de Angelo Cunha, Wilson

Leiden University

“The Reception of MT Isaiah 24:14-16 in LXX Isaiah 24:14-16”

MT Isaiah 24:14-16 has several difficulties with one commentator deeming it “exceedingly obscure and uncertain.”  One of its main problems is the proclamation of judgment by an “I” statement in 16b in relation to the praise of Yahweh by an unidentified “they” in 14-15. The presence of “praise” and “judgment” in the same text is difficult to explain: how should they be reconciled? Scholars usually explain 14-16 in terms of a “prophetic disputation pattern”  “which challenges an assertion made by the prophet’s opponents and then presents the prophet’s counterassertion together with a different interpretation of the situation at hand.”  In this view, the “I” statement in 16b represents the assertion of the prophet against the “precipitated” praise of his opponents in 14-15.

Against the position above, this paper will argue for a different reading of MT Isa 24:14-16, based on LXX Isa 24:14-16. In order to do so, this paper will, first, attempt to establish the meaning of MT Isa 24:14-16.  Second, a comparison between MT and LXX Isa 24:14-16 will be carried out to ascertain how LXX relates to MT.  Third, LXX 24:14-16 will be read in its own right to see if it represents a coherent text in its literary context. And, forth, this paper will present a summary discussing how LXX Isa 24:14-16 points to ways of reading MT Isa 24:14-16 anew.

Barnett, Audrey

Trinity College Dublin

“The History of the Development of the War Oracle”

 The practice of flinging curses and pronouncing oracles against the enemy was an important part of the preparation and execution of warfare helping to sustain the resolve of the fighting troops. I will present, in this paper, the idea that the initial curse and taunt hurled at the enemy on Israel’s ancient battlefield underwent a subsequent development to give rise to the eighth century BCE Oracles Against the Nations in Amos 1:3-2:16. A possible progression can be traced from the biblical text, namely, from curse/taunt, to war oracle, to judgment speech, to Amos’ foreign nation oracles.

Bonnici, Pierre

University of Malta

“Text, artefact and the brief dark period of ancient Judah: 586 to 538 BC”

In my paper I want to show that the notion that a lot of people have about Judah “lying desolate” during the so called ‘exilic’ period is a mistaken one. This notion is unfortunately rooted in the opinion of a number of 19th century scholars. During the sixth century B.C. there was a lot of movement and change going on in Judah; there was the movement of people from Judah to Babylon (these were the people that were taken into exile by the Babylonians). We also have the movement from the city of Jerusalem to the centre at Mizpah with Judah being transformed from a Judaean state into a Neo-Babylonian one. People were still living in the land of Judah and this can be supported both by archaeological and biblical evidence. So who were the exiles that are given so much prominence in the Bible? And how may Judaeans were exiled to Babylon? Where did the remaining Judaeans settle down in the newly founded Babylonian province of Judah? Why was this province set up? These are the questions that I will try to answer with respect to the events linked with the exile of Judah by making references to texts written at the time and also to archaeology.

Carroll, Claire Elizabeth

Trinity College Dublin

“Recent Encounters with Jeremiah: Acknowledging Bifurcated Criticism”

This paper is related to a brief survey I completed recently of developments in the critical landscape of Jeremiah Studies over the twelve years since Robert Carroll's "Surplus Meaning and the Conflict of Interpretations: A Dodecade of Jeremiah Studies" was published in 1996. In that survey I put forward a dialectic model of the field, all engagements with Jeremiah taking place within the tension between absolute order and absolute chaos. My recent work has attempted to further understand the nature the paradigm shift in approaches to Jeremiah since Perdue's "The Collapse of History" announced the end of the hegemony of Historical Criticism, this present paper then may be able to offer some interesting observations on possible future directions in this area.

