Papias and the Synoptic Problem

I am currently reading (like everyone else in the blogosphere Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses) and I was intrigued by his remark where he intimates the possibility that Papias might be the earliest possible reference to Marcan priority or at least Matthean dependence on Mark:

Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements . . . Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could.

Does "interpreted them" refer to the words of Jesus or does it refer to interpretation of Peter's account of Jesus' words as contained in Mark? I wouldn't bet my house on it, but it is thought provoking.

A Word about Jerry Falwell

I have said many times if you mention the name "Jerry Falwell" you better duck (because someone will want to punch you) or pucker (because they might want to kiss you). Falwell had a love'em/hate'em persona in the US.

I attended Liberty University as an undergraduate from 1989-1993, a university he founded in Lynchburg, VA. Furthermore, as a Youth Ministry Major at Liberty, I was involved in the high school and college ministries of Thomas Road Baptist church all four of my university years and in the last was on staff as a ministry assistant.

To be honest, in recent years I have wished to distance myself from this early influence. Not only have I had to explain how a guy goes from Liberty to Cambridge University, I have had to assure questioners that I share neither the fundamentalism nor the right-wing republicanism of Falwell and the University.

But on the day of Dr. Falwell's death at 73, I would like list some of the things I have most appreciated about him:

1) If it were not for Falwell I would have missed out on many of the most significant experiences and relationships in my life. Just a case in point, had it not been for Liberty I would not have met and married Karla; this is to say nothing of the many lifelong friends and ministry skills I acquired while a student.

2) Falwell instilled in students a belief that they could make a great difference in this world for God. He called his students "Champions for Christ". Although this seems a bit corny to me now and certainly idealistic, I drank up the cool aid he poured and believed that my life could be used by God, even in a small way, to change the world. I hope that at least in a small way, I still do believe that.

3) Dr. Falwell was a man of great integrity and discipline. It is a tribute to him that in an era when many prominent Christian evangelical leaders lived a duplicitous life, he never compromised on his moral integrity or his theological consistency.

4) Falwell was a man of pioneering visionary faith. While I can remember at a Wednesday chapel (he spoke to the student body on Wednesdays) cringing over his exposition of Romans 10:9: "if you confess with your mouth . . .", --by all accounts he was not a good expositor, which formed the basis of a message on confessing the vision the Lord has given you, the idea of visionary faith was one he indeed embodied.

Robert Kysar on John 2-5

"What we have before us is a trial scene in which the defence is arguing that Jesus is not a traitor to the Jewish faith and the Hebraic tradition, but actually one who completes the meaning of that faith and tradition. But, like one of the signs of Jesus, all of this points beyond itself to additional themes to be fleshed out in greater details. The signs and speeches of John 2–5 only whet our appetites for more. And John intends to satisfy our needs, in part at least, with food of both the earthly and heavenly variety."

Robert Kysar, John’s Story of Jesus, 38.

Review of the New Edition of Rahfls

Septuaginta: edition altera. Edited by Alfred Rahlfs and Robert Hanhart (Stuttgart: Deutsche Biblegesellschaft, 2006).

Available in the UK from Albans Books

One of the standard and most accessible editions of the Septuagint has been Alfred Rahlfs' Septuaginta. I was overjoyed when, some years ago, I was given a copy of the massive two volume hard back edition which served me well in my doctoral studies. It was using Rahlfs’ book in conjunction with studies of the OT in the NT that led me to ponder why on earth Christian colleges and seminaries fail to teach Septuagint studies when the Septuagint was largely the Bible of the early church, but that hobby horse is for another day.

The current edition is not a rewrite of Rahlfs’ text, but new textual discoveries have come to light and there have been significant changes in the science of textual criticism since Rahlfs first compiled his edition. However, in light of the forthcoming editio maior of the Septuagint by the Göttingen Academy of Humanities and Sciences it would be pointless to completely revamp Rahlfs’ edition. The revision of Hanhart is far more modest and includes (1) removing errors and misprints; (2) making several cosmetic changes to the text concerning accentuation, a correction to a perfect participle in Isa 5.17, and a conjectural emmandation in Isa 53.2; and (3) concerning the critical apparatus Hanhart eliminates several mistakes arising from comparison with the Göttingen edition, corrections to misleading simplifications of the textual transmission, and the inclusion of the uncials Q, C, and V and the recensions O and L with variants where Rahlfs only mentioned B, S, or A.

