Saturday, February 17, 2024

Loader Reviews Urga, Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews

William R. G. Loader reviews Abeneazer G. Urga, Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews: The Background and Nature of Jesus’ Heavenly Intercession in the Epistle to the Hebrews in RBL.


 


New Irish Theological Quarterly Article

Moore, Nicholas J. “Supersessionism and the Cult Attitude of Stephen and Hebrews.” Irish Theological Quarterly (2024): 1–18.

Abstract:
"In the face of continued debates about Christian supersessionism with regard to Judaism, this article revisits two texts which have been thought to display the harshest anti-temple attitudes in the New Testament: Stephen’s speech in Acts 7, and the Letter to the Hebrews. Many scholars believe these two texts are connected, and a perceived anti-cultic attitude forms one of the key alleged similarities between the two. The article first examines shared lexical and conceptual points between the two texts, affirming their proximity. It then examines each text’s cult attitude in turn. Stephen portrays the temple as divinely given yet always subordinate to God’s heavenly presence. Hebrews frames deficiencies in the Levitical cultus as divinely intended in light of the heavenly tabernacle. These texts therefore do not condemn but instead relativize Israel’s earthly sanctuary/ies, in keeping with themes in Israel’s Scriptures, and thus should not be regarded as supsersessionist."

New NTS Article

Cole, M. I. “‘Somewhere Someone Testified’: TheHermeneutical Function of Indefinite Citation Formulae in the Epistle to theHebrews.” New Testament Studies 70.1 (2024): 99–110.

Abstract:
"The author to the Hebrews makes the seemingly strange choice to introduce two quotations from the LXX with indefinite markers (Heb 2.6; 4.4). While some commentators do not consider these introductions, others have argued that they function either rhetorically to engage the audience or theologically to highlight the divine speaker. This article argues that a hermeneutical function better explains the author's choices: the author uses the indefiniteness to guide his audience in how to interpret each quoted passage. The author uses the indefinite marker of place (που) to remove both Gen 2.2 and Ps 8.5–7 LXX from their salvation-historical context; this results in the rest of God (Heb 3–4) and the role of humanity within creation (Heb 2) applying equally to the present and the coming ages. He pairs this with the indefinite marker of person (τις) in his introduction to Ps 8 to indicate that the audience should not interpret it prosopologically as the speech of the Son to the Father; rather the Psalm testifies to the role of humanity within the present and the coming worlds, a role which the Son incarnate fulfils. This hermeneutical explanation aligns with other instances of indefinite citation markers in Second Temple Judaism, most notably in Philo. This argument, therefore, both adds depth to the characterisation of the author as a careful reader of Scripture and brings out the intended meaning and function of Ps 8 and Gen 2 in the discourse of Hebrews more clearly."

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Two New Novum Testamentum Articles

Jihye Lee. "Jesus’s Solidarity with Human Mortality and Perfection of Sonship in the Epistle to the Hebrews." Novum Testamentum 66.1 (2024): 95–111.

Abstract:
In relation to the discussion on the concept of perfection in Hebrews, the author’s emphasis on Jesus’s solidarity with human mortality has been considered as simple reference to the precondition of his Christological role and his sympathetic character, which shares human weaknesses. However, the substantial connection between the discussions on sonship in Heb 12 and on the Son in Heb 1–2 suggests a fresh reading of the text’s emphasis on Jesus’s mortality along with his role as ἀρχηγός of other sons. The author of Hebrews presents the notion that human mortality is a divinely designed opportunity for the sons of God to acquire the discipline necessary to be prepared to become the heirs of the eternal inheritance. The one who totally entrusts his own life to the Father is the genuinely obedient son, and this true obedience is cultivated when the sons choose obedience on the occasion of the test, i.e., “fear of death,” which is unaffectedly derived from the status of mortality.


Matthew C. Easter. "'Profane Like Esau': Sexual Immorality, Bitterness, and Community Abandonment in Hebrews 12:14–17." Novum Testamentum 66.1 (2024): 112–25.
 
Abstract:
The author of Hebrews accuses Esau of sexual immorality in Heb 12:16. This essay argues Esau’s sexual immorality is his marriage to foreign women, which sowed seeds of discord in the family and led ultimately to his unredeemable exclusion from the community. Esau’s exogamous marriage, as such, is not the concern in Hebrews, but rather how his mixed marriage introduced bitterness into the family and led ultimately to him abandoning the group. Like the wilderness generation in Num 13–14, Esau lost his inheritance by failing to persevere with the community. Tested against recent studies of conversion and deconversion, we see how Esau becomes a paradigmatic community-abandoning apostate and a warning against similar abandonment. 


