British New Testament Society - King's College London - Home€¦ · · 2017-06-21hands of contemporary New Testament Scholars 21.30- tbc. ... Mark Batluck (University of ... Jesus

British New Testament

Society 32nd Annual Conference

6th-8th September, 2012

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Conference Programme

Thursday, 6th September 15.00-17.30 Check-in and Registration

Stamford Street Apartments/ Franklin-Wilkins Building

17.30-18.30 Reception

Franklin-Wilkins Building

18.30-19.30 Dinner

Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

20.00-21.30 Plenary Session 1 James Crossley

Stamford Street Lecture Theatre

A fundamentally unreliable adoration: Jewishness, Jews, and Judeans in the hands of contemporary New Testament Scholars

21.30- tbc. The Bar is open


Friday, 7th September

07.30-08.00 Morning Prayer

Franklin-Wilkins Building Room 1.11

07.30-08.45

Breakfast Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

09.00-10.30 Seminar Groups: Session 1

See Programme p.4

10.30-11.00

Coffee Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

11.00-12.30

Seminar Groups: Session 2

See Programme p.4-5

12.30-13.30 Lunch


13.30-15.30 Excursion/free time

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14.30 Committee Meeting Franklin-Wilkins Building Room 2.43

15.30-16.00 Tea


16.00-16.30 BNTS Business Meeting


16.30-18.00 Plenary Session 2 Anthony Thiselton


Might the New Testament ever move beyond Binitarianism?

18.00-18.30 Reception


18.30-19.45 Dinner Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

20.00 21.30 Plenary Session 3


Panel Discussion: New Testament Question Time: the State and Future of the Discipline

21.45- tbc. The Bar will be open Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

Saturday, 7th September

7.30-8.10

Eucharist

St Johns Church

Please meet in the lobby of Stamford Street Apartments at 7.15am.

7.30-9.00 Breakfast


9.15-10.45

Seminar Groups: Session 3

See Programme p.5

10.45-11.15 Coffee Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

11.15-12.45 Plenary Session 4 Andrew Clarke


Revisiting Categories of Church Discipline in the New Testament

13.00-14.00 Lunch and Departures Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant

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Seminar Locations

Jesus (pp.4-5)


Paul (p.6-10)


Synoptic Gospels (p.10-11)


Johaninne Literature (p.11-14)


The Book of Acts (p.14-17)


The Book of Revelation (p.17-20)

1st and 3rd session: Room 2.43 2nd session (joint session with The NT: Use & Influence): Room 2.43

The Social World of the NT (p.20-23)


The NT & Second Temple Judaism (p.23-25)


The NT: Use & Influence (p.25-27)

1st and 3rd session: Room 2.46 2nd session (joint session with The Book of Revelation): Room 2.43

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Seminar Sessions, Speakers, Abstracts

Jesus

Room: 1.14

Chairs: James Crossley & David Bryan

Session 1

A Prophet with Nowhere to Lay his Head (Matthew 8.18-20)

Brendon Witte (University of Edinburgh)

In spite of the fact that 8.20 contains the first occurrence of

in Matthew, a particularly important observation for those undertaking an analysis of the idiom, this portion of the pericope is frequently overlooked or inadequately handled by modern authors, even in those works

that take up the task of examining Matthews use of the designation

. It is the objective of this paper to analyze the dialogue between Jesus and the man keen on becoming a disciple in Matthew (Mt 8.19-20//Lk 9.57-58), questioning what aspect of the mans proclamation Jesus is challenginghis loyalty to the mission of spreading the word of the kingdom, his hubristic attitude, his self-serving motives, or his inadequate understanding of the mission and nature of Jesus. To anticipate the results of this study, the case will be made for reading Jesus aphoristic response as indicative of his prophetic role and authority. Jesus is not only a teacher of the weightier matters of the Law, he is portrayed throughout the Matthean narrative as an itinerant prophet like Elijah and Jonah who calls individuals to join him in his commissioning and is unwilling to accept those who have not been called or have placed the cares of the world above the cares of the kingdom. The Role of Revelatory Experience in the Four Gospels for Engendering Belief in Jesus Mark Batluck (University of Edinburgh) The following paper examines the way revelatory experiences in each of the canonical Gospels do or do not to engender belief in Jesus. Revelatory experience is divine disclosure by visionary or auditory means (Bockmuehl, Revelation and Mystery, 2). Thus, any event in which characters hear a voice or see a vision from heaven is a revelatory experience. Scholars have noted the power of revelatory experience to drive and shape the veneration of Jesus in early Christian devotional practices. Hurtado notes the demonstrable efficacy of such experiences in generating significant innovations in various religious traditions (Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ, 65). However, one wonders what faith-producing role revelatory experiences actually have in the Gospels. If earliest Christian communities were so shaped by these

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experiences, one would expect them to have similar force in the Gospel narratives. The Synoptic Gospels include revelatory experiences as a distinguishing feature of their accounts, with the baptism and transfiguration being two of the most commented-on passages of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, such revelatory events are curiously rare in John prior to Jesus resurrection and only after chapter 20 are these events more prominent. This paper will analyze the roles of revelatory experiences in each Gospel for producing belief in Jesus. Therefore, this research focuses primarily on the responses of characters in the narratives to the revelatory events they witness. Where the audience or its response is ambiguous, this will be taken into account. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the way audiences in the four Gospels are or are not shaped by such revelatory experiences and what implications these findings may have for the interpretation of each Gospel.

Session 2

Panel Discussion: Assessing the State of the Quest for the Historical Jesus

Participants: Larry Hurtado, Justin Meggitt, Catrin Williams, Dagmar

Winter, Michael Zolondek

Session 3

The Presence of the Living Jesus in the Century after His Death

Markus Bockmuehl (University of Oxford)

Dead or alive? Absent or present? These are among the most crucial questions for the ongoing significance of Jesus in the decades after his death. All known early Christian groups believed he was resurrected after his crucifixion; for the NT, the Creeds and most intervening writers this entailed his bodily resurrection along with a consensus that he was in some sense exalted into the immediate presence of God. Yet even though emphatically alive, was Jesus himself therefore present or absent to the early Christian believer? In later theologies this tension tends to be deconstructed whether in Eucharistic-ecclesial, eschatological, pneumatological, mystically or moralizingly experiential ways. Thus Jesus absence is sublimated by his presence in the Eucharist or the church, through the Spirit, in (possibly routinized) mystical or visionary experiences, in imperatives of charity or of politics. In this somewhat experimental paper, by contrast, I wish to ask what the early Christian sources affirm about the presence of Jesus as Jesus and to suggest that the diverse range of answers given by the NT and its earliest effective history is at once richer and less comprehensive than classic or contemporary construals tend to suggest.

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Paul

Room: 1.16

Chairs: Peter Oakes & Sarah Whittle

Session 1

God Sent Forth the Spirit of His Son: The Law of Christ and the Fulfilment of the New Covenant. Andrew Boakye (University of Manchester) Paul writes in Gal 6:2 that if Gods people bear the burdens of their Christian family they will fulfil completely the Law of Christ. Given the trajectory of the polemic in Galatians, the phrase appears needlessly awkward. Earlier scholarly treatments of the phrase understood Christs law to replace the Law of Moses. More recent analyses, largely influenced by Barclays highly insightful observations, have seen the phrase as a direct reference to the Law of Moses. However, as Barclay observes, a note of ambiguity is introduced into the argument an argument which already appears fraught with maverick Pauline innovations aimed at l

, the very notion that in any sense gentiles had a responsibility to law suggests the construction of a quite deliberate tension with Torah. The only question then is what rhetorical advantage the introduction of such a tension might serve. This paper will propose that a potential solution may be found in the inter-textual connections between Galatians and the prophetic declarations of blessing associated with the New Covenant and the restoration from exile. These blessings, prophesied by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, may be summarised as a process of internalisation, by which the obedience to the divine ordinances would be provoked by the Spirit. Moreover they are consistent with what appears to be the ostensibly Pauline contrast between fulfilling and performing the Law. Covenant and Apocalyptic in Galatians: A Critique of J. Louis Martyn and Martinus C. De Boer. John Anthony Dunne (University of St. Andrews) Within scholarship on Paul there is a major divide between covenantal and apocalyptic readings. One major place where this divide is most explicit is Galatians. With the popularity of J. Louis Martyns Anchor Bible commentary and the recently published New Testament Library commentary by Martinus C. De Boer, the apocalyptic reading is worth interacting with at a sustained level. This paper will critique the apocalyptic reading espoused by Martyn and de Boer by noting that their understanding of apocalyptic does not cohere with first-century apocalyptic in regards to (a) Jewish cosmology, (b) Jewish covenantal theology, and (c) the role of suffering.

