Posts Tagged Eisenbrauns
Introducing the Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters from Eisenbrauns
Introducing JSPL | Contribute | Subscribe | Editorial Board
See for yourself…Read the editor’s introduction and a sample article. Download the sample issue. (PDF, 336 k) |
|
Introducing the Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters
The Apostle Paul stands as an incredibly important figure within the religious and intellectual history of Christianity and Judaism in the first century. The study of Paul (the historical person, author, tradition, and legend) and the Pauline letters (content, context, authenticity, theology, and reception) continue to capture the fascination of scholars, students, religious communities, and even the media. A number of journals geared toward New Testament studies in general often contain a disproportionate number of articles dedicated to the study of the Pauline corpus. There is a never-ending avalanche of Ph.D. theses written about Paul and about the countless approaches and methods used to analyze the Pauline materials. Indeed, the study of Paul and the Pauline letters appears to be an almost inexhaustible field of investigation. Therefore, we think it time that Pauline research should have its own dedicated journal as a specific conduit for Pauline research as it is broadly practiced. In light of these considerations, it is my pleasure to present to you the Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters (JSPL).
The JSPL will present cutting-edge research for scholars, teachers, postgraduate students, and advanced undergraduates related specifically to study of the Apostle Paul and cognate areas. It is proposed that the many and diverse aspects of Pauline studies be represented and promoted by the journal (see below, “Contribute“). The purpose of the journal is to advance discussion on these areas of Pauline research. As such we invite submissions on the above mentioned topics that make a significant and original contribution to the field of Pauline studies.
The inaugural issue of JSPL includes a contribution by one of its editorial board members, Dr. Susan Eastman of Duke Divinity School (USA) on “Philippians 2:6–11: Incarnation as Mimetic Participation.” Delving into the Christ-Hymn, Eastman argues for a close link between imitation and participation in Paul’s explication of his gospel to the Philippian audience. The first regular issue of JSPL will include studies such as Paul Foster, “Eschatology in the Thessalonian Correspondence”; Michael Gorman, “Justification and Justice”; Richard Bell, “Paul’s Theology of Mind”; and a review of Douglas A. Campbell’s The Deliverance of God by Christopher Tilling and Michael Gorman, with a further response from Douglas Campbell.
Contribute
We invite contributions in areas such as:
- Pauline chronology and biography
- The Pauline corpus, including its collection and textual transmission
- The historical, cultural, literary, and social context of Paul and the Pauline writings
- Diverse perspectives, such as post-colonial interpretation and critical theory
- Studies in Pauline theology and theological interpretation of Paul’s letters
- The reception of Paul in the early church
- Studies in the history of Pauline research
- The relation of Pauline texts to practical theology
- Essay-length reviews of significant new publications in Pauline studies
- Issues dedicated to particular themes
Get it here:
Eisenbrauns – Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters.
Thoughts on War in the Bible and Terrorism in the 21st Century, Essay 2 – War in the Hebrew Bible: An Overview
Posted by Joel in Book Review, Religion and Politics on November 10, 2010
Click to Order
For an introduction to the series, see here.
Often times, especially in the latest round of discussion concerning war, terrorism and the appropriate response to attacks, the Hebrew bible is mined extensively (well, not too extensively, I suspect) to support a violent and oftentimes, religious response in the form of a crusade. I remember the days after 9/11 when our rhetoric was a ‘our God vs their god’ type mentality, with phrases such as ‘we should go Old Testament on their….’ brought up repeatedly. Richard Hess, an editor of this series, shapes a response to those who do violence to the Old Testament by using it to justify a swift and brutal reaction. His purpose is twofold: to consider the issue og war in a then/now spectrum as well as to allow the modern Westerner to regard him or herself in this light allowing them to see how much the views have changed by examining recent contributions to the ethics of war.
He notes that every ancient generation knew war (p20). We should be reminded, even from a casual reading of the Old Testament of places such as Har Megiddo which holds such a violent reaction in our minds because of the blood constantly spilled there during the ancient times. For evidence, as he notes, there is the fact that of the books of the Jewish canon, only two doesn’t mean war. War was a large part of the life of the ancient community, but as he goes on, it isn’t the take on it which we currently have. Instead, Hess begins to craft the notion that when YHWH went to war, it was defensive, except when YHWH stands against Israel. Contrary to Volf, Hess acknowledges the inherent violence in such things as the Day of the Lord and the wrath involved, although the author attributes this to preserving the holiness of YHWH (p24). He goes on, noting the development of ethics, but comes to show that war must be relative to YHWH, His holiness, and His judgment.
