061724 (hardback : alk. paper)
9781575061726 (hardback : alk. paper)
Historiography and self-definition : Josephos, Luke-Acts, and apologetic historiography /
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For centuries scholars have recognized the apologetic character of the Hellenistic Jewish historians, Josephos, and Luke-Acts; they have not, however, adequately addressed their possible relationships to each other and to their wider cultures. In this first full systematic effort to set these authors within the framework of Greco-Roman traditions, Professor Sterling has used genre criticism as a method for locating a distinct tradition of historical writing, apologetic historiography. Apologetic historiography is the story of a subgroup of people which deliberately Hellenizes the traditions of the group in an effort to provide a self-definition within the context of the larger world. It arose as a result of a dialectic relationship with Greek ethnography. This work traces the evolution of this tradition through three major eras of eastern Mediterranean history spanning six hundred years: the Persian, the Greek, and the Roman.
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1 online resource (xiv, 500 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 394-426) and indexes. :
9789004266940 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrew s
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Scholars often explain Hebrews' relative silence regarding Jesus' resurrection by emphasizing the author's appeal to Yom Kippur's two key moments-the sacrificial slaughter and the high priest's presentation of blood in the holy of holies-in his distinctive portrayal of Jesus' death and heavenly exaltation. The writer's depiction of Jesus as the high priest whose blood effected ultimate atonement appears to be modeled upon these two moments. Such a typology discourages discrete reflection on Jesus' resurrection. Drawing on contemporary studies of Jewish sacrifice (which note that blood represents life, not death), parallels in Jewish apocalyptic literature, and fresh exegetical insights, this volume demonstrates that Jesus' embodied, resurrected life is crucial for the high-priestly Christology and sacrificial soteriology developed in Hebrews.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004206915 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The land of Israel in Bible, history, and theology : studies in honour of Ed Noort /
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This book deals with many aspects of the land of Israel. In the first part, the emphasis is on descriptions of the land in Joshua and other books of the Hebrew anf Greek Bible. In the second part, the focus shifts to the land in history and theology: reception-history of biblical texts dealing with the land, archaeology of Palestine, and theological-hermeneutical implications of taking the land traditions of the Bible seriously. The result is a rich collection of articles on one of the main themes of the Old Testament; a theme that has a fascinating, although not always unproblematic reception history.
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1 online resource. :
"A bibliography of Ed Noort": pages [431]-440.
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047428602 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The politics of peace : Ephesians, Dio Chrysostom, and the Confucian Four books /
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Although scholarship has noted the thematic importance of peace in Ephesians, few have examined its political character in a sustained manner throughout the entire letter. This book addresses this lacuna, comparing Ephesians with Colossians, Greek political texts, Dio Chrysostom's Orations , and the Confucian Four Books in order to ascertain the rhetorical and political nature of its topos of peace. Through comparison with analogous documents both within and without its cultural milieu, this study shows that Ephesians can be read as a politico-religious letter "concerning peace" within the church. Its vision of peace contains common political elements (such as moral education, household management, communal stability, a universal humanity, and war) that are subsumed under the controlling rubric of the unity and cosmic summing up of all things in Christ.
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Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--Emory University. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [302]-334) and indexes. :
9789004180543 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Moses in Corinth : the apologetic context of 2 Corinthians 3 /
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Scholars have long puzzled over the imagery focused on Moses in 2 Corinthians 3; it is unclear how that imagery fits into the larger context of the letter. Many have explained the imagery as the apostle's reaction to the "super-apostles," Jewish missionaries mentioned later in the letter. These preachers, it has been argued, promoted either a θεῖος ἀνήρ or a Judaizing agenda. In Moses in Corinth , Paul B. Duff contends that the Moses imagery has nothing to do with the super-apostles but functions instead as an integral part of Paul's first apologia sent to Corinth. This apologia , found in 2 Cor 2:14-7:4, represents an independent letter sent to dispel suspicions about the apostle's honesty, integrity, and poor physical appearance.
