Inerrancy’s Influence on the Dogmatic Location of Scripture

In the last century or so, the doctrine of inerrancy has exerted an influence within evangelical theology to move the doctrine of scripture to the beginning of systematic theologies, offering to serve there as an epistemological foundation for all other doctrines derivable from scripture. This paper will draw primarily on the work of B. B. … Read more

Are There any Female Leaders in the Gospels?

Complementarians and Egalitarians both agree that Jesus humanized women, especially in light of his Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. But humanizing women is one thing; ascribing leadership roles is another. In this paper, I will scrutinize the assertion that the gospel writers considered women to be leaders through three lenses. First, I will survey several passages … Read more

Our Lord and Our God: How Cyprian Paved the Way for the Creed of Nicaea

Cyprian of Carthage (bishop 248–258) paved the way for the West to reject Arianism and accept the Creed of Nicaea (325) through ascribing divine language and work to Jesus Christ. Few studies have explored Cyprian’s Christology, even though he lived merely seventy-five years before the Council of Nicaea (325). Cyprian did not just hold a … Read more

The Village of Bethlehem: Rethinking the Israelite `ir

Bethlehem is among the most cited settlements in the Old Testament. It provides the setting for Ruth and parts of other historical books, and it finds reference at other junctures. Depending on the passage and the translation, English versions of the Bible consistently depict Bethlehem as either a city or a town. Yet both biblical … Read more

Priest of Creation and Prophet of Christ: The Priestly-Prophetic Nature of Ecclesial Testimony

In the proposed paper, I argue that ecclesial testimony—the church’s proclamation and embodiment of the gospel message—is a function of both its priestly and prophetic nature. My constructive account adds “priestly” to the predominantly prophetic understanding of ecclesial testimony, exemplified in the writing of Karl Barth. In service of this, I offer a Protestant appropriation … Read more

MARKERS OF ORTHODOXY IN SOME PRE-NEW TESTAMENT CREEDAL THOUGHT

The thesis of this paper is that contrary to some scholarly views to the effect that creedal language in the early church started with the first ecumenical creed of Nicaea in AD 325, earlier documents such as Paul’s letters are littered with pre-creedal language. This language serves as the precursor to the second-century regula fidei, … Read more

Saul and David as Incarnations of the Ark in 1-2 Samuel

In a 2015 article for Biblica (“A King Like the Nations: 1 Samuel 8 in Its Cultural Context,” Bib 96.2 [2015]: 179-200), Jonathan H. Walton argues that the Israelite elders’ desire for a king like the nations is to be interpreted as a desire for a king who can effectively replace the loss of the … Read more