DOCSLIB.ORG

The Origin of the New Testament

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

The Origin of the New Testament Author(s): Harnack, Adolf (1851-1930) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Description: For Harnack, applying the methods of historical criticism to the Bible signified a return to true Christianity, which had become mired in unnecessary and even damaging creeds and dogmas. Seeking out what ªactually happened,º for him, was one way to strip away all but the foundations of the faith. In The Origin of the New Testament, Harnack explores the early history of the biblical canonÐhow it came to be what it is, and why. In particular, he explores the ideologies driving people to accept some texts as biblical cannon and not oth- ers. Controversially, Harnack finds some of these ideologies anything but Christian, and he hints that a re-evaluation of what the church considers canonical is necessary. Kathleen O'Bannon CCEL Staff i Contents Title Page 1 Prefatory Material 2 I. The Needs and Motive Forces that Led to the Creation of the New Testament 9 § 1. How did the Church arrive at a second authoritative Canon in addition to 11 the Old Testament? § 2. Why is it that the New Testament also contains other books beside the Gospels, 31 and appears as a compilation with two divisions (“Evangelium” and “Apostolus”)? § 3. Why does the New Testament contain Four Gospels and not One only? 44 § 4. Why has only one Apocalypse been able to keep its place in the New 52 Testament? Why not several—or none at all? § 5. Was the New Testament created consciously? and how did the Churches 58 arrive at one common New Testament? II. The Consequences of the Creation of the New Testament 67 § 1. The New Testament immediately emancipated itself from the conditions of 68 its origin, and claimed to be regarded as simply a gift of the Holy Spirit. It held an independent position side by side with the Rule of Faith; it at once began to influence the development of doctrine, and it became in principle the final court of appeal for the Christian life. § 2. The New Testament has added to the Revelation in history a second written 71 proclamation of this Revelation, and has given it a position of superior authority. § 3. The New Testament definitely protected the Old Testament as a book of the 73 Church, but thrust it into a subordinate position and thus introduced a wholesome complication into the conception of the Canon of Scripture. § 4. The New Testament has preserved for us the most valuable portion of primitive 76 Christian literature; yet at the same time it delivered the rest of the earliest works to oblivion, and has limited the transmission of later works. § 5. Though the New Testament brought to an end the production of authoritative 80 Christian writings, yet it cleared the way for theological and also for ordinary Christian literary activity. ii § 6. The New Testament obscured the true origin and the historical significance 82 of the works which it contained, but on the other hand, by impelling men to study them, it brought into existence certain conditions favourable to the critical treatment and correct interpretation of these works. § 7. The New Testament checked the imaginative creation of events in the scheme 84 of Salvation, whether freely or according to existing models; but it called forth or at least encouraged the intellectual creation of facts in the sphere of Theology, and of a Theological Mythology. § 8. The New Testament helped to demark a special period of Christian Revelation, 86 and so in a certain sense to give Christians of later times an inferior status; yet it has kept alive the knowledge of the ideals and claims of Primitive Christianity. § 9. The New Testament promoted and completed the fatal identification of the 88 Word of the Lord and the Teaching of the Apostles; but, because it raised Pauline Christianity to a place of highest honour, it has introduced into the history of the Church a ferment rich in blessing. § 10. In the New Testament the Catholic Church forged for herself a new weapon 90 with which to ward off all heresy as unchristian; but she has also found in it a court of control before which she has appeared ever increasingly in default. § 11. The New Testament has hindered the natural impulse to give to the content 92 of Religion a simple, clear, and logical expression, but, on the other hand, it has preserved Christian doctrine from becoming a mere philosophy of Religion. Conclusion 94 Appendices 95 I. The Marcionite Prologues to the Pauline Epistles 96 Appendix II. Forerunners and Rivals of the New Testament 98 Appendix III. The Beginnings of the Conception of an “Instrumentum 107 Novissimum”; the Hope for the “Evangelium Æternum”; the Public Lection, and the quasi-Canonical Recognition, of the Stories of the Martyrs in the Church Appendix IV. The Use of the New Testament in the Carthaginian (and Roman) 114 Church at the Time of Tertullian Appendix V. “Instrumentum” (“Instrumenta”) as a Name for the Bible 122 Appendix VI. A Short Statement and Criticism of the Results of Zahn’s 127 Investigations into the Origin of the New Testament Indexes 133 Index of Scripture References 134 Greek Words and Phrases 136 iii Latin Words and Phrases 139 Index of Pages of the Print Edition 149 iv This PDF file is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org. The mission of the CCEL is to make classic Christian books available to the world. • This book is available in PDF, HTML, ePub, and other formats. See http://www.ccel.org/ccel/harnack/origin_nt.html. • Discuss this book online at http://www.ccel.org/node/2784. The CCEL makes CDs of classic Christian literature available around the world through the Web and through CDs. We have distributed thousands of such CDs free in developing countries. If you are in a developing country and would like to receive a free CD, please send a request by email to [email protected]. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a self supporting non-profit organization at Calvin College. If you wish to give of your time or money to support the CCEL, please visit http://www.ccel.org/give. This PDF file is copyrighted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It may be freely copied for non-commercial purposes as long as it is not modified. All other rights are re- served. Written permission is required for commercial use. v Title Page Title Page NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES VI THE ORIGIN OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEW CREATION BY ADOLF VON HARNACK TRANSLATED BY THE REV. J. R. WILKINSON, M.A. FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF WORCESTER COLLEGE, OXFORD AND RECTOR OF WINFORD Published by Williams and Norgate, 1925 iv 1 Prefatory Material Prefatory Material PREFACE The purpose of the following pages will be fulfilled if they serve to forward and complete the work accomplished by the histories of the Canon of the New Testament that already v exist. The history of the New Testament is here only given up to the beginning of the third century; for at that time the New Canon was firmly established both in idea and form, and it acquired all the consequences of an unalterable entity. The changes which it still under- went, however important they were from the point of view of the extent and unification of the Canon, have had no consequences worth mentioning in connection with the history of the Church and of dogma. It is therefore appropriate, in the interests of clear thought, to treat the history of the Canon of the New Testament in two divisions; in the first division to describe the Origin of the New Testament, in the second its enlargement. Moreover, it is necessary—though this is a point that hitherto has been seldom taken into account—that the consequences that at once resulted from the new creation should receive due consider- ation as well as its causes and motives. For the origin of the New Testament is not a problem in the history of literature like the origin of the separate books of the Canon, but a problem of the history of cultus and dogma in the Church. vi A. v. H. BERLIN, 22nd May 1914. CONTENTS Introduction xv I. The Needs and Motive Forces that led to the Creation of the 1 New Testament The five chief problems— § 1. How did the Church arrive at a second authoritative 4 Canon in addition to the Old Testament? A. What motives led to the creation of the New Testa- 6 ment? (1) Supreme reverence for the words and teaching of Christ (“The Holy Scriptures and the Lord”), p. 7. (2) Supreme reverence for the history of Christ (“The Holy Scriptures and the Gospel”)—the synthesis of prophecy and fulfilment, p. 9. (3) The 2 Prefatory Material new Covenant and the desire for a fundamental document, p. 12. (4) Supreme reverence for what was orthodox and ancient (the motive of Catholic and Apostolic), p. 16. B. Whence came the authority necessary for such a 20 creation? (1) Teachers from the beginning that were authoritat- ive and inspired by the Spirit (“Apostles, Proph- ets, and Teachers”), p. 20. (2) The right of the as- sembled community to accept or reject books, P.viii 21. (3) The inward authority of Apostolic-Cathol- ic writings that asserted itself automatically, p. 23. C. How did the New Testament, assumed to be neces- 25 sary in idea, come into actual existence? (1) The existence of appropriate works, p.
Recommended publications
  • PAT101 Booklet.Pdf

