RBL Review of Moyise, Later NT Writers and Scripture

Yongbom Lee reviews for RBL Steve Moyise, Later New Testament Writers and Scripture: The Old Testament in Acts, Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation.

McCruden on Spirituality in Hebrews

Kevin McCruden's book is about to come off the press:

Kevin. B. McCruden. A Body You Have Prepared For Me: The Spirituality of the Letter to the Hebrews. Liturgical Press.

The synopsis from the Liturgical Press website:

"While all of the New Testament writings offer windows into the personal religious experiences of their authors, says Kevin McCruden, the Letter to the Hebrews affords us a truly exquisite example of a particularly creative interpretation of such religious experience. It also supplies us with something all too rare in many of the documents of the New Testament: a glimpse into the personal experiences of the ancient persons who first heard this text.

Partially obscured beneath the author's characteristic emphasis on the superiority of transcendent realities is the indelible imprint of the real-life experiences of early Christians who suffered emotionally and physically for the countercultural commitment that they placed in Jesus. For such persons, Hebrews vividly celebrates the unseen vindication of Jesus and, in this way, provides a hope-filled portrait of the victorious Son of God. At the same time, Hebrews is also very much concerned with what we might call the life of Christian discipleship-that is, what it means to journey this side of the age to come in a manner that is faithful to the countercultural character of God's kingdom embodied by Jesus. This brief study will help illumine for readers something of this creative balance between the transcendent and the concrete that Hebrews illustrates so well."

Hebrews Carnival April 2013

James McGrath wonders about a "Two Powers" reading in Hebrews 2.

Dave Black and Henry Neufeld critique An Exegetical Outline of Hebrews. Henry Neufeld then adds Another Note on Hebrews Outlines.

Review of Bateman, Charts on Hebrews

Rich Shields has a brief review of Herbert Bateman's, Charts on the Book of Hebrews.

Update: Charles Savelle also has a brief review at Bible X.

New Beacon Bible Commentary on Hebrews

The New Beacon Bible Commentary on Hebrews came out at the beginning of this month:

Kevin L. Anderson. Hebrews: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition.

Pioneer and Priest: Jesus in Hebrews

The newest offering from Pickwick Publications:

R. J. McKelvey. Pioneer and Priest: Jesus Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

The blurb from the website:

"The interest that Hebrews holds today is testimony to its enduring message. Central to its message is what Jesus Christ did and continues to do for his people. This is spelled out in arresting images. Dr. McKelvey provides new insight on Hebrews by demonstrating that two of its chief images - pioneer and priest - function not independently but in tandem. Christ is not pioneer without also being priest, and his priesthood is only properly understood in terms of the pioneer figure. Only one who is both pioneer and priest can provide the church with the help it needs. The double analogy in fact conveys the meaning of the Christian faith. This creative work takes account of the author's rhetorical style, showing how Hebrews is addressed to an urgent practical situation. It will appeal to those who want to know more about Hebrews as well as those who believe that the emerging church must follow Christ "outside the camp.""

The Family of God in Hebrews

Here is the newest book on my radar screen.  The book is based on Amy's 2011 dissertation with Princeton Theological Seminary:

Amy L. B. Peeler. You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Bloomsbury T & T Clark. Due date: November 14, 2013.

Here is the blurb from the website:

"The author of Hebrews calls God 'Father' only twice in his sermon. This fact could account for scholarship's lack of attention to the familial dynamics that run throughout the letter. Peeler argues, however, that by having God articulate his identity as Father through speaking Israel's Scriptures at the very beginning and near the end of his sermon, the author sets a familial framework around his entire exhortation. The author enriches the picture of God's family by continually portraying Jesus as God's Son, the audience as God's many sons, the blessings God bestows as inheritance, and the trials God allows as pedagogy. The recurrence of the theme coalesces into a powerful ontological reality for the audience: Because God is the Father of Jesus Christ, they too are the sons of God. But even more than the model of sonship, Jesus' relationship with his Father ensures that the children of God will endure the race of faith to a successful finish because they are an integral part of comprehensive inheritance promised by his Father and secured by his obedience.Because of the familial relationship between God and Jesus, the audience of Hebrews - God's children - can remain in the house of God forever."

Exegetical Outlines on Hebrews

Nathan E. Brown has recently completed An Exegetical Outline of Hebrews: "The Superiority of Christ and His Covenant". You may find his outlines useful, particularly for the background material that he provides.  I will be including a link to this resource under Electronic Books.  Thanks to Nathan Brown for informing me about this resource.

