This paper proposes that Paul, in Gal 3:10-14, indicates that righteous standing may be attained by a faith that is exhibited in keeping the spirit and intent of the Law of Moses, and that reflects “faith working by love” (5:6). Such obedience stands in marked contrast to an effort to secure righteous standing “by works … Read more
After the seventy disciples returned from their mission and told Jesus that “even the demons are subject to us in your name,” he remarked that he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Most intepreters understand this fall from heaven to be an ejection or dethroning of Satan by God (see Rev 12:9). Joseph Fitzmyer … Read more
The identification of the image of the “one like a son of man” sitting on a white cloud and harvesting the earth in Rev 14:14-16 is debated in modern scholarship. Some scholars (for example, David Aune) view the image as representing an angel administering God’s final judgment on the earth. Others (for example George Ladd … Read more
What motivated the Corinthian “wise” to participate in cultic acts involving idol-food (1 Corinthians 8, 10)? Viewing the wise through an Epicurean lens fruitfully highlights their possible motives and theology. Previous comparison has misunderstood Epicurean perspectives on cultic participation. Some view participation in traditional cult as “religiously insignificant” for Epicureans (see Graham Tomlin, “Christians and … Read more
The book of Revelation juxtaposes the judgment of God the Almighty and the Lamb, God’s messiah. The wrath of God is the wrath of the one who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb (6:16–17). Heavenly voices praise the Almighty throughout the book because of his acts of judgment (11:15–19; 12:10–12; 15:3–4; … Read more
It has become a commonplace in books about the historical Jesus to refer to Jesus as a peasant in prominent, rhetorically charged places. Indeed, in many prominent works in the past 30 years, by such scholars as Crossan, Fredriksen, and Ehrman, this designation appears on the very first page of the introduction or body of … Read more
While the precise dating of the Gospels has remained an area of relatively constant contention, one current within scholarship has increasingly situated the Gospels in a predominantly second century milieu. In particular, second century biographies, novels, and other literary productions associated with the Second Sophistic movement increasingly are put forward as comparanda for best understanding … Read more
Did the historical Jesus really claim to possess divine authority? Although there is a virtual consensus among scholars that the earliest Christians worshiped Jesus as divine, a key question remains: Is there continuity between this belief and Jesus’s self-claims? This paper argues that Jesus’ words at his Jewish examination were understood by his Jewish adversaries … Read more
Critics of Christian analytic philosophical theology often claim that it is neither good philosophy nor good theology. Philosophers criticize it because it investigates topics starting from specifically Christian assumptions that other religious and non-religious perspectives find objectionable. Theologians criticize it for its emphasis on using the logical tools of analysis in its investigations rather than … Read more
There is a popular notion often seen in homiletics trade books that runs something like this: “We should use stories in our preaching and teaching in order to make the message clear. After all, Jesus often spoke in parables” (e.g., Robinson, 2014; Chapell, 2018). But this line is in tension with the straightforward reason Jesus … Read more