The Book of Hebrews has been interpreted from at least three religion historical angles: the Gnostic interpretation, the platonic/Philonic interpretation, and the apocalyptic interpretation. Since 1970, however, the apocalyptic interpretation is strongly favored. A study of the understanding of the writer of the book of Hebrews as pertaining to history (timo, the unity of history, the emphasis on the eschaton, the two-age motif), the concept of rest (katapausis), alleged Platonic dualism, Messianism, and angelology literature is the primary extra-biblical locus from which the writer of the Book of Hebrews draws.

<p>The dissertation The Life of the World: The Vitality and Personhood of Non-Animal Nature in the Hebrew Bible addresses personalistic portrayals of non-animal nature (rocks, plants, soil, etc.) in the Hebrew Bible. Examples of personalistic nature texts include the obligation of the land to rest in Leviticus 25 and 26, the ground swallowing Korah in Numbers 16, the mourning of the land in the Prophets, and creation’s speech in Psalm 19. The primary theoretical framework is anthropological research on animist traditions, which is used to interrogate Western categories of personhood, relationality, and nature. Of particular importance is the work of Graham Harvey, Philippe Descola, Eduardo Viviero de Castro, Nurit Bird-David, and Timonthy Ingold. Based on parallels between biblical texts and animist traditions, it is argued that biblical writers perceived non-animal nature as alive; these texts do more than simply anthropomorphize nature. The dissertation traces the activity of non-animal nature through the three parts of the Jewish canon – Torah, Prophets, and Writings – and supports the argument by means of close reading. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, interactions between humans and non-animal nature are social and require respect and attention. The Israelite writers inhabit a world full of persons, only some of whom are human, and these other-than-human persons must be taken into account in agriculture, warfare, worship, and ethics.</p> / Dissertation

This thesis contends that the Chronicler includes many episodes of war in his retelling of Israel’s monarchic history to demonstrate the benefits and consequences of temple faithfulness. Several scholars have long pointed out the Chronicler’s reworking of texts in Samuel-Kings to show that Yahweh rewards the good and punishes the wicked (i.e. retribution theology). Some recent scholars, however, have put forward several exceptions to this rule. The analysis of passages in this thesis demonstrates that the Chronicler maintains this cause-effect relationship with the dual themes of war and temple. To do this, it divides the various kings into different categories. First, David belongs in a category all by himself since he (according to the Chronicler) pioneered the two most foundational elements of the temple cult (i.e. gathering all Israel and providing the building materials). For this reason, he also won many battles to secure Israel’s place in the land. The next two groups of kings either show complete faithfulness to (re)establishing the temple cult and its practices (e.g. Solomon, Hezekiah), or neglect it (e.g. Ahaz, Jehoram). Based on their attitude toward the temple, the Chronicler illustrates how they either prosper in the land through military victory, or suffer attack. The Chronicler presents mixed cases with the last two categories. On the one hand, he reports how many faithful kings (in varying degrees) support orthodox temple practices and so prosper on the battlefield. However, none of these kings persevere in their faithfulness so that either their success immediately stops or they suffer attack. On the other hand, the Chronicler also tells how two thoroughly wicked kings committed some of the worse sins in Israel’s history, yet repented after suffering swift punishment. Through all these cases, the Chronicler demonstrates that temple faithfulness always brought Israel peace and security.