Hebrews at the International Meeting of the SBL

The international meeting of the SBL this year is at St. Andrews from July 7 to July 11.  It looks like a nice slate of papers on Hebrews this year:




Biblical Characters in the Three Traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
7/09/2013
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Felix H. Cortez, Universidad de Montemorelos
Not All Comparisons Are Created Equal: Moses and Aaron as Types of Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews (25 min)

"The Letter to the Hebrews compares Jesus to both Moses and Aaron and these comparisons are the cornerstone of its argument. It is often considered a truism that Jesus is both a new Moses who inaugurated the new covenant with its heavenly sanctuary and heavenly priestly order and a new Aaron who has offered a more excellent sacrifice to provide cleansing for believers. But, is Jesus both a Moses and an Aaron figure at the same time? Is his sacrifice both the inauguration of the New Covenant and a greater or final Day of Atonement? I will argue that not all comparisons are created equal—especially in Hebrews—and that the comparisons to Moses and Aaron in Hebrews are of different nature and serve different purposes. A better understanding of these comparisons would illuminate the relationship of Christianity as expressed in Hebrews to the traditions contained in the Hebrew Scriptures."

Bible and Syriac Studies in Context
7/09/2013
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Theme: Syriac Perspectives on Scripture

Joshua Falconer, University of Oxford
The Dominion of Death in The Syriac Tradition of Heb 2:16 (25 min)

"In the Syriac version of Hebrews 2:16, there is a remarkable variant that apparently does not have any Greek precedent. The Greek version of this passage is usually translated, ‘For clearly he did not take on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham.’ But the Syriac version has, ‘For it was not over angels that death had authority, but over the seed of Abraham it had authority.’ This variant appears in the earliest Syriac manuscripts dating to the fifth to sixth centuries where the passage is preserved. Because of its antiquity, unusual character and contextual coherence, Gwilliam and Pinkerton regarded it as the earlier Peshitta reading in their 1920 edition, and Michael Gudorf’s 1992 dissertation on Peshitta Hebrews also concluded that it must be the earliest reading for similar reasons. However, there are serious reasons to reconsider the variant, as will be shown by this new research of the external and internal evidence. This paper therefore poses the following questions: What can we know about the inception and early reception of this strange variant? Which of the Peshitta variants is earlier? How does it relate to other variants in the Syriac tradition? Finally, what does this information tell us about the early character of the Peshitta text? Modeled after Sebastian Brock’s 1985 investigation of Hebrews 2:9b, this contribution may be considered on its own or as a companion piece to Brock’s study. In the end, it proposes the possibility that Hebrews 2:9 and 2:16, along with several related passages in the Syriac tradition, may be linked to one or more systematic revisions with Christological underpinnings, recognizable by their common ‘Theopaschite’ readings, and indicating that the Peshitta may not be so consistent across Western and Eastern lines after all."

Epistle to the Hebrews
7/10/2013
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Theme: Interpretative Issues in Hebrews 8-10
Eric F. Mason, Judson University, Presiding

David M. Moffitt, Campbell University
Exploring Jesus’ High-Priestly Service in Heb 8–10: A Survey of Contemporary Debates (35 min) 

"The nature, location, and particulars of Jesus’ high-priestly service and the ways these issues relate to Hebrews’ understanding of the New Covenant continue to be matters actively discussed in the secondary literature. This paper will survey a number of recent publications on Hebrews relating to these topics. The goal of the paper is two-fold: 1) to identify approaches that appear to provide innovative and positive ways to advance the debates, and 2) to introduce some common points of reference to help guide the Consultation’s discussion on this central section of this enigmatic text."

Grant Macaskill, University of St. Andrews
Hebrews 8–10 and New Testament Apocalyptic Theology: Generic and Conceptual Issues (35 min)

"The ‘apocalyptic’ character of the Epistle to the Hebrews has been the focus of much recent research into the book. Specialists in Jewish apocalyptic writings (e.g., Rowland/Morray Jones) have seen the imagery of the heavenly temple, and the designation of Jesus as the high priest over this sanctuary, as reflecting the Jewish mystical traditions attested in apocalyptic writing. This has allowed detailed study of the epistle to locate it conceptually in relation to apocalyptic Judaism, facilitating correctives to those readings that understand the book to reflect Platonic conceptuality. This has implications for our understanding of the ontology of the covenant mediator in chapters 8-10, whose real physical humanity must be maintained, even in his heavenly role. It also, however, means that Hebrews bears distinctive witness to an apocalyptic dimension in early Christian theology, which provides important context to the discussions of apocalyptic theology in other New Testament writers, notably Paul. The extent to which Hebrews maintains the role of covenant as a central component of its apocalyptic schema, and does so with a particular representation of the activity of faith, must be allowed to speak to the Pauline discussion, all the more so when the two bodies of writing are seen to share a construal of the Incarnation. This paper will trace the significance of the apocalyptic parallels for the proper reading of Hebrews before bringing the findings to bear on the discussions of apocalyptic theology in Pauline scholarship. We will note significant conceptual overlaps between the bodies of writings, suggesting substantial continuity of theology (a ‘family resemblance’), which supports the view that Paul’s apocalyptic account, centred on the Christ-event, also locates itself in relation to the covenants between God and Israel, according to an eschatological scenario that is more complex than the commonly assumed ‘two-ages’ scenario."

