Literary study of the Bible

Este artículo pretende rescatar el nombre y acción de las profetisas bíblicas tanto del Antiguo como del Nuevo Testamento para visibilizar su acción y su significado para el tiempo de Israel y para el presente. Históricamente el nombre de las mujeres no fue visibilizado, borrándolas así del protagonismo que tuvieron en la historia de Israel. Actualmente también se invisibilizan muchas de las acciones de las mujeres porque existe todavía el imaginario patriarcal que impide valorar e impulsar el actuar femenino. Recuperar las profetisas bíblicas, sus acciones y sus aportes en la historia de salvación, contribuye decisivamente a la dignidad de las mujeres y su mayor protagonismo en la sociedad y en la Iglesia.

This essay is an intertextual study of the literary theme of hope for non-Israelite nations in three books of the Hebrew Bible. In Deuteronomy, hope for the nations is envisaged through Yahweh’s special covenantal relationship with Israel and the latter’s keeping of Yahweh’s laws. In Isaiah, the hope concept is depicted by Yahweh’s supremacy over other gods and how the nations can become God’s servants through a special servant, and partaking collectively with the serving people of God at Zion. In the Psalms, hope is seen via the praise of Yahweh among the nations and worked out through a messianic king who fulfils Yahweh’s promises in the Davidic Covenant.

In Understanding Biblical Law, Dru Johnson reorients the reader to see biblical law through ancient Israelite eyes. He deconstructs common myths regarding biblical law and shows how it often differs significantly from both modern law and ancient Near Eastern law. Johnson weaves in an ancient murder mystery between chapters to show how ancient Israelites could have reasoned with and through Torah to solve real-life problems. He then demonstrates how we can do the same by discerning biblical law’s literary and historical contexts, appreciating its sophisticated wisdom, and distinguishing it from our modern legal notions.

This book is engaging and accessible for undergrads and laypeople but robust enough for seminarians. Johnson demonstrates a skill-based approach for interpreting Old Testament law and uses examples to encourage readers to practice these skills for themselves.

When we enter the biblical world, we see with the psalmists the beauty and sophistication of Israel’s laws and discover a rich resource for thinking about the law’s theological implications for Hellenistic Judaism, the New Testament, and readers today.

The Scriptures, in common with its literary depiction of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, provides an inexhaustible source of divine information and theological guidance which has formed the basis of religious thought for the past 2,000 years. In Jesus Christ, as a real and historically verifiable character, and yet one who Christians consider to be inspired by the Divine, we are presented with an immense and complicated theological reservoir. This thesis will therefore aim at analysing and expounding some of the theological ideas, both implicit and explicit, that can be constructed from the life and ministry of Christ. The various areas of Christ’s teachings, His miracles and role of redemption, ethics, His dual natures, and the resurrection which constitute the stages in a single and overall theology, will be studied to achieve the desired goal. In so doing, we will also be able to highlight and account for the ways in which Christ, besides formulating, propounded fundamental teachings and reinterpreted theological and religious concepts that have continued to edify, incite and counter the patterns of religious thought ever since.
    A full complement of theological ideas found in Jesus Christ also stretch well beyond the religious formulations, in the manner they throw light on, and help us to perceive, the relations that exist between God and human beings, moral issues and even the meaning of life itself. By a systematic unpacking of Scripture and the necessary theological development, we shall be able to spell out some of the basic distinctions that make up the very warp and woof of Christian theological contemplation.

The Doherty Library at the University of St. Thomas in Houston is having an event on the feast day of St. Jerome, the patron saint of librarians and
scholars. Join us September 30 at 7 PM for a special presentation on the Gutenberg Bible by Professor Father Dempsey Rosales Acosta and a unique opportunity to view a magnificent, museum-quality replica of the Gutenberg Bible, one of the most famous and rare books ever
created.