In one section of the essay, Hess details various views of war as found in the Hebrew bible – bardic and holy, to name two. I find it interesting though that the consequences of David’s bardic warmongering was not mentioned, in that the promises of the Temple were removed from his hand for the expressed reason that David’s hands were too bloody. David and presumably always fought the battles of YHWH and yet, at the end of his life, his most cherished goal and promise was denied to him because of his bloody acts as King. I do find it interesting, however, that the idea of holy war, something we hear today frequently tossed around, is not expressed in the Old Testament because their understanding included the idea that gods were always involved in war. I do appreciate his taking to task the notion of genocide as an act of human sacrifice, siting the Binding of Isaac as proof that God simply didn’t require sacrifice.
Hess takes the new normal road of seeing the wars and genocidal battles in Joshua and Judges as more in line with the bardic tradition than with an actual presentation of history. To his credit, however, he notes fully that these stories increased in the amount of bloodshed until they bring about a civil war filled with massacre. Further, he notes that the bible doesn’t give explicit approval to these actions, but as in the case of the tribe Dan, pleases the onus of warmongering on the people. (p31) In other words, they care little about being on YHWH’s side, but desperately want YHWH on theirs. It sounds all too familiar. The author deals swiftly with views which focus on war and yet leaves out the narration of such events, which generally speak only to the ‘history of it’ without giving credence to it. He ends his essay by noting that the bible, even in speaking about war, offers contradictions after contradictions on the subject, but carries with it a moral tenor that points to the cosmic struggle.
From reading the sacred text, I find very little reason for war, but the more so when reasons are given we must struggle to see they have divine approval or are the inventions of a fallen humanity. I believe that Hess, succinctly, points this out and doesn’t hide from the fact that war is prevalent in the Hebrew bible but calls us to examine whether or not the reasons are always welcomed by God.
Thoughts on War in the Bible and Terrorism in the 21st Century, Essay 1 – Christianity and Violence
Posted by Joel in Book Review, Religion and Politics on November 9, 2010
Click to Order
I wanted to spend some time going through the eight essays of this book, as I find that this issue is important. Not only in the we see the world at large, which has increasingly become known only through the lens of nativism, but so too how we remember ourselves. I’ll be up front – my views on such things as ‘an appropriate response to terrorism’ has been influenced by Richard T. Hughes and his book, Christian American and the Kingdom of God. I imagine it is more Mennonite than what some would like, but it is mine nevertheless because I view it as a Christian method of response.
This book, published by Eisenbrauns (here), is part of the Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement series edited by Richard S. Hess and Craig L. Blomberg. This particular volume is edited by Hess and Elmer A. Martens and includes distinguished writers, such as Daniel Heimback and Ian G.C. Durie. It is a collect of essays inspired by Denver Seminary’s annual Biblical Studies conference, help in 2004, which attempted to ‘address… the question of the teachings of biblical ethics regarding modern war.’ (viii)
I want to examine, and to open up the discussion, on the first essay, as written by Miroslav Volf entitled Christianity and Violence.
His thesis is essentially this:
The more we reduce Christian faith to a vague religiosity that serves primarily to energize, heal, and give meaning to a life the content of which is shaped by factors other than faith (such as national or economic interests), the worse off we will be (p3)
His goal is not to argue against the fact that Christianity has been employed to ‘foster violence’ (p3), but that Christianity might actually have some value in securing a more peaceful society. For an immediate historical allusion to this, just note the rise of secularization in Europe during the middle 19th century which brought about bloody and ruthless conflicts. In some small way, I believe that this is actually feeding a resurgence in those seeking religion in much the same way that the bloody religious wars of the 16th and 17th history fed secularization. Religion is simply not dead, nor as private as we might would like to this, according to Volf, who notes that this new religious fervor brought on by changes in the 20th century (think of the Soviet invasion and attempted secularization of Afghanistan in the 80′s and what he led to, culminating in the attacks on 9/11). The author’s answer? More Christianity, but not the thin veneer that we have come to know as Christianity, but something more ingrained.