Georg Gäbel, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
What’s So Interesting about Old Furniture? Israel’s Desert Tabernacle According to Heb 9:1-5, or How (Not) to Approach the Divine Presence (25 min)

"This paper will explore the way in which Hebrews uses a brief description of Israel’s desert tabernacle in Heb 9:1-5 to lay the ground for the subsequent critique of the cult performed on earth and for the description of the cultic performance of the heavenly High Priest. Special attention will be payed to early Jewish traditions relating to some of the furnishings of the tabernacle mentioned in Heb 9:1-5, both in the Hebrew Bible and in parabiblical and related literature."

Nicholas J. Moore, Keble College, University of Oxford
From "Hapax" to "Ephapax": Singularity and Repetition in Covenants Old and New in Heb 9 (25 min)

"The argument of the Letter to the Hebrews regarding the finality and sufficiency of Christ’s death as a sacrifice of atonement for God’s people depends in part upon a contrast with the repetition of sacrifices in the tabernacle cult (cf. esp. Heb 7.23-28; 9.23-10.14); such repetition is taken to reveal their inefficacy (Heb 10.1-4). This deployment of repetition is often associated with – indeed, to a large extent it underlies – Christian (and especially Protestant) denigration of repetition as characteristic of pointless, ineffectual ritual, whether in the old covenant cultus, medieval Roman Catholic worship, or elsewhere. Focussing particularly on Heb 9.1-14, 23-28, this paper argues in contrast to this tradition that repetition has a more variegated role, and does not exist in simple opposition to singularity in the letter. Firstly the complex and nuanced function of repetition within Hebrews, including its various constructive roles, is established; in the light of this, it is argued that a positive function for repetition obtains in Heb 9.6. Secondly, on the basis of the typological relationship between the high priest’s single entry into the inner sanctuary on Yom Kippur and Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice it is suggested that Hebrews finds precedent for the singularity and particularity of atoning sacrifice precisely within and not in opposition to tabernacle worship. Drawing these two points together, it is argued that the intricate comparative structure of Heb 9.1-14 presents both the high priest’s singular entry and the priests’ repeated activity – and therefore the tabernacle cult as a whole – as adumbrations of what is now fully realized in Christ. The paper thus demonstrates that repetition and singularity have a polyvalent rather than a uniform function within Hebrews, and in so doing aims to contribute to current re-examination of received traditions of reading the letter."

Benjamin J. Ribbens, Wheaton College (Illinois)
The Positive Functions of Levitical Sacrifice in Hebrews (25 min)

"Scholars typically assume that the author of Hebrews strips the levitical sacrifices of any efficacy and sees them as merely external rituals that were unable to address the problem of sin. This paper will challenge this presiding assumption. Every first-century reader of the Septuagint understood that sacrifice achieved atonement, forgiveness, and purification, so that the author of Hebrews does not need to highlight this basic understanding of levitical sacrifice. Rather, such a positive understanding of the levitical sacrifices permeates the author’s thinking. The levitical sacrifices were offered according to the law (8:4; 10:8), which attributed them efficacy. The author repeatedly notes that the sacrifices were for sins (5:1, 3; 7:27; 9:7; 13:11), and he works with the assumption that the old covenant sacrifices achieved forgiveness (9:22; 10:18). Further, the description of Jesus’ death in the pattern of a sacrifice loses any significance if the author does not think the levitical sacrifices achieved anything efficacious. After arguing for a positive view of the levitical sacrifices in Hebrews, this paper will note how a positive understanding fits with the author’s critical statements about the levitical cult, such as its inability to perfect, redeem, take away sin, cleanse the conscience, etc. Rather than making a blanket statement regarding the inefficacy of the levitical sacrifices in Hebrews, this paper will call for a more nuanced position that acknowledges some efficacy for the levitical sacrifices in the midst of predominantly negative statements about their inability." 

Epistle to the Hebrews
7/10/2013
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
David M. Moffitt, Campbell University, Presiding

John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena)
Don’t You Love It, Don’t You Hate It? An Old Testament Reading of Hebrews (25 min)

"The paper will examine ways in which Hebrews influences Old Testament interpretation and ways in which the Old Testament raises questions about the epistle. It will consider (a) the constructive aspect to Hebrews’ use of the Old Testament, in its assumptions about the Law, about divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and about the analogy between the church’s theological position and Israel’s. (b) the more problematic aspect to its influence in its understanding of sacrifice as essentially concerned with atonement, its appeal to Old Testament characters as examples, its declaration that Jeremiah’s new covenant has been implemented, and its statement that forgiveness requires the shedding of blood. (c) the process whereby it came to be part of the New Testament canon and the possible theological implications of that process, and the theological questions raised by the ambiguity of its influence. It will interact with recent work on Hebrews such as the symposia edited by Gabriella Gelardini, Hebrews: Contemporary Methods—New Insights (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2005), by Richard Bauckham and others, A Cloud of Witnesses (LNTS 387; London/New York: Clark, 2008) and The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology (Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2009), by Eric F. Mason and Kevin B. McCruden, Reading the Epistle to the Hebrews (Atlanta: SBL, 2011), and by Jon C. Laansma and Daniel J. Trier, Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews (LNTS 423. London/New York: Clark, 2012)."

