Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts Books

Book SynopsisThe series ceased publication. This is the last volume in the series. Formerly known by its subtitle “Internationale Zeitschriftenschau für Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete”, the International Review of Biblical Studies has served the scholarly community ever since its inception in the early 1950’s. Each annual volume includes approximately 2,000 abstracts and summaries of articles and books that deal with the Bible and related literature, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha, Non-canonical gospels, and ancient Near Eastern writings.Trade Review"An invaluable aid to scholars … This comprehensive survey is excellent for reference purposes and rewarding for the browser." – in: The Expository Times, 2002

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Book SynopsisBooks and writing, according to Jacques Derrida, are always concerned with questions of life and death. Nowhere is this more true than regarding the heavenly book motif, which plays an important role in early Judeo-Christian literature, and particularly in apocalypses. This book identifies four sub-types of the motif—the books of life, deeds, fate, and action—and examines their development and function primarily in Jewish and Christian apocalypses. It argues that the overarching function of the motif is to signify life and death for those inscribed: earthly life and death in its early appearances and eternal destiny in later texts. The first full-length analysis of the heavenly book motif in English, this study highlights a vital element of the genre apocalypse.Table of Contents1. Introduction. State of the Question 2. “But if Not, Blot Me Out of the Book” Earthly and Heavenly Books in the Hebrew Scriptures up to Daniel 3. “Everyone Who Is Found Written in the Book” the Heavenly Book of Life in Daniel, the Dead 4. “And Books Were Opened” the Heavenly Book of Deeds in Daniel and other Second Temple Literature 5. “It Has Been Written and Ordained” Heavenly Tablets and the Book of Fate in Jubilees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other Second Temple Literature 6. “Who Is Worthy to Open the Scroll?” the Adaptation of the Motif in the New Testament 7. “But Not Like the Books of This World” the Heavenly Book in Christian Literature of the 8. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe volume consists of 27 surveys of research into the Dead Sea Scrolls in the past 60 years, written by 26 authors. An innovation of the volume is that it covers Qumran scholarship in separate countries: the USA, Canada, Israel, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Italy and the Eastern bloc. Each essay also carries a detailed bibliography for the respective country. Biographies of all the major scholars active in the field are briefly given as well. This book thereby exhaustively surveys past and present Qumran research, outlining its particular development in various circumstances and national contexts. For the first time, perspectives and information not recorded in any other publication are highlighted.Trade ReviewThis volume represents a landmark contribution to Scrolls research. It serves not only as a comprehensive record of the road already travelled but also as a sign post for future directions. It will stand as a significant point of reference for scholars for decades to come. Joseph Angel, Near Eastern Archaeology 76:4 (2013)Table of ContentsDevorah Dimant , Introduction DEAD SEA SCROLLS SCHOLARSHIP IN AMERICA Sidnie White Crawford, The Identification and History of the Qumran Community in American Scholarship Eileen M. Schuller, Research on the Sectarian Scrolls in North America . Eugene Ulrich, Biblical Scrolls Scholarship in North America Sidnie White Crawford, “Rewritten Bible” in North American Scholarship James C. VanderKam, Qumran Research in the United States: The Non-Sectarian Texts Alex P. Jassen, American Scholarship on Jewish Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls Moshe J. Bernstein and Aaron Koller, The Aramaic Texts and the Hebrew and Aramaic Languages at Qumran: The North American Contribution John J. Collins, The Scrolls and Christianity in American Scholarship Eileen M. Schuller, Canadian Scholarship on the Dead Sea Scrolls DEAD SEA SCROLLS SCHOLARSHIP IN ISRAEL Devorah Dimant, Israeli Scholarship on the Qumran Community Bilhah Nitzan, Israeli Research on the Ideology of the Qumran Community Emanuel Tov, Israeli Scholarship on the Biblical Texts from the Judean Desert Michael Segal, Qumran Research in Israel: Rewritten Bible and Biblical Interpretation Bilhah Nitzan, The Liturgical Texts from Qumran in Israeli Research Aharon Shemesh, Trends and Themes in Israeli Research of the Halakhah in the Dead Sea Scrolls Steven E. Fassberg, Israeli Research into Hebrew and Aramaic at Qumran Hanan Eshel ז"ל, Excavations in the Judean Desert and at Qumran under Israeli Jurisdiction DEAD SEA SCROLLS SCHOLARSHIP IN EUROPE Émile Puech, Qumran Research: Contribution of the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem André Lemaire, Qumran Research in France George J. Brooke, Dead Sea Scrolls Scholarship in the United Kingdom Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar, Research of Qumran Scrolls in the Netherlands Florentino García Martínez and Julio Trebolle Barrera, A History of Qumran Scrolls Research in Spain Jörg Frey, Qumran Research and Biblical Scholarship in Germany Annette Steudel, Basic Research, Methods and Approaches to the Qumran Scrolls in German-Speaking Countries Corrado Martone, Qumran Research in Italy Sarianna Metso, Qumran Research in Nordic Countries Ida Fröhlich, Qumran Research in Eastern and Central Europe

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Book SynopsisIn The Tale of the Prophet Isaiah. The Destiny and Meanings of an Apocryphal Text Ivan Biliarsky proposes an edition of the original text of the medieval apocryphon, together with images of the single manuscript copy. The author also includes a large commentary on the otherwise quite unclear narrative concerning its origins, its development, a prosopography of the mentioned persons, an interpretation of its meaning and of the stages of its continuous creation. This completely new approach profoundly revises the source with a strong focus on its biblical roots. Ivan Biliarsky abandons the “national” understanding of the apocryphon and introduces evidence about its significance for the enforcement of the Byzantine-Slavic/Bulgarian Commonwealth and solidarity.Trade Review"...Le lecteur aura deja compris qu'il s'agit d'un livre remarquable a plusieurs titres. I. Biliarsky renouvelle la comprehension d'un texte fondamental de la culture bulgare medievale, montre le poids de la tradition biblique dans la formation de l'ideologie politique au Moyen Age balkanique et, last but not least, restitue une piece essentielle de la litterature apocryphe medievale, un domaine encore trop peu explore. Le livre profitera sans aucun doute a la fois aux philologues et aux historiens et, en general, a tous ceux interesses par l'ideologie du pouvoir, en particulier dans l'orbite culturelle byzantine." Andrei Timotin, Revue des études sud-est européennes, Tome LII 2014 Nos 1–4, Janvier–DécembreTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ... ix Preface ... xi Introduction ... 1 1. The Text of the Literary Work and Its Manuscript Tradition ... 7 The Variable Destiny of the Kichevo Manuscript and the Place of Tale of the Prophet Isaiah in It ... 7 The Text of the Tale of the Prophet Isaiah ... 10 2. Tale of the Prophet Isaiah in the Context of Mediaeval Literature and Modern Researches ... 29 Historiography ... 29 Publications of the text of Tale of the Prophet Isaiah ... 30 Character of the Text ... 49 Authorship ... 51 Localisation ... 52 Dating of the Text ... 54 3. The Chosen People and the Promised Land ... 65 The Prophet Isaiah and the New Israel ... 65 Geographical Features of Religious Identity ... 84 Cities and Founding of Cities ... 98 4. The Divinely Chosen King, Humble to God: Tsar Izot, or Davidic Royalty ... 129 Tsar Izot and His Reign ... 132 The Antagonists ... 135 Goliath, the Sea Frank ... 136 Ozia, the King of the East ... 139 The Davidic Paradigm of Power and Tsar Izot: The Bagrationi Dynasty and the Idea of the Davidic Royalty in the Causcasus ... 150 5. The Renovator King: Tsar Ispor and the Mosaic Royalty: Constantine and the Royalty of the Ruler-Converter to Christianity ... 163 The Moses-Constantine Typology in the Mediaeval World ... 165 Moses-Constantine in Bulgaria ... 179 Moses-Constantine in the Tale ... 189 6. Kings and Their Names ... 205 Arev ... 206 Basil ... 210 Cometopouloi ... 213 Constantine ... 218 Nicephorus ... 221 Roman ... 225 Seleukia Simeklit ... 226 Slav ... 232 Symeon ... 234 Theodora and Her Son the Tsar ... 237 Turgius ... 239 Conclusion ... 243 Excursus One: The List of Names of the Bulgar Princes: Between Myth and History ... 249 Excursus Two: The Birth of the Founding Kings ... 261 Excursus Three: The Tabernacle of the Empire or the State-Church ... 269 Bibliography ... 279 Index ... 297

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Book SynopsisThe work published in this third, and final, volume of Brill’s handbook on the tradition of the Book of Sentences breaks new ground in three ways. First, several chapters contribute to the debate concerning the meaning of medieval authority and authorship. For some of the most influential literature on the Sentences consisted of study aids and compilations that were derivative or circulated anonymously. Consequently, the volume also sheds light on theological education “on the ground”—the kind of teaching that was dispensed by the average master and received by the average student. Finally, the contributors show that Peter Lombard’s textbook played a much more dynamic role in later medieval theology than hitherto assumed. The work remained a force to be reckoned with until at least the sixteenth century, especially in the Iberian Peninsula. Contributors are Claire Angotti, Monica Brinzei, Franklin T. Harkins, Severin V. Kitanov, Lidia Lanza, Philipp W. Rosemann, Chris Schabel, John T. Slotemaker, Marco Toste, Jeffrey C. Witt, and Ueli Zahnd.Trade Review"[Each of the three avenues of the volume] makes a decisive contribution to the history of this subject … This volume dedicated to Peter Lombard’s work opens up new research fields and addresses the practical concerns of contemporary ‘Sentences commentators’, while giving precious information on how the Book of ‘Sentences’… influenced the study of theology throughout the Middle Ages and is presently influencing researches in different areas, ranging from theology to history and philosophy." Alexandra Baneu, Philobiblon, Vol. XXI (2016), No. 1Table of ContentsContents List of Figures vii Abbreviations ix Introduction: Three Avenues for Studying the Tradition of the Sentences 1 Philipp W. Rosemann 1 Filiae Magistri: Peter Lombard’s Sentences and Medieval Theological Education “On the Ground” 26 Franklin T. Harkins 2 Les listes des opiniones Magistri Sententiarum quae communiter non tenentur: forme et usage dans la lectio des Sentences 79 Claire Angotti 3 Henry of Gorkum’s Conclusiones Super IV Libros Sententiarum: Studying the Lombard in the First Decades of the Fifteenth Century 145 John T. Slotemaker 4 The Past, Present, and Future of Late Medieval Theology: The Commentary on the Sentences by Nicholas of Dinkelsbühl, Vienna, ca. 1400 174 Monica Brinzei and Chris Schabel 5 Easy-Going Scholars Lecturing Secundum Alium? Notes on Some French Franciscan Sentences Commentaries of the Fifteenth Century 267 Ueli Zahnd 6 The Concept of Beatific Enjoyment (Fruitio Beatifica) in the Sentences Commentaries of Some Pre-Reformation Erfurt Theologians 315 Severin V. Kitanov 7 John Major’s (Mair’s) Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard: Scholastic Philosophy and Theology in the Early Sixteenth Century 369 Severin V. Kitanov, John T. Slotemaker, and Jeffrey C. Witt 8 The Sentences in Sixteenth-Century Iberian Scholasticism 416 Lidia Lanza and Marco Toste 9 Texts, Media, and Re-Mediation: The Digital Future of the Sentences Commentary Tradition 504 Jeffrey C. Witt Bibliography 517 Figures 533 Index of Manuscripts 546 Index of Names 552

