The formation and development of Wrede’s “Messianic Secret” has been a central facet of Markan st... more The formation and development of Wrede’s “Messianic Secret” has been a central facet of Markan studies for over a century. Building on and revising this principle, I propose first, that the Messianic Secret in Jesus’ ministry was to serve as an intentional, gradual, and calculated unfolding of His identity in a progressive manner which thus would act as a corrective for the disciples’ Messianic expectations. Second, I propose that this progressive Christology centers on a motif of the relationship between Jesus’ Identity and Authority. Through the employment of teaching, miracles, and displays of divine prerogatives and power, Jesus’ authority is used to draw the disciples to a better understanding and acceptance of his true identity. That is, they move from an initial understanding of Jesus as a simple Rabbi to one having authority over demons, sickness, sin and forgiveness, tradition, the law and Sabbath, and even over the elements of nature. This is at the same time juxtaposed against those who know Jesus’ identity and over whom Jesus has full authority (demons) and against those who are mistaken in their supposition of his identity and over whom Jesus has no authority (e.g. Jewish leaders, those of his hometown, Herod). This displays the relationship of Identity and Authority in Mark, namely that authority only comes with proper understanding of identity. Third and finally, this presentation will briefly examine one major ramification of this proposal, namely the resituation of the turning point of Mark from Peter’s confession of faith (Mark 8:29) to the Mount of Transfiguration (9:2-8) as the Mount of Transfiguration pericope serves as the pinnacle of the revelation of Jesus’ Identity and Authority.
Current PhD student at Denver University and Iliff School of Theology in "Studies in Religion" fo... more Current PhD student at Denver University and Iliff School of Theology in "Studies in Religion" focusing on Biblical and Patristic exegesis and hermeneutical methods as applied both to texts and to people groups. My focus in Biblical Exegesis is specifically focused on the Gospel of Mark, particularly Mark's Christology, his use of the motif of identity and authority, and a reevaluation of the assumed turning point of the Gospel. Other interests include: Early Christianity and the development of its texts, belief, and practice, Ecumenism and developing models of understanding and engagement, and monastic and ascetical theology and practice.
An Exegetical Examination of Deuteronomy 7:16-26 in which Moses commands the people to remember G... more An Exegetical Examination of Deuteronomy 7:16-26 in which Moses commands the people to remember God's past faithfulness, to take courage, and to destroy the idols of the land. This includes an examination of God's promises and responsibilities and of man's response and responsibilities, moving from a promised fulfillment by God, to a cooperative fulfillment, to a final imperative of the nations' requirement in fulfillment. The paper closes with synthesis, interpretation, and application.
The complication in a study of the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסד) is conveying an adequate
English unde... more The complication in a study of the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסד) is conveying an adequate English understanding of the Hebrew concept. Language is never a one-for-one equivalency, but the practice of translation is one of discovering and conveying concepts into one’s own terms and language. In this case, the vessel of English terminology is too limited to relay hesed in one single word. The best understanding of hesed would come from a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language and, with that, extensive time spent engaging in focused reading. It would only be by this method that one might be able to catch all the nuance of the word as it is used in various contexts and thus come to a comfortable understanding of its range of semantic domain. Despite this challenge, it is the purpose of this paper to introduce the reader to three helpful tools to come nearer to a robust understanding of hesed. To facilitate this, we will briefly examine the way in which it is employed in the context of divine usage, in the context of human usage, and then we will see the concept displayed in the reunion of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 32-33.
