The Book of Psalms is one of the most frequently cited books in the New Testament. The Synoptic Evangelists seem to read the Psalms not primarily as prayers but as prophecies of the future. They discovered in its language prophecies concerning the life and ministry of Jesus and attempted to show how Jesus' life was prefigured in the Psalms. Samuel Subramanian examines the topic within the broader use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, that of the prophetic reading of the Psalms in the Synoptic Gospels and in the context of Second Temple Judaism. Although others have treated...

The concept of Herem is found throughout the Old Testament and presented a problem to the Second Temple Jewish authors. In introducing the concept to their audiences and in applying it to themselves and other nations, they avoided it by reducing or expanding, omitting or changing the concept of Herem. Much evidence in Luke-Acts, however, indicates that Luke deliberately uses the concept of Herem in order to present the life and teaching of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus' death on the cross, resurrection and ascension can be seen as Herem, that redeems God's people. The...

While the notion of submission (particularly women's submission) has been the focus in not only biblical studies and feminist theology but also in church structure and in the wider context of modern Christian culture, little attention has been given to the theme academically.

Deviating from the general tendency to seek answers to the issue of women's submission from creation accounts, this research focuses on Philippians 2:6-11 as the primary text and reason for embracing submission as the defining characteristic of a Christian community. The argument for submission is thus based on...

The form and function of the 'synagogue' in the first century CE has been the focus of a great deal of recent scholarly discussion. A previous generation of scholars would have perceived a reference to a synagogue in a New Testament text as a monolithic institution with clearly defined functions principally involving worship. More recent scholarship has questioned many of these assumptions, pointing out that in the first century CE 'synagogue' should be understood as a reference to a gathering and not a building. Similarly, it is noted that many of the reconstructions of what...

An investigative study into where, how and why Luke interacts with Isaiah. References to Isaiah occur at key points in the narrative, typically introducing the mission of main characters and outlining or summarising the overall plot, suggesting that Luke utilises Isaiah as part of his interpretive framework. The overarching theme drawn from Isaiah appears to be the servant's mission to bring salvation to all people (Isa 49:6). Luke's careful selection and radical interpretation of Isaianic texts highlights surprising aspects of this theme. These include the nature and scope of salvation,...

In Christology and Scripture leading biblical scholars and theologians explore the relation of theological thought to the reading of Scripture. The focus is on three inter-related issues. The first is how theologians appropriately read Scripture around Christ, and what contribution, if any, historical-criticism makes to this endeavour. The second is that of the person and work of Christ in relation to Scripture. In interaction with specific texts, contributors engage with the related questions of who Christ is and how his benefits are communicated. This leads on to the final issue of...

Since the late nineteenth century our knowledge of early Christianity and its literature has been improved significantly by the recovery of numerous ancient manuscripts. Among the most important finds are the Greek manuscripts that preserve portions of little-known early Christian gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and the "Unknown Gospel" of Egerton Papyrus 2. These fragmentary manuscripts provide us with direct access to texts that seem to have been written at about the same time as the New Testament gospels. They allow us to study ancient writings about the life...