Report on ANZABS Conference 2006
Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Biblical Studies Annual Conference
December 7-8, 2006 at Knox Church, Christchurch
Thirty people gathered for a stimulating two days of papers (twenty in all) on a range of topics. Participants came from Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin. Several commented that the quality of the papers was very good. It was especially pleasing that a number of presenters were postgraduate students as ANZABS desires to be a forum where such people can find an opportunity to share the fruits of their studies and research.
Knox Church proved to be a very congenial conference venue, within easy reach of the city centre and surrounded by a number of good motels and hostels, cafés and restaurants.
Abstracts of the papers appear below.
You might like to note the following dates:
ANZABS Conference 2007: December 3-4, at the Bible College of New Zealand, Auckland.
Society of Biblical Literature International Meeting, July 6 – 11, 2008, in Auckland.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACTS
Thursday 7 December
9:30 - 10:00 Registration (Coffee and tea available)
10:00 - 10:15 Welcome
10:15 - 11:00 Peter Carrell, “On Disposing of Q: finally getting rid of this unnecessary hypothesis!?”
The simplest explanation of why Luke and Matthew share common non-Markan passages is that one copied the other. Leaving aside the possibility that Matthew copied Luke, the idea that Luke copied Matthew has been dogged by an apparent inconsistency in method: Luke copies Mark in a straightforward manner, but he copies Matthew with the order of a crank. But the charge of inconsistency involves a presumption that Luke begins with Matthew and Mark. What if things were different, and Luke used Matthew in a manner neither cranky nor inconsistent with his use of Mark?
11:05 - 11:45 Judith McKinlay, “Through a Window”
This paper looks at the role and response of Michal as David brought the ark into Jerusalem. It also follows the call of postcolonial scholars to read biblical narratives in dialogue with those of the reader's own context. The narrative of Michal is therefore also read in dialogue with Fiona Kidman's historical novel, The Book of Secrets.
11:50 - 12:30 Lynne Wall, “Vocation in Mark's Gospel”
Many churches in Aotearoa/New Zealand are experiencing a crisis of vocation not only in ordained ministry but in discerning the call of God at all in global western culture. In this paper I explore a renewed interest in the meaning of vocation in today’s world by a reading of Mark’s passion predictions using a literary critical approach alongside current thinking on the concept of vocation.
12:30 - 1:30 LUNCH
1:30 - 2:30 Tim Meadowcroft, “Haggai and the 'Myth of the Empty Land'”
A key factor in understanding the Sitz im Leben of the restoration prophecies of Haggai is the applicability or otherwise of the so-called 'myth of the empty land'. To what extent was Judah depopulated during the exile, and hence what impact did the Babylonian exile have on the land of Judah and on those who were not taken into exile? Our answer to this impacts our understanding of what happened when the province of Judah was re-established within the Persian empire and the temple rebuilt. Generally speaking the field is split between those who find considerable depopulation during the period of the exile and those who consider that very little changed during that period. This paper will describe an intermediate argument that sees some depopulation along with significant destruction of infrastructure and loss of temple and royal ideology. On that basis it will be suggested that the assurance of Yahweh's appeasement and presence, as conveyed by the prophet Haggai, makes a 'restoration' possible. This paper builds on one aspect of my contemporary reading of the book of Haggai forthcoming in the Readings series published by Sheffield Phoenix Press.
2:35 - 3:15 Choose from one of three options:
Alesana Eteuati, “Jesus and Destigmatization in Matthew's Gospel”
In the New Testament, Jesus is portrayed a mamzer, a person with a questionable birth. Matthew’s birth narrative contains a reference to Mary being pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. Being a mamzer influenced one’s value of the social world into which one is born into. It is a label that certainly excludes a person from various activities that requires the stigmatized person to reinterpret his status against the ideological perceptions that maintain the world view of a particular social order. This research intends to use destigmatization, from the typology of Roger and Warren, to bring to light ‘the fight back’ against the stigma Jesus went through in his ministry. The main modes of adaptation, ‘evasion and reinterpretation’ play a major role in understanding what Jesus went through, why Jesus went through what he had gone through, and how he went through what he had gone through. As a conclusion, I have planned to explore the following hypotheses: one, the Son of God was a deviant in the eyes of the society of his time and Matthew, in particular intends to pass that along. Two, Jesus was a deviant right from his birth. Three, Jesus’ association with the outcasts of the society is his mode of adaptation. Jesus struggles together with his new community (disciples and the multitude/crowd) to change the perception of deviance that the social world of his time maintains.