He validates his argument by calling for a real commitment to this faith of ours, and not a ‘thin’ (his words) religious zeal which scratches the surface of Christianity and will most likely produce violence. Volf argues quite forcefully that by understanding real Christian theology and doctrine, and finding that these dogmas must by necessity of themselves ground the believer in a realm of peace, then the path to peace is entrenching oneself in the historic doctrines of the faith. Frankly, it is refreshing to see an author call for more religion to bring about peace instead of taking the modern path of calling for the end of religion altogether. To do so, he tackles four arguments which is used by scholars to show that religion, and Christianity in particular it seems, leads to violence. In doing so, he turns them on their head, approaching the Christian doctrine not from a stance of regret for doctrine, but a truly Apologetic discourse which attempt to set the record straight on violence in Christianity, or rather, violence for which Christianity is used to underwrite.
His take on Revelation is interesting, and while I may be leaning to the ‘non-violent violence of it all, I am not sure I am willing to completely accept this notion that Revelation is almost wholly without violence. Reader, you have to first understand what he means by violence and how that stands opposed to what we see as violence. I believe that Volf is seeing violence as imposition of will, which he doesn’t find either the Creation or the New Creation. Even in Creation, unless understood properly, someone could see abstract violence in that the Creator molded something which was not of His Nature. Yet, that is not the Christian Doctrine. While I do not explicitly believe in creatio ex nihilo, nor some of his other doctrines so expressed, Volf continues to show that in these doctrines, and even in the most violent of interpretations, there is still the grounding of Love. God is Love.
What is equally interesting and something of note, is that Volf takes these doctrines and simply shows how without them, people are prone to be more violent!
Volf is correct in that ‘The Christian faith is misused when it is employed to underwrite violence’. I have been on the receiving end of relatively a small amount of that violence, but I see the effects of the greater portion of that misuse in my community and circle of friends (he notes on p16 that this is the inflation of the negative in which the evil of religion overtakes the large amount of good produced by religion). I would agree with him, that if Christians were brought back to the historic texts (and I assume, digging through the patina of interpretations back to a better understanding of our values) that they would be true peacemakers. There is a hope for something that Volf speaks about, and I believe that this hope may be realized in this search for historic awareness of the Christian doctrines.
Cannot wait for the second essay…
In the Mail: War in the Bible and Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century
Posted by Joel in Book Review, Religion and Politics on October 13, 2010
Click to Order
With special thanks to James S. at Eisenbrauns…
From Eisenbrauns…
Table of Contents
New! Download the Index (PDF)
New! Download a Printable Title Information Sheet (PDF)
Everything your librarian or bookstore will want to knowDescription
In February 2004, Denver Seminary’s annual Biblical Studies conference addressed the question of modern war and the teachings of biblical ethics regarding it. The conference was envisioned as a collaborative effort between the Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching, and Service (ACCTS), and the Biblical Studies division of Denver Seminary. A year earlier, the invasion of Iraq had taken place. The questions created by the outbreak of war prompted an urgency in the consideration of the topic. ACCTS, which sponsors international symposia in military ethics with officers from armed forces around the globe, provided ethicists and practitioners from within the military of both the U.S. and Great Britain. Hess and Martens also solicited papers from leading theologians and advocates representing pacifist and just-war views. They have succeeded in bringing together in this fine volume a group of Christians representing a wide range of perspectives to debate and discuss their heritage and biblical roots with regard to questions of war and its ethical dilemmas.
Product Details
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Publication date: 2008
Bibliographic info: xii + 155 pages
Language(s): EnglishCover: Cloth
Trim Size: 6 x 9
ISBN: 1-57506-803-6
ISBN13: 978-1-57506-803-9 9781575068039Reviews
“…Hess and Martens have produced a volume that illuminates once more the numerous issues involved in the intersection of the Bible, theology, ethics, and the practices of modern nation-states. Given the poignancy of these issues, this volume should be considered by all those interested in that conversation.”—Brad E. Kelle, Point Loma Nazarene University in Review of Biblical Literature, February 2009.
“This book will be profitable to anyone studying war in the Bible or a contemporary Christian view of war, especially in the area of terrorism. Though not systematic enough to serve as a textbook, each of the essays could be used as supplementary material in a variety of classes.”—Charlie Trimm, Wheaton College in Bulletin of Biblical Research, 19.1.
