An exploration of Cyrus’s role and function in ancient Judean kingship discourse

In the second-century Protevangelium of James (henceforth PJ), Mary spins thread for a new temple veil. The episode has fascinated and perplexed both ancient and modern readers: Of all the jobs the author could have chosen for the protagonist, why this one? Scholars of PJ frame the significance of Mary’s work in a variety of ways. Some argue t…[Read more]

This syllabus is for a senior-level biblical archaeology course taught at Ferrum College (VA) in fall of 2016.

In the Synoptic accounts of the transfiguration (Matt 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36), Moses and Elijah appear to Jesus and the disciples. One of the more common interpretations of their presence in this scene is that together they symbolize “the law and the prophets.” But from a canonical/narrative perspective, the situation is more complex tha…[Read more]

This chapter examines apocalyptic literature within the framework of “early Jewish mysticism” and compares early Jewish and Christian apocalyptic writings with rabbinic and Hekhalot materials. It begins by focusing on apocalyptic literature and the discourse of “mysticism” in religious studies before turning to continuity and rupture in the Jew…[Read more]

In his children’s book The Polar Express (1985), Chris Van Allsburg tells the story of a boy who travels to the North Pole and receives a bell from Santa’s sleigh. The sound of the bell nourishes the boy’s belief in Santa into adulthood. Van Allsburg’s narrative plays off a theme central to the Gospel of John: the relationship between hearing…[Read more]

The poetry of Micah’s oracle of doom (Mic 1:8-16) combines two undeniable motifs, the motif of the lament and that of geography. The latter motif is not well understood due to the obscurity of the place names found in vv. 10a-12b. A careful study of the oracle’s geographical con-text, however, will lead to a more precise understanding of the top…[Read more]

An exploration of the Hebrew Bible’s prophetic literature vis-à-vis Science Fiction and Science Fiction theory

The author of Joseph and Aseneth writes a lengthy narrative about Aseneth’s conversion, thereby providing a justification for Joseph’s marriage to an Egyptian woman. The author explicitly connects her seven-day period of withdrawal to creation, thus portraying her conversion as a divinely wrought new creation. In addition, her eight-day con…[Read more]

This article seeks to determine the Pentateuchal background for Jesus’s arguments regarding the resurrection of the dead.

Paul’s identification of Christ with the rock that provided water to Israel in the wilderness has confounded interpreters. This article seeks to demonstrate that Paul depends upon a tradition within early Jewish thinking, as evidenced in poetic works such as Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 78, and Psalm 95, which linked Israel’s God to this rock. Des…[Read more]

One of the more heated lexical debates in LXX studies surrounds the meaning of the Greek term proselutos. Yet the only thorough examination of the word in the LXX is W.C. Allen’s 1894 article, “On the Meaning of proselutos in the Septuagint,” which argues that the LXX translators distinguish carefully between two different uses of ger in the Hebre…[Read more]

Matthew’s use of (kata)luō in Matt 5:17-20 needs to be understood in light of other occurrences of these words in Jewish literature. This paper focuses on two historical events around which these words cluster: the Antiochan persecution and the destruction of the Temple. Since Jewish literature characterizes the Hellenizers of the Maccabean pe…[Read more]

In Luke 2:22 Luke attributes parturient impurity to both Mary and Jesus (and/or Joseph). Interpreters have often concluded that this verse demonstrates that Luke misunderstands the levitical legislation pertaining to childbirth impurity (Leviticus 12), which discusses only the impurity of the new mother. This article argues that, despite the…[Read more]

This article reassesses the textual evidence for Genesis 17:14.

In spite of the genealogical exclusion of non-Israelites evidenced throughout Ezra-Nehemiah, numerous scholars find strategies of inclusivism within the work. In particular, Ezra 6.19-21 and Neh. 10.29-30 have been understood to envision the incorporation of outsiders into the Golah group. After surveying the evidence for exclusivism in…[Read more]

Since the author of Hebrews locates his readers in Israel’s wilderness period in Heb 3.1-4.11 and 11.8-39, the discussion of paideia in 12.5-13 should be interpreted in light of early Jewish conceptions of Israel’s time in the wilderness. Confirmation that this is the correct context in which to understand 12.5-13 will be found in Deuteronomy, Wis…[Read more]

It has been argued that the fragment 4Q372 1 contains polemic against the Samaritans and their temple cult at Gerizim. While allusions to Samaritans are found in the text, their presence signifies to the restored southern tribes that their restoration is not yet complete. Since the northern tribes, represented by the person of Joseph, remain in…[Read more]

This paper argues that the letter to the Hebrews renarrates Israel’s history as an extended exodus which comes to an end as a result of Christ’s high priesthood. According to the author, the promise of rest in Psalm 95 demonstrates that Joshua was unable to lead Israel into God’s promised rest. Based on this exegetical key, the author rerea…[Read more]

This article is a form-critical analysis of the Song of Moses.