This revised ‘pocket-edition’ (I use that term very loosely given its size and weight) remains true to Rahlfs’ purpose: ‘The aim of this work is to provide ministers and students with a reliable edition of the Septuagint at a moderate price, and thus to supply an important companion and aid to the study not only of the Old Testament, but also of the New Testament’. While Rahlfs’ text is available in electronic form (e.g. Bible Works) there is still no substitute for having a good and updated critical apparatus as well. Those serious about biblical study or are interested in how the NT interprets the OT, should consider getting one.

Recent Articles on the NET

In the latest SBL Forum our techno-ninja-NT-guru blogging buddy, Danny Zacharias of Acadia Divinity School, has written a piece that every techno-numpty-NT-guy should read:

The Wired Scholar: Five Free Tools You May Not Know About
Danny Zacharias

In addition, our Zwinglophile, the Rt. Rev. Prof. Jim West, has produced an English translation of Fritz Schmidt-Clausing's original The Humor of Huldrych Zwingli: The Lighter Side of the Protestant Reformation.

Latest JSNT

Journal for the Study of the New Testament1 June 2007; Vol. 29, No. 4

The Madness of King Jesus: Why was Jesus Put to Death, but his Followers were not?
Justin J. Meggitt
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 379-413

Why was Jesus Crucified, but his Followers were not?
Paula Fredriksen
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 415-419

Meggitt on the Madness and Kingship of Jesus
Joel Marcus
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 421-424

The Unity of Luke--Acts in Recent Discussion
Michael F. Bird
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 425-448

This article surveys the debate about the unity of Luke—Acts in recent scholarship. The study concentrates on monographs and articles written after Mikael C. Parsons and Richard I. Pervo's volume Rethinking the Unity of Luke and Acts, and identifies the recent contribution that reception-history studies have brought to the debate. This is followed with a brief analysis of the flashpoints in the debate, and a discussion of what is at stake for Lukan studies.

Literary Unity and Reception History: Reading Luke--Acts as Luke and Acts
C. Kavin Rowe
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 449-457

The Reception of Luke and Acts and the Unity of Luke--Acts
Andrew Gregory
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 459-472

Critiquing the Excess of Empire: A Synkrisis of John of Patmos and Dio of Prusa
Peter S. Perry
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 473-496

Book Review: Bridget Gilfillan Upton, Hearing Mark's Endings: Listening toAncient Popular Texts through Speech Act Theory (Leiden/Boston: Brill,2006). pp. xviii + 240. ISBN 90 04 14791 8
Alison Jack
Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2007;29 497-498

Bavinck on Humanity and Science

In "Our Reasonable Faith" (which is a popular translation and condensed version of Bavinck’s four volumes Gereformeerde Dogmatiek), Bavinck describes this ambivalence of the human condition as follows: "Man longs for truth and is false in nature… He pants for a permanent and eternal bliss and seizes on the pleasures of a moment. He seeks for God and loses himself in the creature. He is born son of the house and feeds on the husks of the swine in a strange land." And then Bavinck made a very interesting and true statement: "Science cannot explain this contradiction in man. It reckons only with his greatness and not with his misery, or only with his misery and not with his greatness. It exalts him too high, or it depresses him too far, for science does not know of his Divine origin, nor of his profound fall. But the Scripture know of both …"

Thanks to my favourite sausage eating South African, my colleague Dr. Innes Visagie, for reading this quote in our morning worship.

Two New Books from SNTS (Cambridge Uni Press)

In the latest CUP catalogue there are two new books by two young Evangelical scholars in the SNSTS monograph series which are worth taking note of.

