New Testament Narrative Criticism

Cette étude explore comment la persécution, relatée dans le livre des Actes des Apôtres, a joué un rôle fondamental dans l’essor de l’Église primitive. Contrairement à une entrave, la persécution a été un catalyseur missionnaire, favorisant l’expansion du christianisme au-delà de Jérusalem. 

Trois axes principaux sont abordés : 
1. L’élan missionnaire : La dispersion des croyants, conséquence directe de la persécution, a permis la diffusion de l’Évangile parmi les **Juifs et les païens**, répondant ainsi à la mission divine (Missio Dei). 
2. La structuration de la communauté chrétienne : Face aux persécutions, l’Église a dû réorganiser son leadership, favorisant la multiplication des Églises de maison et renforçant la solidarité entre croyants. 
3. La théologie de la souffrance : La persécution a conduit à une réflexion théologique approfondie sur la souffrance comme élément intrinsèque de la croissance spirituelle et ecclésiale, mettant en avant le concept biblique de "μαρτυς" (témoin), où souffrance et témoignage de foi sont indissociables. 

L’étude met en lumière comment, dès ses débuts, l’Église a su transformer l’adversité en force motrice, ancrant ainsi son identité et son témoignage dans un contexte de résilience et d’espérance.

In this paper, I argue that the end of the Animal Apocalypse bears a striking resemblance to Micah 4:1-5 and Isa. 19:18-25. This text appears to answer the dilemma that Micah and Isaiah create: how will the Gentiles stop being violent and what will prevent them from becoming violent again? It is argued that the White Bull, rather than being an expected future Messiah figure (as popularly believed), likely represents a righteous Gentile who is necessary for ensuring the answer to this dilemma. It is also argued that the Book of Revelation's ending resonates with both Micah and 1 Enoch, suggesting that John's Apocalypse knows of the Enochic tradition and has attempted to offer a different interpretation in light of John's belief in Jesus as Israel's Messiah.

Nei gruppi giudaici (esseni, comunità dei rotoli del Mar Morto, sicari, emerobattisti) e giudeocristiani (nazorei, ebioniti) la Legge mosaica e in particolare la circoncisione e le norme di purità alimentare ricoprivano un ruolo fondamentale. È la Legge a tracciare un confine tra gli ebrei, da un lato, e i gentili, i diversi, dall’altro. Viceversa, diverse sono tra i Greci e i Romani le manifestazioni di disprezzo verso i Giudei per le loro usanze, prima tra tutte la circoncisione. I precetti danno forma a una frontiera, definiscono il popolo eletto rispetto ai goyim, gli altri popoli politeisti. Tra questi soprattutto gli occupanti romani, che giungono dal Mediterraneo e che a Qumran sono chiamati Kittim, Ciprioti, altri storici nemici provenienti dal Mediterraneo, elemento liminale. L’altro spazio in cui si materializza questa frontiera è il corpo, sia per quanto riguarda la circoncisione che per ciò che è lecito ingerire.
La Legge demarca confini politico-culturali, regolando il rapporto del popolo ebraico con il mondo esterno: è lecito prendere cibo con i pagani? Bisogna purificarsi se vi si entra in contatto? I precetti divengono quindi una vera frontiera, una fortificazione a difesa dalle potenze del mondo al di là del mare.
Come si situava la Chiesa nascente rispetto a questa frontiera?
Nella Lettera ai Galati e negli Atti degli Apostoli si narra di una controversia (il primo “concilio”) sui temi della circoncisione e dell’alimentazione tra la comunità di Giacomo, fratello di Gesù, e Paolo. Per Paolo, che predica tra i pagani, la circoncisione e le norme alimentari sono superate, perché è la Legge stessa a essere superata e con essa la distinzione tra giudeo e greco. Nella Chiesa di Giacomo, al contrario, si affermava la necessità della circoncisione e che a nulla vale la fede senza le opere della Legge, da osservare in ogni singolo punto.

