The Oxford Handbook of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles (Oxford Handbooks)

While the Gospels, Paul's Letters, and the Book of Revelation have been well served by volumes orienting readers to the scholarly literature and to their reception histories, Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles have not received nearly the same attention. This relative neglect is in part a legacy of the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Insofar as doctrinal purity in Protestant circles was defined according to rubrics that were, implicitly or explicitly, Pauline in orientation, Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles were at an obvious disadvantage. However, these writings have had a great influence on Christianity throughout the centuries. As it turns out, the study of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles was never truly confined to their place in fraught ecclesiastical disputes. Recent decades have witnessed a resurgence of interest in these writings. The present volume seeks to assess the relevance of these works to various questions that are often posed to other parts of the New Testament canon, to report on the current state of scholarship devoted to the interpretive issues they raise, and to survey their rich and often-overlooked afterlives. Divided into four parts-general issues, topics related to Hebrews, topics related to the Catholic Epistles, and reception and engagement- The Oxford Handbook of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles studies these books individually as witnesses to the cultural and theological diversity of the early church but also for what they reveal about the process that would eventually produce the New Testament canon. The Oxford Handbook of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles Cover Copyright Contents Preface List of Contributors List of Abbreviations Part I. General Issues 1. The Text of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles 2. Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and the Canon 3. Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and the Arithmetic of Canon Lists 4. Anonymity, Orthonymity, and Pseudonymity in Hebrews and the Catholic Letters 5. Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and Pauline Christianity 6. Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and the “Parting of the Ways” 7. Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and the “Delay of the Parousia” Part II. Hebrews 8. Hebrews: Contested Issues 9. Hebrews and the Question of Supersessionism 10. How Hebrews Reads Scripture 11. Hebrews and the Atonement Part III. The Catholic Epistles 12. The Letter of James: Contested Issues 13. 1 Peter: Contested Issues 14. 2 Peter and Jude: Contested Issues 15. The Johannine Letters: Contested Issues 16. James and the Historical Jesus 17. The Ecclesiology of the Catholic Epistles 18. Apocalyptic Traditions in the Catholic Epistles Part IV. Reception and Engagement 19. A Reception History of the Letter to the Hebrews 20. The Reception History of the Letter of James 21. The Reception History of 1–​2 Peter and Jude 22. The Reception History of the Johannine Epistles 23. The Reception of Hebrews in the Roman Catholic Tradition at the Council of Trent 24. Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles in Protestant Creeds, Confessions, Liturgy, and Song