This is the first detailed study of Johannine mysticism against a Palestinian Jewish background has been previously undertaken. This book investiages whether there was a "mystical" practice in first-century Palestine and whether John can be better understood in the light of such practice, if there was any. In analysis, two strands of Jewish mysticism, the early forms of Maaseh Merkabah and of Maaseh Bereshit, emerge as existing in first-century Palestine. While the former narrates by means of Ezek. 1 the experience of seeing God in His kingly glory, the latter describes the same expereince...

Does the apostle Paul sponsor political conservatism? A growing number of scholars dispute this perception, arguing that Paul's political imagery and in particular the confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord" directly challenge the proud Roman emperor.This book critically engages these proposals, seeking to point out with greater precision the function of political imagery within the Pauline narrative. Dorothea H. Bertschmann starts by conversing with the works of John Howard Yoder and Oliver O'Donovan, two modern political ethicists and theologians. She argues that both thinkers in all...

Until the mid-1960s, most commentators of the Gospel of John were aware of a polemic against 'the Jews, ' yet they did not consider it with reference to contemporary ethical discussion. A shift in focus in Johannine scholarship is noticeable from the mid-1960s and 1970s to the present, where commentators began to connect the Gospel's polemic against 'the Jews' with potential anti-Judaism in the text. As yet, very little work has been done to answer the question of how this change in sensitivity came about. This book is a historiography of one scholar's growing awareness of potential...

This book looks at the Acts of the Apostles through two lenses that highlight the two topics of masculinity and politics. Acts is rich in relevant material, whether this be in the range of such characters as the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, Peter and Paul, or in situations such as Timothy's circumcision and Paul's encounters with Roman rulers in different cities. Engaging Acts from these two distinct but related perspectives illuminates features of this book which are otherwise easily missed. These approaches provide fresh angles to see how men, masculinity, and imperial loyalty were...

This book examines the Lukan themes of unity and disunity against ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish social and political discourses on concord and discord to better understand the context in which Luke highlights the themes of unity and disunity.

The themes of unity and disunity are particularly prominent in ancient discussions of the reigns of rulers, evaluations of laws/constitutions/forms of government, and descriptions of the contrasting effects of unity and disunity in the destruction and preservation of peoples and cities. These themes are grouped under the broad categories of...

Genesis in the New Testament brings together a set of specially commissioned studies by authors who are experts in the field. After an introductory chapter on the use of Genesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls and second temple literature, each of the New Testament books that contain quotations from Genesis are discussed: Matthew, Mark, Luke-Acts, John, Paul, Deutero-Paul, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter and Jude, Revelation.

The book provides an overview of the status, role and function of Genesis in the first century. It considers the Greek and Hebrew manuscript traditions and offers...

This volume examines Johannine symbolism within the lens of Jesus' relationship with the Father. After demonstrating that the Gospel narrative symbolically portrays Jesus as the Son of God who is relationally inseparable from his Father, the study shows how the Son-Father Relationship (SFR) is at the center of the network of Christological symbols in the Gospel of John. Using an innovative narrative framework, this book unveils the creative and symbolic introduction of the SFR in the Prologue (Jn. 1. 1-18), its development through the words and actions of Jesus' teaching ministry within...

This book seeks to establish the inadequacy of readings of the Gospel of Matthew as intended for, and a reflection of, a local audience or community. Despite repeated challenges, the local audience thesis continues to dominate a large proportion of Matthean scholarship, and, as such, the issue of determining the Gospel's audience remains an open question. This book posits four main critiques. First, the assumptions which underpin the text-focused process of identifying the Gospel's audience, whether deemed to be local, Jewish, or universal, lack clarity. Literary entities such as the...

This book offers a fresh reading about the purpose for which Hebrews was written. In this book Whitlark argues that Hebrews engages both the negative pressures (persecution) and positive attractions (honor/prosperity) of its audience's Roman imperial context. Consequently, the audience of Hebrews appears to be in danger of defecting to the pagan imperial context. Due to the imperial nature of these pressures, Hebrews obliquely critiques the imperial script according to the rhetorical expectations in the first-century Mediterranean world-namely, through the use of figured speech. This...

This book studies comparisons and possible trajectories between three 'catholic' epistles, and traditions associated with Jesus. Part A analyzes why James would recall the teachings of Jesus, how he alters these teachings, and what such adaptation suggests about his audience. Part B turns to the Jesus
tradition and 1 and 2 Peter. What can 1 Peter's use of Isaiah 53 tell us about the historical Jesus? How has 1 Peter conflated early Jesus traditions with those of ancient Judaism in order to develop certain ideas? How does 2 Peter allude to Gospel traditions? Moreover, how does the author...