Anne Taylor, “Mosaic Manipulation in Deuteronomy 4:1-8 (9)”
With an abrupt change of topic at the beginning of this pericope, Moses is about to stress the importance of, and the reasons for, his teachings. An aural 'th 'th pun does not translate into English but a Hebrew-speaking audience could equally have heard "And now, Israel!, as is written, or "And you, Israel!" The attention-getting pun suggests a text written for oral presentation. The pericope Deuteronomy 4:1-8 (9) is the first of the day's readings shared by the Roman Catholic lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Catholic). On that day another, congregational, audience hears the translated words of Moses as one of the component texts compiled for oral presentation. In its lectionary context the pericope's role is to support the day's gospel reading, not the full teachings of Moses. Following a brief discussion of intertextual theory based on Julia Kristeva's early theories, this paper explores one aspect of the pericope in its Hebrew Bible context, the audience addressed by Moses. Does the text in that context support the text in its lectionary context?
Tom Innes, “Tried and Tested” (Luke 4:1-13)
This paper suggests that the relationship between the trial and crucifixion of Jesus is as important to the reading of the Temptation in the Wilderness as the Old Testament story Jesus invokes by his quotations from the book of Deuteronomy. It explores parallels between Luke 4:1-13 and Luke 22-23. The significance of these parallels is further underscored by Luke's subtle interweaving of references to stone/s, kingdom/s, and the temple. Brief reference will also be made to relevant works by Bruce Cockburn.
3:15 - 3:45 AFTERNOON TEA
3:45 - 4:15 Choose from one of three options:
Don Moffat, “Priesthood or Priesthoods -Reflections on Interdisciplinary Study”
I want to reflect on some of the pitfalls of interdisciplinary study. Noting three in particular: drawing on out dated material, failing to understand the intellectual context of the secondary discipline, and lacking the skill and art to apply the new material well. The reflection focuses on the application of social science to biblical studies and specifically uses the work of Leopold Sabourin in Priesthood: A Comparative Study as a primary case study.
Margaret van Ginkel, “Fear But Not Fear: The character of Φόβος in Luke 12”
Φόβος is a paradox of the Christian faith. In Luke 12.4-5 commands are given both to fear and not to fear. This paper seeks to unravel the paradox. It examines the implications of φοβ- in this passage, and the influence of this on the mission of the early church in Acts. It considers φοβ- in the context of the First Testament and Greco-Roman environments, seeking to discover how fear, according to Luke-Acts, fits within the Christian setting.
Sarah Hart, "Divine Discourse? The Introductory Formula in the Holiness Code [Lev 17-26]"
An introductory formula signals the start of speeches in the Holiness code [Lev 17-26]. The paper offers an exegesis of the introductory formula and critiques vocabulary that Rolf Knierim and Erich Zenger use to describe the formula. Based on a synchronic [ie text as product] reading, I propose that the introductory formula is part of a sophisticated literary technique that extends through the entire speeches to create the impression that the speeches are from God.
4:50 - 5:30 George M. Wieland, “Gods and Goddesses of Crete and the Letter to Titus”
Crete’s claim to a special association with Zeus is well known and often cited in relation to the denigration of “deceitful Crete” reflected in Titus 1:12. Other significant deities of Crete are, however, rarely mentioned in relation to the letter. Drawing on recent archaeological work on Cretan cult sanctuaries and on Gortyn, the capital of Roman Crete, it will be suggested that unusual features of the theological statements in Titus might be explained as missionary allusions to aspects of the cults of Potnia Theron and Isis, both prominent on Crete.