<p>In John's Gospel, Jesus does not cite the Shema as the greatest commandment in the Law as he does in the Synoptic Gospels ("Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" [Deut 6:4-5]; only Deut 6:5 appears in Matthew and Luke). This dissertation, however, argues that, rather than quoting the Shema, John incorporates it into his Christological portrait of Jesus' unity with the Father and of the disciples' unity with the Father, the Son, and one another. </p><p>This study employs historical-critical methodology and literary analysis to provide an exegetical interpretation of the key passages relevant to the Shema in John (John 5:1-47; 8:31-59; 10:1-42; 13:34; 14, 15, 17). After examining the Shema in its Deuteronomic context and throughout the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Jewish literature, the study considers how John's understanding of the divine unity has been shaped by some of these writings. Just as some of the OT prophets and authors such as Philo and Josephus interpret the Shema within their historical settings, John, in turn, interprets the divine unity within the socio-historical realities of his community. </p><p>According to John, Jesus does not violate the unity of God as it is proclaimed in the Shema. Rather, Jesus resides within that unity (10:30); he is therefore uniquely able to speak the words of God and perform the works of God. John depicts the unity of the Father, Jesus, and the disciples as the fulfillment of OT prophecies of restoration. Zechariah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel envision Israel as one people regathered in the Land, worshiping the one God of Israel (11:52; 17:11, 21-23). John filters this eschatological understanding of the Shema through a Christological lens: disciples of Jesus are the one flock gathered to the one Shepherd and testifying to Jesus' unity with the Father (10:16). The Farewell Discourse material confirms this thesis; Jesus models obedience to the Shema and also commands that he receive the love normally reserved for YHWH (14:15, 21, 23, 24). He issues his own commandment of love (13:34; 15:12), which has far-ranging implications for John's view of the Mosaic Law.</p><p>This reading of the Shema coheres with the Martyn-Brown hypothesis that some Jewish leaders during the late first century excluded believers in Jesus from the synagogue. The author of the Fourth Gospel reverses the situation, composing a narrative of empowerment for his embattled community. His rendering of the Shema provides legitimation for the Christological claims of the Johannine community, while at the same time excluding unbelieving Jews from God's eschatological people. John's high Christology, intertwined with his expulsion of unbelieving Jews from Israel's covenantal life and eschatological hopes, constitutes a form of theological anti-Judaism which defies mitigation. The Johannine crucifixion and Prologue bear this out: "the Jews" reject Jesus' unity with the Father and thereby cut themselves off from the people of God (19:15; 1:11). </p><p>John's language has all-too-often been used in a pernicious manner against Jewish people in the post-biblical era. One of the aims of this study is to properly situate John's reinterpretation of the Shema in its social and historical setting and thereby to apprehend fully its anti-Jewish potential. In so doing, it sheds fresh light on the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity and creates new opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.</p> / Dissertation

Isa 10:5–34 has long been understood as an oracle, like many others in the Book of First Isaiah, that expresses anti-Assyrian theology. The text inverts several policies and ideologies of Neo-Assyrian imperialism and projects them back on Assyria, portraying the Assyrian king, in particular, as the primary object of Yahweh’s derision. However, Isa 10:5–34 appears to be doing more than simply offering a polemic of Neo-Assyrian ideology; the text provides a detailed, systematic attack of key policies and ideology that define the Neo-Assyrian colonial mission, all of which is done to comfort a Judean population suffering and afraid under Assyrian rule. Thus, anti-Assyrian theology, on its own, might not be a useful term for defining the function of the text. When read in light of modern scholarship discussing the phenomenon of terrorism, however, Isa 10:5–34 takes on a different character. This Isaianic oracle might not be merely an expression of anti-Assyrian theology but, instead, an ancient rhetoric of counter-terrorism. / 2021-07-23T00:00:00Z

The writings of Rabbinic Judaism have too long been accessible to only those with vary specialized linguistic and theological training. By using the Angel of Death as its model, this work is a call to others in this field to open up this material to the general population. / The study opens with an introduction which carefully discusses the difficulties in both dating and accessing the rabbinic writings. The methodological discussion is critical because of the very nature of this material. Scholarly aids, general indices and anthologies are catalogued in an attempt to aid the reader in the understanding of this period and the literature it has produced. / The Angel of Death ('Malach ha-Mawet') is the specific model for investigation and is traced from its "supposed" beginnings in the Hebrew Bible. The first section of this study shows, after a detailed survey of the biblical record, that this figure is post-biblical in nature. / After isolating this figure from within the rabbinic writings of the first millennium, the indexing tools used by those in the field of folk literature are applied. The motif-indexing created by Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson, later developed by Dov Noy, are the basis of this study. By indexing the Angel of Death in this manner, this figure, and others from the rabbinic writings, may be more easily investigated and compared to its cross-cultural counterparts by greater number of reseachers. / This study closes with four (4) appendices which offer different ways in which to index and cross-index rabbinic texts, figures and the biblical texts and figures contained within them. The study presents the Angel of Death as a model for examination, calling for the other figures in the rabbinic writings to be indexed in the same manner. This motif-indexing of rabbinic texts and figures will hopefully enable this material to find its rightful place alongside the folk literature of the other cultures of the world. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: A, page: 3943. / Major Professor: John F. Priest. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