Michael Kibbe, Wheaton College
Moses Feared and Israel Fled: Deuteronomic Historiography in Hebrews (25 min)

"The Old and New Testaments include three accounts of Israel’s reaction to the theophany at Sinai/Horeb: Exodus 20:18–21, Deuteronomy 5:23–27, and Hebrews 12:18–29. While Hebrews 12 depends on both earlier accounts, this paper focuses on its relationship to the Deuteronomic version. Hebrews and Deuteronomy both depict Israel as fearfully withdrawing from the presence of God and requesting that no more direct revelation take place. Deuteronomy emphasizes the mediating role of Moses and of his prophetic successors, and the rightness of Israel’s request for those mediators (5:27–31; 18:15–18). Hebrews, on the other hand, portrays Moses as no less fearful than the people (12:21), and condemns their request as a refusal (12:19, 25) to listen to God. In this paper I suggest that Hebrews’ attentiveness to Deuteronomy’s “emphatic contemporaneity”—its conflation of various moments in Israel’s history in order to reenact Sinai for present and future audiences—sheds light on the tension between these two accounts. For example, Deuteronomy claims that the Moab generation, rather than their predecessors who died in the wilderness, stood at Sinai (4:10–15). Likewise, Hebrews exaggerates the terror of the Sinai theophany with a reference to Moses’ fear (Heb 12:21), a fear that actually overtook Moses following the golden calf incident (Deut 9:19). Deuteronomy also insists that true fear leads to obedience (e.g., 6:1–3). Yet it also insists that the fear demonstrated by Israel’s request for a mediator did no such thing (5:29; 9:7). Deuteronomy presents, in other words, a fear that promised obedience to mediated revelation (5:23–27) but could not fulfill that promise. Hebrews, similarly, condemns not fear in and of itself (12:28), but fear that shrinks from accountability and therefore comes under the judgment of the God who is a “consuming fire” (Deut 4:24; 9:3; Heb 12:29)."

Eric F. Mason, Judson University
Golden Calf Traditions and the Epistle to the Hebrews (25 min)

"Connections between Hebrews and golden calf traditions in the Jewish Scriptures have not traditionally been the topic of much discussion, and there are no explicit references to the golden calf in Hebrews. Nevertheless some interpreters of Hebrews in recent years have argued that the golden calf traditions provide a significant backdrop for understanding the argument of this text. This paper briefly considers these proposals and surveys several passages in Hebrews that have been cited as reflecting golden calf traditions. The thesis of this paper is that the author of Hebrews does indeed make light use of golden calf traditions, but through the influence of Deuteronomy (rather than Exodus) and in combination with other Sinai and wilderness traditions. This raises the question of why the author of Hebrews avoids direct mention of this episode despite his emphasis on the unfaithfulness of the wilderness generation."

Kyu Seop Kim, University of Aberdeen
The Meaning of the Firstborn Son in Hebrews and Its Implication (25 min)

"What is the meaning of the firstborn son in Heb 1:6; 11:28; 12:23 (12:16)? Why did the author employ this word in order to explain the status of Christ and Christians? What is the traditional-historical backdrop of the word? These questions still remain unsolved. Scholars interpret Christ as the firstborn son in 1:6 in the following three perspectives: 1) a Davidic Messiah; 2) an heir of the promise; and 3) the older brother of Christians. This study, however, will argue that the firstborn son in Hebrews should be considered according to the following two perspectives. First, the firstborn son in Hebrews should be understood in terms of the self-definition and identity of Israel as the elect who has a superior and exclusive status over the non-elect or the Gentiles according to its traditional-historical background in the OT and Jewish literature. We should also note that the firstborn son in Heb 11:28 and 12:16 respectively occur in the context of the conflict between Israel and Egypt and between Jacob and Esau. Secondly, the firstborn son in Hebrews should be understood in terms of “heavenly Israel” tradition in Jewish literature. The firstborn son in Prayer of Joseph and Philo will shed a light on the reason why the firstborn son in Heb 1:6 occurs with Christ’s ascension (1:6) and heavenly enthronement (1:1-14) and why the assembly of the firstborn son in 12:23 exists in heavenly Zion. Therefore, the firstborn son in Hebrews implies the recipients’ superior status over the outer group as the firstborn sons who exist now in heaven with Christ. This study will provide the new understanding of the meaning of “otherness” and the aspects of present eschatology in Hebrews."

