Shaping Church Culture: Table Fellowship and Teaching in Luke-Acts

This thesis examines Luke-Acts to explore if, how, and in what ways Jesus and early church leaders intentionally shaped the culture of their followers. In Luke, table fellowship was the primary means Jesus used to shape the culture of his followers, as demonstrated through the prominence of eleven meal scenes. In Acts, teaching was the primary means early church leaders used to shape the organizational culture of the early church, as demonstrated through five paraenetic sermons addressed to the church. Table fellowship and teaching affected the behavior, values, and underlying beliefs of the early church related to Jew/Gentile relations (Acts 11; Acts 15), who should be considered as insiders/outsiders (Luke 5:29-39; Luke 7:36-50, Luke 19:1-10), hypocrisy (Luke 11:37-54), Sabbath regulations (Luke 6:1-5), status and humility (Luke 14:1-24; Luke 22:14-34), Jesus' identity (Luke 9:10-17; Luke 24:13-43); the disciples' obedience (Luke 9:10-17; Luke 10:38-42), and leadership (Acts 1:15-26; Acts 20:17-38)

Shaping Church Culture: Table Fellowship, Teaching, and the Spirit in Luke-Acts

This dissertation examines Luke-Acts to explore how and to what effect Jesus and early church leaders intentionally shaped the culture of their followers. In Luke, table fellowship was a primary means Jesus used to shape the culture of his followers, as demonstrated through the prominence of eleven meal scenes. In Acts, teaching was a primary means early church leaders used to shape the organizational culture of the early church, as demonstrated through five paraenetic sermons addressed to the church. Additionally, the Spirit influenced the culture of the early church through various means and in various ways. Table fellowship, teaching, and the Spirit shaped the behavior, values, and underlying beliefs of the early church related to Jew/Gentile relations (Acts 10-11; Acts 15), who should be considered as insiders/outsiders (Luke 5:29-39; Luke 7:36-50, Luke 19:1-10), hypocrisy (Luke 11:37-54), Sabbath regulations (Luke 6:1-5), status and humility (Luke 14:1-24; Luke 22:14-34), Jesus' identity (Luke 9:10-17; Luke 24:13-43); the disciples' obedience (Luke 9:10-17; Luke 10:38-42); leadership (Acts 1:15-26; Acts 20:17-38); mission (Acts 2); unity (Acts 2); devotion (Acts 2); generosity (Acts 2); prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit (Acts 2); and attitudes of inclusion toward people of different generations, genders, and ethnic groups (Acts 2; Acts 10-11)

The Apocalyptic Character of the Ethnic Identity Argument In Galatians

Nickodemus, Benjamin J. “The Apocalyptic Character of the Ethnic Identity Argument in Galatians.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2023. 281 pp. The relationship between Paul’s ethnic identity argument to bring Gentiles into the line of Abraham and the apocalyptic inbreaking of Christ into the present has been poorly defined. The new creation seems to relativize all difference in ethnic identity, yet the importance of Gentiles being heirs of Abraham remains a fundamental component of Paul’s argument. This dissertation argues that the tension between these two identity arguments arises because they are not in fact two arguments, but one reality. The ethnic argument is enclosed within the apocalyptic. The ethnic is relativized in the apocalyptic, but the ethnic is never lost. This dissertation analyzes Paul’s ethnic argument to show the way in which the ethnic is best understood as a component of the apocalyptic. In so doing, this dissertation first establishes the Second Temple traditions that Paul employs. Following this, the formal analysis of Galatians begins with the apocalyptic frame of the entire letter (1:1–9; 6:11–18). It then covers the Antioch incident in 2:11–21 to show that there is no Jewish priority, but that all are apocalyptically under the power of sin. It then moves to the formal ethnic argument concerning Abraham in 3:6–4:31. It looks at the way descent is reframed ἐκ πίστεως (3:7), to a singular heir in Christ (3:16), adoption (4:1–7), and the allegory of Hagar and Sarah (4:21–31). Of particular significance is the theological structure of ἐπαγγελία to show the apocalyptic character of fulfillment in the blessing of Abraham understood as inheritance. Paul then shows the way that at fulfillment the ἐπαγγελία has included as heirs of Abraham all Gentiles in Christ. This shows that all in Christ are coheirs with Christ of the blessings to Abraham. Reframing Paul’s ethnic argument as enclosed within the apocalyptic shows the deep meaning of Paul’s theology of promise and inheritance as not a clever way to bring Gentiles into Israel through some ethnic side door, but instead, but an embrace of the transformation of all things in Christ that includes within that transformation the boundaries of the inheritance of Abraham as well as the inheritance itself

THE EMERGENCE OF GENTILE LEADERSHIP AND THE JERUSALEM CONFERENCE: A SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE GROUP DYNAMICS OF THE PARTICIPATION OF GENTILE BELIEVERS IN THE EARLY CHURCH

