The debate about Abraham which appears in the Judeo-Hellenistic fragments, such as, Pseudo-Eupolemus, Aristobulus, Demetrius the Chronographer, Artapanus, and Cleodemus Malchus evince that two basically opposing tendencies of exegesis appeared in Judaism early in the Second Temp…
The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the relationship among Paul, Simon Magus, and Marcion. Simon was called “the root of all heretics” by Irenaeus. The Tübingen school led by F. C. Baur viewed Simon in the Pseudo-Clementines as Paul in disguise. Marcion was anothe…
This study investigates the impact of the Damascus road encounter on Paul's theology of the cross. Much has been done in the field of the New Testament either focusing on the subject of Paul's Damascus road encounter or his theology of the cross; however, few works have been sol…
A post-radical literary investigation of this type reveals aspects of Paul's thought in Rom 9–11 and its context that have not been recognized in the section's long history of exegesis. Most notably, “Israel”, as a collective term, has the meaning of either “whole Israel” or “al…
In several of his letters, Paul introduces portions of Deuteronomy 27, 28, 29, 30, and 32 into his argument. This study examines Paul's explicit quotations of these chapters of Deuteronomy as well as his “explicit, verbal references” of Deuteronomy: texts that are not attended b…
For years scholars have studied the “quotations” of the New Testament as found in the Apostolic Fathers, in Justin Martyr, or in other early second-century writers as if they were really quotations. When faced to explain why these “quotations” were not very accurate, some schola…
The Holocaust and revival of the state of Israel have sparked renewed interest in the theological status of the Jewish people. Following the Holocaust, some scholars have ventured to present a new approach to the apostle Paul's view of the spiritual condition of the Jewish peopl…
Pauline scholarship has been sensitive to the context and experience of the communities to which Paul writes, but less able to account for or incorporate Paul's own experience into analysis of his letters. This dissertation seeks to redress that lack in part by considering one a…
This work explores the use of athletic (agonistic) metaphors in the extant literature of the earliest Christian communities, particularly exploring athletic metaphors that appear in the writings associated with Paul (both in the undisputed letters such as Corinthians and Philipp…
The term sōma pneumatikon “spiritual body” is used in the NT only by Paul, and only in 1 Cor 15:44. The history of interpretation regarding the terminology in this verse is long, varied, and complex. Many of the Apostolic Fathers emphasized the physicality of the resurrection to…
The content of the Apostle's disclosure in the Israel section concerning the question of Jewish unbelief and the fate of Israel with respect to salvation is unique to Paul's Letter to the Romans. Originally considered an appendix or excursus separate from the letter's main instr…
The thesis of this dissertation is that through his reading of Israel's scriptures, Paul has come to regard opposition to him and to his gospel as a defection from God; in 2 Corinthians 1–9 he counters this threat to new covenant love by a vigorous campaign for reconciliation be…
This dissertation examines the redemptive theology of John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (c.347–407), using his homilies on the Pauline epistles. Of the fourteen letters of which Chrysostom attributed to Paul, the three most significant letters for discussion of Christ's …
The difficulties associated with Paul's citation of Gen 2:7b (1 Cor 15:45) and the comment that he attaches to the citation (1 Cor 15:46-49) can be clarified by a comparison of Paul's brief commentary with other ancient treatments of the Genesis verse and other scriptural texts …
Romans 5:18 and 11:32 have often supported claims of universal salvation. A third passage, 3:22–24, has also been used. This dissertation addresses the strength of these claims. Chapter one lays out the problem and surveys the history of universalism. The limits and methodology …
Because New Testament textual critics invested their time and energy over the last one hundred years, modern scholars have a critical edition of the Greek New Testament. In comparison, efforts in the analysis of manuscript apparatuses have been nominal at best. Recently, scholar…
Paul wrote Galatians to encourage his readers to stand firm for his gospel. In his defense of his gospel he defended Christian freedom from the law, and he described Christian freedom from sin. He introduced his defense in Gal 1:4. This verse was chosen as a starting point for t…
The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze passages containing the phrases of "knowledge of God" and "knowing God," as well as supplementary references. The study was approached in two steps. First, the researcher performed an etymological study of the primary terms, γιν\ac…
In recent critical NT studies, little research has been devoted to Paul's contextual approach to evangelism. As a result, the thesis of this dissertation proposes that while Paul operates out of a "Jew first, then Gentile" strategy for evangelism, his presentation of the Gospel …