Apocalyptic Lollards?: The Conservative Use of The Book of Daniel in the English Wycliffite Sermons

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Bracy Hill II

AbstractToo frequently the biblical hermeneutics of the Lollards have been oversimplified and described as “sola scriptura” or “literal” for the purpose of comparison. Limited attention has been given to the hermeneutic of Scripture particularly that of the Old Testament, present in the Wycliffite homiletic tradition as espoused in the Middle English Wycliffite festial. Building on the work of Kantik Ghosh and Curtis V. Bostick, this study asserts that the Middle English Wycliffite sermons' focus upon the Old Testament prophetic literature as a source of figures fulfilled in the New Testament, the reluctance of the politically conservative Wycliffite movement to embrace a radical apocalyptic vision, and the overriding concern of Lollard hermeneuts to acquire certitude resulted in the limited use of the book of Daniel in Wycliffite sermonic literature. When compared to contemporary sermon cycles and later uses of Daniel by more radical English groups, it becomes obvious that the Wycliffite sermons did not utilize a radical critique of empire or maintain a radical apocalyptic vision that might have found greater use for Daniel.

The article states that, for the purpose of interpreting the Biblical topos of the Law and Grace, Hilarion refers to the genre of the word. Hilarion takes first place in the title, and then in the text of the work God brings out wisdom. By law, he believes the Old Testament, which has already fulfilled its task, and Grace - the New Testament, which outlines the existence of man, his relationship with God, gives hope for eternal life. The subject of the "Word" breaks the sermon into four fragments. In the first of them, we notice the allegorical meaning of reading the Scriptures in relation to the history of mankind. The second part is devoted to the interpretation of the image of Jesus Christ, which appears as a synthesis of God and human nature. The third fragment depicts events beyond the boundary of the Bible. It is devoted to the baptism of Rus. In the fourth fragment Prince Volodymyr is glorified. Following the best traditions of Byzantine oratory prose, the author of the Word simply pours his text into quotations from the Bible and adds to them a predominantly allegorical interpretation, emphasizing that the work is not intended for proclamation, but for reading, which enabled the author to interpret the Scriptures and in the literal, and in allegorical sense. The advantage of the New Testament over the Old Testament is embodied by the author in the images of the free wife of Abraham Sarah - Grace and his servant Hagar - Law. Laconic retelling of God-inspired text, Hilarion interprets the old-czarist images, as those that represent the new covenants at the level of allusions, presented them in the form of additional parallel antithesis. The same anti-colored color is also depicted by the images of their children. Isaac was born from a free woman, which means that he represents freedom, Ishmael is from a slave, hence his image symbolizes slavery. He who receives Grace receives goodness, love, becomes the son of God, and begins to live a new life in the Holy Spirit through which the believer is through. The overcoming of the Law and the perception of Grace means, according to Hilarion, the acquisition of spiritual freedom.


1986 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-41
Author(s):  
J. H. Charlesworth

The Christian canon contains only two apocalypses: the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse of John. Today no less than 19 apocalypses and closely related documents are gathered together in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 volumes; Garden City, New York, 1983–1985). In light of these apocalypses and apocalyptic writings new possibilities for interpreting the documents in the New Testament can be seen. Only one example can be chosen now; it is a significant one, revealing the indebtedness of the Apocalypse of John to the continuum of Jewish apocalyptic thought and clarifying the roots of Christology in Early Judaism.


2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-70
Author(s):  
Friedhelm Hartenstein

Abstract Published in 2014, the Theologische Hermeneutik des Neuen Testaments (Theological Hermeneutics of the New Testament) by Ulrich Luz challenges its readers to a theological response through its intentionally personal accountability and its dialogical structure. This essay approaches the discussion from the perspective of the neighboring discipline of Old Testament scholarship. It reconstructs the basic intentions of Luz’s conception and tries to integrate it into the present theological landscape regarding the question of biblical hermeneutics (II./ III.). Afterwards it discusses Luz’s treatment of the Old Testament related to this background and formulates impulses for further discussion of the issue (IV.). It concludes with five theses (»Für eine biblische Hermeneutik der zweiteiligen Bibel«/»For a biblical hermeneutics of the two-partite Bible«) intended to serve the communication about a common subject of the biblical disciplines and Protestant theology as a whole (V.).


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-119
Author(s):  
Elisua Hulu

The people of God of the Old Testament and the people of God in the New Testament were linked during what is called the intertestamental age. This period is referred to as a state of vacuum which is marked by the absence of a demonstrative role of the prophet. The 400 year period of development, destruction, success and decline of the ruling nations was prophesied by God. The Old Testament Book of Daniel shows clearly that world history is proceeding according to God's sovereignty. Mission is God's work. The important thing from God’s mission is talking about God as a sender, where He is the source, initiator, dynamist, implementer and fulfiller of His mission. The method of study related to God's mission in the Interstestamental era is the method of studying literature, which describes it descriptively. The intertestamental period is the time when other nations know the God of Israel through their existence among them. This is a different way from what happened in the days of Solomon's kingdom where there was a temple in Jerusalem which became an attraction for Gentiles. The political, social, and economic situation in intertestamental times was a preparation for the mission of the church in New Testament times.Umat Allah Perjanjian Lama dan Umat Allah Perjanjian Baru dihubungkan dalam masa suatu yang sebut masa intertestamental. Masa ini disebut sebagai keadaan adanya kevakuman yang ditandai oleh tidak nampaknya peranan nabi secara demonstratif. Masa waktu 400 tahun mengalami perkembangan, kehancuran, kesuksesan dan kemerosotan negara-negara yang menguasai sudah dinubuatkan oleh Tuhan. Kitab Daniel dalam Perjanjian Lama memperlihatkan dengan jelas bahwa sejarah dunia berjalan sesuai dengan kedaulatan Allah. Misi adalah karya Allah. Hal penting dari misi atau pengutusan Allah berbicara tentang Allah sebagai pengutus, dimana Ia adalah sumber, inisiator, dinamisator, pelaksana dan penggenap misi-Nya. Metode pengkajian terkait misi Allah pada masa Interstestamental adalah dengan metode kajian pustaka, yang menguraikan secara deskriptif. Masa intertestamental adalah masa di mana bangsa-bangsa lain mengenal Allah Israel melalui keberadaan mereka di tengah bangsa-bangsa lain. Ini adalah cara yang berbeda dari yang terjadi pada masa kerajaan Salomo di mana ada bait suci di Yerusalem yang menjadi daya tarik bagi bangsa-bangsa lain. Situasi politik, sosial, dan ekonomi pada masa intertestamental merupakan persiapan bagi misi gereja pada masa Perjanjian Baru.


Author(s):  
Kęstutis Daugirdas

Two features characterize van Limborch’s biblical hermeneutics: insistence on the reliability of New Testament testimonies about the life of Jesus, and a reliance on human reason as a key to the biblical message. Stressing the historicity of the Bible, van Limborch continued the tradition of Remonstrant predecessors like Episcopius, Grotius, and de Courcelles. He developed these features in debates with Orobio, Lodewijk Meyer, Spinoza, and Cocceius. Maintaining divine inspiration, he allowed for minor anomalies in the text. Van Limborch adduced the extraordinary character of miracles, the predictions of what would come to pass through Christ, and the convincing promise of eternal life. The Christological meaning was nothing but a mystical layer added by the New Testament authors. Thus he undermined the traditional ahistorical exegesis that explains the Old Testament by applying a New Testament perspective. This chapter ends with the reception of Van Limborch’s exegetical works in Germany and England.


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