Biblical Theology

“Rome’s Victory and God’s Honour: The Spirit and the Temple in Lukan Theodicy,” in G.N. Stanton, B.W. Longenecker and S.C. Barton (eds.), The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins: Festschrift for James D.G. Dunn (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 90-102

by Bruce Longenecker

Spectres of YHWH - Deuteronomy and hauntology

by Jaco Gericke

Covenant and Myth: Can Reformed Theology Survive without Adam and Eve

by Karl Hand

Australian eJournal of Theology Vol 19, No 1 (2012)

Reformed theology is a diverse movement, and has found many ways to interact with the presence of mythical stories in... more Reformed theology is a diverse movement, and has found many ways to interact with the presence of mythical stories in scripture. There is a strong tendency, however, to draw a 'line in the sand' at the historical existence of Adam because of the function that he plays in the history of the covenants - particularly the 'covenant of works'. This article problematises that line by suggesting that it is possible to build an authentically Reformed and covenantal theology without a historical Adam.

Practice What You Preach by Corinna Guerrero

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

The underlying principle that links a feminist critique to every other critical lens since the rise of feminist... more The underlying principle that links a feminist critique to every other critical lens since the rise of feminist discourse is the “hermeneutic of suspicion.” Essentially,  a hermeneutic of suspicion identifies the disconnect between rhetoric and a lived reality. The lived lives of women are different than the pontifications espoused directly and indirectly by the traditionally patriarchal social, political, cultural, religious, and educational structures in which individuals participate.

I like to think that I live my life bucking these structures whenever possible because the roles a woman plays in her own life should: 1) be determined by her; and 2) if she negotiates more “traditional practices” (e.g. marriage, motherhood, etc.) then these practices do not limit her to traditionalist practices (e.g. staying at home, spousal servitude, etc.). Granted, I used the two most generic examples of traditional and traditionalist practices, but the point is still valid. When I go to holidays with my extended family there are very few questions or comments about my PhD program, but many comments about the fact that I do not make a plate of food  for my husband. 

My hermeneutic of suspicion was triggered at a Bible Study last week. I will refrain from listing the denominational affiliation of the Christian church, the ethno-racial configuration of the participants, and the economic background of the community. In this way, the Bible Study does not represent our denominational, ethno-racial, or classist prejudices (and we all have them). It represents a common scenario faced by women and men every day who are hopeful and eager for better religious education

"Are You For Us, Or For Our Adversaries?": A Feminist and Postcolonial Interrogation of Joshua 2-12 for the Contemporary Church

by Carolyn Sharp

The biblical theology of Geerhardus Vos

by Brad Bitner

Interrogating the Violent God of Hosea: A Conversation with Walter Brueggemann, Alice Keefe, and Ehud Ben Zvi

by Carolyn Sharp

The Formation of Godly Community: Old Testament Hermeneutics in the Presence of the Other

by Carolyn Sharp

Yhwh and the mystery of existence

by Jaco Gericke

Beyond Divine Command Theory: Moral realism in the Hebrew Bible

by Jaco Gericke

Realism and non-realism in Old Testament theology

by Jaco Gericke

Ancient Israelite perspectives on the meaning of life

by Jaco Gericke

What is a god? A philosophical perspective on the concept of generic godhood in ancient Israelite religion

by Jaco Gericke

Objections to a philosophical approach to Israelite religion and their refutation

by Jaco Gericke

Quest for a philosophical Yahweh - towards a philosophy of Old Testament religion

by Jaco Gericke

Old Testament theology and philosophy of religion - a historical overview

by Jaco Gericke

"A Theology of the Law: The Form and Function of Torah in the Pentateuch"

by William R. Osborne

Reformed Perspectives Magazine, 14/4 2012

Sumerian City Laments and the Book of Lamentations: Toward a Comparative Theological Study (Hebrew)

by Nili Samet

This article presents an initial sketch for a comparative theological study of the city lament genre in Mesopotamia... more This article presents an initial sketch for a comparative theological study of the city lament genre in Mesopotamia and in the Bible. First, it surveys the foundations of the theology of Sumerian city laments, referring to issues such as the responsibility sharing among the gods; the cosmological mechanism generating the destruction; the involvement of natural forces in the process of devastation; and the reasons suggested by the laments for the destruction. These issues are then examined from a comparative point of view. Some interesting differences between the Sumerian and the Biblical city lament traditions are recognizable, including the extent to which the god is responsible for the events; the different theological mechanisms developed by each tradition to deal with the problem of theodicy; the relation between nature and history as two arenas of divine activity; and the question if, and how, the destruction could be understood in causal terms of crime and punishment.

A Biblical-Theological Study of the Relationship Between the Theme of Rest and the Sabbath

by Casey Hough

This essay explores the theme of rest in relationship to the Sabbath throughout redemptive history. This essay explores the theme of rest in relationship to the Sabbath throughout redemptive history.

The Economic Thought of St James and The Jerusalem Love Community

by Sarah Drakopoulou Dodd

This paper was co-authored with Dr G.Gotsis, and published in the History of Economic Ideas, 1:2004. pp  7-35. The file available here is the pre-publication version of the study.

The Epistle of James provides a window into the economic thought of the Jerusalem Church immediately prior to the... more The Epistle of James provides a window into the economic thought of the Jerusalem Church immediately prior to the rapid expansion of Christianity through the Pauline movement. James’ work pays special attention to the piety of the poor as they are tested by economic exploitation and oppression. It attacks in the strongest possible terms the capital accumulation of the rich, and the unjust means used to acquire this wealth. James’ epistle also condemns merchants for trusting to their vision of the future, especially given the (presumed) imminence of the Parousia (Second Coming). James’ writings, however virulently anti-worldly, nonetheless stand in a strong tradition of both Judaic and other ancient writings, as well as with many parts of the New Testament, most especially the two Lucan books. He cannot, therefore, be dismissed as an aberative example of proto-Christian economic thought.