A suggestion is made about a possible but hitherto unnoticed Jacob–Esau allusion in the Petrine v... more A suggestion is made about a possible but hitherto unnoticed Jacob–Esau allusion in the Petrine vision of Acts 10. This not only fits well with the dense scriptural intertexture already observed for the passage but may further illuminate the tense issues involved, both in the impending Cornelius visit and in the related Acts 15 conference. Besides offering a close match to Acts 10:13 in the fateful meal invitation of Gen 27:19, the Jacob–Esau story was not only widely used in relation to the Jew–gentile divide but also displays a strong connection to food and the capture and slaughter of animals. Jewish traditions about the source of Esau’s power over “all the beasts of the field and birds of the air” may lie behind the otherwise curious image in the vision. The story’s brooding sense of conflict and deception and the vulnerability of the ailing Isaac, whose persona Peter is invited to assume, all contribute to the destabilisation the vision seeks to achieve.
In this paper, I focus on the puzzling ending of the apostolic letter in Acts 15 in which the add... more In this paper, I focus on the puzzling ending of the apostolic letter in Acts 15 in which the addressees are told that if they hold to four “essential” prohibitions, they will “do well” (εὖ πράξετε, v. 29). The question as to how, exactly, can destabilise some understandings of the decree, with alternative translations creating different problems, and particularly so where theological commitments are at play. Following Danker’s call for greater attention to this phrase, I undertake a fresh, stratified survey of Greek usage across corpora ranging from the arguably less to the more proximate and bring this into dialogue with the senses given in various literary and social approaches to the decree involving epistolary rhetoric, reciprocity theory, and intertextuality. This reveals how purely linguistic data can stand in tension with compositional arguments in different ways and require a more complex arbitration between possibility, likelihood and coherence when both lexical and discourse level constraints are applied. Whilst not solving the problem of the decree outright, observing the impacts of different readings of εὖ πράξετε on the delicate balances involved presses some oblique but productive questions into the interpretive task.
It has long been suggested that via a sequence of running motifs, the author of Luke-Acts plays u... more It has long been suggested that via a sequence of running motifs, the author of Luke-Acts plays upon a perceived analogy between early Christianity and the Dionysian cult. Scholars often claim that Luke modelled the unconverted Paul on the persecuting King Pentheus in Euripides' Bacchae, not only because of the pattern of opposition to a new religious movement, but also because of specific wording and imagery in several narratives, particularly the Damascus Road vision in Acts 9:1-9. Peter, however, is rarely read in such terms. One reason for this is that although aspects of his broader characterisation fit Penthean themes, as do points of detail in some passages, his corresponding vision in Acts 10:9-16, whilst 'oppositional' in general terms, is not felt to carry any specifically Dionysian overtones. This tends to leave Paul as the sole 'Pentheus'. Yet Peter's vision, with its alarming meal of live animals arguably boasts a Bacchic motif of similar strength, pressing its parity to the Pauline account. I suggest that this new connection not only makes the Lukan 'parallelisation' more thoroughgoing but shows how a Dionysian intertexture was felt to be particularly suitable for capturing the sense of perplexity, menace, and personal undoing evident in the two visionary encounters.
Ministry students from conservative backgrounds have well-known difficulties when they first meet... more Ministry students from conservative backgrounds have well-known difficulties when they first meet critical approaches to the Bible. However, as educators start to meet this challenge more frequently with intakes swelled by numbers from the global Pentecostal Diaspora, the pedagogical issues arising warrant further thought. Noting recent appeals to Threshold Concept theory, I suggest that we may rather underestimate Scripture's unique type of "troublesomeness" for some students, and that the applicability of such approaches to those from "intratextual" faith contexts may need some qualification. Nuancing the problem via faith development and deconversion studies, I suggest the importance not so much of winning arguments, but of seeking to naturalise scriptural criticality within indwelt piety and discussing concrete ways of negotiating continuity of identity, integrity and vocation.