This thesis looks at the Jerusalem Conference and Antioch dispute as described by Paul in Galatians (2.1-14) and Acts (15). A new approach to the topics is used, that of using models derived from socio-psychological research. The Jerusalem Conference and Antioch dispute are concerned with group interactions and dynamics; socio-psychological research studies the behaviour of individuals in social groups and so is well suited to study this aspect of early church history. I argue that the emergence of Gentile leadership at Antioch precipitated the need for the Jerusalem Conference. Whereas ‘sympathizers’ to Judaism, lacking circumcision, were not fully integrated into Jewish communities, Gentile believers at Antioch underwent the initiation rite of baptism. Thus Gentile believers had a greater sense of belonging than did ‘sympathizers’ in Judaism. Also Gentiles entered the Antiochene church in numbers, forming a distinct subgroup within the community. These two factors provided ideal conditions for Gentile leadership to emerge. However, leadership inferred a certain status for Gentile believers. This was opposed by some Jewish believers who insisted on complete Torah observance, including circumcision, for full membership of the early church. The Jerusalem Conference met to resolve the issue. Paul’s claim that nothing was added to his gospel implies that the Jerusalem Conference accepted Gentile membership of the church, including Gentile leadership, without circumcision. This would be unacceptable to the Law-observant Jewish believers. To avoid schism the Conference needed a compromise which appeased the Jewish believers. I suggest that the compromise was the ‘two missions’; Gentile believers were accorded the status of full membership as Gentiles, but provision was made for those Jewish believers, who experienced threats to their Jewish identity by associating with Gentile believers under these conditions, to avoid such Gentile contacts. The test of the ‘two missions’ came at Antioch. Peter, in eating with Gentiles, accepted their status as full members of the church. However, the ‘people from James’ did not accept the Gentile believers on equal terms and insisted on their right to avoid such contact with Gentiles. Peter and the other Antiochene Jews had to choose – offer hospitality to their fellow Jews and withdraw from Gentile contact or maintain table fellowship with Gentiles and isolate their fellow Jews. They opted to extend hospitality to the Jews, but this decision implied a rejection of the Gentiles’ status within the early church

The Church of Antioch and the Eucharistic traditions (ca. 35–130 CE)

It is a widespread view in modern scholarship that, in the earliest church of Syrian Antioch (ca. 35–130 CE), there came together ‘divergent theological traditions’. Yet here these traditions were ‘balanced’ and ‘synthesized’. So, from Antioch, there emerged a ‘middle [traditional or theological] position’, the via media that facilitated the ‘Christian unity’ of the ‘universal church’. This via media theologica offered a way of keeping together the divergent Jewish and Hellenistic groups of Antioch. This study challenges this view and proposes a nuanced understanding of the dynamics of the theological traditions in the earliest church of Antioch. It is beyond reasonable dispute that ‘divergent traditions’ did emerge at Antioch. However, the case for the formulation of a ‘synthesized… middle position’ needs to be re-examined. To this end, the present study 1) analyses the eucharistic traditions of earliest Christianity, focusing on the following key texts: 1 Cor. 11.23–25 (Lk. 22.17–20), Matt. 26.26–29, Did. 9.1–10.6, and Ignatius, Phld. 4.1; and 2) traces their use within the earliest church of Antioch, arguing that all these traditions were composed (or adapted) and used here, between ca. 35–70 CE. Having located the eucharistic traditions in the church of Antioch, their internal dynamics are subsequently investigated. While these internal dynamics cannot be conclusively unravelled, due to the lack of adequate data, it is highly improbable that, in Antioch, the eucharistic traditions were ‘balanced’ or ‘synthesized’. Rather, there seems to be a pattern of recurrent additions: a recent tradition was added to those already existing, while the older traditions were also kept and revalued. It is by this pattern of the ‘addition’ of new traditions and ‘revaluation’ of older traditions that the church of Antioch sought to keep and consolidate the unity of its factions. Finally, since existing scholarship concerns both 1) ‘the divergent groups/traditions’ and 2) ‘the Christian unity… of the universal church’, this study seeks to find an appropriate model of ‘unity and diversity’ in Antioch, by locating the internal dynamics of the Antiochene eucharistic traditions into the larger context of the ‘unity and diversity in earliest Christianity’. The patterns and dynamics uncovered in this study appear to corroborate Hurtado’s more recent ‘interactive diversity model’

