Tyndale bulletin has a new article out on Hebrews:
Lee Gatiss. "Grace Tasted Death for All: Thomas Aquinas on Hebrews 2:9." Tyndale Bulletin 63.2 (2012): 217ff.
Here is the synopsis from the website:
"This article examines the biblical interpretation of Thomas Aquinas,
which has until recently been relatively neglected amongst the many
works of this leading medieval theologian. Looking particularly at ‘by
the grace of God Christ tasted death for all’ (Hebrews 2:9), a key
phrase which throws up several exegetical and theological puzzles, it
concludes that Aquinas’s approach to it is a prime example of medieval
commentating both at its best and its worst. It shows how his lack of
knowledge of Greek led him astray, notes his neglect of textual
criticism, and examines his reliance on tradition, especially the
Hebrews commentary of Peter Lombard. It places his use of the
theological formula ‘sufficient for all, efficacious for the elect
alone’ when expounding the words ‘for all’ into historical context,
surveying exegetical discussion of the extent of the atonement from
Origen to Gottschalk to John Owen. Aquinas’s use of the scholastic
‘division of the text’ methodology to identify a melodic line centring
on this verse’s theme of ‘grace’ within both Hebrews and Paul (the
assumed author) is uncovered, along with other interpretative tactics
and a reflective piety which jar against the presuppositions of modern
academic biblical studies."
In other news: Kevin McCruden emailed me today and informed me of two publications of his that will be coming out sometime next year:
A Body You Have Prepared For Me: The Spirituality of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Liturgical Press)
"The Eloquent Blood of Jesus: The Fidelity of Jesus as a Neglected Theme in Hebrews 12:24." Catholic Biblical Quarterly (July 2013 ?)
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
New Article Added
I have just added the following article to the Articles page:
Asumang, Annang, and Bill Domeris. "The Migrant Camp of the People of God: A Uniting Theme for the Epistle to the Hebrews." Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 3 (2007).
Asumang, Annang, and Bill Domeris. "The Migrant Camp of the People of God: A Uniting Theme for the Epistle to the Hebrews." Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 3 (2007).
Monday, November 19, 2012
Newest Acquisition
I have recently returned from the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, where I heard several papers on the book of Hebrews. Somehow I managed to leave the bookroom without having made a single purchase this year. However, I did receive one book for free thanks to Bryan Dyer of BakerAcademic:
Harold W. Attridge, Essays on John and Hebrews.
I will post a review of the book once I have managed to dig myself out of the backlog of work that is currently burying me.
Harold W. Attridge, Essays on John and Hebrews.
I will post a review of the book once I have managed to dig myself out of the backlog of work that is currently burying me.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Hebrews at the Annual SBL Meeting
There are a number of sessions and papers on Hebrews during the upcoming SBL Conference in Chicago. The following includes both the times and places, but also the abstracts of all the papers pertaining to Hebrews.
We would like to have another Hebrews dinner after one of the sessions. The best time that works for me is Sunday lunch, as I have another commitment on Saturday evening, but this does not preclude having a get-together on Saturday evening as well. I hope you will join me and others for lunch on Sunday after the morning session.
S17-206
Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory
11/17/2012
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Room: N140 - McCormick PlaceTheme: Mythic Motifs in the Bible
Jeremy Miselbrook, Loyola University of Chicago
Jesus the Hero: The Heroic Portrayal of Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews
"Scholars have long theorized about the possibility of a Hellenistic-hero background to New Testament Christology. While the Gospel narratives have received the majority of early attention on this subject, Hebrews scholarship has increasingly provided insight into how the author may have utilized heroic language and mythic imagery in the epistle . This paper will show that the author of Hebrews incorporated a portrayal of Jesus as a hero into his Christology. The first part of the paper will review the major steps of scholarship in the study of heroes and Jesus of the New Testament. The second section will offer a summary of the heroic paradigm as derived from classic Hellenistic hero mythology. The final section of the paper will show how the author of Hebrews portrays Christ as a hero in Hebrews 2:5–10."
S17-240
Rhetoric and the New Testament
11/17/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: W475b - McCormick Place
Ira J. Jolivet, Jr., Pepperdine University
The Polemic Between the Precepts of the Law and the Doctrines of Faith in the Deliberative Argument of Hebrews
"While the number of scholars who use rhetorical insights to analyze Hebrews has increased significantly in recent years, their numbers have not generated a corresponding rise in the level of consensus on specifically rhetorical issues such as the identifications of the document’s structural unity or of the precise rhetorical species to which it conforms. Besides not producing agreement on these types of issues, rhetorical critics have also shed little if any helpful light on other traditionally difficult problems, such as the degree to which Hebrews is a polemic against Judaism or the Mosaic Law. A fundamental premise of this paper is that the inability of rhetorical critics to contribute meaningfully to the analysis of Hebrews is due to the critical mistake of focusing primarily on Aristotelian structural aspects of the speech rather than on its more philosophical characteristics. Because in so doing they ignore the shift due to the influence of the Stoics during the Hellenistic Period in the focus of philosophy from metaphysics to emotional therapy and the simultaneous change in rhetoric from a (techne) as Aristotle had defined it to a science (episteme). The most noticeable effects of these changes can be seen in deliberative oratory, the goal of which for both Aristotle and the Stoics was happiness. But whereas Aristotle had equated this goal with the advantageous (to sumphuton) and had claimed that its acquisition required the possession of both the internal and external goods of the virtues of the soul and of the body, the Stoics insisted that virtue is the only truly good thing it alone is entirely sufficient for happiness. They taught, also, that mistaking mere advantages, which are “indifferents,” for that which is truly good gives rise to the passions, the unstable movements of the soul that if left unchecked harden into sin (hamartia). The Stoics’ philosophical departure from Aristotle is seen in their reclassification of the goal of deliberative rhetoric into three categories: honor (virtue as the summum bonum and the greatest necessity), advantage (indifferents), and things that combine qualities of both honor and advantage. I propose that the perceived polemic in Hebrews between the “good things” of faith and the “weak and ineffectual” law with its “regulations for the body” are indications that its author skillfully crafted a deliberative speech as the remedy for the passions of fear (phobos) and distress (lupe) that threatened the souls of the members of his intended audience who had mistaken the merely advantageous indifferents of the law for the truly good and perfectly virtuous will of God. More specifically, this speech involves the contrast between the precepts (paraineseis) of the law that deal with external indifferents and the doctrines (dogmata, theoremata) of faith that Jesus the exemplar of moral perfection internalized. These doctrines consist of his examples of the virtue of courage, the good emotion (eupatheia) of caution (eulabeia), and confidence and hope, two of the good things “that participate in virtue.”"
David deSilva, Ashland Theological Seminary
The Letter to the Hebrews and Greek Pedagogical Texts
"The so-called Letter "to the Hebrews" is noteworthy among the New Testament writings for its many points of contact with Greek educational theory and practice. This paper explores, first, the connections between the earliest texts of the Progymnasmata (those of Theon and Hermogenes) and Hebrews 12:5-11. The latter provides an example of the pattern of the elaboration of a chreia or thesis taught in the elementary exercises, as well as an example of the creative expansion of a maxim (and a well-known pedagogical maxim at that). The paper goes on to explore connections between Greek comments about education and particular texts in Hebrews regarding suffering as an opportunity for formation and progress through the various levels of eduction on the way to maturity."
S17-314
Hebrews
11/17/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: W183c - McCormick PlaceTheme: The literary, philosophical, and theological content and context of the Book of Hebrews
Ekkehard Stegemann, Universität Basel, Presiding
Jason A. Whitlark, Baylor University
Jesus' Victory over Satan: A Figured Critique of Imperial Power in Hebrews
"Hebrews 1:5-13 celebrates the enthronement of the Son and his victory over his enemies. That victory is articulated in 2:14-15 in apocalyptic terms as victory over the devil who has the power of death and as liberation from the fear of death. In this way, Jesus helps the “seed of Abraham” (2:16) and leads “many sons” to glory (2:10). How might this portrayal of Jesus’ victory have been received by early Christian audiences in the Roman Empire? What I will argue in this paper is that Jesus’ triumphant enthronement upon his victory over the devil in Hebrews represents a figured critique of Roman imperial authority. The critique is twofold. First it correlates Roman power with the devil. I will establish this correlation in two ways. (1) I will examine other New Testament documents and early Christian martyrdom texts that identify persecuting imperial culture and its authorities with the devil. (2) I will examine the notion in Roman imperial discourse that Roman authority was supremely manifested in its power over life and death. Second, as noted by some interpreters of Hebrews, the victory of Jesus is portrayed in these verses in a manner similar to Hercules. Jesus’ Herculean victory is then over Roman authority rendering Roman power unable to enforce ultimate loyalty to its rule because Jesus has liberated Christians from the fear of death. This investigation demonstrates possibly why Hebrews circulated widely among early Christian communities who faced ongoing pressures from their Roman imperial culture. The apocalyptic portrayal of Roman power encourages Christians to resist the pressures of their imperial culture with patient suffering, a steady witness, and bold confidence because of their hope in the victory of the Son."
Gareth Lee Cockerill, Wesley Biblical Seminary
Hebrews 12:18-24: An Example of Apocalyptic Typology or Platonic Dualism?
"This study begins its analysis of the connection between the “Sinai” of Heb 12:18-21 and the “Zion” of 12:22-24 by surveying the various ways in which interpreters of Hebrews have understood this relationship: as a contrast between the old and new religious orders, between the times before and after Christ, or between Judaism and Christianity; as an ineffective foreshadowing of the effective, or, as is asserted by those who affirm a Platonic background for Hebrews, as an earthly copy of the heavenly reality. This paper contends that this passage is concerned neither with a typological relationship between the old and the new nor with a Platonic relationship between earthly and heavenly, copy and reality. The author is not here concerned either with lesser/greater, before/after, type/antitype on the one hand, or with below/above, copy/reality on the other. There is little in this passage that suggests the writer’s primary concern is with an earthly/heavenly distinction and less that would indicate temporal sequence between these two “mountains.” The primary relationship between the two is stark contrast—between exclusion from and access to the presence of God. Other indicators as well, including the rhetorical structure of this “sermon,” suggest that the author presents “Sinai” and “Zion” as two alternatives for the people of God in the present. Through the work of Christ the “Mount” of God’s speaking has become the place of judgment for the apostate (12:18-21) but the “Zion” of fellowship with God for the faithful (12:22-24)."