This wonderful rare book of old that is extremely uncommon & obscure of its kind which was written in the age of revolutions and rumors of supernatural interventions, the book dares to confront the most urgent question of its day and ours: what forces act upon the human mind and body, beyond the reach of ordinary reason? Dr. John Fell engages the theories of Hugh Farmer and other rationalizing interpreters, who sought to reduce demoniacal possession to the language of medicine and imagination. Against this, he stages a panoramic defense of the ancient testimony: the gods of the heathen, the demons of Homer and Plato, the spirits of the Gospel narratives, and the angelic powers that hover over Scripture. His chapters sweep from the oracles of Greece to the courts of Solomon, from the tumults of early Christian exorcisms to the battlegrounds of 18th-century theology. The work’s contribution reaches far beyond demonology. It opens pathways into comparative religion, anthropology, psychology, and even political history—where rumors of spectral armies and supernatural portents still haunted the age of American independence. To read Dæmoniacs is to enter a liminal zone where medicine, philosophy, and theology all struggle to define the invisible; where a convulsion might be an epileptic fit or an invading spirit; where the language of possession doubles as commentary on liberty, agency, and human frailty. In its pages, the reader encounters not only the shadowed corridors of ancient belief but also reflections of our own persistent questions: What unseen currents move history? Are we merely biological systems, or vessels open to forces greater than ourselves? Fell’s book does not merely answer; it compels us to keep asking. 🔑CONTENTS RETYPED + SHORT SUMMARIES INCLIDED FOR EACH CHAPTER 🔑 ⚫️Chap. I — The Judgment of the Heathens concerning their own Gods (vii–xvi) Fell summarizes how pagan cultures described daimones, semi-divine attendants, and localized divinities; he reads those judgments sympathetically but distinguishes popular cultic language from the fuller moral-theological claims of Scripture. The chapter establishes terminological boundaries: what ancients call a “god” or “spirit” is not always the same referent as the biblical “unclean spirit.” 🔴Compared (ancient): Classical authors (Homer, Plato, later Hellenistic writers) use a broad semantic range for daimones — from minor tutelary spirits to morally ambiguous intermediaries — which Fell uses to show the ambiguity in pagan testimony. Compared (1770s): Enlightened antiquarian scholarship in Britain increasingly applied philology to religious vocabulary, allowing Fell to appeal to both classical learning and Protestant hermeneutics. (Cambridge Assets) ⚫️Chap. II — The Testimony of Scripture concerning Heathen Gods (1–33) Fell reads Old and New Testament passages that reference pagan gods and shows how Scripture often treats such “gods” as either false idols or as lower spiritual beings permitted by providence. He emphasizes the biblical polemical stance — pagan divinities as misapplied spiritual realities. 🔴Compared (ancient / patristic): Patristic interpreters likewise read pagan gods as demons or as angels fallen into error; Fell’s treatment follows a long Christian interpretive tradition while adding eighteenth-century philological sensitivity. (Cambridge Assets) ⚫️Chap. III — Heathen Demons and the Greeks’ Application of the Term (34–80) This chapter gives a close survey of Greek uses of δαίμων (daimon) and associated words, distinguishing philosophical (Platonic/Stoic) usages from popular religious ones. Fell stresses that classical nuance requires care when equating Greek daimones with the New Testament’s “unclean spirits.” 🔴Compared (ancient): Platonic daimones often mediate between gods and humans (neutral/ambivalent), while folk religion casts them in more capricious or malevolent roles — a complexity Fell exploits to show that pagan language does not straightforwardly neutralize the biblical claims. (Cambridge Assets) ⚫️Chap. IV — Demons mentioned in the Gospel; application by the sacred penmen (81–120) Fell examines Gospel narratives (e.g., the Gadarene demoniac, exorcisms) and highlights features that he argues indicate an agency beyond ordinary disease (coordinated resistance to Christ’s authority, supernatural knowledge, violent physical manifestations). He argues the evangelists deploy “demon” language with ontological force, not mere metaphor. 🔴Compared (scholarly): This close reading invites dialogue with later rationalizing interpreters (like Farmer) and with medical-naturalist accounts; Fell shows why the narrative texture resists purely medical explanations. (Internet Archive) ⚫️Chap. V — Arguments alleged against the Scripture doctrine examined and shown inconclusive (120–166) Fell systematically takes up the main skeptical or naturalistic objections (that demoniacs were epileptics, melancholics, or hysterics) and argues that they do not account for all Gospel data — especially phenomena implying supernatural cognition and power. He treats objection and answer in measured analytic steps. 🔴Compared (contemporary debates): During the later eighteenth century there was growing medical interest in neurology and “madness,” producing naturalistic readings of possession; Fell engages that trend while insisting that the scriptural corpus preserves instances that outstrip such reduction. (JSTOR) ⚫️Chap. VI — On Mr. Farmer’s principles denying agency of superior Beings within the human system (167–242) Fell addresses directly the hypotheses advanced by Rev. Hugh Farmer (who argued in the 1770s that many Gospel “possessions” could be explained by natural disease and cautioned against literal demonic agency). Fell carefully reconstructs Farmer’s position and then argues that — while Farmer’s medical-psychological readings illuminate some cases — they are either inapplicable to the more extraordinary Gospel reports or they contradict particular scriptural claims. 🔴Compared (Farmer & debates): Farmer’s Essay on the Demoniacs of the New Testament (1775) is the principal modern interlocutor: he tends to naturalize possession in many instances. Fell’s rebuttal is representative of conservative theological responses that balanced enlightenment medical insight with confessional commitments. (Internet Archive) ⚫️Chap. VII — The Scripture doctrine of Good and Evil Angels and their Agency (243–278) Fell offers a concise theology of angelic and demonic agency: angels as God’s messengers and demons as degraded spiritual agents with limited, permitted influence on human affairs. He outlines moral and pastoral consequences (how belief in such beings shapes prayer, pastoral care, and ecclesial responses). 🔴Compared (theological tradition): This chapter follows patristic and scholastic frameworks while being framed by eighteenth-century worries about superstition — Fell aims to affirm spiritual realities without lapsing into credulous sensationalism. (Cambridge Assets) ⚫️Chap. VIII — The Scripture account of dæmoniacal possessions; cases and causes recently assigned for such disorders (278–313) Here Fell surveys case-like narratives and contemporary explanations (medical, natural philosophical), assessing competing etiologies. He acknowledges that many “possession” stories in popular culture conflate moral, religious, and medical language, but insists on discriminating genuine scriptural cases from later folkloric accretions. 🔴Compared (cultural): The chapter reflects a broader eighteenth-century tendency to classify and separate “natural” from “supernatural” explanations — a taxonomy driven by both scientific curiosity and theological caution. (NCBI) ⚫️Chap. IX — Scripture doctrine shown consistent with appearances in the natural and moral worlds (313–340) Fell argues that the scriptural depiction of demoniacal agency coheres with observed phenomena in nature and human societies (e.g., sudden mass panics, obsessive cultic behaviors) and with moral readings of providence and temptation. He frames demonic activity as intelligible within a theistic universe that permits moral agency beyond the purely physical. 🔴Compared (anthropological/historical): Fell’s move is similar to earlier moral-philosophical readings of the demonological tradition that connect individual affliction with larger social or moral patterns — a classical and medieval strand revived in the eighteenth century. (The British Academy) ⚫️Chap. X — That the sacred penmen not only assert but produce facts to prove reality of dæmoniacal possessions (340–376) Fell emphasizes that evangelists marshal empirical signs (healing, exorcism, testimony) to demonstrate real agency — not mere rhetorical invention. He catalogs facts: public exorcisms, witnesses, theological implications — concluding that Scripture intends historical claims which carried persuasive force for early readers. 🔴Compared (historiography): The insistence on “facts” mirrors Enlightenment evidentialism applied to religious history: theologians wanted to argue that biblical miracles and exorcisms were not merely mythic but carried documentary weight. (Google Books) ⚫️Conclusion — Summary view and injurious consequences (377–399) Fell closes by summarizing the risks of two extremes: (1) reducing all alleged possessions to disease (thereby impoverishing Christian doctrine of spiritual warfare) and (2) credulous credence in every popular marvel (which can foster superstition). He recommends a calibrated, historically informed faith that takes Scripture seriously about supernatural agency while avoiding crude sensationalism. 🔴 Compared (contextual): This balanced conclusion reflects broader eighteenth-century Anglican strategies: to protect doctrine from radical skepticism while resisting uncritical acceptance of popular marvels. (The British Academy) 🔑 TAGS 🔑 - This makes the book findable for readers searching across themes, disciplines, ...

