Biblical Studies - New Testament

In her well-documented article "The Aromatic Fragrances of Paradise in the Greek Life of Adam and Eve and the Christian Origin of the Composition," NovT 46 (2004) 20-45, Rivka Nir offered a fresh interpretation of references to incense and other aromatic substances in the Greek Life of Adam and Eve arguing that these are clearly indicative of its Christian origins. The present contribution reviews Nir's evidence for her conclusions, and argues in the opposite direction, suggesting that this evidence is not always as relevant as Nir assumes and can therefore not be the basis for the kind of conclusions Nir draws

In the essay the hermeneutical views of Jean–Luc Marion, as they are expressed in his God without Being: Hors–Texte in relationship with the Eucharist and the story of Luke 24, are presented and critically assessed. The criticisms registered touch in the first place upon the concept of in persona Christi, which concerns the relation between the celebrant and Christ. Furthermore, the issue of the relationship between the eucharistic minister and his (or her) community and thereby the hermeneutical function of the Eucharist as a celebration of the whole community is discussed in dialogue with Marion's views.

This article explores the way in which Anglican–Old Catholic consultations after the Second Vatican Council addressed the questions of authority and primacy in the Church. It argues, first, that in the context of their dialogues with each other and with the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicans and Old Catholics have developed a positive understanding of the role of authority and (universal) primacy in the Church. Second, Anglicans are more willing to think of the implementation of a kind of universal primacy than Old Catholics. Third, the question of primacy is, in the dialogues discussed in this article, seen in union with synodality at all levels of ecclesial communion. Fourth, the value attributed to universal primacy has pushed the (Old Catholic) protest against Pastor Aeternus into the background. Fifth, given the agreement on the value of universal primacy, the question not of whether, but rather of how a universal primacy could be received by the Church is legitimate.

The occurrence and significance of the five women in Jesus' genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew has been a source of continuous scholarly debate. Taking a gender-sensitive approach, this contribution argues for looking at the five women as one group, viewing them as simultaneously accentuating the messianic line that Jesus is part of and vindicating his somewhat irregular birth, as well as substantiating the openness of Israel for Gentiles by adducing precedents from Israel's history.

Anglicans, Old Catholics, and Orthodox have been engaged in dialogue with each other practically since the beginnings of the ecumenical movement. This paper survey the findings of these three dialogues on the subject of Tradition and compares them to each other, concluding that even though these dialogues have developed compatible and dynamic understandings of Tradition, these understanding have not yet led to the removal of certain obstacles between the Churches involved.

Dieser theologiegeschichtliche Aufsatz zeigt auf, wie in der altkatholischen Theologie in der Mitte des vergangen Jahrhunderts eine von der ganzen Utrechter Union akzeptierte Position zur Frage des Verhältnisses von Schrift und Tradition herausgearbeitet wurde. Obwohl die Altkatholische Bewegung sich auf dem Glauben der frühen Kirche und damit auch auf die Tradition Jahrzehnten berief, war es nie zu einer Verhältnisbestimmung der beiden Grössen ‚Schrift’ und ‚Tradition’ gekommen. Dies änderte sich ab den späten dreissiger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ab dann setzt sich der Entwurf des Verhältnisses von Schrift und Tradition, wie er von dem damaligen Erzbischof von Utrecht, Andreas Rinkel, in seiner Tätigkeit als Dogmatiker am altkatholischen Priesterseminar in Amersfoort, in Auseinandersetzung mit römisch-katholischen und protestantischen Theologen (vor allem Herman Bavinck), entwickelt worden war, auch auf der Ebene der Utrechter Union durch. Andere Modelle, z.B. dasjenige von dem schweizerischen Bischof Urs Küry, der den Primat der Schrift stärker betonte als Rinkel, konnten sich dabei nicht als ‚altkatholischer Mainstream’ etablieren. Eine Bestätigung dafür, dass Rinkels Entwurf jetzt tatsächlich zur altkatholischen Position geworden ist, findet sich in den gemeinsamen Texten des orthodox-altkatholischen Dialogs.

"Unter den biblisch-hermeneutischen Entwürfen, die im letzten Jahrhundert vorgestellt worden sind, ragt die «kanonische Hermeneutik» Brevard S.Childs' heraus. Sie ist der Versuch, die Bibel wieder in ihrem ursprünglichen, d.h. kanonischen, Kontext zu lesen. Dieser Kontext ist der Glaube der Kirche, wie er in ihrer Glaubensregel («Regula Fidei») festgehalten ist. Es ist aber
merkwürdig, dass Childs diese Glaubensregel, die für seinen Entwurf von zentraler Bedeutung ist, nirgends definiert. Das Gleiche trifft auf die ebenso wichtige Grösse «Kirche» zu. Eine mögliche Folge davon ist, dass die Korrelation «Glaubensregel der Kirche» - «Auslegung der Bibel» je nach Kirche wechselt, womit der (konfessionellen und kulturellen) Kontextualität der Bibelauslegung Rechnung getragen wird. Dies dürfte z.T. wohl nicht der Intention Childs' entsprechen."

This article explores the meaning of the statement made by Irenaeus of Lyons that the truth (i.e. the faith) is received at baptism. It is argued that what is meant here is the reception of true 'first principles' that allow the newly baptized to see the world fully as it is; the shape of these first principles is understood as integration into the church and its tradition. In this way, the integration of the newly baptized into a community of interpretation is the way in which s/he learns to see the world anew, namely from the perspective of the community of faith.

The Epistle of James is not commonly seen in relation to early Christian common meals. At the same time, the work is preoccupied with the common life of an early Christian community, which in turn was, generally speaking, closely
related to the way in which it celebrated its meals. In other words, ethics, ecclesiology, and etiquette were closely related. Based on this consideration, this essay attempts to relate aspects of the epistle to symposiastic conventions as they were
known in the first-century Mediterranean world.

Dieser Beitrag geht dem Zusammenhang von “Sünde”, “Schwachheit” und “Gottlosigkeit” in Römer 5,6.8 nach. Es wird gezeigt, dass alle drei Begriffe eine besondere Beziehung zum Verständnis von Tugendhaftigkeit in der griechisch-römischen Tradition haben, insbesondere auch in der Tradition des frühen Judentums. Innerhalb des Diskurses über die Tugendhaftigkeit haben diese drei Begriffe zudem eine enge Beziehung zur Tugend der “Männlichkeit” (andreia), wie dem 4. Makkabäerbuch zu entnehmen ist. Aus gendersensibler Perspektive werden diese Einsichten nun in die Exegese von Römer 5,6 eingebracht.

‘Tradition’ is a prominent - and often highly contested - notion in Christian theology, especially when it comes to ecumenical encounters and dialogues. This also applies to the ecumenical dialogues of the Anglican Communion with other churches. Often, ways have been found to reconcile seemingly different understandings of ‘tradition’ and its articulation in the present. This volume shows how this has been achieved in the international bilateral dialogues of the Anglican Communion, ranging from conversations with the Baptist World Alliance to dialogues with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Prof. Dr. Peter-Ben Smit (1979) is professor for Ancient Catholic Church structures and the history and doctrine of Old Catholicism at Utrecht University, assistant professor of New Testament at VU University Amsterdam, and assistant priest of the Old Catholic parish of Amsterdam. He studied at the Universities of Amsterdam, Sheffield, and Bern, as well as at the Old Catholic Seminary in Utrecht and the General Theological Seminary in New York. He holds doctorates in Theology (New Testament), Anglican Studies, and the degree of Habilitation in Church History and Old Catholicism.