DRINKS & DINNER
Friday 8 December
8:45 – 9:00 Annual General Business Meeting
9:05 - 9:45 Laurel Lanner, “Murder, Medicine and Moral Crises”
The story of the man who murders his daughter in the book of Judges is difficult for contemporary scholars to deal with. How can the man who performed this deed be considered a hero for future generations? Does this story have anything to say to another difficult subject, that of murders for muti, a practice present in Southern Africa today? Is it possible that Judges could be understood to support the practice of murder for muti? And does the modern practice of murder for muti shed light on Jephthah? This paper explores these questions, explains muti and suggests that the commodification of the human body in the sacrifices of the ancient world represents an early stage of moral crises that are worldwide today.
9:50 - 10:30 Choose from one of two options:
Chris Caradus, “The End of the Beginning - Some reflections on Paul, Jewish Apocalypticism” and Inaugurated Eschatology”
It has long been held within Biblical Scholarship that the earliest Christian communities viewed the death and resurrection of Jesus as clearly signaling the end of the present age. Jesus' resurrection and exaltation was therefore viewed by the first Christians as immediately preceding the return of Christ, together with the establishment of the eternal Age to Come. However, when the anticipated second coming of Christ did not occur in such short order, the church was forced to rethink its eschatology. It concluded that the death and resurrection of Jesus had not signaled the End but rather the Beginning of the End. In this decisive event, the life and power of Age to Come was now seen to have “broken into” the present age without entirely displacing it. That displacement would indeed occur with the return of Christ. But for now, the Age to come was seen to be paradoxically both “already here” and “not yet here,” with human history continuing to strain inexorably towards that point of final consummation, when the Age to Come would indeed entirely displace the Present Evil Age. According to the scholarly consensus, the apostle Paul is seen to have been a key player in this early Christian revision of traditional Jewish eschatology.
This paper begins to explore possible lines of inquiry for the critique of this thoroughly established view within NT scholarship, which has come to be known as inaugurated eschatology. These lines of inquiry include an initial investigation of Paul’s relationship to apocalyptic Judaism, together with a suggested reading of Romans 1.18 that is not conditioned at all by the view that inaugurated eschatology dominates Paul’s thinking. In this reading, Paul is seen to view the Christ event as inaugurating a new age of mission, the age of the church, which was previously unknown to the traditional Jewish eschatological scheme. Within the context of this reading, this new age need not be characterised as the inaugurated eschaton, and the Christ event need not be viewed as the Beginning of the End of human history. Rather, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the decisive event that has inaugurated this new age can be seen as the End of the Beginning of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy with respect to the incorporation of the gentiles into the covenant people of God. The era itself can be seen as being terminated by the full restoration of Israel itself, again the subject of unfulfilled Biblical prophecy.
Deborah Bower, “Echoes of Scripture in Acts 10: Cornelius in Conversation with Moses and the Prophets”
The triple reference to Cornelius in Acts10; 11:5-18; and 15:6-9 is used to reinforce the significance of uncircumcised Gentiles accepted as full participating members in an emerging Jewish religious community. If Acts 10 is read as a hermeneutical event rather than a historical one we see that the conversion of Cornelius is the contemporization of Israel’s ancient scriptures in which Luke articulates the reality of living in the midst of the long awaited eschatological restoration of all things. For Luke, Moses and the Prophets, especially Isaiah, offered an insight into what God had been doing throughout Israel’s history. Luke’s hermeneutic was theotelic– he articulated in his Gospel and Acts what God had been doing and saying to Israel throughout its history. He relies solely on the authoritative nature of Moses and the Prophets to restore and reinvigorate their significance for his emerging ecclesia of Jewish and Gentile believers.
