The Ransom Logion In Mark And Matthew

Revised thesis (doctoral) - University of St. Andrews, 2011.

"In this work, Hans M. Moscicke investigates the influence of the Day of Atonement on Matthew's passion narrative. He argues that Matthew portrays Jesus as both goats of the Leviticus 16 ritual in his Barabbas episode (Matt 27:15-26), Roman-abuse scene (Matt 27:27-31), and death-resurrection narrative (Matt 27:50-54)." --back cover

In this study, Justin Buol analyzes the writings connected with the deaths of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, and Pothinus of Lyons in light of earlier accounts of the noble deaths of military, political, and religious leaders from Greco-Roman literature and the Bible, which record benefits accruing to a group on account of its leader's death. The author argues that the accounts of these three bishops' martyrdoms draw upon those prior models in order to portray the bishops as dying to unite, protect, and strengthen the Church, oppose false teaching and apostasy, and solidify the teaching role of the episcopal office. Finally, by providing a foundation for Irenaeus to argue for apostolic succession, these second-century bishop martyrs also help form a lasting contribution to the growth of episcopal power.

"Is the wide range of indications in the Gospel of Mark for the influence of Pauline theology the fruit of chance or rather of the will of the Evangelist to unify his work with the thought of the Apostle Paul? In this study, Mar Pérez i Días argues that Mark, rather than being a disciple of Peter who puts in writing what he remembers from his preaching, is a theological disciple of Paul." --

There is much discussion today about how we are to understand the life of Jesus in the Gospels. What was Jesus doing between his birth and death and how does this relate to salvation? This book corrects the Christian tendency to minimize the life of Jesus, explaining why the Gospels include much more than the Passion narratives. Brandon Crowe argues that Jesus is identified in the Gospels as the last Adam whose obedience recapitulates and overcomes the sin of the first Adam. Crowe shows that all four Gospels present Jesus's obedient life as having saving significance.

A Theology of Mark’s Gospel is the fourth volume in the BTNT series. This landmark textbook, written by leading New Testament scholar David E. Garland, thoroughly explores the theology of Mark’s Gospel. It both covers major Markan themes and also sets forth the distinctive contribution of Mark to the New Testament and the canon of Scripture, providing readers with an in-depth and holistic grasp of Markan theology in the larger context of the Bible. This substantive, evangelical treatment of Markan theology makes an ideal college- or seminary-level text.

“If all you know is the New Testament, you do not know the New Testament” - so the late New Testament scholar Martin Hengel is reputed to have said. According to the Scriptures considers the way in the New Testament writers utilized the Jewish Scriptures in order to describe, articulate and evaluate the death of Jesus, takes Hengel at his word. What Old Testament texts are quoted in the New Testament, how are they used and what might such analysis mean for the (contemporary) reader? Focusing in particular on the passion narratives in the Synoptic Gospels, According to the Scriptures seeks to engage with these questions. It will provide a useful new framework for thinking about why the early Church understood Jesus' death in terms of the Scriptures, what difference that understanding made, and what relevance that might have for us as we seek to make sense of the death of Jesus.

The essays by Christopher Tuckett collected in this volume represent a number of studies, published over a period of 30 years, seeking to throw light on the way in which Jesus traditions were developed and used in early Christianity. Many of the essays are concerned in one way or another with the Sayings Source Q, discussing its existence, its possible pre-history, and key features of the material it contains. Further essays look at Jesus traditions in Paul and in the Gospel of Thomas. In a final section the author focuses on the individual synoptic gospels, with a number of studies concerned with Christology, especially the use of the term Son of Man. These essays show that early Christian traditions about Jesus can provide valuable information not only about Jesus but also about how early Christians used these traditions to relate to their own situations and contexts.