The book of Joshua almost opens and almost closes with theological statements by a marginal Canaanite woman and a powerful Israelite man, in 2:9-13 and 24:2-24. These statements take substantially narrative form, which fits with Joshua being a narrative book. Rahab and Joshua thus begin by speaking of God's acts, but they go on also to speak of his being, and together their statements suggest a framework for articulating theological themes in the book: Yahweh brought the Israelites from Egypt Yahweh gave Israel the land of Canaan Yahweh is God in heaven and on earth, a holy God and a passionate God Canaanites can come to acknowledge him; Israelites must commit themselves to him

The purpose of this paper was to examine the purpose and significance of the pause in God’s speech between his statement, “I will become what I choose to become” in Exodus 3:14 and, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘Jehovah the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation” in 3:15.

There is noticeable disagreement among scholars of the LXX Psalter regarding its place of origin/translation. One group, citing similarities with Kaige and names characteristic of the Hellenistic Levant (baris and pyrgobaris), leans towards Palestine, or even Jerusalem itself; The other side rejects this view, pointing instead to numerous terms borrowed from the Egyptian environment (lakseutērion, anafora). To join this discussion, it is valuable to research terms deeply rooted in material culture, or even better, those related to specific crafts, such as textile production. This study gathers all textile-related terms found in the Hebrew version of the Psalter, characterizes them accordingly, and presents the equivalents selected by the Greek translator. The Greek textile proved to be largely general; however, two of them, diploïs and schoinisma, when compared with literary sources and Egyptian documentary papyri, allowed to tip the scales in favor of Egyptian provenance. Ultimately, however, caution was given against drawing too far-reaching conclusions, given the scarcity of source material on textile terms in the LXX Psalms.

This article offers a redemptive-historical reading of Isaiah 65:17-25, interpreting the promise of a "new heavens and a new earth" not as cosmic recreation , but as covenantal renewal achieved through judgment and restoration. By tracing how Isaiah consistently intertwines Zion and creation motifs-casting renewed Jerusalem as the locus of divine presence, justice, and Edenic flourishing-this study situates Isaiah 65 within the prophet's broader theological vision. Rather than presenting a blueprint for material renovation, the passage is best understood as the culmination of recurring prophetic patterns wherein judgment leads to redemptive transformation. The latter half of the paper examines how New Testament writers-particularly Luke, Paul, Hebrews, and 2 Peter-echo this vision, interpreting new creation in terms of Spirit-wrought renewal and inaugurated kingdom fulfillment. These authors do not impose later frameworks onto Isaiah but affirm the covenantal trajectory already embedded in his eschatological hope. This study thus recovers a coherent, canonically grounded reading of new creation as the unfolding of God's redemptive purposes in history.

He begins by noting that, “If you’ve done any reading on the subject of who the ‘sons of God’ are in Genesis 6 and the book of Job” a view of them is that it refers to, “fallen angels who had sexual relations with the daughters of men in a marriage relationship with the express purpose of ruining the seed of humanity so as to ruin the possibility of the promised seed of the Messiah” with the latter part being fair enough, perhaps, but is an assumption.