This paper provides a detailed linguistic and historical analysis of Mark 1:7, uncovering the embedded Roman influence within the Gospel of Mark. By examining the Koine Greek text, we reveal how Roman elites, specifically the Piso family, encoded their signature into the narrative, creating a theological and political construct that shaped the foundations of Christianity.

This study is primarily concerned with responsible and considerate interpretations of the Bible as sacred book in faith communities. The question of poverty and its related issues compelled me to ask the question: how can the gospels be good news for Christians in impoverished communities in South Africa? It is the opinion of this study that method of interpretation is the crux of the matter when it comes to extracting good news from the Bible. In chapter one I propose that a social scientific approach in combination with feminist hermeneutics is a good method of interpreting biblical texts in impoverished communities. The social sciences help to place the text in its proper context and give the reader a point of connection between his or her social location and that of the text. Feminist hermeneutics seeks the marginalised and silent voices in the text with the aim of transformation on the contemporary context. In the second chapter of this study I explore the vital social values o...

Against the grain of much Johannine scholarship, this article offers a sustained argument against the notion that John's Jesus replaces sacred Jewish institutions and practices such as ritual purification, the temple, the Sabbath, and the Jewish festivals. Instead, I argue that John promotes a deeply appreciative and contextually sensitive vision of the Mosaic torah in which significant torah practices and institutions are retained, whilst also being reinterpreted, diversified, and sometimes relativised. This vision, in turn, has beneficial implications for Jewish-Christian dialogues and can provide wisdom in contemporary debates about the role of Jewish institutions and practices in Christian communities.

The ending of Mark, 'And they (the women) said nothing to anyone for they were afraid' (16.8) is one of the most famous cruxes in the New Testament. Could the author really have intended to complete the gospel in such a way? Building on a suggestion made by Joel Marcus and Benoit Standaert, this article defends the hypothesis that Mark is deliberately making a reference to Genesis 18.15 LXX. The same rare expression ἐwοβήθη γάρ which has the verb 'to be afraid' followed by the preposition γάρ, appears in a comparable context. In both cases, one or more women are presented by God or his messengers with what could appear to be an unlikely promise and a radical impossibility: the birth of a child in old age or the resurrection of a dead person. While presenting a critique of S. Hultgren's recent proposal that Dn 10 is the background of Mark, the approach here is to add an argument based on a scriptural allusion, which Mark was perfectly capable of making, in support of the now predominant view, but still with many critics, that the writer fully intended to end his gospel with 16.8b.

The article examines the meaning of the words Ναζαρέτ and ναζωραῖος in the Fourth Gospel. It argues that the first word plays an important role in the incar national logic of the Gospel, while the second word is significant for John's Christol ogy. Through the literary device of reader entrapment, John corrects the reader's initial misjudgement that ὁ ναζωραῖος in John 18,5.7; 19,19 depicts Jesus as coming from Nazareth. To explain the Christological significance of this phrase, the article evaluates the thesis that ναζωραῖος characterises Jesus as a Nazirite. For instance, it compares the literary characterisation of the Johannine Jesus to the Nazirite rule in Num 6,1-21 and its reception in late Second Temple sources. Zusammenfassung: Der Artikel untersucht die Bedeutung der Wörter Ναζαρέτ und ναζωραῖος im Johannesevangelium. Dabei wird die These vertreten, dass das erste Wort bedeutsam für die Logik der Inkarnation ist, während das zweite Wort für die johanneische Christologie eine wichtige Rolle einnimmt. Anhand des literarischen Mittels des "Reader entrapment" korrigiert Johannes die anfängliche Fehleinschät zung des Lesers bzw. der Leserin, dass ὁ ναζωραῖος in Joh 18,5.7; 19,19 Jesus als "aus Nazareth kommend" beschreibt. Um die christologische Bedeutung dieses Ausdrucks zu erklären, wird in diesem Artikel die These vertreten, dass Jesus mit ναζωραῖος als Nasiräer charakterisiert wird. Dazu wird bspw. die literarische Cha rakterisierung des johanneischen Jesus mit dem Nasiräereid in Num 6,1-21 und dessen Rezeption in Quellen aus der Spätzeit des Zweiten Tempels verglichen.