“This collection of essays results from a conference at Denver Seminary in 2004. It must have been an interesting event because the symposium represents a wide range of views. I would like to have overheard the conversations over dinner. It begins with a paper on “Christianity and Violence” by my former colleague, theologian Miroslav Volf, whose qualifications include his experience of the terrible conflicts that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. I appreciated the way he argues against the idea that religion by nature is violent, the idea that monotheism entails violence, and the misuse of Christian faith to underwrite violence. I was less sure about his argument against the idea that neither creation nor new creation involve violence, since there is significant scriptural material that suggests that the contrary is true. The subsequent chapter by Richard Hess brings out this problem in its own way as it provides an overview of warfare in the Hebrew Bible and thus considers themes such as Yahweh the warrior. It closes with the observation that the Bible “recognizes battle as a necessary evil in the context of a greater struggle between good and evil” (p. 32). That again seems a modern way to frame the issue. The Bible is more accepting of warfare than this implies. Elmer Martens then argues that (contrary to one of the views Volf contests) shalom is the legacy of biblical monotheism. But he too has to comment that if this is so, “texts in which God instructs Israel to annihilate her enemies…represent a conundrum” (p. 43), and he surveys ways of seeking to resolve it. In my view, one of the considerations that help with the conundrum is that the peoples Dr. Martens mentions as ones God instructs Israel to annihilate (such as the Hittites and Canaanites) are not Israel’s enemies. They are people whom God chooses to treat as enemies (because of their wrongdoing). Daniel Carroll then discusses “Impulses Toward Peace in a Country at War: The Book of Isaiah Between Realism and Hope”; he too writes against the background of personal involvement in the issues he discusses, having lived in Guatemala from 1982 to 1996. It is a promising place to start if we want to hink about faith and warfare, given that like other prophets, Isaiah has no place for Israel fighting. Daniel Heimbach then provides an interesting reflection on the Gulf War, writing as someone who affirms the notion of “Just War,” though a key point he wishes to emphasize is that the claim that in our context the notion of just war can justify preemptive war is a harmful modification of this notion. Tony Pfaff, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, then reflects on the moral dilemmas involved in attacking terrorist groups with the attendant risk of harmaing civilians. While the risk cannot be avoided, he concludes that, in the midst of justifiable U.S. anger, “its leaders must take care not to become like the enemy it opposes” (p. 112). Ian Durie, a former major general in the British army, continues the discussion of terrorism and just war, asking how far just war theory can be applied to attacks on terrorism. (I found this an especially moving chapter because Ian Durie was a student at the seminary where I taught in the U.K. but was killed in a traffic accident in Romania while in that country to teach the ethics of leadership.) The final chapter by my colleague Glen Stassen abjures discussion of whether war can be justified in favor of arguing for the way just peacemaking can reduce terrorism and suggests ten just peacemaking practices such as using cooperative conflict resolution, fostering just and sustainable economic development, and reducing the weapons trade. I would like to think he is right, though I am not sure that we have the evidence, and he reminded me of G. K. Chesterton’s saying: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” I think much of the symposium reflects an unresolved and often unrecognized problem about biblical interpretation in connection with issues related to war and peace. It was only in the context of modernity that war became a problem, something whose existence people were no longer willing simply to accept as a reality of human life and something they believed could be overcome. The nature of war in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the frighteningly war-making nature of our lifetime then made it even more impossible to come to terms with the reality of war as “Just one of those things.” In this context I can quite believe that God calls the church to pacifism and just peacemaking. But the problem in connection with biblical interpretation is that we then read into Scripture such concerns that God gives us, when these concerns are not present in Scripture where the context was so different and where the nature of the faith’s interaction with war was so different. We assume that Scripture should and does operate with the same framework as we do. It does not, and this is all right. But we need to come to think in its framework if we are to learn from it.” -John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, in Themelios 33-3 (December 2008).
“Together these papers constitute a challenging study of what continues to be a most intractable problem in today’s world, in both political and theological terms.” -H. Kraus in JSOT 33/5 (2009).
“This collection of essays offers much food for thought and no simple answers. In fact, taken as a whole, the reader comes away with some views that are directly in opposition to one another. Yet, all are grounded in a biblical, Christian ideology. This highlights just how complicated the situations of war, terrorism, and peace can be on the personal, national, and international level… “This book would be an excellent choice for a small discussion group (perhaps in a classroom, book club, or church setting). The purpose of the book is really to bring the issues to the table, not to give pat answers. At 148 pages it is not a long read, and each chapter gives enough material to stimulate a discussion. Even the topics that are not taken up in detail, but nevertheless mentioned, could stimulate further study and consideration.”—Karyn Traphagen at Boulders 2 Bits, February 2010.
