Currents in Biblical Research recent issues

Editorial Foreword

Hauser, A. J., McKnight, S., Klawans, J. — 2009-09-09

Abbreviations

2009-09-09

Recent Research in Chronicles

Duke, R. K. — 2009-09-09

This article surveys trends in Chronicles scholarship from 1994 to 2007. Most of the trends established by 1993 have continued with more depth and focus, although with a few challenges. These trends include: refining the distinctions between Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemia as coming from separate authors/editors; recognizing the integral role of the genealogies; and examining the literary artistry of the Chronicler. Newer trends include: pursuing the interplay between orality, on the one hand, and textuality and literacy, on the other; and bringing insights from an increasing sociological understanding of the Persian and Hellenistic periods in general. Recent years have also seen a wealth of new commentaries.

Evaluating 1 Thessalonians: An Outline of Holistic Approaches to 1 Thessalonians in the Last 25 Years

Adams, S. A. — 2009-09-09

This article focuses on works that have been produced within the last 25 years which attempt to provide a holistic approach to the understanding and interpretation of 1 Thessalonians, such as: epistolary, rhetorical, theological, linguistic, and various combinations of the above. Proponents of each view and their perspectives will be outlined along with their structural division of the text. This article attempts to provide a general map of particular approaches to 1 Thessalonians, but also provides a brief outline of some of the critiques and weaknesses of the different methodologies. This article concludes with a brief statement regarding the trajectory of current studies.

Orality and the Gospels: A Survey of Recent Research

Iverson, K. R. — 2009-09-09

In the last thirty years there have been significant developments in the application of orality studies to the Gospels. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the field through a survey of its leading proponents, including Werner Kelber, Joanna Dewey, Paul Achtemeier, Peter Botha, Richard Horsley and Jonathan Draper, Kenneth Bailey, James Dunn, Richard Bauckham, David Rhoads and Whitney Shiner. The essay begins with a discussion of several foundational studies, before turning specifically to the reconception of orality and the implication of this research for the Gospels. The study concludes that, while an appreciation of orality has made inroads into certain segments of Gospels research, it remains a neglected and underexploited dimension of NT interpretation.

Prolegomena to the Study of the Jewish Magical Tradition

Bohak, G. — 2009-09-09

Recent years have seen a steady rise in the scholarly interest in Jewish magic. The present paper seeks to take stock of what has already been done, to explain how further study of Jewish magical texts and artifacts might make major contributions to the study of Judaism as a whole, and to provide a blueprint for further progress in this field. Its main claim is that the number of unedited and even uncharted primary sources for the study of Jewish magic is staggering, and that these sources must serve as the starting point for any serious study of the Jewish magical tradition from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Such a study must both compare the Jewish magical texts and practices of each historical period with those of the contemporaneous non-Jewish world, and thus trace processes of cross-cultural contacts and influences, and compare the Jewish magical texts and practices of one period with those of another, so as to detect processes of inner-Jewish continuity and transmission. Finally, such a study must flesh out the place of magical practices and practitioners within the Jewish society of different periods, and within different Jewish communities.

Editorial Foreword

Hauser, A. J., McKnight, S., Klawans, J. — 2009-06-10

Abbreviations

2009-06-10

The Accounts of Deborah (Judges 4--5) in Recent Research

Mayfield, T. — 2009-06-10

Within the book of Judges, the figure of Deborah receives exceptional treatment in that her actions are presented first in a narrative, comprising chapter four, then in a poem, chapter five. Read together or separately, these chapters elicit scholarly interpretations aplenty. This article surveys recent research on the accounts of Deborah since 1990 by dividing the discussion into three sections: the two accounts as a single unit, Judges 4 alone, and Judges 5 alone. The first section discusses the function of these chapters within the book and their relationship with each other. The second section further subdivides according to the narrative elements of character or event, while the third section's divisions are based on common scholarly concerns like genre, dating, and structure.

