549 research outputs found
The relationship between textual criticism and the synoptic question: a study based on the passion narrative
No full textSince the eighteenth century, various hypotheses have been proposed by scholars in an attempt to solve the Synoptic Question. Most of these scholars have used more or less the same Greek text, yet they have come up with different conclusions. So, the question arises whether it is possible to find a trend in the manuscripts dating up to the fifth century which sheds additional clues on the relationships among the Synoptic Gospels. To address this, I have taken the text of the 27th edition of Nestle-Aland as the basis for analysis through the use of the colour-coded scheme proposed by the Karawara Gospels Project. However, in the same colour-coding exercise, the variant readings from the relevant manuscripts are also displayed. This facilitates the identification of any particularities.
Since the Synoptic Gospels contain too much to cover within the constraints of this research project, there is a need to select enough material to make the study relevant. The passion narrative has been selected on the basis of its content and the generally agreed closeness of the texts in all three Synoptic Gospels. So, all the sections, as defined in the Aland Synopsis, in the Triple Tradition are colour-coded and analysed. The relevant variant readings in these sections are also taken into consideration. To display the colour-coding more accurately, it was found that a commonly used and available format is more appropriate since printing is still not a viable alternative. Thus, all the colour-coded sections, as found on the attached CD ROM, are converted into the PDF format and the Adobe Acrobat Reader, widely available through the Internet, can be used to view them. This study has pointed out that in spite of the commonly agreed closeness of the texts, that of Luke varies quite markedly from the other two
The Spirit and the 'other': social identity, ethnicity and intergroup reconciliation in Luke-Acts
No full textThis dissertation investigates the relationship between the Holy Spirit, ethnic identity and the ‘other’ in Luke-Acts. I argue that the Spirit is the central figure in the formation of a new social identity that affirms, yet chastens and transcends ethnic identity. The investigation is informed methodologically by social identity theory (discussed in chapter 2), a branch of social psychology that examines the effects of group membership upon human identity and intergroup relations.
Chapters 3 and 4 investigate the relationship between privileged social identity, the influence of the Spirit and the allocation of group resources to the ‘other’ in Luke 1-4. I conclude that there is an identifiable relationship between the presence of the Spirit and the extension of in-group benefits to the ‘other’.
Chapters 5 through 8 enquire into the role of the Spirit in Acts 1-15. In chapters 5 and 6 I identify the Pentecost narrative as the initial clue to the place of ethnic identity within the Jesus movement and the role of the early community in the formation of an allocentrically oriented social identity. In chapters 7 and 8 attention is directed to the role of the Spirit in both the orchestration of intergroup contact and the identification of those rightly related to God. Luke’s use of ‘ethnic language’ alerts us to the precision with which he approaches this topic. I conclude that Luke is convinced of an inseparable relationship between the Spirit and human identity that robustly affirms ethnicity nested within one’s identity as a member of the Jesus group. The existence of this Spirit-formed identity allows for profound expressions of interethnic reconciliation in Luke-Acts. This conclusion grants a broader role to the Spirit in Luke-Acts than the current scholarly consensus which suggests that Luke views the Spirit as the Old Testament/Second Temple ‘Spirit of prophecy’
The Ascension of Jesus Christ: A Critical and Exegetical Study of the Ascension in Luke-Acts and in the Jewish and Christian Contexts
No full textThe aim of the present dissertation is to analyse and interpret the Ascension of Jesus as described in Luke-Acts, and to examine both the Jewish rapture traditions and the early Christian reception and interpretation of the Lukan accounts. In my research, I tried to explain how the Ascension event was shaped by Luke and the impact it had within the Christian Church of the first centuries.
The first chapter tackles the history of research on the Ascension and the proposed methodology. Following this, the second section of the thesis analyses the Jewish assumption (rapture) traditions found in both canonical and pseudepigraphal writings. The common elements between these traditions and the Ascension of Christ are observed in order to establish a certain dependence of the Ascension narrative on Jewish rapture accounts.
In the third chapter, I examine the two Ascension accounts in Luke-Acts (Lk 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11) and aim to explain the apparent inconsistencies between them. Certain aspects, such as redundancy and variations, are discussed in detail in the third section of this chapter.
