Papers by Byron G. Curtis
Unio Cum Christo
Unio cum Christo celebrates and encourages the visible union believers possess in Christ when the... more Unio cum Christo celebrates and encourages the visible union believers possess in Christ when they confess the faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, the body of Christ. Thus, its mission is (1) to be an international scholarly and practical journal for the global Reformed community-churches, seminaries, theologians, and pastors; (2) to encourage deeper fellowship, understanding, and growth in faith, hope, and love in the Reformed community at large; and (3) to support small and isolated Reformed witnesses in minority missional situations. It will seek to do so by the publication and dissemination of scholarly contributions of a biblical, theological, and practical nature by Reformed leaders worldwide including leading theologians, developing scholars, practicing missionaries, pastors, and evangelists. Articles, interviews, and book reviews will consistently be in line with biblically based Reformed confessional orthodoxy and orthopraxis. Submitted or solicited contributions for its biannual issues will focus on specific themes of importance to the Reformed tradition and present debate.
"Giving the Sense: Understanding and Using Old Testament Historical Texts." Edited by David M. Howard, Jr. and Michael A. Grisanti. Grand Rapids: Kregel. Pages 300–320., 2003
This festschrift chapter (for Eugene Merrill, 2003) examines the book of Haggai in light of the p... more This festschrift chapter (for Eugene Merrill, 2003) examines the book of Haggai in light of the precisely dated editorial frame that structures the entire text. Each of the five oracles the comprise the book is interpreted in light of the date forms of the narrative frame.
Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve. Edited by James D. Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney. SBL Symposium Series, #15, 2000
This essay seeks to examine the Zion-Daughter Oracle of Zephaniah 3:14-20, and to relate this ora... more This essay seeks to examine the Zion-Daughter Oracle of Zephaniah 3:14-20, and to relate this oracle (1) to the larger question of the precursors of the Book of the Twelve; and (2) to two later "seams" in the editorial stitching of the book, namely, the similar Zion-Daughter Oracle in Zechariah 9, and the concluding editorial "hem" in Malachi 3:22–24 (MT). I argue that the Zion-Daughter Oracle of Zephaniah 3:14–20 bears clear marks of redactional linking to the Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi corpus, and this this redactional link illumines the ideology and social location of these latter redactors of the Book of the Twelve. The final form of the Book of the Twelve presents the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi as the closing portions of a large and substantial work comprised of a dozen brief prophetic booklets. Zephaniah's Zion-Daughter Oracle stands exactly preceding this juncture in the Book of the Twelve. How did this arrangement of materials come about, and by whom was it accomplished?
The first printed Greek New Testament appeared in March, 1516—to great effect. This brief non-tec... more The first printed Greek New Testament appeared in March, 1516—to great effect. This brief non-technical article tells of Martin Luther's response to Erasmus's earth-shaking publication, and of its effect on the authoring of "The Ninety-five Theses," October 31, 1517—the first but unintended salvo in what became the Protestant Reformation.
—Reformed Presbyterian Witness, January-February, 2017
I this paper I reply to my friend and colleague, Scott, whose paper defended the ESV over the NIV... more I this paper I reply to my friend and colleague, Scott, whose paper defended the ESV over the NIV 2011. Scott marshaled seven criticisms of the NIV 2011, including criticism for "gender neutrality," and for renderings of particular words, such as Greek's "adelphoi," "hilasterion," and "authentein"; and particular passages, such as Hebrews 2:5-9 and its quotation of Psalm 8.
Methodological Foundations - Redactional Processes - Historical Insights, 2012
Drafts by Byron G. Curtis
This unpublished paper explores the relationship among natural science, natural theology, and Old... more This unpublished paper explores the relationship among natural science, natural theology, and Old Testament wisdom literature. My main contention here is that Israel’s wisdom literature inculcates a stance of radical openness to the potentialities of the created world, a stance that abets a healthy development of both natural theology and natural science. Finally, regarding natural science, it will not be my claim that Israel’s wisdom literature should be accorded total responsibility for the rise of that grand and sometimes inglorious enterprise; merely that OT wisdom literature is congruent with attitudes toward created existence which value that existence and find it worthy of the detailed
observation and analysis which are responsible for the rise of natural science. OT wisdom literature is thus one of the several sources of western science. Moreover, I shall claim that Israelite wisdom literature inculcates values that are congruent with a chastened, humble natural science, one not given to the abuse of the created world, because it knows that creation is the work of God.