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Apocalyptic and Covenant: Perspectives of Paul or Antinomies at War? David Shaw (University of Cambridge) The terms apocalyptic and covenantal are ubiquitous in Pauline studies and frequently set against one another as competing lenses by which to understand Pauline theology, in response to which this paper will ask whose apocalyptic? Which covenant? The development of apocalyptic readings of Paul from J Christiaan Beker to the present will be outlined, arguing that even as anti-salvation-historical language increases, the content of apocalyptic theology shifts to become closer and not further away from at least some covenantal readings of Paul. It can be seen that the (more recent) apocalyptic emphasis upon the need for divine intervention to undo a bondage to sin which incapacitates human beings in ways both epistemological and soteriological maps onto the OT promise of the new covenant by which God will transform his people inwardly, pour out his Spirit and renew his creation. The objection most often raised to such a marriage of approachesthat Paul belongs to a cosmological and not forensic stream of apocalyptic thoughtwill be considered in light of Rom 8:1-4.

Session 2

Did Paul believe in Judaism? Matthew Novenson (University of Edinburgh) Despite the vast secondary literature on Paul and Judaism, the only instances of the word Judaism (Ioudaismos) in the New Testament are in Gal 1:13, 14. What is more, recent scholarly discussion has suggested that even in Galatians there is no such thing as Judaism. Several recent interpreters have proposed that Ioudaismos is not Judaism, a system of religious beliefs and practices, but rather Judaizing or Judaization, a verbal noun signifying the adoption of Jewish ancestral customs by non-Jews. Prima facie, the polemical situation of Pauls letter to the Galatians might seem to confirm this reading. In this paper, I offer a counterargument: In Galatians, Judaizing indeed signifies the adoption of Jewish customs by non-Jews, but curiously Judaism signifies the maintenance of Jewish customs by Jews. In short, Judaizing is something non-Jews do, but Judaism is something Jews do. In terms of etymology this should not be the case, but in Pauls usage it is the case. I suggest an explanation for how this usage arose and what it implies about Pauls perspective on Judaism. If You Depend upon the Law: Diatribe and the Rhetoric of Nomos in Romans 14 Rafael Rodriguez (Johnson University, TN)

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Debate about the identity of Pauls imagined dialogue partner in Romans 2 has focused on whether Paul portrays a gentile or Jewish interlocutor in Rom. 2.116. The question is largely settled after v. 17, where Paul explicitly addresses his counterpart as one who calls himself a Jew. Pauls ensuing discussion focuses heavily on nomos (law, or Law), to which Paul refers twenty-six times in Rom. 2.174.25. Despite the breadth of interpretive options available for reading Romans, scholars are nearly unanimous in reading Pauls dialogue at 2.17ff. in terms of him addressing an actually ethnic Jew. In the face of this rare consensus, this paper tentatively proposes to read Pauls imaginary interlocutor in 2.17 as a gentile proselyte to Judaism, a gentile who calls himself a Jew and actively attempts to persuade other gentiles to do likewise. This proposal casts Pauls comments on nomos in a new light and opens up a way to account for apparent contradictions in Pauls estimation of nomos, which on the one hand results in knowledge of sin (3.20) but on the other hand is established by Pauls proclamation of the gospel (3.31). Transformation = Deification? Reading 2 Corinthians 3 in the Context of Philonic Mystical Traditions Volker Rabens (University of Bochum) In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul compares his ministry with that of Moses and concludes in verse 18: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. In this paper I argue that a number of intertextual echoes from the writings of Philo Judaeus shed new light on the interpretation of this text. Next to some verbatim parallels to 3:18 (e.g. Post. 1213), several Philonic passages evidence a close thematic connection of (1) the work of the Spirit who enables (2) an intimate, mystical beholding of God that leads to (3) a virtuous life (e.g., Mos. 2.69; Gig. 5455; QE 2.29). My paper demonstrates that studying Philo on this issue provides us with deeper insights into Pauls theology in 2 Corinthians 3:18 where he describes the same causality, ascribing like Philo a transforming role to Spirit-enabled intimate beholding of the divine. On this basis we are in a position to suggest a new direction with regard to the debated nature of transformation in Paul which has recently been defined as deification and moral assimilation to God (David Litwa).

Session 3

The Apocalyptic Gospel of New Covenant Transformation: Doing the Law by (a renewed) Heart in Rom 2:14-16 Scott Hafemann (University of St. Andrews)

Douglas Campbells recent work has made unavoidably clear that Rom 2:12-16 serves as a crux for the long-standing debate over the relationship between

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divine and human righteousness in Pauls theology. Both Campbell and the traditional view solve the (apparent) conflict between Rom 2:7 and 3:11, Rom 2:10 and 4:4-6, and Rom 2:13 and 3:11, 20 by relegating a future justification by doing the good/law, whether postulated by Paul or his opponents, to the realm of an unrealized (im)possibility derived from the Law (natural or Sinai). Romans 2:12-16 thus drives one to the contrasting gospel implications of Rom 1:16-17 (cf. 3:21). Read in this way, Romans 1:16-17, seen as the antidote to a judgment by works, provides the explanatory key for understanding Rom 2:12-15. This paper will argue the reverse, that Rom 2:12-16, by outlining the corresponding covenant demarcation of Pauls apocalyptic gospel (2:16), provides the key for understanding Rom 1:16-17. To that end, the meaning and function of fusis (nature) in Rom 2:14, the use of Jer 31:31-34 in Rom 2:15, and the role of doing the Law in future judgment in 2:13 and 15b-16 will be brought to bear on the delineation of Pauls gospel in Rom 1:16-17 (and 18!). Covenantal Crisis Theology and Pauls Arguments in Romans 9 and 11: Intertextual Icebergs in Rom 9:3 and 11:15 Alexander Kirk (University of Oxford) This paper will explore the overlooked significance of the allusion to Moses in Rom 9:3 (cf. Exod 32:32) and the overt reference to Elijah in Rom 11:34 (cf. 1 Kgs 19). It will be suggested that Exod 32, 1 Kgs 19, and Rom 911 all represent crisis moments within Israels history, provoked by the widespread unbelief and disobedience of Gods people. Pauls use of the OT taps into a series of canonically-connected threatened national annihilation texts, the theology of which has important implications for the faithfulness of God and the future of Israel in Pauls argumentation in Rom 911. Though admittedly limited and selective, this paper will survey five such annihilation texts: Exod 32:3035, Num 14:1138, 1 Sam 12:1625, 1 Kgs 19:118, and Ezra 9:115. A theological synthesis of these texts will then be attempted, forming what I will call an OT covenantal crisis theology. This crisis theology will then be applied to Pauls arguments in Rom 9 and 11, demonstrating that Pauls underlying covenantal theology has been shaped by the OTs covenantal crisis theology. Simply put, the thesis of this paper is that reading Rom 9:3 and 11:15 as Pauline metalepses, whether intentional on Pauls part or not, lends coherence to Pauls argumentation and direction for its interpretation. Chosen People, Holy People: The Consecration of the Gentiles in the Letter to the Romans Sarah Whittle (Nazarene Theological College, Manchester) Israels encounter with God at Sinai is the literary and theological crux of her constitution and consecration. When Paul addresses all Gods beloved in

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Rome, those called holy (Rom 1:7), as part of his vision for a people set apart for God, it is an explicitly inclusive designation: holiness is extended to the Gentiles. The idea that Pauls language of holy people has its origin in Exod 19:324:8 may not be controversial, but the relationship is far from straightforward. Engaging with Richard Hays claim that Deuteronomy 32 contains Romans in nuce, this paper will argue that the way in which Deuteronomy has already re-cast the Sinai covenant-making event as repeatable enables Paul to appropriate the tradition for his new setting. Paul is not only interested in events at the mountain from the book of Exodus but also the way in which Deuteronomy looks back to Sinai as a means to looking forward to the re-constitution of a holy people beyond the covenant curses. Paul proclaims the gospel as part of this anticipated eschatological covenant renewal, and the constitution of this people as an act of consecration by the Holy Spirit takes place on the basis of Gods mercy in Christ to all, both Jews and Gentiles.

