An Exegesis of Conformity: Textual Subversion of Subversive Texts

2007 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 25-35
Author(s):  
M. C. Steenberg
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Potential Influence ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Textual Tradition ◽  
Common Heritage ◽  
Christian Witness ◽  
The Church

‘We have learned from the Scriptures …’To speak with authority in the early Church was to speak from the Scriptures. While early Christianity may not have been a ‘religion of the book’ in the same way it is today, it was unquestionably a religion of text, and the refrain ‘we have learned from the holy Scriptures’ is a chorus in the early Christian witness. Here stood the authority of divine fulfilment. To confess merely Christ might be to proclaim a man, perhaps a prophet, perhaps a deity; but to confess ‘the scriptural Christ’ was to proclaim the Messiah foretold in divine writ, the revealed Saviour, and to find in that revelation the character and substance of the confession newly made. Nonetheless, while the text of the Old Testament might be of common heritage (though even this faced the challenge of a Marcion, who wished to do away with it), the emerging textual tradition of the Christian era provided a challenge: which text? what scripture? If the Christ of the Church is the ‘Christ of the scriptures’, determining the content of those scriptures – or those texts accorded scriptural authority in their receipt and influence -becomes critical. More than this, subverting the potential influence of texts deemed unsuitable stands as an essential task. To approach the era authentically, scholarly reading of the rise of a New Testament canon in the early Church must be combined with an understanding of the means and methodologies of its necessary correlate, textual exclusion. I shall argue here that this was accomplished through an exegetical method of subversion more intricate and nuanced than is often perceived.

scholarly journals ‘Einer Frau gestatte ich nicht, dass sie lehre‘ (1 Timotheus 2:12): Exegese – Hermeneutik – Kirche

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph W. Stenschke
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Timothy 2 ◽  
New Testament Studies ◽  
The Church

This article is an exercise in combining the exegesis, hermeneutical issues and application of 1 Timothy 2:12 in ecclesial contexts where this prohibition is still taken seriously as a Pauline injunction or, at least, as part of the canon of the Church. It surveys representative proposals in New Testament studies of dealing with this least compromising assertion regarding the teaching of women in early Christianity. It discusses the hermeneutical issues involved in exegesis and application and how one should relate this prohibition to other New Testament references to women and their role in the early Christian communities. In closing, the article discusses whether and how this assertion can still be relevant in contemporary contexts when and where women have a very different role in society and church.

Respect for Context in Quotations from The Old Testament

1962 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Edgar
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Distinctive Character ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament

The attempt to get behind the gospel record back to the authentic words and acts of Jesus has occupied many scholars of this generation. This has come about because of a scepticism regarding the historical value of the sayings as recorded, and has often concluded by assuming that the New Testament throws light only on what the early Christian community believed Jesus said rather than on what he did say. It is not the writer's intention to belittle the problem, but to suggest it may be approached from a fresh angle. This article seeks to show that in one respect at least the words of Jesus, as recorded in the gospels, are of a distinctive character, especially when compared with the editorial comments of the evangelists, and hence the form of the first may not be as dependent on the evangelists and the early church as sometimes claimed.

scholarly journals The Iconography of the Sarcophagus in S. Ambrogio. Hope for Salvation through the Word of Christ

1970 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Steen
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
City Gates ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

The sarcophagus in the church of S. Ambrogio in Milan is dated to about 390. The lid of the sarcophagus shows scenes and symbols connected to the New Testament. On the front and rear sides, we find Christ represented among the Apostles. Figures from the Old Testament are shown on the two short sides. In this way, the narrative scenes are well arranged, and the arrangement differs from other early Christian sarcophagi in which scenes from the Old and New Testament are places together without any apparent connection between the scenes. Rows of city-gates run around all four sides, forming the background for the reliefs. The city-gates invite the beholder to read the images not as isolated scenes, but as parts of a connected whole. In this paper, I will argue that the iconography of the sarcophagus can be interpreted as a complete programme. The programme emphasizes the teaching of Christ and the Apostles’ teaching-mission given by Christ. Taking into consideration the monument’s funerary context, the programme of the sarcophagus focuses on the Word or the teaching of Christ as the way to salvation.

Does the Septuagint Contain Inspired Revelation for Christians?

