Journal for the Study of the New Testament current issue

Absent Presences of Paul and Christ: Enargeia in 1 Thessalonians 1--3

Heath, J. M.F. — 2009-09-08

Paul is absent from Thessalonica; Christ is (in some sense) absent until his parousia; God is distant, invisible; the missionary visit lies in the past. But in the letter they receive from Paul, the Thessalonians find these manifold presences conjured under Paul’s pen and again made vivid. The following article studies this in the context of ancient discussion of enargeia. Although enargeia was never well systematized in antiquity, the term was frequent in diverse contexts for a range of interrelated phenomena connected with effects of vivid presence. Previously, scholarly discussion of ‘absent-presences’ in Paul has focused on Paul’s practice of making his own personal presence vivid to addressees, and this has been debated chiefly in the light of ancient epistolary theory. The introduction of enargeia opens the way for investigation of a wider range of ‘absent-presences’ and relationships between them, and places the discussion in a broader cultural setting. The aim is a theologically and historically richer exegesis of the epistle.

Paul's Caricature of his Chief Rival as a Pompous Parasite in 2 Corinthians 11.20

Welborn, L.L. — 2009-09-08

2 Corinthians 11.20 has received too little discussion in the literature on Paul’s opponents at Corinth, and, surprisingly, even less notice in recent research on patron—client relations in the Pauline communities. This article argues that 2 Cor. 11.20 depicts the leading figure among Paul’s apostolic rivals as an instance of a social type so familiar and loathsome that he was a favorite subject of ridicule in comedy, mime, and satire: the parasite, specifically, the ‘august parasite’ (µoo), who puts on airs and abuses his host and other guests. A composite portrait of this stock character is drawn from the comedies of Alexis, Antiphanes, Plautus and Terence, and from Lucian’s satirical defense of the parasitic art. Parallels to Paul’s vocabulary (oo, , µβ etc.) are traced in Greco-Roman comedies and satires. Paul’s satirical account of the behavior of a rival missionary in 2 Cor. 11.20 serves not only as a foil to Paul’s own modest conduct, but also functions as a reproach to the Corinthians for their complaisant response to the interloper. This hortatory function must be borne in mind as one seeks to comprehend the roles that Paul, his rival and the Corinthians play in the little scenario Paul has constructed.

The Invasion of a Mustard Seed: A Reading of Mark 5.1-20

Garroway, J. — 2009-09-08

This article reads Mark’s tale of the Gerasene demoniac as a narrative explication of the parables in the preceding chapter—particularly the mustard seed—in which the kingdom of God is described in light of the paradigmatic kingdom of the period, imperial Rome. The account portrays the violent destruction of Rome, achieved through synecdoche by the annihilation of an occupying ‘Legion’, as well as the peaceful infiltration of a new kingdom, achieved through mimesis in the second scene by the demoniac’s ‘invasion’ of a hostile crowd. In so doing, the passage both mimics and subverts standard ancient ideologies of kingdom and invasion.

Narrative Analysis as a Text Critical Tool: Mark 16 in Codex W as a Test Case

Shepherd, T. R. — 2009-09-08

In their description of the history of the transmission of the New Testament text, textual critics can use narrative analysis to elucidate the theological tendencies of narrative portions of an individual manuscript. The current article is an application of this methodology to the text of Mk 16.9-20 in Codex W. The article correlates the theological tendencies of this passage against the rest of the text of Mark in W with the outcome that there is reasonable evidence for a Tendenz focused on the cosmic power of Christ. This, in turn, correlates well with the triumph of the church over paganism in the fourth to fifth centuries CE when W was copied.

Making Fear Personal: Hebrews 5.11--6.12 and the Argument from Shame

Perry, P. S. — 2009-09-08

The author of Hebrews directly shames his audience in 5.11-12: ‘you have become oi in hearing ... you need someone to teach you ... You need milk not solid food’. Taking into account occurrences in other literature, oi in Heb. 5.11 and 6.12 is best translated as ‘unambitious’, connoting a shameful failure to recognize and act on advantages. Mapping the use of emotion in Hebrews with Aristotle’s definitions reveals that this direct shaming is unique and critical to the argument of the epistle. The hearers may dismiss warnings of God’s wrath as relevant to others but not themselves. Shame in 5.11—6.12 makes this fear personal.