Biblical Teaching on the Righteous Acquisition of Property: Comment and Criticism

Abstract‘Biblical theology’ has long influenced modern theological method, especially Protestant, as both boon and bane. Its role has been seen as either pivotal or problematic in the attempt to construe the Christian Bible as scripture with unified teaching for the contemporary church. The attempt to unfold biblical teaching as having organic unity, related to an internal structure of theological concepts, is frequently perceived as a failure, a has-been that leaves us only with fragmentation – between parts of the Bible, between academy and church, church and world, clergy and laity, and between various theological disciplines. Today a new movement is afoot, often labelled ‘theological interpretation of scripture’. Some of its adherents define this practice as distinct from, even opposed to, biblical theology. Others treat the two practices as virtually coterminous, while perhaps contesting what ‘biblical theology’ is typically taken to be in favour of new theological hermeneutics. Much of the difficulty in defining the relationship, then, stems from lingering debates about what biblical theology can or should be. The rest of the difficulty is perhaps rooted in the dilemma of any interdisciplinary efforts: how to breach unhelpful sections of disciplinary boundaries without redefining territory so nebulously that no one knows where they are.

Download Full-text

Maps, Improvisation, and Games: Retaining Biblical Authority in Local Theology

Evangelical Quarterly ◽

10.1163/27725472-08903001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 89 (3) ◽

pp. 195-208

Author(s):

Craig Ott

Keyword(s):

Critical Realism ◽

Biblical Authority ◽

Game Logic ◽

Normative Authority ◽

The Third ◽

The Bible ◽

Novel Approaches ◽

Context Specific ◽

Biblical Teaching

One of the primary tasks of local theology is to address questions and challenges that are context-specific but not explicitly addressed in the Bible. How can biblical authority be retained while attempting to answer questions, whereby the theologian is compelled to go beyond explicit biblical teaching? Ways of resolving the seeming tension between local theologizing and the normative authority of Scripture are addressed by examining three somewhat novel approaches to conceptualizing the theological process. The first is Paul G. Hiebert’s idea of critical realism and the analogy of maps. The second is Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s idea of theodrama and improvisation. The third is my own concept of game logic and strategy. Each of these three conceptualizations will be briefly described with particular attention to the task of local theologizing and biblical authority.

Download Full-text

The Concept of Humility by Clement of Alexandria and Origen

Theological Herald ◽

10.31802/2500-1450-2019-34-114-137 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 114-137

Author(s):

Павел Лизгунов

Keyword(s):

Old Testament ◽

Clement Of Alexandria ◽

Origen Of Alexandria ◽

Moral Teachings ◽

First Time ◽

The Relationship ◽

Biblical Teaching ◽

Ethical Systems

Цель данной статьи - раскрыть понятие смирения у Климента и Оригена Александрийских. Для этого проводится филологический анализ употребления изучаемыми авторами слов смирение, смиренномудрие и однокоренных с ними, а также богословский анализ учения авторов о соответствующих добродетелях - в сравнении с предшествующей традицией раскрытия этой добродетели. Авторы, стоящие у истоков христианской богословской науки, обобщают сказанное прежде них о добродетели смирения и вносят собственный вклад в христианское учение о смирении. В текстах Климента и Оригена встречаются как античное словоупотребление, в котором термин «смирение» имеет уничижительный смысл, так и христианское употребление в значении нравственной добродетели. Их учение о христианских добродетелях смирения, смиренномудрия и кротости основывается на Священном Писании и содержит в себе черты учения мужей апостольских, ранних апологетов и борцов с гностицизмом. В их текстах впервые ставится вопрос о соотношении христианского и античного учений о смирении, который они пытаются решить в духе примирения античных и христианской этических систем. При этом оба автора указывают на бóльшую древность библейского учения по сравнению с учением Платона, а Климентпрямо называетплатоновское высказывание о добродетельном смирении заимствованием из Ветхого Завета. В ряде случаев зависимость авторов от античной мысли приводит к неточностям и натяжкам в передаче христианского нравственного учения. В частности, это проявляется в учении Климента о добродетельной гордости и в отвержении Оригеном библейских «телесных» форм смирения в пользу смирения по преимуществу интеллектуального. The purpose of this article is to reveal the concept of humility among Clement and Origen of Alexandria. To do this, a philological analysis of the use by the authors of the words humility, humility and cognate with them, as well as a theological analysis of the teachings of the authors about the corresponding virtues, is carried out in comparison with the previous tradition of revealing this virtue. Their teaching on the Christian virtues of humility, humility and meekness is based on the Holy Scriptures and contains features of the teachings of the husbands of the apostolic, early apologists and fighters against Gnosticism. For the first time, their texts raise the question of the relationship between Christian and antique teachings on humility, which they are trying to solve in the spirit of reconciliation of ancient and Christian ethical systems. At the same time, both authors point to the greater antiquity of the biblical teaching in comparison with the teachings of Plato, and Clement directly calls the Platonic statement about virtuous humility borrowing from the Old Testament. In some cases, the authors’ dependence on ancient thought leads to inaccuracies and stretches in the transmission of Christian moral teachings. In particular, this is manifested in Clement’s doctrine of virtuous pride and in Origen’s rejection of the biblical «bodily» forms of humility in favor of humility predominantly intellectual.

Download Full-text

Biblical Teaching and Assisting the Poor

The Bible and Christian Ethics ◽

10.2307/j.ctv1ddcn9v.7 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 23-50

Author(s):

John D. Mason

Keyword(s):

The Poor ◽

Biblical Teaching

Download Full-text

Setting the Issues: Women'S Liberation and Christian Theology

Journal of Psychology and Theology ◽

10.1177/009164717600400407 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 313-317

Author(s):

C. E. Cerling

Keyword(s):

New Testament ◽

Christian Theology ◽

Women's Liberation ◽

1 Corinthians ◽

Women Ministers ◽

Women’S Liberation ◽

The New Testament ◽

Key Issues ◽

Women's Role ◽

Biblical Teaching

Meaningful discussion cannot take place until agreement has been reached about the subject for discussion. This article sets out what the author considers are the key issues relating to the debate between women's liberation and Christian theology. The single most important issue is this: Is the biblical teaching about women so conditioned by the culture of biblical times that it has no application to the present. Certain definitions are important. What is the meaning of “headship” in the New Testament? The other side of this question is, what is the meaning of subjection or subordination? We must also ask, how can the apparent partnership of Genesis 2 be reconciled with subordination as spelled out by Paul? In regard to the question of the ordination of women, we must ask if there were women ministers in the New Testament. This question is posed with signal difficulty by Paul's contrasting statements in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 where he both restricts women's role in the church and provides a qualified opening for their teaching.

Download Full-text