Yet, he notes that, “to arrive at this conclusion, one must assume that Moses understood, along with his first audience, that the phrase in question defines angels. But again, if we exegete the passage in question there is no direct evidence that Moses understood this to mean angels.”

...a question contextual to his biblical interests: what is the usage of the vague, generic, subjective, multi-usage and modern English word “giants” in English Bibles? What is Burton’s usage? Do those two usages agree?

Typically, Nephilologists do not answer such key questions and leave it to their readers to do the hard work of attempting to discern their usage at any given usage. Not answering such questions also, consciously or not, allows the Nephilologists to water down the term and use it to refer to various things, which is inconsistent.
This review’s focus will specifically be how he ties whatever he may mean by, “GIANT” to, “Nephilim.”

The Yirm e yāhû Research Seminar deals with all questions concerning the exegesis and theology of the book of Jeremiah. It is hosted by the Céres Research Unit of the Toulouse Catholic University (France) in collaboration with the Leopold-Franzens-Universität of Innsbruck (Austria), the Radboud University of Nijmegen (Netherlands), and the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome). Under the direction of Georg Fischer SJ (UIBK), Carly L. Crouch (RU), Benedetta Rossi (PBI), and Cyprien Comte (ICT), it brings together researchers affiliated to different universities in Europe and the world and independent scholars.

Em Dispositivo crítico: condições de possibilidade da crítica jornalística de teatro em Portugal problematiza-se o lugar da crítica de teatro no interior do polissistema teatral português. Tal programa baseou-se na hipótese de que a crítica jornalística de teatro não encontrou ainda, entre nós, uma inserção adequada nos Estudos de Teatro, sendo vulgarmente sujeita ou à total omissão ou a uma utilização pontual e difusa, que se tem concretizado através de uma estratégia paradoxal de (sub)figuração, v.g., a ela se recorre como exemplo 'autorizado', ao mesmo tempo que a sua citação truncada -por conveniência do argumento que deveria ilustrar -não só a descontextualiza do seu continuum cultural e ideológico, como inviabiliza, também, a aferição da relevância sistémica que a mesma assumira à data da publicação. Desta desqualificação da crítica jornalista resultam duas consequências ponderosas: o enfraquecimento do espaço público, afectado pela exclusão de uma das práticas que o vem constituindo desde o século XIX; e a rasura da memória performativa, fonte indispensável para a escrita de uma efectiva, que não apenas literária, história do teatro. Para tornar sustentável a visibilidade da crítica jornalística propõe-se, então, uma tese que se desenvolve em duas vias. A primeira delas visa estatuir a crítica jornalística não apenas como um epifenómeno, irrelevante porque transitivo, de provocação inconsequente da ordem sociocultural instalada, mas, sobretudo, como possibilidade teórica que, para além das suas realizações concretas, possui os instrumentos necessários para intervir na modelação do sistema teatral e, desse modo, «contribuir para reforma de práticas e de ânimos» (cf. Leone, 2005a: 105). Tal desígnio impôs a desconstrução do conceito de crítica (não somente de teatro), em cujo processo se determinam os traços distintivos que permitem impor a noção de 'crítica jornalística', ponderando-se, ainda, os recentes enquadramentos teóricos e metodológicos que a integraram no discurso académico (europeu e norte-americano) como problema autónomo. Assim firmada como questão pertinente, a 'crítica jornalística' é sujeita -na segunda via -à sua experimentação no caso concreto da academia portuguesa, concluindo-se pela sua 'extemporaneidade'. Face aos resultados obtidos, ilustram-se as 'condições de possibilidade', estabelecidas na primeira via, através do estudo da intervenção do crítico de teatro português Eduardo Scarlatti (1898-1990) nas décadas de 20 e de 30 do século XX, nomeadamente quanto ao seu importante contributo para uma discussão moderna do conceito de crítica (e, nele, de crítica de teatro).

This article offers a study of Ms. Evr. II B 1150+, a tenth-century Hebrew Bible codex of the Latter Prophets, now preserved in the National Library of Russia. Drawing on previously unpublished materials and codicological evidence, the authors reconstruct the manuscript’s history, including a probable origin in Rabbanite circles in Jerusalem–Egypt, its nineteenth-century acquisition by Abraham Firkovich, and the loss of folios in the 1980sat the National Library of Russia. Infrared imaging of the blackened colophon and detailed examination of the quire structure reveal early Mizraḥi scribal practices. The study also addresses the codex’s early colophon and sale note, offering insight into medieval manuscript circulation and calendar traditions. Finally, the article documents the manuscript’s dismemberment and partial recovery, proposing a unified designation, Evr. II B 1150+, for its constituent classmarks.

The findings presented in this paper arise out of a complete Discourse Analysis of the whole Book of Revelation. The goal is to examine the function of the connectives in the Book of Revelation, particularly at the levels of the linguistic hierarchy above the sentence and paragraph.

The most common, and the most important of these, are kai ‘and’, and asyndeton, which is the absence of any overt grammatical marker. In addition, the connective phrases ‘after this’, and ‘after these things’ will also be discussed.