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1 online resource (ix, 238 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-223) and indexes. :
9789004289451 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Essays on Halakhah in the New Testament /
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The texts of the New Testament have long been understood to require interpretation in the light of the Hebrew Bible, Qumran and other postbiblical literary and documentary sources. Conversely, they provide an invaluable source for the reconstruction of halakhah in the late Second Commonwealth period. These essays illustrate the complexity of the inter-relationships, and the methodological issues which arise: the "legal" content of the texts cannot be separated from the intertextualities of Jewish theology. The topics cover letter and spirit, prophecy and law, forgiveness, the accounts of Jesus' "trial(s)", the evidence required for legal and theological claims, shepherding images, disinheritance (the prodigal son), marriage and divorce.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-238) and indexes. :
9789047431633 :
1388-2074 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul and Philodemus : adaptability in Epicurean and early Christian psychagogy /
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As Paul guides and educates his converts he functions as a psychagogue ("leader of souls"), adapting his leadership style as required in each individual case. Pauline psychagogy resembles Epicurean psychagogy in the way persons enjoying a superior moral status and spiritual aptitude help to nurture and correct others, guiding their souls in moral and religious (re)formation. This study relates Epicurean psychagogy of late Republican times to early Christian psychagogy on the basis of an investigation which places the practice in the wider socio-cultural perspective, contextualising it in Greco-Roman literature treating friendship and flattery and the importance of adaptability in moral guidance. Pauline studies are advanced by the introduction of new material into the discussion of the Corinthian correspondence which throws light on Paul's debate with his recalcitrant critics.
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1 online resource (xiv, 414 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-353) and indexes. :
9789004267275 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Birthing salvation : gender and class in early Christian childbearing discourse /
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In Birthing Salvation Anna Rebecca Solevåg explores the theme of childbearing in early Christian discourse. The book maps the importance of women's childbearing in Greco-Roman culture and shows how childbearing discourse interfaces with salvation discourse in three early Christian texts: the Pastoral Epistles, the Acts of Andrew and the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas. Issues of gender and class are explored through an intersectional analysis. In particular, the institution of slavery, and its implications for ideas about salvation in these texts are drawn out. Birthing Salvation offers fresh interpretations of these texts, including the peculiar statement in 1 Tim 2:15 that women "will be saved through childbearing."
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1 online resource (xiv, 287 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-274) and index. :
9789004257788 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul and the Jewish law : halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles /
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While interest in Paul's relationship to Judaism has been growing recently, this study adds an important aspect by comparing Paul's practical instruction with the ancient halakha or Jewish traditional law. First Corinthians is found to be a source of prime importance, and surprisingly, halakha appears to be basic to Paul's instruction for non-Jewish Christians. The book includes thorough discussion of hermeneutic and methodological implications, always viewed in relation to the history of Pauline and Judaic study. Attention is also being paid to the setting within Hellenistic culture. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the texture of Paul's thought and these are applied to two 'theological' passages decisive for his place in Judaism. Historical and theological implications are vast, both regarding Paul's relationship to Judaism, his attitude towards Jesus and his Apostles, and the meaning of his teaching concerning justification and the Law.
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1 online resource (xix, 327 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-298) and index. :
9789004275140 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Reading the Gospel of John's Christology as Jewish Messianism : royal, prophetic, and divine messiahs /
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The essays in Reading the Gospel of John's Christology as Jewish Messianism: Royal, Prophetic, and Divine Messiahs seek to interpret John's Jesus as part of Second Temple Jewish messianic expectations. The Fourth Gospel is rarely considered part of the world of early Judaism. While many have noted John's Jewishness, most have not understood John's Messiah as a Jewish messiah. The Johannine Jesus, who descends from heaven, is declared the Word made flesh, and claims oneness with the Father, is no less Jewish than other messiahs depicted in early Judaism. John's Jesus is at home on the spectrum of early Judaism's royal, prophetic, and divine messiahs
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1 online resource (xix, 489 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004376045 :
1871-6636 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Consumption and wealth in Luke's travel narrative /
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It is suggested that because persons with access to a large surplus too often elect to spend extravagantly on their own desires and existing means of redistribution such as almsgiving and beneficence were failing to offer any lasting changes that might truly be received as \'good news\' by the poor, Jesus advocates eliminating personal wealth.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [201]-212) and index. :
9789047421740 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Judgment and community conflict : Paul's use of apocalyptic judgment language in 1 Corinthians 3:5-4:5 /
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This study demonstrates that Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:5 - 4:5 is led by the rhetorical situation to emphasize God's final judgment as the affirmation of the individual Christian's work. Paul is not simply opposing his future eschatology to a Corinthian \'realized\' eschatology. Rather, he is teaching the Corinthians to adapt their inherited belief in a corporate judgment to new concerns within the community. The exegetical study is set in the context of past scholarship on the questions of Paul's eschatology, his beliefs concerning judgment, and the role of eschatology in 1 Corinthians. Chapters on the functions of divine judgment in Jewish and Greco-Roman writings help to define the way early Christians thought of God's judgment and to suggest how Corinthian sensibilities influenced Paul's application of judgment language. This book contributes to ongoing debates about the apocalyptic theology of Paul and the eschatological views of the Corinthians. It will also be useful to scholars who are interested in the role played by ideas of divine judgment in the world of the New Testament.