La courte prière du Notre Père est un merveilleux moyen de découvrir la présence aimante du Père. Les sept demandes qu’elle contient méritent une attention toute particulière. Il nous faut aussi répondre au fait que dans un certain nombre de manuscrits grecs, le Notre Père de l’évangile de Luc n’a que cinq demandes. L’exégèse d’oralité, à partir de l'araméen, offre à cet égard des outils nouveaux de compréhension.

L’évangile de Luc est un « pendentif », avec un collier compteur introduisant des fils d’oralité, formant chacun un ensemble cohérent en lien avec la perle qui l’introduit.
Ce collier compteur comporte huit perles allant de l’Annonciation aux tentations du Christ au désert (Lc 1, 26 à 4, 15). Ainsi, l’Annonciation à Marie introduit un fil d’oralité où l’on trouve le Oui de Pierre, le Oui de Lévi, et le Oui des Douze. La Visitation introduit un fil où, devant la résurrection du fils de la veuve de Naïn, le peuple s’exclame : Dieu a visité son peuple ! Et l’on continue ainsi jusqu’à la perle des tentations de Jésus au désert, qui introduit la Passion du Christ, durant laquelle les invectives lancées à Jésus font écho à Satan tentant Jésus au désert. Quant aux récits de la Résurrection, ils forment le « sceau final ».
Le Notre Père se situe au centre (5e perle du 4e fil d’oralité), qui est lui-même au centre des 8 fils du « pendentif » de l’évangile de Luc. L’ensemble de l’évangile apparaît ainsi comme un vaste commentaire du Notre Père. C’est particulièrement opportun étant donné que nous avons montré que Luc a repris dans son évangile une formation dédiée aux diacres, et que ce sont les diacres qui font entonner à l’assemblée la prière du Notre Père.
En outre, l’étude de l’original araméen révèle qu’il n’y a pas de différence entre le « Notre Père » de l’évangile de Luc comporte sept demandes comme dans l’évangile de Matthieu. (L’annexe donne de nombreuses preuve de la primauté de l’araméen).

This paper argues first that John 20:17b is Jesus's statement TO Mary, not to the male disciples THROUGH Mary. It further argues that it deliberately echoes Ruth 1:16-17, the only other place in the Bible where there is a similar phrase. By comparing it to the Ruth passage and looking carefully especially at the Galilean Aramaic manuscripts of John, this essay hypothesizes that originally Jesus may have said "to my father and to your [Mary's] mother, and to my God and to your Goddess".

This paper is intended to present a reading of Luke 24:1-12 using a narrative analysis approach and characterization theory in order to enrich research on related text. I combined narrative analysis method with Bennema's characterization theory. This method explores narrative elements, such as: implied author and narrator; point of view and ideology; narration and time narration; plot; setting; characterization; and implied reader. Characterization of characters is done with the following step, such as: 1) Character analysis and classification, and 2) Total reconsturction of character. This writing specifically delves the narration inside the text of Luke 24:1-12 in accordance to elements mentioned above in order to provide the reader implications for living the live as a Christian nowadays. The result shows that the narrative analysis character reconstruction carried out in this text can enrich readers to understand Luke 24:1-12 as a whole narrative text. At the same time, this paper emphasizes that women who are not prominent characters can still be used by God to proclaim the gospel after God has processed them spiritually.

The way and strategy in which the gospel of Mark teaches discipleship goes
beyond the inner circle of the Twelve Disciples. Mark chooses to depict true
discipleship through the “Minor Characters,” especially the women
followers, who were neither specifically called nor named in the narratives.
These minor characters usually exhibit true disciples when the Twelve
would not. In fact, it was the women who, unlike the Disciples, did not
betray and followed Jesus to the cross and the first to visit the empty tomb.
They understood what is demanded of a disciple and the cost of discipleship
better than the Twelve. Where the Twelve misunderstood and falter, the
women comprehended and remained firm. However, at the end of the
gospel the women failed in that they chose to remain silent out of fear after
visiting the empty tomb. This shows that women too were fallible as
humans, but restorable. The essay is a look at discipleship in Mark from a
subaltern perspective. The approach is chosen because it enables the reader
to see the egalitarianism envisaged by the Markan community in which
everyone serves as equal partner in ministry.

