Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
Still stranded here at Kuala Lumpur airport (though I’ve had a few opportunities to escape and check out the city itself) and now late at night checking up on mail, blog comments, etc, and I see again various views (see the comments on The First Gospel: History or Apocalyptic Drama) on what might be the … Continue reading “That Name Above All Names”
Here is a modified form of an exploratory essay I posted at another forum. It was in response to the question raised by the “Philippian Hymn”: was the name of Jesus itself “the name above all names” that was bestowed on God’s Son after his exaltation after crucifixion? 6 [Christ Jesus], being in very nature … Continue reading “Could a common name like Jesus really be “a name above all names”?”
….. In surveying references to angels during this time, one of the most common features in the names of angels is the appearance of the element of ‘el’.53 This survey reveals that the most common angelic characters of this period were named Michael, Gabriel, Sariel/Uriel, and Raphael.54 In other words, a prosopographical analysis of the … Continue reading “Was the name “Jesus” too common to belong to a divinity or archangel?”
Continuing the Jesus and Dionysus posts (sharing the 2006 Hermathena article by John Moles) . . . The status of Christianity against Judaism The Dionysiac myth also serves as a framework through which to address the status of Christianity in relation to Judaism. The god came to Thebes, to his own people among whom he … Continue reading “Functions of Dionysiac Myth in Acts, #2”
Turning to a genuine work of scholarship in biblical studies, even one 80 years old, can be such relief after enduring time in search of a stimulating and challenging argument among so much contemporary theological debate with apologetics always lurking in the subtext. One theologian has scoffed at mythicism by glibly asserting that no-one would … Continue reading “Would the historical Jesus of Nazareth really have been named Jesus of Nazareth?”
Revised and updated 3 hours after the original posting. Both the letters of Paul and the narrative in the Gospels speak of Jesus crucified. Jesus’ death is significant. The Gospel of John speaks of Jesus’ blood and Paul refers often to his blood. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke in particular stress his birth from … Continue reading “Jesus: the Same in Both Paul and the Gospels”
Classicist John Moles presents a case for the Gospels making creative use of the name of Jesus in order to drive home its unique status as the power that tends, cleanses, heals and saves. In the Gospel of Mark — the portion of his Histos article I am addressing in this post — this creative … Continue reading “Creativity with the Name of Jesus the Healer in the Gospel of Mark”
Last year I posted an amateurish discussion about puns in the Gospel of Mark. During my recent break from blogging I stumbled across a classical scholar’s discussion of puns in the Gospels in an online scholarly journal. The subject is far richer than I had ever imagined. There are possibly major implications for our understanding … Continue reading “Gospel Puns on the Name Above All Names”