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Colin Hamer

University of Chester, Theology & Religious Studies, Graduate Student

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2015 PhD University of Chester published as: Marital Imagery in the Bible: An Exploration of Genesis 2:24 and its Significance for the Understanding of New Testament Divorce and Remarriage Teaching (London: Apostolos, 2015). See: https://www.colinhamer.com/
MTh University of Wales 2009
BA University of Liverpool 1972
Supervisors: External examiner: David Instone-Brewer and Supervisors: Tom Holland and Richard Cozart
Phone: www.colinhamer.com
Address: www.colinhamer.com

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Papers by Colin Hamer

NCV12: Adam in Eden and the Doctrines of Grace This short paper suggests that the 'Doctrines of Grace' are required to rescue Adamic humanity from the deceit of Satan, not from an acquired Total Depravity

This short paper suggests that the ‘Doctrines of Grace’ are required to rescue Adamic humanity fr... more

NCV11 Who told you that you were naked?

Adam and Eve's awareness of their nakedness seems to be an allusion to the ancient Near East unde... more

NCV10 John H Walton New Explorations in the Lost World

This short paper considers some key points raised by John Walton in his newly released book: Walt... more

NCV9 Threat or Warning What Bible Scholars Say

The Eden story forms the foundational ‘myth’ of Western society — this short paper looks to demon... more

NCV8 Four Marriages and a Funeral in Eden

This short paper points out four marriages are referenced in Eden: (1) that of God with his human... more This short paper points out four marriages are referenced in Eden: (1) that of God with his human creation (thus Adam's exile was a 'divorce' from the marital home and a precise pre-echo of the fate of Israel); (2) the marriage of Adam and Eve prefigured typologically another marriage; (3) that of Christ and the church; (4) the Genesis 2:24 marriage provided the mechanism for that union and thus the recovery of Eden.

NCV7: Two Trees in Eden: The Two Seeds of Eden

This short paper considers the relationship between the two trees in Eden and the two seeds of th... more

NCV6 Christus Victor at Passover

This short paper considers the significance of the fact that Calvary occurred at the Passover not... more

NCV5 Two Trees in Eden Who Killed Adam

This short paper argues for the view that Paul in Romans 7:9–11 is referencing Adam in Eden — it ... more

The Samaritan Woman Meets the Bridegroom Messiah: An Implied Christology

This paper looks to demonstrate that the conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 is a bet... more

Ephesians 5:31‒32 and the People of God

This paper looks to demonstrate that Adam and Eve's marriage recorded in Gen 2:23 (Then the man s... more This paper looks to demonstrate that Adam and Eve's marriage recorded in Gen 2:23 (Then the man said, " This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man ") occupies a different conceptual domain to that of subsequent marriages described in Gen 2:24 (" Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh "). And to show how the Gen 2:24 mundane marriage affinity union is employed in Eph 5:31‒32 to underpin the offer of the gospel to the Gentiles and define the people of God.

A critique of James Bejon critique of The Day the Revolution Began

This paper critiques James Bejon’s critique of Tom Wright’s The Day the Revolution Began and sugg... more This paper critiques James Bejon’s critique of Tom Wright’s The Day the Revolution Began and suggests that Bejon is correct to point out Wright’s ambivalence about propitiation—but argues that Wright is correct in suggesting that evangelicalism has often reduced the Scripture metanarrative to the forgiveness of personal sins, and that such is seemingly evidenced by some of Bejon’s own comments.

THE LOST LEGACY OF THE REFORMATION: AN APOCALYPTIC METANARRATIVE

An Augustinian neoplatonic demythologised perspective came to dominate post-apostolic Christendom... more An Augustinian neoplatonic demythologised perspective came to dominate post-apostolic Christendom whereby Adam replaced Satan in the Bible’s metanarrative. Such went unchallenged by the 16th century Reformers. Subsequent biblical research, particularly of Second Temple Judaism, suggests that Augustine had departed from the Jewish understanding of their own Scriptures. The Reformers embraced an historical-grammatical approach to Scripture using all the resources at their disposal and overturned much reception history of the church to date. To revaluate the Reformers’ acceptance of the Augustinian understanding in light of recent scholarly research is consistent with that legacy. When this is done, an apocalyptic metanarrative emerges clearly from the page of Scripture.

In Summary: Divorce and Remarriage in the New Testament

The long-held understanding in the Old Testament was that the grounds for divorce were asymmetric... more The long-held understanding in the Old Testament was that the grounds for divorce were asymmetrical: the wife could divorce her husband if he failed to provide for her (Exodus 21:10–11), but the husband could only divorce his wife if she was sexually immoral, in which case he should give her a certificate of divorce which would enable her to remarry (Deuteronomy 24:1–4). But in New Testament times some were suggesting that the Deuteronomy 24 verses had been misunderstood and no such restriction applied. Thus, many had divorced their wives for a wide variety of reasons—it was called an ‘any cause’ divorce. Its legitimacy had become the ‘Brexit’ question of the day: Do you think that the new ‘any cause’ divorces for husbands are valid? Or do you think that the traditional understanding should remain—that is, the husband can only divorce his wife on the grounds of her sexual immorality?

The Cross : Redemption from the Curse of the Law

Paul, speaking to his fellow Jews says, 'All who rely on works of the law are under a curse' (Gal... more Paul, speaking to his fellow Jews says, 'All who rely on works of the law are under a curse' (Galatians 3:10)-and makes it clear that the curse is to rely on the law for their relationship with God. Jesus redeemed (ransomed) both Jew and Gentile to enable them to become Abraham's true offspring and thus heirs to God's promise. This demonstrated that the law played no part in becoming a child of God, and thus released the Jew from their misconception-the 'curse of the law'. Galatians 3:10−14 The curse of the law For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.' (v. 10) God hates sin (Psalm 5:5) and Paul here cites Deuteronomy 27 that gives a list of offences that give rise to a curse for individuals in Israel when they break God's laws-not that the law is itself a curse. But Paul makes a different point. He says, 'All who rely on works of the law are under a curse.' 1 And it becomes clear in these next verses what he means: The 'curse' for the Jewish people is believing that any Mosaic law could secure justification before God: Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.' But the law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them.' (vv.

The elohim in Eden

NCV4 Two Trees in Eden: 'Your Eyes Will Be Opened'

This paper looks at the expression in the Bible's Eden narrative that "your eyes will be opened" ... more

NCV3 Two Trees in Eden Like One of Us

This short paper considers the identity of 'us' in the Eden narrative and how that impacts our un... more

NCV2 Two Trees in Eden: The Serpent

This short paper will argue that there was no serpent in Eden — that such is a metaphoric descrip... more

NCV1 Two Trees in Eden: The Tree of Life

This short paper argues that the 'tree of life' in Eden is a metaphoric representation of Christ.

The Kingdom and Marital Imagery of Scripture

This short paper looks to demonstrate that the Bible’s marital imagery underpins its soteriologic... more