The principal proposition is that kai, traditionally seen as a conjunction, functions as a topic marker, indicating continuity and parallelism within the discourse. This hypothesis, challenges the traditional view that kai (and more particularly the phrase kai eidon ‘and I saw’), can be used as a means of dividing the text into units. A more cohesive approach to understanding the book’s structure is proposed instead.

Reference will also be made to the overlap links, which are another important, non-grammatical means by which the author connects the various constituent parts of the discourse together. It will also be explained how all the connectives which are used in Revelation, provide the author with a variety of means by which he can indicate different levels of prominence in the book.

In this new volume in Kregel's Kerux commentary series, Robert Chisholm, Jr. and Michael Hontz combine detailed exegesis of the Hebrew text of Isaiah 1-39 with homiletical insights to help preachers and teachers present this Old Testament book to their congregations. The Kerux series pairs an exegete with a pastor.

August Wilson's major concern is to sympathetically put on stage the black experience and thus to arouse the community's awareness for such experience. His black characters are always in constant quest for self-realization and for an authentic identity. Consequently, focuses on encouraging the blacks to rediscover their identities and to maintain self-authentication. He believes that the only way for the African Americans to transcend the limited existence in white racist America is by recovering their Africanness; by recognizing and accepting their African roots. He is keen on reminding the African Americans of their cultural heritage and their identity that has been maintained for ages despite their painful sense of alienation and their separation from their African culture. To Wilson, the African culture and heritage should not be an element of inferiority; rather it must be an evidence of pride because Afro-Americans have their own cultural distinctions: they have their own customs, music, food, clothing, language, rituals of marriage and funerals which are different from the whites'. Thus, he gives a complete record of the black world and culture, and urges, moreover, blacks to be proud of their distinct cultural heritage.

August Wilson's major concern is to sympathetically put on stage the black experience and thus to arouse the community's awareness for such experience. His black characters are always in constant quest for self-realization and for an authentic identity. Consequently, focuses on encouraging the blacks to rediscover their identities and to maintain self-authentication. He believes that the only way for the African Americans to transcend the limited existence in white racist America is by recovering their Africanness; by recognizing and accepting their African roots. He is keen on reminding the African Americans of their cultural heritage and their identity that has been maintained for ages despite their painful sense of alienation and their separation from their African culture. To Wilson, the African culture and heritage should not be an element of inferiority; rather it must be an evidence of pride because Afro-Americans have their own cultural distinctions: they have their ...

Paweł Paszko’s Mundus inversus nei cantici femminili dell’Antico Testamento (AB 227; Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2019) explores the so-called “feminine canticles” of the Bible, a group of inset psalms placed on the lips of women: the songs of Miriam (Exod 15:20–21), Deborah (Judg 5:1–31), Hannah (1 Sam 2:1–10), Judith (Jdt 16:1–17), and Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55). These compositions, understood as “victory hymns,” share common literary and thematic traits, especially their frequent use of the mundus inversus motif, the “world upside down.” This topos expresses divine intervention as a radical reversal of the ordinary order—whether natural, cultural, or religious—and thus discloses a biblical theology of reversal.
The monograph is structured in three parts: an introductory panorama of women’s songs and the mundus inversus theme; exegetical analyses of the four Old Testament canticles; and a theological synthesis, culminating in the interpretation of the Magnificat. The study demonstrates that the great saving acts of God are repeatedly portrayed through images of inversion, revealing a distinctive divine style of action that challenges established structures and opens new perspectives for biblical theology.

One of the more intriguing and persistent motifs in the book of Genesis is that of “deflection of primogeniture,” or “the forsaken firstborn.” Repeatedly, from the fatal encounter of Cain and Abel in chapter 4 to the puzzling cross-handed blessing of Manasseh and Ephraim in chapter 48, the firstborn is set aside and blessing accrues to the second born. Even the sister-wife strivings of Rachel and Leah (Genesis 29-30) follow this pattern, as does the birth of Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38), with its tantalizing echoes of the intrauterine struggle of Jacob and Esau. On the popular level, the point of it all is often assumed to be God’s selection of a bearer of promise, and his symmetrical rejection of the other (read “false”) contender. The stories of Isaac and Ishmael and of Jacob and Esau have often been given readings which emphasize the merit of the younger sons at the expense of the elder. In this essay I will suggest that such readings miss the mark, since they obscure the fact th...

It is widely acknowledged among exegetes that Luke, unlike his contemporary historians, does not present his miracles in a distanced manner. The findings of recent studies in classics, however, challenge this view for two reasons. The first concerns the common notion of what is meant by miracle distance, and the second concerns the realization of such a distance. In this article, one of the distancing strategies-modifying the plausibility structure that is presupposed by the reader-will serve as an example to demonstrate that Luke is aware of these historiographical conventions. Contrary to his contemporaries, however, Luke does not interrupt his narrative with his auctorial "I" to implement this strategy. Instead, he incorporates this effect of distance into his account subtly. Finally, these findings correspond with another idea that recently gained ground in Lukan scholarship. Namely, that Luke also addresses his account to pagans and their cultural horizon.

