Admirand, Peter

Trinity College, Dublin

Jesus and Jeshua: Jewish interpretations of the Gospels and its Impact on Jewish-Christian Dialogue

In this essay I want to examine the biblical Jesus through Jewish sources, turning to the works Jesus through Jewish Eyes, a collection of rabbis writing about Jesus, Jacob Neusner’s A Rabbi Talks With Jesus, the collection of Rabbi Irving Greenberg’s essays in his For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter Between Judaism and Christianity, and the recent volume Jesus in the Talmud.  How should such Jewish readings of the gospels instruct, challenge, or deconstruct a Christian one? When Greenberg, for example, refers to Jesus as a failed (as opposed to false) Messiah and intends such a term (especially ascras he links a sense of failure to Moses and Abraham) to be complimentary, how should (and can) Christians respond in light of the gospels and in the sprit of interfaith dialogue? I will conclude the essay by examining Pope Benedict XVI’s biblical interpretation and response to Neusner in his Jesus of Nazareth and suggest ways to move the dialogue further.

Barnett, Audrey

Trinity College Dublin

The enigma of the birth of the oracles against the nations in Amos 1:3-2:16
Amos, the eight century prophet BCE, is widely held to be the earliest of the so-called ‘writing prophets’. Inasmuch as he is a first, we are freed from attention to his immediate predecessors. However, this makes our task an enigmatic one: what is the source of Amos’ oracles against the nations? Is Amos drawing on an existing tradition to form his oracles against the nations in Amos 1:3-2:16? Has he, in any way, been influenced by the cultic language of ancient nationalistic war oracles? After all, the literary form of the ninth century BCE war oracle in 1 Kings 20:28 shows an almost identical pattern to the OAN material in Amos 1:3-2:16 with its messenger formula, its indictment, and its announcement of punishment. On the other hand, perhaps the oracles in Amos 1:3-2:16 are Amos’ own creation but in their composition they have been predisposed to wider ancient Near Eastern influences. Elements of wisdom tradition, international treaties and international law are considered incorporated into Amos’ composition. This paper will present the above dilemma.
 

Bedoya, Carlos

Trinity College, Dublin

Metanoia and Ecumenism

The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio formally initiated the involvement of the Catholic Church in the broader ecumenical movement.  The contents of the document include a chapter on the Catholic principles of ecumenism as well as a chapter concerned with directions for the practice of ecumenism.  The latter section includes the directive that ‘There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart.  For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way’ (UR 7). This paper elucidates the concept of metanoia (with specific regard to the connection between the heart and the mind) as a hermeneutical tool for ecumenical theology.  The paper begins with a systematic exploration of the usage of both heart (leb/kardia) and mind (lebab/nous) in relation to metanoia in Biblical literature, with special attention paid to the Prophets and the Pauline letters.  Arriving at a critical understanding of what metanoia entails in these instances, the paper proceeds to explore the implications these understandings have for current ecumenical dialogue and theology, both for the church as a corporate body and for persons within the church.   Finally, a reflection on the parables and metanoia will be offered as a conclusion, suggesting that metanoia as a hermeneutical tool allows for the creation of fertile ground where ‘new seeds may be sown.’

Carroll, Clare

Trinity College, Dublin

That’s what She said; Jeremiah, Six voices and counting.

We are dealing with at least (probably far more than) six voices in the book of Jeremiah. In order to demonstrate this I begin with the well known example of Jeremiah versus the Queen of Heaven cult (44: 15f).  I go on to explain the other key examples which prove the existence of at least six separate strands of argument, each with its own ideological motivation, which I have termed “voices”.

I then turn to the historical, geopolitical and religious factors motivating each voice. It becomes clear that each is the product of key political and religious ideologies which were central to the events of the period being described, some peculiar nuances of Jeremiah’s prophecies, and the conflict-ridden thought world of the book as a whole.