Kenneth Schenck, Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, Respondent
Amy Peeler, Wheaton College
“My Son, You Are Priest”: The Filial Context of the Cultic Motif in Hebrews
"Interpreters of Hebrews agree that the author constructs the Christology of the letter around two foci: Son and Priest. The relationship between those two foci, however, has elicited a wealth of disagreement. Are these identities separate or integrally related? Does one take precedence over the other? After providing a brief summary of the history of interpretation of these questions, this paper, in conversation with Hebrews’ most recent interpreters, argues both for the close relationship between the two titles and also for the priority of Jesus’ sonship. Although the author’s explication of Jesus’ priesthood, introduced at 2:17, becomes a dominant issue in the central section of the letter (4:14–10:25) and references to aspects associated with it continue until the closing section (12:2, 24; 13:12), the author frequently integrates Jesus’ priesthood with assertions of Jesus’ sonship. The consistent linkage between the familial and the cultic motifs suggests that the familial dynamic between God and Jesus is integral to his status as God’s final High Priest. Moreover, I argue that the author of Hebrews grounds Jesus’ vocation as priest in his filial relationship with God, and he does so in two ways. First, Jesus’ sonship is granted priority because it is the suffering that Jesus experiences as the Son of God, through the will of his Father, that qualifies him for his role as High Priest. Second, the author of Hebrews integrally relates these two roles because Jesus’ priestly offering and his priestly intercession are the means by which Jesus secures the human portion of his own inheritance. The author of Hebrews continues to construct his theological and Christological vision through the familial relationship between God and Jesus, even as he turns to the topic of Christ’s priesthood. God the Father appoints his Son as High Priest by means of suffering so that the Son can provide the inheritance to God’s many sons and daughters. In so doing, the Son attains his inheritance—including the audience of Hebrews themselves—through his priestly service."
Jesper Svartvik, Lund University
The Reception History of Heb. 8.13: A Stumbling Block or a Stepping Stone?
"During the last two millennia no single New Testament text has dictated Jewish-Christian relations more than has the Epistle to the Hebrews. Whereas biblical scholars continue to grapple with the “whence” of Hebrews (i.e., authorship, context, genre, structure, date etc.), no one can be in doubt of its “whither”. This anonymous text of unknown origin, with its tremendously influential metaphors and thoughts, has been at the very centre of Christian theology in at least three respects. (a) First, the author of Hebrews interprets the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth with first-century sacrificial nomenclature: Jesus is being compared to both the high priest who brings forth the sacrifice and the sacrifice being brought forth. He is also compared to the parokhet, the veil which separated the Holy of Holiest from the rest of the Holy. Due to this metaphorical multiplicity, the various images collide. If they are taken too literally, they negate each other: in a literal sense, he cannot be the high priest, the sacrifice, and the parokhet at the same time. (b) Secondly, this epistle played an important role in early Christian debates on whether it was possible for Christians to return to faith after having relapsed. We ought to ask ourselves whether it is a coincidence that Heb., emphasising the one-ness of Jesus’ sacrifice, also wrestles—perhaps more than any other early Christian text—with the question of whether there is forgiveness a second time for sinners. In other words, is there a connection between the emphasis of a sacrificial ephapax (Heb. 9.12) and the once-for-all forgiveness? Is there a correspondence between a daily forgiveness and a discourse of continuing sacrifice? (c) Thirdly, another area of immeasurable influence is the discourse of an “old” and a “new” covenant in the Heilsgeschichte, and that the default setting of much Christian theology when it comes to Jewish-Christian relations is comparative, i.e., that Christianity is “better” than Judaism. This is certainly not isolated exclusively to Jewish-Christian relations, but it is, no doubt, accentuated in an unparalleled way in Jewish-Christian encounters. Few Christians in the pews and in the pulpits would spontaneously argue that Christianity has “fulfilled” Hinduism or “terminated” Buddhism. Those Christians who are critical to other faith traditions are perhaps inclined to state that they are “at fault”, but when it comes to Judaism it is likely that they would assert that Christianity is “better” than Judaism and that Judaism, theologically speaking, has ceased to exist post Christum. In this paper it is argued that no single biblical text has influenced Christians’ understanding of the relation between Jews and Christians more than has Hebrews. Its impact is enormous, and a past without its Wirkungsgeschichte is unimaginable. Subsequent Christological thinking has nourished from Heb., but detrimental models of how to understand Judaism have also profited from this epistle. The paper will explore the role Heb. 8.13 has played and continues to play in shaping the agenda for Jewish-Christian relations."
Craig Koester, Luther Seminary, Respondent
Hindy Najman, Yale University
Heavenly ascent and liturgy in Epistle to the Hebrews and early Jewish Interpretation
"This paper will consider various ways in which heavenly ascent and liturgy are employed to construct new narratives of redemption. Attention to the role of authoritative figures and texts will play a central role."
James Thompson, Abilene Christian University, Respondent
Discussion
S18-111
Book of Acts
11/18/2012
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: S404d - McCormick Place
Michael B. Cover, University of Notre Dame
Homiletic Exegesis in Acts 2 and Hebrews 3–4
"Both the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 13:22) and Paul’s speech in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:15) are dubbed logos (tes) parakleseos (“word of exhortation). This titular identification suggests that a comparison of Hebrews and the speeches in Acts might yield important information about the form and content of early Christian homilies. Lawrence Wills has in fact used Paul’s first missionary homily, given on the Sabbath in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16–41), to create a generic typology for the homiletic genre, which he finds in various Christian and Jewish sources spanning the first and second centuries. The scope of this paper is much more modest. Rather than aiming at such a typology, I will investigate what a comparison of Hebrews and Acts might yield in terms of defining a common pattern of homiletic exegesis. By a pattern of exegesis, I mean especially the way in which an OT pericope guides and structures an interpreter’s exegetical argument. In this paper, I will claim that the homiletic exegesis of LXX Ps 94:7d–11 in Heb 3:7–4:10 sheds considerable light on the form and pattern of Luke’s exegesis of LXX Ps 15:8–11b in Acts 2:25–36. In particular, I argue that LXX Ps 15:11c should be understood as part of the pericope upon which Peter comments, as this best explains the singular dexia in Acts 2:33 (cf. LXX Ps 15:11c). Once this restoration is made, a common pattern of commenting on both the first word and the final verse of a Psalm pericope (as well as sequentially on medial themes) emerges in the both Acts and Hebrews. Luke has followed the pattern of Psalmic interpretation exemplified by Hebrews, even as he has curtailed and stereotyped it according to the conventions of Greco-Roman historiography. The contribution of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it clarifies the exegetical method used in Peter’s speech and reopens old questions about Luke’s use of sources in Acts. On the other hand, it contributes to the ongoing study of early Christian homilies, distinguishing a sequential pattern of exegesis shared by these two texts."
S18-123
Hebrews
Joint Session With: Hebrews, Space, Place, and Lived Experience in Antiquity, Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement
11/18/2012
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: E262 - McCormick PlaceTheme: One Sacrificial Body: Yom Kippur and Space in Hebrews
Jason Tatlock, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Presiding
Ellen B. Aitken, McGill University
The Body of Jesus outside the Eternal City: Mapping Ritual Space in the Epistle to the Hebrews
The persuasive strategies of the Epistle to the Hebrews employ metaphors of travel, arrival, and entrance both to describe the work of Jesus in the world (earthly and heavenly) and to encourage its inscribed audience to maintain solidarity with Jesus. The quotation of Ps 40:6-8 on Jesus’ lips in Hebrews 10 announces not only his “arrival” to do God’s will, but also emphasizes the “body prepared” in place of the sacrificial offerings of the Israelite cult. This paper examines the spatial mapping of Hebrews in order to understand the semiotically complex landscape through which Jesus and the audience journey. It attends particularly to the erasure and re-inscribing of meaning within this landscape in relation to patterns of sacrifice, offering, and ritual presence. It argues that the argument of Hebrews places Jesus’ suffering body within this landscape and thus redefines the landscape of meaning through which the audience moves. Building on my earlier work that develops a reading of Hebrews within the cityscape of Flavian Rome, it proposes that Hebrews is thus deploying a conceptual reimagining of the ritual, sacrificial, and monumental space of the city of Rome in order to create a compelling vision of “the city that is to come” (Heb 13.14)."
John Vonder Bruegge, Northwestern College - Orange City, Respondent (15 min)
David M. Moffitt, Campbell University Divinity School
Serving in Heaven’s Temple: Sacred Space, Yom Kippur, and Jesus’ Superior Offering in Hebrews
"Because the Yom Kippur sacrifices included the presentation of blood in the inner sanctum of the Jerusalem temple, movement through space was a constitutive element of the ritual process that effected atonement. The high priest’s physical act of walking into the temple’s first sanctum and passing through the curtain that separated the inner sanctum from the outer one was, therefore, more than a metaphor for drawing near to the presence of God. Rather, in crossing from one sanctum to the other the high priest entered into that sacred earthly space where God’s presence dwelt most fully. Students of the letter to the Hebrews universally recognize the importance of this spatial progression for the epistle’s depiction of Jesus as the heavenly high priest. Few, however, have taken seriously the possibility that Hebrews’ use of this spatial component of Yom Kippur amounts to more than a metaphor for the departure of Jesus’ spirit upon his death from earth into the immaterial presence of God (i.e., heaven). This paper explores just such a possibility. In particular, attention is paid to Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic texts that clearly envision heaven in spatial terms. Texts that imagine a temple in heaven that has its own especially sacred space (as opposed to those that imagine heaven as a temple all of which is equally sacred space) are especially instructive. If such a concept is in play in Hebrews, I argue that three significant implications appear to follow: 1) the epistle cannot be easily interpreted as affirming an essentially Platonic cosmology, 2) the significance of the process of Jewish sacrificial ritual for Hebrews’ understanding of Jesus’ atoning work can be more clearly grasped, and 3) the text does not argue from nor advocate for the assumption that Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice replace the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices."
