Scholars have approached the Gerasene Demoniac pericope (Mark 5:1–20; = GDP) in light of various ... more Scholars have approached the Gerasene Demoniac pericope (Mark 5:1–20; = GDP) in light of various traditions, such as the Homeric parallels, the Watcher (i.e. Enochic) story, the scapegoat motif, and imperial-critical and gendered perspectives. Without denying the validity of these attempts, I suggest that there is still an important—but largely ignored—set of traditions that deserves our attention: the Seth-Typhon traditions. Based on an audience-critical perspective, this article suggests that several elements in GDP could allude to the Seth-Typhon traditions in the minds of the Greco-Roman audience of Mark. The strength of this method is twofold. First, it accounts for the close relationship between GDP and its preceding pericope (i.e. the Storm-Stilling pericope; Mark 4:35–41). Second, it coherently explains multiple critical motifs—the crossing of the sea, the sleeping Jesus, the attempt to drown Jesus, the sea-storm, the foreign area, the legion of demons, and the death of the pigs—featured in Mark 4:35–5:20. According to this approach, Jesus in Mark 4:35–5:20 can be read as a divine warrior who outshines his pagan counterparts (i.e. Zeus and Osiris) as he battles against the cosmic forces of evil and eventually conquers them.
A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 reveals that the passage shares several motifs with th... more A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 reveals that the passage shares several motifs with the Book of Job: (1) a supernatural adversary, (2) physical suffering, (3) an otherworldly place, (4) social adversity, (5) affluence, and (6) boasting. In light of an audience‑critical perspective, this article proposes that the language and imagery in 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 contain a number of allusions that could direct its audience to juxtapose Paul with Job—a well‑known righteous figure who demonstrated physical vulnerability but received public vindication from YHWH. According to this reading, the Joban allusion in the Corinthian passage functions as a rhetorical device that defends Paul’s apostolic authority against the super‑apostles’ charge that his vulnerability evinces his lack of authority.
Scholars have attempted to identify traditions that could possibly stand behind the Synoptic tran... more Scholars have attempted to identify traditions that could possibly stand behind the Synoptic transfiguration pericope. However, they have not come to a consensus about this issue; consequently, there is significant disagreement about what tradition(s) may have influenced the pericope. In this article, I argue that the Yahwistic divine council motif in the Hebrew Bible should be considered as a likely source that almost certainly influenced the Synoptic transfiguration pericope in terms of its elements and structure. The benefit of this novel approach is that it coherently accounts for several crucial elements that appear in the pericope.
The Fifth Trumpet pericope (i.e., Rev. 9.1–12) contains various enigmatic themes: the ascent of t... more The Fifth Trumpet pericope (i.e., Rev. 9.1–12) contains various enigmatic themes: the ascent of the demons from the subterranean prison, the bottomless pit as the domain of the demons, the hybridity of the demons, the hierarchy among the demons, the Angel of the Abyss, the divine restriction on the demons, and the demonic activity as part of the economy of God. In attempting to understand these motifs, most scholars engage the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature, highlighting several important parallels. Although this approach has undoubtably yielded advances in the studies of the Revelation episode, there is still an important but often ignored Second Temple literature that allows us to further scrutinize the text: the book of Jubilees. This article demonstrates that Jubilees provides valuable background information for analyzing Revelation 9.1–12, inviting New Testament scholars to give greater attention to Jubilees in order to obtain a clearer picture of the pericope.
Scholars have generally analyzed the Matthean temptation pericope in the context of Jewish litera... more Scholars have generally analyzed the Matthean temptation pericope in the context of Jewish literatures (i.e., the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature). They have suggested that there exists a parallelism between Jewish figures (i.e., Adam, Moses, Isaiah, and Israel) and Jesus. Without denying the value of such an approach, this article offers a new parallelism that emerges from a comparison of Greco-Roman literature (i.e., Hellenistic and Greco-Roman battle accounts) and the temptation pericope. Based on an audience-critical perspective, this article argues that several elements in the Matthean pericope could allude to the battle narratives in the minds of the Greco-Roman audience who was accessible to the tradition related to the battle accounts. According to this reading, the temptation pericope functions to justify and foreshadow Jesus's impending victory over the satanic forces in the subsequent narratives as Jesus engages demons and performs exorcisms.
