This volume contains 28 essays in honor of Abraham J. Malherbe, whose work has been especially influential in exploring modes of cultural interaction between early Jews and Christians and their Graeco-Roman neighbours. Following an introductory essay on the problems inherent to such comparative studies in the history of New Testament scholarship, the essays are grouped into five topic areas: Graphos -- semantics and writing, Ethos -- ethics and moral characterization, Logos -- rhetoric and literary expression, Ethnos -- self-definition and acculturation, and Nomos -- law and normative values....

A high proportion of the many articles published by the papyrologist T.C. Skeat (1907-2003), a former Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, concerns the New Testament. This present collection gathers together papers on Biblical and related matters contributed by Skeat for over sixty years to various publications. The book divides these into three sections: ancient book production, studies on particular Biblical manuscripts and textual criticism. In his Introduction J.K. Elliott assesses the importance of Skeat's work and he incorporates from personal correspondence some of Skeat's...

This study investigates the issues of the origin and purpose of the Gospel of Mark. The author argues that Mark's Gospel was written in Galilee some time after the Jewish Revolt in 70 AD for a Christian audience that was living under the threat of persecution. The first part of the book examines the situation of Mark's intended readers, and the nature of and reasons for their persecution. The second part establishes in what way the Gospel addresses the situation of Mark's original readers.

In contrast to the common opinion that the Johannine Farewell Discourses represent solely the Jewish genre of the Testament, George Parsenios argues that features of the discourses are misread or missed completely apart from Greco-Roman literature. Evidence from classical drama, for instance, assists in reading Jesus' return to the Father as a dramatic exit and, further, accounts for the puzzling delay of Jesus at 14:31 without recourse to redaction theories. Consolation literature and the literary symposium emphasize Jesus' continuing and consoling presence, with particular attention to the...

Salvation in the New Testament offers an analysis of the soteriological perspectives and language of the different books of the New Testament. Special attention is given to the imagery used in expressing soteriological ideas. Salvation deals with becoming part of the people of God. In Salvation in the New Testament special attention is given to the nature and power of the salvific language used in the New Testament to express the dynamics of salvation. Individual articles on the different books of the New Testament highlight the diverse perspectives offered in these documents....

The central aim of the investigation is to evaluate the claim that the Gospel of John was a product of a 'sectarian' milieu. Fuglseth is using methods primarily derived from sociology and the study of new religious movements today. He discusses in particular the 'cult'-model as an alternative to 'sect, ' and compares the Johannine texts with texts from two contemporary milieus: Philo and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The thesis is embedded in a comprehensive survey of research and discussions of methods and of the existence of a Johannine community. There are still serious debates going on about the...