New Testament

Mark’s use of the title ‘Son of God’: a three-way hermeneutical analysis of how it was intended, understood and received by the Evangelist, Jesus of Nazareth and the original majority Gospel readership.

by Matthew Charlesworth SJ

Unpublished. Written for BTh 1st Year T10A – Introduction to the New Testament and the Synoptics, Hekima College, 22 March 2012. (4962 words)

This essay seeks to understand the use of the title ‘Son of God’ in relation to Jesus of Nazareth, as described in St... more This essay seeks to understand the use of the title ‘Son of God’ in relation to Jesus of Nazareth, as described in St Mark’s gospel. The essay therefore naturally consists of three major parts: after considering some preliminary questions I shall firstly investigate what the author of Mark meant by the use of such a title; secondly, what Jesus understood by that title; and thirdly, what the readers of the Marcan tradition understood by it. In considering the first part, we shall examine the instances of where the Evangelist uses ‘Son of God’ to describe Jesus, as well as those passages in where this is inferred, and assess what author is trying to mean. The second part shall examine Jesus’ use and understanding of titles generally, and this one in particular. Finally we shall consider how such a term would be understood by those to whom it was first addressed. This follows a classic hermeneutical pattern where the author, the reader and the text is analysed. The essay shall conclude with a brief summary and after all the foregoing analysis, attempt to answer the question ‘what does the title Son of God mean? And how was it understood?’

Intertextuality and the Pericanonicity of the Didache: The Dependence and Commentary of Didache 1:2-6 on the Canonical Gospels of Matthew and Luke

by David D. M. King

In this paper, I will look specifically at one section of Didache that contains gospel parallels, Did. 1:2-6. I will... more In this paper, I will look specifically at one section of Didache that contains gospel parallels, Did. 1:2-6. I will argue that Didache, at least this section of it, shows dependency on both Matthew and Luke. This dependency begins to explain two things: why Didache fails to make the cut of official canon and why it still remains close to the canon, in a group of pericanonical texts which are not canon but are still good to read. The later date of Didache, and its derivative nature, exclude it from the canon on the grounds of apostolicity. At the same time, this same dependence on, harmony with, and commentary on Matthew and Luke ensures that Didache will remain “good to read.”

“Different Answers to Different Issues: Israel, the Gentiles and Salvation History in Romans 9-11,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 36 (1989): 95-123.

by Bruce Longenecker

In Romans 9--11 Paul attempts to address a problem that his argument in Romans 1--8 has provoked: Since God had... more In Romans 9--11 Paul attempts to address a problem that his argument in Romans 1--8 has provoked: Since God had entered into covenant relationship with Israel, and since salvation is granted now on a basis apart from race, can God be said to be faithful? Paul's case is worked out from various angles and approaches but underlying it all is a distinctively ethnic view of salvation history and Israel's role in it throughout its successive stages. Paul's elaborate argument maintains two fundamental convictions: (1) One does not need to adopt any ethnic symbols of the people of Israel in order to experience God's grace, and (2) God works the salvation of the world through an ethnic people, Israel. In Romans 9--11 Paul demonstrates that his is a universalism contained within the confines of Jewish ethnocentrism.--C.R.M. Abstract Number: NTA34-1990-1-268

“PISTIS in Romans 3.25: Neglected Evidence for the Faithfulness of Christ?,” New Testament Studies 39 (1993): 478-80.

by Bruce Longenecker

The phrase dia [tes] pisteos in Rom 3:25a should be regarded as an original part of the quoted formula, not an... more The phrase dia [tes] pisteos in Rom 3:25a should be regarded as an original part of the quoted formula, not an insertion by Paul. Thus Rom 3:25 reads: 'whom God put forward as an atoning sacrifice, through (Jesus') faithfulness by means of his blood.' The faithfulness of Christ is the basis through which covenant relationship with God is established.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA38-1994-1-292

“Defining the Faithful Character of the Covenant Community: Galatians 2.15-21 and Beyond,” in J.D.G. Dunn (ed.), Paul and the Mosaic Law. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) (1996): 75-97.