S18-213
Christian Theology and the Bible
11/18/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: S103d - McCormick PlaceTheme: Reading the Literal Sense of Scripture on Purity and Sacrifice
The is one of three sessions on the literal sense of Scripture hosted by this section
R. Trent Pomplun, Loyola University Maryland
Indestructible Life: the Priesthood of Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews
"The last fifty years has seen an explosion of subtle exegetical treatments of Jesus Christ as a priest of the ‘order of Melchizedek’ in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This explosion is largely due to the importance of Melchizedek in Second Temple Judaism as witnessed by the mysterious priest’s presence in various fragments from Qumran, especially 11QMelch. The following paper will synthesize recent research on these Melchizedek traditions with recent works on the eschatology of the Epistle to the Hebrews to offer an exegesis of the ‘single sacrifice for sins’ that Christ offers to perfect the sanctified ‘for all time’ or ‘once and for all.’ The literal sense of Hebrews 10:12-14, however, is among the most elusive of exegetical fauna, for it requires one to explain both the meaning of sacrifice and the ontological conditions that must obtain for a temporal act to be decisive in manner that the author of Hebrews claims. After a brief attempt to do so, this paper will offer a few constructive suggestions for why this literal exegesis is important for theological debates about the sacrifice of the Mass."
S19-211
Christian Theology and the Bible
11/19/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: W184d - McCormick PlaceTheme: The Literal Sense of Biblical Texts Addressing Sacrifice and Purity: Theory and Practice
This is one of three sessions addressing the literal sense of Scripture hosted by this section.
Benjamin J. Ribbens, Wheaton College (Illinois)
Levitical Sacrifices in Hebrews: Does Hebrews Violate the Literal Sense of Leviticus?
"When comparing Christ’s sacrifice to the levitical sacrifices, the author of Hebrews makes some critical statements about the old covenant sacrifices that appear to contradict the literal sense of Leviticus. Whereas Leviticus says that sacrifices made atonement and forgave sins, Hebrews argues that the old covenant sacrifices did not cleanse the conscience or take away sins. Such a deliberate contradiction of Leviticus, however, seems to conflict with the author’s commitment to the Septuagint as the very words of God. While Hebrews freely reinterprets the Septuagint in light of the revelation of the Son, it seems unlikely that the author would deliberately contradict the literal sense of Leviticus. Scholars have offered a number of proposals concerning what, according to Hebrews, the old covenant sacrifices accomplished compared to Christ’s sacrifice. These proposals ascribe to the levitical sacrifices a diminished efficacy (a different kind of purification), and they then offer reasons why the author might diminish the significance of the levitical sacrifices. However, each of these proposals must accept to varying degrees the disconcerting conclusion that Hebrews contradicts the literal sense of Leviticus. This paper proposes that John Calvin’s interpretation of Hebrews offers a way forward. According to Calvin, Hebrews considers the levitical sacrifices to be sacramental, Christological types, and by understanding the old covenant sacrifices in this way Hebrews is still able to consider the levitical sacrifices to have achieved atonement and forgiveness of sins. This is a concrete example of how, as Hans Frei notes, Calvin employs figural reading in order to maintain the literal sense of the Old Testament."
S19-320
Papyrology and Early Christian Backgrounds
11/19/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: W181a - McCormick Place
Renate V. Hood, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Sylvie T. Raquel, Trinity International University
If papyri could speak: Insights into the world of early Christianity gained from two unpublished papyri
"This paper will provide new data extracted from translations and reconstructions of two recently acquired, unpublished papyri fragments of Hebrews 9 and 11. A discussion of the condition, physical characteristics, usage, and dates of the papyri (preliminary data suggests that one is from the second century and one from the third century, while awaiting further dating in summer 2012), along with a presentation of scribal features, will provide insight into early (Egyptian) Christian writing practices and religious life. An examination of nomina sacra presented in light of paleographical data will bear significance on the discussion of the origin and function of nomina sacra in early Christianity. Additional observations from a variant in an explicit quotation in Hebrews, while making reference to the assumed LXX Vorlage, and other textual and paleographical data, will likewise illumine the socio-cultural world of the early Jesus followers."
S19-331
Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement
11/19/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: S502b - McCormick PlaceTheme: Ritual Dynamics of Defilement and Purification
Daniel P. Bailey, University of Illinois at Chicago
Paradigms of Sacrifice and Atonement: Did the New Testament Authors “Read” Jacob Milgrom and Harmut Gese?
A persistent but often unaddressed question in the study of biblical atonement concerns what use the scholar of the NT and early Judaism should make of his or her readings of the works of modern Hebrew Bible scholars who strive to recapture the original sense and logic of cultic atonement. This paper argues that beyond a greater appreciation of OT texts in their own right, such reading can sharpen historically oriented observation about the NT and early Jewish texts. The principle is illustrated with reference to Jacob Milgrom and Hartmut Gese. First, knowing Milgrom’s theology helps one to appreciate how little it is reflected in early Jewish sources. No known ancient Jewish or early Christian text unambiguously reflects on the significance that the application of sin-offering (hatta’t) blood to holy objects in the sanctuary has for the forgiveness (Leviticus 4) or cleansing (Leviticus 16) of Israelite worshipers. The Temple Scroll says that in the ideal temple the high priest will use the blood of the people’s sin offering on the Day of Atonement to “atone for all the people of the assembly” (11Q19 26:7, 9), but the text does not mention atonement for the sanctuary or the altar (cf. Lev 16:16, 18, 20, 33). The author of Hebrews comes closer to having “read” Milgrom in that he mentions blood on holy objects and forgiveness of persons in close proximity, but the connections are tenuous and must be supplied by the modern reader: “Indeed, under the law almost all things are purified (katharizetai) with blood [including the worship vessels just mentioned in v. 21?], and without the shedding of blood [for sprinkling on these things?] there is no forgiveness of sins [for people]” (Heb. 9:22). The differences between Milgrom and Gese might be summarized by the significance they give to the blood of the hatta’t: blood as “purging” the sanctuary (Milgrom) versus blood as providing symbolic “access” to the sanctuary for the Israelite people as represented by their high priest through his hand-leaning on the animal victim (Gese). Gese-like ideas are found in both Ephesians and Hebrews. Gentile believers are “brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13) and thus enjoy an “access” (prosagôgê, 2:18; 3:12) previously accorded only to members of the “commonwealth of Israel” (2:12). This echoes Paul’s idea of Jesus as the new “mercy seat (hilastêron) though faith” (Rom 3:25) with its implication of “access by faith into grace” (Rom 5:2). Similar images of cultically mediated access in Hebrews include “a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,” where Jesus made his journey for others (Heb. 6:19-20; cf. 9:24); “the entrance (eisodos) into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus that he opened for us, as a new and living way (hodos) through the curtain” (10:19-20); and an invitation to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (4:16, possibly alluding to the mercy seat of 9:5). Ultimately the cultic motifs emphasized by Gese are more constitutive for Hebrews than those of Milgrom.
We would like to have another Hebrews dinner after one of the sessions. The best time that works for me is Sunday lunch, as I have another commitment on Saturday evening, but this does not preclude having a get-together on Saturday evening as well. I hope you will join me and others for lunch on Sunday after the morning session.
S17-206
Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory
11/17/2012
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Room: N140 - McCormick PlaceTheme: Mythic Motifs in the Bible
Jeremy Miselbrook, Loyola University of Chicago
Jesus the Hero: The Heroic Portrayal of Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews
"Scholars have long theorized about the possibility of a Hellenistic-hero background to New Testament Christology. While the Gospel narratives have received the majority of early attention on this subject, Hebrews scholarship has increasingly provided insight into how the author may have utilized heroic language and mythic imagery in the epistle . This paper will show that the author of Hebrews incorporated a portrayal of Jesus as a hero into his Christology. The first part of the paper will review the major steps of scholarship in the study of heroes and Jesus of the New Testament. The second section will offer a summary of the heroic paradigm as derived from classic Hellenistic hero mythology. The final section of the paper will show how the author of Hebrews portrays Christ as a hero in Hebrews 2:5–10."
S17-240
Rhetoric and the New Testament
11/17/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: W475b - McCormick Place
Ira J. Jolivet, Jr., Pepperdine University
The Polemic Between the Precepts of the Law and the Doctrines of Faith in the Deliberative Argument of Hebrews
"While the number of scholars who use rhetorical insights to analyze Hebrews has increased significantly in recent years, their numbers have not generated a corresponding rise in the level of consensus on specifically rhetorical issues such as the identifications of the document’s structural unity or of the precise rhetorical species to which it conforms. Besides not producing agreement on these types of issues, rhetorical critics have also shed little if any helpful light on other traditionally difficult problems, such as the degree to which Hebrews is a polemic against Judaism or the Mosaic Law. A fundamental premise of this paper is that the inability of rhetorical critics to contribute meaningfully to the analysis of Hebrews is due to the critical mistake of focusing primarily on Aristotelian structural aspects of the speech rather than on its more philosophical characteristics. Because in so doing they ignore the shift due to the influence of the Stoics during the Hellenistic Period in the focus of philosophy from metaphysics to emotional therapy and the simultaneous change in rhetoric from a (techne) as Aristotle had defined it to a science (episteme). The most noticeable effects of these changes can be seen in deliberative oratory, the goal of which for both Aristotle and the Stoics was happiness. But whereas Aristotle had equated this goal with the advantageous (to sumphuton) and had claimed that its acquisition required the possession of both the internal and external goods of the virtues of the soul and of the body, the Stoics insisted that virtue is the only truly good thing it alone is entirely sufficient for happiness. They taught, also, that mistaking mere advantages, which are “indifferents,” for that which is truly good gives rise to the passions, the unstable movements of the soul that if left unchecked harden into sin (hamartia). The Stoics’ philosophical departure from Aristotle is seen in their reclassification of the goal of deliberative rhetoric into three categories: honor (virtue as the summum bonum and the greatest necessity), advantage (indifferents), and things that combine qualities of both honor and advantage. I propose that the perceived polemic in Hebrews between the “good things” of faith and the “weak and ineffectual” law with its “regulations for the body” are indications that its author skillfully crafted a deliberative speech as the remedy for the passions of fear (phobos) and distress (lupe) that threatened the souls of the members of his intended audience who had mistaken the merely advantageous indifferents of the law for the truly good and perfectly virtuous will of God. More specifically, this speech involves the contrast between the precepts (paraineseis) of the law that deal with external indifferents and the doctrines (dogmata, theoremata) of faith that Jesus the exemplar of moral perfection internalized. These doctrines consist of his examples of the virtue of courage, the good emotion (eupatheia) of caution (eulabeia), and confidence and hope, two of the good things “that participate in virtue.”"
