Why do God’s people suffer at the hands of their enemies? Both Galatians and 2 Baruch address this same question while arriving at different conclusions. In Galatians, Paul makes an argument from persecution for the authenticity of his gospel. Persecution demonstrates that Paul and the Galatians belong to God and have believed in the divinely … Read more
While the Colossian and Ephesian Haustafeln issue different commands to masters, both commands use language which, if pressed literally, threatens to undermine the distinction between master and slave. The command, τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε (Col 4:1), can easily be read as a command to treat slaves as equals, while the command, τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε … Read more
The two Thessalonian letters are unique in the biblical corpus (and among wider epistolary evidence) in naming three overt participants in the letters’ prescripts. Debate continues as to whether Silvanus and Timothy join Paul as “coauthors” or merely as “cosenders.” This paper continues the exploration, recognizing and pursuing several incomplete avenues of inquiry. Scholarship is … Read more
Paul’s use of the marriage illustration in Romans 7:1-6 is puzzling. His initial setup appears clear: he notes that, as a general rule, death severs one’s obligation to the law (v. 1). He then applies the principle to the specific case of a widow, explaining that a married woman is bound by law to her … Read more
Within the context of multi-faceted debates about Rom 7:7-25, Will Timmins has persuasively shown (over against Stowers et al) that the “I” in that passage does refer to Paul and key aspects of Paul’s Christian experience. However, Timmins’s reading, while helpful, also creates significant difficulties for understanding Rom 7:14, which has traditionally been interpreted as, … Read more
The silence in Acts regarding Paul’s collection for Jerusalem has been described as “thunderous,” “striking,” and “extremely surprising.” Apart from a single (and contested) reference to the collection in Acts 24:17, Luke seems to have overlooked the project that occupied so much of the Apostle’s time, attention, and theological reflection. Paul’s collection for Jerusalem was … Read more
The Reformation marks of a true church form the dominant theological grid of many Protestant theologians and pastors today, namely, the right preaching of the Word of God and the right administration of the sacraments (Calvin, Institutes 4.1.9; Thirty-Nine Articles, Art. 19). Sometimes church discipline is added as a third mark (Belgic Confession, Art. 29). … Read more
As we read Paul’s letter to the Romans, we encounter crucial theological definitions of the gospel, Jesus’ identity, their relation to the Scriptures, Paul’s ministry, and more. Additionally, we see works attempting to understand Jesus’ divinity or relation to the Godhead that purposefully avoid engaging with fourth-century creedal formulations. There are studies on Jesus’ divinity … Read more
This paper addresses the exegetical impasse regarding κατοπτριζόμενοι in 2 Corinthians 3:18. While some (e.g., Belleville, Wright) take this to mean “reflect,” the majority rightly affirm the more traditional “behold as in a mirror.” However, this begs the question of precisely what sort of looking Paul envisions. Proposals focused on possible backgrounds—e.g., Zosimus’s magical mirror … Read more
It is widely recognised that Paul’s use of the term “righteousness” (δικαιοσύνη) must be understood against the background of the Hebrew equivalents צדק and צדקה. This paper explores the meaning of the Hebrew terminology and identifies various ways in which it has been misunderstood in Pauline scholarship. In particular, it will be argued that the … Read more