Exodus 7:8–15:21 contains a sequence of conflicts between YHWH and Pharaoh that can be divided in... more Exodus 7:8–15:21 contains a sequence of conflicts between YHWH and Pharaoh that can be divided into three parts: the Snake Confrontation, the Ten Plagues of Egypt, and the Parting of the Reed Sea. A careful reading of the entire narrative in conjunction with a New Kingdom Egyptian funerary text—the Book of Gates (BG)—reveals that both works share a number of similarities in terms of themes, terminologies, and structure. However, significant differences also occur at some crucial junctures as the respective stories unfold. These findings suggest that the Israelite author (or group of authors) might have made use of the tradition related to BG—with polemical changes—as one of his sources in framing the Exodus 7–15 narrative, in order to juxtapose the sequence of YHWH’s miracles with the progression of Pharaoh’s impending death. In this regard, Exodus 7:8–15:21 can be read as a polemical parody of the already well‑established myth concerning the sun god’s journey through the Netherworld. According to this parodic reading, YHWH is the deity par excellence who stands above the Egyptian pantheon and controls order in Egypt.
Scholars have understood the anonymity of the Egyptian kings in Exodus in various ways. Some argu... more Scholars have understood the anonymity of the Egyptian kings in Exodus in various ways. Some argue that the Israelite author intentionally anonymized the foreign kings for possible rhetorical effects. Others believe that the anonymity was a simple case of inadvertent forgetting. Although these approaches have merit in contributing to a more robust understanding of the anonymity of Pharaohs, a different approach may also have something to offer in grasping a fuller understanding of the absence of the Pharaonic names. In this regard, this article seeks to examine the anonymity in conversation with the Egyptian practice of damnatio memoriae (i.e., damnation of memory). According to this method, the proto-Israelite transmitters of the Exodus traditions deliberately obliterated the names of the Egyptian kings for the purpose of terminating their existence and memory from the proto-Israelite community.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Sep 2023
A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king... more A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king, Belshazzar, through the Judahite sage, Daniel. This article suggests that a second but not mutually exclusive interpretation is possible in light of the story’s Mesopotamian background. According to this reading, the author of Daniel 5 used the traits of Nabû to subvert the well-known Babylonian belief that Nabû was the tutelary deity for the Babylonian kings. By rendering Nabû completely powerless before the Jewish deity, the author exalts the Jewish deity as the Most High God (אלהא עליא) who effectively displaces Nabû. It is in this capacity that the Most High God weighs the arrogant pagan king’s deeds and then determines the length of his life. Such a theological message would serve to comfort the intended audience of the pericope, the Jewish diaspora community under pagan rule, and encourage them to faithfully obey their God.
Exodus 17:8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles: the placement of Moses upon an anonymous ... more Exodus 17:8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles: the placement of Moses upon an anonymous hill, the cryptic gesture of Moses, the gesture’s direct influence on the battle, the appearance of two assistants (i.e., Aaron and Hur), the function of מטה האלהים, the number of Moses’ raised hands, the name of the altar (i.e., יהוה נסי), and the depiction of Amalek as a perpetual enemy of YHWH and Israel. In order to account for these puzzles, scholars have searched for traditions that could have influenced the Israelite author when composing the text. Unlike previous attempts, this article approaches the text in light of the Egyptian Heliopolitan cosmogony. This methodology coherently accounts for almost all of the elements that appear in the Amalek narrative.
