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Spring 1998 (28:1)
Summer 1998 (28:2)
Fall 1998 (28:3)
Winter 1998 (28:3)
Spring 1998 (28:1)*
PRESENTING THE ISSUE:
SHADOW SYNDROMES
Leland J. White
WHEN IS A WIDOW NOT A WIDOW?
John Rook
Abstract. Stories in the Books
of Samuel and Kings (The Widow of Nabal and the Tekoite Widow) further support the theory
that an ’almanah in Israel is a woman without male support. This study extends
the argument of the author’s earlier study, Making Widows: The Patriarchal
Guardian at Work (BTB 27 (1997): 10–15.
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF LAW IN THE SECOND TEMPLE
PERIOD
Victor H. Matthews
Abstract. In this study, cultural expectation, situational expedience, and
adaptation to new social norms will be the guide for the examination of legal
statements. It will be determined that in the post-exilic period, legal
pronouncement blended with political expediency and religious zeal to shape the social
context. Concerns over defensive posture within disputed regions, maintenance of protocol
and recognition of the rights of posted garrisons in conquered territories (as at
Elephantine), and the general sense that people who can be defined as identifiable groups
and set in fixed patterns are easier to control may have separately or together driven
Persian policy. The reforms imposed by Nehemiah and Ezra suggest both imperial
meddling as well as cultural incursion by the advocates of Diasporic Judaism and its more
rigid concept of law and ethnic identity.
MATTHEW 27:45-53 AND THE TURNING OF THE TIDE IN
ISRAEL'S HISTORY
Andries G. Van Aarde
Abstract. Matthew considers both the fall of Jerusalem/the temple and the
seeing of the coming of the Son of Man as being anticipated in the
crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus. This article argues that the evangelist places these
two events within his description of the history of Israel, that the events are revealed
in Scripture, and that the period of the First Testament should not be viewed as concluded
time. It is also argued that the so-called tension between “imminence” and
“indeterminate future” must be understood from first-century
Mediterraneans’ perspective on time; that the key of Matthew’s understanding of
time is to be found in discerning what is called the turning of the tide; and,
finally, that Matthew 27:45–54 is located where, within that discourse in the plot of
Matthew, this “eschatological turning of time” is reported.
HISTORY IS NOT OPTIONAL: A RESPONSE TO "THE
REAL JESUS"
BY LUKE TIMOTHY JOHNSON
Robert J. Miller
Abstract. THE REAL JESUS: THE MISGUIDED QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL JESUS AND
THE TRUTH OF THE TRADITIONAL GOSPELS, by Luke Timothy Johnson (San Francisco, CA:
HarperCollins, 1996; vi + 182 pp.; paper, $12.00) presents itself as a reasoned refutation
of recent historical Jesus research. In reality it is a deeply flawed and extremist
defense of Christian orthodoxy. This essay analyzes four aspects of Johnson’s
argument. The harshness of Johnson’s polemics creates the impression of a powerful
critique, but serves mainly to distract the reader from the lack of substance in his
arguments. Johnson’s specific criticisms of recent historical Jesus books are very
weak and appeal primarily to readers’ emotions. Johnson believes that the search for
the historical Jesus is misguided because, in his view, the Gospels are virtually
worthless historically. This is an extremist position rejected by the vast majority of
biblical scholars. Johnson’s position that early Christianity can be explained only
by a miracle (the resurrection) is transparently apologetic. Johnson attempts to protect
the traditional theological picture of Christian origins by declaring it off-limits to
historical-critical inquiry.
Book Reviews
Carroll, Clines, and Davies (eds.), THE BIBLE IN HUMAN
SOCIETY: ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF JOHN ROGERSON (John F. Craghan)
Prickett, ORIGINS OF NARRATIVE: THE ROMANTIC
APPROPRIATION OF THE BIBLE (Bruce J. Malina)
Martin, METAPHOR AND COMPOSITION IN 1 PETER (John H.
Elliot)
Luedemann, THE UNHOLY IN HOLY SCRIPTURE. THE DARK SIDE
OF THE BIBLE (David M. Bossman)
Niditch, ANCIENT ISRAELITE RELIGION (John Barclay
Burns)
* Please note that Spring 1998 was
incorrectly labeled as Winter 1998. Thus 28:1 is Spring (not Winter) and 28:4 is Winter
1998.
Summer 1998
(28:2)
PRESENTING THE ISSUE: ARE
WE TRYING TO DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE?
David
M. Bossman
SHE SAID TO HIM, HE SAID TO HER: POWER TALK IN
THE BIBLE
Heather A. McKay
Abstract. Cross-gender dialogues provide the loci for the most intriguing,
scandalous, or otherwise compelling conversations in the biblical texts. Their inherent
asymmetry permits them to tackle awkward societal issues in a way that draws less
attention to the origins of the difficulty because attention is focussed on the sexual
chemistry between the two protagonists. Texts from the First Testament are compared with
narratives from the Gospels. The (c)overt roles played in the narratives by
gender—and class or race if relevant—are identified and analyzed to see if
alterations in power relations are masked or “sweetened” by the manifestations
of gender relations that ostensibly provide the situations of dialogue. Are these
women characters in any sense autonomous? Or are they no more than useful tools in the
narrators’ skillful hands?
