This is a study of the interpretation of archaeological data by Anglo-American Bible scholars, though the emphasis is primarily American, in scholarly and popular publications from 1900-1930. The major archaeological research interest for many Anglo-American biblical scholars was its direct reflection on the biblical record. Many were devout and reared on a literal reading of Scripture. Traditional scholars insisted that the function of archaeology was to provide evidence to validate the Bible and to disprove higher criticism. They were clearly motivated by theological concerns and created an archaeology of faith that authenticated the word of the Lord and protected Christian doctrines. Liberal or mainstream scholars rejected conservative methods that simply collated archaeological data to attack the documentary hypothesis and its supporters. Several eminent Bible scholars developed important studies on the interpretation of archaeological results from Palestine. They participated eagerly in analyzing archaeological material and refused to concede the field of biblical archaeology to theologically-motivated conservative scholars and theologians. They were determined to conduct important investigations of the archaeological evidence free from theological bias. Palestinian excavations lacked the spectacular architectural and inscriptural remains unearthed in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The popular press did occasionally report on the progress of several excavations from Palestine, but, for the most part, Palestinian excavations concentrated on tells and pottery and the results were disappointing. However, by the 1920s the New York Times was a major source of information concerning archaeological news and frequently carried stories that indicated that archaeology was confirming the biblical record and many of the Bible's revered figures. The Times played a vital role in popularizing biblical archaeology and contributed many illustrations of amazing archaeological discoveries that "proved" the historicity of the biblical text. W. F. Albright's scholarly conclusions in the 1920s were moderate. Albright's scholarship was not motivated by theological concerns as many have assumed. Though his religious convictions were assuredly conservative, his scholarship had little in common with the tendentious archaeological assumptions created by conservative Bible scholars and theologians. Albright's interpretations were based on the archaeological data and not on theological dogma.

<p> The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the allusions to Gen 11:1-9 in the book of Daniel, and to demonstrate on exegetical and intertextual grounds the references and allusions to Gen 11:1-9 in the book of Daniel and the theological implications of those connections. After reviewing the different kinds of intertextuality and the methodology used by Old Testament scholars in the area of literary allusions (chap. 1), this dissertation investigates the allusions to Gen 11 in both the historical (chap. 2) and the visionary sections (chap. 3) of the book of Daniel. All the allusions to Gen 11 in the book of Daniel are discussed and given an assessment of either "certain allusions," "possible allusions," "uncertain allusions," and "nonallusions." </p><p> Furthermore, this study outlines the contribution of the allusions to Gen 11 to the theology of the book of Daniel (chap. 4) and specifically relates the Babel motif to the themes of the kingdom of God, judgment and the Israelite worship institution, the Temple. </p><p> Finally, a summary and conclusions (chap. 5) gather and present the various findings and insights gained from this research. Based on the evidence submitted in this dissertation it is concluded that the allusions to Gen 11 play a dominant role in the whole book of Daniel. It is further shown that the allusions to Gen 11 make a prominent contribution to the main theological themes in Daniel and cannot be ignored by the careful exegete.</p>

In traditional hermeneutics and textual criticism, narratives are read in accordance with the trope synecdoche: parts of the narrative are related to the whole and the whole to parts. However, in my analysis, narratives produce textual effects which correspond to the trope metonymy: parts are related to parts with no natural thrust towards synthesis. When one reads the gospel of Mark metonymically, it ceases to function as a story articulating a coherent suffering Messiah Christology. Instead, two contradictory textual "logics" emerge: first, certain textual constellations and discourses suggest the need for the "effacement" of Jesus, the need to reduce his "presence" in order to allow the "introjection" of his message; second, other constellations and discourses suggest the need to retain his narratival "presence," to "encrypt" him in the textuality of the gospel, to "incorporate" his "presence" in a way which resists epistemic assimilation or identification. My analysis examines these differing "logics."