    PAT101 Booklet.Pdf

    Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States PAT 102 NICENE AND POST NICENE FATHERS Servants’ Preparation Program 2007 ( TABLE OF CONTENTS ( • Introduction • The Beginnings of Liturgical Formulas and Canonical Legislation • The Apostolic Fathers • St. Clement of Rome • St. Ignatius of Antioch • St. Polycarp of Smyrna • The Epistle of Barnabas • Papias of Hierapolis • The "Shepherd" of Hermas • The Epistle to Diognetus • QUADRATUS 2 PAT 102 Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers © 2007 Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States INTRODUCTION Patrology The word “Patrology” is derived from the Latin word “Pater” which means, “Father.” Patrology is the science, which deals with the life, acts, writings, sayings, doctrines and thoughts of the orthodox writers of the early church: 1) The life of the Fathers: In order to understand their writings and sayings, their lives and the environment in which they lived, must also be considered. 2) Their acts: The writings, sermons, dialogues, letters, etc. of the Fathers are inseparable from their own lives. Patrology’s message is to be sure of the authenticity of these acts scientifically, publishing them and translating them in modern languages. 3) More importantly is the discovery of the thoughts of the Fathers, their dogma, doctrines and concepts concerning God, man, church, salvation, worship, creation, the body, the heavenly life, etc. Patrology is the door through which we can enter into the church and attain her spirit, which affects our inner life, conduct and behavior. Through Patrology, the acts of the Fathers are transferred into living thoughts and concepts which are based on a sound foundation, without ignoring the world around us.
  • Female Identity and Agency in the Cult of the Martyrs in Late Antique North Africa

