The Cloister or the City? The Appropriation of the New Testament by Lay Readers in an Urban Setting

AbstractAcross the cities of Europe, there are new and growing Christian communities with leadership originating from Asia, Africa and Latin America. In recent years, the formation of SKIN (Samen Kerk in Nederland — Together Church in the Netherlands) and the publication of a book entitled Geboren in Sion (Born in Sion) have contributed to our understanding. However, it remains a major challenge for the indigenous churches to relate to their life and spirituality. Can we learn from Biblical models of heterogeneous and multicultural Christian communities in the New Testament? Different aspects of the identity and contrasting types of so-called migrant churches are explored in this paper which was first presented to the migrant study group at the Landelijke Diensten Centrum (National Service Centre) of the Protestantse Kerken in Nederland (Protestant Churches in the Netherlands) in Utrecht on November 15, 2004. Some examples have been cited from the city of Rotterdam and questions raised in order to how to recognize and receive their spiritual gift in the Netherlands.

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Thessalonians

Biblical Studies ◽

10.1093/obo/9780195393361-0090 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Ascough

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

The Other ◽

Sexual Morality ◽

Problematic Behavior ◽

Other Hand ◽

The New Testament ◽

Paul's Letters ◽

Fear And Anxiety ◽

The City ◽

Community Relationships

The two letters written to the Christian group at the city of Thessalonica occupy the thirteenth and fourteenth places in the canon of the New Testament; they are eighth and ninth in the sequence of Paul’s letters. There is little doubt that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, and many scholars consider it to be one of his earliest letters. In contrast, the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians is much contested, with scholars split between ascribing it to Paul and ascribing it to a later writer using Paul’s name. On the other hand, the textual integrity of 2 Thessalonians is secure, while 1 Thessalonians is argued by some to be a combination of two or more letters, or at the very least, they suggest, it contains a nonauthentic interpolation at 2:13–16. The primary aim of 1 Thessalonians is to encourage Jesus’ believers to continue to progress in their faith, and Paul addresses some practical concerns to that effect: sexual morality, community relationships, and Jesus’ return. In 2 Thessalonians the emphasis lies on addressing fear and anxiety over the return of Jesus and some problematic behavior within the group.

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

Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia ◽

10.5617/acta.5679 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 283-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Seleucia Pieria

A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195139174.003.0045 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Clyde E. Fant ◽

Mitchell G. Reddish

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Holy Spirit ◽

New Kingdom ◽

Alexander The Great ◽

The New Testament ◽

The Holy Spirit ◽

The Status ◽

The Village ◽

The City

Seleucia Pieria, the ancient seaport for Antioch of Syria, once played a central role in the travels of the 1st-century Christian missionaries. Little remains of the city or its port. Nevertheless, one outstanding attraction still remains, and it alone is worth a visit to the site: the spectacular tunnel of Vespasian and Titus. To reach Seleucia Pieria, travel 18 miles south of Antakya (ancient Antioch) to the village of Samandağ, then proceed north along the beach road approximately 2 miles to the little settlement of Çevlik. Portions of the ancient breakwater are clearly visible from the refreshment stand above the beach. (Do not plan to swim—not that anyone would be tempted after viewing the polluted condition of the water.) The city and port of Seleucia Pieria were founded at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E. by one of the generals of Alexander the Great, Seleucus Nicator, who also founded Antioch. (The name Pieria was derived from Mt. Pieria, the mountain above the city.) His descendants, known as the Seleucids, battled for many years with the Ptolemies for control of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, eventually losing out entirely. Originally Seleucia Pieria served as the capital of the new kingdom of Seleucus I. After Seleucus was assassinated (281 B.C.E.), however, his son, Antiochus I, moved the capital to Antioch, and Seleucia Pieria served as its strongly fortified port. During the Roman era the port was captured by Pompey, who granted it the status of a free city. Later, it became the location of a Roman fleet. At its zenith the city had a population of some 30,000 inhabitants. Many famous persons passed through the ancient port during its history. Besides the Christian missionaries Paul and Barnabas and several of the Roman emperors, other notables included the renowned wonderworker Apollonius of Tyana, in his own way a missionary of Pythagorean reform. According to Philostratus, Apollonius, too, set sail from Seleucia Pieria to go to Cyprus at virtually the same time as the Christian missionaries (Life of Apollonius 3). Seleucia Pieria is mentioned in the New Testament only in connection with the first missionary voyage of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:4): “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.”

