Download or read book Situating the Letter to the Hebrews in Early Christian History written by Jon M. Isaak and published by Edwin Mellen Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Isaak clarifies basic methodological problems in the use of early Christian literature as evidence for the history of early Christianity, the questions: What, if anything do they represent beyond the views of the author? Can these texts give the historian access to the beliefs and practices of early Christian communities? Scholars have long puzzled over why the peculiar views of the Letter to the Hebrews do not fit the ideology of any known group in early Christianity. Isaak argues that if the expectation of 'community fit' for an early Christian text is unwarranted, then the perceived 'riddle' of Hebrews dissolves. He makes his case by showing that there are no good reasons to place early Christian texts in a special category of writings that reflect the peculiar beliefs of a community.
Download or read book Christology Hermeneutics and Hebrews written by Jon C. Laansma and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the history of the interpretation of the Letter to the Hebrews across the last two millennia. Beginning with the Patristic period, essays go on to examine the responses of Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, as well as more recent figures such as Karl Barth and contemporary global interpreters. The premise behind the work is to move study of Hebrews away from the perennial arguments about its authorship and provenance and to instead engage with it from a theological perspective, focusing upon the text's reception history. Consequently the issue of the Christological message in Hebrews is at the forefront and is considered both in terms of the interpreter's context and historical setting. At the end of the book the investigations are summarised and responded to by leading scholars Harold Attridge, Donald A. Hagner and Kathryn Greene-McCreight; providing a fitting conclusion to a radical academic project.
Download or read book Hebrews in Contexts written by Gabriella Gelardini and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2016-05-09 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars of Hebrews have repeatedly echoed the almost proverbial saying that the book appears to its reader as a "Melchizedekian being without genealogy". For such scholars the aphorism identified prominent traits of Hebrews, its enigma, its otherness, its marginality. Although Franz Overbeck might unintentionally have stimulated such correlations, they do not represent what his dictum originally meant. Writing during the high noon of historicism in 1880, Overbeck lamented a lack of historical context, one that he had deduced on the basis of flawed presuppositions of the ideological frameworks prevalent of his time. His assertion made an impact, and consequently Hebrews was not only "othered" within New Testament scholarship, its context was neglected and by some, even judged as irrelevant altogether. Understandably, the neglect created a deficit keenly felt by more recent scholarship, which has developed a particular interest in Hebrews’ contexts. Hebrews in Contexts, edited by Gabriella Gelardini and Harold W. Attridge, is an expression of this interest. It gathers authors who explore extensively on Hebrews’ relations to other early traditions and texts (Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman) in order to map Hebrews’ historical, cultural, and religious identity in greater, and perhaps surprising detail.
Download or read book A Case for Mixed audience with Reference to the Warning Passages in the Book of Hebrews written by C. Adrian Thomas and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2008 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Case for Mixed-Audience with Reference to the Warning Passages in the Book of Hebrews discusses the nature of the warnings in Hebrews and how these warnings relate to the theological question of the eternal security of believers. The main argument is that these warnings are intended to target a particular segment of the author's community, about whose appropriation of and subsequent attitude toward the Christian message he was deeply concerned. That is to say, while the book of Hebrews is addressed as a message of encouragement to the community as a whole, its warnings are aimed at a certain element in the community whose salvation is threatened by a possible dangerous course of action. The book implies that while the author is persuaded that the majority in the community are genuine believers, there are some about whose salvation he doubts; hence the «case for a mixed-audience». What is threatened, therefore, is not a salvation already possessed, but the salvation of those in danger of coming up short. Theologically, the work falls within the sphere of the Calvinistic-Arminian debate regarding the assurance of salvation and the perseverance of the saints. It argues strongly for the Calvinistic position, but does so within the confines of the discipline of biblical studies, and lends extensive exegetical support to the Calvinistic position on the warning passages. The book is highly recommended for Bible College and seminary students and professors, as well as pastors and lay leaders who must give answers to their parishoners on those tough warning passages in Hebrews.