The presentation itself will attempt to demonstrate that our current diverse and predominantly bifurcated approaches to Jeremiah arise not from external unrelated 21st century trends but very much out of the troubling nature of the scriptural material itself. To this end I hope to touch upon several areas of particular interest. The structure and impact of the Lament/Confession chapters, characterisations of female elements within the text, the tandem presence of a chaotic void and negotiations of meaning, simultaneous articulations of suffering and hope, and the apparent privileging of disorder, are among the topics I hope to address.

Cousins, Francis

Durham University

“Reading Luke 16:14-31 Through the Lens of Midrash”

Jacob Neusner has remarked that “those interested in earliest Christianity will find [in the midrashim] the way not taken.”  The canonical midrash grew into its final form during the first seven centuries of the Common Era.  The resultant texts provide a key insight to the teaching of the rabbis of the time, and earlier.  The focus of this paper is to examine how an understanding of midrash can illuminate a reading of the Luke, specifically the parable of Dives and Lazarus (16:14-31).  Scholars have for a long time queried the composition of Luke 16:14-18, unable to find a unity.  By reading this pericope, and the parable which follows, through the lens of midrash one begins to gain an insight into how the evangelist structures this passage.  The keyword is ‘abomination’, which in the Jewish Scriptures is used to condemn immoral financial dealings (Deut 25:16), a man who marries a woman he has previously divorced (Deut 24:4) and sham outward worship (Isa 1:13; 66:3).  This same grouping is also found in the Qumran texts (CD 4:14-21).  Using the second Rule of Hillel, G'zerah Shavah, Luke weaves these ideas into his narrative, using them to condemn the Pharisees and to affirm the continuing validity of Torah. Reading the pericope through the lens of midrash leads to fuller understanding.  The Jewish exegetical method shows that the Pharisees, with whom Jesus is in conflict, are condemned not only for their wealth, but also for their attitude toward divorce and their sham outward worship.

Haar, Miriam

Irish School of Ecumenics

“Interpreting Together and Receiving New Testament Concepts of Apostolicity”

In post-Reformation times, the debate on apostolicity was often limited to the contentious tenet of apostolic succession. However, the writings of the New Testament offer a wider understanding of apostolicity. Thus, examining the NT notions of apostle in order to develop a wider understanding of apostolicity which goes beyond apostolic succession has been a constant endeavour of ecumenical theology. 

This paper critically analyses the interpretation and reception of NT notions of apostle in recent ecumenical statements and evaluates whether they reflect the complexity of this notion. Therefore, this paper asks how NT notions of apostle are used in ecumenical documents, by examining, for example, whether an older style of using Scripture as the source of proof-texts has been avoided and whether these NT notions are allowed to speak for themselves. Furthermore, it explores how the dialogue participants engage with the background of the terms apostolos and apostellein in Greek and Hebrew usage, with the dynamic development of the notions of apostle within the NT itself, as well as with the wide diversity of apostles in first-century Christianity, paying special attention to the implicit or underlying hermeneutical ‘Vorverständnis’ [preconception; prior understanding] of the various dialogue partners. A consideration of the hermeneutical ‘Vorverständnis’ is of special importance in order to identify how the hermeneutical preconceptions of different church traditions might shape their understanding of NT notions of apostle.

The final chapter offers suggestions for a wider reception of NT concepts of apostolicity where shortcomings in the interpretation of apostolicity have been identified.

Hom, Mary Katherine

University of Cambridge

“Sea Level and the Sealanders: A Study in Interdisciplinary Methodology”

‘No arm of the sea has been or is of greater interest alike to the geologist and archaeologist, the historian and geographer, the merchant, the statesman and the student of strategy than the inland water known as the Persian Gulf.’ –Sir Arnold T. Wilson