Acts of the Apostles: edifying discourse or historical narrative

Intro. and Chapter 1. The reputation of Luke-Acts has varied greatiy. It has been acclaimed as a work of the highest historical value by some, and dismissed as tendentious and unreliable by others. Recent study has emphasised that the author was an original theologian, and has suggested that his theological concerns meant more to him than the recording of historical facts.Chapter 2. : J.C. O'Neill has claimed that Luke was a contemporary of Justin martyr, and the first of the Christian apologists. We dissent from this late dating, but find value in his comparison of Acts with Hellenistic Jewish missionary literature.Chapter 3. : The book of Acts is compared and contrasted with the books of Maccabees, the letter of Aristeas, and certain writings of Philo.The author, while holding to theological principles, is found to be concerned to present a record of fact.Chapter 4. : We consider traditions about the earliest church recorded in Acts 1-5» with conflict­ing estimates of their reliability. Adopting Erich Auerbach's distinction between saga and history, we conclude that the author has attempted to deal, as an historian, with material some of which reached him in the form of saga.Chapter 5 : The enigmatic figure of Stephen is studied, together with the Hellenists who appear in chapter 6. We conclude that Stephen was a real historical figure and that the speech in Acts 7 reflects something of his views.We consider attempts to link Stephen with the Samaritans and the community at Qumran.Chapter 6 : Paul is a key figure in Acts. Should the Paul of Acts be compared or contrasted with the Paul we meet in his letters? We argue , against Professor J. Knox, that Acts is a source of much reliable information about Paul, and that Acts and the Pauline letters are complementary to each other.Chapter 7 : Recent study has tended to the conclusion that the author of Acts had few, if any, written sources. We consider the 'Itinerary' theory - that he used a travel-document giving a list of Paul's stopping-place.Chapter 8 : We consider various forms of the 'Antiochsource' theory - that the author made use of a written record produced within the church at Antioch. It is argued that if written sources cannot be precisely identified, this does not mean that the author had none at all.Chapter 9 : The speeches of the books of Acts areconsidered. We discuss the attitude of ancient authors to the composition of speeches in historical writing. The speeche attributed to Peter and Paul are considered It is concluded that they do not simply represent the theological views of the author. He has used source material of various kinds to present the thoughts, if not the precise words, of the apostles.Chapter 10 : The speeches of the books of Acts areconsidered. We discuss the attitude of ancient authors to the composition of speeches in historical writing. The speeche attributed to Peter and Paul are considered It is concluded that they do not simply represent the theological views of the author. He has used source material of various kinds to present the thoughts, if not the precise words, of the apostles

Will 'The Poor Be With You Always?': Towards a Methodological Approach of Reading the Bible with the Poor

Located at the intersection of poverty and the New Testament, "Will ‘The Poor Be With You Always’?: Towards a Methodological Approach of Reading the Bible with the Poor" examines how the Bible has been used to justify and condemn poverty and how poor people are coming up against and simultaneously using the Bible in their quest to end poverty. By gathering and analyzing the perspectives of Poverty Initiative Poverty Scholars—grassroots anti-poverty organizers and leaders—who are working to build a social movement to end poverty, led by the poor, this work offers these interpretations as revealing, legitimate and important for scholars, religious leaders, and others in our communities to hear. Through an evaluation of biblical and theological obstacles to end poverty, and a reinterpretation of the passage “the poor are with you always” and the larger context of Matt 26 from which it comes, it describes and further develops a biblical hermeneutic that we have termed, “Reading the Bible with the Poor.” This hermeneutic includes drawing parallels between New Testament stories and contemporary stories of poor people surviving and organizing and investigating important social issues, both historical and contemporary (including taxation, debt, infrastructure and development, charity and patronage, poverty, wealth, and political power). Finally, this dissertation establishes that the messiah Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is a leader of a social movement of the poor who works to reign in God’s Kingdom and establish an end to slavery, debts, and poverty on earth

Symbolism in religion, with special reference to Orthodox worship and its relevance for the free church tradition

The study begins by considering the nature of symbolism, and various types of symbol. It moves on to examine the power of visual images, and argues that a sense of that power may lie behind the Jewish prohibitions, and partly explain the persistent urge to produce visual images in the Church. The next stage examinee visual elements inevitably present in primitive Christianity, such as water in baptism, and the elements and utensils of the eucharist, which carried over Jewish symbolic associations. There follows an examination of the visual images consciously produced, particularly in the catacombs. It is argued that some pictures were felt to acquire a presence of their own, and this led to the development of the icon. The contextual influences in which the use of icons evolved are examined, before tracing the emergence of a theology of the image through the iconoclastic controversies. 'Attention moves to a consideration of developments in the West, from Charlemagne's reaction to the Second Council of Nicaea, through an examination of the moral, spiritual and theological influences of the Middle Ages, to the relevant decrees of the Council of Trent. The attitudes of the continental Reformers are discussed, before focussing attention on England. Reference is here made to the Thirty Nine Articles, Henrician iconoclasm, and contemporary arguments. The need for visual elements in the Free Churches is seen to be met initially in the place of the Bible and the imagery in the hymns of the Evangelical Revival. It is argued that the re-emergence of the image in its own right is a result of a renewed concept of the catholicity of the Church, and the influence of the liturgical and ecumenical movements. Examples are given of visual images incontemporary churches, and of the importance being attached to them. The conclusion suggests that there are pastoral and theological reasons for their re-emergence and continuing place