In Rev 1:16a, Jesus is portrayed as holding the seven stars in his right hand. The immediate cont... more In Rev 1:16a, Jesus is portrayed as holding the seven stars in his right hand. The immediate context interprets this imagery as Jesus's exercising his sovereignty over the seven angels of the seven churches (v. 20). This article suggests that a secondary interpretation is possible in light of numismatic evidence and the larger context of Revelation. According to this reading, the depiction of Jesus in Rev 1:16a functions as a literary device that subverts the message embedded in the divvs caesar coin types-a message that promotes the imperial power. By portraying Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in his right hand, the author of Revelation places Jesus far above the imperial power, claiming that Jesus is the ruler par excellence whose sovereignty extends to both the terrestrial and celestial realms.
The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36; BW) features Asael as the culprit who illicitly distribut... more The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36; BW) features Asael as the culprit who illicitly distributed forbidden knowledge to the mortals. In retaliation, God rendered multiple punishments, one of which was the targeting of Asael’s sight (10:5). However, the text itself does not explain why God chose to inflict this form of penalty. This article aims to fill in this literary lacuna in light of the triadic association between sight, light, and knowledge—an association that was widely known in antiquity. This undertaking suggests that the particular offense of the Watchers, including Asael, described in 16:3 (i.e., misusing sight and light in knowledge acquisition) is critical to understanding Asael’s optical sentence. Ultimately, BW demonstrates a talionic correspondence between Asael’s sin and sentence.
The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders ag... more The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders against Asael (10:4–8). Several scholars have tried to identify possible traditions that stand behind these punishments in light of Jewish and Greek literatures. However, Henryk Drawnel recently challenges such attempts, positing a Mesopotamian background. Although Drawnel has shown that interacting with Mesopotamian literatures has something to offer in grasping a fuller understanding of the mentioned passage, this article argues that Greek literatures are still valuable sources, potentially shedding further light on the design of the punishment motifs in BW. In order to demonstrate this supposition, I interact with the myths of Prometheus, Tantalus, and Teiresias. Ultimately, I suggest that scholars should be open to the possibility that various traditions, rather than a single tradition, stand behind the punitive descriptions in BW 10:4–8.
The Book of the Watchers (i.e., 1 Enoch 1–36) contains several punishments for the fallen Watcher... more The Book of the Watchers (i.e., 1 Enoch 1–36) contains several punishments for the fallen Watchers' crimes. Interestingly, one of the penalties is optical in nature – God forces the Watchers to observe the eradication of their beloved offspring (10:12; 12:6; 14:6). However, the text itself does not explain why God chose to in ict this form of penalty. The present article seeks to provide a satisfactory explanation in light of the ocular theories contemporaneous with the mentioned literature. This undertaking reveals that the Watchers' particular offense – voyeurism (6:2) – is critical to understanding their optical sentence because the deities often employed visual penalties to punish improper amorous gazing. In this regard, the Book of the Watchers demonstrates a talionic correspondence between the Watchers' voyeurism and God's response to it. Ultimately, the ocular penalty depicts God as the righteous judge who renders tting retributions to the criminal.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2021
One of the critical objections raised against the Petrine authorship of 1 Peter is the quality of... more One of the critical objections raised against the Petrine authorship of 1 Peter is the quality of the letter that outshines the majority of letters within the NT. In order to bridge that gap between the literacy of “a lower-class illiterate fisherman” and the refined Greek quality of a letter, scholars have promoted the Amanuensis Hypothesis. However, Bart D. Ehrman has recently raised objections against such a hypothesis due to (1) exceptional practice, (2) inappropriate juxtaposition, and (3) shift in authorship. Although Ehrman is neither the first nor the only one to reject the Amanuensis Hypothesis of 1 Peter, his objections have not received adequate treatment. Thus, this article interacts with Ehrman’s objections, ultimately concluding that none of them is substantial enough to debunk the Amanuensis Hypothesis of 1 Peter.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2020
In his influential monographs, Mark A. Chancey rejects the multilingual Galilee based on two grou... more In his influential monographs, Mark A. Chancey rejects the multilingual Galilee based on two grounds: (1) the incorrect use of artifacts and (2) the absence of Hellenistic archaeological evidence in Galilee. He concludes that Greek was not common in Galilee prior to the Roman occupation, thereby promoting the Aramaic hypothesis. This article responds to these objections, arguing that they are not sufficient to promote Chancey’s Aramaic hypothesis. Ultimately, I demonstrate that Greek must have been more common in Galilee than Chancey suggests.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2018
In contrast to the scholarly consensus, this article argues that utilizing the Aramaic Hypothesis... more In contrast to the scholarly consensus, this article argues that utilizing the Aramaic Hypothesis to characterize Peter as an Aramaic-speaking Galilean is less accurate than using sociolinguistic approaches, which characterize Peter as a multilingual speaker who was able to speak Greek fluently. The lack of attention given by traditional methods to the complex mechanisms of sociolinguistic dynamics has resulted in an incomplete understanding of Peter’s linguistic ability. Thus, it is the aim of this article to reevaluate Peter’s linguistic ability and offer a new perspective that is more congruent with his personal sociolinguistic domains (i.e., his birthplace, occupational area, and mission territories).