Download or read book Purifying the Consciousness in Hebrews written by Joshua D. A. Bloor and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-02-23 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joshua D. A. Bloor argues that the purification of the consciousness of sin, via Jesus' perpetual heavenly blood offering, is a vital motif for understanding Hebrews' sacrificial argumentation, and vice-versa. Jesus' 'objective' earthly achievements are many, yet only his 'subjective' heavenly blood offering purges the heavenly tabernacle and subsequently the consciousness of sin. Bloor views the Levitical cult as having a positive role in Hebrews, with Levitical 'guilt' foreshadowing and informing Hebrews' notion of the 'consciousness of sin'. Levitical sacrifices could purge the consciousness, but only Jesus' heavenly blood can offer complete perpetual purgation. This blood is a qualitative type of purgation which continually speaks in heaven, offering eternal assurance for the recipients regarding their consciousness of sin. Bloor begins with the 'defiled consciousness' and situates the world of Hebrews within cultic defilement, enabling the consciousness of sin and its cosmic implications to be properly understood. From here, the solution to a defiled consciousness is explored by examining Hebrews' cultic argumentation. Bloor highlights the distinctive purposes inherent in both Jesus' earthly and heavenly achievements, with the latter concerned particularly with Yom Kippur imagery and the purgation of the consciousness. Bloor concludes by differentiating between Jesus' session, present heavenly activity and perpetual heavenly blood offering. Throughout this volume, Bloor engages, critiques and advances current discourse concerning the nature and timing of Jesus' offering in Hebrews.
Download or read book Pursuit of Perfection written by Seth M. Simisi and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pursuit of Perfection explores the significance of the perfection motif in the Epistle to the Hebrews. It addresses the controversial interpretation of teleios ("perfection") in Hebrews where this notion is so central to the argument of the book. The investigation examines the meaning of perfection in an attempt to discover its significance on Hebrews theology. The need for the study is the lack of adequate treatment of the subject in the last three decades. The discussion focuses on the precise meaning to be attached to the notion of perfection and its significance for Hebrews interpretation. Through an exploration of major interpretative approaches to the notion of perfection, and its usages in classical world, Second Temple Judaism, and New Testament literature, especially Hebrews. The author argues that the notion of perfection has an eschatological significance and is linked to better provisions of the new covenant, which guarantee believers' salvation and eternal inheritance. The author sums up his argument that the call to pursue the goal of perfection is a call for commitment to the gospel message as Christians of all ages follow the example of the Christ, the one who endured suffering of the cross and its despised shame in order to bring many followers to their future eternal glory.
Download or read book Polemic in the Book of Hebrews written by Lloyd Kim and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The author of Hebrews is arguing that God himself has brought about the fulfillment of these institutions through his Son's priesthood, his once-for-all sacrifice, and the new covenant he inaugurated in the last days. These new institutions are never denied the Jews. In fact, the context of the epistle presumes that these are primarily for the Jews, considering that the author was speaking to a Jewish-Christian community. The author is not arguing for the abandonment by God of the Jewish people, but rather for the abandonment of the shadowy means by which God's people drew near to him. It is here we can speak of a qualified supersessionism. According to the author of Hebrews, the Levitical priesthood, the Mosaic covenant, and the Levitical sacrifices have been superseded by Jesus' priesthood, the new covenant, and Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice. "However, we conclude that the polemical passages in Hebrews do not promote hatred of the Jews, nor do they advocate the destruction of the Jewish people. Rather, the author of Hebrews stresses the fulfillment of specific Jewish institutions for the benefit of the Jews. It is this idea of fulfillment that rules out the charge that the epistle promotes the supercession of the Jewish people. Because of God's great love for his people, he has provided a superior way by which his people can draw near to him." --from the Conclusion
Download or read book The Function of Sublime Rhetoric in Hebrews written by Christopher T. Holmes and published by Mohr Siebeck. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Back cover: In this study, Christopher T. Holmes offers an analysis of Hebrews 12:18-29 and its role in the larger argument of Hebrews. It argues that the first-century treatise, De Sublimitate, provides a significant context for interpreting the rhetoric and style of Hebrews and sheds new light on the thought and genre of Hebrews.
Download or read book Suffering in the Face of Death written by Bryan R. Dyer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-04-20 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suffering and death are two topics that are frequently referred to in the Epistle to the Hebrews, but have rarely been examined within scholarship on this important New Testament text. Dyer redresses the balance in this study of these topics, conducting a thorough investigation using semantic domain analysis. He incorporates recent advancements in modern linguistics, in particular the 'context of situation', and then connects these topics to the social situation addressed in Hebrews. In so doing he is able to reveal how the author is responding to the reality of suffering in the lives of his audience. With this awareness, it becomes clear how the author also responds to his audience's pain by creating models of endurance in suffering and death. These serve to motivate his audience toward similar endurance within their own social context. Dyer shows that it is possible to make significant determinations about the social setting of Hebrews based upon an examination and analysis of the language used therein.