Paul’s zealousness for the Law had been revealed for what it was: a futile hope. It was time for initiates to discover Christ through the transformative power of the Spirit. Presented live and online to the SRIA's Metropolitan Study Group in 2019 at the Atlantis Bookshop, London.

En un temps où Dieu ne semble pas être la préoccupation principale de certaines personnes, les questions de société qui se posent sont légions : équilibre des genres, comportements écoresponsables, conflits proches ou lointains, migration, etc. L’inquiétude augmente, le sentiment d’insécurité aussi. On consulte des spécialistes de l’avenir, souhaitant savoir ce qui nous attend et comment nous y préparer. Et pourtant… Percevons-nous à quel point la réponse à nos questions est proche ? Captons-nous la présence de Dieu dans nos vies ?,,, Les études de textes de l’Ancien et du Nouveau Testament révèlent la façon dont Dieu se dit et s’approche de nous.

Amos 3,3-8 "Quand l'alarme sonne, vous faites quoi ?" par Patrick Baud
Luc 2,41-52 "Parenté" par Martine Lavanchy
1 Samuel 28,3-25 "Un homme apeuré cherche la réponse à tout prix" par Albert-Luc De Haller
Marc 5,25-34 "Le médecin malgré lui !" par Elda Jaroko Lengozara

Editio critica maior Actus Apostolorum, recension critique, accompagnée de quelques réflexions personnelles sur l'avenir d'une ECM des Actes des Apôtres. En 2017, l'Institut für neutestamentiche Textforschung de Münster a publié, en collaboration avec la Société biblique allemande (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft) une editio critica maior des Actes des Apôtres. Cette édition, impatiemment attendue, fait suite à celle des Epîtres catholiques (parue en 1997, avec une seconde édition plus complète et plus représentative de la Coherence-Based Genealogical Method (CBGM) en 2013), et précède celle de l'Evangile selon Marc, qui vient de sortir (2021). L'édition, en quatre volumes, se présente comme suit :

Forty years ago, Leander Keck criticised the ‘tyranny of titles’ in the study of New Testament Christology. While Keck rightly criticised early- to mid-twentieth approaches to titles for Jesus, there is no denying the importance of titles in New Testament texts. This article summarises classic twentieth-century approaches to christological titles and discusses the most important criticisms. The root issue of such approaches is the conflation of titles and concepts. A constructive proposal is offered for reading christological titles as literary strategies of characterisation. This approach begins by carefully defining what is meant by a title and how titles might be distinguished from common nouns and names. Six principles for the productive interpretation of titles are then discussed: 1) titles must be distinguished from other christological material like motifs, typologies, and references to biblical texts; 2) titles must be distinguished from each other; 3) titles are meaningful not because they refer to particular ideas but because of their relationship with biblical texts, religious life, and culture; 4) what a title does is more important than what a title means; 5) titles are flexible, polyvalent, and ambiguous; 6) titles must be read alongside other titles and non-titular material. Finally, it is demonstrated how this literary approach to titles will be fruitful for contemporary discussions in New Testament Christology and contribute to the renewal of New Testament Christology that Keck called for several decades ago.

understand the end of the interlude to be 11: 13. Although many would include 11: 14 in the interlude, it does not fit well there. As a number of scholars have pointed out, it would work better immediately before the beginning of the interlude, after 9:21. See, for example, Jurgen Roloff,

A layperson in both the religous and academic sense provides comments on the Yale Bible Study, a series provided by the faculty of the Yale School of Divinity. Note the series was not viewed in its entirety. The YBS series is available on YouTube.

This article is a narrative-critical interpretation of the flight of the naked youth (Mark 14:51–52) which examines Mark’s characteristic use of clothing with particular interest in the literary relationship between the young man’s abandoned garment (σινδών) and Jesus’ burial shroud (σινδών). After examining Mark’s use of clothing and situating 14:51–52 within a web of relevant literary and lexical interrelationships, this article argues that Mark intentionally depicts the fleeing νεανίσκος as a characterization of the disciples’ refusal of Jesus’ passion, imaged by their refusal to bear Jesus’ figural burial shroud.

