12.1 | Seth M. Ehorn and Mark Lee Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, USA In this article we attempt to correct the majority understanding of
ἀλλὰ καί in Phil. 2.4. While most interpreters attempt to solve the
syntactical problem by supplying μόνον earlier in the verse or dropping
καί, the best solution understands the ἀλλὰ καί
construction as an emphatic contrast with the preceding clause. Not only does this
rendering give proper deference to Paul’s linguistic choices, it also makes Phil.
2.4 an unequivocal call to self-denial in service to others. This serves to frame
the description of the self-emptying Christ in the verses that follow. |
12.2 | Matthew Oseka Concordia Theological Seminary, Kowloon, Hong Kong The present paper is focused on the explanation of the grammatical features of
the generic name of God which was offered in the classic mediaeval Jewish lexica and
grammars as typified by the works of Menahem ben Saruq, Jonah ibn Janah, Nathan ben
Jehiel of Rome, Solomon Parhon and David Kimhi. Given that the Christian Hebrew
studies originated from the Jewish Hebrew scholarship, the early 16th- century
Christian reception of the grammatical and lexical instruments devised in the Jewish
tradition comes under close scrutiny as well. |
12.3 | David I. Yoon McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada It is often unintentional that contemporary readers of Scripture interpret the
ancient text according to modern cultural notions. Certainly, regarding the ancient
letter of recommendation, it is easy for a modern interpreter to understand Paul’s
statements to the Corinthians in light of contemporary conceptions of letters of
recommendation, especially in light of the academic contexts most interpreters are a
part of. Drawing upon epistolary theory and literary theory, and by examining a
selection of the documentary papyri, this article attempts to understand the nature
of the ancient letter of recommendation to construct a hypothetical letter of
recommendation that Paul would be referring to in 2 Cor 3:1–2, to provide a clearer
picture of what is meant when he called the Corinthians his “letter of
recommendation.” |
12.4 | Stanley E. Porter McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada The dominance of Markan priority and the two/four document hypothesis
regarding the Synoptic Gospels has been challenged from several quarters in recent
times. Although this traditional explanation—which dates back to the nineteenth
century—continues to exercise much influence, several other theories have garnered
serious attention. Among the most prominent of the alternatives are the
Farrer/Goulder hypothesis, an explanation that includes Markan priority but has no
place for Q; the two Gospel hypothesis, which revives the proposal of J.J. Griesbach
with Matthean priority and Lukan and then Markan dependence; and various oral
tradition hypotheses. Other proposals have been made as well, even if they have not
commanded the same attention these have. This paper offers a history of discussion
of the Synoptic problem and then, in the current climate, asses the major issues
remaining, especially those where the various views continue to differ. |
12.5 | Greg Stanton University of New England, Armidale, Australia Terms in the New Testament that bear on the social standing of the earliest
followers of Jesus of Nazareth can be clarified by their usage in Greek papyri.
There, words that the Gospels use to describe the partnership between Andrew, Simon,
James, John and Zebedee point to their having a fishing business that possessed at
least two boats and hired laborers. The regular as well as the windfall catches of
this enterprise could be salted at Taricheiai on the Sea of Galilee and sold as far
away as Rome. There is a firm indication in a parable in Luke 17 that at least one
of the apostles owned a slave. The women who supported Jesus’ travelling entourage
should be emphasized. Other wealthier supporters can be brought together to form an
impressive list. Finally, a study of the usage of τέκτων, the word used in the
Gospels to describe what Joseph and Jesus did for a living, raises the possibility
of a Joseph and son(s) building construction enterprise comparable with the fishing
business on the lake. This last point remains uncertain, but the vocabulary of the
evangelists counts strongly against the common view that the earliest supporters of
Jesus were peasants. |
12.6 | Preston T. Massey Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, USA The two texts of 1 Cor. 11.5 and 14.34-35 have resulted in clashing
conclusions among scholars. In the former text women are permitted to pray and
prophesy, if properly attired; in the latter text women are enjoined to maintain
silence with no exceptions or conditions attached. Some scholars see one or both
texts as interpolations; others see the texts as containing convoluted and confusing
arguments offering little hope of resolution; yet others see the texts as
contradicting one another. This present study offers the alternate view that both
texts can be understood as compatible when placed against the background of
Greco-Roman culture. |
12.7 | |
12.8 | Hughson T. Ong McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada This article provides an overview of the scholarly discussion on the language
of the New Testament and its other related topics, explaining why the New Testament
was transmitted to us in Greek. More specifically, it describes the linguistic
context of the language of the New Testament—the substrata behind the Greek text of
the New Testament—via a sociolinguistic framework. |
12.9 | Jonathan M. Watt Geneva College & Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary,
Pittsburgh, PA, USA Linguistic communities draw upon the options present in their language
repertoire, though sometimes without categorizing particular forms in quite the same
manner as a formal grammarian. Though Hebrew and Aramaic (along with Greek, of
course) were certainly available within the repertoire of Late Second Temple Period
Palestinian Jews, their use of these codes sometimes differed from Jews living
elsewhere, as did their perception of the prestige status of Greek, since even in
the presence of what many would have considered a sacred language, synchronic and
diachronic factors influenced the ways in which Jews performed (in speech and
writing) their Semitic language variables because these were only sometimes
considered necessarily emblematic of Jewish-Palestinian identity. |
12.10 | Stanley E. Porter McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada The complex multilingualism of Palestine (Roman Judea and Galilee) in the
first century (Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and, in some social strata, Latin) has
resulted in various sociolinguistic descriptions of the varied people groups and
their varieties of language. This study focuses upon Koine (or Hellenistic) Greek
within multilingual Palestine, and examines the data both diachronically and
synchronically to capture the complex set of factors that resulted in Koine Greek
becoming the lingua franca and prestige language of Palestine, as well as a
secondary and even primary vernacular variety for some of the population. The paper
traces the recent history of discussion and then examines the diachronic development
of Greek in the eastern Mediterranean and synchronic evidence of Greek usage in
first-century Palestine. |