The Theo-Logic of Paul's Ethics in Recent Research: Crosscurrents and Future Directions in Scholarship in the Last Forty Years

Gupta, N. K. — 2009-06-10

This essay presents a survey of scholarship on the theology or logic (hence `theo-logic') of Paul's ethics in the last forty years. Exploring the work of such prominent Pauline scholars as V.P. Furnish, P. Sampley, W. Schrage, R. Hays and D. Horrell, attention will be drawn to their contributions as well as future desiderata in this field. An important conclusion drawn from this study is that Furnish's work is a milestone in Paul's theo-logic of ethics especially with regard to eschatological, Christological and sociological dimensions, and subsequent Pauline interpreters have largely expanded on his work. Such elaborations, though, have often been necessary and welcome as new trends in scholarship have yielded great insights not possible in the late 1960s when Furnish penned his tome.

Lion/Lamb in Revelation

Skaggs, R., Doyle, T. — 2009-06-10

As long as the Apocalypse has existed scholars have acknowledged the significance of the symbols of the lion and Lamb for understanding the message of the Apocalypse. The relationship between the two figures is particularly pivotal to the debate. There is, however, little scholarly consensus as to the nature of this relationship. The purpose of this study is to articulate and clarify the scholarly debate on this issue in order to shed light on the issues involved and to suggest some possible solutions.

Recent Trends in the Study of Early Jewish Wisdom Literature: The Contribution of 4QInstruction and Other Qumran Texts

Goff, M. — 2009-06-10

This essay reviews major trends in the study of the Qumran texts commonly identified as wisdom literature. Among these texts, 4QInstruction and the so-called book of Mysteries have received the most attention. These compositions are making a significant contribution to our understanding of the Jewish wisdom tradition during the late Second Temple period. A key achievement of recent scholarship on the Qumran wisdom literature is the recognition that Early Jewish sapiential texts could draw on traditions that have little to do with the older wisdom of Proverbs, including in particular apocalypticism and the Torah. The Dead Sea Scrolls illustrate that there is a wide range of diversity among the Early Jewish wisdom texts.

Editorial Foreword

Hauser, A. J., McKnight, S., Klawans, J. — 2008-12-15

Hosea 1--3 in Twentieth-Century Scholarship

Kelle, B. E. — 2008-12-15

Throughout the twentieth century, critical scholarship on the book of Hosea has focused overwhelmingly on the marriage metaphor in Hosea 1—3. Scholars often saw these chapters as establishing the primary interpretive issues for the message of the prophet and the book as a whole, although a lack of consensus concerning even the most basic exegetical issues remains. Newer studies have rightly pushed beyond this isolation of Hosea 1—3. This article surveys the major trends of the modern interpretation of these chapters, with particular attention to the second half of the twentieth century. From the early 1900s to the 1980s, critical works focused primarily on the biographical reconstruction of the prophet and his family life, as well as related historical and form-critical concerns. From the 1930s forward, such study was particularly concerned to read Hosea 1—3 against the background of a purported sexualized Baal cult in eighth-century Israel. Beginning in the 1980s, feminist-critical readings of Hosea 1—3 came to occupy a prominent position. In subsequent years, these concerns have been complemented by an emerging emphasis on metaphor theory, as well as newer kinds of literary, book-oriented, and socio-historical analyses. A follow-up article will treat recent scholarship on Hosea 4—14.

Postcolonial Studies and the Hebrew Bible

Crowell, B. L. — 2008-12-15

As the field of biblical studies continues to become more diverse, scholars incorporate theories and methods from other areas of research. One of these fields is postcolonial theory, which makes the role of empires and their effects on society and literature the primary focus of the interpretive effort. This essay explores how postcolonial theory is currently being integrated with the study of the Hebrew Bible. Biblical scholars incorporating postcolonial theory focus on three major areas: how colonial empires interpreted the Hebrew Bible and how indigenous populations reacted to the colonial interpretations, interpretations from previously colonized populations, and the role of empires and reactions to them in the composition of the texts of the Hebrew Bible.