The answer to loneliness in ministry Last fall, I reached a saturation point of loneliness in ministry. I felt achingly, painfully alone. My body let me know it every time I was at church. For two months I couldn't focus on sermon prep, though preaching has been my ministry passion since the late 90s. Unable to function in my role, I took an emergency sabbatical and quietly planned to walk away from the pastorate. 1

Fr. Jomin Joseph is a priest belonging to the Syro Malabar catholic diocese of Kanjirapally, India. He received his licentiate in Scripture (S.S.L.) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute (2009) and his doctorate in biblical theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical Gregorian University (2014), Rome. At present he is teaching in Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune.
In his dissertation he tries to explore the convivial aspects of the Lukan Last Supper narrative (Lk 22,1-38). In Luke’s Gospel, the salvation which Jesus brings is often associated with banquets, table fellowship and hospitality. In the Lukan Last Supper narrative (22,1-38), which is the last meal in a series of meal scenes before Jesus’ death, appears many important convivial and salvation-related terminologies and imageries. Among the NT authors, it is Luke who has shown more interest in food and meal motifs and has a distinctive banquet theology. The Lukan Jesus seeks and saves the lost through his inclusive meal ministry. The Lukan Last Supper enacts the salvation offered by God in Jesus in a unique way by joining the convivial and covenantal aspects in the self-donation of Jesus on behalf of his table companions. The sacrificial aspect of the Lukan Last Supper is essentially related to the convivial aspects and consists in Jesus’ free self-giving in the form of bread and wine out of love for his disciples and for all. Among the Synoptic Gospels, only Luke has an extended table talk (22,24-38) as part of the Last Supper narrative to exhort the reader about the consequences of this new Passover meal. In the Last Supper both Jesus as well as the Lukan narrator portray to the reader a model convivium with a theology of profound solidarity. The influence of the  Biblical and Greco-Roman banquet traditions and the different literary genres viz., symposium, farewell discourse and type-scene subgenre are examined in order to understand the convivial aspects of the Lukan narration of the Last Supper.

The meaning of λόγος in the Prologue of John's Gospel has been discussed thoroughly in Johannine scholarship; however, many of the studies investigate the usage of this word from Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds. As important as these studies are, this study utilizes the tools of lexical semantics, and more specifically lexical monosemy, to elucidate the core meaning of λόγος as used in the Johannine Prologue. Lexical monosemy is the viewpoint that most lexemes have a singular core meaning, and that variations of meanings of a lexeme arise from its varied usages in context. In the same vein, the distinction between "meaning" and "use" is also important for this study. Meaning is its semantic function and potential, while use is its contextual function and realization. This paper argues that the notions of abstraction and concretization are at the core of the meaning of λόγος, which fits well with the overall message of the Prologue, that the abstract Word became concrete flesh.

