Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231191562
Prince E. Peters, Omaka K. Ngele
Individual guardian angel belief is one aspect of Second-Temple Jewish angelology that infiltrated early Christianity. In Mtt. 18:10, these angels were referred to as guards to people, especially those whom Jesus referred to as ‘the little ones.’ Jesus’ mention of this second temple angelology explains the popularity of this angelic belief within Jesus’ time. Meanwhile, in Africa-Igbo mythology there is a belief in individual destiny spirit (chi) who is also a guardian spirit. This destiny or guardian spirit is possessed individually by each Igbo person. The chi-spirit personality is seen to display certain characteristics which make it possible that the Igbo philosophy on individual chi and the individual angel of Mtt. 18:10 refer to the same spirit beings. The study aims to verify the nexus between these two spirit phenomena..
{"title":"“Hoi angeloi auton” in Matthew 18:10 and the Pristine Individual “chi” of Igbo Society","authors":"Prince E. Peters, Omaka K. Ngele","doi":"10.1177/01461079231191562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231191562","url":null,"abstract":"Individual guardian angel belief is one aspect of Second-Temple Jewish angelology that infiltrated early Christianity. In Mtt. 18:10, these angels were referred to as guards to people, especially those whom Jesus referred to as ‘the little ones.’ Jesus’ mention of this second temple angelology explains the popularity of this angelic belief within Jesus’ time. Meanwhile, in Africa-Igbo mythology there is a belief in individual destiny spirit (chi) who is also a guardian spirit. This destiny or guardian spirit is possessed individually by each Igbo person. The chi-spirit personality is seen to display certain characteristics which make it possible that the Igbo philosophy on individual chi and the individual angel of Mtt. 18:10 refer to the same spirit beings. The study aims to verify the nexus between these two spirit phenomena..","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47851435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231191553
R. Hays
The poetic telling of stories—especially stories of ancestral failings and ongoing relationship to those failings—is a key aspect of how the book of Psalms moves audiences from trauma to healing and resilience. Trauma blocks the ability of survivors to narrate a coherent story of their experiences. Learning to tell traumatic stories—and integrate them into life moving forward—is a significant factor in healing from past traumas and building the resilience necessary to survive and sustain well-being through future ones. The “twin” Psalms 105 and 106 are an example of how the book of Psalms equips audiences for this work of processing trauma, moving toward healing, and building resilience through its poetic language, narrative structures, and community context. In particular, these psalms narrate a shared history, acknowledge the good and the bad within that history, and demand participation and response.
{"title":"Telling Stories for Healing and Resilience: A Trauma-informed Reading of Psalms 105 and 106","authors":"R. Hays","doi":"10.1177/01461079231191553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231191553","url":null,"abstract":"The poetic telling of stories—especially stories of ancestral failings and ongoing relationship to those failings—is a key aspect of how the book of Psalms moves audiences from trauma to healing and resilience. Trauma blocks the ability of survivors to narrate a coherent story of their experiences. Learning to tell traumatic stories—and integrate them into life moving forward—is a significant factor in healing from past traumas and building the resilience necessary to survive and sustain well-being through future ones. The “twin” Psalms 105 and 106 are an example of how the book of Psalms equips audiences for this work of processing trauma, moving toward healing, and building resilience through its poetic language, narrative structures, and community context. In particular, these psalms narrate a shared history, acknowledge the good and the bad within that history, and demand participation and response.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46720885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231191554
J. Dickie
The psalmist describes betrayal by a close companion in Psalms 41 and 55. His response aligns with Betrayal Trauma Theory, but his strong relationship with God prevents a negative impact on his “self.” The structure of these Hebrew lament-poems reveals how the psalmist coped with emotional distress. Laments offer a way for burdened individuals to express pain, frustration, anger, fear, and disillusionment to God, seeking eventual relief. In Pss 41 and 55, this approach brings solace. However, in Pss 44 and 88, where YHWH appears as the “betrayer,” the psalmist’s hope remains unfulfilled, yet he relies on the covenant for eventual resolution.