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-59
Author(s):  
Pieter J. Lalleman
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Text ◽  
Early Church ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Continuing Revelation ◽  
The Church

Summary This article introduces the Septuagint as a complex Bible version which deserves more attention from evangelical biblical scholars. The author asks if differences between the Septuagint and the Hebrew text of the canonical books can occasionally be considered as the result of inspiration, and if so, whether the wording of the Septuagint should in certain specific places form the basis for modern translations of the Old Testament. The article pays particular attention to some scholars who have pleaded for the place of the Septuagint in the Church, such as Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller and Benjamin Giffone, as well as to the handling of the Septuagint by the authors of the New Testament and by the Early Church. With Ross Wagner, the article concludes that some elements of the Septuagint represent God’s continuing revelation to his Church.ZusammenfassungDieser Artikel stellt die Septuaginta als eine vielschichtige Bibelausgabe vor, die mehr Aufmerksamkeit seitens evangelikaler Theologen verdient. Der Autor stellt die Frage, ob Unterschiede zwischen der Septuaginta und dem hebräischen Text der kanonischen Bücher zuweilen als das Ergebnis von Inspiration angesehen werden können. Und wenn ja, ob der Wortlaut der Septuaginta an gewissen Stellen die Grundlage für moderne Übersetzungen des Alten Testaments darstellen sollte. Der Artikel legt besonderes Augenmerk auf Theologen wie Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller und Benjamin Giffone, die für die Bedeutung der Septuaginta für die Kirche plädiert haben, sowie auch auf die Verwendung der Septuaginta durch die Autoren des Neuen Testaments und die alte Kirche. Zusammen mit Ross Wagner zieht der Artikel die Schlussfolgerung, dass einige Elemente der Septuaginta Gottes fortwährende Offenbarung an seine Gemeinde darstellen.RésuméCet article présente la Septante comme une version complexe de la Bible qui mériterait plus d’attention de la part d’exégètes évangéliques. L’auteur demande si les différences entre la Septante et le texte hébreu des livres canoniques peuvent parfois être considérées comme le fruit de l’inspiration divine; et dans l’affirmative, si la formulation de la Septante ne devrait pas, en certains endroits, servir de base pour les traductions modernes de l’Ancien Testament. L’article porte une attention particulière à certains exégètes qui ont plaidé pour que la Septante ait sa place dans l’Église, comme Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller et Benjamin Giffone, ainsi qu’à la manière dont les auteurs du Nouveau Testament et l’Église primitive traitèrent cette traduction. Avec Ross Wagner, l’article conclut que certains éléments de la Septante illustrent la manière dont Dieu s’est progressivement révélé à son Église.

Jewish and Christian Ordination

1954 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold Ehrhardt
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
The Other ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Main Thesis ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Rabbinical Literature ◽  
Laying On Of Hands ◽  
The Church

In recent discussions about the Apostolic Ministry of the Church the Jewish factor in its development has proved a disturbing element. Therefore, a book dealing with the early rite of rabbinical ordination, which has been lately published in Germany, should be certain of an interested reception, even though the main facts can be found already in Billerbeck. Dr. Lohse, its author, shows himself well versed in rabbinical literature, and the evidence which he has collected is well-nigh complete. Unfortunately, the author's main thesis, although it is by no means new, is apt to provoke serious misgivings. For he claims (101) that ‘the Christian ordination was modelled on the pattern of that of Jewish scholars, although early Christianity filled it with a new content’. To support his claim the author has given only one important reason, namely that both rites had the imposition of hands as their centre. The other support which the author has tried to build up to strengthen his thesis is, to say the least, feeble. It is therefore necessary to enquire whether the laying-on-of-hands had the same intention in the early Christian ordination rite as in the rabbinical rite. Such identity of intention is, however, not even to be found in all the various cases of laying-on-of-hands in the New Testament, and the same is also true of contemporary Judaism.

scholarly journals Retrospectively-Historical Analogies are in the Liturgical Texts Sanctified to Saint Vladimir the Great

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-33
Author(s):  
Владимир Михайлович Кириллин
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Old Russian ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The World ◽  
Liturgical Texts ◽  
The Church

