Origins of Christianity

WHY WERE THE RESURRECTION STORIES READ AND BELIEVED?AND WHAT ARE WE MAKING OF THEM TODAY?

by Claire Clivaz

in G. van Oyen - T. Shepherd, Ressurestion of the Dead, BETL 249, Leuven: Peeters, 2012, p. 555-577.
With the permission of the publishing house

Reassessing Paul's Jewishness: Israel, the Nations, and the Radical New Perspective on Paul (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"Pablo de Tarso, Israel y los gentiles: El nuevo enfoque radical sobre Pablo y el cariz judío de su mensaje." To be published in: Bandue. Revista de la Sociedad Española de Ciencias de las Religiones. Forthcoming.

Traditionally, Paul has been understood as the founder of a new religion, Christianity, different from and opposed to... more Traditionally, Paul has been understood as the founder of a new religion, Christianity, different from and opposed to Judaism. Yet in the mid-20th century William David Davies and Johannes Munck challenged this view. Drawing upon Munck's insights, Krister Stendahl was the first to set forth in the 1960s and the 1970s a radical new imterpretation of Paul's message and mission. According to Stendahl, Paul did not imtend to replace Judaism but to bring the Gentiles into YHWH's allegiance. Lloyd Gaston, John Gager, Neil Elliot, William Campbell, Mark Nanos, Pamela Eisenbaum, Caroline Johnson Hodge, and Paula Fredriksen have contributed to further develop this interpretative line—which contrasts both with the traditional understanding of Paul and with the claims made by James Dunn, Tom Wright, and Daniel Boyarin that Paul tried to reform Judaism from within—in the past thirty years. This brief study summarises the results of their groundbreaking research, analyses their at times contrasting proposals, and reflects upon their fascinating implications.

Tradicionalmente, Pablo ha sido interpretado como el fundador de una nueva religión, el cristianismo, diferente de y, en rigor, opuesta al judaísmo. William David Davies y Johannes Munck cuestionaron a mediados del siglo XX, sin embargo, semejante interpretación. Basándose en los trabajos de Munck, Krister Stendahl fue el primero que propuso en los años 60 y 70 del siglo pasado una nueva interpretación radical del mensaje paulino. Según Stendahl, Pablo no se propuso superar el judaísmo sino, únicamente, integrar a los gentiles en Israel por medio de Cristo. En los últimos treinta años, Lloyd Gaston, John Gager, Neil Elliot, William Campbell, Mark Nanos, Pamela Eisenbaum, Caroline Johnson Hodge y Paula Fredriksen han contribuido a desarrollar esta línea interpretativa, que contrasta tanto con la interpretación tradicional de Pablo como con la pretensión de que éste se habría propuesto reformar el judaísmo, defendida por James Dunn, Tom Wright y Daniel Boyarin. Este breve estudio resume los resultados de dicha investigación, analiza los matices que ella presenta de un autor a otro y reflexiona sobre sus, a decir verdad, novedosas y fascinantes implicaciones.

Isaiah 66:19, 21 and Paul's Gentile Mission: A Contribution to the Contemporary Rereading of Paul as a Jewish Author

by Carlos Segovia

To be published in: Paul and Scripture, ed. Stanley E. Porter and Gregory P. Fewster. Pauline Studies. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Forthcoming in 2015.

Isa 66:18-21 has often been pointed out as a possible subtext for Rom 15:16 (so e.g. Aus and Riesner). In order to... more Isa 66:18-21 has often been pointed out as a possible subtext for Rom 15:16 (so e.g. Aus and Riesner). In order to confirm this, however, ton ethnon in Rom 15:16 must be read as an objective, rather than subjective, genitive, as in fact most scholars (from Michel to Hultgren) do. In my view, those who interpret ton ethnon as a subjective genitive (Denis, Downs) fail to notice the connection between Rom 15:16 and 15:18, where Paul clearly states that Gentiles are the object of his offering, since he has been commissioned to bring them through Christ into God's allegiance. The contention that Isa 66:18-21 deals instead with Gentiles bringing Jews (Donaldson) proves equally misguiding if we take Isa 66:20 to be an interpolation (Westermann) intended to correct the claim (made in vv. 19 and 21) that a mission to the Gentiles will precede Israel's restoration and that priests and Levites will be recruited from converts to the Jewish faith (Blenkinsopp). I will suggest, furthermore, that reading Rom 15:16, 18 in light of Isa 66:19, 21 (a text which, albeit not addressing an unexpectable issue, goes well beyond any claims made in the Second Temple period regarding Gentile inclusion) may shed new light upon the contemporary reading of Paul as a Jewish author---a reading set forth, amidst other scholars, by Stendahl, Gaston, Gager, Stowers, Nanos, and, more recently, Eisenbaum, Johnson Hodge, and Fredriksen.

