Acts of God in History: Studies Towards Recovering a Theological Historiography (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament)

The eleven studies in this volume are connected by the conviction that God acts in history and that it remains necessary for biblical exegesis to integrate this into its methodology. Roland Deines presents historical and methodological considerations to trace how God was experienced within historical events and how such events inspired the formation of Scripture. Topics range from the Pharisees to Bar Kokhba, and from the historical Jesus to the Apostolic decrees, with Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on Jesus and Martin Hengel on Jesus' pre-existence and incarnation discussed as particular methodological examples. Roland Deines intends these studies to be contributions towards a theologically motivated historiography. His aim is to propose a viable reading of history under the assumption that the one God to whom the Holy Scriptures of the Jewish-Christian tradition bear witness is indeed the creator, sustainer and perfecter of this world and its history. Cover Preface Contents Abbreviations and Formal Guidelines God’s Role in History as a Methodological Problem for Exegesis 1. Towards a Historical-Critical Assessment of the Conviction that God Acts in History 2. Neutrality as the Price for Acceptability 3. Challenging the Dichotomy of Faith and History 4. Positing God in History: Troeltsch, Hengel, and Ratzinger 4.1 Ernst Troeltsch (1865–1923) 4.2 Martin Hengel (1926–2009) 4.3 Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI 5. Probings Towards a Theological Historiography Part One: Historical Studies The Social Profile of the Pharisees 0. Introduction 1. Seeking Power and Influence 2. The Organizational Quest 3. Conclusion Jesus the Galilean: Questioning the Function of Galilee in Recent Jesus Research 0. Introduction 1. Galilee Research as Basis for the Quest of the Historical Jesus 2. Jesus and the “Biblical Epic of Israel” 3. Archaeology and the Jewish Galilee 4. The Limits of Knowledge about Galilee 5. The Judean Element in the Jesus Tradition 6. Summary Jesus and the Jewish Traditions of His Time 1. The Importance of Jesus’ Jewishness 2. Approaching a Crossroads Again (Schweitzer and Kähler) 3. Scripture as the Touchstone of Tradition 4. The Biblical Jesus as a Historical Task The Apostolic Decree: Halakhah for Gentile Christians or Concession to Jewish Taboos? 0. Introduction 1. The Narrative Context of the Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:19–29; 16:4; 21:25) 1.1 Cleansing by Faith (15:9) 1.2 The Position of James: Halakhah based on Moses or Spirit-authorized Rules of Conduct? 2. Halakhic or Ethnic: What is the Primary Orientation of the Apostolic Decree 2.1 The Preservation of the Jewish Ethnos through the Jewish Ethos in the Diaspora 2.2 The Jewish Ethos in Luke–Acts 2.3 ἔθος (and ἦθος) in 4 Maccabees 2.4 The Jewish ἔθνος as Point of Reference of the Apostolic Decree 3. The Four Regulations of the Decree as Indicators of Jewish Identity in the Diaspora 3.1 The Differing Versions of the Apostolic Decree 3.2 Idol Worship and Eating of Meat Sacrificed to Idols 3.3 Porneia 3.4 That Which is Strangled 3.5 Blood 3.6 Summary Appendix Part Two: Responses to the God who Acts How Long? God’s Revealed Schedule for Salvation and the Outbreak of the Bar Kokhba Revolt 0. Introduction 1. How Long? The Cry for God’s Help in the Psalter The Wild Boar of Ps 80 and the Tenth Roman Legion 2. The Plea for God’s Limitation of the Time of Punishment in Jeremiah and Zechariah 3. The Search for God’s Schedule for Prospective Salvation in Daniel 4. The “Seventy Years” in the Literature after the Destruction of the Second Temple 5. The Hopes for a New Cyrus? Biblical Viewpoints on Repentance, Conversion, and Turning to God 0. Introduction The Conversion of Achior, the Ammonite The Conversion of Prince Izates of Adiabene 1. Conversion Stories Without Sin or Repentance 2. Conversion Stories Including Sin and Repentance 3. Conversion and the Work of God Appendix The Term and Concept of Scripture 0. Introduction 1. From Holy Scripture(s) to “Holie Bible” 1.1 The First Printed Bible 1.2 The New Tripartite Bibles 1.3 The Changeable Fortune of Bible Printing in England 1.4 Scripture and Doctrine 2. From Holy Scripture to the Word of God 3. From God’s Word to Holy Scripture 3.1 “It is written” in the New Testament 3.2 “It is said” in the New Testament 3.3 Written Revelation in Jewish Writings 3.3.1 The Septuagint (LXX) 3.3.2 Philo and Josephus 3.3.3 Scripture as Deposit of Revelation 4. From the Prophet to the Community: The Social Dimension of Scripture(s) 5. Conclusion Part Three: Methodological Probings The Recognition of God’s Acts in History in the Gospel of Matthew: An Exercise in Salvation History 0. Introduction 1. Salvation History as a Meaning-enabling Concept of Time 2. The Contribution of Matthew’s Gospel to the Recognition of God’s Acts in History 2.1 The Demand to Understand the Signs of the Times 2.2 The Possibility of Recognizing the Signs of the Times 2.3 Obedience as a Mode of Understanding 3. How to Employ History for the Purpose of Faith and Salvation Can the ‘Real’ Jesus be Identified with the Historical Jesus? Joseph Ratzinger’s (Pope Benedict XVI) Challenge to Biblical Scholarship Bibliographical Note 0. Introduction: Geza Vermes on Ratzinger’s Jesus 1. The Liberation of Jesus Research from “Self Limitations of Rational Positivism” 2. The Inseparability of Faith from History in the Work of Ratzinger 3. The Historical Jesus is God Acting in History 4. Yes; No; Yes, But... — Reactions to Ratzinger’s Jesus Book(s) 4.1 Supportive Readers (“Yes”) 4.2 Disapproving Readers (“No”) 4.3 Disenchanted Readers 4.4 Qualifying Readers (“Yes, but...”) 4.4.1 Christological Beliefs as Later Projections 4.4.2 Christological Beliefs Preserved from Historical Enquiry 5. Is it really that simple? The Objection of Oversimplification 6. Some First Steps to Take Pre-existence, Incarnation, and Messianic Self-Understanding of Jesus in the Work of Martin Hengel 0. Introduction 1. Historical Research in the Service of Theological Truth 2. Jesus the Messiah 3. From ‘Charismatic Leader’ to the ‘Son of God’ 4. From Son of God to Pre-existence, Incarnation, and Mediation in Creation 5. Incarnation and the Historical Jesus List of Initial Publications Index of Passages I. Old Testament II. Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha III. Philo IV. Josephus V. Qumran VI. New Testament VII. Early Christian Writings VIII. Jewish Writings IX. Greek and Roman Authors Index of Modern Authors Index of Subjects Index of Greek Words