This brief article provides a preview of a new book which is soon to be published. The aim of this book is to show how the Book of Revelation is important for, and relevant to, everybody, whether academically inclined, or not so.
It contains a full outline of its most elegant and systematic structure, with particular reference to its Hebrew discourse characteristics.

The status of poetic features in biblical prose is a vexed question in Hebrew studies. Despite the largely consensual distinction between prose and poetry, based mainly on parallelism, scholars have discerned such patterning in many prose passages. In view of the qualitative distinction between texts with poetic styling and full-fledged poetry (lexical repertoire, metaphorization) I propose to follow George Buchanan Gray and Emery Barnes in the recognition of an intermediate realm, midway between free prose and formal poetry. Such patterning, Near Poetic Patterning, occurs in divine declarations (Exod 3:7, 15), human speech (e.g., Gen 37:7-8, 33), and narrative discourse (Gen 11:29-30), including significant triplets (e.g., Gen 4:19) matched by Ugaritic poetic passages. The study of several full sections (e.g., Gen 12:10-19; 1 Sam 1) shows that such patterning is based on an underlying grid of parallelism, resting on a substratum of Northwest Semitic epic poetry.

This paper is not an academic treatise on Bible translations, neither is it an exhaustive treatment of the subject. It is a registration of very serious concern on the continued translation of the Bible into other languages without addressing underlying problems that result in misunderstanding and consequently misinterpretation.

This paper contains my suggested Translation of the Epistle to the Galatians. As was the case with the other paper on Romans, replacement of "Law" with "Mosaic Covenant" brings clarity to the Apostle Paul's Argument. I use the other aspects I suggest to increase accuracy in Translation.

The Christ-hymn of John 1 was NOT the first stroke of the evangelist's quill. Rather, it was added (and composed?) by the Johannine Elder after writing the Epistles, added to his finalization of the witness of the Beloved Disciple after his death around 100 CE. The original beginning of the narrative involved vv. 6-8, 15, 19-42, as an augmentation and correction to Mark. John's first edition was the second gospel to be written (ca. 80-85) though finalized later (with the additions also of chs. 6, 15-17, 21, etc.).

“The Christ-Hymn of John 1—From Confessional Response to Transformative Overture.” Pages 65-88 in That You May Believe: Essays in Honor of Dr. Andreas Köstenberger. Quinn R. Mosier, T. Desmond Alexander, Robert W. Yarbrough, eds. (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2025).

What type of body will I have at the resurrection? This is a legitimate question, asked by many believers. The basis of the question may be eschatological (what is going to take place at the end of life?), theological (what is the relationship between the earthly body and the spiritual body?), or it may be ontological (will I be an old body, young body; what kind of body?). 1 Cor 15:42-49 offers some insights into the nature of the resurrection body, but, by no means, does Paul offer a definitive statement on the matter. Reading the text, to try and establish answers to any or all of the questions above, may be seeking answers to a question that Paul, himself, was not directly addressing.

Psalm 2:12 has long been a focal point of Christian apologetics, particularly in its rendering in the King James Version: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry…” Christian interpreters often cite this translation as evidence of a Christological reference in the Hebrew Bible, linking the phrase נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר (nashku-var) with Jesus as the “Son of God.” This study critically examines the philological, historical, and exegetical basis of such a translation. The article surveys the semantic range of the Hebrew and Aramaic term בַר (bar/var), including its attestations as “grain,” “purity,” “outside,” and, in Aramaic contexts, “son.” Special attention is given to the absence of “bar = son” in Hebrew compositions of Davidic origin, contrasting this with its appearance in Aramaic passages of Ezra and Daniel, and its possible later influence in Proverbs. The paper further analyzes the ancient translations—including the Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta, Vetus Latina, and Vulgate—all of which render the verse with meanings related to discipline, purity, or instruction, and none as “kiss the son.” The study demonstrates that the earliest association of Psalm 2:12 with “the Son” arose with Jerome’s, but the decisive shift toward the Christological reading as the sole Christian interpretation occurred in the Reformation era, notably with Luther’s Bible (1534) and subsequently the King James Version (1611). This investigation concludes that the widely accepted Christian translation “kiss the son” is philologically unsound, historically late, and theologically motivated. The phrase is more plausibly read in its Davidic-Hebrew context as a call to “embrace purity” or “arm yourself with purity,” underscoring the dangers of theological projection onto the biblical text.

This monograph presents a comprehensive analysis of Deuteronomy 21:10-25:4, demonstrating that this legal collection, which we call the "Beautiful Weave," was originally composed as a sophisticated 10×3 matrix containing over fifty laws. Building on recent scholarship that identifies similar woven structures in the Covenant Code (Exodus 22:17-23:19), this analysis reveals that the Torah's literary units were composed using a lost literary paradigm that was subsequently linearized through different editorial strategies. While the Covenant Code was deconstructed by reading across horizontal rows (weft threads), the Beautiful Weave was uniquely deconstructed by reading down vertical columns (warp threads). Of the Torah's eighty-six literary units, this column-wise linearization represents the only known example of purely vertical deconstruction. The discovery of varied linearization methods, combined with the intricate thematic and linguistic patterns that emerge only when the text is reconstructed in its original tabular form, provides compelling evidence for a sophisticated authorial tradition. The weave traces a progression from the most intimate human union to the most abstract principles of separation. The recovery of "literary weaving" as this ancient authorial paradigm, suggests we must fundamentally reconsider our approaches to the composition and interpretation of the Torah.

