A Straussian Question to ‘New Testament Theology’

1977 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Morgan

David Friedrich Strauss died on 8 February 1874. HisLeben Jesuof 1835 was said by Albert Schweitzer to be ‘no mere destroyer of untenable solutions, but also the prophet of a coming advance in knowledge’, namely eschatology. The claims that it ‘has a different significance for modern theology from that which it had for his contemporaries’ and that it ‘marked out the ground which is now occupied by modern critical study’ appear even more true in the light of subsequent history of religions and form-critical research than Schweitzer himself realized. But as well as marking an epoch in the historical critical study of the New Testament, this book, and with it the fate of its author, remains a symbol of something else: the tension between historical research and the formation of a systematic or doctrinal theological position. Ecclesiastical authorities have in the meantime learned to live with theological pluralism and become more tolerant, but the problem itself has not disappeared. The investigation and development of Strauss' generally unappreciated contribution is perhaps an appropriate centenary celebration.

Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole

This article aims to show that some of the New Testament interpretations of the "son of man" phrase appear to be, according to B Lindars “a myth, created, not by the thinkers of the New Testament times, but by modern critical scholarship.” This view is substantiated in two ways: the first deals with an exegesis of the expression "son of man", while the second highlights some exegetical myths about "son of man". The first part includes sections on the linguistic origin of "son of man", "son of man" in the history of religions, and "son of man" as a historical figure according to Mark and Q. The second part comprises the sections dealing with the understanding of myth, and the myth of the "son of man" as a messianic title adopted by Jesus and by the early Church.


2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-21
Author(s):  
Michael Tilly

AbstractThis essay explores the exegetical possibilities and boundaries of the history of religions approach to the New Testament. In part 1 it offers an overview of the history of historical critical exegesis of the New Testament from the magisterial research of the history of religions school to the newest approaches of historical Jesus research. In part 2, three hermeneutical problems for the exegete are outlined: the relationship between text and tradition, the relationship between early Christian literature and its surroundings and the relationship between the New Testament as an ancient collection and its reception today.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takaya Suto

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to rethink the relationship between Kierkegaard and the Enlightenment by looking at his reaction to Henrik Nicolai Clausen (1793-1877). Certainly, Kierkegaard did not display a historical-critical study of theology in his authorship such as that of Clausen, but nevertheless we can trace a line that runs from Clausen to Kierkegaard that tracks their strong focus and emphasis on the New Testament, self-appropriation, works after inner faith, critique of speculation, the limits of historical research and the positivity of Christianity. For Kierkegaard, Clausen was an important figure in revising the understanding of Christianity in 19th-century Denmark.


2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2/3) ◽  
Author(s):  
H.F. Van Rooy

The messianic interpretation of the psalms in a number of Antiochene and East Syriac psalm commentariesThe Antiochene exegetes interpreted the psalms against the backdrop of the history of Israel. They reconstructed a historical setting for each psalm. They reacted against the allegorical interpretation of the Alexandrian School that frequently interpreted the psalms from the context of the New Testament. This article investigates the messianic interpretation of Psalms 2 and 110, as well as the interpretation of Psalm 22, frequently regarded as messianic in non-Antiochene circles. The interpretation of these psalms in the commentaries of Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Išô`dâdh of Merv will be discussed, as well as the commentary of Denha-Gregorius, an abbreviated Syriac version of the commentary of Theodore. The commentaries of Diodore and Theodore on Psalm 110 are not available. The interpretation of this psalm in the Syriac commentary discussed by Vandenhoff and the commentary of Išô`dâdh of Merv, both following Antiochene exegesis, will be used for this psalm. The historical setting of the psalms is used as hermeneutical key for the interpretation of all these psalms. All the detail in a psalm is interpreted against this background, whether messianic or not. Theodore followed Diodore and expanded on him. Denha-Gregorius is an abbreviated version of Theodore, supplemented with data from the Syriac. Išô`dâdh of Merv used Theodore as his primary source, but with the same kind of supplementary data from the Syriac.


