Through careful consideration of the writings of the apostle Paul in conjunction with the Lukan a... more Through careful consideration of the writings of the apostle Paul in conjunction with the Lukan account, it may be argued that the events of Acts 21-22 represent a coherent expression of the apostle's eschatological reconfiguration of the Jewish worldview, rather than an expression of hypocrisy and deception on the one hand, or the unchanged continuation of compulsory practice on the other. Additionally, if the purposes of God in bringing together Jews and Gentiles alike in one body to worship God without enforced distinction are to be realized in the life of the church, the Lukan narrative as a whole, and the temple-centric events of Acts 21-22 in particular, highlights the need for the reconfiguration articulated by Paul.
Even if it can be shown that there is continuity with a common temple worship in Jerusalem, the d... more Even if it can be shown that there is continuity with a common temple worship in Jerusalem, the differences in Judaism's liturgical worship in Palestine and the Diaspora in the matter of sacrifice account for the diversity of subsequent early Christian liturgical forms in different historical and regional contexts.
Colossians 1:9-14—a description of the ongoing prayers by Paul and his associates to the church i... more Colossians 1:9-14—a description of the ongoing prayers by Paul and his associates to the church in Colossae—grants us insight into Paul’s understanding of the Christian life as the embodied hope of the reign of Christ expressed in the formulation of a new humanity rooted and grounded in wisdom—the way of the will of God.
The themes of mystery, revelation and the cosmic scope of salvation that dominate the landscape o... more The themes of mystery, revelation and the cosmic scope of salvation that dominate the landscape of Paul’s thought may best be understood and applied today in light of their place among the Jewish apocalyptic thought of his day. In this way, what appears in Ephesians 3 to be an excursus from the main point is shown to be the foundation upon which the entirety of gospel theology and ecclesiology rests: the revelation of God’s mystery for the judgment and restoration of the cosmos.
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Papers by Timothy Harder