The first is The Torn Veil: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus by Daniel M. Gurtner (Bethel Seminary, Minnesota). I haven't met Daniel, but I wonder if he had a previous career in selling curtains because he has alot to say about them. He has written over half a dozen articles about the curtain or veil in the temple as it relates to Christian and Jewish literature including:

“The Biblical Veil in the Dead Sea Scrolls.” The Qumran Chronicle 14.1 (2006): 57-79
“The Veil of the Temple in History and Legend.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49.1 (2006): 97-114 [I have read this article it is an interesting and useful introduction to the subject].
“LXX Syntax and the Identity of the NT Veil.” Novum Testamentum 47.4 (2005): 344-353.
“The Velum Scissum: Matthew’s Exposition of the Death of Jesus.” Tyndale Bulletin 56.1 (2005): 147-150 [dissertation summary]
“The ‘House of the Veil’ in Sirach 50.” Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 14.3 (2005): 187-200.
“‘Atonement Slate’ or ‘Veil’? Notes on a Textual Variant in Exodus XXVI 34.” Vetus Testamentum 54.3 (2004): 396-398.
“The Rending of the Veil: A Look Back and a Way Forward.” Themelios 29.3 (2004): 4-14.
“Καταπέτασμα: Lexicographical and Etymological Considerations to the Biblical ‘Veil’.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 42 (2004): 105-111.

The blurb of his book reads: Daniel M. Gurtner examines the meaning of the rending of the veil at the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:51a by considering the functions of the veil in the Old Testament and its symbolism in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. Gurtner incorporates these elements into a compositional exegesis of the rending text in Matthew. He concludes that the rending of the veil is an apocalyptic assertion like the opening of heaven revealing, in part, end-time images drawn from Ezekiel 37. Moreover, when the veil is torn Matthew depicts the cessation of its function, articulating the atoning role of Christ's death which gives access to God not simply in the sense of entering the Holy of Holies (as in Hebrews), but in trademark Matthean Emmanuel Christology: ‘God with us’. This underscores the significance of Jesus' atoning death in the first gospel.

The TOC runs: 1. Introduction; 2. Veils in the Old Testament; 3. Functionality and identity in the ‘veil of the temple’; 4. The veil in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism; 5. Matthew’s temple and Jesus’ death: hermeneutical keys to the rending of the veil; 6. Analysis of the Matthean velum scissum pericope; 7. Conclusion: Matthew’s velum scissum - retrospect and prospect.

The second book is The Sheep of the Fold: The Audience and Origin of the Gospel of John by Edward (Mickey) W. Klink III (Biola University, California). I have met Mickey Klink and he's doing some excellent stuff in developing and defending Richard Bauckham's The Gospels for All Christians thesis that the canonical Gospels were not written for isolated and introspective communities. A preview of his work can be found in a 2004 Currents in Biblical Research Article entitled: "The Gospel Community Debate: State of the Question" 3 (2004).

The blurb reads: The last generation of gospel scholarship has considered the reconstruction and analysis of the audience behind the gospels as paradigmatic. The key hermeneutical template for reading the gospels has been the quest for the community that each gospel represents. But this scholarly consensus regarding the audience of the gospels has recently been reconsidered. Using as a test case one of the most entrenched gospels, Edward Klink explores the evidence for the audience behind the Gospel of John. This study challenges the current gospel paradigm by examining the community construct and its functional potential in early Christianity, the appropriation of a gospel text and J. L. Martyn's two-level reading of John, and the implied reader located within the narrative. The study concludes by proposing a more appropriate audience model for reading John, as well as some implications for the function of the gospel in early Christianity.

The TOC runs: 1. The audience and origin of the Gospels: introduction and method; 2. Early Christian community: a study of the community construct and its functional potential in early Christianity; 3. Early Christian Gospel genre and a critique of the two-level reading of the Gospel of John; 4. Early Christian reader: an explication of the audience of the Fourth Gospel by inquiring for the implied reader; 5. Reading the Fourth Gospel: the function of the Gospel of John in the light of the gospel community debate; 6. The sheep of the fold: summary and conclusion.