by Bruce Longenecker

“Contours of Covenantal Theology in the Post-Conversion Paul,” in R.N. Longenecker (ed.), The Road From Damascus: The Impact of Conversion on Paul’s Life, Thought and Ministry. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 125-146

by Bruce Longenecker

“Until Christ is formed in you: Suprahuman Forces and Moral Character in Galatians,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61 (1999): 92-108

by Bruce Longenecker

As Paul envisaged the situation in Galatia, he perceived suprahuman forces at work that were fostering forms of moral... more As Paul envisaged the situation in Galatia, he perceived suprahuman forces at work that were fostering forms of moral character contrary to that of Christ and his people. The article first examines Paul's depiction of the Galatian agitators as wielders of the evil eye (see 3:1) and as sorcerers of enmity (4:16-17), both in relation to Paul's catalogue of vices (5:19-21). Then it considers Paul's analysis of the Galatians' moral character in 4:12-20 and offers suggestions about the theological coherence of this passage and its place within Paul's overall argument. The common thread in all this is the association of certain spiritual forces with certain forms of character. In this light the agitators are depicted negatively and Paul positively, while the Galatians are shown to be in danger of shifting from one context to another.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA44-2000-1-363

“Revelation 19,10: One Verse in Search of an Author,” Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 91 (2000): 230-37

by Bruce Longenecker

There is a paucity of evidence to support R. H. Charles's hypothesis that Rev 19:10 was an interpolation. His... more There is a paucity of evidence to support R. H. Charles's hypothesis that Rev 19:10 was an interpolation. His confident case concerning the influence of a redactor in this verse is supportable only by impressionistic conjecture, reliance on insubstantial textual evidence, misrepresentation of stylistic evidence, and incorporating interpretive distinctions that have no contextual merit. Consequently, the most prudent conclusion to draw is that 19:10 is integral to the text and originated with the author of Revelation.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA45-2001-2-1213

“Linked like a Chain: Revelation 22.6-9 in the light of an Ancient Transition Technique,” New Testament Studies 47 (2001): 105-117

by Bruce Longenecker

Rev 22.6–9 exhibits an elaborate structure. Fundamental to its structural complexity is the rhetorical technique of... more Rev 22.6–9 exhibits an elaborate structure. Fundamental to its structural complexity is the rhetorical technique of ‘chain-link’ construction, discussed by both Lucian of Samosata and Quintilian. Appearing in at least three other passages in the Johannine apocalypse, this transition device involves a back-and-forth (AbaB) arrangement of ideas that has not been adequately appreciated in modern scholarship. Rev 22.6–9 has occasionally been characterised as the product of a second-rate or ‘irregular’ mind. In fact, however, these verses evidence a structural feature commended by ancient rhetoricians concerned with presentational clarity and force.

“Sharing in Their Spiritual Blessings? The Story of Israel in Galatians and Romans,” in Bruce W. Longenecker (ed.), Narrative Dynamics in Paul: A Critical Assessment (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 58-84

by Bruce Longenecker

“Narrative Interest in the Study of Paul: Retrospective and Prospective,” in Bruce W. Longenecker (ed.), Narrative Dynamics in Paul: A Critical Assessment (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 3-16

by Bruce Longenecker

“The Narrative Approach to Paul: An Early Retrospective,” Currents in Biblical Research 1 (2002): 88-111. Reprinted in Paul Foster, ed., New Testament Studies: Benchmarks in Religious Studies (London: Sage Publications, 2010).

by Bruce Longenecker

An interest in 'narrative' has progressively been incorporated into recent scholarship on Paul and his letters. In... more An interest in 'narrative' has progressively been incorporated into recent scholarship on Paul and his letters. In this enterprise, scholars interest themselves not only in the 'surface level' of a Pauline letter but also in what lies 'beneath the surface'—imagining Paul's letters to be both animated and constrained by a narrative theology that comes to expression in Paul's theological discourse. Interest in the narrative dimension of Paul's thought has arisen in relation to several contributing influences within the theologi cal disciplines—influences both within and beyond the discipline of Pauline studies itself. This article outlines some ways in which 'narrative' is becom ing a key tool in studies of Paul's theology and letters, and suggests four factors behind the rise in this interesting enterprise.