The fourth chapter focuses on the reception and interpretation of the Lukan Ascension narratives within the early Christian Church (the pre-Nicene period). Finally, a summary of the entire thesis and some final remarks are drawn in the conclusion of the present study.
Two excursuses relevant to this research are included in the appendices: the first on the Jewish Hekhalot literature and Merkabah mysticism; and the second examining the Ascension in the Gospels according to Mark (16:19-20 of the ‘longer ending’) and John (20:17)
The Tradition of restoration: An examination of the Motifs of Israel's re-gathering and the fate of the nations in early Jewish literature and Luke-Acts
No full textThis thesis identifies and examines the tradition of restoration. Particular attention is given to its expression in—what is identified in the present study—as the exilic model of restoration. This model provided one framework through which Jews in the Greco- Roman period could express their dilemmas as well as their hopes and ideas of the future. This particular expression of Israel's restoration is characterized by the features of Israel’s re-gathering, the fate of the nations/enemies, and the establishment of a new Temple. The present study focuses primarily on the first two features (i.e., the re- gathering of Israel and the fate of Israel's enemies) of the exilic model of restoration. The features are identified in a wide number of early Jewish documents and examined for their interpretation. In Chapter One, we examine and submit to critique the most important scholarly work on the use of the pattern of 'exile and return' in early Jewish ideas of restoration. In Chapter Two (The Re-gathering of Israel) we identify and discuss various early Jewish sources that represent the diverse interpretations given to the motif of Israel's eschatological return. In Chapter Three (The Defeat of Israel's Enemies), we examine a number of early Jewish documents that represent the variety of interpretations and emphases given to the hope for the defeat of Israel's adversaries. In Chapter Four (The Restoration of Israel in Luke-Acts), we explore the influence of these early Jewish ideas of restoration on the self-identity and hopes of a formative Christian community
Jesus and the climax of Israel’s story: An exploration of the hermeneutic of ‘Story’ with reference to Matthew 24-25, Mark 13 and Luke 21
No full textOur thesis unfolds through dialogue with N.T. Wright’s concept of ‘story’ and offers a critique of his methodology and specifically his exegesis of the ‘coming of the son of man’ saying in Mark 13 and parallels. In Part A, we explore with Wright the potential of the concept of ‘story’ to unify historical, theological, and literary enquiries with respect to biblical studies, and consequently refine the concept independently of Wright by drawing upon Jan Assmann’s idea of ‘mnemohistory’, the postfoundationalist theology and revised theological hermeneutic of Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and Michael Fishbane’s work in ‘inner-biblical exegesis’.
In Part B, it is argued that the traditions that emerged concerning Jesus of Nazareth are deliberately intertwined with Israel’s ‘story’ so as to assert Jesus’ central role in bringing this narrative to a climax. Together with James Dunn, each Gospel is viewed as a unified performance of the received traditions, where each selectively draws from the sources available, both literary and oral, to provide a fresh improvisation of the tradition for its own context. Our exegesis of the eschatological discourse in each of the three Synoptic Gospels employs the tools of narrative criticism and a chastened redaction criticism to demonstrate the explicatory power that the hermeneutic of ‘story’ provides in reading what have been notoriously challenging passages for New Testament scholars.
Our particular focus is to examine the nexus between the destruction of the temple and the ‘coming of the son of man’ saying in order to evaluate Wright’s conclusion that the ‘coming of the son of man’ expression must be read as a metaphor with the destruction of the temple as its referent. Our own findings agree with Wright that the expression is to be read as a metaphor, but, contrary to Wright’s conclusion, we determine that the referent is Jesus’ vindication at the eschaton
Paul in Acts and Epistles : the Miletus speech and 1 Thessalonians as a test case.