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Book SynopsisThe Scriptures of Israel in Jewish and Christian Tradition is a collection of studies in honour of Professor Maarten J.J. Menken (Tilburg/Utrecht) and illustrates the rich diversity of approaches to biblical interpretation at the beginning of the Common Era. An international team of specialists share their insights on such topics as the availability of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts, Jewish and Christian hermeneutics, notions of authority and inspiration and even a study of inscriptions. Each in its own way demonstrates that the relationship between text and tradition, culture and belief is always complex.Table of ContentsBart J. Koet, Maarten Menken: A Portrait of the Scholar Interpretation of Scripture and the New Testament Steve Moyise, Matthew’s Bible in the Infancy Narrative Joost Smit Sibinga †, Theme and Variations: Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard and Its Influence in the New Testament Joop Smit, The Function of the Two Quotations from Isaiah in Luke 3-4 Adelbert Denaux, The Use of Scripture in Luke 9:51-56 Susan Docherty, The Reception of Tobit in the New Testament and Early Christian Literature, with Special Reference to Luke-Acts Peter Doble, “Are these things so?” (Acts 7:1): A Narrative-intertextual Approach to Reading Stephen’s speech Joseph Verheyden, A Cry for Help: A Note in the Margin of Acts 16:9 Wendy North, Bethany beyond the Jordan Ulrich Busse, Reinigung und Heiligung im Johannesevangelium Gilbert Van Belle, The Signs of the Messiah in the Fourth Gospel: The Problem of a “Wonder-working Messiah” Harm W. Hollander, Paul's Use of the Old Testament and his Attack on Apollos' Adherents in Corinth Gert Steyn, The Text Form of the Torah quotations Common to the Corpus Philonicum and Paul’s Corinthian Correspondence Martin C. de Boer, Observations on the Significance of the Old Testament in Galatians Tobias Nicklas, Intertextuality – Christology – Pseudepigraphy: The Impact of Old Testament Allusions in 2 Thess 1:5-12 David Allen, Why Bother Going Outside?: The Use of the Old Testament in Heb 13:10-16 John Court, Tracing Scriptural Authority Michael Labahn, “Das Buch dieser Prophetie” – die Schriften Israels und die Schrift des Sehers: Überlegungen zu Schrifthermeneutik der Johannesoffenbarung Archibald van Wieringen, The Theologoumenon “New” Bridging the Old and the New Testament Eric Ottenheijm, “Which if a man do them he shall live by them:” Jewish and Christian Discourse on Lev 18:5 Margaret Daly-Denton, The Old Testament in the New: A Resource for an Ecological Reading Interpretation of Scripture after the NT Huub W.M. van de Sandt, The Old Testament and the Didache Bart J. Koet, Isaiah 60:17 as a Key for Understanding the Two-fold Ministry of ἐπισκόποι and διάκονοι According to 1 Clement (1 Clem. 42:5) Pieter W. van der Horst, Biblical Quotations in Judaeo-Greek Inscriptions Henk Jan de Jonge, The Use of the Old Testament in Scripture Readings in Early Christian Assemblies Pancratius C. Beentjes, Saint Augustine’s Sermons 38-41 on the Book of Ben Sira Lionel North, Jan van den Driessche (Johannes Drusius, 1550-1616) and the Study of the Old Testament in the New Bibliography Prof. Dr Maarten Menken

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Book SynopsisThe silence of God is a recurring theme in modern reflection. It is not only addressed in theology, religious studies and philosophy, but also in literary fiction, film and theatre. The authors show that the concept of a silent deity emerged in the ancient Near East (including Greece). What did the Ancients mean when they assumed that under circumstances their deities remained silent? What reasons are discernible for silence between human beings and their gods? For the first time the close interrelation between the divine and the human in the revelatory process is demonstrated here on the basis of a wealth of translated ancient texts. In an intriguing epilogue, the authors explore the theological consequences of what they have found.Trade ReviewJohn Day, Oxford: "a remarkably wide-ranging and learned book on a highly topical theme" David Clines, Sheffield: "The Silent God is a most unusual and distinctive work, rich and original in its range and in its angle of vision on the sources. It will be an important resource for all those concerned with the contemporary value of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament."Table of Contents1. The Silent God in Modernity . 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The Silent God in Modern Literature and Media 1.3 Some Theologians and Philosophers 1.4 The Silent God in Agnosticism and Atheism 1.5 In Defense of a Silent God 1.6 Critical Examination of Current Views 2. Prerequisites for a Fresh Investigation 2.1 De_ning the Scope of This Study 2.2 The Human Nature of Religious Language 2.3 Silence Presupposes Speech 2.4 The Silent God: The Biblical Roots 2.5 The Silent God: The Biblical World 2.6 Why This Approach? 3 Silence between Humans in Antiquity 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Reasons for Silence between Humans 3.3 Conclusions on Silence between Humans 4. How Did Man Address the Deity? 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Songs and Prayers 4.3 Letters to Deities 4.4 Magic and Sorcery 4.5 Silence of Man before the Deity 4.6 Conclusions on Man Addressing the Deity 5. How Did the Deity Address Man? 5.1 Direct Communication between Deity and Man 5.2 Communication through Intermediaries 5.3 Dreams, Visions, Oracles, Omina 5.4 Conclusions on the Deity Addressing Man 6. The Silent God 6.1 The Silence of the Remote God 6.2 Broken Communication between God and Man 6.3 Conclusions on Divine Silence 7. Epilogue 7.1 Faith Talk 7.2 God's Word in Human Guise 7.3 Synergy 7.4 Is Revelation Still Possible? 7.5 Bearing Witness to a Silent God 7.6 The Courage to Become a Witness 7.7 The Integrity of Witnesses 7.8 Theodicy 7.9 Believers and Unbelievers

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Book SynopsisIn prophetic and poetic literature of the Old Testament references to textual participants are inconsistent with regard to their gender, number and person characteristics. Oliver Glanz for the first time provides a systematic study of the phenomenon of participant-reference shifts. The study is restricted to the book of Jeremiah and reflects upon the methodological conditions that should guide the analysis of participant-reference shifts. Focusing on computer assisted pattern recognition the research suggests that Jeremiah's participant-reference shifts should not be understood from a diachronic perspective. Understanding the origin and function of participant-reference shifts rather from the perspective of syntax, text grammar and rhetorics proves to be more consistent with the textual evidence. With this insight participant-reference shifts no longer have to distort textual coherence.

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Book SynopsisPaul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology offers fresh studies by leading New Testament scholars. It considers Paul’s use of tradition, his views on Christian life in the light of mysticism and eschatology. It also discusses the identity formation of the “Johannine community” and the role of “exaltation” in the Fourth Gospel. The focus on apocalyptic eschatology is broadened by studies on the reception of Pauline eschatology, the dating of Revelation, and chiliasm. The collection is complemented by a study on the text of John 3:13 and one on the coinage of the name “Ambrosiaster.”Trade Review"Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology is a fitting collection designed to honor Martinus C. de Boer. It offers the keen reflections of several senior scholars and serves as a foray into the primary areas of interest of the one whom this Festschrift rightly honors." – J. Brian Tucker, Moody Theological Seminary, in: Biblical Theology Bulletin 46 (2016) "The essays by Tuckett, Gaventa, and Collins are particularly useful or interesting (...) this book serves as a fitting tribute to a scholar of depth and originality." – Christopher W. Skinner, Mount Olive College, in: Religous Studies Review 41/1 (2016)Table of ContentsArmand Puig i Tàrrech, The Use of the Story and the Words of Jesus in the Letters of Paul Bernard C. Latega, Some Remarks on the Origin and Function of Galatians 3:28 Henk Jan de Jonge, The Community Supper according to Paul and the Didache:Their Affinity and Historical Development James D.G. Dunn, “Under the law” Beverly Roberts Gaventa, The Rhetoric of Violence and the God of Peace in Paul’s Letter to the Romans Daniel Marguerat, Paul the Mystic Andreas Lindemann, Auferstehung und Endgericht: Überlegungen zu den Paulusbriefen und zum Johannesevangelium Adele Reinhartz, Forging a New Identity: Johannine Rhetoric and the Audience of the Fourth Gospel Jan van der Watt, “Working the Works of God”: Identity and Behaviour in the Gospel of John Peter-Ben Smit, Alternative Patronage in John 2:1–11? Christopher Tuckett, Seeing and Believing in John 20 Maarten J.J. Menken, What Authority Does the Fourth Evangelist Claim for His Book? Adela Yarbro Collins, Paul’s Contribution to the Hope of the Early Church Arie W. Zwiep, Eight Kings on an Apocalyptic Animal Farm: Reflections on Revelation 17:9–11 Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, How Antichrist Defeated Death: The Development of Christian Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Early Church Tjitze Baarda, John 3:13: “The Son of Man Who is in Heaven”: A Plea for the Longer Text Jan Krans, Who Coined the Name “Ambrosiaster”?

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Book SynopsisIn Pentecostal Hermeneutics: A Reader Lee Roy Martin brings together fourteen significant publications on biblical interpretation, along with a new introduction to Pentecostal hermeneutics and an extensive up-to-date bibliography on the topic. Organized chronologically, these essays trace the development of Pentecostal hermeneutics as an academic discipline. The concerns of modern historical criticism have often stood at odds with Pentecostalism’s use of Scripture. Therefore, over the last three decades, Pentecostal scholars have attempted to identify the unique characteristics and interpretive practices of their tradition and to offer constructive proposals for a Pentecostal hermeneutic that would be critically valid and, at the same time, be consistent with the Pentecostal ethos and conducive for the continued development of the global Pentecostal movement. Contributors include: Rickie D. Moore, John Christopher Thomas, Jackie David Johns, Cheryl Bridges Johns, John W. McKay, Robert O. Baker, Scott A. Ellington, Kenneth J. Archer, Robby Waddell, Andrew Davies, Clark H. Pinnock, and Lee Roy Martin.Table of ContentsPreface ... vii 1. I ntroduction to Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 1 Lee Roy Martin 2. A Pentecostal Approach to Scripture ... 11 iRickie D. Moore 3. Canon and Charisma in the Book of Deuteronomy ... 15 Rickie D. Moore 4. Yielding to the Spirit: A Pentecostal Approach to Group Bible Study ... 33 Jackie David Johns and Cheryl Bridges Johns 5. When the Veil is Taken Away: The Impact of Prophetic Experience on Biblical Interpretation ... 57 John W. McKay 6. Women, Pentecostalism, and the Bible: An Experiment in Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 81 John Christopher Thomas 7. Pentecostal Bible Reading: Toward a Model of Reading for the Formation of the Affections ... 95 Robert O. Baker 8. Deuteronomy and the Fire of God: A Critical Charismatic Interpretation ... 109 Rickie D. Moore 9. Pentecostal Hermeneutics: Retrospect and Prospect ... 131 Kenneth J. Archer 10. Pentecostalism and the Authority of Scripture ... 149 Scott A. Ellington 11. Hearing What the Spirit Says to the Churches: Profile of a Pentecostal Reader of the Apocalypse ... 171 Robby Waddell 12. Hearing the Voice of God: Pentecostal Hermeneutics and The Book of Judges ... 205 Lee Roy Martin 13. T he Work of the Spirit in the Interpretation of Holy Scripture from the Perspective of a Charismatic Biblical Theologian ... 233 Clark H. Pinnock 14. What Does It Mean to Read the Bible as a Pentecostal? ... 249 Andrew Davies 15. Psalm 63 and Pentecostal Spirituality: An Exercise in Affective Hermeneutics ... 263 Lee Roy Martin Bibliography of Works on Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 285 Index of Biblical References ... 291 Index of Authors ... 298