Saturday, January 20, 2024

New Resources Added

I have added a link to the following resource under Theses & Dissertation:

Tomesch, Harald. "Genre and Outline: The Key to the Literary Structure of Hebrews." Th.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 1996. 

I have added a link to the following resource under Books (Complete):

Bligh, John. Chiastic Analysis of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 1966.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Cortez Reviews Lee

A link to the following review with RBL has been added to the Book Reviews page:

Lee, Jihye. A Jewish Apocalyptic Framework of Eschatology in the Epistle to the Hebrews: Protology and Eschatology as Background. Library of New Testament Studies 662. Review by Félix H. Cortez.


 

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

The Obedience of Sonship

I just discovered this new book:

Timothy J. Bertolet. The Obedience of Sonship: Adamic Obedience and the Heavenly Ascension in Hebrews. Fontes Press.

Description:
"The ascension of Jesus in the book of Hebrews remains an understudied theme in the scholarly literature on Hebrews. This study explores the relationship between the Sonship of Christ and his ascension in the book of Hebrews. Wading into recent debates by scholars over the nature Hebrews’ Christology, this study argues that Hebrews 1 and 2 show the Son is both divine and human. As divine, the Son radiates the glory of God, and that glory is put on display in the ascension. Equally, as the incarnate human, the Son fulfills the telos of humanity in his ascension where he is “crowned with glory and honor” and becomes the first human to participate in the age to come, having effected this transition of the ages. He ascends as the glorified eschatological man as a forerunner for the “sons of glory.” This aspect of Hebrews’ presentation of the Son can rightly be called a “Second-Adam Christology.” The Son fulfills the human vocation through his cries with loud tears in an exercise of Adamic-Davidic obedience and faithfulness. The Son’s trust in the Father through his suffering qualifies him to receive the eschatological glory of Adam and ascend up to the divine throne. Thus, for Hebrews, the Son’s ascension both confirms the Son’s fulfillment of humanity’s destiny and reveals the Son’s divine identity."

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Cortez Reviews So Great a Salvation

Félix Cortez reviews So Great A Salvation: A Dialogue on the Atonement in Hebrews, edited by Jon C. Laansma, George H. Guthrie, and Cynthia Long Westfall, in Review of Biblical Literature.



Thursday, November 23, 2023

Studies on the Letter to the Hebrews

Although I did not see it at SBL, apparently this book is now out:

Wolfgang Kraus. Studium zum Hebräerbrief. Biblische Zeitschrift - Supplements 6. Leiden: Brill, 2023.

Translation of the description:
"This volume deals with studies on various theological and literary questions of the letter to the Hebrews, including intention and objective, addressees, ecclesiology, covenant concept, Jesus as a “mediator”, meaning of Jesus' death, speech about God, Christology, Hebrews 13, reception of scripture, Church and Israel. The Epistle to the Hebrews enjoys lively interest in recent research. The author of it is increasingly seen as the third great theologian of the New Testament, alongside Paul and John. Many detailed questions are still unresolved. The studies were created over the last 15 years as preparatory work for a commentary on Hebrews. They address important questions in the interpretation of Hebrews and attempt to advance research one step further."

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Divine Action in Hebrews

New book, co-edited by my friend Gary Cockerill, and recently published:

Cockerill, Gareth Lee, Craig Bartholomew, and Benjamin T. Quinn, eds. Divine Action in Hebrews and the Ongoing Priesthood of Jesus. Zondervan Academic, 2023.

