In the seventeenth century two commentators on the Bible who helped to fan the interest in the coming of the kingdom of God were Thomas Brightman and Joseph Mede. This essay compares the comments of these two men on the book of Revelation.
Hurtado wants to show in this paper that the Qumran sect was a group that had a combined belief that history was significant, with a strong hope for the future. This attitude can be demonstrated to be similar to that of the Gospels. This gives strong support for believing that the earliest Christians could have had both strong apocalyptic hopes and an interest in the historical Jesus.
In this paper Pinnock develops his apologetic thesis that if the gospel cannot be sustained and defended by historical data, it cannot be sustained and believed at all.
How should faith and history be related? The author believes that the views of B.B. Warfield on this relationship are very helpful. However, he also proposes a corrective to Warfield.
Is Lucifer the same as Satan? The author argues that Lucifer is the proud but fallen king of Babylon. Lucifer is only once mentioned in the Bible, and that at Isaiah 14:12.
Is redaction criticism a valid hermeneutical approach to understanding the text of the Gospels and the intention of the evangelists? Lane reflects on how Redaktionsgeschichte asks and tries to answer the question: what was the life situation out of which a particular Gospel emerged?
Mormonism states that in the year 1820 Joseph Smith was stirred by a religious revival that broke out in the vicinity of Palmyra. This paper considers a second account of Smith's first vision that has been given more careful study. The author believes it will force upon Mormon writers a serious re-evaluation of the foundation of their church.
Culver reflects on a number of exegetical matters in Matthew 28:16-20. For example, he wants to ascertain to whom the promise was given, and what is meant by "all power."
This article is an evaluation of the Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allan Wikgren.
Skilton considers the factors that influence and determine the translator's consideration of what style of language to use when translating the Bible.
Bible translation involves interpretation. Translation and interpretation are a theological engagement with the Bible. Woudstra reflects on questions of Bible translation and the role of theological influence upon it.
What is the function and purpose of a modern translation of the Bible? This paper considers the translation philosophy that believes that the translator should produce in his own language the thought contained in the work as a whole, and in each sentence and even each word within its context.
The author reflects on the evidence for the earliest collection of the epistles of Paul in the process of forming the New Testament canon. He continues by treating other problems associated with the writings of Paul.
The modern function of Formgeschichte has brought into sharp relief the question of the canon. In light of this development this essay reflects on the history of the Gospel tradition and its acceptance in the early Christian church.
This paper gives attention to principles on which, it is believed, the whole matter of canon rests, like the authority of Christ, the concept of the apostolate, and tradition. This is followed by some observations made in the light of those principles.
How was the Old Testament canon formed? Historic Christianity insists that the Old Testament books were written by divine inspiration. The claim here is that the Scriptures are inherently authoritative because God is the origin, and the church merely recognizes this fact. Harris evaluates different theories about how that process of canon formation took place.
Justin Martyr has the honour of being the first comprehensive Christian interpreter of the Old Testament. What was Justin's exegetical method? Aune indicates the gap between the New Testament's use of the Old and the exegesis in early patristic literature. The further Justin departed from the New Testament exegetical tradition, the closer he got to allegory.
This essay reflects on the Gospel of John's witness to the historical Jesus.
According to 1 Corinthians 12:28, 29 and Ephesians 4:11, are prophets and teachers two distinct offices? How should we see the relationship between the two positions? This paper reflects on this relationship and the place of New Testament prophecy.
One way of seeking communication from the gods of the Canaanites was by ecstatic frenzy. Some scholars believe that Israel learned it from the Canaanites and made it a part of their service. They believe that Israel's former prophets were ecstatics. Evidence is sought in the Old Testament especially from three passages: Numbers 11:25-29, 1 Samuel 10:1-13, and 1 Samuel 19:18-24.
The modern Biblical Theology movement and Neo-orthodoxy gave much attention to the doctrine of revelation. How can the position of modern theology best be described? How should it be assessed? This article weighs in.
This paper concerns itself with the interpretation of the Song of Solomon (Song of Songs). It provides a historical overview of the interpretation of the book, beginning with an allegorical approach.
What is the theological nature of church history? In this paper Montgomery reflects on the philosophical presuppositions that function when one confronts church history as a science.
