Methodology, Speech, Society: The Hebrew Bible

Religious Studies Review, 2011

A late Festschrift for Professor Jan P. Lettinga (1921), presented to him on 24 May 2018 (a dummy based on the first proofs) and published on 9 August in the series Oudtestamentische Studiën. With a biographical sketch and bibliography of Lettinga, and contributions by K.R. Veenhof, W.H.Ph. Römer, T. Muraoka, W.Th. van Peursen & M.F.J. Baasten, W.H. Rose, K. van Bekkum, W.A.M. Beuken, J. Dekker, H.G.L. Peels, G. Kwakkel, J.J.T. Doedens. Hereby the contents and the pre-proof version of the biographical chapter.

Reading Acts, 2023

Israel’s Scriptures in Early Christian Writings collects forty-two essays on topics related to how early Christian writers used the Jewish scripture they inherited. As Henze and Lincicum explain in their introduction, the Scriptures of Israel “forms the cultural encyclopedia necessary to understand what Jesus and his earliest followers did and thought” (1). Not only did the writers of the New Testament interact extensively with Israel Scriptures, they “inherited strategies of scriptural interpretation from their Jewish predecessors” (1). This volume, therefore, expresses the state of the question and presses the field forward into new avenues of scholarship. In doing so, they stand on the shoulders of Krister Stendahl (School of Matthew, 1968) and Richard Hays (Echoes of Scripture in Paul, 1989). However, even though the authors of the New Testament are either “Jews or Judaphiles,” not all New Testament scriptural interpretations are easily illustrated in Jewish literature, nor can all types of scriptural interpretation in contemporary Judaism be illustrated in the New Testament.

London: Printed for C. & J. Rivington, St. Paul’s Church-Yard, and Waterloo-Place, Pall-Mall. & The New Alexandria Library of Texas ☆, 1827

