The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Two Theological Readings in the Victorian Church of England

Taking seriously the reality that theological interpretation of Scripture is not a monolithic enterprise but rather a varied discussion, this paper outlines two historical contributions to the theological reading of Scripture in the Victorian Church of England. By examining the way Richard Chenevix Trench and John Keble interpret the parable of the good Samaritan, this essay shows that though both figures interpret Scripture in order to understand what it says about God, they diverge in their approach over questions of providence and ecclesial authority. The paper argues that for Trench, providence expands the scope of Scripture’s meaning but for Keble it leads to specific interpretive outcomes. Essentially, while Trench sees Scripture to be the product of divine providence, Keble sees providence to have shaped the consensus of the early Church.

When Is a Moabite a Moabite? Selectivity, Stereotypes, and Identity in the Gemeindegesetz, Deut. 23:2–9 [Eng 1–8]

This article argues that the Gemeindegesetz’s exclusion of Ammonites and Ammonites from the qahal-YHWH, like its inclusion of Edomites and Egyptians, is not based on ethnobiology or essentialist ethnicity. It draws on social identity and stereotyping theory to explore the text’s characterization of these different groups, and proposes that the salience of moral-behavioral features subordinates but does not efface ethnic and other factors. This interpretation is also integrated with approaches to identity for Israelites and non-Israelites elsewhere in Deuteronomy.

Exodus in Matthew’s Looking Glass: Jesus’s Flight to Egypt (Matt 2:13–18) as a Reflection Story

Matthew’s placement of Hosea 11:1 – “Out of Egypt I called my son” – following the arrival of Jesus in Egypt has been largely misinterpreted by scholars as a “premature quotation.” The Old Testament’s expanded portrayal of a symbolic Egypt, the interpretative framework of the Social Identity Approach, and the recognition of Matthew 2:13–18 as a “reflection story” add the necessary keys for understanding Hosea 11:1’s placement. Old Testament exodus stories not only advance the possibility of a symbolic interpretation of Egypt in the citation, but they favor such an interpretation. The exodus allusions in Matthew’s story endorse this symbolic interpretation of Israel as the Egyptian Other. In the looking glass of the exodus, Matthew’s Flight to Egypt story reveals both the character of the Other and that of the story’s hero.

Christian Mission in the Contemporary World: A Dialogue between 1 Peter and Postcolonial Critics

The modern missions movement’s relationship with colonialism has brought to light many problems with contemporary conceptions of Christian mission. For many, the Bible often becomes, in the words of Tinyiko Sam Maluleke, the “colonial text par excellence.” This paper seeks to highlight – in dialogue with postcolonial critics – how 1 Pet 2:9–17 can instead provide the foundation for a theology of mission relevant to the contemporary context. First Peter distinctively anchors Christian mission in one’s Christian identity and clarifies how that identity transforms one’s relationship to one’s culture as well as to power structures in that culture. In doing so, 1 Peter eschews a triumphalist attitude and instead embodies values shared by theorists of postcolonial mission, namely narrativity, mutuality, and humility.

The Lord of Angel Armies and the Centurion of Capernaum in Matthew 8:5–13

This study of Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5–13) draws attention to some neglected Christological details. This study offers a fresh explanation of how Matthew uses ambiguity and clarity about who Jesus is in various levels of narrative context. Specifically, Matthew’s characterization of the centurion uses the ambiguous title of ‘Lord’ alongside clear actions of faith to reveal Jesus’ identity. This study concludes that Jesus participates in the identity of Yahweh, who has absolute and divine power to command his army of angels to heal people and remove demons, even without his presence.