David deSilva, Ashland Theological Seminary
The Letter to the Hebrews and Greek Pedagogical Texts
"The so-called Letter "to the Hebrews" is noteworthy among the New Testament writings for its many points of contact with Greek educational theory and practice. This paper explores, first, the connections between the earliest texts of the Progymnasmata (those of Theon and Hermogenes) and Hebrews 12:5-11. The latter provides an example of the pattern of the elaboration of a chreia or thesis taught in the elementary exercises, as well as an example of the creative expansion of a maxim (and a well-known pedagogical maxim at that). The paper goes on to explore connections between Greek comments about education and particular texts in Hebrews regarding suffering as an opportunity for formation and progress through the various levels of eduction on the way to maturity."
S17-314
Hebrews
11/17/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: W183c - McCormick PlaceTheme: The literary, philosophical, and theological content and context of the Book of Hebrews
Ekkehard Stegemann, Universität Basel, Presiding
Jason A. Whitlark, Baylor University
Jesus' Victory over Satan: A Figured Critique of Imperial Power in Hebrews
"Hebrews 1:5-13 celebrates the enthronement of the Son and his victory over his enemies. That victory is articulated in 2:14-15 in apocalyptic terms as victory over the devil who has the power of death and as liberation from the fear of death. In this way, Jesus helps the “seed of Abraham” (2:16) and leads “many sons” to glory (2:10). How might this portrayal of Jesus’ victory have been received by early Christian audiences in the Roman Empire? What I will argue in this paper is that Jesus’ triumphant enthronement upon his victory over the devil in Hebrews represents a figured critique of Roman imperial authority. The critique is twofold. First it correlates Roman power with the devil. I will establish this correlation in two ways. (1) I will examine other New Testament documents and early Christian martyrdom texts that identify persecuting imperial culture and its authorities with the devil. (2) I will examine the notion in Roman imperial discourse that Roman authority was supremely manifested in its power over life and death. Second, as noted by some interpreters of Hebrews, the victory of Jesus is portrayed in these verses in a manner similar to Hercules. Jesus’ Herculean victory is then over Roman authority rendering Roman power unable to enforce ultimate loyalty to its rule because Jesus has liberated Christians from the fear of death. This investigation demonstrates possibly why Hebrews circulated widely among early Christian communities who faced ongoing pressures from their Roman imperial culture. The apocalyptic portrayal of Roman power encourages Christians to resist the pressures of their imperial culture with patient suffering, a steady witness, and bold confidence because of their hope in the victory of the Son."
Gareth Lee Cockerill, Wesley Biblical Seminary
Hebrews 12:18-24: An Example of Apocalyptic Typology or Platonic Dualism?
"This study begins its analysis of the connection between the “Sinai” of Heb 12:18-21 and the “Zion” of 12:22-24 by surveying the various ways in which interpreters of Hebrews have understood this relationship: as a contrast between the old and new religious orders, between the times before and after Christ, or between Judaism and Christianity; as an ineffective foreshadowing of the effective, or, as is asserted by those who affirm a Platonic background for Hebrews, as an earthly copy of the heavenly reality. This paper contends that this passage is concerned neither with a typological relationship between the old and the new nor with a Platonic relationship between earthly and heavenly, copy and reality. The author is not here concerned either with lesser/greater, before/after, type/antitype on the one hand, or with below/above, copy/reality on the other. There is little in this passage that suggests the writer’s primary concern is with an earthly/heavenly distinction and less that would indicate temporal sequence between these two “mountains.” The primary relationship between the two is stark contrast—between exclusion from and access to the presence of God. Other indicators as well, including the rhetorical structure of this “sermon,” suggest that the author presents “Sinai” and “Zion” as two alternatives for the people of God in the present. Through the work of Christ the “Mount” of God’s speaking has become the place of judgment for the apostate (12:18-21) but the “Zion” of fellowship with God for the faithful (12:22-24)."
Kenneth Schenck, Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, Respondent
Amy Peeler, Wheaton College
“My Son, You Are Priest”: The Filial Context of the Cultic Motif in Hebrews
"Interpreters of Hebrews agree that the author constructs the Christology of the letter around two foci: Son and Priest. The relationship between those two foci, however, has elicited a wealth of disagreement. Are these identities separate or integrally related? Does one take precedence over the other? After providing a brief summary of the history of interpretation of these questions, this paper, in conversation with Hebrews’ most recent interpreters, argues both for the close relationship between the two titles and also for the priority of Jesus’ sonship. Although the author’s explication of Jesus’ priesthood, introduced at 2:17, becomes a dominant issue in the central section of the letter (4:14–10:25) and references to aspects associated with it continue until the closing section (12:2, 24; 13:12), the author frequently integrates Jesus’ priesthood with assertions of Jesus’ sonship. The consistent linkage between the familial and the cultic motifs suggests that the familial dynamic between God and Jesus is integral to his status as God’s final High Priest. Moreover, I argue that the author of Hebrews grounds Jesus’ vocation as priest in his filial relationship with God, and he does so in two ways. First, Jesus’ sonship is granted priority because it is the suffering that Jesus experiences as the Son of God, through the will of his Father, that qualifies him for his role as High Priest. Second, the author of Hebrews integrally relates these two roles because Jesus’ priestly offering and his priestly intercession are the means by which Jesus secures the human portion of his own inheritance. The author of Hebrews continues to construct his theological and Christological vision through the familial relationship between God and Jesus, even as he turns to the topic of Christ’s priesthood. God the Father appoints his Son as High Priest by means of suffering so that the Son can provide the inheritance to God’s many sons and daughters. In so doing, the Son attains his inheritance—including the audience of Hebrews themselves—through his priestly service."
Jesper Svartvik, Lund University
The Reception History of Heb. 8.13: A Stumbling Block or a Stepping Stone?
"During the last two millennia no single New Testament text has dictated Jewish-Christian relations more than has the Epistle to the Hebrews. Whereas biblical scholars continue to grapple with the “whence” of Hebrews (i.e., authorship, context, genre, structure, date etc.), no one can be in doubt of its “whither”. This anonymous text of unknown origin, with its tremendously influential metaphors and thoughts, has been at the very centre of Christian theology in at least three respects. (a) First, the author of Hebrews interprets the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth with first-century sacrificial nomenclature: Jesus is being compared to both the high priest who brings forth the sacrifice and the sacrifice being brought forth. He is also compared to the parokhet, the veil which separated the Holy of Holiest from the rest of the Holy. Due to this metaphorical multiplicity, the various images collide. If they are taken too literally, they negate each other: in a literal sense, he cannot be the high priest, the sacrifice, and the parokhet at the same time. (b) Secondly, this epistle played an important role in early Christian debates on whether it was possible for Christians to return to faith after having relapsed. We ought to ask ourselves whether it is a coincidence that Heb., emphasising the one-ness of Jesus’ sacrifice, also wrestles—perhaps more than any other early Christian text—with the question of whether there is forgiveness a second time for sinners. In other words, is there a connection between the emphasis of a sacrificial ephapax (Heb. 9.12) and the once-for-all forgiveness? Is there a correspondence between a daily forgiveness and a discourse of continuing sacrifice? (c) Thirdly, another area of immeasurable influence is the discourse of an “old” and a “new” covenant in the Heilsgeschichte, and that the default setting of much Christian theology when it comes to Jewish-Christian relations is comparative, i.e., that Christianity is “better” than Judaism. This is certainly not isolated exclusively to Jewish-Christian relations, but it is, no doubt, accentuated in an unparalleled way in Jewish-Christian encounters. Few Christians in the pews and in the pulpits would spontaneously argue that Christianity has “fulfilled” Hinduism or “terminated” Buddhism. Those Christians who are critical to other faith traditions are perhaps inclined to state that they are “at fault”, but when it comes to Judaism it is likely that they would assert that Christianity is “better” than Judaism and that Judaism, theologically speaking, has ceased to exist post Christum. In this paper it is argued that no single biblical text has influenced Christians’ understanding of the relation between Jews and Christians more than has Hebrews. Its impact is enormous, and a past without its Wirkungsgeschichte is unimaginable. Subsequent Christological thinking has nourished from Heb., but detrimental models of how to understand Judaism have also profited from this epistle. The paper will explore the role Heb. 8.13 has played and continues to play in shaping the agenda for Jewish-Christian relations."
Craig Koester, Luther Seminary, Respondent
Hindy Najman, Yale University
Heavenly ascent and liturgy in Epistle to the Hebrews and early Jewish Interpretation
"This paper will consider various ways in which heavenly ascent and liturgy are employed to construct new narratives of redemption. Attention to the role of authoritative figures and texts will play a central role."