The Oxford Conference on the Synoptic Problem

Batovici, D. — 2008-12-15

The past two centuries have witnessed a wide spectrum of solutions for the Synoptic Problem. Even though quite far from a consensus, the problem tends to incorporate new domains from ongoing connected research: the relevance of the Gospel of Thomas, the Synoptic authors' use of the Old Testament or recent studies on communication media in antiquity. This article surveys a number of issues presented in the papers of the Oxford Conference on the Synoptic Problem, held in May 2008, ranging from challenging past and present solutions of the Synoptic Problem from different perspectives to new directions of research on this topic.

Recent Trends in the Study of Midrash and Rabbinic Narrative

Bakhos, C. — 2008-12-15

The present article surveys some significant developments in scholarship on rabbinic midrash and narrative (aggadic) sources. The contemporary trends in the study of midrash can be traced back to the work of Jacob Neusner in the early 1970s. This article traces developments from that time, and does so by isolating trends in (1) literary analysis, (2) cultural studies, and (3) new historicism. A final section (4) looks at equally important developments concerning still unfinished business of producing critical editions of rabbinic texts.

Editorial Foreword

Hauser, A. J., McKnight, S., Klawans, J. — 2008-08-18

Abbreviations

2008-08-18

Rhetorical Criticism in Biblical Commentaries

Olbricht, T. H. — 2008-08-18

Biblical commentators through history have employed various methods to facilitate interpretation, including rhetorical criticism, with emphasis on classical rhetoric. Despite a resurgence of interest in rhetoric in the past two decades, only a few commentators in the New Interpreter's Bible and the Hermeneia series have undertaken in-depth rhetorical analysis. Most observations of these commentators are derived from the rhetorics of Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian and the Rhetorica ad Herennium. This essay sets forth and evaluates the various methods of rhetorical analysis and their employment in the two above-mentioned commentary series.

Paul's Engagement with Deuteronomy: Snapshots and Signposts

Lincicum, D. — 2008-08-18

Recent research has turned from general studies of the role of the Old Testament in Paul's theology to consideration of Paul's engagement with individual biblical books. While much of the interest has so far centered on Isaiah, attention is increasingly paid to Deuteronomy. This article surveys current trends in approaches to Deuteronomy in Paul's letters, focusing especially on three types of studies: textual and methodological studies of Paul's citation technique and Vorlage , considerations of Deuteronomy in Paul's theology, and investigations of the role of Deuteronomy in the formation of Paul's ethics. After surveying the major recent contributions, several areas for further research are suggested.

Statistical Studies of the Verbal Agreements and their Impact on the Synoptic Problem

Poirier, J. C. — 2008-08-18

The patterns of verbal agreement between the gospels have long been considered a key for solving the synoptic problem, and a subdiscipline within gospel source criticism of tabulating and interpreting these patterns of agreement has slowly emerged in the name of gathering the most objective evidence available. Studies of the verbal agreements have steadily grown in their sophistication (esp. in combinatory analysis), as well as in their appreciation for the nature of the gospel text as something more than a mere compilation. The question of whether this approach can substantially further the field, however, has yet to be answered. This article surveys and critiques all published statistical studies of the verbal agreements known to the author.

Qumran Calendars: A Survey of Scholarship 1980--2007

Ben-Dov, J., Saulnier, S. — 2008-08-18

The present article surveys the scholarship on the calendars represented in the Qumran texts and the Pseudepigrapha. The survey commences with the influential articles by VanderKam in the late 1970s, while relating also to Jaubert's earlier hypothesis. After a presentation and classification of the relevant texts, we proceed to elucidate the prominent calendrical and historical themes: the calendar in Jubilees and the Temple Scroll; the early history of the 364-day year in Judah; the non-Jewish origins of the 364-day calendar tradition; intercalation and the beginning of the day; and the various accounts of lunar phases in writings from Qumran. Broadly speaking, present-day research tends to emphasize the schematic aspect of the 364-day calendar tradition, renouncing the older view of this system as a `solar' calendar. In addition, Jaubert's hypothesis on the antiquity of the 364-day calendar, although still upheld in significant parts of current scholarship, is seriously challenged when viewed in a broader historical context. Finally, the Jewish astronomical and calendrical lore is increasingly explained on the background of astral sciences in the Hellenistic world—from Mesopotamia to Egypt.