Scholars have approached the Gerasene Demoniac pericope (Mark 5:1–20; = GDP) in light of various ... more Scholars have approached the Gerasene Demoniac pericope (Mark 5:1–20; = GDP) in light of various traditions, such as the Homeric parallels, the Watcher (i.e. Enochic) story, the scapegoat motif, and imperial-critical and gendered perspectives. Without denying the validity of these attempts, I suggest that there is still an important—but largely ignored—set of traditions that deserves our attention: the Seth-Typhon traditions. Based on an audience-critical perspective, this article suggests that several elements in GDP could allude to the Seth-Typhon traditions in the minds of the Greco-Roman audience of Mark. The strength of this method is twofold. First, it accounts for the close relationship between GDP and its preceding pericope (i.e. the Storm-Stilling pericope; Mark 4:35–41). Second, it coherently explains multiple critical motifs—the crossing of the sea, the sleeping Jesus, the attempt to drown Jesus, the sea-storm, the foreign area, the legion of demons, and the death of the pigs—featured in Mark 4:35–5:20. According to this approach, Jesus in Mark 4:35–5:20 can be read as a divine warrior who outshines his pagan counterparts (i.e. Zeus and Osiris) as he battles against the cosmic forces of evil and eventually conquers them.
A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 reveals that the passage shares several motifs with th... more A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 reveals that the passage shares several motifs with the Book of Job: (1) a supernatural adversary, (2) physical suffering, (3) an otherworldly place, (4) social adversity, (5) affluence, and (6) boasting. In light of an audience‑critical perspective, this article proposes that the language and imagery in 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 contain a number of allusions that could direct its audience to juxtapose Paul with Job—a well‑known righteous figure who demonstrated physical vulnerability but received public vindication from YHWH. According to this reading, the Joban allusion in the Corinthian passage functions as a rhetorical device that defends Paul’s apostolic authority against the super‑apostles’ charge that his vulnerability evinces his lack of authority.
Scholars have attempted to identify traditions that could possibly stand behind the Synoptic tran... more Scholars have attempted to identify traditions that could possibly stand behind the Synoptic transfiguration pericope. However, they have not come to a consensus about this issue; consequently, there is significant disagreement about what tradition(s) may have influenced the pericope. In this article, I argue that the Yahwistic divine council motif in the Hebrew Bible should be considered as a likely source that almost certainly influenced the Synoptic transfiguration pericope in terms of its elements and structure. The benefit of this novel approach is that it coherently accounts for several crucial elements that appear in the pericope.