Nicholas Perrin on the Gospel of Thomas

Today our library received a copy of Nicholas Perrin's new book Thomas: The Other Gospel which looks like a scintillating read (sigh, another book to add to the list). Perrin interacts with the work of Stephen Patterson, April DeConick, and Elaine Pagels and asserts a Syrian provenance for Thomas (specifically Edessa). Let me give a few quotes from the conclusion:

"The Gospel of Thomas was a Syriac text written in the last quarter of the second century by a careful editor who arranged his material largely on the basis of catchword connections. As far as his sources, Thomas drew primarily on Tatian's Diatessaron, but also undoubtedly drew on his memory of a number of oral and written traditions. It cannot be ruled out that Thomas preserves authentic sayings of Jesus; it is simply that, give a span of 140-plus years, this would be extremely hard to prove" (137).

"Just as Thomas and Faustus sought a less Jewish Jesus, one more in keeping with Hellenistic tastes, Bultmann too sought to extract Jesus from his Jewish context. In the process all three gave us a Jesus who could be imitated in certain respects but who in the final analysis could neither be known as human or make known the divine. 'Why speak of the dead Jewish historical Jesus,' Bultmann or Thomas might ask, 'when you have the living one, the existential Christ of faith, in your very presence?' Given the varying degrees to which my three interolocutors - not to mention Koester and Robinson - align themselves with a Bultmannian understanding of early Christianity, it is no suprise that a Jesus according to Thomas is the Jesus whom they are most satisifed." (137).

"Is this the Other Gospel we have been waiting for? Somehow, I suspect, we have heard this message before. Somehow we have met this Jesus before. The Gospel of Thomas invites us to imagine a Jesus who says, 'I am not our saviour, but the one who can put you in touch with your true self. Free yourself from your gender, your body, and any concerns that you might have for the outside world. Work for it and self-realization, salvation, will be yours - in this life.' Imagine such a Jesus? One need hardly work very hard. This is precisely the Jesus we know too well, the existential Jesus that so many western evangelical and liberal churches already preach." (139).

VanLandingham on Paul's Soteriol

I'm now turning my attention fully to Chris VanLandingham's book Judgment and Justification in Early Judaism and Paul for an article length review. In his conclusion, VanLandingham writes:

The Last Judgment is not a judgment over the work of Christ or even over what the Holy Spirit has done in the believer; it is a judgment over the individual and what he or she has done. The work of Christ has made it possible to receive approbation iin a judgment according to deeds, but not because God is merdiful toward the Christian based on Christ’s merit, nor because in God’s perception Christ’s death has made it as though the Christian has never sinned. Rather, the process of salvation is worked out as follows: At the time of faith, a person who has been “made righteous” is forgiven of past sins (which become a dead issue), cleansed from guilt and impurity of sin, freed from the human propensity to sin, and then given the ability to obey. The Last Judgment will then determine whether a person, as an act of the will, has followed through with these benefits of Christ’s death. If so, eternal life will be the reward; if not, damnation.

VanL sees Paul's language of righteousness as referring principally to cleansing and purification from sin, freedom from sin's power, and forgiveness of sin as an "initiating-event"; but it has nothing to do with a forensic declaration, it is not relational, and does not refer to acquittal at the final judgment. While I agree with several of the points he raises (e.g. Paul's dikai language is more about enacting or executing justice than with just making declarations about something [see Luke 18.1-8 and Mark Seifrid on this point]), I nonethless think that many of his arguments are contestable. More anon.

Evangelicals and Eschatology Conference Summary

Over at Vorsprung durch Theologie, David Kirk has started posting summaries of the recent St. Andrews conference on Evangelicals and Eschatology.