Czander, Giovanna

Fordham University, New York

Of donkeys and witnesses: interpolation or interpretation? The laws in Ex 23:1-9

The present arrangement of the laws in Ex 23:1-9, along with some textual difficulties, has puzzled interpreters since before rabbinic and patristic times. In this pericope, laws about testimony (Ex 23:1-4; 6-8) are wrapped around two laws apparently unrelated: the first addresses finding one’s enemy’s roaming animal, the second concerns one’s enemy’s donkey lying under his weight (Ex 23:4-5). The two sets of laws (testimony and animal-related) differ both in content and form (apodictic for the laws of testimony, casuistic for the laws concerning animals), and have often been attributed to different sources. The laws regarding animals, specifically, have been considered interpolation.

This paper entertains an hypothesis that the casuistic laws on animals have been inserted in the context of laws concerning testimony (Ex 23:1-9) in order to illustrate aspects about testimony itself.

Daughton, Amy

Trinity College Dublin

I Am Who I Am as Deification

'ehyeh asher 'ehyeh is the 'name' of God given to Moses on Sinai in Exodus 3 14.  I propose to grapple with this name as a theological exposition of God by following through on its ontological implications.  While making no pretence to add to the philological debate over the name, I hope to move from Andre LaCocque's position within that debate in order to unfold the name.   Specifically, by rooting 'ehyeh asher 'ehyeh in the transformative tradition of naming found between God and man in the Old Testament (Gen 3228), we may find in it identity and gift and method.   In such a hermeneutic the name becomes the relationship of God to man, thus continuing to encompass our transformation as well.

Dowling Long, Siobhan

University of Wales, Lampeter

The Sacrifice of Isaac: A Musical Re-telling of Genesis 22 by Benjamin Britten

Down through the centuries, the narrative of the Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22:1-19) has inspired a creative wealth of artistic and musical representations by artists and musicians. This is especially true of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where a prolific number of oratorios, based on a musical re-telling of the biblical narrative, were composed and performed. While the nineteenth century witnessed the narrative’s musical decline, the twentieth century witnessed its revival through the musical output of Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky and Judith Lang Zaimont.

This paper will analyse Benjamin Britten’s musical re-telling of Gen. 22 in “Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac” (1952), whose libretto Britten adapted from the medieval Chester Miracle play Abraham and Isaac. The paper will also compare and contrast Britten’s typological re-telling of the biblical narrative with another re-telling by Britten, found in the “War Requiem” (1962). In this setting, Britten incorporates Wilfred Owen’s poem - Parable - into the liturgical setting of the Offertorium, as well as incorporating derivations of highly significant musical motifs from Britten’s Canticle II. Owen’s rendition of the biblical narrative enables Britten to highlight a twist to the tale’s sequel, as well as challenge the traditional interpretation of the biblical narrative as presented by Canticle II.         

Glißmann, Volker

Queens University, Belfast

Considerations about the return movement in the book of Genesis in light of a redaction informed by the Babylonian-Elamite diaspora/golah

This paper builds on insights from the field of diaspora studies, and examines the nature of the disputed diaspora characteristic of a return movement. William Safran and Robin Cohen point to the inclusion of this characteristic based on a Jewish ‘ideal’ diaspora type. James Clifford, on the other hand, views the continual presence of a desire for a literal return in Jewish diaspora communities as an ahistorical reading and rejects the notion. The way forward for the diaspora discourse lies in applying nuanced historical periodisations. Denise Helly called for four different historical periods, the first one being the unfortunately large antiquity. Building on this insight, but applying further periodisations in Jewish antiquity, this paper will examine the return ideology in the restoration period.

Assuming a redaction of the Pentateuch, either in the Babylonian diaspora/golah or guided by returnees like Ezra (as argued by Peter Bedford), a specific diaspora theology is explicitly present in the book of Genesis. A return movement (return to the place of origin) in the Persian restoration period never gains collective approbation, but seems to remain primarily religious and temple-centred. This paper will investigate the nature of the return movements in the book of Genesis with a dual focus on the primeval history and the patriarchal narratives.

Heacock, Clint

University of Chester

The Useless Vinestock: A Rhetorical-Critical Study of Ezekiel 15

Overshadowed by its larger and controversial neighbour to its right, Ezekiel 15 is an often-overlooked literary unit. When studied closely, however, its function as an important piece of the argument of the book is revealed: Yahweh utilises Ezekiel to destroy the nationalistic hope of the exiles.  