Jaroslav Broz, Univerzita Karlova v Praze
Themes and Motives of the Priestly Christology in Heb 11 (25 min)

"Chapter 11 of Hebrews is considered by many commentators a section independent from the central part of the composition dealing with the Christ’s priesthood. With Hebrews 11 (or 10:19) indeed starts the concluding exhortation that apparently misses any characteristics of priestly vocabulary or other means of coherency with the main theme of the letter. The presentation tries to demonstrate that the author of Hebrews planned his work as a whole that should be interpreted in all parts through the key of his priestly Christology. Its three main aspects – sacrifice, eschatology and ecclesiology – are perceivable throughout the whole of chapter 11, which presents the reinterpretation of the main and secondary figures of the Old Testament history of salvation. Even if there are not many direct literal connections between this chapter and the central section of the letter, after a deeper analysis of singular motives the theological homogeneity of both parts of the composition becomes visible."

Benjamin Laird, University of Aberdeen
The Postscript of Hebrews as a Pauline Endorsement: A Consideration of the Canonical Implications of the Ending of Hebrews (25 min)

"One peculiar feature of the Epistle to the Hebrews is the absence of a customary opening salutation, an absence which is noticeable given the presence of a fairly traditional epistolary postscript. This peculiarity has created a number of challenges for interpreters, not least the difficulty it presents in accounting for the epistle’s genre and early canonical history. Can the text rightly be described as an epistle? If so, how may we account for the absence of a traditional salutation in the opening verses? If the text was not originally dispatched as an epistle, how might we account for the presence of the postscript? William Wrede proposed that the postscript was added by a later admirer of Paul in order for the text to be accepted as an inspired writing. This theory has been argued more recently by scholars such as Gert Steyn. A similar theory, that the postscript was written by the same pseudepigrapher who wrote the remainder of the text, has recently been proposed by Clare Rothschild. One possibility which has not been seriously considered is that the postscript of Hebrews was personally written by the apostle Paul in order to authenticate the work of one of his companions, who, as Origen suggested many centuries ago, “remembered the apostolic teachings, and wrote down at his leisure what had been said by his teacher.” This particular theory is consistent with what is known of the standard literary practices of the first century and also accounts for the close relationship between Hebrews and the Pauline letters in early Christianity. This paper will examine a number of internal clues which support this possibility and will also discuss several canonical implications this theory may hold for the development of the Corpus Paulinum." 

Bible and Empire
7/11/2013
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Theme: New Testament

Jason A. Whitlark, Baylor University
The God of Power and the End of the Old Covenant: A Theodical Response to the Challenge of Flavian Triumph in Hebrews (20 min)

"Some of the ancient rhetorical handbooks discuss a form of figured speech that asserted multiple aims for a discourse, some overt others covert. Assuming that Hebrews was written to Christians in Rome living under Flavian rule, this paper proposes that the discourse of Hebrews has, among others, a figured theodical aim in response to the challenge of Flavian triumph. In order to demonstrate the proposed theodical aim, the paper will first examine the literary, monumental, and numismatic presentations of Flavian triumph over the Jewish revolt in Judea. Central to this presentation was the Roman theology of victory that served to legitimate Flavian rule. Second, the paper will examine the challenge that Flavian legitimation was to both Jewish and Christian communities whose god had been dishonored in the destruction of his temple and in the parading of its cultic vessels in the triumphal procession. Jews had already developed responses to such challenges from the destruction of the first temple and drew upon those resources when the second temple was destroyed. Some scholars have point out that Christians also drew upon those resources and developed alternative responses. Thus, in light of this context, the paper will suggest that Hebrews develops in its comparison of covenants a unique, figured theodical response to the dishonor of God in its assertion that God had already brought an end to old covenant institutions. Additionally, the primary locus of God’s honor or reputation, according to Hebrews, now resided in the community’s fidelity. Importantly, such a response did not involve the denigration of the Jewish heritage of the Christian community."

New Bruce Article Added

I have added a new article to the Electronic Articles page:

Bruce, F. F. “Recent Literature on the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Themelios 3.3 (1966): 31–36.

I have added the article to the History of Research page as well.  The article gives a brief overview of Hebrews scholarship from the previous twenty years.  Somehow I had not come across this article before.

Kibbe Reviews Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews

Mike Kibbe reviews: Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews: Profiles from the History of Interpretation. Edited by Jon C. Laansma and Daniel J. Treier.

Bible Translator Articles Added

I have added new links to three Bible Translator articles:

Hollander, Harm W. "Hebrews 7.11 and 8.6: A Suggestion for the Translation of nenomothetetai epi." Bible Translator 30.2 (1979): 244–47.

Koops, Robert. "Chains of Contrasts in Hebrews 1." Bible Translator 34.2 (1983): 220–25.

Nida, Eugene. "Difficulties in Translating Hebrews 1 into Southern Lengua." Bible Translator 18.3 (1967): 117–122.

HT: Rob Bradshaw

Ounsworth on Faith in Hebrews

Here is a new article on Hebrews:

Richard Ounsworth. "Faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews." Scripture Bulletin 43.1 (2013): 22–32.