{"title":"Being Betrayed: The Psalmist’s Approach to Dealing with “Emotions of Exclusion”","authors":"J. Dickie","doi":"10.1177/01461079231191554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231191554","url":null,"abstract":"The psalmist describes betrayal by a close companion in Psalms 41 and 55. His response aligns with Betrayal Trauma Theory, but his strong relationship with God prevents a negative impact on his “self.” The structure of these Hebrew lament-poems reveals how the psalmist coped with emotional distress. Laments offer a way for burdened individuals to express pain, frustration, anger, fear, and disillusionment to God, seeking eventual relief. In Pss 41 and 55, this approach brings solace. However, in Pss 44 and 88, where YHWH appears as the “betrayer,” the psalmist’s hope remains unfulfilled, yet he relies on the covenant for eventual resolution.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47637593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231191561
Aidan Cottrell-Boyce
The text of the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation has provided a template for the development of many radical, political identities over the course of many centuries. The text describes an idolatrous majority, beholden to the power of a tyrannical and pseudo-theocratic ruler. It also describes an embattled minority, who are given an ‘insight’ which allows them to resist the thrall of this ruler. In more recent times, these images have captured the imaginations of participants in conspiracy cultures. In particular, those who resist the use of vaccinations by public health authorities see prophetic significance in the concept of the ‘mark of the beast.’ For the entire history of the use of vaccination, anti-vaccination campaigners have seen prophetic significance in the topos of ‘the mark of the Beast.’ This article traces the themes which link the apocalyptic language used by anti-vaccination campaigners in the nineteenth century with the apocalyptic language used by anti-vaccination campaigners in the twenty-first.
{"title":"Revelation 13:17 and Anti-Vaccination Culture","authors":"Aidan Cottrell-Boyce","doi":"10.1177/01461079231191561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231191561","url":null,"abstract":"The text of the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation has provided a template for the development of many radical, political identities over the course of many centuries. The text describes an idolatrous majority, beholden to the power of a tyrannical and pseudo-theocratic ruler. It also describes an embattled minority, who are given an ‘insight’ which allows them to resist the thrall of this ruler. In more recent times, these images have captured the imaginations of participants in conspiracy cultures. In particular, those who resist the use of vaccinations by public health authorities see prophetic significance in the concept of the ‘mark of the beast.’ For the entire history of the use of vaccination, anti-vaccination campaigners have seen prophetic significance in the topos of ‘the mark of the Beast.’ This article traces the themes which link the apocalyptic language used by anti-vaccination campaigners in the nineteenth century with the apocalyptic language used by anti-vaccination campaigners in the twenty-first.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49111726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177683
R. Mclaughlin
In this issue of Biblical Theology Bulletin, our contributing authors explore a wide array of issues, including the increasing experience of isolation in preand post-pandemic Western cultures; strange and even violent encounters with God in the Bible; the interpretation and reception of biblical passages among people who are ostracized because of their skin color; the function of color in the biblical texts; the meaning behind mixing prohibitions in the Mosaic Law; and the place of hope and nonviolence in the Christian faith, especially in light of eschatological warfare imagery.
