Session 1: Catholic Epistles
Ben Castaneda, Edinburgh Theological Seminary, ‘Eschatological Jubilee in James’
Recent scholarship has often suggested connections between Leviticus and James. Luke Timothy Johnson suggests that allusions to Leviticus 19 are scattered throughout James, while Darian Lockett argues that the Levitical categories of purity and pollution serve as a helpful rubric for understanding the ethical life of the Jamesian community. However, there is still room for fruitful exploration of other ways in which Leviticus might shape the argument and structure of James. In particular, this paper will evaluate the significance on James of the Jubilee legislation (Lev 25) shaped through the lens of later Jewish interpretation (e.g., Deut 15; Isa 61; 11QMelch). I will argue that several features of the argument in James, such as “the law of liberty” (1:25), the contrast of rich and poor (1:9–11; 2:1–13; 5:1–6), the prohibition of vows (5:12), and the restoration of sinners from their wandering (5:19–20) suggest that the author envisioned the recipients as living in the eschatological Jubilee.
Daniel Fook Boon Eng, University of Glasgow, ‘A Case for Paratextual Hermeneutics in the Catholic Epistle Collection’
This paper highlights paratexts as a critical part of understanding the Catholic Epistles (CE) as a collection. Paratexts are devices that embellish and surround a literary work to introduce the text to the reader. No textual composition is presented on its own, devoid of features such as prefaces, titles, footnotes, etc. These represent illocutionary intent of their editors in that they provide “reading guides” to their readers. Paratexts exist in biblical manuscripts also, framing the text to bring about perlocutionary responses. While there is a resurgence of interest in the CE particularly in interpreting them as a discrete collection, paratexts are still often overlooked in this endeavour. One of the most comprehensive paratextual systems is called the Euthalian Apparatus and they supplement the texts in a variety of ancient manuscripts. In the CE, James is sometimes presented as the frontispiece of this collection. I evaluate two features of the Euthalian apparatus called the κεφάλαια-τίτλοι (titles) and ὑπόθεσις (hypothesis) to examine how this fronting of James influences how we approach the CE.
Nicholas Moore, ‘Bede on Jude’, Cranmer Hall, Durham
The Venerable Bede is known as the first historian of the English people, but he was also saturated in Scripture both as a monk and as a learned biblical commentator. Writing in the North of England at the beginning of the eighth century, he produced numerous biblical commentaries, including the first extant Latin commentary on the Catholic Epistles. This paper explores his brief commentary on the even briefer Letter of Jude. At first glance a simple and straightforward text, on closer examination the commentary reveals a number of noteworthy features of the exegesis of this astute scholar from Western late antiquity. Bede demonstrates his doctrinal acuity in comments about the Trinity and Christology, and his deep scholarship in handling non-canonical material. His knowledge of the Fathers and the tradition is evident. There are also a few instances of typological or allegorical and moral interpretations. Above all, what emerges is an impression of a bright and imaginative reader of the text who at the same time seeks to be faithful, practical, and concise
Session 2: Panel Session
Panel discussion with David Horrell, University of Exeter and Travis Williams, Tusculum University on 1 Peter (ICC) and the process of writing a commentary.
Session 3: Pauline Traditions
Jonathan Berglund, University of Aberdeen, ‘I’m a Slave 4 U”: Before Britney, “Paul the Prisoner” of Ephesians’
Ephesians has long been grouped among the Pauline “prison letters,” but since its banishment from the so-called “undisputed” letters, much of its carceral imagery has gone overlooked. One such image is the figuration of Paul’s bonds in Eph 3:1-13. By looking closely at ancient practices of incarceration and enslavement, this paper argues that Ephesians presents Paul not foremost as a prisoner but an enslaved captive of war. Paul’s carceral servitude to the divine warrior (Ps. 68) explains how his imprisonment could be “for you Gentiles.” Ephesians can thus be understood not only as participating in the “prison epistle” tradition associated with Paul but also in what Chris de Wet has called early Christian “doulology” (de Wet 2015). This feature of Ephesians, which has been widely overlooked due to its “disputed” status, raises new questions when thinking about the letter’s theology, its instructions toward enslaved persons (6:5-8), and early images associated with the Apostle.
Judson Greene, University of Cambridge, ‘Zoology, Anthropology, and Atonement: Cleansing “through [Jesus’] Eternal Spirit” (Heb 9:14)’
Scholars continue to debate the meaning and referent of the “eternal spirit” of Hebrews 9:14. Against the majority of scholars who take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit, I agree with those who identify this as Jesus’ own eternal spirit, and offer a new argument to support this view. In the immediate context, the author references Old Covenant sacrifices that “sanctify for the purification of the flesh” (9:13), alluding particularly to the red heifer ritual which cleansed from corpse defilement (Numbers 19). In contrast with these sacrifices that cleanse flesh after touching death, Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses our conscience from “works of death.” But what makes Jesus’ sacrifice more effective? Since the flesh of animals purifies flesh, it makes good sense that Jesus’ spirit purifies the spirit, i.e., the conscience. Because Jesus makes his offering from a pure conscience/spirit, his sacrifice cleanses the worshipper’s conscience. Other passages in Hebrews (10:5–10 particularly) corroborate this reading.
Michael Robertson, Universität Regensburg, ‘Why Crete?: The Letter to Titus and Apostolic Foundation in the Second Century’
Although the letter to Titus claims that Paul wrote the document to Titus on Crete (Titus 1:1–5), most scholars doubt both the claimed authorship and the claimed destination of Titus. This raises the question—why inscribe Crete as the document’s destination? In this paper, I argue that Titus claims Crete as a destination in order to bolster the place of the Cretan assemblages within early Christian networks of the second century (see Concannon, Assembling Early Christianity, 2017) by allowing them to claim Pauline origin. In order to demonstrate this thesis, I will first examine the apostolic origin story of the Cretan assemblages as found in Titus. Next, I will give an overview of the dating of Titus to show that the writing of Titus aligns with the time period under discussion. I will then show how Crete was connected with other Christian assemblages in the letters of Dionysios of Corinth. Finally, I will demonstrate how Titus was used to bolster the claim to a Pauline foundation of the assemblages on Crete.