The Fifth Trumpet pericope (i.e., Rev. 9.1–12) contains various enigmatic themes: the ascent of t... more The Fifth Trumpet pericope (i.e., Rev. 9.1–12) contains various enigmatic themes: the ascent of the demons from the subterranean prison, the bottomless pit as the domain of the demons, the hybridity of the demons, the hierarchy among the demons, the Angel of the Abyss, the divine restriction on the demons, and the demonic activity as part of the economy of God. In attempting to understand these motifs, most scholars engage the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature, highlighting several important parallels. Although this approach has undoubtably yielded advances in the studies of the Revelation episode, there is still an important but often ignored Second Temple literature that allows us to further scrutinize the text: the book of Jubilees. This article demonstrates that Jubilees provides valuable background information for analyzing Revelation 9.1–12, inviting New Testament scholars to give greater attention to Jubilees in order to obtain a clearer picture of the pericope.
Scholars have generally analyzed the Matthean temptation pericope in the context of Jewish litera... more Scholars have generally analyzed the Matthean temptation pericope in the context of Jewish literatures (i.e., the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature). They have suggested that there exists a parallelism between Jewish figures (i.e., Adam, Moses, Isaiah, and Israel) and Jesus. Without denying the value of such an approach, this article offers a new parallelism that emerges from a comparison of Greco-Roman literature (i.e., Hellenistic and Greco-Roman battle accounts) and the temptation pericope. Based on an audience-critical perspective, this article argues that several elements in the Matthean pericope could allude to the battle narratives in the minds of the Greco-Roman audience who was accessible to the tradition related to the battle accounts. According to this reading, the temptation pericope functions to justify and foreshadow Jesus's impending victory over the satanic forces in the subsequent narratives as Jesus engages demons and performs exorcisms.
Exodus 7:8–15:21 contains a sequence of conflicts between YHWH and Pharaoh that can be divided in... more Exodus 7:8–15:21 contains a sequence of conflicts between YHWH and Pharaoh that can be divided into three parts: the Snake Confrontation, the Ten Plagues of Egypt, and the Parting of the Reed Sea. A careful reading of the entire narrative in conjunction with a New Kingdom Egyptian funerary text—the Book of Gates (BG)—reveals that both works share a number of similarities in terms of themes, terminologies, and structure. However, significant differences also occur at some crucial junctures as the respective stories unfold. These findings suggest that the Israelite author (or group of authors) might have made use of the tradition related to BG—with polemical changes—as one of his sources in framing the Exodus 7–15 narrative, in order to juxtapose the sequence of YHWH’s miracles with the progression of Pharaoh’s impending death. In this regard, Exodus 7:8–15:21 can be read as a polemical parody of the already well‑established myth concerning the sun god’s journey through the Netherworld. According to this parodic reading, YHWH is the deity par excellence who stands above the Egyptian pantheon and controls order in Egypt.
Scholars have understood the anonymity of the Egyptian kings in Exodus in various ways. Some argu... more Scholars have understood the anonymity of the Egyptian kings in Exodus in various ways. Some argue that the Israelite author intentionally anonymized the foreign kings for possible rhetorical effects. Others believe that the anonymity was a simple case of inadvertent forgetting. Although these approaches have merit in contributing to a more robust understanding of the anonymity of Pharaohs, a different approach may also have something to offer in grasping a fuller understanding of the absence of the Pharaonic names. In this regard, this article seeks to examine the anonymity in conversation with the Egyptian practice of damnatio memoriae (i.e., damnation of memory). According to this method, the proto-Israelite transmitters of the Exodus traditions deliberately obliterated the names of the Egyptian kings for the purpose of terminating their existence and memory from the proto-Israelite community.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Sep 2023
A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king... more A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king, Belshazzar, through the Judahite sage, Daniel. This article suggests that a second but not mutually exclusive interpretation is possible in light of the story’s Mesopotamian background. According to this reading, the author of Daniel 5 used the traits of Nabû to subvert the well-known Babylonian belief that Nabû was the tutelary deity for the Babylonian kings. By rendering Nabû completely powerless before the Jewish deity, the author exalts the Jewish deity as the Most High God (אלהא עליא) who effectively displaces Nabû. It is in this capacity that the Most High God weighs the arrogant pagan king’s deeds and then determines the length of his life. Such a theological message would serve to comfort the intended audience of the pericope, the Jewish diaspora community under pagan rule, and encourage them to faithfully obey their God.
