Fellow Athletes or Fellow Soldiers? συναθλέω in Phil. 1.27 and 4.3

There is no agreement between interpreters as to whether the verb sunathleō in Phil. 1.27 and 4.3 presupposes an athletic or a military metaphor. Given that first century athletes were unlikely to compete as a team, the prefix syn- often puzzles proponents of interpreting sunathleō as an athletic term, and is also one of the reasons why some others opt for a military background. While the use of the verb alone does not provide any certainty as to the imagery presupposed, in this article I argue that the presence of the prefix syn- does not preclude athletics as a plausible option. Even though team sports were not part of official athletic contests, based on epigraphic evidence, I suggest that in spite of fierce competition, there may have existed a sense of fellowship between ancient athletes in the Roman period. In addition, it is likely that it was enhanced by the existence of a ‘worldwide’ athletic association

The Corinthian καιναὶ κτίσεις? 2 Cor 5:17 and the Roman Re-Foundation of Corinth

The focus of this article is on how 2 Cor 5:17 may have been read and understood in the context of first century Corinth. It is argued that regardless of the author’s intention, the members of the Corinthian community were likely to understand this verse, and especially the reference to “new creation,” καινὴ κτίσις, as a challenge to the ideology underlying the Roman “new creation” of the ancient Hellenic city, offering an alternative model to the way this ongoing “recreation” of Corinth was being put into practice

Recensie: W. Shi, Paul’s Message of the Cross as Body Language, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2009; xvi-316 blz., ISBN 978 3 16 149706 3

status: publishe

The Fragrance of Her Perfume

The limited number of olfactory images in the NT has tempted interpreters to read them all along similar lines, without paying sufficient attention to individual contexts. Another tendency, especially with regard to the account of the anointing in Bethany in the Fourth Gospel, has been to concentrate on the question of its historicity and its relationship to the Synoptic parallels, while neglecting one of the important characteristics of John’s version, namely its heightened attention to the sensory aspect and its implications for the portrayal of Mary of Bethany in the FG. In this essay I discuss the specific features of the Fourth Evangelist’s adaptation of the anointing story, highlighting the sensory elements and pointing out that they are an important, albeit often neglected, indication of the Johannine redactio