“Moral Character and Divine Generosity: Acts 13.13-52 and the Narrative Dynamics of Luke-Acts,” in A.M. Donaldson & T.B. Sailors (eds), New Testament Greek and Exegesis: A Festschrift for Gerald F. Hawthorne (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 141-64

by Bruce Longenecker

“Lukan Aversion to Humps and Hollows: The Case of Acts 11.27-12.25,” New Testament Studies 50 (2004): 185-204

by Bruce Longenecker

Rhetoricians of the ancient world make reference to a technique useful for signalling that a transition is being made... more Rhetoricians of the ancient world make reference to a technique useful for signalling that a transition is being made from one text unit to another. Ancient texts spanning centuries and provenance testify to the utility of this technique, not least texts of the NT. In this essay, four Lukan examples of this technique are cited, focusing particularly on what is perhaps the most intriguing of them: Acts 11.27–12.25. After demonstrating the way in which this passage is animated by the transition technique under consideration, the structural implications of these Lukan transitions are discussed in relation to the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles.

“Rome, Provincial Cities and the Seven Churches of Revelation 2-3,” in P. Williams et al. (eds.), The New Testament in Its First Century Setting: Essays on Context and Background (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 281-91

by Bruce Longenecker

“Evil at Odds with Itself (Matt. 12:22-29): Demonising Rhetoric and Deconstructive Potential in the Matthean Narrative,” Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches 3 & 4 (double issue) (2003): 503-14

by Bruce Longenecker

Deconstructive analysis assumes that every text inevitably contains within itself the seeds of its own rhetorical... more Deconstructive analysis assumes that every text inevitably contains within itself the seeds of its own rhetorical self-destruction. The Matthean Gospel threatens to undermine its own rhetorical legitimisation in its depiction of evil, the cohorts of evil and evil's strategic incoherence. In Matt. 12:22-29 the story's central protagonist (Jesus) and his main antagonists (the Pharisees) are shown to hold different views on the character of evil. Within the course of the Matthean narrative, the view of the antagonists proves itself to be accurate, with the protagonist's view proving itself to be deficient. The reliability of the protagonist's discernment of things central to his own career and identity is thereby undermined. Comparison of the Matthean narrative with that of Mark suggests that this deconstructive tendency is to be credited to the Matthean evangelist in his efforts to demonise the synagogue of his contemporaries by means of a rhetoric of evil.

“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

“Good News to the Poor: Jesus, Paul and Jerusalem,” in Todd Still (ed.), Jesus and Paul Reconnected: Fresh Pathways to an Old Debate (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 37-65

by Bruce Longenecker

“On Israel’s God and God’s Israel: Assessing Supersessionism in Paul,” Journal of Theological Studies 58 (2007): 26-44

by Bruce Longenecker

Contemporary interpretation of Paul continues to be enthralled by and entrenched within a debate about Paul and... more Contemporary interpretation of Paul continues to be enthralled by and entrenched within a debate about Paul and Judaism. Within that debate, the issue of supersessionism is of critical significance, lurking under every exegetical stone, whether or not it rises to the fore of any given scholar's work. Does the church replace ethnic Israel in Paul's thinking (as so many have imagined throughout the history of the Christian church)? Or is ethnic Israel on a separate salvific path by way of her covenant election (as many are currently advocating)? Or are there other dimensions to be considered? This essay outlines basic interpretative options on the issue of supersessionism in Paul, assessing the exegetical merits of ‘two ways’ and replacement scenarios, and offering reflections on the debate in its contemporary setting.

“On Critiquing the ‘New Perspective’ on Paul: A Case Study,” Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 96 (2005), 263-71

by Bruce Longenecker

The challenge to the 'new perspective' on Paul in S. J. Gathercole's Where Is Boasting? (2002) is based on a skewed... more The challenge to the 'new perspective' on Paul in S. J. Gathercole's Where Is Boasting? (2002) is based on a skewed portrait of the new perspective (e.g. that the new perspective operates without eschatological categories). Moreover, Gathercole's handling of Jewish and Pauline texts is imbalanced insofar as he seems to highlight the 'worst' features (from a Pauline perspective) of Jewish texts while marginalizing those that even from a Pauline perspective are admirable. This relatively overt double standard is apparently followed to make Paul's 'soteriology' distinctive and thereby the superior of the two. Nevertheless, Gathercole's work does put the onus on advocates of the new perspective to be more cautious of the way in which they articulate the significance of nomistic observance.--C.R.M Abstract Number: NTA50-2006-3-1778