Exodus 17:8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles: the placement of Moses upon an anonymous ... more Exodus 17:8–16 contains a number of exegetical puzzles: the placement of Moses upon an anonymous hill, the cryptic gesture of Moses, the gesture’s direct influence on the battle, the appearance of two assistants (i.e., Aaron and Hur), the function of מטה האלהים, the number of Moses’ raised hands, the name of the altar (i.e., יהוה נסי), and the depiction of Amalek as a perpetual enemy of YHWH and Israel. In order to account for these puzzles, scholars have searched for traditions that could have influenced the Israelite author when composing the text. Unlike previous attempts, this article approaches the text in light of the Egyptian Heliopolitan cosmogony. This methodology coherently accounts for almost all of the elements that appear in the Amalek narrative.
In Rev 1:16a, Jesus is portrayed as holding the seven stars in his right hand. The immediate cont... more In Rev 1:16a, Jesus is portrayed as holding the seven stars in his right hand. The immediate context interprets this imagery as Jesus's exercising his sovereignty over the seven angels of the seven churches (v. 20). This article suggests that a secondary interpretation is possible in light of numismatic evidence and the larger context of Revelation. According to this reading, the depiction of Jesus in Rev 1:16a functions as a literary device that subverts the message embedded in the divvs caesar coin types-a message that promotes the imperial power. By portraying Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in his right hand, the author of Revelation places Jesus far above the imperial power, claiming that Jesus is the ruler par excellence whose sovereignty extends to both the terrestrial and celestial realms.
The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36; BW) features Asael as the culprit who illicitly distribut... more The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36; BW) features Asael as the culprit who illicitly distributed forbidden knowledge to the mortals. In retaliation, God rendered multiple punishments, one of which was the targeting of Asael’s sight (10:5). However, the text itself does not explain why God chose to inflict this form of penalty. This article aims to fill in this literary lacuna in light of the triadic association between sight, light, and knowledge—an association that was widely known in antiquity. This undertaking suggests that the particular offense of the Watchers, including Asael, described in 16:3 (i.e., misusing sight and light in knowledge acquisition) is critical to understanding Asael’s optical sentence. Ultimately, BW demonstrates a talionic correspondence between Asael’s sin and sentence.
The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders ag... more The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1–38; BW) describes a series of punishments that God renders against Asael (10:4–8). Several scholars have tried to identify possible traditions that stand behind these punishments in light of Jewish and Greek literatures. However, Henryk Drawnel recently challenges such attempts, positing a Mesopotamian background. Although Drawnel has shown that interacting with Mesopotamian literatures has something to offer in grasping a fuller understanding of the mentioned passage, this article argues that Greek literatures are still valuable sources, potentially shedding further light on the design of the punishment motifs in BW. In order to demonstrate this supposition, I interact with the myths of Prometheus, Tantalus, and Teiresias. Ultimately, I suggest that scholars should be open to the possibility that various traditions, rather than a single tradition, stand behind the punitive descriptions in BW 10:4–8.