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Antioch of Pisidia

A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195139174.003.0027 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Clyde E. Fant ◽

Mitchell G. Reddish

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Ancient World ◽

Asia Minor ◽

Mountainous Region ◽

Central Section ◽

South Central ◽

The New Testament ◽

The One ◽

The City ◽

Archaeological Excavations

Although overshadowed in the New Testament by a different Antioch (Antioch on the Orontes), Antioch of Pisidia was an important city during Hellenistic and Roman times. Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a thriving city, complete with theater, baths, temples, stadium, nymphaeum, paved streets, and aqueduct. Augustus had a copy of his famous Res Gestae, the list of his accomplishments, inscribed on his sanctuary in the city. Several cities in the ancient world were called Antioch, named for various members of the Seleucid dynasty who bore the name of Antiochus. Antioch of Pisidia was located approximately 0.5 mile northeast of the modern town of Yalvaç and 22 miles southwest of Akşehir. (Pisidia was a mountainous region in the south-central section of Asia Minor.) Antioch was actually not a part of the Pisidian region but lay just north of Pisidia in the region of Phrygia. The city was sometimes called Pisidian Antioch (see Acts 13:14), meaning “Antioch near Pisidia,” as a way of distinguishing it from other cities named Antioch. When the Romans established the province of Galatia in 25 B.C.E., Antioch became a part of Galatia. In 295 C.E. the Romans redivided the area, creating the province of Pisidia, with Antioch as its capital. Antioch is situated on the southern foothills of the Sultan Mountains, on the northwest side of the Yalvaç River (ancient Anthius River). The city was spread over seven small hills, reminiscent of the seven hills of Rome, a similarity that was not lost on the Romans, who divided the city into seven districts, one on each of the seven hills. Backed up to the Sultan Mountains, Antioch enjoyed good natural defenses. Strategically located, the city was important both militarily and commercially. The land around Antioch was fertile, producing a variety of fruit and grains. Although a precise date cannot be determined, the city of Antioch was founded in the first half of the 3rd century B.C.E. by the one of the Seleucid rulers, either Seleucus I, Antiochus I, or Antiochus II. The Seleucids established several cities in the region, including Apollonia, Seleucia (Seleucia Sidera), and Laodicea Catacecaumene.

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Guests at our own tables: Privilege, paradox, and Southern hospitality

Review & Expositor ◽

10.1177/0034637319867405 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (3) ◽

pp. 275-291

Author(s):

Beth Ritter-Conn

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Community Members ◽

Us South ◽

The Us ◽

The New Testament ◽

New Community ◽

The City

As is true of any region experiencing significant migration, the identity of the US South, and with it the identity of Nashville, Tennessee, is shifting. Both the city and the region have the opportunity to embrace this shift, wrestling collectively with the question of what kind of city we want to be. The lesson of the New Testament, particularly of Luke’s Gospel, is that transformation of individuals and communities often happens around the table. With new tables around which to gather and new community members to get to know, the possibility of expanding the meaning of “Southern hospitality” continually presents itself anew. Such an expansion requires both embracing the paradox of guest and host, and remembering our past rightly to learn from the mistakes and the triumphs of the ones who came before us.

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The Subscription in the Chester Beatty Manuscript of the Harclean Gospels

Harvard Theological Review ◽

10.1017/s0017816000022203 ◽

1937 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 141-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

William H. P. Hatch

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Greek Text ◽

The New Testament ◽

The City

Some manuscripts of the Harclean Gospels contain a subscription which gives certain important information concerning the origin of the Philoxenian and Harclean versions of the New Testament. According to the subscription the Syriac translation of the Four Gospels was made from the Greek text in the city of Mabûg in the year 507–508 after Christ. This was in the time of Mar Philoxenus the Confessor, who was bishop of Mabûg from 485 to 519 A.D. Later the translation was carefully compared with two (or three) approved and accurate Greek codices and revised accordingly. This was done in 615–616 A.D. by Thomas of Harqel (or Heracleia) in a convent situated at the Enaton near Alexandria. The subscription was written by Thomas himself.