The rhetorical-critical approach taken in this study involves two elements: First, a discussion of the contextual situation, and second, a close reading of 15 itself. The contextual situation of Ezekiel involves two rhetorical situations, the literary-historical background of the vine image in Israel’s tradition, Yahweh’s rhetorical strategies within the book, and finally, the tension present between themes of hope and themes of judgment within both rhetorical situations. 

A close reading of 15 clarifies how the rhetor Yahweh employs the character-narrator Ezekiel to mediate his speech. The unit’s argument involves two “planes”—that of nature, and of the divine. On the first plane, the analogy is drawn between the vinestock and legitimate wood from trees. The second plane lays out propositions based on conclusions reached on the first plane, and the unit concludes with the justification for Yahweh’s verdict—the unfaithfulness of the Jerusalemites.

This unit calls the exilic community to continued faithfulness, rather than building on the assumption that Yahweh will prove himself loyal to them if they continue in unfaithfulness to him. The audience not only could have easily understood it and applied it to their lives, but as a bonus caught an uneasy but perhaps useful glimpse of their own possible future.

Jones, Kile

University of Glasgow

A Comparison between Manichean and Christian Views of Evil

Second to ‘Does God Exist’, the question ‘Why is there Evil’ ranks among the deepest of human questions ever asked. It was in the heart of Job, the ethics of Gandhi, and the quest of Siddhartha. It might even be understood as that grand question which motivates the formation and conclusion of our worldviews, the daily moral decisions of our lives, and gives us the angst required for serious contemplation. This paper will focus on the ways in which Christianity and Manicheism define evil as well as the various problems which arise by their definitions. The only difference as far as the layout is concerned is that Manicheism will be given an introduction and not Christianity, for Manicheism is a religion far from the popularity of Christianity.

Kueh, Richard

Peterhouse, University of Cambridge

Peter: A Biblical Theodicy
Reconciling Suffering Community and Faithful Creator

Modern scholarship has generally accepted that 1 Peter is a genuine letter. Whereas scholars of the past have viewed the work as a baptismal liturgy or sermon (i.e. a catechetical text with a supplementary epistolary framework), these views have now generally fallen out of favour. As such, 1 Peter is now reasonably considered to be a situational letter: it is the correspondence of an author, speaking in a meaningful and recognisable way, to his addressees, who are being, or at any moment liable to be, subjected to trials and persecutions.

Having attempted to reconstruct the situation of the readers and to expound the form of their suffering, this paper seeks to demonstrate that the author is concerned with parenetic theodicy. The letter asserts the goodness of the communities’ God in the light of apparent evidence to the contrary. The most recent technical studies of the letter have stressed the hermeneutical importance of parenesis, but have dealt primarily with the moral or social exhortation of the readers. 1 Peter is, I would argue, an immensely practical Biblical theodicy. It is not concerned with analytical questions, but pragmatic ones: why must the community suffer? How, then, is God faithful? These questions and others, this paper will address.

Lockiewicz, Przemek

University of Gdansk, Poland

Christianitas - superstitio nova, malefica et exitiabilis - perception and knowledge about Christianity of pagan writers from the Second Century AD

The birth of Christianity caused huge religious revolution in the ancient world. This change was soon to alter the mode of thinking of the European societies. Certainly, the very development of Christianity could not have been overlooked by pagan writers. Those parts of pagan works which have survived till present times reveal the vision of the new religion in the eyes of the old beliefs worshippers. Basically, the opinions of A. D. II pagan writers about Christianity were definitely negative. This work tries to discuss the criticism of Christianity, often conducted from totally diverse ideological positions, as it developed in A. D. II. Starting from earliest remarks about the new religion, it may be noticed that they were hostile and contemptuous in tone, with deeper knowledge often not leading to the change in attitude. First renowned historians, who just mentioned Christianity in their works, Suetonius and Tacitus, simply expressed their contempt without any justification for it.  Other writers, presenting wider knowledge of the subject discussed, continued criticism of the new religion. Plinius to protect official cults, Lukian as a religious sceptic, Celsus, in the end, from the religious and philosophical positions of pagan faith. All the aforementioned views, however different, were quite characteristic of the classic Antiquity. Christianity, on the other hand, introduced an entirely new way of understanding the man and the world. 

