This is the first systematic study of the cults of the Bosporan Kingdom, which existed in South Russia in the first centuries AD. The research is based on a variety of sources: archaeological evidence and inscriptions, largely unknown to the non-Russian readers, as well as historical and literary texts.
The religion of the Bosporus is viewed in this monograph as a blend of Greek and indigenous Iranian traditions. Its first part is dedicated to the cult of Celestial Aphrodite. The second part examines the controversial cult of the Most High God and its alledged Jewish affinities.
The...

This volume examines the Epistle to the Colossians as a pseudepigraphic letter. It is concerned with how different traditions associated with Paul and his thought were appropriated by Pauline communities in the aftermath of his death. Extensive attention is paid to the possibility of Colossians' interaction with oral traditions, which includes consideration of the oral context for Paul's own correspondence and ministry. In recovering these traditions, Colossians creates a heavenly letter and a testament, designed so as to assure readers of the apostle's ongoing aid and to interpret the...

In this work, the author investigates Gal 1:13-14, Gal 3:6-14, 1 Thess 4:13-17, 2 Cor 12:1-10 and Rom 10:4 and then expounds how Paul, although originating from Judaism and having been educated in Jewish Biblical interpretation, reaches a new hermeneutic only after his experience of Christ. The apostle proves to be dependent neither on apocalyptic views nor on the methods of Greek Rhetoric nor on Rabbinic Midrash, although he is well versed in them. Instead, he develops a Christological interpretation of the Torah, and this interpretation becomes the centre of his mission to the non-Jews. The...

In this text-critical, literary, and theological investigation of Paul's interpretation of Isaiah in Romans, it is argued that Paul's citations and allusions evince sustained and careful attention to significant portions of Isaiah, in concert with other scriptural voices. Through a radical rereading of Isaiah, Paul appropriates these prophetic oracles as prefigurations of his own mission to Gentiles while simultaneously appealing to Isaiah as a witness to God's continuing fidelity to Israel. The book examines each of Paul's citations and allusions to Isaiah, situating them both within the...

This study investigates the history of the traditions that coalesced around the name Philip in the New Testament and other early Christian literature. It proposes that all of this material ultimately owes its genesis to one historical and literary figure, Philip the apostle. This proposition is explored through a wide-ranging examination of the evidence: Luke's redactional employment of traditional materials about Philip the apostle in Acts 8:4-25 and 8:26-40, the evidence of the canonical Gospels, the second-century perspective on Philip as an apostolic authority figure invoked to legitimate...

This volume identifies the crowds (ochloi) in the Gospel of Matthew and explains their character and function. It argues that a proper appreciation of the crowds is essential to an understanding of salvation history in the gospel. The book identifies the crowds as Jewish, and establishes that both the positive and negative characterizations of the crowds correspond to portrayals of Israel drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures. It concludes that the crowds are also meant to be figurative for the Jewish people of Matthew's own day. New Testament scholars, particularly specialists in Matthew...

The Missions of James, Peter, and Paul investigates the nature, diversity, and relationship of three early and important expressions of Judaic Christianity. It is the conviction of the contributors that the Judaic origins of the Christian movement have not been sufficiently understood in both ecclesiastical and academic circles. Comparison with contemporary Judaism is foundational and leads to the question that guides discussion: How did James relate to such prominent figures as Peter and Paul? Given James' own eminence, those relationships must have been hallmarks of his own stance...

This volume is a collection of scholarly studies honoring Prof.Dr. David. E. Aune on his 65th birthday. Its title, The New Testament and Early Christian Literature in Greco-Roman Context: Studies in Honor of David E. Aune, reflects Prof. Aune's academic training, interests, and extensive publications. The volume's studies investigate a range of topics within the Pauline correspondence, Gospels, Apocalypse of John, and other early Christian writings with insights drawn from Greco-Roman culture and Hellenistic Judaism. Thus, the studies make use of Greco-Roman literature, rhetoric,...

This book challenges current scholarly consensus concerning John's references to the Jews in two ways. First, the author suggests that John's portrayal of the Jews cannot be understood as a response to the violent policy of John's opponents. Second, the author claims that John's portrayal of Jewishness is much more ambivalent than is often claimed today. The first part of the book offers a detailed criticism on the so called two-level reading strategy which claims that John's references to the Jews emerge from the conflict with rabbinic Judaism. The second part examines in detail John's...

Paul seemingly nowhere in his letters commands his congregations to preach the gospel. Therefore many scholars have concluded that Paul's thinking had little or no place for a mission of the church. This study undertakes a fresh investigation of the question by devoting close attention to a text hitherto overlooked in discussion of early Christian mission, Paul's letter to the Philippians. The Jewish context of Paul's thought in Philippians is the key to unlocking his understanding of church and mission in the letter. The study accordingly begins in Part One with an investigation of...