A suggestion is made about a possible but hitherto unnoticed Jacob–Esau allusion in the Petrine v... more A suggestion is made about a possible but hitherto unnoticed Jacob–Esau allusion in the Petrine vision of Acts 10. This not only fits well with the dense scriptural intertexture already observed for the passage but may further illuminate the tense issues involved, both in the impending Cornelius visit and in the related Acts 15 conference. Besides offering a close match to Acts 10:13 in the fateful meal invitation of Gen 27:19, the Jacob–Esau story was not only widely used in relation to the Jew–gentile divide but also displays a strong connection to food and the capture and slaughter of animals. Jewish traditions about the source of Esau’s power over “all the beasts of the field and birds of the air” may lie behind the otherwise curious image in the vision. The story’s brooding sense of conflict and deception and the vulnerability of the ailing Isaac, whose persona Peter is invited to assume, all contribute to the destabilisation the vision seeks to achieve.
In this paper, I focus on the puzzling ending of the apostolic letter in Acts 15 in which the add... more In this paper, I focus on the puzzling ending of the apostolic letter in Acts 15 in which the addressees are told that if they hold to four “essential” prohibitions, they will “do well” (εὖ πράξετε, v. 29). The question as to how, exactly, can destabilise some understandings of the decree, with alternative translations creating different problems, and particularly so where theological commitments are at play. Following Danker’s call for greater attention to this phrase, I undertake a fresh, stratified survey of Greek usage across corpora ranging from the arguably less to the more proximate and bring this into dialogue with the senses given in various literary and social approaches to the decree involving epistolary rhetoric, reciprocity theory, and intertextuality. This reveals how purely linguistic data can stand in tension with compositional arguments in different ways and require a more complex arbitration between possibility, likelihood and coherence when both lexical and discourse level constraints are applied. Whilst not solving the problem of the decree outright, observing the impacts of different readings of εὖ πράξετε on the delicate balances involved presses some oblique but productive questions into the interpretive task.
It has long been suggested that via a sequence of running motifs, the author of Luke-Acts plays u... more It has long been suggested that via a sequence of running motifs, the author of Luke-Acts plays upon a perceived analogy between early Christianity and the Dionysian cult. Scholars often claim that Luke modelled the unconverted Paul on the persecuting King Pentheus in Euripides' Bacchae, not only because of the pattern of opposition to a new religious movement, but also because of specific wording and imagery in several narratives, particularly the Damascus Road vision in Acts 9:1-9. Peter, however, is rarely read in such terms. One reason for this is that although aspects of his broader characterisation fit Penthean themes, as do points of detail in some passages, his corresponding vision in Acts 10:9-16, whilst 'oppositional' in general terms, is not felt to carry any specifically Dionysian overtones. This tends to leave Paul as the sole 'Pentheus'. Yet Peter's vision, with its alarming meal of live animals arguably boasts a Bacchic motif of similar strength, pressing its parity to the Pauline account. I suggest that this new connection not only makes the Lukan 'parallelisation' more thoroughgoing but shows how a Dionysian intertexture was felt to be particularly suitable for capturing the sense of perplexity, menace, and personal undoing evident in the two visionary encounters.
Ministry students from conservative backgrounds have well-known difficulties when they first meet... more Ministry students from conservative backgrounds have well-known difficulties when they first meet critical approaches to the Bible. However, as educators start to meet this challenge more frequently with intakes swelled by numbers from the global Pentecostal Diaspora, the pedagogical issues arising warrant further thought. Noting recent appeals to Threshold Concept theory, I suggest that we may rather underestimate Scripture's unique type of "troublesomeness" for some students, and that the applicability of such approaches to those from "intratextual" faith contexts may need some qualification. Nuancing the problem via faith development and deconversion studies, I suggest the importance not so much of winning arguments, but of seeking to naturalise scriptural criticality within indwelt piety and discussing concrete ways of negotiating continuity of identity, integrity and vocation.
Uploads
Papers by John R L Moxon