In appreciating the historical realia of the biblical period and the ways in which humans and the environment may influence each other, this paper seeks to determine whether J. A. Brinkman’s concluding suggestion in his ‘Meerland’ Reallexikon der Assyriologie (RLA) article can be sustained—namely, that the high points of Sealand power throughout history are related to the sea level of the Persian Gulf. Addressing this enquiry leads to a second, and more essential, guiding question in this paper: In what ways might science and biblical studies fruitfully and with intellectual integrity inform one another? What might be some caveats, limitations, and potentials we should be aware of? We will begin to consider the answers to these questions by way of negative and positive examples as we explore the contributions and methodologies of scholars from a variety of disciplines investigating the matter of Persian Gulf sea level and/or the peoples who might have been immediately affected by it. Ultimately, we will return to the question of Brinkman’s suggestion regarding the Sealanders and sea level, and offer a provisional evaluation of the matter.

Jones, Kile

Boston University

“Moulton's Zoroastrianism”

Zoroaster taught nothing about God which a Christian would not endorse and much that a Christian should add. James Hope Moulton, a Wesleyan minister and missionary, wrote these words after spending numerous years studying Zoroastrianism in India.  For Moulton, Zoroastrianism interested him by its unique connection with the Judeo-Christian worldview, especially its heritage as an ancient monotheism.  Moulton would eventually come to conclude that Zoroastrianism had the very foundation as its western counterparts, and much of its doctrinal infrastructure.  Was he correct in his assessment, or was he mislead?  How do the teachings of Zoroaster compare with the teachings of Jesus, or better put, the Zoroastrian system with Christianity?  Comparing these religions to one another in their views of God, humanity, and the future should aid in our discovery of the veracity or falsity of Moulton's claims.

Matassa, Lidia

Trinity College Dublin

“Is the Identification of a Synagogue at Masada Wishful Thinking?”

In this paper I shall address the rationale behind the identification of Locus 1042 on the Masada Plateau as a synagogue and the reasons I think this identification is unsafe.

McCann, Jason

Trinity College Dublin

““Temple Upon the Waters” the Genesis Flood Narrative”

By discussing the specific linguistic traits, themes and vocabulary of the Genesis Flood Narrative we shall attempt to demonstrate that it is highly probable that the cultural influences which informed and shaped the final redaction of Gen. 6-9 were much wider than have heretofore been assumed. Presuming the Biblical Flood Narrative is not a work of complete literary invention, the numerous Mesopotamian, Ugaritic and Egyptian parallels leave the student with a number of lacunae which may prove to be explained by more distant cultural influences proliferating through Syria-Palestine at the end of the Bronze and beginning of the Iron Ages. The classical image of Israelite civilisation as a figure standing with its back to the sea has acted to obscure the impact that Mediterranean ideas have had upon the development of Israel's mythology and consequently its written record. This study, therefore, is an attempt to explore the parallels that are evident within the Flood Narrative and Greek myth and culture. The nominal presence of a Titan in the ark of gopher wood is indicative of a more substantial presence of Greek or Eastern Mediterranean ideas and mythology subsumed into the narration of the great flood. Thus with a specific examination of the role of Thebes of Boeotia and its mythical monarch, Ogyges, we may be able to perceive the origin of the Gen. 6-9 connection of the ark with the ideology of temple and cult in later Israel.

Michalak, Aleksander

Trinity College Dublin

“Angels in the Apocalypses”

This paper concerns the epiphanies of the angels in the 2 Maccabees (2 Macc 3:25ff.; 10:29; 11:8). We intend to indicate two possible traces
of the angelic notions that are present in this book. We suppose that they encompass development of the Jewish belief in the host of heaven
and commander of the celestial armies as well as the conceptions of the military epiphanies of Hellenistic deities or heroes. Additionally, we would like to briefly highlight the general common belief in the warlike angels in the Second Temple period. In order to indicate this we will refer to the Jewish sources of the various origin (Dead Sea Scrolls, Pseudo-Philo, New Testament etc.) that present the angels as the military figures.
 