{"title":"Presenting the Issue: Do You See What I See?","authors":"R. Mclaughlin","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177683","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177683","url":null,"abstract":"In this issue of Biblical Theology Bulletin, our contributing authors explore a wide array of issues, including the increasing experience of isolation in preand post-pandemic Western cultures; strange and even violent encounters with God in the Bible; the interpretation and reception of biblical passages among people who are ostracized because of their skin color; the function of color in the biblical texts; the meaning behind mixing prohibitions in the Mosaic Law; and the place of hope and nonviolence in the Christian faith, especially in light of eschatological warfare imagery.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47405444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177689
R. Nabulsi
This article investigates two unique narratives contained in Genesis 32:22-33 and Exodus 4: 24-36. Both stories share elements of what on the surface appear to be violent and fearful encounters with the divine. Ottonian analysis is used to understand how the placement of these narratives in their context allows the larger text and the reader to understand these episodes as not simply fearful, but as moving from fear to awe as the encounter reveals a piece of the fabric of the intimacy between man and God. Ultimately it is the entire narrative taken within its place in the Hebrew Bible, along with later discussion and commentary, that allow these episodes to develop into the story of a rich and complex relationship between man and a God who cannot be reduced to either an unspeakable experience or an articulable set of concepts, but is at once fully mysterious, numinous, and self-revelatory.
{"title":"Rudolf Otto and the Fearful Numinous: Jacob and Moses Wrestle with the Dangerous Divine; An Investigation of Genesis 32:22-33 and Exodus 4:24-26","authors":"R. Nabulsi","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177689","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177689","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates two unique narratives contained in Genesis 32:22-33 and Exodus 4: 24-36. Both stories share elements of what on the surface appear to be violent and fearful encounters with the divine. Ottonian analysis is used to understand how the placement of these narratives in their context allows the larger text and the reader to understand these episodes as not simply fearful, but as moving from fear to awe as the encounter reveals a piece of the fabric of the intimacy between man and God. Ultimately it is the entire narrative taken within its place in the Hebrew Bible, along with later discussion and commentary, that allow these episodes to develop into the story of a rich and complex relationship between man and a God who cannot be reduced to either an unspeakable experience or an articulable set of concepts, but is at once fully mysterious, numinous, and self-revelatory.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43471427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177690
Mark S. Aidoo
Interpretation of a text can either justify power relations and subordination or become a tool for empowerment. While some explain that the speaker is admitting a unique quality in Song 1:5, others think it is an affirmation of identity. This paper presents the views of young Ghanaian girls in two Senior High Schools. A contextual reading of the Song of Songs 1.5–17 is used to present strategies for self-empowerment, confidence, and creativity. Drawing from Africa Agenda 2063, it proposes ways to clarify beliefs about oneself and empower young people to tell their stories about their bodies. When Africans read the Bible, they also look for ways for redefining, rethinking, and re-living in an African community so that they can express their identity better.
{"title":"‘I am black and beautiful’: Body-talk toward redefining the identity of black girls using Contextual Bible studies on Song of Songs 1.5–17","authors":"Mark S. Aidoo","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177690","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177690","url":null,"abstract":"Interpretation of a text can either justify power relations and subordination or become a tool for empowerment. While some explain that the speaker is admitting a unique quality in Song 1:5, others think it is an affirmation of identity. This paper presents the views of young Ghanaian girls in two Senior High Schools. A contextual reading of the Song of Songs 1.5–17 is used to present strategies for self-empowerment, confidence, and creativity. Drawing from Africa Agenda 2063, it proposes ways to clarify beliefs about oneself and empower young people to tell their stories about their bodies. When Africans read the Bible, they also look for ways for redefining, rethinking, and re-living in an African community so that they can express their identity better.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49550692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177684
S. Hildebrandt
Already an urgent issue before the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality of loneliness became plain to see especially during the lockdowns and social protocols of those years. What we understand about this social phenomenon, however, is often as vague as the biblical assessment that lonely living is “not good” (Genesis 2:18). My study expands and explains what the Bible has to say on the topic (1) by identifying other relevant texts about loneliness, (2) by studying the imagery of the “lonely bird” in Psalm 102, and (3) by bringing these insights into conversation with contemporary psychological research. Their differences notwithstanding, I will show that the ancient psalm and modern psychology join their voices in portraying loneliness as a liminal and lethal force. Inasmuch as the struggle of articulation and acknowledgement hinders many from seeking support, the first-person poetry of the “lonely bird” in Psalm 102 can give language to human experience, break false assumptions, provide companionship, and pave the way towards a new-found freedom.
