Gunnar Samuelsson investigates the philological aspects of how ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew/Aramaic texts depict crucifixions. A survey of the texts shows that there has been too narrow a view of the "crucifixion" terminology. The various terms do not only refer to "crucify" and "cross." They are used much more diversely. Hence, most of the crucifixion accounts that scholars cite in the ancient literature have to be rejected, leaving only a few. "Gunnar Samuelsson has a rare distinction, for his work received attention, perhaps even notoriety, prior to its publication. Apart from the...

How do we account for the explosion of demonic activity in the New Testament? Archie T. Wright examines the trajectory of the origin of evil spirits in early Jewish literature. His work traces the development of the concept of evil spirits from the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 6) through post-biblical Jewish literature. -I would in fact recommend this book, not because of the answers it gives, but the questions it raises.- -- Philip R. Davies in Journal of Semitic Studies 55 (2010) -This work is marked by several strengths. First, Wright shows an impressive command of the primary and secondary...

From its very beginning, Christianity was an innovative movement which had to construct and maintain its identity, morality, and social as well as theological boundary markers as it developed from a religion of conversion into a religion of tradition. Early Christianity's sensitivity to -outsiders- evolved in various ways as circumstances and socio-cultural contexts changed. In this volume, scholars from around the world reflect on the dynamic relationship between mission and ethos in the New Testament and Early Christianity, focusing particularly on the sensitivity, or lack thereof, to...

Much of the Jesus scholarship has concentrated on the so-called self-identity of Jesus. However, due to the recent emphasis on the subjective perception and memory processes in the methodology of Jesus research, it is meaningful to re-conceptualize the question. The authors of this volume approach the question of the identity of Jesus from different angles. Viewpoints vary from that of comparative religion to the analysis of the narratives Jesus told, some key events of his life and existing identities of the first century Judaism. The overall aim in this collection of articles is to provide...

Clint Tibbs explores the Christian religious experience of the Pneuma given in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. First Corinthians 12 and 14 is often read as concerning spiritual gifts. This heading, however, does not make clear the scope of Paul's text because it highlights only one component of Paul's polemic, gifts, to the neglect of other and equally important terms. The experiences Paul mentions in these texts, speaking in a spirit, prophecy, and glossolalia, as well as the mention of spirits in three different places, suggest that Paul was actually writing about communicating with the spirit...