According to Leviticus 25:39-43, the people of Israel are slaves of Yahweh. The author explores the function of this "slave of God" motif in the ancient Near East, and slavery in antiquity.
Bertrand Russell acquired fame through his prolific writings and his outspokenness. This essay gives a more detailed critique that the author felt was badly needed in order to prevent students from naively accepting Russell as an authority on religion. Weigel aims to subject Russel's religious writings to rigorous analysis.
The work of preaching cannot be done without power. The author draws attention to the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. The power of Paul's preaching is seen by a careful consideration of both his message and his method.
Young wants to account for the origin of Psalm 139.
Does Paul's teaching in Ephesians 3 concerning "mystery" conflict with the Reformed confessions' view of the unity of the covenant of grace? The purpose of the author is to survey the meaning of the word "musterion" in secular and Jewish literature, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the writings of the Apostle Paul.
Klooster want to assess the ecumenical character of the Heidelberg Catechism. He gives a brief survey of the historical background of the Heidelberger and then consider its ecumenical character.
Existentialism's view of the individual is sometimes claimed to be similar to the views of Augustine. In this essay Lewis evaluates such claims by comparing the thought of Augustine with that of contemporary existentialists. Lewis introduces Paul Tillich's distinctions between an existential point of view, an existential philosophy, and an existential attitude (involvement).
The order of the arrangement of the content of the book of Jeremiah can be perplexing. This study attempts to articulate certain basic assumptions that distinguish evangelicalism's approach to the organization of the prophecy, and to analyze the evidence by which its chapters may be dated. Payne proceeds to formulate a chronological picture of the sequence of the different parts and proposes an explanation for the present arrangement of the book.
What is history? The author argues that it is a science in that it asks questions of the past, and an art in that it is a recording of events in an interesting way. The data of the historian is thus a composite of fact and evaluation. Historians cannot avoid the questions of philosophy. The author reflects on the meaning of history.
In what sense can we say that the Old Testament is a prophecy of the Messiah? Culver explores different varieties of prophecies and modes of prediction in the Old Testament.
This paper seeks to find out what John Wesley's view of Martin Luther was.
The phenomenon described by the term "glossolalia" played a significant role in the early church. The author of this paper analyzes this phenomenon. He tries to answer two questions: what experiences of the early church are to be included in this phenomenon? and what is the significance and relevance of these phenomena in the life of the early church?
The concern of this paper is with the Christian faith in its theological formulation. All attention is focused on the analysis of faith made by Soren Kierkegaard. The author considers also the nature of faith in the theology of Protestant orthodoxy and gives an orthodox critique of Kierkegaard.
The author surveys some of the earlier works of Karl Barth and ends with the Church Dogmatics for Barth's view on personal and general eschatology.
This paper deals with the issue of the significance of our understanding of history for the Christian faith. The question Ladd deals with is whether there is a dimension of factual historical reality which lies outside of history. Ladd argues that there is such a sphere, which can be designated "Geschichte," for "Historie" he understands by definition to be secular, unbelieving history.
Turner reflects on the date, origin, purpose, and authorship of the Gospel of John.
The paper argues that the silence of the New Testament on the slavery question can be understood by noting the essentially worthwhile character of slavery during this period. Modern thinking about slavery has too often been influenced by superimposing the viciousness, perpetual bondage, and race hatred of slavery in past centuries on conditions in the Roman world.
Where do Christians find the rule of faith? How should the authority of Scripture be understood in relation to church tradition? This paper looks at the witness of the second century church in aspects like tradition, succession, canonicity, and exegesis.
Greek ideas and expressions have exercised an unmistakable influence on the wisdom literature and notably the Greek translation of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. This paper compares the differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint, and forms conclusions on the attitudes of the translator that may have led to differences.
Tertullian is often an unattractive figure to modern people. He had a strict asceticism, and his departure into Montanism does not help to popularize him. This paper focuses on what Tertullian's position was with regard to philosophy (notably irrationalism) and the philosophers of his day.
John Wesley's doctrine of Christian perfection makes it necessary for him to make clear how he understands the doctrine of sin. He had a specific view of holiness. In this paper the author's intention is to clarify Wesley's concept of sin.
