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The Relationship Between Psalm 22 And The Passion Narrative, Harvey D. Lange

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author suggests that Jesus' use of Ps. 22 in His cry of dereliction from the cross is best understood as an example of typological rather than rectilinear fulfillment of an Old Testament word.

New And Old In Mark 16:1-8, Robert H. Smith

Concordia Theological Monthly

One of the most difficult pericopes in the New Testament is the Easter Gospel, Mark 16:1-8, because it reports no appearance of the risen Lord, and ends with the strange words, " ... and they said nothing co any one, for they were afraid." In this article, the author summarizes and evaluates the chief solutions chat have been proposed, and then offers his own solution. On the basis of his study of the message of the Gospel and of other pertinent Biblical materials, he finds that the conclusion reflects a real appreciation of the joyful Gospel message. He also argues …

Yahweh Faithful And Free-A Study In Ezekiel, Ralph W. Klein

Concordia Theological Monthly

This study in Ezekiel shows how an Old Testament prophet, known for his somewhat bizarre symbolism, communicated to God's covenant people in the early exilic period the good news that Yahweh is indeed faithful to His covenant, yet at the same time sovereignly free.

Fact And Image In The Shepherd Psalm, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

This two-part study of the much-read Shepherd Psalm offers a fresh literal interpretation of the psalm and points to possible theological applications today that take their cue from Luther's interpretation of the psalm.

The Message Of Chronicles: Rally 'Round The Temple, Roddy L. Braun

Concordia Theological Monthly

Often neglected by casual Bible readers as well as Biblical scholars, the books of Chronicles offer an important theological interpretation of Israel's history. The author delineates the Chronicler's perspective and compares it with that of the Deuteronomic History.

1 And 2 Maccabees-Same Story, Different Meaning, George W. Nickelsburg

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author sketches briefly the History of Israel two centuries before Christ and indicates the varied viewpoints toward and interpretations of that history that are recorded in the books of First and Second Maccabees.

The Theology Of Acts, Robert H. Smith

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author argues that Luke-Acts must be read as a single work in two volumes, whose author is a brilliant theologian. Acts 28:17-31 provides a window through which the reader can begin to penetrate and to ponder the theological message of Luke-Acts.

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians Part Four, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

This fourth and final study in the Letter to the Ephesians depicts the scope of God's secret plan for the universe. It follows the previous expositions of the content and implementation of the divine mystery as well as the opposition to God's purpose of restoring the universe by gathering up all things under the lordship of Christ.

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians Part Three, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Our first study in Ephesians in the present series dealt with the content of God's eternal plan of redemption. The second study was devoted to the implementation of the mystery of God's will. In this third part we must turn to a consideration of the opposition to what Luther called the "good and gracious will of God."

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians Part Two, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

In our previous study we attempted to depict the content of God's secret plan and the structure of what we chose to call the overture to Ephesians (1:3-14). We noted how the opening verses of this epistle anchored the "mystery of God's will" in Christ as the manifestation of the divine purpose at work in history. We referred to this intent as a "secret," partly because there was a time at which the final purpose of God's activity had not yet been revealed. Now it is an open secret. It was made known first to the apostles and then, by …

Introducing The Apocalyptic Visions Of Daniel 7, Norman C. Habel

Concordia Theological Monthly

The term "apocalyptic" has come to be used as a broad designation for a particular kind of literature and mode of thinking that was clearly distinguishable by the second century B. C. Rev. 1:1 uses the noun apokalypsis to define the hidden revelation communicated to John through special visions. This essay employs the term apocalyptic in the broad sense indicated above. The characteristics of apocalyptic will be defined in general terms below. The purpose of this essay is to introduce the reader to the distinctive apocalyptic thinking of the writer of Daniel 7 whose "one like a son of man" …

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Verse 9 of chapter 1 of Ephesians provides a good general tide to highlight one basic theological emphasis of the letter. There the Greek, literally translated, makes reference to "the mystery of His will." The Revised Standard Version in this case retains just that wording from the Authorized Version.

The Day Of The Lord, Ralph W. Klein

Concordia Theological Monthly

What does it mean for Yahweh to have a day? Sigmund Mowinckel saw it as a day of manifestation or epiphany at the New Year's festival, including the celebration of Yahweh's kingship and His saving acts for His people. The eschatological day of Yahweh is only the final and supreme day of Yahweh's enthronement, entirely secondary to His cult day.