William Loader is professor emeritus of New Testament at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. He has written numerous books in the fields of New Testament and ancient Jewish and Christian sexuality. This volume is the update and expansion of an earlier book, The Christology of the Fourth Gospel: Structure and Issues, rev ed., BBET 23 (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1992). The book is very well structured and organized, walking the reader through the Christological material in the fourth Gospel with an interesting and fruitful inductive approach. After an introduction (1-37), the book is divided into two main parts, with three chapters in each part. The first part is on the structure of Johannine Christology (41-144), the second part (145-471) is on issues in Johannine Christology, followed by a conclusion (472-484), a bibliography (485-513), and indices (514-532). In the first section of the book, Loader builds on the textual observations of Rudolf Bultmann, while seeking to avoid Bultmann's more speculative interpretations; such as demythologization and the dependence of the fourth Gospel on a "Gnostic-Redeemer myth" (3-4, 9-10). Loader agrees with Bultmann that the central feature of John's Christology is the Father sending the Son into the world as a revealer; to tell what he had seen and heard. But the Son never reveals heavenly words or events; He instead comes to reveal the Father (2-3). I believe that these foundational observations are solid. In seeking the central structure of John's Christology, Loader avoids the "key text" approach of many of his predecessors. Instead, he adopts a more comprehensive method (45), noting recurring motifs and images in the Gospel, patterns of motifs and images, summary statements that contain those motifs and images, and discourses of Jesus about himself. This method leads Loader to identify three Christological summary passages: John 3:31-36; 8:12-19; and 12:44-50. The basic Christological framework that emerges from these "summary statements" confirms Bultmann's key observations. The central Christological structure (which Loader titles the redeemer-envoy pattern) can be summarized: The Father sends and authorizes the Son to come and make the Father known, after which the Son returns to the Father (based on 56-57). This structure is then confirmed in a section by section study of the Gospel (72-120). Other parts of the Gospel, however, show a strong interest in the death of Jesus and his subsequent return to the Father (79, 83). The return of Jesus continues the revelation of the Father through the sending of the Spirit and the empowerment of the disciples (99, 106). Therefore, the full Christological structure of the gospel is the Father sending the Son to make the Father known, but also to return to the Father, commissioning the Spirit and the disciples to continue the revelation of the Father and build up the community of faith (121-144).

In the Gospel of John, truth holds great significance and understanding its missional significance in today's post-truth era requires a thorough examination of the 'truth passages' within this Gospel. Through the exegetical method, this article examines how words for truth are used throughout John's Gospel. The article argues that Jesus occupies a central position in discussions about truth, serves as the primary instructor on the subject, and presents the Christian truth as practical, absolute, liberative, and authoritative in nature. Furthermore, the article explores the missional significance of the Johannine truth in the context of the post-truth era.

A handful of scholars have recently focused on the importance of “the deportation to Babylon” in Matt 1:11, 12, 17 and the determinative role it plays for understanding the author’s conceptualization of redemptive history. Others, however, demur. This article draws attention to three observations heretofore neglected in the discussion of what “the deportation to Babylon” might mean for appreciating the narrative’s theological setting, as well as interpreting the entire gospel: (1) an “interrupted chiasm"; (2) the precise meaning of μετοικεσία in 1:11, 12, 17; and (3) the enumeration of the generations in 1:17. The aggregate effect is to read Matthew’s genealogy in apocalyptic terms as an attempt to assert Yahweh’s covenantal faithfulness despite the chaos of historical events—namely, the exile that inhibits the path to fulfilling Davidic and therefore also Abrahamic promises.

Over the past two decades, there has been a renewed interest in the analysis of character and characterization in the Hebrew Bible. Many studies have focused on the major characters and their company. However, insufficient attention has been given to characters on the margins of the narrative I identify as 'marginal characters'. In this paper, I investigate the narratological function of these characters through an examination of select marginal characters in 1-2 Samuel. Drawing upon a conceptual framework for analyzing anonymous characters in Greek Tragedy, I propose two functions for these marginal characters: 1) they serve as a reflection of the narrator's disposition toward the complex characters of Saul and David; 2) they serve as manifestations of divine providence. These functions are not mutually exclusive. In both cases, however, the marginal characters contribute to a strategy of narrative persuasion, leading the audience to certain ideological and theological conclusions.

This article examines the narrative models of qur'ānic characters and characterization from the perspective of narratological approaches. First, the weaknesses and strengths of character-oriented narrative theories in the West (Propp, Greimas, Bremond, and Todorov) are pointed out in the light of the characteristics of the qur'ānic figures. Then, Chatman and Rimmon-Kenan's views on character traits are expressed in more detail. This article also talks about the fact that qur'ānic figures sometimes correspond to these models and sometimes not. Then the typology of people and direct and indirect waysas two indicators of characterization in qur'ānic storiesare mentioned. The direct method is done by describing the outward characteristics, and the indirect one is done by the action, speech, environment, and description of the external specifications of the people. In general, qur'ānic figures are a part of the plot and subject of the story's actions, as well as people with natural actions. The Qur'ān has used these methods in a good way. These two methods are explained by mentioning some examples of qur'ānic verses. It seems necessary to slightly modify or expand the narrative characterization models concerning the qur'ānic stories.