Is the biblical cosmology dated? Is the Bible by all the scientific discoveries now hopelessly outmoded and outdated so that its teaching is untrue and therefore irrelevant? Harris wants to give an honest perspective on how to interpret Scripture, given the questions about its cosmology.
In the early 1960s Rudolf Bultmann was arguably the most influential theologian in Germany. It is imperative to attempt to understand Bultmann's theology. This paper is such an attempt. It focuses on understanding the paradox at the heart of Bultmann's theology, i.e., the place where God acts is in the sphere of human existence. How should we understand this language of the "act of God"?
What is the philosophy of translation that stands behind the New English Bible? This paper tries to answer that question and also asks if the purpose of the translation has been attained.
Can a valid distinction be made between the Levitical (ceremonial) and prophetic (moral) elements of the Old Testament? Freeman argues that such a separation is unbiblical and foreign to the Old Testament.
According to the Scriptures there is a continual struggle between the old and new nature within every converted man. Perfectionism teaches that it is possible for a Christian in this life to attain to a state of sinless perfection. This article reaffirms the inescapability of the struggle between the two natures, and describes the character of the struggle.
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.
This essay is a study in the peculiarities of genealogical method in the book of Chronicles.
The function and meaning of the word "Sheol" is important in biblical theology. Its relevance for an understanding of passages like 1 Peter 3:20 and Ephesians 4:8 is indicated. Further, a comparison is made with the New Testament's use of "hades." The meaning of Sheol is explored still more by comparing a number of its occurrences in the Old Testament.
Can an appeal be made to science and its conclusions to help us in the interpretation of Scripture? Can scientific information aid in the interpretation of Scripture? Young reflects on these questions and illustrates with examples from Genesis 2:7 and Ephesians 4:8.
Do the social sciences form a threat to the Christian faith? In this essay Moberg discusses five ways in which the social sciences can help Christians become more effective servants of Jesus Christ.
This is a short exegetical note on the translation of John 10:16.
Is there any hope for those who never heard the gospel? In this essay Baker affirms that the Scriptures teach that salvation is by faith in God, and mediated through Jesus Christ. The author wants to look at safeguards against the dangers of unwarranted inferences from this. He wants his readers to be wary of speaking carelessly about the hope we have.
The author considers an approach to a biblical defense of the faith (apologetic). He takes a look at Romans 1:18ff., with a view to finding out what the purpose of general revelation is in a Christian apologetic and what the natural man knows of God.
How should we interpret the Song of Solomon (Song of Songs? Some interpreters find many cultic clues in Canticles and read it as a cultic document. This essay evaluates such an interpretation.
The way the doctrine of the Holy Spirit functioned at the time of writing is explored. Aspects considered include the relation between the Holy Spirit and man's spirit, and the relation between the Holy Spirit and Scripture.
How should the exodus of the Israelites be dated? It is an old problem in Biblical Studies. Rea discusses different solutions that have been considered in the past.
Hermeneutics should not be divorced from the study of language in general. The Bible is written in human language by men who used the language conventions of the day. This essay focuses on the way in which figures of speech and figurative language function in texts. The author notes similes, metaphors, allegory, metonymy, irony, and so on.
The significance of the Semitic poetry and literary style in which Genesis 1-Genesis 11 is written is considered.
Macrae discusses principles of interpretation for Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.
This paper discusses the doctrine of salvation in the theology of Karl Barth. The main focus is on his understanding of justification and sanctification and their relation to each other. The role of faith and love receives specific attention also.
Ramm's thesis in this essay is that the fundamental theistic belief of the Bible is laid in the Old Testament, and whoever wishes to formulate a biblical theism must start there. The basis for a Christian apologetic must be found in the Old Testament.
This paper argues for a Christian philosophy that sees human experience as a whole. The author's concern is with philosophy not according to human tradition, but according to Christ.
This is a study of the most important poems concerning the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah as found in the Masoretic Text and in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Andersen reflects on the call to restudy the question of the canon of Scripture, including the date of fixing the canon, in light of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
According to Stonehouse's judgment there is an intimate connection between maintaining the infallibility of Scripture and making progress in the evangelical faith. He argues that the more clearly and consistently the infallibility of Scripture is upheld, the more assurance there will be of genuine advance in the field of biblical and theological studies.
