Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1985. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-198).

Thesis (M. Div.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1985. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-73).

Although there is a vast body of secondary literature on Mark 4:11-12, the interpretation of this passage has been dominated by source, form, and redaction critical methods which have tended to limit, or even discount, the importance of these verses in the Gospel. This study, in contrast, uses reader response criticism. Graeco-Roman rhetoric, and sociological approaches as aids to understanding the literary and social functions of Mark 4:11-12. Since the methods used in this study are still fairly novel in New Testament research, the first two chapters provide a detailed introduction to interpreting Mark from the perspectives of reader response, ancient literary theory (Chapter 1), and social setting (Chapter 2). The main questions posed in these chapters are: 'how would Mark have been evaluated literarily by a Graeco-Roman reader?'; and 'what was the Gospel used for in its original setting?' After a survey of the literature on Mark 4:11-12 (Chapter 3), material in Mark which seems to echo these verses verbally or thematically is reviewed in detail (Chapter 4), and the passage is studied in its immediate context, the parable chapter (Mark 4:1-34) (Chapter 5). Two final chapters summarize the findings of the study from literary and sociological perspectives. Mark 4:11-12, it is concluded, is not, as several important interpreters (E. Schweizer, T.H. Weeden, H. Raisanen) have asserted, a 'foreign element' to be ascribed to pre-Marcan tradition, but integral to the Gospel as a literary whole, and to the function of the book in its original setting. Mark 4:11-12, part of Mark's secrecy motif, focuses the reader's attention on certain aspects of the Gospel's eschatological teaching (parables, miracle stories, confession scenes, apocalyptic discourse), and served the needs of early Christian missionaries anxiously awaiting the parousia of the son of man and the establishment of the kingdom of God.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis provides the initial and foundational steps for a new reconstruction of the text of Marcion’s Gospel. Though Harnack’s 1924 magisterial work on Marcion remains valuable and important, shortcomings in his reconstructed text of the Marcionite scriptures, as well as advances in critical methodology, text criticism, and patristic studies have led to the recognition that new reconstructions of Marcion’s scriptures are a scholarly desideratum. With the text of Marcion’s Apostolikon examined and reconstructed in a 1995 work by Ulrich Schmid, this thesis provides the most important elements for a new examination and reconstruction of Marcion’s Euangelion. Chapter 1 provides an extensive history of research, not only to provide the context and rationale for the present work, but also to provide the first in-depth scholarly survey of work on Marcion’s Gospel in 150 years. In addition, since several flaws in earlier studies arose out of a lack of an accurate understanding of the status quaestionis at various points in the history of research on Marcion’s Gospel, by considering and engaging with previous scholarship such errors can be avoided. Chapter 2 begins with a consideration of the sources for Marcion’s Gospel and provides a comprehensive listing of verses attested as present in, verses attested as absent from, and unattested verses of this Gospel. The chapter concludes with a methodological discussion, highlighting the particular importance of understanding the citation customs of the witnesses to Marcion’s text and noting the significant citation customs of Tertullian demonstrated by Schmid’s and my own research. Chapter 3 begins the analysis of the data found in Tertullian, the most extensive and important source for Marcion’s Gospel. This chapter examines all of the verses that Tertullian attests for Marcion’s Gospel that are also cited elsewhere in Tertullian’s corpus and focuses particularly on how these multiply-cited passages provide insight into Tertullian’s testimony to readings in Marcion’s text. Chapter 4 continues the analysis of Tertullian’s testimony by examining the remaining verses, i.e., those attested for Marcion’s Gospel but not multiply-cited in Tertullian’s corpus. Chapter 5 provides a reconstruction of the 328 verses in Marcion’s Gospel for which Tertullian is the only witness and offers not only readings for Marcion’s text, but also the relative certainty for those readings. Chapter 6 summarizes and concludes the thesis, along with brief mention of avenues for future research.