which relate that the Israelites' clothing was inde structible: they did not need more than the one set they had on. 16. According to the CritEd, Q 10,3-9 ordered missionaries to "go" (bredyeTe), not take a staff, not greet anyone, and then heal the sick. Cf. the sequence in 2 Kgs 4,29: "take my staff in your hand"/"Go" (LXX: 5e5po)/"If you meet anyone, give no greet ing''/Elisha sends Gehazi to heal. Commentators have often connected the texts: Cyril of ALEXANDRIA, Comm. Luke ad loc.

Culled from the upcoming third edition of the book, this essay complements other essays reconsidering the Mary identifications in ancient art. In this essay too I stand in danger of criticism from the Accepted Academic Consensus, which insists on the default position that in all Christian art any Mary who is not blatantly obviously not the Virgin automatically is the Virgin. In defense of this default position many such images are not given the careful analysis that they need, and as a result the Magdalene is often turned into the Madonna. Those described in this essay are among them.

The belief in the presence of supernatural entities that act directly or indirectly in the life of man has been documented since ancient times. The Mediterranean culture was not alien to the conscience of these entities. Greeks, Romans, Jews, Persians, and Christians have recorded in their literature their own understanding of the identity and activity of demons. The Bible records numerous records of numerous passages in which such entities are mentioned both individually (e.g., Matthew 17:18, Mark 7: 6) and corporately (e.g., Mark 16: 9). And although numerous approaches have been made to the phenomenon, few insights have been established regarding the social place that was assigned in the collective imagination to the persons and their families that experienced a possession by one or several demons
A brief analysis of three social values present in Jewish society motivated this research work and responds the question: what place did demon-possessed people occupy in the social context of the New Testament described by the Gospel of Mark?
Paper presented in one PhD Seminar at NOBTS (2017)

Le récit marcien du démoniaque de Gérasa (Mc 5,1-20) est l'élaboration d'un récit originaire qui a été l'objet de relectures successives : un exorcisme de Jésus en territoire païen aurait été relu de manière midrashique à la lumière de textes de la tradition juive et éventuellement mis au service du projet théologique marcien.

In Das Evangelium des Johannes (1941), Rudolf Bultmann argues that John's account of the Samaritan woman in John 4:4-42 serves only as a catalyst in bringing the Samaritans to Jesus. Her strange question μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός (v. 29, NRSV: "He cannot be the Messiah, can he?") arouses the townspeople's curiosity and they come to Jesus (v. 30). John's profound sense of irony and ambiguity suggests that the woman may not have come to belief in Jesus, but the townspeople have (πιστεύομεν, "we believe," v. 42). Bultmann's reading is no longer accepted, replaced now by the widely welcomed view that the woman has come to faith in Jesus-a conversion story. Revisiting John 4:4-42 here, I offer a semantic argument and suggest that scholarship on John 4 ought to consider the ambiguity of the accountthe woman may not have arrived at faith in Jesus.

n 1892, Peter Corssen lamented in a short study on the Cyprian Text that modern textual criticism is built on the recension of fourth century texts. 1 Today Corssen's lamentation does not hold sway because, as William L. Petersen notes, « [t]he question facing textual critics today is not 'How far back can we go?' for. .. we can go back to the time of Ignatius, c. 107 CE. Rather, the question is 'How far back do we A shorter version of this article was presented during the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in 2014 (San Diego, Nov. 23 rd). I am grateful to my team at the ACU's Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry for their insightful comments and to the anonymous reviewers for BABELAO. 9 This fourth-volume ECM contains two of three projected parts (Text and Supplementary Material). I will hereafter cite volume, followed by part and page numbers. For convenience, 1 John 2:29 in ECM 4:1.299 is offered: (a) ἐὰν |εἰδῆτε // ἴδητε| ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν, (b) γινώσκετε (c) ὅτι καὶ (d) πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται.