Mali, Joseph F

Fordham University, New York

New and Old: Understanding the Decline of Traditional Christianity in terms of Mark 2:21-22

My contention is that the two sayings on “new” and “old,” Mark 2:21-22, hold the key to the decline of traditional Christianity, especially in the West. Standing at the centre of the Galilean Conflict Stories (Mark 2:1–3:6), the two logia on “new” and “old” (Mark 2:21-22) make a condensed statement for Mark, the Evangelist, about the meaning and impact of Jesus’ collision with the scribes and the Pharisees (Mark 2:1–3:6). This condensed statement is that the “new” and the “old” do not mix; they will go their separate ways. This is because the old, the beliefs and practices of the scribes and the Pharisees, do not adequately express the new, Jesus’ new way of life.

This is what is illustrated in the five series of disputes between Jesus and the scribes and the Pharisees in Mark 2:1–3:6. It also sums up the conflict between the early Christians and their Jewish neighbours. The new way of life of the early Christians, which involves openness to different classes of people and freedom from certain legal strictures, could not be expressed by Pharisaic Judaism, hence the parting of ways between Christianity (the new) and parent Judaism (the old).

It is my conviction that the decline of traditional Christianity, especially in the West, could be explained in similar terms. Because Christianity (the old) does not sufficiently represent contemporary life and culture (the new), the new is pulling away from it. Such, in outline, is the argument of my paper.

Matassa, Lidia

Trinity College, Dublin

On the Identification of a Synagogue at Masada

This is a case study of one of the sites traditionally identified as a first century synagogue in the land of Israel.  I have looked at this site from a number of perspectives, including the original excavations, ancient and secondary material about the site and personal observations.  I have defined problems with and suggested solutions to its identification and I have addressed its usefulness as a template for other identifications of early synagogues.

McCall, Robin

Princeton Theological Seminary

Trial by Fire: The “Becoming” of the High Priest in Leviticus 10

The account of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu in Lev 10 constitutes a clash, first, of narrative expectations within the larger narrative of the Pentateuch, and second, of genres within the book of Leviticus.  Previous attempts to explain the shocking deaths of the new priests have not adequately accounted for the striking collision of ritual and narrative texts that occurs in Lev 8-10.  I contend that Lev 10 is not so much about Nadab’s and Abihu’s deaths as it is about their father Aaron’s first acts of priestly discernment and teaching (cf. Lev 10:10).  As such, the narrative cannot be interpreted in isolation from the ritual of priestly ordination (Lev 8-9).  In this essay I will provide a reading of Lev 10 which emphasizes the rhetorical effect of the text’s genre in order to show that the account functions, for both the characters and the reader, as a narrative point of entry into the ritual world established in the preceding chapters.  As Lev 9 presents Aaron’s first opportunity to officiate over the public cult, so Lev 10 recounts his first acts of discernment and teaching.  Lev 10 is a deeply personal and pathos-filled example of ritual and priesthood, not as meticulous abstractions for the ages, but as enacted in the particular context of Aaron’s own life, at a moment when he must wrestle with his conflicting roles as newly-ordained high priest and grieving father.

Michalak, Aleksander

Trinity College, Dublin

When did the rebels become the Zealots?  Phinehas as a model of priest and warrior
In my paper I am attempting to answer the question: when and why did the Jewish rebels assume the name Zealots? Why was the patriarch Phinehas (first Old Testament Zealot) chosen by the main group of the rebels as their heros eponymus.  I suppose that this took place during the early stages of the war as a result of two events. The first of these was the character of the war with the Roman Empire. The second event was the intrusion of the insurrectionists to the priestly court of the Temple. I am inclined to think that the choice of the Zealot Phinehas as a paradigm, by the rebels, was primarily caused by the circumstances concerning the Jewish purity system, which was significantly shaken during the Jewish War against Rome.