APPEARANCES OF THE RISEN JESUS IN CULTURAL
CONTEXT: EXPERIENCES OF ALTERNATE REALITY
John J. Pilch
Abstract. This cross-cultural study of appearances of the Risen Jesus
builds on previous research (Pilch 1993; 1995a; 1996) in anthropological psychology about
human experiences of alternate reality, also termed “altered states of
consciousness.” There is a high degree of cultural plausibility in the Mediterranean
world that those persons in the Second Testament reported to have “seen” Jesus,
the risen Galilean h.asîd or s.addiq, could be interpreted as claiming that
in an alternate state of consciousness they experienced Jesus’ “real self.”
This would be like the human experience of similarly real other-than-human persons, such
as angels, demons, gods, or God.
"LET THE ONE WHO CLAIMS HONOR ESTABLISH THAT
CLAIM IN THE LORD": HONOR DISCOURSE IN THE CORINTHIAN CORRESPONDENCE
David A. deSilva
Abstract. Attention to honor discourse leads the reader to particularly
salient features of Paul’s strategy for advancing the Corinthian believers’
socialization into the norms and values of the Christian culture. Many of the individual
problems which Paul addresses stem from the more basic issue of the believers’
continued allegiance to their primary socialization. The believers still seek to establish
their honor, and to evaluate the honor of others, in terms of external appearance, social
and spiritual precedence, and successful competition. Paul motivates them to distance
themselves from their former values, establishes new criteria for claiming honor in terms
of the world–construction of the group, and replaces competition within the group
with cooperation and mutuality. He posits the true “court of reputation” to
consist of God, Christ, Paul’s apostolic team, the supra-local church, and the local
Christian community. Ascriptions of honor and dishonor before this court should alone
guide the believers in their desire for honor and in their estimation of the value of each
individual Christian. Perhaps more than any other Pauline epistle, the Corinthian letters
address the basic issue of what constitutes honor for the Christian and within the
Christian community.
HOW A COSMIC LAMB MARRIES: THE IMAGE OF THE
WEDDING OF THE LAMB (REVELATIONS 19:7FF)
Bruce J. Malina
Abstract. The purpose of this brief study is to explain the meaning of the
phrase “marriage of the Lamb” and the significance of this marriage to signal
the advent of a new heaven and a new earth. The terminology is demonstrably
astronomical/astrological, and the vision fits in with the rest of the visions of John of
Patmos.
Book Reviews
Davids, THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER (John .H. Elliott)
Malina & Neyrey, PORTRAITS OF PAUL (Craig .S. de
Vos)
Osiek & Balch, FAMILIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WORLD
(Katrina M. Poetker)
Di Berardino & Studer (eds.), HISTORY OF THEOLOGY, I. THE PATRISTIC
PERIOD (Gerard .S. Sloyan)
Fall 1998 (28:3)
PRESENTING THE ISSUE: KEEPING
FAITH
Leland J. White
SUFFERING PRODUCES HOPE
Walter Brueggemann
Abstract. To be sure, the relationship between Christians and Jews is
deeply incommensurate, because of the long history of Christian domination and Jewish
victimization. Having said that with all its heavy cost, it is important that in a world
of profanation, Jews and Christians are twinned together not only in suffering and in
memory, but also in hope. The deepest impulses of Judaism and Christianity are fully
shared. This common hope is an urgent and precious resource in a world bent on its own
death and destruction. This hope resists idolatry and makes neighborliness an urgent
possibility.
DID LUKE INTEND A DISSERVICE TO WOMEN IN THE
MARTHA AND MARY STORY?
John N. Collins
Abstract. A strong feminist critique over the past twenty years has made
“a formidable opponent” of Luke, long traditionally hailed as an
“ally” of women. After aligning scholarly opinion on the issue, the paper
isolates the critical place which ideas widely associated with the Greek term diakonia have
played in this turnover. Since the main inspiration for the change has been the feminist
reading of Martha’s diakonia as a reference to her suppressed historical roles in
leadership and missionary activity, the paper presents linguistic reasons that preclude
the possibility of any such reading. The Lukan author of the story remains an
"ally" of women.
WHAT IS CATHOLIC ABOUT CATHOLIC BIBLICAL
SCHOLARSHIP?-REVISITED
Roland E. Murphy
Abstract. In reply to the question, the writer claims that historical
criticism can arrive at a responsible theological and “spiritual” sense of the
biblical text, in harmony with the living tradition within which the exegete works.