10:30 - 11:00 MORNING TEA
11:00 - 11:45 Mark Keown, "An Evangelistic Reading of the Christ-Hymn" (Phil 2:4-11)
This paper will note other recent perspectives on the Christ-hymn including eschatological and ethical readings. It will suggest that these dimensions are both there in the reading, particularly the latter approach which is strongly related to context. I will argue that there is an additional angle to be drawn on the Christ-hymn building on the work of my recently completed Doctoral Thesis "The Missing Imperative: A discussion of the absence of a clear congregational imperative to proclaim the gospel in the Pauline Epistles with particular reference to Philippians". I will suggest that there is also an evangelistic context to the Christ-hymn due firstly to the prominence of evangelismand the gospel in what precedes in 1:3-2:4 (esp. 1:5-7, 12-18a, 22, 27c-30) and in what follows in 2:12-3:1 (esp. 2:16-18, 19-23, 25-30 cf. 3:2-17; 4:9). Secondly, I will discuss the intent of the hina clause in 2:10 which has often been taken as a result clause but which many scholars concede is more likely grammatically to be a purpose clause or an intentional blending of result and purpose in Paul's thought. If purpose is involved, then the purpose of Jesus' coming is that every knee will voluntarily bow which is an encouragement to the discouraged Philippians to continue to contend for the faith of the gospel (1:27 cf. 4:2) and hold forth the word of life (2:16). Thirdly, the pattern of the hymn reflects Paul's missiological practice in 1 Cor 9:19-22 and so Paul is reflecting on Jesus as evangelist as he outlines the sequence of his incarnation, death and exaltation. Each component has ethical-evangelistic connections to the position of the Philippians.
11:50 - 12:30 Alice M. Sinnott, “Creation in Psalm 139”
Psalm 139 proposes that the conception of human life is a covenantal undertaking by God, and that the same may be said of the earth and all the Creator brings into being. The “depths of the earth” metaphorically used in Psalm 139 is equated with the mother’s womb, thus the psalmist’s own creation replicates the original genesis of humanity from the earth’s. The psalmist asserts that this creation of individual human beings reflects an unconditional commitment by God to preserve, uphold and sustain the human beings.
12:30 - 1:30 LUNCH
1:30 - 2:30 Tim Bulkeley, "Percentages, Prose and Poetry"
This paper will explore the notion of "prose particles" in biblical Hebrew with particular reference to some disputed texts. It will suggest that the patterns of use of these particles (אֲשֶׁר הֵ* אֶת־) is more complex and more interesting than the Andersen and his collaborators suggest.
2:35 - 3:15 Derek Tovey, “Doxa (“glory”) and Mana: an exploration of concepts with reference to the use of doxa in John’s Gospel”
Doxa (“glory”) and mana are words or, better, concepts that are capacious and have a range of meaning. They are also both difficult concepts to express. This paper explores the concepts contained in each word. From this, it is hoped, will come a greater understanding of the concept of doxa within John’s Gospel. A subsidiary question is whether mana provides an appropriate natural language Maori word to replace kororia, the word transliterated from the English word, “glory”, currently used in Te Paipera Tapu.
3:15 - 3:45 AFTERNOON TEA
3:45 - 4:45 Ren Kempthorne, “Jesus' ministry with Gentiles in the Decapolis region”
The mixed population of the region, Greek and Arab. The Decapolis, separating Nabatean settlements in the Hauran from the rest of their kingdom. Arab penetration of the region, in formerly Nabatean Philadelphia but also in Gerasa and even Hippos, and especially outside the Greek cities in the countryside. Elijah's home in "the land of the Arabs" (Lives of the Prophets). Two of Jesus' healings set in this region with Arab inhabitants - of the Gerasene demoniac and the deaf man. Evidence pointing to the possibility that they were Arab. The background of the demons' "Most High God"; the implications of "what the Lord has done for you"; the context of "Ephphatha".
4:50 – 5:30 Kevin Waldie, "The Gospel on the Silver Screen – What have you seen recently?"
My ongoing research continues to discern links between Scripture and contemporary cinema. Earlier on this year there was The Da Vinci Code; later on there will be The Nativity Story. Some films openly promote religious matters and others do not intentionally set out to promote gospel values but somehow actually speak of the good news in a rather profound way. Therefore the aim of my paper is to address this phenomenon as a biblical scholar who wants to join in the current tide of discussion, bringing to it a voice that is not often heard.
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