Peleg-Barkat, Orit

Hebrew University Jerusalem and Oxford University

Funerary Art in Early Roman Jerusalem
During the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Periods, Jerusalem experienced a time of prosperity and expansion. The monumental construction projects of King Herod, and the Hasmonaean kings before him, on the Temple Mount and the Upper City are described in detail by the first century CE historian, Josephus Flavius. Remains of some of these edifices are preserved throughout the city. The royal building activities provided livelihoods for a large number of artisans, such as stone cutters, stone movers, stonemasons, and builders. This also resulted in the establishment of a guild of artists specializing in carving of architectural decoration elements. Those artists were hired to decorate the royal structures, as well as well-to-do private dwellings and the tombs of the elite. Examination of the remains of these constructions suggests that at the beginning, the artists depended mainly on the Greek and Hellenistic models, and following Herod's accession to power incorporated Roman elements in their work. However, over the years they became more creative and independent and, as a consequence, a unique artistic style was manifested in their creations.
The funerary art of Jerusalem – the tombs’ facades, ossuaries and sarcophagi – provide most of the examples of this art preserved today. This paper is devoted to tombs’ facades and to the artistic development and changes in stone decoration fashions.  Examination of the details of the carvings and their style, as well as of the repertoire of motifs used by the artists, can enable us to relatively date the tombs.

Reaves, Jayme

Irish School of Ecumenics

Cities of Refuge: An Exploration of Sanctuary & Restorative Culture in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond

In the Hebrew Bible the ‘cities of refuge’ are places of sanctuary and restoration. Detailed information surrounding these refuges is very limited.  Restricted to just a few passages, the details regarding the setting up and implementation of the cities of refuge sit within the Deuteronomic literary tradition and are not referred to elsewhere within the biblical text. Yet, the concept of the cities of refuge continue to be referred to by both religious scholars and politically-aware individuals as an example and source of inspiration.  Connected with themes of hospitality, guilt and innocence, justice, and protection, these passages provide insight into both the biblical world and our contemporary context. .

Drawing on biblical exegesis and theology, social ethics, anthropology and political theory, this paper seeks to explore the biblical account of the cities of refuge, its parameters and its practice (in principle if not in actuality) in other contexts as a means of fostering sanctuary and a culture of restoration in situations of conflict.

Scramuzzo, Steven

Trinity College, Dublin

Jesus vs. Mithras : The Battle for World Domination?

Since the time of Justin Martyr it has become widely accepted that the cult of Mithras was a threat to early Christianity in the Roman Empire. Ernst Renan commented that “if the growth of Christianity had been arrested by some mortal malady, the world would have been Mithraic”. Did Mithraism actually pose such a threat to Christianity in the years leading to Christianity’s widespread dissemination throughout the Roman Empire under Emperor Gratian? Through an examination of textual and material evidence, I will investigate the interaction between the two religions and show that, far from being an exhausted subject, Mithraism’s relationship to Christianity remains a complex and fascinating topic.

Silverman, Jason M

Trinity College, Dublin

Persian Ideas in the Earliest Enochic Literature

The eclectic nature of the 'source materials' in the Ethiopic Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) has been long recognized. Scholars have usually looked to the Hebrew Bible or to the myths of Greece and Ugarit to explain the surprising features. This essay argues that several details can be best explained as inspired by motifs visible in Persian religious texts. It focuses on the two earliest books, The Book of Luminaries and the Book of Watchers. While Persian influence is visible in the Book of Luminaries, Persian myths are more important to the Book of Watchers and quite possibly were formative to the nascent Enochic tradition now found there.
 

Skott, Siv

University of Uppsala, Sweden

Analysis of biblical dialogues

Human communication is richly exemplified in the Old Testament, since the biblical stories are interspersed with dialogues. The dialogues have so far been studied as to their grammar and their function in the story telling, for instance, their importance in forming the biblical characters. But what about the dialogues as dialogues, that is, as representations of human communication?

If we want to analyze dialogues as human communication we have better search at the core of what conversation is, and how it is brought about. There is an interactional process going on between speakers and modern linguists have tried to lay it bare, for instance with help of politeness strategies and Speech act theory. The object of study has mostly been face-to-face talk, whether casual everyday speech or speech in institutional settings. The biblical narrative, however, is a written text, but it is not a detached literary product. It has its dramatic and communicative qualities, not the least because of the high frequency of direct speech. This makes it worthwhile to analyze the interactional process going on between the speakers in OT.

