Aposynagōgos and the Historical Jesus in John
Aposynagōgos and the Historical Jesus in John

Author: Jonathan Bernier

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2013-09-12

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 9004257799

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In Aposynagōgos and the Historical Jesus in John, Jonathan Bernier utilizes the critical-realist hermeneutics developed by Bernard Lonergan and Ben F. Meyer to survey historical data relevant to the Johannine expulsion passages (John 9:22, 12:42, 16:2). He evaluates the major two contemporary interpretative traditions regarding these passages, namely that they describe not events of Jesus’ lifetime but rather the implementation of the Birkat ha-Minim in the first first-century, or that they describe not historical events at all but serve only to construct Johannine identity. Against both traditions Bernier argues that these passages plausibly describe events that could have happened during Jesus’ lifetime.

The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus
The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus

Author: Jordan J. Ryan

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2017-11-15

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 150643844X

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Reviewing what we now know about actual synagogues in the land of Israel and their public role in Jewish life and culture, Jordan J. Ryan shows that Gospel narratives placed in synagogues accurately reflect the ancient synagogue setting. He argues for the historical plausibility of the setting of these narratives and suggests that synagogue research must be a starting point for their interpretation. He further argues that Jesus‘s efforts at the restoration of Israel were intentionally aimed at the synagogue as an institution of public and political life.

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 1
A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 1

Author: Colin Brown

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2022-11-08

Total Pages: 721

ISBN-13: 0310125499

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A comprehensive, two-volume reassessment of the quests for the historical Jesus that details their origins and underlying presuppositions as well as their ongoing influence on today's biblical and theological scholarship. Jesus' life and teaching is important to every question we ask about what we believe and why we believe it. And yet there has never been common agreement about his identity, intentions, or teachings—even among first-century historians and scholars. Throughout history, different religious and philosophical traditions have attempted to claim Jesus and paint him in the cultural narratives of their heritage, creating a labyrinth of conflicting ideas. From the evolution of orthodoxy and quests before Albert Schweitzer's famous "Old Quest," to today's ongoing questions about criteria, methods, and sources, A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus not only chronicles the developments but lays the groundwork for the way forward. The late Colin Brown brings his scholarly prowess in both theology and biblical studies to bear on the subject, assessing not only the historical and exegetical nuts and bolts of the debate about Jesus of Nazareth but also its philosophical, sociological, and theological underpinnings. Instead of seeking a bedrock of "facts," Brown stresses the role of hermeneutics in formulating questions and seeking answers. Colin Brown was almost finished with the manuscript at the time of his passing in 2019. Brought to its final form by Craig A. Evans, this book promises to become the definitive history and assessment of the quests for the historical Jesus. Volume One covers the period from the beginnings of Christianity to the end of World War II. Volume Two (sold separately) covers the period from the post-War era through contemporary debates.

Jesus Research
Jesus Research

Author: James H. Charlesworth

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-02-07

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 0567681386

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Most experts who seek to understand the historical Jesus focus only on the Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. However, the contributors of this volume come to an important consensus: that the Gospel of John preserves traditions that are independent of the Synoptics, and which are often as reliable as any known traditions for understanding the historical Jesus. As such, the contributors argue for the use of John's Gospel in Jesus research. The volume contains various critical approaches to historical inquiry in the Gospel of John, including new evaluations of the relationship between John and the Synoptics, literary and rhetorical approaches, comparative analysis of other early traditions, the judicious use of archaeological data, and historical interpretation of John's theological tendencies. Contributing scholars include Dale C. Allison, Jr., Paul N. Anderson, Harold W. Attridge, James H. Charlesworth, R. Alan Culpepper, Michael A. Daise, Craig S. Keener, George L. Parsenios, Petr Pokorný, Jan Roskovec, and Urban C. von Wahlde, who help to reassess fully the historical study of John's gospel, particularly with respect to the person of Jesus.

Jesus and the Ioudaioi
Jesus and the Ioudaioi

Author: Tom Wilson

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2019-12-09

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1527544508

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John’s Gospel is a particularly difficult text for Jewish-Christian relations. It has been described as both deeply embedded in the Judaism of its day whilst simultaneously giving the strongest sense of separation between Judaism and Christianity. Arguably the most problematic verse is John 8:44, where Jesus tells “the Jews” that they are of “their father, the devil.” This verse, as well as other parts of the Fourth Gospel, have been used to justify anti-Semitism for centuries. Cognisant of this shameful history, how should Christians read John’s Gospel with the Ioudaioi (Jewish people) in mind? After reviewing the history of separation and problematic relationships between Christians and Jews down the centuries, Jesus and the Ioudaioi introduces theories of the audience of the Gospel, and surveys interpretative strategies proposed by Jewish scholars of the New Testament, while providing model exegesis for Christians who want to remain true to their faith while being aware of the difficulties this poses for positive relationships between Christians and Jewish people.