Spanish Scholarship on Second Temple Judaism and Christian Origins: An Overview, 1478-2012/13

by Carlos Segovia

1. Overview
1.1. The beginnings: from the mid-15th to the mid-20th century
1.2. Looking back at the 20th... more 1. Overview
1.1. The beginnings: from the mid-15th to the mid-20th century
1.2. Looking back at the 20th century: chief developments from the 1950s to the 1990s
2. Spanish scholarship over the centuries
2.1. Spanish scholarship (15th century)
2.2. Spanish scholarship (16th century)
2.3. Spanish scholarship (17th century)
2.4. Spanish scholarship (18th century)
2.5. Spanish scholarship (19th century)
2.6. Spanish scholarship (1910s)
2.7. Spanish scholarship (1920s)
2.8. Spanish scholarship (1930s)
2.9. Spanish scholarship (1940s)
2.10. Spanish scholarship (1950s)
2.11. Spanish scholarship (1960s)
2.12. Spanish scholarship (1970s)
2.13. Spanish scholarship (1980s)
2.14. Spanish scholarship (1990s)
2.15. Spanish scholarship (2000s)
2.16. Spanish scholarship (2010s)
3. General statistics
4. Leading Spanish institutions of higher education, centres for scholarly research, learned societies, publishers, academic journals, and librairies in the field
4.1. Institutions of higher education
4.2. Centres for scholarly research
4.3. Learned societies
4.4. Piblishers
4.5. Academic journals
4.6. Librairies
4.7. Major manuscripts

A.Destro, “Describing Early Christianity in Anthropological Terms. A Response to Redescribing Christian Origins, Annali di Storia dell’Esegesi 25/2 (2008) 15-22.

by Adriana Destro

The Enochic Son of Man and Pauline Christology

by James Waddell

The 2011 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in San Francisco / Pauline Epistles Group, Open Session

"The Enochic Son of Man and Pauline Christology"

A comparative analysis of the Messiah in the... more "The Enochic Son of Man and Pauline Christology"

A comparative analysis of the Messiah in the Book of the Parables of Enoch and the Letters of Paul, this study locates one aspect of Paul’s thought, his christology, in the context of Jewish intellectual traditions of the first century BCE and the first century CE. Conceptual elements of messianic traditions are identified in these documents by examining the nature and functions of the divine figure and the nature and functions of the messiah figure. This has implications for understanding divine and human agency and the relationships between mediatorial figures and the one God in Jewish literature from the Second Temple period. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the Book of the Parables and the Letters of Paul share specific conceptual elements of messianic traditions. The combination of shared elements is so striking as to preclude the possibility that the Book of the Parables and the Letters of Paul constituted independent, parallel developments. The evidence indicates that Paul was familiar with the conceptual elements of the Enochic messiah, and that Paul developed his concept of Jesus as the Kyrios out of the Son of Man traditions in the Book of the Parables of Enoch. This study argues that at least one facet of Paul’s thought, his christology, was heavily influenced by Enochic Son of Man traditions.

The Shaping of New Testament Narrative and Salvation Teachings by Painful Childhood Experience

by Benjamin Abelow

Archive for the Psychology of Religion 33 (2011) 1-54

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This article considers the influence of childhood corporal punishment, abandonment, and neglect on the development and... more This article considers the influence of childhood corporal punishment, abandonment, and neglect on the development and reception of seminal New Testament teachings. Two related but distinct propositions are argued. First, that widespread patterns of painful childhood experience provided a thematic template that deeply shaped the New Testament during its formative period. Second, that this thematic shaping has contributed, on an individual level, to subjective experiences of faith and, on a cultural level, to the initial spread and subsequent persistence of Christianity. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on religious texts, historical evidence about the treatment of children, and several areas of psychology. The article ends with an exploratory excursus intended to stimulate thought about possible childhood influences in non-Christian religions and myths; the traditions considered are Judaism and Islam, the religious-philosophic system of karmic reincarnation that is foundational to Hinduism and Buddhism, and a Greek mythic text associated with the historically important Eleusinian mystery religion.

Les premiers chrétiens: une évangélisation en réseau (in French: A Network Evangelization)

by Régis Burnet

Prépublication d'un article à paraître dans dans Bruno Béthouart, C. Menges-Le Pape (dir.), La Transmission religieuse, XXe université d’été du Carrefour d’histoire religieuse, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Les cahiers du Littoral 2, n° 10, 2011

Baptism Is The Defining Moment

by Daniel Keeran MSW

Compiled by Daniel Keeran, author of related book http://collegemhc.academia.edu/DanielKeeran/Books/446453/Ancient_and_Medieval_Baptismal_Fonts

Relevant scripture passages, with a brief notation, from John the Baptist onward. Was baptism intended for all Israel?... more Relevant scripture passages, with a brief notation, from John the Baptist onward. Was baptism intended for all Israel? What is the purpose and meaning of baptism?