The Shape Of Hope: Jeremiah's Book Of Consolation, Theodore M. Ludwig

Concordia Theological Monthly

The question of the presence or absence of eschatological ideas in the prophetic writings has been debated for years, with scholars defending both positions. The question is problematic because of the difficulty of defining "eschatology" in a way that will do justice to the prophetic material. If understood strictly as a cosmic cataclysm, as a suprahistorical return to chaos followed by cosmogony, or even as the end of the present order and the beginning of a radically different order, eschatology cannot be said to have a central place in the utterances of the preexilic and exilic prophets.

Ezekiel 28 And The Fall Of The First Man, Norman C. Habel

Concordia Theological Monthly

In the light of recent discussions on the Fall narrative of Genesis 3, the text of Ezek. 28:1-19 has come in for considerable comment. A separate treatment of Ezek. 28:11-19 therefore seems appropriate. In this study we shall analyze the basic message of Ezek. 28:11-19 and indicate the importance of the tradition of the fall of the first man reflected in this passage from Ezekiel.

History And Theology In The Writings Of The Chronicler, Peter R. Ackroyd

Concordia Theological Monthly

It would seem as if the Greek title of the two books of Chronicles, Ta Paraleipomena (“The things omitted") has left a certain legacy of doubt about the value of the work of the Chronicler. In liturgical use as well as in reconstructions of the history, particularly those of a more conservative kind, the tendency has often been for passages from 1 and 2 Chronicles to be inserted or utilized at what appear to be appropriate places when Samuel and Kings are being read or the history of that period is being surveyed, by way of supplementing the material covered …

Postscript To The Markan Secrecy Motif, Frederick W. Danker

Concordia Theological Monthly

In his penetrating article "'The Ending of Mark and the Gospel's Shift in Eschatology" Herman Waetjen argues for the original termination at Mark 16:8: Throughout the gospel Jesus has been the hidden Messiah. In exorcisms he has forbidden the demons to speak. Those who were cured by him in Galilee were ordered not to mention a word of it to anyone. No one was to know until the Son of Man was glorified and the Kingdom had come in power (9:1). Now, finally, the command is given, "Go and tell." But the women said nothing to anyone, for they were …

Mark 1:45 And The Secrecy Motif, Frederick W. Danker

Concordia Theological Monthly

The concluding verse of Mark’s pericope of the healing of the leper (1:40-45) contains two challenging problems.

Creation And Salvation: A Study Of Genesis 1 And 2, Walter Wegner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The purpose of this study is to highlight the soteriological significance of the Genesis creation accounts. The fourth gospel preserves our Lord's statement about the Old Testament Scriptures in which He declares that they '"bear witness to Me" (John 5:39). The pages of this article reflect the conviction that this declaration of Jesus, which applies to the Old Testament as a whole, is fully applicable also to the creation chapters of Genesis.

Logical Terminology In The Epistles To The Hebrews, Wilhelm C. Linss

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is usually recognized that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is presenting an argument for the superiority of Christianity to the religion of the Old Covenant and that he bases this argument on the comparison of the Son of God with the angels and with Moses, on the comparison of the new high priest with the priests of old, and on the comparison of the sanctuary and the sacrifice of the New Covenant with those of the Old. It is furthermore agreed that he uses means of rhetoric to get his point across. Thus Michel says: "In …

Genesis Three In The Light Of Key Hermeneutical Considerations, Ralph D. Gehrke

Concordia Theological Monthly

Though the Greek word έϱμηνεύειν has three main shadings (to state, to expound, and to translate) , the basic idea underlying all three meanings is "to mediate understanding."

The Creation Account Of Genesis: Guidelines For An Interpretation, Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

This paper addresses itself to the problem of how to read correctly what two books have to say on the same subject matter.

In both of them God speaks to us of what He has done. Since He does not contradict Himself, what He says in one book must be found to be in accord with what He proclaims in the other.

The two books of God are Holy Scripture and the book of nature. Both have something to say to us about the topic of creation.