Here is his own synopsis:

"In this essay I explore the notion of faith that emerges from the Epistle to the Hebrews. I begin, naturally enough, with the seeming definition of faith offered by Hebrews 11:1, arguing that the concept is as much as an ontological as an epistemological one. One of the difficulties with Hebrews 11, it might be felt, is that it appears to define faith without reference to Christ (or very nearly); but in the second part I turn my attention to the way in which Hebrews frames its eleventh chapter with expressions that make it clear that its understanding of faith is profoundly Christological, in particular by describing Jesus as ‘pioneer and perfecter of faith’ in 12:2."

New Electronic Books Added

I have added 23 new links to the Electronic Books (Partial) page.  I also recently updated the Electronic Articles page, removing broken links and updating others.

Reviews of Bateman, Charts on Hebrews

Phillip Long reviews Herbert W. Bateman IV, Charts on the Book of Hebrews, published by Kregel.

James Gray also has a brief review of the same book.

Hebrews Carnival March 2013

Only one blog post worthy of notice for March:

Henry Neufeld comments on Hebrews 2:6 and Inspiration.

Calaway, Sabbath and Sanctuary

I recently became aware of this upcoming publication:

Calaway, Jared. The Sabbath and the Sanctuary: Access to God in the Letter to the Hebrews and Its Priestly Context. Mohr Siebeck, May 2013.

Here is the synopsis from the Mohr Siebeck website:

"Who can enter the sacred and heavenly presence of God? And how? Various ancient Jewish and emergent Christian groups disputed these questions in the first century CE. Jared C. Calaway states that the Letter to the Hebrews joined this debate by engaging and countering priestly frameworks of sacred access that aligned the Sabbath with the sanctuary. From the Hebrew Bible through late Second Temple Judaism, the sanctity of the sanctuary could be experienced through the Sabbath, sacred space through sacred time. In its sweeping vistas of Sabbath rest and the heavenly homeland, the heavenly sanctuary and the coming age, and the heavenly priesthood, Hebrews reworked this priestly framework, showing familiarity with its traditional and contemporary forms, such as the "Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice". In a manner resembling postwar layers of the emergent Christian tradition, instead of entering God’s sacred and heavenly Presence through the weekly Sabbath, one could only experience the heavenly realities of the Sabbath and the sanctuary through faithfulness and obedience to Jesus, the faithful and obedient heavenly high priest who purifies, sanctifies, and perfects."

New Commentary Series: Illuminations

I learned from Stephen Cook about a new commentary series, Illuminations, which will be published by Eerdmans.  A description of the new series can be found here.  Naturally, I was interested in who would do the Hebrews volume: Ellen Aitken of McGill University.  The flyer gives no indication when the individual volumes are due to come out.

Review of Moyise, Later NT Writings and Scripture

Steve Moyise. The Later New Testament Writings and Scripture: The Old Testament in Acts, Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles and Revelation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012. x + 182 pages.

First, I want to thank Trinity Graeser and Baker Academic for a review copy of this book.

This book is the third installment of a series on the use of the OT in the NT.  The first two books dealt with the Gospels and the Pauline letters respectively.  The book is written in a popular, readable style accessible for non-scholars (which is not to say that the book is not scholarly).  Hence, one should not expect an exhaustive treatment of the use of the OT in these NT books.  As is common with many popular-level books, notes are relegated to the back of the book and it contains a highly selective bibliography mostly of very recent books.

The first chapter deals with the book of Acts.  According to Moyise, there are forty explicit quotations of the OT in Acts, most of which are contained in the speeches.  Hence, Moyise gives some consideration to the relationship between the speeches and the narratives in Acts.  The first part of the chapter traces how Luke utilizes OT quotations to support a number of themes:

1) Salvation for Jews and Gentiles: Luke uses Scripture to reveal that God has always intended to save Gentiles as well as Jews (12).

2) Christ’s death, resurrection, and exaltation: Luke claims that Jesus’ death occurred according to the Scriptures, but he does not employ specific texts to elaborate on its meaning (15).  David prophetically spoke about Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation (17, 19)

3) Christological titles and functions: Luke uses Scripture to identify Jesus as Lord and Messiah, Servant, Son of God, a prophet like Moses, and Cornerstone (19–25).

4) Judgment: Luke utilizes a number of Scriptures to demonstrate that judgment will come upon those who have rejected Christ (25).

5) Historical summary: Historical summaries may serve the purpose of showing fulfillment of OT Scripture (30) or to demonstrate that the Israelites had a history of resisting God’s plan (31–32).

The latter half of the chapter surveys two major theories of the relationship of Acts to OT Scripture.  One view states that Luke’s Christology is modeled on David and the Psalms.  The other view believes that Isaiah is the predominant influence on Luke’s Christology.  Moyise concludes that the Psalms were more important than Isaiah for Luke, but that both were important influences (40–41).