James Thompson, Abilene Christian University, Respondent
Discussion
S18-111
Book of Acts
11/18/2012
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: S404d - McCormick Place
Michael B. Cover, University of Notre Dame
Homiletic Exegesis in Acts 2 and Hebrews 3–4
"Both the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 13:22) and Paul’s speech in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:15) are dubbed logos (tes) parakleseos (“word of exhortation). This titular identification suggests that a comparison of Hebrews and the speeches in Acts might yield important information about the form and content of early Christian homilies. Lawrence Wills has in fact used Paul’s first missionary homily, given on the Sabbath in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16–41), to create a generic typology for the homiletic genre, which he finds in various Christian and Jewish sources spanning the first and second centuries. The scope of this paper is much more modest. Rather than aiming at such a typology, I will investigate what a comparison of Hebrews and Acts might yield in terms of defining a common pattern of homiletic exegesis. By a pattern of exegesis, I mean especially the way in which an OT pericope guides and structures an interpreter’s exegetical argument. In this paper, I will claim that the homiletic exegesis of LXX Ps 94:7d–11 in Heb 3:7–4:10 sheds considerable light on the form and pattern of Luke’s exegesis of LXX Ps 15:8–11b in Acts 2:25–36. In particular, I argue that LXX Ps 15:11c should be understood as part of the pericope upon which Peter comments, as this best explains the singular dexia in Acts 2:33 (cf. LXX Ps 15:11c). Once this restoration is made, a common pattern of commenting on both the first word and the final verse of a Psalm pericope (as well as sequentially on medial themes) emerges in the both Acts and Hebrews. Luke has followed the pattern of Psalmic interpretation exemplified by Hebrews, even as he has curtailed and stereotyped it according to the conventions of Greco-Roman historiography. The contribution of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it clarifies the exegetical method used in Peter’s speech and reopens old questions about Luke’s use of sources in Acts. On the other hand, it contributes to the ongoing study of early Christian homilies, distinguishing a sequential pattern of exegesis shared by these two texts."
S18-123
Hebrews
Joint Session With: Hebrews, Space, Place, and Lived Experience in Antiquity, Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement
11/18/2012
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Room: E262 - McCormick PlaceTheme: One Sacrificial Body: Yom Kippur and Space in Hebrews
Jason Tatlock, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Presiding
Ellen B. Aitken, McGill University
The Body of Jesus outside the Eternal City: Mapping Ritual Space in the Epistle to the Hebrews
The persuasive strategies of the Epistle to the Hebrews employ metaphors of travel, arrival, and entrance both to describe the work of Jesus in the world (earthly and heavenly) and to encourage its inscribed audience to maintain solidarity with Jesus. The quotation of Ps 40:6-8 on Jesus’ lips in Hebrews 10 announces not only his “arrival” to do God’s will, but also emphasizes the “body prepared” in place of the sacrificial offerings of the Israelite cult. This paper examines the spatial mapping of Hebrews in order to understand the semiotically complex landscape through which Jesus and the audience journey. It attends particularly to the erasure and re-inscribing of meaning within this landscape in relation to patterns of sacrifice, offering, and ritual presence. It argues that the argument of Hebrews places Jesus’ suffering body within this landscape and thus redefines the landscape of meaning through which the audience moves. Building on my earlier work that develops a reading of Hebrews within the cityscape of Flavian Rome, it proposes that Hebrews is thus deploying a conceptual reimagining of the ritual, sacrificial, and monumental space of the city of Rome in order to create a compelling vision of “the city that is to come” (Heb 13.14)."
John Vonder Bruegge, Northwestern College - Orange City, Respondent (15 min)
David M. Moffitt, Campbell University Divinity School
Serving in Heaven’s Temple: Sacred Space, Yom Kippur, and Jesus’ Superior Offering in Hebrews
"Because the Yom Kippur sacrifices included the presentation of blood in the inner sanctum of the Jerusalem temple, movement through space was a constitutive element of the ritual process that effected atonement. The high priest’s physical act of walking into the temple’s first sanctum and passing through the curtain that separated the inner sanctum from the outer one was, therefore, more than a metaphor for drawing near to the presence of God. Rather, in crossing from one sanctum to the other the high priest entered into that sacred earthly space where God’s presence dwelt most fully. Students of the letter to the Hebrews universally recognize the importance of this spatial progression for the epistle’s depiction of Jesus as the heavenly high priest. Few, however, have taken seriously the possibility that Hebrews’ use of this spatial component of Yom Kippur amounts to more than a metaphor for the departure of Jesus’ spirit upon his death from earth into the immaterial presence of God (i.e., heaven). This paper explores just such a possibility. In particular, attention is paid to Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic texts that clearly envision heaven in spatial terms. Texts that imagine a temple in heaven that has its own especially sacred space (as opposed to those that imagine heaven as a temple all of which is equally sacred space) are especially instructive. If such a concept is in play in Hebrews, I argue that three significant implications appear to follow: 1) the epistle cannot be easily interpreted as affirming an essentially Platonic cosmology, 2) the significance of the process of Jewish sacrificial ritual for Hebrews’ understanding of Jesus’ atoning work can be more clearly grasped, and 3) the text does not argue from nor advocate for the assumption that Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice replace the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices."
S18-213
Christian Theology and the Bible
11/18/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: S103d - McCormick PlaceTheme: Reading the Literal Sense of Scripture on Purity and Sacrifice
The is one of three sessions on the literal sense of Scripture hosted by this section
R. Trent Pomplun, Loyola University Maryland
Indestructible Life: the Priesthood of Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews
"The last fifty years has seen an explosion of subtle exegetical treatments of Jesus Christ as a priest of the ‘order of Melchizedek’ in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This explosion is largely due to the importance of Melchizedek in Second Temple Judaism as witnessed by the mysterious priest’s presence in various fragments from Qumran, especially 11QMelch. The following paper will synthesize recent research on these Melchizedek traditions with recent works on the eschatology of the Epistle to the Hebrews to offer an exegesis of the ‘single sacrifice for sins’ that Christ offers to perfect the sanctified ‘for all time’ or ‘once and for all.’ The literal sense of Hebrews 10:12-14, however, is among the most elusive of exegetical fauna, for it requires one to explain both the meaning of sacrifice and the ontological conditions that must obtain for a temporal act to be decisive in manner that the author of Hebrews claims. After a brief attempt to do so, this paper will offer a few constructive suggestions for why this literal exegesis is important for theological debates about the sacrifice of the Mass."
S19-211
Christian Theology and the Bible
11/19/2012
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: W184d - McCormick PlaceTheme: The Literal Sense of Biblical Texts Addressing Sacrifice and Purity: Theory and Practice
This is one of three sessions addressing the literal sense of Scripture hosted by this section.
Benjamin J. Ribbens, Wheaton College (Illinois)
Levitical Sacrifices in Hebrews: Does Hebrews Violate the Literal Sense of Leviticus?
"When comparing Christ’s sacrifice to the levitical sacrifices, the author of Hebrews makes some critical statements about the old covenant sacrifices that appear to contradict the literal sense of Leviticus. Whereas Leviticus says that sacrifices made atonement and forgave sins, Hebrews argues that the old covenant sacrifices did not cleanse the conscience or take away sins. Such a deliberate contradiction of Leviticus, however, seems to conflict with the author’s commitment to the Septuagint as the very words of God. While Hebrews freely reinterprets the Septuagint in light of the revelation of the Son, it seems unlikely that the author would deliberately contradict the literal sense of Leviticus. Scholars have offered a number of proposals concerning what, according to Hebrews, the old covenant sacrifices accomplished compared to Christ’s sacrifice. These proposals ascribe to the levitical sacrifices a diminished efficacy (a different kind of purification), and they then offer reasons why the author might diminish the significance of the levitical sacrifices. However, each of these proposals must accept to varying degrees the disconcerting conclusion that Hebrews contradicts the literal sense of Leviticus. This paper proposes that John Calvin’s interpretation of Hebrews offers a way forward. According to Calvin, Hebrews considers the levitical sacrifices to be sacramental, Christological types, and by understanding the old covenant sacrifices in this way Hebrews is still able to consider the levitical sacrifices to have achieved atonement and forgiveness of sins. This is a concrete example of how, as Hans Frei notes, Calvin employs figural reading in order to maintain the literal sense of the Old Testament."
S19-320
Papyrology and Early Christian Backgrounds
11/19/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: W181a - McCormick Place
Renate V. Hood, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Sylvie T. Raquel, Trinity International University
If papyri could speak: Insights into the world of early Christianity gained from two unpublished papyri
"This paper will provide new data extracted from translations and reconstructions of two recently acquired, unpublished papyri fragments of Hebrews 9 and 11. A discussion of the condition, physical characteristics, usage, and dates of the papyri (preliminary data suggests that one is from the second century and one from the third century, while awaiting further dating in summer 2012), along with a presentation of scribal features, will provide insight into early (Egyptian) Christian writing practices and religious life. An examination of nomina sacra presented in light of paleographical data will bear significance on the discussion of the origin and function of nomina sacra in early Christianity. Additional observations from a variant in an explicit quotation in Hebrews, while making reference to the assumed LXX Vorlage, and other textual and paleographical data, will likewise illumine the socio-cultural world of the early Jesus followers."
S19-331
Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement
11/19/2012
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: S502b - McCormick PlaceTheme: Ritual Dynamics of Defilement and Purification
Daniel P. Bailey, University of Illinois at Chicago
Paradigms of Sacrifice and Atonement: Did the New Testament Authors “Read” Jacob Milgrom and Harmut Gese?