{"title":"“I am a Lonely Bird:” Psalm 102 and the Psychology of Loneliness","authors":"S. Hildebrandt","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177684","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177684","url":null,"abstract":"Already an urgent issue before the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality of loneliness became plain to see especially during the lockdowns and social protocols of those years. What we understand about this social phenomenon, however, is often as vague as the biblical assessment that lonely living is “not good” (Genesis 2:18). My study expands and explains what the Bible has to say on the topic (1) by identifying other relevant texts about loneliness, (2) by studying the imagery of the “lonely bird” in Psalm 102, and (3) by bringing these insights into conversation with contemporary psychological research. Their differences notwithstanding, I will show that the ancient psalm and modern psychology join their voices in portraying loneliness as a liminal and lethal force. Inasmuch as the struggle of articulation and acknowledgement hinders many from seeking support, the first-person poetry of the “lonely bird” in Psalm 102 can give language to human experience, break false assumptions, provide companionship, and pave the way towards a new-found freedom.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47477135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177685
Jennifer M. Buck
Using the framework of a theologically-informed commentary on the Christian Scriptures, this essay will explore the Pauline concept of hope as well as the imagery of the lamb’s war. With a narrative approach, themes of eschatology will also inform the Quaker understanding of the Lamb’s war as a central metaphor in the ecclesial movement. Expanding from Paul’s words in Romans 5 and the Johannine language of the Lamb’s War in Revelation 17, this paper seeks to hermeneutically explore how hope is an essential truth necessary for the future of the Christian movement.
{"title":"And Hope Does Not Disappoint Us: Pauline Hope and the Lamb’s War","authors":"Jennifer M. Buck","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177685","url":null,"abstract":"Using the framework of a theologically-informed commentary on the Christian Scriptures, this essay will explore the Pauline concept of hope as well as the imagery of the lamb’s war. With a narrative approach, themes of eschatology will also inform the Quaker understanding of the Lamb’s war as a central metaphor in the ecclesial movement. Expanding from Paul’s words in Romans 5 and the Johannine language of the Lamb’s War in Revelation 17, this paper seeks to hermeneutically explore how hope is an essential truth necessary for the future of the Christian movement.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47766783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-01DOI: 10.1177/01461079231177692
A. Rambiert-Kwaśniewska
Color descriptions depend on both culture and era. An explicit example consists in the Greek term melas which was used at the earliest stage of developing the Greek literature to describe various dark colors, as well as difficult mental states and negative emotions, whereas in the Hellenistic papyrus texts it was used in noun form to describe the writing material and pigment in painting. Analyzing the Hebrew equivalent of šāḥōr has revealed a similarity in terms of perceiving and the nomenclature concerning dark colors also in Jewish environments. The conducted study constitutes an attempt to solve methodological difficulties as well as an attempt to capture the elusive semantics and symbolism of the Greek chromatic system in biblical terms.
{"title":"The Little Known Language of Biblical Colors: The Example of melas in the Septuagint and the New Testament","authors":"A. Rambiert-Kwaśniewska","doi":"10.1177/01461079231177692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079231177692","url":null,"abstract":"Color descriptions depend on both culture and era. An explicit example consists in the Greek term melas which was used at the earliest stage of developing the Greek literature to describe various dark colors, as well as difficult mental states and negative emotions, whereas in the Hellenistic papyrus texts it was used in noun form to describe the writing material and pigment in painting. Analyzing the Hebrew equivalent of šāḥōr has revealed a similarity in terms of perceiving and the nomenclature concerning dark colors also in Jewish environments. The conducted study constitutes an attempt to solve methodological difficulties as well as an attempt to capture the elusive semantics and symbolism of the Greek chromatic system in biblical terms.","PeriodicalId":41921,"journal":{"name":"Biblical Theology Bulletin","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43896435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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