Synoptic Gospels

Room: 1.20

Chairs: Andy Angel & Bridget Gilfillan Upton

Session 1

Homeric resonances and the Gospel of Matthew Robert S. Kinney (University of Bristol) Dennis R. MacDonald has compellingly posited hypertextual connections between Mark and the Homeric corpus. Presuming that Matthew is dependent on Mark and that Mark has made use of some Homeric material, one might wonder what happened to the Homeric materials in Matthew? This paper explores whether it is possible to determine if Matthew was consciously and purposefully using or removing the Homeric elements from his sources.

Session 2

Reading the Gospel of Mark with African eyes: a fresh look at the exorcism and healing passages in Mark. Emmanuel Frimpong (Christian Service University College, Kumasi, Ghana) This paper examines the Exorcism and Healing passages of Mark. The research, conducted with Ghanaian worshippers from twenty two London-based churches, unearths explanations and applications not covered by Mark and Western scholars. The findings, which have implications for hermeneutics and cross cultural interpretation of the Gospel, call for cosmology of an African interpretation and explanation of Marks Gospel.

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Unconditional discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. Todd Brewer (University of Durham) Within the Gospel of Mark an anomaly is created by the conditions of discipleship outlined by Jesus in Mark 8:34-38 and the subsequent actions of the disciples within the passion narrative, specifically 14:27-31, 50, and 54-72. Jesus demands that if the twelve wish to become disciples, they must be faithful to him to the point of death. Yet the disciples abandon Jesus, thereby relinquishing their claim to be disciples and becoming subject to divine judgment. It will be argued that Marks conservative redaction of his sources resolves the dilemma of the disciples disobedience to Jesus explicit command through the utilization of Jesus resurrection appearance in Galilee. This subverts a discipleship which depends upon the conditional obedience of the disciple in favour of a redefined discipleship founded upon Jesus unconditional promise.

Session 3

Reading Simeons oracle christologically: the Revelation of Thoughts in the Ministry of Jesus. Colin Bullard (University of Cambridge) In Lukes Gospel, Simeons oracle to Mary plays a programmatic role in the interpretation of the subsequent narrative. This paper will focus on reading the last line of Simeons oracle (2:35; So that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed) christologically. What does it mean for the presentation of Jesus that the result of his coming is the exposure of thoughts of many hearts? Lukes programmatic placement of Simeons oracle leads the reader to interpret certain aspects of Jesus ministry (e.g., Jesus knowledge of thoughts; 5:22; 6:8; 9:47) as a divine exposure of that which is hidden (cf. 12:2). Although the ultimate consummation of this divine exposure lies in the final judgment, Lukes narrative seems to portray certain aspects of Gods judgment being inaugurated in Jesus earthly ministry.

Johannine Literature

Room: 1.68

Chairs: Susan Miller & Pete Phillips

Session 1

Mimesis in John 13: Cloning or Creative Articulation? Cormelis Bennema (South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies) The focus of the paper is Jesus mimetic imperative to his disciples in John 13:15: For I gave you an example, that you also should do just as I have done

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to you. Although scholars have done ample work on the footwashing pericope, the focus has often been on 13:1-11 and (hence) the topic of mimesis has not been adequately considered. Scholars are divided whether to take the mimetic imperative in 13:15 as a literal duplication of the footwashing or as a general reference to humble (loving) service. The central question, then, is this: Did Jesus mean by his mimetic imperative that the disciples should replicate literally the very act of footwashing or that they express creatively but truthfully the idea underlying the footwashing? The argument is that for John mimesis involves primarily the creative, truthful, bodily articulation of the idea and attitude that lies behind the original act rather than its exact replication. The Johannine concept of mimesis consists of both form and content, and while there can be flexibility regarding the form, it is the latter that needs cloning. To demonstrate my case, I will examine John 13:4-17, showing a mimetic model that consists of four stages: (i) showing what needs imitation; (ii) understanding what is shown; (iii) imitating what is shown; (iv) experiencing a state of blessing. Based on this model and supporting arguments from Johns Gospel, I will argue that the Johannine concept of mimesis is primarily faithful expression rather than exact replication, although the latter remains in view too. The distinction between mimetic form and mimetic content circumvents the question of whether the intention of the mimetic imperative in 13:15 is literal replication or creative expression. The title of the paper thus poses a false dichotomy mimesis involves cloning (in content) and creative articulation (in form).

Session 2

Revelatory Experience in the Gospel of John Mark Batluck (University of Edinburgh) Johns Gospel contains none of the revelatory experiences from Jesus earthly ministry found in the Synoptic Gospels. Of the infancy revelatory experiences, Jesus baptism, the transfiguration, and the crucifixion phenomena (tearing of the veil, three hours of darkness, etc.), only the baptism is alluded to in John, and the others are omitted entirely. In fact, the only bona-fide revelatory account in John prior to the resurrection is in 12:2736, where the voice affirms the glorification of Gods name in Jesus journey to the cross. John 2021, on the other hand, comprises the longest resurrection narrative of all the canonical Gospels and is full of revelatory events. John also records as much interaction between the risen Jesus and his followers as any of the Synoptics, but Johns narrative bears little resemblance to these accounts. This revelatory disparity suggests that Johns Gospel has a perspective all on its own, which may reflect another view of revelation as compared to the Synoptics. This paper will survey Johns pre- and post-resurrection revelatory experiences to identify patterns in the Gospels use of these events. This

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survey will especially note the details offered by John that distinguish his understanding of revelatory experience from that of the other Gospels. The content (i.e. features) of these revelatory accounts will be addressed, the response of the audience will be analyzed, and the place of each revelatory account in the overall scope of Johns Gospel will be taken into consideration. The goal of this paper is to assess the Fourth Gospels view of revelation with respect to belief or unbelief in Jesus. Conversion in the Fourth Gospel: a narrative approach Dan Batovici (University of St Andrews) Few exceptions notwithstanding, the recent bibliography on conversion in the New Testament tends to leave aside the Fourth Gospel. In trying to assess such a concept in John, the starting point is that in Jesus dialogues there is a sharp contrast between what even the most benevolent interlocutor says or does and what is really expected from him. The underlying question will therefore be whether how the benevolent characters in the Fourth Gospel form models for Johns understanding of conversion. Upon analysis, a pattern emerges in the presentation of these encounters, and I will argue that, instead of spelling out narratives of accomplished conversions, John develops a rhetorical device using this pattern consistently to point at how conversion should be. Glory from Qumran? Light (and Darkness) from the Scrolls on Johns Concept of Glory

Joshua Coutts (University of Edinburgh)

Although the relationship between the Qumran Scrolls and Gjohn continues to be debated, one aspect that has received little attention is the concept of glory, which features in both. In one of the few treatments, Johan Ferreira has argued that the Evangelist inherited his concept of from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and modified it to emphasize salvation corresponding to his Christology. Contra Ferreira, I will argue in this paper that most elements of the Qumran concept of glory are to be found in Isaiah, at both the level of the motif and often also at the level of terminology, and thus most of the commonalities between the concepts of glory in the DSS and Gjohn may be explained in terms of their mutual generation from Isaiah. This is significant for two reasons. First, the appropriation of Isaiahs concept of glory in Qumran suggests that Isaiah should feature more significantly in discussions of the Evangelists decision to use glory language. Second, two elements of the Johannine concept of gloryits soteriological aspect and realized orientationare thrown into relief by their distinction from the Qumran concept, and thus raise interesting questions about the impetus behind Johns deployment of glory language.

