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Thesis advisor: Thomas D. Stegman / Thesis advisor: Christopher R. Matthews / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

This thesis investigates the relationship between the portraits of new creation in the Hauptbriefe (specifically, in 2 Corinthians and Galatians) and Ephesians. The thesis partly responds to those scholars who argue for a limited understanding (whether cosmological, anthropological, or ecclesiological) of the phrase kainh; ktivsiV in 2 Cor 5.17 and Gal 6.15. This thesis also partly responds to the lack of attention devoted to the new creation theme in Ephesians by investigating the depiction of new creation in Eph 1–2. Chapters two and three of this thesis investigate the background of new creation in the Pauline tradition through an analysis of various texts in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 1 Enoch, and Jubilees. These chapters demonstrate that new creation and restoration were frequently associated with anthropological and cosmological renewal, the salvation of the Gentiles, and an Urzeit-Endzeit typology. The strong correlation between Isaiah’s new exodus and ANE temple-building traditions is a particularly significant contribution of the inquiry of Isaiah. Chapters four and five of this thesis primarily analyze the depictions of new creation in Gal 6.11–16; 2 Cor 5.11–21; and Eph 1–2. A salient point of this analysis is the suggestion that Eph 1.20–2.22 may be understood as an extended discussion of new creation modeled after Isaiah’s portrait of the new exodus as an act of temple-building. This examination demonstrates that the descriptions of new creation in all three of these texts are strongly linked with anthropological, eschatological, and ecclesiological notions, as well as an Urzeit-Endzeit typology. This thesis also points to a number of other correspondences between the portraits of new creation in the Hauptbriefe and that of Ephesians.

While Pauline studies today are grappling with the question of the core of Paul's thought, the investigation of the apostle's social world is also gaining interest among scholars. The study of Paul's argumentation offers a fundamental contribution to both endeavours. Enthymemes, defined by the rhetorical tradition as the basic building blocks of deductive argumentation, constitute an important part of Paul's argumentation which until now has been relatively unexploited. Study of the manner in which Paul constructs enthymemes gives us insight into his thought world. The premisses that he uses as argumentative proofs can be viewed as a reflection of the common "social knowledge" of the Pauline milieu. / The object of this inquiry is to study Paul's use of enthymemes as a rhetorical and argumentative tool and to evaluate what this reveals about his thought, his teaching, and his social world. The study begins with a discussion of the problem of enthymeme definition, followed by a clarification of criteria for identifying enthymemes in texts. A method of analysis is proposed. The entire corpus of Paul's seven undisputed letters is then "combed" for enthymemes, one epistle at a time. Enthymemes are identified and analysed, and their argumentative premisses are catalogued thematically. This exercise permits a serious consideration of Paul's modes of argumentation, rhetorical aims and social world in the context of each epistle. Results from different epistles are compared as a means to consider, in general, Paul's rhetorical habits. / This thesis argues that enthymeme analysis is a necessary first step in Pauline exegesis. It is also argued that more attention needs to be given to enthymeme study in the research into Paul's social world. The question of how enthymeme study can inform the study of Paul's theology and core convictions is also discussed.

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This investigation is based on a hypothesis in consequent of the following questions: How did the biblical narrators, evangelists, as well as correspondents, such as Paul, communicate or explain theological concepts or the εὐαγγέλιον to their urban, highly politicised, culturally diversified and Roman Law orientated audiences, readers or addressees? How may the word of God be explained to modern communities, urban societies who themselves too are highly politicised, live in a culturally diversified country and whose daily life is controlled by the laws of the country in which they live? In seeking to provide answers to these problematic questions, biblical scholars, past and present, have developed various theories and methodologies. Most of these theories and methodologies, though based on exegetical framework, have to this day not provided an adequate or satisfactory answer. There is in addition no consensus among past and present biblical scholars concerning this problem. Each of these theories or methods is limited. None of them is universal or a panacea (Keegan 1985:7). Since the 1970s new theories and methods in the form of rhetorical analysis following in the footsteps of Graeco-Roman rhetorical criticism have emerged and flourished (Du Toit 1992:465,468,469). These were subsequently followed by further developments, also based on the rethorical criticism approach, though with a different emphasis. Within the past 20 years or so, a new way of analysing the text of the Scripture (primarily the New Testament) has been developed. Recently Vorster (1990:107) stated that an analysis of the New Testament letters can no longer stop at a structural analysis, but has to take cognizance of aspects of conversational analysis and rhetoric; that an interactional model rather than a structural approach should be adopted in the analysis of letters. Theoretically, this is a bibliological research problem because to this day no study has produced a theory or an approach that addresses this problem. This fact also endorses the novelty of this research, because there is no study to date that provides an adequate response or solution to the problem concerning Paul’s contextualisation of juridical imagery with theological concepts in order to explain such concepts to his addressees. The number of different theories and approaches are indicative of the fact that the solution to the problem is not in sight as yet. This problem, though valid, cannot be easily solved. However, as investigations in this field proceed researchers will come closer to a solution. The hypothesis, which is under discussion in this thesis is: that Paul contextualised theological concepts with juridical imagery, which were well – known to his addressees by using rhetorical and logical techniques in order to explain these concepts to them. That this approached may be adopted and applied in contemporary exegesis and homiletics. This research brings into prominence Pauline contextualisation of theological concepts with juridical imagery in Romans. Like most of the other approaches, this new approach has also been developed from methods first used in secular studies (Keegan 1985:2). However, it differs from its predecessors in the sense that it investigates how Paul contextualised theological concepts in Romans by utilizing juridical imagery with which his addressees were knowledgable, in order to connect with his addressees’ frame of reference and explain such theological concepts to them. / Prof. Jan A. du Rand

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Thesis advisor: Matthew Monnig / Thesis advisor: Thomas Stegman / Early Christian meal making practices have received considerable attention in recent decades, especially considering recent sociological discoveries around the Greco-Roman Banquet structure in first century Mediterranean cultures. Biblical meal making, such as St. Paul's account of the Lord's Supper in 1 Cor 11:23-35, have garnered new attention considering these insights. In current scholarship, the dominant model for analyzing meal practices - such as the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians - is through the sociological model which reads Christian meals almost exclusively in conversation with this Greco-Roman banquet culture. Paul's meaning and understanding of the meal is understood through what would be intelligible within this wider first century meal making culture. Too often, Paul's Jewish background is not given propper attention in explicating his meaning of the Lord's Supper. This thesis argues that it is Paul's Jewish background and theological worldview that are the primary sites of meaning to discern his understanding of the Lord's Supper. Thus, the methodology best suited to "decode" Paul's meaning is the theory intertexuality, especially as developed by Richard Hays. Using this methodology of intertextuality, this thesis reads Paul's language in 1 Cor 10-11 through the conversation that develops from these OT echoes. What is heard, regarding the Lord's Supper, is that Paul understands it to be a cultic act of worship and sacrifice. As a cultic act, the elements of the meal - the bread and wine - are sacred in themselves and mediate the divine presence to the community. The community themselves shares in the divine presence through the meal, and thus the Lord's Supper ought to be understood as an act of cultic theosis in Paul's Corinthian Community. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

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Thesis advisor: Thomas D. Stegman / Thesis advisor: Andrew R. Davis / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.