The Spirituality of Faith in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter in Matthew and Mark Across Perspectives)

Excerpt: In this essay, I wish to pay respect to Dr. Barton\u27s important contribution to the theological study of the Gospels by looking at the Gospel of Matthew with a similar interest in the First Gospel\u27s spirituality. In his chapter on Matthew, Barton rightly notes Matthew\u27s interest in discipleship, righteousness, purity/integrity, and radical love. To this we will add Matthew\u27s interest in \u27faith\u27. In the study of the Synoptic Gospels in particular, despite the ubiquity of the language of faith, there has been little study of this subject. When it comes to the spirituality of the Gospels, though, there can hardly be a more important concept related to the human response to God than faith

New Life in Christ: Household Relationships Reoriented Under the Lordship of Christ (Chapter in Colossians, Smyth & Helwys Biblical Commentary)

Excerpt: As noted above, Paul focuses on the implications of new life in Christ beginning in chapter 3. The first seventeen verses deal more broadly with what it means to be raised with Christ and to seek the things that are above (3: 1). That first section ends with emphasis falling on a communal life of generosity, love, and thanksgiving, as all activities and conversations are carried out under the lordship of Jesus Christ (3: 17)

Text of 1 Thessalonians (Chapter in 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Zondervan Critical Introductions to the New Testament)

The first port of call in this study is to identify the origins of 1 Thessalonians with a focus on the integrity of the text, authorship, and date, followed by an extended discussion of genre, style, and structure. Thereafter, I will discuss some of the possible sources behind 1 Thessalonians

Did Saint Paul Take Up the Great Commission?: Discipleship Transposed into a Pauline Key (Chapter 7 of Ethics and Ecclesia)

The term \u27discipleship\u27 is pervasive in church language, and for good reason since Jesus had disciples and called them to go out and make more disciples. What is particularly interesting about the ecclesial use of the language of discipleship is how it is used by believers to refer to a kind of general Christian category that would align with what academics call \u27ethics\u27. For many churches, denominations, seminaries, and biblical scholars, discipleship is equivalent to Christian obedience to God.1 A cursory look at denominational vision statements will bear this out. The United Methodist Church, for example, claims, \u27The church calls our response to God Christian discipleship\u27.2 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America places the following conviction under the heading of \u27discipleship\u27: \u27To live our lives in and for Christ in both church and society\u27, None of this should be that unsettling since discipleship is central to Jesus\u27 own theological programme, and the Gospels certainly inspire their readers to take up the cross and follow Jesus wholeheartedly (Mt. 16.24//Mk 8.34//Lk. 9.23). However, the central question I want to raise, particularly in view of the Church (ecclesia) and \u27ethics; as the focus of this collection of essays, is this: even though a strong case can be made that the term \u27discipleship\u27 should be a central concept for Christian obedience, are we missing something if it becomes the only way we think about Christian obedience? Again, I am not suggesting it is improper to think of Christian obedience in terms of \u27discipleship\u27; however, it maintains a kind of exclusive status as the language of Christian obedience. One might wonder- who cares? Why not allow it to hold this paramount status vis-a-vis ethics? There are, I believe, a number of reasons why this is an important question for the church to address, but I would like to organize the discussion around two historical issues and conclude with a theological one. At the outset here, though, I will simply say that the Christian language of obedience should reflect the language and emphases of Scripture, all of Scripture, and, thus, we would do well to pay attention to how all parts of the Bible talk about ethics and obedience

Choosing a Doctoral Program (Chapter 1 of Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond)

Excerpt: Perhaps the greatest challenge for someone wanting to become a professor in biblical studies is selecting the best kind of program and institution at which to study. Furthermore, it is not only important to calculate the various factors involved in making the decision, but also thinking through the process and contingent issues ahead of time. Practically speaking, the advice offered in this book may be utilized and applied more efficiently for someone at the beginning of his or her master\u27s degree (or, even better, during a bachelor\u27s degree) than, for instance, at the stage of actually applying for the doctoral program. The reason why this is the case is because certain things can be done during one\u27s earlier education to align more properly with the kind of institution at which one might desire to seek admission

Which “Body” Is a Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19)? Paul beyond the Individual/Communal Divide

Pauline scholarship has always been interested in the “theology” of the Apostle, and questions of his understanding of God, Christ, salvation, the church, and ethics are as passionately pursued now as in any prior generation. An important methodological point that has been widely accepted among scholars, though, is that such attempts at extracting theological bits from Paul must take sufficient account of the ancient context of his writing and the “contingency” of his literary engagements, that is, “the specificity of the occasion to which it was addressed.” One major manifestation of this concern for understanding Paul in his original setting has been the concern over the Augustinian/Lutheran/Bultmannian approach to soteriology that was centered on personal justification. This theological orientation, as Calvin J. Roetzel puts it, “sees salvation for the individual as the governing theme of Paul’s theology.” Thus, a new era in the interpretation of Paul commenced with Krister Stendahl’s famous “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West” (1963), which tried to direct the attention of Paul’s justification language away from the issue of personal guilt and sin toward the matter of the relationship between Jews and gentiles in the early church. The implications for viewing justification (among other key doctrines) as communal are evident in many who followed Stendahl. Consider this statement by N. T. Wright: The gospel creates, not a bunch of individual Christians, but a community. If you take the old route of putting justification, in its traditional meaning, at the centre of your theology, you will always be in danger of sustaining some sort of individualism