Jesus and Christian Origins
Jesus and Christian Origins

Author: Ben Wiebe

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-02-26

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1532614837

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There has been a varied range of studies on Jesus. Though now it seems there is a pause and perhaps opening to new orientation, with the aim not simply to cover old ground or repeat past mistakes. This is a study of Jesus and Christian origins with a primary focus on the Gospels. There have been comprehensive and important contributions, like N. T. Wright’s The New Testament and the People of God. At the same time, more defined studies have appeared. The purpose here is not to develop particular New Testament themes as such. Rather, in this volume the writers take up Gospel related topics in the context of the early church in order to illuminate specific baselines for New Testament interpretation and to discern directions toward a new paradigm. There is much to do. The need to take account of reception history and so of the “external evidence” for the New Testament documents; also eyewitness and oral tradition as embodied in the Gospel accounts. The genre of the Gospels with reference to biography or history has its own importance. The reception and “authority” of the Gospels in the early church marks another baseline. Jesus in his Jewish context and in relation to emerging Christianity is also a critical baseline for interpretation.

Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

Author: Lutz Doering

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published: 2020-12-14

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 3647522155

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The study of ancient Judaism has enjoyed a steep rise in interest and publications in recent decades, although the focus has often been on the ideas and beliefs represented in ancient Jewish texts rather than on the daily lives and the material culture of Jews/Judaeans and their communities. The nascent institution of the synagogue formed an increasingly important venue for communal gathering and daily or weekly practice. This collection of essays brings together a broad spectrum of new archaeological and textual data with various emergent theories and interpretative methods in order to address the need to understand the place of the synagogue in the daily and weekly procedures, community frameworks, and theological structures in which Judaeans, Galileans, and Jewish people in the Diaspora lived and gathered. The interdisciplinary studies will be of great significance for anyone studying ancient Jewish belief, practice, and community formation.

The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies
The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies

Author: Judith M. Lieu

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-07-19

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0191060496

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The contribution of the Johannine literature to the development of Christian theology, and particularly to Christology, is uncontested, although careful distinction between the implications of its language, especially that of sonship, in a first century 'Jewish' context and in the subsequent theological controversies of the early Church has been particularly important if not always easily sustained. Recent study has shaken off the weight of subsequent Christian appropriation of Johannine language which has sometimes made readers immune to the ambiguities and challenging tensions in its thought. The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies begins with chapters concentrating on discussions of the background and context of the Johannine literature, leading to the different ways of reading the text, and thence to the primary theological themes within them, before concluding with some discussion of the reception of the Johannine literature in the early church. Inevitably, given their different genres and levels of complexity, some chapters pay most if not all attention to the Gospel, whereas others are more able to give a more substantial place to the letters. All the contributors have themselves made significant contributions to their topic. They have sought to give a balanced introduction to the relevant scholarship and debate, but they have also been able to present the issues from their own perspective. The Handbook will help those less familiar with the Johannine literature to get a sense of the major areas of debate and why the field continues to be one of vibrant and exciting study, and that those who are already part of the conversation will find new insights to enliven their own on-going engagement with these writings.

Anti-Judaism and the Gospel of John
Anti-Judaism and the Gospel of John

Author: Mirosław Stanisław Wróbel

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published: 2023-12-04

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 3647500534

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In the light of the research undertaken in this book the author concludes that the so called "anti-Jewish" texts in Johannine Gospel are not directed against the Jews being an ethnic or religious community. The object of the polemic and attacks is not the entire Jewish nation across the span of all the ages but a group of the Jewish leaders or opponents to Jesus in the First Century AD. Looking through the prism of the aposynagogal polemics, one can notice that the state of tension between the Johannine community and the rabbinic Judaism is inter-Jewish, not anti-Jewish, in character. The source of the polemical language of the Fourth Gospel is the Christological discussion in the historical and sociological context (the Messianic confession, the excommunication from the Synagogue, the presence of Samaritans in the Johannine community, the struggle for the preservation of the identity).

Bach & God
Bach & God

Author: Michael Marissen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-04-20

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0190606967

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Bach & God explores the religious character of Bach's vocal and instrumental music in seven interrelated essays. Noted musicologist Michael Marissen offers wide-ranging interpretive insights from careful biblical and theological scrutiny of the librettos. Yet he also shows how Bach's pitches, rhythms, and tone colors can make contributions to a work's plausible meanings that go beyond setting texts in an aesthetically satisfying manner. In some of Bach's vocal repertory, the music puts a "spin" on the words in a way that turns out to be explainable as orthodox Lutheran in its orientation. In a few of Bach's vocal works, his otherwise puzzlingly fierce musical settings serve to underscore now unrecognized or unacknowledged verbal polemics, most unsettlingly so in the case of his church cantatas that express contempt for Jews and Judaism. Finally, even Bach's secular instrumental music, particularly the late collections of "abstract" learned counterpoint, can powerfully project certain elements of traditional Lutheran theology. Bach's music is inexhaustible, and Bach & God suggests that through close contextual study there is always more to discover and learn.