6.1 | The Concept of Atonement in the Gospel of John Jintae Kim Alliance Theological Seminary, Nyack NY The Gospel of John has been the object of scholarly debate because of its
distinctive presentation of Jesus, and the significant differences between it and
Synoptic Gospels. C.H. Dodd finds the theme of atonement lacking in the Gospel of
John. Dodd’s view is for the most part closely followed by other scholars. However,
is the idea of Christ’s atonement really absent from the sending statements in John?
Kim answers this question in the negative. This paper presents the concrete evidence
of the theme of atonement in the Gospel of John by examining selected passages in
it. |
6.2 | Human Stones in a Greek Setting: Luke 3.8; Matthew 3.9; Luke 19.40 Craig S. Keener Palmer Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, PA, USA Although affirming that Luke himself was presumably interested primarily in
biblical rather than Greek mythological traditions, this article considers how early
auditors may have visualized Luke’s depiction of rocks involved in humanlike
activities. It surveys both stories of rocks and similar substances becoming human
(as well as the reverse) and figurative use of such images. Although probably less
often heard than the stories themselves, the application of such images for
hyperbole was probably common enough that it would be understood figuratively in
this case. |
6.3 | Re-Evaluating Patronage and Reciprocity in Antiquity and New Testament
Studies Erlend D. MacGillivray University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK The concepts of ‘patronage’ and ‘reciprocity’ have increasingly been appealed
to as being key social components in the world of the New Testament. Yet this
article argues that the current confidence placed in the model’s definitions and in
their capability to unlock classical reciprocal relationships is misplaced. Chiefly,
it is argued that the current definition of ‘patronage’ is too broad, and that it
obscures the complexities of ancient reciprocity. Greek euergetism should be
considered as a distinct reciprocal phenomenon, and, significantly, Second Temple
Jewish society largely abstained from, or was ignorant of the mechanics of,
classical patronage and euergetism. |
6.4 | Double Case Constructions in Koine Greek Martin M. Culy Briercrest College and Seminary, Caronport, SK, Canada Although students of Koine Greek are accustomed to encountering double
accusative constructions, the occurrence of other double case constructions has
generally been overlooked. This article shows that double case constructions are
relatively common with all cases except the vocative, and appear in predictable
syntactic environments. It also demonstrates that some putative double accusative
constructions are better viewed as different phenomena altogether, and explains how
the proposed analyses impact how we evaluate the relative importance of discourse
themes. |
6.5 | Patronage and Rebuke in Paul's Persuasion in 2 Corinthians 8-9 Mark A. Jennings Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA This study of 2 Corinthians 8–9 will show how Paul employs the language of
patronal relationships in his attempt to gain the Corinthian church’s full
participation in his collection for those in Jerusalem. This language includes his
depictions of the various network relationships, the nature of the goods exchanged,
the importance of honor and shame, as well as his use of ‘grace’. By gaining a
better understanding of how Paul incorporates patron imagery into his rhetoric of 2
Corinthians 8–9, we can see that Paul expected the cooperation of the Corinthian
church on account of its place with the network of God’s churches. |
6.6 | The Origin of ‘Alpha and Omega’ (Revelation 1.8; 21.6; 22.13): A
Suggestion David Lincicum University of Oxford, UK This note takes up the suggestion that the title ‘Alpha and Omega’ (Rev. 1.8;
21.6; 22.13) arose through reflection on the divine name, ΙΑΩ. The article commends
the possibility that John ‘exegeted’ the divine name, in light of Isaiah 40–48 and
emerging scribal practices of abbreviating the nomina sacra, as a reference to Jesus
as the Alpha and Omega. |
6.7 | Early Readers of the Gospels: The KEPHALAIA and
TITLOI of Codex Alexandrinus Greg Goswell Presbyterian Theological College, Melbourne, Australia Codex Alexandrinus includes kephalaia (κεφάλια), namely chapter
divisions, for the Gospels. A survey of the kephalaia in the four Gospels indicates
that their placement is not haphazard but reflects an evaluation the flow of the
narratives and shows insight into the meaning of the story. They act as a commentary
on the text that can at times be an insightful guide. I seek to demonstrate that
there are four main possible effects of a textual break, namely to separate or join
material, and to highlight or downplay features of the text, and I provide examples
of each effect (function) using the kephalaia. |
6.8 | Heavenly Mindedness and Earthly Good: Contemplating Matters Above in Colossians
3.1-2 Craig Keener Palmer Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, PA, USA Philosophers, mystics, and apocalyptic visionaries sought to visualize heaven,
often to envision deity; philosophers emphasized specifically heavenly thinking. For
philosophers, the pure and heavenly deity was abstract and transcendent; for
Colossians, the heavenly focus is Christ, fitting the christocentric emphasis of
this letter. For Colossians, contemplating Christ also leads naturally to Christlike
character, in contrast to the pursuit of earthly passions. Although the writer’s
articulation of the connection is distinctive, his connection of heavenly
contemplation with appropriate behavior would have been intelligible to his
contemporaries, including many philosophers. Colossians 3.1-2 addresses the sorts of
conceptions in the larger milieu that the letter as a whole addresses, and connects
the letter’s earlier theological arguments with the following parenetic material.
|
6.9 | Understanding κλῆσις in the New Testament Lois K. Fuller Dow McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada κλῆσις is defined in BDAG as a call (invitation)
and as a position or condition. 1 Cor. 7.20 is the
only place in Greek literature where it has been given the second meaning. The
passages in non- Christian Greek literature given by BDAG for the meaning
position are unable to support this meaning. In the Hellenistic
world the word very often meant a name or
appellation. A fresh look at 1 Cor 7.20 shows that the call
there is God’s call, to be lived out in any life situation. |
6.10 | Blessed Be The Ties That Bind: Semantic Domains And Cohesive Chains In Hebrews
1.1-2.4 And 12.5-8 Cynthia Long Westfall McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada This article introduces the usefulness of semantic domain theory in discourse
analysis. The theory of semantic domains relates directly to several core theories
of discourse analysis, particularly cohesion,
coherence and the recognition of topics.
Semantic domains, cohesion and topics are examined in Heb. 12.5-8 and Heb. 1.1–2.4.
The semantic and participant chains in Heb. 12.5-8 show that the topic is not so
much ‘God disciplines his children’, as given in the TNIV, but ‘Endure hardship as
God’s discipline’. An examination of semantic domains, cohesion and topics between
Heb. 1.5-13 and Heb. 1.1-4 and 2.1-4 is conducted, showing that all three passages
highlight God’s communication through the Son. The paper argues that an analysis of
semantic domains provides a vital lens through which we can view every text, and
that it sometimes sheds important light on interpretive puzzles. |