Portraits of Jesus: Studies in Christology

Description

The authors of this collection of essays focus on understandings of Jesus in various early Christian writings. Notable are several texts that examine the presentation of Jesus in the Gospels of John and Mark, as well as in the Book of Hebrews and in the letters of Paul. Other early Christian literature is represented as well, from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas to various Apocryphal Acts of Apostles and liturgical or other prayer texts, while some essays address a range of ancient literature, Christian and non-Christian. The authors of these essays examine the ways in which ancient writers addressed the significance of Jesus, as well as the their sources, dialogue partners, and critics in a variety of perspectives and methods. Contributors:Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll, Paul F. Bradshaw, Dylan M. Burns, Joshua Ezra Burns, Stephen J. Davis, Joshua D. Garroway, Judith M. Gundry, Daniel C. Harlow, Jeremy F. Hultin, Timothy Luckritz Marquis, Candida R. Moss, Susan E. Myers, George L. Parsenios, Michael Peppard, Richard I. Pervo, Bryan D. Spinks, Gregory E. Sterling, Thomas H. Tobin, S.J., Emma Wasserman Preface ...................................................................................................... V Table of Contents ................................................................................... VII Abbreviations .......................................................................................... XI Introduction Susan E. Myers .......................................................................................... 1 Part I: Portraits of Jesus in Gospel Literature A Sententious Silence: First Thoughts on the Fourth Gospel and the Ardens Style George L. Parsenios ................................................................................. 13 Like Father, Like Son: An Example of Jewish Humor in the Gospel of John Joshua Ezra Burns ................................................................................... 27 The Scripturally Complex Presentation of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll ......................................................................... 45 Disobeying Jesus: A Puzzling Element in the Messianic Secret Motifs Jeremy F. Hultin ...................................................................................... 69 Crucifixion, State of Emergency, and the Proximate Marginality of Christ’s Kingship Timothy Luckritz Marquis ........................................................................ 99 Bird Watching in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas: From Child’s Play to Rituals of Divine Discernment Stephen J. Davis ..................................................................................... 125 Part II: Portraits of Jesus in Paul “The Image of God”: Becoming Like God in Philo, Paul, and Early Christianity Gregory E. Sterling ................................................................................ 157 Jesus-Tradition and Paul’s Opinion About the Widow Remaining as a Widow (1 Cor 7:40) Judith M. Gundry ................................................................................... 175 “An Idol is Nothing in the World” (1 Cor 8:4): The Metaphysical Contradictions of 1 Corinthians 8:1–11:1 in the Context of Jewish Idolatry Polemics Emma Wasserman .................................................................................. 201 The Use of Christological Traditions in Paul: The Case of Rom 3:21–26 Thomas H. Tobin, S.J. ............................................................................ 229 Part III: Portraits of Jesus in Prayer and Liturgy The Status of Jesus in Early Christian Prayer Texts Paul F. Bradshaw ................................................................................... 249 Praying to Jesus in the Acts of Thomas Susan E. Myers ....................................................................................... 261 Handing on Tradition: Some Themes and Images in the Maronite Baptismal Ordo Bryan D. Spinks ...................................................................................... 287 Part IV: Portraits of Jesus in Other Early Christian Literature A New Sort of Priest for a New Sort of People: Hebrews as an Interpretation of Romans Joshua D. Garroway .............................................................................. 301 Standing at the Foot of the Staircase: Christology and Narrative Structure in the Prologue to Hebrews (Heb 1:1–4) Candida R. Moss .................................................................................... 319 Born of Fornication: The Jewish Charge of Jesus’ Illegitimacy in John, Celsus, and Origen Daniel C. Harlow ................................................................................... 335 Shepherd of the Lamb: Paul as a Christ-Figure in the Acts of Paul Richard I. Pervo ..................................................................................... 355 Jesus’ Reincarnations Revisited in Jewish Christianity, Sethian Gnosticism, and Mani Dylan M. Burns ...................................................................................... 371 Archived Portraits of Jesus: Unorthodox Christological Images from John and Athanasius Michael Peppard .................................................................................... 393 List of Contributors ................................................................................ 411 Index of Ancient Texts ........................................................................... 413 Index of Modern Authors ....................................................................... 446 General Index ......................................................................................... 457