The Church In God's Eternal Plan: A Study In Ephesians 1:1-14, Victor A. Bartling

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Church was in the world long before our days. It existed in Ephesus before Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians. Essentially the church, like Christ, never changes. Its foundation, its goals, its means and resources, its message to men always remain the same. But since the church is made up of men, it necessarily reflects, in its historical manifestations, the social and cultural aspects of its historical environments. Within these environments, however, it must function according to God's unchanging design. There is always the temptation that the church may so much lose itself in its own given historical …

The Law-Gospel Tension In Jeremiah, Theodore M. Ludwig

Concordia Theological Monthly

The relationship between judgment and grace is a basic question in Biblical interpretation. God's fierce judgment and His unconditional grace stand side by side in the Biblical testimony, and on unresolved tension exists between these two aspects of God's self-disclosure. The tendency among Bible scholars today is to try to resolve this tension by building a "bridge" between judgment and grace, by some theological interpretation which demonstrates that God's judgment on His people leads directly to their salvation. In the study of the Book of Jeremiah the tension is commonly resolved by the idea of God's judgment as a disciplinary …

Deuteronomy 18 - God's Chosen People, Norman C. Habel

Concordia Theological Monthly

A survey of the periodical literature of the past 25 years reveals that Deut. 18 has neither been the object of close scrutiny nor the focal point of any significant controversies in the scholarly world. While some scholars may consider the designation of Moses as a נֽכִֽיא {prophet) in Deut. 18:15 an anachronism, the pertinence of this passage for an appreciation of the prophetic movement of the Old Testament cannot be ignored. Nor can we avoid coming to grips with the New Testament allusions to the pericope under discussion. We shall attempt, within the brief scope of this essay, to …

An Approach To The Exegesis Of John 10:34-36, Richard Jungkuntz

Concordia Theological Monthly

In the interpretation of John 10:34-36 commentators have generally assumed that behind Jesus' words lies the intent by means of unanswerable formal argumentation to refute or at least to silence His opponents, the Pharisees, who have charged Him with blasphemy for claiming to be divine. A corollary of this assumption is the view that the statement "Scripture cannot be broken" means no more than "Scripture's statements are incontrovertible; if Scripture says something, that something is a fact." Acceptable as such a proposition in itself may be to Christian readers today, as well as to a Palestinian audience in Jesus' day, …

A Study Of Ecclesiastes, A. F. Rainey

Concordia Theological Monthly

Among the books of the Bible Qoheleth has the distinction of being the most distrusted by the pious but best liked by the skeptic. It is disturbing to acknowledge that a sacred book has pleased the agnostic or the pessimist more than it has edified the saint. The range of opinion regarding origin and purpose of the book is vast. Indeed, to recount and evaluate even the major theories would require a separate study. The following is an attempt to present only one interpretation of Qoheleth and his world.

Ministry And Life In The Seven Churches, Arthur C. Repp

Concordia Theological Monthly

The book of Revelation, the great Apocalypse of our Lord, is a record of what Jesus Christ showed His servant John, a record of "what must soon take place." In a series of ever-expanding visions Saint John the Divine is given to see the final and complete victory of Jesus Christ and His church. Though in the ages to come the powers of hell will appear to prevail through persecutions, famines, imprisonment, death, and destruction, Jesus Christ will nonetheless emerge in complete triumph on the Day of days as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Deisidaimonia, A Footnote To Acts 17:22, H. Armin Moellering

Concordia Theological Monthly

What does St. Paul mean when he calls the Athenians δεισιδαιμονεσ-τέϱουζ in Acts 17:22? In order to understand the interpretative problem and to arrive at a reasoned conclusion, one must know something of the history of the term δεισιδαιμονια.

Investment For Eternity A Study Of Luke 16:1-13, Richard R. Caemmerer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Pastors are sometimes dismayed at the multiplicity of their duties. The burden lies not in their number but in the difficulty with which many of them seem to relate to the ministry of the Word and the one thing needful. The task which threatens this relevance most seriously is the fostering of Christian giving, or as it is called secularly, fund raising. The effort to supply Christian motivation through familiar terms like "stewardship" and "liberality" becomes wearing to pastors and people the kingdom of God, or of the Holy Spirit alike. Yet the need of "raising money" does not slacken.