This super Rare double Volume 1,461 page work is not merely a theological or biblical exegesis, but a panoramic and proto-modern exploration of sacred literature through a scholarly lens that bridges multiple fields—historical theology, philology, biblical archaeology, classical studies, textual criticism, comparative mythology, liturgical history, ancient philosophy, orientalism, and the emerging science of hermeneutics. Drawing upon the rich intellectual ferment of late 18th- and early 19th-century German Catholic scholarship, Hug meticulously examines the authorship, structure, context, and transmission of every book in the New Testament. But beneath this lies a deeper interdisciplinary ambition: to map the development of sacred tradition in time and space through textual architecture, intertextual harmonies, and the reception of divine revelation across semantically encoded symbols, theological intention, and historical memory. Specialized Fields Engaged: • Textual Criticism – Analysis of manuscript families (Alexandrian, Western, Byzantine), variant readings, and interpolation hypotheses. • Biblical Canon Studies – Evolution of the NT canon; comparison with apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. • Semitic Philology – Insight into Aramaic idioms, Hebraic syntax within Greek texts, and lexical drift from Hebrew roots. • Koine Greek Linguistics – Examination of style, vocabulary, and grammar to determine authorship and date. • Church History – Patristic reception of the Gospels and epistles; early councils; usage in liturgy. • Historical Theology – Doctrinal development from apostolic preaching to dogmatic formulation. • Second Temple Judaism – Background context: Temple liturgy, Pharisaic and Sadducean influence, messianic expectations. • Greco-Roman Historiography – Influence of Hellenistic literary models on NT composition. • Comparative Religion – Parallels with Zoroastrian eschatology, Egyptian spiritual metaphors, and Greco-Roman mystery cults. • Mythography and Symbolism – Interpretation of apocalyptic imagery, sacred numerology, and cosmological motifs. • Liturgical Studies – How NT texts entered prayer, homily, and sacramental formulae. • Rhetoric and Ancient Logic – Pauline argumentation, use of enthymeme, chiasmus, and syllogism. • Canon Law and Ecclesiology – Role of apostolic authority in canon formation and institutional continuity. • Sacred Geography – References to Jerusalem, Asia Minor, and Roman provinces as sacred-cultural loci. • Mystical Theology – Johannine language of “Light,” “Word,” “Truth,” interpreted through Neoplatonic and early Christian mysticism. • Intertestamental Literature – Use of themes from Enoch, 4 Ezra, Jubilees. • Exegetical Methodology – Allegorical vs. literal interpretations; modes of prophetic fulfillment. • Historiography of Martyrdom – Influence of early Christian suffering on epistolary tone and gospel narrative. • Orientalist Translation Theory – Wait’s translatological method reflects early 19th-century strategies of conveying sacred nuance. • Biblical Astronomy and Cosmology – Reflections on Revelation’s star imagery, Pauline heavens, and Gospel transfigurations. • Apocalyptic Literature – Structural breakdown of Revelation with typologies from Daniel and intertestamental apocalypse. • Proto-Feminist Biblical Anthropology – Gendered readings of epistles and the Magdalene in Gospel accounts. • Psychological Theology – Inner life of the apostle Paul, existential anguish in Romans and Corinthians. Key Themes and Comparative Concepts: • Synoptic Problem and Gospel Interdependence – Hug posits intricate relationships between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, including source theories anticipating the Q hypothesis. • Johannine Dualism – The metaphysics of Logos, Light vs. Darkness, and Truth vs. World are expounded as a cosmotheological framework. • Pauline Dialectics – Faith vs. Law, Flesh vs. Spirit, and the Universal Church vs. Jewish nation—all traced as theological revolutions. • Apocalyptic Temporality – Linear vs. cyclical time in Revelation; eschaton as both historical judgment and internal transformation. • Historical Jesus vs. Christ of Faith – Hug delicately navigates between Enlightenment rationalism and traditional Christology. • Canonization as Political and Spiritual Process – How ecclesiastical power shaped what became the NT corpus. • Sacred Semiotics – Sacred names, titles (e.g., Son of Man, Lamb of God), and their function as theological symbols. • Gospel as Sacred Biography – Evangelists as theologians and historians. • Epistolary Authority – The role of letters in establishing orthodoxy across the Pauline and Catholic epistles. • Revelation as Ritual Drama – Analysis of liturgical and initiatory structures in the Apocalypse. • Sacramental Foreshadowing – Baptism, Eucharist, and Anointing in NT prefiguration. Why It’s Astounding: This work is not just a “background” to the New Testament—it is a cathedral of interlinked insight, constructed from stone blocks of historical facts, adorned with theological stained glass, and vaulted by the arches of textual precision. Dr. Hug anticipated methods that would dominate New Testament criticism a century later, yet retained the awe of sacred inspiration in every analytical paragraph. His world was one where philology meets prophecy, where textual scrutiny coexists with spiritual insight, and where faith is not opposed to reason, but magnified through it. This is the kind of work that bridges the sacred and the academic, suitable for divines, historians, linguists, philosophers, and even those interested in the mystical mechanics of scripture. 🔑 Tags -These tags span diverse disciplines—biblical studies, linguistics, comparative religion, hermeneutics, metaphysics, textual criticism, early church history, sacred literature, and more: Canon formation, textual transmission, New Testament philology, Koine Greek grammar, Aramaic substratum, Semitic influence in Greek, sacred historiography, literary structure of Gospels, Pauline epistolary style, Johannine mysticism, apocalyptic literature, Revelation symbolism, early church councils, apostolic authorship debates, Gospel harmonization, synoptic problem, Q-source theory, historical Jesus studies, Christological development, theological anthropology, resurrection theology, eschatological typology, divine inspiration doctrine, early Christian hermeneutics, patristic commentary, redaction criticism, scribal traditions, biblical manuscript families, Alexandrian textual lineage, Western text-type, Byzantine recension, ancient codicology, biblical canon law, sacred geography, Roman imperial context, Second Temple Judaism, Jewish apocalyptic thought, Pharisaic traditions, Sadducean influence, Hellenistic syncretism, Greco-Roman literary forms, biblical metaphors, allegorical interpretation, typology in scripture, covenantal theology, Jewish-Gentile relations, temple imagery, early Christian liturgy, ecclesiological development, apostolic succession, Pauline theology of grace, justification by faith, Christian soteriology, messianic expectation, divine logos doctrine, mystical union themes, sacred numerology, scriptural intertextuality, metanoia and conversion, biblical esotericism, ecclesial hierarchy, Gnostic contrasts, proto-orthodox defenses, canonical boundaries, divine revelation structure, exegetical methodology, covenant renewal, sacred cosmology, inspired composition, prophetic fulfillment, Jewish midrash parallels, Septuagint usage, sacred ethics, theological metaphors, Eucharistic prefiguration, baptismal theology, moral instruction epistles, ecclesial correction, early Christian pedagogy, Christian ethics, dualism in Johannine texts, chiasmus in scripture, rhetorical argumentation, Pauline logic structures, Greco-Roman rhetorical techniques, biblical worldview formation, moral theology foundations, philosophical theology, narrative theology, scriptural drama, visionary experience, angelology, demonology contrasts, early martyrdom accounts, persecution history, canonical authenticity, textual purity debates, intercanonical relationships, biblical poetry, Hebrew thought patterns, ancient prophecy models, linguistic archaeology, Old Testament quotations, prophetic voice, sacred orality, oral tradition mechanics, spiritual inheritance themes, sacred kingship models, messianic prophecy, divine kingship, sacred chronology, chronological harmonization, ancient timekeeping, Christ-event centrality, apocalyptic temporality, covenantal law fulfillment, divine mission of apostles, sacred authorship, revelation transmission, textual reception, sacred biography, Jesus as teacher, divine mediator role, logos theology, Pauline mysticism, apostolic defense, Christ as new Adam, scriptural architecture, Greco-Jewish cultural tension, diaspora influence, sacred festival references, feasts in scripture, narrative construction, evangelist identity, gospel audience, sacred witnessing, Pauline co-authors, community exhortation, spiritual authority, textual communities, faith communities, ethical exhortation, purity codes, household codes, gender dynamics in scripture, literary ethics, sacred exhortation, church discipline, early ecclesiastical law, church offices, bishop and deacon roles, deaconess traditions, pneumatology, Holy Spirit in Acts, divine empowerment, scriptural pneuma, ecstatic prophecy, inspired speech, glossolalia implications, prophetic utterance, healing in the Gospels, miracle as sign, exorcism theology, Christ's divine authority, demonological framework, spiritual warfare themes, Satanological vocabulary, theophany, divine presence imagery, throne visions, Danielic prophecy echoes, Ezekiel parallels, seer identity, apocalyptic seership, temple theology, heavenly tabernacle, covenant arc symbolism, sevenfold imagery, divine numeration, tribulation motifs, beast symbolism, cosmic battle narratives, millennial expectations, new heaven and earth promise, tree of life reference...