While scholars generally acknowledge the influence of the book of Daniel in various loci in the Gospel of Mark, there has yet to be a systematic study that combines these references to determine their cumulative effect. Previous examinations of Mark’s use of Daniel have been piece-meal, exploring a particular Danielic theme or looking at a particular Markan text. Other studies focus on determining whether a certain Markan text contains a reference to Daniel. These studies serve to illuminate Mark’s use of Daniel considerably, but leave many important questions unanswered. What is Mark’s modus operandi in referencing the book of Daniel in particular? What is the shape—the contours and distribution—of Danielic usage in Mark? What can the references together, in toto, reveal about Mark’s usage of Daniel? This dissertation will explore these questions and clarify Mark’s use of Daniel through careful analysis and exegetical study of ten verses with suggested Danielic references (Mark 1:15; 4:11, 32; 9:3; 13:7,13-14, 19, 26; 14:62) so as to observe Mark’s overall pattern of usage. This dissertation will survey the issues surrounding Mark’s usage of Daniel and review the secondary literature related the use of the Old Testament in Mark—more specifically the use of Daniel in Mark (Ch. 1). A survey of the use of Daniel in early Jewish literature demonstrates the popularity and the widespread use of Daniel across different Jewish groups—and therefore its availability to Mark (Ch. 2). This survey also provides the cultural and theological background in which to understand Mark’s use of Daniel. Each reference to the book of Daniel in the Gospel of Mark, which is noted by the editors of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (4th ed.) and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed.), will be examined in order to trace the contours of Mark’s usage of Daniel, explore the nature of the literary relationship, and determine the literary function of each reference (Ch. 3). The characteristics and patterns that can be observed when the Danielic references in Mark are seen side by side will be closely examined (Ch. 4). The book of Daniel is found to be even more significant for Mark than it has been acknowledged because Mark’s concept of the kingdom of God is profoundly influenced by the visions of God’s kingdom in Dan 7 and Dan 2. The influence of the Danielic notion of the kingdom of God permeates Mark’s gospel, from Jesus’ introductory proclamation in Mark 1:15 to his parables about the kingdom of God in Mark 4, his apocalyptic discourse in Mark 13, and finally his passion in Mark 14. In addition to the kingdom of God, several themes and images in Mark’s view of eschatology are also influenced by the Danielic text. Consequently, by looking at the Danielic references in Mark in toto, it can be seen that Mark draws upon Daniel primarily for inspiration pertaining to the kingdom of God and its eschatological significance. It is clear that many parts of the book of Daniel were familiar to Mark, and that they played an integral part in shaping his portrayal of the good news of Jesus.

This thesis has been written in two parts. The first examines the validity of three hypotheses that have been offered as explanations for the structure of Luke-Acts, in whole or in part. These are the Christian Deuteronomy theory, lectionary. In the second part of the thesis a more positive approach is taken towards understanding the structure of Luke-Acts by examining the possible contributions that might result from studies in Source, Redaction, and Composition Criticism.

Thesis advisor: Angela Kim Harkins / Thesis advisor: Franklin Harkins / This thesis will argue that the senses and emotions in Matthew 17:1-9 play a key role in communicating the message of Christ’s transfiguration and the believers’ transformation in a holistic way, and stress the positive role of embodied and sensory experience in contemplating the transfiguration narrative. This thesis seeks to shed more light on the important role played by all human senses and emotions in perceiving Christ and his messages posed by the Gospel. Human sense and emotion show the depth of our embodied experience of God. It will demonstrate how Matthew’s transfiguration narrative brings vivid, holistic, and positive messages to readers in a way that can be very powerful in its effects on their ways of contemplation and transformation. In Matthew, the extraordinary event of the transfiguration is described by the means of the concrete, sensory, emotional experiences of the characters. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Thesis advisor: Daniel J. Harrington / After studying the Gospel of Mark mostly from a historical approach, focusing on the world behind the text, scholars have turned more recently to the text as it is available for us today, taking into consideration the development of the Gospel narrative, how the story is told, and making use of literary theories to unlock the message of the Gospel. This approach, however, usually ends up with a strikingly negative view of the disciples who fail to understand Jesus and abandon him during his arrest, trial, and death. Is the author’s view of the disciples hopelessly negative? How is the reader/listener expected to respond to the challenges posed by Mark’s Gospel regarding discipleship? This thesis argues that, by presenting two contrasting responses to Jesus’ call to discipleship, namely the rich man’s and the disciples’, Mark gives the reader/listener a rather positive image of discipleship in 10:17-31, juxtaposing it to an overall negative view of the disciples developed in much of the narrative, and stresses renunciation of possessions as an essential requirement for true discipleship. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.