Lead Us Not Into Temptation, Deliver Us From Evil (Chapter in The Lord\u27s Prayer, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary)

I recall, as a young child, having a number of superstitious assumptions. I remember being afraid of the dark, and at night, as I stood in my doorway, I believed that when I turned off the light switch I had to jump to my bed (for some reason thinking that I would be gobbled up by evil if my feet touched the ground in the darkness). Over time, though, I became less concerned about the dark and also about evil. Even today, as an adult, I do not think much about evil powers or spirits. I may make a one-off comment about having an unlucky day, but even then I tend to assume most aspects of life are under my control. Of course, throughout history most peoples around the world have had a vivid sense of the power of evil, and they have found various ways to ward off evil and invoke blessings-whether by means of magic or religion. Christians have long prayed, Deliver us from evil. I am not sure what most American Christians think as they utter these words; probably, like me, they don\u27t put much thought into it at all. But for most ancient people (Christian or not), entreating a higher power to ward off evil would have been a common, daily concern. Among archaeological finds from ancient Egypt, we have today significant evidence that the last line of the LP, deliver us from evil, was treated as a mantra or holy prayer for protection against malevolent spirits. Some of the Greek papyri scraps from ancient Egypt bear evidence of being folded so as to fit into a pocket, probably indicating that it was carried as a kind of amulet. Christians believed that their God was the God who safeguards his people. There is a question about whether Matthew 6:13 should be treated as two separate petitions or as one petition ( lead us not to temptation ) with a reinforcement ( but deliver us from evil ). It is most likely the latter, serving as a comprehensive prayer that God would protect and not expose to danger

Conference Participation and Publishing (Chapter Eight of Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies and Beyond)

Two clear marks of a good scholar or doctoral student are published pieces of research (articles, essays, reviews, etc.) and active participation in academic conferences (presenter, chair, respondent, etc.). Especially for graduate students, the research experience can be very isolated and have a minimal impact without attention to such avenues of dialogue and interaction. Also, practically speaking, when the time comes for the job search, a demonstration of such activity often shows that the prospective professor is a real participant of and contributor to the field of biblical studies. We will begin by discussing how to get involved in conferences

They Are Not Gods! Jewish and Christian Idol Polemic and Greco-Roman Use of Cult Statues

Excerpt: One set of trademark convictions of early Judaism and Christianity includes their aniconic tradition, monotheistic commitment, and polemic against idols. In the late second or early third century c .e ., for example, Christian apologist Minucius Felix mocked pagan idol worship with these words: “When does the god come into being? The image is cast, hammered, or sculpted; it is not yet a god. It is soldered, put together, and erected; it is still not a god. It is adorned, consecrated, prayed to—and now, finally, it is a god once man has willed it so and dedicated it” (see Oct. 22.5). The Christian haranguing of idolatry goes back to the Jewish Scriptures, most notably Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the Psalms.2 Similar polemical statements can be found in Habakkuk (2:18-20). This tradition is expanded in early Jewish texts such as Bel and the Dragon, Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse o f Abraham, the tractates of Philo, and, most extensively, the Epistle of Jeremiah.3 We find idol polemic in the NT in places such as Acts 19:26 and Rev 9:20.4 The wider idea that stands behind almost all Jewish and Christian idol-polemic texts is this: Do not worship statues, because they are not gods! (So Jer 16:20: “Can people make for themselves gods? Yes, but they are not gods!”; cf. Isa 37:19; Josephus A.J. 10.4.1 §50; Epistle of Jeremiah passim). According to this logic, idols should not be worshiped because they are handmade works; they are creations, not creators. As far as the early Jews and Christians were concerned, pagans worshiped blocks of metal, stone, and wood, and this was improper because such materials could never amount to a real “god.

Conference Participation and Publishing (Chapter Eight of Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies and Beyond)

Two clear marks of a good scholar or doctoral student are published pieces of research (articles, essays, reviews, etc.) and active participation in academic conferences (presenter, chair, respondent, etc.). Especially for graduate students, the research experience can be very isolated and have a minimal impact without attention to such avenues of dialogue and interaction. Also, practically speaking, when the time comes for the job search, a demonstration of such activity often shows that the prospective professor is a real participant of and contributor to the field of biblical studies. We will begin by discussing how to get involved in conferences