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Book SynopsisIn In the Name of God biblical scholars and historians begin the exciting work of deconstructing British and Spanish imperial usage of the Bible as well as the use of the Bible to counteract imperialism. Six essays explore the intersections of political movements and biblical exegesis. Individual contributions examine English political theorists' use of the Bible in the context of secularisation, analyse the theological discussion of discoveries in the New World in a context of fraught Jewish-Christian relations in Europe and dissect millennarian preaching in the lead up to the Crimean War. Others investigate the anti-imperialist use of the Bible in southern Africa, compare Spanish and British biblicisation techniques and trace the effects of biblically-rooted articulations of nationalism on the development of Hinduism's relationship to the Vedas. Contributors include: Yvonne Sherwood, Ana Valdez, Mark Somos, Andrew Mein, Hendrik Bosman and Hugh Pyper.Trade Review"I find this volume to be wonderfully challenging of overly repeated stereotypes in “postcolonial” discussions. There is a general motif of “not so fast” running through this entire volume that is challenging and refreshing. Whether or not one agrees with the arguments put forward—and I suspect there will be considerable debate—this volume succeeds in prodding thought and that, one hopes, will generate more discussion. We owe a great deal of thanks to the writers and editors of this important book." Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Loyola Marymount University

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Book SynopsisThe Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research: Essays on the Status Quaestionis provides a thoroughly up-to-date assessment of every major aspect of New Testament textual criticism. The twenty-four essays in the volume, all written by internationally acknowledged experts in the field, cover every major aspect of the discipline, discussing the advances that have been made since the mid twentieth century. With full and informative bibliographies, these contributions will be essential reading for anyone interested in moving beyond the standard handbooks in order to see where the discipline now stands, a vade mecum for all students and text-critical scholars for a generation to come.Trade ReviewFor students interested in NT textual criticism, there is no better volume for understanding the modern state of the study of this discipline.' Nijay K. Gupta, George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 41 • NUMBER 3 • SEPTEMBER 2015 'I have enjoyed dipping into it so far and congratulate the editors and the other contributors on this achievement. If you want to know the state of the question on any of the following topics then this is the place to look.' Peter Head, http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.nl/2012/12/the-text-of-new-testament-in.html This book is one of the most important books on textual criticism that has been published in years. ... The esteemed editors, Michael W. Holmes and Bart D. Ehrman, are to be congratulated once again for putting together a fine volume, in a fine series, published by a leading publisher in the field. Indeed, this book deserves a spot on the shelf of every New Testament scholar. Brice C. Jones, http://thequaternion.blogspot.ca/2013/03/book-review-text-of-new-testament-in.htmlTable of Contents1. The Papyrus Manuscripts of the New Testament Eldon Jay Epp 2. The Majuscule Manuscripts of the New Testament David C. Parker 3. The Greek Minuscules of the New Testament Barbara Aland and Klaus Wachtel 4. The Greek Lectionaries of the New Testament Carroll Osburn 5. The Diatessaron of Tatian Ulrich B. Schmid 6. The Syriac Versions of the New Testament Peter J. Williams 7. The Latin Version of the New Testament Philip Burton 8. The Coptic Versions of the New Testament Christian Askeland 9. The Ethiopic Version of the New Testament Rochus Zuurmond revised by Curt Niccum 10. The Armenian Version of the New Testament S. Peter Cowe 11. The Georgian Version of the New Testament Jeff W. Childers 12. The Gothic Version of the New Testament Carla Falluomini 13. The Use of the Greek Fathers for New Testament Textual Criticism Gordon D. Fee and Roderic L. Mullen 14. The Use of the Latin Fathers for New Testament Textual Criticism H.A.G. Houghton 15. The Use of the Syriac Fathers for New Testament Textual Criticism Sebastian Brock 16. Additional Greek Witnesses to the New Testament (Ostraca, Amulets, Inscriptions and other sources) Peter M. Head 17. Scribal Tendencies in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament James R. Royse 18. The Social History of Early Christian Scribes Kim Haines-Eitzen 19. Analyzing and Categorizing New Testament Greek Manuscripts Thomas C. Geer, Jr. revised by Jean-François Racine 20. Textual Clusters: Their Past and Future in New Testament Textual Criticism Eldon Jay Epp 21. Criteria For Evaluating Readings in New Testament Textual Criticism Tommy Wasserman 22. Conjectural Emendation and the Text of the New Testament Jan Krans 23. From “Original Text” to “Initial Text”: the Traditional Goal of New Testament Textual Criticism in Contemporary Discussion Michael W. Holmes 24. Modern Critical Editions and Apparatuses of the Greek New Testament Juan Hernández Jr. 25. The Majority Text Theory: History, Methods, and Critique Daniel B. Wallace 26. Thoroughgoing Eclecticism in New Testament Textual Criticism J. Keith Elliott 27. Reasoned Eclecticism in New Testament Textual Criticism Michael W. Holmes 28. The Text as Window: New Testament Manuscripts and the Social History of Early Christianity Bart D. Ehrman

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Book SynopsisSamson is a peculiar character. He is the most powerful of the Israelite judges and three whole chapters in the book of Judges are allocated to him. Yet he demonstrates many weaknesses, not least for the charms of women. In the international conference “Samson: Hero or Fool?” organised at the University of Nijmegen in April, 2008, the texts of Judges 16-18 were studied from different perspectives, investigating how the complex character of this (anti)hero lived on in various ways in the later traditions about him. The contributions discuss also the reception history of the Samson traditions in later Jewish, Christian and Islamic literature, as well as his representation in figurative and performing artsTrade Review"A substantial resource for deepening our understanding of Judg 13–16 and of the enduring appeal of the enigmatic Samson." Clinton McCann Jr., Eden Theological Seminary Webster Groves, Missouri, Review of Biblical Literature "The multifaceted nature of this book helps the reader gain further insights into the biblical text and may inspire continued reflection. Recourse to Hebrew – even when the theme is not exegetical in nature (e.g. Spronk) – attests to the value of interdisciplinary exchange among various areas of study [...] The authors are to be commended for a plethora of insights as an expression of the complexity and curiosity which Samson has evoked over time." Jacek Stefanski, Wigierski Areopag Nowej Ewangelizacji, The Biblical Annals, Volume 7, Issue 2Table of ContentsElie Assis, The Structure and Meaning of the Samson Narratives (Jud. 13-16) J. Cheryl Exum, The Many Faces of Samson Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher, A hero ensnared in otherness? Literary images of Samson Lara van der Zee, Samson and Samuel: Two Examples of Leadership Cornelis Houtman, Who Cut Samson’s Hair? The Interpretation opf Judges 16:19a Reconsidered: Natalio Fernández Marcos, The Septuagint Reading of Samson Cycle Ronit Nikolsky, Rabbinic Discourse about Samson. Continuity and change between the Tannaitic Culture to the Amoraic Tessel M. Jonquière, Of Valour and Strength. The Samson Cycle in Josephus’ work: Jewish Antiquities 5.276-317 Tobias Nicklas, No Simson in the New Testament? Erik Eynikel, Samson in Islamic literature and in the Old Testament Kees Wisse, Samson in Music Karin Schöpflin, Samson in European Literature. Some Examples from English, French and German Poetry Klaas Spronk, The Looks of a Hero: Some Aspects of Samson in Fine Arts

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Book SynopsisIn Josephus, the Emperors, and the City of Rome William den Hollander places under the microscope the Judaean historian's own account of the latter part of his life, following his first encounters with the Romans. Episodes of Josephus' life, such as his embassy to Rome prior to the outbreak of the 1st Judaean Revolt, his prophetic pronouncement of Vespasian's imminent rise to the imperial throne, and his time in the Roman prisoner-of-war camp, are subjected to rigorous analysis and evaluated against the broader ancient evidence by the application of a vivid historical imagination. Den Hollander also explores at great length the relationships formed by Josephus with the Flavian emperors and other individuals of note within the Roman army camp and, later, in the city of Rome. He builds solidly on recent trends in Josephan research that emphasize Josephus' distance from the corridors of power.Trade Review…den Hollander's insistence on using our knowledge of Flavian Rome to shape our reading of Josephus. That Josephus needs to be understood and evaluated in light of contemporary literature and history is an important step forward in the scholarly attempt to reconstruct the historical Josephus and his place within his Roman environment. Sean A. Adams, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, (18.06.2014)

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Book SynopsisThis is volume 1 of a two volume set, which replaces the six volumes of the first edition. This volume contains Texts concerned with Religious Law, Exegetical Texts and Parabiblical Texts. This second and revised edition of the Dead Sea Scollr Reader forms an updated and expanded publication, as follows: - DSSR II Replaces Preliminary Editions of DSSR I with fine-tuned, published editions. - DSSR II Presents Improved or Revised Texts - DSSR II Features Texts Not Published in DSSR I. - DSSR II Reassembles Segmented Texts. - DSSR II Deletes Extremely Fragmentary Texts. - DSSR II Updates Names of Compositions. - Quotations in Pesharim and Commentaries. - Indecipherable Words/Single Letters.Trade Review"Parry and Tov are to be praised once more for this highly comprehensive and most up-to-date collection of texts and for a most valuable and useful tool for everyone who wants to delve into the world of the Dead Sea Scrolls." Peter Porzig, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen

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Book SynopsisThis is volume 2 of a two volume set, which replaces the six volumes of the first edition. This volume contains Calendrical Texts and Sapiential Texts, Poetic and Liturgical Texts, Additional Genres and Unclassified Texts. This second and revised edition of the Dead Sea Scollr Reader forms an updated and expanded publication, as follows: - DSSR II Replaces Preliminary Editions of DSSR I with fine-tuned, published editions. - DSSR II Presents Improved or Revised Texts. - DSSR II Features Texts Not Published in DSSR I. - DSSR II Reassembles Segmented Texts. - DSSR II Deletes Extremely Fragmentary Texts. - DSSR II Updates Names of Compositions. - Quotations in Pesharim and Commentaries. - Indecipherable Words/Single Letters.Trade Review"Parry and Tov are to be praised once more for this highly comprehensive and most up-to-date collection of texts and for a most valuable and useful tool for everyone who wants to delve into the world of the Dead Sea Scrolls." - Peter Porzig, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen

