Study of Josephus’ interpretation of the Bible has focused on the paraphrase in Antiquities, but Josephus continued to engage Scripture in his post-biblical history. This article contends that Josephus, like the authors of the synoptic gospels and later Jewish exegetes, saw the events of 66-70 C.E. through the lens of Jeremiah’s temple sermon (7:1-34). The accounts of Jesus ben Ananias and Josephus’ speech before the city walls, among other examples, show recourse to Jeremiah 7.
The attempt to identify the obscure "son of God" figure in 4Q246 often begins with discussion of the structure of the fragment and the background of the titles employed. This article suggests there are problems with both approaches and offers an alterna tive: an examination of biblical naming traditions and a rhetorical analysis of the way in which the figure "is called" the son of God in i 9 and ii 1. It concludes that the "son" is probably identified positively given the fragment's similarity with positive naming tra ditions in the biblical text, as well as its dissimilarity with other examples of Jewish and Christian polemic. Further, it is probable that the divine naming of the figure partici pates in a widespread messianic topos.
Keywords
4Q246 -Messiah -Daniel 7 -eschatology -intertextuality -Qumran Aramaic -son of God
Text and Key IssuesHistory has preserved less than two columns of 4Q246. But of what has sur vived, it is hard to say anything without stepping on some critic's toes. The fragment reads: * Many thanks to Dale Allison, James Durlesser, and Daniel Frayer-Griggs for their feedback on an earlier version of this article. Thanks also to the participants in the "Non-Canonical Texts" session at the 2013 e g l b s in Erie, p a for their queries and comments.
This article defends the rarely encountered suggestion that Matthew's insertion of "Jesus" in the tituüis (27:37) recalls the word of the Angel to Joseph: "You will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). The reading has precedent in the work of John Gill but is altogether absent from Matthew commentaries and mentioned only in passing in a select few exegetical studies. The structure of Matthev/s gospel, components of his form and style, the narrative shape of his crucifixion scene, and his attempt to associate the death of Jesus with the forgiveness of sins, all suggest that "Jesus" on the titulus is more significant than hitherto realized. Like the fiilfiUment of Scripture in the casting of lots and the words of mockery from the passersby, the inscription unwittingly witnesses to Jesus as the Savior of his people.
In Matthew's version of Peter's confession, the disciple says to Jesus, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God," and Jesus responds, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my Father in . In the history of interpretation these two verses have been used in debates about the Trinity, Christology, revelation, and personal salvation. is intriguing history has not been properly documented by scholars, since reception histories have focused on the re-naming of Peter as "the rock" (vv. 18-19) and the feud between Protestants and Catholics over the papacy during the Reformation. is paper explores the forgotten exegesis of vv. 16-17 from the patristic to the modern period, organizing readers synchronically in terms of what they believe Peter meant by his confession (v. 16) as well as their explanation of why Jesus blessed Peter (v. 17). While primarily descriptive, the article shows how exegesis of Matt. 16:16-17 highlights theological debates unique to the time of each thinker, exposes the creativity of interpretive methods, and replicates the logic of larger theological systems in miniature.
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