Driven by her anxiety to create an alternative world view to that offered her by the male-dominated world of nineteenth-century England, enabled by the decline of biblical authority encouraged by the expansion of scientific discovery and the rise of the Higher Criticism, and guided by the Bible's own internal reinterpretative tradition, Charlotte Bronte appropriates the authoritative voice of scripture in order to redirect its energies into new avenues so that she can script a life for herself which transcends the possibilities available to her in the external world. However, if she wishes to redress issues of exclusion and oppression which have their roots in the traditional, male-dominated interpretation of the Bible, then one of her most effective weapons is the Bible's own challenging word, which, though often suppressed by her culture, she reclaims and uses. What Harold Bloom calls "the anxiety of influence" is certainly involved in her apparently willful misreading of the precedent tradition of biblical interpretation in order to clear out a space within which her voice can be heard. The influence of such a powerful and sacrosanct source as the Bible would undoubtedly produce in Bronte the anxiety of which Bloom speaks. However, rather than abandoning or completely rejecting it, she saw her work as a necessary renewing of the biblical tradition because the conventional methods of viewing it no longer fit the situation of women in the nineteenth century, including her own. From the dominant society's point of view, she commits what can be perceived as acts of "violence" on the Bible and a substantial body of its interpretation. Breaking its stories down into their component parts of character, plot, and setting, she then reassembles them in startling and exciting ways using the process of bricolage. This study traces Charlotte Bronte's reinscription of the Bible through her four novels, paying special attention to her use of three strategies: (1) gender reversal, (2) undermining of God's role in controlling human history, and (3) recasting "otherworldly" locales in this worldly settings.

During a six year period the Jesus Seminar evaluated 1,544 versions of 518 different sayings. The goal was to determine the authenticity of these sayings according to various degrees of historical reliability. The results constitute Phase One of the Seminar's efforts, and have since been published as The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (1993). Although the Jesus Seminar has undertaken three more Phases, the purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate only the first Phase. Part One, "Evaluating the Jesus Seminar's Work in Phase One," consists of two chapters. Chapter 1, "Phase One of the Jesus Seminar's Work," considers the beginnings of the Jesus Seminar, the two goals for Phase One, four motivations, methodologies, and the voting outcomes of the semiannual meetings. Chapter 2, "The Jesus Seminar and Its Critics," surveys the many objections that have been raised about the Seminar's work. In particular, scholars have challenged the Seminar's assumptions, methodologies, and results. Part Two, "Evaluating the Jesus Seminar's Quest for the Historical Jesus," likewise consists of two chapters. In chapter 3, "The Jesus Seminar and the Tradition of Quests," the various quests for the historical Jesus are surveyed, specifically, the Old Quest, the New Quest, and the Third Quest. The Jesus Seminar's quest finds its closest analogy in the Old Quest for the historical Jesus. Chapter 4, "A Modest Proposal for a Limited Quest," proposes a quest for the historical Jesus, albeit a limited quest. The limitation to the quest is largely due to the methodology employed, namely, historical criticism. In this chapter, the three steps of this method, i.e., research, synthesis, and implications, are delineated and evaluated for contributions and limitations.

The story of the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1-4 has attracted the attention of Jewish texts from its inception, on account of its obscure character and positioning before the story of the Flood. Particularly, throughout the Second Temple period this story was expanded into a mythological tale of the fallen angels' exploits and their disastrous consequences. Each work interpreted and employed the mythology in a unique manner, which was often influenced by its specific literary concerns. Generally speaking, the angel story became a theodicy, explanation for the Flood, and an infamous example from the sacred history of Israel of God's immanent judgment of the unrighteous. Through an exegetical analysis of each text which employs the angel story, this study will describe its variegated interpretation and literary development throughout the Jewish literature from the 4th century B.C.E. to the early 2nd century C.E.

<p> This project addresses the subtle pneumatological shifts in doctrine and in practice that have taken place in the Pentecostal Movement in North America over the past several decades and the relationship of these shifts to a decline in growth. </p><p> The biblical-theological literature review establishes a solid biblical-theological foundation for the importance of Spirit baptism as empowerment for the fulfillment of God's mission, the vital significance of initial evidence as a gateway to the increased manifestation of the <i>charismata</i> (1 Cor. 12:8-10), the critical role of the <i>charismata</i> in effective ministry and mission, and the importance of leaders creating a learning environment to equip believers to minister the gifts of the Spirit. The general literature review emphasizes the experienced presence of God and the baptism in the Holy Spirit as central to Pentecostal spirituality, the key role of the <i> charismata</i> in church growth, and the ramifications for the future in developing a Pentecostal model of ministry. </p><p> The School of the Spirit (SOS) uses sound teaching and activation exercises to provide believers the opportunity to exercise the gifts of the Spirit under the guidance of spiritual leaders. SOS helps believers to develop confidence in operating in the gifts as a natural part of a lifestyle that builds up the church and provides a powerful witness to the community as they proclaim the gospel with confirming signs and wonders. </p><p> In addition to the immediate benefit to the participants of the SOS, it also provides a curriculum for Pentecostal and charismatic pastors and spiritual leaders who desire to equip their congregations or groups to minister in the gifts of the Spirit.</p>

Thesis (Th.D.)--Harvard University, 2006. / (UMI)AAI3239143. Adviser: Francois Bovon. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-10, Section: A, page: 3856.