In the Acts of the Apostles, characters from the divine sphere regularly interact with human beings. An examination of the last three of these interventions, however, shows that the author carefully bridges the gap between the narrated world and the world of his audience: interventions become less frequent, their content is less specific, and they are narrated in a more distant way. Discovering God’s will is ultimately a matter of human interpretation.

Ce mémoire propose d'appliquer la méthode de l'analyse narrative au texte de Jean 11, 1-12, 11. L'hypothèse principale ici proposée suppose que le texte doit être lu comme un récit et donc, doit être interprété en fonction de critères exclusivement narratologiques. Pour cela, une analyse des différentes constituantes narratives du texte est proposée, dans laquelle une attention particulière est portée à l'effet rhétorique des dites constituantes narratives sur le lecteur du texte. Cette démarche heuristique donne lieu à une herméneutique du texte fondée sur les constituantes analysées. L'étude démontre que l'interprétation du texte sur la base de critères exclusivement narratologiques apporte un éclairage nouveau sur le sens du texte.

The Markan Passion narrative alludes to Ps 22 (LXX Ps 21) in reverse, culminating with Jesus' cry: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' (Mark 15.34; cf. Ps 22.1). I argue that this 'extended inverted allusion' was an admired literary technique. Through select examples of this technique in the writings of the Hebrew Bible and Greco-Roman literature, I demonstrate its various functions-it can be employed to reverse meaning, to dissociate causation or to create new narrative trajectories. Reading Mark 15 in light of the literary functions of inverted allusion reveals new interpretive possibilities. In the Septuagint, Psalm 21 suggests that the psalmist's suffering was merited because of transgressions, but the inverted allusions to this Psalm in Mark 15 reinforce that Jesus' suffering is unmerited (cf. Mark 15.10, 14) by decoupling the suffering from the transgressions. Additionally, in LXX Ps 21, the psalmist moves from forsakenness on account of transgressions toward divine deliverance. By alluding to this Psalm in reverse, Jesus travels the psalmist's journey in reverse. Rather than move from forsakenness toward divine deliverance, Mark's Jesus moves toward forsakenness, precisely to bring about divine deliverance.

A 13:1 Then [a] I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. B It [b] had seven heads, cxi C and ten horns C' and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, [c] and B' on its heads a blasphemous name. [d] A' 2 Now [e] the beast that I saw was A'a like a leopard, but4 A'a' its feet were like a bear's, A'a'' its mouth was like a lion's mouth.

p.m 1.0 Course Description 1.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the first three Gospels. They interpret narratives of the Gospels, the sayings of Jesus and the parables of Jesus (3 hours). 2.0 Course Goals and Objectives 2.1 Goals 2.1.1 To understand and interpret the narratives of the Synoptic Gospels 2.1.2 To understand and interpret the parables of Jesus 2.2 Objectives 2.2.1 To be able to apply narrative analysis to the stories in Matthew, Mark, and Luke 2.2.2 To be able to interpret the parables of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 3.0 Methods of instruction 3.1 This is an online course with weekly postings. We will be using the "discussion board" on Blackboard 7 on a weekly basis. There are no chats in this course and all initial postings for each week are due by 6 p.m. Thursdays and responses to other students by 5 p.m. Fridays. 3.2 How do I know my post is adequate? 3.2.1 "A" posts have the following characteristics: 3.2.1 Make a valuable contribution to the learning community 3.2.1 Contribution is informed by the required reading 3.2.1 Grammatically correct with no spelling errors 3.2.1 Respond to two or more students with helpful comments 3.2.1 Involved throughout the week in class discussions 3.

This course focuses on the various literary forms in Paul's letters (such as creeds and hymns, poetry, apocalyptic sections, epistolary materials); the circumstances and issues that occasioned Paul's letters (what problems or issues within the churches required a letter from Paul?), Paul's response to the issues, and the contemporary relevance of Paul's letters (what are the points of consanguinity between Paul and today?). METHODS OF INSTRUCTION Instructional methods include lectures, artwork, case studies, films and film clips that develop and elaborate the issues in Paul's epistles, and discussion.