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Session 3

This session focuses on the forthcoming book, Character Studies in the Fourth Gospel, edited by S. A. Hunt, D. F. Tolmie and R. Zimmermann. (WUNT. Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck). There will be papers presented by John Lyons, University of Bristol, Joseph of Arimathea and Catrin Williams, University of Wales, John the Baptist followed by a general discussion on characterisation in the Fourth Gospel.

Book of Acts

Room: 2.42

Chairs: Matthew Sleeman & Steve Walton

Session 1

Acts 1.1: a secondary preface to Luke-Acts? Hannah Cocksworth (University of Cambridge) The aim of this paper is to explore the question of whether, from the point of view of narrative criticism, Acts can be shown to begin with a preface which parallels the preface of Luke 1.1-4. The paper will, first, explore the narratological role of the preface. It will be shown that the preface plays an important part in the beginning of the discourse of a narrative and in particular in creating a contract of reading between the implied author and the implied reader. Secondly, the paper will explore the way in which Luke 1.1-4 fulfils the function of the narrative preface, particularly through setting up a contract of reading in terms of the narratives content and purpose. Thirdly, the opening of Acts will be explored in light of the previous investigation and in comparison with the role and function of the preface of Luke 1.1-4. It will be argued that at the beginning of Acts story and discourse converge and begin simultaneously; there is no separate discursive beginning. This not only provides a contrast with the beginning of Lukes gospel, it also further eliminates the possibility of a narrative preface. Therefore, the paper will conclude by arguing that, from the point of view of narrative criticism and contrary to the view of some scholars Acts 1.1 does not constitute a narrative preface. Acts 1-5: A History of Beginnings. Justin Mihoc (Durham University)

Beginnings are re-enacted and experienced again and again throughout history, as Tacitus asserts. And, as I shall argue in my paper, the opening chapters of Acts were written to testify the reality of a new creation or beginning that has been accomplished with the birth of the Christian Church.

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In my presentation I aim to demonstrate that the author of Luke-Acts displays a great interest in beginnings, as it is noticeable throughout Acts. Furthermore, he has a specific purpose for rendering these foundation stories. The implied reader is deliberately presented with continuous commencements, being forced to reflect on the rationale and importance of the inaugurating events for the Christian life and faith. Therefore, Acts 1-5 is to be seen as a key to understanding the Christian modus vivendi. The account of the first five chapters of Acts consequently follows the authors agenda of recounting the history of the new creation, a creation similar to the foundation narratives of Genesis, but essentially different in purpose. And the fact that the content of this opening narrative describes a story of origins is by no means incidental. Lukes skilful style and design created a masterpiece of theological thought, which will subsequently become the standard history of the beginnings of the Church in the following centuries.

Session 2

Acts in its Jewish Context: Literary Structures and Genre. Dr Susan Docherty (Newman University College, Birmingham) The issue of the genre of the Acts of the Apostles continues to be a source of lively debate within New Testament scholarship. This discussion has been greatly enriched by comparative studies of Graeco-Roman literature, such as those by, for example, Richard Pervo and Loveday Alexander. This paper proposes to approach the question of literary genre by considering the relationship of Acts to Second Temple Jewish writings. Whilst the Jewish background of Luke-Acts has certainly not been ignored by scholars, there is scope for further investigation of this aspect of its context, and a new tool is now available for this purpose, through the very recent work of a team of Jewish scholars at the University of Manchester (Alexander Samely, Philip Alexander, Rocco Bernasconi, together with Robert Hayward from Durham) on an AHRC funded research project entitled The Literary Structures of Ancient Jewish Literature. They have developed an inventory tool to identify structurally important literary features, which they have systematically applied to major corpora of early Jewish texts, including the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls and pre-Talmudic rabbinic works. This research has provided a new terminological framework for the analysis of ancient Jewish literature and led to the creation of a database containing a short literary profile of every complete extant text from the period 200 BCE to 700 CE. These results should facilitate clearer comparisons between the Jewish texts themselves, and between these texts and other bodies of ancient literature, including perhaps the New Testament. Detailed information about the project, its findings and associated publications can be found at: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/ancientjewishliterature/.

http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/ancientjewishliterature/

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This paper will begin with an overview of the Literary Structures project, its aims and key conclusions, and an explanation of the inventory tool. This resource will then be applied to Acts, and the resulting literary profile compared with those obtained by the Manchester team for specific Jewish texts. This will enable some conclusions to be drawn about the genre and context of Acts, and also about the applicability of the inventory to other New Testament writings. Scripture and the Apostolic Proclamation of the Cross in Acts Ben Wilson (University of Cambridge) The post-resurrection references to the passion at the end of Luke emphasize the necessity of Christs suffering as a fulfilment of scripture. According to the resurrected Jesus, all the scriptures testify to the divinely determined ministry of the messiah, and the suffering of Jesus is presented as a central element of his scripturally ordained messianic vocation (Lk 24:25-27; 44-47). The universal declaration of scriptural fulfilment at the end of Lukes gospel is then matched in Acts by a variety of quotations and allusions from particular scriptures, so that the apostolic witness to the passion shows how Jesus has indeed fulfilled that which is written in the law, the prophets, and the psalms (cf. Lk 24:44). Taking Jesus final words in Lukes gospel as a cue, this paper will consider the apostolic proclamation of the cross in terms of its resonances with the sub-sections of scripture listed in Lk 24:44. The paper will contend that the diverse passion references in Acts reinforce the Lukan emphasis upon the fullness of Jesus fulfilment of scripture in his suffering. With this insight in mind, the paper will conclude by considering the much-debated question of the scriptural background to the centurions declaration in Lk 23:47.

Session 3

A King and Ruler Takes His Stand: Herods Role in Luke-Acts in Light of Acts 4:24-28 Frank Dicken (University of Edinburgh)

While scholars are aware of the expanded role Luke grants to Herod Antipas compared to the other synoptics, they have not explored the repetition of the name Herod as a literary phenomenon in Luke-Acts. My overarching thesis is that the author of Luke-Acts melds several distinct historical individuals into a single, stock character who serves as a representative political opponent of the key protagonists of the works. Specifically, this paper will argue that Acts 4:24-28 contains the central Lukan reflection on Herod in Luke-Acts. Lukes naming of Herod in this context is odd given the fact that Herod plays no role in the immediate context. However, this leads the reader to recall not only Herods antagonism toward Jesus (Luke 9:7-9; 13:31; 23:6-12), but also the antagonistic role Herod plays throughout the narrative of Luke-Acts (Luke

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1:5; 3:18-20; Acts 12:1-25). I will proceed by demonstrating that the author portrays Herod at Acts 4:24-28 as: 1) both king and ruler and 2) a representative political opponent. Next, I will offer a brief overview of the pertinent passages in Luke-Acts that demonstrate this consistent characterisation, which will show that several different historical figures are combined by the author to create this opponent, Herod. The Contribution of Sociolinguistic Variation to Insider-Outsider Dynamics in Acts Julia Snyder (University of Edinburgh) This paper explores how the speech patterns attributed to various characters in Acts correlate with both their own social identities and those of their addressees. The paper argues that sociolinguistic variation in Acts contributes to the narratives portrayal of Christians as a social group bounded in different ways with respect to non-Christian Jews and non-Christian gentiles. The outsider status of both Jewish and gentile non-Christians is highlighted linguistically as Christian characters speak differently amongst themselves and when addressing non-Christian characters. Christian insider language in Acts reinforces the narratives depiction of the believing community as a distinct social group. Linguistic boundaries are not drawn unilaterally, however. Sociolinguistic variation in Acts also suggests that non-Christian gentiles are socially more distant from Christians than are non-Christian Jews. This dynamic highlights the narratives interest in the close, yet contested relationship between Jewish and Christian identity.

