Jonah In The Synoptic Tradition

This book is the fruit of a dissertation which seeks to get beyond the impasse in the modern interpretation of the "Sign-Jonah" Traditions by building upon the achieved results of previous studies (both diachronic and synchronic) examining some Jewish Writings from Second Temple Judaism (the historical ambience of the Synoptic tradition), engaging recently refined concepts and methods of literary-narrative analyses such as the use of synkrisis and utilizing the revised understanding of typology in examining the specific role of Jonah in Luke's Christology. Applying the redactional-critical approach, typological exegesis, and literary (narrative) analysis, it examines three specific questions: (1) what the appropriate "image" of Jonah in Second Temple Judaism (historical) is, (2) what the specific form of the "Sign-Jonah" saying in the gospel narratives (literary) is, and (3) how Jonah's figure contribute to Lucan Christology (theological). The entire study concludes with some revealing elements which shed light on the questions which underpin the dissertation: (1) Jonah's figure was replete and frequently invoked in Second Temple Judaism (his fish ordeal, preaching in Nineveh, death experience, considered as sign, commonplace recourse in crisis situation); and (2) "Sign-Jonah" and "Solomon-Queen" traditions (pieced together with the Beelzebul controversy) are interwoven in narration to make a syncretic-typological correlation between Jesus and Jonah (prophetic character in person and activity) and bring a clear definition to the enigmatic logion to semeion Iona; 3). Jonah's figure, in the context of Luke's Christology, serves as an element of both continuity (consistency with OT tradition) and discontinuity (redefinition--Jesus is the fulfillment and plenitude of OT tradition).

A study of the Sign of Jonah in the Gospels and in Q.

Martin Luther once said, 'Many of the Fathers have loved and praised the Book of Psalms above all other books of the Bible. No books of moral tales and no legends of saints which have been written, or ever will be, are to my mind as noble as the Book of Psalms ...' Despite their richness, the Psalms also raise some interpretive challenges. How do we read such difficult passages as the one which advocates the violent destruction of one's enemies? Are we to ignore these and embrace only those that edify us? This collection of essays by renowned international scholars addresses such issues as the history and contemporary Lutheran and ecumenical interpretations of Psalms and provides valuable interpretive insights for theologians, biblical scholars, pastors, counselors and students. With contributions by Lubomir Batka, Andrea Bieler, Brian Brock, Hans-Peter Großhans, Elelwani B. Farisani, Jutta Hausmann, Anni Hentschel, Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Craig R. Koester, Madipoane Masenya, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, Urmas Nommik, Roger Wanke and Vitor Westhelle.

With due attention to historical and literary issues, the authors explore the theological contributions of two books unique among the Old Testament canon. Offering fresh perspectives for the book's message and setting, George A. F. Knight depicts The Song of Songs as a book about God and his plan of redemption for the world — a revelation of the love of God. Friedemann W. Golka presents the book of Jonah as a masterpiece of Hebrew narrative art, a multidimensional account which through skillful use of irony and satire demonstrates the divine privilege of mercy for all living beings.

The problem of the term "Son of Man" is agreed to lie at the heart of Gospel studies, and Dr. Todt's examination of the evidence is recognized as one of the most important, although controversial, books in the post-Bultmann phase of Biblical scholarship. Now for the first time a detailed analysis is made of the three groups of sayings in the synoptic tradition concerning the parousia, the earthly activity, and the passion and resurrection of the Son of Man. The author shows how the dispute over the messianic self-consciousness of Jesus obstructed the independent problem about the meaning of the Son of Man sayings. He endeavors to establish for each of the three groups of sayings their essential significance and their roots in the history of the tradition, in order to elucidate the Christological meaning of the designation "Son of Man" in the Synoptic Gospels. Here follows a detailed analysis of the "Son of Man" sayings as found in the Marcan Gospel, in Q, in the Matthean Gospel, and in the Lucan Gospel. In each case, the actual Biblical references are given. The author argues that the term "Son of Man" denotes the transcendent sovereignty celebrated in apocalyptic literature, and was not applied by Jesus to himself. It was only the Easter revelation that persuaded at a very early stage, before the oral tradition developed into Q and Mark. This study has led Dr. Todt to conclude that on the one hand the passion-kerygma and on the other hand the "Son of Man" and the Christology of his supreme authority are together the two sources of the Christological discover. "We have arrived at the conclusion," he says, "that there is a Christology in the synoptic tradition the basis of which is not a Christological concept of Jesus' person. This Christology conceives of Jesus' authority on earth. It does not conceive of a transcendent person, the Son of Man as immanent in Jesus." Another valuable contribution of the book is its many references to other scholarly literature, including a new appendix covering recent British work in this field. It also confronts the minister with a challenge: Does his preaching express the spiritual relationship to Jesus' authoritative word which the earliest collection of the Lord's sayings demands? -Publisher

Edited by Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight and I. Howard Marshall, this reference work encompasses everything relating to Jesus and the Gospels.

The resurrection of Jesus is arguably the most significant component of the Christian narrative and is critical for Paul's presentation of the Gospel. Yet it is routinely marginalized in study of the polemics of Galatians, largely because it is explicitly mentioned only once, and even then, only obliquely. This investigation redraws the boundaries of its impact in the letter, showing the risen Christ to be an indispensable feature of how Paul's argument unfolds and achieves its ultimate objective--establishing a rationale for the creation of a multiethnic eschatological family of God, which is grounded in Israel's biblical tradition.