The formation and development of Wrede’s “Messianic Secret” has been a central facet of Markan st... more The formation and development of Wrede’s “Messianic Secret” has been a central facet of Markan studies for over a century. Building on and revising this principle, I propose first, that the Messianic Secret in Jesus’ ministry was to serve as an intentional, gradual, and calculated unfolding of His identity in a progressive manner which thus would act as a corrective for the disciples’ Messianic expectations. Second, I propose that this progressive Christology centers on a motif of the relationship between Jesus’ Identity and Authority. Through the employment of teaching, miracles, and displays of divine prerogatives and power, Jesus’ authority is used to draw the disciples to a better understanding and acceptance of his true identity. That is, they move from an initial understanding of Jesus as a simple Rabbi to one having authority over demons, sickness, sin and forgiveness, tradition, the law and Sabbath, and even over the elements of nature. This is at the same time juxtaposed against those who know Jesus’ identity and over whom Jesus has full authority (demons) and against those who are mistaken in their supposition of his identity and over whom Jesus has no authority (e.g. Jewish leaders, those of his hometown, Herod). This displays the relationship of Identity and Authority in Mark, namely that authority only comes with proper understanding of identity. Third and finally, this presentation will briefly examine one major ramification of this proposal, namely the resituation of the turning point of Mark from Peter’s confession of faith (Mark 8:29) to the Mount of Transfiguration (9:2-8) as the Mount of Transfiguration pericope serves as the pinnacle of the revelation of Jesus’ Identity and Authority.
Current PhD student at Denver University and Iliff School of Theology in "Studies in Religion" fo... more Current PhD student at Denver University and Iliff School of Theology in "Studies in Religion" focusing on Biblical and Patristic exegesis and hermeneutical methods as applied both to texts and to people groups. My focus in Biblical Exegesis is specifically focused on the Gospel of Mark, particularly Mark's Christology, his use of the motif of identity and authority, and a reevaluation of the assumed turning point of the Gospel. Other interests include: Early Christianity and the development of its texts, belief, and practice, Ecumenism and developing models of understanding and engagement, and monastic and ascetical theology and practice.
An Exegetical Examination of Deuteronomy 7:16-26 in which Moses commands the people to remember G... more An Exegetical Examination of Deuteronomy 7:16-26 in which Moses commands the people to remember God's past faithfulness, to take courage, and to destroy the idols of the land. This includes an examination of God's promises and responsibilities and of man's response and responsibilities, moving from a promised fulfillment by God, to a cooperative fulfillment, to a final imperative of the nations' requirement in fulfillment. The paper closes with synthesis, interpretation, and application.
The complication in a study of the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסד) is conveying an adequate
English unde... more The complication in a study of the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסד) is conveying an adequate English understanding of the Hebrew concept. Language is never a one-for-one equivalency, but the practice of translation is one of discovering and conveying concepts into one’s own terms and language. In this case, the vessel of English terminology is too limited to relay hesed in one single word. The best understanding of hesed would come from a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language and, with that, extensive time spent engaging in focused reading. It would only be by this method that one might be able to catch all the nuance of the word as it is used in various contexts and thus come to a comfortable understanding of its range of semantic domain. Despite this challenge, it is the purpose of this paper to introduce the reader to three helpful tools to come nearer to a robust understanding of hesed. To facilitate this, we will briefly examine the way in which it is employed in the context of divine usage, in the context of human usage, and then we will see the concept displayed in the reunion of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 32-33.
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English understanding of the Hebrew concept. Language is never a one-for-one equivalency, but the practice of translation is one of discovering and conveying concepts into one’s own terms and language. In this case, the vessel of English terminology is too limited to relay hesed in one single word. The best understanding of hesed would come from a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language and, with that, extensive time spent engaging in focused reading. It would only be by this method that one might be able to catch all the nuance of the word as it is used in various contexts and thus come to a comfortable understanding of its range of semantic domain. Despite this challenge, it is the purpose of this paper to introduce the reader to three helpful tools to come nearer to a robust understanding of hesed. To facilitate this, we will briefly examine the way in which it is employed in the context of divine usage, in the context of human usage, and then we will see the concept displayed in the reunion of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 32-33.
English understanding of the Hebrew concept. Language is never a one-for-one equivalency, but the practice of translation is one of discovering and conveying concepts into one’s own terms and language. In this case, the vessel of English terminology is too limited to relay hesed in one single word. The best understanding of hesed would come from a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language and, with that, extensive time spent engaging in focused reading. It would only be by this method that one might be able to catch all the nuance of the word as it is used in various contexts and thus come to a comfortable understanding of its range of semantic domain. Despite this challenge, it is the purpose of this paper to introduce the reader to three helpful tools to come nearer to a robust understanding of hesed. To facilitate this, we will briefly examine the way in which it is employed in the context of divine usage, in the context of human usage, and then we will see the concept displayed in the reunion of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 32-33.