inspired me to continue pursuing these themes. Many mentors, church leaders, and colleagues have shaped my life and thinking, and all deserve credit. But I want to especially highlight the following: • The staff and faculty of Tabor College-Wichita & Online who have become a second family to me through difficult times…especially Rick Bartlett, Marlene Pietrocola, Tammy Stefek, and Josh Engle, who each supported my doctoral pursuits in special ways and encouraged me as I wrestled with challenging concepts, implications, issues, and deadlines. • My colleagues and friends in secular higher education contexts-especially Rob Gibson-whose criticism of Christianity's many problems, while affirming me personally, helped me to hone in on the core of the problem and motivated me to find a solution. • Les Hannah, whose embrace of media to illustrate concepts and metaphors and ability to use Van Halen to teach logical fallacies in literature made us instant friends. He was doing semiotics before I even knew what it was, and his insights were formative, and (best of all) he introduced me to Lev Vygotsky and Mikhail Bakhtin. • Dusti Howell, whose love for multimedia and embrace of hyperstories lit a fire in my mind which launched my graduate educational pursuits and which was undoubtedly the genesis of what eventually became the "vantage point" metaphor. Both in theory and in reality (in me), he saw what was not and believed it could be, and we're all the richer for it. • My colleagues in the Wesleyan Theological Society (especially Bill Kostlevy, Larry Shelton, Hal Knight, Phil Meadows, and William J. Abraham) who challenged my thinking and honed my perspective…and best of all, kept me thinking academically and theologically about practical solutions to ministry issues. • My classmates in SFS Cohort 11, who welcomed and embraced me, provided reasons to embrace diversity, and enlarged my perspective. We were a lively bunch, and I will never forget the camraderie which developed through reassuring panic in Portland, twerking avatars in Second Life, sailing with the bishop's daughter, cemetery-hunting in London with the GeekPreacher, sightseeing Seattle, and Photoshopping tourist traps for Danny en route to viii Orcas. Through it all, you gave me hope for the future of the Church as well as a desire to be part of that outcome. • My pastors and mentors in The Wesleyan Church (particularly Nick Huck, Steve McVey, Jay Wise, Ed Love, John Freed, and Mark Gorveatte), who asked hard questions, kept me grounded theologically and in ministry practicalities, and ensured that I remained focused on solutions. • Leonard Sweet, whose metaphorical wizardry inspired my quest and whose constant pushing of the envelope not only affirmed what I already sensed but gave me a vision of what's possible. He helped me "connect the dots" in divergent subject areas and embrace semiotics and (best of all) to see Jesus through it all. • The D.Min staff of Portland Seminary at George Fox University (especially Cliff Berger, Loren Kerns, and Heather Rainey), who kept me on track despite many setbacks, and who convinced me it was do-able. • Those who reviewed my drafts and gave me helpful editorial feedback, especially Fred Miller, Sherry Dean, Jay Wise, Jet Holt, Roger Cooper, and Vern Hyndman, as well as my advisor, Steve Dangaran (of Salem Alliance Church in Salem, Oregon), who guided, prompted, critiqued, and prodded me along the way. • And most of all, my children: Lydia (Swisher) Tate, Joshua Swisher, Jeremiah Swisher, and Susannah Swisher, who never stopped believing I could do this and who listened unfailingly when I tried to think through these concepts and explain them in ways others could understand. Words cannot begin to describe how much each of my children means to me, and I am eternally grateful for the space they afforded me to pursue my dreams. Now I look forward to enjoying the fruit of my labors together with them. This dissertation would not have been possible without each one's input and influence, and I appreciate and greatly value it. It is my hope that others' lives will be enriched and future works will be enabled through these efforts. We all share in this accomplishment! ix DEDICATION To those who are are not yet part of the Church and who will never be won by preaching points and propositions, who are likely unimpressed by our efforts thus far and don't speak our insider language or appreciate our hangups, but who long to be part of a Story that's meaningful, relevant, engaging, and life transforming-this project is for you. Though you may never see this dissertation, I hope in some way it influences those who play a critical role in helping you see Jesus through the midst of our humanity so that one day we can welcome you home to the Father's embrace. From one prodigal to another: This work is for you. To those who are never satisfied with status quo; to those who believe Jesus meant what He said; to those who live to embrace the one lost sheep and hear the angels' rejoicing, who understand and delight in Jesus' Luke 15 vision; to those who believe the Church's brightest days are in its future, not in its checkered past; to the revivalists and reformers who have prepared the way; and to those who dare to "think differently" for the sake of those who aren't yet a part-thank you for making the first dedication and priority possible.

This article will present a perspective of biblical historiography in the light of the historiography of the ancient Near East in the framework of the current discussion between the two. The nature of the Bible will be taken into account as God's supernatural revelation to His people. Throughout the research we will try to corroborate the independence of the biblical text from any external source that may alter its theological macro-structure or message as a whole of the word of God for his people throughout history. On the contrary, the micro-structure of the biblical text indicates the superficial area where the external evidence provided by ancient historiography can conceptually have an impact.

