Abstract
Most of the chapters in this edited volume were originally presented from 2010 to 2012 at Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature. It is the nineteenth volume to appear in the series Studies in Scripture in Early Judaism and Christianity. The essays are divided into three parts: General Studies, Studies in the Gospels, and Studies in the Letters.
Part one comprises two chapters. Mark Gignilliat discusses how many of the early church theologians and exegetes treated Old Testament Scripture as Christian Scripture and illustrates how Isaiah 54:1–3 supports Christian theological claims. Jeremy Hultin analyses the interpretation of Genesis 18:1 in Genesis Rabbah 48 to argue that the coherence of the different sections of the midrash depends upon the original contexts (uncited biblical material) from which the verses were chosen. Even though these two essays are purported to set the pace (hermeneutically and methodologically) and provide a frame for the other chapters, none of the other contributors explicitly seeks to follow Gignilliat in Christian theological interpretation of the Old Testament, and only a few contributors follow Hultin in noting care for the broader uncited context of Old Testament references.
Part two consists of eight chapters on the Gospels. Jason Hood explores the number forty-two in Matthew's genealogy and suggests that this alludes to Israel's forty-two stage journey through the wilderness and evokes the wilderness identity of God's people; the number forty-two functions as a “numerical wilderness metaphor” (p. 29). Brian Dennert utilizes redaction criticism to understand the use of Proverbs 1:20–33 in the parable of the children in the marketplace in Matthew 11:16–19 and to describe how Matthew adapts Q “to identify Jesus as Wisdom and allegorize his ministry as rejected Wisdom” (p. 62). Jesse Rainbow argues against the normal correlation of Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah with Herod, Herodias, and John the Baptist in Matthew 14 and suggests instead that John the Baptist corresponds to Naboth; this indicates a shift from Elijah as John to Elijah as Jesus. Roger D. Aus analyzes Mark 14:25 from the perspective of Nazirite traditions and the story of Joseph to suggest that the first Christian to formulate Mark 14:25 in a Semitic language viewed Jesus as a Nazirite.
R. Steven Notley and Jeffrey P. Garcia examine four instances of Jesus’ exegesis of the Old Testament (Luke 4:18–19; 7:27; 10:25–28; 22:69) in Luke to suggest his knowledge and use of the Hebrew text: “The value of taking into account the original language of the discourse—Hebrew—can hardly be overstated” (p. 147). Matthew S. Rindge places Luke's parable of the “Rich Fool” into conversation with other discussions of wealth in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature (Qoh 8:15 [LXX]; Sir 11:14-19; 1 En. 97:8-10; the Testament of Abraham; Lucian; Plutarch; Diogenes; Seneca); this helps highlight Luke's contribution beyond a prophetic critique of avarice to a much broader sapiential discussion of “the meaningful use of possessions given the uncontrollable aspects of death and the fragility of life” (p. 169). Diane Hakala argues that both tables of the Decalogue are represented in the commandments to the rich man (Matt 19:16–22 and parallels); the command to honor parents was included in the first table in the first century but by the fourth century it was connected to the second table in Christian writing. Ruth Sheridan argues that John's use of Zechariah 12:10 in John 19:37 does not match the eschatological use of Zechariah 12:10 in other New Testament texts.
Part three consists of five chapters on the letters. J. R. Daniel Kirk uses several examples in Romans to illustrate a hermeneutic of narrative transformation which recognizes that the original meaning of a verse is both crucial and transformed because of the Christ event. Yongbom Lee argues that Paul echoed the dominical tradition in Mark 8:38 (which in turn echoes the shame language of Dan 12:1–2) when he declared that he was not ashamed of the Gospel (Rom 1:16); additionally, the use of shame language more broadly in the context of public Christian witness (2 Tim 1:8, 12, 16; Phil 1:20; 1 Pet 4:16; 1 John 2:28) suggest that the dominical shame tradition was widely circulated in early Christianity. Alain Gignac explores the narrative function of the various Old Testament texts assembled in Romans 3:9–20. Brian LePort argues that Paul alludes to Genesis 2–3 in Romans 16:17–20 in order to connect those who cause dissensions with the Serpent. Silviu N. Bunta argues that despite widespread scholarly neglect, Merkabah mysticism is evident in the book of Hebrews through the connection of Genesis 1:26 to Ezekiel 1:26 in Hebrews 1–2 (an Image-Glory Christology).
The book closes with a bibliography, an index of references, and an index of authors. Although each chapter will be valuable for future researchers focused on the particular texts under discussion, the most useful methodological contributions come from Rindge's conversational model and Kirk's hermeneutic of narrative transformation. The essays are quite technical and beginning students will struggle to follow the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic; it is intended primarily for other scholars and doctoral students.