A persistent but often unaddressed question in the study of biblical atonement concerns what use the scholar of the NT and early Judaism should make of his or her readings of the works of modern Hebrew Bible scholars who strive to recapture the original sense and logic of cultic atonement. This paper argues that beyond a greater appreciation of OT texts in their own right, such reading can sharpen historically oriented observation about the NT and early Jewish texts. The principle is illustrated with reference to Jacob Milgrom and Hartmut Gese. First, knowing Milgrom’s theology helps one to appreciate how little it is reflected in early Jewish sources. No known ancient Jewish or early Christian text unambiguously reflects on the significance that the application of sin-offering (hatta’t) blood to holy objects in the sanctuary has for the forgiveness (Leviticus 4) or cleansing (Leviticus 16) of Israelite worshipers. The Temple Scroll says that in the ideal temple the high priest will use the blood of the people’s sin offering on the Day of Atonement to “atone for all the people of the assembly” (11Q19 26:7, 9), but the text does not mention atonement for the sanctuary or the altar (cf. Lev 16:16, 18, 20, 33). The author of Hebrews comes closer to having “read” Milgrom in that he mentions blood on holy objects and forgiveness of persons in close proximity, but the connections are tenuous and must be supplied by the modern reader: “Indeed, under the law almost all things are purified (katharizetai) with blood [including the worship vessels just mentioned in v. 21?], and without the shedding of blood [for sprinkling on these things?] there is no forgiveness of sins [for people]” (Heb. 9:22). The differences between Milgrom and Gese might be summarized by the significance they give to the blood of the hatta’t: blood as “purging” the sanctuary (Milgrom) versus blood as providing symbolic “access” to the sanctuary for the Israelite people as represented by their high priest through his hand-leaning on the animal victim (Gese). Gese-like ideas are found in both Ephesians and Hebrews. Gentile believers are “brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13) and thus enjoy an “access” (prosagôgê, 2:18; 3:12) previously accorded only to members of the “commonwealth of Israel” (2:12). This echoes Paul’s idea of Jesus as the new “mercy seat (hilastêron) though faith” (Rom 3:25) with its implication of “access by faith into grace” (Rom 5:2). Similar images of cultically mediated access in Hebrews include “a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,” where Jesus made his journey for others (Heb. 6:19-20; cf. 9:24); “the entrance (eisodos) into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus that he opened for us, as a new and living way (hodos) through the curtain” (10:19-20); and an invitation to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (4:16, possibly alluding to the mercy seat of 9:5). Ultimately the cultic motifs emphasized by Gese are more constitutive for Hebrews than those of Milgrom.
Review of Barnard, Mysticism of Hebrews
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Hebrews at the Annual ETS Meeting
As is typical, Hebrews seems to get more attention at the annual Evangelical Theological Society meeting than at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meeting. Here are the papers on Hebrews that will be delivered at ETS this year:
Wednesday, November 14
OLD TESTAMENT
Covenant
9:20 AM—10:00 AM
Matthew McAffee
(Welch College)
The Old Testament Covenant Context of The Good Word and Its Significance for Interpreting Hebrews 6:5
*********************
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
NEW TESTAMENT
Hebrews
8:30 AM—9:10 AM
Dana M. Harris
(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Typological Trajectories and Inheritance Language in Hebrews
9:20 AM—10:00 AM
Jeff Fisher
(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Medieval and Reformation Understandings of the Son’s Superiority over Angels: A Comparative Analysis of Christian and Jewish Interpretations of the Psalms Cited in Hebrews 1-2
10:10 AM—10:50 AM
Kyle D. Rapinchuk
(Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary)
The Servant Motif and Moses in Hebrews 3:1-6
11:00 AM—11:40 AM
René A. López
(Dallas Theological Seminary)
Present and Future Rulership: Angels, the Son, and His Partners (Hebrews 1:3–3:1)
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
3:00 PM—3:40 PM
Michael Kibbe
(Wheaton College)
Priesthood and the Sequence of Atonement: A Biblical-Theological Analysis of David Moffitt’s Atonement and the Logic of the Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews
3:50 PM—4:30 PM
Daniel P. Bailey
(University of Illinois at Chicago)
The Evolution of Atonement: Hebrew Sirach 3:30 and a Semantic-Historical Argument against the Sense “Propitiation” for Hilaskesthai in Hebrews 2:17
4:40 PM—5:20 PM
Bryan R. Dyer
(McMaster Divinity College)
“Learned from What He Suffered:” The Role of Christ’s Suffering and the Wordplay μαθειν-παθειν in
Hebrews 5:8
5:30 PM—6:10 PM
Jesse Coyne
(New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary)
The Metaphorical World of Wilderness in the Epistle to the Hebrews
*********************
Tuesday, November 15
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
GENERAL EPISTLES
Biblical Theology
8:30 AM—9:10 AM
Jon C. Laansma
(Wheaton College and Graduate School)
Reading Hebrews from the Perspective of Biblical Theology
*********************
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
NEW TESTAMENT BACKGROUNDS
10:10 AM—10:50 AM
Amy Peeler
(Wheaton College)
“Appointed Heir of All Things”: Inheritance in the Epistle to the Hebrews
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
ASIAN / ASIAN-AMERICAN THEOLOGY
4:40 PM—5:20 PM
Victor (Sung Yul) Rhee
(Talbot School of Theology)
Christology in Hebrews: Preexistence, Incarnation, and Exaltation of Christ
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
NEW TESTAMENT CANON, TEXTUAL CRITICISM, AND APOCRYPHAL LITERATURE
3:00 PM—3:40 PM
Benjamin Laird
(University of Aberdeen)
Hebrews and the Circulation of the Pauline Corpus in Early Christianity
*********************
Friday, November 16
12:50 PM-4:00 PM
LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
Biblical Theology of Hebrews
12:50 PM—1:30 PM
David Moffitt
(Campbell University Divinity School)
Jesus, the Law, and the Heavenly Priesthood: Reassessing Hebrews’ Supersessionism
1:40 PM—2:20 PM
Gareth Lee Cockerill
(Wesley Biblical Seminary)
“ . . . in One who is Son”—The OT and the Pre-Existence of the Son in the Letter to the Hebrews
2:30 PM—3:10 PM
Amy Peeler
(Wheaton College)
“I Will Be a Father”: Paternal Theology in the Epistle to the Hebrews
3:20 PM—4:00 PM
Respondent
Michael Horton
(Westminster Seminary, California)
Wednesday, November 14
OLD TESTAMENT
Covenant
9:20 AM—10:00 AM
Matthew McAffee
(Welch College)
The Old Testament Covenant Context of The Good Word and Its Significance for Interpreting Hebrews 6:5
*********************
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
NEW TESTAMENT
Hebrews
8:30 AM—9:10 AM
Dana M. Harris
(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Typological Trajectories and Inheritance Language in Hebrews
9:20 AM—10:00 AM
Jeff Fisher
(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
Medieval and Reformation Understandings of the Son’s Superiority over Angels: A Comparative Analysis of Christian and Jewish Interpretations of the Psalms Cited in Hebrews 1-2
10:10 AM—10:50 AM
Kyle D. Rapinchuk
(Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary)
The Servant Motif and Moses in Hebrews 3:1-6
11:00 AM—11:40 AM
René A. López
(Dallas Theological Seminary)
Present and Future Rulership: Angels, the Son, and His Partners (Hebrews 1:3–3:1)
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
3:00 PM—3:40 PM
Michael Kibbe
(Wheaton College)
Priesthood and the Sequence of Atonement: A Biblical-Theological Analysis of David Moffitt’s Atonement and the Logic of the Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews
3:50 PM—4:30 PM
Daniel P. Bailey
(University of Illinois at Chicago)
The Evolution of Atonement: Hebrew Sirach 3:30 and a Semantic-Historical Argument against the Sense “Propitiation” for Hilaskesthai in Hebrews 2:17
4:40 PM—5:20 PM
Bryan R. Dyer
(McMaster Divinity College)
“Learned from What He Suffered:” The Role of Christ’s Suffering and the Wordplay μαθειν-παθειν in
Hebrews 5:8
5:30 PM—6:10 PM
Jesse Coyne
(New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary)
The Metaphorical World of Wilderness in the Epistle to the Hebrews
*********************
Tuesday, November 15
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
GENERAL EPISTLES
Biblical Theology
8:30 AM—9:10 AM
Jon C. Laansma
(Wheaton College and Graduate School)
Reading Hebrews from the Perspective of Biblical Theology
*********************
8:30 AM-11:40 AM
NEW TESTAMENT BACKGROUNDS
10:10 AM—10:50 AM
Amy Peeler
(Wheaton College)
“Appointed Heir of All Things”: Inheritance in the Epistle to the Hebrews
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
ASIAN / ASIAN-AMERICAN THEOLOGY
4:40 PM—5:20 PM
Victor (Sung Yul) Rhee
(Talbot School of Theology)
Christology in Hebrews: Preexistence, Incarnation, and Exaltation of Christ
*********************
3:00 PM-6:10 PM
NEW TESTAMENT CANON, TEXTUAL CRITICISM, AND APOCRYPHAL LITERATURE
3:00 PM—3:40 PM
Benjamin Laird
(University of Aberdeen)
Hebrews and the Circulation of the Pauline Corpus in Early Christianity
*********************
Friday, November 16
12:50 PM-4:00 PM
LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
Biblical Theology of Hebrews
12:50 PM—1:30 PM
David Moffitt
(Campbell University Divinity School)
Jesus, the Law, and the Heavenly Priesthood: Reassessing Hebrews’ Supersessionism
1:40 PM—2:20 PM
Gareth Lee Cockerill
(Wesley Biblical Seminary)
“ . . . in One who is Son”—The OT and the Pre-Existence of the Son in the Letter to the Hebrews
2:30 PM—3:10 PM
Amy Peeler
(Wheaton College)
“I Will Be a Father”: Paternal Theology in the Epistle to the Hebrews
3:20 PM—4:00 PM
Respondent
Michael Horton
(Westminster Seminary, California)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Hebrews Carnival September and October
Matthew Malcom queries, Why does Hebrews cite "someone somewhere"?
He also discusses the trinitarian sub-structure of Hebrews.
Henry Neufeld comments on A Note on Hebrews 1:3 in the Orthodox Study Bible.
He also comments On Hebrews 5:1–10 and Prayer.
Jared Calaway remarks on the sensuous language in Hebrews.
William Mounce queries, Is Faith Merely Assurance? - Heb 11:1.
He also discusses the trinitarian sub-structure of Hebrews.