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Book SynopsisCodex Alexandrinus is one of the three earliest surviving entire Greek Bibles and is an important fifth-century witness to the Christian Scriptures, yet no major analysis of the codex has been performed in over a century. In A Study of the Gospels in Codex Alexandrinus W. Andrew Smith delivers a fresh and highly-detailed examination of the codex and its rich variety of features using codicology, palaeography, and statistical analysis. Among the highlights of this study, W. Andrew Smith’s work overturns the view that a single scribe was responsible for copying the canonical books of the New Testament and demonstrates that the orthographic patterns in the Gospels can no longer be used to argue for Egyptian provenance of the codex.Trade Review'It is rare to find in a published university PhD thesis a mature work of scholarship. But this is my judgement of Smith's book. [...] Not surprisingly, footnoting, bibliography and indexing are of the highest order [...] With Smith as a trusty guide, any further studies of Alexandrinus are well served.' J. K. Elliott, University of Leeds, Novum Testamentum 58, 2016. 'Smith’s judicious study not only stands up well among other seminal works dealing with Codex Alexandrinus, [...] it further serves to thoughtfully advance their insights, and in so doing will both encourage a renewed interest in, and establish itself as indispensable to, the further study of this remarkable manuscript.' Kent D. Clarke,Trinity Western University, Religious Studies Review · VOLUME 42 · NUMBER 2 · JUNE 2016 'This is an extremely well-executed study, accompanied by illustrations and rich in data. [...] it is likely to be consulted as a standard reference work for those who engage in further study of Codex Alexandrinus. This volume will be welcomed by New Testament text critics and those who study the Gospels more widely.' Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh, Expository Times 126(12), 2015 'This book is not only valuable due to its originality as the first detailed study of Codex Alexandrinus available. It can also serve as a role model for studies of other manuscripts because its method are sound, its analyses are meticulous, and it deals with physical features of a manuscript, so that the manuscript is assessed for what it is: a physical (and in most cases archaeological) object.' Thomas J. Kraus, University of Zurich, TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism 20, 2015. 'W. Andrew Smith is to be commended for his excellent and meticulous study [...] This book is to be recommended to anyone who studies New Testament manuscripts. Those who study Codex Alexandrinus will find this work to be essential.' Elijah Hixson, University of Edinburgh, Fides et Humilitas 2, 2015. 'Now, at long last, we finally have the first fruits of meticulous and well-documented research into A's codicology and palaeography. It is to be hoped that Smith's splendid and inaugural work, examining the codex qua codex, will encourage others to undertake comparable studies on the rest of this manuscript. Smith's published thesis sets a gold standard that others may model their research on.' J. K. Elliott, University of Leeds, Theologische Literaturzeitung 141, 2016.Table of ContentsIntroduction Objective Overview of the Following Chapters Manuscript Page Notation A Note on the Manuscript Images Chapter 1. Codex History Codicology and the History of Codex Alexandrinus 1627 to Present Codex History Prior to 1627 Chapter 2. Codicology The Codex Materials Composition and Binding Dimensions and Formatting Contents Ordering of the New Testament Books Numbering Closing Remarks on the Codicology of Alexandrinus Chapter 3. Palaeography and Paratextual Features of the Gospels The Hands Use of Color Superscriptions, Subscriptions, and Tailpiece Designs Eusebian Apparatus Kephalaia and Titloi Conclusion Chapter 4. Scribes Overview of the Scribal Hands Unit Delimitation Nomina Sacra Other Abbreviations and Ligatures Orthography Conclusions Conclusion Creation of the Codex The Eusebian Apparatus and Use of Numbers Palaeography and Statistical Analysis Updating the Alexandrinus Knowledge Base Final Words Appendix A. Tables of Concordance Appendix B. Orthographic Data Appendix C. Statistical Analysis Appendix D. Eusebian Apparatus Data Appendix E. Unit Delimitation Data Works Cited

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Book SynopsisAlthough consistently overlooked or dismissed, John 8.6, 8 in the Pericope Adulterae is the only place in canonical or non-canonical Jesus tradition that portrays Jesus as writing. After establishing that John 8.6, 8 is indeed a claim that Jesus could write, this book offers a new interpretation and transmission history of the Pericope Adulterae. Not only did the pericope’s interpolator place the story in John’s Gospel in order to highlight the claim that Jesus could write, but he did so at John 7.53–8.11 as a result of carefully reading the Johannine narrative. The final chapter of the book proposes a plausible socio-historical context for the insertion of the story.Trade ReviewThis title has won the 2010 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise. "Keith's impressive, thought-provoking study will be of great interest to tholse interested in the Gospel of John, literacy in the Greco-Roman world, and intersections between textual history and Christian origins." – Frances Taylor Gench, in: Biblical Interpretation 20 (2012) "This book presents an impressively researched, inquisitive, and careful discussion of its primary focus (the Pericope Adulterae), its primary field (John’s Gospel), and its primary point (the social significance of portraying a grapho-literate Jesus)." – Rafael Rodríguez, Johnson Bible College, Knoxville "[Dieses Werk] befasst sich auf erfrischende und kreative Weise mit einer textgeschichtlich seit Erasmus von Rotterdam umstrittenen Perikope. [...] Es wird nicht nur in den Stand der Forschung über eine textgeschichtlich und theologisch-ethisch umstrittene Perikope, [..] umfassend und kompetent eingeführt, sondern es werden auch frisch und mutig neue Hypothesen auf argumentative Weise vorgetragen." – Ulrich Busse, in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 135 (2010) "...a most worth-while volume that will be a benefit not only to those in textual criticism, but also those more broadly in the field of New Testament studies and early Christian history.[...] Overall, Keith’s volume is an excellent contribution to the study of the PA and no doubt will alter the direction of future research on this passage. [...] an excellent resource for New Testament scholars. Not only does it make an impressive (and convincing) contribution to our understanding of the PA, but it illumines other important areas of early Christianity along the way." – Michael J. Kruger, in: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism 2011 (full review)Table of ContentsTable of Contents Foreword (Helen K. Bond) Preface Abbreviations Introduction: The Most Popular Story in the Gospels Chapter One: A History of Research on John 8.6, 8 Chapter Two: Speaking of Writing: καταγράφω and γράφω in Hellenistic, Jewish, and New Testament Contexts Chapter Three: Writing and Gradations of Literacy Chapter Four: Scribal Literacy in the New Testament World: The Scribes (and Pharisees) as Text-Brokers Chapter Five: The Pericope Adulterae at John 7.53–8.11: The Location Chapter Six: The Pericope Adulterae at John 7.53–8.11: The Preceding Context of John 7 Chapter Seven: The Pericope Adulterae at John 7.53–8.11: The Narrative Chapter Eight: The Pericope Adulterae at John 7.53–8.11: The (Divine) Grapho-Literacy of Jesus Chapter Nine: The Historical Context for the Insertion of the Pericope Adulterae into the Gospel of John: A Proposal Conclusion: The Pericope Adulterae in the Early Church Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSkandapurāṇa IIb presents a critical edition of Adhyāyas 31-52 from the Skandapurāṇa, with an introduction and English synopsis. The text edited in this volume includes central myths of early Śaivism, such as the destruction of Dakṣa's sacrifice and Śiva acquiring the bull for his vehicle. Also included is an extensive description of the thirteen hells (Naraka).

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Book Synopsis‘Delivery from slavery’: these words, taken from a Dutch labour movement song, perfectly map onto the Bible’s central concern. They are also similar to the Torah’s key phrase: ‘I am YHWH, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage' (Ex 20:2). The words are invoked here to serve as an axiom to be introduced into the modern period. The watchword ‘delivery from slavery’ translates the biblical message of the exodus from slavery into the theory and practice of a modern liberation movement. The present work argues that biblical theology is the attempt to ‘update’ the ‘language of the message’. It searches for a language that attends to the concerns of today’s world while ‘preserving’ the concerns that originally motivated biblical language.Table of ContentsTranslator’s Note Foreword by Roland Boer Introduction 1. Text and Context 2. Canon 3. Exodus 4. Covenant 5. Creation 6. Anthropology (Gn 2–4) 7. Entry 8. The Real Israel Postscript 1. Paul and the Messianic Community Postscript 2. Though he liberated others, he could not liberate himself References Index

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Book SynopsisIn Proverbs and the African Tree of Life Dorothy BEA Akoto-Abutiate juxtaposes chosen sayings from Proverbs and selected Ewe Folk proverbs using the agricultural metaphor of “grafting,” which she calls a “hermeneutic of grafting.” Though these two sets of sayings come from completely different cultural contexts, Akoto argues that folk sayings/proverbs, which abound in Africa, should be considered as an already mature, established tree on to which a piece of the biblical tree is spliced or engrafted to produce hybridized fruits that have uniquely different tastes than the fruits of each tree individually. This metaphorical grafting process allows the message of the Bible (in Proverbs) to be understood, imbibed and appropriated in Africa.

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta Institute Leiden is fulfilling its aim of producing a critical edition of the Old Testament in Syriac according to the Peshitta version. As this critical edition becomes available, Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Ezekiel 1-24: A Frame Semantics Approach takes its role in providing perspectives on the value of the Peshitta to Ezekiel in Old Testament textual studies. Godwin Mushayabasa uses the cognitive linguistics approach of frame semantics to determine what techniques were used to translate Ezekiel 1-24 from Hebrew to Syriac. He observes that the Peshitta was translated at the level of semantic frames, producing a fairly literal translation. In achieving this, the author also invokes interdisciplinary dialogue between biblical textual studies and cognitive linguistics sciences.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents a critical edition of the Judaeo-Arabic translation and commentary on the book of Esther by Saadia Gaon (882–942). This edition, accompanied by an introduction and extensively annotated English translation, affords access to the first-known personalized, rationalistic Jewish commentary on this biblical book. Saadia innovatively organizes the biblical narrative—and his commentary thereon—according to seven “guidelines” that provide a practical blueprint by which Israel can live as an abased people under Gentile dominion. Saadia’s prodigious acumen and sense of communal solicitude find vivid expression throughout his commentary in his carefully-defined structural and linguistic analyses, his elucidative references to a broad range of contemporary socio-religious and vocational realia, his anti-Karaite polemics, and his attention to various issues, both psychological and practical, attending Jewish-Gentile conviviality in a 10th-century Islamicate milieu.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Transliteration Tables Introduction Overview Methods and Themes in Saadia’s Exegesis of Esther 1 The Methodological Framework: Balancing Reason and Tradition 2 Interaction with Rabbinic Tradition 3 Polemics 4 Exploring the Exigence of Dissimulation Publication History Written Witnesses Employed for the Present Edition 1 Primary Witnesses to Saadia’s Commentary on Esther 2 Secondary Witnesses to Saadia’s Commentary on Esther: Judaeo-Arabic Reworkings, Précis, and Citations by Later Medieval Writers Editorial Method 1 The Basic Text 2 The Apparatuses Some Methodological Remarks on the Annotated English Translation Signs, Sigla, and Abbreviations Translation The Title and the Introduction 1 The First Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-ūlā) 2 The Second Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-thāniya) 3 The Third Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-thālitha) 4 The Fourth Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-rābiʿa) 5 The Fifth Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-khāmisa) 6 The Sixth Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-sādisa) 7 The Seventh Section (al-Qiṣṣat al-sābiʿa) Appendix, Bibliographical Abbreviations, Indices, and Plates Appendix: Secondary Judaeo-Arabic Witnesses to Saadia’s Commentary on Esther: Edited Texts of the Reworkings and Précis 1 An Anonymous Condensed Reworking of Kitāb al-īnās 2 A Condensed Reworking of Kitāb al-īnās, Encompassing the Commentary on 1:1–11 and the Introduction, in the Commentary of Isaac Gaon ben Israel on Pārāshat Tĕrūmā (Exod 25:1–27:19) 3 An Anonymous Précis of Saadia’s Comment on Esther 3:1–4 4 An Anonymous Abridged Reworking of Saadia’s Comment on Esther 1:1 Bibliographical Abbreviations 1 Libraries, Institutes, Organizations, and Manuscript Collections 2 Books, Articles, and Works in Manuscript Indices Manuscripts Scriptural References 1 Hebrew Bible 2 Qurʾān Rabbinic Literature Medieval Authors and Works General Index Plates The Edited Text Editorial Introduction (Abridged) The Judaeo-Arabic Text of Kitāb al-īnās bi-ʾl-jalwa

