The digitization of ancient artefacts is becoming increasingly common. This essay draws upon a hierarchy of linguistic abstractions in order to organize the information that future scholars might wish to access in a digital edition, with the purpose being to inform the development of encoding standards. The first two parts of the essay introduce the digital humanities and discuss the impact of computer technology on New Testament scholarship. A third part outlines the theoretical distinctions that are relevant to the representation of ancient inscriptions and manuscripts. A final part then discusses the limitations of existing editions (both print and digital), before proposing a modular approach that would permit the production of more comprehensive editions.

This article begins with an historical study of the Jewish settlements in Asia Minor. The religious milieu is also examined. Although it appears that the Jewish identity remained intact, the social, cultural and religious pressures faced by Anatolian Jews were much greater for them than for the Palestinian Jews. It is maintained that Paul’s overriding concern in Galatians 3 is ‘faithfulness of Christ’. To explain this, Paul adapts Anatolian concepts and language to his own polemic. Paul’s phrase, ‘works of the law’, does not attack the law per se, but the selective understanding of the law by the Anatolian Jews.

This article responds to John Goodrich’s ‘“Standard of Faith” or “Measure of a Trusteeship”?’ published in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly (2012). Goodrich proposes that the μέτρον πίστεως in Rom 12.3 refers to the believer’s charism and thus should be seen as ‘a trusteeship’ God grants to each believer. We, however, argue that the clause with μέτρον πίστεως in Rom. 12.3 should be interpreted and translated as ‘to each God allocates his measure of faith’, highlighting a number of significant problems in the arguments and evidence Goodrich marshals in his article.

The Epistle to the Hebrews has been the focus of renewed interest in New Testament scholarship. Although it was once thought of as a neglected text in the canon, numerous commentaries, monographs, and other studies on Hebrews have appeared in the last decade. By examining nine monographs published between 2009 and 2012, this article offers a state-of-play of recent Hebrews scholarship. Three areas of interest emerge: authorship of Hebrews, its use of the Old Testament, and its theology. This recent interest in Hebrews is to be encouraged as it has offered fresh light on an important text from early Christianity.

Using as a point of entry the scholarly debate about whether head-coverings or hairstyles are in view in 1 Cor. 11.2–16, this article re-evaluates Paul's surprisingly difficult argument from the perspective of Greco-Roman costume and its attendant cultural baggage. In this light it appears that Paul is addressing what he views as a problem of social and sexual propriety for female conduct that has arisen from further Corinthian reflection on his own teaching. Paul's response tries to navigate between reinforcing expected propriety while not contradicting his initial teaching about equality in Christ.

In 1 Peter, interpreters often reject the idea that civic benefaction stands behind the author’s instructions to ‘do good’, due in large part to the (perceived) lack of financial resources. To this point, however, no quantitative economic data has been produced to substantiate this claim. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to determine whether civic benefaction would have been economically feasible for the Petrine audience by calculating the total amount of disposable income that could have been accumulated within the average Christian community and weighing this amount against the known costs incurred in the practice of euergetism.

This paper proposes that Jude v. 4 and vv. 14-15 function as an inclusio framing Jude’s case against the ungodly and shaping the flow of the entire letter. The second bracket of the inclusio, the Enoch citation (vv. 14-15), has been viewed as one example among many in Jude’s case. Instead, it is a prophetic declaration in light of the evidence, confirming the condemnation of the ungodly. Of all the theophany passages at Jude’s disposal, why did he select this text to build and finalize his charge against the ungodly? The paper offers seven suggestions why 1 En 1.9 was appropriate for Jude’s situation.

This article responds to Stanley Porter and Hughson Ong’s criticisms of my 2012 Catholic Biblical Quarterly article on the phrase μέτρον πίστεως (“‘Standard of Faith” or “Measure of a Trusteeship”: A Study in Romans 12:3’). After identifying various oversights in Porter and Ong’s argumentation, I respond to their critique in two parts, focusing initially on their methodological claims before addressing certain alleged omissions in my earlier piece. I thereby seek to show that my interpretation of Romans 12.3 is far more tenable than Porter and Ong lead one to believe.