The Book of the Watchers (i.e., 1 Enoch 1–36) contains several punishments for the fallen Watcher... more The Book of the Watchers (i.e., 1 Enoch 1–36) contains several punishments for the fallen Watchers' crimes. Interestingly, one of the penalties is optical in nature – God forces the Watchers to observe the eradication of their beloved offspring (10:12; 12:6; 14:6). However, the text itself does not explain why God chose to in ict this form of penalty. The present article seeks to provide a satisfactory explanation in light of the ocular theories contemporaneous with the mentioned literature. This undertaking reveals that the Watchers' particular offense – voyeurism (6:2) – is critical to understanding their optical sentence because the deities often employed visual penalties to punish improper amorous gazing. In this regard, the Book of the Watchers demonstrates a talionic correspondence between the Watchers' voyeurism and God's response to it. Ultimately, the ocular penalty depicts God as the righteous judge who renders tting retributions to the criminal.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2021
One of the critical objections raised against the Petrine authorship of 1 Peter is the quality of... more One of the critical objections raised against the Petrine authorship of 1 Peter is the quality of the letter that outshines the majority of letters within the NT. In order to bridge that gap between the literacy of “a lower-class illiterate fisherman” and the refined Greek quality of a letter, scholars have promoted the Amanuensis Hypothesis. However, Bart D. Ehrman has recently raised objections against such a hypothesis due to (1) exceptional practice, (2) inappropriate juxtaposition, and (3) shift in authorship. Although Ehrman is neither the first nor the only one to reject the Amanuensis Hypothesis of 1 Peter, his objections have not received adequate treatment. Thus, this article interacts with Ehrman’s objections, ultimately concluding that none of them is substantial enough to debunk the Amanuensis Hypothesis of 1 Peter.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2020
In his influential monographs, Mark A. Chancey rejects the multilingual Galilee based on two grou... more In his influential monographs, Mark A. Chancey rejects the multilingual Galilee based on two grounds: (1) the incorrect use of artifacts and (2) the absence of Hellenistic archaeological evidence in Galilee. He concludes that Greek was not common in Galilee prior to the Roman occupation, thereby promoting the Aramaic hypothesis. This article responds to these objections, arguing that they are not sufficient to promote Chancey’s Aramaic hypothesis. Ultimately, I demonstrate that Greek must have been more common in Galilee than Chancey suggests.
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2018
In contrast to the scholarly consensus, this article argues that utilizing the Aramaic Hypothesis... more In contrast to the scholarly consensus, this article argues that utilizing the Aramaic Hypothesis to characterize Peter as an Aramaic-speaking Galilean is less accurate than using sociolinguistic approaches, which characterize Peter as a multilingual speaker who was able to speak Greek fluently. The lack of attention given by traditional methods to the complex mechanisms of sociolinguistic dynamics has resulted in an incomplete understanding of Peter’s linguistic ability. Thus, it is the aim of this article to reevaluate Peter’s linguistic ability and offer a new perspective that is more congruent with his personal sociolinguistic domains (i.e., his birthplace, occupational area, and mission territories).
The disappearance of the Ausgangstext of 1 Peter and the unavailability of an undisputed sample o... more The disappearance of the Ausgangstext of 1 Peter and the unavailability of an undisputed sample of Peter's writing have been abused by critics who hold to radical skepticism. After typifying Peter as an Aramaic-speaking illiterate fisherman, they simply conclude that the epistle is just too good for him to have written it, due to its extensive use of the LXX and its Greek quality which outshines that of Paul. As a result, the Pseudonymous Hypothesis of 1 Peter has been long argued for. However, a more scrutinized approach is required when it comes to determining the authorship of any given text, especially when a text lacks enough material evidence to either reject or accept its authorship.
This paper attempts to provide a sophisticated and comprehensive methodology that best explains the evidence. In order to perform this task, the sociolinguistic situation of Roman Palestine and Greco-Roman epistolary convention will be carefully investigated, consequently painting a portrait of the cognitive environment of Peter and his contemporaries. If the desired tasks are performed successfully, then the historical reconstruction that best fits the available data will be available for us to judge, allowing us to accept or reject Peter's capability to compose the epistle in a way that the purported author did.
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This paper attempts to provide a sophisticated and comprehensive methodology that best explains the evidence. In order to perform this task, the sociolinguistic situation of Roman Palestine and Greco-Roman epistolary convention will be carefully investigated, consequently painting a portrait of the cognitive environment of Peter and his contemporaries. If the desired tasks are performed successfully, then the historical reconstruction that best fits the available data will be available for us to judge, allowing us to accept or reject Peter's capability to compose the epistle in a way that the purported author did.