В статье рассматриваются встречающиеся в посвящённых великому Киевскому князю Владимиру Святославичу богослужебных текстах ретроспективно-исторические аналогии как характеризующие его личность и деяния элементы рефлексии о нём. В итоге исследователь приходит к выводу о том, что древнерусские гимнографы, осмысливая и воспевая посредством исторических параллелей святость великого Киевского князя Владимира, были разносторонне изобретательны: они стремились и к расширению круга ретроспективных образов, и к закреплению и даже некоторому развитию связанной с ними семантики, так что под их пером Креститель Руси обрёл устойчивые черты подобия либо ветхозаветным провозвестникам грядущего Царя и Спасителя мира, либо новозаветным свидетелям жертвенной проповеди распятого и воскресшего Сына Божия, либо раннехристианским приверженцам основанной Им Церкви как вместилища Истины и собрания верных. The article discusses retrospective-historical analogies in the liturgical texts devoted to the great Kiev Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of liturgical texts as elements of reflection about him that characterize his personality and actions. As a result, the researcher comes to the conclusion that the Old Russian hymnographers, comprehending and singing the holiness of the great Kiev Prince Vladimir by means of historical parallels, were versatile inventive: they sought to expand the range of retrospective images, and to consolidate and even develop some semantics associated with them, so that, under their pen, the Baptist of Russia acquired stable similarity features either to the Old Testament heralds of the coming Tsar and Savior of the world, or to New Testament witnesses of the sacrificial preaching order and risen Son of God, or the early Christian adherents he founded the Church as the repository of truth and faithful congregation.

scholarly journals The radicality of early Christian oikodome: A theology that edifies insiders and outsiders

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobus Kok
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament

In this article a study is made of the concept �oikodome� and its derivatives in the New Testament and early Christianity. Hence, in this essay the focus is limited to the use of the term οἰκοδομέω/οἰκοδομὴ(ν) in the New Testament, and briefly turns to inspiring trajectories in early Christianity. A detailed focus on the term(s) reveals the complexity of the matter in the different Biblical contexts with its multi-layered dimensions of meaning. Subsequently, attention is turned to a study of 1 Thessalonians, followed up with a discussion of the trajectories of other-regard and radical self-giving love in the early Church as witnessed by insiders and outsiders in antiquity.

scholarly journals CONCEPT OF PRACTICES OF JEWISH AND EARLY CHRISTIAN MEDICINE

2020 ◽  
pp. 129-138
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Jewish People ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Sick People ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
The Church

The article examines the theological and philosophical origins of Jewish and early Christian medicine. We have shown that the basis of the medical practice of the ancient Jews and early Christians were the books of the Old Testament. The principles of nutrition, sanitation and hygiene have been considered in detail in the context of the topic. We also have analyzed the rules of care for sick people and the means used by the Jewish people in the treatment of infectious diseases. It has been shown that in order to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, Jews isolated an infected person from close contact with other people, thus avoiding the spread of various diseases and epidemics. Some Jewish works of the post-biblical period contain a description of the development of philosophy and ethics in medicine; the main ones are the Midrash, the Mishnah and the Talmud. In the article we also have analyzed conceptual medical foundations set forth in the Pentateuch of the Moses and the Talmud. It has been shown that the main attention of Jewish treatment practitioners was focused on disease prevention, as they attached great importance to the principles of ritual purity, which in turn was directly related to public hygiene. We also have studied a number of works of the early church fathers, who initiated the practice of caring for the physically ill. As a result, it was found that in the writings of the church fathers there are many mentions of surgery and treatment of mental illness.

scholarly journals Edward D. ANDREWS, The Reading Culture of Early Christianity: The Production, Publication, Circulation, and Use of Books in the Early Christian Church, Cambridge, Ohio 2019, pp. 247.

Vox Patrum ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 173-175
Author(s):  
Marcin Krzysztof Nabożny
Keyword(s):  
Production Process ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Publication Process ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Reading Culture

“The Reading Culture of Early Christianity” was written by Edward D. Andrews and published by Christian Publishing House, Cambridge, Ohio in 2019. It is historical and biblically centered with 226 pages: it provides the reader with the production process of the New Testament books, the publication process, how they were circulated, and to what extent they were used in the early church.

The Promises to David and their Entrance into Christianity—Nailing down a Likely Hypothesis

1973 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis C. Duling
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Hebrew Scriptures ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
History Of

The fundamental outlook in what follows is that there is a fairly consistent, compact, yet expanding and developing promise tradition which is founded on the promises to David (and his descendants) in the Hebrew Scriptures; that this tradition in certain ways has been rejuvenated and strengthened in the early Christian period; and that it enters Christianity in connection with the application of these promises to Jesus' resurrection apart from the title Son of David itself, a title whose acceptance and adaptation in early Christianity appears on both historical and redaction critical grounds to be relatively late. The hypothesis is not totally new. My intention will be to put some older information into what will hopefully be an illuminating perspective, to draw out some implications from the perspective itself, and to nail down the hypothesis of the use of Old Testament texts in connection with the resurrection of Jesus a little tighter. I have not undertaken here to trace out a history of tradition in the New Testament such as can now be found in C. Burger's excellent study,Jesus als Davidssohn, though the direction of the paper will support the legitimacy of his starting point in early Christian formulae.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document