The Question of Anthropological Dualism in the Old Testament and Intertestamental Literature

The Question of Anthropological Dualism in the Old Testament and Intertestamental Literature

The Influence of the Lists of Virtues and Vices in the Jewish Literature of the First Century

Biblical texts were part of a broader literary context. Indeed, the Greco-Roman literature influenced of the first century the intertestamental literature and other Jewish Apocryphal books. One of these influences was the lists of virtues and vices from the popular philosophical schools of the time. These lists presented a group of attitudes and behaviors that should be applied or rejected for the proper functioning of society. Different Jewish groups of the Second Temple Period adapted such lists to their teachings, presenting, in a concise manner, those attitudes that did not correspond to their vocation, as well as confirming the morality proper of the “people of the covenant.”

The Eschatological Spirituality of “the Sons of Light” in Qumran

One of the most important features of the members of the Qumran community, who referred to themselves by the name “the sons of light,” was aspiration to holiness by observing the Law, purity and cult. The spirituality of the Qumran community was founded on the New Covenant which would be fulfilled “at the end of the days”. This eschatological reality was stressed in the practical spirituality of the members of the Qumran community. In the present article, the spirituality of the Qumran community will be presented via three points: (1) The origin of the Qumran community; (2) The community of a New Covenant with God; and (3) Eschatological beliefs. Our accumulated knowledge about the spirituality of the Qumran community and its beliefs enables us to better understand many eschatological texts of the Old Testament and Intertestamental Literature. It also indicates to us certain similarities and differences with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Divine Guidance

How are claims to God’s guidance to be understood against the background of fears, fundamentalism, and violence inspired by religious belief? But equally, how are acts of humanity, love, and sacrificial service to be understood, when they also claim to be inspired by God? How is healthy religion to be distinguished from unhealthy religion? Questions like these were the subject of lively debate in the first-century world of Corinth, where the views of Greek, Roman, Jewish, and early Christian residents mixed continually, and where Paul established one of the first Christian communities. While their differences were real, there was also common ground and a shared critique of destructive religion. This study looks at how believers and unbelievers confront questions about divine guidance, discernment, delusion, and rational thought. Part I looks at Greco-Roman views, focusing on the archeology of ancient Corinth and the writings of Homer, Virgil, Lucretius, Posidonius, Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch, and others. Part II surveys Jewish attitudes by looking at Philo and Josephus, Qumran, early rabbinic writers, and other intertestamental literature. Part III unpacks Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians to show that issues of divine guidance and discernment are woven throughout as Paul shapes a distinctly Christian approach. Part IV brings the historical strands together and considers religious experience research to draw some conclusions about discernment and delusion today in the hope that rational and mystical need not be mutually exclusive.

The Self and Others

The chapter contrasts ancient and modern views of the self through attention to physiological theories, lists of virtues and vices, and emphasis on social relations. It describes the medical theories of Hippocrates and Galen and their theories of the four humors to account for health and sickness. It treats ancient physiological theories of male and female gender, including their formation and their place in hierarchical models of the physical world and the self. It considers the emphasis on self-mastery and virtue in the creation of the self. It describes differing understandings of the self as found in Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism. It discusses various Jewish models of the self as found in Philo, intertestamental literature, and Qumran, as well as the concept of evil inclination (yēșer) in intertestamental writings, the New Testament, and early Christian writings. It describes Paul’s unsystematic presentation of the self, its creation, and its preservation through ritual and daily practices.

Le motif des cinq arbres dans l’Évangile selon Thomas (log. 19) et la littérature ancienne

This article seeks to investigate the motif of « the five trees of Paradise, » famous for being found in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas (logion 19). After looking closely at the characteristics of the five trees found in the Gospel of Thomas, I will shift my attention to other texts where the motif is attested. Coming from various sources, the Bible, the Jewish tradition, the intertestamental literature, the Gnostic literature, and Manichaeism, these other attestations of the motif of the five trees will help to get a larger perspective and contribute to a better understanding of the motif in general. With the help of all the evidence that will be gathered, I will finally see if it is possible to speculate on the origin and development of the motif of the five trees of Paradise in Antiquity.

A Revision of the Origin and Role of the Supporting Angels in the Gospel of Peter (10:39b)

One of the striking features of the Gospel of Peter is the presence in the Resurrection account of two heavenly beings who emerge from Jesus’ tomb, supporting between them a third character. Previous attempts to explain the origin of this scene have been quite varied: inspiration in biblical sources, the author’s own creativity, a pre-canonical synoptic-type source, etc. After a literary analysis of the passage, the paper reviews the closest potential canonical and extracanonical parallels for this scene, especially in Intertestamental Literature. Analysis of these examples helps to clarify the origin and specific role of the supporting characters.

Forgiveness in the intertestamental period

The article suggests answers to the following questions: what are the characteristics of God�s forgiveness in the intertestamental literature and what connection do these characteristics have with the Old Testament? Important passages in the late Second Temple period that expose the characteristics of God�s forgiveness, such as certain Qumran texts (1QH 12:35�37, 1QH 13:2 and the Damascus Document 14:18�19), the writings of Philo and Josephus, the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha, are investigated for this purpose.