This paper argues that the ESV translation of the Bible, the "English Standard Version" (Crossway... more This paper argues that the ESV translation of the Bible, the "English Standard Version" (Crossway, 2001, 2005) often fails to provide "standard English," and thus fails as a general purpose Bible for pulpit and pew. A test sample of Psalms 2 through 5 in parallel columns places the ESV side by side with the recent revision of the NIV (Zondervan, 2011). These sample Psalms are probed for accuracy, clarity, and fluency. While both versions of these psalms meet the test of accuracy, the ESV sometimes fails the test of clarity, and often fails the test of fluency. The 2011 NIV does better in all three categories, especially in producing fluent, standard English.
Conference Presentations by Byron G. Curtis
Unpublished SBL conference paper, 2008
One of the advances in scholarship in recent decades has been the discovery of various types of w... more One of the advances in scholarship in recent decades has been the discovery of various types of word-plays in the Hebrew Bible. One of the newer types has been called pivotal polysemous parallelism, or, evoking the two-faced Roman god of entries and exits, “Janus” parallelism (Cyrus Gordon, 1978). In Janus parallelism, there may appear three or more lines of poetry, and a term in the middle line is delightfully or disturbingly ambiguous: it pivots. Tracked with a prior line, it takes one meaning; tracked with a following line, it takes another meaning. Such a case is labeled “symmetrical,” i.e., there is balance fore and aft. Some cases are labeled asymmetrical. This sort might have only two lines, or in some other way lack the balance of the first type. Scott Noegel (1996) has shown that Janus parallelism is a sometime weapon in Hosea’s poetical arsenal.
Regarding Hosea 6:7, no consensus translation exists, a dispute that goes as far back as LXX and Vulgate. Two approaches are mainly evident today, one using the personal name Adam, as in the Vulgate (“like Adam,” NIV, ESV), the other reading ’adam as a reference to the Jordan Valley town, following Wellhausen’s textual emendation (“at Adam,” RSV, NRSV). The long contested translation can be resolved by recognizing an asymmetrical Janus parallelism. The first clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the first human; the second clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the Jordan valley town (note the sham, “there,” in verse 7b). Thus the author of Hosea 6:7 conceived of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel as in some sense parallel to a covenant with Adam; both covenants were violated, with disastrous results:
Like [their ancestor] Adam, they broke the covenant;
Like [the residents of] Adam, they double-crossed me there.
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Papers by Byron G. Curtis
—Reformed Presbyterian Witness, January-February, 2017
Drafts by Byron G. Curtis
observation and analysis which are responsible for the rise of natural science. OT wisdom literature is thus one of the several sources of western science. Moreover, I shall claim that Israelite wisdom literature inculcates values that are congruent with a chastened, humble natural science, one not given to the abuse of the created world, because it knows that creation is the work of God.
Conference Presentations by Byron G. Curtis
Regarding Hosea 6:7, no consensus translation exists, a dispute that goes as far back as LXX and Vulgate. Two approaches are mainly evident today, one using the personal name Adam, as in the Vulgate (“like Adam,” NIV, ESV), the other reading ’adam as a reference to the Jordan Valley town, following Wellhausen’s textual emendation (“at Adam,” RSV, NRSV). The long contested translation can be resolved by recognizing an asymmetrical Janus parallelism. The first clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the first human; the second clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the Jordan valley town (note the sham, “there,” in verse 7b). Thus the author of Hosea 6:7 conceived of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel as in some sense parallel to a covenant with Adam; both covenants were violated, with disastrous results:
Like [their ancestor] Adam, they broke the covenant;
Like [the residents of] Adam, they double-crossed me there.
—Reformed Presbyterian Witness, January-February, 2017
observation and analysis which are responsible for the rise of natural science. OT wisdom literature is thus one of the several sources of western science. Moreover, I shall claim that Israelite wisdom literature inculcates values that are congruent with a chastened, humble natural science, one not given to the abuse of the created world, because it knows that creation is the work of God.
Regarding Hosea 6:7, no consensus translation exists, a dispute that goes as far back as LXX and Vulgate. Two approaches are mainly evident today, one using the personal name Adam, as in the Vulgate (“like Adam,” NIV, ESV), the other reading ’adam as a reference to the Jordan Valley town, following Wellhausen’s textual emendation (“at Adam,” RSV, NRSV). The long contested translation can be resolved by recognizing an asymmetrical Janus parallelism. The first clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the first human; the second clause tracks (rightly) as a reference to the Jordan valley town (note the sham, “there,” in verse 7b). Thus the author of Hosea 6:7 conceived of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel as in some sense parallel to a covenant with Adam; both covenants were violated, with disastrous results:
Like [their ancestor] Adam, they broke the covenant;
Like [the residents of] Adam, they double-crossed me there.