Evangelical Prayer Book

I've finished my part in writing the Evangelical Prayer Book (alas Evangelical Missal would be too misunderstood I now see). Here is the last page that I wrote for the book which is inspired by recent events:

Prayer
O Sovereign Lord, we ask you to be compassionate to your children, and we come to you with our prayer for that part of the Body of Christ that is suffering travails and persecutions throughout the ends of the earth. We raise up before you those who have been bleeding, imprisoned, violated, tortured, impoverished and hounded by minions of evil. Vindicate the blood of those who died for making the good confession. Execute your justice and establish your righteousness throughout all the earth. Grant them mercy and comfort in their time of need and make us their advocate before the tribunals of the world. Shine the light of Christ upon them as they walk in the valley of the shadow of death and grant them a better resurrection. Chastise us Lord if we should ever fail to ever to plead their cause and fail to remember their plight in our prayers. Purify your church O Lord and may the blood of your righteous saints strengthen the church and bring those in darkness into the light.
- MFB

Scripture
Proverbs 24:11-12: Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

Hymn
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing;

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.
- Martin Luther

Scripture
Hebrews 13:3: Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Benediction

The peace of God which passes all understanding,keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord,and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,be among you and remain with you always.

New Blogs 18

I am glad to draw attention to the fact that Michael Gorman of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore has his own blog Michael Gorman (Biblical Theologian).

Gorman is the author of several books including Apostle of the Crucified Lord which includes excellent sections on rhetoric, Paul's spirituality, and the theopolitical nature of Paul's gospel. It is a cross between a Pauline Theology and an introduction to each of Paul's letters. Then there is his book Cruciformity: Paul's Narrative Spirituality of the Cross. A lesser known book of his that I found last year at the Wipf & Stock stand of ETS/SBL is Abortion and the Early Church: Christian, Jewish and Pagan Attitudes in the Greco-Roman World.

Whereas Gorman encourages us to see Paul's spirituality as cruciformed (conformed to the pattern of the cross) I in turn argue, in addition not in opposition, that Paul's spirituality is also anastasized or quickened by the power of Christ's resurrection.

ETS President (reportedly) becomes Catholic

That is right, you heard me, you are not dreaming, this is not a drill! Reports are streaming in all over the blogosphere that Francis Beckwith has become Catholic! (HT Michael Barber). All the more amazing is that he is president of ETS! This could facilitate the quickest heresy trial in the history of ETS since Norman Geisler said, "This Gundry bloke, do we chuck him out or what?" But I would have to ask on what grounds can Beckwith be removed from office. As long as he adheres to the Chicago Statement of Inerrancy and the Trinity, he's technically in the ball-park. As a Catholic I think he can do that. This raises in my mind the doctrinal problem with ETS. It elevates, out of all proportion in my mind, the weight and significance of a doctrine of Scripture in comparison to other theological doctrines essential to Protestantism/Evangelicalism. I think ETS would be wiser to adopt the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship statement of faith. I will definitely be at the next ETS just to see what happens!

UPDATE see Alan Streett's post TEN REASONS FRANK BECKWITH BECAME A ROMAN CATHOLIC and the ETS Statement on FB's Conversion

Teaching a Course on Paul

It appears that next year I will be teaching a course on Paul. While I can say that I know at least a few things about Paul, (well at least I think I do, others may disagree) preparing to teach a course on the subject is a daughting task. Several fundamental questions arise at the beginning:

1) What will this course be about? Paul as a historical figure, Paul's theology, Paul's letters, all of these?
2) What is essential and palatable for undergraduates? Complicated discussions about Paul and the Law will be way over their heads.
3) What about exegetical method for reading Paul? Should I introduce and have them practice exegeting Pauline texts?
4) What should I use for textbooks? Is there a good accessible primer on Paul? (Of course when Mike's book comes out this will be the class text)

If I have learned anything this first year of teaching, one cannot cover all that much in one semester with undergraduate students. I have had to reign back my expectations many times in the midst of a course.

In addition, I am an exegete by training and by passion. I would not characterize myself as either a historian or theologian, although I think exegesis involves or should involve both. So my default approach is to take students through a Pauline text and introduce Paul inductively by studying his letters. Furhtermore, since one cannot cover all Paul's letters in on semester -- at least not thoroughly, I have thought Romans would be the best text to work through. One can get at the major structure of Paul's thought and presuppositions through this letter as well as introduce him as a person.

Does anyone have recommendations on approaches to teaching Paul to undergraduates and/or suggestions for textbooks?