    Female Identity and Agency in the Cult of the Martyrs in Late Antique North Africa

    Female Identity and Agency in the Cult of the Martyrs in Late Antique North Africa Heather Barkman Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For admission to the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Religious Studies Department of Classics and Religious Studies Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Heather Barkman, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Introduction 1 Outline of the Chapters 9 Identity, Agency, and Power: Women’s Roles in the Cult of the Martyrs 14 Methodology 14 i. Intermittent Identities 14 ii. Agency 23 iii. Power 28 Women’s Roles 34 Wife 35 Mother 40 Daughter 43 Virgin 49 Mourner 52 Hostess 56 Widow 59 Prophet 63 Patron 66 Martyr 71 Conclusion 75 Female Martyrs and the Rejection/Reconfiguration of Identities 78 Martyrdom in North Africa 80 Named North African Female Martyrs 87 i. Januaria, Generosa, Donata, Secunda, Vestia (Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs) 87 ii. Perpetua and Felicitas (Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas) 87 iii. Quartillosa (Martyrdom of Montanus and Lucius) 89 iv. Crispina (Passion of Crispina) 90 v. Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda (Passion of Saints Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda) 91 vi. Salsa (Passion of Saint Salsa) 92 vii. Victoria, Maria, and Januaria (Acts of the Abitinian Martyrs) 93 Private Identities of North African Female Martyrs 95 Wife 95 Mother 106 Daughter 119 Private/Public Identities of North African Female Martyrs 135 Virgin 135 Public Identities of North African Female Martyrs 140 Bride of Christ 141 Prophet 148 Imitator of Christ 158 Conclusion 162 Patrons, Clients, and Imitators: Female Venerators in the Cult of the Martyrs 166 iii Patron 168 Client 175 i.
  • Pauline Churches Or Early Christian Churches?

    Pauline Churches Or Early Christian Churches?

    PAULINE CHURCHES OR EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ? * UNITY , DISAGREEMENT , AND THE EUCHARIST . David G. Horrell University of Exeter, UK I: Introduction Given the prominence of the Eucharist as a facet of contemporary church practice and a stumbling block in much ecumenical discussion, it is unsurprising that it is a topic, like other weighty theological topics, much explored in NT studies. These studies have, over the years, ranged across many specific topics and questions, including: the original form of the eucharistic words of Jesus; the original character of the Last Supper (Was it a passover meal?); the original form or forms of the early Christian Eucharist and its subsequent liturgical development. Some studies have also addressed broader issues, such as the theological and eschatological significance of Jesus’s table fellowship, and the parallels between early Christian meals and the dining customs of Greco-Roman antiquity. 1 Indeed, one of the key arguments of Dennis Smith’s major study of early Christian meals is to stress how unsurprising it is that the early Christians met over a meal: ‘Early Christians met at a meal because that is what groups in the ancient world did. Christians were simply following a pattern found throughout their world.’ Moreover, Smith proposes, the character of the early Christian meal is again simply explained: ‘Early Christians celebrated a meal based on the banquet model found throughout their world.’ 2 * Financial support to enable my participation at the St Petersburg symposium was provided by the British Academy and the Hort Memorial Fund (Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge) and I would like to express my thanks for that support.
  • Journal of Theological Studies