Henry Neufeld comments on A Note on Hebrews 1:3 in the Orthodox Study Bible.
He also comments On Hebrews 5:1–10 and Prayer.
Jared Calaway remarks on the sensuous language in Hebrews.
William Mounce queries, Is Faith Merely Assurance? - Heb 11:1.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Meyer on Obedience and Church Authority in Hebrews
The following article has been added:
Meyer, William D. "Obedience and Church Authority: The Problem of the Book of Hebrews." Ashland Theological Journal 28 (1996): 9–28.
HT: Rob Bradshaw
Meyer, William D. "Obedience and Church Authority: The Problem of the Book of Hebrews." Ashland Theological Journal 28 (1996): 9–28.
HT: Rob Bradshaw
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Guest Review of Cockerill's Commentary
Below is a guest review of Gary Cockerill's new commentary on Hebrews, which I gladly reproduce here with the author's permission. The review was originally written in Catalan by Jordi Cervera i Valls, but has been translated into English with the help of Scott Mackie. I echo Jordi's assessment of Cockerill: he is a scholar with a pastor's heart.
***************************************
Gareth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews (NICNT;
Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2012) xlix +742 pp.
At a recent gathering of Hebrews
scholars in San Francisco, Gary Cockerill was asked concerning his forthcoming
commentary: “How many pages will it be?” Cockerill replied, blushing slightly, “Nearly
eight hundred,” and then, with emotion, he explained it was his opera magna,
and that Hebrews was the biblical writing he loved the most and to which he has
dedicated his greatest efforts. He also thanked God for all the blessings he received
from his study. Indeed, the publication of this commentary represents a
personal tribute of gratitude to God for the gifts received during his
lifetime.
It is not common to hear such
confessions in a biblical congress, even in an intimate circle of colleagues;
however, Cockerill is not a common scholar. His decided character, always
disposed to talk after a paper’s exposition, the earned respect as a professor
of the Wesley Biblical Seminary, his naturalness in gathering with a group of
people discussing Hebrews, and his friendly and open manner.
We report these personal details in
order to make the point that under every book, there is always a beating heart
and a vibrating spirit. In the case of Gary Cockerill’s commentary on Hebrews,
this is unquestionable. We should also emphasize that the New International
Commentary series is one of the most prestigious and historically significant
commentary series in English.
After the editor of the
collection, Gordon D. Fee, offers a brief recommendation, Cockerill’s programmatically
states that “the exposition does not treat this book at a distance as if it
were a laboratory specimen.” He also comments that his intention “is to do more
than explicate an ancient document within its context and then draw some
analogies for contemporary believers.” He wants to help modern reader “to enter
the Christian world of Hebrews and allow that world to reshape their hearts and
minds” (p. xiii). It is a yearning that reflects his vocation as a pastor of
the Wesleyan Church, the hope and expectation that God’s word will be effective
in human lives: “I hope this commentary will help those who approach this
ancient but ever-relevant text to hear the word of God has spoken in his Son,
enter the divine presence through the cleansing he provides, and persevere
through obedient faithfulness in fellowship with the people of God” (p. xiii).
Reading the index of the book
(pp. vii-xi), we identify the personal mark that the “Pastor Cockerill” gives,
referring to the author of Hebrews, as “the pastor.” In fact, “The pastor who
wrote Hebrews” is the first aspect discussed in a section entitled, Hebrews
in its Environment; and another
section is called, “When Did the Pastor Write This Sermon?” His creativity colors
these living titles throughout his discussion of the various status
quaestionis of Hebrews (author, canonicity, background, literary genre,
audience, dating).
Cockerill deals with potential polemics
in his treatment of the addressed community’s identity: were they Jews or
Gentiles? He rightly points out that “One can understand Hebrews without
identifying either the name of its author or the location of the recipients.
One cannot, however, interpret Hebrews without taking a position as to whether
the recipients were Jewish or Gentile believers” (p. 19). Distancing himself
from the controversial issue of “supersessionism,” he claims that Hebrews never
compares Christianity with Judaism, or Israel with the Church. For Hebrews, according
to Cockerill, God’s people are, and always has been, the people who hear the
word of God and respond with faith and obedience. “There is nothing in this
sermon that would demean or marginalize Jews as a people,” he affirms, closing
the section with assertion: “One does violence to the text of Hebrews if one
forces it to speak otherwise” (p. 23). The first 40 pages finish by prudently dating
Hebrews between 50 and 90 CE.
In a section entitled, The
Message of Hebrews, Cockerill exhibits excellent lucidity as he discusses
the relevance of the exegetical methods used by Hebrews to interpret the Old
Testament (p. 57). He proposes the following hermeneutical principles, worthy
to be reproduced at length:
First, God’s word in the incarnate, obedient, now
exalted Son fulfills all that God Has said. Therefore the Son stands in
complete continuity with and fulfills all previous revelation. Second, the Old
Covenant with is priesthood and sacrifice has always been and continues to be a
type and foreshadowing of the sufficiency of Christ as Savior. It was never
meant to be an adequate means of salvation in itself. Third, those who live by
faith on the word of God constitute the one people of God throughout history.
Their goal has always been and continues to be final entrance into God’s
eternal ‘rest’ (p. 59).
These are concise and clear hermeneutical
principles, accurately reflecting Cockerill’s empathy with Hebrews and his
ability to synthesize and update it.
Another section, The Sermon’s
Rhetorically Effective Structure,
treats the literary structures proposed by Vanhoye, Guthrie and Westfall. However,
Cockerill chooses to divide the writing into three big sections (1:1-4:13;
4;14-10:18; 10:19-12:29). The reason for such a division is the parallel
between 4:14-16 and 10:19-25. The first section (1:1-4:13) proclaims the divine
revelation in the Son, and warns against disobedience. The second section
(4:14-10:18) presents the priesthood of Christ as the fulfillment of his
sonship and the content of God’s self-disclosure in the Son. Through this
ministry God’s people have both the unprecedented privilege of entering his
presence and the intensified obligation for obedience. Thus, the third section
urges faithful endurance until Christ’s return, enabled by the sufficiency of
his high priesthood (p. 62).
Having thus introduced and
structured the writing, the remainder of the work, some 600 pages in length,
constitute the commentary proper. Throughout, Cockerill follows a format of Text,
Exposition, and Notes.
Items are placed with precision and with didactic titles, and exhibiting a
balance that will be well appreciated by experts. Explanations are exhaustive
but not burdensome, avoiding digressions, yet without sidestepping the
complicated nature of some passages.
A nice example occurs in the
comments on 9:22: “According to the Law, one
may almost say, all
things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness.” Cockerill’s comments show how this statement is integrated within
his larger argument: “The pastor has
been building his case that the pervasive role of sacrificial blood in the Old
Covenant anticipated the cleansing power of Christ blood” (p. 409). He insists
that the terms “without blood” and “forgiveness” become crucial, the first
highlighting the drama of Christ’s death, and the second describing the
benefits of this death (pp. 410-411). We add that the sacrificial theology and
the sacrificial system allow us to understand the meaning and value of Christ's
death, placing us in the same origin of Christological discourses.
Also illuminative are Cockerill’s
comments on 10:1-4:
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the
good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the
same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those
who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the
worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness
of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by
year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Cockerill claims that “they
describe a system that could not produce salvation but could only anticipate
the future by being its opposite and thus by showing the need of what was to
come” (p. 428). This comment is commendable and coherent with the hermeneutical
principles mentioned in the Introduction, and avoids any charges of supersessionism. His comments on 10:4
underline the confusion caused by this verse’s logic, and the “impossibility” that
the blood of goats and calves remove sins. He points that this contradicts 9:22,
which states that bloodshed is necessary to get atonement. He solves this
dilemma by saying that the sin of disobedience can only be assumed by Christ’s
sacrifice offered once for all (p. 432). The author does not focus on the
topic, but hints at the difficulty of these verses, especially 10:4. We go a
step further and emphasize that these verses are against the general discourse
of Hebrews when previously stated that sacrifices sanctify, purify and forgive
sins (cf. 9:13-14; 9:22), a point made again in 13:11-12. This is a delicate
issue to solve if we want to be faithful to the overarching intent of Hebrews,
but this is not the place to do attempt such an endeavor.
The comments on 12:14-17 begin
with the apt title: Don’t sell your Birthright as Esau Did. In this
passage, Esau, the “immoral and godless” one, is the personification of
apostasy. Cockerill differs from the usual sexual reading of pornos showing
that, separately, the two terms lose meaning, but together they reinforce each
other to explain the sin of Esau: a rejection of primogeniture, not for fear
but by desire. The incredibly ridiculous trade (“a dish of lentils!”), “for
which he bartered the eternal attests to the great disdain with which he
treated the things of God. Nothing less than both ‘immoral’ and ‘godless’
sufficiently describes this arch-apostate” (p. 639). Esau is rebuked, and the
community is effectively warned to not repeat his disastrous example.
In 12:17 there is an enigmatic
expression, “place of repentance,” that Cockerill rightly associates with 6:4-8
and 10:26-31 (two severe warning passages). Following the assessment of Koester
and Lane, he proposes that this is a technical term that refers to the
opportunity of repentance in a moral or religious sense. This theme is present in
the wisdom literature (Wis 12:10), Second Temple literature (4 Ezra
7:82, 9:12; 2 Bar. 85:12; 2 En.
62:2) and also in apostolic tradition (1 Clem 7:5; 2 Clem 8:2;
Tatian, To the Greeks 15:4). I personally believe this phrase is best
illuminated by the Targumic haggadot of Gen 35:33 and 49:3-4, which narrates a
controversial episode: Ruben’s incest with Bilhah. It is a phrase that refers
to the delicate issue of the impossibility of repentance, which became a
recurring theme in later Christian (HermVis III, 7:5; Ap. Const.
II.38:4; V.19:3) and rabbinical traditions (Ber 34b; Sanh 99b).
