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She Must and Shall Go Free: Paul's Isaianic Gospel in Galatians
By Matthew S. Harmon, Ph.D. 2006
Walter de Gruyter 2010
Scholars have long recognized the importance of Paul´s citations from
the Pentateuch for understanding the argument of Galatians. But what
has not been fully appreciated is the key role that Isaiah plays in
shaping what Paul says and how he says it, even though he cites Isaiah
explicitly only once (Isaiah 54:1 in Galatians 4:27). Using an
intertextual approach to trace more subtle appropriations of Scripture
(i.e., allusions, echoes and thematic parallels), Harmon argues that
Isaiah 49-54 in particular has shaped the structure of Paul´s argument
and the content of his theological reflection in Galatians. Each
example of Isaianic influence is situated within its original context
as well as its new context in Galatians. Attention is also paid to how
those same Isaianic texts were interpreted in Second Temple Judaism,
providing the larger interpretive context within which Paul read
Scripture. The result is fresh light shed on Paul's self-understanding
as an apostle to the Gentiles, the content of his gospel message, his
reading of the Abraham story and the larger structure of Galatians.
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The Christ's Faith: A Dogmatic Account
By R. Michael Allen, Ph.D. 2007
T&T Clark 2009
The Christ’s Faith coheres with orthodox Christology and Reformation soteriology, and needs to be affirmed to properly confirm the true humanity of the incarnate Son. Without addressing the interpretation of the Pauline phrase pistis christou, this study offers a theological rationale for an exegetical possibility and enriches a dogmatic account of the humanity of the Christ.
The coherence of the Christ’s faith is shown in two ways. First, the objection of Thomas Aquinas is refuted by demonstrating that faith is fitting for the incarnate Son. Second, a theological ontology is offered which affirms divine perfection and transcendence in qualitative fashion, undergirding a Chalcedonian and Reformed Christology. Thus, the humanity of the Christ may be construed as a fallen human nature assumed by the person of the Word and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
The dogmatic location of The Christ’s Faith is sketched by suggesting its (potential) function within three influential theological systems: Thomas Aquinas, federal theology, and Karl Barth. Furthermore, the soteriological role of the doctrine is demonstrated by showing the theological necessity of faith for valid obedience before God. |
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The Law and the Knowledge of Good and Evil: The Edenic Background of the Catalytic Operation of the Law in Paul
By Chris A. Vlachos, Ph.D. 2006
Wipf & Stock 2009
First Corinthians 15:56, "The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law," is both puzzling and neglected. It is
puzzling since there appears to be no precursor in 1 Corinthians to the
law-critical statement found there. It is neglected because of its
size. Nevertheless, the short verse offers the opportunity to analyze
in a rudimentary state Paul's law-sin notion that appears full-blown in
Romans, and the absence of a polemical setting allows scholars to
examine a law-critical statement issued during a polemical lull. In The
Law and Knowledge of Good and Evil, Vlachos weighs attempts to explain
the presence of 1 Cor 15:56 in 1 Corinthians and argues that the
Genesis Fall narrative, where the tempter plied his seductions by way
of the commandment, provides the theological substructure to Paul's
understanding of the law's provocation of sin. In doing so, Vlachos
contends that Paul reaches the historical high water mark of his
polemic against the salvific efficacy of the law by locating a law-sin
nexus in Eden, and, contrary to some recent perspectives on Paul, he
argues that the edenically informed axiom in 1 Cor 15:56 suggests that
Paul's fundamental concern with the law was rooted in primordial rather
than ethnic soil. While studies of Paul and the law have tended to
bypass Eden, The Law and Knowledge of Good and Evil breaks ground by
moving the argument beyond Second Temple Judaism to the Genesis Fall
account, where the prohibition against partaking of the knowledge of
good and evil led to the knowledge of sin. |
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Revealing the Mysterion: The Use of Mystery in Daniel and Second Temple Judaism with Its Bearing on First Corinthians
By Benjamin L. Gladd, Ph.D. 2008
Walter de Gruyter 2008
Scholars largely agree that the NT term “mysterion” is a
terminus technicus, originating from Daniel. This project traces the
word in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other sectors of Judaism. Like Daniel,
the term consistently retains eschatological connotations. The
monograph then examines how mystery functions within 1 Corinthians and
seeks to explain why the term is often employed. The apocalyptic term
concerns the Messiah reigning in the midst of defeat, eschatological
revelations and tongues, charismatic exegesis, and the transformation
of believers into the image of the last Adam. |
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Echoes of Scripture in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
By Christopher A. Beetham, Ph.D. 2005
SBL 2010
While the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament has
captured the attention of biblical scholars over the years, no study
has been devoted to the presence of Scripture in Colossians, largely
because there are no explicit quotations in Colossians. With the
introduction of literary intertextuality into the discipline, however,
scholars have begun to devote more attention to the NT authors’ less
explicit references to Scripture, often labelled as ‘allusions’ and/or
‘echoes.’ Scholars, however, continue to debate what constitutes an
allusion or echo, or how one validates a given proposal as such. This
study proposes new definitions of these terms and offers a methodology
on how to detect and validate them, using Colossians as a test case. |