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Book SynopsisThe study sheds fresh light on aspects of the lawsuit motif in John from the background of Diaspora-Jewish and Greco-Roman data and perspectives. – John’s narrative of the attempts on Jesus for such crimes as breaking the Sabbath, blasphemy, and seduction are illuminated from Philo’s perspectives on vigilante execution. – Furthermore, John’s narrative of the official Jewish and Roman forensic procedures against Jesus can also be situated within the framework of the Greco-Roman administration exemplified by the legal papyri from the Roman Egypt. – Philo’s expectation of an eschatological emperor, who shall rule over many nations, provides a cultural context for the way John’s gospel re-inscribed Jesus as the true “Emperor” of all the nations.Trade Review"Per Jarle Bekken engages in a series of comparative studies of aspects of the motif found in various Philonic treatises as well as P.Oslo II 17. The results of these studeis are presented with great attention to method and logic [...] For those who study the forensic debates, the efforts of the Jewish authorities to seek Jesus out and entrap him, the numerous attempts to stone or apprehend him, and then finally the steps taken to have him crucified, Bekken’s book will be a valuable reference work." Jo-Ann A. Brant, Goshen College, Indiana, The Journal of Theological Studies 66/2 "The book as a whole will help to unravel the complex ambiguity involved in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of John’s Jesus by gradually probing both human and divine aspects of his identity in the Hellenistic Jewish and Roman imperial context. This work will be appealing to those readers interested not only in the Jewish and Greco-Roman context of John’s lawsuit motif but also in the colonial and imperial context of Jesus’ death as a crucified emperor." Sung Uk Lim, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, Biblical Interpretation 24 "The book is a careful examination of the sources. It provides valuable background material for the Johannine narrative in the context of ancient legal practice, historical experience, but also of narrative conventions and cultural expectations." Jutta Leonhardt-Baltzer, Journal for the Study of the New Testament 38/5Table of Contents1. Introduction Part One: The Jewish and Roman 'Trial' 2. Jewish Reactions against Violators of the Torah in Philo and John 3. The Official Jewish and Roman Proceedings against Jesus in the Light of Greco-Roman Protocols Part Two: The Johannine Lawsuit Motif in the Light of the Divine Realm and Jurisdiction 4. The Debate about Valid Testimony in John 5:31–40; 8:12–20 and Philo, Legum Allegoria 3:205–8 5. The Reversal of the Accusations of Blasphemy: John 5:1‒18 and 10:31‒9 in a Jewish Context Part Three: The Theme of Jesus' Kingship in Negotiation with Jewish Hopes and the Roman Empire 6. The Divine Lawsuit Motif in John in the Light of Philo’s Treatise De Iosepho 7. The Theme of Jesus’ Kingship in Negotiation with Jewish Hopes and the Roman Empire Summary Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical Pentecostal Tradition: A Typological Account, L. William Oliverio Jr. accounts for the development of Classical Pentecostal theology, as theological hermeneutics, through four types: the original Classical Pentecostal hermeneutic, the Evangelical-Pentecostal hermeneutic, the contextual-Pentecostal hermeneutic, and the ecumenical-Pentecostal hermeneutic. Oliverio gives special attention to key figures in shaping Pentecostal theology and the underlying philosophical assumptions which informed their theological interpretations of reality. The text concludes with a philosophical basis for future Pentecostal theological hermeneutics within the contours of a hermeneutical realism that affirms both the hermeneutical nature of all theology and the implicit affirmation of realism within theological accounts.Trade Review"The book deserves to be widely read, not just by those working in the field of Pentecostal and Charismatic studies but also by those working in the field of historically informed theological hermeneutics more generally. I expect that it will become a standard advanced text in many theological colleges and seminaries." Mark J. Cartledge, University of Birmingham, UK "Oliverio provides the first comprehensive account of the history of Pentecostal theological hermeneutics. He shows that Pentecostalism did not simply borrow the theological categories of its Holiness and Reformed predecessors. The early Pentecostal theological hermeneutic—centered on the four/five fold Gospel, the restorationist motif, biblical authority, and pragmatic realism—created a new theological tradition. Highly recommended for its readability and effective charting of the development and diversification of theological methods among historical and contemporary Classical Pentecostals." Steven M. Studebaker, Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Howard and Shirley Bentall Chair in Evangelical Thought, McMaster Divinity College "If the new dialogue between biblical exegetes and systematic theologians is indeed the most significant theological development in the last two decades, as Miroslav Volf has recently claimed, then the largely unsung contribution of Pentecostal thinkers to this discussion surely ranks as the next most significant development. In providing a typology of Pentecostal approaches to theological hermeneutics, Oliverio’s fine study not only helps non-Pentecostals to understand what has been happening (“Pentecostal Scholasticism” – who knew?) but also proffers fresh resources – in particular an expansive and realistic “contextual-Pentecostal” hermeneutic of “the full gospel” that views word-Spirit-community as inextricably linked – for tired Protestant discussions about the theological interpretation of the Bible." Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL)Table of ContentsAbbreviations ... xi Acknowledgments ... xiii Introduction ... 1 1. Theological Hermeneutics, Paradigms and Interdependence ... 2 2. Classical Pentecostalism as a Tradition ... 5 3. Review of the Literature ...12 4. An Overview of My Thesis ...15 1 The Theological Roots of Early Pentecostal Theology ...19 1.1 Theological Roots of Classical Pentecostalism and the “Full Gospel” ... 20 1.1.1 Roots in the Wesleyan-Holiness Tradition ... 21 1.1.2. Roots in the American Revivalist Tradition and Radical Evangelicalism ... 24 1.1.3. Roots in the Keswick Movement ... 27 1.1.4. Roots in Premillennialism ... 28 1.2. Conclusion: The Roots of Early Pentecostal Theology ... 30 2 The Original Classical Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 31 2.1. Major Interpretations of Early Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 34 2.1.1. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen ... 35 2.1.2. Grant Wacker ... 36 2.1.3. French Arrington ... 41 2.1.4. Kenneth J. Archer ... 44 2.1.5. Douglas Jacobsen ... 48 2.1.6. Conclusion: Interpretations of Early Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 50 2.2. Early Pentecostal Hermeneuts: Four Exemplars ... 51 2.2.1. Charles Fox Parham: Proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel ... 51 2.2.2. William Joseph Seymour and the Azusa Street Apostolic Faith Mission: The Cradle of Early Pentecostalism ... 57 2.2.3. Charles Harrison Mason: Interpreting the Signs in God’s World ... 66 2.2.4. Garfijield Thomas Haywood: Apostolic Interpretation ... 73 2.3. Conclusion: The Original Classical Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 78 3 The Early Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 83 3.1. The American Evangelical Tradition and the Authority of Scripture ... 85 3.2. Daniel Warren Kerr and the Early (Re)Turn to Evangelical Theological Method ... 88 3.3. Pentecostalism and Fundamentalism ... 104 3.3.1. American Fundamentalism ... 104 3.3.2. Pentecostalism and Fundamentalism ... 106 3.3.3. Dispensationalism and Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 113 3.4. The Emergence of “Pentecostal Scholasticism” ... 116 3.4.1. P.C. Nelson’s Translation of Eric Lund’s Hermeneutics: Common Sense Grammatical Biblical Hermeneutics ... 118 3.4.2. Myer Pearlman: Organizing and Delineating Pentecostal Doctrine ... 121 3.5. Conclusion: The Early (Re)Turn to Evangelical Hermeneutics ... 130 4 The Contemporary Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 133 4.1. Contemporary Evangelical Theological Hermeneutics: The Penultimate Authority of Scripture ... 136 4.2. The Contemporary Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 141 4.2.1. The Hermeneutics of Inerrancy in the Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 142 4.2.2. The Author-Centered Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 148 4.2.3. Pneumatic Interpretation in the Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 157 4.2.4. David Bernard’s Apostolic Interpretation ... 165 4.3. Gordon Fee and the Debate over the Hermeneutics of Pentecostal Doctrines ... 167 4.3.1. Gordon Fee’s Hermeneutics and Pentecostal Theology ... 168 4.3.2. Luke as Theologian: Roger Stronstad, Robert Menzies and the Biblical Justifijication for the Distinctive Pentecostal Doctrines ... 177 4.3.3. The Signifijicance of the Debate ... 182 4.4. Conclusion: The Signifijicance of the Contemporary Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 182 5 The Contextual-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 185 5.1. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Contemporary Philosophical Hermeneutics ... 187 5.2. The Postmodern Contextual-Pentecostal Critique of the Evangelical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 190 5.3. Ethnic and Cultural Contexts and Pentecostal Theology ... 202 5.4. James K.A. Smith’s Creational Hermeneutic: An Incarnational Pentecostal Hermeneutic after the Linguistic Turn ... 204 5.4.1. Creation, Finitude and the Ubiquity of Interpretation: Smith’s Turn to Temporality, Situationality and Traditionality ... 209 5.4.2. Smith’s Creational Hermeneutic and Its Incarnational Strategy ... 215 5.4.3. Smith’s Creational Hermeneutic and Ethical Responsibility toward Authors ... 218 5.4.4. The Pentecostal Speech of the Christian Community ... 220 5.4.5. Smith’s Hermeneutic as a Contextual-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 223 5.5. John Christopher Thomas and Kenneth J. Archer: Narrative and Communitarian Approaches to Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 224 5.5.1. John Christopher Thomas and the Role of Community in Biblical Hermeneutics ... 224 5.5.2. Kenneth J. Archer and the Making of Meaning in Pentecostal Communities ... 227 5.6. Amos Yong’s Trinitarian-Pneumatological Approach to Pentecostal Hermeneutics ... 232 5.6.1. Trinity, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Pneumatology ... 233 5.6.2. Discernment of Spirit(s) ... 238 5.6.3. The Trialectic Movement of Spirit-Word-Community ... 240 5.7. Conclusion: Evaluating the Development of the Contextual-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 247 6 The Ecumenical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 253 6.1. Classical Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: A Brief Historical Overview ... 255 6.2. Pioneering Toward an Ecumenical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 264 6.2.1. Ernest Swing Williams: A Mid-Twentieth Century Pentecostal Dialectician ... 264 6.2.2. Cecil M. Robeck, Jr.: Ecumenism’s Pentecostal Advocate ... 272 6.2.3. Pentecostal Theological Hermeneutics in Ecumenical Dialogues ... 279 6.3. The Contemporary Ecumenical-Pentecostal Hermeneutic ... 292 6.3.1. Frank D. Macchia and the Expansion of the Boundaries of Spirit Baptism ... 293 6.3.2. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and the Development of Consensual Doctrines ... 300 6.3.3. Simon Chan’s Call for Pentecostal “Traditioning” ... 306 6.3.4. Koo Dong Yun and a Dialectical Approach to Baptism in the Spirit ... 308 6.4. Conclusion: Tradition, Systematic Theology and Pentecostalism ... 310 7 Toward a Hermeneutical Realism for Pentecostal Theological Hermeneutics ... 315 7.1. Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical Pentecostal Tradition: Summarizing a Typological Account ... 315 7.2. Toward a Hermeneutical Realism for Pentecostal Theological Hermeneutics ... 319 7.2.1. The Linguistic Turn and the Rejection of a Foundationalism of Indubitable Beliefs ... 320 7.2.2. Paradigms and Best Accounts of Our World ... 327 7.2.3. The Hermeneutic Responsibility toward the Real ... 342 7.2.4. Fides Quarens Intellectum: Faith and Theology ... 343 7.2.5. Meaning, Reality and Hermeneutic Responsibility ... 345 7.3. Resources (and Our Guide) for Pentecostal Theological Hermeneutics ... 354 7.3.1. The Spirit, Our Guide ... 355 7.3.2. Word ... 357 7.3.3. Creation and Culture ... 358 7.3.4. Tradition ... 360 7.4. Conclusion: Growing in Faith, Hope and Love ... 361 Bibliography ... 363 Index ... 377

