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The Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles: an Authorial, Historical and Canonical Reconstruction

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The Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles: an Authorial, Historical and Canonical Reconstruction THE MISSION OF THE JERUSALEM APOSTLES: AN AUTHORIAL, HISTORICAL AND CANONICAL RECONSTRUCTION By Nathan Kin Yan Hui, ThM A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of McMaster Divinity College in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Christian Theology) McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario 2014 Doctor of Philosophy (Christian Theology) McMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: The Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles: An Authorial, Historical and Canonical Reconstruction AUTHOR: Nathan Kin Yan Hui SUPERVISORS: Dr. Stanley Porter Dr. Cynthia Westfall NUMBER OF PAGES: xiii + 239 ll ( MCMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE Upon the recommendation of an oral examining committee, this dissertation by Nathan Kin van Hui is hereby accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY <CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY> Primary supervisor: -~ <! -~ Stanley E. P rter, Ph.D. secondary supervisor: ~ .A ?-r.L~ Ld c thia Long w all, P . Date:August14,2014 iii ABSTRACT The Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles: An Authorial, Historical and Canonical Reconstruction Nathan Kin Yan Hui McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Doctor ofPhilosophy (Christian Theology), 2014 This dissertation argues that the corpus of so-called Catholic Epistles in the New Testament canon, that is James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude, should be accurately called the Jerusalem Apostolic Epistles. These epistles were written by the alleged Jerusalem Apostles, namely James, Peter, John and Jude. Instead of looking at these writings separately, it is proposed that the mission of the Jerusalem Apostles can be discovered by an authorial, historical, and canonical reconstruction of their epistles if they are studied as a collection. These four canonical authors represented three locations of origin, James and Jude from Jerusalem to the Diaspora Jews, Peter from Rome to the Diaspora Jews of eastern Asia Minor, and John from Asia Minor to the vicinity. The seven epistles were closely knitted together like a web through various kinds of connections and similarities. In the process of the canonization of these epistles, we find that the Jerusalem Apostolicity representing the Jewish Christianity played a role in the church in, on the one hand, separating from first-century Judaism, and, on the other, counterbalancing the Gentile Christianity represented by Paulinism. The latter parting of the ways has been in existence from the days of the apostles to even the days of Augustine. The rise of heresies indirectly stimulated the making of creeds and regula fidei. IV Papyrological and patristic evidences show that some of these epistles existed and were in circulation as early as the second century. The Jerusalem Apostles and their writings were recognized, mentioned, quoted, and circulated. There were obstacles for some of the writings of the Jerusalem Apostles to be recognized into the canon. However, in view of the final product and the placement of the canon, all these epistles were compiled together following the Book of Acts to form a single unit of the Apostolos. I propose a canon-logical reconstruction of the Jerusalem Apostolic Theology, and a reading of the Catholic Epistles with literary rearrangement within the Apostolos as part of the discussion of the final canonical product. This dissertation concludes with my attempt of an authorial, historical, and canonical reconstruction of the mission of the Jerusalem Apostles. v OUTLINE Chapter One: Introduction (I) Introduction 1 (II) A Brief History of Research 3 (A) Early Development in the History of Research 3 (B) History of Critical Research for Individual Books 5 (1) James 6 (2) Jude 10 (3) Petrine Epistles 11 (4) Johannine Epistles 14 (C) Contemporary Research: Methodological Reassessments 17 (III) Reflections on the History of Research 22 (IV) Re-defining the Title of "Catholic Epistles" 26 (V) Methodology 29 (A) Authorial Reconstruction 30 (B) Historical Contextual Reconstruction 30 (C) Canonical Reconstruction 30 Chapter Two: An Authorial Reconstruction (I) Introduction 32 (II) Methodology for Authorial Reconstruction 34 (A) Regula fidei 34 vi (B) Mirror-Reading 36 (C) Jerusalem Apostolic Theology 37 (III) The Authorial Reconstruction of the Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles 40 (A) The Four Authors ofthe Epistles ofthe Jerusalem Apostles 41 (B) The Three Locations ofthe Epistles ofthe Jerusalem Apostles 46 (1) Letters from the Church of Jerusalem 46 (2) Letters from the Church of Rome 52 (3) Letters from the Church of Asia Minor 56 (IV) Linkages ofthe Jerusalem Apostles 64 (A) James & 1 Peter 64 (B) Jude & 2 Peter 66 (C) James & Jude 68 (D) 1 & 2 Peter 69 (E) 1, 2 & 3 John 70 (F) James, Peter, & John and the Diaspora 74 (V) Jerusalem Apostolic Theology 82 (VI) Conclusion 85 Chapter Three: A Historical Reconstruction (I) Introduction 87 (II) Methodology of Historical Reconstruction 91 (A) Defining "Jewish Christian(ity)" and "Gentile Christian(ity)" 91 (B) Early Catholicism and the History of the Early Church 93 VII (III) Different Views 98 (A) E. P. Sanders 98 (B) J. Dunn 106 (C) F. C. Baur 112 (D) A. von Harnack 118 (E) J. B. Lightfoot 123 (IV) Heresies 130 (A) Gnosticism 131 (B) Marcionism 132 (C) Ebionism 134 (D) On Faith and Works 135 (V) Conclusion 138 Chapter Four: A Canonical Reconstruction (I) Introduction 140 (II) Papyrological Evidence 142 (III) Patristic Witnesses 149 (A) Alexandria 149 (1) Clement of Alexandria 150 (2) Origen of Alexandria 152 (3) Athanasius of Alexandria 157 (B) Palestine 158 (1) Eusebius ofCaesarea 159 viii (2) Cyril of Jerusalem 163 (C) Syria 165 (D) Asia Minor 167 (E) Rome and Gaul 169 (1) Irenaeus of Lyons 169 (2) Hippolytus 172 (3) Jerome 172 (F) North Africa 176 (1) Tertullian 176 (2) Cyprian 178 (IV) Internal Evidence 178 (A) Smith: Acts Being a Cross-Reference Commentary on the Catholic Epistles 179 (B) Wall: A Unifying Theology of the Catholic Epistles Collection 183 (V) Towards a Canon-Logical Theology of the Jerusalem Apostles: My Proposal 188 (A) Canon-Logical Theology ofthe Jerusalem Apostles 190 (B) Reading the Catholic Epistles with Literary Rearrangement of the Apostolos 193 (VI) Conclusion 194 Chapter Five: Conclusion (I) A Summary 196 (II) A Reconstruction of the Mission of the Jerusalem Apostles: An Authorial, Historical, ix Canonical Reconstruction 199 (III) Conclusion 206 Bibliography 207 X ABBREVIATIONS ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary Ad Uxor. Tertullian, Ad uxorem (To His Wife) Adv. Haer. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses (Against Heresies) Adv. Marc. Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem (Against Marcion) Adv. Prax. Tertullian, Adversus Praxean (Against Praxeas) Ag.Ap. Josephus, Against Apion ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der romischen Welt Ant. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities ASNU Acta Seminarii Neotestamentici Upsaliensis BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research Bib Biblica BJRL Bulletin ofJohn Rylands University Library ofManchester BZNW Beihefte zur ZNW CBNTS Coniectanea Biblica New Testament Series Cels. Origen, Contra Celsus Comm. Jo. Origen, Commentary on the Gospel ofJohn Comm. Matt. Origen, Commentary on the Gospel ofMatthew Cult. Fem. Tertullian, De cultufeminarum (On the Apparel ofWomen) Dial. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho Doctr. chr. Augustine, De doctrina christiana (On Christian Instruction) Ep.fest. Athanasius, Festal Letters Epist. Jerome, Epistulae ExpT Expository Times f etop. Augustine, De fide et operibus (On Faith and Works) Haer. Hippolytus, Refutatio omnium haeresium (Refutation ofAll Heresies) Hist. Eccl. Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History) Hom. Jos. Origen, Homilies on Joshua HTR Harvard Theological Review ICC International Critical Commentary Ign Smyrn. Ignatius, To the Smyrnaeans Int Interpretation JBL Journal ofBiblical Literature JE Jewish Encyclopedia Jejun. Tertullian, De jejunio adversus psychicos (On Fasting, against the Psychics) JETS Journal ofthe Evangelical Theological Society JJS Journal ofJewish Studies JR Journal ofReligion JSNT Journal for the Study ofthe New Testament JSNTSup Journal for the Study ofthe New Testament Supplement Series KD Kerygma und Dogma Mart. Pol. Martyrdom ofPolycarp MNTC Moffatt New Testament Commentary XI NABPR National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion NHS Nag Hammadi Studies NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIDB The New Interpreters Dictionary ofthe Bible NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup Supplements to Novum Testamentum NTS New Testament Studies OTK Okumenischer Taschenbuchkommentar zum Neuen Testament Paed. Clement of Alexandria, P aedagogus PG Migne, Patrologia Graeca Ph!d. Ignatius, To the Philadelphians Pol. Phil. Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians Praescr. Tertullian, De praescriptione haereticorum (Prescription against Heretics) Prine. Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Ps.-Phoc. Pseudo-Phocylides Ruf Jerome, Adversus Rujinum (Against Rujinus) SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series SBT Studies in Biblical Theology Scarp. Tertullian, Scorpiace (Scorpion) Strom. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata (Miscellanies) SWJT Southwestern Journal of Theology T Benj. Testament ofBenjamin T Dan Testament ofDan T Gad Testament ofGad T Jos. Testament ofJoseph T Naph. Testament ofNaphtali T Zeb. Testament ofZebulun TDNT Theological Dictionary ofthe New Testament Tg. Jon. Targum Jonathan Tg. Neof Targum Neofiti Tg. Onq. Targum Onqelos ThJb Theologisches Jahrbuch. Giitersloh THKNT Theologischer Handkommentar
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