Download or read book Social Science and the Christian Scriptures Volume 1 written by Anthony J. Blasi and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-04-13 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sociologist Anthony Blasi analyzes early Christianity using multiple social scientific theories, including those of Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Max Scheler, Alfred Schutz, and contemporary theorists. He investigates the canonical New Testament books as representative of early Christianity, a sample based on usage, and he takes the books in the chronological order in which they were written. The result is a series of "stills" that depict the movement at different stages in its development. His approaches, often neglected in New Testament studies, include such sociological subfields as sect theory, the routinization of charisma, conflict, stratification theory, stigma, the sociology of knowledge, new religions, the sociology of secrecy, marginality, liminality, syncretism, the social role of intellectuals, the poor person as a type, the sick role, degradation ceremonies, populism, the sociology of migration, the sociology of time, mergers, the sociology of law, and the sociology of written communication. Needing to treat the New Testament text as social data, Blasi uses his background in biblical studies and a review of a vast literature to establish the chronology of the compositions of the New Testament books and to present the "data" in a new translation that is accessible to non-specialists.
Download or read book The Pauline Corpus in Early Christianity written by Benjamin Paul Laird and published by Hendrickson Publishers. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pauline Corpus in Early Christianity: Its Formation, Publication, and Circulation offers a comprehensive and wide-ranging examination of the canonical development of the collection of writings associated with the Apostle Paul. The volume considers a number of clues from the New Testament writings, ancient literary conventions related to the composition and collection of letters, and a variety of early witnesses to the early state of the corpus such as biblical manuscripts, canonical lists, and the testimony of writers. As a conclusion to these inquiries, Laird argues that at least three major archetypal editions of the Pauline corpus--those containing 10, 13, and 14 letters--appear to have been collected and edited as early as the first century. These major archetypal editions, Laird concludes, circulated simultaneously for many years until editions containing 14 letters became nearly universally recognized by the fourth century. The volume serves as a valuable resource of information for those engaged in the study of the early state of the New Testament canon and offers a fresh perspective on the process that led to the formation of the Pauline corpus.
Download or read book Godly Fear or Ungodly Failure written by Michael Kibbe and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2016-05-10 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cursory glance at Hebrews' critique of Israel's fear at Sinai in Heb 12:18-29 suggests that the author has misunderstood or manipulated his sources. In the Pentateuch, the appointment of Moses as Israel's mediator receives explicit approval (Exod 19:9; Deut 5:28), while Heb 12:25 labels their request for mediation a "refusal" to heed the word of God. This book argues that Hebrews' use of the Sinai narratives resides on a complex trajectory established by four points: the Sinai covenant according to Exodus, the reenactment of that covenant according to Deuteronomy, the call for a NEW covenant according to Jeremiah, and the present reality of that covenant established by God and mediated by Jesus Christ. The basis for Hebrews' critique arises from its insight that while Israel's request established covenant-from-a-distance, Jesus demonstrates that true covenant mediation brings two parties into a single space. The purpose for Hebrews critique lies in its summons to Zion, the mountain on which Jesus sits at the right hand of God as the high priestly mediator of the new covenant.
Download or read book The New Testament in Context written by V. George Shillington and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2009-03-15 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive and essential introductory textbook on the New Testament by an eminent professor in the field.
Download or read book New Testament Theology written by Jon Isaak and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Testament theology ought to be both descriptive and constructive-this is the argument of New Testament Theology: Extending the Table. According to Isaak, New Testament theology is descriptive in that it deals with the accounts that people narrate of their experience with Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the light of Easter. It is constructive in that it joins the diverse testimonies of the New Testament writers into a textured and thick space within which contemporary followers of Jesus continue to be shaped by the ancient yet living Spirit of God. Isaak's approach is historical, thematic, and theological in orientation. It explores the conversation taking place "around the table," where the writers of the NT share their guiding vision of God's saving work among them, and their passion for the Christian church engaged in God's mission. The differing perspectives of the New Testament authors are held together without reduction, forming a deep and rich space within which ongoing community reflection and praxis can take place.
Download or read book Ancient Jewish Christian Dialogues written by William Varner and published by Edwin Mellen Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work provides the texts and translations of three ancient Jewish-Christian dialogues: The Dialogue of Athanasius and Zacchaeus (Greek, 4th c.); The Dialogue of Simon and Theophilus (Latin, 5th c.); and The Dialogue of Timothy and Aquila (Greek, 6th c.). This is the first published translation of each of these texts.
Download or read book Arc written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book New Testament History of Interpretation written by John Haralson Hayes and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Each article has been edited to emphasize the history of interpretation for a given book or area of research from the Reformation period to the present and all bibliographies have been extensively updated. New Testament: History of Interpretation is an important reference tool for all students of biblical interpretation and a highly useful supplemental text for the seminary classroom, the graduate seminar, and upper-level undergraduate courses." - Publisher.