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Book SynopsisIn Christus Militans knüpft Gabriella Gelardini an Interpretationen an, die das Markusevangelium im Kontext des jüdisch-römischen Krieges und des Aufstiegs der Flavier interpretieren. Von Interesse sind darin aber nicht nur „ideologische Macht- oder Herrschaftsdiskurse,“ sondern insbesondere auch die militärischen Zusammenhänge und die Kriegssemantik im engeren Sinn. Dies erfolgt eingedenk der großen Bedeutung, die das Militär und der Krieg für die Herstellung und Aufrechterhaltung von Herrschaft in der Antike hatten, besonders bei Dynastiewechseln.Table of ContentsVorwort 1. Einleitung 1.1 Zum „imperiumskritischen“ Interpretationsansatz in der neueren Markusforschung 1.2 Forschungsinteresse, Methode und Inhalt Teil I Methodisches Vorgehen und exegetische Analyse des Markusevangeliums 2. Methodisches Vorgehen 2.1 Szenen und Episoden 2.2 Text 2.3 Inhalt 2.4 Politisch-militärisches Profil 3. Exegetische Analyse des Markusevangeliums 3.1 Episode A (Mk 1,1–15) 3.2 Episode B (Mk 1,16–2,17) 3.3 Episode C (Mk 2,18–3,35) 3.4 Episode D (Mk 4,1–34) 3.5 Episode E (Mk 4,35–8,9) 3.6 Episode E’ (Mk 8,10–9,29) 3.7 Episode D’ (Mk 9,30–10,52) 3.8 Episode C’ (Markus 11,1–12,44) 3.9 Episode B’ (Markus 13,1–14,31) 3.10 Episode A’ (Markus 14,32–16,8) Teil II Systematische Präsentation und Interpretation der exegetischen Erträge und ihre intertextuell‐historische Verortung 4. Systematische Präsentation und Interpretation der exegetischen Erträge 4.1 Episoden und die makrotextliche Struktur 4.2 Szenentypologie 4.3 Namen und Titel 4.4 Raum und Zeit 4.5 Kriegsrelevante Lexeme 4.6 Politisch-militärische Profile 5. Intertextuell--‐historische Verortung der exegetischen Erträge 5.1 Einleitung 5.2 Kriegsanlass 5.3 Divinationen 5.4 Kriegsbefugnis 5.5 Feldherren 5.6 (Bürger)Heer 5.7 Kriegsführung 5.8 Kriegsfolgen 6. Erträge und Schlussfolgerungen 6.1 Erträge 6.2 Schlussfolgerungen

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Book SynopsisThe Uses of the Bible in Crusader Sources sets out to understand the ideology and spirituality of crusading by exploring the biblical imagery and exegetical interpretations which formed its philosophical basis. Medieval authors frequently drew upon scripture when seeking to justify, praise, or censure the deeds of crusading warriors on many frontiers. After all, as the fundamental written manifestation of God’s will for mankind, the Bible was the ultimate authority for contemporary writers when advancing their ideas and framing their world view. This volume explores a broad spectrum of biblically-derived themes surrounding crusading and, by doing so, seeks to better comprehend a thought world in which lethal violence could be deemed justifiable according to Christian theology. Contributors are: Jessalynn Bird, Adam M. Bishop, John D. Cotts, Sini Kangas, Thomas Lecaque, T. J. H. McCarthy, Nicholas Morton, Torben Kjersgaard Nielsen, Luigi Russo, Uri Shachar, Iris Shagrir, Kristin Skottki, Katherine Allen Smith, Thomas W. Smith, Carol Sweetenham, Miriam Rita Tessera, Jan Vandeburie, Julian J. T. Yolles, and Lydia Marie Walker.Trade Review"The Uses of the Bible in Crusader Sources makes an important and timely intervention in the field of crusader studies. As the title suggests, the volume aims not only to advance our understanding of crusade ideology, by analysing its biblical foundations and relationship with contemporary exegetical interpretations, but also to contribute to wider scholarship on the assimilation of scriptural imagery in medieval texts... In short, anyone interested in the ideology and spirituality of crusading, and the construction of crusade sources, would benefit enormously from reading this book, which looks set to become a standard reference work." Stephen J. Spencer, in Reviews in History, review no. 2193. Date accessed: 20 November 2017. Click here. "This is a deeply interesting, impossibly important book that successfully builds upon existing scholarly trends related to medieval Christian holy war but then also manages to move in new, exciting directions... In the end, this might be the most important contribution of all these fine essays—to remind us that the lens of analysis refracts, that it shapes how an author sees their subjects... Thanks to this collection of essays we now understand better how religion was embedded not just in how the medieval Christian holy war was conducted but also in how it was narrated and reimagined, both in the Middle Ages and today." Matthew Gabriele (Virginia Tech), in Reading Religion, September 12, 2018. ''This volume represents an important contribution to emergingefforts to integrate thestudy of the Crusades into the history of medieval Christian practice. In recent years, scholars of the Crusades have emphasized the importance of focusing on the intersection of the Crusades with medieval piety,in order to develop a fuller understanding of the crusading mind-set and the cultural influence of crusading. One area that both demands attention and offers considerable opportunity for research is the role of biblical texts in the crusading movement. Although historians have traced Bible references in crusading texts before, remarkably few works have made them the central focus of a study of the Crusades. Thisbook attempts to encourage and promote such investigations by providing a survey of biblical exegesis of the Crusades''. Richard Allington, in Speculum 95/1 , January 2020. "Lapina and Morton’s volume is comprehensive and it offers an informative catalogue of views, sources, and accounts […] an excellent panoramic view of the biblical exegesis in the crusades that is thought-provoking and critical […] One hopes there will be a continuation on the topic in future publications and volumes. In general, this a thoughtful and excellent volume on the matter". Angela P. Pacheco, in De Re Militari, January 2020.

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Book SynopsisThe collection of essays focuses on the twin areas of research undertaken by Prof. Michael W. Holmes. These are the sub-disciplines of textual criticism and the study of the Apostolic Fathers. The first part of the volume on textual criticism focuses on issues of method, the praxis of editing and collating texts, and discussions pertaining to individual variants. The second part of the volume assembles essays on the Apostolic Fathers. There is a particular focus on the person and writings of Polycarp, since this is the area of research where Prof. Holmes has worked most intensively.Table of ContentsForeword: Bart D. Ehrman Introduction: Daniel M. Gurtner, Juan Hernández Jr., Paul Foster Part 1 - Text Criticism: 1. Eldon Jay Epp, “The Late Constantin Tischendorf and Codex Sinaiticus: New Testament Textual Criticism without Them–An Exercise in Erasure History.” 2. J. K. Elliott, “Patristic Evidence in the Apparatus Criticus of a Greek New Testament.” 3. Juan Hernández Jr. “Nestle-Aland 28 and the Revision of the Apocalypse’s Textual History.” 4. Jean-François Racine, “The Edition of the Greek New Testament: A Plea and a Challenge.” 5. Amy S. Anderson, “Codex 2193 and Family 1 in Mark.” 6. Daniel M. Gurtner, “Water and Blood and Matthew 27:49: A Johannine Reading in the Matthean Passion Narrative?” 7. Christina M. Kreinecker, “Of Fish and Men: Comparative, Text-Critical and Papyrological Remarks on Matt. 13:47–50 and the GTh 8.” 8. Daniel B. Wallace, “The Son’s Ignorance in Matthew 24.36: An Exercise in Textual and Redaction Criticism.” 9. Larry W. Hurtado, “A Fresh Analysis of P.Oxyrhynchus 1228 (P22) as Artifact.” 10. Chuck E. Hill, “Rightly Dividing the Word: Uncovering an Early Template for Textual Division in John’s Gospel.” 11. Roderic L. Mullen, “Asterius ‘the Sophist’ of Cappadocia: Citations from the Gospel of John as attested in the Theological Fragments.” 12. James R. Royse, “A Text-Critical Examination of the Johannine Variation.” 13. David C. Parker, Klaus Wachtel, Bruce Morrill and Ulrich Schmid, “The Selection of Greek Manuscripts to be Included in the International Greek New Testament Project’s Edition of John in the Editio Critica Maior.” 14. H.A.G. Houghton, “A Longer Text of Paul: Romans to Galatians in Codex Wernigerodensis (VL 58).” 15. Tommy Wasserman, “A Short Textual Commentary on Galatians.” 16. Christopher M. Tuckett, “The Text of Galatians 4:25a.” 17. Dirk Jongkind, “On the Marcionite Prologues to the Letters of Paul.” Part 2 - Early Christianity: 18. Paul Foster, “Polycarp in the Writings of Ignatius.” 19. Paul Hartog, “The Devil’s in the Details: The Apocalyptic ‘Adversary’ in the Martyrdom of Polycarp and the Martyrs of Lyons.” 20. James Carleton Paget, “The Old Testament in the Apostolic Fathers.” 21. Peter M. Head, “‘Witnesses between you and us’: The Role of the Letter-Carriers in 1 Clement.” 22. Clayton N. Jefford, “Defining Exceptions in the Didache.” 23. Harry O. Maier, “Space, Body, and Church in Ignatius of Antioch: Toward a Spatial Treatment.” 24. Tobias Nicklas, “Living as a ‘Christian’: Christian Ethos According to the Writings of Ignatius of Antioch.” 25. Wilhelm Pratscher, “Scripture and Christology in the Preaching of Peter (Kerygma Petri).” 26. Joseph Verheyden, “On ‘Rotten Stones’ and a Couple of Other Marginalia in the Shepherd of Hermas.” 27. Holger Strutwolf, “Anima naturaliter Christiana – Beobachtungen zum philosophischen und theologischen Hintergrund der Seelenlehre Tertullians.”

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Book SynopsisIn The Antiochene Crisis and Jubilee Theology in Daniel’s Seventy Sevens, Dean R. Ulrich explores the joint interest of Daniel 9:24-27 in the Antiochene crisis of the second century B.C.E. and the jubilee theology conveyed by the prophecy’s structure. This study is necessary because previous scholarship, though recognizing the jubilee structure of the seventy sevens, has not sufficiently made the connection between jubilee and the six objectives of Daniel 9:24. Previous scholarship also has not adequately related the book’s interest in Antiochus IV to the hope of jubilee, which involves the full inheritance that God has promised to his people but that they had lost because of their compromises with Antiochus IV.

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Book SynopsisReception history has emerged over the last decades as a rapidly growing domain of research, entertaining a notable methodological diversity. Authoritative Texts and Reception History samples that diversity, offering a collection of essay that discuss various reception-historical issues, from a plurality of perspectives, across several fields: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Pseudepigrapha and the Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, early and late-antique Christianity. While furthering specific discussions in their specific fields, the contributions included here—authored by both established and emerging scholars—illustrate just how wide the umbrella of ‘reception history’ can be, and the varied range of topics, concerns and approaches it can accommodate.Trade Review"Книга хорошо структурирована и оснащена полезными сопроводительными материалами. (...) [Э]та монография (...) должна быть внимательно прочитано и учтена специалистами по религиозному лидерству поздей Античности." Antonov Nikolai Konstantinovich, Vestnik PSTGU, Seriia I: Bogoslovia, Filosofiia Religiovedenie, no. 99 (2022)Table of ContentsContributors are: Moshe Blidstein, Michael A. Clark, James R. Davila, Rebekah Devine, Mark W. Elliott, Nicholas Ellis, Kevin Haley, Benjamin J.M. Johnson, David J. Larsen, Kerry Lee, Justin A. Mihoc, Frederik Mulder, Albertina Oegema, Beniamin Pascut, Martin G. Ruf, Andrew Talbert, Madalina Toca, Kristin De Troyer, Marijana Vuković, N. T. Wright.