Book of Revelation

Room: 2.43

Chairs: Ian Paul & Simon Woodman

Session 1

Visualising Revelation: Max Beckmanns Apocalypse 1941-3 Debbie Lewer (University of Glasgow) This paper makes a case study of a significant work of modern German art drawing on the book of Revelation: Max Beckmanns 1941-3 graphic cycle of 24 lithographs titled The Apocalypse. The series was privately commissioned by a German collector and made in the context of Beckmanns exile from Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The images involve a mixture of iconographic traditions and Beckmanns own idiosyncratic, personalised visual language. They relate both to specific verses in Revelation and to contemporary events, as the statement that accompanied them on publication made clear: This work was produced in the fourth year of the Second World War, when the visions of the apocalyptic visionary became terrible reality.

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The paper will examine Beckmanns Apocalypse in the light of the preceding few decades tradition of apocalyptic imagery and thought in modern Germany. It will consider how and why Beckmanns visualisation of Revelation differs from other interpretations from the earlier First World War period, such as in the work of artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Ludwig Meidner. It will also situate the series in relation to the cultural politics of the 1920s in Germany, including the backlash against what some perceived as an almost ubiquitous, generic apocalypticism. Finally, it will reflect on specific images from Beckmanns Apocalypse in relation to older representations from the German late Gothic (including Albrecht Drers celebrated woodcut cycle of 1498) and Beckmanns public reputation in the era of the Weimar Republic

as an artist of the so-called Gothic spirit.

Session 2

(joint session with The NT: Use & Influence Seminar)

The Women Clothed with the Sun: The Reception of Revelation 12 in British Millenarian Movements 1780-1820 Jonathan Downing (University of Oxford) The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have frequently been noted as experiencing a revival in apocalyptic and prophetic modes of thinking. The revolutions in France and America and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars prompted renewed speculation about the omens and images presented in prophetic biblical texts such as the Book of Revelation. Chapter 12 of the book, which describes the conflict between the woman clothed with the sun and the great red dragon emerges as a key text for several key writers and movements within the period. This paper will examine closely three women who identify themselves with this character: the prophet Joanna Southcott; the leader of the Scottish Buchanite sect Elspeth Buchan; and Sarah Flaxmer a defender of the so-called Paddington Prophet Richard Brothers. We will thus explore how each of these women decodes this biblical figure partly to bolster their own personal authority, but also to anchor their interpretations of contemporary historical events and for their expressions of future hope. Ultimate Forgiveness? Reading Revelation 22.17 through the eyes of William Blake. Susan Sklar (University of Oxford) Two centuries ago William Blake created an illuminated epic Jerusalem, which reconfigures imagery, structures, and themes from the Book of Revelation. Blakes apocalypse reveals apocatastasis, the universal salvation from which no one is excluded. He does not, I believe, underminine Johns

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Revelation in Jerusalem: he allows the Spirit and the Bride to have the last word as she does in the drama of Johns Apocalypse. Blakes Jerusalem is what Blake calls an Emanation: integral to God, connecting humanity to the divine through what Blake calls fibres of love which originate in Jesus who (in Blake) is inseparable from Jehovah. Blakes Jerusalem, the bride of Lamb, is (like Jesus) both human and divine and as feminine as Jesus is masculine. She seeks to transform fallen humanity. Even Babylon, who tries to destroy her, is finally incorporate in Jerusalem and Jesus: all creatures ultimately dwell in what Blake calls the Divine Body, the Saviours Kingdom. In Jerusalem William Blake seeks to deliver humanity from the blight of accusation: damning those who are different and/or threatening severs individuals and nations from what he calls, the Religion of Jesus, forgiveness of sins. Unveiling the subtext of apocatastasis in Johns Revelation reveals that the Bible can end, not with condemnation, but with the restoration promised in Genesis: the tree of life may be accessible to all.

Session 3

The Testimony of Jesus in Light of the Tradition of Higher Wisdom through Apocalyptic Revelation Sarah Underwood Dixon (University of Cambridge) The phrase h marturia Isou has generated a considerable amount of debate within Revelation studies, with scholars proposing various views regarding the interpretation of the genitive construct and the understanding of the manner and content of the testimony. This paper discusses the idea that the testimony of Jesus should be understood as referring to the book of Revelation itself. Although a handful of scholars have argued for this interpretation, it is often disregarded due to the difficulty in understanding how those described as having the testimony of Jesus (using the verb ech; 12.17 and 19.10) could be understood as having the words of the Apocalypse. I hope to provide further support for this interpretation by arguing that the tradition of wisdom being revealed through apocalyptic visions provides a background against which to understand the phrase. Both Daniel and 1 Enoch contain internal self-references to their corpus, as well as references to characters described as receiving and subsequently proclaiming the wisdom revealed in the apocalyptic visions. These same features can be observed in the book of Revelation, suggesting that having the testimony of Jesus can be better understood in the light of the tradition of higher wisdom through apocalyptic revelation. Text and Context: Sources and Exegetical Techniques in Revelations use of Zechariah 4 Garrick Allen (University of St. Andrews)

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It is widely agreed among scholars that both Revelation 5.6b (in conjunction with the three preceding references to seven spirits) and 11.4 allude to Zechariah 4.10 and 4.14 respectively. The majority of scholars and commentators note these references and move directly to a theological interpretation of how the references relate to the central idea of this chapter from Zechariah: that the plans of God are accomplished not by might nor by power, but by my spirit (4.6). However, few pause to discuss the mechanics of the allusion. What version of Zechariah 4 is the author of Revelation working with and does he use it consistently? Also, how is this allusion crafted? What exegetical mechanics or scribal techniques does the author employ? How do they relate to the contemporary exegetical habits of Second Temple Judaism witnessed at Qumran, in inner-biblical allusions, and other early Jewish literature? This paper seeks to identify the source text for these allusions and to discuss the exegetical mechanics used in their employment. The primary purpose of this paper is to better understand the complex exegetical mind of the author of Revelation by laying the textual and contextual foundation of his use of Zechariah 4.

Social World of the New Testament

Room: 1.21

Chairs: Minna Shkul & Lloyd Pietersen

Session 1

False Impressions: An Impassioned Plea to get the Costumes Right Katie Turner (Kings College London) This paper will look at first-century dress, using the costuming in Passion Plays to frame the discussion. Caiaphas is usually costumed in sacramental robes, creating the (false) impression that the High Priest spent every day wearing attire meant only for specific Temple ritual. This leaves us asking, What would Caiaphas have worn? Whilst it is difficult to determine how the High Priest and the rest of the Sanhedrin would have dressed (Jews rarely depicted human figures in their art and artefacts), it is possible to make reasoned suppositions. We should be able to construct a sensible depiction of Jewish dress during this time period using evidence from the Greco-Roman world (mostly archaeological) in conjunction with what we know about the Hellenization of first-century Judea. In the post-Holocaust world we have made distinct progress combating antisemitism in Passion Plays; yet, the continued portrayal of Caiaphas and the other Priests in unfamiliar and potentially bizarre costumes highlights their otherness and can result in or contribute to the audience viewing them with suspicion, disdain, or apprehension. A more accurate portrayal, involving historicity, could result in a better reflection of the complexity of the historical context and biblical text.