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Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Yale University, 1989. :
1 online resource (xiii, 318 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 260-289) and indexes. :
9789004266964 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul and the rise of the slave : death and resurrection of the oppressed in the epistle to the Romans /
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Paul and the Rise of the Slave locates Paul's description of himself as a "slave of Messiah Jesus" in the epistolary prescript of Paul's Epistle to Rome within the conceptual world of those who experienced the social reality of slavery in the first century C.E. The Althusserian concept of interpellation and the Life of Aesop are employed throughout as theoretical frameworks to enhance how Paul offered positive ways for slaves to imagine an existence apart from Roman power. An exegesis of Romans 6:12-23 seeks to reclaim the earliest reception of Romans as prophetic discourse aimed at an anti-Imperial response among slaves and lower class readers.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004316560 :
0928-0731 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Day of Atonement : its interpretations in early Jewish and Christian traditions /
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Established at the center of the Torah, the instructions for the celebration of the "Day of Atonement" hold a prominent position (Leviticus 16). The language of atonement, purification and reconciliation represents the variety of concepts that both explore the complex relationships between God and man, between Yahweh and his chosen people Israel, and that set apart the place of encounter-the sanctuary. Leviticus 16 has served as the point of departure for numerous religious and cultural practices and thoughts that have had a formative influence on Judaism and Christianity up to the present day. The essays in this volume form a representative cross section of the history of the reception of Leviticus 16 and the tradition of the Yom ha-Kippurim.
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Proceedings of a conference held July 8-10, 2010 at Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat. :
1 online resource (xvi, 282 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004216808 :
1388-3909 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Prayer in the Gospels : a theological exegesis of the ideal pray-er /
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In Prayer in the Gospels Mathias Nygaard offers a new reading of the prayer materials of the Gospels. The main focus is the theological anthropology of the prayer texts. This aspect is described through a text-centered analysis of the 'ideal pray-er', one aspect of the implied audiences. An emphasis on the responses elicited by the material in question gives religious experience a central role in the theological discussion. Nygaard argues that in the Gospels humans are defined by the gifts bestowed in Jesus Christ, and through the dialogical reception of those gifts in prayer. The result is a kenotic and irreducible understanding of a 'self' defined from without, as appropriate to the 'logic of the cross' and the eschatology of the texts.
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1 online resource (xiv, 283 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [235]-259) and index. :
9789004230576 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul's glory-christology : tradition and rhetoric /
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In 1927 C.A.A. Scott, while commenting on the apostle Paul's Christology, remarked that the \'history of the word Glory in the Bible has yet to be written.\' By using methodology developed in semantics, semiotics, and, more generally, literary theory, Newman examines the origin and rhetoric of Paul's Glory-Christology. The investigation involves three distinct tasks: (1) to plot the tradition-history of Glory which formed part of Paul's linguistic world, (2) to examine Paul's letter, in light of the reconstructed tradition-history of Glory, in order to discern the rationale of Paul's identification of Christ as Glory and, (3) to map out the implications of such an identification for Paul's theological and rhetorical strategy. On the basis of this study, four conclusions are reached for understanding Paul. First, Paul inherited a symbolic universe with signs already \'full\' of signification. Second, knowing the (diachronically acquired) connotative range of a \'surface\' symbol (e.g. Glory) aids in discerning Paul's precise contingent strategy. Third, knowing the \'surface\' symbol's referential power defines and contributes to the \'deeper structure\' of Paul's theological grammar. Finally, the heuristic power within the construals of the Glory tradition coalesce in Paul's Christophany and thus provide coherence at the \'deepest\' level of Paul's Christology.
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Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Baylor University, 1989. :
1 online resource (xvi, 305 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 248-281) and indexes. :
9789004267022 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.