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Book SynopsisIn this study on the kābôd of YHWH biblical texts are approached from a canonical perspective, and the synchronic approach prevails over the diachronic. Ben Sira characterized Ezekiel as the prophet who saw the appearance of the glory of God. This characterization is not based on the number of occurrences of kābôd in Ezekiel. The peculiarity of Ezekiel is that kābôd is used almost exclusively as a hypostasis of YHWH. Ezekiel’s description of the kābôd of YHWH is more elaborate than any other Old Testament writer’s, and it highlights the dual and paradoxical nature of the divine kābôd as both defying verbal description and being potentially visible. This research highlights especially the importance of the visible aspect.

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Book SynopsisIn Public Reading in Early Christianity: Lectors, Manuscripts, and Sound in the Oral Delivery of John 1-4 Dan Nässelqvist investigates the oral delivery of New Testament writings in early Christian communities of the first two centuries C.E. He examines the role of lectors and public reading in the Greek and Roman world as well as in early Christianity. Nässelqvist introduces a method of sound analysis, which utilizes the correspondence between composition and delivery in ancient literary writings to retrieve information about oral delivery from the sound structures of the text being read aloud. Finally he applies the method of sound analysis to John 1–4 and presents the implications for our understanding of public reading and the Gospel of John.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Pragmatics of Reading 3. Lectors in Early Christian Communities 4. A Method of Sound Analysis 5. John 1 – Introducing Jesus 6. John 2 – Jesus in Action 7. John 3 – Jesus in Discourse 8. John 4 – Jesus in Samaria 9. Conclusions and Implications

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta is the Syriac translation of the Old Testament made on the basis of the Hebrew text during the second century CE. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this document is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. Its language is also of great interest to linguists. Moreover, as Bible of the Syriac Churches it is used in sermons, commentaries, poetry, prayers, and hymns. Many terms specific to the spirituality of the Syriac Churches have their origins in this ancient and reliable version of the Old Testament. The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Preface. - Genesis; Exodus.Trade Review'This magnificent series provides a reliable base from which to compare the Syriac Old Testament with the Hebrew Vorlage and the Greek and Aramaic versions.' James H. Charlesworth, Religious Studies Review, 1980. 'Dem wissenschaftlichen Interesse ist ... ein reiches Studienmaterial zur Verfügung gestellt, während der Text selbst erleichtert erscheint und gut lesbar geworden ist.' R. Köbert, Biblica, 1980. '...un monument qui défiera les siècles.' F.L., Revue Biblique, 1975. '...this authoritative edition is an indispensable source not only for the biblical text but also for early eastern Christianity.' M.P. Weitzman, Journal of Theological Studies, 1987.

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta is the Syriac translation of the Old Testament made on the basis of the Hebrew text during the second century CE. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this document is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. Its language is also of great interest to linguists. Moreover, as Bible of the Syriac Churches it is used in sermons, commentaries, poetry, prayers, and hymns. Many terms specific to the spirituality of the Syriac Churches have their origins in this ancient and reliable version of the Old Testament. The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Job.

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta is the Syriac translation of the Old Testament made on the basis of the Hebrew text during the second century CE. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this document is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. Its language is also of great interest to linguists. Moreover, as Bible of the Syriac Churches it is used in sermons, commentaries, poetry, prayers, and hymns. Many terms specific to the spirituality of the Syriac Churches have their origins in this ancient and reliable version of the Old Testament. The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Judges and Samuel.

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta is the Syriac translation of the Old Testament made on the basis of the Hebrew text during the second century CE. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this document is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. Its language is also of great interest to linguists. Moreover, as Bible of the Syriac Churches it is used in sermons, commentaries, poetry, prayers, and hymns. Many terms specific to the spirituality of the Syriac Churches have their origins in this ancient and reliable version of the Old Testament. The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Kings.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents the Syriac text of the books of Chronicles as well as a critical apparatus in respect of the textual witnesses.Trade Review'There are now not many volumes to go before this excellent edition of the Syriac Old Testament shall be complete!’ Martin Parmentier, International Journal in Philosophy and Theology, 2001.

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Book SynopsisThe Peshitta is the Syriac translation of the Old Testament made on the basis of the Hebrew text during the second century CE. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this document is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. Its language is also of great interest to linguists. Moreover, as Bible of the Syriac Churches it is used in sermons, commentaries, poetry, prayers, and hymns. Many terms specific to the spirituality of the Syriac Churches have their origins in this ancient and reliable version of the Old Testament. The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Apocalypse of Baruch and 4 Esdras.

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Book SynopsisMany assume the book of Revelation is merely an “anti-imperial” attack on the Roman Empire. Yet, Shane J. Wood argues this conclusion over-exaggerates Rome’s significance and, thus, misses Revelation’s true target—the construction of the alter-empire through the destruction of the preeminent adversary: Satan. Applying insights from Postcolonial criticism and 'Examinations of Dominance,' this monograph challenges trajectories of New Testament Empire Studies by developing an Alter-Imperial paradigm that appreciates the complexities between the sovereign(s) and subject(s) of a society—beyond simply rebellion or acquiescence. Shane J. Wood analyses Roman propaganda, Jewish interaction with the Flavians, and Domitianic persecution to interpret Satan's release (Rev 20:1-10) as the climax of God's triumphal procession. Thus, Rome provides the imagery; Eden provides the target.

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Book SynopsisIn Exegeting the Jews: The Early Reception of the Johannine "Jews", Michael G. Azar analyzes the rhetorical function of the Gospel of John’s "Jews" in the earliest surviving full-length expositions of John in Greek: Origen’s Commentary on John (3rd cent.), John Chrysostom’s Homilies on John (4th cent.), and Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on John (5th cent.). While scholarship often has portrayed the reception history (Wirkungsgeschichte) of the Gospel’s “Jews” as simply and uniformly anti-Jewish or antisemitic, Azar demonstrates that these three writers primarily read John’s narrative typologically, employing the situation and characters in the Gospel not against contemporary Jews with whom they regularly interacted, but as types of each patristic writer’s own intra-Christian struggle and opponents.Trade ReviewDie Lektüre stimmt nachdenklich und ist jedem zu empfehlen, dem die antijüdische Wirkungsgeschichte des Johannesevangeliums ein Wissenschaftliches Anliegen ist. - Hans Förster, in: Theologische Revue, 2018 The argument is dense and detailed, supported by a wealth of footnotes and quotation, often in the original Greek, and a substantial bibliography. [Azar’s] work is to be commended for its thoroughness and for the insights it offers into the approaches of these influential church leaders. - Ruth B. Edwards, in: The Journal for the Study of the New Testament Booklist 2017Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 The Modern Reception of the Ancient Reception of John’s “Jews” Theologians and Historians of Jewish-Christian Relations Enter the New Testament Scholars Readings of the Johannine Jews in Late Antiquity: Summary of Argument 2 Origen of Alexandria Origen’s Commentary on John: Backgrounds Origen and the Johannine Christ: Teachers of Divine Things Corporeal Christians, Johannine Jews, and the Resistors of Divine Things Origen, Contemporary Gnostics and Jews, and John 3 John Chrysostom John Chrysostom and the Homilies on John John Chrysostom as Imitator of Christ John Chrysostom’s Audience as Imitators of the Johannine Jews The Jews of Antioch and John Chrysostom’s Reading of the Johannine Jews 4 Cyril of Alexandria Cyril’s Commentary on John: Backgrounds Cyril and the Johannine Christ: Teachers of Orthodox Doctrine The Johannine Jews as Catalysts of Orthodox Doctrine Cyril’s Reading of the Fourth Gospel and Contemporary Jews 5 Conclusion Summary: Ancient and Modern Readings of John’s Jews Reflections on the Ancient and Modern Readings

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Book SynopsisModeling Biblical Language presents articles with some of the latest scholarship applying linguistic theory to the study of the Christian Bible. The contributors are all associated with the McMaster Divinity College Linguistic Circle, a collegial forum for presenting working papers in modern linguistics (especially Systemic Functional Linguistics) and biblical studies. The papers address a range of topics in linguistic theory and the Hebrew and Greek languages. Topics include linguistic model building, temporality and verbal aspect, Greek lexical semantics and Hebrew-Greek translation, appraisal and evaluation theory, metaphor theory, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, and Greek clausal structure. These various areas of linguistic exploration contribute generally to the interpretation and analysis of the Old and New Testaments, as well as to linguistic theory proper.Trade Review"This volume informs readership of some recent developments in linguistics and demonstrates how these developments may provide a more nuanced understanding of biblical texts. The essays are helpful in identifying particular linguistic patterns, discourses, and structures that can be used as supportive exegetical tools." Svetlana Khobnya, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Booklist 2017Table of ContentsModeling Biblical Language: An Introduction, Stanley E. Porter, Gregory P. Fewster, and Christopher D. Land I. Modeling Language 1. Systemic Functional Linguistics and the Greek Language: The Need for Further Modeling, Stanley E. Porter 2. Aspect and Aktionsart Once Again, Francis G. H. Pang 3. Relative Temporal Ordering: Discourse Temporality in the Greek of the New Testament, Jeffrey Reber II. Modeling the Languages of the Hebrew Bible 4. Appraisal Theory and the Ideology of Judges 6, Mary L. Conway 5. Sam(p)son’s Advent: Comparative Discourse Analysis of Judges 13 in Hebrew and Greek, Anthony Pyles 6. Yahweh as Shepherd-King in Ezekiel 34: A Linguistic-Literary Analysis of Metaphors of Shepherding, Beth M. Stovell II. Modeling the Language of the Greek New Testament 7. Jesus before Pilate: A Discourse Analysis of John 18:33–38, Christopher D. Land 8. Towards a Model of Functional Monosemy: A Study of Creation Language in Romans, Gregory P. Fewster 9. An Intertextual Discourse Analysis of Romans 9:30–10:13, Xiaxia E. Xue 10. Reconsidering the Meaning and Translation of Πνευματικός and Πνεῦμα in the Discourse Context of 1 Corinthians 12–14, Hughson T. Ong 11. Metaphor Analysis with Some Help from Corpus Linguistics: Contextualizing ‘Root’ Metaphors in Colossians and Ephesians, Gregory P. Fewster 12. Language as Negotiation: A Functional Linguistic Model for Ideological Criticism with Application to James 2:1–13, Zachary K. Dawson 13. Meaning in Bulk: The Greek Clause Complex and 1 Peter 1:3–12, Benjamin B. Hunt

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Book SynopsisBodmer Papyri, Scribal Culture, and Textual Transmission presents a collection of Gordon Fee’s seminal works on New Testament textual criticism. His meticulous and thorough examination of New Testament papyrus Bodmer P66 (1968) insightfully describes its textual character and significant relationship to P75 and other early manuscripts. P66 and P75, among our most important and earliest papyri, were published only a half-dozen years before Fee’s volume, which has been heavily used and influential ever since. Prominent is his discovery of scribal activity in P66 that tended to correct its text toward the Byzantine. Fee’s ten successive, often quoted articles contribute substantially to our understanding of textual transmission and text-critical methodology, with an emphasis also on patristic citations. Completed with ample bibliographical resources, this volume is an indispensable resource for future research. Distinguished book reviewers wrote about Fee (1968): “full scale study” (Kilpatrick); “definitive analysis” (Metzger); “a most valuable work, ... which greatly advances the discipline of textual criticism in knowledge and method” (Birdsall).