Moyise next turns to the usage of Scripture in 1 Peter.  He divides his analysis according to scriptural texts.  First Peter quotes the Psalms only twice, but uses them differently from Acts; they are not used to explicate the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ (44).  Isaiah is by far the most influential text for 1 Peter with six explicit quotations and several allusions (45).  Isaiah 53 is the most important text for understanding Christ.  The gospel message is described as the imperishable word of God according to a passage from Isaiah 40, and the author frequently applies scriptural passages that originally referred to Israel as now applying to the Church (52).  The author also makes use of Proverbs and Leviticus.  Moyise gives particular attention to 1 Peter 1:10–12 which speaks about the inspiration of prophecy.  He believes that the references to “suffering and glory” can refer to Christ’s death and resurrection/exaltation, but that the glory to follow may also refer to the birth of the Church and the reality of salvation (58).  Moyise states that Peter’s use of Scripture is “unreflective”; he assumes that OT Scripture passages speak about Christ or the Church (60).  While for Acts, the Psalms were more important than Isaiah, it is the reverse for 1 Peter.  While analyzing the author’s use of particular Scripture texts may be illuminating, I wonder whether this is an artificial distinction.  Both the Psalms and Isaiah may be of equal importance to the author of 1 Peter, but it just so happens that Isaiah texts were more suitable for his purposes in this particular letter than Psalm texts.  It is hard to be dogmatic about such issues for such a short letter as 1 Peter.

Chapter 3 looks at the use of Scripture in Jude, 2 Peter, and James.  Jude and 2 Peter are unique among the writings of the NT in that they not only draw upon OT writings, but also extensively upon extra-canonical writings such as 1 Enoch and the Assumption of Moses (63).  Second Peter seems to be largely dependent on Jude as indicated by the fact that most of the OT material it draws upon is also found in Jude (67).  Moyise examines James’ view of justification by works.  James uses the same OT text, Genesis 15:6, as Paul to argue for justification by works.  There have been three approaches to the relationship of James with Paul: 1) James contradicts Paul; 2) James can be harmonized with Paul; 3) James should be interpreted in light of his own contexts and traditions (76–77), which seems to be Moyise’s approach.  For James, works “are not simply the product of faith but a necessary constituent in order to bring faith to completion” (78).  James is also heavily dependent on the Jewish wisdom tradition (Proverbs, Sirach, Wisdom of Solomon).  Much of this wisdom tradition is accessed through Jesus’ own teachings.  Moyise concludes that James does not offer a Christological interpretation of Scripture, but it is a “Jesus-centered” one (80).

Chapter 4 focuses on the use of Scripture in Hebrews.  Moyise identifies 37 explicit quotations: 16 from the Psalms, 13 from the Pentateuch, 6 from the prophets, and 1 each from 2 Samuel and Proverbs (81).  Moyise works his way sequentially through the book of Hebrews, commenting on the OT quotations and allusions that appear in each section.  The opening prologue affirms both the continuity of revelation but also a contrast between the revelation spoken in the past and the revelation in the Son (81–82).  The revelation in the Son is superior to prior revelation because “it comes from a more intimate source” (82).  In chapter 1 several quotations are used elsewhere in the NT, but some are unique to Hebrews.  The author perhaps is drawing upon earlier traditions but also building upon them with his own insights into Scripture (82–83).  The prominent use of the Psalms in Hebrews suggests that the author was drawn to the first-person speech so frequently found in the Psalms and that the author likely viewed them as “divine speech between Father and Son” (86).  Hebrews 2:6–8 quotes Ps 8:4–6 but differs from it in a couple of ways.  First, humanity was made lower “for a little while,” rather than “a little lower.”  Second, humanity is made lower than angels, rather than God (87).  Moyise presents both the anthropological and christological interpretations of this passage, showing both their strengths and weaknesses (88–89).  Moyise believes that these interpretations are not mutually exclusive as suggested by the Scripture quotations in 2:12–13 which emphasizes Christ’s solidarity with humanity (89).  This contrast between Moses and Jesus at the beginning of chapter 3 is facilitated by an allusion to Num 12:6–8, which describes Moses as a servant, while Jesus is the Son (90–91).  In the quotation of Ps 95:7–11 that immediately follows, the author of Hebrews interprets the “today” of the Psalm as now and the “rest” as the eschatological Sabbath rest that is available to his readers, rather than the rest of the promised land (91).  Moyise next discusses Hebrews’ exposition of Gen 14 in chapter 7 and concludes that it differs “from Paul’s Adam typology, since the author’s main point is not that Christ supersedes or undoes the work of Melchizedek but that he belongs to the same order” (93).  In his discussion of the use of Ps 110 in Hebrews, Moyise critiques Buchanan’s view that Hebrews is a midrash on Ps 110 since the author shows interest only in verses 1 and 4 and no other verses of the psalm (94).  The author quotes at length from Jer 31:31–34 in Heb 8–10 to argue that the implementation of the new covenant implies that the old covenant is obsolete.  The forgiveness of sins promised in Jeremiah is accomplished through the sacrificial death of Christ (96).  The author also reinforces the transitory nature of the old covenant with a quotation of Ps 40:6–8 in Heb 10:5–7, which serves as a proof-text for the incarnation and demonstrates the futility of sacrifices to take away sins (97–98).  Moyise then elaborates upon various allusions and quotations from Isaiah, Deuteronomy, and Habakkuk in Heb 10:19–39 (99–102).  Hebrews 11 draws up various OT stories, but gives greatest attention to Abraham and Moses, whose stories are embellished by the author of Hebrews (104–105).  Moyise opines that he “virtually turns Abraham and Moses into Christians before Christ” (106).  Finally, Moyise deals with miscellaneous OT quotations in the final two chapters of Hebrews (106–109).  Moyise concludes with three observations.  First, Hebrews shows both continuity and difference with the OT revelation (109).  Second, while the author of Hebrews draws upon Christian tradition by quoting many of the same OT passages, he also goes beyond it, “both extending the tradition and discovering texts of his own” (110).  Third, the author quotes chiefly from the LXX, but sometimes he adapts the quotations.  The author often interpreted the ambiguity of first-person pronouns in OT quotations as “words spoken by God or addressed to God as a divine exchange between God and Jesus” (110).