Moffat, Donald

Otago University

“Ezra's Tent Peg”

In his penitential prayer about the mixed marriages Ezra describes God’s graciousness to the remnant using the metaphor of a tent peg (Ezra 9:8). Translations and commentators that interpret the metaphor regard it as a reference to security. Four situations have been proposed as background for understanding the metaphor. The most likely and productive are prophetic metaphors of the tent peg. However, the prophetic metaphors carry more than the concept of security. Underlying all the metaphors is the impermanence of the peg, its vulnerability. The tent peg metaphor in Ezra carries both the concept of security and that of impermanence and vulnerability. The penitential prayer voices the fear that the community’s failure will lead to its destruction. The metaphor is entirely congruent with the tenor to the prayer. The remnant have a firm but vulnerable position in Yehud. Interpretations that focus on the tent peg as security are too narrow and draw selectively from the prophetic usage. Both sides of the metaphor need to be recognised with equal weight. On this basis translations need to either maintain the metaphor or interpret it in a way that reflects the breadth of its meaning.

Pak, Mohammad

University of Tehran

“Comparative Research in Prophecy and Moral Law in the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean”

The fundamentals of moral law in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism is united and confirmed through prophecy.  Moral law is an important religious problem in the medieval period.  These thinkers (especially British philosophy) established their political and ethical theories upon moral law.  The Quran and the bible are both important sources for understanding both prophecy and moral law as reflected in these religions.

Pietrzyk, Marcin

Jagiellonian University, Krakow

“Madaba and Mount Nebo in the Context of Biblical Vision of the Promised Land”

This article shows a part of biblical history and Byzantine cultural heritage in the present Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Central point of the analysis is a biblical meaning of Mount Nebo and roots of conception of the Promised Land. Except from biblical roots of Mount Nebo in Jordan the attention is paid also to the mosaic Map of Palestine in St. George church dated from 6th century in Madaba as an important element of the mentioned vision of the Promised Land. It describes contemporary geography of the Holy Land. The mosaic map was of mainly religious importance in the past but at present it helps to identify many places that have been hidden until now. Cultural Park in Madaba also will be mentioned in this study in the context of tourism attraction which maintains forgotten part of the Biblical heritage.

Shafer-Elliott, Cynthia

University of Sheffield

“Gender and Syro-Palestinian Archaeology: A Post Feminist Perspective”

Gender archaeology has evolved within the last two to three decades from a backwater soapbox for feminists to a recognized discipline within the greater archaeology community.  Many female, and some male archaeologists in various subfields of archaeology have found a voice in gender archaeology while helping the forgotten women of the past be heard. Regardless of the good it has done, gender archaeology needs to be critically evaluated like any other archaeological theory. Approaches to archaeology call us, rather requires us, to examine the methods one chooses to use in research, even if the method is one that is generally supported by the postmodern theory itself, such as gender.  The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not Syro-Palestinian archaeology can be engendered, even from a post feminist perspective.  I will begin by providing a brief description of what gender archaeology is, how one “does” gender archaeology, the pros and cons of such an approach, followed by my present conclusion.

Silverman, Jason

Trinity College Dublin

“Mythic Geography in 1 Enoch 77 and Royal Iranian Ideology”

Following Milik's publication of the Enochic Qumran fragments, several scholars have followed his suggestion that the abbreviated geography in the Book of Luminaries 77 is based on the so-called 'Babylonian World Map.' This paper critiques that view and instead posits that a better context for part of the geography might be found in official Achaemenid royal ideology and the traditional Iranian conception of karšvars, or the traditional idea of a seven-part earth. From this are drawn several observations on the context of late Persian and early Hellenistic scholarship.

Strine, C.A.