“[T]his collection of articles demonstrates solid scholarship and is worthy of serious study. I think that a college or seminary class could use the book as a basis for discussing justification of war, the Bible, and the modern conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pastors and laypersons will also find the book manageable to read and an informative discussion of the topic.” -Terry W. Eddinger, Carolina Evangelical Divinity School, Greensboro, NC, in Review and Expositor 106, Spring 2009.
“The book delivers a pacifist-just war punch, both ostensibly in the service of peacemaking. It evokes critical thought, especially of the 2003 Iraq war and current U.S. war goals in Afghanistan responding to terrorist challenges. Hess and Martens are to be commended for bringing this book to print. It will generate lively discussion in churches, universities and seminaries where both pacifist and just war Christians interact.” -Williard M. Swartley, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, in The Mennonite Quarterly Review, January 2010.
September Giveaway – Eisenbrauns Gift Certificate(s) (Repost)
Posted by Joel in Other Posts on September 20, 2010
UPDATE – The first part of the contest may go further than the 20th. Remember, there are several ways to win, and you can enter as many times as you want. Need some bloggers to recommend? Use my blog roll!
First, I would like to thank Eisenbrauns for donating the $50 Gift Certificate. Second, if you are interested in Christian scholarship , ANE, the original languages, etc… Eisenbrauns has a great online presence, offering all sorts of deals. Also, follow them on Twitter and Facebook for daily, weekly and monthly deals.
Here are the rules.
You cannot recommend yourself, but if someone recommends your blog post, you are entered into the contest. You can have has many entries as people have recommended. If you win, you will get the $50 gift certificate; the person who recommends you, if your blog post wins, will receive a 25$ gift certificate. The entry portion of the contest will run from September 1 through September 20. On September 21st, people will start to vote with the voting ending September 30th. I will post links to the entries, and have readers vote. If there is a tie, I’ll extend the contest a bit.
It can be any post on any topic, even depravity, I reckon. No vulgarity, however.
Now, you can suggest any post from a blogger (dealing with the overarching theme of biblical studies and theology, speculative or operative. This portion is subject to change based on the quality and goal of the post. In other words, you cannot mention God in your post and except to be considered theological.) from anytime in their career. It could be a carnival post or a personal post or even a post about nothing.
Further, the person who nominates the winning post will receive a 25$ gift certificate. The second place blogger’s post will awarded a $25 gift certificate as well. Yes, if one blogger takes the top two spots… yes, 75$.
I know, I know, each of you would recommend every post I have, but alas, I am out of the running; however, other posts on this blog written by the other author’s shouldn’t be. Nor will I recommend any posts.
Post your entries here and please continue to do so. Bloggers, you may shamelessly plug this post with links to your recommended entries. That way, people can enter them for you. Trust me, do so. The more entries, the more chances to win.
What is this about? About sharing with you two resources. First, Eisenbrauns. Second, about sharing the wealth of good bloggers, and their posts which have either shaped something about you or helped you in some way with others.
Enjoy.
Update
When you post a link, it will be moderated, but I promise, I will get to it.
Eisenbrauns – Manager’s Special for June, Judaic Studies
Posted by Joel in Other Posts on June 3, 2010
Eisebrauns is a scholarly publishing house, which you may enjoy. Daily, they announce on Twitter sales (um, daily) as well as week-end and monthly. Today, they announced:
For the month of June, we are featuring selected titles from Center for Judaic Studies-University of Pennsylvania at discounts from 20-50% off retail price. Quantities are limited on some of these titles, and once they are gone they will be out-of-print.
You can find it here:
Eisenbrauns – Manager’s Special.
Eisenbrauns – May Manager’s Special
Stock up on summer reading at a great price! As the school year winds down, we’d like to offer you a chance to pick up some heavy summer reading at a light price. We are offering over 50 Eisenbrauns titles at discounts from 50-80% off retail price. We are also offering our international customers half-price shipping on your sale order.
Eisenbrauns – Manager’s Special.
They have some really good deals, so check it out if you can.