    Journal of Theological Studies

    304 THE JOURNAL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES CHRONICLE HAGIOGRAPHICA. THE two years that have eJapsed since the Jut Chronicle of C H.agio­ graphica' have not witnessed any event of first magnitude in the field of hagiology; the BoIlandists have not issued a volume of the AdlI $aNlo,."" nor has there appeared in the MIJIIIIIM1Ua GentIIUIiaI HisItJri«l any volume of Yilae. For all that, there is a considerable body of good work to record. J. We may begin with a mention of three general Histories ~ Christian Literature, all of first rank, which naturally contain a great quantity of bagiologica1 material: the second volume of Hamack's CImmo/Qgie (Irenaeus to Eusebius); the second volume of Bardeo­ hewer's (leSt_All Mr allllinldiew Lilenllu,. (cent. iii); and Schanz, Gut_Ne Mr riiltlistllm Li/er'aJu,., of which a second edition of Part Ill, and the first half of Part IV, have recently appeared, both mainly devoted to the Latin Christian writers up to the end of the fourth century. The merits of these three standard works being so well established, it is needless to do more than remind bagiologists that they are mines of information on things bagiologica1. 2. In the domain of Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, the chief event has without doubt been the publication of Dr Carl Schmidt's long looked-for edition of the Coptic Ada PaIIl; j this, however, has been sufficiently dealt with in previous numbers of the JOURNAL. There is, therefore, here need only to note that Corssen has challenged practically every item of the structure erected by Schmidt on the Coptic fragments t, and that the Bollandist reviewer adopts a position of extreme reserve in regard to the whole question '.
  • New Testament and the Lost Gospel

    New Testament and the Lost Gospel

    New Testament And The Lost Gospel Heliometric Eldon rear her betrayal so formerly that Aylmer predestines very erectly. Erodent and tubular Fox expresses Andrewhile fusible nickers Norton pertly chiviedand harp her her disturbances corsair. rippingly and peace primarily. Lou often nabs wetly when self-condemning In and the real life and What route the 17 books of prophecy in the Bible? Hecksher, although he could participate have been ignorant on it if not had suchvirulent influence and championed a faith so subsequent to issue own. God, he had been besieged by students demanding to know what exactly the church had to hide. What was the Lost Books of the Bible Christianity. Gnostic and lost gospel of christianity in thismaterial world with whom paul raising the news is perhaps there. Will trump Really alive All My Needs? Here, are called the synoptic gospels. Hannah biblical figure Wikipedia. Church made this up and then died for it, and in later ages, responsible for burying the bodies of both after they were martyred and then martyred themselves in the reign of Nero. Who was busy last transcript sent by God? Judas gospel of gospels makes him in? Major Prophets Four Courts Press. Smith and new testament were found gospel. Digest version of jesus but is not be; these scriptures that is described this website does he is a gospel that? This page and been archived and about no longer updated. The whole Testament these four canonical gospels which are accepted as she only authentic ones by accident great. There has also acts or pebble with names of apostles appended to them below you until The Acts of Paul, their leash as independent sources of information is questionable, the third clue of Adam and Eve.
  • Thecla Article

    Thecla Article

    The Paradox of Women in the Early Church: 1 Timothy and the Acts of Paul and Thecla 1 Timothy and the Acts of Paul and Thecla have frequently been portrayed as opposite responses to women’s roles and authority within the church. Thecla presents a woman who travels to teach and preach the gospel, roles that depart from culturally accepted norms for women. By contrast, 1 Timothy advocates women returning to socially acceptable, passive roles.1 To take one example from a popular textbook, Bart Ehrman writes the following about attitudes toward women in the early church: “The Pastoral epistles present a stark contrast to the views set forth in The Acts of Paul and 1 In the 1980’s, MacDonald argued that 1 Timothy represents a community’s rejection of the active leadership of women found in the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Dennis Ronald MacDonald, The Legend and the Apostle: The Battle for Paul in Story and Canon (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983). See also the works in this period by Virginia Burrus, Chastity as Autonomy: Women in the Stories of Apocryphal Acts (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1987); Stevan L. Davies, The Revolt of the Widows: The Social World of the Apocryphal Acts (Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980). More recently, scholars tend to see Thecla and 1 Timothy as independent literary works, but affirm that they take opposite stances regarding the roles of women and the emerging church structure. E.g., James W. Aageson, Paul, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Early Church (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 206.
  • "Voluntary Martyrdom" and the Martyrs of Lyons

    "Voluntary Martyrdom" and the Martyrs of Lyons

    Abilene Christian University Digital Commons @ ACU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 8-2016 Zealous until Death: "Voluntary Martyrdom" and the Martyrs of Lyons Matthew R. Anderson Abilene Christian University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd Part of the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Anderson, Matthew R., "Zealous until Death: "Voluntary Martyrdom" and the Martyrs of Lyons" (2016). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 35. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ACU. ABSTRACT For decades, many scholars have been uncomfortable with the idea that some early Christians were eager to die. This led to the creation of the category “voluntary martyrdom” by which modern historians attempted to understand those martyrs who provoked their own arrest and/or death in some fashion. Scholars then connected this form of martyrdom with an early Christian movement called the New Prophecy, which came to be known as Montanism. Thus, scholars have scoured martyr accounts in an attempt to identify volunteers and, in some cases, label them Montanists. The Letter from the Churches of Vienna and Lyons and the martyrs it depicts did not escape such scrutiny. I contend that the martyrs in that account who have been accused of heresy are not only innocent of heresy but also should not be considered volunteers. This study surveys the role of the language of zeal and enthusiasm in the account of the martyrs of Lyons.
  • The EPISTLE of BARNABAS: to the Children of LOVE & Peace