Author(s):  
Д.К. АСРАТЯН

Письма патриарха Константинопольского Николая Мистика архиепископу Аланскому Петру – основной документальный источник по истории христианства на Северном Кавказе в X в. Изучение «Аланского досье» патриарха Николая сохраняет актуальность в связи с ростом интереса к духовной истории народов Кавказа, находившихся на стыке цивилизаций, религий и культур и сформировавших под их влиянием собственные самобытные национально-культурные традиции. Основным методом исследования стало сопоставление лексических и семантических средств, используемых апостолом Павлом и патриархом Николаем в двух различных, но соотносимых исторических и религиозных контекстах. Цель исследования – выявление жанровых и литературных связей писем патриарха с книгами Нового Завета. Научная новизна заключается в обосновании лингвистических, семантических и богословских параллелей между письмами Николая и посланиями апостола Павла, особенно пастырскими (1-2 Тим и Тит). Хотя сравниваемые тексты хронологически разделены почти тысячелетием, отмечается типологическое сходство исторических контекстов, в которых они были написаны (духовный наставник – ученик в епископском сане – молодая христианская община из «варваров», нуждающихся в просвещении). В интерпретации Николая миссия – это именно тяжкий труд, но совершаемый по прямому повелению Бога и ради награды свыше, и в этом смысле патриарх вполне укоренен в новозаветной традиции. Как показали результаты исследования, риторическая и богословская насыщенность писем Николая Мистика не снижает их историческую ценность, однако для корректной интерпретации необходимо учитывать их литературный характер. Letters of Nicholas Mysticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, to Peter, Archbishop of Alania, remain the chief documentary source for the history of Christianity in the North Caucasus in the 10th century. The study of the "Alan Dossier" of Patriarch Nicholas remains relevant due to the growing interest in the spiritual history of the peoples of the Caucasus, who lived at the crossroads of civilizations, religions and cultures and formed their own distinctive national and cultural traditions under such diverse influence. The main research method was the comparison of lexical and semantic means used by the Apostle Paul and Patriarch Nicholas in two different, but correlated historical and religious contexts. The purpose of the study is to identify genre and literary connections between the letters of the Patriarch and the books of the New Testament. Scientific novelty lies in the substantiation of the linguistic, semantic and theological parallels between the letters of Nicholas and the letters of the Apostle Paul, especially the pastoral ones (1-2 Tim and Titus). Although the compared texts are chronologically separated by almost a millennium, there is a typological similarity in the historical contexts in which they were written (a spiritual mentor - a bishop student - a newly formed Christian community of “barbarians” in need of education). In the interpretation of Nicholas, mission is a hard work, but it is done at the direct command of the God and is rewarded from above, and in this sense, the Patriarch is completely rooted in the New Testament tradition. As the results of the study have shown, the rhetorical and theological richness of the letters of Nikolas the Mysticus does not diminish their historical value, yet for correct interpretation it is necessary to take into account their literary character.


Author(s):  
STEFANUS KRISTIANTO

Secara garis besar, buku ini terdiri atas enam bab utama. Bab pertama merupakan bagian pengantar yang menyentuh tiga aspek penting. Pertama, bab ini memberi pengenalan awal tentang apa itu CBGM. Secara ringkas, Wasserman dan Gurry mendefinisikan CBGM sebagai “a method that (1) uses a set of cumputer tools (2) based in a new way of relating manuscript texts that is (3) designed to help us understand the origin and history of the New Testament text.” (hal. 3). Jadi, seperti harapan Epp, metode ini mengkombinasikan penggunaan komputer dan pendekatan kuantitatif di beberapa bagian. Wasserman dan Gurry kemudian menggaris bawahi bahwa hal baru yang ditawarkan CBGM ialah bagaimana cara metode ini menghubungkan teks antar naskah. Pendekatan ini menggunakan prinsip dasar bahwa teks antar naskah bisa saling dihubungkan dengan menggunakan hubungan antar variannya. Kedua, bab ini juga menjelaskan secara singkat lima perubahan yang dibawa CBGM. Selain perubahan teks kritikal Yunani di beberapa tempat, CBGM juga menyebabkan munculnya ketidakpastian mengenai teks awal (initial text) di beberapa tempat. Bukan hanya itu, CBGM ternyata juga mendorong penolakan terhadap kategori tipe teks (atau kluster teks menurut Epp), meningkatnya apresiasi terhadap teks Byzantine, dan berubahnya tujuan utama Kritik Teks (meski sangat tipis). Bab ini kemudian ditutup dengan pembahasan aspek ketiga, yakni alasan mengapa buku ini ditulis. Sederhananya, buku ini ditulis untuk mereka yang optimis terhadap potensi CBGM (tetapi tidak mengerti bagaimana menggunakannya) dan juga mereka yang cenderung negatif terhadap CBGM. Buku ini diharapkan menjadi penolong kedua kelompk tersebut memahami CBGM lebih baik.


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