In conclusion, I am convinced
that this commentary represents a new landmark in Hebrews scholarship. All scholars
of Hebrews must have it on their shelves! It is clear and comprehensible enough
for beginners, and providing the deep details scholars require. We truly join ourselves
to the author’s joy about the appearance of this commentary on Hebrews, and
welcome this vibrant and intelligent analysis.
Jordi Cervera i Valls
Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya
English version revised by Scott
Mackie.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
New Churchman Articles Added
The following Churchman articles have been added:
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: I." Churchman 15.7 (1901): 347–50.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: II." Churchman 15.8 (1901): 399–402.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: III." Churchman 15.9 (1901): 486–89.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: IV." Churchman 15.10 (1901): 524–28.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: V." Churchman 15.11 (1901): 568–73.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: VI." Churchman 15.12 (1901): 632–36.
Peterson, Dennis. "The Epistle to the Hebrews and the Decline of Anglicanism." Churchman 114.4 (2000): 330–45.
Tait, Michael. "The Search for Valid Orders: The Melchizedek Christology in Hebrews." Churchman 124.2 (2010): 127–42.
HT: Rob Bradshaw
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: I." Churchman 15.7 (1901): 347–50.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: II." Churchman 15.8 (1901): 399–402.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: III." Churchman 15.9 (1901): 486–89.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: IV." Churchman 15.10 (1901): 524–28.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: V." Churchman 15.11 (1901): 568–73.
Moule, H. C. G. "Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews: VI." Churchman 15.12 (1901): 632–36.
Peterson, Dennis. "The Epistle to the Hebrews and the Decline of Anglicanism." Churchman 114.4 (2000): 330–45.
Tait, Michael. "The Search for Valid Orders: The Melchizedek Christology in Hebrews." Churchman 124.2 (2010): 127–42.
HT: Rob Bradshaw
Review of Jobes, Letters to the Church
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Exodus Theology in Hebrews
I just discovered this new book on Hebrews:
Bonggyeong Lim. Horror and Hope: Exodus Theology in the Book of Hebrews. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012.
Synopsis:
"The author endeavors to highlight the concepts of horror and hope in the book of Hebrews by exploring theological interrelation between the Old Exodus of Israel and the New Exodus in Christ event. While the concept of horror is predominantly observed in the warning passages of the book, the concept of hope is manifested in the sections referring to the redemptive event of Christ, including His heavenly sanctuary ministry. Particularly, it is argued that theological themes relating to the Old Exodus, such as the “revelation of God,” “salvation,” “Moses,” and “covenant” are developed throughout the book of Hebrews in a way to demonstrate that Exodus is one of the central motifs of the book as a whole. In this way, the book of Hebrews is shown to speak of hope to the humankind who are hopeless and struck with horror, yet, who are looking forward to the great eschatological Exodus at the end of the world history. However, it is maintained that this book gives a severe warning message to the individuals who persistently reject the Captain of the New Exodus, the Savior of hope, Jesus Christ."
Bonggyeong Lim. Horror and Hope: Exodus Theology in the Book of Hebrews. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012.
"The author endeavors to highlight the concepts of horror and hope in the book of Hebrews by exploring theological interrelation between the Old Exodus of Israel and the New Exodus in Christ event. While the concept of horror is predominantly observed in the warning passages of the book, the concept of hope is manifested in the sections referring to the redemptive event of Christ, including His heavenly sanctuary ministry. Particularly, it is argued that theological themes relating to the Old Exodus, such as the “revelation of God,” “salvation,” “Moses,” and “covenant” are developed throughout the book of Hebrews in a way to demonstrate that Exodus is one of the central motifs of the book as a whole. In this way, the book of Hebrews is shown to speak of hope to the humankind who are hopeless and struck with horror, yet, who are looking forward to the great eschatological Exodus at the end of the world history. However, it is maintained that this book gives a severe warning message to the individuals who persistently reject the Captain of the New Exodus, the Savior of hope, Jesus Christ."
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Brief Review of deSilva's New Book
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Review of Moffitt, Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in Hebrews
Moffitt, David M. Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Leiden: Brill, 2011. Review by Kenneth D. Litwak.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Hebrews Carnival August 2012
Roger Pearse queries whether there is an extant an Armenian version of Ephraim's commentary on Hebrews.
William Mounce discusses Preserving Images in Translation, using Hebrews 10:29 as an illustration.
David Stark urges that the church should be Praying with Jesus Psalm 40, part of which is attributed to Jesus in Hebrews 10.
Jared Calaway muses about the Author of Hebrews as Mystagogue.
Matt O'Reilly discusses Unbelief and Falling Away in Hebrews.
William Mounce discusses Preserving Images in Translation, using Hebrews 10:29 as an illustration.
David Stark urges that the church should be Praying with Jesus Psalm 40, part of which is attributed to Jesus in Hebrews 10.
Jared Calaway muses about the Author of Hebrews as Mystagogue.
Matt O'Reilly discusses Unbelief and Falling Away in Hebrews.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Mysticism of Hebrews
Jody A. Barnard. The Mysticism of Hebrews: Exploring the Role of Jewish Apocalyptic Mysticism in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Synopsis:
"Jody A. Barnard examines the role of Jewish apocalyptic mysticism in the epistle to the Hebrews. Jewish apocalyptic mysticism is defined as a phenomenon occurring in late Second Temple Judaism (including early Christianity), which finds literary expression in the apocalypses and related literature, and exhibits a preoccupation with the realities of the heavenly realm, and the human experience of this realm and its occupants. The author demonstrates that there are numerous apocalyptic and mystical themes appropriated in Hebrews, and that there is evidence to suggest that this is not merely a conceptual and literary phenomenon, but is born out of, and informed by, mystical experience. The cosmology, Christology, and soteriology of Hebrews all belong to the world of Jewish apocalyptic mysticism and are significantly elucidated with reference to this context."
Chiastic Structures in Hebrews
I just stumbled across this new dissertation:
Heath, David Mark. "Chiastic Structures in Hebrews: A Study of Form and Function in Biblical Discourse." Ph.D. diss., University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
Heath, David Mark. "Chiastic Structures in Hebrews: A Study of Form and Function in Biblical Discourse." Ph.D. diss., University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Hebrews in Social-Scientific Perspective
David A. deSilva. Hebrews in Social-Scientific Perspective. Cascade Books, 2012.
Book description from the website:
"A lot of mystery surrounds the book of Hebrews, especially regarding its authorship, date, and audience. But by asking the right kind of questions, one can move beyond the impasses typical of historical investigation. In this volume, David deSilva explores Hebrews through a social-scientific lens, asking one of the most important questions when interpreting letters and sermons: What was going on in the community to occasion such a response? DeSilva looks for clues concerning the anonymous author, his education level, the influence of the Greek environment, and his perception of his own authority. In addition, by forming a social profile of the audience that includes location, ethnicity, and class status, deSilva brings to light the author's aims of helping protect Christian converts from persecution and social shame. This book not only helps the sermon "to the Hebrews" take on flesh and blood for contemporary readers; it also expands the readers' tools for asking fresh questions and exploring new dimensions in biblical texts."
Saturday, August 11, 2012
The Greening of Hebrews?
Jeffrey S. Lamp. The Greening of Hebrews?: Ecological Readings in the Letter to the Hebrews. Pickwick Publications, 2012.
Book Description:
"Applying an ecological hermeneutic developed in the Consultation on Ecological Hermeneutics of the Society of Biblical Literature, and in conjunction with intertextual and theological hermeneutics, Jeffrey Lamp creatively reads the Letter to the Hebrews from the perspective of Earth. The author of Hebrews engages in an extended argument that reinterprets features of the old covenant in terms of the Son in order to demonstrate that the new covenant instituted by the Son is superior to the old. In such an argument, the voice of Earth is understandably absent. The author of the letter is frequently understood as denigrating the temporal order, of which the old covenant is a part, while praising the eternal order, of which the new covenant is a part. An ecological reading of Hebrews demonstrates that, despite the rhetorical concerns of the author, embedded in the argument are textual clues, derived primarily from the christological affirmations of the argumentation, connecting Hebrews with the larger biblical concern for the integrity and care of the created order."
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Two New Articles on Hebrews
The newest articles on Hebrews:
Dan Nässelqvist. "Stylistic Levels in Hebrews 1.1–4 and John 1.1–18." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 35.1 (2012): 31-53.
Abstract: "This article presents the ancient concept of stylistic levels as a means of approaching the question of how New Testament writings were delivered in antiquity. It is argued that the levels of style affected both composition and delivery and that an analysis of the remaining texts is the first step towards understanding how they were once delivered. The levels of style are presented and the stylistic features of Heb. 1.1-4 and Jn 1.1-18 are analysed and interpreted within this system. It is seen that the style of New Testament writings can be profitably examined, and aspects of their composition revealed, with the help of the levels of style. Against many commentators, it is argued that the prologue of John does not contain poetry interspersed with prose passages. Instead, the stylistic intensity is steady at least all the way through Jn 1.1-13."
Victor (Sung-Yul) Rhee. “The Author of Hebrews as a Leader of the Faith Community.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55.2 (June 2012).
I keep a running list of new articles here.
Dan Nässelqvist. "Stylistic Levels in Hebrews 1.1–4 and John 1.1–18." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 35.1 (2012): 31-53.
Abstract: "This article presents the ancient concept of stylistic levels as a means of approaching the question of how New Testament writings were delivered in antiquity. It is argued that the levels of style affected both composition and delivery and that an analysis of the remaining texts is the first step towards understanding how they were once delivered. The levels of style are presented and the stylistic features of Heb. 1.1-4 and Jn 1.1-18 are analysed and interpreted within this system. It is seen that the style of New Testament writings can be profitably examined, and aspects of their composition revealed, with the help of the levels of style. Against many commentators, it is argued that the prologue of John does not contain poetry interspersed with prose passages. Instead, the stylistic intensity is steady at least all the way through Jn 1.1-13."
Victor (Sung-Yul) Rhee. “The Author of Hebrews as a Leader of the Faith Community.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 55.2 (June 2012).
I keep a running list of new articles here.
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