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Atonement and Ethics in 1 John: a Peacemaking Hermeneutic

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Atonement and Ethics in 1 John: a Peacemaking Hermeneutic Atonement and Ethics in 1 John: A Peacemaking Hermeneutic Chris Armitage BA LlB BTh (Hons 1) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Charles Sturt University 2014 Contents Introduction – Some Peacemaking Hermeneutical Approaches to 1 John ............................................................................................................ 1 Genesis of this Study .................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1 – The Background, Purpose, Literary Structure and Reception of 1 John .................................................................................... 47 Introduction .............................................................................................. 47 The Background of 1 John ....................................................................... 48 (i) Jewish Influence in 1 John .............................................................. 48 (ii) The Johannine Community – John and his Opponents .................. 53 The Purpose of 1 John .............................................................................. 61 Conflict in 1 John – Present or Past? ....................................................... 70 The Literary Structure of 1 John .............................................................. 82 Reception of 1 John in the Early Church ................................................. 90 Conclusions .............................................................................................. 94 Chapter 2 – I(lasmo/j and its Cognates in the Septuagint, the Intertestamental Literature and the Dead Sea Scrolls ............................... 95 Introduction .............................................................................................. 95 I(lasmo/j in the Septuagint ...................................................................... 96 (i) Leviticus 25:9 .................................................................................. 97 (ii) Numbers 5:8 ................................................................................. 102 (iii) 1 Chronicles 28:20 ...................................................................... 104 (iv) Psalm 130:4 ................................................................................. 105 (v) Ezekiel 44:27 ................................................................................ 107 (vi) Daniel 9:9 .................................................................................... 110 (vii) Amos 8:14 ................................................................................... 111 Cognates of i(lasmo/j in the Septuagint ................................................. 113 Conclusions on Usage of i(lasmo/j and its Cognates in the LXX ......... 115 (i) 1 Enoch .......................................................................................... 117 (ii) Jubilees ......................................................................................... 121 Atonement and Forgiveness in the Dead Sea Scrolls ............................ 124 Summary of Conclusions ....................................................................... 127 Chapter 3 – I(lasmo/j in 1 John ................................................................ 133 Introduction ............................................................................................ 133 Scholarship Review ................................................................................ 135 (i) Expiation ....................................................................................... 135 (ii) Propitiation .................................................................................. 150 (iii) Other Views ................................................................................. 164 Conclusions from Scholarship Review .................................................. 168 Exegesis of 1 John 2:2 and 4:10 ............................................................. 170 (i) 1 John 2:2 ...................................................................................... 170 (ii) 1 John 4:10 ................................................................................... 178 Conclusions ............................................................................................ 184 Chapter 4 - Sfa/zw and a)nqrwpokto/noj in 1 John ............................. 189 Introduction ............................................................................................ 189 Cain and Abel in the Hebrew Bible ....................................................... 191 Cain and Abel in the Septuagint ............................................................ 197 Cain and Abel in Some Intertestamental Literature ............................... 199 (i) 1 Enoch .......................................................................................... 199 (ii) Jubilees ......................................................................................... 201 (iii) The Testament of Abraham ......................................................... 205 Cain and Abel in Philo ........................................................................... 206 Cain and Abel in Josephus ..................................................................... 211 Historical Summary ............................................................................... 215 Sfa/zw and a)nqrwpokto/noj in 1 John ............................................... 219 Conclusions for Peacemaking Theology ................................................ 228 Chapter 5 – )Agapa/w and a)delfo/j in 1 John ....................................... 233 Introduction ............................................................................................ 233 Leviticus ................................................................................................. 235 Deuteronomy .......................................................................................... 248 Possible Influence of Leviticus and Deuteronomy on 1 John ................ 256 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 265 Chapter 6 – Peacemaking in 1 John ........................................................ 275 Introduction ............................................................................................ 275 John’s Polemic against the Secessionists ............................................... 279 I(lasmo/j and Peacemaking in 1 John ..................................................... 285 Sfa/zw, a)nqrwpokto/noj and Peacemaking in 1 John ........................ 289 )Agapa/w, a)delfo/j and Peacemaking in 1 John .................................. 292 Conclusion: A Peacemaking Hermeneutic of 1 John ............................. 295 Bibliography .............................................................................................. 299 Certificate of Authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously written or published by another person nor material which to a substantial degree has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at Charles Sturt University or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution to the research by colleagues with whom I have worked at Charles Sturt University and elsewhere during my candidature is fully acknowledged. I agree that this thesis be accessible for the purposes of study and research in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Executive Director, Library Services or nominee, for the care, loan and reproduction of theses. Dated 2014. _________________________ (Christopher John Armitage) Acknowledgements My debts in the preparation of this thesis are so manifold that none can be fully acknowledged, much less repaid. First must come my supervisor at St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Associate Professor David Neville. He has made free with his profound scholarship and deep but not uncritical Christian faith in his encouragement and support of this project from the beginning. I have had the extraordinarily good fortune to have available to me at the Canberra campus Professor John Painter, who is of course a leading Johannine and indeed New Testament scholar of our time, and he too has been prodigal with his time and encouragement of my project. My colleagues in the postgraduate seminar at St Mark’s have always been forthcoming with much-valued encouragement and constructive criticism of my work, particularly the then-director and chair of the seminar, Bishop Tom Frame and my fellow doctoral candidate, Marie-Louise Craig, who provided much- valued assistance with my Hebrew. The library staff at St Mark’s have been endlessly helpful and patient in their support for my research. My old friend Bishop Donald Cameron has been there ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, from the beginning, and his deep knowledge and love of Koinē Greek has been a guiding light throughout my work. Elke Andrees provided much-valued assistance with my German. The views expressed in this study are of course mine alone, and any faults and deficiencies in it are my responsibility. Last but not least, my loving family, my late father John, my dear mother Betty, who died the day after I learned that this thesis had been passed by my markers, my lovely daughters Lucy and Clare, and Lucy’s partner Camden, and,
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