University of Oxford

“Is there a Bull Standing behind the Lion? The Ugaritic Background for the Divine Oath in the Book of Amos”

The book of Amos, perhaps the earliest vestige of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, is constructed against the backdrop of religious and social interaction between Israelite and Canaanite culture. Amos’ use of marzeah festival imagery, which lies behind Amos 4:1-3 and 6:1-7, is an exemplar of this phenomenon. A feature previously unconnected to this context is the divine oath (Amos 4:2, 6:8, 8:7). However, ancient Near Eastern textual evidence suggests YHWH’s oaths in Amos can and should be understood in connection with accounts of El swearing in Ugaritic literature (KTU 1.17). This connection is supported by both external evidence, though a comparison with Ugaritic texts, and also internal evidence, via the Canaanite influences already known in Amos. More than merely substantiating that Amos intended to exploit this background, investigation shows that where the Bull, El, swore to bless, YHWH, pictured as a roaring lion, inverts this dynamic and swears to exile Israel for its failures. Based upon this enhanced understanding of the divine oath, its tight integration into the larger context becomes clear (Amos 4:1-13, 6:1-10). Amongst these broader units, the divine oath contributes to understanding the marzeah festival.

Finally, the literary arrangement of Amos suggests the divine oath may be connected to Amos’ attempts to intercede (Amos 7:2, 5). The relevant Ugaritic texts also suggest a relationship between these two features. Thus, the paper will investigate how Amos elucidates the role of prophetic intercession, which to date appears unique to Israel amid the ancient Near East.

Sturm, Katherine

Irish School of Ecumenics

“Reserved For Fire: The End Times Documentary and its vision for the future”

In this paper, I will argue that Dispensationalist "End Times" documentaries engage contemporary culture through the lens of their literal interpretation of scripture.  I will further argue that this interpretation of current events also colours their reception of the prophetic texts. Images of nuclear war and devastation, capitalisation on economic worry, and creative use of military stock footage are the exclamation points of these films.  This genre of film indicates a highly particular reception of the prophetic texts of both Old and New Testaments, which depends heavily on a theological framework of pre-millennial dispensationalism.

Further, I will argue that these documentaries glorify an Evangelical worldview grounded in notions of United States superiority and isolationism.  I will also argue that the films create hostility towards dissidents and emphasize a plan for salvation that excludes a majority of worldwide Christendom and Biblical scholars.

To do this, I will engage the imagery, music, and interviews in these documentaries, with an aim to explore metaphor, persuasive technique, and academic engagement.  Further, in examining the imagery, I will analyse the stock footage chosen for the purposes of conveying social prejudice, misinformation, and United States-specific political agendas.  In conclusion, I will argue that these films regarding the 'end times' are not strictly speaking 'documentaries' which serve to document reality as it has occurred in the past or is occurring in the present, but rather hypothesize the reality of the future in a method that blends journalistic footage with dramatised conjectures regarding the end of the world.

Tschopp, Trisha

Hebrew College

“Reconsidering Jacob: a Gendered Approach to Genesis”

Genesis 25 is traditionally viewed as an eponymous narrative, representing the complicated relationship and rivalry between Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom/Rome). Using this interpretation, ethical dilemmas arise regarding Jacob manipulating the transfer of Esau's birthright to himself—without specific Divine instruction or intervention. Although the primarily aim of this article is not necessarily to resolve these ethical dilemmas, I would like to propose an alternative reading of the text which may assist in inadvertently absolving Jacob from these transgressions. Through an attempt to contextualize the passage by comparing similar Biblical accounts, Ancient Near Eastern customs, and literary technique, I believe that Jacob functions as the primary female character within the story, especially in comparison with his/her counterpart, Esau. It is precisely this female role which justifies trickery or an exploitation of weakness as an acceptable method of gaining power or position.

Watson, Murray

Trinity College Dublin

“Standing Alone: The Treatment of Greek Hapax Legomena in Modern English and French New Testaments”

Hapax legomena (terms occurring only once in a body of text) offer a particular challenge to translators. How are they to be properly understood--and what is the appropriate way to render their rarity in a vernacular translation? This paper will examine how contemporary French Biblical translations have approached this difficult question in terms of the Greek New Testament, and will offer some suggestions for future translations.