No full textThis study contributes to debates over the portraits of Paul in Acts and his epistles by considering the one Pauline speech to Christians in Acts, the speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts 20: 18b-35). After surveying previous work, a two-way comparison is made, comparing the Miletus speech with (i) speeches by Jesus in Luke's Gospel, to see how Lukan it is, and (ii) 1 Thessalonians, to see how Pauline it is. A hierarchical method is outlined for identifying parallels. A study of the speech shows it to be a well-structured 'farewell', in which Paul commissions the elders for ministry after his departure to Jerusalem. The speech has four major themes: faithful fulfilment of leadership responsibility; suffering; the attitude to wealth and work; and the death of Jesus. Paul is offered as a model of Christian leadership for imitation. A comparison with Luke's Gospel identifies three passages which parallel the speech (22: 14-38; 12: 1-53; 21: 5-31), and four briefer passages (7: 38,44; 9: 2; 10: 3; 13: 32f). 22: 14-38 parallels the speech especially closely. A clear picture of Luke's view of Christian leadership emerges - modelled by Jesus, taught to his disciples, modelled by Paul, and then taught to the elders, the leaders of the next Christian generation. The comparison with 1 Thessalonians recognises the four major Miletus themes in the letter, and identifies a number of passages and ideas in the letter which have parallels in the speech. A clear picture of Christian leadership emerges, looking remarkably like that found in Luke-Acts. A conclusion reviews the argument, concludes that the speech is not dependent on the letter, and outlines results for debates about Paul in Acts and epistles
The Gospel on the Margins: The Ideological Function of the Patristic Tradition on the Evangelist Mark
No full textIn spite of the virtually unanimous patristic opinion that the evangelist Mark was the interpreter of Peter, one of the most prestigious apostolic founding figures in Christian memory, the Gospel of Mark was mostly neglected in the patristic period. Not only is the text of Mark the least well represented of the canonical Gospels in terms of the number of patristic citations, commentaries and manuscripts, the explicit comments about the evangelist Mark reveal some ambivalence about its literary or theological value. In my survey of the reception of Mark from Papias of Hierapolis until Clement of Alexandria, I will argue that the reason why the patristic writers were hesitant to embrace the Gospel of Mark was that they perceived the text to be amenable to the Christological beliefs and social praxis of rival Christian factions. The patristic tradition about Mark may have little historical basis, but it had an important ideological function in appropriating the text in the name of an apostolic authority from the margins or periphery
Blind injustice : Jesus' prophetic warning against unjust judging (Matt 7:1-5)
No full textThis dissertation seeks to provide a plausible alternative to the consensus interpretation of Jesus' "do not judge" teaching in Matt 7:1-5. While the overwhelming majority of recent interpreters understand "do not judge" (7:1) and its concurrent sayings such as "take the log out of your own eye" (7:5) to promote a non-judgmental attitude, this monograph seeks to situate this block of teaching within a Jewish second-Temple judicial setting. To this end, an overview of the judicial system during the second Temple era is provided, after which it is argued that Matt 7:1-5 is the Matthean Jesus' halakhic, midrashic comment upon the laws for just legal judging in Lev 19:15-18, 35-36 by which he prophetically criticizes unjust legal judging. Jesus' brother James takes up this teaching in Jas 2:1-13, using it to exhort Jewish Christian leaders who judge cases within Diaspora synagogues/churches. Such an alternative interpretation of Jesus' "do not judge" teaching in Matt 7:1-5 matches well other passages in Matthew which likewise speak of judicial, brotherly conflict such as 5:21-26 and 18:15-35. Some early Christian writers who quote or allude to Matt 7:1-5 reflect a judicial understanding of these verses as well, often relating Matt 7:1-5 to Lev 19:15-18, 35-36 and/or drawing parallels between Matt 7:1-5 and one or more of the NT judicial texts which, this thesis argues, is related to it (Matt 5:21-26, 18:15-35; Jas 2:1-13)
The Doctor - From painting to figurine
No full textThis is the accepted author manuscript of an opinion piece that was published as part of an article by Tomoaki Ito, Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun. The article was first published in Japanese on 10.06.2020 and later published in English on 17.07.2020. This article focuses on the discovery of a ceramic figurine which was inspired by Sir Luke Fildes' painting The Doctor. The article mentions Christopher McHugh's research on figurines in Seto and includes the essay by McHugh, where he reflects on the significance of the painting and its ceramic representation in terms of the coronavirus pandemic
The Doctor - From painting to figurine
No full textThis is the accepted author manuscript of an opinion piece that was published as part of an article by Tomoaki Ito, Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun. The article was first published in Japanese on 10.06.2020 and later published in English on 17.07.2020. This article focuses on the discovery of a ceramic figurine which was inspired by Sir Luke Fildes' painting The Doctor. The article mentions Christopher McHugh's research on figurines in Seto and includes the essay by McHugh, where he reflects on the significance of the painting and its ceramic representation in terms of the coronavirus pandemic
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