This work studies the occult terms witch, wizard, magician, soothsayer, and sorcerer which appear in the King James Bible and its usage of these words with corresponding terminology in the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, sixteenth-century English, and modern English Bibles. In order to make the comparison of Biblical occult terminology the most accurate, I utilized the definitions of occult terminology provided by modern anthropologists whose research in the occult are widely regarded as definitive. / Chapter One provides the anthropological foundations. Chapters Two through Four discuss the occult terminology in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bibles along with a brief excursus on the social and cultural conditions of the respective historical periods in which these Bibles were written. Chapters Five and Six relate the political, socio-economic, and religious conditions of sixteenth-century England coupled with a lengthy discussion of the occult terminology contained in the Bibles and other theological literature of that era and locale. / This study has shown that the meanings of certain occult words in the various Bibles did change throughout respective historical periods and within certain religious and social contexts due to authorial intention. Finally, this research has shown that the King James Bible, against which the terminology of the other Bibles was compared, was a brilliant piece of rational scholarship. The Conclusion and Appendix attest that the King James Bible started a translation tradition, continuing to be employed, which utilized a less descriptive, more generic occult terminology in line with the terminology used by the original authors of the Hebrew Bible and Greek New Testament for the express purpose of attempting to de-energize popular belief in the occult. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-12, Section: A, page: 3984. / Major Professor: David H. Darst. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

This interdisciplinary study will explore the evolution of Samson from brash youth to religious hero to Hollywood leading man. The transformation of Samson from an impetuous boy to religious hero begins even in the biblical saga. The study will also explore each individual artist's perception of the Samson character. Is he perceived as a hero, a martyr, or a fool? Works examined include Judges 13-16, John Milton's Samson Agonistes, Handel's Samson, paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, and Rembrandt, and films by Cecil B. DeMille and Lee Philips. Finally, the study will provide an extensive list of sources for anyone researching this topic. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-09, Section: A, page: 2903. / Major Professor: John F. Priest. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Cecilio Arrastia is an author who has written many contemporary Christian works in Spanish. This investigation will explain the themes, analogies, and historical and contemporary references that the author mentions from the Bible and from present and past society. / Chapter 1 will examine the book A pesar de todo ... Dios sigue siendo amor. This chapter will look at the theme of depression and despair. The second book that will be studied and Chapter 2 is Dialogo desde una cruz. This book investigates the seven words of Jesus from the cross. The third work and Chapter 3 is Itinerario de la pasion. The focus of this study will be to discuss the author's analysis of the last week of the life of Christ before and after His crucifixion. The last chapter, chapter 4, examines Tentacion y mision. This central theme of this chapter is the role of the church. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: A, page: 1639. / Major Professor: Roberto G. Fernandez. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1996.

Thesis advisor: Pheme Perkins / The recognition of Rome in the ciphered images of Revelation 13 and 17–18 is a hallmark of historical criticism on the Revelation to John (John’s Apocalypse). This dissertation examines Revelation’s use of scripture to characterize the Roman Empire like the nations God has already defeated. The prophet-seer John spurred his audience, the churches of Asia Minor, to abandon pagan practices of eating meat sacrificed to idols and participation in emperor worship, practices seemingly tolerated by John’s opponents, Jezebel and the Nicolaitans. Unlike the majority of contemporary Jewish and Christian apocalypses, Revelation uses neither ex eventu prophecy nor pseudepigraphic narration to authorize its message to “come out” of Rome. Instead, Revelation alludes to scripture hundreds, if not a thousand, times. When describing Rome in Revelation 13 and 17–18, John alludes some six dozen times to the defeated Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the nations of Babylon, Tyre, Nineveh, and Edom, and the justly punished Judah and Samaria. God showed his servants the prophets the downfall of these powers, and they all fell. Likewise, he has shown John the vision of Rome’s desolation and the things which will happen to it soon. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.