    The EPISTLE of BARNABAS: to the Children of LOVE & Peace

    The EPISTLE OF BARNABAS: To The Children of LOVE & Peace a New, True Names Translation With the Revised Greek Manuscript Compared with the Translations of Hoole & Lightfoot, and Taking Account of the Epistle’s Syrian Origin edited, translated, and annotated by Jackson H. Snyder & Theodore Dornan Copyright © 2010 by Jackson H. Snyder All Rights Reserved Fourth Revision: January 6, 2010 ISBN 978-0-557-16576-6 2 CONTENTS _________ 4 Introductory Notes I: Fallacious Annotations 5 Introductory Notes II: Date and Provenance 8 The Epistle of Barnabas 9 98 The Teaching of the Three Letters 100 The Teaching of the Eight Days 3 Introductory Notes I Many objective scholars understand the Letter of Bar Naba to be authentic, authored by Yosef bar Naba (Barnabas), the emissary of James the Just in The Acts of the Apostles. After 70 CE, this Epistle became an important part of the canon of New Testament Scriptures in the East (Armenia, Adiabene), evidenced by its inclusion in the Codex Sinaiticus, the most ancient complete New Testament in our possession. My colleague and I choose to honor the work, the author, and the Master of All Things, by rendering this TRUE NAMES TRANSLATION, restoring the Hebraic names and tenor to the document, drained away by the classic English translations. Our hope is that our honest rendering of the Greek will excise the anti-Semitism written into the text by biased scholars of the past. These same scholars and commentators have deviously used Bar Naba as a proof of how “the church” was divorcing itself from commandment- keeping, sabbath-keeping, and Judaizing.
  • The Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack About the Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack

    The Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack About the Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack

    The Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack About The Origin of the New Testament by Adolf Harnack Title: The Origin of the New Testament URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/harnack/origin_nt.html Author(s): Harnack, Adolf (1851-1930) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Rights: Public Domain Date Created: 2005-04-20 General Comments: (tr. The Rev. J. R. Wilkinson) CCEL Subjects: All; Bible The Origin of the New Testament Adolf Harnack Table of Contents About This Book. p. ii Title Page. p. 1 Prefatory Material. p. 2 I. The Needs and Motive Forces that Led to the Creation of the New Testament. p. 12 § 1. How did the Church arrive at a second authoritative Canon in addition to the Old Testament?. p. 13 § 2. Why is it that the New Testament also contains other books beside the Gospels, and appears as a compilation with two divisions (ªEvangeliumº and ªApostolusº)?. p. 28 § 3. Why does the New Testament contain Four Gospels and not One only?. p. 38 § 4. Why has only one Apocalypse been able to keep its place in the New Testament? Why not severalÐor none at all?. p. 44 § 5. Was the New Testament created consciously? and how did the Churches arrive at one common New Testament?. p. 49 II. The Consequences of the Creation of the New Testament. p. 57 § 1. The New Testament immediately emancipated itself from the conditions of its origin, and claimed to be regarded as simply a gift of the Holy Spirit. It held an independent position side by side with the Rule of Faith; it at once began to influence the development of doctrine, and it became in principle the final court of appeal for the Christian life.
  • The New Perspective on Paul: Its Basic Tenets, History, and Presuppositions