Razones para leer, meditar y estudiar el Pentateuco o Toráh o los cinco LIbros de Moisés. Todos los que quieran salvar a la humanidad, nuestro planeta y nosotros mismos de una segura destrucción global, debiéramos leer otra vez el Pentateuco también llamado Torah Moshe.

While some scholars infer that the unnamed Beloved Disciple proves he cannot have been a particular individual, such as John the Apostle or John the Elder, virtually no thoughtful person has questioned whether the unnamed Mother of Jesus was Mary, wife of Joseph. This paper explores the meaning and function of anonymous appellations in the Fourth Gospel, leading to fresh critical perspectives on Johannine authorship and other issues.

In The Power of Equivocation Amy Kalmanofsky addresses the Bible's inherent complexity as well as the complexity of those who seek to read the Bible critically, generously, and honestly. The Bible invites what Kalmanofsky identifies as equivocal readings--readings that do not reach neat conclusions related to ideology or character. Kalmanofsky demonstrates the Bible's complicated artistry through her close readings of six biblical narratives that feature women: she examines culpability in the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife and shows how the Bible presents neither figure as a hero or villain; considers how the Bible's portrayal of Hannah both conforms to and also defies the Bible's patriarchal norms; how the Bible affords the rejected King Saul compassion and respect through a powerful yet unlawful medium from En-Dor; how Queen Esther overpowers men to become the equivocal hero of her eponymous book; how Tamar in Genesis 38, like Hannah, conforms to and challenges the Bible's patriarchal norms and how, like Esther, she is the equivocal hero of her story; and how the Bible presents Bathsheba as a complicated figure, both vulnerable and powerful.
Kalmanofsky draws from the challenges she personally feels as a feminist, as a Jew, and as a scholar to argue that equivocal readers like herself are best equipped to see the Bible's complex artistry. Equivocal feminist-religious readers are suspicious and generous readers who can expose the ways in which biblical texts empower and disempower women and who can provide essential insight about the Bible's theology and ideology. Through her close readings, Kalmanofsky models what it means to be equivocal readers of an equivocal Bible. The Power of Equivocation is marked by honesty and the celebration of a text that can never be read just one way.

قضية التعليم اللاهوتيّ مهمة وضروريّة وسنظل في احتياجٍ شديدٍ إليها، وإعادة نشر دراسة الدكتور فهيم عزيز ستكون مفيدة في رصد لمنظور التعليم اللاهوتيّ وتطوره في مصر والشرق الأوسط، وتعود أهمية هذه الدراسة لكاتبها وموضوعها، وعلى الرغم مرور قرابة نصف قرن من الزمان عليها، إلا أن فيها كثيرًا من الأمور المفيدة. أتمنى أن تكون مفيدة لمن يعملون في حقل التعليم اللاهوتيّ في مصر والشرق الأوسط.

The close relationship between poetry and the Bible that has prevailed in the Russian literary tradition since its inception raises several important questions. How did Russian writers understand and express the link between the poetic word and the sacred word? Could biblical texts be transposed into literary form? If so, what was the correct method? How much artistic freedom could be exercised? To what extent were such attempts based on the imitation of Western European models? Was there anything distinctive about the way this relationship evolved in Russia? How was it shaped by the responses of leading figures representing the authority of church and state? These questions will be explored through the analysis of a particularly interesting case-study -the protracted attempts of Fedor Glinka (1786-1880) to publish his poetic imitation of the Book of Job. Glinka was not the first writer to seek to bring the voice of Job into Russian literature. Mikhail Lomonosov initiated the tradition with his celebrated ode of 1751, based on Job 38-41; N. P. Nikolev followed his example in 1795 with a new version of the same chapters, and in 1817 S. A. Shirinskii-Shikhmatov produced a poem, incorporating parts of Job. 1 In a more imaginative vein, Aleksandr Pamela Davidson is Professor of Russian Literature at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL. This article forms part of a wider project on 'Prophecy and Power in the Russian Literary Tradition (1680-1930)', generously supported by The Leverhulme Trust through the award of a two-year Research Fellowship. I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of SEER for their thoughtful suggestions. 1 For details of the earlier texts and a comparison of the four different versions, see V. L. Korovin, 'Kniga Iova v stikhotvornykh perelozheniiakh XVIII-XIX vv. (fragment o begemote i leviafane)',

This paper examines the portrayal of the goddess Athena in Aeschylus' Oresteia as a divine symbol of patriarchal authority and civic order in classical Athens. While Athena is often celebrated as a powerful female figure, her character in the trilogy reveals a deeper alignment with masculine-coded ideals and the political structures of the polis. The essay argues that Athena’s rejection of maternal identity, her loyalty to the paternal line, and her enforcement of rational justice are not liberatory acts but rather manifestations of Athenian patriarchal doctrine. Her mythological role reinforces gender norms rather than subverting them, presenting her divine power as attainable only through the denial of womanhood. Through literary analysis and historical context, this paper explores how Athena becomes a vessel for legitimizing political patriarchy in Greek mythology.