Mary and Martha have long been treated as allegorical or representative types, with Martha standing for action and Mary for contemplation. While allegorical interpretation has long fallen by the wayside in most aspects of biblical studies, it has remained strident at the popular level with this passage, with Martha still representing a deficient form of … Read more
The ecclesiology of the Nicene Creed represents nearly three centuries of Christian development and confesses belief in an “apostolic Church.’” The definition and implications of the Church being ‘apostolic’ have been the subject of extensive debate throughout Christian history. For many today, the abiding and quintessential ‘apostolic’ nature of the Church is construed primarily, if … Read more
In Luke 24:44-47, Jesus references all that is written about Him in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms, the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures. While much scholarship has explored the connections between Luke’s Gospel and the Law, Prophets, and Psalms, Jesus’ mention of this three-fold division invites us to consider the entire Writings (Ketuvim) as … Read more
Luke’s portrayal of Judas’s betrayal is shaped by socio-cultural factors that magnify his land purchase, thereby accentuating both his alignment with elite power structures and his rupture from the communal ethos of early discipleship. In contrast to Matthew’s fixed sum of silver, the open-ended payment in Luke’s account implies a far more extensive payoff for … Read more
This paper will trace several potential allusions and echoes to Old Testament and Second Temple texts in Acts 2:1-13. Although scholars have suggested several potential texts from the Hebrew Bible as background for the descent of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-13, no consensus has emerged on what text or texts Luke may have in mind … Read more
This study investigates the core message embedded within the primary speeches in Acts of the Apostles, employing information structure analysis as developed by Stanley E. Porter and Matthew B. O’Donnell. By examining the speeches of Peter and Paul, this research identifies recurrent linguistic patterns and structural emphases that reveal the central topic of early apostolic … Read more
Many scholars argue that the events of Acts 10–15 constitute “a genuine break with Judaism” (Seifrid 1987: 41; cf Peterson 2009). Acts thus depicts the early church’s theological journey away from Judaism and towards a law-free Gospel. Against this view, this paper contributes to a growing scholarly attempt (Oliver 2013, 2021; Smith 2023) to read … Read more