Description:

"Recent years have seen renewed interest in divine action, but much of the literature tends to focus on the science-theology discussion. Resulting from multi-year work of the Scripture and Doctrine Seminar, part of KLC's Scripture Collective, this book attends to the portrayal of divine action in one major biblical text, namely Hebrews. In the New Testament, Hebrews is on par with Romans in terms of importance but has too often been overlooked. Contributors to this volume explore the many different ways in which divine action is foregrounded and portrayed in Hebrews. As its name indicates, Hebrews overflows with Old Testament intertextuality, which also makes it a fertile ground for analysis of divine action stretching back into the Old Testament and opening out into different parts of the NT. The essays in this volume:

  • rigorously work the interface of theology and exegesis, all related to Hebrews;
  • offer an overview of the current state of discussion of divine action and the importance of exploring divine action in specific biblical texts, with special reference to William Abraham's recent 4 volume work with OUP;
  • provide an overview of the reception history of Hebrews in theologies of divine action;
  • explore how this has this played out in historical theology and what a retrieval of Hebrews for a theology of divine action might mean today;
  • explore the relationship between the doctrine of God and divine action in Hebrews, including an engagement with classical theism;
  • provocatively explore divine action in the OT, creation, and eschatology in Hebrews;
  • explore the major theme in Hebrews of divine action through the ongoing priesthood of Jesus as portrayed in Hebrews;
  • relate this all to preaching Hebrews today and to spiritual formation.

The book's conclusion reflects on the primary action of God speaking in Hebrews."

New Pillar Commentary on Hebrews

Eerdmans has rolled out the replacement volume for Hebrews in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series. I met Sigurd at SBL this year. He is from Norway.

Sigurd Grindheim. The Letter to the Hebrews. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023.

"What does the Letter to the Hebrews have to say to Christians today?

A compelling exhortation to hold true to the faith in the face of adversity. A sermon rife with iconic imagery and Old Testament allusions. A signal work of theology in the New Testament.

Above all, the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. But the book’s textual complexity and long history of interpretation can be overwhelming. In this new Pillar commentary, Sigurd Grindheim illuminates the Letter to the Hebrews, paying careful attention to linguistic features and historical context—all while centering its relevance to modern readers.

Grindheim clearly and comprehensively addresses major issues about the text, including authorship, date, canonicity, formal qualities, and major themes. Following his thorough introduction, he explains each line of the text and its significance for believers today. Grindheim’s commentary offers pastors, students, and scholars the clarity and fresh insights they want in their scriptural study."

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Articles and Essays Page Taken Down

Blogger has taken down my Articles and Essays page making it unavailable for viewing. Someone flagged it to Blogger for some reason, but by doing so that person made the content unavailable for viewing. The page consists merely of links to other pages. If you have an issue with anything on this blog, please bring it to my attention first. I don't know if I will be able to fix the issue Blogger is pointing out because the email was not very specific. It has to do with Malware but I have hundreds of links on the page, so I do not know if I can identify the problem and recover the page.

Update: Blogger did restore the page, but I am requesting that if you find a bad link on this page or some other problem, please let me know.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Two New Novum Testamentum Articles on Hebrews

Two new Novum Testamentum articles on Hebrews have appeared:
 
Seleznev, Mikhail. “ Νόμος/νόμοι in the Septuagint and the Letter to the Hebrews.” Novum Testamentum 65.4 (2023): 498–516. 
 
"This article explores the usage of plural νόμοι versus singular νόμος throughout the whole corpus of the Greek Bible. Obviously, the singular is predominant. If we put aside later variants and textual traditions, the rare passages where the plural νόμοι is used (in Proverbs, Jeremiah, Esther, and 2 Maccabees) mutually elucidate each other: the plural occurs where the translators wanted to stress that the law(s) in question should be distinguished from the Torah. With respect to Jer 31:31–34 (LXX 38:31–34) and the quotations from it in Hebrews, the article demonstrates that the plural νόμοι in the LXX cannot be explained by the Vorlage, as many modern researchers suggest, but was a conscious device used by the LXX translator. The aim of the translator, followed by the author of Hebrews, was to stress the distinction between the Law of Moses and the Laws of the New Covenant."

Grindheim, Sigurd. “Direct Dependence on Philo in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Novum Testamentum 65.4 (2023): 517–43. 
 
"The near consensus opinion that the author of Hebrews was not directly influenced by Philo needs to be reevaluated. Even though there are no obvious cases of borrowing, the cumulative weight of the evidence indicates a more linear relationship than what may be accounted for by situating them both within Hellenistic Judaism. A number of parallels are sufficiently detailed to suggest direct dependence. These parallels are of a formal character, such as the metaphor of the dagger and the particular use of the terms ὑπόστασις, ἀρχηγός, τελειόω, ἄθλησις, τεχνίτης, and δημιουργός, as well of a material nature, concerning the development of key ideas, such as the eternal nature of the Son, his Melchizedekian high-priesthood, and the perception of the heavenly sanctuary."