Latest RTR 66.1 (2007)

The latest issue of Reformed Theological Review is out:

J.V. Fesko
N.T. Wright on Imputation

[I concur with several elements of this article, esp. the critique of Wright's covenantal and apostolic reading of 2 Cor. 5.18-21. Fresko is correct that ordo salutis and historia salutis are not mutually exculsive; but sadly, I am yet to find a lexicon or Greek thesaurus that makes ginomai equivalent to logizomai.]

Andrew Cameron

How to say Yes to the World: Towards a New Way Forward in Evangelical Social Ethics

[The quote from John Webster in the conclusion caught my eye: "the gospel outbids the world every time. Jesus himself speaks more authoritatively, legitimately, winningly and interestingly than the world. If the church really loves the world, then the church ... will attend to the gospel, not as something it already knows, but as something it must always learn."]

Jocelyn A. Williams

A Case Study in Intertextuality: The Place of Isaiah in the "Stone" Saying of 1 Peter 2

[This was a good article which I very much enjoyed. Jocelyn shows the christological, ecclesiological, and paranetic function of the Isaiah texts in 1 Peter 2.6, 8. I only wish she would have included 1 Pet. 2.24-25 which I'm preaching on tomorrow!]

3lbs

We had a party yesterday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) -- with streamers, baloons, and Krispy Kreme Donunts (perhaps our international readers will not be faimilar with the greatness known as Krispy Kreme). We celebrated because our daughter Mary reached 3 lbs. While this may seem like an unusual reason to celebrate, when your baby is born weighing 2lbs 4oz, 3 lbs is a big milestone.

The last three weeks have been some of the most difficult Karla and I have faced in our 14 years of marriage. On April 10th after a month in the hospital and two months on bed rest, Karla delivered our twins at 31 weeks, nine weeks premature. I won't chroncile here the journey in detail, but I am thankful that God has given us faith to presevere and that the babies and Karla are making real progress. Many friends as well as people we don't even know have been lifting us up in prayer and we are so thankful. Furthermore, my colleagues at NPU have also been incredibly supportive providing me the opportunity to have a partial leave from teaching to attend to the family matters. I want to thank Boaz Johnson, Scot McKnight and Brad Nassif for sacrificing time and energy to support Karla and me.

I think we are slowing finding our footing, but it will still be a number of weeks before the kids come home from the hospital and some sense of normalcy returns -- if there will ever be such a thing now.

Crash Test Dummies Wanted!

I have finished writing the first draft of my new book, Paul for the People of God (tentative title for IVP) and I am looking for three readers to read over it and to offer comments on how to make it "sing and sting" and achieve its purpose with greater effect. I am after a pastor/church minister, a lay-person, and a scholar. If you fit one of these categories then I will be happy to email the manuscript to you and we can converse from there. Best way to contact me is via email or leave a comment on the blog. First in first served. It is approx 95 pages or 55,000 words.

Here is an excerpt from the preface:

"This book is meant as an introduction to the Apostle Paul for lay-persons and undergraduate students and as a refresher for Pastors and Ministers. My objective is to get people excited about reading Paul’s letters, preaching Paul’s gospel, and living the Christian life the way that Paul thought it should be lived. My aim is to go deeper into Paul but without losing people in the mire of scholarly debates and complex technicalities. I want to show that what Paul has to say to the church today is both relevant and riveting. In short, this is Paul for the people of God."

Here's the TOC:

1. What is Paul?
2. A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to Damascus
3. The Stories behind the Story
4. Reading Somebody Else’s Mail
5. The Royal Announcement
6. The Crux of the Gospel
7. The Return of the King
8. One God, One Lord: Monotheism and the Messiah
9. Bourgeois Babes, Bossy Wives, and Bobby Haircuts

10. Gospelizing 101

The OT in the NT

Greg Beale and Don Carson have edited a volume on how each book of the NT interprets and handles the OT. It is available from Baker and the blurb reads:

Readers of the New Testament often encounter quotes or allusions to Old Testament stories and prophecies that are unfamiliar or obscure. In order to fully understand the teachings of Jesus and his followers, it is important to understand the large body of Scripture that preceded and informed their thinking. Leading evangelical scholars G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson have brought together a distinguished team of scholars to provide readers with a comprehensive commentary on every quotation, allusion, and echo of the Old Testament that appears from Matthew through Revelation. College and seminary students, pastors, scholars, and interested lay readers will want to add this unique commentary to their reference libraries.

