What were the Jewish and Greco-Roman views of fatherhood that informed two aspects of Paul’s relationship as "father"—hierarchy/authority and affection—towards his "children" in 1 Thessalonians? Paul had a relationship of hierarchy similar to that of the paterfamilias (head of the household) in society who assumed the responsibility for socializing his children into the community.
In this study the author compares and contrasts the spirituality of New Testament Christianity with that of the Judaism that existed before the destruction of the temple in AD 70. The major focus is on an analysis of the piety of pre-destruction Hebraic Judaism.
Looking at the Theodotus Inscription, this article shows how the group described in this tablet could be linked to the Hellenists described in Acts 6:9.
Can we speak of an influence of Philo of Alexandria on the letter to the Hebrews's Christology? This article reflects on this question and the relationship between Acts 7 and Hebrews 1-Hebrews 4.
The term “midrash” is frequently used in discussions in New Testament scholarship and research in the Gospels in particular. Unfortunately, there is no unified understanding of its meaning. It can refer to a rabinnic method of interpretation of Scripture. Sometimes it is used as a reference to a creative historiography where there is very little connection to real history.
The apostle Paul's missionary travels brought him in contact with cults of women. This essay wants to give a broad overview of this aspect of Paul's confrontation with Greco-Roman culture.
What is the relevance of Josephus for the Old Testament canon? This essay explores the unity in testimony between Josephus and the rabbinic Masoretic tradition.
Knowledge of the ancient and classical Greco-Roman world is important for a good reading of the Bible. This article reviews the Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Classical World published in 1975. A bibliography is also supplied for further studies and research in this area.
How important is a good understanding of the cultural world of the early Christians? This article wants to examine carefully Jesus' encounter with some of his adversaries narrated in Mark 11:27-33. The author highlights the way that the values of honour and shame functioned in Mediterranean culture, and illumines the text at crucial points.
Sayings attributed to Jesus are known as "agrapha." Lane develops criteria for evaluating these sayings of Jesus found in extra-biblical sources like the Nag Hammadi inscriptions and the CopticGospel of Thomas.
This paper explores the issue of head-coverings and hair-styles in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 against the background of Roman portraiture. It is part of a wider project to provide the cultural background to the apostle Paul's correspondence with the church in Corinth.