Chapter 5 deals with the use of Scripture in Revelation.  Revelation does not quote the OT but it makes numerous allusions, which have been estimated in the range of 250 to over 1,000 (111).  While on some occasions certain Scriptures stand out, in other instances the author weaves together allusions from various OT passages (112).  Moyise traces Revelation’s use of the OT under five topical headings: God, Jesus and the Spirit; dragon, beast and false prophet; judgments and disasters; witness and struggle; and final salvation.  Moyise frequently demonstrates how John weaves together OT allusions throughout his revelation.  For example, in the opening Trinitarian greeting, the description of God reflects Exod 3:14, the description of the Spirit alludes to Zech 4, while the description of Christ draws upon Ps 89:27, 37 (112–114).  Revelation 1:7 splices together allusions to Dan 7:13 and Zech 12:10 (115).  The inaugural vision of Christ in Rev 1:12–18 pulls together various allusions from Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah (116–118).  The vision of the heavenly throne in Rev 4–5 is heavily indebted to Ezek 1 and Isa 6, but also incorporates various other allusions (118–121).  John frequently juxtaposes what he sees with what he hears.  Moyise remarks, “John clearly intends what he sees and what he hears to mutually interpret one another” (122).  The judgments and disasters that pervade Revelation are likely inspired by the ten plagues of Egypt in Exod 7–12, as well as assorted passages from Isaiah and Joel, while the four horsemen evokes Zech 1:7–11 and 6:1–8 (128–131).  The eschatological visions of salvation that conclude the book, not only draw upon much biblical imagery, but also upon extra-biblical traditions (134).  John’s vision of the heavenly Jerusalem is heavily dependent upon Ezekiel (137–139).  In the conclusion, Moyise highlights two features of John’s use of the OT.  First, “John’s visions are either modeled on sections of Scripture . . . or are composed in scriptural language” (139–140).  Second, John is selective in his use of the OT and is not constrained either by its original wording or meaning (140).  Moyise explores three different theories of composition: the rhetorical model, the scribal/exegetical model, and the mystical model (140–142).  He concludes with an excursus on the letters of John and Scripture.  The letters have no explicit quotations, but do contain some echoes of OT passages (142–144).

In the conclusion (chapter 6), Moyise concludes that the NT writers evince both tradition and innovation.  Certain texts of the OT (such as Gen 15–22; Pss 2, 110, 118; Isa 6–8, 40–55) are used by various authors in the NT.  Innovation is accomplished by drawing on traditional texts but using a different part of them, by drawing on texts that share a common theme or wording with a traditional text, or by drawing upon extra-biblical traditions to supply what is missing in OT stories (145–149).

In conclusion, while I cannot assert authoritatively the contribution that Moyise makes with all of the books he discusses, I can say that he does not seem to advance the discussion on Hebrews’ use of the OT very far.  There are numerous articles and monographs which explore Hebrews’ use of the OT in much greater depth.  What Moyise’s book accomplishes, then, is to provide an overview to the use of the OT in Acts and the latter books of the NT for non-specialists.  The book may serve as introduction for specialists, but they will certainly want to turn to other works for more in-depth treatment.

New Theses Added

I have added a couple new links to theses:

Allison, Dawn Elizabeth. "A Study of the Priestly Christology of the Epistle to the Hebrews." M.A. thesis, Durham University, 1991.

Barbee, Dawn. "The Concept of Faith in Hebrews 10:32–12:3." M.A. thesis, Regent University, 2011.

I also came across this Greek thesis, which argues that Luke was likely the author of Hebrews:

ΠΑΠΑΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ, ΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΥΛΑ. "Η ΧΡΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΚΟΙΝΗΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΣΤΗ ΛΟΥΚΑ. ΜΙΑ ΑΔΗΛΗ ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑ: ΣΥΜΒΟΛΗ ΣΤΟ ΖΗΤΗΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΣ." Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 1998.