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Colossae

A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195139174.003.0030 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Clyde E. Fant ◽

Mitchell G. Reddish

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Textile Industry ◽

Apostle Paul ◽

The Road ◽

The Bible ◽

Ancient City ◽

The New Testament ◽

Trade Route ◽

The Right ◽

The City

At one time a thriving city in the fertile valley of the Lycus River, the city of Colossae is almost forgotten today. If not for its significance to the Bible, the site of ancient Colossae, now only an unexcavated mound, would be visited very seldom. Colossae was situated near the Lycus River (today the Aksu Çay), the chief tributary of the Meander River. Located in the Phrygian region of Asia Minor, the city was approximately 120 miles east of Ephesus. During the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.E. Colossae was a large and prosperous city. At that time the leading city of the Lycus Valley, Colossae was eventually eclipsed in importance during the Hellenistic and Roman periods by the neighboring cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. The textile industry flourished in the Lycus Valley, particularly because of goods made from the exceptionally fine wool produced in the area. Colossae was well known for its purple-colored wool. The economic prosperity of the city was also due to its being located on the main trade route from the Aegean coast to the Euphrates. Like Laodicea and Hierapolis, Colossae likely was damaged by the severe earthquake that struck the Lycus Valley in 60 C.E. By the 9th century the site was abandoned, its remaining inhabitants having moved to the nearby town of Chonae (modern Honaz). To reach the ruins of ancient Colossae, take highway 320 east from Denizli toward Dinar. Approximately 12 miles from Denizli, turn right onto the road for Honaz. After traveling approximately 4 miles, turn left. The site of ancient Colossae, a low hill in a field, is about 6 miles on the right. The ancient city of Colossae is remembered today primarily because one of the letters in the New Testament is addressed to “the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae” (Col 1:2). Aside from this one reference, the city of Colossae does not appear in the New Testament. The Letter to the Colossians claims to be a letter from the Apostle Paul, although its authorship is sometimes attributed to an anonymous disciple of Paul’s who wrote in the name of Paul.

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In Search of the City of the Apostles

Novum Testamentum ◽

10.1163/15685365-12341710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 143-158

Author(s):

Mordechai Aviam ◽

R. Steven Notley

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Roman Period ◽

Archaeological Evidence ◽

Fishing Village ◽

Remote Location ◽

The New Testament ◽

The Village ◽

The City

Abstract The authors present the results of four years of investigation (2016–2019) in their search for Bethsaida-Julias. They bring historical, geographical, and archaeological evidence to argue that Khirbet el-Araj should be considered the leading candidate for the New Testament home of the Apostles. Unlike the remote location of the alternate candidate at et-Tell, their excavations at el-Araj have demonstrated a significant Roman period settlement on the lakeshore of the Sea of Galilee, a much more likely location for a fishing village. In addition, their discovery in 2017 of a Roman bathhouse at el-Araj is characteristic of Herod Philip’s urbanization of the village of Bethsaida, which Josephus reports was transformed from a village into the polis of Julias. After the Roman period, the site was abandoned for two centuries (4th–5th cent. CE), and then resettled with a monastery and Byzantine basilica, reportedly built over the house of Peter and Andrew.

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Igor Strawinsky: Canticum Sacrum Ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis

Tempo ◽

10.1017/s0040298200052815 ◽

1956 ◽

pp. 3-5

Author(s):

Erwin Stein

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Sacred Music ◽

Song Of Songs ◽

Mixed Chorus ◽

Patron Saint ◽

The New Testament ◽

The Subject ◽

The City

Among the works Strawinsky has written in his late contrapuntal style, the Canticum Sacrum is the most representative so far. In accordance with the importance of the subject he has chosen, the scope of the music is wide, and the apparatus needed for performance comprises two soloists (tenor and baritone), a mixed chorus (including descant instead of soprano), organ and a large orchestra, though without violins, cellos, clarinets, horns and percussion. These resources are, however, very economically employed. In a short Dedicatio to the city of Venice and its Patron Saint the two soloists are accompanied solely by trombones. The five movements that follow form the Canticum Sacrum proper and are based on texts of the Vulgate, i.e. they are in Latin. They include quotations from the Old and the New Testament, viz. from the gospel of St. Mark, St. John's first Epistle, the Song of Songs and the Psalms. Strawinsky imparts a great variety to his pieces of sacred music, but closely integrates the musical material by divers means of tonality as well as of the serial method of composition with twelve notes.

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