<p> This dissertation examines the use of Leviticus 26 in four Second Temple-era Jewish texts: Chronicles, Jubilees, Words of the Luminaries, and the Damascus Document. Prevailing scholarship will cite the fact that these texts&rsquo; review the history of how Israel&rsquo;s disobedience provoked the covenant chastisements epitomized by exile as proof that Second Temple Jews believed that they had fallen under the curses. The Chronicler&rsquo;s views on chastisement have been attributed to extreme (Deuteronomic) doctrines of immediate retribution and human initiated repentance. A contrasting belief that true repentance, bringing salvation, was only possible through a divinely initiated recreation of the human spirit has been increasingly imputed to the latter three texts. However, this dissertation argues that Chronicles, Jubilees, Words of the Luminaries, and the Damascus Document texts&rsquo; are all fundamentally oriented to the Leviticus 26 teleological paradigm of chastisement-induced repentance, more than the concept of tit-for-tat retributive cursing generally associated with Deuteronomy 28&ndash;29. All four texts read and reference Leviticus 26 for an optimistic, reassuring understanding that the covenant chastisements epitomized by exile are a God-guided experiential process whose <i>telos </i> is their repentance. Israel&rsquo;s suffering serves a purpose, bringing about a reversal of deliberately-committed ancestral trespass (<i> ma&lsquo;al</i>; Lev 26:40&ndash;41). In conceptualizing repentance in these texts as a divinely initiated process of inner transformation, this study moves beyond the dichotomy of &ldquo;human-initiated&rdquo; and &ldquo;divine-initiated&rdquo; repentance assumed by earlier scholarship. The latter three texts draw overt&mdash;but by scholars unappreciated and/or actively denied&mdash;references to the simple meaning of Lev 26:44&ndash;45 promising that God will preserve the people and the covenant he struck with them at Sinai no matter what the people do.</p><p>

The story of Phinehas’ zealous slaying of an Israelite man and the Midianite woman with whom he dared consort in public (Numbers 25) is perhaps the most notorious of a number of famed pentateuchal narratives that are marked with vigilante violence. Significantly, these narratives feature members of the Israelite priesthood or their eponymous ancestors. When reading these texts together, we uncover a consistent literary undercurrent which associates the priesthood with acts of interpersonal violence –– a phenomenon which I refer to as the motif of priestly violence. This dissertation examines the origins and discursive functions of this motif, and, employing the violence of Phinehas as a test-case, explores its interpretive afterlife in biblical and Jewish literature. I argue that likely impelling the motif of priestly interpersonal violence is the cultural memory of the violence of the sacrificial cult –– be it the violence inherent in the slaughter of animals, or the possible Israelite prehistory of human sacrifice. Despite these seemingly negative associations, the discourse of priestly violence functions as a critical legitimating component of the priestly imagination in the Hebrew Bible. Indeed, numerous biblical texts insinuate that it is violence, not the right lineage, that generates priestly identity. Exploring the Nachleben of Phinehas’ famed violence, I demonstrate how ancient readers of the Hebrew Bible recognized and were sensitive to these facets of the motif. My findings reveal that the legitimating function of Phinehas’ priestly violence continues in the Jewish literary tradition. From the literature of the Second Temple period through the rabbinic canon and continuing through the medieval midrashim, Jewish authors employed Phinehas’ violence in the service of their own discourses of group (de)legitimation. Priestly groups with questions about their pedigree, such as the Hasmonaeans, appropriated the discourse of Phinehas’ violence as a bulwark against the contestation of their priestly identity. But we also find subversive uses of Phinehas’ violence, particularly in Palestinian rabbinic texts, which question the integrity of Phinehas’ priestly lineage as well as the propriety of his lethal zeal. This serves to delegitimize the priesthood and effectively quash any lingering priestly claims to ritual leadership. / Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations