Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Suspended Endings In Ancient Literature-A Context For The Evaluation Of The Ending Of Mark's Gospel, David Lewis

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

In response to this second, literary level argumentation, this paper will attempt to provide evidence which will support the view that Mark 16:1-8 can be properly interpreted on the literary level as the ending intended by the author. In addition, in response to the objection that the use of a sudden, unexpected, inconclusive ending (such as 16:8 would be) demonstrates a modern literary device which would be foreign to ancient authors, this paper will consider the endings of other ancient literary works and examine how these endings function in relationship to the narrative as a whole and to the expectations …

How Can The Ancient Greek Translations Of The Song Of The Suffering Servant, Michael Walther

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The ancient Greek Translations of The Song of the Suffering Servant 1n Isaiah 52.13-53.12 provide and interesting example of the way 1n which people of the past have struggled with difficult texts. This particular study draws from the septuagint (LXX) as well as the later Greek versions produced by Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus. Following a brief review of these four important Greek translations, I will examine the important variations and offer my conclusions regarding the meaning of the Song and the task of translation.

Feminism And The Major Female Characters Of Exodus, Scott Ashmon

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The scope of this thesis is feminist interpretations of the major female characters of Exodus: Shiphrah, Puah, Moses’ mother (Jochebed), Moses’ sister, Pharaoh’s daughter, Miriam, and Zipporah. I will demonstrate that feminists interpret the major female characters of Exodus in three general ways. First, some feminists interpret the major female characters of Exodus in proper contextual, grammatical fashion and end up with a more accurate portrayal of the women. For this thesis, the term “exegetical” will be the shorthand term for this type of interpretation. Second, other feminists interpret the major female characters in exegetical fashion, but then exaggerate the …

Literary Approaches To The Book Of Jonah, Thomas Engler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

"Kein Buch des Alten Testaments, abgesehen von den Psalmen, ist so oft erklart worden wie daskleine Buch Jona."1 It is even common to see disclaimers for one more book being written on Jonah. Hence the disclaimer that this investigation is not on the Book of Jonah per se, but falls into "the almost legendary category of analysis of analyses."2 That is, this investigation will not attempt to make an original literary analysis of the Book of Jonah. It will look at what others have discovered, analyze their purpose and methods, and seek to learn from them the contributions "literary approaches" …

The Enemies Of God's People-A Comparison Of Pauline And Jewish Exegesis, Charles Schulz

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

In light of the current re-evaluation of points of identity and divergence between Pauline Christianity and Judaism, this thesis presents a study of how each religion applied a single motif from the Psalter: the enemies of God's people. We start from the obvious common ground, the Old Testament shared by both Paul and the Jew as their sacred text. The work focuses on the unique opportunity afforded by the text of Romans 3:9-20, where Paul cites the Old Testament depiction of the wicked enemies. Next, we survey how apocalyptic and rabbinic Judaism developed and employed the enemy theme. Our conclusion …

Suffering And Eschatology In Light Of An Exegetical Study Of 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5, Richard Shields

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

This paper examines suffering in light of an exegetical study of 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5.According to rhetorical analysis the exordium includes 1:1-12, with three major parts: epistolary prescript (1: 1-2); thanksgiving (1:3-10); and intercessory prayer (1: 11-12).2 Thus, this text occurs near the beginning of Paul's introductory thanks giving. 3 Many commentators appear to rush through this section in anticipation of examining the heart of the letter, chapter2.Recently, deSilva, commenting on 1 Thessalonians, "proposes that the thanksgiving section [of 1 Thessalonians 1] functions as much more than a captatio benevolentiae ....Rather, it addresses a real concern for the congregation(s)." Even more …

The Function Of The Questions "How Long?" And "Why?" Addressed To God In The Lament Psalms, Robert Shreckhise

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The issue under consideration in this paper is the meaning and purpose of the questions How long? and Why? addressed directly to God in the lament psalms. The psalms which contain these questions are a subset of the larger body of psalms classified as laments or prayers for help. These particular question-psalms are comprised of nine individual laments, five community laments, one each of a kingly lament and an individual lament in behalf of the community. Of over one hundred and fifty questions in the entire Psalter, these psalms contain the majority of the questions addressed directly to God. The …

“Have You Never Read?” The Significance Of Old Testament Citations In The Plot Of Matthew’S Gospel, Carl M. Hanson

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The primary purpose of this thesis is to begin to make a narrative critical examination of the use of explicit Old Testament formula citations in Matthew as they relate to the plot of the story. As an introductory study into the problem, a number of skills will be developed in this study. One prerequisite will be to explore and develop a better understanding of the narrative critical method. This means gaining the skills necessary in using this method to analyze the question above. Ancillary to this will be to gain an appreciation for the study of plot in general, and …

Genesis 2:26, Michael G. M. Cornelius

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

On the eighth day, God sighed.

The noise rumbled through heaven and earth. The cherubim were silenced; the seraphim held their breath. Even the archangels ceased their endless activity to crane their necks and look about.

The earth trembled. Volcanos erupted, the great continental plates divided. The pools of celestial ooze stopped bubbling and crackling.

All angels, all creatures, all rocks and trees - even the land itself waited in breathless, awful anticipation.

Nothing happened.

A rock relaxed, falling off a mountain. The volcanos grew dormant. The cherubim laughed, softly, nervously, then began to sing again, a lullaby. The seraphim …

Ammon In The Hebrew Bible: A Textual Analysis And Archaeological Context Of Selected References To The Ammonites Of Transjordan, James Roger Fisher

Dissertations

The study of the Transjordanian Iron-Age (ca. 1200-550 BC) state of Ammon is important to students of the Bible because of the numerous references to the Ammonites (bene 'ammon) included in the historical and prophetic sections of the Hebrew canon. The book of Genesis traces the ancestry of the "Sons of Ammon" to an eponymous ancestor named Ben Ammi--son/grandson of Abraham's nephew Lot (Gen 39:17).

Chapter 1 points out how Ammon--though often ignored or slighted in studies up to the mid-20th century--increasingly receives scholarly attention. It also shows a need for applying the results of archaeological research to facilitate a …

'Speech Unhindered': A Study Of Irony In The Acts Of The Apostles, Alexander Lorne Damm

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis explores Classical irony in the Acts of the Apostles. Recent studies of irony in Luke-Acts do not focus much on the Classical concept, developing their argument rather on more recent understandings. Although building on this literature, this thesis is grounded in a Classical understanding of irony, applies this to Acts, and reflects on its significance for Luke-Acts as a whole. While contemporary writers often tend to understand irony as “incongruity between expectation and reality,” first century CE Greek speakers saw irony or eironeia as a person’s behaviour, specifically as “pretension” or posturing. This behaviour, always calculated, conveys a …

The Three Parts Of Babylon : Teaching A Historicist Interpretation Of The Leopardlike, Lamblike And Scarlet Beasts (Rev 13 And 16:19 As Reflected In Rev 17) Based Upon The Douglas Waterhouse Construct, William C. Taggart

Dissertations

Problem. In the field of religious education, a need exists for a broad teaching strategy through which the biblical three parts of Babylon (Rev 16:19) and the visual imagery of apocalyptic Babylon (Rev 13 and 17) might be taught effectively within the historicist tradition. This study was designed to present a teaching strategy based upon the historicist apocalyptic three-part construct developed principally by Douglas Waterhouse.

The Theoretical Organizing Principle of Geographic Relationships. The concept that helped guide and bring together this study was the understanding that Rev 17 is based on personification which were well known in the …

The Role Of The Holy Spirit In Biblical Interpretation: A Study In The Writings Of James I. Packer, Samuel Koranteng-Pipim

Dissertations

Evangelical scholars have forcefully articulated their views on the Holy Spirit's supernatural work in producing an inspired and authoritative Bible. Yet, comparatively little attention has been given to the Spirit's role in biblical interpretation. Two vital questions are prompted by this apparent indifference to the Spirit's work in interpretation: (1) Should the Evangelical doctrine of Scripture be rested on the deistic concept that the Holy Spirit, having inspired the Bible, departed and left the church alone to wrestle with the problems of interpretation? (2) If one admits that the Holy Spirit plays a part in the interpretative process, what is …

The Laws Of Clean And Unclean Animals Of Leviticus 11: Their Nature, Theology, And Rationale (An Intertextual Study), Jiří Moskala

Dissertations

The present dissertation attempts to fill the gap in Pentateuchal studies on the Mosiac dietary laws concerning clean and unclean animals by investigating the nature, theology, and rationale of the food regulations.

My study is divided into four chapters. After an introduction (where the problem of the topic, methodology, limits, purpose, and justification of the study are presented) chapter 1 deals with the chronological development of the interpretation of the laws of clean and uncle food. Chapter 2 reviews relevant explanations of these laws topically, analyzes them, and briefly evaluated the different approaches to the Pentateuchal dietary laws. Chapter 3 …

The Theology And The Function Of The Prayers In The Book Of Daniel, Paul Birch Petersen

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the theology and the function of the prayers in the Book of Daniel.

The introduction reviews the scholarly literature in regard to the prayers of the Old Testament in general and the prayers in the Book of Daniel in particular. Recent studies of prayers in the Old Testament have focused on their theological function in their final literary setting. They have also turned their attention to prayer as part of a process of communication, of a divine-human dialogue, and consequently this study is structured from the aspect of interpersonal relationships.

Chapter 1 deals with Daniel and his …