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Whose head is offended by whose head? Rethinking the issue of head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11.

Elif Aynaci (University of Manchester) 1 Corinthians 11. 2-16 is not about just any piece of clothing; Paul is solely concerned with head coverings. He tells men to uncover and women to cover their heads while they are praying or prophesying because a counter-action would offend their heads. This issue raises several questions; in what context were men/women using head coverings in Greco-Roman society? Why were they asked to employ different usages of a head covering on the same occasion? Who were their heads and why would they be offended? What was Pauls main intention in asking men and women to perform such customs? Finally, how important were head coverings given that they caused all this trouble? This paper aims to answer all these questions and possibly others in light of archaeological and literary evidence from Greco-Roman culture. I intend to approach the subject from the head coverings angle; therefore, I will not be focusing only on one gender. I will try to prove that Paul was aware of the different meanings of a head cover for both genders, and utilised this difference as a tool to maintain social order.

Session 2

Challenge, Riposte and Upside-Down Honour in Galations

David S. Harvey (University of Manchester/Mattersey Hall) This paper highlights some interesting interpretive possibilities made available if Galatians 2 is considered using Pierre Bourdieus model of challenge and riposte in an honour society. Recent scholarly attention on the issue of honour models has been criticised for its inherent anachronism as, all too regularly, the models used are borrowed from cultural anthropologists working in modern day contexts. We should not, however, ignore that status concerns dominated the ancient world, particularly the clubs and associations of which the early house-churches would have resembled. Therefore abandoning these approaches due to anachronistic fears would seem premature, as it appears that the models have heuristic potential. It is proposed that applying Bourdieus model shows that Paul himself is critical of the issue of honour. Rejecting status concerns, for God shows no partiality (2:6), the suggested challenge and riposte structure to Pauls biographical data presents him as victorious by aligning himself with the upside-down honour of Christs crucifixion. The task of this paper is to suggest that Bourdieus model highlights an important issue for interpreting Galatians, particularly in relation to the structure and moral formation of the churches of Galatia, thereby

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presenting an argument for the continued use of honour models in social-context readings of the New Testament. Love Covers a Multitude of Sins: The Influence of 1 Peter on Christian Cohesion in the Gospel of Philip. Kimberley Slack (University of Manchester) The Gospel of Philip (Gphil), traditionally ascribed to Gnostic Christianity, makes various uses of the New Testament. Most prominent is Gphils use of 1 Corinthians to support the authors views on the resurrection. In one poignant passage, Gphil employs 1 Corinthians 8:1, love builds up, to affirm that love for ones spiritual brothers and sisters must be prioritised above knowledge. This aspect of Gphil has been somewhat neglected, due to its origin in an early Christian group traditionally understood to value knowledge. The passage ends with the famous 1 Peter 4:8, love covers a multitude of sins. In 1 Peters context, this serves to urge the church community to maintain unity regardless of hostility from non-Christian members of their social setting (see for example Elliott, 1981, 2000, Horrell, 2008). Little is known about Gphils audience, but the author evidently seeks to ensure that the spiritually elite, knowledgeable individuals he has in mind do not neglect their brethren. This paper will consider the significance 1 Peter 4:8 may have held for Gphils author, seeking to promote unity amongst the Christians he addresses, and explore how 1 Peters message can shed light on that which Gphil is communicating to his own audience.

Session 3

Re-Reading the New Testament after Rethinking Gnosticism: A Dialogue between Text, Theory, and Category-Construction Todd Klutz (University of Manchester) The context of the present paper is defined largely by a conversation between scholars who have recently criticised Gnosticism as a category too encompassing to be useful for understanding the complexities of early Christianity (e.g., Michael Williams and Karen King), and those who maintain that the category needs little more than some careful redefining and still has potential to be useful in studies of early Christian history and literature (e.g., David Brakke). The present contribution begins with a critique which identifies a blend of strengths and weaknesses in both of those trends. On that basis, the task of redefining Gnosticism is judged preferable to a complete repudiation of it; but for that same purpose, a concept used fruitfully in Williams major study (1996) namely, sociocultural accommodation is analysed in terms of its potential contribution to a new and more useful typological definition. A potentially powerful feature of a typology that includes sociocultural accommodation is that its application would be obligated to give

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consideration not only to substantivist and thematic issues in the ancient texts (e.g., the foregrounding of knowledge as redemptive) but also to questions about the texts social context and ideological functions. The new typology is then employed in a comparative analysis of the first sixteen sayings of the Gospel of Thomas and a range of relevant biblical intertexts. The most significant findings of that analysis are (1) that Thomas differs appreciably from its biblical intertexts by exemplifying both a higher degree of sociocultural accommodation to its assumed context and an ethos that is more individualistic and less group-oriented; (2) that comparative use of the typology employed in the present analysis has power to shed new light not only on the texts from Nag Hammadi but also on the writings of the New Testament; and (3) that both the same typology and its use in future studies of early Christian literature may have value for the practices of contemporary Christian theology, ethics, and politics.

NT and Second Temple Judaism

Room: 2.47

Chairs: James Davila & Darrell Hannah

Session 1

The Herodians and the Essenes Joan E. Taylor (Kings College London) The question of the identity of the group called the Herodians in the Gospel of Mark has long been a thorny issue, with most commentators now deciding that they are in some way associated with Herod Antipas. However, a narrative-critical approach to Mark makes this unlikely. Rather, the suggestion that the Herodians are the Essenes under another (disparaging) name has many points in its favour, especially given evidence found in Josephus, patristic literature and archaeology that testifies to an association between the Essenes and the Herodian dynasty. Likewise, an assumption that the Essenes were a small, marginal and isolated group is one that needs to be laid on one side as a by-product of outdated conceptions of Judaism, wedded to a caricature in Pliny. Josephus or Philo indicate that the Essenes were the most esteemed of the Jewish legal schools within Second Temple Judaism.

Session 2

Scriptural Exegesis and the Language of Divine Inspiration in Philo of Alexandria: Some Observations from the Allegorical Commentary Bobby J. Ryu (University College, Oxford) A striking feature of Philos allegorical writings is his frequent use of the language of divine inspiration to describe the quest of the human mind to know God. Much has been written on this subject of course, but surprisingly

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minimal attention has been given to a pair of more specific questions which frame this paper. First, what scriptural texts (or sequence of texts) provoke Philos use of this language? Second, what, if anything, might this tell us about the broader agendas and aims that shape his allegorical readings of Moses? In an attempt to address this gap, this paper marshals the pertinent evidence from the so-called Allegorical Commentary and further argues that Philos varied discourses on divine inspiration are animated, at least in part, by two distinct yet related points of exegetical focus. Texts from Exodus and Numbers, on one hand, featuring the priestly mediatory figures the Levites, Phinehas, and preeminently Moses prompt Philo to stresses the divine enhancement of human reason in ones quest to know God. As another point of exegetical focus, texts from Genesis featuring patriarchal figures like Abraham and Isaac provoke Philo to move in markedly different line of thought, one which stresses the divine eviction of human reason in that same quest. By insisting on both human rationality (divine enhancement) and irrationality (divine eviction) as necessary and reciprocal parts of ones epistemological transformation, Philo can speak of divine inspiration in ways congenial to the Middle Platonic schools and his more advanced readers of Moses.