Contributors

Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary) on Matthew

Rikk Watts (Regent College) on Mark

David Pao (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) and Eckhard Schnabel (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) on Luke

Andreas Kostenberger (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) on John

I. Howard Marshall (University of Aberdeen, emeritus) on Acts

Mark Seifrid (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) on Romans

Brian Rosner (Moore Theological College) and Roy Ciampa (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) on 1 Corinthians

Peter Balla (Karoli Gaspar University, Budapest) on 2 Corinthians

Moises Silva (author of Philippians in BECNT) on Galatians and Philippians

Frank Thielman (Beeson Divinity School) on Ephesians

G. K. Beale (Wheaton College) on Colossians

Jeffrey Weima (Calvin Theological Seminary) on Thessalonians

Philip Towner (United Bible Societies) on the Pastoral Epistles

George Guthrie (Union University) on Hebrews

D. A. Carson (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) on the General Epistles

G. K. Beale (Wheaton College) and Sean McDonough (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) on Revelation


Those who find the topic of interest should also consult Craig Evans (ed.), From PROPHECY to TESTAMENT: The Function of the Old Testament in the New.

Jesus the Messiah II

Let me count down the reasons why I think that the historical Jesus made a messianic claim. I'm dealing with the arguments in order of least compelling to most compelling. So the first arguments are the least effective one's and the most forceful are at the end.

1. Allusions to David and Solomon.
The references to "greater than Solomon" (Q 11.31) and David (e.g. Mk. 2.25; 12.35-37) could imply that Jesus also saw himself in a "kingly" fashion, but it is far from certain based on these passages. The fact that Jesus performed exorcisms may also contains an implicit messianic connotation since there was an extant tradition of Solomon as an exorcist (Test. Sol. 1.5-7). In fact, a similar link of kingship and exorcisms is made in 4Q510 1.1-4. Of course greater than Solomon or references to David might imply no more than a reference to Jesus as a sage or prophet or simply "someone important" rather than setting forth a clear messianic claim.

2. The Son of David as the "Lord" in Mark 12.35-37·
This enigmatic unit questions how the Messiah can also be David's Lord. Does this show that the Messiah is more than a Son of David (i.e. heavenly or pre-existent) or does it show that Jesus tries to differentiate his davidic identity from regular messianic connotations? On authenticity some might cry: "Ha, ha, ha, it quotes Ps 110, there favourite apologetic proof text of early Christians, therefore, this story is a secondary accretion to the tradition!" A pox on thee. William Horbury has shown (Messianism among Jews and Christians, 137-42) that Jewish messianic exegesis already combined Daniel 7 with Ps. 110. While I think it hints towards a view of Jesus as more-than-just-a-messiah, it is hardly perspicuous.

3. The Christos and the Christianoi.
How does one launch a messianic movement with a messianic name centred on a figure whose second name is Messiah (Christ) - all without a Messianic claimant at the middle? I don't go for Wrede's Resurrection = Messiah and so the origin and maintenance of the messianic dimension to early Christianity needs explanation. In fact, I would say that the messianism of the early Christians was very early and very robust. Proclaiming a crucified Messiah was not going to endear you to any Jewish audience and yet the claim persisted, it was not peripheral to their proclamation and worship but central. The title Christianoi/Christiani was probably coined by Roman authorities in Antioch (Acts 11.26) given the latin designation. Notably the name Iousiani or "Jesuians" was never used.

4. Trial
Arguably Jesus was asked at his trial if he was the Christ/Son of God (Mark 14.61-64; 15.1-2). Whatever su legeis means ("you said it dude"?) in Mk. 15.2, it contributed to his death. Even if all that Jesus did was not deny the title rather than actually claim it, that would be of itself quite significant (as Dodd noted). The problem is that the trial narratives in the Gospels are historically suspect since they happened behind closed doors and they are theologically loaded. I would argue that there was probably piecemeal eyewitness testimony available to the trial from figures such as Joseph of Arimathean, Nicodemus and perhaps even the Beloved Disciple. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and pilgrims in the city for Passover would have wanted to know how did Jesus go from glorious entry to ignomious death in seven days and reports of what transpired would have got out somehow.