The above mentioned analytic approaches will be applied to two dialogues, politeness strategies to the conversational sequence between Delilah and Samson (Judges 16), and Speech act theory to the encounter between the medium from Endor, Samuel and Saul (1 Sam 28). It is thus argued that modern analytic methods are applicable to OT dialogues and that Old Testament exegesis can gain from using modern linguistic methods when interpreting the dialogic parts in OT.

Tobolowsky, Andrew

Trinity College, Dublin

Codeword for Cult:

2 Chronicles 3:1 tells us that the Temple of the Lord was built on the Threshing Floor of Arauanah the Jebusite, echoed in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. So far, no one has asked why. This is regrettable: A studied analysis of threshing floors in the Bible will reveal a strange significance.   In Genesis 50:10-11, the mourning for Isaac occurs at the Threshing Floor of Atad.  In 2 Samuel 6:5-7, the Ark rests at the Threshing Floor of Nacon.  In 1 Kings 22, the kings of Israel and Judah sit on one while the prophets prophesy before them.  Ruth 3:14 reveals them as a place where women are not allowed, while Judges 6:36 identifies them with supernatural activity. That the temple is built upon one is most striking, especially considering that the altar in Jerusalem, according to the etiological legend in Genesis 14, predates the conquest of Jerusalem—as does the worship, in that place, of El Elyon. More, and more interesting information comes from the Ugaritic texts. In the so-called RPM (Rephaim) texts, the Canaanite god El summons the Rephaim who, in the Bible, are represented as the divine ancestors, to a banquet at the threshing floor. The Ugaritic texts may also suggest a link between the threshing floor and the ancient Canaanite festival of the Marzeah, mentioned in Amos 6. The current research on the subject-for example, Arthur W. Marget's article which states, on philological grounds, that the Bible makes a distinction between permanent and temporary threshing floors, but goes no further (a claim I will attempt to investigate on linguistic grounds) and Eugene Vanderpool's identification of a Sacred Threshing Floor of Demeter, at Eleusis -seems to confirm what the circumstantial evidence suggests and what my analysis will investigate thoroughly: whether the (permanent) threshing floor can be considered a kind of cipher for a past centre of Canaanite cultic activity, and what possible readings this may suggest for the texts mentioned above.

Tyson, Craig

University of Michigan

Aspects of Foreign Influence in Iron Age II Ammon

This paper addresses the nature and extent of foreign influence in the Transjordanian polity of Ammon during the Iron Age II with particular focus on the affects of the Assyrian empire. I first discuss the meaning of “influence” in order to push the discussion beyond simply pointing out artefacts that are of foreign origin or emulate items of foreign origin. In particular, it is noted that many such artefacts are found in wealthy graves or suggest other high status contexts and thus point to elite interests. Furthermore, I suggest that one important effect of the Assyrian empire was to create a “global” exchange system that stimulated a number of trends in Ammon as well as other polities. The first of these is the linking of Ammon and the other Transjordanian states into a trade network that posed significant opportunities for local development. Connected to this is the creation of an “international style,” which we can see, to varying degrees, in the material cultural record. Third, is a demographic trend towards increasing sedentary population and increased administrative capacity. Finally, I offer some speculations about the impact of empire on social and religious development in Ammon.

Watson, Murray

Trinity College, Dublin

Defense and Disputation, Erudition and Exchange: An Overview of the History of New Testament Translations into Hebrew

Since "the parting of the ways" between Jews and Christians in the late first and early second centuries CE, the New Testament has generally marked a literary and theological boundary between these two faiths. The reality, however, is considerably more complex. For centuries afterwards, many Christians remained intrigued by the "mystique" of Hebrew, and some Jewish scholars studied and translated the New Testament, for apologetic and defensive purposes. For academic, polemical and missionary purposes, New Testament translations into Hebrew have occupied some of the finest minds of Judaism and Christianity. The history of these translations provides a valuable and enlightening sidebar to the best and the worst of Jewish-Christian interaction since the first century, and into our own time.