Allowing for tensions between the Testaments, the exegete must respect the integrity of
both. On the personal and pastoral level, the open-ended character of the text, recognized
by historical criticism, lends itself to an actualization that is vital for the ongoing
life of the Bible among the people of God. This article has preserved the informality of
the address given originally at the sixty-first annual meeting of the Catholic Biblical
Association at the University of Scranton, August 9, 1998. The author is grateful to
Michael P. O’Connor for a critical reading and suggestions on the first draft of the
paper.
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ORIGINS
John H. Elliott
Abstract. A successful merger of exegesis and anthropology and its
application to the Pauline letters, Acts, and the Fourth Gospel yields fresh insights into
the formation of the early Church, its strategies and rituals, and its interaction with
outsiders.
Book Reviews
Gnuse, NO OTHER GODS: EMERGENT MONOTHEISM IN ISRAEL
(John .F. Craghan)
Nelson, JOSHUA: A COMMENTARY (Robert K. Gnuse)
Matthews and Moyer, THE OLD TESTAMENT: TEXT AND CONTEXT
(Terry W. Eddinger)
Winter 1998 (28:4)
PRESENTING THE
ISSUE: THE PASSING OF RAYMOND E. BROWN
David M. Bossman
A STARTING VOICE:WOMAN'S DESIRE IN THE SONG OF
SONGS
Carey Ellen Walsh
Abstract. The current article examines the use of horticultural metaphor
in detailing lust between the two lovers in the Song of Songs. It suggests that the
metaphor’s vehicle, that is, the image used, has to be grasped before the
possibilities of its tenor, i.e., what that image can represent, become apparent. Once the
metaphor’s vehicle is properly understood, its aptness for conveying female bodily
arousal is readily, even shockingly apparent. The benefits of this metaphoric study
are essentially twofold: one an interpretive gain and one feminist. They yield a deeper
appreciation of the poetry of this biblical songbook and give a long overdue hearing for a
startlingly bold, female voice in the Bible.
THE HISTORICAL JESUS: FROM MASTER NARRATIVE TO
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Halvor Moxnes
Abstract. How do historical Jesus studies look if we attempt to see them
within the context of the ongoing debate about how to write history? The present situation
is characterized by the challenges posed to the “objective” history of modernity
by social history, cultural studies and postmodern criticism. In particular the notion of
a “master narrative,” that is, a paradigm that structures the presentation of a
historical event, is challenged. The essay attempts to situate five scholars and their
presentations of the historical Jesus within the context of this debate and to raise the
question of what their underlying “master narrative” might be. John P. Meier and
E. P. Sanders are seen as representing “traditional” modern historical studies,
although Sanders has an alternative master narrative. Approaches critical of modernism are
represented by Richard A. Horsley (social criticism), John D. Crossan (social and cultural
criticism with a post-modern form) and Bruce J. Malina (cultural context criticism).
PAUL'S ODYSSEY IN ACTS: STATUS STRUGGLES AND
ISLAND ADVENTURE
F. Scott Spencer
Abstract. The story of Saul–Paul in Acts traces not only his
remarkable transformation from archenemy of the gospel to its most avid, dynamic
promoter—especially among Gentiles—but also his persisting struggle to own
and maintain this new identity in the face of antagonistic human, environmental, and
supernatural forces. Beyond the well-known Christophany on the road to Damascus, pivotal
moments in Paul’s character and status development come on the islands of Cyprus and
Malta, strategically set at the beginning and end of his missionary journeys in Acts 13
and 28. The significance of this odyssey may be profitably explored through close
attention to the narrative’s plot sequences and comparative employment of
anthropological models of status elevation rituals and honor–shame contests as well
as symbolic “maps” of island territory in the ancient Mediterranean world.
THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN ACCUSATION IN REVELATION
2:9
Mark R.J. Bredin
Abstract. The accusation that the synagogue was a synagogue, not of
Judeans but of Satan is connected with an internal dispute on how one faithful to
Israelite traditions should live with the Roman economic system. The author of Revelation
was arguing that there should be no compromise with Rome, and those who did compromise
were not fit to be called Judean. The Synagogue, on the other hand, argued that peaceful
coexistence with Rome was possible. It is suggested that the synagogue accused members of
the church in Smyrna of not being Judean because they refused to pay the special Judean
tax that allowed them to practice their religion unmolested. For the author of Revelation,
however, to pay the tax would be an act of apostasy, as the tax paid for the rebuilding of
the Capitoline temple.
Book Reviews
Witherington, HISTORY, LITERATURE, AND SOCIETY IN THE
BOOK OF ACTS (F. Scott Spencer)
Nowell, WOMEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, and Reid, CHOOSING
THE BETTER PART? (Betty Jane Lillie)
D'Onofrio (ed.), HISTORY OF THEOLOGY. THE RENAISSANCE,
vol. III (Gerard S. Sloyan)
Barton, HOW THE BIBLE CAME TO BE (Terry W. Eddinger)
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