5. I have come sayings
Several of the "I have come" statements seem to suppose a messianic function. For instance, “I have come to cast fire” (which Grimm, Weil ich dich liebe, 85-86 accepts as messianic in orientation). See on this more recently, Simon Gathercole, The Pre-Existent Son, who admits a messianic/prophetic meaning to many of these sayings but thinks that they also include indications of pre-existence (and see the RBL review by Jimmy Dunn for a counter-point).

6. Kingdom of God presupposes a King
According to E.P. Sanders, the very fact that Jesus proclaimed a kingdom implies that he would have some role in that kingdom. Sanders goes on to say that Jesus saw himself as "God's vice-regent". On the surface I can agree with this, but again, there is some doubt. John the Baptist proclaimed the kingdom too and he did not necessarily see himself as ruling or reigning in that kingdom. The term "vice regent" might be a convenient way to avoid saying "Messiah" when the two terms might be synonymous. Or then again, do all ruling functions necessitate a messianic status or claim? But I would say the mystery of the kingdom is enthronement of the Messiah and how that will come about (see John Meier and Ben F. Meyer).

7. Shepherd Theme.
According to Ezekiel 34 the coming Davidic king would be a Shepherd King. I think it possible to say that this theme lies behind Mk. 14.27 ("I will strike the Shepherd"), Lk. 19.10 ("I came to seek and save the lost"), John 10 ("I am the Good Shepherd"), and Mt. 18.12ff/Lk. 15.4ff ("if you have a hundred sheep"). Jesus appears to have made this davidic shepherd theme paradigmatic for his teaching ministry and it explains why he focused on certain audiences such as the "people of the land".

8. Triumphal Entry + Cleaning/Demonstration in the Temple.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem seems to echo Judas Maccabees entry and his cleansing/demonstration in the temple was messianic in the sense that the Messiah was cleanser and/or rebuilder of the temple. In fact, Herod's rebuilding of the temple was probably part of his propaganda to set forth a claim to the Jewish throne since he was an Idumean (see William Horbury on Herod's messianism). Significantly, I think it is the entry and cleansing together that constitute a prophetic-come-messianic act.

9. Titulus
All four Gospels indicate that Jesus crucified under the titulus "King of the Jews". Placards of this sought were common in Roman executions and it fits with the public warning that crucifixion was meant to make. The titulus also gave Pilate a chance to thumb his nose at Jewish pretentions to self-rule. You could also argue that it was potentially embarassing to later Christians group, although the fact that it occurs in all four Gospels might suggest that it was in fact a means to an ironic Christology and solicited the Romans, unknowingly, to be witnesses of Jesus as the Jewish King. In fact, this ironic Christology is quite apparent in John and Mark. But still, the titulus tells us something of both Jesus' trial, its outcome, and the way he was perceived by the Judean leadership and the Roman political apparatus.

10. Mark and Q
Ed Meadors argued that Q and Mark both picture Jesus as the "messianic herald of salvation" and that would give us multiple-attestation for a messianic theme dominating the christological contours of two sources. Q sceptics and those who break up Q into different tiers will no doubt scoff, but I think this is a genuinely persuasive argument.

11. Jesus and Isaiah 61.
Jesus' use of Isaiah 61 in Lk. 4.18-21 and Q 7.22 as it relates to 4Q521 is a petty good indication that his ministry was both intended and was perceived to have a messianic character.

12. The Messianic Connotations of the Son of Man.

Anything and everything about the Son of Man is contested. But I submit (on the back of U. Muller, C. Carougnis, S. Kim and others) than the Son of Man is essentially a messianic figure of some variety, and if this was Jesus' primary means of self-reference, it constitutes a fairly clear messianic claim given his actions and proclamation.

And that is a summary of what I hope to argue later in the year.