The Spirit in 2 Corinthians

The Holy Spirit plays an indispensable role in Paul’s configuration of the Christian life. This article briefly examines the significance of the Spirit in Paul’s overall argument in 2 Corinthians. The eleven Spirit texts are explored under three main themes: the Spirit as a seal and deposit; the Spirit and the New Covenant; and the Spirit and the Trinity.

Jeremiah and His Prophecies in the New Testament

This chapter examines the various modes of reference to Jeremiah in the writings of the New Testament. It begins with an investigation of the three explicit references to the prophet Jeremiah in the Gospel of Matthew before expanding the discussion to examine various allusions to the content of Jeremiah’s prophecies in the four canonical gospels. The study will then consider the contribution of Jeremiah to Paul’s understanding of his apostolic ministry and also focus on the influence of the Jeremianic concept of “new covenant” on the understanding of the salvific significance of Christ both in Paul’s letters and in the epistle to the Hebrews. It concludes with an exploration of the various ways in which Jeremiah’s prophecies are employed in the book of Revelation, including the oracles of judgment against Babylon.

The Ultimate Commitment

In the ancient Near East, the “heart” is the center of memory and decision-making, and in Mesopotamian extispicy, the “liver” is the “tablet of the gods” on which the gods inscribe a “true verdict,” providing basic guidance for the people. In international treaties, and especially in Assyrian treaties, emphasis is placed on the importance of “full-hearted” loyalty to the suzerain, going beyond mere “lip service.” The Egyptian “Book of the Dead” likewise emphasizes the central importance of the true testimony of the heart as decisive in the dangerous transit to the afterlife, to becoming an Osiris. These sources combine to emphasize the ultimate commitment expressed by the reference in Jeremiah 31:33 to God’s forthcoming “new covenant” which God will write on the hearts of the people. This is, as it were, a “programming” which transforms them in such a way that they will, by inner necessity, be a loyal people, submitting themselves to God’s guidance and protection.

Jeremiah and Homiletics

This chapter explores homiletical possibilities afforded by the book of Jeremiah to the Christian preacher. The earliest layers of contextualization are examined through consideration of preaching on Jeremiah in the early Church, focusing on sermons of Origen. In discussing the early modern period, the chapter attends to the preaching of Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin. Finally, the chapter reflects on homiletical moves made by contemporary preachers in a variety of ecclesial contexts from the nineteenth century to the present, including Charles Spurgeon and Walter Brueggemann. Noteworthy in the homiletical reception of Jeremiah are four passages: first, the commissioning of Jeremiah (1:4–10), which foregrounds agonistic dimensions of prophetic witness and has served as a focus in liturgies of ordination; second, the lament, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (8:22), transformed in a renowned African American spiritual into the asseveration that “there is a balm in Gilead,” namely, Jesus; third, Jeremiah’s depiction of the divine word as irresistible, “like a burning fire shut up in my bones” (20:9); and fourth, the promise of the new covenant that God will inscribe on the heart (31:31–34).

Are God’s ‘Good Plans’ not Good Enough? The Place and Significance of Jer 29.15 in Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

My analysis of Jer 29 argues for including v. 15 in the unit describing God’s ‘good plans’, which is delimitated almost always as vv. 10-14. A review of translations and commentators reveals v. 15 to be a crux interpretum, which often is ‘solved’ through textual transposition. Discussing the omission of vv. 16-20 in Jer-LXX as well as some standard indicators of delimitation, such as speech formulas, conjunctions, and scribal paragraph markers, I argue for reading v. 15 as the exiles’ direct response to the preceding divine promises. This understanding of the structure of Jer 29 shifts the main message of the prophet’s letter from God’s ‘good plans’ to the addressee’s rejection of these plans. For a post-exilic readership, the letter explains the suspension of divine restoration and elevates the New Covenant promises of Jer 30-31.