Session 3

Josephus and his literary context the cross-cultural influences of

autobiography in antiquity

Anna Davina Grojnowski (Kings College London) The origins and early development of ancient autobiography as a literary genre remain unclear, as the majority of texts exist in a fragmentary state. Josephus Vita remains the only full, extant example of the genre of autobiography in the pre-Christian era, and must provide us with a key to understanding the gradual development of a distinctive, and in later times markedly Christian, genre and corresponding socio-political and literary developments. Therefore, in order to place the Vita within the creation and evolution of the genre, this paper will note the ubiquity of autobiographical influences impacting on Josephus and his contemporaries, including literary and epigraphic examples from the Greco-Roman, Ancient Near Eastern, and biblical realms. Based on Richard Burridges successful analysis of the Gospels, this paper will discuss and analyse the Vita within the same framework, by comparing the text with earlier, contemporary, and later influential examples of autobiographic literature in terms of external and internal features and literary devices. The outcomes of this analysis will carry numerous implications for our understanding of the ancient genre, Josephuss thought-process and social

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context (i.e. social standing and audience), and lastly, the dramatic prominence of the genre in early Christian literature.

New Testament: Use & Influence Room: 2.46

Chairs: John Lyons & Alison Jack

Session 1

Blind Guides of the Blind: Probing a Metaphor of Sense and Stigma Louise Lawrence (University of Exeter) In the contemporary west, blindness metaphorical status as a master trope is well established. The Oxford English Dictionary reveals that blind can refer not only to the inability to see, but also to that which lacks perception, awareness or judgment. One need not delve too deeply into the Gospels either, to witness what Susan Sontag terms the lurid metaphors of impairment which occupy social worlds, most prominently the metaphorical linkage between blindness and misunderstanding, false leadership and dispositions unbecoming of a would-be disciple. Here I will probe how Gospel blindness metaphors have variously served to castigate groups and dispositions as other. Second, I will introduce some linguistic and anthropological work done on corporeal metaphors surrounding illness and disability. Third, I will attempt to bring insights from disability studies to bear on the interpretations outlined in three ways (a) Rejection and Retrieval of Negative Images (b) Biographical Criticism of a Blind Interpreter (c) Transgressive Reappropriation from a Blind Perspective. It is important at the outset to state that my focus here is not on blind characters in the Gospels. Indeed blind characters often function ironically as a foil to other seemingly average or healthy bodies which are exposed as spiritually diseased. Rather, my focus here is solely on how blindness functions as a tool of rejection and stigma within metaphorical communication.

Acts 1:11 and All That: an Excursion with Cyrus Ingerson Scofield Hilary Perry (University of Sheffield) Ernest Sandeen avers that the Scofield Reference Bible has been subtly but powerfully influential in spreading [dispensationalist] views among hundreds of thousands who have regularly read that Bible and who often have been unaware of the distinction between the ancient text and the Scofield interpretation (The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism 1800-1930 [Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 1970], p. 222). This paper examines how this subtle but powerful influence is partially exercised by extensive cross-referencing between notes in the Scofield Reference Bible (The Scofield Reference Bible, edited by Rev.

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C. I. Scofield, D.D. [London: Oxford University Press, 1909, revised edition, 1917]). Acts 1:11 is a significant text for Scofields eschatological concepts. Starting from the notes on this verse, I travel through material offered there and in linked notes on fifteen other texts from both Testaments. These notes form a complex but coherent series and reveal four of Scofields most common, interrelated, dispensational themes: the eternal separation between Gods earthly and heavenly peoples, Israel and the Church, and diverse futures for the Church, Israel and the Gentiles; the kingdom to be established on Christs return in fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant; the different natures of the kingdoms of heaven and of God; and three of the seven dispensations.

Session 2

(joint session with The Book of Revelation Seminar; room 2.43)

The Women Clothed with the Sun: The Reception of Revelation 12 in British Millenarian Movements 1780-1820 Jonathan Downing (University of Oxford) The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have frequently been noted as experiencing a revival in apocalyptic and prophetic modes of thinking. The revolutions in France and America and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars prompted renewed speculation about the omens and images presented in prophetic biblical texts such as the Book of Revelation. Chapter 12 of the book, which describes the conflict between the woman clothed with the sun and the great red dragon emerges as a key text for several key writers and movements within the period. This paper will examine closely three women who identify themselves with this character: the prophet Joanna Southcott; the leader of the Scottish Buchanite sect Elspeth Buchan; and Sarah Flaxmer a defender of the so-called Paddington Prophet Richard Brothers. We will thus explore how each of these women decodes this biblical figure partly to bolster their own personal authority, but also to anchor their interpretations of contemporary historical events and for their expressions of future hope. Ultimate Forgiveness? Reading Revelation 22.17 through the eyes of William Blake. Susan Sklar (University of Oxford) Two centuries ago William Blake created an illuminated epic Jerusalem, which reconfigures imagery, structures, and themes from the Book of Revelation. Blakes apocalypse reveals apocatastasis, the universal salvation from which no one is excluded. He does not, I believe, underminine Johns Revelation in Jerusalem: he allows the Spirit and the Bride to have the last word as she does in the drama of Johns Apocalypse.

27

Blakes Jerusalem is what Blake calls an Emanation: integral to God, connecting humanity to the divine through what Blake calls fibres of love which originate in Jesus who (in Blake) is inseparable from Jehovah. Blakes Jerusalem, the bride of Lamb, is (like Jesus) both human and divine and as feminine as Jesus is masculine. She seeks to transform fallen humanity. Even Babylon, who tries to destroy her, is finally incorporate in Jerusalem and Jesus: all creatures ultimately dwell in what Blake calls the Divine Body, the Saviours Kingdom. In Jerusalem William Blake seeks to deliver humanity from the blight of accusation: damning those who are different and/or threatening severs individuals and nations from what he calls, the Religion of Jesus, forgiveness of sins. Unveiling the subtext of apocatastasis in Johns Revelation reveals that the Bible can end, not with condemnation, but with the restoration promised in Genesis: the tree of life may be accessible to all.

Session 3

The Theology of Bachs Johannes Passion Michael Sommer (University of Oxford) Most people who are attracted to Bachs sacred music particularly the Passions engage with them, both as audiences and performers, from an aesthetic perspective. Even those with significant biblical education are inclined to lose sight of the theology under the spellbinding power of the music. But Bachs Johannespassion is not something we, from a modern historical-critical perspective, would call a proper reading of Johns Gospel. On the contrary, it is a syncretic reading of the text relying heavily on Christian tradition and above all on Luther. So my basic questions are:

a) Does Bach think he is telling the same story as the Evangelist? and b) How and why does he deviate from it?

In this paper I discuss among other things how Bach perpetuates a surface reading of Jesuss opponents in the Gospel, thus reinforcing Luthers polemics against Jews; how he takes for granted Luthers totalizing view of scripture; how interpretation is shaped by those scriptural details (eg the flagellation of Christ) Bach chooses to emphasize; and especially how Johns fundamental theological concepts of Word, Truth and Life are obscured by the Lutheran imperative for Christians to recognise their sinful natures and to respond penitentially to Christ who suffered for their sins. A good deal of my evidence will come from the Bible which Bach actually used, the rare and remarkable Calov edition of 1681-2. The biblical text is liberally interspersed with extracts from the writings of Luther and, most pertinent for our purpose, it preserves Bachs own underlinings and marginalia. From this document we can see in detail the way the composer reads Johannine theology through a specifically Lutheran lens.

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Conference Information.

Notebooks/Wifi

Wifi is available in the Franklin-Wilkins Building using the University Guest

Network.

Meals

All meals and refreshments will be served in the Franklin-Wilkins Restaurant,

situated on the first floor of the Franklin-Wilkins Building.

BNTS Conference Reception Desk

The reception desk will be staffed during breaks and is situated on the ground

floor of the Franklin-Wilkins Building.

Publishers Display

The publishers display is located in the Franklin-Wilkins Building in the

cafeteria on the first floor.

Excursions

Two excursions will take place, to Shakespeares Globe Theatre, and The

London Eye. In addition, we are happy to announce that torch-bearer Steve

Walton has agreed to lead a group to Trafalgar Square to watch the

Paralympic Games on a live screen. All excursions will depart from the

entrance atrium of the Franklin-Wilkins Building at 1.30pm and are within easy

walking distance. They will return by 3.30pm.