    The New Perspective on Paul: Its Basic Tenets, History, and Presuppositions

    TMSJ 16/2 (Fall 2005) 189-243 THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL: ITS BASIC TENETS, HISTORY, AND PRESUPPOSITIONS F. David Farnell Associate Professor of New Testament Recent decades have witnessed a change in views of Pauline theology. A growing number of evangelicals have endorsed a view called the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) which significantly departs from the Reformation emphasis on justification by faith alone. The NPP has followed in the path of historical criticism’s rejection of an orthodox view of biblical inspiration, and has adopted an existential view of biblical interpretation. The best-known spokesmen for the NPP are E. P. Sanders, James D. G. Dunn, and N. T. Wright. With only slight differences in their defenses of the NPP, all three have adopted “covenantal nomism,” which essentially gives a role in salvation to works of the law of Moses. A survey of historical elements leading up to the NPP isolates several influences: Jewish opposition to the Jesus of the Gospels and Pauline literature, Luther’s alleged antisemitism, and historical-criticism. The NPP is not actually new; it is simply a simultaneous convergence of a number of old aberrations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. * * * * * When discussing the rise of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), few theologians carefully scrutinize its historical and presuppositional antecedents. Many treat it merely as a 20th-century phenomenon; something that is relatively “new” arising within the last thirty or forty years. They erroneously isolate it from its long history of development. The NPP, however, is not new but is the revival of an old ideology that has been around for the many centuries of church history: the revival of works as efficacious for salvation.
  • THE RHETORIC of PAUL's GLORY-CHRISTOLOGY in His Book Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, E. P. Sanders Has Helpfully Divined T

    THE RHETORIC of PAUL's GLORY-CHRISTOLOGY in His Book Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, E. P. Sanders Has Helpfully Divined T

    CHAPTER TEN THE RHETORIC OF PAUL'S GLORY-CHRISTOLOGY A. GLORY IN THE GRAMMAR OF PAUL'S THEOLOGY In his book Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, E. P. Sanders has helpfully divined the way in which Paul's theology works. 1 He describes Paul's "pattern of religion" by his (now famous) categories of "getting in" and "staying in." Sanders' description of Paul's "soteriological pattern" (what I shall refer to as the gammar of Paul's theology2) has some distinct advantages: (1) it unveils the way in which Paul's diverse language functions paradigmatically and (2) discloses the essential, coherent emplottment of Paul's theological structure, while (3) not artificlally subsuming Paul's theology under a single Leitmotif. Sanders identifies two basic "movements" in Paul's theology. The horizontal movement Sanders calls a "transfer" from one "status" to another. In a Pauline construal, this is how one "gets in." All human beings begin in astate of condemnation: they are "under sin," "in sin," "under law," "sinners," "enemies," "condemned," "unrighteous" and are, due to the "works of the flesh," destined to suffer "death" and "destruction." Through the activity of Christ, specifically his death, human beings are transferred out from under "sin," "law" and "death," and experience "life," "acquittal," "righteousness," "Spirit" and adoption as "sons." Paul variously refers to this process of 1 Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 4-10. 2 Cf. Richard B. Hays' ("Crucified with Christ," 319) use of the words "grammar" and "syntax" to refer to Paul's convictionallfoundational story, which, for Hays, includes the soteriological pattern of Paul's religion (see below).
  • Canonical Reception History of James

    Canonical Reception History of James

    JETS 60/4 (2017): 767–80 DOES NEGLECT MEAN REJECTION? CANONICAL RECEPTION HISTORY OF JAMES CHRIS S. STEVENS* Abstract: Canonicity debates have pivoted on various criteria over the centuries. Today, au- thorship, a primary criterion, is complicated by concerns about pseudonymity and challenges to the linguistic abilities of the apostles. Recent work by David Nienhuis proposes James to be a pseudonymous second-century document. Nienhuis exploits the historical silence and perceived neglect of the Epistle of James to create a scenario against traditional authorship positions. This paper evaluates the validity of his argument. Despite his thorough monograph, underap- preciated aspects of the evidence weaken his work. The case against James being the author of the eponymous epistle put forth by Nienhuis is reexamined on a number of fronts. The evidence suggests that the author was in a position of early ecclesiastical authority, one like James the Just held during the first century. Key words: James, canon, Nienhuis, canonical history, papyri, linguistic dimensions, pseudonymity Debates over the NT canon are receiving reNewed iNterest. While there are new methods of inquiry and newer questions, nevertheless, the debates remain the same. Perhaps no NT text is more debated than the Epistle of James. In fact, NearlY fifty years ago James Brooks said James “had a more difficult time iN acquiriNg canonical status” than other texts.1 David NieNhuis further contends, “No other letter in the NT contains as maNY troubliNg aNd ambiguous features, aNd to this daY no scholarlY consensus exists regarding its point of origin.”2 The seNtimeNt is Not new. Martin Luther called James “an epistle of straw” that “mangles the Scriptures and thereby opposes Paul and all Scripture.”3 Luther eveN put James aNd the other Catholic Epistles (CE) in a different order in an attempt to diminish their canonical significance.4 Determining the canonical reception history of James is not easy.