See related book on academia http://collegemhc.academia.edu/DanielKeeran/Books/446453/Ancient_and_Medieval_Baptismal_Fonts and at http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Medieval-Baptismal-Daniel-Keeran/dp/1441471618

Social Justice in Scripture and the Early Church

by Daniel Keeran MSW

by Daniel Keeran

This brief paper outlines key scripture passages and quotes from early church writers demonstrating the emphasis on... more This brief paper outlines key scripture passages and quotes from early church writers demonstrating the emphasis on care for the poor as central to the teaching of Jesus and the early church.

Adapted from the book "Radical Christianity: Peace and Justice in the New Testament" by Daniel Keeran at http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Christianity-Peace-Justice-Testament/dp/0973454652

The Burial of Jesus in the Light of Jewish Law

by Richard Carrier

In John Loftus, ed., The Empty Tomb: Jesus beyond the Grave (Prometheus 2005): 369-92.

Demonstrates that the basic evidence of the Gospels, in light of prevailing Jewish laws at the time, can plausibly... more Demonstrates that the basic evidence of the Gospels, in light of prevailing Jewish laws at the time, can plausibly support the conclusion that the body of Jesus was removed from its original tomb before Sunday morning, and thus we should actually expect it would be empty when the Gospels claim it was found to be, and can safely posit this as a precipitating cause of claims to have subsequently seen him risen.

The Plausibility of Theft

by Richard Carrier

In John Loftus, ed., The Empty Tomb: Jesus beyond the Grave (Prometheus 2005): 349-68.

Demonstrates that any of various scenarios are plausible enough to explain how the tomb of Jesus could have been found... more Demonstrates that any of various scenarios are plausible enough to explain how the tomb of Jesus could have been found empty as a result of bodysnatching. Includes a demonstration that the placement of guards on the tomb is a later legend.

The Spiritual Body of Christ and the Legend of the Empty Tomb

by Richard Carrier

In John Loftus, ed., The Empty Tomb: Jesus beyond the Grave (Prometheus 2005): 105-232.

Comprehensive case for the conclusion that Paul and the earliest Christians believes Jesus had risen in a new... more Comprehensive case for the conclusion that Paul and the earliest Christians believes Jesus had risen in a new supernatural body, leaving the old body to rot in the grave as an abandoned shell (Part I), and that the idea of an empty tomb was a legendary development popularized by later generations of Christians (Part II).

Why the Resurrection is Unbelievable

by Richard Carrier

In John Loftus, ed., The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails (Prometheus 2010): 291-315.

Comprehensive (and reductively Bayesian) demonstration that any supernatural explanation for the evidence that Jesus... more Comprehensive (and reductively Bayesian) demonstration that any supernatural explanation for the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is substantially less probable than any natural explanation on offer. Covers all standard apologetic arguments to the contrary and extensively cites relevant sources and scholarship.

Christianity’s Success Was Not Incredible

by Richard Carrier

In John Loftus, ed., The End of Christianity (Prometheus 2011): 53-74.

Summarizes and expands on the contents of Dr. Carrier's book Not the Impossible Faith, presenting a Bayesian argument... more Summarizes and expands on the contents of Dr. Carrier's book Not the Impossible Faith, presenting a Bayesian argument that Christianity is more likely an entirely natural product of ancient culture and circumstance and not a product of supernatural forces.

‘Christians’ Celebrating ‘Jewish’ Festivals of Autumn

by daniel stoekl

in: Peter J. Tomson and Doris Lambers-Petry (eds.), The Image of the Judaeo-Christians in Ancient Jewish and Christian Literature: Papers Delivered at the Colloquium of the Institutum Iudaicum, Brussels 18-19 November, 2001 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 158; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003; pp. 53-73).

The article surveys evidence for Christians and Christian Jews observing festivals of autumn (New Year, Tabernacles... more The article surveys evidence for Christians and Christian Jews observing festivals of autumn (New Year, Tabernacles and mostly the Day of Atonement): Paul, Hebrews, Luke-Acts, Hegesippus, Origen, Chrysostom and Abd Al-Jabbar as well as polemics.
One can perhaps distinguish 3 progressive stages in the perception of such religious behavior as the observance of Yom Kippur by followers of Christ: 1) normative (Luke) or acceptable (Paul); 2) peculiar, Judaeo-Christian but tolerable (Justin Martyr); and 3) un-Christian and prohibited (Diognet, Origen). There is a clear difference between the first century and later times regarding the social status of Jesus-followers observing Yom Kippur. In the first century, some leaders regarded the fast as normative (Luke-Acts) or acceptable (Paul). In later times, those observing the fast were probably ordinary Christians while those who defined Yom Kippur as un-Christian belonged to the leaders of the mainstream.