Departure

On the day of departure, please ensure that you leave your room key with the

residence office in the Stamford Street Apartments by 2pm.

Hosting team

Revd Professor Richard Burridge, Dean of Kings College London

([email protected])

Professor Joan Taylor ([email protected])

Dr Edward Adams ([email protected])

Revd Rosie Andrious Ratcliffe ([email protected])

Davina Grojnowski ([email protected])

Contact

Office of the Dean, Kings College London 020 7848 2333

Franklin-Wilkins Building/security 020 7836 5454

Stamford Street Apartments 020 7848 2960

Davina Grojnowski 079 5060 4196

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Conference Delegates

Delegate: Dr Sean Adams

Email: [email protected]

Seminar: Book of Acts

Delegate: Dr Edward Adams


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Prof Loveday Alexander



Delegate: Mr Garrick Allen


Seminar: Book of Revelation

Delegate: Rev Rosie Andrious-

Ratcliffe

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Synoptic Gospels

Delegate: Dr Andrew Angel



Delegate: Mr Bradley Arnold


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Ms. Elif Aynaci


Seminar: Social World of the New

Testament

Delegate: Dr Alan Bale



Delegate: Dr Glenn Balfour

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Johaninne Literature

Delegate: Prof John Barclay


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Stephen Barton


Seminar: Paul

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Delegate: Mr Mark Batluck



Delegate: Dr Cornelis Bennema


Seminar: Johannine Literature

Delegate: Dr Rob Bewley

Email: rob@the bewleys.co.uk


Delegate: Mr Andy Boakye


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Prof Marcus Bockmuehl


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Helen Bond


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Ian Boxall



Delegate: Rev Reuben Bredenhof



Delegate: Mr Todd Brewer



Delegate: Mr Richard Britton


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Thomas Brodie


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Kent Brower



Delegate: Mr Collin Bullard



Delegate: Dr Gary Burnett


Seminar: Paul

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Delegate: Prof Richard Burridge


Seminar: New Testament: Use and

Influence

Delegate: Prof Gordon Campbell



Delegate: Dr Tim Carter



Delegate: Dr Stephen Catto



Testament

Delegate: Miss Susannah Chapman


Seminar: NT and Second Temple

Judaism

Delegate: Dr Andrew Clarke


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mrs Hannah Cocksworth



Delegate: Revd Ian Cooper



Delegate: Mr Joshua Coutts



Delegate: Miss Joan Crooks



Delegate: Prof James Crossley


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Prof James Davila



Judaism

Delegate: Dr Mark DeNeui



Testament

Delegate: Mr Frank Dicken



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Delegate: Dr Susan Docherty



Delegate: Mr Jonathan Downing

Email:

[email protected]


Influence

Delegate: Mr John Dunne


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr David Bryan


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Robert Dutch

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Katie Edwards



Influence

Delegate: Mr Seth Ehorn


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Paul Ellingworth



Delegate: Mr Michael Flowers



Delegate: Mr Chris Foster


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mr Chris Fresch



Delegate: Rev. Dr. Emmanuel

Frimpong



Delegate: Dr Karen Fulton

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Simon Gathercole


Seminar: Paul

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Delegate: Dr Michael Gilchrist



Delegate: Miss Haley Goranson


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Rev Robin Griffith-Jones



Delegate: Rev Robbie Griggs


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mrs Davina Grojnowski



Judaism

Delegate: Dr Scott Hafemann


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Darrell Hannah



Judaism

Delegate: Dr Elizabeth Harris

Email:

[email protected]


Delegate: Mr David Harvey



Testament

Delegate: Ms. Kelly Hernandez



Judaism

Delegate: Prof Larry Hurtado


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Alison Jack



Influence

Delegate: Dr Ellen Juhl Christiansen



Judaism

Delegate: Mr Ed Kaneen


Seminar: Jesus

34

Delegate: Dr Svetlana Khobnya



Judaism

Delegate: Mr Robert Kinney



Delegate: Mr Alexander Kirk


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Dominika Kurek-

Chomycz


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Pieter J. Lalleman



Delegate: Rev.Dr. David Lamb



Delegate: Mr Paul Larson



Delegate: Mr Philip Law


Seminar: N/A

Delegate: Dr Louise Lawrence



Influence

Delegate: Dr Alan Le Grys



Testament

Delegate: Mr Chun-hu Leung



Testament

Delegate: Dr Debbie Lewer

Email:

[email protected]


Delegate: Prof Andrew Lincoln



Delegate: Rev Joanne Logan


Seminar: Paul

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Delegate: Dr Adrian Long


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr William Lyons



Influence

Delegate: Mrs Gabi Markusse-

Overduin



Delegate: Mr Stephen McBay


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mr Alistair McKitterick



Delegate: Dr Justin Meggitt


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Mr Denis Metrustery



Delegate: Dr Paul Middleton



Delegate: Mr Justin Mihoc

Email: justin@mihoc@net


Delegate: Dr Susan Miller



Delegate: Rev.Dr. Steve Motyer



Delegate: Ms. Charlotte Naylor Davis

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Wendy North



Delegate: Dr Jonathan Norton


Seminar: Paul

36

Delegate: Dr Matthew Novenson


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Peter Oakes

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Rev Matt O'Reilly


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Richard Orton



Delegate: Dr Angus Paddison

Email:

[email protected]


Delegate: Rev David Palmer

Email:

[email protected]


Delegate: Rev Jack Paton



Delegate: Dr Ian Paul



Delegate: Dr Andrew Perriman


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mrs Hilary Perry



Influence

Delegate: Dr Peter Phillips



Delegate: Dr Richard Phua



Judaism

Delegate: Dr Lloyd Pietersen

Email:

[email protected]


Testament

Delegate: Dr Volker Rabens


Seminar: Paul

37

Delegate: Dr Rafael Rodriguez


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Rev Bob Ryu



Judaism

Delegate: Mr Alan Saxby



Delegate: Mr David Shaw


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Frances Shaw



Delegate: Dr Minna Shkul



Testament

Delegate: Mr Samuli Siikavirta


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Miss Kimberly Slack

Email:

[email protected]

.ac.uk


Testament Delegate: Dr Matthew Sleeman



Delegate: Mr Steve Smith



Delegate: Miss Julia Snyder



Delegate: Mr Michael Sommer

Email:

[email protected]


Influence

Delegate: Dr Dennis Stamps


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Tom Stanford



38

Delegate: Mr Mark Stubbs


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Randar Tasmuth


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Prof Joan Taylor



Judaism

Delegate: Prof Anthony Thiselton


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Michael Thompson


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mr Will Timmins


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Emmanuel Tukasi



Judaism

Delegate: Mrs Sarah Underwood

Dixon



Delegate: Rev Janet Unsworth



Delegate: Rev Gijsbert van der Hout



Delegate: Prof Steve Walton



Delegate: Prof Francis Watson



Delegate: Mrs Kathryn Westbrook

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Dr Sarah Whittle


Seminar: Paul

39

Delegate: Dr John Williams



Delegate: Dr Catrin Williams



Delegate: Mr Andrew Wilson

Email: andrew.wilson@kings-

centre.co.uk

Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mr Ben Wilson



Delegate: Dr Timothy Winder


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Canon Dr Dagmar Winter

Email:

[email protected]

Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Mr Brendon Witte


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Dr Simon Woodman



Delegate: Dr Stephen Wright


Seminar: Jesus

Delegate: Prof Tom Wright


Seminar: Paul

Delegate: Mrs Lauren Zimmerman


Seminar: N/A

Delegate: Mr Michael Zolondek


Seminar: Jesus

Documents

British New Testament Society - King's College London - Home€¦ · · 2017-06-21hands of contemporary New Testament Scholars 21.30- tbc. ... Mark Batluck (University of ... Jesus