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Book SynopsisThis volume contains selected papers from an international conference held in 2009 in Varna, Bulgaria. The papers represent major trends and developments in current research on the medieval Slavonic biblical tradition, primarily in comparison with Greek and Hebrew texts. The volume covers the translation of the canonical, apocryphal and pseudepigraphical books of the Old and New Testaments and its development over the ninth to sixteenth centuries. Another focus is on issues relating to Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the first Slavonic alphabet in the ninth century and the first translators of biblical books into Slavonic. The analytical approach in the volume is interdisciplinary, applying methodologies from textual criticism, philology, cultural and political history, and theology. It should be of value to Slavists, Hebraists and Byzantinists.Trade Review"The production values of the book are excellent. The text, photographs, illustrations, tables, diagrams (stemmata), charts, lists of abbreviations, detailed endnotes, and lengthy bibliographies are clearly and helpfully presented. The editors and publisher deserve praise for producing a volume that accurately and legibly presents large amounts of material in Hebrew, classical and Byzantine Greek, Slavonic (Glagolitic and Cyrillic), Latin, and Arabic, frequently synoptically line by line." --Paul Hollingsworth, Vienna, Virginia, Slavic Review, Cambridge University Press, 792-794 pp.Table of ContentsPreface SLAVONIC BIBLE Hebrew Bible or Septuagint: Later Preferences and the Stance of Nascent Christianity, Serge Ruzer Preliminary Remarks on the Old Church Slavonic Psalterium, Demetrii Sinaitici, Heinz Miklas, Melanie Gau, and Dana Hürner The Place of Dimitri’s Psalter (MS Sinai Slav 3N) in the Early Transmission of the Church Slavonic Psalter, Catherine Mary MacRobert The Headings in South Slavonic Copies of the Book of Exodus, Veselka Zhelyazkova The Importance of the Slavonic Version of the Book of the Prophet Jeremian to the Study of Its Original Structure in the Old Testament, Tatyana Mostrova The Three Slavonic Translations of the Greek Catena on Job. With an Appendix on the Author of the First Prologue to the First Translation: Polychronius or Photius?, Francis J. Thomson The Book of Proverbs in Vilnius 262, Moshe Taube Sophia, the Wisdom of God. According to Proverbs 9:1–11 in the Slavic Tradition of Word and Image, Iskra Hristova-Shomova Biblical Quotations in the Late South Slavonic Translation of Catena B2 with Commentaries on the Song of Songs, Margaret Dimitrova The Composition and Structure of the Book of Ben Sira in the Oldest Slavonic Translation, Svetlina Nikolova Distinguishing Features of the Dobrejšo Gospel’s Book of Matthew, Cynthia M. Vakareliyska The Banica, Dobrejšo and Curzon Gospels in Light of the Greek Text, Alberto Alberti The Names of the Books from the Biblical Corpus in Old Bulgarian Literature, Tatyana Ilieva Muslim Parallels to Slavonic Apocryphal Literature: the Case of the Narration of How God Created Adam, Sergey Minov Melchizedek among Russian Saints. The History of Melchizedek between Jews and Slavs, Christfried Böttrich CYRILLO-METHODIAN TRADITIONS The Extent of the Works of St. Methodius: Syntactic Observations, Johannes Reinhart Use of the Words ÞÄÝH, ÆHÄÎ Å, Å ÐÝH in the Long Vita of Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher, Maya Ivanova Towards the Critical Edition of the Vita Constantini, Mario Capaldo Towards a Critical Edition of the Vita Constantini: The South Slavonic Tradition, the Russian Copies of the Menologium for February and the Russian Miscellanies, Cristiano Diddi On the ‘Second’ Service for St. Cyril the Philosopher, Boyka Mircheva Canonical and Apocryphal Texts from the Bible in Balkan Calendrical Miscellanies (Based on Material from Bibliotheca Hagiographica Balcano-Slavica), Klimentina Ivanova Biblical Quotations in the Oration for the Nativity of the Theotokos by St. John Damascene in Two Middle Bulgarian Translations, Tsvetomira Danova King David and Royal Penance in Medieval Bulgaria During the Ninth and Tenth Centuries, Desislava Naydenova Convocato omni regno: The Council of 893 and its “Reflections” in Contemporary Historiography, Angel Nikolov Index

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Book SynopsisThe European view on history was shaken to its foundations when missionaries in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries discovered that Chinese history was older than European and Biblical history. With an analysis of the Chinese, Manchu and European sources on ancient Chinese history, this essay proposes an early case of “intercultural historiography,” in which historical texts of different cultures are interwoven. It focusses on the ways Chinese and European authors interpreted stories about marvellous births by the concubines of Emperor Ku. These stories have been the object of a wide variety of interpretations in Chinese texts, each of them representing a different historical genre. They are excellent case-studies to illustrate how the Chinese hermeneutic strategies shaped the diversity of interpretations given by Europeans.Trade Review"a sinological tour de force" (...) Standaert’s book on the intercultural “weaving of historical texts,” East–West, is an example of scholarship at its best. He has again offered a contribution to the fields of classical sinology and sino-missionary studies that shall remain a necessary voice in the scholarly discourse on how China and the West have encountered and changed oneanother in ways that have transformed the fabric of history." Anthony E. Clark, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, Journal of Jesuit Studies 4 (2017)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii List of Tables and Figures viii Introduction 1 Part 1: Between Chinese and European Sources: Europeans Writing Chinese History in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 1 Comprehensive Histories in Late Ming and Early Qing and the Genealogy of the Gangjian 綱鑑 Texts 15 2 Jesuit Accounts of Chinese History and Chronology and Their Chinese Sources 94 Part 2: Between Text and Commentaries: Europeans Reading Chinese History in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 3 Chinese Interpretations of Marvellous Births 169 4 Jesuit Interpretations of Marvellous Births 226 Conclusion 303 Postface 315 Bibliography 322 Index 354

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, Paul Robertson re-describes the form of the apostle Paul’s letters in a manner that facilitates transparent, empirical comparison with texts not typically treated by biblical scholars. Paul’s letters are best described by a set of literary characteristics shared by certain Greco-Roman texts, particularly those of Epictetus and Philodemus. Paul Robertson theorizes a new taxonomy of Greco-Roman literature that groups Paul’s letters together with certain Greco-Roman, ethical-philosophical texts written at a roughly contemporary time in the ancient Mediterranean. This particular grouping, termed a socio-literary sphere, is defined by the shared form, content, and social purpose of its constituent texts, as well as certain general similarities between their texts’ authors.Trade Review"This monograph asks important questions about the relations between a text's form, content, and social purpose. It points scholarship into a direction of observing how people and their texts form groups based on shared claims." Svetlana Knobnya, The Journal of the New Testament Booklist 2017, Volume 39.5, August 2017 "Ultimately, Robertson’s astute analysis of his collection of relevant data contributes a significant component to the task of understanding the Pauline letters in their literary context, and his emphasis on socio-literary spheres helps advance the discussion beyond polarizing binary approaches that do not adequately account for the complexities of comparing ancient literature. Paul’s Letters and Contemporary Greco-Roman Literature is aimed particularly at scholars studying the literary examination of Paul’s letters in their ancient literary context, and it deserves engagement in future endeavors in the field." Eric Covington, Universtity of St Andrews, Reviews of Biblical and Early Christian Studies (December 2016)Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 Paul, Paul’s Letters, and Contemporary Greco-Roman Literature of the Ancient Mediterranean My Approach: Textual Characteristics, Comparanda, and Socio-Literary Spheres Grounding the Present Study: Literary Criteria, and Specific versus Abstract Content Scholarship Characterizing Paul and Paul’s Letters Scholarship Characterizing the Broader Greco-Roman Literary Landscape Ancient Mediterranean Comparanda: Authors and Texts 2 Rethinking Paul and Paul’s Letters: Paul, Epictetus, and Philodemus in Context A Brief Introduction to Epictetus and Philodemus Textual Analysis and Comparison Social Location: Paul, Philodemus, and Epictetus 3 How Do We Compare Literature? Re-Classifying Paul’s Letters in a Socio-Literary Sphere An Introduction to Genre and Taxonomy Genre, Taxonomy, and Modern Literary Theory The Theoretical Turn I: Social Purpose The Theoretical Turn II: Linguistic Anthropology, Metadiscursivity, and Metapragmatics 4 An Overview of the Data: Annotated Literary Criteria in Paul, Epictetus, Philodemus, and Other Pauline Comparanda The Approach The Criteria Table of Contents for Literary Criteria General Comments An Introduction to the Data Sets The Data: A Brief Discussion Control Documents: Aelius Aristides’ Panathenaic Oration, the Damascus Document, and Other Pauline Comparanda 5 Socio-Historical Implications of Textual Comparison: The Education and Lives of Paul, Epictetus, and Philodemu Paul’s Letters, Literacy, and Education Broader Implications: Education and Social Location A Few Final Structural, Textual, and Abstract Considerations Conclusion: Socio-Literary Spheres and Literary Classification in Biblical and Classical Studies Review of Conclusions Further Thoughts and Future Study Appendix Graphical Analysis: Paul’s Letters and Comparanda Distilled Data: Literary Sphere and Other Comparanda Specific Textual Data: Paul, Epictetus, and Philodemus Bibliography Index of Terms Index of Ancient Authors and Texts

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Book SynopsisIn this book Helen Paynter offers a radical re-evalution of the central section of Kings. Reading with attention to the literary devices of carnivalization and mirroring, she demonstrates that it contains a florid satire on kings, prophets and nations. Building on the work of humorists, literary critics and biblical scholars, the author constructs diagnostic criteria for carnivalization (seriocomedy), and identifies an abundance of these features within the Elijah/Elisha and Aram narratives, showing how literary mirroring further enhances their satirical effect. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars concerned with the Hebrew Bible as literature but will be valued by those who favour more historical approaches for its insights into the Hebrew text.

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Book SynopsisIn Hebrew Lexical Semantics and Daily Life in Ancient Israel, Kurtis Peters hitches the world of Biblical Studies to that of modern linguistic research. Often the insights of linguistics do not appear in the study of Biblical Hebrew, and if they do, the theory remains esoteric. Peters finds a way to maintain linguistic integrity and yet simplify cognitive linguistic methods to provide non-specialists an access point. By employing a cognitive approach one can coordinate the world of the biblical text with the world of its surroundings. The language of cooking affords such a possibility – Peters evaluates not only the words or lexemes related to cooking in the Hebrew Bible, but also the world of cooking as excavated by archaeology.Trade Review'...for the student of Biblical Studies, historian or archaeologist, this book is both interesting and informative.' Michael Glasby, University of Edinburgh, The Expository Times 128 (10)

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Book SynopsisThe volume presents a selection of research projects in Digital Humanities applied to the “Biblical Studies” in the widest sense and context, including Early Jewish and Christian studies, hence the title “Ancient Worlds”. Taken as a whole, the volume explores the emergent Digital Culture at the beginning of the 21st century. It also offers many examples which attest to a change of paradigm in the textual scholarship of “Ancient Worlds”: categories are reshaped; textuality is (re-) investigated according to its relationships with orality and visualization; methods, approaches and practices are no longer a fixed conglomeration but are mobilized according to their contexts and newly available digital tools.Table of ContentsContributors are: Steve Benzek, David Bouvier, Claire Clivaz, Paul Dilley, David Hamidovic, Todd R. Hanneken, Hugh A.G. Houghton, Martin Kaiser, Lilian Larsen, David A. Michelson, Sara Schulthess, Catherine J. Smith, Apolline Thromas, Georg Wais.

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