Religious education involves learning about religion and the possibility of having religious experiences. Although measuring religious knowledge can be fairly straightforward, assessing whether students are having religious experiences can be more difficult. The purpose of this …
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Chapter 1 introduces the particular problem to be addressed and also the thesis of the dissertation as a potential answer to this problem. The three test case passages are briefly introduced as well as the rationale for their selection. Attention is then given to surveying the h…
The Problem. The problem this dissertation seeks to address is the origins of the wedding banquet imagery in the teaching of Jesus. Frequently, scholars will state that the image of a wedding banquet was a common messianic image in the first century. However, other than Isa 25:6…
This dissertation recovers the major redaction of the Gospel of Thomas and connects it specifically to the Syrian Orient. The proposal that the Gospel of Thomas is related to Syria is not new; this dissertation differs in that it contends that it is the latest material within th…
This dissertation is a linguistic and rhetorical-theological examination of Paul's language of zelos. I examine comparative literary and epigraphical evidence concerning imitation and jealousy/zeal in antiquity (primarily Greek, but also Hebrew and Latin sources). I consider the…
A cursory glance at Hebrews' critique of Israel's fear at Sinai in Heb 12:18-29 suggests that the author has misunderstood or manipulated his sources. In the Pentateuch, the appointment of Moses as Israel's mediator following their unwillingness to stand too close to YHWH receiv…
This dissertation argues that Hebrews uses the metaphor of inheritance as a theological and rhetorical tool. The author draws upon Roman sensibilities surrounding the leaving of inheritances by means of wills (Ch. 1), as well as the Jewish practice of leaving inheritances, parti…
For many years, Pauline scholars have wrestled with two related questions: (1) how did Paul envision the composition of the audience for his letter to Rome? (2) What did Paul see as the role of the Law in the community of Jesus followers? As to the first question, I contend that…
In this dissertation, I set out to achieve two primary goals: first, to construct a detailed description of ancient utopian expectations according to Greco-Roman and Jewish literature, and second, to read Revelation 21–22 in light of these utopian expectations. In order to const…
In recent years both OT and NT scholars have given a great deal of attention to the twin themes of exile and regathering. In the present volume these matters are taken up again with an eye towards how the emerging Christian church was able to see in itself the fulfillment of cer…
Throughout the Second Temple period (516 BCE-70 CE), the reading and interpretation of the Jewish scriptures shaped the national consciousness of the Jewish people. Within this setting, the Jesus movement emerged as a Jewish group which also laid claim to the Jewish scriptures a…
For some nineteen hundred years, people have pondered and debated the identity of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (or Hebrews for short). Tradition and popular belief hold that the apostle Paul was the writer. Throughout history, however, many scholars have been skeptic…
This thesis seeks to determine how Luke treats the motif of women disciples in his gospel. The research hypothesis is as follows: Luke presented women of the Jesus movement as full disciples. In doing so, he was opening new avenues to women in his community. The main method used…
This dissertation analyses the linguistic parallels between the Gospel of John and the sectarian Qumran document, the Rule, and investigates the degree of semantic continuity in their respective uses of truth terminology. The major premise is that the Rule provides linguistic cl…
O presente trabalho centra-se na perícope lucana 19, 1-10, explorando a história e o contexto literário, bem como a componente de pesquisa, consolidada principalmente na pessoa de Zaqueu, e seus interlocutores, como Jesus e a multidão. O texto é examinado na sua origem grega e i…
A figura do Bom Pastor é, desde os primórdios da Igreja, uma das mais queridas imagens para referenciar Jesus e a sua missão de condutor da Igreja. Contudo, a imagem do Bom Pastor tem as suas raízes um pouco por todos os povos circundantes de Israel e ao longo do Antigo Testamen…
Enslaved persons were ubiquitous in the first- and second- century CE Roman Empire, and early Christian texts, in particular, reflect this fact. Nevertheless the implications of enslaved presence in religious practices are under-examined in early Christian and Roman history. Mor…
Thesis. The thesis of this dissertation is that the order of the books in the NT presents a reading strategy that points the reader to its theological focus, which is that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament narratives and specifically of the promise of the Mess…
This dissertation studies the role and function of lament in the New Testament. It addresses the problem that lament does not seem to be a pervasive feature of the New Testament, particularly when viewed in relation to the Old Testament. In some cases the voice of lament appears…